Texas Cold Case – Do You Know Anything About The Murder Of Mary Jane Lara?

On March 22nd, 2003, the body of Mary Jane Lara was found in Belton, Texas. Her body, located by an unnamed individual, was spotted in a creek. She was 43 years old.

Nearly 21 years later, one major question still remains in the hearts and minds of her loved ones: Who took her life?

Details Of The Case

As reported KCEN, Mary's cause of death was gunshot wound to the back of her head. Temple police began inquiries into her movements to the previous evening to see if they could retrace her steps. A retired Temple Police Department homicide detective named Corey Powell, who Bell County Law Enforcement tasked with examining the facts, looked back at the previous night to find out where she was.

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Powell revealed that Mary Jane's last known location was the Bloom's Motel. She was reportedly visiting friends, "then left before midnight to go get some items from the store and never returned,” as stated by Powell. In addition, Powell revealed that she was alleged to have left alone.

One major piece of evidence that Powell discussed was the vehicle left behind by Mary Jane Lara. New items of importance were discovered, like a lighter covered in blood, and fingerprints that matched after a repeat run through the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System.

Mary Jane Lara's Words To Her Sister Arises Suspicion Of Something Wrong

Julia Gurado, the younger sister of Mary Jane Lara, recalled a conversation she had with her before her murder. As reported by KCEN, Gurado said:

"She had called me like a couple, like a week ahead of time and she told me ‘sis if anything ever happened to me, underneath the bed there's a black safe."

After Mary Jane Lara was killed, Gurado followed Mary Jane's instructions, but could not locate the safe mentioned.

How You Can Help Bring The Culprit To Justice

Bell County law enforcement encourage those with any information on the case to call police with tips, or phone Bell County Crime Stoppers at 254-526-8477.