Texas Man Accused Of Murdering Corrections Officer And Grandmother In 2019 And Leaving Her Body In the Forest

Authorities in Texas took a suspect into custody in connection with the 2019 cold case slaying of a grandmother of five.

Police in Shepherd arrested Robert Dale Clary, 65, on Oct. 31 and charged him with murdering Rhonda Richardson, a corrections officer with the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Blue Bonnet News reported.

On May 22, 2019, Richardson’s body was found in the Sam Houston National Forest and the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office opened a homicide investigation with multiple other agencies, including the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the US Forest Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Police have not said how she died or released a motive in the case.

Despite the agencies' best efforts, the case went cold until last month, when authorities said advances in electronic forensic allowed them to gather more evidence in the murder case.

Detectives reviewed evidence, reinterviewed multiple witnesses and consulted with digital forensic and pathology experts, according to Blue Bonnet News.

A judge then approved an arrest warrant for Clary.

“Rhonda’s children and grandchildren have waited over three years for justice,” San Jacinto County Criminal District Attorney Todd Dillon said. “Our office looks forward to Mr. Clary having his day in court.”