DNA solves 1988 Silsbee murder

SILSBEE — A nearly four-decade-old Silsbee murder case has been solved through DNA evidence and forensic genealogy, according to the Silsbee Police Department. Police announced that investigators identified Allen Wayne Mosley as the person responsible for the 1988 sexual assault and murder of 26-year-old Caroline Susan Bolen. Mosley died in 2006 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following an argument with his spouse, according to police. Officers were dispatched July 28, 1988, to Bolen’s residence at 1280 Cooks Road in Silsbee, where she was found dead inside her home. Police said her 6-year-old son was left alone in the residence after the assailant left. The case remained open but eventually went cold. In 2019, it was reassigned to Silsbee Police Department Special Assignment Unit Investigator Justin Holt while also being reviewed by Texas Ranger Brandon Bess with the Texas Rangers Co. A Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program. Investigators began a full re-examination of the case, including evidence review and new forensic testing. In August 2022, the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory in Houston developed a DNA profile from biological evidence recovered at the scene, including blood found beneath Bolen’s fingernails and evidence recovered during the autopsy. The profile was entered into CODIS, but no match was found. Investigators then used forensic genealogy through Othram Inc. in The Woodlands, with funding provided through two grants from Season of Justice, a nonprofit supporting unresolved violent crime investigations. The genealogy work eventually led investigators to Mosley, who lived on Woodward Lane in Silsbee, near Bolen’s home, at the time of the killing. Police said Mosley was then on court-ordered supervision for a prior rape charge in Jasper County involving the stranger abduction of a minor. Holt said the case was solved through a broad team effort. “Each person had a critical role in the solve in this case,” Holt said. “Without each one, we would not be here today. The credit truly doesn’t go to one person but a team effort.” Holt credited the original investigators for preserving evidence, Chief Shawn Blackwell for dedicating resources to the case, the Texas DPS lab and the Texas Rangers who worked alongside Silsbee investigators. “I’m extremely proud to have been afforded the opportunity to work alongside some of the best Texas Rangers,” Holt said. “It was truly an honor and a privilege.” Police said Mosley’s family cooperated with investigators and is believed to have been unaware of his crimes. Investigators also uncovered additional sexual assault allegations involving at least three underage victims connected to Mosley. Police said they hope the resolution brings some closure to Bolen’s family and loved ones.