Suvechha Sarkar
Mary Catherine Edwards was a school teacher who was loved dearly by her family and friends. However, an ordinary day in January 1995 took a tragic turn in Beaumont, Texas, when she was found dead in her home. What followed was a long journey to seek justice that spanned almost three decades. ABC’s ’20/20: The Code Breaker’ delves deep into the horrific circumstances of her murder and how investigators ultimately used advanced DNA technology to crack the case. It also sheds light on expert analysis and firsthand accounts from the officials who helped bring the killer to justice.
Catherine Edwards Was Found Handcuffed and Dead in Her House
Mary Catherine Edwards arrived as a bundle of joy in the lives of her parents, Mary Ann and Lum Caswell Edwards, on July 9, 1963, in Jefferson County, Texas. She was born alongside her identical twin sister, Allison, and they shared a close bond growing up. Catherine was always surrounded by the love of her parents, sister, and brother, Lum Caswell Edwards III. She was well-known among her friends for her kind and radiant nature. Catherine moved to Beaumont, Texas, in 1978 and later graduated from Forest Park High School. She completed her higher studies at Lamar University before becoming an Elementary School Teacher at the Beaumont Independent School District.
On January 13, 1995, Catherine visited Allison’s home to pick up her beloved pup, Maggie, and returned home around 8 pm. When she didn’t show up the following day for a family lunch and was not responding to any calls, her parents went to check at her home in Park Meadow Street in Beaumont. They horrifically discovered Catherine in the second-story bathroom with her hands bound behind her back. They called 911 immediately, and when officials arrived, they found the upstairs bedroom in disarray. They observed that the sheets on the bed were partially torn off, and a portion of the bedpost had come off. Detectives found Catherine handcuffed in the bathroom, with her head resting in the bathtub water. Investigators noted that the handcuff was from a brand that was usually used by law enforcement.
There were no signs of forced entry, indicating that either Catherine kept the door unlocked or the killer was someone she already knew. Detectives discovered that there were obvious signs that reportedly pointed towards sexual assault. Forensic examiners found semen on her with the rape kit and also on her bedspread, which was collected as evidence. The autopsy revealed her cause of death to be drowning. It also revealed that the multiple bruises on her body were consistent with a struggle and were signs of blunt force trauma. Years later, equipped with new studies, the medical examiner determined her cause of death to be entrapment or positional asphyxiation. He reportedly noted that she did not pass away from drowning because there was a lack of fluid in her lungs.
A Genetic Genealogy Match Brought the Killer to Justice After 29 Years
During the initial investigation, detectives focused on Catherine’s ex-boyfriend, David Perry. They soon learned he was reportedly out of town on that fateful day. Moreover, his DNA did not turn out to be a match with the one found at the crime scene. They discovered that neighbors heard loud thumping noises from the house on January 13, 1995, but couldn’t hear any screams. Officials tried to trace the serial number of the handcuff. Several law enforcement officials were also looked into, but none of their DNA was a match. Similarly, when the male’s DNA was entered into the database, it provided no matches. The case gradually went cold, but things changed in April 2020. Officials sent the DNA evidence from Catherine’s bedspread to Othram, a Genetic Genealogy lab that helped track down the potential family of the suspects.
As officials kept getting matches, they traced the killer’s potential relatives, specifically from the Kaplan, Louisiana area. It also provided the name, Shera LaPoint, who turned out to be a Genealogy expert. Ultimately, the search narrowed down from the vast list to a family with two sons, Michael and Clayton Bernard Foreman. They discovered that Clayton originally had a sexual assault conviction in a case that dated back to 1981. Investigators noted that the case was similar to Catherine’s because the survivor also had her hands tied behind her back. Furthermore, Clayton attended the same high school as Catherine around the same time. They shockingly found out she was even the bridesmaid for his first wife, Dianna Coe, during their wedding.
During that time, Clayton resided in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and officials collected his DNA from his trash after surveilling him. It turned out to be a match to the DNA found at the crime scene, and he was brought in for questioning. He first denied any involvement and later refused to speak while asking for an attorney. 60-year-old Clayton was ultimately arrested on April 29, 2021, and extradited to Jefferson County, Texas. He was formally charged with capital murder in June 2021. His trial for the murder of Catherine began on March 11, 2024. Dianna testified that he showed no reaction when she had informed him about Catherine’s murder. She also revealed that she once found a briefcase in his car containing a gun, handcuffs, and pornography. On March 20, the jury found him guilty of capital murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
