DPS Doubles Reward for Information in Jones Co. Cold Case

AUSTIN, TX – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is asking for the public’s help in solving the 1988 murder of Courtney Clayton, and an increased reward of up to $6,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible if the tip is received before next month’s featured case is announced. 

On September 12, 1988, 7-year-old Courtney Clayton was abducted from near her home in Stamford, approximately 40 miles north of Abilene. The young girl was last seen when she walked to a small store, about a block from her home, to buy a soft drink. Despite an immediate and extensive search, the second grader’s remains were not discovered until six months later on Easter Sunday by hunters in Shackelford County, about 50 miles away near the small town of Moran. She was identified by the hair from a hairbrush her parents had kept. She is survived by her parents and two brothers.