Landlord charged in cold-case death of Texas mom who went missing 15 years ago

For nearly 15 years, Holly Simmons’ family has wondered what exactly happened to her.

She dropped off her 17-year-old daughter at the school bus stop in November 2006, never to be seen alive again.

She remained missing until a recreational diver discovered a body in Inks Lake in July 2009 — just a few miles from the family’s home in Buchanan Dam, according to the Llano County Sheriff’s Office.

Simmons’ body was found in a sunken boat and submerged under waterlogged bags of concrete that had hardened, officials say.

Her death was ruled a homicide.

In 2016, an unsolved crimes unit for the Texas Rangers reviewed the case and assigned an investigator to work with the local sheriff’s office. After five years, they identified a suspect: Jimmy Wolfenbarger.

Wolfenbarger was Simmons’ landlord, and he lived near her home in an RV park, officials say.

According to investigators, he often fought with Simmons about one of her two daughters.

“What we’ve been told over the past 15 years is (Wolfenbarger) was the main suspect,” Simmons’ sister, Deb Sherwood, told KXAN. “But there wasn’t enough evidence.”

Wolfenbarger, who has been living in Lubbock, turned himself in to authorities Wednesday after a grand jury indicted him on a charge of murder.

“There was always that little glimmer of hope that it would happen,” Simmons’ brother, Paul Wishman, told KXAN.

Wolfenbarger was jailed on $2 million bail but has since posted bond and been released.

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