The back roads of Fannin County are at full bloom in early May.  Buttercups grow in bunches in the ditches.  Honeysuckle hangs off fence posts.  Indian paintbrushes add splashes of red to the canvas of everyday life in this rural section of North Texas.  But it is no solace to wonder if Jennifer Harris noticed how beautiful County Road 2610 was that day in May 2002.  It turned out to be the last road the beautiful, young redhead drove her forest green Jeep Wrangler down before being brutally murdered and thrown in Red River.

The last time Jennifer Harris was seen alive was Mother’s Day, May 12, 2002. 

“The only break I’ve gotten in four years,” says her father, Jerry Harris, softly, “is that a fisherman checked his trotline and found my daughter’s body.” 

At least the family knows where Jennifer is, Harris says.  She is in the family burial plot next to his headstone. 

Jennifer’s body was found Saturday, May 18, 2002 in Red River about two miles east of the Red River Bridge on Hwy. 78.  Red River was supposed to swallow this vivacious young lady with a smile that could light up a room.  

Ironically, Red River may turn out to play a very different role in this senseless murder.   

When Jennifer Harris’ murderer decided to dispose of the body in Red River, which belongs to Oklahoma, this felony crossed state lines.  That brings up the question of whether or not Jennifer could have been abducted in Texas and killed in Red River?   If so, several federal statutes kick in and the Jennifer Harris murder becomes a federal offense.  That factor could eventually bring the FBI into the investigation. 

Jerry Harris lost his daughter but he hasn’t lost his resolve.  Mr. Harris hopes that the Fannin County Attorney and Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, working in conjunction with an aid in Congressman Ralph Hall’s Rockwall, Texas office, can convince the FBI to revisit the Jennifer Harris murder.  This case has been steeped in speculation and rumors from the onset.  Was Jennifer murdered in one state and the body disposed of in another state?  Or could she have been abducted in Texas and killed in Oklahoma?  

"We haven't closed this case and we will never close the case," Fannin County Sheriff's Department investigator George Robinson said this week. 

Evidence is also being sent to Reinhart Motte, a Florida pathologist that specializes in cold cases.

There is also a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual that murdered Jennifer Harris.  You can call 903-583-2143 or go to the citizen tip sheet at www.fanninso.org to relay information. 

The Fannin County Sheriff's Office urges anyone that even remotely believes they may have information relating to this case to get in touch.

"The information might not seem important to you, but it might be important to this investigation," Robinson explains.      

While employees of the Fannin County Sheriff's Department say they have received nothing but cooperation and assistance from Oklahoma law enforcement officials, this would seem to be a scenario where federal investigators may have the last opportunity to clear the muddy waters that carried the body of Jennifer Harris so far away from her family and friends.