Laurie Kay Bosman was 25-years-old when she was killed in 1987. She was found strangled to death in her north Dallas apartment.
Her son, Shawn Chelf, was just 7-years-old at the time.
The pain and anguish on Chelf's face as he speaks of his mother's murder is testament to the decades old torture of the unknown.
"I feel like that kid again, 7-years-old that was just...I was just a kid," he said. "I heard my grandma crying and I was trying to figure what could possibly make her cry like that. She said 'Laurie's dead.'"
Detectives say there were signs of a struggle in Bosman's apartment. They are still analyzing evidence, including DNA.[[402929766,R]]
Chelf has made it his personal mission to help solve cases like his mother's, a calling since the day he lost her.
He's now a Double Oak Police officer.
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It's not often you see one barely able to maintain composure, but for Chelf it was very difficult.
"I'm sorry. I haven't talked about this since I was a kid," he said.
The husband and father now is on a continued quest for justice for that 7-year-old boy and a mother taken too soon.
"At the wake when I grabbed her hand I was hoping she'd wake up. I was really hoping this was all just a bad dream," Chelf recalled.
He says he's hopeful the DNA that was collected all those years ago will provide answers.
Click here to read more on this report from our media partners at The Dallas Morning News.
