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In an article published on January 2nd, 1983, the Austin American statesman called the year

1982 the bloodiest on record.

Homicides that year were up 46% above the previous year and above the previous record holding year, 1980, by almost as much.

Austin Police couldn't provide insight as to why the rates had climbed like they did in 82.

There's just no way to tell,

Lieutenant Robert Wissian said, most murders are crimes of passion at the spur of the moment.

The lieutenant went on to say that of the 57 homicides that year, only five were killed by strangers.

33 of the 57, he said, involved drugs or alcohol.

By the end of 1982, the department had solved all but three of those, one of which,

the rape and murder of Ruth Elizabeth Bettis, remains unsolved today in 2025.

Ruth Elizabeth Bettis was born in Travis County, Texas, on September 26, 1963, to parents Dale and Rebecca.

She was known by her middle name, or Liz, for short, for most of her life, though as she sought autonomy in her teenage years, she would begin to go by the first name Gibson.

Liz's upbringing and the story of her parents is perhaps vital to reach a full understanding of her own.

The year she was born, Elizabeth's father, Dr. Dale Gaylard Bettis, received a master's degree

in engineering mechanics from the University of Texas College of Engineering.

Even before earning his master's, Dr. Dale assisted in astronomy research and taught mathematics at the university.

After receiving the degree, he went on to spend some time in Pasadena, California at the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory, where Dr. Dale would impress with his acute understanding of orbital mechanics.

From there, he'd go on to Yale, earning a Master of Science degree in 1967, and in 1969, a Ph. astronomy. Dr. Dale's dissertation on the theory of

integration of the differential equations of celestial and orbital mechanics using numerical

...