That afternoon a violent storm was headed to the area. When it was over, Holik’s friends all began checking in with one another, but no one was able to reach Holik.
When she missed a meeting the next day, her coworkers requested Austin Police perform a welfare check. Upon arriving at the property, her neighbor and realtor Lakki Brown let police into the property and they made the chilling discovery in an upstairs guest bedroom, according to the court records.
Holik was lying fully clothed on the floor with ligature marks around her neck. The medical examiner would later determine she died by strangulation. Although there were no signs of sexual assault, there were red marks on her wrists suggesting she had been tied up with zip ties before the killer clipped the ties and took them with him when he left.
Her massive engagement ring was also missing.