Courtney Corrinna Holden, a 26-year-old Native American woman, disappeared from her adoptive family’s home on Heroy Avenue in Spokane, Washington, in the summer of 2018, and the Courtney Holden disappearance remains unsolved. Her remains have never been found. Investigators believe she was likely killed, and a lead detective has said publicly he has seen no evidence she is alive.1KHQ. Spokane Detectives Find Blackmail Notes, 18 Cell Phones Inside Holden Home Her adoptive mother, Judy Holden, and adoptive brother, Joshua Holden, were later convicted of custodial interference and related charges tied to concealing her son and using her accounts, but no one has been charged in connection with Courtney’s actual disappearance.
The Last Time Anyone Outside the Family Saw Her
A neighbor watched Courtney walk out the front door of the Heroy Avenue house one day in the summer of 2018 carrying a large duffel bag. Judy Holden confronted her about running away, and Courtney said she wasn’t staying anymore. Joshua then came outside, picked her up, and carried her back into the house.2The Spokesman-Review. Adopted Brother, Mother of Long-Missing Spokane Woman No one outside the household reported seeing her again. The Charley Project lists her official date of disappearance as July 1, 2018.3Charley Project. Courtney Corrinna Holden
Courtney stopped filling her prescriptions in July 2018.4KXLY. Missing Woman’s Family Arrested in Texas in Connection to Her Disappearance A neighbor reported that in the weeks after she was last seen, Joshua set up spotlights in the backyard and worked over two consecutive nights building a swing set. When people asked where Courtney was, Judy and Joshua gave shifting answers: that she was traveling with a boyfriend, that she had a fiancé, that she had run away, that she was inside but couldn’t come out.2The Spokesman-Review. Adopted Brother, Mother of Long-Missing Spokane Woman
More than a year passed before anyone filed a report. The father of Courtney’s son had not seen the boy in about two years, a gap he attributed to his own struggles with substance abuse. In early October 2019, his girlfriend called Spokane’s Crime Check line and requested a welfare check on Courtney.4KXLY. Missing Woman’s Family Arrested in Texas in Connection to Her Disappearance
The Household She Vanished From
Neighbors, family members, and a former foster child described the Holden home as abusive and controlling. Judy and Joshua reportedly called Courtney “Cindy,” short for Cinderella, because she did all the housework.3Charley Project. Courtney Corrinna Holden Neighbors said she was not allowed a cellphone, a car, or social media, and was afraid to leave the house without Joshua’s permission.2The Spokesman-Review. Adopted Brother, Mother of Long-Missing Spokane Woman One neighbor said Courtney would call in the middle of the night, crying about not being allowed to have a life, and regularly noticed bruises on her, which Courtney attributed to Joshua beating her.5KHQ. I’ve Seen No Evidence That Courtney Holden Is Alive: Twists and Turns in Missing Woman’s Case
Joshua Holden had a documented history of violence long before Courtney disappeared. He was charged with rape in 2005, and court documents from that case indicated he was also a suspect in a separate 2003 rape. The 2005 charge was dropped just before trial when the victim stopped cooperating, at a point when investigators were in the process of obtaining DNA evidence. His record also included charges of unlawful imprisonment and domestic violence and a burglary conviction, and multiple restraining orders had been taken out against him.6The Spokesman-Review. Warning Signs Were There for Spokane Woman Missing
What Investigators Found
When officers reached the Heroy Avenue home after the welfare check, Courtney’s bedroom had been stripped to an empty mattress, with no signs anyone had been living in it.4KXLY. Missing Woman’s Family Arrested in Texas in Connection to Her Disappearance On the same day the missing person report was filed, money was withdrawn from Courtney’s bank account, and a woman later identified as her adoptive sister called law enforcement and a tip line impersonating Courtney, apparently to make it seem she was alive.3Charley Project. Courtney Corrinna Holden
By the time detectives returned with a search warrant on October 24, 2019, Judy and Joshua had cleared out. They took their pets and the DVR from their home surveillance system.3Charley Project. Courtney Corrinna Holden Investigators searched the house with cadaver dogs and collected 82 pieces of evidence, including 18 cell phones, other electronics, a journal belonging to Courtney, and handwritten blackmail notes.1KHQ. Spokane Detectives Find Blackmail Notes, 18 Cell Phones Inside Holden Home Nothing recovered from the house has publicly established what happened to Courtney.
After Courtney vanished, someone kept using her bank account and food stamps. Joshua reportedly had what one account called a “very strange attachment” to Courtney’s son, calling the boy his own child. Judy and Joshua referred to the child as “Forest,” which was not his legal name, and had taught him to call Judy “mom” and Joshua “dad.”4KXLY. Missing Woman’s Family Arrested in Texas in Connection to Her Disappearance
The Texas Arrests and What Judy and Joshua Were Convicted Of
On December 16, 2019, police located Joshua and Judy Holden in Plano, Texas, with Courtney’s son. Both were arrested and charged with first-degree identity theft, for withdrawing $600 from Courtney’s account and attempting to use her EBT card, and second-degree custodial interference, for caring for the boy despite not being named in the existing parenting plan.4KXLY. Missing Woman’s Family Arrested in Texas in Connection to Her Disappearance The child was later placed with his biological father.3Charley Project. Courtney Corrinna Holden
Both initially fought extradition. Spokane police worked with the governor’s office to secure a warrant to bring them back.1KHQ. Spokane Detectives Find Blackmail Notes, 18 Cell Phones Inside Holden Home In 2021, both cases ended in plea deals. Joshua pleaded guilty to custodial interference and criminal mischief and was sentenced to 135 days in jail on each count, with credit for time served. Judy pleaded guilty to second-degree custodial interference with a domestic violence designation.7KHQ. Investigation Into Spokane Mother’s Disappearance Goes Cold, Court Case Against Adoptive Family Members Resolved Both were released after those charges were resolved. Neither has been charged in connection with Courtney’s disappearance.
Where the Case Stands
Courtney is classified as endangered missing. As of 2026, the Spokane Police Department still lists her as an active missing person under case number 2019-20191912.8Spokane Police Department. Missing Persons Her case has been recognized by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives No Borders.3Charley Project. Courtney Corrinna Holden At the time she disappeared, Courtney was between 5’5″ and 5’7″, weighed 150 to 170 pounds, and had black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Spokane Police Department.