1 00:00:13,266 --> 00:00:17,574 [music playing] 2 00:00:19,381 --> 00:00:21,709 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: At 14,000 feet above sea level, 3 00:00:21,813 --> 00:00:24,385 Steve McDowell has arranged a special gift 4 00:00:24,489 --> 00:00:25,949 for his wife, Crystal. 5 00:00:26,054 --> 00:00:29,528 ALL: (SINGING) Happy birthday to you. 6 00:00:29,632 --> 00:00:33,282 Happy birthday to you. 7 00:00:33,386 --> 00:00:37,382 Happy birthday, dear Crystal. 8 00:00:37,486 --> 00:00:40,649 Happy birthday to you. 9 00:00:40,753 --> 00:00:42,282 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: A few years later, 10 00:00:42,386 --> 00:00:47,736 Steve's birthday girl disappears in the middle of a hurricane. 11 00:00:47,841 --> 00:00:50,656 It wasn't just that Crystal was missing. 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,123 People were dying everywhere. 13 00:00:53,228 --> 00:00:55,486 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Detectives suspect foul play. 14 00:01:00,839 --> 00:01:02,610 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The one-time real estate agent 15 00:01:02,715 --> 00:01:05,982 is last seen leaving her lover's house on the way to meet 16 00:01:06,086 --> 00:01:08,379 up with her former husband. 17 00:01:08,483 --> 00:01:10,638 And she just did not realize the danger 18 00:01:10,742 --> 00:01:12,062 she was putting herself in. 19 00:01:12,166 --> 00:01:15,780 Is this the story of a woman lost in a hurricane? 20 00:01:15,885 --> 00:01:18,073 Or is it a tale of murder? 21 00:01:18,179 --> 00:01:24,294 The daughter said that she saw, you know, her father, 22 00:01:24,398 --> 00:01:28,116 saw Steve strangling Crystal. 23 00:01:28,222 --> 00:01:32,496 Nearly half of women murdered are killed by their partners. 24 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:37,569 But plenty of men also fall victim to the same fate. 25 00:01:37,673 --> 00:01:43,582 I'm Michelle Trachtenberg, and this is "Meet, Marry, Murder." 26 00:01:43,686 --> 00:01:48,446 [theme music] 27 00:01:57,481 --> 00:02:01,754 Steve and Crystal McDowell never had what most people would call 28 00:02:01,858 --> 00:02:03,944 a traditional relationship. 29 00:02:04,048 --> 00:02:06,239 He was a little bit of a Mr. Mom. 30 00:02:06,343 --> 00:02:09,643 She wore the pants in the family pretty, pretty much. 31 00:02:09,748 --> 00:02:12,909 Anything Crystal wanted, he tried his best to do. 32 00:02:13,014 --> 00:02:15,065 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But the arrangement worked for them. 33 00:02:15,169 --> 00:02:19,408 While Crystal was career driven, Steve was more of a Mr. Mom 34 00:02:19,512 --> 00:02:23,613 and had a daughter from a previous marriage. 35 00:02:23,717 --> 00:02:25,349 His role in the marriage was to help 36 00:02:25,454 --> 00:02:28,026 take care of their children, because she had two jobs. 37 00:02:28,130 --> 00:02:31,049 In a lot of ways, he probably spent more time 38 00:02:31,154 --> 00:02:33,933 with the children than Crystal did. 39 00:02:34,037 --> 00:02:35,462 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: When Crystal met Steve, 40 00:02:35,566 --> 00:02:38,208 it seemed like she'd finally found the stable home 41 00:02:38,312 --> 00:02:39,806 she never had growing up. 42 00:02:39,911 --> 00:02:41,438 She did have a rough childhood. 43 00:02:41,543 --> 00:02:42,829 Through the investigation, we learned 44 00:02:42,934 --> 00:02:46,062 that both of her parents died early in life 45 00:02:46,166 --> 00:02:47,382 during her childhood. 46 00:02:47,486 --> 00:02:52,595 Both of them were very recreational, 47 00:02:52,698 --> 00:02:55,722 potentially addicted to drugs. 48 00:02:55,826 --> 00:02:59,822 She was moved around and raised by a number of different people 49 00:02:59,926 --> 00:03:01,073 in the family. 50 00:03:03,922 --> 00:03:05,000 CINDY SERATTE: My name is Cindy. 51 00:03:05,105 --> 00:03:07,954 And Crystal is my niece by marriage. 52 00:03:08,058 --> 00:03:11,427 My family was best friends with their family 53 00:03:11,532 --> 00:03:13,062 on the grandparents' side. 54 00:03:13,166 --> 00:03:16,640 So we all just kind of grew up knowing that the grandparents 55 00:03:16,745 --> 00:03:18,135 were taking care of her. 56 00:03:18,239 --> 00:03:20,289 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Crystal's aunt, Cindy Seratte, 57 00:03:20,394 --> 00:03:22,619 remembers a little girl who didn't let 58 00:03:22,722 --> 00:03:25,086 life's adversity hold her back. 59 00:03:25,189 --> 00:03:26,997 She was a little firecracker then. 60 00:03:27,101 --> 00:03:30,506 She was cute, and funny, and outgoing, 61 00:03:30,611 --> 00:03:33,044 had a big personality-- 62 00:03:33,148 --> 00:03:35,684 sweet, sweet, loving child. 63 00:03:35,789 --> 00:03:37,596 She was loved by everyone. 64 00:03:37,699 --> 00:03:39,645 She never let anything get her down. 65 00:03:39,750 --> 00:03:42,008 She was always fun and rambunctious. 66 00:03:42,112 --> 00:03:44,475 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Crystal was raised by her grandparents 67 00:03:44,580 --> 00:03:46,109 in Baytown, Texas. 68 00:03:46,215 --> 00:03:50,314 BRIAN HAWTHORNE: It's about 20 miles to the east of Houston. 69 00:03:50,418 --> 00:03:54,518 Baytown is more of a suburban, very middle class, lots 70 00:03:54,622 --> 00:03:58,272 of petrochemical workers, schoolteachers, some people 71 00:03:58,376 --> 00:03:59,939 that commute into Houston. 72 00:04:00,044 --> 00:04:01,677 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: By her mid-20s, 73 00:04:01,781 --> 00:04:05,325 Crystal had met Steve McDowell, a lively, good-looking guy 74 00:04:05,430 --> 00:04:07,272 seven years her senior. 75 00:04:07,376 --> 00:04:10,468 She was in the salon when she had told me she had met Steve, 76 00:04:10,574 --> 00:04:13,771 and that he was very sweet and caring, 77 00:04:13,874 --> 00:04:18,844 and that he meant a lot to her, and things may be going forward 78 00:04:18,947 --> 00:04:20,407 with their relationship. 79 00:04:20,511 --> 00:04:22,180 And I asked her basically if she thought 80 00:04:22,284 --> 00:04:23,396 she was in love with him. 81 00:04:23,501 --> 00:04:25,481 And she said, yes, ma'am, Aunt Cindy. 82 00:04:25,585 --> 00:04:27,044 I think I am. 83 00:04:27,148 --> 00:04:29,894 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Crystal was ambitious and outgoing. 84 00:04:29,999 --> 00:04:32,431 Steve McDowell was less driven. 85 00:04:32,535 --> 00:04:34,481 When I first met Steve, I-- 86 00:04:34,585 --> 00:04:35,628 I liked him. 87 00:04:35,732 --> 00:04:37,052 I thought he was a pretty cool guy. 88 00:04:37,157 --> 00:04:38,025 He was nice. 89 00:04:38,130 --> 00:04:39,624 He was very laid back. 90 00:04:39,728 --> 00:04:44,245 You know, she was always the wild, and fun, and eccentric, 91 00:04:44,350 --> 00:04:46,088 and live life on the edge. 92 00:04:46,192 --> 00:04:47,790 And he always kind of let her take 93 00:04:47,894 --> 00:04:49,632 the front seat of everything. 94 00:04:49,737 --> 00:04:55,296 He was a supervisor at one of those warehouses that services 95 00:04:55,401 --> 00:04:58,077 the chemical factories, particularly dealing 96 00:04:58,181 --> 00:04:59,779 with ethylene and plastics. 97 00:04:59,884 --> 00:05:02,663 And I thought that was a good pair, because as much as she 98 00:05:02,767 --> 00:05:06,000 traveled, as much as she had friends and wanted to go, 99 00:05:06,104 --> 00:05:07,146 he just kind of went along. 100 00:05:07,251 --> 00:05:08,606 I liked him. 101 00:05:08,711 --> 00:05:11,454 I just thought she had found her soul mate for life. 102 00:05:11,559 --> 00:05:12,810 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Almost immediately 103 00:05:12,914 --> 00:05:15,974 after Steve and Crystal got married in 2007, 104 00:05:16,078 --> 00:05:18,301 cracks appeared in their relationship. 105 00:05:18,405 --> 00:05:22,297 I think she just knew that they weren't compatible. 106 00:05:22,401 --> 00:05:25,424 He was very emotional, very needy. 107 00:05:25,528 --> 00:05:29,698 They started arguing a lot, basically 108 00:05:29,804 --> 00:05:31,470 just growing pains of marriage. 109 00:05:31,574 --> 00:05:37,240 But he was so emotional that he would throw out threats. 110 00:05:37,344 --> 00:05:39,881 She basically, within the first year, 111 00:05:39,985 --> 00:05:45,928 noticed there was just a lot of signs 112 00:05:46,032 --> 00:05:48,360 that it just was not going to work. 113 00:05:48,464 --> 00:05:50,028 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Crime reporter 114 00:05:50,131 --> 00:05:53,399 Carolyn Canville investigated the McDowells' marriage. 115 00:05:53,504 --> 00:05:57,430 So she decides it's time to file for divorce. 116 00:05:57,534 --> 00:06:00,453 Steve kind of manipulates the situation 117 00:06:00,557 --> 00:06:04,657 and gets Crystal not to go through with a divorce. 118 00:06:04,761 --> 00:06:08,930 So they continue trying to make the marriage work. 119 00:06:09,036 --> 00:06:10,844 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Desperate to save his marriage, 120 00:06:10,948 --> 00:06:14,213 Steve McDowell could be persuasive. 121 00:06:14,317 --> 00:06:17,098 Anything he could do, literally, to get her, 122 00:06:17,203 --> 00:06:18,245 he would. 123 00:06:18,350 --> 00:06:19,426 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: It worked. 124 00:06:19,530 --> 00:06:20,921 They stayed together and first had 125 00:06:21,025 --> 00:06:22,762 a baby boy and then a daughter. 126 00:06:22,866 --> 00:06:26,029 Their children had kind of interesting names. 127 00:06:26,134 --> 00:06:31,623 Like, one of them was named after a video game. 128 00:06:31,727 --> 00:06:35,341 And another one was named after a pretty 129 00:06:35,446 --> 00:06:38,157 common type of marijuana. 130 00:06:38,261 --> 00:06:39,720 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But that wasn't 131 00:06:39,824 --> 00:06:43,821 the only unconventional thing about the McDowell family. 132 00:06:43,924 --> 00:06:46,011 BRIAN HAWTHORNE: Crystal and even Steve, I think, 133 00:06:46,115 --> 00:06:51,187 dabbled with other relationships while they were married. 134 00:06:51,291 --> 00:06:53,517 You know, to the best of our knowledge 135 00:06:53,621 --> 00:06:55,427 and what we could see, it was probably 136 00:06:55,531 --> 00:06:59,040 more behind each other's backs. 137 00:06:59,145 --> 00:07:01,300 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: It was clear that neither Steve 138 00:07:01,403 --> 00:07:02,794 nor Crystal were happy. 139 00:07:02,898 --> 00:07:05,157 So why stay together? 140 00:07:05,261 --> 00:07:08,181 Crystal hadn't really wanted to be 141 00:07:08,285 --> 00:07:09,536 married for a really long time. 142 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,593 She was mainly staying for the children. 143 00:07:12,697 --> 00:07:14,470 She loved Steve as a person. 144 00:07:14,574 --> 00:07:18,848 She respected him as far as a dad was concerned. 145 00:07:18,952 --> 00:07:20,900 She never spoke ill of him. 146 00:07:21,004 --> 00:07:22,949 She just kind of fell out of love with him. 147 00:07:23,054 --> 00:07:25,556 She had a hard time with it, because she wanted 148 00:07:25,660 --> 00:07:27,154 her family to be together. 149 00:07:27,258 --> 00:07:30,524 She literally had spent her whole life without her parents. 150 00:07:30,629 --> 00:07:34,312 And he didn't have parents that he had any contact 151 00:07:34,416 --> 00:07:35,773 with for the most part. 152 00:07:35,877 --> 00:07:38,829 He revolved around Crystal's family. 153 00:07:38,933 --> 00:07:40,220 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: As for Steve, 154 00:07:40,324 --> 00:07:42,096 he kept doing everything he could 155 00:07:42,201 --> 00:07:45,085 to keep Crystal from leaving. 156 00:07:45,189 --> 00:07:47,690 I think he was living in a fantasy land. 157 00:07:47,796 --> 00:07:50,402 And I do believe he was being manipulative. 158 00:07:50,506 --> 00:07:53,043 He wanted to do whatever it took to keep her. 159 00:07:53,147 --> 00:07:56,343 Well, there's no doubt that Steve is the type of person 160 00:07:56,448 --> 00:07:59,297 that can be very manipulative. 161 00:07:59,402 --> 00:08:00,931 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve and Crystal 162 00:08:01,036 --> 00:08:04,127 had been married for five years when he arranged her birthday 163 00:08:04,232 --> 00:08:06,213 surprise to go skydiving. 164 00:08:06,316 --> 00:08:10,279 ALL: (SINGING) Happy birthday to you. 165 00:08:10,383 --> 00:08:13,754 Happy birthday to you. 166 00:08:13,857 --> 00:08:17,715 Happy birthday, dear Crystal. 167 00:08:17,819 --> 00:08:21,676 Happy birthday to you. 168 00:08:21,780 --> 00:08:23,484 That was so fun. 169 00:08:23,588 --> 00:08:25,743 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: As their 10th anniversary approached, 170 00:08:25,847 --> 00:08:28,314 it was clear that Steve and Crystal's marriage 171 00:08:28,419 --> 00:08:29,739 was on its last legs. 172 00:08:29,843 --> 00:08:31,510 They just kind of grew apart. 173 00:08:31,615 --> 00:08:32,519 She went one way. 174 00:08:32,623 --> 00:08:33,978 He went another. 175 00:08:34,082 --> 00:08:36,583 Her dreams and visions were going different places. 176 00:08:36,688 --> 00:08:38,253 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: By early 2017, 177 00:08:38,357 --> 00:08:40,998 Crystal had launched a lucrative new career 178 00:08:41,102 --> 00:08:42,909 as a real estate agent. 179 00:08:43,013 --> 00:08:44,890 Oh, she was an amazing realtor. 180 00:08:44,994 --> 00:08:46,176 Everyone loved her. 181 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:48,366 She reached out to so many people. 182 00:08:48,470 --> 00:08:51,145 And her whole motto is that she just wanted 183 00:08:51,249 --> 00:08:52,603 to be a blessing to someone. 184 00:08:52,709 --> 00:08:54,028 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Meanwhile, Steve 185 00:08:54,133 --> 00:08:56,879 was only too happy to let his wife pay the bills. 186 00:08:56,983 --> 00:09:00,319 I think there had been times when he maybe 187 00:09:00,423 --> 00:09:02,751 didn't have as steady of a job. 188 00:09:02,856 --> 00:09:05,323 She really is the breadwinner for this family. 189 00:09:05,427 --> 00:09:08,520 She is really supporting the whole family. 190 00:09:08,623 --> 00:09:11,092 She would go, and she'd work, and work, and work. 191 00:09:11,196 --> 00:09:12,725 And it was never enough. 192 00:09:12,829 --> 00:09:17,937 Then the more that she did, it was like the more he expected. 193 00:09:18,042 --> 00:09:19,500 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Eventually, Crystal 194 00:09:19,605 --> 00:09:21,725 got fed up that Steve wasn't pulling his weight, 195 00:09:21,829 --> 00:09:23,670 and she filed for divorce. 196 00:09:23,774 --> 00:09:26,589 I think when a divorce is being finalized, 197 00:09:26,693 --> 00:09:30,239 or during the period of time the divorce is going through, 198 00:09:30,343 --> 00:09:35,312 is a very dangerous time, because the desperate person 199 00:09:35,416 --> 00:09:38,266 that doesn't want to let go is at a point where 200 00:09:38,370 --> 00:09:40,907 they may try or do anything. 201 00:09:41,012 --> 00:09:42,713 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Despite the growing tension 202 00:09:42,818 --> 00:09:45,667 between them, Crystal let Steve know she'd always put 203 00:09:45,772 --> 00:09:47,302 their children's needs first. 204 00:09:47,406 --> 00:09:49,838 She made it perfectly clear that we would still 205 00:09:49,942 --> 00:09:52,444 have something to do with him, and that if she got divorced 206 00:09:52,548 --> 00:09:55,259 from him, that we would stay in contact 207 00:09:55,363 --> 00:09:57,656 and that we would accept him, because that 208 00:09:57,760 --> 00:09:59,846 was her children's father. 209 00:09:59,950 --> 00:10:04,119 So they're doing their best to keep things civil and amicable 210 00:10:04,223 --> 00:10:05,719 in front of the children. 211 00:10:05,823 --> 00:10:08,394 They don't want to upset them any more than they need to. 212 00:10:08,499 --> 00:10:10,897 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After giving it the old college try, 213 00:10:11,001 --> 00:10:13,225 Crystal quickly began wondering if she'd 214 00:10:13,329 --> 00:10:14,753 made the right decision. 215 00:10:14,858 --> 00:10:18,299 A few weeks after the divorce, Crystal called 911. 216 00:10:18,403 --> 00:10:20,174 She said that her husband refused 217 00:10:20,279 --> 00:10:24,762 to give her the children, and he was threatening her. 218 00:10:24,866 --> 00:10:27,055 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve's temper tantrum 219 00:10:27,159 --> 00:10:29,069 was a clear indication to Crystal 220 00:10:29,174 --> 00:10:32,893 their post-marriage relationship wouldn't be as harmonious 221 00:10:32,997 --> 00:10:35,743 as she first thought, despite her efforts 222 00:10:35,847 --> 00:10:40,016 to keep things civil for the kids, and that she'd find out 223 00:10:40,121 --> 00:10:43,040 it was only to get worse from there. 224 00:10:43,145 --> 00:10:46,758 And Steve was threatening to harm himself and the children. 225 00:10:46,862 --> 00:10:50,338 So it's pretty clear that while Crystal was doing everything 226 00:10:50,442 --> 00:10:53,673 she could to maintain things, keep things even and stable 227 00:10:53,777 --> 00:10:57,322 for the children, that Steve was exhibiting 228 00:10:57,427 --> 00:10:59,128 some pretty dangerous behavior. 229 00:10:59,233 --> 00:11:03,369 [music playing] 230 00:11:13,203 --> 00:11:16,608 Even after a terrifying episode in which Crystal 231 00:11:16,712 --> 00:11:20,849 McDowell had to dial 911 when her ex-husband, Steve, 232 00:11:20,953 --> 00:11:23,731 refused to return her children to her, 233 00:11:23,835 --> 00:11:28,180 she decided not to press charges for the sake of the kids, 234 00:11:28,285 --> 00:11:31,272 a mistake she would later regret. 235 00:11:31,377 --> 00:11:34,226 She was renovating her townhome. 236 00:11:34,331 --> 00:11:36,450 It was a townhome that they had owned together. 237 00:11:36,554 --> 00:11:39,195 And she got it in the divorce. 238 00:11:39,299 --> 00:11:41,002 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: With Steve still not working, 239 00:11:41,107 --> 00:11:43,747 Crystal bought him a house nearby in Mont Belvieu 240 00:11:43,851 --> 00:11:46,841 so the kids would continue to have some sense of stability. 241 00:11:46,945 --> 00:11:50,976 The whole reason Crystal bought a home in Mont Belvieu 242 00:11:51,081 --> 00:11:53,929 is because it is a very good school district. 243 00:11:54,034 --> 00:11:58,933 Mont Belvieu still has the warm and cozy, kind of country feel, 244 00:11:59,038 --> 00:12:00,428 know your neighbor type feel. 245 00:12:00,532 --> 00:12:03,833 The whole idea was to get into the school district, 246 00:12:03,937 --> 00:12:05,849 get them set up into the home. 247 00:12:05,954 --> 00:12:10,228 And then she was going to live in her home in Baytown. 248 00:12:10,332 --> 00:12:11,582 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The arrangement 249 00:12:11,687 --> 00:12:14,224 also proved convenient for a different reason. 250 00:12:14,328 --> 00:12:17,004 While Crystal's townhouse was being renovated, 251 00:12:17,108 --> 00:12:20,166 Steve invited her to live with him and the kids. 252 00:12:20,271 --> 00:12:24,197 He had asked her to just stay with him, 253 00:12:24,301 --> 00:12:26,211 that he would move out of the master bedroom. 254 00:12:26,316 --> 00:12:28,159 She could have the master bedroom 255 00:12:28,263 --> 00:12:32,155 if she would just stay at the house with him 256 00:12:32,259 --> 00:12:35,108 and the kids, which she did. 257 00:12:35,212 --> 00:12:37,611 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The setup seemed to benefit both of them. 258 00:12:37,715 --> 00:12:39,626 CINDY SERATTE: Crystal thought, I'll just stay there. 259 00:12:39,731 --> 00:12:41,607 And that'll give me the opportunity to spend 260 00:12:41,711 --> 00:12:42,754 some time with the kids. 261 00:12:42,858 --> 00:12:44,248 And then that way, when I am home, 262 00:12:44,352 --> 00:12:47,341 I can help get them to school and get them breakfast. 263 00:12:47,444 --> 00:12:48,973 She wanted to be a part of their life. 264 00:12:49,078 --> 00:12:51,649 She was going to see the kids more often. 265 00:12:51,754 --> 00:12:54,882 But she also had a built-in babysitter with Steve. 266 00:12:54,985 --> 00:12:56,967 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: According to Sheriff Brian Hawthorne, 267 00:12:57,071 --> 00:13:00,685 however, the unusual living arrangement actually fueled 268 00:13:00,789 --> 00:13:04,334 Steve McDowell's delusional belief that he and Crystal 269 00:13:04,438 --> 00:13:05,759 would get back together. 270 00:13:05,863 --> 00:13:08,331 BRIAN HAWTHORNE: Crystal moving back into the house 271 00:13:08,434 --> 00:13:12,708 was just a manipulative scenario that put Steve thinking that he 272 00:13:12,812 --> 00:13:17,468 had an opportunity to re-engage his relationship with her when 273 00:13:17,573 --> 00:13:20,110 in fact she had no intentions. 274 00:13:20,214 --> 00:13:22,404 And she just did not realize the danger 275 00:13:22,507 --> 00:13:24,418 she was putting herself in. 276 00:13:24,524 --> 00:13:25,635 And I would tell her, you know, 277 00:13:25,739 --> 00:13:26,851 I don't think it's a good idea. 278 00:13:26,955 --> 00:13:28,761 I don't think you need to stay there. 279 00:13:28,866 --> 00:13:31,925 Basically, he's not in a position 280 00:13:32,029 --> 00:13:35,748 where he is willing to accept you as a friend. 281 00:13:35,851 --> 00:13:37,867 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Within days, Crystal realized 282 00:13:37,972 --> 00:13:39,327 her aunt might have a point. 283 00:13:39,431 --> 00:13:43,011 Her ex-husband wasn't ready to let her go. 284 00:13:43,115 --> 00:13:49,612 I seen a change in Crystal when it come to her mannerisms 285 00:13:49,717 --> 00:13:50,760 toward Steve. 286 00:13:50,864 --> 00:13:52,949 Like, at first, you know, she was 287 00:13:53,054 --> 00:13:54,582 very compassionate and kind. 288 00:13:54,687 --> 00:13:58,890 And then it got to be where he would start following her too 289 00:13:58,994 --> 00:14:00,768 much or calling her too much. 290 00:14:00,871 --> 00:14:02,192 Steve would come in. 291 00:14:02,297 --> 00:14:04,451 And just their body language-- you know, 292 00:14:04,555 --> 00:14:07,057 they didn't make eye contact. 293 00:14:07,161 --> 00:14:12,027 They would have a lot of tense body language, very one word. 294 00:14:12,131 --> 00:14:13,867 It was just very uncomfortable. 295 00:14:13,971 --> 00:14:15,258 He was delusional. 296 00:14:15,362 --> 00:14:17,587 And he would cry a lot. 297 00:14:17,691 --> 00:14:18,837 He would get mad a lot. 298 00:14:18,941 --> 00:14:20,437 His emotions were all over the place. 299 00:14:20,541 --> 00:14:22,104 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve became convinced 300 00:14:22,208 --> 00:14:24,050 that Crystal was dating again. 301 00:14:24,154 --> 00:14:26,691 He obsessed over her every move. 302 00:14:26,795 --> 00:14:29,401 Well, he started stalking her at the real estate business. 303 00:14:29,505 --> 00:14:32,424 Like, he had put trackers on her car. 304 00:14:32,528 --> 00:14:34,544 He was accusing her of different things 305 00:14:34,649 --> 00:14:36,038 that was going on at work. 306 00:14:36,143 --> 00:14:37,603 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Nothing was going on at work. 307 00:14:37,707 --> 00:14:39,792 But Steve was right about one thing. 308 00:14:39,896 --> 00:14:42,467 His ex-wife had met someone. 309 00:14:42,571 --> 00:14:43,926 She has a new boyfriend. 310 00:14:44,031 --> 00:14:45,630 She's met Paul Hargrave. 311 00:14:45,734 --> 00:14:46,846 He's a local jeweler. 312 00:14:46,950 --> 00:14:48,966 Paul was adventurous. 313 00:14:49,070 --> 00:14:51,293 From what she said, he was very charming. 314 00:14:51,397 --> 00:14:55,499 And I think she was finally ready to move forward, 315 00:14:55,604 --> 00:14:57,444 like it was going to be OK for her. 316 00:14:57,548 --> 00:15:00,607 She had met somebody that she could enjoy their company. 317 00:15:00,712 --> 00:15:02,901 I think she just felt things falling in place. 318 00:15:03,005 --> 00:15:05,194 And she goes on Facebook, and she says, I have 319 00:15:05,298 --> 00:15:07,731 never been happier in my life. 320 00:15:07,835 --> 00:15:09,642 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But did Steve know why Crystal 321 00:15:09,747 --> 00:15:11,309 was so happy all of a sudden? 322 00:15:24,724 --> 00:15:26,044 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But there was also 323 00:15:26,147 --> 00:15:28,616 another reason Crystal wanted to keep her new man 324 00:15:28,719 --> 00:15:30,318 a secret for the moment. 325 00:15:30,423 --> 00:15:31,847 The family was going on a family 326 00:15:31,951 --> 00:15:34,731 cruise, kids and everybody. 327 00:15:34,837 --> 00:15:37,790 And Steve was going to be a part of it. 328 00:15:37,894 --> 00:15:40,640 I think she wanted Steve to go so she would have 329 00:15:40,744 --> 00:15:43,662 a built-in babysitter on the cruise ship with the children 330 00:15:43,766 --> 00:15:47,589 so she could enjoy her family and enjoy 331 00:15:47,693 --> 00:15:49,396 other people on the cruise. 332 00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:51,584 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve had other plans. 333 00:15:51,689 --> 00:15:56,763 Steve intended on hoping to get remarried to Crystal 334 00:15:56,867 --> 00:15:58,188 on the cruise. 335 00:15:58,292 --> 00:16:02,220 I mean, I think he just had thought so much stuff up 336 00:16:02,324 --> 00:16:05,694 in his mind about renewing their vows 337 00:16:05,797 --> 00:16:08,091 and just falling back in love. 338 00:16:08,197 --> 00:16:09,899 He was just a little bit delusional, 339 00:16:10,003 --> 00:16:13,061 because she never let on that she was going to remarry him. 340 00:16:13,165 --> 00:16:14,486 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Crystal then 341 00:16:14,590 --> 00:16:17,647 made a fateful decision, telling Steve she wouldn't 342 00:16:17,752 --> 00:16:19,664 be taking him on the cruise. 343 00:16:19,768 --> 00:16:23,000 Instead, she was taking her new boyfriend. 344 00:16:23,104 --> 00:16:25,537 And ultimately, she wanted Paul 345 00:16:25,641 --> 00:16:27,134 to go on the cruise with her. 346 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:29,949 She wanted to go with her new boyfriend, not her ex-husband. 347 00:16:30,053 --> 00:16:34,467 So she has to break the news to Steve that he won't be going 348 00:16:34,571 --> 00:16:37,143 on the cruise this time, that she's going to be 349 00:16:37,247 --> 00:16:39,714 taking her boyfriend, Paul. 350 00:16:39,818 --> 00:16:42,529 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve McDowell was crushed. 351 00:16:42,633 --> 00:16:45,170 Steve was devastated about being uninvited. 352 00:16:45,274 --> 00:16:47,116 She had told him that she had met Paul 353 00:16:47,220 --> 00:16:50,903 and that, you know, she was-- 354 00:16:51,007 --> 00:16:51,946 she was divorced. 355 00:16:52,050 --> 00:16:52,919 They were gonna stay divorced. 356 00:16:53,024 --> 00:16:54,517 And she was moving forward. 357 00:16:54,622 --> 00:16:57,089 And he didn't like that. 358 00:16:57,194 --> 00:16:58,549 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The day Crystal broke 359 00:16:58,652 --> 00:17:02,475 the news to Steve, on August 21, 2017, 360 00:17:02,579 --> 00:17:04,630 two storms started brewing-- 361 00:17:04,734 --> 00:17:07,444 a category 4 hurricane began bearing 362 00:17:07,549 --> 00:17:11,092 down on the region, and Steve McDowell's rage 363 00:17:11,196 --> 00:17:14,012 at being rejected. 364 00:17:14,116 --> 00:17:18,113 He comes in the house and he finds her dressed to the nines 365 00:17:18,216 --> 00:17:20,511 to go out with her new boyfriend. 366 00:17:20,616 --> 00:17:23,083 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Three days later, on August 24, 367 00:17:23,186 --> 00:17:27,079 all of Southeast Texas began bracing itself for Hurricane 368 00:17:27,183 --> 00:17:28,711 Harvey to make landfall. 369 00:17:28,815 --> 00:17:32,013 BRIAN HAWTHORNE: Everybody was in hurricane preparation mode. 370 00:17:32,117 --> 00:17:36,703 A number of people had already evacuated to Dallas or Austin, 371 00:17:36,809 --> 00:17:39,589 different places, San Antonio, trying 372 00:17:39,693 --> 00:17:40,979 to get away from the Coast. 373 00:17:41,082 --> 00:17:42,576 So we'd gotten a lot of rain. 374 00:17:42,681 --> 00:17:45,531 We have a lot of businesses that have a tendency to close up. 375 00:17:45,636 --> 00:17:47,476 The highways-- there's very little traffic, 376 00:17:47,580 --> 00:17:50,466 because nobody gets out in it. 377 00:17:50,570 --> 00:17:51,994 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Back in Mont Belvieu, 378 00:17:52,099 --> 00:17:55,122 the hurricane's effects were still relatively mild. 379 00:17:55,226 --> 00:17:58,492 So Steve hoped he might be able to convince Crystal to stay 380 00:17:58,595 --> 00:18:00,299 over to be with the kids. 381 00:18:00,404 --> 00:18:02,767 But she had other ideas. 382 00:18:02,871 --> 00:18:05,477 I call it the straw that broke the camel's back. 383 00:18:05,582 --> 00:18:08,014 She had come to the house. 384 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:10,620 He was out in the backyard, playing with the kids. 385 00:18:10,723 --> 00:18:13,504 He thought it was gonna be a Steve, and Crystal, 386 00:18:13,608 --> 00:18:15,520 and the kids evening. 387 00:18:15,623 --> 00:18:21,775 Instead, she left, and went, and got together with Paul. 388 00:18:21,879 --> 00:18:23,233 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Crystal and Paul 389 00:18:23,339 --> 00:18:26,188 made a date to go to the mall and then out to dinner. 390 00:18:26,292 --> 00:18:28,133 BRIAN HAWTHORNE: During all of this time, it's raining. 391 00:18:28,238 --> 00:18:30,045 It's raining pretty heavy at times. 392 00:18:30,149 --> 00:18:32,443 The storm was affecting the Texas Coast. 393 00:18:32,547 --> 00:18:35,362 And instead of actually going back home, 394 00:18:35,467 --> 00:18:38,941 she went and stayed the night at Paul's house. 395 00:18:39,045 --> 00:18:45,960 And I think that also definitely frustrated Steve. 396 00:18:46,064 --> 00:18:47,872 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve McDowell was still 397 00:18:47,977 --> 00:18:50,686 clinging to the delusion that he had a chance 398 00:18:50,791 --> 00:18:52,737 of winning Crystal back. 399 00:18:52,842 --> 00:18:55,483 With Hurricane Harvey about to make landfall, 400 00:18:55,587 --> 00:18:58,228 little did Crystal know that her decision 401 00:18:58,332 --> 00:19:00,243 to stay at her new boyfriend's house 402 00:19:00,347 --> 00:19:03,475 instead of hunkering down with Steve and their kids 403 00:19:03,578 --> 00:19:06,915 would mean she'd end up facing the fury of a storm 404 00:19:07,019 --> 00:19:09,938 more dangerous than the hurricane itself. 405 00:19:12,649 --> 00:19:16,889 [music playing] 406 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:33,465 The morning of August 25, 2017, with Hurricane Harvey bearing 407 00:19:33,568 --> 00:19:36,348 down on Southeast Texas, Crystal McDowell 408 00:19:36,452 --> 00:19:39,372 is captured on security cam leaving her new boyfriend's 409 00:19:39,476 --> 00:19:41,699 home after spending the night. 410 00:19:41,804 --> 00:19:44,236 On her way out the door, she sends a text 411 00:19:44,341 --> 00:19:46,425 to her ex-husband, Steve. 412 00:19:46,529 --> 00:19:51,013 At one minute after 7:00, she sends him a text message. 413 00:19:51,117 --> 00:19:52,265 On my way. 414 00:19:52,368 --> 00:19:53,688 Do you have water? 415 00:19:53,792 --> 00:19:55,912 I may stay here with the kids. 416 00:19:56,016 --> 00:19:58,415 Seems like just rain. 417 00:19:58,518 --> 00:20:00,430 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But it isn't just rain. 418 00:20:00,535 --> 00:20:04,635 It's actually the start of something much, much worse. 419 00:20:04,740 --> 00:20:06,998 BRIAN HAWTHORNE: It went ashore and stalled. 420 00:20:07,102 --> 00:20:09,951 And then it started moving back to the east. 421 00:20:10,056 --> 00:20:12,246 And then once it moved back to the east, 422 00:20:12,349 --> 00:20:14,573 then that's when we started having 423 00:20:14,678 --> 00:20:17,458 the winds and the heavy rains. 424 00:20:17,562 --> 00:20:18,882 The hurricane was really bad. 425 00:20:18,986 --> 00:20:21,697 I mean, people were flooded out of their homes. 426 00:20:21,802 --> 00:20:23,677 I mean, they had lost everything. 427 00:20:23,781 --> 00:20:24,998 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Crystal's aunt 428 00:20:25,102 --> 00:20:27,605 Cindy is hunkering down in her Belvieu home 429 00:20:27,709 --> 00:20:29,064 to wait out the storm when she gets 430 00:20:29,168 --> 00:20:31,461 a troubling call from her son. 431 00:20:31,566 --> 00:20:32,782 We were watching TV, actually. 432 00:20:32,887 --> 00:20:35,319 And he had-- he was burning my phone up. 433 00:20:35,423 --> 00:20:36,918 And finally, I answered it. 434 00:20:37,022 --> 00:20:38,689 And he just told me, he said, Mom, 435 00:20:38,794 --> 00:20:40,289 did you know that Crystal was missing? 436 00:20:40,393 --> 00:20:41,435 And I'm like-- 437 00:20:41,539 --> 00:20:43,624 I kind of really chuckled at first. 438 00:20:43,728 --> 00:20:45,605 I'm like, Crystal is not missing, son. 439 00:20:45,709 --> 00:20:47,308 He said, yes, Mom, she's missing. 440 00:20:47,412 --> 00:20:48,871 Like, nobody can find her. 441 00:20:48,975 --> 00:20:51,756 I said, Clinton, Crystal didn't run off. 442 00:20:51,861 --> 00:20:53,389 She's not missing. 443 00:20:53,493 --> 00:20:57,108 She probably flew to Belize or somewhere to escape the storm. 444 00:20:57,212 --> 00:20:58,635 She's not missing. 445 00:20:58,740 --> 00:21:02,008 And he goes, Mom, everybody's looking for her. 446 00:21:02,112 --> 00:21:03,501 Her friends, her family-- 447 00:21:03,605 --> 00:21:04,718 no one has heard from her. 448 00:21:04,821 --> 00:21:07,046 She's not responding to text messages. 449 00:21:07,151 --> 00:21:09,513 She's not responding to phone calls. 450 00:21:09,618 --> 00:21:11,007 People are getting really worried. 451 00:21:11,111 --> 00:21:16,462 She was reported missing by family members. 452 00:21:16,567 --> 00:21:18,061 I had called her several times, 453 00:21:18,165 --> 00:21:19,904 and texted her, and said, hey, babe. 454 00:21:20,008 --> 00:21:20,911 Where you at? 455 00:21:21,014 --> 00:21:22,128 Everybody's looking for you. 456 00:21:22,232 --> 00:21:24,734 And I knew that when she did not text 457 00:21:24,838 --> 00:21:28,486 me back within an hour or so, there was something wrong. 458 00:21:28,590 --> 00:21:32,482 And that's when I started to get worried. 459 00:21:32,587 --> 00:21:33,942 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Cindy immediately 460 00:21:34,047 --> 00:21:37,521 gets in touch with Crystal's uncle, Jeff Walters, who 461 00:21:37,626 --> 00:21:39,294 had not only helped raise Crystal, 462 00:21:39,398 --> 00:21:43,811 but also happened to be her boss at the real estate agency. 463 00:21:43,915 --> 00:21:46,000 Jeff is the one who filed the missing persons 464 00:21:46,104 --> 00:21:47,878 report on Crystal with the Chambers 465 00:21:47,981 --> 00:21:49,719 County Sheriff's Department. 466 00:21:49,823 --> 00:21:52,847 But with Hurricane Harvey going on at the same time, 467 00:21:52,950 --> 00:21:54,515 they're stretched a little thin. 468 00:21:54,619 --> 00:21:58,754 BRIAN HAWTHORNE: There, where Crystal and Steve were 469 00:21:58,858 --> 00:22:02,228 residing, that particular area of our county 470 00:22:02,333 --> 00:22:08,101 got somewhere in between 55 and 60 inches of rain over, 471 00:22:08,205 --> 00:22:12,584 you know, about a 72 to 48-hour period, 472 00:22:12,689 --> 00:22:15,052 just depending on how you looked at it. 473 00:22:15,156 --> 00:22:18,388 So neighborhoods were all going underwater. 474 00:22:18,491 --> 00:22:21,619 So while all this was taking place, dealing 475 00:22:21,724 --> 00:22:25,720 with a missing persons case, at the same time, 476 00:22:25,824 --> 00:22:28,327 we're trying to do everything we can to help our citizens, 477 00:22:28,431 --> 00:22:31,418 whether it's evacuate them from their homes using airboats 478 00:22:31,523 --> 00:22:37,395 or our high water vehicles, also trying to secure their homes. 479 00:22:37,500 --> 00:22:38,924 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The sheriffs 480 00:22:39,028 --> 00:22:42,261 believed Crystal probably just got lost in the storm. 481 00:22:42,365 --> 00:22:43,720 She was very smart. 482 00:22:43,824 --> 00:22:45,597 She wouldn't have drove her car through high water. 483 00:22:45,701 --> 00:22:50,288 Before she left, basically, the roads were not flooded. 484 00:22:50,392 --> 00:22:51,644 So she could have got out. 485 00:22:51,748 --> 00:22:53,554 When she come over that morning to get the kids, 486 00:22:53,658 --> 00:22:55,778 she could have got out safely. 487 00:22:55,883 --> 00:22:58,003 She would have never jeopardized her kids. 488 00:22:58,107 --> 00:22:59,984 She wouldn't put herself in the middle of that. 489 00:23:00,088 --> 00:23:01,791 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The rest of Crystal's family 490 00:23:01,895 --> 00:23:03,944 also believes her sudden disappearance 491 00:23:04,050 --> 00:23:06,934 is due to something far more sinister. 492 00:23:07,038 --> 00:23:08,948 They immediately told us that we 493 00:23:09,053 --> 00:23:10,408 needed to be looking at Steve. 494 00:23:10,513 --> 00:23:11,938 Basically, he was just saying, he don't 495 00:23:12,042 --> 00:23:12,910 know what happened to her. 496 00:23:13,014 --> 00:23:14,857 She just never come in. 497 00:23:14,961 --> 00:23:16,524 It was odd. 498 00:23:16,628 --> 00:23:21,076 His body language was very different. 499 00:23:21,180 --> 00:23:22,571 But at the first, you don't know if they're 500 00:23:22,675 --> 00:23:25,524 just distraught because they do believe she's missing 501 00:23:25,628 --> 00:23:27,921 or if, you know, technically, he did something. 502 00:23:28,026 --> 00:23:29,487 But it definitely crosses your mind. 503 00:23:29,591 --> 00:23:31,745 I never really thought that he would kill her. 504 00:23:31,850 --> 00:23:33,899 I figured he probably had her somewhere 505 00:23:34,004 --> 00:23:35,185 and was torturing her. 506 00:23:35,290 --> 00:23:36,749 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Homicide detective 507 00:23:36,854 --> 00:23:40,015 Rod Demery is no stranger to this kind of investigation. 508 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:41,857 ROB DEMERY: You look for immediate people 509 00:23:41,962 --> 00:23:43,559 that they may be in contact with. 510 00:23:43,663 --> 00:23:45,020 You look for the immediate area. 511 00:23:45,124 --> 00:23:47,903 You kind of expand that as the worry and concern 512 00:23:48,007 --> 00:23:51,066 grows to a large-scale search. 513 00:23:51,170 --> 00:23:56,347 That includes searching places, looking for vehicles. 514 00:23:56,451 --> 00:23:58,814 It's pretty involved, leaving no stone 515 00:23:58,919 --> 00:24:01,526 unturned until you can find some sign 516 00:24:01,630 --> 00:24:03,749 or evidence of this person. 517 00:24:03,854 --> 00:24:06,077 When we sat down as a team and started 518 00:24:06,181 --> 00:24:12,090 looking at who we felt were our persons of interest, 519 00:24:12,194 --> 00:24:14,557 Steve was no doubt one of them. 520 00:24:14,662 --> 00:24:18,066 But we also had other people of interest too. 521 00:24:18,171 --> 00:24:19,492 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Within 48 hours 522 00:24:19,597 --> 00:24:22,271 of Crystal's disappearance, storm waters 523 00:24:22,376 --> 00:24:24,357 flood most of the County. 524 00:24:24,461 --> 00:24:26,790 Normally, the search would be on in full force. 525 00:24:26,894 --> 00:24:28,422 So the waters are rising. 526 00:24:28,526 --> 00:24:30,959 And homes are underwater. 527 00:24:31,063 --> 00:24:33,773 And entire neighborhoods are flooded. 528 00:24:33,877 --> 00:24:37,006 And the police are doing everything they can. 529 00:24:37,110 --> 00:24:40,758 But a lot of these deputies and these police officers, 530 00:24:40,863 --> 00:24:42,322 their homes are underwater. 531 00:24:42,427 --> 00:24:44,789 They can't get to scenes, because there's 532 00:24:44,894 --> 00:24:45,936 no way to get there. 533 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:47,187 Their cars are underwater. 534 00:24:47,291 --> 00:24:48,890 The streets are impassable. 535 00:24:48,994 --> 00:24:52,087 So a normal investigation can't happen. 536 00:24:52,191 --> 00:24:54,485 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Instead, Sheriff Hawthorne's team 537 00:24:54,590 --> 00:24:57,022 only questions three people in connection 538 00:24:57,127 --> 00:24:59,246 with Crystal's disappearance-- 539 00:24:59,350 --> 00:25:02,617 her former husband, Steve, her uncle Jeff, 540 00:25:02,721 --> 00:25:04,424 and her new boyfriend, Paul. 541 00:25:15,577 --> 00:25:17,073 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Paul immediately 542 00:25:17,176 --> 00:25:20,721 points to Steve as the one who cops should be focusing on. 543 00:25:26,733 --> 00:25:28,192 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Uncle Jeff 544 00:25:28,297 --> 00:25:30,694 is similarly concerned about Steve's unhealthy obsession 545 00:25:30,799 --> 00:25:31,771 with Crystal. 546 00:25:41,884 --> 00:25:43,412 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But when detectives finally 547 00:25:43,516 --> 00:25:47,548 interview Steve, they find him more than willing to cooperate. 548 00:25:47,653 --> 00:25:50,293 Steve was very willing to talk to us. 549 00:25:50,397 --> 00:25:53,559 The individual that immediately uses 550 00:25:53,663 --> 00:25:57,452 their right to not answer questions or not 551 00:25:57,556 --> 00:26:01,100 give any kind of information-- 552 00:26:01,204 --> 00:26:03,116 sometimes that has a tendency to make 553 00:26:03,220 --> 00:26:04,679 you even more of a suspect. 554 00:26:04,784 --> 00:26:09,683 Well, Steve, day after day after day, all we'd have to do 555 00:26:09,787 --> 00:26:11,490 is ask him if he'd come to the sheriff's 556 00:26:11,595 --> 00:26:13,715 office and answer questions. 557 00:26:13,819 --> 00:26:15,765 Steve will tell police initially 558 00:26:15,869 --> 00:26:17,642 that Crystal never showed up. 559 00:26:17,745 --> 00:26:19,101 He doesn't know where she is. 560 00:26:19,206 --> 00:26:20,976 She had sent some texts and said 561 00:26:21,081 --> 00:26:23,826 she was gonna come get the kids and that she never showed up. 562 00:26:23,931 --> 00:26:25,043 And he was sticking to it. 563 00:26:25,147 --> 00:26:26,259 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After coming up 564 00:26:26,363 --> 00:26:28,762 empty handed with Steve, detectives 565 00:26:28,866 --> 00:26:31,089 ask Cindy to do them a favor. 566 00:26:31,193 --> 00:26:35,989 As far as I was told, just to hang out with him, talk to him, 567 00:26:36,093 --> 00:26:40,646 and just to listen, to be an ear for, you know, the police. 568 00:26:40,750 --> 00:26:43,183 Steve was kind of sweaty. 569 00:26:43,287 --> 00:26:45,024 He was kind of shaky. 570 00:26:45,129 --> 00:26:48,533 He was all over the place, very agitated, 571 00:26:48,638 --> 00:26:53,016 very emotional, which could be expected, 572 00:26:53,122 --> 00:26:54,581 because his wife was missing. 573 00:26:54,685 --> 00:26:56,596 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Over the course of several days, 574 00:26:56,700 --> 00:26:59,307 Cindy works to build up Steve's trust. 575 00:26:59,411 --> 00:27:01,183 CINDY SERATTE: His emotions were everywhere. 576 00:27:01,287 --> 00:27:02,330 He had cried. 577 00:27:02,434 --> 00:27:03,580 He would talk about how much he loved her 578 00:27:03,685 --> 00:27:04,902 and how much he missed her. 579 00:27:05,006 --> 00:27:06,917 I would try to get into his psyche. 580 00:27:07,022 --> 00:27:08,585 And it-- you know, at one point, he 581 00:27:08,689 --> 00:27:11,365 screamed, and raised his fist, and accused 582 00:27:11,469 --> 00:27:12,755 me of being just like Crystal. 583 00:27:12,859 --> 00:27:15,291 I mean, he started shaking and got in my face. 584 00:27:15,396 --> 00:27:16,577 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Is Steve worried 585 00:27:16,682 --> 00:27:19,427 sick about his missing ex, or does 586 00:27:19,532 --> 00:27:21,512 he just have something to hide? 587 00:27:21,616 --> 00:27:24,014 As Hurricane Harvey starts to wind down, 588 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:27,524 detectives get a little bit closer to finding an answer. 589 00:27:27,629 --> 00:27:32,285 August 29, three days after she's been reported missing, 590 00:27:32,389 --> 00:27:34,196 Crystal's car is found. 591 00:27:34,300 --> 00:27:37,705 A friend sees her Mercedes parked outside 592 00:27:37,809 --> 00:27:39,721 of a Motel 6 in Baytown. 593 00:27:39,825 --> 00:27:42,153 The keys were still inside the vehicle. 594 00:27:42,258 --> 00:27:44,099 This is really strange. 595 00:27:44,204 --> 00:27:47,470 They can't even get the car out, because the waters are still 596 00:27:47,575 --> 00:27:49,034 rising, and the car is submerged. 597 00:27:49,139 --> 00:27:51,153 So they have to have it towed out. 598 00:27:51,258 --> 00:27:53,065 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The discovery of Crystal's car 599 00:27:53,169 --> 00:27:55,289 raises a number of questions. 600 00:27:55,393 --> 00:27:58,694 Primarily, why hadn't she taken her car keys with her 601 00:27:58,799 --> 00:28:00,328 when she left it there? 602 00:28:00,432 --> 00:28:02,343 And where did she go after? 603 00:28:02,448 --> 00:28:04,602 As they continue their search for answers, 604 00:28:04,706 --> 00:28:08,286 an interesting piece of surveillance footage emerges. 605 00:28:08,389 --> 00:28:11,274 Steve is seen dumping something 606 00:28:11,378 --> 00:28:16,973 into a trash can at this local gas station and leaving. 607 00:28:17,076 --> 00:28:20,482 But they were not able to find out what those contents 608 00:28:20,586 --> 00:28:22,116 were, because that garbage can had 609 00:28:22,220 --> 00:28:24,375 been swept away by floodwaters. 610 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,390 Everything is washing away. 611 00:28:26,495 --> 00:28:28,892 So everything that police are trying to do, 612 00:28:28,996 --> 00:28:31,533 they're being hampered by this crazy hurricane. 613 00:28:31,638 --> 00:28:33,409 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But with the hurricane finally 614 00:28:33,514 --> 00:28:35,355 dying down, they're able to start 615 00:28:35,459 --> 00:28:37,684 piecing together some answers. 616 00:28:37,788 --> 00:28:39,769 The evidence just continued to keep mounting. 617 00:28:39,873 --> 00:28:44,530 And most of it was video surveillance from business 618 00:28:44,634 --> 00:28:51,828 security cameras, whether it was the service station where we 619 00:28:51,932 --> 00:28:57,352 later found her car at a Motel 6 parking lot, 620 00:28:57,457 --> 00:29:01,071 and the gas station caught somebody's parking the car. 621 00:29:01,175 --> 00:29:04,685 And that person that got out of the car resembled Steve. 622 00:29:04,789 --> 00:29:06,214 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Now that they 623 00:29:06,318 --> 00:29:08,819 were able to confirm that Steve was the one who dumped 624 00:29:08,924 --> 00:29:11,322 Crystal's car, detectives finally 625 00:29:11,426 --> 00:29:13,650 realized her sudden disappearance 626 00:29:13,754 --> 00:29:19,419 meant this was more than just a regular missing persons case. 627 00:29:26,195 --> 00:29:30,330 [music playing] 628 00:29:39,852 --> 00:29:42,562 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: By September 8, 2017, 629 00:29:42,666 --> 00:29:46,141 Crystal McDowell had been missing for 14 days. 630 00:29:46,245 --> 00:29:49,478 Detectives strongly suspected her ex-husband, Steve, 631 00:29:49,581 --> 00:29:50,901 had killed her. 632 00:29:51,006 --> 00:29:53,161 But they didn't have the evidence to prove it yet. 633 00:29:53,265 --> 00:29:56,324 But one of the things that you learn from a detective's 634 00:29:56,428 --> 00:30:00,424 perspective in law enforcement is you never rule out anybody 635 00:30:00,528 --> 00:30:06,401 or anyone until you truly have that physical evidence 636 00:30:06,505 --> 00:30:08,902 or a confession. 637 00:30:09,007 --> 00:30:11,196 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve McDowell currently had 638 00:30:11,301 --> 00:30:13,976 custody of his two children. 639 00:30:14,081 --> 00:30:19,224 As he became more and more of a person of interest, 640 00:30:19,328 --> 00:30:23,151 myself and the district attorney were concerned 641 00:30:23,255 --> 00:30:26,486 that he had already made a threat 642 00:30:26,591 --> 00:30:29,962 in a previous year of taking his own life 643 00:30:30,065 --> 00:30:32,464 and taking the kids' life. 644 00:30:32,567 --> 00:30:35,417 So we know that somehow, some way, 645 00:30:35,521 --> 00:30:37,745 that was already in his mind. 646 00:30:37,849 --> 00:30:39,309 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Cindy began to fear 647 00:30:39,414 --> 00:30:40,907 for the children's safety. 648 00:30:41,011 --> 00:30:42,158 I would go over there. 649 00:30:42,262 --> 00:30:44,661 I would try to get the kids to school, 650 00:30:44,765 --> 00:30:47,232 help Steve with the kids a little bit. 651 00:30:47,337 --> 00:30:51,402 If I could keep him close to me and keep the kids close, 652 00:30:51,507 --> 00:30:53,209 I could keep an eye on him and maybe 653 00:30:53,313 --> 00:30:56,058 somewhat protect the kids. 654 00:30:56,162 --> 00:31:00,158 So we took the legal avenues, got 655 00:31:00,263 --> 00:31:04,259 the Child Protective Services involved in it. 656 00:31:04,365 --> 00:31:06,275 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: As police wait for authorization 657 00:31:06,379 --> 00:31:08,464 to take custody of the children, they 658 00:31:08,568 --> 00:31:11,557 uncover another piece of evidence that gets them one 659 00:31:11,662 --> 00:31:14,198 step closer to arresting Steve. 660 00:31:14,302 --> 00:31:17,465 There was an interstate highway and a state highway 661 00:31:17,568 --> 00:31:19,619 where this Motel 6 was. 662 00:31:19,724 --> 00:31:23,234 And directly catty-corner of that was a Walmart. 663 00:31:23,337 --> 00:31:26,918 And we were able to get video surveillance of Steve 664 00:31:27,021 --> 00:31:31,990 buying a bicycle, and an energy drink, and a pack 665 00:31:32,094 --> 00:31:38,002 of cigarettes very early in the morning, like 5:45, 6:00 AM, 666 00:31:38,107 --> 00:31:39,149 very early. 667 00:31:39,254 --> 00:31:40,364 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Curiously, 668 00:31:40,469 --> 00:31:42,554 Steve's early morning shopping spree 669 00:31:42,658 --> 00:31:46,098 is on the very same day surveillance cameras also 670 00:31:46,203 --> 00:31:47,905 caught him dumping Crystal's car. 671 00:31:48,010 --> 00:31:52,631 And then we got additional security video surveillance 672 00:31:52,735 --> 00:31:56,698 of him riding that bicycle down the Interstate 10 673 00:31:56,802 --> 00:31:58,678 service road towards his house. 674 00:31:58,782 --> 00:32:01,562 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve's actions are highly suspicious. 675 00:32:01,667 --> 00:32:04,898 I would say it was very unusual to be riding 676 00:32:05,002 --> 00:32:07,851 your bike home in the rain. 677 00:32:07,957 --> 00:32:10,874 And it really wasn't on an adult bicycle, either. 678 00:32:10,979 --> 00:32:12,508 It was a kid's bicycle. 679 00:32:12,613 --> 00:32:18,868 And the detectives had seen the bicycle in the garage 680 00:32:18,972 --> 00:32:21,578 on earlier searches. 681 00:32:21,683 --> 00:32:26,304 But obviously, they just assumed that that bicycle was 682 00:32:26,408 --> 00:32:28,807 one of the children's bikes. 683 00:32:28,911 --> 00:32:34,714 And it wasn't until we started putting all the video when we 684 00:32:34,818 --> 00:32:39,023 discovered the car, then the video of the car being parked, 685 00:32:39,127 --> 00:32:43,020 and then the video of him buying the bicycle, 686 00:32:43,124 --> 00:32:45,729 and then the video of him riding the bicycle home. 687 00:32:45,833 --> 00:32:50,976 Obviously, we went back and did another search of the house 688 00:32:51,081 --> 00:32:51,951 and then the garage. 689 00:32:52,054 --> 00:32:53,548 And there was the bicycle. 690 00:32:53,653 --> 00:32:55,598 And we were able to identify, that was the bicycle that he 691 00:32:55,703 --> 00:33:00,673 had purchased from the Walmart shortly after parking the car 692 00:33:00,776 --> 00:33:03,660 in the Motel 6 parking lot. 693 00:33:03,764 --> 00:33:05,224 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After confirming the bike 694 00:33:05,328 --> 00:33:07,622 to be the same one Steve bought at Walmart, 695 00:33:07,726 --> 00:33:10,471 investigators are finally able to start 696 00:33:10,576 --> 00:33:12,764 piecing the puzzle together. 697 00:33:12,869 --> 00:33:14,815 When I got to see it the very first time, 698 00:33:14,919 --> 00:33:18,847 I was personally giddy, because he was 699 00:33:18,951 --> 00:33:20,236 one of our persons of interest. 700 00:33:20,340 --> 00:33:23,190 And he was becoming a stronger and stronger 701 00:33:23,293 --> 00:33:24,824 person of interest. 702 00:33:24,927 --> 00:33:31,078 And those were the pieces of the puzzle that we needed. 703 00:33:31,183 --> 00:33:33,406 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: It still isn't quite enough to charge 704 00:33:33,510 --> 00:33:34,797 Steve with murder. 705 00:33:34,900 --> 00:33:37,542 But then something happened to make him crack. 706 00:33:37,646 --> 00:33:39,245 Everything's pointing to him. 707 00:33:39,350 --> 00:33:43,310 He's not being very cooperative. 708 00:33:43,414 --> 00:33:47,133 Police are zeroing in on Steve at this point. 709 00:33:47,237 --> 00:33:48,766 Steve's getting nervous. 710 00:33:48,870 --> 00:33:51,547 The police are nervous enough that they have had the children 711 00:33:51,651 --> 00:33:53,180 taken away from him. 712 00:33:53,283 --> 00:33:56,377 Steve then confides in his older daughter, the one 713 00:33:56,481 --> 00:33:58,114 from his previous marriage. 714 00:33:58,217 --> 00:34:01,658 He admits to her that he killed Crystal. 715 00:34:01,763 --> 00:34:03,709 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After Crystal had been missing 716 00:34:03,813 --> 00:34:08,087 for 15 days, on September 9, 2017, 717 00:34:08,190 --> 00:34:10,590 Steve McDowell turned himself in. 718 00:34:10,693 --> 00:34:15,870 At this point, Steve must realize that it's over. 719 00:34:15,975 --> 00:34:18,756 He finally confesses to police. 720 00:34:18,860 --> 00:34:22,960 He ultimately broke down and told us that he 721 00:34:23,064 --> 00:34:25,323 would take us to the body. 722 00:34:25,427 --> 00:34:31,370 It's a heavily wooded area near Needlepoint Road. 723 00:34:31,474 --> 00:34:36,339 BRIAN HAWTHORNE: We would not have located it 724 00:34:36,443 --> 00:34:38,667 if Steve hadn't taken us to it. 725 00:34:38,771 --> 00:34:41,030 It was very important for us and very 726 00:34:41,134 --> 00:34:44,123 important to the prosecution that we did locate 727 00:34:44,227 --> 00:34:47,042 the body for two reasons-- one, for prosecutorial reasons, 728 00:34:47,146 --> 00:34:54,409 and also for the ability for the family 729 00:34:54,513 --> 00:34:59,726 to have some closure based upon what had happened to Crystal. 730 00:34:59,829 --> 00:35:01,673 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Finding Crystal's body not only 731 00:35:01,777 --> 00:35:06,189 brought closure, but also realization of the horror she 732 00:35:06,293 --> 00:35:08,656 experienced before she died. 733 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:14,321 The details of what he did were disturbing. 734 00:35:14,425 --> 00:35:17,378 When we finally were able to recover the body, 735 00:35:17,482 --> 00:35:21,410 the body had a lot of decomposition. 736 00:35:21,514 --> 00:35:28,499 And there had also been some wild animal activity. 737 00:35:28,603 --> 00:35:32,321 Very difficult to identify exactly how she died. 738 00:35:32,425 --> 00:35:36,734 He tells police that they argued. 739 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,689 He strangled her with his bare hands. 740 00:35:39,792 --> 00:35:43,997 Once she was dead, he covered her face with plastic. 741 00:35:44,102 --> 00:35:45,769 He tied her up. 742 00:35:45,873 --> 00:35:49,246 He stuffed her body into a garbage bag. 743 00:35:49,350 --> 00:35:52,163 You know, it makes you wonder how a person can do something 744 00:35:52,267 --> 00:35:56,369 like that and not have remorse, or how a person can 745 00:35:56,473 --> 00:36:00,746 do something like that and not snap 746 00:36:00,850 --> 00:36:03,006 and go, oh my god, what am I doing? 747 00:36:03,110 --> 00:36:04,846 The next morning, he loaded that 748 00:36:04,951 --> 00:36:09,261 garbage bag with his ex-wife's body in it into his vehicle. 749 00:36:09,366 --> 00:36:12,839 And he drove it until he got to this heavily wooded 750 00:36:12,944 --> 00:36:14,370 area near Needlepoint Road. 751 00:36:14,473 --> 00:36:16,384 And he dumped her body there. 752 00:36:16,489 --> 00:36:19,616 And for 15 days, it's been there. 753 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:20,832 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Aunt Cindy 754 00:36:20,936 --> 00:36:22,952 had the difficult task of delivering 755 00:36:23,056 --> 00:36:25,106 the news to Crystal's children. 756 00:36:25,210 --> 00:36:26,636 He destroyed so many lives. 757 00:36:26,740 --> 00:36:28,268 He destroyed his children's life. 758 00:36:28,372 --> 00:36:33,899 I mean, he destroyed Crystal, and her dreams, and her goals, 759 00:36:34,003 --> 00:36:36,122 and her visions of her family. 760 00:36:36,226 --> 00:36:39,458 And the kids will grow up without a mom. 761 00:36:39,562 --> 00:36:41,230 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But would the kids grow up 762 00:36:41,335 --> 00:36:43,976 without their father as well? 763 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:46,722 Steve refused to admit to Crystal's murder. 764 00:36:46,826 --> 00:36:49,813 Instead, he claimed in court that Crystal's death 765 00:36:49,918 --> 00:36:51,968 had been a tragic accident. 766 00:36:52,072 --> 00:36:54,817 In the trial, he tried to say he squeezed her 767 00:36:54,922 --> 00:36:57,146 to death, as in hugging her. 768 00:36:57,249 --> 00:37:01,803 He testified that this was a sudden passion crime 769 00:37:01,906 --> 00:37:04,166 and that he never intended on killing her. 770 00:37:04,270 --> 00:37:07,883 And in Texas, under the law, a heat-of-the-moment killing 771 00:37:07,988 --> 00:37:10,108 could actually get a defendant as little 772 00:37:10,212 --> 00:37:12,053 as two years in prison. 773 00:37:12,158 --> 00:37:13,896 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Steve's denials further 774 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,015 disgusted Crystal's family. 775 00:37:16,119 --> 00:37:17,752 He was a coward to do it. 776 00:37:17,857 --> 00:37:20,393 So man up and at least say you did it. 777 00:37:20,498 --> 00:37:23,486 If you snapped, or you premeditated it, 778 00:37:23,591 --> 00:37:29,879 or you went nuts, whatever happened, at that point, 779 00:37:29,984 --> 00:37:31,653 you own it. 780 00:37:31,757 --> 00:37:32,799 You know you did it. 781 00:37:32,903 --> 00:37:34,225 You own it. 782 00:37:34,329 --> 00:37:36,101 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Despite Steve's claims of innocence, 783 00:37:36,205 --> 00:37:40,132 the prosecution knew they had a star witness on their side, one 784 00:37:40,236 --> 00:37:42,251 who was only seven years old. 785 00:37:42,355 --> 00:37:49,202 The daughter said that she saw her father, 786 00:37:49,306 --> 00:37:55,664 saw Steve strangling Crystal. 787 00:37:55,769 --> 00:37:57,472 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After leaving her boyfriend 788 00:37:57,576 --> 00:37:59,488 Paul's house on the morning of her murder, 789 00:37:59,592 --> 00:38:01,573 Crystal arrived at Steve's house to pick 790 00:38:01,677 --> 00:38:04,040 up their children as planned. 791 00:38:04,145 --> 00:38:07,758 Once she got there, the two began to argue. 792 00:38:07,862 --> 00:38:12,205 This little girl testifies that she 793 00:38:12,310 --> 00:38:17,106 actually woke up while her mommy and daddy were arguing. 794 00:38:17,209 --> 00:38:19,642 She'd gotten up to go to the bathroom. 795 00:38:19,747 --> 00:38:22,875 The argument was about Crystal having another man. 796 00:38:22,979 --> 00:38:24,578 And she said that Mommy got mad. 797 00:38:24,681 --> 00:38:29,060 And Mommy said, I'm just going to take my children and leave, 798 00:38:29,165 --> 00:38:31,458 and that Daddy said, no, you're not. 799 00:38:31,562 --> 00:38:34,342 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Exactly what happened next isn't clear. 800 00:38:34,446 --> 00:38:37,504 Crystal's daughter testified that when Steve saw her, 801 00:38:37,608 --> 00:38:41,222 he sent her back to her room, but that before she went back 802 00:38:41,326 --> 00:38:44,905 upstairs, she saw Steve grab Crystal in a kind of chokehold 803 00:38:45,010 --> 00:38:46,817 from behind. 804 00:38:46,921 --> 00:38:49,250 And that's what it appears that he did to her, 805 00:38:49,354 --> 00:38:56,304 was strangled her till she ultimately passed out. 806 00:38:56,408 --> 00:38:58,075 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Was Crystal's death really 807 00:38:58,180 --> 00:39:00,787 a spontaneous crime of passion, or was it 808 00:39:00,891 --> 00:39:02,628 a premeditated murder? 809 00:39:02,732 --> 00:39:06,590 That it takes four minutes to smother someone-- 810 00:39:06,695 --> 00:39:09,474 I mean, at some point, you would think he would have snapped 811 00:39:09,578 --> 00:39:12,115 and realized, what am I doing? 812 00:39:12,218 --> 00:39:14,825 My child is watching, and my wife's dying. 813 00:39:14,930 --> 00:39:16,806 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: If this was a tragic accident, 814 00:39:16,911 --> 00:39:19,205 then why hadn't Steve called 911? 815 00:39:19,308 --> 00:39:22,227 Why had he gone to such extreme lengths 816 00:39:22,331 --> 00:39:23,826 to cover up Crystal's death? 817 00:39:23,931 --> 00:39:28,552 The manufactured text messages, the consciousness 818 00:39:28,656 --> 00:39:30,532 of his guilt when he tries to hide the body, 819 00:39:30,637 --> 00:39:32,826 throw the body away, or whatever the case may be, 820 00:39:32,931 --> 00:39:37,031 it just doesn't seem like sudden passion. 821 00:39:37,134 --> 00:39:39,428 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: By June 12, 2019, 822 00:39:39,532 --> 00:39:41,584 the jury had heard enough. 823 00:39:41,688 --> 00:39:44,259 After only three hours of deliberation, 824 00:39:44,363 --> 00:39:46,865 they returned their verdict-- 825 00:39:46,969 --> 00:39:48,359 guilty. 826 00:39:48,464 --> 00:39:52,703 Steven McDowell is convicted of murder in the death 827 00:39:52,807 --> 00:39:54,683 of his ex-wife, Crystal. 828 00:39:54,787 --> 00:39:58,193 He's sentenced to 50 years in prison. 829 00:39:58,297 --> 00:40:02,328 The earliest he could be paroled is the year 2042. 830 00:40:02,433 --> 00:40:05,004 He will be 70 years old at the time. 831 00:40:05,108 --> 00:40:06,915 He's currently serving his time in the Texas 832 00:40:07,020 --> 00:40:10,182 prison systems, Coffield Unit, in Tennessee Colony. 833 00:40:10,287 --> 00:40:11,434 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Crystal's aunt 834 00:40:11,538 --> 00:40:14,109 Cindy is still trying to come to terms 835 00:40:14,214 --> 00:40:15,637 with the loss of her niece. 836 00:40:15,741 --> 00:40:17,375 I have pity for him. 837 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:19,773 You know, he'll live the rest of his life, or the majority 838 00:40:19,877 --> 00:40:20,641 of it, in prison. 839 00:40:20,746 --> 00:40:22,379 And he'll get what he deserves. 840 00:40:22,484 --> 00:40:24,741 I feel bad for him that he made that choice. 841 00:40:24,847 --> 00:40:26,655 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: For Sheriff Brian Hawthorne, 842 00:40:26,759 --> 00:40:28,739 the tragedy was avoidable. 843 00:40:28,844 --> 00:40:31,693 All Crystal had to do was put some distance 844 00:40:31,797 --> 00:40:33,500 between herself and Steve. 845 00:40:33,604 --> 00:40:37,600 If you're leaving a hostile relationship, 846 00:40:37,704 --> 00:40:40,657 you need to figure out how to separate yourself, and continue 847 00:40:40,761 --> 00:40:44,723 to grow as two separate people, and raise 848 00:40:44,827 --> 00:40:47,991 your family in a healthy way. 849 00:40:48,094 --> 00:40:51,327 And moving back in with your ex-husband 850 00:40:51,431 --> 00:40:53,828 is not a healthy way to do it. 851 00:40:56,470 --> 00:41:00,292 Could the sad tale of Crystal McDowell's murder 852 00:41:00,397 --> 00:41:02,828 have had a different ending if she'd made a clean break 853 00:41:02,933 --> 00:41:04,948 from her husband, Steve? 854 00:41:05,053 --> 00:41:07,658 Obviously, we'll never know for sure. 855 00:41:07,763 --> 00:41:11,898 But what we do know is that her story is a tragic reminder 856 00:41:12,003 --> 00:41:15,511 that the person most likely to kill you 857 00:41:15,616 --> 00:41:18,397 may be the person you married. 858 00:41:18,501 --> 00:41:22,044 I'm Michelle Trachtenberg, and I'll see you next time 859 00:41:22,149 --> 00:41:23,678 on "Meet, Marry, Murder." 860 00:41:26,564 --> 00:41:30,663 [theme music]