Detectives discovered the body of missing Baytown woman Crystal McDowell two weeks after her disappearance. The Chambers County Sheriff's Office says her ex-husband Steven McDowell, 44, is charged with murder.
37-year-old Crystal McDowell was a realtor and mother of two children -- ages 5 and 8.
Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne spoke out Saturday night, "This case was about trying to bring Crystal McDowell home, and we've made that happen and we've been able to charge who caused the disappearance, so I'm very proud of my team. I'm very proud of everybody that worked so hard for the last two weeks on this case."
The 37-year-old mother was last seen in Baytown on August 25, a day before Harvey reached Texas. Sheriff Hawthorne says the timing of her disappearance was not linked to the hurricane. Her body was discovered on Saturday, September 9 in a wooded area of west Chambers County.
The sheriff says McDowell's children are currently in the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Texas EquuSearch helped look for McDowell for more than two weeks, on foot and ATVS. They released the following statement: "We want to thank the diligent and highly skilled professionals with the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers, because they, along with the team of Texas EquuSearch made every committed effort possible to find Crystal. We ask that everyone please keep Crystal’s family, especially her little children in your thoughts and prayers during this most tragic and devastating time of their lives."
