Kriti Mehrotra
NBC’s ‘Dateline: Abducted’ is an episode that chronicles a harrowing case of friendship, jealousy, betrayal, and loss that apparently stemmed from a pregnancy welcomed by those involved. With archival tapes and in-depth interviews from detectives, friends, and family members, it examines how Heidi Broussard went from being a mother and fiancée to a victim in mere weeks. Thus, now, if you’re curious to know the details about what transpired and who was responsible, including alleged motives and its equally brutal aftermath, we’ve got you covered.
Heidi Broussard Was Strangled to Death
Having relocated to Austin in Texas, sometime around 2015 after spending most of her life in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Heidi Elizabeth Broussard was a waitress whom many described as a positive force of nature. Even though she served at Cracker Barrell for most of her time in the new city, Heidi was actively looking to pursue further education and formal training to achieve her dream of becoming a Veterinary Technician. Heidi was also engaged to Shane Carey and had given birth to their daughter, Margo, on November 26, 2019, only to disappear on December 12, 2019.
Along with her newborn daughter, the 33-year-old had vanished after dropping off her son at school on that ominous day. However, Heidi’s vehicle and all of her belongings, including her wallet, identification, and Margo’s diaper bag, were inside. The only things missing were her house keys and phone, while the stuff she shared with Shane in the home seemed to be in their exact place as well. The duo was reported missing, and on December 19, 2019, Heidi’s remains were recovered from the trunk of a car outside a Houston residence. She’d been strangled to death.
Magen Fieramusca Was Convicted of Killing Heidi Broussard
Only one person has ever been charged and arrested in Heidi Broussard’s matter, and that’s her long-time friend, Magen Fieramusca. She was arrested more than a week after the recovery of this young mother’s remains and was indicted on two counts of kidnapping (for Heidi and Margo), one count of tampering with a corpse, and one count of capital murder. After all, Heidi was found in a car outside Magen’s home while Margo was safe inside, with Magen allegedly pretending to be her mother, as implied by her once-boyfriend.
According to an affidavit, on or about December 12, 2019, while abducting Heidi and Margo, Magen asphyxiated the former to intentionally cause her death. Furthermore, as per statements by both the women’s partners, they’d announced their pregnancy around the same time in 2019. Yet, while Magen’s stomach did grow in the ensuing months, her live-in ex-boyfriend Christopher Green described it as “hard.” Heidi’s fiancé also stated that she’d told him on December 8 or 9 that Magen had given birth to a daughter, but they didn’t see any photos.
When the police initially questioned Magen, per records, she said she was on the beach with a cousin on December 12 while Christopher was at work in Houston. That’s when she went into labor and did not tell him, Magen claimed to the officials. She returned to their shared home the next day with a baby girl in her arms. On December 19, when detectives approached this ex-boyfriend outside a Target store, where he’d just finished shopping for baby clothes and formula, they showed him a picture of Margo, to which he responded, “That’s the baby at my house.”
As if all this was not enough, before arresting Magen, authorities had also delved into her online activities, only to unveil some disturbing searches. She’d not only deactivated her Facebook account on December 17 and searched “reasons for Amber Alert” and “Amber Alert issued Austin” on December 12, but she’d also looked up “bodies found in Austin, Texas” two days later and some form of “Heidi Broussard” at least 160 times over the period of a month. CCTV footage, phone records, and witness statements also implicated her, with her motive coming across as wanting Margo all to herself. In the end, on February 2, 2023, Magen pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and was subsequently sentenced to 55 years in prison.
Read More: Where is Magen Fieramusca Now?
