The 48 Hours episode “Storm of Suspicion” investigates the disappearance and death of 37-year-old Texas realtor and mother of two, Crystal McDowell. On August 25, 2017, right before Hurricane Harvey hit southern Texas, Crystal left her house to pick up her kids at her ex-husband’s house before he went to work. (Their divorce had been finalized in June of that year.) When Crystal didn’t return, her boyfriend Paul Hargrave called Crystal’s uncle, Jeff Walters, who called the police. (Walters raised McDowell after her parents died when she was 11.)
The Chambers County Sheriff admits that the timing of her disappearance – during Hurricane Harvey — was terrible. After a treacherous two-week search, detectives found McDowell’s body in a wooded area. Her ex-husband, Steven McDowell, confessed to strangling his ex-wife in his home. The McDowell’s two children, ages 5 and 8, were in the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. According to 48 Hours, they have since left the state of Texas and are living with “a family friend who is in the process of obtaining full legal custody.” 48 Hours airs Saturdays at 9pm and 10pm on CBS.
