The 48 Hours episode “Taken Away” investigates the May 2016 disappearance and murder of 27-year-old Jessie Bardwell of Richardson, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Her parents in Mississippi called authorities when they didn’t hear from Jessie on Mother’s Day. Police searched her garage, smelled decaying flesh but no body. Soon after they arrested her live-in boyfriend Jason Lowe. In September 2017, Lowe, 28, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being found guilty in the death of Bardwell.
Lowe claimed it was an accident — that Bardwell hit her head in the shower while they were both on the drug called GHB — and having sex. He said they took a nap afterwards and then he woke up and found her dead. Lowe put her body in the trunk of his car which was parked in the garage. One week later, the day her parents reported Jessie missing, Lowe dumped her body in a wooded area.
Lowe avoided the standard life sentence for murder in Texas in exchange for telling authorities where they could find Bardwell’s body (in a wooden area, wrapped in a sheet and bubble wrap). Lowe will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years – in May 2041. Jason Lowe will be 52. 48 Hours airs Fridays at 9pm and 10pm on CBS.
