Body of Missing Texas Realtor Found; Ex-Husband Charged With Murder

Photo credit: crystalmcdowell.com

​The search for Houston-area realtor and mother of two young children, Crystal McDowell, ended Saturday, September 9 — more than two weeks after she disappeared. 

The Chambers County Sheriff's Office says detectives and Texas Rangers discovered Crystal's body in a marshy wooded area near Needlepoint Road. According to the CCSO, Crystal's ex-husband Steven Wayne McDowell, 44, confessed to killing his ex-wife and has been charged with murder.
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The couple's children, 5 and 8, are now with Crystal's family, KTRK reports.

Source: Chambers County Sheriff's Office

Below is surveillance video of Crystal McDowell leaving her boyfriend's home the morning of August 25 - the day she vanished and before Hurricane Harvey made landfall. They are the last images of the 37-year-old realtor and former flight attendant as she headed to Steven McDowell's place to pick up their children. Crystal's boyfriend, Paul Hargrave, was kind enough to share the video clips. 

Crystal McDowell's Mercedes Benz found abandoned at a Motel 6 parking lot. Source: FB

According to the CCSO, Crystal and Steven McDowell were divorced earlier this year but were still living together while her place was being remodeled.

The motive behind Crystal's death has not been released.