Eight days after an Austin mother and baby were last seen, police in Austin and Houston made an arrest that points to a plot to kill the woman and steal her 3-week-old daughter.
Austin police confirmed Friday morning that a baby girl was found alive at a home in the Northwest Houston area on Thursday. The baby’s DNA is being tested to confirm whether she is Margot Carey, the infant missing since Dec. 12.
Authorities also found a woman’s body in a trunk at the home in Jersey Village and suspect that she is the baby’s mother, 33-year-old Heidi Broussard.
Austin police confirmed that a person has been arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with a corpse. Arrest records out of Harris County say Magen Rose Fieramusca, 33, is the suspect in those crimes.
Authorities are planning a 2 p.m. press conference in Austin.
Friday’s developments mark a tragic end to a missing person’s case that had captured national attention and confounded authorities since Broussard dropped off a child at elementary school on the morning of Dec. 12 and wasn’t heard from again.
Fieramusca is thought to have been a close friend of Broussard’s and had been plotting to take Broussard’s daughter even before the girl was born, law enforcement officials told the American-Statesman. The woman pretended to have been pregnant at the same time as Broussard, the officials said.
Authorities were able to find the suspect’s car in Austin around the same time as Broussard’s disappearance, according to the law enforcement sources.
One vehicle found at the scene in Houston was registered to Fieramusca, according to KXAN-TV of Austin. Fieramusca emained in Harris County Jail on Friday morning on $600,000 bail.
11 a.m. update: Authorities plan to hold a 2 p.m. press conference in Austin Friday to discuss the case of Heidi Broussard and her 3-week-old daughter, Margot Carey.
Austin police confirmed at around 11 a.m. Friday that an infant girl was found alive at a residence in the Northwest Houston area on Thursday. The baby’s DNA is being tested to confirm whether or not she is Margot, police said in a statement.
Police also said the body of a woman was found at the home. An autopsy is being performed to confirm the woman’s identity, according to police.
Austin police confirmed that a person has been arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with a corpse. Arrest records out of Harris County say Magen Fieramusca, 33, is the suspect in those crimes.
The FBI, Austin police, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office will all attend the 2 p.m. press conference at 4800 Shaw Lane in Southeast Austin.
10 a.m. update: Authorities have officially identified the Houston woman linked to the kidnappings of Heidi Broussard and her infant daughter, Margot Carey.
The woman is 33-year-old Magen Fieramusca, according to authorities.
Arrest records out of Harris County say Fieramusca is charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with evidence.
The evidence was a human corpse, according to arrest records.
8:40 a.m. update: A Houston woman and “close friend” of Heidi Broussard has been charged with kidnapping and evidence tampering, law enforcement sources said.
Law enforcement sources said the woman has been plotting to take Broussard’s daughter, Margot Carey, leading up to the child’s birth. The woman pretended to have been pregnant at the same time as Broussard, sources said.
Authorities were able to locate the suspect’s car in Austin around the same time as Broussard’s disappearance, according to law enforcement sources.
One vehicle at the scene was registered to a Magen Rose Fieramusca, who is listed as in custody at Harrison County Jail, according to KXAN.
Police records from Harris County say Fieramusca was arrested Friday. She was charged with two counts of kidnapping and tampering with evidence, the records show.
The evidence was a human corpse, according to KXAN.
Investigators said they believe the Houston woman may have had help with Broussard’s killing and are trying to find other people who might have been involved, sources said.
Authorities said they do not think Shane Carey, Broussard’s fiance, was involved in the plot.
The Houston woman’s bail is set at $600,000 on kidnapping and tampering charges.
5:45 a.m. update: NBC news is reporting that Heidi Broussard, an Austin woman who was reported missing along with her 3-week-old daughter, was found dead Friday but the baby was found safe.
Austin’s NBC affiliate KXAN-TV, citing a report by correspondent Sam Brock, said Broussard’s mother was told by police that they believe a body found in the trunk of a car in Jersey Village near Houston is Heidi Broussard.
Her infant daughter, Margot Carey, is alive and in good condition, Broussard’s mother told NBC News.
Earlier: The investigation into the disappearance of 33-year-old Heidi Broussard and her infant daughter, who were last seen last week in South Austin, has led Austin police and the FBI to explore leads in Houston, authorities said Thursday.
Authorities declined to comment on the nature of the Houston investigation.
Broussard, 33, was last seen Dec. 12 around 7:30 a.m., when Broussard dropped off a child at Cowan Elementary School in South Austin, police said. Investigators believe Broussard returned to her apartment on West William Cannon Drive later that day, police said.
Austin police have said investigators don’t have reason to believe Broussard and her daughter have been harmed, but they don’t know whether a crime has been committed either.
The case quickly garnered international coverage and attention. People following the case online created a Reddit page and over two dozen Facebook groups to discuss the details of the investigation and speculate about what might have happened to Broussard and her daughter.
Police have established a devoted phone line to receive tips about the case. Anyone with information about the mother and daughter’s whereabouts are urged to call 512-974-5100. Police are asking the community to share tips this way and not through social media.
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