Case overview
Heidi Broussard, 33, was found dead in the trunk of a vehicle outside a Houston home on December 19, 2019, eight days after she and her newborn daughter vanished from their Austin apartment. Her close friend Magen Fieramusca was arrested and charged with kidnapping and tampering with a corpse, later upgraded to capital murder. The infant was found alive inside the home where Broussard’s body was recovered.
The last confirmed movements
On December 12, 2019, Heidi Broussard dropped her six-year-old son off at Cowan Elementary School in Austin shortly after 7:30 a.m. School surveillance footage captured her carrying her three-week-old daughter, Margot Carey, in an infant carrier. Broussard’s fiancé, Shane Carey, left for work that morning and returned around 2 p.m. to find both Heidi and the baby gone. Her car, purse, and diaper bag remained at the apartment.
Carey reported them missing that evening. Investigators canvassed the area and reviewed security footage from the apartment complex. No signs of forced entry or struggle were found inside the residence. Neighbors reported no disturbances.
What investigators found
Austin Police Department homicide detectives identified Magen Fieramusca, a longtime friend of Broussard’s, as a person of interest. The two women had known each other since middle school and reconnected in recent years. Fieramusca had recently claimed to be pregnant and told friends and family she had given birth around the same time as Broussard.
Investigators determined that Fieramusca had not been pregnant. She had been seen with a newborn infant shortly after Broussard’s disappearance and told acquaintances the child was hers. Phone records and surveillance footage placed Fieramusca in Austin on the day Broussard vanished.
On December 19, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in the Jersey Village area of Houston, where Fieramusca was staying with her boyfriend. Officers found an infant inside the home believed to be Margot Carey. DNA testing later confirmed the child’s identity. Outside in the trunk of a vehicle parked in the driveway, officers discovered Broussard’s body. She had been strangled.
The arrest and charges
Magen Fieramusca was arrested on December 20, 2019, and charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with a corpse. Travis County prosecutors later upgraded the charges to include capital murder and kidnapping of a child under 18. Under Texas law, capital murder can apply when a kidnapping results in death.
Fieramusca was held without bond. Court filings indicated that she had researched pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care in the months before the crime. Investigators also recovered evidence suggesting she had planned to pass off Broussard’s infant as her own.
Shane Carey and other family members cooperated fully with law enforcement and were not considered suspects. Margot was reunited with her father and brother shortly after her recovery.
What the case turned on
Prosecutors built their case around digital evidence, witness testimony, and forensic analysis. Phone records showed repeated contact between Fieramusca and Broussard in the days before the disappearance. Surveillance footage captured Fieramusca’s vehicle near Broussard’s apartment complex on December 12.
The medical examiner determined that Broussard died from ligature strangulation. Investigators recovered physical evidence linking Fieramusca to the scene where the body was found. The timeline established by law enforcement suggested that Broussard was killed shortly after she was last seen and that her body was transported to Houston within hours.
Defense attorneys did not dispute Fieramusca’s presence in Austin or her possession of the infant. They challenged the state’s theory of premeditation and the circumstances under which Broussard’s death occurred. Fieramusca did not testify during pretrial hearings.
The trial and verdict
Magen Fieramusca’s trial began in Travis County in 2023. Prosecutors argued that she had planned the abduction and murder, motivated by a desire to claim Broussard’s newborn as her own. The state presented evidence of internet searches, false claims of pregnancy, and a pattern of deception directed at friends and family.
The defense argued that the evidence did not support a charge of capital murder and suggested that Broussard’s death may not have been premeditated. They pointed to inconsistencies in witness statements and questioned the timeline presented by investigators.
After several days of testimony, the jury found Fieramusca guilty of capital murder and two counts of kidnapping. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.
Unresolved questions
The case left family members and investigators with questions about motive. While prosecutors established that Fieramusca faked a pregnancy and intended to take Broussard’s child, the full scope of her planning and the extent of her deception remain unclear. Friends and relatives of both women expressed shock, describing the relationship as close and longstanding.
Shane Carey has spoken publicly about the loss and his focus on raising his two children. Margot, now several years old, remains in his care. Broussard’s family has called for awareness around manipulation and the warning signs of obsessive behavior in relationships.
How Fieramusca maintained the facade of pregnancy for months and whether others suspected her deception have not been fully answered. Investigators have not disclosed whether additional charges or investigations remain active.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “Baby Stolen: The Murder of Heidi Broussard” (Lifetime)
- Podcast: “The Heidi Broussard Case” (“Crime Junkie”, Audiochuck)
- Podcast: “Heidi Broussard” (“Dateline NBC”, NBC News)
