Dateline: Before the Storm – Who was Steven McDowell, and what crime did he commit? Details of the 2017 incident explored

Steven Wayne McDowell was 44 years old when he was arrested for killing his ex-wife, Crystal McDowell, in August 2017. Crystal, a real estate agent and mother of two, disappeared on August 25, 2017, just before Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Her submerged car was found days later in a flooded Motel 6 parking lot, about 13 miles from her home.

Two weeks after she was reported missing, Steven McDowell led police to Crystal’s body in a wooded marsh area in Chambers County. In June 2019, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder and sentenced him to 50 years in prison.

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Background on Steven McDowell and his relationship with Crystal

Steven and Crystal McDowell were married for about ten years before divorcing in June 2017. They had two children, whom Crystal planned to pick up from Steven’s home on the day she vanished. According to records, Steven had threatened a murder-suicide just weeks before Crystal’s disappearance, prompting a welfare check at her request.

After their divorce, Crystal resided with a family member while Steven tended to the children. Despite a calm public image, private tensions between them were high in the weeks leading up to August 25, 2017.

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What happened on August 25, 2017

On the morning of August 25, 2017, Crystal left her boyfriend’s home in Baytown to collect her children from Steven’s house. She never arrived, and her family reported her missing on September 2 when she failed to show up for work and didn’t answer calls.

Hurricane Harvey struck that same day, dumping record rainfall and flooding roads across eastern Texas. Floodwaters delayed search teams, making it hard to comb the areas where evidence might be found. Four days after the storm, Crystal’s black Mercedes-Benz was discovered underwater in a Motel 6 lot, a key early clue.

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How investigators unraveled the mystery

Investigators focused on Steven after learning he was the last person to see Crystal alive. Two weeks into the search, Steven agreed to a police interview, during which he confessed to strangling Crystal during an argument about the children.

He led officers to the marshy site off Needlepoint Road where he had hidden her body, wrapped in a blanket. Law enforcement noted that without his direction, Crystal’s remains might never have been found in the dense brush. The confession sealed the case against him, providing clear evidence for the prosecution.

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Trial, conviction, and sentencing

In November 2018, a Chambers County grand jury formally indicted Steven McDowell for Crystal’s murder. His trial took place in mid-2019, where the defense argued the killing was impulsive, but the jury rejected this claim.

On June 14, 2019, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and given a 50-year sentence. He is housed at the H.H. Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, with parole eligibility in 2042. The case underscored how domestic disputes can turn tragic and the challenges posed by natural disasters in criminal investigations.

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Coverage on Dateline NBC’s “Before the Storm”

Dateline NBC aired “Before the Storm” on June 5, 2018, examining how Hurricane Harvey complicated the search for Crystal. The episode included interviews with law enforcement officials, family members, and legal experts to detail the investigation.

It highlighted how floodwaters washed away or submerged critical evidence, slowing the case’s progress. The title played on the literal storm and the personal turmoil McDowell unleashed. Viewers saw how perseverance and precise detective work ultimately brought Crystal’s killer to justice.

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