AUSTIN, Texas — It’s now been one year since Austin mother Heidi Broussard and her newborn baby, Margo Carey, went missing from their South Austin apartment complex.
The 33-year-old was last seen the morning of Dec. 12, 2019, when she dropped off her son, Silas, for school at Cowan Elementary School.
A week later, on Dec. 19, police found Broussard’s body in the trunk of a car in Houston. It was parked outside a home where they also found her daughter alive.
At one-month-old, Margo attended her mother’s own funeral at a Lake Charles, Louisiana, funeral home. That’s where Broussard was described as “a star in the middle of darkness” and the “perfect mother.”
Now, one year later, the family continues to seek justice and heal.
In October, baby Margo took her first steps at 11 months old. In November, she celebrated her first birthday.
Margo’s aunt, Tiffany Carey, tells KVUE the happy 1-year-old rarely cries and is learning sign language.
Several of Broussard’s family members went to therapy after the tragedy to help keep their minds healthy and family safe, Carey said.
Broussard’s mother, Tammy, told KVUE recently nothing will ever be right without their “sweet pea.”
Still, the family is waiting for a trial to help bring final closure and answers about why Broussard was taken from them.
PHOTOS: Margo Carey one year later
The kind of closure could still be months or even years away.
Magen Fieramusca, Broussard’s friend since a childhood church camp, remains in the Travis County Correctional Complex on charges of capital murder, tampering with a corpse, and two counts of kidnapping. Her bond is set at $1.6 million.
Status hearings have been scheduled and reset throughout the year, none with significant developments. The next one is scheduled for Jan. 20.
Fieramusca’s attorney, Brian Erskine, declined to comment for this story. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office also said it could not comment on the pending case.
The courts have a backlog of cases because of the coronavirus pandemic, which could delay Fieramusca’s day in court even longer.
The family is accepting donations here.
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