Dawnia Jo Howard, a 28-year-old woman, was last seen on December 14, 1985, in San Antonio, Texas. On the morning of her disappearance, her 12-year-old son found her missing from their home. Her car, purse, and keys were left behind, and she was never heard from again. At the time, Dawnia had recently gone through a divorce and was living alone with her two children.
Despite her history of drug use and previous arrests for alcohol-related offenses, her family did not believe she would abandon her children entirely. Dawnia’s ex-husband, Richard Clinton Howard, moved into her home shortly after her disappearance but did not report her missing. Instead, her father filed the missing person report 13 days later. Richard claimed Dawnia had gone on a trip to Europe to visit her sister, though this was proven false when her sister confirmed she wasn’t in Europe.
Complicating matters, Richard's brother told police that Richard had confessed to killing Dawnia. Allegedly, Richard claimed he attacked her while she was asleep, disposed of her body by flushing some remains down the toilet, and threw the bones away near Braunig Lake. Though Richard was arrested for her murder, the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Richard later moved to Michigan and remarried. In 1999, his new wife, Cora, also disappeared. Richard eventually confessed to her murder in 2003 and led authorities to her body, but he was never convicted for Dawnia’s disappearance.
Dawnia has never been found, and her case remains unsolved, with foul play suspected due to the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.Last Seen: Dec 14, 1985
