On September 26, 2018, Cynthia Arnold, age 42, disappeared from Cass County, Texas, along with her boyfriend, Donnie Combs. Arnold had received a call from Combs asking her to pick him up in Cass County, and she left her home to do so. A short time later, Arnold contacted her mother, stating that Combs had not yet arrived at their meeting spot and she was waiting for him. This was the last known communication from either Arnold or Combs.
Several days following their disappearance, Arnold's truck was discovered abandoned and burned on a county road in the neighboring Marion County, Texas.
The case remained cold for a significant period until a break came in October 2020. Kevin Dewayne Shepard Jr. and his uncle, Gary Edward Shepard, were indicted on capital murder charges in connection with the disappearances of Arnold and Combs. Authorities alleged that Gary Shepard had solicited or directed the murder of Donnie Combs because he was a potential witness against him in a felony theft case. The prosecution's stance was that Kevin Shepard carried out the murders of both Combs and Arnold.
In June 2022, Kevin Dewayne Shepard Jr. was convicted of capital murder and received an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The conviction was largely based on the testimony of a female eyewitness who was with Shepard at the time of the murders. The witness recounted a harrowing series of events that took place at a trailer with no running water or electricity where they were using methamphetamine. She testified that she had met Arnold and Combs on two occasions at this location.
According to the witness's testimony, during the second encounter, while she and Arnold were inside the trailer, Combs and Kevin Shepard were outside shooting guns near a trash fire pit. Arnold later went to lie down in her truck. The witness stated that Shepard then said, "Watch this," and shot Arnold in the head as she rested in her vehicle. He then turned to Combs and said, "I've got something for you too," and shot him. Combs attempted to flee, but Shepard pursued him, and the witness heard more gunshots. Shepard later returned and disposed of both bodies by burning them in the fire pit with tires and trash. He then forced the witness to follow him as he drove Arnold's truck to a county road and set it on fire. An investigation of the fire pit uncovered human bones, but they were too badly damaged by the fire to extract usable DNA. An earring belonging to Arnold was also found at the scene.Last Seen: Sep 26, 2018
