Jacob Louis Dubois, 22, was last seen on the evening of March 7, 2021, in Schertz, Texas. He left his home in the 5100 block of Brookline at approximately 11:45 p.m. after telling his girlfriend he was going to meet up with a friend, Ethan Carl Beckman. Dubois never returned home, and all attempts to contact him were unsuccessful. Initially investigated as a missing person case, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance soon pointed towards foul play, and the case was reclassified as a
homicide investigation.
The focus of the investigation quickly centered on Ethan Beckman, the last person known to have seen Dubois alive. When questioned by police, Beckman gave conflicting accounts of the night's events. He initially claimed that he and Dubois had driven to a construction site near Homestead Parkway and Somervell, where Dubois decided to walk home. However, his story changed upon further questioning. The day after Dubois's disappearance, Beckman was involved in a single-vehicle collision. In the hours following the accident, he made several trips to a local Walmart via a ride-sharing app, where he purchased items that could be used to dispose of or destroy a body, including bleach and lighter fluid.
In the early morning hours of March 9, 2021, a police officer encountered Beckman with his disabled gray 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GTI near U.S. 281 and Borgfeld Drive. The officer noted that Beckman's clothes were stained with bleach and observed lighter fluid and paper towels inside the vehicle. Subsequently, investigators seized Beckman's car and discovered evidence of a violent crime. The interior of the vehicle had been recently and thoroughly cleaned to the point that the floorboard was still wet. Despite the cleaning attempt, authorities found blood on and around the passenger seat and a spent bullet in the passenger seat pillar.
On March 19, 2021, Ethan Beckman was arrested and charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in connection with Dubois's disappearance. For over a year and a half, Jacob Dubois remained a missing person. In September 2022, his remains were discovered in Comal County. Following this discovery, in March 2023, a Guadalupe County grand jury indicted Beckman on charges of murder and tampering with physical evidence. In March 2024, a jury found Ethan Beckman guilty of the murder of his childhood friend, Jacob Dubois, and of tampering with evidence.Last Seen: Mar 7, 2021
