Tracy Jo Shine, 24, was last seen on April 8, 1987, in Harris County, Texas. Authorities later determined she was murdered by her live-in boyfriend, Michael Durwood Neal, in their home in the 7900 block of Machala in northwest Harris County. Neal, a drug dealer and member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist gang, mistakenly believed Shine had informed the police about his criminal activities.
The investigation into Shine's disappearance went cold for over a decade.
It was reopened in 1999 by the Harris County Sheriff's Department's cold case unit. Investigators learned that Neal had bragged about killing Shine. They discovered that Neal had stored her body in a refrigerator for several months before attempting to dissolve it in muriatic acid. When authorities recovered the refrigerator, it had been cleaned with bleach, but they were able to find a single hair and a small amount of human tissue. Mitochondrial DNA testing matched the remains to Shine.
In March 2000, Neal was charged with Shine's murder. At the time, he was already serving a life sentence for aggravated assault. In January 2001, Neal pleaded guilty to the murder and led police to a strip mall near Jones Road and FM 1960, where he had disposed of her body in a garbage bin. He was sentenced to another life term to be served concurrently with his existing sentence. Neal has since passed away.
Shine was described as a talented dancer who had been accepted into a prestigious performing arts high school in Houston. However, she became involved with drugs in high school and eventually dropped out. She moved in with Neal when she was eighteen. Tracy Jo Shine's body has never been found and is believed to be in a city landfill.Last Seen: Apr 8, 1987
