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Missing Texas mom's car found abandoned in flooded parking lot

October 27, 2017 / 01:36

This episode discusses the discovery of a missing woman's car, the circumstances surrounding its finding, and the events that unfolded thereafter. Key topics include the timeline of the disappearance, the role of social media in locating the vehicle, and the unusual situation of the car being left unlocked with keys inside.

The car belonging to Crystal McDowell was found on a Monday after she was reported missing on Saturday. A storm hit the area Sunday night, causing floodwaters to rise. Friends of McDowell used social media to locate her vehicle in a Motel 6 parking lot.

It was notable that the car was unlocked and the keys were left on the console, raising questions about why it had not been stolen. The discussion highlights the oddity of a luxury car being left in such a vulnerable state.

During the investigation, detectives encountered individuals attempting to steal the car, which added complexity to the case. The detectives were involved in a footrace with these individuals, who were not connected to McDowell's disappearance.

The episode provides a detailed account of the investigation's challenges and the peculiar circumstances surrounding the car's discovery.

TLDR

The episode covers the discovery of Crystal McDowell's car and the unusual circumstances of its finding and attempted theft.

Episode

1:36
00:00:00
when is the car found and how is it found so the car was found on Monday the Monday after she goes missing correct
00:00:07
she was reported missing on Saturday the storm hits us Sunday night and the floodwaters are starting to rise Monday
00:00:18
they're continuing to rise and then through social media some friends were involved those people spotted the
00:00:25
vehicle in the motel six parking lot was it easy to get in the car well you could get in the car because it
00:00:31
was unlocked and the keys were sitting on the console obviously you don't leave a Mercedes that's in really good shape
00:00:38
in a motel 6 parking lot with the doors unlocked and the keys on the console set
00:00:42
up for someone to take it correct but at the same time we couldn't just assume that you would think a fancy car would
00:00:49
be a great target for a thief why do you think it wasn't taken that was one of the things that kind of threw us off
00:00:55
when it was discovered that that was the missing woman's car anybody was around the car what would become a person of
00:01:02
interest and potentially a suspect just add him to the list Sheriff but by the time we got to it well somebody was
00:01:09
trying to steal it so at one point we have two of our detectives that are in a footrace with these people that were
00:01:18
fleeing and the reason they were fleeing wasn't because they were part of the missing aspect of crystal McDowell but
00:01:24
it was real obvious to us they were intent was to try and steal the car but they couldn't because the water had
00:01:30
risen you couldn't get it out of the parking lot

Episode Highlights

  • The Discovery of the Car
    The missing woman's car was found unlocked in a motel 6 parking lot.
    “You don't leave a Mercedes in a motel 6 with the doors unlocked.”
    @ 00m 33s
    October 27, 2017
  • A Race Against Time
    Detectives chased suspects trying to steal the car, unaware of its connection to a missing person.
    “It was real obvious to us their intent was to try and steal the car.”
    @ 01m 26s
    October 27, 2017

Episode Quotes

  • You don't leave a Mercedes in a motel 6 with the doors unlocked.
    Missing Texas mom's car found abandoned in flooded parking lot
  • It was real obvious to us their intent was to try and steal the car.
    Missing Texas mom's car found abandoned in flooded parking lot

Key Moments

  • Car Found00:02
  • Missing Report00:07
  • Flood Rising00:15
  • Social Media Help00:21
  • Attempted Theft01:09
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