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The family of Heather DeWild immediately suspected something was amiss when the mother-of-two failed to come home after visiting her estranged husband on the evening of July 24, 2003.
“The day that Heather went missing, she was living with her parents,” said Robert Weiner, former senior chief deputy district attorney for Jefferson County, Colorado, in a preview of an upcoming episode of Fatal Family Feuds. “She had separated from her husband, Daniel.”
“There was this contentious relationship over the custody of the kids at the time,” added Russ Boatright, senior investigator for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.
Keep reading to learn more about the case, set to be featured on Fatal Family Feuds, airing on Oxygen Sundays at 7/6c.
Heather DeWild goes missing after visiting estranged husband Daniel
Heather DeWild’s parents told the authorities that their daughter had gone to the home of her estranged husband, Daniel DeWild, home to pick up insurance cards for their two children, 5-year-old Jacob, and 3-year-old Hannah. “Heather’s father was very concerned that she not even go over there, knowing that the divorce was going to be finalized in a couple of days. But she wanted to get these insurance cards quickly,” Weiner said.
It was supposed to be a quick visit, but as day turned into evening and Heather DeWild, as well as her children, failed to return, her parents grew concerned. Eventually, Heather DeWild’s mother, Carol Springer, contacted Daniel DeWild, who was watching their two children and “did not seem bothered” that no one had heard from Heather DeWild, according to Heather DeWild’s sister Rebecca Barger.
In fact, Daniel DeWild said that Heather DeWild had left to go shopping for clothes but hadn’t come back for the kids.
“Heather would never leave the kids alone with him in an unscheduled visitation. [Carol Springer] immediately told Daniel she was coming over to pick up the kids,” Boatright said.
When Barger learned of what was going on, she said, “Instantly, my stomach just dropped.”
What happened to Heather DeWild?
Increasingly concerned about Heather DeWild’s safety, the family reported her missing, setting off a manhunt that spanned weeks. The search would come to a sad conclusion in September 2003, when a Colorado Dept. of Transportation worker found Heather DeWild’s remains on the side of a road, as reported by NBC affiliate 9News in 2003.
Though the search for Heather DeWild came to an end in 2003, it would take six years for detectives to figure out who was responsible for her death.
To find out how the case ended, tune in to Fatal Family Feuds, airing on Oxygen Sunday, March 2 at 7/6c.
