The remains of a missing woman from Texas were discovered in her boyfriend’s refrigerator, leading to his arrest on multiple charges. Chad Christopher Stevens, 42, has been charged with tampering with evidence and assault causing bodily injury to a family member after the body of his girlfriend, 35-year-old Heather Louise Schwab, was found at his residence in McKinney, Texas. The police executed a search warrant at Stevens’ home on Pearson Ave. where they uncovered Schwab’s body. The kitchen’s entrance was concealed behind a makeshift wall, which the police had to break down. Schwab’s body was wrapped in a significant amount of plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator. Stevens was taken into custody at the Collins County Detention Facility on a $150,000 bond.
Schwab’s mother, Tamara Schwab, reported her missing to the McKinney police on June 28. She informed the authorities about her daughter’s drug use and their strained relationship, as well as the abusive nature of Schwab’s relationship with Stevens. Tamara revealed that Schwab had expressed concerns about Stevens potentially killing her and hiding her body. Stevens initially claimed that Schwab had left him and he didn’t know her whereabouts, but Tamara told the police that Stevens’ ex-wife had mentioned that he had killed Schwab and buried her in his backyard. The ex-wife confirmed this claim, stating that Stevens had even joked about killing Schwab to their daughter. The police obtained a search warrant for Stevens’ home and discovered Schwab’s body on November 12.
According to the affidavit, Stevens confessed to hiding Schwab’s body in his refrigerator after she died in his home on July 26, 2022. He provided conflicting stories but ultimately claimed that Schwab slipped in the shower and hit her head. The police suspect that Schwab may have died around August 12, 2022, based on a domestic disturbance call reporting a woman waving a firearm and a man screaming at Stevens’ address. The cause of Schwab’s death is still pending, and further charges may be filed against Stevens once the medical examiner determines the cause of death.
The investigation is ongoing, and this is not the first time Stevens has faced legal troubles. A woman who lived with him between September 2022 and January 2023 reported that he assaulted her when she tried to move out. The McKinney Police Department expressed condolences to Schwab’s family, friends, and neighbors during this difficult time.
