Woman Charged With Capital Murder In Austin Mom's Death

AUSTIN, TX — A grand jury on Tuesday indicted a woman on a capital murder charge after she was accused of strangling an Austin woman as part of a plot to steal her newborn, prosecutors announced on Tuesday.

In addition to the capital murder charge, Magen Rose Fieramusca, 34, was indicted for kidnapping in connection to the death of Heidi Broussard, the 33-year-old Austin woman who had been the subject of a massive search in December 2019 before being found dead in Houston, according to prosecutors.

Broussard's disappearance after having last been seen dropping her other child off at school prompted police to issue a plea for help from the public in locating her. Multiple law enforcement agencies — including the Austin Police Department, the Texas Rangers and FBI — joined in on the frantic search. Ultimately, the woman's body was found inside a duffel bag in the trunk of a car outside Fieramusca's Houston home.

Previous coverage:

• Missing Woman, Infant Sought By Austin Police
• FBI Joins In Search For Missing Austin Woman, Baby
  
• Missing Austin Woman Found Dead Near Houston
  
• Vigil For Austin Woman Killed In Houston Scheduled
  
• Grisly Details Emerge In Case Of Missing Austin Woman

Broussard's infant,3-month-old Margo Carey, was found safe before police retrieved the child. In a press advisory, the Travis County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday said Fieramusca asphyxiated Broussard "...intentionally causing her death."

Bond for Fieramusca has been set at $1 million for the capital murder charge and another $100,000 on the kidnapping charge, Travis County Jailrecords show. The database also shows a $400,000 bond for tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse.