Woman Suspected In Missing Mom's Disappearance Allegedly Wanted Her Baby

Officials have confirmed the body of a woman found strangled to death in the trunk of a car at a Houston-area home is missing Austin mom Heidi Broussard.

Investigators also located an unharmed newborn in the house they believe is Broussard's daughter. Authorities are conducting DNA tests to confirm the baby’s identity, CNN reported.

Broussard, 33, was last seen alive around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 12, when she dropped her 6-year-old son off at his South Austin elementary school. Investigators reportedly believe she and the baby then returned home.

"I went to work, and I talked to her around 8 o'clock, and that's the last time I talked to her," Shane Carey, the father of Broussard’s kids, said after Broussard’s disappearance, according to Austin’s KEYE-TV.

Carey said he couldn’t find Broussard or the newborn when he got off work that afternoon, but her car, purse, identification, and the baby’s diaper bag were at the apartment they shared, NBC News reported.

The elementary school their son attends later called to say she failed to pick the boy up. Carey reported Broussard missing around 7:30 p.m. — 12 hours after she was last seen alive. Investigators conducted interviews, executed search warrants, and fielded tips.

On Dec. 16, four days after Broussard vanished, authorities searched a vehicle and home in Houston, some 165 miles from Austin. They found the missing mom's body in the trunk and a healthy baby in the house whose "visual appearance is consistent with that of baby Margot," Austin police Detective Brad Herries said.

Broussard’s best friend, Magen Rose Fieramusca, also known as Maygen Humphrey, is being held on two counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with a corpse, said Travis County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kristen Dark.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said additional charges might be filed against the 33-year-old, CNN reported.

"Although we are grateful that it appears as though we have safely recovered [the baby] … we do believe that Ms. Broussard lost her life in this incident,” Manley said.

Fieramusca and Broussard reportedly met at a church camp as pre-teens and grew inseparable.

“I’m pretty shocked and pretty blown away," Kristina Sellers, who bunked with the two at camp, told Houston’s KHOU-TV. “I just don’t understand."

Sellers said she's still trying to comprehend the allegations made by police.

“What would ever make her stray from the foundation she was raised in, the church she was raised in? What happened? What would drive her to that point?” Sellers asked of the “double tragedy,” hitting both Broussard and Fieramusca’s loved ones.

Fieramusca, a former wedding planner, allegedly told those close to her she was pregnant and expecting a baby on Dec. 1. She had set up an Amazon baby registry, according to NBC News.

Broussard’s friend, Caressa Nolte, said Fieramusca was in the delivery room when Broussard gave birth three weeks ago. After Broussard's disappearance, Nolte told NBC News she was in daily contact with Fieramusca, whom she said appeared worried.

Nolte said she was “disgusted” after learning of Fieramusca’s arrest. “I was heartbroken. I was shocked. I didn't expect this," she noted.

In a statement, Broussard's mother, Tammy, said the victim’s loved ones are “overwhelmed with grief” but “getting through as a family.”

According to CBS News, a funeral for Broussard will be held in Louisiana. The Texas Child Protective Services is currently caring for the baby found while the investigation continues.

Fieramusca’s bail has been set at $600,000. She is expected to appear next in court after the holidays.

Read more: KTRK-TV