Aundria Bowman’s disappearance was a tragic mystery for over three decades. Born Alexis Badger, she vanished on March 11, 1989, and was reported as a runaway by her adoptive father, Dennis Bowman, who noted that she had left behind a jacket and some money.
The case remained cold until her biological mother, Cathy Terkanian, discovered it in 2010. Terkanian, who had given up Aundria for adoption as a teenager, began her own search for her daughter, bringing renewed attention to the case.
Cathy Terkanian’s tireless investigation into her daughter’s disappearance led her to suspect Dennis Bowman, Aundria’s adoptive father, was involved. Her suspicions were validated when Dennis confessed to the crime in 2019.
This harrowing story is detailed in the 2024 Netflix documentary Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, directed by Ryan White, which chronicles Terkanian’s decade-long pursuit of justice and the resolution of the case.
Meet Cathy Terkanian
Cathy Terkanian, a retired nurse, is Aundria Bowman’s biological mother. At 16 years old, she gave birth to Aundria in 1974 and placed her for adoption in Virginia under the advice of her parents. Terkanian’s search for her daughter and subsequent quest for justice form the core of the documentary Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter.
“My fantasy was she had the best life,” Terkanian told in 2020.
Aundria had a closed adoption, but in 2010, Terkanian received a letter from Social Services asking her to get in touch.
“I thought I was going to meet her,” she recalled.
When Cathy Terkanian began her search, she discovered that Aundria had been missing since 1989.
Although Social Services could not provide the names of Aundria’s adoptive parents, they informed Terkanian that her daughter had been living in Michigan at the time of her disappearance.
Cathy Terkanian and her husband, Edward, dedicated the next decade to uncovering the truth. They applied pressure on local authorities and even used a drone to search the Bowman’s property for evidence, driven by their relentless pursuit of answers in Aundria’s case.
What Happened To Aundria Bowman?
Prior to her disappearance, Aundria told a friend and her adoptive mother that Dennis was reportedly molesting her.
“I looked at her and told her, ‘That’s a lie, and you know it,’ “ Brenda said on the witness stand at Dennis’ trial.
Dennis Bowman’s confession revealed that on March 11, 1989, he discovered Aundria packing a bag. She was reportedly planning to run away and report him to the police for abuse. This confrontation led to the tragic events that followed.
According to Dennis’ confession, the final words he said to Aundria were, “No, you are not,” before he struck her. This blow caused her to fall down a steep staircase break her neck. Dennis then transported her body to a barn on the family’s property, covered it with a turp, and burned her clothes and bag.
In the following days, he used an axe to severe her legs, fitting her body into barrel which he buried. After moving to a new home in Hamilton, Dennis reburried the barrel at the new residence.
I have confessed to the death of Aundria,” he wrote in a confession letter in 2019. “I have kept it to myself these many years so I could live with Brenda and watch Vanessa grow into a successful young lady. Please with all love I ask you to support Brenda because I have caused her hurt and left her desolate.”
Dennis Bowman Got Caught: How?
Before confessing to Aundria’s death, Dennis Bowman was convicted of another similar crime.
In November 2019, Dennis was arrested for the 1980 rape and murder of Kathleen Doyle, 25, with his DNA found on her bedspread. He was sentenced to two life terms in prison.
While incarcerated at Allegan County Jail in Norfolk, Virginia, Dennis confessed to Aundria’s murder during a recorded phone call with Brenda, revealing the location of her remains.
In 2021, police informed News 8 that Dennis Bowman had also confessed to the 1979 rape and assault of a 27-year-old woman from Holland. Metta McLeod, featured in Netflix’s Into the Fire, suspects Dennis might be the individual who attempted to harm her in September 1989, just five months after Aundria’s disappearance.
Additionally, Dennis had a criminal record that included a conviction for assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct in 1981 and a felony breaking and entering in 1998.
