The McKinney, Texas, home where the remains of Heather Schwab were found (via YouTube screengrab/WFAA). Inset: Chad Christopher Stevens (via Collin County (Tex.) Jail.
The remains of a Texas woman who was reported missing in June had allegedly been kept in her boyfriend’s refrigerator for more than a year.
As Law&Crime previously reported, police in McKinney arrested Chad Stevens, 42, for allegedly tampering with the remains of his girlfriend, Heather Schwab, 35.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Dallas NBC affiliate KXAS, Schwab was initially reported missing by her mother Tammra Schwab in June. According to the affidavit, Heather Schwab and her mother’s relationship was strained and they hadn’t spoken in over a year. Tammra Schwab also told police that her daughter lived with Stevens and their relationship “was full of abuse where Chad would assault Heather, however, Heather would not leave Chad.”
“Tammra stated on multiple occasions in the past, Heather had stated to her that Chad would kill her and hide her body somewhere,” the affidavit said.
Tammra Schwab told police that one of her daughter’s neighbors would occasionally let her know when she saw her, and this neighbor “eventually told Tammra that she had not seen Heather in several months.”
As part of the investigation that followed, McKinney Police Detective Monte Robertson said in the affidavit that he interviewed Stevens, who told him that “Heather had left him roughly a year prior and that he has not seen or heard from her since then.” Stevens told the detective he didn’t know where Heather Schwab was, but he would let him know if he heard anything.
According to the affidavit, the case stalled until Nov. 3, when Tammra Schwab told Robertson that Stevens’ ex-wife said that Stevens confessed to killing Heather Schwab and burying her in the backyard. That information had been relayed by Stevens’ daughter, Briana Stevens, who said she had spoken with Stevens the previous night, Nov. 2.
“Briana advised that she does not speak to Chad (her father) very often but had called him (November 02, 2023) to tell him she was pregnant,” the affidavit said. “Briana advised that Chad was very upset and threatened to kill the baby if she did not have an abortion and even threatened to kill her. During the argument, Briana stated to Chad that he can’t and shouldn’t be making threatening stating statements because people will believe him and take him seriously. Briana stated that Chad responded by stating that he was serious.”
Briana Stevens then told her father that he should watch what he said because she knew Heather Schwab was missing.
“Oh so you think I killed her?” Chad Stevens replied, according to the affidavit. He then asked his daughter how she knew about his backyard, and that it had been dug up, although Briana Stevens said she didn’t know anything about that.
“Chad then made statements about how even if he had done something to Heather, he would only get 5 years in prison for hiding the body and he knew that because had had researched it,” the affidavit says.
Chad Stevens allegedly further implicated himself to his daughter.
“Chad then continued to ask Briana how she knew that Heather was in the back yard,” the affidavit says. “Briana stated that she did not know any of that information, but then Chad ‘sarcastically’ stated ‘oh yeah, I definitely did that.’ When asked, Briana stated that Chad on several occasions mentioned Heather being buried in his back yard [redacted]. Briana stated that Chad also continued to ask her how she knew about Heather allegedly being in the back yard and how she knew that the back yard had been dug up.”
Police were able to obtain a search warrant for Chad Stevens’ home after speaking with an ex-girlfriend, Katelyn Monk, who spoke with law enforcement about having allegedly been assaulted by Chad Stevens in January 2023.
Once inside the home, police discovered that great pains had apparently been taken to try and hide Heather Schwabs’ remains.
“During the execution of the Search Warrant, a refrigerator which was wrapped in copious amounts of plastic wrap was located in the kitchen of the residence,” the affidavit says. “The sole entry to the kitchen had been suspiciously closed and concealed from the remainder of the residence with a piece of sheet rock. Inside the refrigerator, a small statured human body was located.”
Testing confirmed that the body was Heather Schwab.
After being read his Miranda rights, Chad Stevens “admitted to hiding Heather’s body after she died in his residence,” the affidavit said.
“Chad stated that when Heather died, he didn’t know what to do so he put her body in the refrigerator, and this occurred on July 26, 2022,” the document also said, although police noted that it’s possible the death happened in August of 2022.
Stevens told police that there had been “multiple physical altercations” between him and his girlfriend, and that “on several occasions he threatened to kill Heather.”
“Chad stated he would choke Heather during sex that her veins would protrude from her neck,” the affidavit says. “Chad also stated that he believes that Heather sustained a head injury in the shower three days prior to her death. Chad stated he was having an argument with Heather during that time and claims Heather slipped in the shower.”
The affidavit noted that “there were [signs] that Chad was not completely forthcoming.”
Stevens remains in custody at the Collin County Jail. He has not been charged in connection with Heather Schwab’s death.
A spokesperson for the Schwab family gave a statement to Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA.
“Her family is beyond grief-stricken and broken-hearted,” the statement says. “We appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers that our family is receiving. We are so grateful to the McKinney Police Department for their hard work and dedication in finding Heather. We would appreciate privacy for her family and children as we process through this devastating time.”
Read the affidavit, via Dallas-Fort Worth NBC affiliate KXAS, below.
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