Friend's 'disgusting' discovery about suspect during live interview after mum and newborn vanish
A childhood friend of a 33-year-old mum who went missing with her baby daughter was shocked to find out a house linked to a mutual friend was being searched by investigators during a live podcast interview.
Caressa Nolte, a childhood friend of missing Heidi Broussard, appeared on crime podcast Jay is for Justice as more details about the raiding of a home in Houston came to light.
As the podcast was being recorded the hosts began searching for details about the house.
“There is a baby registry to the owners of that house. Magen Humphrey and Christopher Green have a baby registry,” the host said.
“Oh my God,” Ms Nolte said.
“That’s Magen, her best friend. She met her at church camp with me.”
Humphrey also goes by the last name Fieramusca, and met Ms Broussard and Ms Nolte as children 24 years ago.
Ms Nolte explained in the podcast she had lost touch with Fieramusca and Ms Broussard.
But she had recently rekindled her friendship with Fieramusca when she heard Ms Broussard was missing.
The friend said she had been talking to Fieramusca every day since the manhunt began and she had recently given birth to a baby.
“I talk to Magen every day. She’s been like sick over this. She just had a baby and she’s breastfeeding,” Ms Nolte said.
“A girl?” the host asked.
“Yes. Her name is Luna.”
“How long ago?” the host asked.
“She’s 15 days old, 16 days old,” Ms Nolte replied
As the hosts started putting the information together, Ms Nolte gasped in shock.
“I didn’t even think about Magen because that’s her best friend,” she said.
During the five-hour long podcast, the hosts said they could not confirm the details officially and ended the recording, saying they needed information from authorities to carry on the conversation.
In an interview with NBC News, Ms Nolte said she was ‘disgusted’ about Fieramusca’s arrest.
“I was heartbroken. I was shocked. I didn't expect this.”
Another friend, Rachel West, said she had been speaking to Fiermusca in the week Ms Broussard went missing.
“You wanna talk about a plot twist?” Ms West said.
Charges laid against missing mum’s friend
Ms Broussard and her 1-month-old daughter, Margot Carey, were last seen December 12 in their hometown of Austin, Texas, after the mum dropped off an older child at an elementary school.
Their abrupt disappearance drew national attention and authorities now say the search appears to have ended with the baby being found alive, but her mother dead at a home near Houston.
A suspect, identified by multiple US news outlets as Magen Fieramusca, has been charged.
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters at a news conference the suspect had been charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with a corpse.
But he refused to disclose the person’s identity, citing the ongoing investigation, even acknowledging a name and photo was already being widely distributed by multiple media outlets.
Bond for the suspect was set at more than $868,000.
Cause of mum’s death revealed
Ms Broussard’s body was positively identified by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, which called her death a homicide by strangulation.
“Although we are grateful that it appears as though we have safely recovered baby Margot, again we do believe Miss Broussard lost her life in this incident,” Mr Manley told reporters.
The baby was described as being found “healthy” and placed in the custody of Texas Child Protective Services, while authorities await DNA tests.
Austin Police Detective Brad Herries said, after receiving numerous tips, a lead was generated this week that led to a “location of interest” in the Houston area.
He said investigators zeroed in on a residence and detained a person outside the residence on Thursday (local time), and then obtained a search warrant to search the cars and residence.
Mr Manley said there may be additional charges in the case as the investigation continues.
—With AP
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