Bexar County Sheriffs Office Andre McDonald arrested in Andreen McDonald's disappearance.
Andre McDonald is an active-duty U.S. Air Force major arrested in connection to the disappearance of his wife, Andreen McDonald, The Houston Chronicle reports.
McDonald, 40, was arrested Sunday after the disappearance of his wife, 29-year-old Andreen McDonald. Police believe the only other person who knows what happened is the couple’s 6-year-old autistic daughter, who is mostly nonverbal.
The Chronicle reported on Monday that two of Andreen McDonald’s friends discovered blood stains, hair, and a fresh burn pile at the home over the weekend after she did not show up for work.
Police later searched the home and arrested Andre McDonald for allegedly destroying receipts to hide that he bought an ax, a shovel, gloves, large trash bags, and two five-gallon gas cans.
Andreen McDonald told her friends that if she ever disappeared it was because her husband had killed her, friends told police.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Andreen McDonald Disappeared on Friday
Andreen McDonald did not show up for the gym or to work on Friday, prompting concern from friends.
Two of her friends went to McDonald’s home and entered through an unlocked backdoor.
“The first witness said she and the second witness gained access to the residence through the back door, after no one answered their knock,” police said in an affidavit.
Bexar County Sheriff’s spokesman Johnny Garcia told The Chronicle that the two women were “very close” friends of Andreen McDonald.
“They were tight knit with each other,” he said. “They know her routine, and they’re used to seeing her at certain places at certain times.”
2. Andreen McDonald’s Friends Found Blood Stains & A Burn Pile
The two women entered the home through an unlocked backdoor and found blood and hair on a light switch in the couple’s bedroom.
The women also discovered a fresh burn pile at the home. One of the women said she saw a zipper in the pile.
The two women left the home and returned with Andreen’s mother. At some point Andre McDonald returned home and the women questioned him about Andreen’s disappearance.
After they “weren’t able to get many answers,” they contacted the sheriff’s office.
3. Andre McDonald Was Arrested for Allegedly Destroying Evidence
The two friends and Andreen McDonald’s mother told deputies that Andreen had disappeared and they “suspected foul play,” according to police.
The women showed a deputy the blood and the burn pile in the backyard, where the deputy found Andreen McDonald’s purse, ID card, keys, and other personal items.
Deputies detained Andre McDonald, who claimed to officers that his wife was being treated at Baptist Emergency Hospital. When police contacted the hospital they were told she was not there.
McDonald claimed he did not know where she was and told deputies they had an argument the night before.
Deputies searched the home Saturday and discovered blood in a car at the home.
Investigators also followed Andre McDonald to a gun shop where he bought a gun and ammo.
After following him back home, police obtained another search warrant when they spotted a shovel in his car.
During the second search, police found two torn receipts showing the purchase of a shovel, an axe, a hatchet, large garbage bags, gloves, and two 5-gallon gas cans. Deputies also found another fire pit “that was not present during the previous search.”
McDonald was charged with tampering with evidence.
4. Police Say Only The Couple’s 6-Year-Old Autistic Daughter Knows What Happened
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said that deputies believe Andreen McDonald is dead despite investigators being unable to find her body.
Police have not charged Andre McDonald’s with his wife’s murder and want to speak with the couple’s autistic 6-year-old daughter, who deputies believe witnessed what happened.
“We believe that Andreen McDonald is no longer living,” Salazar told reporters Sunday. “The fact that this young lady, mom to this beautiful little child, is out in the woods somewhere quite possibly doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not going to rest until we find her and we get her back to her family.”
“At the center of this, is a little girl… who, frankly speaking, just lost two parents,” Salazar added. “To us, it’s pretty evident that she saw something. She saw what happened to her mom. And that’s the most heartbreaking part of this case.”
5. Andreen McDonald Told Friends That Andre Might Kill Her
Deputies say Andreen McDonald told a friend multiple times that if she ever disappeared it would be because her husband murdered her.
“The first witness said that the Missing Person (Andreen McDonald) told her many times if she ever went missing it would be because the Suspect killed her,” a police affidavit says.
Bexar County records show that Andre McDonald had previously filed for divorce from his wife in 2017 but later dropped proceedings.
Andre McDonald works at the cyberwarfare unit at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, The Daily Beast reported.
He is being held at Bexar County Jail on $2 million bail.
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