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Dateline: Before the Storm starts in Baytown, Texas, when a mother and real estate broker, Crystal McDowell, disappeared at the same time Hurricane Harvey hit in August of 2017. The episode explores how a normal child custody drop-off turned into a murder case that unfolded against the background of one of America's most devastating storms.
In Dateline: Before the Storm, viewers are guided through the chronology of events that commenced with Crystal's final activities and culminated in a confession that resulted in the discovery of her body. The documentary is based on facts, with off-the-record narrations of detectives, court hearings, and family members, without speculation.
Here's the official trailer for your reference:
Who was Crystal McDowell?
Crystal Seratte was a 37-year-old real estate agent. After her divorce, she was co-parenting two children with her ex-husband, Steven McDowell. Crystal, from what appears to be from court records and what friends have reported, had been moving on from the past and had recently begun a new relationship.
Crystal was last seen leaving her boyfriend's residence on the 25th of August, 2017, in the morning. She was on her way to fetch her children from Steven McDowell's house. She never showed up, and her family became worried and reported it to the local authorities. Because Hurricane Harvey had destroyed the area, it was much harder to search.
Search efforts during Hurricane Harvey
According to Dateline, Crystal's black Mercedes-Benz was subsequently found in a stormwater-flooded parking lot at a Motel 6. Even under the hostile conditions courtesy of Hurricane Harvey, FBI detectives and the Chambers County Sheriff's Office detectives started piecing together her last activities with cellphone records and interviews.
As reported on Dateline: Before the Storm, the natural disaster at first hid the direction of the case. But evidence kept piling up. Discrepancies in Steven McDowell's stories were detected by investigators and ultimately directed the investigation towards him. They learned that a man fitting Steve's description was seen in that area buying a bike and getting away.
Confession and legal action
As shown in Dateline, on September 9, 2017, two weeks following the disappearance of Crystal, Steven McDowell admitted to killing her after a heated argument. He promised to lead them to Crystal's body if they took the death penalty out of the equation. He took the authorities to a wooded area in Chambers County where the body had been stashed. He was taken into custody for murder.
In 2019, Steven McDowell was charged and convicted. He received a 50-year prison sentence. Court records affirmed the murder was motivated by personal rivalry. The prosecution focused on Steven not accepting the new relationship between Crystal, while the defense appealed to emotional distress.
Trial and public response
Dateline showed that throughout the trial, numerous witnesses, including law enforcement and Crystal's own family, provided testimony regarding Crystal's personality and what had happened in the days before her death. Dateline remained with the factual aspects of the trial and utilized only accredited sources and legal court hearings.
The show was not sensationalized and addressed the variables that made the case so complicated, especially the timing, as Hurricane Harvey was bearing down.
Current influence
The case left a lasting impact on the Baytown community and the McDowell family. Crystal's family members have campaigned for domestic violence awareness ever since. Her children were cared for by extended family, and the case continues to be used when describing homicide investigations after natural disasters.
Dateline: Before the Storm presented a chronologically paced, fact-based coverage of the case without opinion or speculation. The coverage remains an authoritative guide to watching criminal investigations unfold live in extraordinary circumstances.
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