In a grisly discovery, the remains of a missing McKinney woman, Heather Louise Schwab, 35, were found concealed in her boyfriend’s refrigerator. Chad Christopher Stevens, 42, faces charges of tampering with evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse, following an investigation into Schwab’s disappearance.
McKinney Police located Schwab’s body on Sunday morning while executing a search warrant at Stevens’s residence on the 600 block of Pearson Avenue. The investigation into Schwab’s whereabouts began after her mother, Tammra Schwab, filed a missing person report on June 28. Tammra revealed to authorities her estranged relationship with her daughter and Heather’s history of abuse at the hands of Stevens, her long-term boyfriend.
Tammra’s concern was heightened after a neighbor, who periodically updated her about Heather, reported not seeing her for several months. According to the federal complaint, Tammra informed police about Stevens’s past threats to kill Heather and hide her body.
Detective Monte Robertson’s relentless investigation led to Stevens, who initially claimed he had not seen Schwab since she left him a year earlier. The case took a significant turn when Tammra received information from Stevens’s ex-wife suggesting Heather had been killed.
Subsequent interviews revealed Stevens had made comments about killing Schwab to his daughter. The search warrant executed at Stevens’s home revealed a refrigerator wrapped extensively in plastic wrap. Schwab’s body was found inside, hidden behind a makeshift partition in the kitchen.
According to the police, Stevens confessed to hiding Schwab’s body in the refrigerator following her death in his home on July 26, 2022. The police speculate Schwab’s death occurred around August 12, 2022, based on a related disturbance call at Stevens’s address.
Stevens, currently detained at the Collin County Detention Facility with a bond set at $150,000, has a history of 24 arrests in Collin County, including for theft, DWI, assault, and engaging in criminal activity. The Collin County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Stevens was previously arrested in July 2020 on multiple charges, including assault causing serious bodily injury and parole violation.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Schwab’s death is ongoing. Officials have not disclosed whether Stevens has obtained legal representation.
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