What happened to Jessie Bardwell?
Jessie Bardwell's body was found wrapped in a sheet on a remote ranch in North Texas. Her boyfriend claims she died accidentally -- could it be anything other than murder?
Jessie Bardwell, 27, of Pascagoula, Mississippi, was born on Sept. 10, 1988. She was known for her style, sense of humor, and fun-loving nature.
Mom: “The love of my life”
Jessie was the only daughter of her parents, Carla and Gary Bardwell. The couple divorced when Jessie was 14. She was very close with both of them.
Close-knit family
Jessie was also very close with her grandmother, Kitty, and her older brother, Brandon.
Orange Beach waitress
In her early 20s, Jessie moved to Orange Beach, Alabama. There, she was a server at Cobalt, a waterside restaurant.
Jessie's Work Family
While at Cobalt, Jessie became friends with restaurant manager, Kimberly Asbury. At the time, Jessie was dating and living with another server from Cobalt. Asbury remembers the couple as being "a really great pair."
A New Man in Her Life
Unbeknownst to almost all of her friends and family, Jessie Bardwell was planning to break up with her long-term boyfriend so that she could be with Jason Lowe, an old friend of her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. Lowe was well-educated and worked in the tech industry in Texas.
Jessie's Last Christmas
During the Bardwell family Christmas party in 2015, Jessie's father, Gary, had no idea that his only daughter was planning to head to Texas. Bardwell told "48 Hours," "She was happy, smiling, nothing unusual…"
Even though Jessie never let on that anything was wrong, Bardwell had a bad feeling. He went into his studio -- Jessie's childhood room -- and wrote the song, "Taken Away."
A Couple in Love
Jessie Bardwell and Jason Lowe lived in an apartment complex in a Dallas suburb. Jason worked from home. Jessie was applying for jobs in the area. They were planning on getting married and buying a house.
Mother’s Day 2016
On May 8, 2016, Jessie did something out of the ordinary: She didn't call her mother, Carla, pictured, or her stepmother, Gina, on Mother's Day. Her father knew something must be wrong. Jason Lowe claimed he didn't know where Jessie was. The next day, Gary and Gina Bardwell drove to Texas. When they didn't find Jessie, Gary filed a missing persons report.
Jessie "left in her Acura"
When the Richardson Police Department started questioning Jason Lowe about Jessie Bardwell's whereabouts, he told them that she'd left the morning of Mother's Day in her Acura. However, Richardson Police Detective Chiron Hale soon found out that the couple had sold Jessie's Acura three weeks earlier.
Apartment Search
On May 12, 2016, when police stopped by to visit Jason Lowe, they noticed a line of cocaine in the kitchen. They were strictly on a mission to find Jessie though, and continued to search the apartment and garage.
Jason Lowe's Busted Audi
When police searched the garage, they came across Jason Lowe's Audi. It was covered in mud and the bumper was ripped-off and stuffed inside the car. The thing that stuck out the most to the detectives was the odor emitting from the back hatch of the vehicle. It was the smell of death.
The Presence of Blood
When the detectives sprayed the luminol-based chemical Bluestar in the Jason Lowe's Audi, the cargo compartment lit up -- indicating the presence of blood.
Jason Lowe Arrested
Jason Lowe was arrested on drug charges for the cocaine and was questioned by the police. During his police interrogation with Detectives Eric Willadsen and Chiron Hale, Lowe repeatedly stated that he did not know where Jessie Bardwell was. Even though there was no body, Lowe was charged with Jessie's murder.
A Lead in the Case
On May 19, 2016, almost three weeks after Jessie was last seen alive, Detectives Chiron Hale and Eric Willadsen learned of Jessie Bardwell's whereabouts: a remote ranch in North Texas. They arrived in the afternoon and started walking through the fields.
“A Makeshift Burial Area”
As police walked through the wooded area, they came across a piece of metal that seemed to be shielding something. On the other side of that metal shield, wrapped in a blue fitted sheet, was Jessie Bardwell.
“A Makeshift Burial Area”
Jessie Bardwell's body was covered with a pile of debris, including a red blanket and two red and gold towels.
Defending Jason Lowe
With the court date set for September 2017, "48 Hours" spoke to Jason Lowe's defense attorney, Andy Farkas, about his client's chances of beating a murder conviction. Farkas told correspondent Maureen Maher that he doesn't feel Lowe is guilty of murder.
A Mock Trial
To test how a real jury might react to Jason Lowe's account of how Jessie Bardwell died, defense attorney Andy Farkas conducts a mock trial: a simulated trial with 15 pretend jurors. They heard condensed versions of the defense's case and a theorized version of the prosecution's case. The mock jury reached a surprising verdict: not guilty.
Jason Lowe Testifies
During the real trial, Jason Lowe stood in front of Jessie Bardwell's family and presented his side of the story. He claimed that Jessie's death was an accident.
The Real Verdict
In the end, the real jury did not believe Jason's story of an accident and found him guilty of murder. Judge Scott Becker sentenced Jason to 50 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in May 2041.
Jailhouse interview
After the verdict and sentencing, " 48 Hours" correspondent Maureen Maher interviewed Jason to see if he would own up to what he'd been convicted of. Lowe maintained his innocence and apologized to Jessie's family.
Daddy's Little Girl
After the trial, Jessie's father called the verdict "bittersweet." "I knew that nothing was gonna bring Jessie back," said Gary Bardwell. He says the world lost, "an angel on earth."
VIDEO: Gary Bardwell: "She said, 'Daddy, don't worry. It's gonna be all right'"