‘Into the Fire’: What happened to Aundria Bowman?

Content Advisory: The following article contains references to child abuse and sexual assault. Please take care while reading.

Citizen detectives have become all the rage in the true crime world. But the new documentary series Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter takes this concept with a twist.

The two-part Netflix true crime documentary series follows the disappearance of Aundria Bowman in a haunting portrayal. In 1999, the body of a Jane Doe in her mid-20s was discovered murdered and left in a cornfield. At the center of the mystery is Cathryn, who is intent on finding out what happened to this young girl. Cathy isn’t just a concerned citizen, but the victim’s birth mother, who gave her daughter up at 10 months old. Decades after Cathryn gave up her daughter, authorities contacted her for a DNA request. This was how Cathryn learned that her daughter had gone missing some 20 years earlier, and was never properly investigated. As it turned out, Cathy’s DNA did not match the girl in the cornfield, but Cathy was adamant that she would keep looking for her missing daughter.

Into the Fire differs from other doc series of its kind because Cathy initially shows skepticism over armchair sleuthing. But her desire to find her daughter outweighs her reluctance. She creates a Facebook group, enlistes her husband, Ed, and some other internet sleuths, and becomes committed to finding her missing daughter.

Netflix explores what happened to Aundria

Over the course of 10 years, Cathy learns that her daughter — originally named Alexis — went to Dennis and Brenda Bowman. They eventually land in the Holland, Michigan area on the west side of the state. Cathy and Ed take many trips out to the area to continue the investigation on their own time. During their inquest, they learn that the Bowmans told authorities Dennis came home one night to find Aundria and her luggage missing.

The deeper Cathy looks into the case, however, the more red flags start to crop up, and this story falls apart. After learning that Dennis went to prison for assault years previous and was accused of molesting Aundria, Cathy becomes convinced that he hurt her daughter. This goes on for years, with the Bowmans pleading innocence until everything comes together.

The police finally came for Dennis, but not for the murder of Aundria. Instead, Dennis was brought in by Norfolk police for the 1980 murder and rape of Kathleen Doyle. DNA evidence proves Dennis was guilty of the crime. After years in prison, he ultimately confesses to Aundria’s murder. He explains that on the night in question, he caught Aundria trying to run away from home. Trying to stop her, Dennis hit her. The force pushed her down the stairs and broke her neck. Afraid of losing his family, Dennis lies and says she ran away. He didn’t tell Brenda what had happened until three decades later, when he was in prison.

While it is obvious that Dennis is guilty of the crime, many question the facts of what happened. Dennis continues to lie every chance he gets, and Cathy surmises that her daughter’s death was no accident. He dismembered her body and burned her coat and her luggage to hide the evidence. Cathy’s instincts turned out to be true, and decades after the fact, she finally gets closure.