Family gets justice in 2023 death of young mother

This week, a Collin County family finally received some justice in the 2023 death of a young mother.

The case rattled a McKinney neighborhood after police discovered Heather Louise Schwab’s body inside a refrigerator at her boyfriend’s house.

On Tuesday, Chad Stevens formally accepted a plea deal in Collin County court, pleading guilty to tampering with evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse in exchange for 30 years in prison.

Until now, Schwab’s mother and sister mourned their loss out of the public eye, fearing for their safety in what they consider to be a case of domestic violence.

“We have been fighting for her and we have been fighting for justice,” said sister Haley Jo Schwab.

Wearing a purple butterfly pendant on their clothes, approximately 40 people attended a court hearing on Tuesday where Schwab’s mother read a ‘victim impact statement’ in Stevens’ presence.

“My sister just really loved butterflies,” said Haley Jo. “We all wore them to trial just to kind of have a piece of her with us.”

She felt she was now able to reclaim her sister’s worth, beginning with addressing her sister's alleged killer in court.

“He told my sister she was worthless, and we were able to actually say: You are the one who is worthless, but you’ve actually caused a destruction in life,” said Haley Jo.

Her journey of healing has also led Haley Jo to delve into the complexities of intimate partner violence.

Struggling to understand the 'hows' and 'whys' associated with these types of toxic relationships, Haley Jo turned to Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support in Dallas.

For years, Haley Jo could not understand how her strong, beautiful sister who loved everyone fell victim to an abuser.

“There were times I’d get angry at my sister: Why are you going back? And now, I’ve had more understanding of what she’s gone through,” said Haley Jo. “I do think that if I’d known about Genesis had I known about abuse had I spotted signs earlier maybe I could’ve helped my sister and that is something I have to live with.”

Experts said while feelings of grief felt by families are understandable, there is only one person to blame.

“This is not her fault,” stressed Jan Langbein, CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support. “This is not the fault of someone who didn’t step in or go pick her up. This is the fault of this man who murdered her sister.”

Genesis provides support for survivors, impacted families, and training for police and prosecutors on how to better identify and investigate these kinds of cases, teaching how abusers begin chipping away at their victim's self-worth.

Statistics show one in three women will face some form of violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime, according to Genesis.

Leaving an abusive relationship is one of the most dangerous moments for a victim. Predators will also threaten to harm their partner's family if they leave.

“Typically, an abuser will say: No one will hear you. No one will believe you and no one will help you,” said Langbein. “I want everyone who hears this today to stand up and call him a liar. He is a liar. There is help. There is hope.”

Haley Jo now realizes her family lost Heather long before her death.

“He took Heather from us long before he hurt her because of how he tore her down and it starts there before violence came into the picture,” she said. “He tore her down. He financially abused her. He controlled her. He manipulated her.”

Their fight for justice is not without frustration leveled against authorities. The family said they repeatedly sought help from police in locating Heather, to no avail.

Abusers are also known to isolate their victims from friends and family in an effort to assert their control and power over them.

Tragically, by the time Heather’s body was found, it was impossible to determine her cause of death.

Murder would be difficult to prove and was not leveled against Stevens.

In 2023, Stevens admitted to detectives that after Schwab died at his home on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, he hid her body in the refrigerator because he didn't know what to do, according to the report. The police department believes Schwab's death happened around the time of Aug. 12, 2022, when they received a call about a woman waving a firearm and a man screaming at Stevens' address.

Genesis knows well the frustration families like the Schwabs often face when unsuccessfully seeking help from police and other authorities and has this advice:

“As a family member, man you just keep calling,” said Langein. “You just keep showing up and you don’t give up. You don’t say they’re not a good police department, you just find someone who will talk to you and will see how serious this is. This woman was dead for so long and nothing could bring her back but opportunities along the way were missed.”

The service provider also emphasizes women who do not want, for whatever reason, to seek emergency housing in shelters are welcome to Genesis’ non-residential centers like theirs located at 2023 Lucas Drive in Dallas.

 Survivors can stop by the outreach office and visit with counselors, attorneys and child advocates.

“If you or somebody you know needs help, there is help 24 hours a day,” said Langbein.

Feeling empowered, Haley Jo vows to honor her big sister by helping others.

“Now I’m able to help other women, other families,” she said. “No other woman should go through what my sister did.”

If you or someone you know is the victim of intimate partner violence, please consider reaching out to one of the following resources at no cost:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline -- thehotline.org, 1-800-7997233, TTY: 1-800-787-3224
• SafeHaven of Tarrant County -- safehaventc.org, 1-877-701-7233
• One Safe Place -- onesafeplace.org, 1-817-916-4323
• The Women’s Center of Tarrant County -- womenscentertc.org, crisis and victim hotline 817-927-2737
• Texas Health and Human Services -- hhs.texas.gov

Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support hotline:  214-946-HELP
National Domestic Violence Hotline:  1-800-799-SAFE