What happened to Aundria Bowman? The true story of “Into the Fire”

Aundria Bowman, née Alexis Badger, disappeared on March 11, 1989.

At the time of her disappearance, her adoptive father, Dennis Bowman, told police that the 14-year-old had run away, claiming her jacket and some money were missing from their home in Hamilton, Michigan.

Aundria’s disappearance remained unsolved for over 30 years until her biological mother, Cathy Terkanian, learned of the unsolved case in 2010 and began searching for the daughter she had given up for adoption as a teenager.

For ten years, she investigated her daughter’s disappearance and similar cases in the area and was convinced that Dennis was Aundria’s killer. Terkanian’s suspicions were confirmed when Dennis finally confessed to the crime in 2019.

Terkanian’s tireless fight for justice will be chronicled in the 2024 Netflix documentary Into the Fire: The Lost DaughterDirected by Ryan White.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Aundria Bowman murder case, including Dennis Bowman’s haunting confession and where Cathy Terkanian is now.

Who is Cathy Terkanian?

Cathy Terkanian, a retired nurse, is Aundria Bowman’s biological mother. She was 16 when she gave birth to Aundria in 1974 and gave her up for adoption in the state of Virginia at the urging of her parents.

“My fantasy was that she had the best life,” Terkanian told PEOPLE in 2020.

Aundria’s adoption was complete, but in 2010 Terkanian received a letter from the social services asking him to get in touch.

“I thought I would meet her,” she recalled. Instead, she learned that Aundria had been missing since 1989. Social Services could not provide the names of the adoptive parents, but told Terkanian that her daughter was living in Michigan at the time of her disappearance.

Terkanian and her husband Edward spent the next decade searching for answers, pressuring local government and even using a drone to search the Bowmans’ property for evidence.

Who are Dennis and Brenda Bowman?

Dennis Bowman, a former Navy reservist, and his wife Brenda Bowman are Aundria’s adoptive parents. The couple met in high school and have a biological daughter together, Vanessa, who was only one year old when Aundria disappeared. Vanessa’s birth came as a surprise, as Dennis and Brenda did not believe they could have a child.

Into the fire portrays Brenda as a devoted wife and she was never charged in connection with her husband’s crimes.

In the Netflix documentary, Brenda is quoted as saying, “I haven’t forgotten what he did, but I have forgiven… I take my wedding vows seriously.”

What happened to Aundria Bowman?

Before her disappearance, Aundria told a friend and her adoptive mother that Dennis was sexually harassing her. The Dutch Sentinel.

“I looked at her and said, ‘That’s a lie and you know it,'” Brenda said on the witness stand at Dennis’ trial.

His confession revealed that he had caught Aundria packing a bag on March 11, 1989. She allegedly planned to run away and report her adoptive father to the police for abuse.

The last thing Dennis said to her was, “No, you’re not,” before he hit her. The blow caused Aundria to fall down a steep flight of stairs and break her neck. Dennis then took her body to a barn on the family’s property, covered her with a tarp, and burned her clothes and bag.

Days later, he cut off her legs with an axe so he could place Aundria’s body in a barrel and bury it. When Dennis and his family moved to another house in Hamilton, he reburied the barrel in their new home.

“I confessed to Aundria’s death,” he wrote in a confession letter in 2019. “I kept it to myself all these years so that I could live with Brenda and watch Vanessa grow into a successful young woman. I ask you with all my love to support Brenda because I hurt her and left her abandoned.”

How was Dennis Bowman caught?

Before Dennis confessed to Aundria’s death, he was found guilty of another, similar crime.

In November 2019, according to The Dutch SentinelPolice arrested Dennis for the rape and murder of 25-year-old Kathleen Doyle in 1980. A judge imposed two life sentences after Dennis’ DNA was found on Doyle’s bedsheet.

That same year, while incarcerated at the Allegan County Jail in Norfolk, Virginia, Dennis confessed to Aundria’s death and shared the location of her remains in a recorded phone conversation with Brenda.

In 2021, police told News 8 that Dennis also confessed to the rape and assault of a 27-year-old woman from Holland in 1979. Metta McLeod, who starred in Netflix’s Into the firealso suspects that Dennis is the man who allegedly lured her into his red pickup truck in September 1989 – just five months after Aundria’s disappearance – and tried to harm her.

Dennis’ arrest warrant also includes a conviction for assault with intent to commit a sexual crime in 1981 and burglary in 1998.

Where is Dennis Bowman now?

In February 2022, Dennis pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 35 to 50 years in prison for Aundria’s murder, in addition to his previous life sentences for the rape and murder of Doyle and 20 years for breaking into her home.

According to the Virginia Department of Corrections, he is currently incarcerated at the River North Correctional Center. Dennis is 75 years old.

Where is Cathy Terkanian now?

Terkanian, who lives with her husband in Massachusetts, is still fighting for her daughter. She wants Aundria’s adoption annulled and her name changed back to Alexis Badger.

“I have to remove the name of this monster from my daughter’s birth certificate,” Terkanian said in Into the fire. “Imagine having to fight against this system. But I will do it, and I will [documentary] like teeth and take it straight to the governor.”

She also wants sole custody of Aundria’s remains.

“I want her body back,” Terkanian said in an interview with The Dutch Sentinel in February 2022. “Brenda has half of it, she wants to give me half of my child’s mutilated body? That somehow doesn’t give me any peace. She’s not one of those people.”

Dennis will spend the rest of his life behind bars, but that is no consolation for Terkanian. In the final minutes of Into the fireShe said: “I’m relieved, but still angry. I thought the anger would go away.”