Slain Texas mom Heidi Broussard was laid to rest in Lousiana this weekend, surrounded by family and friends.
Mourners gathered at the Johnson Funeral Home in Lake Charles, Lousiana, on Saturday to say their final goodbyes to 33-year-old Heidi, who lost her life earlier month. According to officials, police found Heidi strangled to death on December 19.
KVUE reports that Heidi’s 4-week-old baby, Margo, cried throughout the funeral services, drowning out the tears and sniffles of loved ones.
Friends and family told the outlet that Heidi was not only a caring friend but a loving mother who always put her children first.
“Every fiber of her being was wrapped around in her children,” friend Rachel Powell, who grew up with Heidi, said.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, authorities found Heidi’s body seven days after she vanished from her Austin apartment. She had been stuffed in the trunk of a Nissan, found parked at a residence in Houston.
The Nissan is registered to Magen Fieramusca, who was a long-time friend of Heidi’s. Officials ruled Heidi’s cause of death as “ligature strangulation.” Authorities found baby Margo alive and well inside the same Houston residence, sitting in a baby swing.
Fieramusca allegedly insisted that the baby was hers. Hospital records, however, reportedly confirmed Margo’s identity, according to her grandfather, Ty Carey. Margo is now back with her father, Shane Carey.
Neighbors near Fieramusca said she lived with a man who thought the baby was his. The man reportedly said he thought Fieramusca had their child while he was out of town working.
Authorities said they have reason to believe that Fieramusca pretended to be pregnant alongside Heidi. The suspect had a baby registry listed on Amazon, with a due date of December 1.
While Heidi was missing, Fieramusca allegedly made calls and volunteered to help find her. Tim Miller, founder of the search and rescue group, Texas Equusearch, said Fieramusca indicated she was at the hospital when Heidi gave birth to Margo.
“There was not one single indication she had anything to do with it,” Miller said, according to KHOU. “She’s at the hospital as Heidi has a baby.”
Fieramusca was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with evidence, namely a human corpse.
According to Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Fieramusca is scheduled to appear in court on January 2.
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[Feature Photo: Heidi Broussard & Margo/Handout]
