Millionaire business owner Andreen McDonald was known for her strict workout regimen. On the morning of March 1, 2019, when she didn’t show up for work, her employees called the gym, which was her usual first stop in her morning routine. They found out she never showed up there either, which raised red flags. What happened to the San Antonio businesswoman, wife and mother?
The McDonalds
Married couple Andreen and Andre McDonald were the picture of success. Andre McDonald was a major in the Air Force, and together, he and Andreen McDonald built an assisted living business from the ground up and became millionaires.
Feb. 16, 2019: Andre’s 40th birthday party
For Andre McDonald’s 40th birthday, Andreen McDonald threw him a party at their San Antonio home. According to friends, the couple seemed to be getting along.
Feb. 28, 2019
Bexar County District Courts
According to Andre McDonald, during a meeting at a tax preparer’s office, he discovered Andreen McDonald had opened a separate business without his knowledge. He later told police, when they got home a heated argument ensued. Andre McDonald said he left the house and went to a gas station to cool down. While there, the argument continued via text.
Revealing text messages
Bexar County District Courts
The couple argued about the business as well as alleged infidelity in the marriage, and even discussed the possibility of divorce. In one message, Andre McDonald texts, “Andreen I don’t care if you file for divorce.”
Andre McDonald said when he returned home, he thought his wife was sleeping in a separate bedroom.
March 1, 2019
Bexar County District Courts
When Andreen McDonald didn’t show up to work the next morning, her friends and colleagues became concerned. They picked up Andreen McDonald’s mother, Maureen Smith, from work and drove to the house. Smith called police and reported Andreen missing.
When a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy responded to the McDonald home, the group walked him through the house. The deputy noticed something disturbing: there was blood and hair on a light switch in the bathroom.
The burn pile
Bexar County District Courts
In the backyard, they discovered a burn pile. In it, a zipper was visible. The deputy also found that Andreen McDonald’s purse, ID and keys were still at the house, but her phone was missing.
When Andre McDonald returned to his home to find law enforcement there, he claimed he did not know where his wife was but revealed they had an argument the night before. After an investigator arrived on the scene, Andre McDonald refused to speak further and requested an attorney.
March 2, 2019
Bexar County District Courts
The next morning, surveillance video captured Andre McDonald in a Lowe’s purchasing a cart full of items including a shovel and an ax.
March 2, 2019 – 2:00 p.m.
Bexar County District Courts
Later that day, an undercover investigator assigned to watch the McDonald house noticed that the garage had been damaged and saw Andre McDonald backing out of the driveway. The investigator followed him to a nearby gun shop where additional investigators, who were called to the scene, observed Andre McDonald purchasing a 9mm handgun and ammunition.
“We were under the assumption that he was purchasing a gun to probably harm himself,” lead investigator Frank Stubbs told “48 Hours.”
Andre McDonald was detained as he walked from the store to his car. The investigators turned him over to military authorities for a mental evaluation.
Suspicious items
Bexar County District Courts
Meanwhile, investigators returned to the McDonald’s house with a search warrant. They found the items Andre McDonald had purchased from Lowe’s that morning which included that shovel and ax, as well as a hatchet, heavy-duty large trash bags, gloves and two 5-gallon gas cans. In a nearby trash can, they found a torn receipt for the items.
The shopping list
Bexar County District Courts
Investigators would later obtain a handwritten shopping list Andre McDonald had on him when he was arrested. The list includes many of the items McDonald purchased from Lowe’s. Stubbs told “48 Hours” it appeared Andre McDonald entered Lowe’s with a sinister plan.
“It doesn’t appear that he’s going to do yard work … at least not with his wife missing,” Stubbs told correspondent Peter Van Sant. “It appears to us that he’s going to use these things to dismember her body …”
March 3, 2019
Bexar County District Courts
The following day, the Air Force concluded its evaluation of Andre McDonald and released him. Civil authorities quickly moved in and placed him under arrest, but not for murder. He was arrested for tampering with evidence because of that torn up Lowe’s receipt investigators found in the trash. In April 2019, Andre McDonald posted bond and was released.
July 11, 2019: Andreen McDonald’s remains are found
After months of searches for Andreen McDonald, her remains were found in July 2019. Her skeletal remains were located in a field six miles from the McDonald home. Andre McDonald was arrested and charged with Andreen McDonald’s murder. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.