Although the case of missing woman Brittany McMahon was closed in 2022 with a ruling of suicide, her parents, Randy and Susan McMahon, are holding out hope it may soon be reopened, as the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office reviews new DNA evidence tied to her remains.
Chief Deputy Adam Marsh confirmed he has submitted additional evidence for testing in hopes of determining whether anything contradicts the original findings.
“The sheriff promised that all unsolved or suspicious cases would get looked at by a fresh pair of eyes,” Marsh said. “I am reviewing Brittany’s case to ensure nothing was overlooked during the investigation. I have submitted pieces of evidence to the crime lab for additional DNA testing. If new evidence is obtained that contradicts the original findings of suicide, we will reopen the case.”
The case was originally investigated and closed by Investigator Jerry Johnson. At the time, remains found on July 3, 2022, on private property were identified as McMahon’s. According to the original Bandera Bulletin report, the 33-year-old woman had been missing since June 19, 2022.
Daniel Wescott, a professor of anthropology at Texas State University whose department examined the skeletal remains, clarified that the classification of suicide did not come from them.
“That is why we said undetermined,” Wescott said. “There is no direct evidence of the cause or manner of death on the skeletal remains themselves.”
Wescott also addressed the McMahons’ concerns about the death certificate listing Brittany’s date of death as the day she was found, rather than an estimated time of death.
“Unfortunately, the estimation of time since death in skeletonized remains is not very precise,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to narrow a time of death any closer.”
Still, the McMahons continue to push for a second investigation.
“There were just so many things overlooked,” Susan McMahon said. “They only spent three hours when they found Brittany’s body and they were already calling it a suicide. We watched it all on body cam. That isn’t enough time to investigate anything.”
The family also questions how Brittany’s body ended up less than a mile from where she had been staying with an acquaintance they suspect may have been involved. Asked whether that individual would be re-interviewed, Marsh declined to say.
“I cannot release information that could hinder any future investigations,” he said. “It’s not typical or common for law enforcement to release the names of suspects that we will be questioning.” However, Marsh emphasized his intention to remain transparent as the review continues.
“If we do question this person, I will inform you of the fact afterward,” he said.
The McMahons plan to hold a vigil for Brittany in the coming weeks.
“We won’t stop asking for answers, and we won’t let her be forgotten,” Randy McMahon said.
Marsh said he plans to attend the vigil, schedule permitting.
Anyone with information about Brittany McMahon’s case is asked to contact the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office at 830-796-4323.
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