Missing
Shirley Dean Cowan
Cowan, approximately 2001
Date and time person was reported missing : 01/14/2001
Missing location (approx) :
Austin, Texas
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 10/04/1940 (80)
Age at the time of disappearance: 60 years old
Height / Weight : 5'2, 130 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A shirt, pants, and a white gold wedding ring with one large diamond surrounded by several smaller diamonds.
Medical conditions : Cowan has arthritis in both of her hands and in her back. She was depressed at the time of her 2001 disappearance.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, green eyes. Cowan has a surgical scar as the result of a gallbladder operation. She may use the name Shirley Allen Cowan.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Cowan was last seen at the residence she was building in Oak Forest RV Park in Austin, Texas on January 14, 2001. A trail of her blood was found at the home after she went missing.
In December 2005, nearly five years after Cowan disappeared, her son-in-law, Thomas James Negri, was indicted for her murder. Negri and Cowan had been business partners prior to her disappearance. He had been considered a person of interest in her case since shortly she went missing.
Prior to his arrest, he gave a media interview asserting his innocence; he stated Cowan owed him money and he believed she had left of her own volition. In July 2007, Negri was convicted of murder and sentenced to serve 20 years in prison and pay a $10,000 fine.
Cowan was depressed at the time she disappeared due to several recent deaths in her family. She was planning to retire and move from Travis County, Texas to her new home in Austin. Foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.
Other information and links : ncy
Llano Sheriff Office
325-247-5767
September 2021 updates and sources
Texas Department of Public Safety
KXAN 36
KVUE TV
The Marble Falls Highlander
October 12, 2004. June 18, 2008; Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map