Missing
Walter David Brawner
Brawner, approximately 2008; Steven Ray Fester
Date and time person was reported missing : 06/10/2008
Missing location (approx) :
Shepherd, Texas
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 01/26/1941 (80)
Age at the time of disappearance: 67 years old
Height / Weight : 5'4, 120 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : Unknown, but he usually wears blue jeans, short-sleeved plaid western-style shirts with pearl snaps, a watch and black sneakers with velcro straps.
Medical conditions : Brawner takes medication for angina and a panic disorder. He had a stroke several years before his disappearance which impaired his balance and ability to walk. He is also an alcoholic.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Gray hair, blue/hazel eyes. Brawner has a thirteen-inch surgical scar on his right leg, a surgical scar on the side of his neck, a scar on his hand from an accident that nearly tore off his finger, and a nickel-sized brown birthmark on the back of one of his legs. He is balding. His nickname is Bo. Brawner wears eyeglasses. He also has dentures, but he rarely wears them. Brawner suffered from osteomylitis, a severe bone infection, in childhood; as a result, his right leg is shorter than his left leg and he walks with a pronounced limp.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Brawner was last seen at his home on McClain Street in Shepherd, Texas on June 10, 2008. He has never been heard from again. His family reported him missing in mid-June, after his sons went to his house for Father's Day and found the house locked and deserted. Brawner left behind his van, his medicine, his cigarettes, and clothes in the washing machine at home.
There were no indications that a struggle had taken place. His relatives stated he couldn't have gotten very far on foot because he had so much trouble walking. They describe him as a reclusive person; he has few friends and wasn't close to his family. His son had not seen him in years prior to his disappearance.
Steven Ray Fester, a neighbor and friend of Brawner, is considered a person of interest in his case. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. After Brawner's disappearance, Fester connected his own trailer to Brawner's electricity. He also had a key to Brawner's house; it would be uncharacteristic of Brawner to give one to another person.
Police searched Fester's home and found Brawner's .380 semi-automatic pistol inside it. He was ultimately indicted for stealing the gun and forging Brawner's signature on four personal checks, which he cashed in the days following Brawner's disappearance. They totaled $650. He claimed Brawner gave him the checks and gun.
Fester was sentenced to probation for the charge and maintains his innocence in Brawner's disappearance. In 2011, he was convicted of a series of armed robberies and sentenced to twenty-two years in prison.
Brawner's disappearance remains unsolved. Authorities believe he was taken against his will, and his family members think he's probably deceased.
Other information and links : ncy
San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office
936-653-4367
September 2021 updates and sources
Texas Department of Public Safety
The Eastex Advocate
Click 2 Houston
North American Missing Persons Network
The Houston Chronicle
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Victims News Online
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
