ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — A man accused of murdering his adoptive daughter more than 30 years ago made an appearance in an Allegan County Court Monday.
Dennis Bowman was charged in 14-year-old Aundria Bowman's death back in May of 2020. She had been missing since 1989.
A preliminary exam was held Monday, Feb. 22 in Allegan County's District Court. One of the people to testify was Bowman's wife, Brenda Bowman.
She told the Judge when Aundria was about 13-14 years old, she came to her mother one morning saying that her father had molested her. Bowman told the court she responded, "you know that's a lie".
Bowman said the last time she saw her daughter was on March 11, 1989. Bowman told the court Aundria had just returned from a school band concert, and the family met with representatives of a tutoring program through Hope College.
According to Bowman, the representatives told the family that Aundria wasn't doing her share of work in the program and wasn't turning in her homework, despite receiving help to complete the assignments from the college tutors. Bowman says she and Dennis were frustrated with Aundria.
Mr. Bowman dropped Brenda off at work that afternoon. According to Brenda Bowman, Aundria stayed home to work on her homework. She says Dennis came by again later in the evening and told her Aundria had taken money out of their dresser and ran away.
Mrs. Bowman told the judge they reported Aundria missing to police, but the officer asked the family to lay low for a while so he could try to find her on his own, without spooking her with media attention.
Dennis Bowman was arrested in November of 2019 in connection to a Virginia cold case from 1980. He pleaded guilty to one charge each of first degree murder, rape, and burglary in the death of Kathleen Doyle, in June of 2020.
During a December 2019 visit to the Allegan County Jail, Brenda says Dennis confessed to knowing what happened to Aundria. According to Brenda, Dennis told her he had been arguing with Aundria in an upstairs bedroom while Brenda was at work.
"He said at that time that he slapped her and she lost her balance and went down the stairs." When asked if Dennis told Brenda what he did with Aundria after that, she told the courtroom, "He said he put her in a box, and put her out with the trash."
In February of 2020, Brenda Bowman had a phone call with Dennis. She says she had been asking for weeks where Aundria's body was, when she finally got answers.
"He was talking something about so near so far right under your nose and I said, 'what the heck are you talking about?' And he says, 'Aundria, she's buried in the backyard.'"
Bowman told his wife he moved the remains from the old house to their current home on 136th Street, after they signed the papers in December of 1989.
Skeletal remains were found in the backyard of the home on 136th Street in February of 2020.
Michigan State Police detective Todd Workman was assigned to the case in 2018. He testified in court Monday, saying that during one questioning account, Dennis Bowman said he arrived home and found Aundria upstairs in a part of the house she was not supposed to be in. According to Workman's testimony, Bowman found evidence that Aundria was going to run away, including a packed duffle bag. Workman says Bowman told detectives that Aundria said she was going to leave, but Bowman told her she could not.
According to testimony, she then told Bowman she would report again that he was molesting her, but Bowman said 'no you won't.' Workman says the word Bowman used to describe his action toward Aundria as she went down the stairs varied from pushing, to punching. He says it is unknown what actually happened.
Workman says Bowman saw Aundria crumpled at the bottom of the stairs and she was moaning. He says she was pinned up against a door jam and he pulled her away to lie straight. Bowman told detectives her eyes then "looked like dolls eyes" and she no longer had a pulse.
Workman told the court that Bowman said he then put her in a tarp and took her to their barn where he disposed of the body.
Bowman's case has been bound over to Circuit court. His bond was set at $200,000.
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