What Happened to Mandi Gordon? A Week After She Vanished, Her Remains Were Found in a Burn Pit
Mandi Gordon was trapped in a toxic relationship that sadly ended in her death.
Published Aug. 21 2024, 7:12 p.m. ET
One week after Mandi Gordon disappeared in December 2019, police began treating her disappearance as a homicide. After conducting a search on her home, they found blood in a bedroom, bathroom, and a shed, reported KXAN. Gordon was reported missing Dec. 12 by her mother. Police immediately began questioning Gordon's common-law-husband, Samuel Byrd. What happened to Mandi Gordon? Here's what we know.
What happened to Mandi Gordon?
The Missing Persons Cases Network Facebook group is dedicated to advocating for those who do not have a voice. Three days after Gordon vanished, they already had a post up. At this point, police already believed Gordon was dead and were treating the investigation like a homicide. "The Cedar Park Police Department and our assisting partner agencies want to express our deepest condolences to Amanda’s family," they said in a statement, as if they already knew what was coming.
(L-R): Samuel Byrd; Mandi Gordon
On Dec. 12, Gordon's mother contacted local police and asked for a welfare check for her daughter. When they arrived, Gordon's common-law-husband answered the door and reportedly wouldn't let police into the house. He claimed that he hadn't seen Gordon for three days but that their two children were safe inside the house. Law enforcement suspected that was not the case, and with help from the Central Texas Regional SWAT team, police forced their way into the house.
They spoke briefly with Byrd then returned with a search warrant. After safely removing the children and sending them to a family member's home, police conducted a search that resulted in an arrest for Byrd on drug-related charges. This is also the time when police found blood in multiple locations throughout the house and property.
Where is Samuel Byrd now?
Byrd's brother was also in the house, and when he spoke with police, he claimed that Gordon and Byrd had been doing drugs, and that Byrd had passed out and woken up to find Gordon dead, per KVUE. The brother also revealed that Byrd was in a relationship with another woman. When police spoke with her, things started falling into place.
The day before Gordon's mother contacted police, Byrd asked his mistress to purchase cleaning supplies and hide a bag of items for him. When law enforcement found the bag, they discovered a handgun, a spent shell casing, Gordon's eyeglasses, and Gordon's cell phone were inside. A neighbor also told investigators that Byrd took out his trash on Dec. 12 which was unusual for him, as he typically ignored trash day altogether.
After speaking with a couple of Byrd's business associates, police located Gordon's remains in a burn pit on their property. The reported that in November 2022, Byrd pled guilty to murder and received a 45-year sentence. Gordon's mother told police that Byrd was physically and emotionally abusive toward her daughter. Gordon never reported it because Byrd threatened her.
Gordon's co-worker and friend Trevor McMahan said Byrd would harass any employees who were friendly to her. He was later banned from coming into the sandwich shop where they worked. She "didn’t deserve any of this," McMahan said. "She was just stuck in a toxic relationship."
