How did Kendy Howard die? "48 Hours" reports on suspicious bathtub death of Idaho mom | Forensic Files

this week's 48 Hours digs into the investigation of a former Idaho state trooper suspected in the mysterious
death of his wife Dan Howard says he found his wife dead in the bathtub in February of 2021 and he told deputies
she took her own life but investigators decided to take a closer look at him after finding certain evidence at the
crime scene Peter Van Sant reports this 911 call my wife sent deputies from cutney County in northern Idaho to the
home of a distraught former state trooper Dan Howard was a gunot with their body cameras rolling deputies
captured Dan telling them what happened on that cold February night in 2021 she's in the
bathtub upstairs deputies found 48-year-old Kendy Howard's body in the bathtub with a gunshot wound to her head
Dan Howard told them she had taken her own life but investigators were suspicious Deputy Miranda Thomas says
too many things seemed out of place I went into the house and found a packed duffel bag was someone planning on
leaving the house in the laundry room the dryer was still turning full of clean bath towels and mats having a
dryer running at midnight very odd cuz I don't do laundry at midnight sure you could and despite the shock of finding
his wife dead Dan Howard appeared to have recently showered changed his clothes and applied fresh deodorant
detective Sergeant Ken Laton said Howard seemed to have a story he planned to share almost scripted in a way yeah
definitely scripted and there were other challenges authorities did find the gun
in the tub but there were no prints or DNA connecting it to Howard there wasn't enough on the scene to arrest him still
authorities were not about to give up Dan knows things that most normal people Ordinary People don't know things like
like things like killing someone and staging it to look like a suicide and Peter vanent joins us now
here in studio good morning Peter talking about that dryer you mentioned that it was going at midnight what did
investigators find there well what was fascinating about that so you saw the hysterics uh the 911 call and also when
when deputies first arrived imagine going inside that house and what you hear is the sound of a spinning dryer
how odd that would be but they had the the perception to take a photograph it had 6 minutes left on it and that became
significant because sometime later detectives were able to determine that the time he made that 911 call with all
of the emotion and hysterics he was actually doing laundry so it called into question whether that was a performance
that they were listening to on that 911 call what else made them suspicious suspicious about Dan Howard well well
Kandi was shot in the head and she was in a bathtub but there was surprisingly little blood there that undermined this
notion of a suicide and also raised the possibility for investigators was she possibly killed somewhere else and
placed in the wow so they weren't able to make an arrest immediately I think it took over two years for them to make an
arrest how come well you know he's a former Idaho State patrolman they had to get all their ducks in a row but the
biggest obstacle was the medical examiner did not rule this case a homicide the the me said it was a
undetermined manner of death so they had to go out and find medical experts to actually challenge their own medical
examiner in a trial which is fascinating you have the defense attorney saying well if the medical examiner says this
isn't a homicide you members of the jury you shouldn't either and Peter you made
another observation um during that video when police arrived the husband didn't seem that upset no uh we we were told by
the people who actually went into that house with all that sobbing there wasn't a single tear wow so revealing lots of
signs and we'll find out how this all ends yeah it's a dramatic trial and it's a terrific terrific tale good to see you
Peter thank you you and you can watch Peter's report the bathtub murder of Kendy Howard on 48 hours tomorrow night
at 10: 9 Central here on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus

Kendy Howard, a 48-year-old wife and mother, was found dead in her bathtub with a gunshot wound to the head. Evidence at the scene led investigators to take a hard look at her husband, a former Idaho state trooper. Did he have the know-how to get away with murder? Correspondent Peter Van Sant has a preview of this week's all-new "48 Hours."

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Brief Summary

Former Idaho trooper Dan Howard is suspected in his wife's mysterious death ruled as suicide, raising questions about the investigation.

Key points

The Bathtub Murder Investigation. An investigation into the mysterious death of Kendy Howard raises suspicions about her husband.
Suspicious Circumstances. Evidence at the crime scene leads investigators to question the narrative of suicide.
A Dramatic Trial. The trial reveals shocking insights into the case and the husband’s behavior.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Too many things seemed out of place.

Deputy Miranda Thomas reflects on the investigation.

1:08WatchSep 27, 2024

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