The life of a young man has been tragically cut short, and his father is now facing serious charges in connection with his death. Michael Howard, a Houston resident, has been arrested after the death of his son, Mark, 20, which he describes as a “horrible accident.”
The remains of Mark were discovered on December 2, leading to an investigation by local authorities. Joseph P. MacDonough of the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office reported that when deputies arrived at the scene, Howard claimed he had “accidentally” shot his son. He further explained that he had “mistaken” Mark “for an intruder on his own property.”
The alleged shooting occurred the evening before the remains were found. MacDonough noted a concerning delay, stating there was a significant 17-hour gap between Hunter’s death and the time Howard contacted authorities. Disturbingly, Howard reportedly told deputies that he disposed of his son’s body using a backhoe tractor, transporting it to a secluded area of his property where he “cremated” Hunter on a pile of wood and burnable materials. When pressed for a reason, Howard allegedly stated he did it “in accordance with what he felt his son would have wanted.”
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Hunter Howard, who was described as “high-functioning” and diagnosed with a syndrome, had his life taken too soon. In addition to calling the incident a “horrible accident,” Howard allegedly showed the authorities the shotgun involved in the shooting.
Deputies then conducted a search to confirm Hunter’s absence. After Howard indicated where he had allegedly burned the body, a search warrant was obtained for the property. This led to the discovery of “what we believe to be body parts and bones, specifically a portion of the lower jaw … which contained a few teeth,” according to MacDonough.
Further investigation revealed “indications that the scene had actually been washed, cleaned with a water hose,” raising additional red flags about the circumstances surrounding Hunter’s death.
As a result of these findings, Michael Howard was arrested and is set to face multiple charges, including murder, desecration of a corpse, and tampering with a crime scene. So far, his bail has been set at an astonishing $10 million per charge, with MacDonough describing the situation as a “bizarre crime.”
