For more than two weeks, detectives quietly watched Daniel Stern’s every move. Early one morning, he loaded something into the bed of his pickup truck, grabbed a shovel, and headed to a remote area known as the compound. Surveillance teams on the ground along with a police helicopter followed him the entire way.
Officers watched as he disappeared into the woods over and over again, came back to his truck, carried different items deeper into the forest, and then walked toward a nearby canal as if he was trying to get rid of the last remaining traces. When the helicopter was nearly out of fuel, the crew had no choice but to leave the area at the exact moment the suspect carried something else into the woods.
The ground teams continued the surveillance. A few hours later, investigators made the decision to arrest Daniel right there at the scene. A police canine began alerting at multiple locations throughout the compound. Search teams spread out through the woods, and before long, they made a discovery that completely changed the course of the investigation.
Among the ashes, the scorched ground, and scattered remains, investigators began finding human bones. There weren’t just a few, there were hundreds. Forensic experts still had to determine who they belonged to. But even then, one thing had become painfully clear. The investigation into the disappearance of a mother of two had just become a brutal murder case.
And everything pointed to one conclusion. The man police had been watching that morning knew far more about those remains than he was ever willing to admit. Hey guys, let me grab you for just a second. I’m really curious where my audience is watching from. So, I’d love for you to drop a comment and tell me what city you’re in and what time it is for you right now.
Thanks for taking a moment. Go ahead and share that in the comments. And now, let’s keep going. When a mother of two, Nancy Howry, suddenly disappeared without a trace, investigators considered several possible explanations for what might have happened to her. I just think he’s behind this [laughter] cuz he could have paid off these guys.
He knew that she he would drive her crazy. He knew that. I don’t know what happened to her. [clears throat] I feel in my heart that I’m I’m expecting her to show up. Okay. I I am truly expecting her to show up, but I I don’t know. In the end, the investigation narrowed down to just one suspect.
What law enforcement uncovered after that was a nightmare no one had ever expected. I think I think it is. Nancy and Todd Howry spent most of their 16-year marriage living in California. Todd worked in the tech industry and earned a very good living. Over the years, the couple built a real estate portfolio with properties in several states, including Florida.
They had two children, a daughter and a son, who were about 2 years apart in age. The family often took vacations with NY’s parents, who had immigrated from Brazil years earlier. Nancy also ran a YouTube channel where she mostly posted videos in her native language, Portuguese. Her content gave viewers a glimpse into what appeared to be a happy family life.
She shared videos of her children playing, baking tips, and reviews of the best toys to bring along while traveling with kids. From the outside, it looked like Nancy and Todd were enjoying a comfortable and happy family life in California. But in 2019, cracks began to appear in their marriage. Todd became suspicious that Nancy was having an affair while she was staying at a duplex they owned near Pompo Beach.
It turned out his suspicions may not have been unfounded. Their relationship quickly fell apart and Nancy filed for divorce. Although the divorce was finalized in 2020, the hostility between them remained as they adjusted to their new lives in Florida. By 2023, they shared custody of their children who were 13 and 11 years old at the time.
Under their custody arrangement, they took turns driving the kids to school and picking them up afterward, and they split weekends with them equally. On February 16th of that year, Nancy never showed up to pick up the children from school. When school officials contacted Todd, he was surprised, but he wasn’t especially concerned.
In general, he didn’t think very highly of his ex-wife’s parenting. But on February 17th, for the second day in a row, Nancy again failed to pick up either her son or her daughter. On Saturday, February 18th, Todd filed a missing person’s report with the Indian Harbor Beach Police Department, the agency responsible for the area where Nancy was renting a home about 10 mi northeast of Palm Bay.
The following morning, investigators got their first real lead. NY’s car was found abandoned on the shoulder of Oakleaf Street near Platt Avenue in the southeastern part of Palm Bay. Officer Press contacted the person who had reported the suspicious vehicle and learned that it had been sitting in the exact same spot parked at a slight angle for about four or 5 days.
No one had seen who left it there, and there were no surveillance cameras nearby that could have captured when it was abandoned. Do you know anything about this vein down here? No, it was down there for days. days. Days like how many days? Can you guess? Um about a week. About a week. Yeah.
So over last weekend it’s been there. Yeah. Okay. Has it moved at all? Just sitting in that same spot. Sitting that spot at the first time when I had recognized. I said, “Well, maybe somebody told somebody on on our street um that they, you know, saying left it there.
” It was like, but nobody I talked with them and they said, “No, nobody said nothing.” and I thought maybe somebody was sleeping in there in the back. So, several days had already passed since anyone had last seen or heard from Nancy. As far as investigators were able to determine on February 14th, Valentine’s Day, Nancy exchanged text messages with her children and spoke with other members of her family.
The following morning on Wednesday, her cell phone connected to the mobile network for the very last time. Officer Press relayed that information to the Indian Harbor Beach police sergeant who was leading the investigation at the time. Um, so we got a call about a suspicious vehicle which comes back to your guys’s signal late. Um, Nancy.
Okay. Um, basically what the complainant said is that the vehicle has been sitting here since um, Tuesday, February 14th, which I see was the day of the last contact with her. And it’s basically just been sitting here unoccupied, untouched, unmoved um, since then. And nobody saw anybody get out of it, nobody in or around it.
At that point, nearly everything investigators knew about the case had come from Todd Howery. He didn’t have many kind things to say about his ex-wife, but at the same time, he appeared to be genuinely concerned about what had happened to the mother of his children. The the ex-husband is the complainant and she’s known, she’s a drinker.
She’s known to go on vendors and kind of disappear. The kids have been with dad. the kids. I mean, they would have I mean, when I tell you everybody comes in cool as a cucumber yesterday, you would have thought that mom was just down the street at Publix. Okay. Um, but just in case I want to be that agency on, you know, on the local news, you know, officers sat on their on their hands for a week while this, you know, was a hot incident.
Yeah. So, I mean, are you filming? Additional officers arrived at the location where NY’s car had been found to help search the surrounding area. With every new piece of evidence they uncovered, the situation looked more suspicious than ever. No, I mean, car is locked. I looked in it.
I mean, it looks like there’s a driver’s license sitting on the front seat, but it’s turned over. A bank card on the front seat. She got a [ __ ] ton of food and water in here. Like a bunch. and a bunch of beans. She’s definitely fearing a bummer. No. And she clearly is ran away or got groceries and something has happened. Yeah. I wonder this looks like hand.
They said that it’s um I talked to her. She said that she hasn’t seen anyone in around the car since it’s been here. Oh yeah, there’s a second and her bag is in there. Yeah, it looks like she’s went and got groceries and then something happened. Yeah, that hand cream is going weird. Beans in there and everything.
Dry beans, hand beans. That hand frame is kind of weird. Yeah. While officers continued searching the area and piecing together possible scenarios, detectives worked to learn as much as they could about Nancy. At that point, their primary source of information remained her ex-husband, Todd Howry. She drinks like no one you’ve ever seen.
Okay. I’m sure you guys have seen a lot. And so when she didn’t pick the children up for this for the second day, I went out to the um the uh uh Bvard County Sheriff’s the bookings site because that’s where she’s been arrested twice. She’s currently on probation. you you know all this okay you know it’s not out of the norm you know almost um maybe a little long but out of the norm um I expected her to be um passed out somewhere when was the last time you spoke with her that would have been the day we don’t
talk we don’t have talk texting texting texting is you can see our texting our texting is you’re old and fat you’re going to die soon and um I say you’re drunk and you’re unfit mom you So, you guys haven’t texted or talked since December. Is that correct? No, that’s not correct. No. Okay. So, when was the last time you guys actually texted each other? These are the last text messages. Okay.
You can see that they’re basically you’re old and fat. That those two are the ones that I’m basically say, you know, please contact us. Okay. So, January 20th. January 20th was the last time 7:55 in the morning, right? And you can just see the hostility and vitriol between the two of us, you know.
Yeah. And then February 16th, I see that you tried to text her saying, “Contact them. It’s not fair.” Right. Okay. And then yesterday, again, please let us know what’s going on. Kids miss you. Okay. I actually this morning was the first time that as I was driving down the road, I was looking at homeless people to see if maybe maybe somehow she’s just Meanwhile, officers searched the wooded area along the road where NY’s minivan had been found.
Based on what Todd had told them about NY’s drinking binges, combined with the fact that her vehicle had been abandoned near a well-known homeless encampment, investigators believed there was a chance they might find the mother of two there. Just beware for needles and stuff. Police just you don’t have to announce yourself until you see a camp.
What do you think happened to her at this point? I don’t know. I don’t know what happened to her. [clears throat] I mean, in your gut, if you had to, you know her past. You know her better than we do. You know her. What do you think in your hearts happened to her? I’m I’m at a loss.
Uh what happened? I would like to say that uh I feel in my heart that I’m I’m expecting her to show up. Okay. I I am truly expecting her to show up, but I I don’t know at this point. This is this is ridiculously long. Hey, Sergeant. It’s Officer Press again. Hey, how you doing, sir? I’m good.
So, they got no luck over at that homeless camp. Damn it. That was that was my was my ace. Yeah. Okay. All right. I got my detective in. He’s got your number. I appreciate what you guys did today. While detectives were interviewing Todd Howry, they also reached out to NY’s mother, Moren. She told investigators that if her daughter had become the victim of a crime, she knew exactly who they should look at first, her ex-husband Todd.
According to Moren, their divorce had been extremely bitter, and she believed Todd was still trying to make NY’s life miserable even after it was over. At the same time, Moren acknowledged that Nancy had been involved with other men as well. During the conversation, two names came up, Matthew and Daniel. When was the last time they were supposed to meet Matthew and her? That date. I DON’T KNOW.
ONE girl told me that she she just went crazy and she got drunk and she said, “I’ve got five meetings today. I’m going on my third one right now.” One of them was Daniel. One of them was Matthew. And then the other ones were some fers off of Timber or whatever that station’s called. Timber or Tinder? I don’t know. Tinder. Okay.
I mean, everyone’s focusing on the fact that she drinks and and there were men involved, but the real monster is her husband who drove her to crazy. So you’re you’re thinking the husband and not Daniel. [gasps] I just think he’s behind this cuz he could have paid off these guys. He knew that she he would drive her crazy.
He knew that that she would go to Timmer. He knew that the boyfriends that she had had before. Everything she got from working was going into lawyers and he knew that he’s destroying her. That monster. Well, ma’am, I’m I’m we like I said, we’ve we’ve been looking into this. We’re looking in into everybody.
Um, I also don’t want to look into the wrong people. Todd Hower’s alibi for the time of his ex-wife’s disappearance was fully verified. Investigators examined his cell phone data and also obtained surveillance footage from several stores, confirming that he had been exactly where he claimed to be. Despite the undeniable hostility between the former spouses, Todd Howry was eliminated as a suspect.
As detectives reconstructed NY’s movements on February 15th, they learned that at around 11:00 that morning, she went to the home of her friend, Jana Ramos, the two spent some time drinking coffee and chatting in their native language, Portuguese. But Jana noticed that Nancy seemed unusually distracted.
She kept receiving text messages from one of the men she had been seeing. His name was Daniel Sterns. She said she was sitting here and her friend was over there and she made some coffee and stuff and then the phone started to die so she plugged it in. She stood there texting with Daniel while talking to her. Okay.
This is Nancy, correct? Yes. Okay. And what were they saying as they communicated on Valentine’s Day? They were together and they got into an argument. Okay. And they were just trying to resolve the issues. Her and Daniel. Her and Daniel were just trying to talk it over and resolve the issues. Okay. Jana couldn’t remember the exact details of the text conversation between Nancy and Daniel, but Nancy told her they had made up after an argument the day before.
She said she was happy again and ready to continue celebrating Valentine’s Day, plans that had been interrupted by their fight. Around noon, Nancy left in her minivan to meet Daniel. No one ever saw or heard from her again. Early in the investigation on February 19th, the same day NY’s abandoned minivan was found on Oak Leaf Street, investigators had already interviewed 32-year-old Daniel Sterns.
At the time, Daniel told police that he hadn’t seen or spoken to Nancy in several weeks. But Jana’s account, along with the data recovered from NY’s phone, told a very different story. Detectives from the sheriff’s office decided it was time to pay Daniel another visit. How are you doing? I’m I’m agent Tyler Peterson with the sheriff’s office.
I know I think Pome came out to you and spoke to you previously about Nancy. Do you remember what that was about? Yeah. Uh just asked me where he was um last week. Okay. So, we the county sheriff’s office have since taken over the case. I’m the actual one working it. So, I figured I’d come talk to you just to see what you know.
Um, I don’t know what information you would have. From what I understand, I guess you guys are friends. Is that right? Yeah. Uh, like I told last guys. Um, yeah. We we falling out. Uhhuh. Uh, we were, you know, seeing each other uh every once in a while. Okay. It was worth. When did you guys have a falling out? Um when uh when I spoke to him, I said it was a we um I wanted to just you know just fall out completely fall out deleted numbers.
I think I blocked them blocking numbers as well. Okay. 32-year-old Daniel Sterns, a US Army veteran who had served in Afghanistan, met 44year-old Nancy Howry, a mother of two, on Tinder more than 2 years before she disappeared. Their accounts of the relationship differed, but there was no doubt that the two had been romantically involved throughout that time.
According to Daniel, they had ended the relationship several weeks before Nancy disappeared because, among other things, she had failed to follow the boundaries and rules they had established in their relationship. We’re not not clicking uh not uh not, you know, following boundaries, rules, relationship rules like that.
So, I’m just like, you know, I don’t I don’t want to I don’t want to continue, you know, it’s not it’s not it’s not good for me. So, she wasn’t following rules or both of you or just her? Yeah. I’m like, you know, I don’t want someone who goes and sues other men, you know. Okay.
And how did you guys speak? Over the phone? Yeah. Did you guys text, call, FaceTime, Snapchat? It was a call. Snapchat. What? um call what? No, she calls me from different uh types of it was even WhatsApp, Snapchat. Daniel was quick to tell detectives that after the breakup, he had deleted all of his messages with Nancy.
He also said he had deleted his Snapchat account, although he later reinstalled the app and created a new one. According to Daniel, he did it because he was concerned about the privacy of his personal data. But that wasn’t what concerned investigators the most. Earlier, Daniel had told detectives with the Palm Bay Police Department that he hadn’t spoken to Nancy in several weeks.
By now, however, they knew that on the very morning she disappeared, Nancy had been making plans to meet with him. So, detectives once again questioned Daniel about his last contact with the mother of two. So, from the 19th, you said about a week before that. Yeah, I said a week and some days. When you say a week and some days, how about how many days? Not more than a half a week.
Okay. If you don’t mind me asking, what was your Snapchat? I don’t that good vibe. Yeah. Good vibe. Yeah. Okay. Um, so you last saw her about a week prior to them coming out or you spoke with her. Is that correct? Where’d you see it? Um the uh the Yeah. Yeah. about the the Snapchat. Yeah.
Of course, the Snapchat’s deleted, so be able to find that Snapchat here. Oh, okay. So, I have a Detectives then asked Daniel the same question they had asked Todd just a few days earlier. What do you think happened to Nancy? Unlike her ex-husband, who seemed genuinely confused and couldn’t understand where she had gone, Daniel immediately pointed investigators toward another possible suspect, one of NY’s other boyfriends.
He told detectives that one of NY’s previous relationships had involved incidents of domestic violence and also claimed that she had continued meeting new men through Tinder. Do you know what could have happened to her? Well, like I said, the before the guy who was registered uh who very likely registered a domestic violence case against her, uh she she would tell me that he would be stalking her.
Okay. And uh I think I remember her uh calling, you know, police telling police about it, saying she did. Okay. Um yeah. Um, yeah. And that in that time saying that she she doesn’t want to see me because he might be coming around and stuff like that. Okay. That that’s that’s pretty much all I have about him.
And when when did she tell you this information? Oh, um, yeah, it’s a it’s it’s definitely over a year ago from when I last, you know, saw her. Um actually a year ago since you last saw her. Yeah. Um that that she told me about him year and some months. Yeah. I I don’t know if I understand what like you know the duration of the relationship you know when I when I when she told me about him he’s you know had a you know physical altercation with she had an altercation with him over a year ago? Yeah, that that was his
action. Like, you know, like I said, likely a uh run with the police. Um I mostly think that’s true. Mostly think what’s true that that’s Oh, domestic violence. the uh Tinder. Do you know if she was contacting anyone within the last maybe few days prior to you guys kind of cut it off? Do you know if she was talking about through Tinder or anything else? I’ I’d say she was defining back.
Why’ you say that? Sorry. But what makes you say that? Uh it’s cuz she was showing. She was showing you. Well, like telling you. She was How How would she tell you? Just saying. Um, there’s pretty much that she’s going to be on going to be on it because I’m not talking to them. Did she mention specifically anybody she was talking to on this interview? Yeah. No names.
No names. Not surprisingly, Daniel’s interview with detectives from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office did little to ease their suspicions. If anything, it quickly made him the primary suspect in NY’s disappearance. Investigators placed him under covert surveillance, hoping he would eventually lead them to Nancy.
They also carefully reviewed everything he had purchased, examining surveillance footage from Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and several other stores. Detectives obtained cell tower records as well. They also tried to recover surveillance video from the CVS pharmacy where, according to Jana, Nancy, and Daniel had planned to meet on February 15th.
But the cameras there revealed nothing of value to the investigation. Inside NY’s vehicle, investigators found a receipt from a BP gas station confirming that she had made a purchase there earlier that same day. Unfortunately, by the time law enforcement requested the surveillance footage from the station, it had already been overwritten.
Even so, footage from other surveillance cameras would prove critical in the search for the missing mother of two. Daniel’s black Chevy pickup was captured multiple times by traffic cameras as it traveled toward a sparsely populated area in the southwestern part of Palm Bay known as the compound. Covering roughly 12 square miles, the area had carried a notorious reputation for decades as a place associated with criminal activity, drug trafficking, illegal dumping, and the concealment of homicide victims. Today, a special
workshop will be held to address an area of Bvard County known as the compound. West’s Tony Atkins is live in Palm Bay this morning. And Tony, this is an area that’s drawn a lot of attention lately due to mysterious murders. During the early morning hours of March 9th, investigators placed Daniel under covert surveillance.
Law enforcement officers carefully monitored his every move, doing everything they could to avoid revealing their presence while documenting each of his actions. Detectives watched as Daniel placed an unidentified object into the bed of his pickup truck, grabbed a shovel, and repeatedly walked back and forth between the truck and the house.
From their vantage point, they couldn’t tell exactly what he was carrying, but his behavior immediately caught investigators attention, and they continued recording every movement he made. A short time later, Daniel left his home and headed south toward the compound. Surveillance teams immediately began following him, carefully maintaining visual contact with his truck without letting him realize he was being watched.
Officers also called in the Star Aviation Unit, which tracked Daniel’s vehicle from a helicopter flying several miles away at an altitude of several thousand ft. Keeping that distance allowed the crew to maintain aerial surveillance without drawing Daniel’s attention or creating enough noise to alert him that he was being followed.
Meanwhile, ground units coordinated closely with the helicopter crew below, maintaining constant communication to ensure uninterrupted surveillance and to respond immediately if Daniel changed his route or did anything unexpected. He’s going to be going south, whatever that is. He just turned southbound on the route. I’m uh directly in front of him.
I got him southbound on the group. Cars, what? I’ll stay here to the east. Okay. Unless he gets on the car, but that’s where he goes. Officers watched as Daniel stopped his pickup truck at several different locations, getting out of the vehicle from time to time. Every stop was carefully documented as investigators tried to determine the purpose of his movements throughout the compound while making sure they never lost sight of him.
On Alcoa Street, which runs through the compound, Daniel got out of his truck and walked about 50 ft into a wooded area. He then disappeared among the trees for a period of time, leaving investigators able to track only his general path without seeing exactly what he was doing. For the Star helicopter crew, the surveillance was becoming increasingly difficult.
They had to stay far enough away to keep the sound of the rotor blades from alerting Daniel while still maintaining visual contact with him at all times. It was a constant uh balancing act between remaining undetected and keeping the suspect in sight. Investigators soon faced another problem. The helicopter was running dangerously low on fuel.
They now had to contend not only with the unfolding operation itself, but also with the aircraft’s technical limitations, which threatened to interrupt the aerial surveillance at any moment. He’s uh in the woods uh just north of Alcoa. What’s that intersection? Go run tanky star. Just for 43. We’re not going to be able to stay here much longer.
We’re running pretty low on fuel. Just as Daniel appeared to take several items out of the bed of his pickup truck and carry them into the woods, the helicopter crew was forced to leave the area to refuel. Because the aerial surveillance had to be temporarily suspended, investigators briefly lost their ability to keep continuous watch over his movements from the air.
Even so, the ground teams continued following Daniel without losing sight of him. They carefully tracked every move he made, maintaining constant surveillance until the helicopter returned. Thanks to their efforts, law enforcement was able to keep documenting Daniel’s actions despite the brief interruption in aerial support.
Star, you’re going to have to get out of here. You’re drifting over top of anybody’s vehicle. Easy. Get high or go. We’re still 2 miles out almost 3,000 ft. Yeah, but unfortunately this time of night start we can hear you clear as day. All right, we’re out of here. All right, we’re tempo.
We’re going to have to head back for fuel. He’s He’s going to be right in the middle. Parked right in the middle, but he’s in the in the Northwood line. Looks like he just grabbed something out of the the back seat. It might have been a shovel. And he’s walking into the Northwood line currently. Looks like a second palm cruise.
Maybe second floor from his truck. He’s about 55 ft into the wood line. Daniel spent several hours in the woods. Throughout that time, investigators continued closely monitoring his movements, trying to figure out exactly what he was doing in such a remote area and whether any of it could be relevant to their investigation.
While the helicopter was away refueling, the ground teams never stopped watching him. Um they followed Daniel to two more locations in the wooded area near Mory Court and Sausel Avenue, carefully documenting the route he took and every change in direction along the way. By the time the helicopter returned, Daniel was standing near a canal and appeared to be carrying something in his hands.
From that distance, it was impossible to tell exactly what he was holding, but his behavior caught the investigator’s attention and became yet another incident they carefully documented as part of the surveillance operation. Uh just had the male walk out of the woods uh to the south of there. I can’t tell, but he’s got something in his hand.
From a distance of about 3 mi, it was impossible to make out exactly what Daniel was carrying. The observers couldn’t determine the size of the items or what they contained, but his actions caught the attention of investigators and struck them as unusual. It appeared that he repeatedly walked from his pickup truck into the woods and then back again.
He made the same trip several times, giving investigators the impression that he was methodically moving something from his truck deeper into the wooded area. After that, he walked over to the water and according to what investigators believed they were seeing, threw several objects into it.
Because of the distance, they couldn’t determine exactly what had been tossed into the water. But his behavior raised serious suspicions and became one of the reasons law enforcement decided to continue the covert surveillance. All right, start. He’s out of the truck again. Looks like he’s walking southbound into that line. Is that like a burn real? I think I think it is kind of following the ditch line.
It looks like you might be put something in the water. It’s It’s really hard to tell cuz we’re about 3 miles out. After several hours of surveillance, investigators concluded that they could no longer afford to wait. Um, given the way events were unfolding, they decided it was time to arrest Daniel Sterns before he had the chance to get rid of any additional evidence that could prove critical to the investigation.
In the investigator’s view, delaying any longer could have resulted in the loss of physical evidence or made it significantly more difficult to recover. For that reason, they chose to move in immediately, leaving Daniel with no opportunity to continue what he was doing. We’re coming in uh hot right now. So, God is in he’s in the water right now.
All right, I got you guys. Uh he’s going to be right at the end of that culdeac right there. Where you guys go? He’s in custody. He’s in custody. On March 9th, a human remains detection dog named Tito alerted at five different locations throughout the compound. For investigators, this marked a major breakthrough in the search since each alert suggested a place where human remains or traces of them may have been present at some point.
The first alert came on Alcoa Street where Daniel had gotten out of his pickup truck for the first time. After Tito gave a clear indication there, investigators conducted a careful search of that area. Tito then alerted near Mory Court. After that, he signaled at a dirt embankment at the end of Sausel Avenue, adding yet another location to the investigator’s list of priority search sites.
Um, the dog also alerted along the bank of a canal where investigators believe Daniel had rinsed out a bucket shortly before his arrest. In their view, that location could play an important role in reconstructing the sequence of his actions following NY’s death. Finally, Tito alerted on the tailgate of Daniel’s pickup truck. It was the fifth and final alert of the day, once again drawing investigators attention to the vehicle, which they believed may have been used to transport NY’s remains.
Yeah, lead guy is literally going to be right off your nose. A little bit to your right there. It looks like he’s got something there’s like something on the ditch line. I can’t tell what it is, but something reflective uh to your going to be your left. Yep. Dad right there. This is where he was, right in the water right here. Uh, riting something out.
Uh, near the water, investigators found a sandal along with impressions in the sand that matched the round base of a bucket. Those discoveries immediately caught their attention because they suggested that someone had been at the shoreline after NY’s death carrying certain items back and forth. Investigators then brought in a team of divers to conduct a thorough search of the water.
They carefully examined the bottom and the shoreline foot by foot, hoping to recover physical evidence or human remains that could help move the investigation forward. Despite their extensive efforts, they found nothing. The search of the water yielded no new evidence. At four different locations throughout the compound where Tito had alerted, investigators recovered more than 800 bone fragments, teeth, burned pieces of skin, and even a middle finger.
The sheer scale of the discovery stunned even experienced investigators as the remains were scattered across multiple locations and had been severely damaged. Many of the recovered remains showed extensive burn damage consistent with the burn site investigators had previously spotted from the air. According to the investigation, the condition of the remains indicated they had been exposed to extremely high temperatures.
The remains had been left outdoors for several days, making DNA identification extraordinarily difficult. Prolonged exposure to the elements significantly complicated the work of the forensic experts and the identification process. Even so, the medical examiner was ultimately able to reach a final conclusion after completing the necessary forensic testing.
The experts positively identified the victim. The scattered remains belonged to 44year-old Nancy Howry. That finding confirmed the worst fears of both her family and the investigators. The medical examiner ultimately determined that Nancy died from a gunshot wound to the head. This is a horrific individual. We did a search warrant last night at his location at his [snorts] house.
Um recovered multiple firearms. He actually burned the body in an effort to destroy any possible evidence. Daniel Sterns was taken to the police station for questioning. It was there that investigators began their formal interview trying to determine what had happened to Nancy and what role, if any, he had played in her disappearance.
Just over 4 minutes into the interview, Daniel began giving his account. Right from the start of the interrogation, he launched into his version of events, answering the detectives questions and gradually describing what he claimed had happened in the moments leading up to the tragedy. You saying you have everything together? We wouldn’t be sitting right here if we didn’t.
It was self-defense. I was taking her to the compound to teach her how to shoot. We got there. In the middle of me showing her how to aim, she goes for my gun. She nearly gets a hold of it. She fails the first time and she goes absolutely berserk, not wanting to take a loss for an answer. Mhm. Get it to a gravel.
She even spits on my hand. After multiple times, I couldn’t take the chance again. When you’re saying she, who is she? Why do I have to say the name? Cuz I I don’t know who you’re referring to. You’re saying she? I mean, that could be anybody. You’re referring to Nancy. Okay. Is that Nancy Howry? Okay. Daniel Sterns was 12 years younger than Nancy Howry.
That age difference became one of the facts presented during the trial and was taken into account by both sides as they examined the circumstances surrounding the case. He weighed just over 200 lb, while Nancy weighed approximately 150 lb. That noticeable difference in size and physical build was also part of the case and was mentioned repeatedly throughout the trial.
Daniel was a military veteran with professional combat training and had boxed regularly during his time in the army. His military background gave him experience in physical confrontations and the strength, endurance, and discipline that came with that training. He also told detectives that he was familiar with iikido, a martial art that teaches self-defense techniques, controlling an opponent, and responding to physical confrontations.
He shared that information during his interview while describing his background and training. Even so, Daniel claimed he had no choice but to kill Nancy. That was how he explained his actions, insisting that in his view, he had been placed in a situation where he saw no other way out. According to Daniel, he fired only one shot to her head.
He maintained that the single gunshot was fatal and that it was the only shot he fired that day. He claimed it happened only after Nancy suddenly attacked him. That was the sequence of events Daniel described to detectives as he explained the circumstances under which according to his account he used deadly force. Daniel also claimed that the mother of two had been trained in Brazilian jiujitsu.
He argued that this supported his assertion that Nancy had hand-to-hand combat skills and he pointed to that as part of his explanation for what he said had happened. But you being a 205 guy or 5 lb guy with She was in my face. It was She was never farther apart. Mhm. She spat on my hand in the grapple.
Okay. Tried to go for a fight. Couldn’t make it. That’s why she did it. What is the spit in the hand? What is Why Why do we keep referring to that? What’s that? Slip. Okay. So, was your gun slipping? It was. Okay. So, you were able to have your gun. It was slipping, but you had it the entire time during this this physical altercation.
And at what point did you decide, okay, you know what? I’m I’m done. What What made you feel like that? It seriously felt like my last resort. After Daniel shot Nancy, he began concealing her body. According to investigators, his actions immediately after her death were focused not on reporting what had happened, but on covering up any evidence of the crime.
Uh because of his distrust of law enforcement, Daniel claimed he believed he had no choice but to hide her death, convinced that he would be accused of murder no matter what. Um that was how he explained his actions during the interrogation, describing what he said had motivated him after NY’s death. Daniel said he first carried NY’s body into the woods and left it on the ground.
In the remote area, he temporarily concealed the body before returning later. After that, he went back to the same location and buried it. According to his account, he did this in an attempt to permanently hide the remains from both the public and law enforcement. Sometime later, he returned once again. This time, Daniel dug up the remains, loaded them into his pickup truck, drove them to another part of the compound, poured charcoal lighter fluid over them, and set them on fire.
According to investigators, this was yet another attempt to completely destroy the evidence and make it impossible to determine the circumstances of NY’s death. Several days later, while he was already under covert police surveillance, Daniel returned to the site once again. there. He collected the remaining fragments into buckets and scattered them across different areas of the compound, making them even more difficult to locate.
Daniel claimed that the bucket he was seen rinsing out contained nothing but ashes. He insisted there were no other remains left inside. He also maintained that he had burned everything completely, claiming that nothing was left of the body after the fire. Um during a search of his pickup truck, investigators recovered two shovels, a pair of gloves, a headlamp, and a tarp.
All of those items were collected as evidence and were later examined as part of the criminal investigation. Her body is where you were looking. They didn’t find anything. What do you mean? It’s because I burned her and then I buried remains. Okay. So when you shot her, you put her into the woods originally. I did bury her after some days and then I unearthed her to burn her.
Daniel Sterns was charged with seconddegree murder, abuse of a human corpse, and tampering with evidence. Those were the charges prosecutors relied on, believing the evidence they had gathered was sufficient to prove his guilt in court. Daniel pleaded not guilty. From the very beginning of the trial, he maintained that he had not murdered Nancy, while his defense team developed its own strategy aimed at challenging the prosecution’s case.
In the end, however, the defense abandoned its claim of self-defense. That argument was no longer presented in court, and Daniel’s attorney shifted to an entirely different strategy. Once again, Daniel’s story changed. It was far from the first time he had altered his account of the events leading to NY’s death, and those inconsistencies repeatedly became a focus during the trial.
His attorney successfully argued that his constitutional rights under Miranda had been violated during his final police interview. According to the defense, investigators failed to follow the required legal procedure, meaning the statements he made during that interrogation could not be used as evidence at trial.
As a result, everything Daniel told detectives, including his account of struggling with Nancy over the gun, shooting her in the head, and repeatedly trying to conceal her body, was ruled inadmissible. That meant the jury never heard those statements as official evidence against him. The issue was that investigators did not advise Daniel of his Miranda rightites until after he had already disclosed most of those details.
That procedural violation ultimately became the key reason the court excluded his statements. By the time the case went to trial in the fall of 2025, any confession was no longer part of the prosecution’s case. Prosecutors were forced to build their case without relying on those statements, instead presenting other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Daniel’s attorney simply argued that his client did not kill Nancy. that became the central focus of the defense before the jury uh denying Daniel’s involvement in the murder and maintaining that he was innocent. Nancy How a 44year-old divorced mother of two children was last seen alive on February 15th, 2023. That was the day that this defendant, Daniel Sterns, murdered her.
Miss Howry had been dating the defendant on and off for several months. They had a volatile relationship that he wanted to be exclusive, but there was not. Prosecutors told the jury that Daniel’s internet search history became especially significant after the argument between him and Nancy on Valentine’s Day.
According to the prosecution, those searches provided valuable insight into what had captured his attention after the confrontation and the direction his actions appeared to take. They also pointed out that Daniel had searched the website alivegore.com for uncensored videos of murders and executions.
Prosecutors emphasized that these searches involved graphic realife scenes of extreme violence and argued that they were another important piece of the overall picture they presented during the trial. Among his internet searches were woman dying from stab wounds, uncensored murder videos, and what prosecutors considered especially telling was the fastest way to teach someone a lesson in Brazil.
In the days following NY’s death, Daniel also searched extensively for news about murders committed on the compound, as well as reports of bodies discovered in that remote area. Prosecutors argued that these searches were far from random and drew investigators attention because they closely aligned with the events being investigated in the case.
Even before his first interview with police, Daniel had already been looking up information about missing persons in Pal Bay. Investigators viewed that as another troubling piece of the overall picture, believing it showed an unusual interest in the subject even before the official investigation had begun.
Uh he also searched Amazon for butane torches. According to the prosecution, that search was consistent with his alleged plan to burn the body of his former girlfriend in an effort to destroy evidence and make it more difficult to determine the circumstances of her death. Prosecutors argued that after several months of dating, Daniel expected Nancy to stop seeing other men.
In their view, jealousy and a desire to completely control her personal life were what ultimately fueled the conflict that ended in tragedy. According to the prosecution, Daniel unintentionally revealed his true motives when he told police that Nancy had failed to follow his relationship rules.
Prosecutors pointed to those words as evidence that he was trying to control her behavior and impose his own expectations on their relationship. Whether Nancy went to the compound willingly that day was never conclusively determined. Investigators never uncovered definitive evidence that could fully answer that question.
Even so, the way she appeared to have left her minivan in such a hurry raised serious questions. groceries were still sitting on the back seat while her personal belongings were scattered across the front of the vehicle. Investigators believe that could suggest she did not leave the van of her own free will, but under pressure or coercion.
In any event, Daniel drove her to that remote location while carrying a loaded Glock 17. Investigators later recovered that handgun from his bedroom at his parents’ house, and it became one of the key pieces of physical evidence presented during the trial. The defense chose not to deliver an opening statement and did not call a single witness.
Throughout the trial, Daniel’s attorneys presented no evidence of their own, focusing instead on challenging the prosecution’s case. During closing arguments, however, the jury heard a new version of events. It was then that the defense publicly laid out its own explanation of what it believed may have happened that day.
Daniel’s attorney argued that Nancy could have shot herself. The defense maintained that this possibility could not be completely ruled out simply because there were no eyewitnesses to what happened. No one could say with certainty exactly how she sustained the fatal gunshot wound to her head.
According to the defense, it was impossible to reconstruct the precise sequence of her final moments. There were no other witnesses and the defense argued that the physical evidence did not provide a definitive answer. For that reason, Daniel’s attorneys urged the jury to consider the existence of reasonable doubt and not reach conclusions they believed were not fully supported by the evidence.
One of the statements the state keeps saying is he shot her in the head. You’ve heard no testimony that he ever shot her in the head. You’ve heard nothing about him shooting in the head. You’ve heard that there is what Dr. Walsh Haney says is consistent with a gunshot wound, a gunshot exit wound, but not that he ever did anything.
Not a single witness has ever said that he shot her in the head because it’s consistent with her shooting herself. It’s consistent with an accident. It’s consistent with any number of other events. And the core problem here is that the state must prove what happened and they haven’t done it. The defense acknowledged that after NY’s death, Daniel cremated her body and scattered her remains, essentially not disputing what he did after she died.
That became one of the central issues at trial. Even so, his attorneys argued that those actions alone did not prove he was responsible for the murder itself. At the same time, they strongly denied the prosecution’s claim that Daniel had dismembered NY’s body. The defense also insisted that as shocking as concealing her remains may have been, it could not automatically be taken as proof that he was the one who killed her.
That became the foundation of their strategy throughout the trial, drawing a clear distinction between Daniel’s actions after NY’s death and the act of killing her. After approximately 2 and 1/2 hours of deliberation, the jury returned to the courtroom. The tense wait came to an end with just a few words that brought the lengthy trial to its conclusion.
The verdict was unanimous. Guilty on all counts. Before the final sentence was imposed, Todd Howry addressed the court. Um, speaking directly to the judge, uh, he shared his thoughts about the devastating impact this tragedy had on his family. He told the court that because of the extreme brutality of the crime, he firmly believed that if his children had been with their mother that day, their lives would have been in danger as well.
In his view, the tragedy could have claimed far more lives. And that thought has continued to haunt him ever since. What happened took away my children’s mom, took away Nancy from her life. and took away Marine’s only child, her daughter. During that period of time, I have without any doubt in my mind that if my children were with Nancy at that time, which they were should have been, she was supposed to pick him up from school that day, that he would have done the same thing to my children as to Nancy. I have without a
doubt. You don’t slaughter a human being and say, “Oops, I got forgot about these two.” Daniel Sterns was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. That sentence means he will spend the rest of his life behind bars with no chance of being released early. In addition, the court imposed two concurrent sentences of more than 22 years for crimes committed after NY’s murder.
Those convictions were for abuse of a human corpse and tampering with evidence offenses that prosecutors argued were intended to conceal the crime and make the investigation more difficult. Daniel Sterns is currently serving his sentence at Suani Correctional Institution in Live Oak, Florida, where he remains in custody under the court’s judgment.
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