Inside the Heidi Broussard Murder: How a Best Friend Killed Her and Stole Her Baby

What should have been one of the happiest moments of Heidi Broussard’s life turned tragic after she was strangled to death by a dog leash by her best friend, who abducted her newborn daughter just weeks after birth.

Authorities later arrested Magen Fieramusca after Broussard’s body was discovered inside a parked car near her home, while the two-week-old baby was found in Fieramusca’s care.

Investigators uncovered a disturbing scheme: Fieramusca had allegedly pretended to be pregnant alongside Broussard and plotted to kill her in order to claim the baby as her own. She even stayed by Broussard’s side in the hospital while she was giving birth.

Fieramusca was later charged with murder and kidnapping and eventually pleaded guilty.

The shocking case is now the subject of Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard. In the May 2026 release, Emily Osment portrays Fieramusca, while Anna Hopkins stars as Broussard.

According to People magazine, Broussard was a 33-year-old Austin mother of two known for her adventurous spirit and outgoing personality.

Her mother, Tammy Broussard, described her daughter as someone who was “always full of life,” with a love for trying new experiences and spending time outdoors. She recalled that Heidi enjoyed skydiving, swimming, water parks and rafting adventures, often embracing activities others were hesitant to try.

Before her death, Broussard was engaged to Shane Carey. Together, they shared a six-year-old son and their newborn daughter, Margo Elizabeth Carey, who was abducted but later safely recovered.

Broussard and Fieramusca first met at age 11 while attending the Texas Bible Institute, and the two remained connected for years.

“Heidi had so many friends. Everybody loved her. We thought Magen loved her too,” Heidi’s mother, Tammy Broussard, said while reflecting on their longtime friendship.

Tammy also said she had always felt uneasy around Fieramusca, describing it as a mother’s instinct.

Their mutual friend, Vickie Shreves, later recalled Fieramusca’s unusual behavior around the time Broussard gave birth in December 2019.

“Magen was quiet. Somber. She wasn’t saying a word to her,” Shreves said. She also remembered Fieramusca leaving abruptly soon afterward. “Without a goodbye she was gone. I knew something was wrong.”

After Fieramusca killed Broussard and kidnapped her baby, she allegedly presented Margo as her own to her ex-boyfriend Christopher Green.

Forensic and clinical psychologist Gary Brucato said Fieramusca’s actions reflected “a kind of callousness and a disregard for human emotion that is pretty manipulative.”

“If you have pure maternal desire, there is a more expeditious and less cruel way to do this,” Brucato told A&E. “If you wanted a baby to pass off as your own, it wouldn’t have to be your best friend that you took it from.”

Additionally, Tahir Rahman, an associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University, said Fieramusca may have viewed her pregnant friend as someone “who possessed what Fieramusca lacked.”

On February 2, 2023, Fieramusca was sentenced to 55 years in prison with the possibility of parole. According to inmate records, Fieramusca is serving her sentence at the William P. Hobby Unit in Texas. She becomes eligible for parole in June 2047.