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Brawner, circa 2008; Steven Ray Fester
- Missing Since 06/10/2008
- Missing From Shepherd, Texas
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Male
- Race White
- Date of Birth 01/26/1941 (83)
- Age 67 years old
- Height and Weight 5'4, 120 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description Unknown, but he usually wears blue jeans, short-sleeved plaid western-style shirts with pearl snaps, a watch and black sneakers with velcro straps.
- Medical Conditions Brawner takes medication for angina and a panic disorder. He had a stroke several years before his disappearance which impaired his balance and ability to walk. He is also an alcoholic.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, blue/hazel eyes. Brawner has a thirteen-inch surgical scar on his right leg, a surgical scar on the side of his neck, a scar on his hand from an accident that nearly tore off his finger, and a nickel-sized brown birthmark on the back of one of his legs. He is balding. His nickname is Bo. Brawner wears eyeglasses. He also has dentures, but he rarely wears them. Brawner suffered from osteomylitis, a severe bone infection, in childhood; as a result, his right leg is shorter than his left leg and he walks with a pronounced limp.
Details of Disappearance
Brawner was last seen at his home on McClain Street in Shepherd, Texas on June 10, 2008. He has never been heard from again. His family reported him missing in mid-June, after his sons went to his house for Father's Day and found the house locked and deserted. Brawner left behind his van, his medicine, his cigarettes, and clothes in the washing machine at home.
There were no indications that a struggle had taken place. His relatives stated he couldn't have gotten very far on foot because he had so much trouble walking. They describe him as a reclusive person; he has few friends and wasn't close to his family. His son had not seen him in years prior to his disappearance.
Steven Ray Fester, a neighbor and friend of Brawner, is considered a person of interest in his case. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. After Brawner's disappearance, Fester connected his own trailer to Brawner's electricity. He also had a key to Brawner's house; it would be uncharacteristic of Brawner to give one to another person.
Police searched Fester's home and found Brawner's .380 semi-automatic pistol inside it. He was ultimately indicted for stealing the gun and forging Brawner's signature on four personal checks, which he cashed in the days following Brawner's disappearance. They totaled $650. He claimed Brawner gave him the checks and gun.
Fester was sentenced to probation for the charge and maintains his innocence in Brawner's disappearance. In 2011, he was convicted of a series of armed robberies and sentenced to twenty-two years in prison.
Brawner's disappearance remains unsolved. Authorities believe he was taken against his will, and his family members think he's probably deceased.
