As a journalist, encountering bizarre situations is part of the job. You often witness the most intense and challenging moments in others’ lives, relying on your ability to manage how these experiences impact you. However, the investigation into someone else’s history can unexpectedly lead you to confront your own past.
This was my experience while covering the case of Joe Shymanski, a photographer from Washington, D.C., who was killed in 2023. Reporting on this incident took me back to my small hometown in Pennsylvania, a place filled with memories, but also pushed me into new and unsettling territory: dealing with an individual from my past who was now linked to a murder investigation.
Heather Snyder and I had lost touch since 1998, the year I crowned her as high school homecoming queen. Fast forward to 2025, and I learned that Heather had become a key figure in the unfolding story of Joe Shymanski. She was his ex-wife and the one who reported him missing. Following their separation, her boyfriend Brandon Holbrook emerged as the primary suspect in Joe’s murder.
In an exclusive discussion, Heather shared details about her relationship with Holbrook. She firmly stated that she had an alibi and asserted her innocence regarding Joe’s murder, emphasizing that she has never been labeled a suspect nor charged with any crime in relation to the case.
Nonetheless, Heather was the sole known connection between Joe Shymanski and Holbrook, prompting Joe’s family and friends to voice their concerns. “She just needed it done and she found her person that would do that for her,” remarked Janine Shymanski, Joe’s niece.
Janine and other acquaintances expressed their suspicions about Heather, which she addressed during her appearance on the “48 Hours” episode titled “My Uncle Joe’s Murder,” currently available for streaming on Paramount+.
Heather recounted how she met Joe Shymanski while they were vendors at a weekly food and crafts market in Washington, D.C. Joe sold his photography there, while Heather operated a vegetable stand. She had three children from a previous marriage and was eager to expand her family, recalling her excitement upon discovering that Joe also wanted children. Initially, she described Joe as humorous, charming, and captivating.
“It was like a fairy tale,” Heather reminisced.
They married in July 2014 and settled in Calvert County, Maryland, where they welcomed a daughter and a son within a year. However, Heather soon felt Joe’s attention shift solely to their children, leading to emotional neglect of her and her older children. She alleged that Joe became emotionally abusive and, on one occasion, physically aggressive.
Friends and family of Joe Shymanski countered Heather’s claims, asserting that they did not align with the man they had known. One acquaintance suggested that Heather was motivated by Joe’s financial success, an accusation she refuted. Heather stated that their relationship deteriorated further during the pandemic, prompting her to leave Joe in July 2021 and return to Pennsylvania with her children. Shortly thereafter, she began a relationship with Holbrook, whom she met online. Joe’s friend, Anneli Werner, noted that the turmoil in Joe and Heather’s relationship was far from resolved.
By the summer of 2023, Joe Shymanski had taken out a million-dollar life insurance policy with his two minor children as beneficiaries. The court had granted them joint custody, but Joe was awarded primary physical custody during the school year, and he had successfully reduced the financial obligations owed to Heather in their divorce settlement. “Joe had started winning,” Anneli remarked.
On Labor Day 2023, at 7:47 p.m., Heather called authorities to report Joe Shymanski missing. She explained that she had gone to his home for a custody exchange but found him absent. After checking with neighbors, she contacted 911. Investigators discovered Joe’s keys and phone inside his residence, and when a deputy accompanied Heather to retrieve pajamas for the children, her emotional response was captured on body camera footage.
The following day, investigators from Calvert County interviewed Heather at the sheriff’s office. When asked about her current relationship status, Heather stated, “No,” to any romantic involvement, although she admitted to a brief relationship with Holbrook. However, authorities soon found a photograph of Holbrook’s truck and license plate near Joe’s home on the day he went missing. The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, which declined to comment for the “48 Hours” segment, collaborated with Pennsylvania police to question Holbrook at his residence late on September 5, 2023.
During the interrogation, Holbrook claimed to work as a driver for a company that processed waste from chicken slaughterhouses. Despite the evidence placing his vehicle at Joe’s residence, he insisted he had not been in Maryland around the time of Joe’s disappearance. However, investigators discovered various items on Holbrook’s property that raised concerns, including firearms, plastic sheeting, rubber gloves, and cleaning supplies. Notably, they found an unopened package of saw blades without an accompanying saw.
“Is that a tool that’s powerful enough to dismember a body?” I inquired of Detective Jessica Aurand from Mifflin County, who was involved in the investigation. “… Possibly,” she replied.
Authorities also noted an unusual odor emanating from Holbrook’s vehicle parked in the driveway, and upon inspection, they found something that an investigator remarked appeared to be…
