At the request of the sheriff, the FBI was called in to assist with the investigation. Search warrants were issued for Cowell's phone records and social media activity. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office began the investigation into Cowell's disappearance by using a helicopter to search the area near where her car was found. According to police, only one pair of footprints was found at the scene. Cowell's purse and some clothes were found in the car, although her debit card and cell phone were missing. The car was located near Mission Ridge, about 40 miles (64 km) from her home in Orondo.
Police traced the car's registration to Cowell's father, who informed them Cowell was missing. Later that night, a homeowner in remote Chelan County reported an abandoned car near his driveway. Her family became increasingly concerned after she missed her 8 p.m. Ĭowell's father attempted to contact her at around 5:40 p.m., but his calls went straight to voicemail. This was the last time she is known to have used her phone. Around this time, she sent a text message to her boyfriend that said, "Hey, what's up". She had told classmates that she would be back in less than 15 minutes. She was last seen on surveillance video leaving the Academy of Hair Design, walking to her car and driving away. Ĭowell went missing shortly after 3:00 p.m. She also worked as a model and studied cosmetology at the Wenatchee Academy of Hair Design in downtown Wenatchee. She lived in Orondo, Washington and was a senior at Wenatchee High School, where she was a member of the school dance team. Mackenzie Cowell was 17 years old at the time of her disappearance. He remains imprisoned in Washington and will be eligible for parole in 2023. Wilson later attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, stating that he only accepted the plea agreement because he felt he would not have received a fair trial. In a plea agreement, Wilson pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to just over 14 years in prison. Police later found Cowell's blood in his apartment. Wilson was arrested after DNA evidence linked him to the crime scene.
Police began to suspect Wilson after several people came forward claiming that he had a fascination with death and serial killers. A post-mortem examination determined she had been strangled, stabbed in the neck, and had suffered blunt force trauma to the head.Īfter an extensive investigation, police implicated 29-year-old Christopher Scott Wilson – a beauty school classmate of Cowell's – in her death. Her body was discovered on the banks of the Columbia River four days later on February 13, 2010. She was last seen at the beauty school she attended in Wenatchee, Washington. I also remember Cress as the person who introduced me to taramasalata.Mackenzie Nicole Cowell (Ap– February 9, 2010) was a 17-year-old American youth who went missing and was murdered in February 2010. I remember funny afternoons when we didn't have anything to do and we'd start playing Cluedo, and then end up decorating the board because we thought it looked boring. Often in the holidays, I remember I'd go and stay with Cress in London, which was always quite exciting, being a country mouse. But because Marlborough had this arty reputation, it had an intake of unusual people, and there was a freedom about the friendships I made there. I'd come from a school where people were quick to pigeonhole you and you were always scared of saying the wrong thing. I could tell that she was funny and clever, but it wasn't in a show-off way. One of the things I liked immediately about her was that she wasn't competitive. I met Cressida early on at what they call girl's coffee. Her latest Charlie and Lola adventure, 'Slightly Invisible', is available now from Orchard Books. Lauren Child, 45, is an illustrator and children's author, whose works include the Clarice Bean novels and the Charlie and Lola picture books.