Netflix is known for producing a riveting array of true crime content, with the streaming juggernaut famously exploring a slew of high-profile murders and disappearances, including cases involving Laci Peterson, Ted Bundy, the Menéndez brothers, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Audiences can’t get enough of these deeply powerful and poignant programs, with many becoming glued to their seat as they anxiously binge episode after episode on their quest to discover the truth.
The 2024 true crime documentary Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter chronicles a mother’s relentless pursuit for justice as she fights to learn what happened to her 14-year-old daughter in 1989, a child she reluctantly was forced to put up for adoption when the girl was just 9-months-old. The gripping two-part docuseries explores the disappearance of Aundria Bowman (born Alexis Badger) as her birth mother, Cathy Terkanian, takes matters into her own hands and launches a fierce investigation after discovering her daughter had been missing for decades.
Into the Fire has become a knockout with audiences because of its moving story and Cathy’s valiant crusade to find the truth, and it is a must-watch for fans of the compelling genre. The moving series has already found its way into Netflix’s Top 10 Films list and has captivated viewers all across the world, earning a 92% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. Let’s explore the heartbreaking documentary and why it’s worth a watch by curious minds.
What Is Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter About?
In the harrowing two-part true crime documentary by Netflix, Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, the shocking disappearance of teenager Aundria Bowman is explored, and the origins of the young girl’s life and upbringing are revealed. In 1974, 16-year-old Cathy Terkanian gave birth to Aundria (then known as Alexis Badger) and raised the baby for nine months before her mother convinced her to give her daughter up for adoption since she felt Cathy was too young to raise her. Despite not wanting to part with her child, Cathy eventually agreed to a closed adoption, and the baby was adopted by Dennis and Brenda Bowman, believing she was making the right choice for her daughter.
Cathy had never learned who adopted her baby and had no idea that the Bowmans were harboring dark and twisted secrets and that they were the last couple who should ever be raising an innocent child. She had always wondered what happened to her daughter and dreamed of being reunited with her one day, and in April 2010, Cathy was left stunned when the adoption agency reached out to her with gut-wrenching news: Aundria had gone missing 21 years prior in 1989, mysteriously disappearing from the Bowman family home. The girl was just 14 years old when she vanished, and Cathy embarked on a passionate mission to discover the truth.
A Mother’s Relentless Crusade for the Truth
Heartbroken and frustrated that her daughter had been missing for decades and had never been found, Cathy decided to delve into Aundria’s disappearance herself and was ready to fight hard in her quest to discover the truth. After police had located a body they believed to be the long-missing girl’s, Cathy was asked to provide a DNA sample, though they were not a match. Undeterred, she began collecting information with the help of her partner Ed, reaching out to some of Aundria’s childhood friends and setting up a Facebook page dedicated to search efforts. Cathy even enlisted the expertise of amateur detective Carl Koppelman, wanting to utilize every resource she could to find her daughter.
Aundria’s classmates began to reach out to Cathy and explained the horrific treatment the teenager received at the hands of her adopted parents, with her friends revealing that Dennis Bowman had physically and sexually abused Aundria and that she had reached out to adults at her school to try and get help out of fear. When a woman named Metta McLeod came forward after seeing a photo of Aundria with the Bowmans, she told Cathy that she believed Dennis had tried to abduct and assault her as a child, though her claims were never proven. Around the time of the alleged incident, the Bowmans suddenly relocated to rural Wisconsin.
Cathy turned her attention to looking into the Bowmans, launching an all-out war against the couple and urging the police to focus their investigation on Dennis; she even crafted a targeted campaign against the pair in the area where Aundria disappeared, asserting that she believed he had been responsible for the young girl’s disappearance. The couple had previously claimed in 1989 that Aundria had been deeply troubled and that she ran away from home after grabbing a bag and some money. Sadly, the true reality of what happened that horrific day would leave Cathy emotionally shattered.
Audiences Are Left Devastated by Into the Fire
In 2019, 30 years after the disappearance of Aundria, Dennis Bowman was arrested for raping and killing 25-year-old Kathleen Doyle in 1980, having broken into her home while he was working with the navy and brutally murdering the young woman. Dennis pleaded guilty to first-degree rape, murder, and burglary and was subsequently given two consecutive life sentences for the heinous act, though Doyle’s death was not the only crime he would confess to. After a year of being incarcerated, Dennis told Brenda that he was responsible for the murder of Aundria, admitting to second-degree murder.
Dennis revealed to his wife that he had gotten into a fight with Aundria, and she had tried to run away from their home. When he hit her, the 14-year-old fell down a set of stairs and died as a result of the fall. He told Brenda (via Glamour), who was not aware of what happened to the girl, “Aundria’s dead. She’s been dead from the start.” Dennis then admitted that he had dismembered Aundria’s body and buried her in their backyard garden, and her skeletal remains were discovered by authorities in the yard of the family’s former home. He was given an additional 35-to 50-year sentence for the death of Aundria, and Cathy finally knew what became of her daughter.
Despite Dennis being behind bars for the rest of his life and after years of fighting for justice for her daughter, Cathy’s battle against the Bowmans is far from over, as she is now embroiled in a bitter stand-off with Brenda regarding Aundria’s ashes. Cathy currently has half of her child’s ashes, while Brenda has the other half, and she plans on creating a petition to secure the other portion of the remains. She is also determined to change the name on her daughter’s birth certificate, wanting it to reflect her birth name, Alexis Badger. Cathy expressed in the poignant Netflix documentary:
“I’ve got to get that monster’s name off of my daughter’s birth certificate. Imagine having to fight that system. But I’m going to do it, and I’m going to use this as the teeth and take it right to the governor. I want his name off of it, and then I’m going to adopt her into my name. So then I might be through the fire.”
Stream Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter on Netflix.
