The sudden disappearance of a young woman in 2004 ended in tragedy when her body was discovered around 200 miles away in a different condition. Just when an arrest seemed nearly impossible, authorities took a suspect into custody nearly two decades after the incident. The first half of Discovery’s InvestigationStill A Mystery: Far from Home” focuses on the murder of Courtney Coco and her mother’s fierce fight for justice. So if you’re wondering what happened, we’ve got you covered.
How did Courtney Coco die?
Courtney Megan Coco was the youngest of Stephanie Belgard’s three children. She graduated from high school in 2003 and majored in criminal justice at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. The 19-year-old lived alone in Alexandria, Louisiana, and was described as a kind and loving person who tried to help people whenever she could. At the time, Courtney was also working as a receptionist at a dental office.
On October 1, 2004, Courtney agreed to babysit her parents’ dogs over the weekend while they went camping. It was the last time Stephanie saw her daughter alive. On October 4, the family learned that a construction worker had found Courtney’s remains in an abandoned building in Willie, Texas. Courtney was partially clothed and the body was decomposing, making it difficult to zero in on a cause of death. However, the death was ruled a homicide and authorities got to work.
Who Killed Courtney Coco?
Courtney’s car was found on October 12, 2004 in Houston, Texas. While the people who owned the vehicle have been questioned, authorities have not confirmed whether they were involved in the teen’s death. All his things were still inside and there was blood in the trunk of his car. However, the limitations of DNA technology at the time meant police could only confirm it was a mix of DNA from Courtney and an unknown man.
Courtney’s apartment turned out to be a mess; it looked like someone had ransacked the house and his safe had been broken into. Authorities believed she could have been killed there. However, the matter didn’t go much further after that, eventually going cold. However, Stephanie didn’t give up her search for answers, and in 2019 she spoke with Woody Overton, a retired homicide detective and podcast host.
Woody took a fresh look at Courtney’s case and brought renewed attention through a podcast. He believed Courtney was strangled in his apartment around midnight on October 2, 2004, after which she was put in the trunk of his car. Afterwards, Courtney’s body was dumped at Willie before the vehicle was left in Houston. The new job paid off when authorities arrested David Anthony Burns, then 43.
Police considered David a suspect as early as 2011 when witnesses came forward claiming he spoke about Courtney’s murder. However, there was no evidence that directly linked him to the case. According to these statements, David spoke of smothering Courtney with a pillow in his bedroom and wrapping her in his comforter before dumping the body. The quilt from the 19-year-old’s house was missing and has not been found since. The statements were considered credible as they contained information regarding the case that has not been made public.
Besides the tire tracks near the body that matched Courtney’s car, another witness recalled seeing David in the vicinity at the time of the murder. The witness said that while driving through Willie, a man he believed to be David nearly backed into his car. At the time, Courtney’s remains were found in the same building David was backing from. Additionally, the witness recalled details of the vehicle and partial plate, which became public after Courtney disappeared. This person also chose David from a list.
David had said he was with his girlfriend during the weekend Courtney went missing, but she refuted that claim, saying she didn’t see him until after Courtney disappeared. Although he has a long criminal history, his lawyer argued that there was no physical evidence linking his client to the case. The lawyer claimed the witness never saw the face of the person driving the car in October 2004. Today, David remains in custody while authorities continue to gather evidence. Thanks to new technologies, they also sent the DNA sample for testing, hoping for better analysis.
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