Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter - What happened to Cathy Terkanian?

Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter is Netflix’s latest true crime documentary and follows one mother's decades-long battle for justice. With the tragic case still fresh in viewers minds, many are curious about what happened to Cathy Terkanian.

Few true crime documentaries are as memorable as Netflix’s Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, which follows Cathy Terkanian’s decades-long quest to uncover what happened to her daughter, Aundria Bowman, and bring her killer to justice.

The two-part series is an intriguing and agonising watch, as Cathy's investigation delves into the life of the daughter she never knew. It is made all the more tragic by the fact that Aundria's killer hid for years in plain sight.

Having watched both episodes of the new Netflix release, viewers have been left with many unanswered questions about the case - including what happened to Cathy and where she is now. 

What happened to Cathy Terkanian?

Cathy Terkanian is the biological mother of Aundria Bowman, a 14-year-old girl who was abused and later murdered by her adoptive father. Even after discovering the truth about her daughter's disappearance though, Cathy is still seeking justice decades on.

During the opening scenes of Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, viewers learn how Cathy was coerced into giving up her daughter, Alexis, for adoption. Barely sixteen at the time, Cathy faced mounting pressure from her family and church - who ultimately convinced her it was the right choice. She'd hoped that her nine-month-old would find a loving family but tragically, she was placed with the Bowmans.

Instinctively, Cathy knew something was wrong and later told Today, "I could hear her calling me, 'Find me, find me'." After the adoption was closed and her daughter's name had been changed to Aundria, Cathy spent decades trying to trace her.

Her investigation only truly began after she received an unexpected letter from a social worker, stating that remains had been found - which potentially were Aundria's. Cathy obliged with a DNA sample but her sample was not a match. Having finally learned of her daughter’s disappearance though, Cathy went to extraordinary lengths to uncover what happened.

Along with her partner, Ed, Cathy used Facebook to connect with several of Aundria's former friends and learn more about her lost daughter. Over the weeks and months that followed, it became clear that Aundria had feared her adoptive father, Dennis Bowman. Those closest to the teen had recalled how she'd been repeatedly abused, both physically and sexually at the family home. Dennis also had a history of offences against women, long before Audrina went missing in 1984.

Cathy was convinced that Dennis was responsible, but it would be decades before the truth finally came out.

In 2019, Dennis was arrested for the rape and murder a 25-year-old woman, Kathleen Doyle, whose home he broke into. A year later, he finally admitted to killing Aundria and burying her remains near the family home. He was later charged with second-degree murder and was given a 50-year sentence for his part in his adoptive daughter's death.

Though her daughter's killer will remain in prison for the rest of his life, Cathy is still seeking justice. She continues to campaign from her home in Massachusetts, asking for the return of her daughter’s ashes and to change her name posthumously.

Speaking to Tudum, she explained, "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."