Mysti Amber Goddard, a 32-year-old woman from Amarillo, Texas, was found dead in a ditch on County Road 510 in southwestern Castro County after a 911 caller reported a person lying in a ditch. Castro County deputies determined she died of a gunshot wound. The Texas Rangers worked with the Castro County Sheriff’s Office on the investigation.

Investigators quickly identified 36-year-old Mark Longoria of Earth, Texas, as a suspect. He was arrested the evening of April 21, 2018, with assistance from the Lamb County Sheriff’s Office and booked in the Castro County Jail on a murder charge; he was arraigned on April 23, 2018, with bond set at $100,000. Evidence was collected from several locations in Earth tied to the homicide investigation, and Longoria later confessed to shooting Mysti and leaving her body in a secluded area of southwestern Castro County.

At trial in the 242nd District Court before Judge Kregg Hukill, the state presented evidence including Longoria’s prior criminal history and prior domestic assaults between Longoria and Mysti; the defense presented family testimony and a forensic neuropsychologist. After three days of testimony and closing arguments, the court imposed a life sentence and a $1,000 fine. If anyone knew Mysti or has information about her life in Amarillo or contacts in Castro or Lamb counties, please share what can help her memory.