Schertz – Silvia Dubois’ face still glows when she talks about her younger son, Jacob Dubois.
“He could walk into a room, and that big smile that he has could light up a room,” she said Sunday, as her voice began to crack. “And that is what I miss.”
Jacob Dubois’ smile only exists in photographs now. The 22-year-old Schertz man was last seen alive on Mar. 7, 2021 on his way to meet a friend, Ethan Beckman. His body was not found until September 2022.
On Mar. 2 - two years after Dubois disappeared - a Guadalupe County grand jury indicted Beckman for murder and evidence tampering or fabrication.
“We realize we have a loss, but at the same time, we’re just happy that we finally are getting to a point where, hopefully, we’ll get some justice,” Silvia Dubois said.
Beckman has already been in the Guadalupe County jail for nearly two years. Shortly after Dubois’ disappearance, police found blood in Beckman’s his car, along with a spent round in the passenger side pillar.
He was arrested at the time for tampering or fabricating physical evidence. While police wrote in April 2021 court documents they were investigating Beckman for murder, it has taken until this month for him to be formally charged.
Throughout that time, Silvia Dubois says she had also suspected Beckman.
“It’s very frustrating. But at the same time, we know that the police are trying their best to get everything documented properly,” she said.
Jacob had planned to go to college, she said, and the ring he had ordered to propose to his girlfriend arrived a week after he disappeared.
Although Dubois says Beckman took that future away from her son, she still feels for him.
“I hope he finds a way to, you know, find his higher being - if, you know, if I can say it like that - find salvation to help rescue him. Because even though he took my Jacob, he’s still somebody’s child,” Dubois said.
The official charges against Beckman have brought her family comfort, but Dubois doesn’t think she will find closure until the Beckman is convicted and sentenced.
In the meantime, as they have throughout their ordeal, Dubois says her family will rely on their faith.
“But we want to believe that there is a higher being and he is taking care of our son and we are going to see him again. And that’s what gives us the hope,” she said.