One of the lesser talked about personalities in Netflix's Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter released on September 12, 2024, was Brenda Bowman, Dennis Bowman's wife and Aundria Bowman's adoptive mother.
Since the show's release, several people have taken to social media platforms like Reddit to theorize about Brenda Bowman and her enabling behavior. Some have deduced that Brenda's responses to her husband's exploits were controlled due to her emotionally detached behavior which arose as a result of multiple mental health illnesses.
One user wrote about Brenda Bowman on Reddit:
"Not sure what her deal is but yeah she’s definitely not all there."
Another user wrote:
"I wish Brenda could be prosecuted for child abuse, allowing her daughter to be beaten and abused by him. Are there no repercussions for the woman who knowingly let that happen, even in front of guests?"
Yet another user wrote:
"I don’t think i’ve ever been more enraged by a person as much as that bi**h brenda. it’s like what cathy said that she feels more anger towards her that she allowed this to happen to an innocent child, AND condoned and excused his past criminal offences and other ones we may never know about. and her keeping half of alexis ashes enraged me i can’t even explain it."
Redditors are unhappy with Brenda Bowman after watching Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter
It has only been a few days since the two-part documentary series Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter was released on Netflix. People who have already watched the series have theorized about several aspects depicted in the show and the people included in it.
Besides talking about Dennis Bowman, the main accused in Aundria's r**e and murder, people have also been talking about Brenda Bowman, Dennis's wife who despite knowing of her husband's toxic tendencies did not do anything to save Aundria from his clutches.
As depicted in the series, Aundria had reported Dennis' behavior to Brenda on a few occasions. Still, she had dismissed her and gaslit her into thinking that she was being delusional. In doing so several people from the audience believe, Brenda was, if not completely, partly responsible for what happened to Aundria.
Had she paid heed to her claims earlier and taken the necessary actions, the audiences believe that Aundria would still be alive and Dennis Bowman would have been behind bars sooner. Redditors have attributed Brenda's toxic behavior to her aloofness which prohibited her from seeing things as they were.
A user wrote on the platform about Brenda Bowman:
"I can’t put my finger on Brenda’s issue. Is she selfish to the point that she sacrificed her daughter and every other one of Bowman’s victims so that she could maintain her marriage! Is she just so utterly weak that she ignored the monster she lived because she can’t stand on her own two feet? She is revolting."
Another user also shared a similar sentiment and wrote:
"Brendaaaaaa what the F. At the very least she’s guilty of negligence. Her husband was mol**ting their daughter and r**ing women and she chose to put her head in the sand. If she truly didn’t know anything, it was by choice. Ignorance is not a defence and she should have served jail time."
One user also pointed out how Brenda's behavior might have been a result of what she was going through personally in terms of her mental health during the time. They wrote:
"I dont think she was well, mentally. I think she also might have had something going on but shes not the main focus here so it’s not talked about. A person that has a good moral compass, and a healthy mind and state of being, is not going to hold on to someone like him. Certainly not after hearing the truth. But, i dont think she was ever well based off what is told by friends that happened in her presence."
Some Redditors sided with Brenda Bowman saying that she was a victim too
The comments about Brenda Bowman following the release of Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter on Reddit were primarily negative. However, a certain section of the audience empathised with her suggesting that she might have been a victim of emotional (and possibly physical) abuse too given Dennis' exploitative nature.
One user wrote:
"What happened to Aundria was so awful. I see the comments about Brenda and it's possible she was a victim too. That she had been lied to and manipulated for all those years. He manipulated her repeatedly on the docuseries. I imagine he created problems that isolated her so he could comfort her and spin whatever tale that makes either or both of them into the victims instead of the villain."
Another user wrote in response to the comment:
"I mean yea sure to an extent, maybe Brenda was a victim. she’s clearly got something wrong with her and Dennis took advantage of that. but the moment she started allowing Dennis to molest/abuse/assault her daughter, and did absolutely nothing to help her, then I see her as less of a victim and more of an accomplice."
One user also noted about Brenda Bowman:
"Dennis was a narcissistic manipulator. Surely y’all recognize that behavior. You could hear the manipulation in his calls. She was absolutely under his thumb."
Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter is currently streaming on Netflix.