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Private Notes
It's never happened before on "48 Hours Mystery," and maybe not ever in history. One of a serial killer's presumed victims showed up at her alleged killer's trial. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports from Rockhampton, Australia.
Imagine the nightmare. Five women and girls were missing. Keyra Steinhardt, age 9; Natasha Ryan, 14; Sylvia Benedetti, 19, Beverly Leggo, 37, and Julie Turner, 39, vanished one after another from this picturesque small city in Queensland.
When Vicki Wegerle was mysteriously strangled in Wichita, Kan., in 1986, her two young children not only lost their mother, but nearly lost their father, Bill, in the crime's aftermath.
Many suspected for 18 years that Bill killed Vicki, but the murderer was really Dennis Rader, aka the BTK killer.
The Wegerle family shared their story for the first time with Erin Moriarty.
In the early morning hours of March 21, 2003, Ramona "Mona" Krotine left an office party just outside Cleveland, Ohio, and was never seen alive again. Nearly 24 hours later, she was found in the trunk of her car, beaten and shot to death.
Who killed this wife and mother? Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.
A Washington state wife and mother was brutally stabbed and murdered as she was preparing to take a bath in her home, while her husband was just feet away, in a nearby room.
Police immediately suspected the husband, who was tried twice on murder charges. Incredibly, those verdicts were overturned.
Then, he faced a third trial and took a gamble by defending himself.
Would his strategy work?
"48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.
David Nixon was in the prime of his life when he was murdered in 2002. A successful businessman with a son from a previous marriage, Nixon loved living the good life in the town of Grapevine, Texas.
After his murder, police charged his live-in girlfriend despite what the defense said was a lack of physical evidence.
Who killed David Nixon and what was the motive? Was he murdered for living on the edge?
Correspondent Troy Roberts reports.
Police Lt. Jim Barton found his wife, Vickie, murdered execution-style on their farm in Warren County, Ohio, in 1995.
With limited physical evidence and no suspects, the investigation lay dormant for nine years until a tip opened up the case.
Jim Barton soon found himself under arrest with charges related to the slaying. Prosecutors had a troubling theory: did Jim Barton's ambition to become police chief lead to his wife's murder?
Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.
During the early morning hours of Feb. 17, 1970, the wife and two children of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald were brutally murdered in the family's home at Fort Bragg.
The case gained national attention, leading up to the 1979 conviction of Jeffrey MacDonald, a former Army doctor with the elite Green Berets.
Imprisoned for the past 25 years, MacDonald has never waivered from his claims of innocence.
Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports.
Karen Tipton was in the prime of her life when she was brutally attacked and murdered in her home in Decatur, Ala., in 1999. Tipton's husband, a prominent doctor, was soon ruled out as a suspect, and the focus of the investigation shifted to a young man arrested several weeks after the crime.
Prosecutors viewed this as an open-and-shut case until the defense introduced issues related to alleged extra-marital affairs and use of pornography, and another theory on what may have led to Tipton's murder.
Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
There was a time when a house on Dorset Street, not far from downtown Napa, felt like the perfect place to live.
As correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports, Arlene Allen's daughter Adriane lived in the house and loved it. "She was looking forward to living in that home a long time," Arlene remembers. "She just felt really at home there."
Jane Mixer was a law student, remembered as being brilliant and passionate. In 1969, she was murdered, her body left in a remote cemetery. For years, some suspected she was the victim of a serial killer.
But as 48 Hours correspondent Maureen Maher reports, a fresh look at old evidence led investigators to a suspect.
Janet Levine March had a seemingly-perfect life at the time she disappeared in August 1996. Married to a successful lawyer, this mother of two had a flourishing art career and lived in a dream home she had designed and built.
48 Hours has been following this case for years, first airing an episode in 2001. Now, nine years later, correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports, police made a surprising arrest.
The 1986 wedding pictures of Dyke and Karen Rhoads show a predictably joyous young couple, ready for a wonderful life together in the small town of Paris, Ill.
Karen was 24 when they married, and had a job as an office assistant at a factory; Dyke worked in landscaping. There was no hint that just months after their wedding their lives would come to a violent end.
As correspondent Susan Spencer reports, in the early morning hours of July 6, 1986, a fire engulfed their home.
It's one of the most powerful and beautiful stories in all of Western culture: the son of God, born of a virgin in a manger in Bethlehem, his coming announced by angels, celebrated by shepherds and wise men.
But is what the Bible tells us about the birth of Jesus really true? Where was Jesus born? When? How? And why? As the Christmas carol asks, "What child is this?"
48 Hours correspondent Maureen Maher explores these questions with curiosity and with respect.
A teenager is found murdered in a relatively peaceful area of northern California, her body dumped behind a restaurant. A search for the victim's identity comes up empty but police won't give up in their quest to give the girl her name back.
Will a forensic reconstruction of the victim's face lead investigators to a much-needed breakthrough?
48 Hours correspondent Harold Dow reports.
Shannon Melendi was a 19-year-old college sophomore at Emory University when she disappeared without a trace on March 26, 1994. Shannon's parents immediately told police their daughter had been kidnapped but authorities dismissed that theory until a mysterious phone call and a clue would take this investigation to a whole new level.
Correspondent Troy Roberts reports.
In 1995, a bodybuilder who sold steroids and was involved in a love triangle in Fort Myers was gunned down inside his home. Police eyed an associate of the victim as a suspect but he disappeared before officers could make an arrest.
Years later and thousands of miles away, the murder of a police officer would stun a nation and reveal to investigators that the two cases were linked.
"48 Hours" correspondent Susan Spencer reports on the investigation, in cooperation with Granada Media and True North Productions.
On a long holiday weekend in January 2005, 13-year-old Ashley Howes was asked to babysit the daughters of a family acquaintance. A rite of passage for many teenaged girls, the assignment would be "fun," Ashley thought.
But on that Sunday night, the fun ended when Ashley frantically called 911 to report that 19-month-old Freya Garden, a toddler in her care, lost consciousness.
Within hours, the toddler was dead and Ashley would find herself accused of second-degree murder.
Correspondent Harold Dow reports on this shocking case, and the stunning courtroom development that would change everything.
For two years, police investigated the brutal 2001 Halloween night slaying of newspaper editor Kent Heitholt in Columbia, Mo. They had no viable suspects and the victim's family had come to terms this crime might never be solved.
But then police heard that a young man told a friend that he had dreamed he participated in the killing and also named an accomplice to the murder: his good friend, Ryan Ferguson.
48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty reports on this mysterious murder investigation, and the subsequent trial
Toni Dykstra and Carlo Ventre met in sunny southern California in 1994 and fell in love. Soon after, a daughter was born — but Carlo and Toni's relationship soured, leading to an international custody battle and charges of kidnapping.
Some four years later, Toni ended up dead in Carlo's Rome apartment. He said it was an accident; her family says it was murder.
Would Carlo be charged in the killing? And what would happen to the couple's young daughter? Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports on the investigation and heated legal battle that continues to this day.
Christie Wilson was 27 years old when she disappeared without a trace after a night of gambling at a California casino. Investigators combed through the countryside trying to find the young woman.
As correspondent Erin Moriarty reports, the investigation shifted dramatically when casino surveillance video surfaced, showing Christie leaving the casino with a mystery man.
Doris and Bob Angleton lived in an upscale Houston neighborhood, raising their twin daughters and leading, on the surface at least, a perfect life. But there was trouble brewing and the family was shattered in 1997 when Doris was murdered inside their home.
As correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports, the subsequent investigation uncovered a crucial piece of evidence, an audio tape on which two men could be heard discussing the details of this murder. What would follow is a story of secrecy, money, affairs, and murderous accusations between two brothers.
Deputy of Police Gerold Dompig, Arubas lead investigator into Natalee Holloway disapearance believes that the young Alabama woman was not murdered but died from possible alcohol and drug related incidence. 48 Hours Correspondent Troy Roberts sits down with Dompig as he candidly talks about his theories.
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George Smith and his bride, Jennifer Hagel Smith, were married last summer in a picture-perfect wedding and soon thereafter embarked on what was supposed to be a dreamy honeymoon cruise on the Mediterranean.
But after a night of heavy drinking, George disappeared, presumably having gone overboard in the darkness of the night. Was his disappearance a crime or just an unfortunate mishap? Hannah Storm reports on the investigation.
For George and Maureen Smith, life changed forever with a single phone call last July 5.
A young husband killed in his bed. His wife hysterical about the home invasion robbery gone bad that changed her life. This was a typically quiet town, thrown upside down by this tragedy and twenty years later, a knock on the door, changed everything again
On August 4, 1962, John F. Kennedy was president and the stunning news out of Hollywood was that superstar Marilyn Monroe had apparently taken her own life. But was that the whole story?
48 Hours has obtained hundreds of pages of never-before-seen documents as well as audiotaped interviews from the Los Angeles District Attorney's office that shed new light on what may have happened the night Monroe died. The internal files have been closed for 24 years.
Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.
Stephanie Pepper Sims was a college professor in the prime of her life when she suddenly vanished without a trace in early 2003. Estranged from her husband, Stephanie had moved in with a lover. Eventually, a hand-drawn map would lead investigators to the young woman's body.
Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on the investigation and subsequent trial.
In July 2002, 18-year-old Catherine Woods left her home in Columbus, Ohio, to find fame in the footlights of Broadway. But three and a half years later, Catherine tragically made her name in New York as a murder victim.
Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
Randy Hardison was on the verge of stardom when he started to make some beautiful music with a newcomer to the Nashville scene. Six months later, he was dead. Was he murdered?
At age 19, Richard Davis joined the military, following in his parent's footsteps. After serving in Bosnia, Richard re-enlisted and found himself at the forefront of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Just two days after his return to the United States, Richard mysteriously vanished. What happened to him only came to light months later.
Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports on this case of duty, death and dishonor.
Michelle Jones was a successful TV executive, living the good life in Orlando, Fla. When a hurricane threatened the Florida Keys, Michelle invited her aunt and uncle to take shelter with her in Orlando.
Days later, Michelle and the aunt were discovered savagely murdered; the uncle committed suicide.
As correspondent Susan Spencer reports, the investigation would unravel a dark family secret and lead detectives to the possibility they were dealing with a serial killer.
