Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on "Unsolved Mysteries."

NARRATOR: Bizarre clues to a murder

are left for the police, a woman's

skull, and an anonymous note.

Was young Linda Sherman killed by her husband?

Hey!

NARRATOR: Or did her tragic fate lie in someone else's hands?

From the moment John Fuget began dating Erika Richardson,

it seemed like they were destined to be together.

But Erika soon found out that Fuget was a ticking time bomb

and the fuse was burning.

Donna Tyson claims her digital clock

suddenly began to blink the exact time

of her son's fatal car crash.

Sharon Troop believes her deceased daughter appears

to her in ghostly visions.

Is it possible these mothers are receiving messages

from their dead children?

It seems that she had the perfect life.

But in truth, Donna Morrow was suffering silently

in a troubled marriage.

Six days before Christmas, Donna mysteriously disappeared,

leaving behind four children.

Did she voluntarily walk away, escaping her unhappy life?

Or was Donna Morrow a victim of foul play?

Join me for this fascinating edition of Unsolved Mysteries.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Bridgeton, Missouri, the Casa Gayado restaurant.

Do you notice that over there?

Look, right over there.

NARRATOR: Two women having lunch notice something

strange outside the window.

Is there a--

sir?

NARRATOR: A shocking piece of evidence

that would turn an unsolved missing person

case into a murder mystery.

There in the bushes was a human skull.

CHIEF WALTER MUTERT: It's a very well manicured area, plants

and gravel and what have you.

And the way it was situated, it would give one the impression

that, you know, somebody had put it there so you would see it.

NARRATOR: The skull was determined

to be that of an adult female.

Thorough examination revealed little else.

CHIEF WALTER MUTERT: Well, during that time period,

there was relocating of a cemetery that was in the area.

And a lot of bodies were being exhumed,

graves were being moved.

So it gives you the impression, now, that this may be a prank.

And there'd be no reason to suspect

that there were any foul play.

NARRATOR: The skull was cataloged, stowed

in the evidence room at the Bridgeton county morgue,

and forgotten.

One year later, 25 miles away at the Venita Park police station,

a mysterious letter arrived.

It stated that the Bridgeton police had L Sherman's skull.

Yeah, give me the Bridgeton, uh, police department.

NARRATOR: Dental records confirm that the anonymous skull was

the remains of Linda Sherman, a 26-year-old wife and mother

who was last seen April 22nd, 1985.

Her disappearance is clouded with intrigue,

involving an allegedly jealous husband and an unknown lover.

Years later, troubling questions still remain.

Who killed Linda Sherman?

Why was her skull left outside a local restaurant?

And where is the rest of her body?

At 16, Linda Sherman was a typical teenager.

She grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Anita

park, the youngest of four.

With siblings more than 10 years older,

she was sheltered, quiet, and reserved.

DENNIS LUTZ: Linda was kind of a shy girl, I guess, growing up.

She wanted to be more outgoing and more athletic, I think.

But she was more at home type of a girl, I guess.

NARRATOR: Linda was a junior when

she fell for her high school sweetheart, 17-year-old

Don Sherman, and got married.

Hi, momma.

Hi.

NARRATOR: When their daughter, Patty, was born,

the young mother was determined to finish school.

Linda's mom would watch the baby while she

completed her senior year.

Don, get out here.

NARRATOR: To support his new family,

Don took a job at a local gas station.

DON SHERMAN: It was hard, but it was rewarding.

We were very happy together.

The relationship was rocky later on in our marriage,

several times, but not in the early years.

We're going to put this plant in here.

NARRATOR: Working opposite shifts and money troubles

strained their relationship.

In their nine year marriage, Linda had taken Patty

and moved out several times.

But the couple always reconciled.

When will you be home?

I'll call you later.

[phone ringing]

Hello?

Come on, Don.

NARRATOR: According to Linda's older brother, Dennis,

Don was obsessed with knowing Linda's every move.

Tonight, Don, all right?

No, she's not here.

DENNIS LUTZ: Don was very possessive of her.

She said, when I get off of work,

if I'm not home within five minutes, he wants to know

what's going on, who are you seeing?

What are you doing out that late.

He was always hitting her and things just weren't right.

I go to work every day and I come home.

I don't run around on you.

NARRATOR: Linda told her family that she

feared Don's violent temper.

Once she even got a restraining order

to keep him at a distance.

Some family members claim by April of 1985,

she had had enough.

Linda was making final plans to take Patty and leave.

SAM MILLER: She'd and made a decision to move out.

She had filed for divorce.

And she had definitely made plans to start a new life.

We can't do this anymore.

I'm leaving.

She was going to do it this time

and she really meant that she was

going to leave Don for good.

NARRATOR: On April 22, Linda left her night

job at 2:16 in the morning.

What are you doing up?

It's after 3:00 o'clock in the morning.

Where have you been?

I know it's after 3:00 o'clock in the morning.

I've been working.

DON SHERMAN: She didn't come home from work

until about 3:00 o'clock in the morning.

We got into an argument about the fact

that she wouldn't tell me where she'd been.

And we stayed up until at least 4:00 o'clock in the morning

discussing that.

NARRATOR: Linda was still on the sofa

later that morning when Patty left for school.

PATTY SHERMAN: She always took me to school,

but my dad took me to school that day.

And I remember her laying on the couch with her face

to the back of the couch.

And she didn't get up.

She didn't get up to kiss me goodbye.

She didn't say anything to me.

She was just laying there.

NARRATOR: That would be the last time Patty saw her mother.

Don claims that when he returned to the house that afternoon,

Linda was on edge.

I came back home, Linda was still there.

She should have been at work by then.

I gotta go. I'm late.

Well, hold on. I just got home.

I overslept. I'm late.

I've got to go.

DON SHERMAN: She was mad because she was running late.

NARRATOR: Don says Linda drove off at about 6:00 PM.

But there are no witnesses that saw her leave.

Linda never arrived at work and never came home.

DON SHERMAN: When she didn't come back,

I assumed it was typical of the previous times

that she had left and I thought that she

took off with somebody.

NARRATOR: Although Linda's family suspected she was having

an affair, they had reason to believe something

terrible had happened to her.

SAM MILLER: We knew that if she left,

there's no way she's leaving without the daughter.

And the daughter was still at home.

And so there was definitely foul play.

I was coming home from a meeting.

NARRATOR: According to the Millers, at their insistence,

Don went to the Vanita Park police station

and filed a missing persons report.

And that's the last time I seen her.

That was Monday.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Sam and Fran

frantically search for Linda.

On a hunch, they headed to the local airport.

SAM MILLER: As we pulled in to the short term parking, well,

there's Linda's car sitting right there.

Is that her car?

I know my sister's car.

I know.

SAM MILLER: We could see inside the car

and we could see her school books her hat and everything.

So we contacted the airport police.

And they come and the car was locked,

but they tried the trunk and the trunk was open.

And when they opened the trunk, hate to say it,

but we fully expected Linda to be in there.

And she wasn't.

NARRATOR: Could it be possible that Linda

had abandoned her daughter and run off with another man?

Don claims he saw Linda with another man, days

after her disappearance.

She drove past him in a van and quickly ducked out of sight.

Hey.

NARRATOR: Five years later, when Linda's skull appeared,

suspicion fell on Don.

In a bizarre coincidence, her skull

was found outside the Casa Gayardo restaurant.

A woman was sitting there eating

and she looked out and saw a skull looking right at her.

NARRATOR: One of Don's favorite hangouts.

- A human skull? - Yeah.

Cops came in and they took pictures.

DON SHERMAN: I was at the restaurant

that evening after the skull had been found.

I had heard about it that day, when it happened.

But never any connection to it until later on.

NARRATOR: No one connected it, until a year later,

when the anonymous letter arrived at the Vanita

park police station.

LT MICHAEL WEBB: I was rather astounded.

It was obvious to me that someone

wanted us to know that we had obviously missed something

and was trying to tell us that Linda

remains had been recovered.

DON SHERMAN: It was scary.

Somebody that put those remains there at the restaurant,

obviously knew me and knew that I hung out there.

I mean it wasn't--

we're not talking about a place that I casually visited.

We're talking about a place that I would visit

two or three times a week.

NARRATOR: Did Don have reason to be frightened?

Or did he have a secret motivation for placing

the skull there himself?

Some speculate Don was making plans to remarry

and needed proof Linda was dead.

For Don, the skull provided the perfect evidence

of Linda's demise.

But for Patty, the find was devastating.

PATTY SHERMAN: When the skull was found,

I just kind of lost all hope in life.

They didn't know that she was dead.

I guess there was always some hope that she had just left.

NARRATOR: 16 years after the murder,

Lieutenant Webb still hopes to find Linda's killer.

LT MICHAEL WEBB: The only suspect

that I've been unable to eliminate is Don Sherman.

At this point in time, he has never

been ruled out as a suspect.

PATTY SHERMAN: In my heart, I think

that he might have done it.

I can't think of anybody else who would have.

DON SHERMAN: I had nothing to do with Linda Sherman's

disappearance, nor her death.

I still think that she left with someone

and obviously met with foul play.

And died.

PATTY SHERMAN: I would really like to find the rest of her,

wherever it's at, so that we can have a proper burial for.

She can rest in peace.

And I'd like to know what happened to her and who did it.

And they should serve the agony we have for 15 years.

NARRATOR: Linda Sherman, a young mother's life tragically taken

and shrouded with uncertainty.

Today, police hope new technology and soil sampling

will someday lead them to Linda's body

and eventually her killer.

[music playing]

Hi.

How are you?

Good.

NARRATOR: In a quiet neighborhood in Tampa, Florida,

Erika Richardson was excited and a bit apprehensive

about her first date with John Fuget.

Erica was shy and dated infrequently, while Fuget had

a reputation as a ladies' man.

But they hit it off right away.

And as a relationship developed, they seem more and more

like the perfect fit.

Erika's family found Fuget likeable and charming.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: When I first saw them together,

they looked nice and I thought that they

would make a nice couple.

NARRATOR: A couple that soon became inseparable.

Erika was literally swept off her feet

by Fuget, who held down a steady job

as an electrical technician.

Erika who was convinced John Fuget was Mr. Right.

Apparently she was wrong, dead wrong.

Family and friends first became concerned when Erika invited

Fuget to move in with her.

The decision seemed out of character.

Erika was a smart, successful woman

who held a degree in microbiology,

managed a large pharmacy, and valued her independence.

However, despite a good job, great friends, and a close knit

family, Erika was missing a special man in her life,

a void she hoped John Fuget would fill.

OK, honey, I am off to the mall

and I'll be back in about a couple of hours.

The mall? With who?

To the mall.

NARRATOR: The trouble started not long

after Fuget moved into their comfortable home

Erika had recently purchased.

Look, don't be paranoid.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: I could see that he was wearing a mask.

I discovered him to be a jealous,

mean, controlling person.

He was just too possessive.

He wanted Erika all to himself.

Don't be so paranoid and jealous.

I am not being jealous.

Yes, you are.

SAMUEL RICHARDSON: Not only was he possessive,

he wanted to isolate her, not only from her family,

but from friends too.

NARRATOR: Over the next several months,

the relationship continued to unravel.

According to police, Fuget was on a downward spiral.

A friend and lover turned abuser and stalker.

[phone ringing]

Pharmacy.

What took you so long to get to the phone, girl?

John, you cannot continue to call me here at work like this.

We talked about this.

NARRATOR: He exhibited a wild mood swings

and repeatedly called Erika at the pharmacy,

accusing her of being unfaithful and making

unreasonable demands.

OK.

All right, thank you very much.

NARRATOR: Fuget moved out of the house,

but his erratic behavior persisted.

Who was that?

NARRATOR: Reportedly, he began showing up

at Erika's workplace unannounced,

harassing her and threatening physical harm.

What are you doing here?

Don't try to get smart with me.

Answer my question, girl.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: Erika was really afraid

of John because of the threats, what

he said he would do to her.

NARRATOR: Erika was forced to file a restraining order.

Still, Fuget would show up at the house at all hours.

Finally, with the help of her father,

she found the courage to call the police

and have him arrested.

Don't want any trouble. Let's go.

NARRATOR: Undeterred by the threat of jail

time, Fuget continue to pursue Erica.

Watch your head.

So I'm just going to go home tonight.

NARRATOR: A few weeks before Christmas,

she met her mother at a local mall to do some shopping.

They bought some gifts and a comforter.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: It was too big for us to carry,

so they said that we could pick it up in the back.

When we came to the car, we heard somebody say, hey there.

Hey, babe.

Come here.

Don't worry, mom, I can handle it.

OK?

- What is it? - I miss you.

You miss me.

And? - I just want to talk.

That's all.

NARRATOR: Erika's mother heard little of the conversation.

But she says she wasn't surprised

when her daughter agreed to Fuget's request to meet.

I don't know.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: Well, John was the type of person

that he could sweet talk a lady.

And he made promises that things were going to get better.

He was going to do better.

And of course, she took him at his word.

NARRATOR: Fuget's behavior followed

an all too familiar pattern.

And the sight of him following Erika out of the parking lot

was alarming to her mother.

Still, Imogene Richardson believed

there was little she could do.

Sunday came and went.

Imogene heard nothing from her daughter.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: I didn't hardly sleep

that night thinking about it.

Monday morning, I called Erika's house

and I didn't get an answer.

So I called her job.

NARRATOR: The conversation was short and chilling.

Erika had not shown up at the pharmacy,

nor had she called in.

Frightened, Imogene went over to her daughter's home.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: John's pickup

truck was in the driveway.

I went to the door.

And that's when I looked in the window.

Erika.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: And nothing seemed to have been disturbed.

I started to my car and something told me to go back.

Erika?

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: And I went back,

and I looked through another window.

And that's what I saw the knife and blood.

And I knew then, something had happened to my daughter.

NARRATOR: Minutes later, police confirmed Imogene's

worst fears, Erika had been stabbed

repeatedly in the upper body.

The shock and grief was overwhelming.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: Erika was my daughter, my friend.

She was successful.

She was bright.

She was caring, loving.

She was just a daughter that any mother would love to have.

When I lost Erika, I lost part of me.

NARRATOR: While Erika's parents tried

to make sense of a senseless act,

police cordoned off the crime scene.

Inside, detectives and members of the CSI unit went to work.

SGT JR BURTON: There were some articles

that were strewn about the home, which

were indicative of a struggle.

There were no items of value that were--

appeared to us at that point in time, missing from the home,

indicating to us that someone maybe she knew

might have been in the home.

We found, of course, Erika Richardson's blood.

But we also found the blood of a second party

mixed in with her blood.

NARRATOR: Detectives suspected the blood of the second party

belong to John Fuget.

But they couldn't prove it without a sample of his DNA.

Fuget's fingerprints are all over the crime scene,

but that didn't implicate him either since he

had lived in the same house.

However, there was one solid lead to pursue.

An eyewitness reported seeing Fuget

driving Erika's 1992 Honda a short time after she had died.

SGT JR BURTON: We issued the warrant for his arrest

based on those facts.

The vehicle was ultimately located

on December 23rd in Lafayette, Louisiana,

where Mr. Fuget is from.

That's where he has a lot of family and friends.

NARRATOR: Detectives question Fuget's

relatives who claimed they hadn't

seen him in several weeks.

Today, John Fuget is still on the Lam.

He is wanted for Grand theft auto and unlawful flight

to avoid prosecution.

Fuget remains the number one suspect in the murder

of Erika Richardson.

SGT JR BURTON: The only way we feel John Fuget would be

able to stay hidden for this amount of time,

would be to disappear to a new location,

not tell anyone of his whereabouts,

and start a new identity or a new life from there.

Due to the fact that John Fuget is a mechanic or mechanically

inclined, that he very well may be employed on an oil

rig, or something of that nature of the coast

of Louisiana or Texas.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile, a loving family

continues to mourn the loss of their only daughter,

while maintaining hope that justice will

be served before it's too late.

IMOGENE RICHARDSON: There is some young lady, I'm sure,

that he's involved with at this time who

doesn't know what he has done.

And I just pray that it doesn't happen again.

And I wish that someone would come forward and help

us get him brought to justice.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: The loss of a loved one

is a traumatic experience, especially in the case

of a parent losing a child.

Donna Theisen and Sharon Throop are two mothers

who believe they have received messages

from their deceased children.

Can those who've passed away communicate

from beyond the grave?

Or should the events you're about to see

be considered pure coincidence?

DONNA THEISEN: Mothers are supposed

to protect their children.

And this continues even when they're adults.

It's worse, though, because you have no control over them when

you--

as you do when they're small.

NARRATOR: At 34, Michael [inaudible]

was a recovering alcoholic.

His mother, Donna, and family were grateful

that he was attending AA meetings

and holding down a steady job as a boat mechanic.

But in late January, Michael gave in to temptation.

DONNA THEISEN: Michael had partied the night

before with some friends.

He was two blocks from his home, going

approximately 65 miles an hour when he

hit a parked recycling truck.

[tires screeching]

He basically died instantly.

It's like a part of you is gone.

It's like there's a big hole in your heart.

NARRATOR: It was just two months later in a gift shop

that Donna believes she felt an emotional connection

to Michael.

DONNA THEISEN: In the middle was a huge rack

of the little porcelain cups that have your names on them

from A to Z. Sitting off to one side were two cups.

And one said, I love you mom.

And the other one said, Michael.

And I felt like Michael was there with me

and he was telling me it was OK.

NARRATOR: Weeks later, while in the market,

another unusual incident occurred.

Donna was surprised when she happened

upon an out of place book that seemed destined for her.

DONNA THEISEN: And I thought, this is strange, this book.

Why is it sitting here?

And there was no writing on the cover.

And I opened it up.

NARRATOR: What Donna found was a message she feels

was meant specifically for her.

I am the Ancient Mariner, who had a tale

in his heart to be told to all.

To someone, I am always saying, someday

you must meet my mother.

DONNA THEISEN: It mentioned the Ancient Mariner.

And Michael was a boat mechanic.

And he often used to refer to himself as the Ancient Mariner.

I started crying when I read it.

And I said, I have to have this book.

Michael is sending this to me.

NARRATOR: Donna says the most convincing communications

involve both the time of Michael's accident, 6:20,

and his time of death, 6:33.

While working at her home office,

Donna claims something happened to the digital clock.

DONNA THEISEN: Michael's clock was flashing 6:20.

And it was not 6:20.

I know you're here.

You don't have to do that.

DONNA THEISEN: That was the time of the accident.

And all the other digital clocks in the house were fine.

He was just letting me know that he was there.

NARRATOR: What happened next was very unsettling.

14 months after his death, Donna says she heard Michael's

voice on her answering machine.

The message was supposedly recorded at 6:33.

DONNA THEISEN: The operator voice

that is on your voicemail said, Saturday, 6:33, which

is the time that Michael died.

And I heard Michael's voice.

He only says two words.

He says, follow me.

Saturday, 6:33 PM.

Follow me.

End of message.

DONNA THEISEN: And I was dumbfounded.

I had friends come over and listen to it.

His sisters listened to it.

And it is Michael's voice.

NARRATOR: Donna is convinced the messages from Michael

are designed to bring her comfort.

But others have a different explanation

for encounters like these.

MICHAEL SHERMER, PHD: There is no greater

loss than the loss of a child.

And that is exactly what the explanation is,

is that emotionally driven people in a state of grief

tend to see things in their environment that connect

them to their lost loved ones.

NARRATOR: Donna's experience resonates with thousands

of other parents who believe their deceased children are

in contact with them.

Sharon Throop believes her daughter, Wendy, has

appeared to her several times.

Wendy was a freshman in college when she

became a victim of a date rape.

Shortly thereafter, Wendy became depressed and tragically

committed suicide.

Wendy was only 19 years old.

Sharon, Wendy's mother, was devastated

and spent the days after her daughter's death

in an emotional fog.

SHARON THROOP: I was sitting there

and I had been sobbing off and on.

I was just a mess.

And I leaned my head back and I saw--

it's like a movie picture came on.

NARRATOR: It was then that Sharon claims

Wendy came to her in a vision.

SHARON THROOP: I was looking down a hallway

and it was very bright.

And she looked at me as if to say, I am so sorry.

I made the hugest mistake.

And I can't take it back.

And she turned around and she walked through the door.

And that was it.

It was gone.

And I just bawled, because I wanted her back.

And she was gone.

NARRATOR: Sharon's second sighting

came a few months later when Owen, a friend of Wendy's,

rented a movie to try and bolster Sharon and her husband,

Bill's, spirits.

SHARON THROOP: Something caught my eye.

I looked over by the door.

And Wendy was standing there.

She was dressed in a real comfortable, girl-type

flannel shirt.

And she smiled at me and she looked over at Owen.

And then she was gone.

This time I didn't cry.

This time I was like, wow.

I know I saw her.

I mean, I wasn't even thinking about her in that instant

and she's there.

So I honestly felt that she was letting me know that she was so

pleased that Owen was spending time with us,

and we were together.

So that we could help one another.

NARRATOR: It was Christmas, a year later,

when Sharon received what she calls

undeniable confirmation of Wendy's

continued presence in her life.

Doing OK?

I just really miss her.

I know, sweetie. We all do.

We all miss her so much.

NARRATOR: At a holiday party across the street

from their home, Sharon and Bill were visiting with friends

they hadn't seen in over a year, when Sharon became upset

and went home.

I'm fine.

I'm fine.

SHARON THROOP: I wasn't home about 10 minutes

and Bill called me from across the street

and he said I have something to tell you.

And it's really important.

And I want you to stay up.

NARRATOR: When Bill returned home,

he told Sharon that Pam, a friend of their neighbors,

claimed to have had an unusual experience involving Wendy

just weeks after she died.

She saw Wendy.

She just saw her face.

And there weren't any words.

But she was absolutely positive that it was Wendy.

And the way she described it was exactly the same way

that you've told me.

It was probably about a month after Wendy had died.

I went to bed, I think, before everyone else that night.

I saw a girl, and it was kind of just a head shot.

It just kind of zoomed in on me.

And I felt this tremendous energy,

kind of like if you've ever been shocked by electrical fence,

you know, the little warm surge of current that you

feel through your body.

But I could just sense that she wanted to tell her parents

that she was OK now.

And she was finally at peace.

And it happened that quickly.

And then it was gone.

It seemed obvious to me, you know, who it was

and what the purpose of that visit was.

She saw her.

SHARON THROOP: I think it was a gift from God to let

her come back for us to see.

Because somebody could tell you that,

you wouldn't believe them.

Seeing something is totally different.

MICHAEL SHERMER PHD: The real question here, I think,

that touches us deeply is, is there actually an afterlife

that people who die go to and that they're actually not gone?

And if we're going to look at this question

objectively and scientifically, and not emotionally, then we

have to answer, nobody knows.

NARRATOR: Sharon and Donna will continue could find solace

in the messages they believe are left

for them by their children.

SHARON THROOP: I believe that there

is something more out there.

They don't just go away.

Some people say to me, do you believe in the afterlife?

Do you believe that there is something beyond?

Yes, I do.

If you choose not to believe that, that is your privilege.

Me, I'm going to believe it.

NARRATOR: With only five days left to Christmas,

37-year-old Donna Morrow had just finished

her last minute shopping.

She looked forward to spending the holidays

with her four young children.

Where you been?

Honey, I've been Christmas shopping.

I've been waiting for you for a long time.

NARRATOR: But her relationship with her husband, Joe,

was rapidly disintegrating.

We interviewed several of Donna's friends

who asked not to be identified by name.

She had told me that Joe was very controlling.

And she didn't indicate to me that he was physically abusive.

But I got the impression that she was afraid of him.

I'm not taking this.

Listen, I want-- get in here.

We're going to talk right now.

NARRATOR: It hadn't always been this way.

When Donna first met Joe, he seemed the ideal partner,

charming, wealthy, and kind.

Donna's family, however, had a different impression.

LINDA KEY HAYES: He was arrogant.

And he thought he was better than everybody else.

And he was condescending.

He was just, basically, a jerk with money.

NARRATOR: Within months of meeting,

the couple married and began the large family

both had always wanted.

They moved into a luxurious home in upscale Menlo Park,

California.

And Donna settled in to be a full time mom.

For 13 years, Donna appeared happy with her life.

Then one Thanksgiving, Donna revealed the truth about

her seemingly perfect marriage.

I'm not that good, mom.

I don't want to talk about me.

Why, what's the matter?

SHIRLEY RUBIO: She told me that she did not love Joe anymore,

that she wanted a divorce.

And she said, but mom, until after the holidays,

I won't do anything because I don't want to ruin

Christmas for the children.

Do you want a cookie?

NARRATOR: That Christmas, Donna's mother

and her relatives gathered in White Plains, Missouri

to celebrate.

Donna could not make it, so her stepfather called California

to wish her a happy holiday.

[phone ringing]

Hello?

Hey, Joe, Merry Christmas.

Hey, Frank.

Merry Christmas to you, too.

Hey, I want to talk to Donna.

She's not here right now.

Well, where is she?

You know, I don't know.

We had an argument on the 19th.

And she walked out.

And I haven't heard from her since.

SHIRLEY RUBIO: Joe didn't bother to give us any kind of a story,

just that she was gone.

- What's happening? - I don't know.

He says she's not there.

It's like the whole atmosphere over Christmas

just died right there.

It was terrible because we were so far away

and there was nothing that we could do.

NARRATOR: Joe Morrow maintains that his wife

Donna voluntarily left him and their children

to start life anew.

But Donna's friends and family are convinced that she

fell victim to foul play.

There's no compelling physical evidence

to support either conclusion.

No body has ever been found.

There's also no sign that Donna Morrow is still alive.

Without your help, Donna's fate may never be known.

What happened the night your wife disappeared?

NARRATOR: In an interview with Menlo Park police

shortly after Donna's disappearance,

Joe Morrow stated that he last saw his wife on December 19

at approximately 10:00 PM.

Well, we had somewhat of a heated argument.

And she got very upset.

NARRATOR: Following an argument, Donna

stormed out the front door taking her purse and keys.

Did she take her car?

No.

She didn't take her car?

SGT JIM SIMPSON: We asked him if he

had any explanation as to why she had not taken the car.

He didn't have an explanation other

than that she is known to go out for walks from time to time.

I thought that she was seeing another man.

NARRATOR: Morrow also suggest that his wife

was having an affair.

Further police investigation established

that Donna had indeed formed a close friendship

with another man.

I think he was kind and understanding,

and was giving her a shoulder to cry on, so to speak.

But due to her marital status, it was not going beyond that,

other than seeking friendship.

Hey, it's me.

NARRATOR: Police discover that Donna

called this man on the night she disappeared at 7:30 PM.

SGT JIM SIMPSON: So we knew that she was

alive and well at that point.

Donna had wanted to get together with him.

And he declined the invitation.

NARRATOR: Donna's friend provided

authorities with an alibi and passed a lie detector test.

He has been ruled out as a suspect.

[interposing voices]

NARRATOR: Police then found a witness

who could tell them what happened next, Donna and Joe's

own 8-year-old daughter.

Come here.

You're going to listen to me.

NARRATOR: She told detectives that at 9:30 PM,

she awoke to her parents screaming at each other.

According to the daughter, the yelling got quieter and quieter

and then stopped altogether.

SGT JIM SIMPSON: And shortly thereafter, she

ended up hearing one set of footsteps

leading to the front door area.

She didn't see whether it was her father or her mom who was

walking to the front doorstep.

She just heard them.

NARRATOR: Was this the sound of Donna Morrow leaving the house

just as Joe Morrow claimed?

Donna's daughter seemed to confirm that scenario with what

she next told investigators.

A few hours later, she went into her parents' bedroom,

only Joe Morrow was there, asleep.

Did Donna Morrow, trapped in an allegedly abusive marriage,

simply walk out the front door to start a new life?

Donna would never just walk out.

She lived for her children.

She would never just go and leave

them with the man that she planned

to leave in a couple of weeks.

NARRATOR: But there was no compelling evidence

to contradict Donna leaving voluntarily.

Then police discovered the first potential clue.

On the side of bucket, a small splatter of blood.

Hey, Simpson, you want to come take a look at this?

SGT JIM SIMPSON: We don't have Donna's blood to compare it to.

But we were able to exclude the children and Joe as being

the donors of that blood.

The fact that Donna is not here, the question remains,

could it be Donna's?

NARRATOR: But without a body, crime scene,

or any compelling forensic evidence, the police

investigation ground to a halt.

OK.

Housekeeping.

Hello?

NARRATOR: Three weeks later, in a motel room 95

miles from the Morrow's home.

Hello?

Sir?

Are you OK?

NARRATOR: Joe Morrow was sprawled

on the bed, semi-conscious.

He had taken an overdose of barbiturates.

The other thing that was odd was

that they found a large number of suicide notes

to various people, none addressed

to his allegedly missing wife.

And she was not mentioned in any of those letters.

Yes, I'm the maid in the hotel.

NARRATOR: Joe Morrow recovered from the suicide attempt

and continued to deny any involvement

in Donna's disappearance.

But two years later, Morrow was sued in civil court

for wrongful death by Donna's parents

on behalf of her children.

At the same time, Morrow pled guilty

to an unrelated fraud charge and was scheduled

to surrender on June 24.

He never showed up.

ROSS T HITE: I think that Joe Morrow was shrewd enough

that he knew if he could stagger around us for as long

as he did, that he could build an exit strategy.

And that's what he did.

NARRATOR: After Joe's disappearance,

his estate settled the wrongful death suit

and agreed to pay $2 million.

Guardianship of his four children

was given to his brother and sister-in-law.

Ultimately, an arrest warrant citing probable cause

was issued for Joseph Morrow for the murder of his wife.

Family, friends, and the police are now

convinced that he killed her.

My impression is that, perhaps, Joe

found out about this other person, this young man.

And in a fit of rage, just threw Donna down

or she hit her head or something.

I just feel like it was a crime of passion.

I think that she probably left the residence dead,

and was dragged to the garage, where

she was placed in a vehicle.

The location of where the blood was found on the bucket

speaks for itself, that it was probably during a cleanup

process in the garage.

I would like to see Joe put behind bars or put to death.

It wouldn't bother me.

And I want my daughter found.

I want to at least know what he did with her,

so I can put her to rest.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Join me next time, for four more intriguing stories,

cases where you may have that one vital clue

that can help solve a mystery.

[music playing]