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This is the story of a single mom
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who would do anything for her kids.
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Sandy loved her children.
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They were a joy to watch as a family.
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But when a brutal murder...
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The officer just
spun around and said, "out!"
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...leads to a nationwide manhunt....
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Law enforcement put out a lookout,
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which went to every agency
in the United States.
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...the truth of how it ends...
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How could this possibly have happened?
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It's just incomprehensible.
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...will destroy this family.
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It's Memorial Day weekend,
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1989, in palco, Kansas,
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and Sandy miles is
celebrating her 40th birthday.
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Boy.
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Behind the camera is
Sandy's sister, Edie.
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Sandy came to our house
for her 40th birthday,
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and I'd made her a birthday cake.
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I enjoyed doing something for
her, making her day special.
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We had the family there for a meal.
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Next to Sandy are her two children,
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13-year-old Chad
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and 8-year-old tracie.
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Waiting in the wings, ready to
serve up a birthday feast
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is eldest sister, pat.
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It was important that
when we all got together
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as a family that we'd kind of
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spoil Sandy a little bit.
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She was the baby.
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The miles kids aren't the only ones
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eager for a slice of birthday cake.
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They're joined here by little cousins
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Tiffany and her younger brother, Travis.
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Grandma Edie's thing was
cakes, of all occasions.
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To you...
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She definitely wanted to make Sandy
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feel loved on her birthday.
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Tracie moves in for a big hug.
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See how happy Sandy is?
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We were extremely close as a family.
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Sisters Sandy, Edie, and pat
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are country girls at heart.
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The rural area where we live
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is pretty sparsely populated.
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You could go a whole mile
and not see a house.
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Growing up, they quickly learn
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to make the most of their rural lifestyle.
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Pat was always older
and more with her friends
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and so forth.
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Sandy and I were the ones
who played together.
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We would go up to the playground
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and play on the jungle gym,
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and the swings --
we played school inside.
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I always was the teacher,
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and I was the older child,
so therefore,
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I could make Sandy be the student.
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As the years pass, pat and Edie
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start families of their own.
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But Sandy decides it's time to fly
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the nest and moves 150 miles away
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to the larger town of hutchinson,
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where she gets a job in
a local aviation factory.
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She was a very dedicated employee,
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rarely did not show up for
work, rarely called in sick.
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Despite the distance,
the sisters make sure
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the bonds between them
remain as tight as ever.
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I would come to hutchinson,
and we would go
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out to eat and take the kids to the park.
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Sandy makes regular trips to Edie's ranch
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in palco to visit
her nieces and nephews.
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Papaw's drunk.
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And while she's thrilled to be an aunt,
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Sandy can't quite disguise
the fact that she's desperate to
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start a family of her own.
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Sandy really, really wanted children.
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It may have been hard for her, seeing
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that Edie and I both had children.
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Back in hutchinson,
Sandy decides to make a change.
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She started going to some
singles clubs and trying
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to meet someone she wanted
to spend her life with.
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In 1976, Sandy has
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some exciting news for her sisters.
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She's met someone,
and she's going to be a mom.
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She was very excited
about being a mother
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and having a child in her life.
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In march of 1976,
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Chad is born.
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But Sandy's relationship
with his father doesn't last.
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Chad is still young when Sandy
takes a leap of faith again
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and starts a relationship
with a work colleague,
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Jerry miles.
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And it's not long until
there's the sound of
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wedding bells.
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I was really happy
for Sandy on her wedding day.
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She had on this pretty blue dress.
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Carried her bouquet,
and it was a happy day.
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I was maid of honor,
and I remember telling Jerry
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in a fun way that he better
take good care of Sandy.
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In September of 1980
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Sandy and Jerry welcome a new baby, tracie.
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Sandy always did want
a little girl to play with Chad.
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And they were both beautiful children.
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She made good-looking babies.
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But Sandy and Jerry are struggling,
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and in 1985, they divorce, leaving Sandy
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a single mom again, but now with two kids.
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I think she did a real good job
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of coping with being on her own.
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With two failed relationships behind her,
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Sandy decides to focus
completely on her kids.
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They were a joy to watch as a family.
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She would hug and kiss them,
and they would
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sit on her lap, and she would
play with them.
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She had someone in her life
that she really cared about,
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and they cared about her.
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And Edie's ranch always provides
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a loving environment for them.
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The children could go outside
and play and ride bikes
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and ride horses and just
many different activities.
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So we enjoyed it, they enjoyed it, and...
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It's just really a nice place
to get together.
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It's a place of adventure and escape.
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Grandma and grandpa's house was always
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the gathering place for the whole family.
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Big open spread with tons of stuff to do.
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To be able to burn off energy
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and explore and play and...
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For tracie and Chad,
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it's an idyllic world far from
their lives in the city.
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Tracie and Chad would go horseback riding
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on a horse named cajun.
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Our horses were gentle
enough that they could ride
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a little bit on their own.
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They enjoyed that.
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Every easter time, the family gathered
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for grandma Edie's
beloved easter egg hunt.
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For the kids, it's
the highlight of the year.
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Any time Chad and tracie were
coming, we were always
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really excited.
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The easter egg hunts were legendary.
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They would put all sorts of
things in these plastic eggs.
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There'd be candy in there,
there'd be cash in there.
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There'd be all sorts of things
you could find,
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and it was always a mad scramble among
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the cousins who could find the best egg.
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Really great memory for all of US kids.
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When the kids aren't hunting easter eggs,
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Edie's serving up huge country feasts.
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We would have the, you know,
the family dinner.
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I did all the cooking.
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Grandma.
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The support that Edie and pat provide
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give Sandy, Chad, and tracie
much-needed security.
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The dinners were very important,
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and we were together as a family.
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While Chad hides his face behind his hand,
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tracie is never one to miss
a moment in front of the camera.
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No one can imagine how bonds this strong
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could ever be broken.
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Sandy miles' 40th birthday
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also marks four years since she became
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a single mom working to
support her two kids,
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Chad and tracie.
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It's a role that carries guilt.
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I think that Sandy
felt bad about her children
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not having a father in the house.
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Maybe she overcompensated a little bit
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by buying them too much.
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Grandma?
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Tracie's best friend
through school, erikka bueford,
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sees just how close the family is.
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They all loved each other.
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Everything Sandy did was for them.
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Supporting them all
means working long hours
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at her factory job.
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Sandy worked on an assembly line.
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She had to work.
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She was a single mother and
had to provide for the family.
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Tracie response to her mom's absence
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with a need for loving attention.
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Tracie was very affectionate with her mother.
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You know, as any child, they would want
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their mother to spend more time with them.
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As tracie grows up, the ties that bond
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mother and daughter become even stronger.
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And they're only strengthened
when 20-year-old Chad decides
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it's time for him to fly the nest
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and embark on a life of his own.
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After high school, Chad moved to new Mexico,
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married a young lady from there.
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Sandy and tracie's relationship
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became closer at that time.
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For Sandy, life is now all about tracie.
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Tracie is a keen athlete
and dancer, and Sandy
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makes sure her daughter
never misses a practice.
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Sandy was very proud of tracie.
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Tracie was good at gymnastics.
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She's the most active person
I've ever been around.
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She was in dance and flipping, cartwheels,
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she could do all that.
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She was very active, very athletic.
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I know she was really into the dancing,
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and -- and Sandy loved dancing, too,
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and had a real good time with it.
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In the fall of 1996, tracie turns 16,
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and Sandy is determined that her daughter
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gets every chance in life.
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Sandy always wanted the best for tracie.
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She sent her to schools
in different districts
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to make sure she was getting
the best education.
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In her mind,
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I think she felt like, "well,
I didn't go to college.
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"I didn't do this.
I didn't do that.
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I want better for my kids."
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And that was so important to her.
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But tracie is discovering there's more
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to high school than gym class.
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Tracie was 16 when she started dating more.
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We'd all be at each other's house, like,
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just sitting around, talking,
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and we'd listen to music more than anything.
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There's one boy in particular
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that catches tracie's attention --
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Paul Nelson.
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He was the new kid in town.
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Paul was a character.
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I just remember he just brought the fun.
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His energy attracted her to him.
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And Paul is swept away by tracie.
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Well, he thought she was gorgeous.
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Paul was, like, googly-eyed.
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But as more of Paul's
friends start to hang out
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at tracie's house,
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erikka begins to feel
increasingly uncomfortable.
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The dynamic started to change.
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My gut was telling me,
"you don't want to be
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around these people."
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And in early 1997, 16-year-old tracie
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confirms erikka's fears when
she reveals some stunning news.
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She's pregnant,
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and Paul is the father.
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Sandy did not feel that tracie was
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old enough or ready for a baby.
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I remember being surprised
by tracie and Sandy arguing.
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I've never seen them argue.
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Sandy's own failed
relationships and struggles as
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a single mom means she wants
something different for tracie.
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Tracie, you can do so much better!
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I don't want better!
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I'm sure that Sandy felt that
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tracie needed to finish her education.
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She needed to be prepared for life more
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before she had a child.
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I'm sure that's why she encouraged her
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to have an abortion.
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Tracie eventually agrees
260
00:15:48,481 --> 00:15:50,721
to terminate the pregnancy.
261
00:15:50,817 --> 00:15:53,887
That was a tough day --
it was a very tough day.
262
00:15:56,489 --> 00:15:58,589
The relationship between mom and daughter
263
00:15:58,692 --> 00:16:00,062
is at breaking point,
264
00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:02,630
but Sandy has a peace offering --
265
00:16:04,531 --> 00:16:07,131
a black Ford mustang.
266
00:16:07,233 --> 00:16:08,903
I don't think she could believe it at first,
267
00:16:09,002 --> 00:16:12,102
but she was just crazy, happy, excited,
268
00:16:13,673 --> 00:16:15,413
as any kid would be.
269
00:16:15,508 --> 00:16:17,878
I certainly didn't have a car at that age.
270
00:16:17,978 --> 00:16:21,748
It's a truly grand gesture, but secretly,
271
00:16:21,848 --> 00:16:24,418
it's one that Sandy struggles to afford.
272
00:16:24,517 --> 00:16:25,917
I'm assuming she had to have went
273
00:16:26,019 --> 00:16:29,719
into debt for it, because single mother,
274
00:16:29,823 --> 00:16:31,793
I mean, she wasn't wealthy.
275
00:16:31,891 --> 00:16:35,761
Despite the cost, the gift seems to pay off.
276
00:16:35,862 --> 00:16:38,962
Tracie was very proud of that mustang.
277
00:16:39,065 --> 00:16:42,025
Tracie and I spent a lot of
time just riding around
278
00:16:42,135 --> 00:16:43,465
in that car.
279
00:16:46,873 --> 00:16:50,343
Sandy was very proud of
herself for giving it to her.
280
00:16:53,446 --> 00:16:55,506
But there's more to Sandy's generosity
281
00:16:55,615 --> 00:16:58,445
than an act of kindness.
282
00:16:58,551 --> 00:17:03,251
I think the car may have been
something to try to keep tracie
283
00:17:03,356 --> 00:17:07,126
on the right path
and the straight and narrow,
284
00:17:07,227 --> 00:17:10,257
but it made her happy to see her happy, too.
285
00:17:13,033 --> 00:17:15,533
Sandy is determined to show the world
286
00:17:15,635 --> 00:17:18,095
she's rebuilt the bond
between her and tracie.
287
00:17:19,406 --> 00:17:21,736
She had raised a good, sweet girl,
288
00:17:21,841 --> 00:17:24,441
and she wanted everybody to think
289
00:17:24,544 --> 00:17:26,314
that it was still that way.
290
00:17:32,952 --> 00:17:34,922
But things were changing, and it wasn't.
291
00:17:41,795 --> 00:17:44,795
March 30, 1998.
292
00:17:44,898 --> 00:17:47,798
Pat Douglas-Butler receives a worrying call.
293
00:17:49,202 --> 00:17:51,772
I got a phone call from Sandy's work.
294
00:17:51,871 --> 00:17:55,441
They said she hadn't been
to work in several days,
295
00:17:55,542 --> 00:17:58,212
and she had not called in
like you're supposed to do.
296
00:17:59,612 --> 00:18:01,912
That was very unlike her,
297
00:18:02,015 --> 00:18:05,875
and so pat became very
concerned and called Sandy.
298
00:18:07,287 --> 00:18:08,347
But there's no answer.
299
00:18:09,689 --> 00:18:11,859
Pat decides to go check Sandy's house.
300
00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,659
We got in the car and went to her house.
301
00:18:22,769 --> 00:18:24,839
Her car was under the carport.
302
00:18:27,607 --> 00:18:30,707
The curtains were all pulled and everything.
303
00:18:30,810 --> 00:18:33,340
There's no sign of Sandy anywhere.
304
00:18:35,348 --> 00:18:37,548
Pat decides to contact tracie at school,
305
00:18:39,552 --> 00:18:41,422
see if she can shed light on the mystery.
306
00:18:45,959 --> 00:18:48,229
But the school resource officer tells them
307
00:18:48,328 --> 00:18:52,258
that tracie's not there
and hasn't been for days.
308
00:18:52,365 --> 00:18:54,295
I was bewildered
309
00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:57,940
and couldn't figure out what
could be going on, but...
310
00:18:58,037 --> 00:19:01,037
Something told me there just
was something wrong.
311
00:19:01,141 --> 00:19:03,311
They follow the resource officer
312
00:19:03,409 --> 00:19:04,679
back to Sandy's house.
313
00:19:06,946 --> 00:19:09,176
The resource officer went in first.
314
00:19:19,993 --> 00:19:23,233
The officer just
spun around and said, "out!"
315
00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,570
Well, we knew right away what
happened because of the odor.
316
00:19:32,839 --> 00:19:34,669
You can't explain it
317
00:19:34,774 --> 00:19:37,914
or describe it, but you know what it is,
318
00:19:38,011 --> 00:19:39,481
and I knew what it was.
319
00:19:41,214 --> 00:19:42,554
I knew immediately.
320
00:19:42,649 --> 00:19:45,049
The resource officer dials 911.
321
00:19:49,088 --> 00:19:51,858
We go into it with
our weapons in a ready position.
322
00:19:53,193 --> 00:19:54,863
Once we opened the door,
323
00:19:54,961 --> 00:20:00,201
there was a very distinct odor
of decomposition.
324
00:20:00,300 --> 00:20:02,870
We immediately looked to the left,
325
00:20:02,969 --> 00:20:05,069
which was tracie's bedroom.
326
00:20:08,274 --> 00:20:12,084
And in that hallway
coming out of the bedroom
327
00:20:12,178 --> 00:20:13,538
was where the body was.
328
00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:23,220
The body was laying
halfway in the entranceway
329
00:20:23,323 --> 00:20:25,123
and halfway in the hallway,
330
00:20:25,225 --> 00:20:28,485
and there was a large pool of blood
331
00:20:28,595 --> 00:20:29,725
around the head area.
332
00:20:34,968 --> 00:20:36,728
There was an indication
there was possibly
333
00:20:36,836 --> 00:20:40,296
a struggle that started
maybe in the bedroom,
334
00:20:42,642 --> 00:20:45,912
and it continued on out to the hallway.
335
00:20:46,012 --> 00:20:47,912
It was clear that there had been several
336
00:20:48,014 --> 00:20:50,314
blows to the head with a blunt object.
337
00:20:51,651 --> 00:20:54,451
Around the throat was a telephone cord.
338
00:20:54,554 --> 00:20:57,694
At that point, it was not tightly tied,
339
00:20:57,790 --> 00:21:01,190
but clearly indications
were at that point that
340
00:21:01,294 --> 00:21:03,034
strangulation had occurred also.
341
00:21:05,098 --> 00:21:08,028
Lying in the hallway is Sandy miles.
342
00:21:09,502 --> 00:21:12,702
It seems she's been dead for several days,
343
00:21:12,805 --> 00:21:15,365
and her 17-year-old daughter, tracie,
344
00:21:15,475 --> 00:21:16,635
is missing.
345
00:21:19,012 --> 00:21:22,312
Investigators scour the home
for potential clues.
346
00:21:24,951 --> 00:21:26,751
In addition to searching
for the murder weapon,
347
00:21:26,853 --> 00:21:29,393
the officers were also
searching for any items that
348
00:21:29,489 --> 00:21:30,959
might have been missing from the house.
349
00:21:32,458 --> 00:21:35,188
One item missing from the house was a VCR.
350
00:21:44,904 --> 00:21:48,374
I remember being called to
the office for a phone call,
351
00:21:48,474 --> 00:21:51,414
and I answered the phone and, um,
352
00:21:51,511 --> 00:21:55,581
the man identified himself as
the police chaplain and told me
353
00:21:55,682 --> 00:22:00,252
that my sister, Sandy, had been
found murdered in her home.
354
00:22:03,356 --> 00:22:05,286
You're trying to comprehend what they say,
355
00:22:05,391 --> 00:22:07,561
but yet at the same time,
you're dealing with all these
356
00:22:07,660 --> 00:22:10,900
emotions about your sister being murdered.
357
00:22:14,701 --> 00:22:16,831
I had absolutely no idea why
358
00:22:16,936 --> 00:22:17,936
and what reason.
359
00:22:21,007 --> 00:22:22,607
News of the brutal killing quickly
360
00:22:22,709 --> 00:22:24,739
reaches tracie's best friend, erikka.
361
00:22:26,579 --> 00:22:29,449
My mom opened the door and came
in the room and was like,
362
00:22:29,549 --> 00:22:31,149
"erikka, I need to talk to you now."
363
00:22:33,853 --> 00:22:36,923
She put me outside, and she's like, um,
364
00:22:37,023 --> 00:22:40,393
they just found Sandy's body at the house.
365
00:22:42,061 --> 00:22:43,331
I said, "what are you talking about?"
366
00:22:43,429 --> 00:22:46,059
And she was like, "there's police tape.
367
00:22:46,165 --> 00:22:47,895
"There's police everywhere.
368
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,530
"The -- you can't get anywhere on the block.
369
00:22:50,636 --> 00:22:52,466
"Erikka, it's true.
Sandy's gone,
370
00:22:52,572 --> 00:22:55,642
and nobody knows where tracie is either."
371
00:22:55,742 --> 00:22:59,382
17-year-old tracie's
disappearance from school
372
00:22:59,479 --> 00:23:02,249
appears to coincide
with her mother's murder.
373
00:23:03,850 --> 00:23:06,620
We were just very worried
about tracie's whereabouts
374
00:23:06,719 --> 00:23:08,589
and what was happening to her.
375
00:23:08,688 --> 00:23:09,788
At the same time, we were
376
00:23:09,889 --> 00:23:12,459
trying to deal with Sandy being murdered.
377
00:23:14,327 --> 00:23:16,827
I was scared, like,
378
00:23:18,297 --> 00:23:23,127
crying uncontrollably, like, to
the point of physical illness,
379
00:23:23,236 --> 00:23:25,966
feverishly praying, like, just, please,
380
00:23:26,072 --> 00:23:27,302
please, god, don't let nothing be
381
00:23:27,407 --> 00:23:30,407
wrong with my best friend, please.
382
00:23:30,510 --> 00:23:33,180
Detectives need to find tracie.
383
00:23:33,279 --> 00:23:36,879
They could have a double
homicide on their hands.
384
00:23:38,418 --> 00:23:42,848
Due to the graphic nature of
this crime, due to the brutality
385
00:23:42,955 --> 00:23:44,555
of it and knowing now
386
00:23:44,657 --> 00:23:48,687
that we have a another person
missing it was -- there was
387
00:23:48,795 --> 00:23:50,555
a very high sense of urgency.
388
00:23:51,931 --> 00:23:54,201
My fear and nightmare at that point
389
00:23:54,300 --> 00:23:56,500
was something that happened to tracie.
390
00:23:59,071 --> 00:24:00,841
She had been abducted or killed.
391
00:24:12,752 --> 00:24:14,492
Sandy miles has been murdered,
392
00:24:17,156 --> 00:24:19,756
and her 17-year-old daughter,
tracie, is missing.
393
00:24:22,195 --> 00:24:24,395
News soon spreads throughout the family.
394
00:24:26,098 --> 00:24:28,798
Chad was devastated at the loss of his mother.
395
00:24:30,436 --> 00:24:32,566
He assumed, like the rest of US,
396
00:24:32,672 --> 00:24:34,172
that tracie had been abducted.
397
00:24:36,008 --> 00:24:37,408
The brutality of the scene is
398
00:24:37,510 --> 00:24:39,280
a shock for the hardened detectives.
399
00:24:41,981 --> 00:24:45,451
It took US all back due to
the nature of how violent
400
00:24:45,551 --> 00:24:47,051
it was.
401
00:24:47,153 --> 00:24:50,823
Why this happened to a woman that was
402
00:24:50,923 --> 00:24:54,493
just a single parent
trying to raise her kid.
403
00:24:54,594 --> 00:24:57,364
What -- I mean, what would
she have done to deserve that?
404
00:25:01,601 --> 00:25:03,701
The crime scene at Sandy's house
405
00:25:03,803 --> 00:25:06,073
reveals a vital clue.
406
00:25:06,172 --> 00:25:08,912
It was determined
there had been no forced entry.
407
00:25:09,008 --> 00:25:10,638
Therefore,
408
00:25:10,743 --> 00:25:14,313
Sandy probably knew her killer.
409
00:25:14,413 --> 00:25:16,913
Police immediately call tracie
410
00:25:17,016 --> 00:25:21,586
and Sandy's friends to see if
anyone had contact with them.
411
00:25:21,687 --> 00:25:24,047
One name keeps coming up --
412
00:25:24,156 --> 00:25:26,856
an old boyfriend of tracie's, Jeremy bell.
413
00:25:30,196 --> 00:25:32,826
When the name Jeremy bell came up,
414
00:25:32,932 --> 00:25:35,132
hutchinson is a small enough town.
415
00:25:35,234 --> 00:25:38,344
All law enforcement
immediately knew who he was,
416
00:25:38,437 --> 00:25:39,897
immediately knew he had
417
00:25:40,006 --> 00:25:44,206
been in jail the week before
and that he had been released.
418
00:25:44,310 --> 00:25:47,780
Jeremy bell was considered
to be a violent individual.
419
00:25:49,749 --> 00:25:53,319
Clearly, that became a primary
focus of law enforcement.
420
00:25:55,488 --> 00:25:58,588
The fact that Jeremy bell
is fresh out of jail
421
00:25:58,691 --> 00:26:01,961
is a huge red flag to investigators.
422
00:26:02,061 --> 00:26:03,691
Police bring him in for questioning.
423
00:26:05,197 --> 00:26:07,397
When Jeremy was interviewed,
424
00:26:07,500 --> 00:26:10,530
he indicated to law enforcement that he had
425
00:26:10,636 --> 00:26:14,196
went to carry park and played
basketball with a friend.
426
00:26:14,307 --> 00:26:17,837
Investigators need
to find out if Jeremy is lying.
427
00:26:19,445 --> 00:26:22,905
Law enforcement immediately
contacted Jeremy's friends
428
00:26:23,015 --> 00:26:24,315
to verify that, in fact,
429
00:26:24,417 --> 00:26:26,477
he had been at those locations.
430
00:26:26,586 --> 00:26:28,846
Jeremy has a strong alibi,
431
00:26:28,955 --> 00:26:31,555
and police rule him out of the investigation.
432
00:26:33,326 --> 00:26:36,456
But before he leaves,
he throws the detectives
433
00:26:36,562 --> 00:26:38,032
a bone.
434
00:26:38,163 --> 00:26:41,603
He said they should be looking
at tracie's present boyfriend,
435
00:26:41,701 --> 00:26:43,171
Paul Nelson.
436
00:26:43,269 --> 00:26:47,809
He certainly had no fond
feelings towards Paul.
437
00:26:47,907 --> 00:26:51,237
He felt Paul was ruining tracie's life
438
00:26:52,778 --> 00:26:55,108
and only had very negative
things to say about
439
00:26:55,214 --> 00:26:56,614
Paul Nelson.
440
00:26:58,851 --> 00:27:00,781
And files on Paul Nelson
441
00:27:00,886 --> 00:27:02,716
seem to support his claims.
442
00:27:06,158 --> 00:27:09,388
We knew almost immediately Paul had
443
00:27:09,495 --> 00:27:13,025
had numerous contacts with law
enforcement and had previous
444
00:27:13,132 --> 00:27:14,932
criminal convictions.
445
00:27:15,034 --> 00:27:17,774
We also knew through
discussions with friends
446
00:27:17,870 --> 00:27:20,700
that drugs certainly were
involved in his lifestyle
447
00:27:20,806 --> 00:27:22,736
and certainly raised concerns.
448
00:27:24,877 --> 00:27:27,377
Paul's relationship
with tracie and her mom
449
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,410
throws up yet another red flag.
450
00:27:30,750 --> 00:27:33,080
About a year before the homicide,
451
00:27:33,185 --> 00:27:37,045
tracie became pregnant, with
the father being Paul Nelson.
452
00:27:38,357 --> 00:27:41,187
Sandy did not want tracie to be with Paul.
453
00:27:42,762 --> 00:27:46,432
Sandy told tracie that if she kept the baby,
454
00:27:46,532 --> 00:27:49,432
she would be forced out of the home.
455
00:27:49,535 --> 00:27:51,895
So at that point, tracie made the decision
456
00:27:51,971 --> 00:27:53,241
to have the abortion.
457
00:27:54,774 --> 00:27:57,374
Police now have a possible motive...
458
00:27:59,245 --> 00:28:01,105
...revenge.
459
00:28:01,213 --> 00:28:03,813
Paul had strong feelings against Sandy,
460
00:28:03,916 --> 00:28:07,446
and Sandy had equally
strong feelings against Paul.
461
00:28:07,553 --> 00:28:10,093
Investigators need to find Paul Nelson
462
00:28:10,189 --> 00:28:11,689
as soon as possible.
463
00:28:11,791 --> 00:28:13,821
They contact his friends
and family in a bid
464
00:28:13,926 --> 00:28:15,156
to track him down.
465
00:28:16,762 --> 00:28:19,032
Paul's parents had indicated he had
466
00:28:19,131 --> 00:28:20,531
not been staying at the residence.
467
00:28:20,599 --> 00:28:23,299
They hadn't seen him
for approximately a week.
468
00:28:24,670 --> 00:28:26,940
Interviews with Paul's friends suggest
469
00:28:27,039 --> 00:28:29,509
he isn't returning anytime soon.
470
00:28:31,811 --> 00:28:34,751
He was leaving for Mexico and also indicated
471
00:28:34,847 --> 00:28:37,677
that he did have $2,000 in cash
472
00:28:37,783 --> 00:28:39,483
and was driving a black mustang.
473
00:28:41,087 --> 00:28:42,447
One of these friends said he had
474
00:28:42,555 --> 00:28:44,345
pawned a VCR to get the money.
475
00:28:46,225 --> 00:28:50,225
The VCR was missing from Sandy's residence.
476
00:28:50,329 --> 00:28:53,459
Paul Nelson is now the prime suspect.
477
00:28:57,036 --> 00:29:00,696
Officers canvass the pawnshops
downtown to see if they can
478
00:29:00,806 --> 00:29:04,336
find a VCR that matches the one
stolen from Sandy's house.
479
00:29:05,945 --> 00:29:08,205
They quickly catch their first break.
480
00:29:08,314 --> 00:29:10,284
In the second store they visit,
481
00:29:10,382 --> 00:29:12,122
they find Sandy's VCR.
482
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,520
And the pawnshop owner has
a surveillance camera.
483
00:29:19,625 --> 00:29:21,455
The pawnshop had surveillance video.
484
00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,790
The police took control of the video
485
00:29:23,896 --> 00:29:26,596
to verify who, in fact, had pawned the VCR.
486
00:29:27,666 --> 00:29:29,496
Detectives spool through the footage
487
00:29:29,602 --> 00:29:31,502
from the days before Sandy's murder,
488
00:29:32,872 --> 00:29:36,172
and on march 26th,
they spot a familiar face.
489
00:29:38,611 --> 00:29:40,781
That was Paul Nelson on the video.
490
00:29:47,787 --> 00:29:50,547
The owner said yes, a young male came in,
491
00:29:50,689 --> 00:29:52,919
attempted to pawn the VCR.
492
00:29:53,025 --> 00:29:53,985
He told him he would not
493
00:29:54,093 --> 00:29:56,533
pawn the VCR without the remote control.
494
00:29:59,265 --> 00:30:02,295
The young male left and
returned a short time later
495
00:30:02,401 --> 00:30:03,571
with the remote control,
496
00:30:03,669 --> 00:30:06,899
and that at that point,
the pawning took place.
497
00:30:08,641 --> 00:30:11,511
Paul was verified
as the person who had pawned
498
00:30:11,610 --> 00:30:14,040
the VCR that had come from Sandy's house.
499
00:30:17,449 --> 00:30:19,149
The shop owner tells police he only
500
00:30:19,251 --> 00:30:22,251
gave Nelson $50 for the VCR,
501
00:30:22,354 --> 00:30:25,394
far less than the $2,000
his friend told police
502
00:30:25,491 --> 00:30:26,591
he's carrying.
503
00:30:28,894 --> 00:30:31,234
But detectives can now directly link him
504
00:30:31,330 --> 00:30:33,630
to the murder of Sandy miles.
505
00:30:37,102 --> 00:30:40,902
The fate of her daughter,
tracie, is still unknown.
506
00:30:41,006 --> 00:30:44,066
When the videotape was viewed,
it clearly verified Paul
507
00:30:44,176 --> 00:30:45,576
was involved, but it still did not
508
00:30:45,678 --> 00:30:48,848
indicate where tracie was
and what had become of tracie,
509
00:30:48,948 --> 00:30:51,648
and obviously, finding out
tracie's whereabouts
510
00:30:51,750 --> 00:30:53,950
is still of primary importance.
511
00:30:56,255 --> 00:30:57,885
Back at police headquarters,
512
00:30:58,023 --> 00:30:59,693
detectives are trying to establish
513
00:30:59,792 --> 00:31:03,862
Sandy's final movements
leading up to her death.
514
00:31:03,963 --> 00:31:07,263
Investigators examined
Sandy's financial records.
515
00:31:09,034 --> 00:31:11,274
It's not long before
they get a breakthrough.
516
00:31:13,038 --> 00:31:15,768
We were able to verify
$2,000 had been taken
517
00:31:15,875 --> 00:31:18,005
on Sandy's account.
518
00:31:18,110 --> 00:31:20,240
Paul had $2,000.
519
00:31:20,346 --> 00:31:22,346
That further built the case against Paul.
520
00:31:24,950 --> 00:31:26,820
Police need to verify if Paul
521
00:31:26,919 --> 00:31:29,519
was somehow able to access Sandy's account.
522
00:31:31,557 --> 00:31:33,617
That bank had indicated that, in fact,
523
00:31:33,726 --> 00:31:37,586
it was tracie miles who came
in to cash a $2,000 check.
524
00:31:39,498 --> 00:31:40,658
Police have to consider
525
00:31:40,766 --> 00:31:44,326
the possibility that tracie
is still alive.
526
00:31:49,675 --> 00:31:52,505
Paul Nelson, according to
his friends that morning,
527
00:31:52,611 --> 00:31:56,811
was driving a black mustang
and said he was going to Mexico.
528
00:31:58,617 --> 00:32:00,317
Nelson may not have had time to
529
00:32:00,419 --> 00:32:03,389
cross the border -- with time running out,
530
00:32:03,489 --> 00:32:05,919
the police need reinforcements.
531
00:32:06,025 --> 00:32:09,085
It became necessary to bring in
532
00:32:09,194 --> 00:32:12,404
as many law enforcement
agencies as possible.
533
00:32:12,498 --> 00:32:16,028
To know if the pair
have crossed into Mexico,
534
00:32:16,135 --> 00:32:19,165
investigators must check
hundreds of cameras
535
00:32:19,271 --> 00:32:21,071
and thousands of hours of footage,
536
00:32:21,173 --> 00:32:24,313
and it may be too late.
537
00:32:34,453 --> 00:32:37,023
March 30, 1998,
538
00:32:37,122 --> 00:32:40,822
Mexican border crossing, El Paso, Texas.
539
00:32:40,926 --> 00:32:44,026
Law enforcement put out
a lookout for Paul Nelson
540
00:32:44,129 --> 00:32:45,699
and tracie, which would have went
541
00:32:45,798 --> 00:32:48,528
to every agency in the United States.
542
00:32:48,634 --> 00:32:51,974
They issue a special
bulletin of most wanted.
543
00:32:53,772 --> 00:32:55,812
Nelson is reportedly heading to Mexico
544
00:32:55,908 --> 00:32:57,068
in tracie's black mustang.
545
00:32:59,511 --> 00:33:02,051
With detectives worried
that he has already crossed
546
00:33:02,147 --> 00:33:04,047
the border, they check hundreds
547
00:33:04,149 --> 00:33:06,749
of hours of poor quality, low-resolution
548
00:33:06,852 --> 00:33:09,522
security camera footage
at the El Paso checkpoint.
549
00:33:14,727 --> 00:33:16,187
This never-before-seen footage
550
00:33:16,295 --> 00:33:19,255
highlights the immensity of the task.
551
00:33:19,365 --> 00:33:23,265
160,000 people make
this crossing every day.
552
00:33:28,674 --> 00:33:32,714
But, almost a week after Paul
and tracie's disappearance,
553
00:33:32,811 --> 00:33:36,881
investigators catch a glimpse
of a familiar-looking car.
554
00:33:38,851 --> 00:33:44,821
It's a black Ford mustang,
but it's coming back to the u.S.
555
00:33:46,692 --> 00:33:49,562
There was a nationwide alert
for Paul and tracie,
556
00:33:49,661 --> 00:33:51,631
but apparently, it hadn't
reached border patrol
557
00:33:51,730 --> 00:33:55,130
by the time Paul and tracie came through.
558
00:33:55,234 --> 00:33:57,734
Border patrol established,
in fact, Paul and tracie
559
00:33:57,836 --> 00:34:00,336
did not have a visa to allow them to remain
560
00:34:00,439 --> 00:34:01,639
into Mexico
561
00:34:01,707 --> 00:34:05,007
or to travel anywhere further
than just a few miles
562
00:34:05,110 --> 00:34:06,340
from the border.
563
00:34:06,445 --> 00:34:09,705
With no visas,
they could not remain in Mexico.
564
00:34:14,353 --> 00:34:19,163
The security camera proves
they return to the u.S.
565
00:34:19,258 --> 00:34:21,588
But investigators still
566
00:34:21,693 --> 00:34:24,963
have no idea where.
567
00:34:25,064 --> 00:34:26,534
On April 8th, they receive
568
00:34:26,632 --> 00:34:30,472
a call from 17-year-old Candace kienow.
569
00:34:30,569 --> 00:34:32,669
She has just received a missed call from
570
00:34:32,771 --> 00:34:35,711
her high school friend, tracie miles.
571
00:34:38,177 --> 00:34:41,137
Candace kienow notified
law enforcement and said,
572
00:34:41,246 --> 00:34:44,006
"tracie has called me on caller I.D.
573
00:34:44,116 --> 00:34:47,076
This is the number that she called for."
574
00:34:47,186 --> 00:34:49,246
Investigators are able to trace this number
575
00:34:49,354 --> 00:34:51,424
to a motel in downtown El Paso.
576
00:34:54,326 --> 00:34:56,256
Local police quickly move in
577
00:34:58,097 --> 00:35:01,327
and find Paul Nelson and tracie miles
578
00:35:01,433 --> 00:35:03,133
holed up together.
579
00:35:05,871 --> 00:35:10,471
Tracie and Paul were both taken
into custody without incident.
580
00:35:10,576 --> 00:35:13,906
After a manhunt that
has spanned over 700 miles
581
00:35:14,012 --> 00:35:17,512
across four states, the search is over.
582
00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:24,050
Paul and tracie are
brought back to hutchinson,
583
00:35:24,156 --> 00:35:25,716
Kansas, separately.
584
00:35:28,894 --> 00:35:30,764
Paul is questioned first.
585
00:35:33,465 --> 00:35:35,695
But he only admits to stealing the VCR
586
00:35:35,834 --> 00:35:37,104
from Sandy's house.
587
00:35:39,705 --> 00:35:42,365
Finally, I said, "okay, Paul,
588
00:35:42,474 --> 00:35:46,114
"you don't think that we flew
all the way from hutchinson,
589
00:35:46,211 --> 00:35:51,081
Kansas to El Paso, Texas,
to talk to you about a VCR."
590
00:35:55,621 --> 00:35:58,491
And that's when he dropped his head
591
00:35:58,590 --> 00:35:59,760
and started crying.
592
00:36:01,326 --> 00:36:02,926
And I knew right then.
593
00:36:06,698 --> 00:36:09,398
Paul cracks and tells police what happened.
594
00:36:10,903 --> 00:36:15,173
Tracie and Sandy had been
fighting since the abortion
595
00:36:16,875 --> 00:36:20,075
over Paul and tracie being with Paul.
596
00:36:20,179 --> 00:36:22,479
On Wednesday, march 25th,
597
00:36:22,581 --> 00:36:25,981
Sandy threatened to take away
tracie's mustang.
598
00:36:26,084 --> 00:36:28,454
Tracie went ballistic, had a full-out fight
599
00:36:28,554 --> 00:36:31,624
with her mother, on Wednesday evening.
600
00:36:33,191 --> 00:36:35,891
So Paul and tracie came
to the conclusion that
601
00:36:35,994 --> 00:36:38,764
the only way out of this
situation was to kill Sandy.
602
00:36:41,567 --> 00:36:42,367
Paul explains
603
00:36:42,467 --> 00:36:44,227
tracie left for school the next day
604
00:36:44,336 --> 00:36:45,936
while he hid inside Sandy's home,
605
00:36:47,372 --> 00:36:50,272
armed with a statue of a wooden bear.
606
00:36:51,977 --> 00:36:54,177
Paul hit Sandy on the head.
607
00:36:56,481 --> 00:36:59,281
She was laying on the floor
in the living room.
608
00:37:01,019 --> 00:37:02,549
First, he said he hit her once,
609
00:37:02,654 --> 00:37:05,394
and then we said, "how many times, Paul?"
610
00:37:05,490 --> 00:37:07,490
He said, "I hit her three times."
611
00:37:11,096 --> 00:37:12,596
They came up with the plan.
612
00:37:13,765 --> 00:37:17,365
Paul would kill Sandy, and then
tracie would be called,
613
00:37:17,469 --> 00:37:19,099
she'd come to the residence,
614
00:37:19,204 --> 00:37:21,444
they would make it, in their view,
615
00:37:21,540 --> 00:37:23,870
attempt to look like a robbery.
616
00:37:23,976 --> 00:37:25,606
But the plan goes wrong.
617
00:37:29,014 --> 00:37:33,124
He indicated that after he had
struck Sandy in the head with
618
00:37:33,218 --> 00:37:34,878
the bear statue that he had actually
619
00:37:34,987 --> 00:37:36,987
went in the bathroom and became ill
620
00:37:37,089 --> 00:37:40,459
and was having troubles
dealing with the situation.
621
00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:43,960
He said that she was still alive
622
00:37:44,062 --> 00:37:46,732
or making gurgling sounds
when tracie arrived.
623
00:37:53,939 --> 00:37:56,009
Paul then drops a bombshell.
624
00:37:58,243 --> 00:38:00,883
Despite beating Sandy to the floor,
625
00:38:00,979 --> 00:38:04,209
he claims that tracie is the real killer.
626
00:38:11,156 --> 00:38:12,556
It's very hard for me to believe at
627
00:38:12,658 --> 00:38:15,928
that time that someone would
premeditatedly kill
628
00:38:16,028 --> 00:38:17,828
their mother.
629
00:38:17,929 --> 00:38:19,399
It's just incomprehensible.
630
00:38:21,300 --> 00:38:23,370
Investigators challenge tracie
631
00:38:23,468 --> 00:38:24,498
with Paul's account.
632
00:38:28,740 --> 00:38:31,010
The agent told tracie that Paul said,
633
00:38:31,109 --> 00:38:32,609
"you're the one who did it."
634
00:38:34,146 --> 00:38:36,646
At that point, she gave a slight chuckle.
635
00:38:38,784 --> 00:38:41,794
Said yes, I went and got the cord
636
00:38:44,823 --> 00:38:46,393
and wrapped it around my mother's throat.
637
00:38:50,429 --> 00:38:52,729
Tracie miles admits that she strangled
638
00:38:52,831 --> 00:38:55,701
her own mother to death
with a telephone cord.
639
00:38:59,638 --> 00:39:02,068
Paul and tracie's actions after the killing
640
00:39:02,174 --> 00:39:04,174
leave detectives in no doubt
641
00:39:04,276 --> 00:39:06,736
that this was a callous, cold-blooded murder.
642
00:39:10,515 --> 00:39:12,775
They took the VCR, they went back
643
00:39:12,918 --> 00:39:15,848
into the house and walked around Sandy's body.
644
00:39:20,692 --> 00:39:24,532
She was asked specifically as
to why this murder occurred.
645
00:39:24,629 --> 00:39:27,059
She said, on the 25th, there have been
646
00:39:27,165 --> 00:39:29,765
a really bad argument
647
00:39:29,868 --> 00:39:32,198
between tracie and her mother.
648
00:39:32,304 --> 00:39:34,944
Sandy was gonna take tracie's
car away from her
649
00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:36,840
because of the ticket
she had gotten,
650
00:39:36,942 --> 00:39:38,582
and the price of the car insurance
651
00:39:38,677 --> 00:39:41,137
was being raised so high.
652
00:39:41,246 --> 00:39:44,876
And tracie was extremely upset
about that fact.
653
00:39:44,983 --> 00:39:47,483
She was not going to have
her car taken away from her.
654
00:39:51,923 --> 00:39:53,863
She was basically
655
00:39:53,925 --> 00:39:56,285
stone-faced about it, that it happened,
656
00:39:56,395 --> 00:39:57,455
it needed to be done.
657
00:40:00,132 --> 00:40:03,832
She showed no remorse and acted as if
658
00:40:03,935 --> 00:40:08,035
she didn't care one bit,
and that she was glad
659
00:40:08,140 --> 00:40:09,940
it was done.
660
00:40:14,045 --> 00:40:16,075
They just came to
the conclusion jointly
661
00:40:16,181 --> 00:40:17,711
that this is what we need to do
662
00:40:17,816 --> 00:40:20,776
to be able to stay together
and keep the mustang.
663
00:40:22,621 --> 00:40:24,221
Two weeks after the killing,
664
00:40:24,322 --> 00:40:27,662
tracie miles and Paul Nelson
are charged with the murder of
665
00:40:27,759 --> 00:40:28,829
Sandy miles.
666
00:40:30,562 --> 00:40:33,462
17-year-old tracie is charged as an adult.
667
00:40:38,236 --> 00:40:41,036
I don't think it was bad that
she was charged as an adult.
668
00:40:42,207 --> 00:40:43,737
She knew right from wrong.
669
00:40:45,610 --> 00:40:50,280
For me, specifically,
in my little community.
670
00:40:50,382 --> 00:40:52,752
It wasn't just someone in town
671
00:40:52,851 --> 00:40:56,121
you knew of --
you -- you knew her.
672
00:40:56,221 --> 00:40:58,421
I think it shocked the whole community.
673
00:40:59,691 --> 00:41:03,291
At the trial on
march 1, 1999, both tracie
674
00:41:03,395 --> 00:41:06,155
and Paul plead no contest to
the charges against them.
675
00:41:09,534 --> 00:41:11,474
They both receive life sentences.
676
00:41:13,338 --> 00:41:16,138
I spoke for the family,
and I asked the judge
677
00:41:16,241 --> 00:41:19,641
to sentence them to
the longest time possible
678
00:41:19,744 --> 00:41:22,654
and have the sentences be consecutively.
679
00:41:26,017 --> 00:41:29,747
There is certainly something
in tracie that is evil.
680
00:41:33,825 --> 00:41:36,125
So we asked to go see her,
681
00:41:36,261 --> 00:41:38,061
and,
682
00:41:38,163 --> 00:41:42,103
you know, she showed no emotion.
683
00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:43,400
So we ask her why,
684
00:41:44,936 --> 00:41:47,396
but she couldn't tell US.
685
00:41:47,506 --> 00:41:50,336
The only thing I said was,
"your mom wanted so much more
686
00:41:50,442 --> 00:41:51,812
"for you.
687
00:41:51,910 --> 00:41:54,110
"She wanted you to make
something of yourself.
688
00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:56,910
And that won't happen now."
689
00:41:58,717 --> 00:42:01,277
Despite the successful prosecution,
690
00:42:01,386 --> 00:42:04,546
Sandy's friends and family
struggled to come to terms
691
00:42:04,656 --> 00:42:06,286
with what happened.
692
00:42:06,391 --> 00:42:09,191
I never thought she'd be capable
693
00:42:09,294 --> 00:42:11,164
of being involved in anything like this.
694
00:42:15,166 --> 00:42:17,226
Normal people don't do that.
695
00:42:18,436 --> 00:42:22,306
No matter how mad
or upset or angry they get.
696
00:42:22,407 --> 00:42:23,637
That's not what normal people do.
697
00:42:23,742 --> 00:42:25,812
That's how monsters behave,
so...
53623
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