What do you think you have in your hands? >> I don't know. I was saying that I I'm being charged with homicide. >> Well, we're investigating it. >> It was Kevin's idea and it was talked about after we were having relations. [music] >> When did start to change? >> Um, it all started not with but with massages. >> Does he ever tell you, hey, you can't tell anybody about this? all the time. >> Family secrets often remain hidden in the innermost areas of the home away from prying eyes. But what happens when the loss of a life leads the cops to unearth sick family secrets that leave everyone mortified? >> Picked her up AND SHE WASN'T BREATHING AND SHE JUST STOPPED BREATHING AND I DON'T REMEMBER the go inside and what do you see? >> I I seen flies come out her like flies in her mouth. >> LIKE I DIDN'T BEAT MY KIDS. I DON'T KNOW WHO BEAT MY KIDS BUT IT'S NOT ME. PLEASE, IF I GO BACK TO JAIL, I'M NOT GETTING OUT. Here are the times when cops find out sick family secrets that lead to disturbing. To begin, let us look into this case about a moneyhungry woman who took her mother's life for personal gain. >> So, what would your expectation is that this woman here is your mother is hiding your grandmother from you? >> Yeah. >> For what reason? >> She's trying to take the money from her that you think is entitled to you. >> Carol, obviously something probably happened to your mother, right? You know something that you're not telling us. >> These towels. There's in here. It's all It's She's in there. >> She's in the house. >> Oh, she's in there. >> On January the 22nd, 2020, the concerned grandson of 69year-old Patricia Benet, John Benet, reached out to the police to conduct a welfare check on her after he had been unable to reach her for well over a month. Following the complaint, officers visited the elderly woman's home where she resided with her 50-year-old daughter, Carol Ray. Um, grandma's Patricia. Mom is Carol. >> Hi. >> Are you Carol? >> Yes. >> Is Patricia here? >> No, she's not. She's getting her B12 or something like that with Dr. Positive. >> It's not written down anywhere in here. >> Uh, maybe on No, she writes down on Dr. T on the um old calendar. this a little girl. >> This is my daughter Alison, her granddaughter. >> Hi. >> Oh, okay. >> Does she live here with you? >> Yeah, we live here. >> Your grandma or your my sorry? >> Yeah, she's been uh >> she's been staying over at her sister's house for a couple of uh couple of days cuz we just got diagnosed with pneumonia and got home from the hospital. I had a diverticulitis that ruptured. >> Okay. >> So, >> so she's back here though staying here primarily now? clothes. >> I mean, all of her clothes and everything are here. Um, she came by yesterday and she was here last, not last night, but night before last. And she was here yesterday for until about 5:00 p.m. and pick up her medications. Okay. >> And a fresh change of clothes and stuff like that. Okay. >> Well, the reason we're here is because your children are concerned about [music] your grandma. >> My son John. Yeah. He sent you guys over last night which I contacted my mother about and she had a fit and I was going to go down to the Lville Police Department today about it. Well, there's a little bit of a financial money issue between my mother and my oldest son John. Okay. >> And he borrows a lot of money from him and doesn't repay it. He's got a truck in the backyard. She bought him a car in the garage that she bought him that she took back because he didn't pay the insurance on it. >> So my mom is a very finicky woman. She got >> [ __ ] [music] about that. And I'll call him when I goddamn ready to call him. I got things to take care of. Okay. Okay. Okay. My mom I said she's 69 this year. >> Where's her room here? >> I know it's right back here. >> Can we just look at it? >> Yeah. You want to see where her clothes is and everything? >> You want to show them where I'm sorry, baby. You want to show them where Grandma Be's room is? Her room is the last one on the right. Alison is the first one on the left here. We haven't met Natalie sleep in this bedroom since Grandma Be spent the night. so that she can have her stuff on. >> All my mom's stuff >> and all our clothes are in there. >> All my mom's stuff is right there. There's clothes that she just lost. >> Okay. >> All right. We're good. >> We just We get the call, you know, and then there's one side of the story and then there's the other. So, if he's got everyone worked up like he said, he might call, someone else might call, and you don't want us showing up here a million times. So, >> we want to just in person, hey, you're fine. >> That's all we need to do. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> All righty. >> All righty. Thank you. You're welcome. Have a good day. >> After speaking with Carol, police officers contacted the hospital where she alleged that her mother had visited for treatment. The hospital's confirmation that Patricia never came in would be the first of many lies that made Carol a prime suspect in her mother's disappearance. >> I just don't get why my grandma would make a Facebook post saying she's at home. You guys show up and she's not there. >> And that as soon as you pulled away, she texted my dad. That >> there may be other circumstances that uh we're not aware of or the family's not aware of. >> I just had a piss off. So what your expectation is that this woman here is who's your mother is hiding your grandmother from you? >> Yeah. >> For what reason? >> She's trying to take the money from her that you think is entitled to you. >> No her >> grandmother what? >> Our grandma raised us. >> Raised you. Okay. Okay. >> So generally yes. I'm really concerned. >> Our mom's been in and out of our life where she's at. >> Right. Okay. No, our mom was never in her life >> and I just don't want my grandma to be >> passed away and she's collecting or hopefully she's just hiding her cuz she's sick >> and my grandma doesn't want us. No, I rather have a pissed off grandma than a missing or >> Well, if she's then I mean if she's got a body hiding somewhere or has done away with her, I mean, and then trying to collect social security or whatever she receives. I mean, it takes some effort. My grandma has fraudulent uh >> has when was it? What? >> A couple years ago. >> A couple years ago. Okay. And what happened to those charges? >> I think my grandma decided to not pursue them. >> Okay. >> Police. I had like >> Uhhuh. >> lock her up cuz that's your daughter. But >> I'm not trying to get her in trouble, but why would you keep lying lying and lying? But so that's why I'm thinking that nothing's adding up. >> My grandma just texted me again. Okay. Send >> talks to my house again. My grandma's not at the house. >> As time passed, officers became more certain that Patricia's disappearance was a result of foul play and her daughter, Carol, was at the top of their suspect list. To gain a better idea of the kind of person Carol was, the cops brought in her son and ex with whom she shared a daughter. >> We're just going to record you and I. >> All right. >> All right. So, when did you physically last see your grandmother eye to eye? >> Probably after Halloween, beginning of November before I went to North Carolina. I came back from North Carolina. during Thanksgiving. So then it's here. Went there on Christmas. Didn't see her. I've been calling her and asking her to call me. I need to hear your voice. Or have my mom have you call me. I need to hear your voice. Or I'm going to do welfare check. I threatened that a couple weeks ago yesterday. I just cracked and finally called it in. >> And now you haven't had any voice contact with her since Thanksgiving. >> Texting me off her phone or off her Facebook. I know it's not her just because the words they use. It's not how my grandma talks. >> When was the last time you saw Carol? Last time I saw Carol period. >> Not Carol. Um, Patricia. >> Oh, okay. I'm like I'm like every time I drop my daughter. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or like like Patricia. Contact with Patricia. Yes. >> Yeah. It was around Halloween time. I did receive one text message the other day stating that she was um sorry for holding up Carol. Carol and my daughter were supposed to hang out because it was my birthday this weekend. Came around 6:00. So I text like what the [ __ ] going on? You know, it's my birthday. We're supposed to be celebrating it and blah blah blah. who you, Carol, and Allison are supposed to be celebrating on Sunday, your birthday, >> right? And then, um, I get a text message from Carol, Carol's mom, but it doesn't read like Carol's mom, but it says, "So, I am holding her up, signing over the cars and giving her title to house and insurance stuff so she can get that stuff fined Monday." It gets kind of when Carol types, a lot of times it comes up kind of uh misspelled. It's cuz she glasses and stuff like that. The only contact that you've had with her was from a random message and she said that she was with my aunt. So I did some research. I went there today and spoke to my anchor. She hasn't spoken with my grandma since 2015 and she was messaging me today while we were there with the cops saying that she was home and messaging my dad that she was home. Well, we know she wasn't there cuz the cops were there. My dad screened them all and sent me those messages. >> Okay. Can you email those to me? Um, one thing I do know, and I mean in this type of situation, I would hope it's more true than it is the other, is um, I've been I mean I've known like I've known Carol since I've been 20. I mean like bold face like you can show her like here's a picture of you and I have. Here's a picture of you doing this and da it's not me. [laughter] I mean so so she's always been a a chronic chronic liar especially when she's off her meds. Um, she cuz she does take um lots of medicines longer than I think even when we were together. I mean, you you I'm sure you can get her list of medicines that she was taking, but I guess she she lost she lost her um therapist, so she has not had medicine for the last couple months. And when that happens, things get kind of wonky with her. >> Many other conversations >> other than calling the house phone, social media, off of Messenger, calling her that way, texting her, nothing. And then on 12th of January, my mom texted me off her phone saying, "Grandma be sleeping, getting over pneumonia here." I was like, "Have her call me. I need to hear her voice. She never does this. She always calls me." And there was no response. >> It wasn't normal for her son to accuse his own mother of such a heinous crime. But John seemed pretty confident that Carol was up to no good. And following the interrogation, officers paid Carol one more visit to clear all doubts. >> Hello. >> Hi again. >> Hi. Is she here now? >> No, she's up at the Weber Cancer Institute getting her B12 shot. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be creepy with you, but >> where is she at? >> We're just getting conflict in the information. >> The doctor's office that you told us she went to. She's not there. >> Which cardiovascular is where she goes? Dr. Deposit is who treats her lucidic white blood cell cancer. >> Not the white blood cell. >> You said she was at Woods cardiovascular >> because she has a lot of >> What's your What's your daughter's name? >> It's Addison. >> Addison. Allison. >> Alison, >> you're just uh getting conflicting information from >> That's a nice balloon. >> Thank you. >> Cardiovascular is where she's been treated. >> Mhm. Mhm. >> Yeah. So >> is where she's been treated for a long time with Dr. >> How did she get there? >> How did she get there? >> Her sister drives her or driver. >> You didn't drive her today. So today. >> And sometimes her neighbor across the street. >> How did she get there today though? I believe her sister >> her sister. >> The sister that lives in Warren. >> Yes. >> Okay. But you don't have your sister's number. >> I don't talk with my aunt or my uncle. >> Well, last night's okay. >> She stayed over there. When the officer came here, she did not speak directly to her. She spoke to me. >> Okay. Because she was at my aunt. She was here. Yes. Right before last. >> Is that your phone? >> She was here. >> Yes. That's when I just hear you. >> Listen, we just want to know where this lady is. >> I understand. But you guys are upsetting. my daughter and you're upsetting me. >> She doesn't look upset. Um >> cuz you don't hear what she says when she leaves. I just went through a really bad domestic divorce situation and CPS up my butt for the past two. >> We're not here. But that's not what we're here for. We're here to find out if your mom's okay. We got a bunch of people who are concerned about her and no one seems to know where she is. my son's father. My son and his brother, which he's got his brother on high alert now, which his brother's wife was just here yesterday morning while my mom was laying on the couch to pick up $200 to do her tabs for the car for my son's car. >> That going to >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> I mean, >> I can show you a picture of my mom. She's sending messages telling everyone she's here. >> She's currently here. No, she's coming back here because she just called. >> She just called. Why don't you call it right now while we're here? >> Yeah. >> And she's on her way. Then shortly we'll be able to resolve this. >> Can I turn this back on to her? >> Yeah. >> You can see that I'm actually >> Oh, >> you want to put on speaker phone? >> Will she answer you? >> I don't know. She went up there to get her B12. I know she's supposed to be calling John because John's the one that started this like three, four nights ago threatening to call if >> she didn't talk to him. Yeah. If she didn't talk to him by noon the next day. I had her call before she went to Sam's Club. >> 11:45 11:50. >> Is it possible then that she could just speak to John? >> Directly? >> Yeah. Well, then why hasn't she >> like face to face so that they're at ease? Well, >> she said, "We're sending messages to each. Do >> you want to call her again?" >> People were just concerned. >> I'm sorry. She was talking. You were talking. The phone was ringing. What did you say? >> Why can't your mother directly speak to John? Not through a message, not through text. >> She can't I don't have nothing to do with her and John, though. >> Well, that's why we're here. >> I'm getting stuck in the middle of it. >> Yes. And so are we. >> So are we. We have to figure we have to see her. Do you want to just try to call her again? >> What's the doctor's office she's at? >> Which cardio? No, the Weber Cancer Center is behind Mcome Hospital. >> When the hospital yet again confirmed that Patricia never came in. Officers knew that they were being played and it was time to involve detectives. >> Doesn't look okay. >> Son of this does go downhill and she starts making any admissions. Let's stop. Get her to the station. We'll do a search warrant or whatever we have to do from the house. But she starts >> You want to do a consent search first so we can gather in the house first. Does she have consent? >> Yeah, let's start out with that. >> She's already let me go through the house. >> She go through the garage. >> I have not been through the >> cars and check the cars. >> No, I just went through the house. This could go south quickly. So, she's she's at her breaking. >> This is Detective Garrick. >> Excuse me. Yes. >> Hi. >> So, we're gonna I mean, if you don't mind, we'll get consent from you to search the house to see if there's anything that would lead us to think of who she may have went with to help you out and figure out where she's went. >> Mhm. >> She didn't she didn't tell you otherwise, right? You're under the impression she was supposed to be with her sister. >> Yes. >> That's what she told you. >> Y [music] >> who who lives in the house? >> I do. My mom and this little girl are older. >> Has she done this in the past? My mom doesn't tell anybody where she when she does. >> And your but your son seemed pretty concerned that she was in there. >> My son Jonathan. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> But she [clears throat] tells you that she's with your sister her sister. >> That's got me >> That's concerning. Correct. >> That's got me worried, but not worried, but aggravated. >> She's not answering her phone calls. The people that she says she's with, she's not. >> Mhm. >> That's got me aggravated >> because >> I won't feel right if I leave this house without looking for anything that can point us in the right direction. Mhm. >> I want to do my job properly and make sure that and I guarantee [music] when she walks back in this door and she finds out that I search for her through her stuff to help try to find her. She's probably going to be okay with it because that's what most people will be okay with. Correct. >> I'll open up her bedroom door so you can see her stuff or whatever. I'll unlock the car for you so you can look at it and whatever or whatever you want to do. I don't want to sign anything and get in trouble. >> Okay. >> There's all of her games. >> Okay. When your mom left, did she take like a toothbrush, a bag of clothes, like she was spending the night anywhere? No, >> she had a personal thing. >> Yeah. Does she normally sleep over people's house without um >> Well, she does. She did this time. She has in the past. >> She does have obviously medical issues. >> Oh, yeah. She's had medical issues for a while. She takes >> What I'm saying is that that's also when we're looking at somebody being missing, it's concerning cuz anything can happen where she's had COPD. She's got she's had a stroke already. >> You understand she's >> out there. You seem very concerned. I'm trying I'm more concerned for your mom than you are. >> I am concerned. I just I've talked to her and seen her in the past 24 48 hours [music] >> and but now >> I'm frazzled because she's lied to me about talking to my and I don't know why she would do that. >> So I mean we're concerned cuz your mom >> your mom left but she didn't even pack a bag to go you know >> for an overnight she normally won't even when she came up to my trailer that I was remodeling up my whole room. So for like an overnight, you don't pack like a just a toothbrush, a change of clothes, underwear, >> any teeth. >> With multiple sources disproving Carol's claim about Patricia's whereabouts, it became evident to the cops that she was concealing something sinister. >> Obviously, something's going on here. We're We're fairly certain something's going on. We need to start fresh and we need to tell you, we need you to tell us exactly what happened. >> Your story is not adding up. your story. I go through it very quickly. >> You're extremely nervous. >> Well, yeah. I had the police here last night and today again, >> Carol, obviously something probably happened to your mother, right? You know something that you're not telling us. That's that's apparent to us. We're we're trained investigators. We we know when something's not right and something isn't right. You have many people outside of you that are concerned about your mother's whereabouts. Where is she at, Carol? >> I don't know because she honestly descends what she told her when she left here. >> Now, listen to me. >> Few things. >> You're lying a lot. Okay. I'm I'm now at a point where I don't believe anything you're saying. Okay. I've now confirmed another part of your story that's wrong. So, you need to come clean now. Let me know where your mother's at. If she's in this house or in your garage that she passed away from natural causes or whatever it is and you didn't want to do anything cuz maybe you needed some extra money for social security or whatever it is, we can get through it. But right now, what you're doing is you're hiding somebody who's possibly Okay. >> Absolutely not. >> Carol, she hasn't been in this house in 2 months, 3 months. >> Yes, she has. She's got dirty clothes in the laundry room. She's got clean clothes hanging right there. What does it have to do with anything? That that's that's neither here nor there. [laughter] >> I don't I mean >> what what's going on? What what's going on in your life? >> Her hair that we have to get through. >> Yeah, that's odd because she left for the night. Wouldn't she want to brush her hair in the morning? >> Despite Carol refusing to grant the officers permission to search the property, they were two steps ahead and got consent from Carol's boyfriend, Ricky, who was also a legal occupant. >> Boyfriend's here. just want to look up here real quick. Hey, you open that fit in here. >> I mean, bloody >> Oh, all right. >> Bloody towels. There's in here. It's all It's >> She's in there. >> She's in the house. >> Oh, she's in there. >> She's in there. Open. Let's see. >> Hold on. I don't know. Hang on. Hold on. >> I don't know. I'm not just >> No, I know. He's looking. He's looking. I don't No, nothing. I think we I opened up that grave bin and it's full of bloody towels. It stinks like a body. >> Are you kidding me? >> Swear to God. Hey, you got to get the search warrant up. >> Huh? >> For what? >> If it's in there, Baker wants >> for what? >> If there searching for the body's bloody pillow in here. >> Yeah, there's a body. >> Yep. >> Where? >> You see the legs in the far corner? >> Okay. >> I'll go get this thing up. Somebody said he was back here. So, he needs to Everybody needs >> That's a boyfriend. He just showed up. We've been looking for >> Hi, Lieutenant. Um, I just opened up a big plastic storage bin and uh smelled really bad. It was full of blood and towels and you can see a body in there. So, that's kind of where we're at. >> All right, >> we hook her, bring her in. What about >> everybody was saying people, the brothers, we need to find out what they were telling officers cuz they were saying he was like in the back back there yesterday. >> It was coming and going. Somebody seen >> there was still moisture on the top of that. I opened it and there's still moisture on top. So that's not been in there long. >> And they were somebody we got to talk to over there. They said, "Hey, you know, the door was open yesterday and he was coming and going and then all of a sudden his car was gone." This dude, whose boyfriend is it? This is the parent. >> I said we're bring >> Even though the cops already had their suspicions that Carol was hiding something evil, nothing prepared them for the level of horror that they would discover inside the garage. With such a grizzly discovery, Carol was immediately arrested and taken to the police station where she had lots of questions to answer. >> Obviously, Carol, we're here to talk to you about what's going on here. The further we let this keep rolling, the further it's going to get without you being able to, you know, [clears throat] shed some light on this. Okay. >> I say something and it comes out wrong or something like that because it's like an accident. [laughter] I'm just so explain. >> You explain the truth and it will come out as the truth. >> I don't believe so. I'm I'm not I can't give you advice. But if you want to tell your story, you can tell it how it is. I don't have to ask you any questions. If you want to get it out, you can do that. At the same time, once I tell you right, if you don't want to talk, you don't have to talk. >> At night, we were sleeping between 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. in the morning, and I heard loud baby. My daughter, and I were sleeping, and I was in the back, my mom was sleeping on the couch. Anyways, There was a big crash and it sounded like someone was breaking through the glass window or breaking down the door and I grabbed my gun. I remember running down the hallway and had my training finger on the trigger like an idiot with not running but walking back down the hallway and I hit with my right foot to the short not making my feel like this and it went off doing shove her shoulder and then I gurgling and I screamed mom and pulled her on the floor and I noticed blood coming out Now that Carol's secret had been uncovered, she needed to come up with a believable explanation. And what better way than to claim it was all an accident. But her story was once again disproved when officers returned to her house to search for more evidence. >> Going off of what you said yesterday, I know said you're walking down the hallway and the hander. You're walking the owls right there. He tripped you finger on the trigger and then my mom correct. Okay. You saw your mom bleeding and then weird. >> Oh I I thought you said you start coming out early and it freaked [music] me out and I dropped [clears throat] out of my shoulder called her name. I called her name. some sexually. >> So after that happened, obviously you found your mom in a container in the garage. Now obviously my concern is kind of understand how she got there, but you got to explain to me because to me it seems you're back and everything that you could do this by yourself. So can you walk me through? I understand obviously panic everything's not you're freaking out and [clears throat] it's your mother you love right and so is waking up okay can you kind of walk me through the minutes after all that happened let me ask you this was Ricky there that night >> the 50-year-old story about her mother's demise being an accident held up for as long as it could but when the autopsy results came in an entirely fresh angle of the case was introduced >> you want to bring up is they obviously did an auto. Um they found some puncture wounds in her neck. Three puncture wounds. Not an old scar, but actual fresh puncture wounds in her neck. How did those get at all? >> Did she ever with anything after the fact? I'm not saying you'reing her, but like >> you know what I'm saying? I'm saying I don't know. Maybe girl if she was suffering or anything like that. >> Cuz here's what I don't want to get caught up once they tell us exactly how deep they were. If it was a condri, it could be really we have to get everything out here now to try to do something with those wounds that don't cause those wounds or anything like that. >> So I want you to think right now what could have possibly caused postponing or anything like that. preliminary look like knife fresh like fresh puncture of a knife or something again want to put words in your mouth don't want you to implicate anybody that's not implicated that'll get you in more trouble you more trouble but as we sit investigate and continue to investigate in the days and weeks months to come more things are going to come out I'm pretty certain of that and already know eventually what happened. >> Not to my knowledge. >> Did orig >> Well, I'm not saying that. That's all I'm saying. I'm saying, do you understand where when these things can't be answered? That's kind of odd. >> 100%. >> Can Can I ask you this with with going back to puncture? Could you freaked out after you when she was still breathing and you wanted to make sure that at this point it's no good for her to be like this? >> Absolutely not. I wouldn't know. Absolutely not. >> Did you Did maybe you kind of see like this sounds terrible, but like is she alive? >> I know I'm not alone. Okay. >> Carol was later charged with first-degree and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The gruesomeness in this case is only a tiny fraction of the next where a secret affair between a daughter and her father led to a wellplanned slaughter scheme. >> Manies have never been the best. Mhm. >> I mean, I've never tried to hurt her. Never had any thoughts of hurting her. Yeah. It's been emotional and mental from hurt to me. You should have told me I did it. >> Yes. I most of that blood was probably hurt. >> You came to the house. You had the knife in your hand. >> Are you sure it wasn't so fun? >> On November the 16th, 2012, 13-year-old Megan Zanella dialed 911 to report one of the most gruesome domestic crimes ever. Her foster sister had viciously taken the life of their mother, Lisa Nofl. When officers arrived at the location, they found the suspect, Serena Zunik, drenched in red fluid with a homicide weapon still in her hand. The case will later set off a chain of confessions to reveal one of the most dirtiest family secrets ever. >> What do you uh what do you recall >> yesterday? >> Mhm. getting done with my homework. I'm getting final and that's it. >> Mhm. >> I'm going to bed >> and we're at home. >> Mhm. >> Would anything unusual happen? >> I don't know. Everything went fine according to what I knew of. >> Mhm. What What happened? Starting from >> starting from when you got home from school yesterday. >> Okay. I got home, went to do my homework, then we had him helper and then I went back to doing my homework. Stayed doing our homework till like 1:00. I went upstairs. No, it was like 12:00. Went upstairs, tried to go to sleep. I couldn't go to sleep. So I went to go get some Advil. >> Mhm. >> Ibuprofen because my head hurts cuz I have really bad headaches. I wonder how they feeling. >> And after that >> where where did you take um ibuprofen from? >> In Kevin's bathroom. That's where it's held. >> Kevin and Lisa's bedroom. That's where it's held. >> Kevin and Lisa's bedroom. Okay. Um where where is it at? Is it actually in a medicine cabinet? >> Okay. Is it on the first shelf? The second shelf? The third shelf? You recall? >> I believe that there's only two shelves. >> Okay. >> It's on the bottom. >> On the bottom shelf. >> So, you went in her bed is her bathroom in her bedroom. >> Mhm. Disconnected. >> Mhm. Was uh Lisa still awake? >> I don't I don't know. I just remember going in there having the bottle starting to shake to get the medicine and then I'm gone from there. >> Thank you. Okay. >> Do you remember what the what the bottle said? >> Ibuprofen. >> Ibuprofen. >> Wait. There was orange. >> Okay. Are you Are you allowed in the bathroom? >> Really? Um to get adm or something like that. >> Uhhuh. >> I call up every question. >> This isn't that not unless they're there or you know told to. So >> what did Lisa say to you then when she saw you in her? >> Don't know. I don't know if you did yours. >> No, I don't remember anything at that point. Huh? >> What do you remember? >> Everything except >> Were you taking any little illegal narcotics yesterday? >> No, you don't do drugs. >> You don't do the last time you did drugs? >> Three and a half years ago. >> Three and a half years ago. Okay. Um, you have not had any any illegal? Okay. Um, you were at home all night yesterday. Okay. Um, after you ate dinner, did you uh um did you have this opportunity to say goodbye to Kevin? >> I was at the computer desk. >> At the computer desk? >> No, I went to the living room also because I was printing my bracelet and I mean I was in the living room. I was in the kitchen and I was in the office. Excuse me. I mean I believe so. Yeah. He just said bye cuz he always says bye to everybody. >> Mhm. >> Okay. >> Then we either say bye to kisses him. Well >> okay. >> You had an argument or anything with Lisa last night? >> No. >> No. >> Everything was fine. >> Okay. >> From the beginning of the interrogation, the detectives knew that it was going to be a long ride as Sabrina chose to play the no memory card. But because the detectives were familiar with this game, they remained attentive, waiting for her to mess up and [music] spill more than intended. >> Have you had these type of issues in the past where you just don't remember things? >> I I don't I'm not positive. I mean, I know I was in other group homes. When I was in a fight with other people, I blacked out. >> Mhm. >> I don't remember it. Have you ever been checked? >> What do you mean? >> Medically? Yeah. >> Yeah, I go to a pediatric. >> Okay. And you take um >> five once a day. >> Okay. And what are those meds for? >> Vivian is for ADHD for mood stabilizers. So, there stabilizes your moods. Okay. What do you think you have in your hands? >> I don't know. I was saying that I'm being charged with homicide. >> Well, I'm investigating it. >> Do you remember blood being all over you? >> No, but I can see it all over my legs. >> There's blood all over your face or blood all over your body. That's why you're not in your clothes. Do you remember your clothes? >> What happened to your hands? I mean, did you see when they were at the at the hospital that what what your hands look like? >> No. >> You didn't see it? So, you don't know what's wrong with your hands? >> They obviously have been cut because they told me that >> they were cut. It's cut pretty bad. >> Five stitches. >> How many? >> Five. >> Five in your what? Right hand. >> Two and one. Which one is >> good? Did you see the stitches? Did you see what they did? No. >> You You have no idea how that could have happened? >> Nothing. >> When the detectives saw that they were going nowhere, they decided to change the course of the interrogation and asked about her foster father, Kevin Nofel, who would turn out to be one of the greatest leads in the case. >> How do you get along with Kevin? >> Kevin and me are cool. >> I mean, he's more the one that helps me out >> because this has Megan to deal with. Megan has in mental instabilities herself. >> Okay. >> And so we made agreements a long time ago that if I need anything that I can go to Kevin and if it was major that she needed to be involved in then he would ask but not to be concerned about small things because it's already stretching her out because of her job and Haley and Megan. >> How about with Lisa? How you feeling with her? >> Me and Lisa have never been the best. I mean, I've never tried to hurt her. Never had any thoughts of hurting her. Yet, it's been emotional and mental from her to me. She put her hands on me, not fighting, but restraining me cuz I wouldn't give an iPod to her. And I don't know. I I don't know. She never seemed to like me and she's been wanting me out of the house. >> What's your thoughts on how Lisa is not alive now. >> What >> What is your What are your thoughts on that? That she is not alive. >> Maybe you understand. That's That's what we're talking to you about. >> So, you >> Mhm. She's dead. >> You should tell me I did it. >> Yes. I most of that blood was probably hers. That's why we need you to concentrate and think about what happened. >> When asked about her relationship with Lisa, Sabrina claims that Lisa, for some reason, disliked her. Whether she was telling the truth or not, the detectives would uncover that in due time. >> There's always two sides every story and we want to know what you had to say about it and we know you were there. You know, there were officers that got to the house after the, you know, they were called. So, we just need you to focus on what happened. You know, you got you were doing homework and you know, you got yourself to the bedroom to get the medicine. What you need to do now is bring it all together and think real hard about maybe what happened next. And then that'll explain how you got some wounds to your hands. Okay. >> What's going to Haley, Megan, and Kevin. >> H >> What's going to happen to Haley, Megan, and Kevin? >> Haley, Megan, and Kevin are all safe. They're They're at home, but right now, Haley's with Judy. All right. [snorts] And Megan's with her dad. And Kevin's with Judy also. Anything coming back? >> No. >> Recall coming out of the bedroom with a knife in your hand? >> No. >> Well, that you had a knife. You stay at least, son. >> I did. >> M did admit and Megan called the police. >> That can't be true. >> Bri, it is. I'm sorry. >> It seems pretty convenient that the only thing Sabrina couldn't remember from that day was taking Lisa's life. However, the detectives were determined to find out what pushed [music] her to commit such a despicable act against her own mother. >> Where do you think you got the knife from? >> I don't believe I got the knife. >> You had a knife? >> I I don't believe it. It's true. >> You remember when we came to the house, you had the knife in your hand. >> Are you sure it wasn't self-defense? >> Yeah. >> I don't remember. >> Mhm. Like two police officers there that saw you with the knife and and ordered you to drop it. >> Did I? >> Well, yes. >> Why do you say that's so iffy? You did. You set it like that cuz if they hadn't you could have been hurt. >> You threw the knife down. Then they made you get on the floor and put handcuffs on you. >> Do you recall? Do you recall that part of it there? >> I the little bit that I recall seeing on the floor drooling and then I did. You remember Megan coming in? >> No. >> No. >> Remember Haley coming in? >> Megan and Haley were both there. >> Mhm. >> Yep. >> You're saying everything. So what you're saying is true. You're letting me American zombie her mother. >> Correct. Nobody needs to see that. >> No, you're right. You're >> right. I >> mean, it's just between you and Lisa. Nobody else should have seen that. >> I'm sorry. >> It's okay. >> Ow. Try with your shoulder head. I think they gave me a poop. >> With Sabrina's claim of memory loss, it became more complicated for the detectives to determine the motive behind her actions. >> Nothing's coming to No. >> Remember Megan or Haley saying anything to you? >> Remember Megan trying to pull you off? Her mom telling you to stop. >> So they were in there and trying to pull me off. Brian, it is true. You understand right and wrong and truth and a lie. Do you remember any of these things? I don't think you remember what I told you. Okay. That's what happened. Every everything will be okay. Just not with me. >> No, it's not going to be okay for a lot of people. I know some things for sure. I know Megan was yelling at you to stop. Do you recall any of that? No, >> I'm going to tell you how I know this cuz she called 911 and I can hear both of you in the background. >> Oh, why can't I remember this? >> I don't know. That's why I will talk to you. I I don't know. Nothing. You remember it would trigger anything like this? You ever had a situation like this ever? >> No, >> I've never slept off before. >> Yeah, with my grandma long time ago. >> Yeah. What happened then? I was in her bed and I guess I just tried to walk out of the house, come back and it laid down. >> I mean, this is what [snorts] happened. But you honestly do not remember. >> You know where the nights are in your house? >> Yes, but that's only because I either use them to cook or I put away the dish moisture. Recall going in the kitchen last night and grabbing a knife? >> No. >> Following the tragic loss of Lisa, her friends and family began to notice how unmoved Kevin was to [music] his wife's passing. Surprisingly, he began funding a lavish lifestyle using the life insurance money he received. 6 months later, however, Kevin's indifference [music] to Lisa's demise began to make sense when Sabrina decided to come forward and tell the truth. This >> is Kevin Canafal, my foster father. It was Kevin's idea and it was talked about after we were having relations and him and Lisa were having problems in marriage. He wanted to get a divorce, but Haley, which is a 3-year-old daughter of his and her, was in the picture and he wanted full custody. She would get custody or it would be shared and he didn't want that happening. So the alternative was for this to happen. >> When was it after you started to live there on a daily basis that your relationship with Kevin changed? When did you start to change? >> Um it all started not with but with massages because he was a truck driver and his legs would cramp. So it was inner thigh. Then it progressively got into >> Does he ever tell you, "Hey, you can't tell anybody about this >> all the time." >> Did you say what would happen if you don't? >> Then you'd be taken out of my care and I could lose my foster parent license. >> What did you say in response to that? >> I would never do that. >> Okay. >> Tell on him. >> In the end, both Sabrina and Kevin were sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years. If you are horrified by Lisa and Kevin's story, the disturbing case in Matthew who took the life of his secret girlfriend will surely leave you more a gasast. >> She is a girlfriend of mine. >> Oh my god, I'm married. >> Did she make any threat threat before that was going to herself? >> She just crammed into her head. >> Nothing is adding up there. And then like my partner says, you end up putting her hand by a gun, which is not something that's normal. >> On the 16th of December 2022, 45-year-old Matthew Eker called 911 to report that a friend of his, 32-year-old Alexandra Penning, had shot herself in the bathroom of her apartment. After receiving the chilling 911 call, a team of officers drove down to the apartment complex where they were ushered in by a visibly distressed Matthew. Too late. >> Too late. >> Okay. >> Oh my god. >> Just lash the door. >> Yeah, [snorts] we we left the door. Oh my god. >> Being the only witness to the grizzly incident, officers turned to Matthew for details of what he had witnessed. Matthew's narration of events would later end up being a confession [music] to a secret that he had kept hidden from family for over 2 years, and subsequent events would reveal how far he was willing to go to keep his affair a secret. >> I'm going to be totally unspeakable. Just just take your time. Take your time. Keep breathing and you can just when you're ready. Okay. You're not in a rush. >> Oh my god. Why should you do it? >> Oh god. Why' she do that? Just keep breathing. You >> got to keep breathing. >> Slowly. Don't do it too fast. You're going to go easy and you're going to press out. I don't want that. I really don't want that happen. Okay. >> I know. [snorts] >> You got to breathe. Keep breathing. You got to keep breathing. You got to keep breathing. I know it's shocked. I know it's hard. [snorts] I'm so sorry. >> What she doing? >> Were you going to argue? Were you going to argue or something? >> No. >> Did Did she say anything? [snorts] >> We're We are f we're friends. >> Okayh. >> She is a girlfriend of mine. Oh my god. I'm married. And she has been Oh, my girlfriend. I was just >> for like two years. And I I'm a terrible person for that. >> And we went to a bar >> today. >> Yep. >> Okay. >> Um Oh, it's a bar. Um camp. >> God. >> Does that Does that make sense? >> Camp bar. >> Yep. and her boyfriend confronted me. He punched me. >> We came back here after that. Like everything was fine. >> Who's we? You or her? >> Her and I. >> Okay. >> Everybody got, you know, he got kicked out of the bar. >> Okay. >> And we stayed for about an hour maybe. >> Okay. And then what happened? [laughter] >> Stick your tongue. >> [snorts] >> Oh, he came back here. >> Okay. >> And I have a concealing kit license. >> So that was yours? >> Yeah, it was my in [snorts] my backpack. >> It was in your backpack? >> Yeah. >> How did she get it? >> She [snorts] just crap. >> Did she make any threat threat before that that she was going to herself? She just crammed and put it to her head. >> Were you guys arguing or something? >> No. No. I When her and her boyfriend argued, I stepped in between him and that's when he punched me and we were fine for like an hour. I don't know what happened. >> Do you know where where her boyfriend's right now? I don't know. I don't know. I think he >> Did he come here, too? Or no? >> No, he was you or her. >> He didn't come here. It was just me and her. >> Okay. >> He got kicked out the bar [snorts] and we stayed for like 45 minutes to an hour >> and then we left and we walked and we came here and she just and then she went into the bathroom and left the door. >> What was your backpack? >> Just I'm a >> Matthew seemed to have a clear recollection of what happened at the bar. However, he somehow lacked an elaborate explanation about the events that occurred afterwards. And with missing gaps in his story, officers began to grow suspicious. >> And how long you guys you guys drink over there? God 45 minutes. >> Okay. And then >> what happened after that? [snorts] >> We went to um we went to another bar. Sir, I'm sorry to kind of interject and I know you've been talking to this officer, but she she locked herself in the bathroom. >> She did. >> How did you get in? >> I broke it. I just like slammed into the door after I heard the [ __ ] [snorts] >> I And then how long? It said that you waited a little bit to call police. >> No, I looked at her. I ran back out and I couldn't find my phone. And I tried to find >> What kind of phone is yours? >> It's an an Apple phone. Apple >> I think. Uh 12 11 whatever. >> Okay. Do you know where it is in there? [music] >> It's maybe on the >> Is it the one with the black case? >> It's a black case that says Night Eyes on the back. >> Okay. Where was it? Um maybe on the um >> on the call >> and then uh did you touch her at all or move her? >> I did. Yeah, absolutely. >> Where was she? >> She was laying where she was. >> Okay. So, how did you move her? Like where did you what did you do? I know. I tried to only thing I just was hold the hole in her hand and she was trying to breathe. >> She was trying to breathe and you were trying to stop the breathing or the blood. >> So what how did you try to get first aid? [snorts] >> I know a lot. I know. I know. I know. Um >> I'm an NP. >> Okay. >> I work in an emergency department. [snorts] And I started taking a couple of just like chain stakes breathing. Yeah. Like I understood. Yep. >> This was just done. >> She just I I I tried what I could. >> So, and I know that I just have to cuz I have a medical examiner. >> I get it. Like I I I tried to do what I could. >> Okay. >> And then I washed my hands. >> Then you wash your hands. >> Correct. That's why I don't have anything. >> And then you then you called the police. >> Yes. Although the cops seemed pretty sympathetic to Matthew's situation, this act was only to get him to spill more of his false narrative. Unknown to him, this was a well-designed trap, which he fell right into. >> You're [snorts] dealing with a lot, and we we're very sorry for that. So, here's here's the best case right now or the best solution is >> why don't we have you come to headquarters, >> you guys? And then that way we can arrange one anytime there's an incident like this um investigator may come and talk >> we got to get that info and then at least there you're not sitting in a hallway and then we can figure out to get your stuff get [snorts] your property vehicle here. >> I do. >> Okay. So then we can figure out those things to >> either give you somewhere to stay for the night or um get you back to your vehicle. Um, it's not fair you have to sit in the hallway when you're trying to process all this right now. So, you okay with that, then? >> After wrapping up business at the apartment, officers transported [music] Matthew to the station where he would join detectives for a round of interrogation. >> So, we went there. And again, it was fine. We walked in. I sat down on one side of the bar. She walked across and sat on the flip side of me and her boyfriend was here and was there like he was at the bar and he had come up started talking with her. things got a little bit heated and so I you know knowing what I had gone earlier got up walked around and kind of stepped in between him and he punched me and there was a altercation end up falling to the floor and um I think a bartender and one of the bouncers pulled him up and kicked him out of the bar and he left and that was the end of it. We sat for about another hour. Um, I had a drink and then walked home to her place. Um, given everything that had happened, I have a concealed carry permit and I did had that on, not at the bar, but I had had that on prior to when I got to her place in the street. I had taken that off and I just put it in a backpack. I was just sitting on her couch just to kind of seal it up that way. Um, after all of this had happened, we went back to her apartment roughly 2:00, 1:30, 2:00. She went into my backpack, pulled up the ced and held it to her head. I was started backing up towards the bathroom and I asked her what she was doing. She said, "Don't come closer. Just if you come any closer, I'm going to pull the trigger." And I was like, "Okay." And and I don't know where this came from. It wasn't I know there had been some issues with her boyfriend prior to this, but she seemed fine. You know, I We were laughing on the way home. Everything was fine. And then I kind of as she backed up towards her bathroom, I kind of followed her. And she then went in and shut the door and locked it. And I asked her what she was doing. And I heard the pop. So, you know, I I tried to get in and my recollection here is that the door was locked and I laid a shoulder into it after I heard the pop open the door and she was just there on the floor. >> Soon, detectives began to break down Matthew's story piece by piece, pointing out the inconsistencies and evident falsities. We do the same thing. We wear gloves, right? So we don't get blood on our hands or anything. [snorts] Yeah. Right. >> Yeah. >> And I have nails. >> He has horrible fingernails. I have nails where I get blood in my nails. Right. >> Yeah. >> So you have your head like this with her. You're going to get blood everywhere. Correct. >> I would think so. >> And then you and then you grab her hand and you put her hand back down by the gun and her hand is completely clean. There's your her hand looks like my hands. There's no blood on her hand. >> I I can't explain that. I can't >> I don't >> I don't know if you guys >> We did argue. I love And if you did No, we understand that you love her. >> We didn't argue. We didn't argue. >> We didn't argue. She pulled the gun and she was backing away and I was asking her what she was doing and she locked the door in the bathroom. Were you trying to grab for the gun? It accidentally went off? >> No. No, I did not. I I I did not. I mean, >> it went off when she was in the bathroom with the door shut. Hand to God. >> I swear by that all day long. That door was shut. That gun went off when the door was shut. >> Have you done Have you done surgeries before? >> I don't know. >> Okay. So, you know when you get blood all over your hands and then you go into the sink and you >> Yeah. >> or the handle to the sink, right? There should be blood on that. >> There's no >> There's no blood in the hand of the sink. >> And there's no nothing in the sink. And the sink is the sink. >> I rinsed my hand. >> The sink's dry. There's no water or anything. >> No, I washed my hands in the sink. I did. I I rinsed my hands in the sink and I >> I I I was adjusting her face. I I >> mean, we were there. We know that there's a lot of blood. You know, I had to step over. I had to be very careful when I was in there. >> There was. Yeah. >> So, that's I guess that's why we're just kind of, you know, >> going back and forth with you because for us, I get it. I mean, I get if it was a self-defense thing, I >> self-defense. I get it. >> That door was shut. The door was shut when they went off. I would never >> I would be honest with that. I would I understand that this stuff is >> if that's what had happened, I would be honest with that. But that door was shut when >> Despite being caught [music] in his web of lies, Matthew remained adamant about his story and refused to come clean. I examine that and I've been to hundreds of okay I examine that closely. The Emmy does an autopsy which we will do today. >> They determine close contact. They determine far contact. All of that. Okay. They can tell if it's a close contact. Simple things like the recoil spring going off in the head. Okay. Nothing is adding up there. And then like my partner says, you end up putting her hand by a gun, which is not something that's normal. >> No, I I I don't think anything that I did was normal. I don't know what normal is in that situation. I'm going to be honest with you, >> Matthew. I'm just saying right now, I don't want to keep I I don't want to hear anymore that to dig yourself into something. >> I'm not digging a hole. That door was shut and that went off when the door was shut. I don't know. >> So explain just explain to us then cuz you're a doctor. So explain to us how you are holding her head where there's [snorts] >> an a lot of blood and then and then you place her hand on the [snorts] gun and then also the hands gripping the gun. But there's no blood on her hand. >> I >> and you touched her hand. I don't I don't know. Like I said, I the gun off. I went into the bathroom after I was able to open the door and yeah, there was blood all over the floor and I I I adjusted her head. I don't know. Like I said, I >> got in the blood right up here. >> There's a blood pulling where you know it's about right here. So my recollection is that the was not in the blood. I grabbed I put it here. I moved her hand because I was like I said I was looking I was looking. I >> Do you know what happens? >> My brain did not comprehend what she had done. I just I I can't. Like I said, >> do you know what is handgun on every I've been to? >> Okay. >> Blood. >> Mhm. >> Brain matter. >> Yeah. >> I looked at that guy. There's nothing. >> I don't know that. >> There's nothing on the seat. There's nothing on the walls. >> That door was shut. The door was shut when the went off. Was the door locked? Was it >> Matthew? So, we're going to we're going to talk to a lot of people, right? >> And and that's fine, but just we're going to talk to a lot of people, okay? [music] Right. We're going to talk to Gus. We're going to talk to Shane. [snorts] Got to talk to your wife. >> We got to talk to everybody. That's why we just want you to tell us If something happened, if she grabbed that and was threatening to kill yourself, but you [music] that you told us that you love her. You wanted to grab that from her and then it accidentally just went off. >> No. Okay. >> She shut the door to the >> Explain to me what happened. If you got into a struggle and she took your I don't I just need to know. But I can tell you right now, every piece of evidence in there and everything that you've told so far does not match up. >> Matthew swore that he had been truthful. [music] The evidence gathered from the scene remained inconsistent with his story. And this was enough reason for the detectives to [music] conclude that he was their prime suspect. >> We're good with everything that you said, right? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Just going to show you some photos, okay? And I want you to really think about this. I'm just asking you to think about these people and I want you to think about her. Okay? I want you to think about this. I want you to think about the story that you're telling us. What happened? And I I want you to remember that my partner has worked hundreds of these, right? you know. >> Okay. >> I didn't >> I just want you >> I want you just to remember these four kids get hurt. But if something else happened in there, we just want to know what happened. And if you're if that's the truth, if you're looking at these pictures and telling us that nothing else happened, that she herself behind a closed door and the door was locked, then >> I think it was locked. It was closed. >> It was closed. Then that's something that we're just going to have to go with, >> right, >> Matthew? The story you're giving us right now, you're looking be looking at a first degree as opposed to a manslaughter. Oh, I I was close. I love her. >> Hope you don't love her more than them. Her >> I did do this. That door was closed. >> The door was closed. There's a difference from [snorts] self-defense. There's a difference. [sighs] Pretty sure what the difference right now. You're telling us that there was clothes and she herself in the head with her left hand and then you p >> she had it to her head as she was backing into the bathroom with her left hand. That's what I know. And the door was closed. She shut the door. >> Okay. >> She shut the door. >> Okay. >> Nothing. Huh? >> I said you know that after we leave here after we leave here, you're not going to have another chance to tell us your story, right? We're going to go with the story that you told us, which we can disprove. Just so you know. So once we walk out of here, >> there's no other story. >> No, there is. The scene says a completely different story. >> Then I have no idea what that story is because that >> I can tell you what the story is. >> That door was shut. >> That's not a self-inflicted. >> Matthew Eka was charged with Alexander's demise and [music] sentenced to 30 years behind bars. The web of secrets untangled by detectives in the next [music] case would leave an ab mother rotting in jail for years after her toddler PASSES AWAY. >> I WAS BORN. AND HE LITERALLY COME OUTSIDE AND HE CHECK ON HER. HE WAS LIKE, "BABE, MAN, HE'S NOT BREATHING." SO I LET HIM GRAB A BABY AND I PUSHED HIM ON THE WAY AND I PICKED HER UP. >> WHEN SHE PICKED up her body was purple. I didn't see that until I l test her. I said until I touched her paws and they lift her up. That's when I seen her. Like her eyelid like her eyelid was like purple. >> But is there anything in here that's going to help us? >> Prove that I didn't beat my kids and y'all taking me to jail right now. I DIDN'T DO NOTHING. LIKE WHY AM I GOING TO JAIL AND I DIDN'T DO NOTHING? ON THE 23rd of September 2024, 21-year-old Charity Drea and mother of 9-month-old Aria dialed 911 in a panic to request help with her unresponsive infant. What began as a sympathetic case of a heartbroken mother would later change course and reveal a horrendous family secret. >> Where are they? >> They're here. They're here. THEY'RE HERE. IT'S NOT THE NEXT POLICE. >> They're here. They're here. THEY'RE THEY'RE >> calm down. >> So, what happened before they stopped breathing? >> I think she was asleep. SHE WAS ASLEEP. I CAME IN HERE. I CAME HERE. >> LET'S TALK OUTSIDE. ASLEEP. ALL I DID WAS COME HERE and wake up. HE JUST TOLD ME HE LITERALLY JUST CAME OUTSIDE AND HE LITERALLY CAME OUTSIDE. HE CHECK ON HER. HE WAS LIKE, "BABE, MAN, SHE'S NOT BREATHING." SO, I TOLD HIM TO GRAB A BABY AND I PUSHED HIM AWAY AND I PICKED HER UP AND I WAS TRYING TO SCARE HER TO SEE IF SHE JUST PICKED HER. >> I PICKED HER UP AND SHE WASN'T BREATHING AND HE JUST STOPPED BREATHING AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT the >> So, when's the last time you saw the baby breathing? >> Literally like 20 minutes ago, she was just breathing. I just went inside just checked on her. I literally would have been sitting here on the court on the phone talking like go he's going there TO PUT ON HIS COAT AND I'LL GRAB THE OTHER BABY >> and he's thirsty and flies and she's not breathing like >> so so when's the last time you saw the baby breathing >> and then we still rubbing on the head >> hey dear please come over here >> sorry go ahead still like 20 minutes she went over and she's rubbing on her Then she got up and after that she walked away. [laughter] >> Okay. >> She was breathing everything just like 20 minutes ago. Literally. >> She was just breathing. >> So where were you when you before you found out the baby wasn't breathing? >> I was sitting right here on the porch. I just I literally just walked in this on this on my hat. >> So then you go inside and what do you see? >> I I seen flies come out of her like flies in her mouth. And I look at her. So I walk over there to touch her. I touch like this and I see she wasn't breathing. So she came in there. I'm like she's not breathing. I'm like I don't know if I'm tripping or not. She's not breathing. >> The foam around her mouth. Where did that come from? >> I JUST BLEW THE SLIME IN HER MOUTH. >> SHE was trying to >> I just blew it was sn out of her nose. >> Okay. >> When she was doing it for impressions, I blew in her mouth and it just came out of her nose. >> Um and then what happened? >> Nothing. She just like she stopped breathing and that's when you called us. >> She stopped moving. She know we literally called her as soon as I picked her up and she didn't wake up. >> Normally her I know my child she's going to wake up and she's going to pop her head up and look at me. I'm her mom. So when I grab her >> Hey sir, we can't have anybody inside the house. >> When I grabbed her ID, please. >> Yeah. Do Do you guys have your IDs with you? >> I know. I know. >> What's your social? I promise we're going to try our best and then we're going to try our best to make sure the baby >> Yes, sir. >> All right. Go ahead. >> Hey guys, can you step that way? >> Is there anybody else inside the house? >> Who Who was all here when everything happened? >> Everybody's been fine all day. She's been fine all day. Is there stuff you have to get for the baby in the house? >> I just want to uh get her car seat right there. Ping on the car seat. It's about right there by the door. When I standing up tall right here. >> Yes, sir. Appreciate you, >> bro. She's still not breathing. Nothing was wrong with her. She was just fine. >> With charity's wailing [music] and crying, anyone would agree that she was a caring mother who had a deep love for her kid. But as officers invited family members for questioning, things began to seem different. [music] >> How old is she? >> She's 8 months. >> And she was laying in here on this couch. >> Yes. >> When you found her, what position was she in? >> Well, she was laying on her stomach. That's how she always flew. >> No, nothing unusual was everything was fine. >> Everything's been fine. >> Was there any blankets on the couch that were moved or anything like that? >> One blanket, but it wasn't >> It was only one blanket. >> Literally, she ran out here. I gave them the baby to hold her real smoking like a mouth. >> They ran back out here like they in the house. She came right back out. She said she's not breathing. She's not breathing. So I told her to run back in the house, lay her down, and I started giving her chest compressions and I was having her roll on her breath. >> Your step your boyfriend? >> Yeah. >> And you're live here. >> Does everyone live here? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Let's get people to stay here. Let's get a statement from them. Once we get statements from them, we can probably cut them loose or whatever, but I needed for it to be recorded and everything. >> Yeah. Okay. Um, >> and she I can hang out with her until we figure out what's going on. >> Transport. [crying] Okay. >> So, let's me and you, let's go down to our police station so then we can do like a formal interview. >> I'm just going to write down literally everything that we talk about in notes and then if you would be willing to if you could please write down a statement about what you know. >> You guys called us. Was it you that called us? My girlfriend did. >> Okay. >> Wait, was it? No, it was my sister. My sister. I'm sorry. My It was my sister. My big The one I was sitting there that was standing there. That's my sister. She called. >> Okay. So, she called us at 6:39. What time did >> So, you discovered the baby first, right? >> I walked I was sitting on the porch for a minute. I was smoking my mouth and I got chilly a little bit. So, I'm like, I'm about to go in the house. I'm about to go house, get a jacket. So, I go in the house, grab my coat, and grab my little hat. So, I look at the baby, right? I see uh uh the the flies coming out of her mouth. So when I look at that, I used to go over there. I touch her. I walk over to her. I touch her. I see she wasn't breathing. So I'm like, "She's not breathing. I'm not tripping." So I walk to my girl. I'm like, "She's not breathing. I'm not tripping. She's not breathing." So she g my niece. She like, "Here, take your knees." She walk over to the baby. She pick her up. When she pick her up, her head was like just leaning back like and it was like not coming out of her no. I don't know if it's coming out of her mouth or her nose. So my she went outside tell my sister. My sister told her to bring the baby back in to run the baby in the house. Set her on the couch. So my sister sat on the couch. She trying to do the uh I don't know is it CPR? Cuz she she used to work she work at the hospital. So she trying to get her back to together. >> So as she doing that, my my sister told my girlfriend to get the uh put her I'm my head's everywhere. Her mouth toward her mouth trying to get her back. So as she doing that, she trying to breathe into her mouth. That's when stuff start coming out I don't know if come out her nose or her mouth, but stuff started coming out. So that's when she called y'all and that's when y'all came and tried to get her back and Okay. >> But before then, like 20 minutes before then, she was like literally just breathing. Like my girlfriend walked over there, rubbed her head, sat over there over there by her and everything and then she end up walking away. >> And you said that was about 20 minutes before. >> So everything was fine. Like she was literally breathing, all that. Like normally like nothing was wrong, none of that. She was sleeping on her stomach with a cover and all that. Like nothing bad. Like it's a a normal day. >> Tyrone provided the cop with a clear narrative about what had happened. And while it appeared that this was just an unfortunate situation, one single revelation by the young stepfather would make the cop think otherwise. >> You physically saw the baby 20 minutes before this happened? >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. >> And I instantly I seen a fly mouth. I'm like, "Son, neighbor, cuz there fly come a flies coming out her mouth." So when I instantly go, I check her paws and she wasn't breathing. That's how I found out when my papa passed away. I checked his paws, too. And that's how I figured out he was going. So I instantly checked her pulse and I see she wasn't breathing. >> How many flies would you say came out of her mouth? >> Like she was like two of them. And I'm just a stepfather. >> I understand. >> I just look at him as my real kids. I do come over with my real kids cuz I got a daughter, but I can't see my daughter right now. So >> I I'm sorry to hear that. How long were you outside before >> I was outside for 15 minutes before I come outside. I smoked this halfway and I I'm like I'm getting chilly. I'm going in the house grab my uh coat. That's when I went in there and I seen the flies coming out of her mouth. I as I was grabbing my coat and I looked over at her. I seen the flash come out of her mouth. That's when I walked over and checked her part. She wasn't breathing. >> Okay. >> I didn't see the cuz my sister when she picked up her body was purple. I didn't see that until I looked test her and I said until until I test her pulse and they lift her up. That's when I seen her like her eyelid like her eyelid was like purple and like it was like >> like like veins like red veins. I don't know what it like was her veins like poking out like her eyebrows >> and the baby was laying on that blanket. >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. Was the baby laying face up or face down? >> She was on her stomach like she was like this like that's how she us like that on her stomach like this. >> Was she facing the room or facing the the back of the couch? >> Back of the couch. But her face like wasn't on it like on it or nothing like that. She was off. She was laying like this like sleep normal day like she always sleep literally and she would sleep like this just knocked out lit like a usual day. And the cover was wrapped like not wrapped up on her face but wrapped like from from like right here like cocooned around her body. >> And this may be irrelevant but I I'm trying to cover every question I possibly could. Um, is that the same black and mild that you were smoking from the time you last saw the baby to the time that you discovered the baby now no breathing? >> Who was all in the house when the baby was breathing? >> Me, my girlfriend, her other daughter, and my niece and nephew. >> The daughter is the other infant. >> Okay. So, girlfriend, daughter, yourself, obviously, >> and my niece and nephew, and then the little baby. >> Okay. And they weren't there when I got there, right? Cuz Okay. So, they were >> talking about when you when you first came in the house like there. >> I'm sorry. Were they there when you discovered the baby not breathing? Were they still like outside >> or were they inside? >> They was outside >> by everyone. >> Yes. My girlfriend, my girlfriend's right there by the door. I was the only one in the house when I when I walked up by her. I was I was the only one I was walking up walking in to get my jacket and stuff. >> Okay. >> My girlfriend sitting right there on the front porch. >> Okay. Was anybody inside the house with the baby while everyone was outside? >> No. >> Okay. >> But I we were still watching through the uh screen right there. >> Yeah. Was the back door locked at all? >> Yes. >> Okay. What temperature would you say the house was? >> It was pretty a little It wasn't hot hot, but I'll say the heat I think the I think the heat was on the heat was on like it had been like 50 55 cuz it was it was kind of hot in there. >> 55. That's That's pretty cold. You mean like 75? >> Probably like 75. Probably 70 75. Do you guys typically keep it like at a certain temperature? >> My sister usually keep the air on. >> Oh, usually colder. >> She's anemic though. She usually get cold, hot, cold, hot. So, she usually have them on both, but usually she got the air on blasting like the heat all the way down the lowest get cold. >> Uh, was there anything in the in the reach of the baby that it could have possibly put in its mouth? >> The only right there above her head was a bottle. That was it. >> It's like like a full baby bottle. >> Bottle. That was it. >> Okay. So, blanket, the baby bottle. There wasn't like a Lego, nothing >> on the couch. Nothing over she could reach in her mouth. Nothing. >> Okay. >> There was nothing on the couch. >> Okay. >> Nothing about Tyrone's statement came across as suspicious to the officer until he mentioned the strained [music] relationship with his biological kid. And upon hearing this became crucial to rule out negligence. >> When is the last time the baby ate? >> I say about >> And you called us at 6:39 or Well, we were called at 6:39. I say she ate about 5:30 cuz she definitely she eat good every day from baby food to the little the little Gerber food to the the her bottles. >> And what did the baby eat? >> Her bottles. She dunk her bottle. >> Did she eat any like physical food or was it just liquid? >> Just liquid. >> Okay. >> Just the bottle. That was it. >> Okay. Has the baby ate that type of food like that formula before? >> Okay. >> And how like how long has that baby been on how long has she been on the formula? That particular formula? That's one thing I'm not sure cuz I only been with my girlfriend 3 months. So, I ain't really know him all that long. So, I'm not sure how long she been that that specific milk. >> But like during your guys' relationship, has the formula changed? >> No, she that same that same milk. She act like a normal baby. Literally, she'd be chilling. Like she watch TV, she sip, watch TV on her own. She cry here and there, but other than that, she be cool like a normal day. Like she's a cool baby. She's a chill baby. The only time she'll cry is when she hungry. That's it. >> The last time you checked on the on her and she was fine. She wasn't like hiccuping. She wasn't She didn't vomit on the couch. >> No, none of that. Nothing. Okay. >> There wasn't no snot out her mouth, nose, nothing. >> There was no signs of anything. >> How was that? That's my sister. I love my sister. We both love my sister. >> Okay. So, you So, you and your girlfriend moved in with your sister. >> Okay. And then write down your side of the story. >> Please be as detailed as possible. Even if you don't think it matters, just put it on there. >> You know, did you hear any sounds coming from inside the residence? You didn't hear any >> inside the house? >> Yeah. like that maybe maybe her she started crying or you didn't hear anything. So it was complete silence and then you went back in and discovered her. >> Sadly, Arya was later pronounced deceased by the hospital after efforts to save her were unsuccessful when hospital records pointed [music] to physical as the cause of demise. It became clear that there was more than Charity was letting on. Police officers later concluded [music] that Charity had put her youngans through the worst form of malreatment when a medical checkup of Arya's older sister showed that she had equally endured physical including a broken bone. We >> still have work to do and we're going to do it. >> We're going to follow up on everything. >> We're following up on everything. Everything that came out of your mouth, we are following up on. >> So, I have to go to jail and I didn't even do nothing. I didn't do nothing. MICHAEL LIKE I DIDN'T DO NOTHING. I'M TELLING YOU WHAT EVERY I DIDN'T DO NOTHING. LIKE I DIDN'T BEAT MY KIDS. I DON'T KNOW WHO BEATS MY KIDS, BUT IT'S NOT ME. AND I PLEASE LIKE, BRO, PLEASE. IF I GO BACK TO JAIL, I'M NOT GETTING OUT. >> WHY? WHY? >> BECAUSE I'M ON PROBATION. I JUST WENT TO COURT AND THEY TOLD ME IF I UP ONE MORE TIME, I'M GOING TO SIT DOWN FOR THE FULL FIVE. I didn't 5 years. >> What are you on probation for? >> FOR THIS STOLEN PROPERTY. I USED TO STEAL CARS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. And you think you're going to do 5 years in Franklin County jail for stealing cars? >> It's not just that. I HAVE ASSAULT ON A POLICE OFFICER. WHY DO I KNOW? WELL, WHY AM I GOING TO JAIL? I DIDN'T DO NOTHING. >> WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS I want you to stand up. Put your >> I didn't DO NOTHING. CAN I PLEASE WRITE DOWN SOME NUMBERS? WE'RE GOING TO TAKE ME TO JAIL. LIKE I NEED NUMBERS. I DON'T HAVE no numbers on my phone. >> I don't have no numbers on my phone to BE ABLE TO CALL ANYBODY. WELL, get get the get the tell us what numbers you want to write. >> Bro, why am I going to jail? I didn't do anything. Bro, I didn't do Why do I have to GO TO JAIL? Y'ALL DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO BEAT MY KIDS. WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO GO TO JAIL AND I DIDN'T DO NOTHING? BRO, >> let's go. We're not There's one more number. Come on. >> I didn't do nothing. >> I mean, we're giving you the benefit of the doubt. That's your dad's number probably. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, that's a 513 number. take all your property. Do >> you want to button up your pants first? >> You said you have all the messages on there from you and Abigail, right? >> Most of them. Probably not all of them. >> But is there anything in here that's going to help us? >> Prove that I didn't beat my kids and y'all taking me to jail right now. I DIDN'T DO NOTHING. LIKE, WHY AM I GOING TO JAIL? AND I DIDN'T DO NOTHING. >> CHARITY, you want to give me the passcode so we can get the messages out of here. If this helps you, we need the passcode. [crying] >> How do you >> Am I going to get my phone back? I'm regardless. >> Yes. When we're done with it, which will be a couple days when you get out. >> I don't even know if I'm going to get out. >> It's Franklin County. >> Do you have anything else on you? >> No. BUT WHY AM I GOING TO JAIL? AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO beat my kids. >> Explained it to you, >> bro. It doesn't matter WHAT YOU EXPLAINED. I DIDN'T BEAT MY KIDS. YOU'RE TAKING ME TO JAIL. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW TO BE MY KIDS. >> OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT this way. Charity, >> can you grab that piece OF PAPER ON YOUTUBE? >> We will. We will. >> Oh, Tyrone, I love you. >> Walk straight out the door. >> I DIDN'T DO NOTHING. YOU WEREN'T TAKING ME TO JAIL, BUT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO TOOK MY KIDS. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO BEAT MY KIDS, BUT YOU ARE TAKING ME TO JAIL. LIKE, I didn't do nothing. >> Have traffic warrants, huh? >> What? We have traffic warrants as well. >> How did the D US had a call with snowflake? >> Know what? >> A traffic warrant when >> I don't know when >> I got that taken care of. I shouldn't have had it. So that's why the deal. >> Well, >> it's because of saying it's also that. >> So when am I going to get out? >> See a judge. >> If they let me out. Charity Drea later pleaded [music] guilty to involuntary manslaughter, endangering and felonious. She was sentenced to 15 to 20 years behind bars afterwards. Similar to charities, the next investigation exposes an extreme case of parental negligence that led to the tragic loss of an innocent young. >> Instead of pressing to find out about your child, you're talking about the issues that you've been going through. Jamari got a hold of with and it stopped his little heart in the bedroom in the bed beside you. >> My child know your child is deceased from a overdose. >> On February the 1st, 2023, police officers were sent to the residence of Jalaska Ear and Gloria Stringer after 911 dispatchers received a call about their unresponsive child, Jamari. Upon arrival, officers immediately began gathering information to determine what went wrong. The quest to discover what happened to Jamari would end up taking months and expose some unsettling truths about the mother's ill treatment of her infant. >> Alert he was in there. >> About what time did all that start? >> 27 minutes ago. Right at 9:25, I was out here smoking a cigarette. Right. Cuz I placed the call within them 14 minutes from that time to when I called 911. When I came in, right, in that 14 minutes of that gap, but I walked in, I seen him on his knees face down. So I'm like, "Hey, what's up with him?" She was laid back. He was behind her. >> Well, back up before you called 911, what was going on before I called? I walked in. >> I said, "Hey, what's up with Jamari? He all right?" Cuz he normally don't go back to sleep that fast. I'm like, "Is he all right?" So she tell me, "What? What's going on?" I said, "Jamari." I'm pointing. She can't hear. I point. I said, "Jamari." So then she say, "I don't know. Is he all right?" I said, "He's right there behind you. What you mean is he all right?" I was like, "No, I'm going to call somebody cuz I don't know what's going on here. I just went to go smoke. I don't know what's going on." >> Say, "Okay." >> Are they taking him to the hospital? >> Are you Are you going Are >> What's it What's the youngest full name? >> Mari, you going to the hospital? You want me to say it with Granny? >> Yes, sir. >> All right. >> Are you able to drive? >> Do you have What's my phone? Do you know? >> I don't know where your phone is, babe. Can you call? Do you know anybody that can come get you? >> That's what I'm saying. Like I don't I don't like >> How do you usually How do you usually get somewhere when you go? >> I'm a granddad, man. It's >> Yeah. You need If you're a mom, you need to get down there to the hospital with them. >> Are y'all boyfriend girlfriend? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> We have a bed problem in there. So like I I just I got gotten my scalp and everything, man. >> Gotcha. So So Jamari ain't been sick or anything. >> All stuff. >> He ain't been sick or anything. >> No, that's why he confused me when I came in. I was sitting up perfectly fine. I leave over like that. I said, "What? What? What's going on with him?" >> I got to sit down before I >> sit. Sit down. Sit down. Find your ride. Try to get your ride. Go to the hospital. >> I can't believe this. >> Hey, that's why I left y'all in there. When he was messing with you here, I'm like, "I ain't cool. Y'all good. I ain't expecting to come back in and he's out and you laid out like come on. >> Still >> try to y'all try to get your ride up there." Okay. As officers continued to dig into this mysterious case, things only got more confusing with Jamari's parents lacking the ability to provide helpful statements. At this point, officers were beginning to suspect that there was some acts of negligence. However, it was still too early to assign blame. >> This one's going to be a little bit suspicious. This 20-month-old um there was uh absolutely no signs of life whatsoever. Medun's transporting the parents just not sounding right. They're giving ex specifics on uh what's wrong with the kid and stuff. Uh the mother looks like possibly 1067. >> Go ahead. So we're going to go back down here and hang out. >> Well, I got a deputy going to the hospital. So we go back inside and hang out. Okay. >> This is our room right here, sir. >> This is where he was positioned. Right here. She was ain't this way. He was right here. When I walked in, I'm like, "Hey, like >> when you walked in before you called us?" Yeah, this is right. When I walked in, I smoked a cigarette, right? I came back in exactly where you standing. I looked, I was like, >> I patted her leg, right? I patted her leg. I said, "Hey, you all right?" And he was lay on his stomach, you know, face down or whatever, right? Like this. So, I'm like, "The hell's going on?" Like, it was weird, man. It was just weird to me. >> I'm asking her what's going on. She asking me what's going on. What you mean what's going on? Like, what happened? >> Just waking and then on top of that, my ears are ringing so bad. I can hear. >> Why is your ears ringing? >> Huh? >> Why is your ears ringing? >> I don't know. >> What in the hell happened during that time when I be y both in here? What in the hell happened for him to be like that when I come back in, man? Like >> on stuff like this? I run up my chain of command and this is what they're wanting to do right now. They want y'all to stay here. >> No, [laughter] they're they're doing what they can. Just hang tight. >> I know >> what happened. >> I don't know. I got I want to know like I don't know if he got into anything. >> Is there anything he could have got into? >> The only thing that he I mean he was on the bed like the only thing that we have is Home Depot. >> I don't know man. I ain't making sense. Come on. This is investigator break. Okay. >> I about to say this is the only thing that it's it's l it's got lids on. >> It ain't open or anything. All right. Just set it down there. While Jamari was receiving treatment at the hospital, his parents were invited to the station for an interview with detectives. >> We just need to get some [clears throat] information about what happened so that we can get back to the hospital. Okay. >> So, that's all we're going to do. We're just going to go see my phone. >> Well, yeah, but we we need to get the information. We don't know. I have to go there after I talk to you, which is why I'm going to try to get through this as quick as I can. >> Happens to him. It happens to me. >> What happened this morning? >> I don't know. I was asleep and he um his father said today he was awake and he left us in there. I haven't been up since about 3 3:00 4:30 this morning. Um as you know I take care of my great grandmother so sometimes she's falling a lot and I went to sleep at about [laughter] probably about 4:45 this morning. So as you can see I'm clearly tired and we're also fighting a bed bug situation. Honestly know what happened because he's claimed that he left us in the room while he went outside to smoke a cigarette. >> Okay. Sometime after you went to bed, what did you wake up to? >> Jamari. He was laying on the stomach and he was, you know, just kind of kicking his little feet. >> He was awake. He was laughing. >> Okay. Did you call 911? >> No. My my husband called. I immediately started doing I immediately started doing CPR and cuz I'm CPR certified so I knew what to do. But >> back me up though cuz you were asleep at some point. >> What's the next step? How did you What did you wake up to? I think when I woke up, like I said, Jamari Jamari was kicking his feet and I think, let's see, Jay came back in. That's my fiance's name Jay. He came back in and um he said, "Hey, is he okay? He's not breathing. Was he's not breathing or something like that." I said, "Don't say that. Please don't say that." And then I picked my son up. >> Where was he when he when he Jay said that? >> In the room. >> Where in the room was Jamari? Can you hear me? >> Hey, I need you to listen to me real quick. Listen to me. Look at me. Your son, you're not looking at me or listening to me. Your son is in a hospital right now fighting for his life and we need this information from you quickly. Listen to so that we can tell these folks how to treat him. [clears throat] Okay. I'm trying to figure out what happened like like in my room there's like nothing really hazardous. I was showing Officer Roberts like the only thing that's on the floor is um spray but he wasn't on the floor. So I'm trying to figure out. So, when you started doing CPR, how help me get from he was kicking his feet on the bed >> to why you needed to start CPR? How did we get there? >> I don't remember. Like I said, um, >> were you sleeping? >> Huh? >> Were you asleep? >> During the interview with Jelaska, he made an interesting revelation about Gloria. Although the detectives were careful not to jump into conclusions just yet, this new piece of information about Mom was too crucial to overlook. What in the hell happens from you going sitting up on side the bed playing with your ear, him sitting there with his sippy cup to I come back, you're laid out like this and he's in a whole totally different what the hell happened in them 8 minutes. Look, I'm just going I'm going to skip some bull with you, okay? And I'm going to go get straight to it because here's the deal. [snorts] Right now, they've got Jamari at the hospital and they're trying feverishly to figure out what it is that got that baby the way that he is right now. Okay. Do [snorts] you think there's does your does your fiance do any illegal drugs? >> Yes, it's obviously like I know she does, right? Okay. I know she's prescribed. >> Okay. >> But I don't know if she had any I don't know if she had >> I don't know it could. >> Let me ask you this question because that's a possibility and that would explain the immediate. If she had something and she was messing with something, do either one of those put her like she is now? Bro, I'm telling you, man. She She's having a hard time staying away. >> She's out of it. And that's what I'm saying. I've seen all that for years. She never does that now. She had a fake one because you know there's so much fake out here. But once again, I don't know if she had anything or not. It's just odd as to me. How does she act when she's home? What What is her >> antsy? >> And and again, I'm going to tell you, I ain't trying to get her in trouble. I don't care about that. >> Yeah, she's antsy. Anty just >> moving around opposite than what she is now. completely opposite. How is she when she's home? She's more chill. This is not like this. >> Gloria's inability to engage in a sensible dialogue made Jamari's claims more believable. However, when detectives confronted her about these allegations, she denied them all. >> Jamari is on his way to Atlanta. Come on, don't do that. Just stop all that. >> See, here we go with that. >> You want to hear me or not? >> I'm going to give you a couple minutes, young, but I might sit listen to that all day. Oh my god. [crying] That's my baby. That's my best friend. >> Can I believe that? >> When you get Listen, when you get done with all that, I'm going to ask you some questions. The answers might save his life. So, let me know when you're finished. >> Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. >> All right. So, I know that there are times when you struggle with some I get that. I'm not worried about that. I could give two about that. But if there's a possibility that baby got some this morning and they're on the way to Listen to me. Don't look at me like I got a >> third eye >> and he's on his way to Atlanta right now fighting for his life and them folks have no idea. He can't tell them. That information needs to come from you. That information could possibly save Deari's life. >> Not to my knowledge. >> Not to your knowledge. So if if if somebody asked me that same question, I'd say hell no. >> So tell me the truth. [clears throat] >> I'm not trying to get you in trouble. trying to save your son's life. That would explain the reason why he passed completely out in 13 minutes. >> And like I said, I don't know if that's like I said, I don't know if that's legitely accurate time or not. Oh man, I haven't been asleep in like almost >> No, I don't care. >> I don't care about you sleeping. I'm just being honest. I'm trying to save yourself. >> No, no, no. >> Did Does Jamari got beds on him? >> Not to my knowledge. As of what was it? As of last night on my day from a bath, I think he had one like right here around his elbow. Months later, after baby Jamari's passing, there was still no resolution for the case. The baby's parents were invited for another round of investigation, hoping that the demise of their son would persuade them to tell the truth this time around. >> I know you don't want to point fingers at nobody, and I get that, but man, [snorts] that that that's your little man and we want to find out too what happened to him. Did you see her doing anything that morning? Any type of illegal? She was in there with Jamari. >> Not that morning. >> When you brought the cup, Jamari was [snorts] good. >> He was good. He was running around doing what 2-year-olds do. Just hanging out. >> But in the few minutes that you were gone smoking a cigarette and came back just totally flipp. So before you left, was there any indication that was any indication that she could pop anything, smoke anything? >> She was just sitting there just calmly digging at this point. At first he was real antsy with it, but you know, when we went in there and looked, there were little pieces of tinfoil, little bitty specks of tinfoil in the bed. I I know from my time working dope stuff that, you know, sometimes people, you know, put stuff in tin or they might use it to smoke it or ingest it or somehow, right? >> Did you see anything with tinfold? >> I didn't notice anything like that >> because you slept in that bed that night, >> right? And >> didn't notice nothing with tinfold? Mhm. >> The only way that I can ensure that everything you're telling me [snorts] is right is to know certain things about the situation that I've asked you about. And unfortunately, there is at least one that I know you're not being asked [snorts] about. And so, I'll ask you again in terms of from the time you got out until February 1st, what substances have you had you used at that time? just down alone like just when the um when the defax lady had came to do the the the little samples or whatever. Yeah. Came back and told me that I had in my system but that ain't it ain't some that I do. So I don't know where the that came from. I don't know. >> Well, that's important. The fact that you have cat in your system, >> right? Like she said the levels or something. She kind of explained it but I >> they're high. I was dumb struck like I me and my granddad both sitting there like what the damn did I take this and think that you know when I took this did was it pressed did I trust this person just you know guessing that it came from a prescription and they really had a I don't know baby well had you ever taken before like no I'm not trying to throw nobody under the bus or trying to send nobody back to jail I want to know what happened to that baby >> I want to know man >> and we we got some some some tests that have been run and we got the results back They're giving us questions and that's why we're asking you this. You know what I mean? There's no doubt you love that baby. There's no doubt. But if there's anything that anybody did that led was just an accident that led to that baby passing, we need to know. >> While Jelaska had nothing new to add. Gloria on the other hand returned with fresh details which she happily shared with detectives. >> Like I'm have things come back to memory. Like I'm sure you can see a whole difference in me today as you could like last time. I think I was kind of out of it. Sleeping on the floor or something. I was able to remember that room and I told him I didn't want to go to that room. I don't know like I'm I'm coherent now and I I don't do anything that alters my mind smoke a lot but I don't do anything that would have got me like that. And so now I just I'm so anxious to hear about these results. Jelasco's in the front seat with me and he was starting to not out a little bit. I never seen any on him at that point but here. >> Who was starting to knot out? >> Jelaska. >> Okay. So, I'm sorry. So, you picked him up that night >> in Well, that evening in Buford, it was about maybe 3:30, 4:00. >> This is the night before Uh-huh. Yes. >> the incident. Okay. >> Yes. And that I wanted him to spend time with me, Jamari, and my grandmother and my uncle. So, he came up and my uncle called me. He's like, "Hey, stop by Publix to get some chicken. Stop by Publix to get some chicken." As soon as I pulled up in there, Jelaska's head, he started to nod and the the eyes kind of rolling in the breath of his head. And, you know, and I'm like, "Hey." I was like, "You're on that again." because that is actually his normal that he does >> what is >> it used to be but um ever since came about that's what it is and um that's why I together okay >> and so um that night probably around 7:45 whenever family feud comes on um I was in the shower and I told her say hey watch your while going here and take a shower and so after I take a shower I got to give granny a bath and give her a meds so I'm in the shower not maybe not even 2 minutes later I hear running through the house and I pe um you know I'm looking out the curtain and I said that's Jamari. So I jump out you know soaking wet naked and I'M RUNNING THROUGH THE HOUSE TO GET the baby and my GRANNY'S LIKE SHANE SHANE. SHE'S LIKE GET JAMARI HE'S ABOUT TO GET IN THE TRASH. SO I grabbed him off ME AND SHE'S LIKE WHY ARE YOU SOAKING WET? I SAID granny I was in the shower and so I grabbed the baby and I run back there to Jelaska and Jalaska he's sitting on my bed like this. It's like this. Again, I did not see the so it's hard to say. But like I said, um anytime I see foil, if anytime he opens up his wallet, the nine times out of 10, the first thing you're going to see is foil with the traces or the trails, whatever you call it. And so I seen the foil, but I never seen the You get what I'm saying? And so I feel like he was knotted out that night, you know, on the and then I asked him a couple days like when when my son passed um at the hospital that day Uber actually took me and Jalaska home but Jalaska made a stop at someone's house who I knows that sells who was one of my cousins. He stayed in there for about 10 minutes and the Uber was like, "Well, we have to go or I have to charge you extra." And we didn't pay for this Uber home. I believe it was um Scottish right that paid for the Uber. But they stopped by and they made a pit stop there at this house and it was there. We was there for like 10 minutes until came out and probably about not even 30 seconds after getting down like this. I just I don't know like I know defects that they they closed the case but I want to know what my test results were because I really feel like I had might have had that stuff in my system and I don't know how or why and what him telling the story of hey I woke up the baby was awake and then you know 8 minutes later in 25 seconds I come back in and we're both sleep it just it don't sound right to me. I anytime my son is awake I'm awake. I mean I've been taking care of my son by myself for all those months 21 months. um October 21st, 2021, he got locked up because we were living at the budget. He had my son who was 6 months at the time in his care. Um I ended up getting off work. Jelaska is passed out on a sink with the foil in his hand and the big old rocks sitting right there. And my son is there crying on the bed and I call 911. And I the reason I call 911 is because I see that and I'm like, "Jaska, Jelaska, are you okay?" Alaska gets up, knocks me the out, knocks out two of my teeth up here, which I have super glued in still to this day. And um they came and got him. It took like six whole county sheriff's office officers to get him. Yeah. And this was October 21st, 2021. And so I went and ended up going to a domestic shelter and staying there for a while. >> After listening to Gloria ramble on for minutes, it was time for the detectives to break down their observations. >> I'm listening to you talk. We've been here for probably 45 minutes >> talking and you've talked about various and stuff and talked about some of the issues that you and Jelaska have gone through and your situation now in your new man. But I noticed that you ain't asked a whole lot of questions about tomorrow. >> You ain't asked No, listen. Listen, but you ain't asked about I mean you know the ladies got the information that you're looking for, but I mean you instead of pressing to find out about your child, you're talking about the issues that you've been going through >> and that's confusing. That's just keeping it real. That's confusing to me. >> Well, I just felt like you guys wanted to know like I guess some of the stuff that's been going on or what I do remember, you know, from as the time had progressed cuz like I said, the first day I came here, I was kind of out of it. >> What a reasonable person would think, okay, that's probably what happened cuz nine times out of 10, that's what happened, right? You know, >> I feel that something was left around Jamari while I was asleep, me and that baby. Like I said, he said that he Jelaska told me that he woke up. >> I'm asking you to tell me what happened to your baby. And you're Stop. >> You're telling me what your alibi is. >> No, I'm not. >> Hold on. >> I'm asking you what do you believe in your heart of hearts happened to your baby? And the first thing out of your mouth is an alibi. >> Something that was left around Jamari. >> What was it? >> That I don't know. Oh, like I said, it could have been a piece of foil or anything cuz I remember when >> I had what? [clears throat] >> Yeah. >> So, one thing we ain't going to Listen, one thing we ain't going to do is act crazy. >> Please, I'm not going to act crazy. >> Is that what's going all you talked about? >> No. IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO my son, though? >> That's all you talked about. THAT'S >> IS THAT WHAT IT IS? I KNEW IT. >> STOP. STOP ALL THAT. STOP. >> NO. PLEASE. IS THAT WHAT IT IS? >> DO YOU WANT DO you want to finish talking with us OR YOU WANT TO >> NO. I WANT I WANT I WANT I WANT Y'ALL TO FINISH. I WANT US TO FINISH TALKING. IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM? >> YOU YES, that's exactly what happened to him. You knew it. You want to slap MY PHONE SAYING YOU KNEW IT. >> You knew it. I TOLD EVERYBODY THIS. And I swear to God, I believe those little SON BECAUSE LISTEN LIKE WENT OUT FOR 3 months. The whole time that he's been locked up for those I think it was like 13 months when he got locked up in October. Nothing like that has ever happened to my son. Nothing has ever been left around my son. My son has never got into anything of nothing LIKE THAT. IT'S NOT [laughter] >> BECAUSE BECAUSE WHAT? WHY? BECAUSE YOU were careful where YOU LEFT IT. >> NO, BECAUSE IT'S NOT WHAT I do. What I do is get married. >> So, we talked about that, right? So, here's the thing about that. >> You were very clear on what Jelaska does. >> Mhm. >> You [clears throat] were very clear on what you do. >> Mhm. >> We're all pretty well aware of the fact that the effects of are almost immediate. Mhm. >> When you woke up and you weren't feeling so hot or whatever it was that you said happened, >> there was no there's no, [clears throat] >> right? Nothing nowhere. >> Right. Because it wasn't smoked. It had to have been that it was snorted or touched. It had to >> It had to been touched. But see, that's the thing. >> It probably had to be either straight or laced with. >> So, is there any way that you guys could tell? Like, they did a test on defects. Yeah. Are y'all able to tell me what was in my system? >> Identical to what killed your child? >> Absolutely identical. It's the same exact substance. >> And it's not the kind of substance that smoked. >> Oh my god. >> So, what I need to know from you because this is this is that moment. We all know accidents happen. We know that sometimes you just need a fix. We get that, >> right? >> But what we can't get and we can't get around >> is if you lie about it. >> I've never had so any of my substances. I've never taken it to that room. And that's >> Well, listen. It doesn't matter. It could have just been on your hands. It could have been on your body. Listen to me. What I need to know is that >> when you got up that morning, what happened? >> That's what I can't tell. Like I said, all I remember is getting slapped on my leg and Jelaska panicking and he's >> So, you want me to believe that you went to bed at 3:00 a.m.? >> Yes, ma'am. >> And that was the last time you snorted. >> No, the last time I did it was like um I consider around Family Feud time. I >> several several hours later. It somehow manages to Mari. >> Yeah, cuz Jelaska doesn't do and not to my knowledge, he hasn't been around me. >> That's my point. This is This is crazy. >> Once again, Gloria hopped on emotional antics as a means of appearing innocent. But this time around, the detectives weren't having it. >> That's something that we have to own up to and say, I might have been responsible. >> Oh god, I just >> I introduced it. I brought it in the room. It was on my hand. It was on my nose. My baby touched my face. whatever happened, we just need to know. >> Nobody's saying that you intentionally I just I know I just couldn't imagine that. So that's WHY I WAS SO DISCOMBOBULATED WHEN Y'ALL seen me. I guess like I said, I do remember kind of falling asleep and I think I was in a chair or something like that. Y'all talking to me and said we're trying to talk to you about your son and you're falling asleep. I think you might have said that. >> If you're telling me you did not do straight >> I swear. >> Okay, I believe that then it was in your Do you understand what I'm telling you? >> Yes, ma'am. I do >> and the effects of that had to have been immediate. >> And that's why I was like that and that's why >> and that's why there might be maybe there is a little bit of time that morning you don't remember. But if that if you can't remember what do we [clears throat] have to do like what what Joe said. We have to go with what makes the most sense. Someone that was not under the influence of something. >> Who was not under the influence? Because Jay was under the influence from from that well from that evening until then. Like I said we stopped. Well we didn't stop. He had already stopped, you said, at a guy's house. I had something, but I never seen it. Never seen it. >> We saw him that morning >> and we talked to him. >> Yeah, I know. >> He was not under the influence. >> He has a tolerance for Okay, >> listen. It's not that not that much. >> Huh? >> Nobody's got that much of a tolerance. That man looked like he had just come out of church. >> His story is this that y'all were y'all woke up together. Everybody was fine. The baby was on the couch. You were fine. You were to listen to me. And he goes outside to smoke a cigarette. and you when we came back you were nodding off. This is this is what's important for you to think about and to remember. That's exactly the way you were acting in the interview. >> Right. >> Right. This story is believable. Your story is that he came in and slipped into your mouth or something and his own child. How how >> I don't feel like he drugged his own child. You made up a story because >> got a hold of it. But I don't feel like he but when we so we talked to two people that morning. You and Jalaska. >> Mhm. >> Jelaska wasn't nodding. >> You were. You were absolutely nodding. So who who would you think going back to reasonable who's the last person to do? >> Right. I would >> Who do you think we'd be if you were me, >> right? And you know you myself of course. But it's the thing like I told you. That's why it's hard to believe you guys. >> But what whatever happened, what my partner's saying, what I'm saying is you you you had that around somewhere where Jamar got got into it. You did it on accident. I I think you're a loving mama. >> I swear. >> I believe you. >> Go for it. >> But but you you can't put it on somebody else. >> What happened that morning? >> I don't know. >> Okay. So, >> do you you know that you went to the bathroom? You know that you went to the bathroom because there's something wrong with your ear. That you were in the bathroom for 5 to 10 minutes. >> Okay. I'm telling you the thing that happened immediately after that is you came back and you sat on the bed. >> Okay. >> Okay. Jelaska goes and gets the water. He puts it in the sippy cup and hands it to the baby. Baby sitting up in the bed fully awake. >> Mhm. >> Jelaska wakes up first. Baby wakes up second. You wake up third. >> Okay. >> No crime in that. >> Okay. >> So, all of these things happened. I think you're admitting they happened. you know, they happened. He says, "I'm going to go smoke a cigarette." When he comes back, baby who did wake up that morning, nothing happened to him in the middle of the night. >> He did wake up that morning. He watched cartoons that morning. >> He sipped out of his sippy cup water that morning. >> These things happened and you know they happened. I don't >> do not. >> You know they happened. >> And you're acting like they don't. And you're acting like he's concocted this story when in reality is you know all those things happened. I mean, I know from what >> I didn't believe it. >> God, I'm not complaining about my son. I was so discombobulated in the morning. I barely remember talking to you guys all >> the problem is is if you know these little details happened, these things happened. You know they happened. I don't because you you just said it. You just said they happened. You acknowledge they happened, which means you remember they happened. Which says to me, you waking up to getting your leg slapped and baby already being gone. Mhm. was a completely 100% fabricated lie. >> After a lengthy interrogation, the truth finally came out and all fingers pointed at Gloria, who up until this point refused to agree that her irresponsibility exposed her child to danger. >> I I can honest to God about my son say that I don't believe that that that that is a lie. That's honestly what I truly believe. When like >> you just you remember those things though. >> You remember getting up in your ear driving you crazy and you remember going to the bathroom. was so scattered is what I'm saying. Like my memory is just so scattered and just >> fine. You still remembered it happened and he validates that it happened. >> He's not lying about that. >> Jelaska is not lying about that. >> You've confirmed it. >> We confirmed it because you said the last thing you put in his sippy cup was juice >> the night before. >> When we got there, the sippy cup had water in it, >> which is what Jelaska told us. >> What you knew happened. My point is >> why would I was just trying to figure out how would a substance have to my substance focus on what I'm saying I'm saying that you came in here and you told us one thing when you know and we [clears throat] know and Jelaska knows and Jamari knows exactly what happened. I asked you specifically, did you use it all? And you said, no. Listen, listen. She asked you the same exact question. There's a reason why we do that. And you said, no, I used all of it, girl. And laughed. Jamari got a hold of with and it stopped his little heart in the bedroom in the bed beside you. We know that happened when Jelaska was outside on using the phone. And we know that you have told us multiple stories where Jelaska told us one. I'm not trying to pin nothing on you, but you know what it is. >> IT HURTS SO MUCH, JAMIE. >> I KNOW. I just >> But but but you know what you got to do? You got to let go of it. >> I CAN'T. [laughter] I CAN'T. PLEASE. I CAN'T. I CAN'T LET GO. IT'S MY FAULT. MY SON IS GONE. >> I CAN'T LET GO OF THAT. [laughter] I CAN'T I CAN'T LIVE. I CAN'T LET GO OF IT. I BELIEVE YOU. >> I CAN'T LIKE I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL SEEN PICTURES IN THAT BAG, BUT I CAN'T LET GO. >> Beautiful son. I know it hurts you. >> You can't hold ON TO IT. [laughter] >> OH MY GOD. >> The [snorts] longer you hold on to it, the worse it is for you. >> WHERE DO I GO? I can't do this. >> That guilt is going to eat you. [laughter] >> You have got to let it out. Gloria was still yet to understand the severity of the situation until the final blow came in and she realized that she was done for. >> This was your mistake. This wasn't Jalaska's mistake. Help us understand what happened to Jamari out of his little >> Y just y'all just told me. Y understand what happened to Jamari. >> Jelaska took a test to >> no in THE SYSTEM. >> WHAT? >> WHOA. BRING it down just a little bit. He didn't have no in the system. >> What was in his system? Uh something maybe some [clears throat] >> Yeah. And he told us he told us all about that. He said he'll mess with >> the only thing I just I hate myself so much because I don't if I did something that morning. I swear to y'all I don't remember. And and it wasn't to blame Jasa to to get out of anything. It's just it's just always been me and that baby by myself. Just me and the baby. I've never had a partner to help. Alaska's only been there for 3 months. >> Well, he sounds like a guy based on your history. This deputy is going to transport you to the to the jail cuz part of my job after I do everything is to talk to a judge about what happened. Um, and I just talked to magistrate court judge about everything. Um, and there will be additional charges. >> What part of taking responsibility for what happened? >> Who am I getting charged with? You'll be charged with uh cruelty to children in the second degree because it resulted in the death of your child. It will also have um in the second degree. >> What? No. No. There's no way that can be beat. >> What do you mean beat my child? No. >> Your child is deceased from a overdose. >> Do you understand that? That in and of itself is a crime, right? >> Sir, can you go ahead and take me please right now? I'm done with her. Thank you. I'm ready. Please don't say nothing else to me. Why? >> Can I please have that number? The number that you called for me earlier is one of my family members. I need somebody to know what's going on in my family. >> A resolution was finally reached and Gloria Stringer was charged with the demise of her son. Gloria's actions might have been awful, but not as despicable as Sam's, who tried to cover his tracks after ending his girlfriend's life. I'm going to knock on the phone with you and you said that I was the last person that seen her alive. >> I didn't say that. >> Yep. >> I didn't say that. >> No, we're going home. >> Where are you going? >> I wish for I'll explain it here in a minute. All right. >> What? On the 13th of February, 2023, after finishing her shift at Sugar's Lounge and Diner, 60-year-old Eileen Gowen informed her daughter that she would be going over to her friends Mike Brockman to pick up some things. To get to Mike's apartment, Eileen requested a ride from her ex-boyfriend Sam Bremer, who obliged and picked her up from work. Hours after leaving Sugars, Eileen's daughter began to worry as efforts to contact her remained unsuccessful. After Eileen was reported missing, police officers opened an investigation and spoke with the two men in her life who were the most important leads. >> So, basically, um I mean, as you know, I talked to you on Monday, did I or Wednesday? I guess was the first day I talked to you. I'd received information from some of the family that you and Eileen were possibly in a relationship or kind of sorish. She may have lived with you for a few days or a week or so, but if you could just kind of go before Monday, just kind of tell us how you guys know each other, how she ended up out there, your place, that kind of thing, and then we'll kind of move from there. >> She was a wafers at Sugars and I knew her from in there and I talked to her before and stuff like that. >> Mhm. [clears throat] And then she told me, [snorts] I don't know, it was like on a Tuesday or Wednesday night [music] that she got kicked out and she needed a place to stay. I said, "Wait, you can stay at my place for a couple days." I think it was Friday. She called me and she said, [music] "I won't be coming back." She says, "We're getting back together." Her and her boyfriend. >> Mhm. >> And all I know is his first name, [music] Sam. I don't know anything else about you. >> Okay. And so I didn't see her and then she called me crying on that Saturday night and she said, "Oh, we got into can I come out for a date?" I said, "You can come back out, but I want you got to be gone Monday because I can't have this. I'm single. I don't want anything like this going on." So I took her to work Monday morning. I've been a week ago yesterday. dropped her off at 5:00 a.m. and she was supposed to get off at I don't know, she said 7 or 8. Her daughter was going to pick her up. She's going to go to her mom's and get her safe and take to her daughters and then she was supposed to come back to work at 2:00 in the afternoon. Well, then I get a phone call from the bar saying, "Hey, have you seen her?" And I said, "I haven't seen her. I haven't talked to her. Nothing." Well, she didn't show up for work. She didn't show up. I said, "I haven't heard anything." And I tried to contact her and couldn't get a hold of her. So, I sent her a text message and I says, "All your stuff that's bagged up is going to be second behind the bar. You got to get it. I want it out of here. I don't want to mess with any more of this." And I never since 5:00 that Monday morning, I'd never had any contact with her phone, text, or anything. And then I didn't know anything till right before you called me that she'd come up missing. Okay, >> we've all seen it before. Jealous exes become vengeful and do horrible things to their ex partners. With rumors about Mike's potential romantic feelings for Eileen, the theory of a jealous ex was something detectives needed [music] to rule out. >> Has anybody said anything to you that uh Eene was saying anything about you? Did have you heard anything about her making any statements about you and your uh behavior while she lived or was staying with you out there? >> No. >> So, did you you haven't heard that she may have made a statement that you possibly is while she was up there. >> Oh, okay. Um, that statement was made to a couple people that um you uh supposedly laid down in on her bed with her um and spooned her from behind. Is that >> No. >> Can you tell me is that any of that accurate? Any of those statements? I would not do that because like I said, she was a loose cannon and she's scared. >> I mean, I guess here here's the deal. You're a grown man. She's a grown woman. You know, if there was any type of whatever contact between you that was consensual, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. >> I mean, she was crying that first night she'd come out and I hug her. >> Okay. But there was no relationship, no asking for it or anything. >> Next, the cops diverted attention to Sam Bremer, Eileen's ex and the last person she [music] had seen before disappearing. >> Already met Detective >> Dyer. First names, but >> yeah, this is Detective Dyer. >> I'm the sergeant that you talked to on the phone. My name's Ted Roberts. I'm a sergeant. I heard you got when I got on the phone with you and you said that I was the last person that seen her alive. >> I didn't say that. >> Yep. >> I didn't say that. I >> Yes, you did. Yes, you sure did. >> I said you were the last person that saw her before she >> went missing. >> I said, "Oh, I want them to arrest me so I can have a lawyer." >> No, no. Yeah, that's I think you misheard me there. I got it recorded. I have to go back and listen to it. But, uh, but yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not what I said. But uh I mean basically we got a you know a crazy deal here where you know Eileen is evidently her family and everything else she's never done this kind of thing before. She's never just you know took off and gone. They all know she >> what she does is she comes to me and she moves him she's moved him with me four or five times >> but usually when she moves him with me she stays away from home. >> Yeah cuz they said she they talk every day. the daughter and her need something on the phone or whatever she >> if they need something then they'll get a hold of her. >> Okay. >> Just like when she got arrested for DWI, she went to jail and they finally built her off. What did they do? They took her and dropped her off at the bar. >> Okay. >> And she was homeless. >> Okay. Let's if you could I just need to know what went on Monday morning. What happened Monday morning with you? >> She texted me. >> Okay. and wanted to know if I would come and get her because one of her friends supposedly was supposed to come and get her and supposedly ran out of gas. So, >> did she tell you the friend's name or >> Mhm. >> Okay. >> So, I got there and I said, "I'll be there in a minute." She was going to come inside. I don't want Megan to know that we're back or you're with me. I said, "Okay." And uh I pulled up. She gets in the truck. We take off, run out to this, the one that tried to do something with her >> and uh dropped her off there. Then I left and then wasn't too long after that is when she called me. I think she was at my house knocking. See, you can't get in my apartment building unless you have a key to get in. >> But I think she was knocking on my window. I didn't look. I didn't care. I just wanted to lay down, take a nap. That's when she text me want to know if I could talk to Emmy about letting her move back in because this guy uh >> Okay. >> Now, if that's true >> when >> that night? >> The night before Monday. >> The night before Monday. Yeah. >> Okay. >> And I don't know if that was true or not. I don't know if she was just saying that to get me to take her back or what. I don't know. >> Sam's story was being backed up with texts [music] from Eileen. But even with this, the detectives weren't ruling him out as a suspect just yet. Uh, please talk to me. See if I can come back home. He me last night. Sam, I love you. I promise I'll quit drinking. Please give me another chance. Then she says, "I'm hanging out with her." And then this was it at 1:22. >> What does it say? >> And it says, "Here, I'm hanging out with a friend. I'll get a hold of you later. I'm not going to work. Uh, I'm not supposed to back at 2, right? >> I think 2 or 3." Okay. I can't [snorts] remember. >> Okay. And then uh you go to work, go back there, they treat me like [ __ ] And then she says, "You've seen it." They have. I mean, but I can't say nothing. >> Mhm. >> And then uh I said, "Why are you telling me why didn't you tell me this earlier when I was talking to you? You're drunk. You're drunk. Ain't be honest. That's why I can't do this no more. Please do not call me no more. Text me no more. All your friends are here at work and that's where she got pissed off. >> Mhm. [snorts] >> But you said you dropped her off in front of Mike's house. >> Yeah. >> And you watched her walk into the >> All she did is she got out and she walked in front of the truck and she walked in front of the truck. I would have turned and that's when I left. >> Okay. So you didn't see her get into the house. Anything like that. >> Mhm. [snorts] >> So if she had walked away from there, I mean that's quite a ways away from your apartment complex. I wonder how she would have gotten to you. >> A portrait from Brent was supposed to come and pick her up. >> The following day, Sam was invited back to the station after a review of the camera footage from the day Eileen went missing. Showed some inconsistencies in his statement. >> The other day when we were in here, you told me that you got a phone call from her and you went to pick her up from. >> So, if you can do me a favor and just kind of go through that timeline again. We know uh that it was somewhere right around 8:30. So, if you can just kind of go through that timeline again as far as >> I'm not too sure on the time. >> Okay. >> But anyway, she text me that morning and I didn't text her back. I called her and she wouldn't know if I would come and get her because some girl was supposed to pick her up and she ran out of gas. So, I went and picked her up and she got in the truck. I lived and she wanted to talk to me about helping her get in the apartment because she lived in that same apartment building I did, but she didn't pay her rent so she got kicked out. >> Mhm. >> So, but she didn't want to go home right away. So, me and her just went right down Broadway and then she wanted to stop at her mom's house. I stopped at her mom's house and she was in there for I don't know 5 or 10 minutes. She come out of there, got back in, and then was going back down Broadway just talking some more. And she promised me, she wanted me to drop her her back off at his house. But she made me promise I wouldn't do nothing to him anymore. And I told her, I promise. >> As a matter of fact, when I get there, you just get out, you walk in front of truck, I'll turn around and I'll leave. And she says, "Okay." >> Okay. So, you went up there, you dropped her off, then what'd you do? And as soon as I I pulled up and she didn't want to be going in the driveway in case he was there. >> Okay. >> And uh she got out of her truck. When she got her truck, she walked in front of her truck and that's when I went straight, turned around and came back. >> Okay. >> And I straight home. >> So you went back down to the highway, went back down to >> You left her there, >> huh? >> You left her her there or you >> No, she got a truck. She didn't want to come in. She >> a second ago. You said she went in, grabbed clothes, came back out to your truck, and you guys left again. >> No, no, no, no, no. That was it. uh her mom her mom's house. >> Detectives began to poke through the holes in Sam's statement, but Sam remained adamant, refusing to admit what they all knew. His story was all a lie. >> We got a small little snap here. I need we need to talk to you about Okay. So, you said after you dropped her off out there off of Highway 191 that that residence, [snorts] >> you headed back to your apartment. We checked some of our cameras. Okay. And we have a camera at 36th and Broadway [music] and we have your truck going westbound at 9:28 a.m. going to Omaha. Okay. When you pass 36 and Broadway heading west. [snorts] Uh, so you didn't go home. You went over to Omaha, it looks like. Do you remember what you did or who you saw? >> I don't remember going home. >> Where'd you go? >> I told you I went straight home. I don't remember going home. >> Well, the camera doesn't lie. It's your truck and it's your license plate number. >> Right. Okay. At at 36th of Broadway at 9:28 a.m. going west toward 480 and then 1 hour later you're coming back from Omaha and you're going eastbound back coming back into council bus. >> 1 hour away. >> No, we're going home. >> Where did you go? >> I went straight home. >> Sam became increasingly suspicious after he visited a scrapyard and requested to get his truck crushed into pieces. The case was finally sealed and ruled as a homicide after Eileen's [music] body was found in a ditch by the roadside and an autopsy ruled strangulation as the cause of demise. Hello. Morning. We're looking for your grandfather. Is he here? Okay, just one second. Just go Sam, right? He goes by Sam. Okay. Is Is there anybody else in there? >> No, just him. He's sleeping. >> Okay. Is he got any guns or anything like that? >> Okay. Well, he's got a warrant, so we need to talk to him. Just let that officer in. I'll be right there. Ivan, step out here. Show us your hand. No. Hey, hey, hey. >> Okay. >> Come here. You got a warrant for your arrest. I'll let you smoke that if you >> Let me [snorts] put it up. >> Oh, you can smoke it. All right. >> All right. >> Yeah, we'll get them. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We'll get >> I'll put them on. >> Huh? >> I'll explain it here in a minute. All right. What a >> Okay, he'll be hot county. He'll be able to call you in a little bit. Thank you. >> Ivan Sam Brammer was eventually charged with homicide and sentenced to 65 years in prison. In the next case, the demise of a baby led officers to unearth the true nature of a babysitter hired to provide care. >> Do they know anything right now? Is she breathing? >> I don't know. >> And then about 10:30, she was still very fussy, so I just kind of let her go. She texted me and told me what she said. >> Okay. Can I see that text? >> My mom's friend's son passed away from swaddling. >> On June the 26th, 2024, Pecan Police Department received a distressing 911 call from a man who reported that a baby he and his girlfriend were babysitting wasn't [music] breathing. >> 911. What's the address of your emergency? >> Uh 1200 Avenue. >> And tell me exactly what happened. Um, so my girlfriend is watching a toddler. We put her up for a nap. She is not breathing. >> Are you with her now? >> Yes, I am. >> Is she awake? >> She is not. >> Is she breathing? >> She is not. She's turning purple. >> All right. I'm sending the parame to help you now. Stay in the line. >> All right. Thank you. >> Are you right by the baby now? >> Yes, I am. >> Listen carefully. I want you to lay the baby flat on her back on the floor and remove anything from under her head and then kneel next to the baby and look in the mouth for food or vomit. Let me know when you've got that done. >> Look for food and uh food or vomit. >> Yes. Kneel next to the baby and look in the mouth for food or vomit. Is there anything in the mouth? >> Uh hold on. I'm looking. I do not see anything. Sir, >> I'm sorry. What? Are you there? Yeah, I do not feel I [music] don't hear anything. I think it looks like there's vomit on her shirt. >> Listen carefully and I'll tell you how to do chest compressions. I want you to make sure the baby is flat on her back on the floor. I want the chest to come all the way up between pumps. Count out loud so I can count with you. Okay. >> Officer here. >> There's an officer there. >> Yes. >> Okay, let them take over. Okay. >> Alarmed by the severity of the situation, first responders raced to the scene hoping to resuscitate the baby in time. What deputies didn't realize was that the seemingly accidental [music] event would turn out to be not so accidental after all. >> Who was the child? >> Mom, she went to go wake her up from her nap. No breathing. >> Which room? >> Yeah, it looks like she come. >> How long ago? >> I don't know nothing. Put it down for a nap about 10 ft or not 10:30 >> upstairs. >> Yeah. So, it's going to be the bath bedroom on the right. >> All right. I'm going to There's an officer up there and fireman up there. I'm going to stand out here and just direct the AMP guys up here. >> Who all who all lives here, guys? Whose place is it? >> Her. >> It's me and my girlfriend. >> You and your girlfriend live here? Okay. All right. All right. >> My girlfriend laid her down at about 10:30 for a nap. >> Okay. And she usually just naps and then we get her and she comes down and eats and we went up there and nothing. >> Oh my gosh. Okay. All right. Yeah. >> It looks like it looks like she choked on her feet. >> We got the right people here to try to fix this and take care of this. So, let's get them up there. All right. >> I don't know. I'm not up there. I'm scared. I'm shaking really bad. >> I'm going to have you come out here with this officer here and just kind of tell him what you were telling me to the left and upstairs. He told me that his girlfriend put the baby down to sleep and then when they went upstairs, he was kind of choking and not really sure exactly what's going on. So, I'm just directing people upstairs. >> Keep talking what you're doing. Let them do their work, but these officers will probably just kind of talk and get this >> their part of it and let the medical people take care of that. Okay. >> Who's this baby right here? >> That's my baby. >> That's your baby. Okay. >> Yeah. I just put her up to take a nap. >> Okay. Who you talking to? >> Her mom. >> Yeah. Yep. You go ahead and do what you got to I put her up there about 10:30 and she fell asleep about 11:00 >> and I just went to wake her up because she's sleep for an hour. I had a lunch in the microwave and I went up there to check on her and there was enough. >> Are you ventilating him? Okay. >> Ventilations are fine. >> All right, let's get them on the monitor. Get access. Get one round of drugs and let's do a pulse check. >> I don't want to put words in your mouth or anything that like the sergeant has said. So, can you just kind of again explain to me the timeline of events that went? >> So, it was about 10:30. We took her my girlfriend took her up to take her to put her down for a nap. >> She took her down to a nap in my in my son's room. >> Okay. >> And his uh infant bed or whatever. Uh >> sorry, I'm just >> a lot going on. >> I understand. Yeah. Absolutely. >> So, when they did that, her girlfriend just went check to check up on her. >> Uhhuh. >> Cuz we didn't hear anything. And usually she wakes up at this time. She went up there and there was she wasn't breathing nothing. >> Okay. Was she moving at all? >> No. >> Is this also your daughter too? >> No. >> Okay. >> And then are you And this is your girlfriend? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> So guys, she has history of collic since she was newborn. Had an episode of vomiting yesterday and several bouts of diarrhea lately. Nothing abnormal in that. Just vomited the one time after eating. She is up to date on all immunizations and medications. >> You guys are baby setting. Yeah. >> As paramedics [music] fought to save the baby's life, a nearby officer began questioning the babysitter and her boyfriend, but their nervous glances and contradicting answers hinted [music] that something was definitely a miss. What's mom's name? >> Is this her? >> Yeah. >> Uh, yes. >> Oh my gosh, I'm taking so bad. >> Hi. Right now, the medical personnel are upstairs working. We're going to keep you out here. We don't know exactly what's going on. That's awesome for coming here. There was it was actually one of the uh paramedics that was getting information from you through her. So >> yeah, we'll stay here. [laughter] We're going to get >> I'm going to call my fianceé. >> Yep. I think that's a good idea. >> Do they know anything right now? Is she breathing? >> I don't know. No, but I got here and I sent the the superheroes upstairs to do what they got to do. And I just kind of stayed down here to >> She going all over her. >> Okay. Had >> her lunch in the microwave. Okay. They're They're coming out right now. They're coming. Yep. So, let's stay here right now. Yep. They're going to come out and they're going to get her to the ambulance. We'll figure out a way to get you there cuz I don't want you driving in this state. I'm not sure if you ride the ambulance or [music] maybe or maybe or maybe I can drive you. Maybe you can ride with me. Yeah, maybe I can drive you to get you to the hospital. That's probably the best idea. Did you want to sit in my squad car where it's air conditioned and just >> No, I need to see her. >> Yeah. I think that makes sense. >> Yep. I think that's good. I was just thinking if you were if you wanted to. I was offered that as an option. See her? >> Yep. [music] Yep. She's standing right here. Wants to see everything. We're at the end of the sidewalk. Just Hey, I want to I just want to alert you. She probably got a lot of stuff going on. So, I want you to get to see her >> and watch, but we've got to let them do what they can to save her life. And I know I'm just just letting you know it's going to it already is alarming and distressing and everything, but >> Oh my. >> Who who found little one up in the >> It wasn't her. >> I wasn't here. I just came from work. >> Caleb's on it. >> Oh, okay. Yeah. >> Well, medic just wanted to know like she talked to him >> positioning and everything. >> All right, we're going to go into the living room past the door and let him open it for us. >> Sorry. Sorry. >> Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. >> Oh my god. Oh my god. [laughter] Oh my god. [crying] >> Oh my god. >> [laughter] >> Go sit in my car to the hospital. I got you. >> Oh my god. Sit in my car. Go to sleep, princess. >> Oh my god. >> It was apparent that the mother was barely holding it together. So officers tried to escort [music] her to the hospital. But back at the scene, some of the officers couldn't shake the feeling that something about the whole incident seemed eerily odd. >> Are they able to get anything? >> Crib looks clean. Uh Butler did really good. He took his camera. >> Babysitters. >> Yeah. Took a real good v uh video of the crib before he touched anything. Uh baby was found face down. Been sleeping like roughly 2 hours. >> Oh my god. I'm sorry. Do you need me to hang up on you? Are you >> okay? I'm sorry. I'm trying to keep it together, but I can't go to see Princess OSF. Oh my god. Oh my god. >> No, dude. No. Like everything looks pretty clean. Okay. It looks like a nice kids bedroom. Like there were some blankets in there in the I wonder if it was like rolled on his stomach. It just wasn't far enough back over and the blank. So they're going to take back to an emergency room obviously. So you can either wait in the lobby, wait outside, talk to people. I'm going to get another officer here to kind of facilitate. So you are, you know, kept up to speed on exactly what's going on, what's happening, but we want to give them the ability to to do what they've got to do here. So the babysitter is hysterical. Uh she said she has laid the kid down at 10 something, came up at like 12:45, and the child was blue. Babysitter's boyfriend is super calm. There are some things that are just kind of up in the air right now. Mother was not [music] here. The child was in the care of a babysitter. That babysitter and boyfriend are on the way to the PD now down there for initials. Child was on his stomach. >> When I got there, the dude had him on his back doing [music] CPR and then I took over. It seemed like a I don't know how he was sleeping. >> This was all in the bedroom. >> But uh yeah, I mean blue tongue, blue lips, blue skin, nothing. >> Was it cold or still? Tragically, just 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital, the little one was declared to have passed away. But it was what came next that truly rattled detectives. The babysitter and her boyfriend were brought in for questioning, who suspiciously did not seem to grieve at all. >> Hello. >> Yeah. We're at the police department and I'm just really scared. I just feel horrible. >> I just don't know what to do. >> She didn't make it. >> Huh? >> She didn't make it. >> No. Kenna, [snorts] >> did they say was coffin? >> No. >> Now what? >> I don't know. I'm just in this room by myself and I don't like it. >> Oh, can I? >> I'm just really scared. >> Well, there was nothing you could do. Can I go to her house? >> Can you just stay on the phone with me until somebody comes in? >> So, have you seen Sylvie at all today? >> I have not. So, by the time that you >> woke up, >> woke up, she was already upstairs, laid down for the day. >> Yeah. >> Okay. When you came down, did everything seem normal? Like, did she seem flustered at all? Was there any >> Everything is Everything looked fine. >> Had you heard cuz she said that Sylvie had been like a little bit fussy? And she she screams a lot and cries cuz when [music] Kenna first started watching her she told me she was calicky kind of. >> Mhm. Who figured out that something was wrong with Sylvie or like how did that all play out? [music] >> Kenna was making lunch with every uh for all the kids and she was making Sophie's lunch cuz she usually wakes up by now. Kenna went up there and Kenna came running down the stairs and goes I think I think she's dead. And I'm like what? And so then I jumped up and I ran upstairs and I saw her and I called 911 right away. >> When you first walked into the bedroom, what did you see? >> When I seen, all I see was um I walk in, Sylvie's in the crib, and it looks like Kenna flipped her to face her up >> to see it to get her awake. And that's what I walked into. her face kind of purplish but just like right there >> laying face up in the crib. Okay. All righty. Let me I think I pretty much my biggest thing is just getting like your guys' base statements. >> No, I get you. >> Um let me I'm going to talk to her then. Um and then we'll kind of go from there. Okay. >> All right. If you need anything though, just uh get up and either yell at the door or knock or something, but we'll get you whatever you need. >> Thank you. After listening to the boyfriend's side of the story, the detective then turned her attention to the babysitter, but her answers did nothing but paint a disturbing picture of her mindset. >> Yeah. Do you want me to end this? >> Yeah. If you would, you can tell you you'll be able to call her back as soon as I'm done. Just run me through like from the time that you woke up um just to the time that like we got called out. Okay. >> Sylvie was very fussy, so I was feeding her a bottle and trying to like calm her down. Then she started to fall asleep in my arms. And then I took her upstairs, laid her down, she was fussy, so I brought her back down. And then she [music] played with some of her toys. She has a caddy there of toys. And then about 10:30, she was still very fussy. [music] So I just kind of let her go. And 10:30, I took her back upstairs and laid her down. And then, well, I put her in her pink sleep sack and then laid her down. And I turned the fan on for her cuz it gets warm in there. And then I went downstairs to start making lunch for everybody, which is what I was doing whenever I went upstairs to check on her, and to wake her up because her mom only wants her to sleep for an hour. >> Okay. >> And then um that's when I noticed it. She wasn't breathing at all. So then I ran downstairs. >> And he went upstairs and I told him to call 911 cuz I was I was scared. So And then I went over to my sisters to have her come over so I could have somebody. Okay. >> Who dropped Sylvie off this morning? >> Her mom. As soon as she left, Sylvie was crying. >> Okay. >> Yeah. She's already pretty collicky. >> Okay. >> So, I just kind of figured that's what it was. >> That's like the norm for her. >> Acid reflux. Yeah. >> Okay. So, usually fussy is is not like >> it's not >> crazy out of the normal, >> but it's also like as much as she was today, it wasn't like normal at all for her. >> She seemed more upset than normal. >> Yeah. >> I had taken her up to lay her down for a little bit. >> Okay. >> For 5 minutes, if that >> because I don't like listening to them cry. >> Was that 5 minute like a Cuz I I have a 2-year-old. I get like sometimes you need a mental break. Was that like a like a mental break period for you or Yeah. >> Okay. So, you get her upstairs >> cuz she's being fussy and you need a second. >> And normally when she's fussy, she's just tired. >> When you brought Sylvie back downstairs um before she started playing with her toys, where was still sleeping at that point or had he already come down? >> Um he came down about the same time that I had brought Sylvie down. >> Okay. Um so then you got you bring her down. [music] How long um were you guys all like in the living room before nap time? >> We were in there from like 9:45 to 10:30 whenever I laid her down. >> Okay. When you brought Sylvie down the first time. >> Yeah. >> That was around the same time was getting up for the day. You said that you had at one point come upstairs and that you had had to pump. >> Yes. Was that before or after? >> No, she was still down there with him. >> Okay. >> Yeah. All right. >> It was clear at this point that either one of the two was lying since the boyfriend claimed that he hadn't [music] seen baby Sylvia at all that day. The detective quickly grasped this small detail and started [music] pressing harder. >> I don't understand. I guess after talking to both of you, he said he was sleeping like the entire time. >> Yeah, he was. and then came down at 9:30. >> Yeah, but he said like he hadn't even seen Sylvie today. >> He was down there with her. >> Do you know why he [music] would make it sound like he didn't watch her at all and had no contact with her this morning? >> Maybe it's cuz he was on his Xbox. I don't know. >> Okay. >> Yeah, cuz he said like he cuz [music] I was like, "You didn't even see her today?" He's like, "No, I didn't even see her." >> And so that makes me like, you know, >> right >> concerned. Um, do you guys do like baby monitors at all or anything like that? >> There's one in there, but we haven't used it. >> Okay. Okay, let me run and ask him then about just that one thing. All right, I'll be right back. As soon as the detective left, the babysitter quickly texted [music] her boyfriend, seemingly coaching her boyfriend on what to say during his police interview. But she didn't expect what the boyfriend did next. I think I pretty much have it like initial timelined and everything plotted out. Um there was like [music] just with talking to her like trying to make sure that I understand where everybody was at >> at all points in time. She said that uh Sylvie was just playing with her toys by herself. the boys were ex on Xbox and stuff and so she just left you down there with them while she went up to >> Okay. Why? I don't understand why like why she wouldn't >> I have no idea. >> Okay. Okay. And so you come down and then she went up to shower and pump. >> Yes. >> Okay. And you would have had all the kids then cuz she's not going to take the kids up there to pump. >> Never felt silly tonight. That's not You're not being fully honest with me then. >> I I am. I >> No, cuz she's not going to take the kids upstairs with her to the pump. >> I [music] never I never I never saw the selfie this morning. >> I don't understand why she would say that you were watching them when you weren't. Like I there just no reason for her to misinterpret that or have that wrong. I never had and I swear my grandfather grave that is dead right now. >> That was a test sheriff. >> I swear to you. >> Okay. >> I just I want you to understand that if anything did happen and there isn't you made a mistake by not being fully transparent and honest with me. >> Yes. >> It makes it look like you're hiding stuff from me. I I swear >> if you were watching her and like an accident happened or something like that, I don't want you to just completely I can see how you would want to distance yourself from >> She text me and told me. But she said, >> "Okay, can I see that text?" >> Yeah, she can. Can you help me? >> No, not at this point. >> Okay. >> I've been doing these cases for a while. >> Yes. the cases where people are communicating on like >> social media and text and all that. >> No, that's not what I was going to say. >> When people are trying to get their story straight. >> Mhm. >> That's when they have something to hide. I'm only I'm I'm not going to play games. >> I understand. >> And I'm only going to give you limited amount of time where it looks like you guys are trying to cover your butts. >> Okay. or were you actually just going to be open and honest with me? Just based on the context of the text message, it looks like she accused you of doing something. What did she think you were lying about? >> Be she wanted me to tell you that I had that I had Sylvie because she said uh in the text I said I told her that you had Sylvie for like 10 minutes while I pump uh pumped from what you said. And [clears throat] I told her I said I'm not lying. I'm not covering you. You had her. I'm not. I didn't see her until I went up and got her out of the crib and called 911. Right there. Oh, sorry. >> All right. Here. >> Yes. >> So, why is it that at 2:30 you [music] felt the need to text her that there's no me there's no text? >> There's no Do not even start to pretend like you're >> I promise. I swear. >> Okay. before we even start going down this road. If there was like a text message that's deleted or anything like that, >> we'd be able to we'll be able to recover that. So, don't you worry. >> Okay. >> But you're lying. I can tell just based off of your reaction to that. >> I promise. I did not see her today. >> She text me. >> Okay. >> And that's it's deleted obviously. >> Is this through Facebook or is this >> That's through text message. >> Through text message. As the detectives questioning continued, the boyfriend maintained his innocence, prompting detectives to reinter the woman. This time, determined to [music] get the truth out. >> Will you go take her phone? Tell her as evidence. >> Uh, we're going to need your phone. >> Yeah, no problem. >> I just don't like being in here. >> No, you're okay. So, this is going to be evidence, just so you know. That's why we're taking your phone so you're aware and my body came on. >> And some of my co-workers were watching the interviews just like while I'm talking to you guys and noticed that you guys were like texting back and forth and stuff. And so I asked him about, you know, what you guys were talking about. He like showed me the basically the text thread. Um, and there were two messages in there that it had said like wifey unscent or like my wife unent. >> Yeah, it was me asking him if he was okay. >> Okay. Like you had sent a message and then he said like oh well I told them that I wasn't with her. I didn't see her at all. And [music] then you sent another message to him. What were those saying? >> Just that she was down there with him cuz I told him that what I was telling him. >> Okay. What made you unend that message? >> I was just scared. >> Okay. >> Cuz I didn't know if you if I was supposed to even be texting him or not. >> I definitely have a lot of concern [music] when people are like when I when I meet with a couple and they're like discussing like I'm telling the police this like what are you telling the police? Like it looks like you guys are trying to like get your story straight. And I don't understand like in this instance why you guys would be, you know, trying to make sure that you're telling me the same thing if what you're telling me is the truth. >> Just because he told me that he didn't see her, so I was asking him basically. >> Okay. He's claiming that when you went upstairs to [music] like shower and pump that Sylvie must have already been upstairs in bed. >> No, cuz I had put her behind him. So, I don't maybe he didn't notice. >> Okay. >> I don't know cuz whenever he's on his game, he's just zoned out. >> Okay. >> Which sometimes it scares me to even put the kids down there, but >> 99.9% [music] of the times we're able to like recover those kind of messages. So, it'll show me whether or not that's what you sent him. >> If [music] either one of you guys made a mistake and an accident happened in the home, it'll come out eventually. And it's just not a good way to go about those kind of situations. So, >> yeah. [music] Well, I will say though that I did swaddle her with a blanket, but there was nothing over her face. Nothing. [music] >> I am not trying to say like that it would be a like positional or like this a swaddling kind of a thing. I more so get concerned like [music] did somebody get overwhelmed with her and drop her or did somebody, you know, [music] and that but that's more so what I'm looking at. I just didn't want you to to misinterpret like one of the >> I just [music] I know that um my mom's friend's son passed away from swaddling too, but I don't I was just scared to say that because I didn't want >> Yeah. >> swaddling to be like >> um I with her age development um or with her age and her level of development, swaddling wouldn't be something that I'd be concerned about. There can be issues with newborn babies that can't get their arms or legs out of there or anything like that. >> She always if she's crawling and and standing up on stuff, um pulling herself up on stuff, that tells me that it's not going to be something where she's swaddled and can't, you know, get out of the swaddle. Um so, okay, let me grab him and then I will uh I will grab my notebook and then we'll get you guys out of here. >> Thank you. >> Yep. 2 days later, an autopsy revealed abrasions on the inside of the baby's upper lip and frenoline, consistent with pressure [music] being applied to the baby's face. It was later confirmed that the little one's cause of demise was asphixxiation, eliminating the possibility of an accidental [music] cause. Later, in an interview, the woman broke down and confessed to pressing a plush toy over the baby's face in frustration, a confession that matched every painful detail in the report. >> Okay. Um, so at this point you're under arrest. Go ahead. I'm going to have you turn around. Okay. >> Okay. Can I [clears throat] just go tell my mom? >> Can I talk to her? >> We will let her know. I'd rather not have you in handcuffs in front of your kid, even with him being a baby. >> Okay. Do you know how long I'll be there? >> You'll see a judge and then he'll have to decide as far as like releasing you. Okay. >> I'm just scared. >> I understand. You'll have to see a judge. >> It will not be today. >> No. >> No. Um I can't tell you exactly. I'm not sure when the next hearing will be given a kid. >> I I just I don't think that that's the last thing you're going to want to be. >> Later, prosecutors revealed evidence that another child in her care had previously [music] suffered a broken arm with inconsistent explanations given. The judge denied her bail, citing the risk she posed to other children, including her own infant son. The woman was arrested and charged with firstderee murder. The killer couple couldn't hide their crime for long, just like how Stephanie failed to cover up her negligence that resulted in the loss of a child's life. >> NO, NOBODY. NO, NOBODY. >> I think that Charles overdosed. >> No, he didn't overdose. I prayed with your daughter over your grandson. >> Charles was over there alone in a bag. >> On the morning of March the 30th, 2024, Dayton dispatches received a heartbreaking 911 call [music] stating that a child had passed away quietly in his sleep. >> Child in sleep. He went to sleep as as he is. Please come. Please ma'am. Ma'am, ma'am, what is going on with your child? He laid down, went to sleep, and I was on the couch with him, me and my um little He's my grandson, and he he's won't wake up. He's cold as ice. His nose was bleeding. I wiped his nose and he he didn't move. >> Okay. Ma'am, how how old is he? >> Five. I was babysitting him. He's cold as I He's cold. He won't move. >> There's no breathing at all or anything? [music] >> No. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing at all. Oh, please. I called his mom. She go [music] on his own on the way. >> Oh, God. There's somebody coming. >> Yes. Stephanie, we could we had help on the way. Okay. >> Okay. >> We're going to do what we can to help you. Okay. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Officers rushed to the scene and identified the boy as 5-year-old Charles Anthony [music] Brown. Paramedics tried desperately to save him, but it became heartbreakingly clear. Charles was already far too gone. But little did officers know that they would soon encounter the culprit [music] themselves, hiding like a wolf in sheep's clothing and in plain sight. >> He's stiff. When was the last time you saw him? >> 10 or 15 minutes ago if you're not calling. >> No. No. When was the last time you saw him moving? >> He went to sleep and then we all went to sleep and I still >> What time was that? >> About 10 or 11 or something. >> 10 or 11 last night. >> Yeah. >> Does he have any health issues or anything? >> No, he wasn't nothing. Nothing. >> And you said you saw him last night? Yes. About 10 hours. He went in that position and then that's where he was at. And then I seen some >> So when you saw him, he was sleeping. >> No, I got up this morning. I wiped his nose. Something coming out his nose. >> Okay. So about 10 stuff is still in the toilet. I put in the toilet. I didn't flush it. He didn't move. He didn't >> I called his mama. >> How old is he? >> Five. Oh, his mom's coming. >> Is this brother and sister? >> Twins. >> They're twins? >> Yes. >> How old are they? >> Five. >> Five. >> How was he? >> Three. >> Three. >> Oh, he had nose bleed. That's it. >> That's it. He had no nose bleed. The officers turned to the boy's grandmother, 58-year-old Stephanie Shanks, who was babysitting the three grandchildren while their mother was at her job. But before they could dig any deeper, the child's mother arrived at the heartbreaking scene. >> Why? >> Sorry, you can't go inside, are you? >> I can't go inside. >> Come here. Come here. >> Come here. Come here. >> Please. I just want to feed my baby. >> No. No. He said we're not letting her. >> Oh my god. >> We'll have to talk to him. >> Huh? >> Well, we'll have to talk. >> He woke up like this. I don't know. My god. Please let me go see my baby. >> Is that correct? >> 32 weeks. Yes. >> Okay. Any any other medical issues? >> No. >> No complications? >> None. >> Thank you. Baby go. >> Baby go. [screaming] >> Oh no. Oh my god. Oh no. Please. NO. NOBODY. NO. NO. NO. NO. Get off of me. Get off of me. grandp put him down at bed 10:11 last night when she last saw him out here sleeping on the couch. Um this morning before she called said his like u she described as a bloody nose, >> wiped it up. The tissues are still in the toilet and um noticed he wasn't responding. Called 911. Okay. >> Um just kind of looks like he aspirated. >> Does everyone live here or grandma just based? >> Grandma watches the kids every weekend, she says. >> Okay. She was sleeping on the couch with the two boys. >> Said the girl was asleep in the bed. >> She was sleeping on the couch. >> During a thorough search, investigators uncovered a disturbing clue. One that pushed [music] Stephanie straight into the interrogation room. >> 10 or 10:30 or 11, something like that. Blue Charles came and said, "Ron, I'm tired. I'm sleepy." I said, "Well, get off the couch and lay down and go to sleep." What did he look like when he said I was tired? >> He didn't really look I mean he looked tired and eyes but he looked like you know nothing I would notice. >> Was he acting weird? Was he like stumbling or maybe like nodding off? >> No, he was he was just tired just moving slow. >> Wasn't nodding off? >> No. Okay. Can you help me understand all the straws and stuff that are laying around and the white powder and substances that are laying around? >> Well, it was from um me doing a boy earlier than but it wasn't me doing a boy now. >> Okay. You doing boy earlier as in when? >> Um Friday. >> Just for clarification, boy. >> Uhhuh. >> When on Friday were you doing it? >> Um that morning. >> That morning. Mhm. Before they get there, >> what around what time? >> Um about 7. I had had it that night, but I did it that morning. But I had didn't know I had to watch the kids. I thought I had to watch them at Yeah. You thought you had an extra day? >> Yeah, I get it. >> So, I get it. >> After Stephanie admitted to using substances and the officers gathered their evidence, they laid out what they believed really happened. >> I think that Charles overdosed. No, he didn't overdose. >> That's That's my suspicion. All right. Now, now we're going to find out some more when he goes through an autopsy. All right. We're going to find out some more from his blood results. >> But it wasn't nothing in there when he went in the bedroom. I had all did it all. It was nothing but dust on the thing. That's all it was on him. >> So, when was he in there? >> He wasn't in there. He was not in there. The little girl, she went in there late at night. It was gone then. >> Mhm. And it was all off the straws and everything. I licked the straws. I didn't have my money. >> Mhm. [clears throat] >> That's why I I did that. >> When did you lick the straws? >> 3 days before. >> 3 days before. >> Yeah. >> Cuz there I'll be honest, there was residue in a cigarette pack that you had with the straw on the table. >> But it wasn't nothing in the cigarette pack. I honestly I I tell you the truth. And and here's the thing, like I know that there might not be very much or not an amount that you would ever pay for or not amount you would consider to be anything, but you you and I both know that to an adult, someone who uses regularly, that's going to be a different amount than someone who's small. Now, you might have had it on your fingers, you might have had it on that table, you might have had it on other things, but the thing is is that you regularly have on that apartment. Is that accurate? >> Yes, that's accurate. >> Yeah. And >> but >> go ahead. >> But it wasn't in there. But but dust in there, but how could Dust even do anything to him? >> And so we say it's not that we are talking about from, you know, the '90s. >> You know, there's so many different forms of odulas that people and ultimately we will probably find out that this is some type of So it doesn't you don't have to have grams micrograms especially for someone who is only 30 lbs. It's a it's a huge amount. If we find that there's some fine >> correct if we find his body would you agree with me that okay >> we're going to do all that. We're going to pull his blood and we're going to identify what substances are in his body. Okay. But I can tell you that he didn't just this morning based on how he looked. His body had already started to decompose. He had been for some time. >> The investigator questioned Stephanie about where she obtained the substances, but her reluctance to share information raised even more suspicion. >> You want to give me some more information about Greg? >> Well, I don't I don't know him that way. >> How do you get a hold of him? >> I I just don't I don't know. >> Here's here's [clears throat] the thing. Here here's kind of what's going to change my opinion about you, okay? And I'm just going to be real honest, all right? Because I saw your daughter's broken heart when she saw her her deceased her son who had been for hours. Okay. I saw your grandson who had been for hours >> on your phone. Who is Bonk HD? I I don't know what he is. >> And you called somebody named Bonk/HD. I don't know, Dave. I don't know who Dave is. You called him four times yesterday between 7:40 a.m. and 11 a.m. >> I don't care about your What I care about is Charles is Charles is over at the corner's office right now. >> When I hear about >> Well, he's right. >> Yes. >> He's >> Yes. >> your apartment. >> Yes. >> Okay. So, we're going to sit in here and talk. I want you to be truthful about things or walk out that door. >> Okay, I just looked at the phone. >> Your text block HD as well. >> To what? >> To buy. You're really starting to make me mad again. The store is always open. Like he's totally done a phenomenal job telling you that you can walk out here anytime you buy with Bon HD. You're lying. Despite the horrifying fact that her grandson passed away because of her dangerous addiction, Stephanie stubbornly refused to betray her supplier. But officers were determined to break down her defiance. >> You being dishonest is not going to get you anywhere. There is a child, >> your grandbaby. >> For God's sake, for I prayed with your daughter over your grandson. You're grandson and you're lying about buying. >> Are you kidding me? Do you love your grandb babies? >> Do you? Then prove it or walk out that door >> consistently. You lie and then we have to confront you with what we know and then you tell us the truth. >> It doesn't matter. There's a there's a baby. >> There's a baby. Then you for trying not to get yourself in trouble. But we have to look at this. That is your grandson lying there on the couch. Look at that. >> No. >> Look at that. >> No. No. No. >> Because of your actions and you're still sitting here trying to deflect the truth. >> No. I'm not. >> These lights are on. >> No. >> The truth will come out of this room. someone will be held responsible for this child. It's unacceptable. And what frustrates me the most is that you are unwilling to take accountability for what has happened. You have given us harmful truths. That's not okay. >> Here's the thing. At the end of this, at the end of this, my partner and I, you whenever you're done, we're going to walk out of this room. All right? We're going to go back to our families. All right. Charles is over there alone in a bag. And tomorrow morning, my partner and I are going to come in here on Easter morning, resurrection day, and we're going to watch the examiners examine your grandchild's baby, your grandchild's body. All right. I'm not worried about people getting in trouble and all this. All right. What I'm worried about is the truth. And actions have consequences. You know that. That's why you've been lying to us. >> No, I've been lying cuz I don't want you to know about your children. >> What's more important to you? Someone getting in trouble or the fact that your grandson is >> then prove it or walk out that door. prove it or walk out. >> Or we can [snorts] close this door and we can talk about the truth for the sake of Charles over there who's alone. What do you want to do? >> Finally, the pressure broke her down and Stephanie revealed the heartbreaking details of how addiction claimed a life right under her watch. He's my regular drug supplier. >> He's your regular drug supplier. So I can ignore what you said about Greg at the store. >> That was a lie. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> So yesterday you had the case. >> Yes. >> And you had got some in the morning before they were there. >> Yes. >> But then you tried to get more. >> What was different that you were trying to get >> because >> and the kids were there? >> Because I wasn't feeling too good. I wasn't feeling well. >> Like dope. You know, science takes a minute, right? >> So, when we get those results, when we get your results and it says that, you know, that you have maybe some in your system, you're not going to be surprised, right? When we find that in his system, what are you going to tell me? What are you going to tell Charles? >> I had it my father. Actually, >> a post-mortem toxicology report ruled the grandson's cause of death as intoxication by illegal substances. Stephanie Shanks pleaded guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter and endangerment [music] charges. As a result, she was sentenced to 4 to 6 years behind bars.