3 Disturbing Family Incest Cases That Shocked Even Veteran Detectives | True Crime

Baytown, Texas. A lot of people there knew 37-year-old Crystal McDowell as this driven real estate agent who always seemed busy, always moving, always juggling work and being a mom to her two kids. But behind that image was a life that had been unbelievably hard from the very beginning.

 Her parents struggled with drug addiction for years and she was even named after Crystal meth. Both of them died from AIDS-related complications connected to drug use less than 6 months apart when Crystal was only 11 years old and somehow things got even worse after that. A couple of years later, she was kidnapped by a convicted sex offender who kept her locked inside a chicken coop and abused her for an extended period of time before she finally managed to escape and move in with relatives.

 For most people, surviving trauma like that could completely destroy their future. But Crystal was determined to build a different life for herself. While working as a flight attendant, she met Steve McDowell, a logistics manager who friends described as kind of a big kid, the type of guy who always wanted to joke around and have fun.

Before long, the two got married and tried to build a family together. Guys, real quick before we continue, I’m honestly curious where everyone’s watching from. Tell me what city you’re in and what time it is for you right now. Thanks for hanging out here with me. Drop it in the comments and let’s keep going.

>> What are you doing today? >> About to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. >> a plane. >> Whose idea was this? >> Steve. >> Steve, your idea? >> How high are we right now? What does that say? >> Think out of the box. >> Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. >> So, say hi-5. Hey, look. Your husband lived, too.

 What a bonus. >> One thing people later admitted was that the happy social media version of their marriage really wasn’t the full story. Even back when Crystal was still working in aviation, she had cheated on Steve with both men and women and that caused serious problems between them almost from the start.

 There were periods where she left him completely and at one point she even filed for divorce just months after they got married. Still after their sons Madden and Maui were born, Crystal told people she wanted to make things work for the kids and try to keep the family together. Years later when she turned 37, she left aviation behind and moved into real estate in Baytown, Texas.

Her career started taking off, the kids were getting older and suddenly the cracks in the marriage that had always been there started reopening again. In June of 2017, after 10 years together, Crystal and Steve officially divorced. >> [music] >> Even then, they agreed to continue living under the same roof temporarily while preparing to sell the house, especially because Crystal was renovating a townhouse of her own at the time.

 Not long after the divorce, Crystal started dating a local jeweler named Paul Hargrave who had recently gone through a divorce himself. She kept the relationship pretty private, but friends said they hadn’t seen her this happy in years. It genuinely felt like she was entering a brand new chapter of her life. Her work was thriving, the kids were doing okay and for the first time in a long while, everything seemed to finally be falling into place.

The night before, Crystal had stayed over at Paul’s house after they went out together. That morning, Paul got into the shower while she packed up and prepared to leave. Security cameras inside and outside the house captured Crystal gathering her belongings and getting into her black Mercedes.

 She planned to pick up the kids from Steve and then head out to several appointments afterward. Before driving away, she texted Paul saying there was basically no traffic that morning and that she might take the kids somewhere later if they felt like going out. She told him to have a good day and called him sweet.

 Paul answered with a message saying he loved her and would always support her. Around 1:00 in the afternoon, he texted her again just to check in and ask if she needed anything. There was no reply. At first, it didn’t seem that strange. Maybe she got caught up with the kids. Maybe meetings were taking longer than expected.

 Um things happen. But later that evening, Crystal was supposed to meet up with family members to watch the huge Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor fight together. Paul sent another message saying he was really worried about her and hoped she was okay. Still nothing. She never showed up. Her uncle Jeff, who had helped raise her since childhood, eventually contacted police.

>> Chambers County Sheriff’s Office. >> My niece no longer at her home address. No one has heard from her. And I’m really concerned. >> While investigators were just beginning to piece things together, something enormous suddenly pulled attention and resources away from everything else happening in Texas. For days, grocery stores across the southern part of the state had been almost completely emptied as people rushed to buy food, water, and supplies.

Everyone knew a storm was coming, but what they didn’t fully realize yet was how devastating it would become. Meteorologists had just confirmed it was now officially a category 4 hurricane. >> This is an ABC News special report. Hurricane Harvey. >> We are coming on the air for breaking news.

 Hurricane Harvey barreling into the Texas coastline as a category 4 storm with 130 mph winds. It’s the first category 4 storm to hit the US in over a decade threatening record rain totals of up to 35 inches throughout much of Texas that could render some areas uninhabitable for months. More than 150,000 people at this hour plunged into darkness.

 The president declaring a federal disaster for the state and we are already hearing reports of significant damage, of collapsed buildings, of people perhaps trapped under the rubble. >> When I opened the door, more water rushed in and all of my stuff flew out and like it just kept coming in. All I could grab was my wallet and my phone. That’s all I knew to grab.

>> Born as a tropical wave near Africa had transformed into Hurricane Harvey and around 10:00 p.m. on August 25th, it slammed directly into Texas. In those final hours before landfall, people were still underestimating how bad things could get. Then the destruction began. Winds stronger than 130 miles per hour ripped through communities.

Massive flooding forced more than 30,000 people out of their homes. 57 tornadoes touched down across six states and more than 100 people died in the United States alone. Harvey became the deadliest hurricane to hit Texas since 1919 and the deadliest hurricane in America since Hurricane Sandy back in 2012. As conditions worsened, Crystal’s family and friends became even more terrified, but deep down they already felt this wasn’t just a storm-related disappearance.

Something else had happened to her and they couldn’t shake that feeling. >> Uh it has been days since the mysterious disappearance of a Houston area realtor. Crystal McDowell was last heard from August 25th shortly before Harvey hit Houston. >> On the third day of the investigation, Crystal’s cousin Jade received a message saying someone had spotted Crystal’s Mercedes sitting in the parking lot of a Motel 6.

Attached to the message was a photo showing the car partially submerged in floodwater, but the license plate was still visible. >> See this black car right here? This Mercedes. The cops were here busting in doors to find out where this lady is. >> Crystal McDowell’s car was found submerged in a Motel 6 parking lot about 13 miles from her home.

 Friends and family don’t believe her absence is flood related. >> Even with dangerous flooding everywhere, investigators made their way to the motel. The car looked abandoned in a very strange way. It had been carelessly parked, the doors were unlocked, and the keys had been left inside the ignition. Detectives immediately felt something was off.

It almost looks staged. Like whoever left the vehicle there wanted someone to steal it. Sheriff Brian Hawthorne later explained that they didn’t believe Crystal had parked it herself. The vehicle was left open with the keys visible, almost like bait. Investigators pulled the Mercedes out of the floodwater using an airboat and sent it for forensic testing, hoping the water hadn’t destroyed every possible clue.

>> Now, a lot of people are wondering if the bizarre timing of her disappearance was the perfect storm to cover up a crime. >> This morning, the desperate search for a Houston real estate agent and mother of two, Crystal McDowell, posting on Facebook, “Stay safe out there.” the night before she was last seen.

According to her boyfriend, Paul Hargrave, this home security video shows her the next morning heading out of his house and getting into her car on her way to pick up her kids from her ex-husband, who lives about 20 minutes away. >> It was messages. >> Basically, that the roads were clear of what to do in preparation of the storm.

>> Hargrave showed us his last text message exchange with McDowell. Her last text message to Hargrave was, “And you are so sweet.” >> She wouldn’t just get up and leave her kids. She wouldn’t She wouldn’t do that. So, I think something’s uh horribly wrong. >> I think that um there was probably some animosity between boyfriends and husbands.

 And the husband probably might think the boyfriend had something to do with it. The boyfriend might think the husband had something to do with it. >> As detectives dug deeper, they focused on three men closest to Crystal, her boyfriend Paul, her uncle Jeff, and her ex-husband Steve. Both Paul and Jeff appeared publicly in emotional media interviews begging for answers.

>> And our main objective is just to get Crystal back home. >> I hope and pray that you know, she’s okay and she’s going to come back to us. >> What do you think happened to her? >> I’m not sure. I don’t know. But we’re just trying to focus on um on finding her. And um assisting the police with whatever we can assist them with.

>> At one point, investigators became frustrated with Jeff because he and other relatives entered Crystal’s townhouse and started going through her belongings, which technically could have interfered with evidence. Jeff insisted he was just desperate to help. Paul explained that on the morning Crystal disappeared, he had been in the shower and never actually saw her leave the house.

 Security footage backed up his story. But detectives did find one thing suspicious. It took several days before the surveillance footage reached police. For reasons nobody really understood, Paul gave the footage to the media before handing it over to investigators. Still, from everything police could determine, Crystal and Paul seemed genuinely happy together.

Just 2 days before disappearing, she posted online saying she had never been happier in her life and that God had been so good to her. Then there was Steve. Steve told investigators Crystal had texted him saying she was on her way over and asking if he had enough water because she might stay there with the kids during the storm.

Since everyone was preparing for severe weather, that message didn’t immediately raise suspicion. But then Steve showed police another message supposedly sent from Crystal to her uncle Jeff saying she planned to grab the kids and drive to Dallas. Jeff later confirmed they had briefly discussed leaving town because of the hurricane, but Crystal never officially told him she was actually going.

 Friends and relatives described Steve as increasingly obsessive after the divorce. Crystal’s aunt said he would have done anything Crystal asked of him, but his behavior had become unhealthy and overwhelming. One friend described him as manipulative and self-centered, someone who always needed control and wanted things done immediately.

According to people close to Crystal, she had started feeling trapped in the relationship for years. She was the primary breadwinner while Steve constantly spent money creating major financial pressure on her. Back in 2008, Crystal had once tried to divorce Steve before changing her mind after he threatened suicide.

Years later during another separation, she even called 911 in panic after Steve disappeared with the children while making similar threats again. So, when Crystal told him in early 2017 that she truly wanted a divorce this time, people close to him said he was devastated. His older daughter from another marriage, Krista, later explained that Steve still deeply loved Crystal.

 Even after she vanished, he continued wearing his wedding ring. Krista described their relationship as unstable and toxic, saying they constantly drove each other crazy. She also noticed disturbing behavior from her father after the breakup. He changed his social media profile picture to the Grim Reaper and updated his Facebook banner to read in loving memory.

 At one point, Crystal invited her new boyfriend, Paul, on a family cruise that Steve had originally planned to attend, too. Crystal eventually asked Steve not to go because it would be too uncomfortable. What nobody realized was that Steve had secretly planned to propose to her again during that trip.

 He simply refused to accept the divorce. Despite all of that, detectives initially described Steve as cooperative, polite, and eager to help. He spent hours at the police station every single day. Both he and Paul voluntarily agreed to polygraph tests. Steve failed his. Paul said he never received official results, but investigators aggressively accused him of hiding something.

Of course, polygraph tests aren’t legally reliable, so none of that alone could prove anything. Crystal’s family hired a private investigator, Jeff offered a $10,000 reward, and Paul added another 5,000. Police publicly stated they were now treating Crystal’s disappearance as a possible homicide case.

 Sheriff Hawthorne and it clear that Hurricane Harvey was not believed to be responsible for what happened to her. Paul agreed completely saying Crystal would never willingly abandon her children. Former FBI agents assisting the case also pointed out there was no evidence she had been depressed, suicidal, or planning to disappear voluntarily.

 But between the chaos of the hurricane and the complicated web of people surrounding her, the investigation slowed almost to a standstill. >> We’ve got a handful of folks that need to be interviewed. What else do you guys see that’s up on this board that we need to get done because this stuff’s going to start drying up on us if we don’t jump on it.

>> Paul is just sucking up to all that attention. [clears throat] >> Yeah, he is and he’s and he’s best buddies with Uncle Jeff, too. That’s what I don’t understand. It’s getting more and more interesting about Uncle Jeff, isn’t it? >> Days passed with absolutely nothing. No phone activity, no bank transactions, no sign she was alive anywhere.

The district attorney, Sheryl Leake, eventually admitted she believed Crystal was already dead. Meanwhile, Steve, Paul, and Jeff continued accusing each other in different ways. Paul suspected Steve. Jeff distrusted Paul. Steve claimed he knew nothing except that Crystal never arrived to pick up the children.

 Investigators eventually returned to the area near the motel where Crystal’s car had been discovered. This time they gained access to surveillance footage from nearby buildings and businesses. According to the footage, someone abandoned Crystal’s Mercedes there at 6:37 in the morning on August 26th, 2017.

 The person walking away from the vehicle looked similar to Steve, but the footage quality was too poor to confirm it. Then detectives found cameras from a nearby gas station. Roughly 5 hours after the Mercedes had been left at the motel, another car pulled into the station. A man got out and shoved something deep into a trash can, almost aggressively forcing it down where nobody could easily see it.

 This time investigators were confident about the identity. It was Steve McDowell. After tossing the object away, he lingered nearby and repeatedly glanced toward the motel parking lot. Detectives believed he was checking whether Crystal’s car was still there. Their theory was that whoever abandoned the Mercedes had intentionally left the keys inside hoping someone would steal it.

 If not for the hurricane and flooding, that probably would have happened. Unfortunately, the trash can had flooded, too, and whatever Steve discarded was gone forever. Later, when police visited Steve’s house, they noticed a bicycle. Steve claimed he had gone to Walmart that morning. Investigators reviewed Walmart surveillance footage and found video of a man resembling Steve wearing a hooded sweatshirt purchasing a bicycle with cash before riding it through the rain near the location where Crystal’s car had been abandoned.

 Still, it was all circumstantial evidence, and they needed more. Steve denied being the man on the bike, and without a clear facial image or traceable payment, investigators had to back off temporarily. At that point, Crystal had been missing for 10 days. Eventually, the rain finally eased and floodwaters began pulling back, allowing search and rescue teams to properly access areas that had been impossible to reach earlier.

>> Angelica, I know they’ve been looking for her for weeks now. What can you tell us? >> Well, we checked in with them. They say there’s no movement on her bank account or her passport. The sheriff here says that the search area is in West Chambers County and in Baytown Baytown, rather. They say the thinking is that she’s still in this area.

>> Do I think there’s potential foul play involved in it? Yes, I do. >> And with each passing day, Sheriff Hawthorne says that concern grows. Crystal McDowell was last heard from on Friday, August 25th, through a text message to her uncle. >> They didn’t mention uh about a billboard her boyfriend had put up for her, and that was it.

 That was the last time I heard from her. >> He immediately reached out for help and then Hurricane Harvey slammed into the area. Right now, they’re combing through surveillance videos from businesses and personal surveillance videos from homes. Loved ones say McDowell has been living in the Legends Bay subdivision with her ex-husband and two small children, but had moved on with a new boyfriend.

>> She was on top of the world. She was the hap- She had said herself she was the happiest she had ever been in her life. >> And because of that, they don’t believe she would have left on her own. And the sheriff says they’re looking at several persons of interest, and he says he’s confident that answers could be coming soon.

 Live in Chambers County, I’m Angelica Alvarez for 13 Eyewitness News. >> Paul and Jeff actively helped with search efforts. Steve did not. Prosecutors made the decision to remove Madelyn and Maui from Steve’s home and place them with Crystal’s aunt, Cindy. Investigators believe Steve was emotionally collapsing, and they hoped losing custody of the children might finally push him into telling the truth.

Every day he came into the station looking worse, exhausted, pale, barely holding himself together. When detectives informed him the children were now with Cindy, he nearly fainted. He said he wanted to go home, but promised he would return the next morning and finally tell the truth. That night, Steve texted his daughter Krista asking her to come see him because, in his words, they might never see each other again.

 Around 3:00 in the morning, she arrived and directly asked him whether he had anything to do with Crystal’s disappearance. At first, he repeatedly denied it. But hours later, he quietly admitted investigators had told him they might reduce his punishment if he revealed where Crystal’s body was located. Krista immediately replied that he didn’t know where the body was.

 Then Steve softly answered, “What if I do?” After saying that, he looked away and started crying. Eventually, Steve made a deal. He agreed to confess and lead police to Crystal’s body if prosecutors removed the death penalty as a possible sentence and allowed him one final visit with his children. Authorities agreed. >> My understanding from our communication was that you were kind of ready to be honest about some things.

>> I love her. I would do anything in my life for her right now. >> Steve confessed that he and Crystal had argued that morning after she told him she no longer loved him. According to him, he snapped. He grabbed her from behind and strangled her in a burst of rage. He insisted the killing had not been planned beforehand.

>> That was when she told you that she didn’t love you anymore. >> Yeah. [music] >> And she told you she didn’t want to be with you and then you didn’t agree with her. >> She was staring at I don’t know what I even did or what it was. >> Okay. Choked her over or something? Did she say anything when that was going on or did she fight or what what happened? >> She was staring at her.

>> How did you eventually know that that she was no longer alive? >> She stopped breathing. >> Afterward, he covered her face with a plastic bag, wrapped her body in a blanket, and placed her inside the trunk of her own car. >> I covered her face with a bag. >> And then you put her in the car? >> I got her up, put her in the trash bag.

Put her in the car. >> He dumped her body in a marshy area and abandoned the Mercedes hoping someone would steal it. He later said, “I didn’t want to kill her. I love her. I would give anything to bring her back.” Just over 2 weeks after Crystal disappeared, investigators finally found her body.

 Steve personally led them directly to it. >> Today at 2:45 p.m. Crystal’s body was discovered and Steven Wayne McDowell, 44, has been arrested, charged with murder. >> Detectives later admitted that without Steve’s confession, Crystal’s remains might never have been discovered. Honestly, if her disappearance had been reported even 1 day later after Hurricane Harvey completely overwhelmed the region, the The might have gone in a completely different direction.

The Mercedes probably would have been stolen and investigators never would have been able to trace events through surveillance footage. And who knows if the case would have ever been solved at all. >> New twist in that murder case in Houston. A mother of two vanishing just hours before Hurricane Harvey hit.

 Now, her ex-husband is under arrest. >> Steve McDowell heads to court today charged with first-degree murder. Not only do police say they found Crystal McDowell’s body, but in a surprising turn they say her ex-husband confessed. >> Now police say after questioning her ex-husband for days, Steve McDowell tearfully admitted to murdering the mother of his two children.

>> Once I got that call, I was in a state of shock and denial. So, just trying to deal with it the best way I can. I had my suspicions from day one. I can’t say that I was honestly that surprised given the um arguments they had the week prior of her missing. >> Wearing shackles, Steven McDowell seemed to hold back tears as he appeared in court for the first time.

>> Everything in the investigation leads to Steve acted alone. >> Police finally located the 37-year-old’s body in a wooded area Saturday. The hurricane hampered the search effort. McDowell’s uncle, Jeff Walters, had reported her missing. >> Her parents died when she was young and I guess I’m the closest one to her in the family.

She’s like my daughter. >> Her autopsy was performed yesterday and right now we still don’t have a motive. Charlie. >> Oh my thanks. >> 44-year-old Steve McDowell was charged with first-degree murder. His defense argued the killing happened in the heat of passion, which under Texas law can lead to a lighter sentence than premeditated murder.

If that argument succeeded, Steve could have received only a few years in prison. Steve claimed the incident began as a spontaneous hug that spiraled out of control. Prosecutors strongly disagreed. They argued he acted intentionally, driven by anger over Crystal leaving him, jealousy toward Paul, and resentment over financial issues.

 During trial, prosecutors called the couple’s daughter Maui as a witness. In recorded testimony, she described hearing intense arguments between her parents about Crystal being involved with another man. According to Maui, Crystal said she planned to leave and take the children with her. Steve allegedly shoved her onto the bed and told her she wasn’t going anywhere.

 Maui testified that she watched her father physically attack her mother. She remembered him looking at her angrily while Crystal tried to call for help. During the struggle, Maui saw Steve covering Crystal’s mouth and nose with his hands while she struggled to breathe. Afterward, Steve ordered the child to stay in her room and never tell anyone what she had witnessed.

 The heat of passion defense failed completely. Steve McDowell was convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison. He will not become eligible for parole until 2042. Later, Paul said he believed Steve absolutely knew what he was doing. He thought Steve understood the approaching hurricane could help destroy evidence and cover his tracks.

Paul also admitted he carried guilt, feeling like his relationship with Crystal may have influenced Steve’s actions. After the trial, charity fundraisers were organized to help support the children’s future. One bakery campaign donated 100% of proceeds from a dessert called the Crystal Special toward the kids’ education fund.

 Jeff later said Crystal was a light that would never go out. And her best friend Bronze admitted the hardest part was realizing she would never again receive another text from Crystal, hear her voice on the phone, or watch their children celebrate birthdays together. The strange thing about life is that most important moments happen while we assume tomorrow will look exactly the same as today.

 [music] The same people, the same birthdays, the same holidays. The same future plans sitting comfortably ahead of us. And because of that, we rarely stop to imagine what life would feel like without those people around. Until one day, suddenly, they’re gone. Deep out in the woods, about 30 miles from her home, someone found black construction plastic.

 Inside were human bones, and the skull had been placed separately, tied up in a plastic bag. It was Katelyn Markham, a 21-year-old artist who was just weeks away from graduating, moving to Colorado, getting married, starting a whole new life. But one August evening, she just vanished. Her car was still parked outside the house.

 Her dog was wandering around inside alone. And her phone call suddenly cut off right after midnight. Her fiance cried on the news, held her father at the funeral, helped search for answers. But for years, investigators kept coming back to the same question. What really happened that night after he walked out of her house? And why, when the truth finally started getting closer, did the verdict end up feeling almost as painful as the loss itself? This is a story about a disappearance that lasted 12 years, a fiance with way too many secrets, and a

girl whose voice was taken before she ever got the chance to become the person she dreamed of being. 21-year-old Katelyn Markham lived in Fairfield, Indiana, and people described her as creative, kind, and a little eccentric in the best way. She had loved art since childhood and studied graphic design at the Art Institute of Ohio in Cincinnati, while also working at a bridal shop.

 Katelyn had been with her fiance, John Carter, for 6 years, and the couple was planning a wedding and a move to Colorado. John also worked in the arts, teaching glass blowing after starting out as a pizza delivery driver at the studio, where he later became an intern and eventually an instructor. By August 2011, Caitlyn was close to starting a new chapter in life.

 Her 22nd birthday, college graduation, wedding, and move were all just ahead of her. That’s why her sudden disappearance shocked everyone around her. Concern started growing when Caitlyn stopped answering calls and her phone went straight to voicemail. After a full day without hearing from her, John went to check on her at home.

 Her car was still parked outside even though she was supposed to be at work. Inside, nothing looked disturbed. No signs of forced entry or a struggle, but Caitlyn was gone. Her phone was missing, too. What really alarmed John was finding Caitlyn’s dog wandering around the house alone, something she normally would never allow.

At 8:00 on the evening of August 14th, John called 911. >> Hi, my name is John Carter. I am calling I I know that you’re not supposed to report a missing person after before 24 hours, but my my fiance is missing. I I can’t find her anywhere. >> Okay, where did you see her last? >> I saw her at like 12:00 last night.

 She stays in a house by herself. So, I’m just I’m really nervous. Her car is still there. >> Where was she at at midnight last night when you last >> She was at her house. She was going to bed. She wasn’t going out to do anything, so she She would She would have been in her in her bed. And when I’ve been with her for 6 years, she’s not deceiving, you know, she doesn’t >> Okay, and you guys didn’t have an argument or anything? >> Not at all.

The only thing that’s not there is her cell phone, which is positive, but she’s not answering it, so I’m going to take a heart festival that’s going on right up the street, and there’s a lot of questionable people there and it’s just kind of I’m sorry. >> John told investigators the last time he saw Caitlyn was around midnight when he left her townhouse and walked home to his mother’s house just 5 minutes away.

According to him, they exchanged a few more texts afterward, but then Caitlyn suddenly stopped replying. She also never answered his message the next morning. When police met with John, they immediately noticed scratches on his neck. He claimed they were probably from his electric razor, though later admitted he wasn’t completely sure.

Still, he insisted there was nothing suspicious about them. John told detectives he had barely slept since realizing Caitlyn was missing and said he only wanted her to come home safe. Caitlyn’s father Dave and her younger sister Alie were equally confused. Dave described Caitlyn as positive, responsible, and focused on her future.

He said she always had a plan and would never simply disappear without telling anyone. After questioning John and examining the townhouse, detectives announced he was not considered a suspect at that stage of the investigation. With no clear signs of a crime scene, the case soon began moving in another direction.

>> Well, Lisa, you can see Fairfield police and fire have their mobile command center out here. About 100 people have gathered off Patterson Boulevard. They all received several of these with Caitlyn Markham’s picture and information. They’ve searched the woods, the streets, all looking for the 22-year-old. >> Caitlyn is the love of my life.

 I’ve been with her for 6 years. We’ve been engaged for a year. Today would be exactly a year. Um today’s also her birthday. >> Instead of celebrating Caitlyn Markham’s birthday, family, friends, [music] and police are searching for the 22-year-old. >> Five more. >> They divided into groups and hit Fairfield streets by foot, by car, and even by ATV.

>> To just go unseen without telling anybody is extremely out of the ordinary. I just really would like to communicate that this is not um part of who Caitlyn is. >> Friends say Caitlyn is a responsible young woman, a student at the Art Institute of Cincinnati, [music] also an employee there.

 Caitlyn was last seen by her fiance, John Carter, Saturday night. He says he left her townhouse around 11:30. An hour later, he received a text from her. >> Caitlyn sent me a picture of her, and that was the last message I got. >> When Caitlyn never showed up for her other job at David’s Bridal, people began to worry. >> I kept texting her, no response, no response. I called her, no response.

 I have nothing in mind. She would never just leave. She’s too pragmatic. She would never just take off and go somewhere. I’m terrified. I’m absolutely terrified. I I just want to find Caitlyn and and celebrate her birthday with her and go to Red Lobster like she was planning. That’s all I want to do. >> Police say there’s no evidence of foul play.

 Reporting live tonight in Fairfield, Karen Johnson, News 5. >> Gosh, your fiance sounds so desperate, Karen. Anything missing from Caitlyn’s home? >> Nope, just her and her cell phone, which police have not been able to trace. But one other thing I wanted to mention, they believe she was last seen wearing a gray shirt, so that’s something people out here are also looking for, a gray shirt.

>> Caitlyn’s phone was never found. So, investigators analyzed her mobile records to trace her final hours. They discovered messages sent from her phone to John between 11:04 and 11:36 that night. Then, all activity suddenly stopped. At 12:06 in the morning, the phone either powered off, lost its SIM card, or died completely.

 After that, the digital trail vanished. Police also interviewed a manager at a GE Credit Union in Fairfield, who remembered Caitlyn visiting the bank with John’s mother about 3 weeks before she disappeared to apply for a credit card. During the visit, John’s mother joked she would only sign the paperwork if Caitlyn promised to take John with her to Colorado.

The manager laughed, but Caitlyn reportedly became quiet and uncomfortable, almost as if she felt pressured. In the end, the card was never opened. Another witness told police he spent the evening of August 13th with Caitlyn and John. They smoked marijuana and talked about the move to Colorado while Caitlyn worked on school assignments at her laptop.

 According to him, she seemed unusually quiet and emotionally distant. Around 10:45, the witness left leaving Caitlyn alone with John. Investigators later determined this was the last confirmed time anyone saw her alive. The witness said he noticed nothing suspicious and later passed a polygraph test.

 Then police received one of their few real leads. During the night of August 13th into the 14th, two teenagers who had snuck out reported seeing two vehicles parked [music] near Caitlyn’s house with their headlights off. >> Caitlyn Markham, the woman missing from Fairfield. >> 21-year-old Caitlyn Markham >> Family and friends are all searching for a missing 22-year-old >> Caitlyn was about to graduate in September.

>> disappeared in August of 2011. >> spent days searching for Markham in the woods in and around her Fairfield home. >> so many unanswered questions about the disappearance >> Caitlyn’s disappearance quickly became national news and deeply shocked Fairfield, Indiana, a town of just over 40,000 people where violent crime was rare.

For many locals, something like this simply didn’t happen there. Across the city, people organized candlelight vigils, support rallies, and large volunteer searches. Flyers appeared everywhere while search teams combed through fields, wooded areas, parks, >> [music] >> lakes, railroad tracks, and nearby counties looking for any clue.

The case only became more mysterious as time passed. The search grew so large that even a mounted search organization from Texas joined the effort. Investigators followed every lead they could find, no matter how small. Meanwhile, Caitlyn’s family regularly appeared in local news interviews pleading for help and asking anyone with information to come forward.

Standing beside them through many of those interviews was her fiance, John, who also became one of the public faces of the search. >> I keep believing that if she is somewhere in the worst case scenario, that she fights her way out. I keep wanting to believe that because she’s strong. I know she’s strong. >> Despite that, many people still viewed John with suspicion.

In cases like this, the fiance is often the first person the public questions, especially when there are so few clues. The scratches on his neck, the fact he was the last known person to see Caitlyn alive, and the strange circumstances of her disappearance only added to those suspicions.

 Still, John repeatedly insisted he had nothing to do with what happened. In interviews, he said he loved Caitlyn, planned to marry her, and desperately wanted to find her. According to him, he was just as confused and devastated as everyone else following the case. >> Fairfield police didn’t take much when they searched Caitlyn’s fiance’s house.

Tonight, he says he gave consent. He’s doing whatever he can to help, even though he feels as if the entire community is pointing fingers and placing blame on him. >> I I really did not want this to get this far. I really wish that she would have been home by now, you know? I I didn’t I wish this could have been just a party for her being home instead of what it is, you know? People are going to say what they’re going to say.

 You can’t stop them. >> 23-year-old John Carter may not be able to stop the comments, but he can certainly make sure that people know how he feels. >> I’m not going to acknowledge um the ridiculous things that people are saying because I know I mean, nobody’s going to know about me. They don’t know me, and uh I know me.

 I know that I would never hurt Caitlyn, ever, in a million years. >> Fairfield police have little evidence and no suspects. >> That’s pretty much it. There’s There’s nothing. And it’s horrific. >> Carter felt the animosity towards him when he was confronted while passing out flyers. >> I guess he didn’t know who I was and he was just like, “I heard the boyfriend did it.

” And just I was just like, “I’m I’m the boyfriend. I would never do anything to hurt her.” >> Yeah, he >> And while the days without Caitlyn continue, he finds comfort in her cat Ramsey and her artwork. >> By the time Caitlyn’s 22nd birthday arrived, her family was still desperately searching for answers. Despite the growing concern, Fairfield police continued saying they had found no clear evidence of a violent crime.

Publicly, John spoke often about how much he missed Caitlyn and wanted her home. But behind the scenes, Caitlyn’s friends began describing a much darker relationship. One friend said Caitlyn had spent the last 6 months feeling trapped and unhappy. She was reportedly exhausted by John’s drug use, jealousy, and obsession with pornography, and had admitted she no longer felt attracted to him.

Friends also described John as possessive and controlling, sometimes becoming jealous over ordinary conversations Caitlyn had with other men. Caitlyn was also uncomfortable with how involved John’s mother was in their relationship, and reportedly believed the credit card situation was an attempt to keep them together.

As more people spoke to investigators, it became clear Caitlyn may have been seriously considering leaving him. Still, her family never believed she would disappear voluntarily. Caitlyn always turned to loved ones when struggling and would never simply cut off contact. One friend also recalled John referring to Caitlyn in the past tense only days after she vanished, which many found unsettling.

 In June 2012, investigators briefly examined another possible suspect, a 26-year-old neighbor linked to a separate sexual assault investigation. But his alibi checked out and the case stalled once again. Nearly 2 years after Caitlyn disappeared, the investigation finally took a devastating turn. On April 7th, 2013, human bones wrapped in black construction plastic were discovered in a wooded area about 30 miles from her home.

Dental records confirmed the remains belonged to Katelyn Markham. >> Authorities have identified the remains of Katelyn Markham, the woman missing from Fairfield. Her remains were discovered Monday in Cedar Grove, Franklin County, Indiana on Big Cedar Road. >> Well, Clyde, it’s certainly not the outcome anybody here at Fairfield was hoping for.

 And tonight, friends and family of Katelyn Markham know she won’t be coming home. >> I was just getting like into this little area here, picking up some metal and here uh found the jaw bone right over the other side of that little tree right there, right between them two little trees. >> At his house, Hicks provided more details about his grizzly discovery.

 He described his call to police after he found Katelyn’s remains. >> I picked it up and I said, “That’s not no animal.” And I hung it in a tree and went and called the cops and uh you know, they sent us to the DNR. DNR says, “Well, what makes you so sure it’s a human jaw bone?” And I said, “Well, it’s got all its teeth in the shape just like mine.

” >> Investigators soon made another disturbing discovery. Katelyn’s skull had been found separately from the rest of her remains inside a tied plastic bag. Forensic experts noticed there was almost no soft tissue or decomposition fluid inside, leading them to conclude the skull had not decomposed there naturally.

Instead, it appeared someone placed it in the bag later after the body had already significantly decomposed elsewhere. The bones hadn’t been buried either. They seemed to have simply been dumped in the wooded area and covered with debris. Experts also found injuries on Katelyn’s left wrist caused by a sharp object.

 One V-shaped wound had cut directly into the bone, showing she had suffered trauma from some kind of blade. But despite these findings, investigators still had little physical evidence explaining exactly what happened the night she disappeared. Although the exact cause of death could never be determined. Forensic experts ultimately ruled Katelyn’s death a homicide.

 Her phone, however, was never found. After nearly 2 years of uncertainty, Katelyn’s family was finally able to hold a funeral. The service reflected her personality. The walls displayed her artwork, and mourners wore bright colors instead of black to celebrate her creativity and spirit. Many people spoke that day, including John. >> We would have had our marriage.

We would have had our honeymoon. We would have had our kid. And we would have our life, and we would grow old together. >> Carter’s cousin says she considers herself lucky to have called Katelyn family. >> Whenever I think of her, I just think of the smile and this artwork and she was just a talkative human being.

She meant well to everybody. Everybody was a friend. >> Katelyn’s father, Dave, later said finding her remains at least gave the family some closure after years of uncertainty. But he also worried deeply about Katelyn’s younger sister, Ally, who was only 15 when she disappeared. Dave admitted that in his grief, he sometimes forgot Ally had lost one of the most important people in her life, too.

 The investigation became even more complicated after authorities realized Katelyn’s remains had been found in another state. Detectives believed her body had been moved after death, forcing agencies from two states to work together. By early 2015, the case had nearly stalled. The reward for information had grown to $75,000, but public attention was fading, and no one knew who killed Katelyn Markham.

Fearing the case would remain unsolved, Dave pushed for a full review, and the investigation was eventually transferred to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Dave also hired private investigator Jay Ryan Green, who interviewed more than a dozen people connected to Katelyn and John. Five took polygraph tests, and Green later said one suspect failed so badly it shocked even the examiner.

 At the same time, the documentary Taken Too Soon: The Caylee Markham Story, was released in hopes of generating new leads. Then, near the end of 2016, investigators announced they had identified a specific person of interest, though they still lacked enough evidence for an arrest. Green independently focused on the same person.

 Years passed until in 2023, more than 12 years after Caylee vanished, the case finally took a major turn when police made their first arrest. >> Put your hands behind your back, for me. I do know there’s a warrant for you, but I’m not sure exactly what it’s for. So, they’ll be able to explain all that stuff to you when we get there. >> Jonathan Palman was eventually arrested and charged with giving false statements to investigators.

 After the arrest, private investigator Jay Ryan Green said the case finally seemed to be moving in the right direction. According to him, investigators now had enough evidence to secure search warrants, suggesting the investigation had become far more serious than the public realized. Green explained that Caylee, John, and Jonathan all belonged to the same close friend group.

 Jonathan lived near Caylee, and he and John were actually best friends. That connection suddenly made several details look far more suspicious. Investigators discovered that on the morning Caylee was reported missing, the very first person John called after arriving at her house was Jonathan. Before Jonathan’s arrest, detectives searched two properties, the house where Jonathan lived in 2011, and the home where John had been living with his mother at the time of Caylee’s disappearance.

 For many people following the case, it felt like investigators were finally focusing on the people closest to Caylee the night she vanished. >> The man accused of lying during the course of Caylee Markham’s death investigation will now face a judge tomorrow. >> In the meantime, we’re learning new details about his involvement in the case, and when prosecutors say he actually committed perjury.

>> A new timeline starting to become public in the 12-year investigation into the disappearance and death of 21-year-old Caylan Markham. According to the indictment, on April 21st, 2022, John Carter lied under oath. Court records show he was indicted almost 6 months later in October. The indictment remains sealed until now.

>> Jonathan and John Carter also knew Michael Strauss, the man later convicted of stalking and murdering Ellie White. After Strauss claimed Ellie might not have been his first victim, police examined him closely in Caylan’s case, but eventually ruled him out. Still, investigators kept returning to one person again and again, John Carter.

After Caylan’s remains were discovered, John largely disappeared from public attention. He later got married and became a father, while detectives quietly spent years building a circumstantial case against him. His statements kept changing and several details never fully matched up. Over time, Caylan’s father, Dave, grew increasingly suspicious.

 The two vehicles teenagers reported seeing near Caylan’s house that night were later identified as John’s car and another unknown vehicle. Investigators also discovered that both John’s and Caylan’s phones stopped being active at nearly the exact same time. Messages between them had been deleted from John’s phone and some texts he claimed to have sent, including a good morning message, were never actually delivered.

 John took polygraph tests in 2011, 2014, and 2021. Each showed signs of deception. During the last test, he reacted especially strongly when asked whether he had disposed of Caylan’s body on Big Cedar Road. When police searched his mother’s house, they found investigation files, Caylan’s school papers, an SD card, poems about death and murder, and material similar to the plastic used to wrap Caylan’s remains.

 The location where her body was found was also not far from the Carter family farm. Witnesses later described John as aggressive, and one online video allegedly showed him screaming at his wife while holding their child. When detectives confronted him with the evidence, John dismissed it coldly as just circumstantial evidence, a response investigators found deeply unsettling.

After years of denial and public pleas for Kaitlin to return home, suspicion surrounding John became impossible to ignore. And although the case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, investigators finally believed they had enough to bring it to prosecutors. >> They’re coming out the front. Who’s in custody? >> Oh.

>> Two five, I’m going to >> Really appreciate it. >> Happy to help. >> You want the watch, dude? >> Yeah. >> Let’s look at it. >> Forest >> All right. >> You got nothing else on you? >> That actually was 119 for John. They’ll go first. >> Breaking news right now out of Butler County, the fiance of Kaitlin Markham is now in custody and charged in her murder.

>> In March 2023, 36-year-old John Carter was arrested at his workplace and charged with two counts of murder connected to Kaitlin’s death. One charge accused him of intentionally causing her death around August 13th or 14th, 2011, while the second claimed she died during the commission or attempted commission of a violent felony.

 John was later released on a $1 million bond and ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor. Jonathan Polman was also released before trial. At his arraignment, John pleaded not guilty, and the trial was scheduled for June 2024. Charges against Jonathan for allegedly lying to investigators were later dropped.

 Prosecutors prepared a major case involving more than 50 witnesses. By June 2024, the mystery surrounding Katelyn Markham’s disappearance and murder finally seemed close to being solved. Then, after more than 12 years of denying any involvement, John suddenly changed his story. >> Your honor, he did and Mr. Carter, if we may on his behalf, John Carter stipulates that he committed the offense of involuntary manslaughter consistent with Ohio Revised Code 2903.04B.

Uh that is a felony in the third degree, specifically that on the date specified in the indictment, he did cause the death of Katelyn [music] Markham by the commission of a misdemeanor in the city of Fairfield, Butler County, Ohio. >> Dave Lader said hearing the news felt surreal, like he was outside his own body watching it all happen.

 Deep down, he had suspected something was wrong with John for years, even if he could never fully explain why. Part of him felt relief knowing his instincts may have been right all along. After more than a decade of uncertainty, the case was finally moving forward. But that relief quickly turned into anger. Dave couldn’t stop thinking about how John had spent 12 years living freely, seemingly believing he had escaped responsibility for whatever happened to Katelyn.

For him, that was almost impossible to accept. >> We knew all along who it was. Just got to be able to grab it. And just proud. >> An emotional day in Butler County Court this morning as John Carter pleads guilty, admitting to causing the death of his fiance in 2011. >> For years, John had stood beside Katelyn’s family through everything.

He attended her funeral, hugged Dave while they both cried, joined the searches, spoke to the media, and acted like someone desperately trying to help find the woman he loved. And all that time, according to investigators, he likely already knew exactly what had happened to her. That realization devastated Katelyn’s family even more than the arrest itself.

 At one point, John was asked whether he could at least explain how everything happened. But instead of giving answers, he quietly muttered only a few words. “I can’t.” Later, one inmate claimed that John had privately confessed to him and described how Caitlyn was killed. But, um, John never admitted any of that in court, and investigators themselves never heard that version of events directly from him.

 So, despite the arrest and the years of investigation, many details surrounding Caitlyn’s final moments still remained uncertain. >> He said, “Before you know it, he had her pinned down to the ground. He was on top of her, and he choked her. And then, um, after he choked her, he said he was panicking. And he said, um, he didn’t know what to do.

He was going to call the cops. She didn’t want to call the cops. He said he made it look like it was a suicide gesture, so he cut her wrists. >> Even though everyone understood the sentence would probably end up being lighter than what people originally expected, nobody was prepared for just how minimal it actually turned out to be.

 For many people following the case, um, it felt almost impossible to process after everything that had happened over more than a decade, the disappearance, the discovery of Caitlyn’s remains, the years of denial, and the emotional devastation her family endured. There was this overwhelming sense that the punishment simply didn’t match the weight of what had been lost.

>> I will just be following sentence based upon the serious nature of this offense and the factors that I previously indicated that anything short of the maximum sentence would demean the seriousness of the offender’s conduct and its impact on the victim. And therefore, we will impose a definite term of incarceration of 36 months.

>> In the end, John Carter received only a 3-year prison sentence, the maximum allowed for involuntary manslaughter as a third-degree felony. After prison, he would also serve 3 years of supervised release. For Caitlyn’s family, the punishment felt painfully small compared to everything they had endured.

 One detective later described John as the first true psychopath he had ever interrogated, despite spending years questioning murderers, rapists, and violent offenders. He said the conclusion hit him the moment John walked out of the interview room. Investigators also suspect that John may not have acted alone, although they could never prove it.

 Detectives believe someone may have helped hide Kaitlin’s body and possibly assisted in dismembering it. But even after finally learning who was responsible, Kaitlin’s family still never discovered exactly what happened that night. And most likely, they never will. >> That is why there’s no closure. I still do not know the whole story.

 And not that I would have believed him cuz he’s lied for 13 years, but he’s offered no explanation, hasn’t even tried. And um that just And to me, that just shows his character. >> Do you think you’ll ever get an explanation? >> No. I don’t. And even if he writes a confession in prison, um he’s going to have to be more convincing than he’s been the past 13 years.

>> Soon, John will walk out of prison and return to his life. Even though the judge imposed the harshest sentence legally possible, many people still feel there was never real justice for Kaitlin. 14 years after she was last seen alive, friends and family gathered at a park near her home for an event called butterflies for Kaitlin Markam.

People planted trees, wore butterfly-themed clothing, and celebrated her love for art, color, and creativity. Dave later said the event reminded him he wasn’t grieving alone. He described Kaitlin as bright, joyful, friendly, and full of life. He also spoke about her love of butterflies, admitting there were moments after her death when a butterfly would suddenly appear near him, and he would quietly think, “Hey there, sweetheart.

” To him, Kaitlin was like a butterfly herself, vibrant, and only beginning to grow into the person she was meant to become. Dave said there still isn’t a single day he doesn’t think about her. And he made it clear he does not consider 3 years in prison true justice, not for Caitlin, not for her sister, nor for everyone who suffered alongside the family.

 He often wonders what kind of artist and person Caitlin would have become. He believes she had real talent and could have done something extraordinary with her life. And sometimes when he sees a beautiful piece of art, he still catches himself thinking, “That’s something Caitlin should have created.” Out by a jagged cliff along a rough crashing shoreline, a tourist suddenly noticed something strange in the water.

At first glance, it kind of looked like a person drifting there. But then it became clear something was really off. The body wasn’t moving at all, just floating, completely still. When authorities pulled her from the water, it didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t some tragic accident, not even close. The victim was a young woman completely unclothed, and um the injuries were brutal, nearly 40 stab wounds.

 Right away, it was obvious this was something far darker. Around that same time, miles away, a family was desperately trying to find their daughter, 25-year-old Michelle Lang. She was just a student, you know, someone who had gone out shopping and was supposed to come home like any normal day. But she never made it back, and no one could understand why.

>> [music] >> And honestly, the most disturbing part of this story, it wasn’t out there by the cliffs. It was waiting somewhere much closer, inside her own room, in the place where she should have felt the safest. Right next to someone she trusted. What started as a missing person case, just a search for a young student, slowly unraveled into one of the darkest and most shocking family crimes Australia has ever seen.

So, Michelle Leng, her full name was Mengmeng. Leng was 25 years old, an international student living in Campsie. When she moved to Australia, she started going by Michelle, kind of like a more familiar name for everyday life. She was an only child, and after losing her father back in 2008, her bond with her mom, May, became incredibly strong.

Like, they were really close. Her mom always described her as someone deeply compassionate. Michelle was the kind of person who genuinely felt for others, almost like she carried their pain as her own. Even when she was exhausted or going through something herself, she’d still show up for her friends, always trying to support them, you know? That was just who she was.

Then in 2011, she made a huge, brave decision. She left Chengdu and moved all the way to Australia to study. Now, her mom was definitely worried. I mean, sending your only child across the world isn’t easy, but at the same time, she was proud. Michelle was stepping out of her comfort zone, [music] chasing something bigger, and that meant everything.

May worked incredibly hard to support her, putting aside every bit of money she could so her daughter could build a future. [music] And once Michelle got settled, she didn’t forget that she started sending whatever extra money she could back home. Some of Michelle’s relatives were already living in Australia, so she stayed with her aunt, uncle, and cousin in Campsie, a suburb in New South Wales.

Over time, she built a life for herself there. Fast forward to 2016, and she had already been in Australia for about 5 years. By then, she had a solid group of friends, she genuinely liked where she lived, [music] and academically she was doing really well. After finishing her business degree at the University of Technology Sydney, she decided to keep going and enrolled at the Sydney Institute of Interpreting and Translation.

 She was focused, motivated, and honestly, it seemed like everything was starting to fall into place for her. April 21st, 2016. It was a warm Thursday afternoon when Michelle met up with a few friends near the University of Technology Sydney. Everything felt normal, easy-going like any other day.

 When it was time to head out, they waved goodbye as she hopped on a bus and she casually mentioned she was planning to do a little shopping. She made her way to Pitt Street Mall, just wandering around on her own for a while. You can almost picture it browsing [music] through stores, taking her time, picking up a few things here and there.

Nothing unusual, nothing that would make anyone think this day would turn into something else entirely. After that, she caught a train heading towards St. James Railway Station shortly before 4:00 in the afternoon. Then around 4:30, she got off at Campsie Railway Station making her way back home to her apartment.

 And um that was the last time everything in her life seemed completely ordinary. >> Michelle was seen in security video shopping at Myer in the Pitt Street Mall last Thursday at 3:00 p.m. She bought a juice before getting on a train at St. James Station at 4:30 p.m. and getting off at Campsie. Close friends told police they hadn’t had contact with her since late on Thursday night.

>> While her photo was spreading across social media and people were getting more and more worried, something else was unfolding over 60 miles away and it was just as disturbing if not worse. Out along the coast of New South Wales, there’s a place called Snapper Point Blowhole. It’s actually really scenic but also um pretty dangerous.

The rocks there are slick, jagged, and unpredictable. It’s the kind of place where one wrong step could easily lead to a serious fall or worse. So, when a tourist was walking nearby and noticed what looked like a person in the water, it immediately felt off. At first, he probably thought someone was swimming but then he took a closer look.

The body wasn’t moving, not even a little. It was face down, completely still, and yeah. It didn’t take long to realize something was terribly wrong. Around 10:30 that morning, a paramedic was lowered down from a helicopter to retrieve the body from the water. The moment they got her out, it became painfully clear this wasn’t some kind of accident, not even close.

She was a young woman, completely naked, her body covered in stab wounds, nearly 40 of them. The fatal injury was a deep wound to her throat. [music] And from what investigators could see, she had fought back desperately, but whoever did this had been relentless. Police quickly started piecing things together, and their conclusion was chilling.

 They didn’t believe the ocean had carried her there. Instead, they were convinced her body had been left right at the blowhole. The lead detective later explained that the sea had been especially rough that day. You know, waves crashing hard against the rocks. But despite that, her body showed almost no signs of impact injuries from the surrounding cliffs, which led them to believe she had entered the water exactly where she was found.

>> It was just after 10:30 this morning, police were called to Snapper Point following reports a body a woman’s body was found face down in a blowhole. >> Post-mortem revealed that the woman had suffered a number of wounds, significantly [music] some stab wounds. Our interpretation of the situation is that she suffered a violent assault prior to her death.

 The description of the woman who at this point in time have not identified is a Asian female aged between 20 and 35, medium build, shoulder-length hair. She has no distinguishing tattoos or scars on the body. Her body was naked when it was found in the water, and all jewelry had been removed. >> Anybody who knows this woman or knows anything about this crime is urged to contact [music] police.

>> Authorities urged anyone who might recognize the woman or had even the smallest piece of information to come forward. Investigators from the New South Wales Police Force Homicide Unit released a computer-generated image of her, a young Asian woman with shoulder-length dark hair. Since they didn’t know her identity yet, they gave her a temporary name, the Snapper Point Blowhole Jane Doe.

 As the story spread beyond the local area, people online started connecting the dots. Some began to wonder if this unidentified woman could actually be Michelle. And they were right. DNA testing confirmed it, the victim was 25-year-old Michelle Leng. Things moved incredibly fast after that.

 By the very next day, police had already taken a suspect into custody. Investigators went all in. They interviewed everyone close to Michelle, family, friends, anyone who might know something. Her apartment was thoroughly searched, turned upside down, and every piece of digital evidence was carefully examined. Then there was a major breakthrough.

Surveillance cameras had captured a car entering a national park about 4 hours before her body was discovered. Tracing that vehicle led them straight to the suspect. And this is where it gets really unsettling. The person they identified was someone incredibly close to her. It was her uncle, Derek Barrett, the same man she had been living with, the same man who had helped report her missing.

 Derek, who was 27 at the time, had married Michelle’s aunt just a few years earlier. Not much was known about his background. He had worked in IT at some point, but had been unemployed for a while. When police examined his phone, they found something deeply disturbing. There were images of Michelle tied up with a gag in her mouth, lying on her own bed.

Fabric had been [music] wrapped tightly around her face with tape. And according to officers, the look on her face in those photos, it was something they said would stay with them forever. You know, the kind of thing you just can’t unsee. >> The mother of murdered student Michelle Leng has thanked police and the Australian Chinese community who have been helping her family through this terrible time. Mrs.

 Jong says words can’t describe the pain she feels over the loss of her only child. A fund has also been set up to help pay for Michelle’s funeral [music] and take care of her mother. >> Derek was denied bail, and he just sat there in the courtroom completely silent as the charges were read out for the first time. And um it didn’t stop there.

About 2 months later, even more charges were added bringing the total to 27. These included things like unlawful detention for personal gain and indecent assault. Investigators were already building a clear picture based on where Michelle was found, the surveillance timeline, and phone data from both of them.

They believe the attack happened almost immediately after she got home that day. The house was empty at the time. That’s when he restrained her in her own bedroom and assaulted her. The motive, sadly, seemed very clearly sexual. And here’s the part that’s honestly hard to wrap your head around. At some point, while Michelle was still alive, her cousin came back home.

She had no idea, not even a hint, that just a few steps away, Michelle was being held captive. Police were never able to determine exactly how long Derek kept her alive. What they did establish was this chilling window of time between late Thursday afternoon, April 21st, and 10:30 on Sunday morning, April 24th, when he ultimately inflicted the fatal stab wounds.

 At some point on that Sunday morning, >> [music] >> he wrapped her body in plastic and drove out toward Snapper Point Blowhole. His phone data tracked the entire route, like step-by-step. And disturbingly, along the way, he even stopped to grab something [music] to eat before continuing on. Eventually, he reached the cliffs and disposed of her body, throwing her into the water below.

What makes it even more haunting is that this exact spot, it wasn’t random. Years earlier, Michelle had visited that same place, taken a photo there, and shared it on her Instagram during a trip smiling, enjoying the view, completely unaware of what would one day happen in that very place. >> And then we’ll face court today after he allegedly killed a Chinese student [music] and dumped her body on the New South Wales Central Coast.

>> In April 2016, Derek was officially charged with Michelle’s murder. When he stood in court, he pleaded not guilty, just flat-out denied everything, like none of it had anything to do with him. Meanwhile, Michelle’s family had flown in all the way from China after her body was [music] found, and you know, they tried to be there for every single court hearing.

No matter how painful it was, they showed up sitting through it all, hoping for answers, hoping for some kind of justice for their daughter. >> Jill Lang’s distraught mother, supported in court by the wife of the man accused of fatally stabbing her daughter. Michelle’s mother left court promising to speak publicly about her daughter tomorrow.

>> Just what what kind of a person was she, you know? >> Good person, man. Like an angel. Yeah. >> In China, her murder has made national headlines. >> There’s a lot of international students in Sydney, and their parents in China. So, they were really really really really concerned about this news. >> As those closest to her struggle to comprehend her violent death.

>> His defense attorney tried to paint a different picture, saying his client was struggling badly in custody, and continued to deny the accusations. He even told the court that Derek was like deeply distressed and shocked, complaining about the conditions at the Sydney Police Detention Center, and hoping he’d be moved somewhere else soon.

But, all of that didn’t really change the direction the case was heading. Then, about 18 months later, in December 2017, everything shifted. Derek finally admitted guilt. He confessed that he had tied Michelle up, gagged her, and then killed her before disposing of her body. And it didn’t stop at the murder charge.

He also pleaded guilty to 21 additional offenses. 19 of those involved filming Michelle for sexual gratification, which, honestly, just makes the whole thing even more disturbing. He also admitted to unlawful detention and multiple indecent assaults. At the same time, Derek tried to explain his actions by pointing to substance abuse, claiming he had been using methamphetamine and synthetic cannabis around the time of the crime.

According to him, he couldn’t remember anything from that weekend. The only fragments he said he could recall were seeing his own reflection in a mirror and blood in a sink. But the court didn’t buy it. Justice Helen Wilson made it clear that his claims didn’t hold up. A forensic psychiatrist, Dr. first testified that Derek was most likely faking memory loss to avoid responsibility.

He even pointed out that Derek’s supposed meth addiction didn’t add up, noting he had never seen someone with that kind of dependency present the way Derek did. More than that, he emphasized Derek’s complete lack of remorse and empathy, especially considering the way he had documented the crime and then transported the body so far from the scene.

 At one point, Derek wrote a letter to Michelle’s mother. In it, he said he could only imagine her pain, that he wished he could go back and undo that day, that his own problems had destroyed everything. He talked about sleepless nights, nightmares, losing everything over one terrible weekend, and how he couldn’t understand why he had done it.

He even admitted he had betrayed both families and said he felt disgusted with himself. [music] But none of that convinced the judge. Justice Helen Wilson described what happened as a crime of extreme brutality and profound evil. She called it depraved, sadistic, something done by a man Michelle trusted [music] in the very place that should have been her safe haven.

>> A socially inadequate man driven by sexual perversion and sadism. Derek Barrett didn’t fool anyone. >> It’s satisfying that [music] we’ve got justice, but there’s no joy in a matter like this. It’s just an extremely sad case. >> Very lucky he didn’t get life imprisonment. >> Derek Barrett [music] stared intently at the floor of the dock throughout the entire sentence.

 His tears now only for himself. Because while technically [music] this wasn’t a life sentence, he could be in his 70s before he is free again. >> In the end, the court handed down a sentence that reflected just how horrific everything had been. Derek Barrett was sentenced to 46 years in prison with a non-parole period of 34 years.

 So, basically even under the best possible circumstances for him, he won’t be eligible for release until he’s served decades behind bars. And um for Michelle’s family, it was [music] a form of justice, but not something that could ever truly make up for what they lost. >> Look, first of all, if I could >> [music] >> ask you to respect the privacy of the family.

 They’re very upset and they’ll be leaving shortly, but they’ve they don’t want to say anything to the media at this at this point [music] in time. I’d just like to say that the murder of Ms. Lang was a horrendous senseless murder that’s impacted on a lot of people’s lives. The courts have recognized [music] the seriousness of the offense by the sentence that was handed down on Mr. Barrett.

 Anyone that heard the heard the facts [music] of of what’s gone on, it was a horrendous matter and the family are traumatized by what’s gone on. That’s all we’ve [music] got to say. Thank you. >> But even after the sentencing, the story wasn’t over. Not even close. Investigators had already come to believe that Derek’s obsession with Michelle had been growing over time, becoming more intense, more disturbing.

And then, a few years later, the case took an even darker turn. Something no one really expected. In November 2019, an elderly woman living with dementia, someone who rarely left her home, was visited by her daughter. When the daughter arrived, she found her mom sitting at the kitchen table holding a small object.

 It turned out to be a durable, weather-resistant USB drive. The woman said she thought it was just a toy, like something random she had picked up, and she had no idea how it ended up in her home. But when her daughter plugged it into a computer, everything changed. What she saw was so shocking that she immediately called the police.

On that device, there were nine video files, over an hour in total, along [music] with 13 photographs. And um they showed Derek and Michelle. The footage revealed him assaulting and torturing her while she was being held captive in her own room. In one of the videos, Michelle’s hands were tied so tightly that they became swollen, even turning purple.

 At one point, Derek cut the rope with a large hunting knife, only to tie her up again. And then he said something chilling, almost casual, like, “So, where were we?” before continuing the attack. It’s honestly hard to even process how someone could do something like that. What’s even more disturbing is that this behavior didn’t just start there.

For some time before the murder, Derek had secretly recorded Michelle and even his stepdaughter while they were showering or sleeping. Some videos showed him watching them and, you know, touching himself. It revealed a pattern that was deeply predatory and calculated. Police were able to match some of the files on the USB drive to data Derek had deleted from his phone just days before his arrest, clearly trying to cover his tracks.

Strangely, the elderly woman who found the device had no known connection to him, even though she lived just a few miles from his former home. How that USB ended up there, that part still remains a mystery. Based on what was discovered, Derek was hit with 17 additional charges including multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault and indecent acts.

Investigators also noted that Michelle’s aunt had often been away in Wollongong for work, which is why she wasn’t home during any of this. She had no idea what was happening and was later overwhelmed with guilt. When Michelle’s mother got the call about the USB drive, she said she nearly fainted. Through tears, she recalled how the police told her the videos showed her daughter being humiliated, assaulted, [music] and tortured.

 She said the shock was unbearable that it made her physically sick. And not long after hearing the news, her own mother passed away unable to cope with the grief. She asked the question that really says it all. How could any mother ever accept something like that? Derek Barrett admitted guilt to all 17 new charges, but despite everything that came out, there was no additional prison sentence added.

 And for Michelle’s family, that was another painful blow. Unfortunately, under the law, there was simply no way to extend his punishment further. >> A man who admitted killing his own niece has been sentenced for a second time after a USB stick [music] was unearthed years after he was jailed. >> Judge went as far as saying if the full extent of his perverted crime was known in [music] 2017, he would have been jailed for life.

 But that simply wasn’t possible now. >> The law doesn’t allow one to revisit [music] a sentence that was imposed in 2017. >> Because this evidence hadn’t been discovered before the original murder trial, the judge treated it as a new aggravating factor. So, yeah, Derek received an additional 20 years in prison. But here’s the thing, that sentence runs at the same time as his original one, not on top of it.

 Which means the total time he’ll serve still stays at 46 years. There was one change though, his non-parole period was extended by two more years. So, instead of being eligible for release in 2050, the earliest he can now even apply is 2052. The judge made it clear this case stood out as one of the most brutal and disturbing she had ever had to deal with.

 And when you think about Michelle, it just makes everything hit even harder. She was hard-working, full of hope, someone who had traveled thousands of miles to build a better life not just for herself, but for her mom, too. She believed she was safe. She lived in a home where she trusted the people around her, and that trust was completely shattered.

 For her mother, the pain is almost impossible to put into words. First, she lost her husband and then her daughter, taken by someone she had once considered family. She said they still can’t accept that Michelle is gone, that the grief hasn’t eased at all. She spoke about how time will never return to those days when they lived happily together.

And now, without her daughter, she feels like her entire life has fallen apart, left wondering what comes next and how she’s even supposed to keep going.