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Paige Birgfeld, Season 1, “A Mother’s Secret”

To many people, Paige Birgfeld seemed like a faithful wife and a devoted mother. When she vanished unexpectedly, her Colorado town was left reeling. The investigation uncovered dark secrets that would change everybody's view of the young mother.

 

Amy St. Laurant, Season 1, “A Fateful Meeting”

Amy, a pretty young Portland woman, spends an evening out with a visiting friend at the local pool hall and at a popular dance club. At the end of the evening, her friend returns from the bathroom to discover Amy gone. Angry at being ditched, he drives to Amy's house, but she does not return home. The following day, her mother reports her missing. When one of Amy's dance partners from that night calls the tip line, police begin to slowly unravel the truth.

 

Michele Whitaker, Season 1, “The Last Truck Stop”

Michele is an attractive but troubled young woman who fights with her family over her involvement with drugs and alcohol. After a weekend of drinking, a friend drops her at a truck stop, where she is last seen hitching a ride. A month later a coworker also disappears, and although police follow many disturbing leads and identify a potential suspect, they are unsuccessful in solving either disappearance. Both women are presumed dead, and the case goes cold. Several years later, however, the story takes a new twist when sightings of Michele begin to surface.

 

Michelle McMullen, Season 1, “The Long Drive Home”

A college student disappears after leaving her son with a childhood friend. Her car is found abandoned a week later across state lines. Soon after, a warrant for her arrest is issued on felony theft charges. Could she be on the run?

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Madalyn Murray O’Hair, Season 1, “The Most Hated Woman In America”

Famous atheist Madalyn Murray-O'Hair disappears along with her son and granddaughter. Did they choose to move to New Zealand or were they the victims of foul play?

 

Rosemary Christianson, Season 1, “Rosemary’s Secret”

 A Tampa Bay area Realtor goes missing and investigators question her husband. Without evidence to make an arrest, investigators' case goes cold, while the husband leaves town with his girlfriend.

 

Scoop Daniel, Season 1, “Royal Secrets”

Disappeared looks at the case of Royal "Scoop" Daniel a lawyer who vanished from a small mountain town in Colorado. Was he the victim of foul play or did he decide to skip town for other reasons?

 

Tanya Rider, Season 2, “No Exit”

Disappeared goes to Washington state and looks at the case of Tanya Rider who disappeared one evening on her way home from work. She is discovered days later clinging to life in a wrecked car.

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Re Brian Histand, I just caught the tail end of that episode and they have updated it with a blurb at the end saying that his body had been found around a mile and a half from where he was last seen and that foul play was not suspected. 

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On 5/22/2016 at 5:36 PM, Kitty Redstone said:

The David Riemens disappearance was a strange one.  I think he was probably killed by a friend who knew he was planning a trip and would have cash on him, and who lured him away from the parking lot with a plea for help or an offer for lunch or something.  It didn't sound like he would have gotten in a car with a stranger or someone he barely knew, like the old man with the building project.  And if the contractors on that job were so evasive or shady (or however they were described), would he have kept going back to the site to get more bricks all by himself?  He lived a simple life but seemed too sophisticated for that.  IDK. 

I sure don't believe he left his family, dog and friends to go live as a damn hobo, though.  That was so ridiculous I can't believe Disappeared even gave it the five minutes that they did.

I watched the David Riemens ep last week. I find it hard to believe it would be that hard to locate the alleged building site (where he said he was getting bricks) within such a short drive of town, or that no one (old man, contractors, etc.) has come forward, and no one knows who that old man was.

Not sure about the situation in Tennessee but in some urban areas it's actually a "thing" to steal vintage bricks or cobble stones and reuse them in renos. Maybe David made the whole story up about where he was really getting those rare bricks from. One thing I found odd was that similar bricks were often used for railway stations, and he had done a series of paintings about railroads.

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I just watched the Bryce episode, and came here to see if anyone else had a problem with the parents.  I actually watched it a second time to make sure they were as bad as I first thought.  They were manipulated so easily by their child, and they fell for it every time.  The girlfriend only called and held his keys because he had broken up with her.  They actually believed that BS, and insisted that she give the keys back.  Then they were told over, and over, and over again that something was wrong.  What do they do?  Bryce precious, are you okay?  Okay darling, go get some sleep.  Bryce angel, what are you doing?  You need to eat something.  Bryce dear, why are you still there hours and hours later?  Oh you're putting your car back together after the police search?  Okay.  Go ahead and take a nap.

They had so many opportunities to go collect him, but they pawned off the responsibility to multiple people.  He was three hours away for more than twelve hours, and they actually went to bed that night!  The closest they came to doing a damn thing was when the husband got up and paced outside the house!  And yet they assume absolutely no responsibility for their failures.  It's not there fault, and it's sure as hell not precious's fault.  So who's at fault?  The mother's insistence that it's impossible for something bad to have occurred in his life because school had only started two weeks previously.  The father's insistence that drinking two full bottles of hard liquor every weekend, and taking stolen stimulants was just typical teenager behavior.  The mother's dismissal of Bryce's refusal to have her fly to meet him, and his statement that he had a lot he needed to talk to her about. 

They enabled their child into the grave.  Something's wrong, girlfriend takes his keys - give those keys back, Jezebel, he's just not that into you.  Something's wrong, mom asks (ASKS!) his permission to come see him - then lets him refuse.  Instead of saying - Bryce, you're not getting your keys back until she thinks you're acting rationally.  Bryce, get your ass home and get some sleep.  Do not use your car (which I'm sure they bought him, pay for his insurance, pay for its upkeep, etc.) until I say so, or it will be taken from you.  Bryce, stay right there, I'm coming to get you.  Do not move.  Bryce, tell me RIGHT NOW what street names you're passing.  I do not believe you cannot see them, you are lying. 

And they absolutely refuse to acknowledge any error they made.  I can't help but feel the producers and editors agreed with me.

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Regarding Bryce, I read somewhere that his drug habit was much more extensive then detailed on this show, and his parents had decided to enforce a "tough love" concept when insisting that he return home on his own volition. Once I read that, I wondered if the denial and delusions were just self-preservation and his parents did actually recognize their failures in those last 24 hours, and just were not beating themselves up for those decisions.

It seems like a lot of families don't want to acknowledge their loved ones drug habits on these investigative type shows. I don't know if they just don't want to drag their names through the mud, think people won't want to help, or are embarrassed and think people will blame them for it, but like suicide, it just doesn't seem to be discussed. "So and so would never commit suicide." "Sure, he smoke pot and drank, but that's just normal teenage behavior." Let us ignore the suicide note and used needles found in the sock drawer.

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Marie Gilbert, mothee of Shannen Gilbert who disappeared in 2010 in Long Islanbd, and who was later found dead, has herself been murdered.  Apparently by her other daughter.

This was the episode where she went on a private escort date w/only her friend/driver, and she ran out of the house having hallucinations.

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I found an article about Mari Gilbert's murder, but it only says that her daughter has been charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a firearm. The police are going to hold a press conference Monday at noon. I guess since they know who killed her it isn't a public concern, but it's frustrating when no info is released. 

I'm also out of ice cream and my coffee cup is empty and my dog won't admit he ate and drank it, so I'm generally annoyed at the moment. :(

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The trial of Paige Birgfeld's alleged murderer - Lester Jones, mentioned as a POI on the show - began earlier this month.

And I want to reach into my tv and smack the crap out of her friend Barbara who gleefully insists - even after being cleared and gaining custody of the kids - that her ex Rob is somehow involved.

Her parents sued for custody and lost, yet Ron still lets them have visitations.  God knows he wasn't the best of providers and he made some ugly, bad decisions, but to continue to slander his name for the murder is reprehensible.

Edited by roamyn
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On May-22-16 at 5:36 PM, Kitty Redstone said:

The David Riemens disappearance was a strange one.  I think he was probably killed by a friend who knew he was planning a trip and would have cash on him, and who lured him away from the parking lot with a plea for help or an offer for lunch or something.  It didn't sound like he would have gotten in a car with a stranger or someone he barely knew, like the old man with the building project.  And if the contractors on that job were so evasive or shady (or however they were described), would he have kept going back to the site to get more bricks all by himself?  He lived a simple life but seemed too sophisticated for that.  IDK.

I sure don't believe he left his family, dog and friends to go live as a damn hobo, though.  That was so ridiculous I can't believe Disappeared even gave it the five minutes that they did.

Just a few minutes into the show the fellow whose property David lived on, Donny,  said that when David did not come home they phoned his friend Marvin to see if he had seen David. Marvin answered that he had seen David on Monday and that he thought he was now in Michigan. When Donny said David was not in Michigan, Marvin said that David's truck was in the parking lot of the Dollar store. So why would Marvin think David was in Michigan when his truck, which he would be driving to Michigan, was still in town? I expected that to be followed up on but it never was. I would be suspicious of Marvin as his statements did not make sense.

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This episode is reairing, and it still gets to me. Such a sad story. I'm very surprised that they haven't found her body yet. I think she is likely in the wooded area near the apartment building where her car was found. 

If she was suffering from post-partum depression and the baby died from SIDS or an accident, that is all it would take to send her into a tailspin and become suicidal. 

Alexis could be involved, the man she was talking to on the internet could be involved, a stranger could be involved, or it was self-inflicted. Without her remains being found, I don't think we will ever know which one it is.

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18 hours ago, Christina said:

This episode is reairing, and it still gets to me. Such a sad story. I'm very surprised that they haven't found her body yet. I think she is likely in the wooded area near the apartment building where her car was found. 

If she was suffering from post-partum depression and the baby died from SIDS or an accident, that is all it would take to send her into a tailspin and become suicidal. 

Alexis could be involved, the man she was talking to on the internet could be involved, a stranger could be involved, or it was self-inflicted. Without her remains being found, I don't think we will ever know which one it is.

I think it is just dumb luck that her body hasn't been found yet-luck on the killer's part, that is. Our youngest son died of SIDS and I can say that there definitely is a kind of weird time afterwards we're you're in denial or just moving on adrenaline and not really registering what's happened. I can see that wearing off and someone going into a tailspin, definitely.

I keep coming back to Alexis, like some of you all. Without knowing much about Internet Guy, it's hard to say. There is also the possibility of her meeting someone a few days before her death and getting taken advantage of-someone nobody even knows about. 

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I just watched the Kelly Nash episode.  After the update, I assume he committed suicide.  It's odd that the family/girlfriend didn't notice any depression or they just didn't mention it. All Very sad for  his family. 

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I, for one, can't wait until the new season starts. I've been rewatching old episodes to get ready for it. 

I only recently learned about the update on the Brittanee Drexel case. That one is so sad. 

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Jessica Heeringa, Season 7 Episode 1, has an update. Jeffrey Willis was arrested for her murder. His cousin was arrested as an accomplice. Jeffrey was interviewed early in the investigation. He'd been in the gas station the night before, acting kind of suspicious. Another female customer had noticed him talking to Jessica and noted her reaction to him. The customer felt unsettled and had waited around outside until the station closed. His van was checked early on and smelled as though it had been cleaned but nothing was found. It is suspected that he held Jessica for at least a day before killing her. 

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Posted this in the other thread, but just in case you're not following that one...

 

Jessica Heeringa, Season 7 Episode 1 (A Stranger is Watching), has an update. Jeffrey Willis was arrested for her murder. His cousin was arrested as an accomplice. Jeffrey was interviewed early in the investigation. He'd been in the gas station the night before, acting kind of suspicious. Another female customer had noticed him talking to Jessica and noted her reaction to him. The customer felt unsettled and had waited around outside until the station closed. His van was checked early on and smelled as though it had been cleaned but nothing was found. It is suspected that he held Jessica for at least a day before killing her.

 

He was arrested back over the summer but I only just found out about the update. I've been following the Abby Williams/Libby German case and there was a reference to Jessica and that made me look her up. There's no connection to the cases at all.  

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On Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 10:07 PM, mamadrama said:

I, for one, can't wait until the new season starts. I've been rewatching old episodes to get ready for it. 

I only recently learned about the update on the Brittanee Drexel case. That one is so sad. 

I was going to ask what the update was but I had a sinking feeling it was going to be really bad, so I googled it. Glad I didn't ask anyone on this forum to give me the update. I'm horrified :(

When are we going to stop incarcerating these criminals who commit heinous crimes and just start giving them a bullet in the head. I know I sound radical, I'm really a very peaceful, loving person but this kind of shit has to be dealt with differently. Going back to prison for criminals like this is nothing more than a family reunion with all of their thug homies. 

And I can't even imagine Brittinees mom, dad, family knowing what horror that sweet  naive  girl went thru. 

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Thanks for the "like" azshadowwalker. Nobody's been to this specific forum since i posted my comment a week ago. I was beginning to think i scared people off! Lol. 

But i will forever stand my ground defending my seething hate for child abusers and animal abusers 

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The season premiere just started, and it is about Lynn Messer, a completely different person then the previews were showing. Some of the previews were about the season, but I swear I've been watching previews about a missing African American teen. I looked at the list of what was coming up, but there are no descriptions. Now I'm wondering what I'm thinking of since it must have been another show.

There is a future episode of a "missing son" with no age listed. Since almost everyone on this show is a son or daughter, it doesn't mean much, but is probably a kid or young adult. I thought the commercials were about a girl, though. Stupid things my brain gets fixated on; driving myself nuts over it. Very glad the show is back. It's one of my favorites in the investigative journalism genre.

ETA: Just saw a commercial for the upcoming season that involved an AA mom asking for help finding her son, so that is probably the episode I thought was airing tonight, even though I thought the previews so a teen girl, not boy. Hmmpft. 

Edited by Christina
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Every member of the Messer family was a complete creep who were overacting like nobody's business. The fake crying on the daughter in law was painful to watch.

Throwing a major side eye to all of them and their cheating, douchebag father. 

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7 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

Every member of the Messer family was a complete creep who were overacting like nobody's business. The fake crying on the daughter in law was painful to watch.

Throwing a major side eye to all of them and their cheating, douchebag father. 

I agree. I thought this was a really weird/not so great episode to start the season off with. The whole family was super odd and just off. The younger son and his wife's over the top theatrics were obnoxious and annoying, the older son gave off a major creep vibe I thought, and the dad/husband and his lobbying-to-get-laws-changed-to-follow-the-bible-while-cheating-on-his-wife, possible murdering hypocritical ass just pissed me off.

Hopefully the rest of the season is better.

Edited by marina707
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I'm very glad the original narrator and style of the show are back. 

Agree about the creepiness of the Messers, especially the disgusting hypocrisy of the father who cheated on his wife while trying to legislate that everyone live by his narrow and twisted world view.  Asshole.

The whole thing was weird, especially the part about the family saying Lynn got lost in her own dining room but thought nothing of her going on 10-mile long walks alone in the wilderness.  The fake crying of the daughter-in-law aside, I bet she's not the only one who ignored a cry for help from poor Lynn Messer. 

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I didn't post immediately after because I disliked this family and felt a bit bad for it. The daughter-in-law's crying made me think of Farrah Abraham of Teen Mom, and I laughed, and then felt guilty.

Within the first ten minutes it sounded like the husband killed her, and I was actually waiting for a twist, a la Dateline, that never came. His ending comments to the local news confirmed his guilt to me. I don't even need a trial to convict him. The fact that she was only skeletal remains when she was discovered diminishes the chances of determining her cause of death, and he may walk free. Scorn and derision for being so cold! Paraphrased, "Nah, I have no concerns that there is evidence of me. {Pregnant pause}... Or my sons." Burn, buddy.

The fact that they didn't scour the area after determining that the dogs lost her scent at the cows is confusing to me. It sounded like the farm was large, but the area in which she was found was easily accessible. I probably shouldn't expect family to think clearly during distress, but the police and search parties are a completely different story. The cows were moved, the dogs lost her sent at the cows, her bones were found past that field. They knew pretty quickly that the cattle were moved, so why not go to the other side and restart the search? The decomp smell would have been strong by then. It was so odd to me, that I searched and found an update three days ago, but it didn't answer my question. It also had an annoying autoplay video that would not pause and I couldn't get the volume reduced, so I didn't link it here. Scorn and derision to that news station too! Absolutely no excuse in this day and age for autoplay videos.

The updates, however, made me think that maybe they did intend to air the other episode first, but wanted to get this one out there because of the continuing updates after she was located. My Google search shows she was located in November, but three days ago some initials reports were released and revealed that she had not been moved after her remains were placed in that location. I would love to tell you what those reports were, but it was disclosed on the annoying autoplay site and the text did not bother to detail it. They are also still waiting for additional reports, including the blood marrow and hair fiber analysis, to see what drugs were in her system. Maybe she took a walk down there by herself and he followed her, but then how did he kill her? Take her a poison pill and make her think it was one of her medications? Shoot her but decide to take the gun back home? Is it possible that she died of a heart attack or stroke but wasn't found in time?

Another episode of more questions than answers, but that is typical of this show.

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27 minutes ago, Christina said:

Paraphrased, "Nah, I have no concerns that there is evidence of me. {Pregnant pause}... Or my sons." Burn, buddy.

I hope the cops were as similarly disturbed by that statement. Along with the one son failing the polygraph. I hope they can put two and two together and not just write it off as, "Oh, they're religious people who would never murder anyone." 

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All of the above plus the crazy-creepy image of her walking in the night through the woods in her nightgown.

I carry these images with me as I'm trying to drift off to sleep and let's just say this one definitely occupied my mind for awhile.  The image of her circling the dining room table is another image that I won't forget anytime soon.

Older son seemed like a nice chap.  Younger son was a hothead.  Daughter-in-law was auditioning to be a Duggar.

Dad?  Not sure I need to say anymore.

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I don't know if Asshole Dad killed her. I do think he knows what happened to her. Could well be a suicide that he covered up out of demented religiosity. Or a suicide attempt that he didn't seek help for, allowing her to die for similar reasons. Overly Dramatic Son may have helped or been told what happened by Asshole Dad, but doesn't want to admit it. 

ETA: Found this link on a true crime board I read. When she decided not to shoot herself during the suicidal thoughts, she shot her cats instead. It's also mentioned there that she had a broken toe. Not a lot of fun to walk with one of those. 

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2016/07/07/new-clues-missing-ste-genevieve-woman/

Lots of links over there. Things about Lynn wanting the husband to marry his lover if she died. Things about him attending all of her "counseling" sessions for her depression. About her being with him since she was 16. Sounds like a very controlling, one-way relationship. Not sure if I should link directly to the thread over there. 

Edited by azshadowwalker
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2 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

When she decided not to shoot herself during the suicidal thoughts, she shot her cats instead.

Wow. There goes the last of the Messer family I'd have given an ounce of sympathy for. 

Edited by Guest
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I'm so glad the original narrator is back. He brings just the right tone.

I initially thought the victim had committed suicide and the family covered it up out of shame. That might account for how creepy and unbelievable younger son and his wife were. But he husband is pretty chilling. And I don't think they'd have just left her body out to decompose. It's still surprising to me that she wasn't found for two years.

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2 hours ago, stinkogingko said:

And I don't think they'd have just left her body out to decompose. It's still surprising to me that she wasn't found for two years.

Here's a thought I can tumble in my mind tonight as I attempt to drift off....what if she was killed that night and he or they "stored" her body until the search parties completed their task then dumped her body near the cows so they could make her one with the earth.  Dust to dust and all that.....

Which brings to the forefront a new question.  How did the search party miss seeing her body? I thought they searched every square inch of the hundreds of acres? 

Investigators should swab the freezers on the farm.  Just a suggestion.

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7 minutes ago, PsychoKlown said:

Here's a thought I can tumble in my mind tonight as I attempt to drift off....what if she was killed that night and he or they "stored" her body until the search parties completed their task then dumped her body near the cows so they could make her one with the earth.  Dust to dust and all that.....

Which brings to the forefront a new question.  How did the search party miss seeing her body? I thought they searched every square inch of the hundreds of acres? 

Investigators should swab the freezers on the farm.  Just a suggestion.

I had the same thought, but according to an article I found (http://www.kfvs12.com/story/33592195/medical-examiner-lynn-messers-body-was-not-moved-after-disappearance) the medical examiner believes her body wasn't moved, which I find odd. I have no idea how they didn't find her, especially if her body had been in the same spot all along. The whole thing is just really weird.

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Overly Dramatic Son must have seen the show before, and been practicing for it. Damn. 

Dad had something to do with it, I just can't agree on which part he played. 

Uh, your mom got lost in her own dining room? Dude, that's not "bad with directions." That's either extreme sleep walking or some kind of psychotic break. 

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Daughter in-law crying with no tears, younger son recounting events as if he were auditioning for a soap opera, and holier-than-thou husband cheating with a woman named Spring.   If the narrator had not been the same guy, I would have thought it was a put-on.  

I wasn't angry until I got here and read about dead mom shooting her cats.  I hope she rots in hell.

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To be fair, iirc, they interviewed the younger son and his wife four days after Lynn's remains were found.

 

also, I can't compute how a woman who gets lost in the dining room regularly goes for ten mile walks in the woods, sometimes in the dark

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19 hours ago, Grumpbump said:

I wasn't angry until I got here and read about dead mom shooting her cats.  I hope she rots in hell.

The only reason I am not as furious with her as I might otherwise be is that I think this woman was both seriously mentally ill and emotionally stunted. I don't think she had any real help with that, either. Considering that her husband was allowed to sit in on all of her "counseling" sessions, I suspect they were those religious "counselors" who basically tell women they can only get well by obeying god and god-husband more. Add to that the fact that she'd been with this controlling creep since she was 16, I just don't think she knew how to be a functional, healthy adult. 

ETA: The case reminds me of one in the Phoenix area. A Mormon couple. Her depressed. Him a philandering, controlling dick. Suicide letter told him to marry his lover and raise their children. He was accused of aiding in/intentionally provoking her suicide.

 http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=7241417&page=1

Edited by azshadowwalker
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Lynn Messer's son saying that his Mother got lost in the living room? I was hoping that she just got fed up with being surrounded by this group of bible thumping ignoramuses and hopped a bus. Bless her heart.

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I didn't realize Disappeared had its own forum, so I posted in the wrong place. I actually thought this was a very interesting episode, although I think it was probably the husband. That "there is no evidence" statement of his, not "I didn't do it." Sheesh. I almost didn't get through the first few minutes though, I got so angry when the son said that some people didn't like the work they do (lobbying the legislature to promote Christianity in law-making) because of "political correctness." Um, how about we object to it because of the "Constitution." And, as others have mentioned, the daughter in law's fake crying was ridiculous. 

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9 hours ago, hoosiermom said:

I came here to ask if it had an ending. You know, body found and them catching who did it. I don't like stories (crimes) that aren't solved and leave me hanging there.

Body found a few weeks after filming, as they mentioned at the end. That's why they did the follow-up interviews with Aarron and showed the news clip of Kerry. They have not determined that a crime was committed, though, so no arrests. 

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