Dateline: Secrets Uncovered Season 9, Episode 27: A Killing in Cottonwood

1

The Disappearance of Sandi Johnson

Sandi Johnson always put her kids first. When she vanished without a word, her loved ones were frantic. Police discovered dark secrets in Sandi’s marriage and several men in her life. Which one of them had something to hide?

43 min

2

12 Minutes on Elm Street

Cousins Nick Brady and Haile Kifer were best friends. To their family, they seemed like typical teenagers. Turns out, the cousins had a secret that led to tragedy. The story divided a small town and sparked a national debate.

43 min

3

In the Middle of the Night

After college student Angie Samota was stabbed to death, police had no shortage of suspects. A crucial clue narrowed their list to one name, but it would be years before technology and a tenacious friend came together to help unravel this mystery.

43 min

4

Missing Marie

Marie Singleton was a single mom who fell hard for Andre Jackson, a single dad raising his two kids. The couple married and seemed happy. Then Marie vanished and investigators discovered secrets. Was her disappearance related to her undercover job?

43 min

5

Deadly Intent

Connie and Larry Hoagland built a life centered on faith and family. Then, a vicious attack threatened it all. Someone wanted Connie dead. But who? After a bomb exploded underneath her car, secrets started to emerge.

43 min

6

A Bronx Tale

Eric Glisson was convicted of a murder he swore he didn’t commit. To prove his innocence, he had to find the real killers, unearthing their long-held secrets. It would take years for the truth to be revealed, but could it set him free?

43 min

7

Deadly Denial

Raven Abaroa swooped into Vanessa Pond’s life and stole her heart. Then Vanessa discovered her dream man had a tragic past. His first wife had been killed. Was he a grieving widower or somehow involved? Dark secrets were about to be spilled.

43 min

8

Mystery in South Beach

Wendy Trapaga was a beaming young bride. Then, just four days after saying “I do” she was found dead in a parking lot. Investigators discovered the newlyweds were keeping secrets. There was also someone else with a secret and it was combustible.

43 min

9

Circle Of Friends

In high school, Christian, Erika and Pedro formed a tight trio: best friends who excelled at academics and shared big dreams. When they went to college something changed. It started with a secret romance and ended in tragedy.

43 min

10

Bad Blood

Nikki Whitehead was a single mom working toward a brighter future. She found love, moved into a nice neighborhood and enrolled in college. Then, tragedy struck. Police searched for answers but one thing was certain. This crime was personal.

43 min

11

The Farm

Bill and Shirley Carter had raised a family on their sprawling farm in America’s heartland. As their golden years approached, tragedy struck and the seeds of a mystery pitting one family member against another had been planted.

43 min

12

Evil Was Waiting

Vince Goslyn found his calling in the military. His career was thriving and he had built a beautiful family. Then one night, the father of five was gunned down. Did his decision to help someone in need cost him his life or was he targeted?

43 min

13

Everything She Knew

Amber Belken was a young woman with big dreams. Then, she was found murdered. Was Amber the victim of a robbery gone wrong or was this brutal crime personal? Three people knew the truth. Two of them would risk their lives to reveal it.

43 min

14

The Landing

Heather Elvis was a young woman eager to make her mark on the world. Then she disappeared. Investigators discovered a love triangle and thought they had their motive. But there was a question the Elvis family still needed answered: Where was Heather?

43 min

15

Unspeakable

Sandra and Jamie Melgar were high school sweethearts who were celebrating their 32nd anniversary. Then, the intimate evening turned deadly. To crack the case, investigators had to uncover the secrets of an illusion worthy of the great Houdini.

43 min

16

The Watcher

Lauren Giddings was smart, charismatic and a newly-minted law school graduate. She had dreams of becoming a public defender, then she was brutally murdered. Her killer tried to pull off the perfect crime, but a secret recording exposed the truth.

43 min

17

Unraveled

For an agonizing four days, the fear was paralyzing. A city was under siege. Six people had been gunned down, but how were the killings linked? A retired detective connected the dots, initiating the manhunt for a man with a gun and a grudge.

43 min

18

The Figure in the Garage

He was a single dad, a former firefighter dedicated to helping others. When he was found dead in his garage, police needed help. A neighbor’s security camera footage revealed a hooded figure, but who was it? Someone was hiding a deadly secret.

43 min

19

A Cold December Morning

Devoted to her faith and her five children, Chanin Starbuck was recently divorced and starting life over. After she was brutally murdered, the investigation revealed secrets. The case divided a family. Could a jury unite on the truth?

43 min

20

In Cold Blood

He was a firefighter used to rescuing others. Now he was the one in desperate need of help. He found his wife bloodied and motionless on the bedroom floor. Could he save her in time? It was a chilling crime with no shortage of potential suspects.

43 min

21

Vendetta

Beloved by his colleagues, Mark Hasse was a fearless prosecutor. He worked to put criminals behind bars and making enemies was a hazard of the job. He didn’t know it, but a killer was lurking and Mark wasn’t the only target.

43 min

22

Deadly House of Cards

After Johnny Altinger vanished, the trail of clues led investigators to a young director. Detectives worried that the case was a hoax staged by a master storyteller. Turns out, the script was darker than anyone knew.

43 min

23

Footprint In the Dust

Susie Casey was an outgoing mother of four going through a divorce. She was twenty steps from her front door when she vanished. Police were investigating three men in her life. The unbelievable thing? They were all there the morning of her murder.

43 min

24

Death in the Driveway

Melvin Roberts was larger than life. Former mayor. Prominent attorney. He even had a street named after him. When cops found him dead in his driveway, it marked the start of a tough case. In addition to friends, Melvin Roberts had plenty of enemies.

43 min

25

Toxic Relations

Linda Curry had it all: looks, a great job and a brilliant husband. When she got sick, doctors were stumped. Then, she died and police were as puzzled as the doctors, but not her close friends and family. They just needed someone to listen.

43 min

26

Secrets of the Snake River

Rachel Anderson was a vivacious single mom whose world revolved around her children. When she failed to show up for work one day, her kids panicked. Might her disappearance have anything to do with those terrifying phone calls she’d been receiving?

43 min

27

A Killing in Cottonwood

Karen and Mark Duenas had a special marriage. Teenage sweethearts, the couple managed to keep the romance alive even after raising five boys together. Then a perfectly ordinary night ended in murder, a tragedy that would test the bonds of family.

43 min

28

The Unusual Suspect

It was in the still of the night when it started. A cold-blooded serial killer, lurking in the woods, peeping through windows and stalking for his next victim. It's a tale that would be hard to believe, if it didn't really happen.

43 min

29

The Mystery Man

At first, Mischele Lewis' new boyfriend seemed almost too good to be true. She would learn her dream man did have secrets, but was he just playing spy games with her? A single mom goes on a dangerous mission of her own to find out the truth.

43 min

30

The Fugitive Millionaire

A tech giant living in paradise. His neighbor found dead. Then, suddenly, the entrepreneur extraordinaire was on the run, taunting authorities and tantalizing the press. It was a riveting game of hide-and-seek, but were police chasing the right man?

43 min

31

Deception

Wendy Ratte, a free-spirited mother of two, was missing. Police investigated: a bitter feud with a neighbor, a possible serial killer. Or, did danger lurk closer to home? It'd take an elaborate, undercover mission to finally crack this case.

43 min

32

The Comic Book Murder

Barbara George was murdered in her comic store on Friday the 13th. The case went cold and her husband moved away, starting a new life with a new wife. But then there was a new prosecutor with an old connection to the case, and he wanted it solved.

43 min

33

Up In Flames

Brett and Vashti were high school sweethearts now busy raising two boys. Then a fire ripped through their home. In the ashes, investigators found a mystery. What happened that night was no accident.

43 min

34

The Motive

He was a force on the football field. Then, the charming athlete was shot. His killer left few clues and the case sat cold until someone spilled a secret. What police asked the tipster to do next would make her a target. How much would she risk?

43 min

35

The Mansion on Ocean Boulevard

It was a riveting mystery with two puzzling deaths, both at the same mansion. First, a boy was found near the bottom of the stairs and police ruled it an accident. Then, there was an apparent suicide at the guest house. What was really happening?

43 min

36

Evil Intent

Jessica Nelson was a hardworking single mom. Then, one morning, she was found dead in her home. The discovery left her family shattered and their ordeal had just begun. Turns out, the killer was someone they knew.

43 min

37

Secrets on the Emerald Coast

Marie Carlson was radiant but behind the glow she hid a darkness. For a while, Marie drifted but, then, a pastor and his wife welcomed her into their lives. It was a spiritual awakening which made Marie’s disappearance all the more mysterious.

43 min

38

Something Wicked

Skylar Neese was everything her parents hoped for, but their world turned upside down when she vanished without a trace. At first, police thought she ran away but hints on social media pointed to a more sinister reason for her disappearance.

43 min

39

Mystery on the Mississippi

When a mother of four dies unexpectedly on Valentine's Day, everyone in town assumes she died of natural causes until a detective suspects someone has gotten away with murder.

84 min

40

On the Outskirts of Town

Halee Rathgeber enjoyed taking care of others, so it made sense that she hoped to become a nurse. What made no sense was that someone wanted her dead. The crime scene told detectives little, but a jaw-dropping moment in the courtroom spoke volumes.

43 min

41

The Ultimatum

Michele and Lloyd Neurauter were devoted to their three daughters, even after divorce. When Michele was found dead in her home, police suspected suicide. Then, they uncovered a deadly betrayal too twisted to be true. Except that it was.

43 min

42

The Good Husband

A forty-year-old man was found dead in his car. Initially, there was no obvious medical explanation for Tom’s death but when police uncovered a love triangle, this tragedy quickly turned into a tangled mystery.

84 min

43

Double Lives

A single mother of three vanishes and potential suspects emerge when police discover she may have been living a double life.

84 min

44

A Dangerous Man

An investigation into the mysterious murder of a businessman exposes a tangled web of evil that extends from the Pacific Northwest into the North Dakota oil patch.

43 min

45

The Mystery on Bridle Path

In the town of Prescott, AZ, Carol Kennedy returns from an evening jog and calls her mother for their nightly chat; the call ends abruptly and so begins the mystery on Bridle Path.

84 min

46

The Accused

The crime was big news in a small town. Police were swift to key on a suspect. He was a local hero. It was a hunt for justice but was it also the hounding of an innocent man?

43 min