1 00:00:08,308 --> 00:00:10,944 [Narrator] A long-buried secret unearthed. 2 00:00:12,112 --> 00:00:16,016 [Amy] They were clearing the roadside and some debris 3 00:00:16,049 --> 00:00:19,085 and discovered some bones. 4 00:00:19,119 --> 00:00:22,422 There was a bullet lodged in her skull. 5 00:00:22,455 --> 00:00:26,793 [Narrator] A decade-old mystery comes back to life. 6 00:00:26,826 --> 00:00:28,862 My mom was kind of a free spirit. 7 00:00:28,895 --> 00:00:30,897 She was wild. 8 00:00:30,930 --> 00:00:34,434 She was working as a dancer in New York City. 9 00:00:34,467 --> 00:00:37,170 We would look out the window constantly 10 00:00:37,203 --> 00:00:41,174 and just pray that she would come back. 11 00:00:41,207 --> 00:00:43,376 [Narrator] But the deeper investigators dig, 12 00:00:43,410 --> 00:00:47,080 the more family secrets they find. 13 00:00:47,113 --> 00:00:49,816 [Tim] She started signing checks. 14 00:00:49,849 --> 00:00:51,151 There was approximately 15 00:00:51,184 --> 00:00:54,287 nineteen thousand dollars cashed. 16 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:58,458 She was money hungry. She was getting checks monthly. 17 00:00:58,491 --> 00:01:00,393 [Michael] Witnesses implicated her 18 00:01:00,427 --> 00:01:03,096 in the death of her own son. 19 00:01:03,129 --> 00:01:05,865 [Jasmine] She looked innocent, but underneath, 20 00:01:05,899 --> 00:01:08,068 she was the devil. 21 00:01:11,805 --> 00:01:20,513 [theme music] 22 00:01:23,183 --> 00:01:26,286 [Narrator] March 30, 2011. 23 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:31,491 It's just after 1:30 PM in Summers County, West Virginia. 24 00:01:31,524 --> 00:01:33,426 Employees with the Department of Highways 25 00:01:33,460 --> 00:01:35,795 are working along a steep hillside 26 00:01:35,829 --> 00:01:37,764 near Walker Mountain Road. 27 00:01:39,265 --> 00:01:41,434 [Tim] A Department of Highways worker 28 00:01:41,468 --> 00:01:45,338 was in a remote area down near Hinton, West Virginia, 29 00:01:45,372 --> 00:01:48,508 located in the southern part of West Virginia. 30 00:01:48,541 --> 00:01:53,113 Very mountainous, a lot of rural areas. 31 00:01:53,146 --> 00:01:56,316 It was up the side of a hill, literally, 32 00:01:56,349 --> 00:01:58,518 right below the road. 33 00:01:58,551 --> 00:02:03,056 They were clearing the roadside and some debris 34 00:02:03,056 --> 00:02:05,392 and discovered some bones. 35 00:02:06,659 --> 00:02:10,630 [siren wailing] 36 00:02:10,663 --> 00:02:12,465 [Narrator] The workers immediately contact 37 00:02:12,499 --> 00:02:15,201 West Virginia State Police. 38 00:02:15,235 --> 00:02:17,837 Investigators arrive on the scene, 39 00:02:17,871 --> 00:02:22,575 along with a team from the state medical examiner's office 40 00:02:22,609 --> 00:02:24,344 [Michael] The remains that were located, 41 00:02:24,377 --> 00:02:28,815 it was 13 bones and the skull. 42 00:02:28,848 --> 00:02:32,085 Based on the clothing that was found on the body, 43 00:02:32,085 --> 00:02:35,088 you know you have a female. 44 00:02:35,088 --> 00:02:36,756 The idea that someone would leave you out to, 45 00:02:36,790 --> 00:02:39,793 to rot in the woods is just a horrifying concept. 46 00:02:41,394 --> 00:02:44,097 [Narrator] There's nothing to immediately identify the victim 47 00:02:44,097 --> 00:02:48,101 at the scene, but one thing is clear, 48 00:02:48,101 --> 00:02:51,371 Jane Doe's death was no accident. 49 00:02:53,106 --> 00:02:56,309 There was a bullet lodged in her skull. 50 00:02:57,777 --> 00:03:00,213 [Michael] Just because there is a bullet hole in a person 51 00:03:00,246 --> 00:03:03,850 doesn't mean this is a homicide. 52 00:03:03,883 --> 00:03:07,454 You need to make sure you establish very clearly 53 00:03:07,487 --> 00:03:10,290 what the evidence is and where it is. 54 00:03:14,094 --> 00:03:15,628 [Narrator] Over the next couple of days, 55 00:03:15,662 --> 00:03:18,832 as forensic experts continue to comb the scene 56 00:03:18,865 --> 00:03:20,767 and examine the remains, 57 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:26,072 they discover something unique about their Jane Doe. 58 00:03:26,106 --> 00:03:28,775 Two of the vertebrae were, in fact, fused, 59 00:03:28,808 --> 00:03:31,578 which was a great lead. 60 00:03:31,611 --> 00:03:33,079 [Daniel] If a person's been involved 61 00:03:33,079 --> 00:03:34,748 in some sort of an accident, 62 00:03:34,781 --> 00:03:37,317 the doctor will actually use these metal plates 63 00:03:37,350 --> 00:03:40,186 to fuse together the injured vertebrae, 64 00:03:40,220 --> 00:03:43,823 and hospitals have records of those plates. 65 00:03:45,358 --> 00:03:47,260 The investigators shipped those bones 66 00:03:47,293 --> 00:03:49,529 to a forensic anthropologist. 67 00:03:52,766 --> 00:03:57,470 [Narrator] Within a few weeks, they finally have some answers. 68 00:03:57,504 --> 00:03:58,972 [Michael] They were able to trace 69 00:03:59,005 --> 00:04:01,107 that serial number on the plate 70 00:04:01,141 --> 00:04:06,112 and determine the victim was Cathy Jo McCoy, 71 00:04:06,146 --> 00:04:08,314 a local woman living in the are 72 00:04:08,348 --> 00:04:11,184 who had been reported missing in 2003. 73 00:04:12,852 --> 00:04:15,055 [Amy] There was so many years that lapsed 74 00:04:15,055 --> 00:04:20,126 from the time Cathy went missing to the time we found her bones. 75 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,128 When you find the remains of someone, 76 00:04:22,162 --> 00:04:24,364 there's only one question, 77 00:04:24,397 --> 00:04:27,534 how'd they get there and who put them there? 78 00:04:27,567 --> 00:04:29,769 And in any kind of criminal case, 79 00:04:29,803 --> 00:04:31,471 time is your enemy. 80 00:04:31,504 --> 00:04:35,675 The weather and the animals and the time 81 00:04:35,709 --> 00:04:38,678 deteriorate that kind of evidence. 82 00:04:45,752 --> 00:04:48,088 [Narrator] Cathy Jo Lukach McCoy 83 00:04:48,121 --> 00:04:50,156 was born in Beckley, West Virginia 84 00:04:50,190 --> 00:04:53,093 on December 26th, 1970, 85 00:04:53,126 --> 00:04:56,896 to parents Mary and Bill Lukach 86 00:04:56,930 --> 00:04:58,398 Mary had four children, 87 00:04:58,431 --> 00:05:03,169 Matthew, Mark, Johnny and Cathy Jo. 88 00:05:03,203 --> 00:05:06,539 My siblings and I had a great time growing up. 89 00:05:06,573 --> 00:05:11,077 We, uh, done all kinds of stuff, climb trees, go swimming. 90 00:05:11,111 --> 00:05:14,481 My favorite memory was always going out camping, 91 00:05:14,514 --> 00:05:19,085 going down to Sandstone, toward New River. 92 00:05:19,119 --> 00:05:20,787 They were always getting into some type of 93 00:05:20,820 --> 00:05:22,188 shenanigan or trouble. 94 00:05:22,222 --> 00:05:24,257 My mom loved her brothers. 95 00:05:27,694 --> 00:05:29,462 [Narrator] But Cathy Jo's relationship 96 00:05:29,496 --> 00:05:34,634 with her mother, Mary, was far more complicated. 97 00:05:34,668 --> 00:05:36,836 [Carl] There was always an argument of some kind 98 00:05:36,870 --> 00:05:38,171 over something petty, 99 00:05:38,204 --> 00:05:41,141 but they would fight like cats and dogs. 100 00:05:41,174 --> 00:05:43,209 [Narrator] Born in 1944, 101 00:05:43,243 --> 00:05:46,079 Cathy Jo's mother, Mary Louise Barley, 102 00:05:46,079 --> 00:05:51,317 was an independent woman with a no-nonsense approach to life. 103 00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:54,988 She grew up behind a Dr Pepper plant in Beckley. 104 00:05:55,088 --> 00:05:57,223 She did not have any siblings. 105 00:05:57,257 --> 00:06:00,026 My mom never, uh, talked about her past. 106 00:06:00,026 --> 00:06:02,128 If we tried to talk about stuff like that, 107 00:06:02,162 --> 00:06:04,130 she'd change the subject. 108 00:06:04,164 --> 00:06:05,665 Mary was stubborn. 109 00:06:08,635 --> 00:06:10,603 [Narrator] Her family says Cathy Jo 110 00:06:10,637 --> 00:06:13,707 was just as strong willed as her mother. 111 00:06:13,740 --> 00:06:15,675 More than anything, she wanted out 112 00:06:15,709 --> 00:06:17,744 from under her parents' roof. 113 00:06:17,777 --> 00:06:22,215 In 1985, the opportunity came. 114 00:06:22,248 --> 00:06:26,920 [Carl] My mom, Cathy Jo, married my dad, Carl Willard McCoy, 115 00:06:26,953 --> 00:06:30,423 at the age of, I want to say sixteen. 116 00:06:30,457 --> 00:06:32,492 She was pretty young. 117 00:06:32,525 --> 00:06:33,893 I have no idea how they met, 118 00:06:33,927 --> 00:06:36,763 how they fell in love, all of that. 119 00:06:36,796 --> 00:06:38,832 [Narrator] The marriage was short lived, 120 00:06:38,865 --> 00:06:42,268 and in 1988, when Cathy Jo was 17, 121 00:06:42,302 --> 00:06:45,839 the couple divorced after the birth of their son, Carl. 122 00:06:48,775 --> 00:06:52,846 Two years later, love found Cathy Jo once more. 123 00:06:54,314 --> 00:06:56,616 [Jasmine] My mother met my father, 124 00:06:56,649 --> 00:07:01,187 and then I came along July 9, 1990. 125 00:07:01,221 --> 00:07:06,292 [Vicki] I first met Cathy Jo when she was in her late teens. 126 00:07:06,326 --> 00:07:08,928 She became friends with my daughter first, 127 00:07:09,029 --> 00:07:12,232 and then became involved with my son, 128 00:07:12,265 --> 00:07:15,035 who is Jasmine's father. 129 00:07:16,036 --> 00:07:19,172 [Narrator] After giving birth to Jasmine at age 19, 130 00:07:19,205 --> 00:07:23,276 Cathy Jo continued from one relationship to the next. 131 00:07:23,309 --> 00:07:26,312 None lasted, but by the age of 26, 132 00:07:26,346 --> 00:07:29,449 she had two more children. 133 00:07:29,482 --> 00:07:33,053 My mom was kind of a free spirit. 134 00:07:33,053 --> 00:07:34,921 She was wild. 135 00:07:34,954 --> 00:07:36,756 But very nurturing. 136 00:07:36,790 --> 00:07:38,792 Every part of her being she loved us. 137 00:07:42,362 --> 00:07:43,730 [Narrator] In her mid-20's, 138 00:07:43,763 --> 00:07:46,332 Cathy Jo attended cosmetology school 139 00:07:46,366 --> 00:07:49,202 and started her own business. 140 00:07:49,235 --> 00:07:53,473 She had her own little shop going on inside of her house. 141 00:07:53,506 --> 00:07:55,108 [Narrator] In the end, the beauty shop 142 00:07:55,141 --> 00:07:58,712 wasn't everything she'd hoped it would be. 143 00:07:58,745 --> 00:08:02,482 She wasn't really getting by on that, and she, uh, 144 00:08:02,515 --> 00:08:08,355 went from being a hairstylist to a stripper. 145 00:08:08,388 --> 00:08:13,660 Her dancing was to provide. 146 00:08:13,693 --> 00:08:15,261 [Matthew] She didn't really like the line of work, 147 00:08:15,295 --> 00:08:18,698 but she wanted to get her kids everything they wanted. 148 00:08:18,732 --> 00:08:21,735 Them kids got treated like gold 149 00:08:21,768 --> 00:08:23,503 [Carl] I mean, those were the best Christmases 150 00:08:23,536 --> 00:08:25,305 we probably had. 151 00:08:25,338 --> 00:08:28,041 I mean, she had three kids at that time. 152 00:08:28,074 --> 00:08:30,510 You know, she tried to provide for us 153 00:08:30,543 --> 00:08:32,212 as much as she could. 154 00:08:34,948 --> 00:08:38,752 [Narrator] In 1995, tragedy struck the McCoy family 155 00:08:38,785 --> 00:08:41,254 when Cathy Jo's older brother Mark 156 00:08:41,287 --> 00:08:44,224 was in a serious car accident. 157 00:08:44,257 --> 00:08:47,394 My little brother, after he got in that car accident 158 00:08:47,427 --> 00:08:51,364 in Tennessee, he died. 159 00:08:51,398 --> 00:08:55,402 My mother, she saw Mark as her baby. 160 00:08:55,435 --> 00:08:59,673 So, when he passed, you know, it broke her. 161 00:08:59,706 --> 00:09:02,909 [Narrator] Three years later, in September 1998, 162 00:09:03,009 --> 00:09:06,312 Cathy Jo's world was turned upside down yet again 163 00:09:06,346 --> 00:09:09,282 by another horrific car crash, 164 00:09:09,315 --> 00:09:15,288 this time leaving 27-year-old Cathy Jo clinging to life. 165 00:09:15,321 --> 00:09:18,558 She had flipped a Geo-Tracker... 166 00:09:18,591 --> 00:09:21,428 I think it was, like, eight times. 167 00:09:21,461 --> 00:09:23,329 [Jasmine] She broke her arm 168 00:09:23,363 --> 00:09:26,032 and hurt both of her legs, 169 00:09:26,032 --> 00:09:28,034 which kind of messed her up for a while, 170 00:09:28,034 --> 00:09:30,570 so she wasn't able to walk or really take care of herself 171 00:09:30,603 --> 00:09:32,572 for a while. 172 00:09:32,605 --> 00:09:35,809 [Vicki] One of her arms had almost been severed. 173 00:09:35,842 --> 00:09:38,445 They had done, uh, surgery to stabilize neck 174 00:09:38,478 --> 00:09:42,649 and to try to re-attach her arm. 175 00:09:42,682 --> 00:09:44,184 And she said, "I'm going to fight 176 00:09:44,217 --> 00:09:46,720 because I have to get back to my babies." 177 00:09:47,721 --> 00:09:51,057 One surgery was to perform a fusion on her vertebrae 178 00:09:51,091 --> 00:09:54,561 to fuse those two together with a metal plate. 179 00:09:59,232 --> 00:10:01,368 [Narrator] After 3 months in the hospital, 180 00:10:01,401 --> 00:10:03,436 Cathy Jo was released. 181 00:10:03,470 --> 00:10:07,107 But her dancing career was over 182 00:10:07,140 --> 00:10:10,710 Her arm was always upright in a stuck position, 183 00:10:10,744 --> 00:10:13,646 uh, against her chest. 184 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:16,483 Uh, she couldn't straighten it out completely. 185 00:10:16,516 --> 00:10:17,884 [Narrator] She was forced to rely on 186 00:10:17,917 --> 00:10:20,687 those around her for help. 187 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,491 She had gotten back with a prior boyfriend, Jake. 188 00:10:24,524 --> 00:10:26,292 He knew the family pretty well. 189 00:10:26,326 --> 00:10:27,761 He would help provide. 190 00:10:27,794 --> 00:10:29,963 He really loved Mom. 191 00:10:29,996 --> 00:10:31,498 [Narrator] Cathy Jo's mother, Mary, 192 00:10:31,531 --> 00:10:33,400 and her new husband, Jack, 193 00:10:33,433 --> 00:10:36,036 also offered to help out. 194 00:10:36,069 --> 00:10:39,639 Every now and then, Mary would watch them kids. 195 00:10:39,673 --> 00:10:41,775 [Vicki] Mary helped her to get signed up 196 00:10:41,808 --> 00:10:46,680 to get some type of compensation from the accident. 197 00:10:46,713 --> 00:10:48,648 [Taylor] The injuries that, that Cathy Jo sustained 198 00:10:48,682 --> 00:10:50,817 in this car wreck were so severe, 199 00:10:50,850 --> 00:10:53,453 it left her pretty much unable to, to work, 200 00:10:53,486 --> 00:10:56,690 so she was very much dependent on these Social Security checks 201 00:10:56,723 --> 00:10:58,124 that were coming in. 202 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:02,862 [Narrator] After two years of recovery, 203 00:11:02,896 --> 00:11:05,331 Cathy Jo hoped to drive again. 204 00:11:05,365 --> 00:11:08,268 But her injuries prevented her from getting a license 205 00:11:08,301 --> 00:11:10,337 in West Virginia. 206 00:11:10,370 --> 00:11:13,873 Her disability prevented her from driving, uh, 207 00:11:13,907 --> 00:11:17,377 because again, she could only operate one hand, one arm. 208 00:11:17,410 --> 00:11:20,080 She couldn't drive, but she had to be able to drive. 209 00:11:21,147 --> 00:11:22,949 [Narrator] While things remained tense 210 00:11:22,982 --> 00:11:25,318 between Cathy Jo and Mary, 211 00:11:25,352 --> 00:11:27,253 on June 5th, 2000, 212 00:11:27,287 --> 00:11:30,256 Mary offered to drive her daughter to Tennessee 213 00:11:30,290 --> 00:11:33,793 with the hope of getting a license there. 214 00:11:33,827 --> 00:11:35,995 [Carl] So, I guess in her mind, 215 00:11:36,096 --> 00:11:38,798 if I go out of state and attempt to get an out-of-state license, 216 00:11:38,832 --> 00:11:42,102 maybe she could get one to be able to drive. 217 00:11:42,102 --> 00:11:45,105 Mary was supposed to help her with this. 218 00:11:45,105 --> 00:11:50,577 They instructed me to keep an eye on my sister Jasmine. 219 00:11:50,610 --> 00:11:53,146 My mom even took a suitcase with her. 220 00:11:53,179 --> 00:11:57,584 She was expecting to be back I guess the end of that weekend. 221 00:11:57,617 --> 00:11:58,985 She seemed normal. 222 00:11:59,019 --> 00:12:01,955 "I love you. See you Monday." 223 00:12:04,624 --> 00:12:06,359 [Narrator] Mary surprised everyone 224 00:12:06,393 --> 00:12:09,863 when she returned home alone 9 hours later 225 00:12:09,896 --> 00:12:13,333 saying there had been a change of plans. 226 00:12:13,366 --> 00:12:17,103 Mary said, "Your mother saw some friends on the corner in Hinton, 227 00:12:17,137 --> 00:12:18,605 so I dropped her off with them, 228 00:12:18,638 --> 00:12:21,541 and she'll be home later on this evening." 229 00:12:21,574 --> 00:12:23,076 [Narrator] But the evening passed, 230 00:12:23,076 --> 00:12:26,780 and Cathy Jo never returned. 231 00:12:26,813 --> 00:12:28,982 [Jasmine] Mary said she ran off. 232 00:12:29,082 --> 00:12:31,818 It was really weird to us, even as children. 233 00:12:31,851 --> 00:12:34,821 We would look out the window constantly 234 00:12:34,854 --> 00:12:37,090 and just pray that she would come back. 235 00:12:42,662 --> 00:12:47,100 [Narrator] Now, in 2011, 11 years later, 236 00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:51,004 West Virginia State Police have identified Cathy Jo's remains 237 00:12:51,104 --> 00:12:54,974 along a rural West Virginia roadside. 238 00:12:55,008 --> 00:12:57,977 Examination by a medical examiner 239 00:12:58,011 --> 00:13:03,516 determined a .22 caliber round was lodged in Cathy's skull. 240 00:13:03,550 --> 00:13:05,652 [Amy] Once the state police was able to determine 241 00:13:05,685 --> 00:13:07,354 that they were Cathy's bones, 242 00:13:07,387 --> 00:13:10,557 and that she had been missing for some time, 243 00:13:10,590 --> 00:13:13,226 then the investigation started. 244 00:13:14,494 --> 00:13:16,796 [Narrator] As police dig into Cathy Jo's 245 00:13:16,830 --> 00:13:18,431 missing persons file, 246 00:13:18,465 --> 00:13:22,168 something strikes them as suspicious. 247 00:13:22,202 --> 00:13:25,672 [Daniel] Cathy Jo McCoy was last seen 248 00:13:25,705 --> 00:13:28,808 on June the 5th of 2000, 249 00:13:28,842 --> 00:13:33,646 but no one filed a police report until 2003. 250 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:35,215 It's hard to imagine the idea 251 00:13:35,248 --> 00:13:37,217 that someone would be missing for three years, 252 00:13:37,250 --> 00:13:39,285 and nobody has gone to the police. 253 00:13:42,288 --> 00:13:43,790 [Narrator] Coming up, 254 00:13:43,823 --> 00:13:46,426 a fraud investigation leads detectives 255 00:13:46,459 --> 00:13:49,596 to their first suspect. 256 00:13:49,629 --> 00:13:54,100 She had a criminal history spanning in the '80s and '90s. 257 00:13:54,100 --> 00:13:55,702 [Carl] I was just a kid myself, 258 00:13:55,735 --> 00:13:57,404 but I knew something was very wrong, 259 00:13:57,437 --> 00:13:58,938 very, very wrong. 260 00:14:14,053 --> 00:14:18,057 [Narrator] Summers County, West Virginia. 2011. 261 00:14:18,090 --> 00:14:21,527 After discovering the remains of Cathy Jo McCoy, 262 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:25,230 a mother who went missing in June of 2000, 263 00:14:25,264 --> 00:14:28,200 investigators are questioning why her disappearance 264 00:14:28,233 --> 00:14:31,870 was not reported until 2003. 265 00:14:33,739 --> 00:14:36,208 [Amy] Certainly, after so many years, 266 00:14:36,241 --> 00:14:38,944 I think it was very odd that family 267 00:14:38,977 --> 00:14:42,214 would not file a missing persons report. 268 00:14:42,247 --> 00:14:44,983 So, I think that's the first red flag. 269 00:14:48,954 --> 00:14:51,256 [Narrator] Investigators discover that Cathy Jo 270 00:14:51,290 --> 00:14:57,429 was ultimately reported missing under strange circumstances. 271 00:14:57,463 --> 00:14:58,997 [Michael] So, in 2003 272 00:14:59,098 --> 00:15:03,268 the bank where, uh, Cathy Jo McCoy, uh, had her account 273 00:15:03,302 --> 00:15:05,037 notified the Social Security Administration, 274 00:15:05,070 --> 00:15:06,472 and they believed 275 00:15:06,505 --> 00:15:10,209 there'd been fraudulent activity on that account. 276 00:15:10,242 --> 00:15:14,680 We determined that Cathy McCoy's mother, Mary Bowles, 277 00:15:14,713 --> 00:15:19,385 had been cashing checks that were sent to Cathy McCoy 278 00:15:19,418 --> 00:15:21,587 from the Social Security Administration. 279 00:15:24,323 --> 00:15:27,659 I interviewed several of the bank employees. 280 00:15:27,693 --> 00:15:32,064 No one had seen Cathy McCoy in about three years. 281 00:15:37,069 --> 00:15:38,904 All the bank employees confirme 282 00:15:38,937 --> 00:15:43,609 that Mary would cash Cathy McCoy's checks 283 00:15:43,642 --> 00:15:46,278 and explain to them that the reason she was doing that 284 00:15:46,311 --> 00:15:50,883 was because Cathy was too ill to come in and do it for herself. 285 00:15:50,916 --> 00:15:54,586 So, Mary would bring in Cathy's driver's license 286 00:15:54,620 --> 00:15:59,558 and would also be a second endorser on the check 287 00:15:59,591 --> 00:16:01,794 to get the check cashed. 288 00:16:01,827 --> 00:16:06,331 There was approximately ninetee thousand dollars cashed. 289 00:16:06,365 --> 00:16:09,601 I ordered photocopies of all of the checks 290 00:16:09,635 --> 00:16:13,038 that were cashed and deposited over the entitlement period 291 00:16:13,038 --> 00:16:14,340 for Cathy McCoy 292 00:16:14,373 --> 00:16:17,276 from the Treasury Department. 293 00:16:17,309 --> 00:16:19,912 [Narrator] As Agent Morton examines the checks, 294 00:16:19,945 --> 00:16:24,516 a disturbing detail catches his eye. 295 00:16:24,550 --> 00:16:27,619 I was able to determine very quickly 296 00:16:27,653 --> 00:16:31,890 that sometime in mid 2000, 297 00:16:31,924 --> 00:16:36,161 Cathy's signature changed on the checks. 298 00:16:36,195 --> 00:16:38,597 This lady had been missing for three years. 299 00:16:38,630 --> 00:16:41,867 At this point, I believe that her mother, Mary Bowles, 300 00:16:41,900 --> 00:16:44,536 was forging Cathy's name on the checks. 301 00:16:48,207 --> 00:16:50,309 [Narrator] With his suspicions growing, 302 00:16:50,342 --> 00:16:54,913 Agent Morton runs a background check on Mary Bowles. 303 00:16:54,947 --> 00:16:56,682 [Tim] In any investigation, 304 00:16:56,715 --> 00:16:59,551 we're pulling records for everyone involved. 305 00:16:59,585 --> 00:17:02,287 It appeared that she had a criminal history 306 00:17:02,321 --> 00:17:04,490 spanning the '80s and '90s, 307 00:17:04,523 --> 00:17:09,495 with charges of various types of fraud, forgery. 308 00:17:13,065 --> 00:17:15,367 [Narrator] After looking into Mary's past, 309 00:17:15,401 --> 00:17:20,606 fraud agents confront her in October 2003. 310 00:17:20,639 --> 00:17:25,144 To their surprise, she doesn't put up much of a fight. 311 00:17:25,177 --> 00:17:27,713 [Tim] She was very quick to admit everything. 312 00:17:27,746 --> 00:17:31,550 She admitted she knew that it was wrong to do that. 313 00:17:31,583 --> 00:17:35,187 [Narrator] But she says she had a good reason... 314 00:17:35,220 --> 00:17:37,122 [Michael] Mary indicated that she was in fact 315 00:17:37,156 --> 00:17:40,459 utilizing that money from Cathy's checks 316 00:17:40,492 --> 00:17:42,895 in order to take care of Cathy's children, 317 00:17:42,928 --> 00:17:45,064 who were currently residing with her. 318 00:17:49,201 --> 00:17:51,403 [Narrator] Mary claims someone needed to step in 319 00:17:51,437 --> 00:17:53,205 and support her grandchildren 320 00:17:53,238 --> 00:17:57,576 after her daughter took off in 2000. 321 00:17:57,609 --> 00:18:01,013 Mary Bowles did not paint a very favorable picture 322 00:18:01,013 --> 00:18:03,782 of her daughter, Cathy. 323 00:18:03,816 --> 00:18:06,085 She basically told investigator 324 00:18:06,118 --> 00:18:11,290 that she would be prone to run off with random men. 325 00:18:11,323 --> 00:18:14,026 [Tim] She told me the story of how 326 00:18:14,026 --> 00:18:17,196 she hadn't seen Cathy in three years. 327 00:18:17,229 --> 00:18:19,098 She had taken Cathy out, 328 00:18:19,131 --> 00:18:22,034 and they ran into some acquaintances. 329 00:18:22,067 --> 00:18:26,472 So Mary left her, and that was the last she'd ever seen her. 330 00:18:26,505 --> 00:18:31,076 And I just found that very hard to believe. 331 00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:32,378 I said, "That's your daughter. 332 00:18:32,411 --> 00:18:36,281 Why would you not file a missing person's report?" 333 00:18:36,315 --> 00:18:39,218 She said, "Well, she's an adult, she can do what she wants." 334 00:18:44,189 --> 00:18:46,392 [Narrator] In October 2003, 335 00:18:46,425 --> 00:18:52,231 Social Security investigators arrest Mary on forgery charges. 336 00:18:52,264 --> 00:18:55,401 We were in foster care maybe... 337 00:18:55,434 --> 00:18:57,336 six months to a year, I can't remember. 338 00:18:57,369 --> 00:19:00,105 But I was aware that she was arrested. 339 00:19:00,139 --> 00:19:03,042 Then finally, my brother went to live with 340 00:19:03,075 --> 00:19:04,510 Carl McCoy's side of the family 341 00:19:04,543 --> 00:19:09,381 And then I went to live with my nana, Vicki Caul, 342 00:19:09,415 --> 00:19:12,418 and my granddaddy, and then Jessica went with her dad. 343 00:19:15,387 --> 00:19:18,624 [Narrator] Still, Tim Morton can't help but wonder, 344 00:19:18,657 --> 00:19:22,127 if Mary was involved in defrauding Cathy Jo, 345 00:19:22,161 --> 00:19:26,265 could she be capable of worse? 346 00:19:26,298 --> 00:19:28,300 [Tim] There was that lingering feeling 347 00:19:28,334 --> 00:19:30,035 that I couldn't let go that, ya know, 348 00:19:30,035 --> 00:19:33,372 that's the least of her worries is this check fraud. 349 00:19:33,405 --> 00:19:35,908 It was a couple months into my investigation 350 00:19:35,941 --> 00:19:37,409 that I contacted west-- 351 00:19:37,443 --> 00:19:40,546 the West Virginia State Police and voiced my concerns 352 00:19:40,579 --> 00:19:43,549 and told 'em what I'd found. 353 00:19:43,582 --> 00:19:45,551 [Michael] So at that point, the West Virginia State Police 354 00:19:45,584 --> 00:19:49,121 made this an official missing persons case. 355 00:19:52,624 --> 00:19:54,526 [Narrator] With Mary Bowles in jail, 356 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,796 West Virginia State Police launch their own investigation 357 00:19:57,830 --> 00:20:03,502 into Cathy Jo's disappearance in November 2003. 358 00:20:03,535 --> 00:20:05,571 There was so many years that lapsed 359 00:20:05,604 --> 00:20:08,574 from the time Cathy went missing. 360 00:20:08,607 --> 00:20:14,279 Time is your enemy because people's memories fade, 361 00:20:14,313 --> 00:20:18,550 people die, um, they move away, uh, 362 00:20:18,584 --> 00:20:21,653 and so, it makes it very difficult. 363 00:20:26,658 --> 00:20:28,327 [Narrator] Police start by interviewing 364 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:30,596 Cathy Jo's eldest kids, 365 00:20:30,629 --> 00:20:34,867 16-year-old Carl and 13-year-old Jasmine. 366 00:20:34,900 --> 00:20:36,602 [Carl] I mean, I was just a kid myself, 367 00:20:36,635 --> 00:20:38,604 but I knew something was very wrong, 368 00:20:38,637 --> 00:20:39,638 very, very wrong. 369 00:20:39,672 --> 00:20:42,274 My mom would not just up and leave like that. 370 00:20:43,509 --> 00:20:46,078 [Narrator] Three days after Cathy Jo left, 371 00:20:46,111 --> 00:20:49,181 the children say they were take to their grandmother Mary's 372 00:20:49,214 --> 00:20:52,818 by Cathy Jo's boyfriend, Jake. 373 00:20:52,851 --> 00:20:56,155 I believe it was on a Monday or something after the weekend, 374 00:20:56,188 --> 00:20:58,390 but Jake had dropped us off with Mary. 375 00:20:58,424 --> 00:21:00,526 A couple days go by, "Well, I guess, you know, 376 00:21:00,559 --> 00:21:03,395 your mom, she just abandoned you all." 377 00:21:03,429 --> 00:21:06,632 [Matthew] I did try to contact Cathy Jo, 378 00:21:06,665 --> 00:21:09,868 but my momma had said that she had moved 379 00:21:09,902 --> 00:21:12,971 and she didn't want nothing to do with the family. 380 00:21:13,072 --> 00:21:15,174 That's, that's what I heard. 381 00:21:15,207 --> 00:21:17,343 And that's, so I just went with it. 382 00:21:20,412 --> 00:21:22,648 [Jessica] At that point in time living with Mary, 383 00:21:22,681 --> 00:21:24,650 we weren't allowed to go outside. 384 00:21:24,683 --> 00:21:26,652 We weren't allowed to go to school. 385 00:21:26,685 --> 00:21:29,088 We basically had to stay inside all the time! 386 00:21:29,088 --> 00:21:31,757 Mary wouldn't let us eat a lot. 387 00:21:31,790 --> 00:21:35,961 I remember, we'd ask for food, and she'd tell us no. 388 00:21:35,994 --> 00:21:38,831 [Carl] This has been probably two and a half years of, 389 00:21:38,864 --> 00:21:41,600 you know, Mom being gone. 390 00:21:41,633 --> 00:21:45,104 The living conditions with Mary were terrible. 391 00:21:45,104 --> 00:21:49,408 Padlocking refrigerators, you know, the verbal abuse. 392 00:21:52,711 --> 00:21:54,980 [Narrator] Investigators immediately track down 393 00:21:55,014 --> 00:21:58,684 Cathy Jo's former boyfriend for questioning. 394 00:21:58,717 --> 00:22:00,853 [Michael] Jake provided an alibi for himself, 395 00:22:00,886 --> 00:22:03,889 indicating he was at work, uh, works in a mine. 396 00:22:03,922 --> 00:22:07,559 He was in that mine from 5 AM until late into the evening 397 00:22:07,593 --> 00:22:10,295 on the day that Cathy was last seen. 398 00:22:11,730 --> 00:22:14,700 [Narrator] Not only does Jake's alibi check out, 399 00:22:14,733 --> 00:22:18,570 he passes a polygraph with flying colors. 400 00:22:22,441 --> 00:22:24,076 The missing persons investigation 401 00:22:24,076 --> 00:22:27,913 is just getting underway in December 2003, 402 00:22:27,946 --> 00:22:32,718 when Mary Bowles pleads guilty to forgery. 403 00:22:32,751 --> 00:22:37,456 Mary Bowles received an eighteen-month prison sentence. 404 00:22:37,489 --> 00:22:38,891 [Tim] I think Mary thought, you know, 405 00:22:38,924 --> 00:22:41,694 she admits to the Social Security fraud, 406 00:22:41,727 --> 00:22:44,863 and that, you know, she'll plead guilty, do her time, 407 00:22:44,897 --> 00:22:47,733 pay back the money, and I'll go away. 408 00:22:47,766 --> 00:22:50,102 But from the beginning, I was convinced 409 00:22:50,102 --> 00:22:53,639 that there was something much more disturbing going on. 410 00:22:57,142 --> 00:22:58,444 [Narrator] Coming up, 411 00:22:58,477 --> 00:23:01,413 more details of Mary's questionable past 412 00:23:01,447 --> 00:23:03,749 come to light... 413 00:23:03,782 --> 00:23:06,218 She told me that she did feel like 414 00:23:06,251 --> 00:23:09,355 Mary did something with Cathy. 415 00:23:09,388 --> 00:23:13,058 [Narrator] Could Cathy Jo still be alive? 416 00:23:13,058 --> 00:23:16,662 Mary Bowles, she indicated that she had made contact 417 00:23:16,695 --> 00:23:18,530 with her daughter, Cathy. 418 00:23:33,479 --> 00:23:35,614 [Narrator] In December 2003, 419 00:23:35,647 --> 00:23:38,317 Mary Bowles pleads guilty to forgery 420 00:23:38,350 --> 00:23:41,520 and finds herself at the center of her own daughter's 421 00:23:41,553 --> 00:23:44,089 missing persons investigation. 422 00:23:44,089 --> 00:23:46,592 However, when detectives interview Mary 423 00:23:46,625 --> 00:23:48,594 in a West Virginia jail, 424 00:23:48,627 --> 00:23:51,163 she makes a bold claim. 425 00:23:51,196 --> 00:23:54,733 Mary Bowles indicated that she had made contact, uh, 426 00:23:54,767 --> 00:23:56,502 with her daughter, Cathy, 427 00:23:56,535 --> 00:23:59,605 while she was in custody on federal charges, 428 00:23:59,638 --> 00:24:01,840 and that, uh, Cathy appeared to be fine, 429 00:24:01,874 --> 00:24:05,044 and she was working as a dancer in New York City. 430 00:24:06,211 --> 00:24:09,248 [Narrator] But investigators aren't buying it. 431 00:24:09,281 --> 00:24:12,751 [Michael] She required a cane to walk from her car accident. 432 00:24:12,785 --> 00:24:15,587 It was impossible to believe that Cathy Jo 433 00:24:15,621 --> 00:24:18,457 would be working as a dancer anywhere. 434 00:24:22,828 --> 00:24:25,164 [Narrator] Shortly after Mary's guilty plea, 435 00:24:25,197 --> 00:24:28,467 her friend and former roommate, Geraldine Tincher, 436 00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:31,303 contacts Agent Morton. 437 00:24:31,337 --> 00:24:33,872 [Tim] Mary lived with a lady named Geraldine Tincher. 438 00:24:33,906 --> 00:24:36,075 And I'm not sure of their relationship, 439 00:24:36,108 --> 00:24:39,078 but they lived together on and off for years. 440 00:24:39,111 --> 00:24:42,114 Initially her story was that basically 441 00:24:42,147 --> 00:24:46,085 she didn't have any reason not to believe Mary 442 00:24:46,118 --> 00:24:49,321 about the story of Cathy. 443 00:24:49,355 --> 00:24:52,324 [Narrator] Geraldine says after Mary went to prison, 444 00:24:52,358 --> 00:24:55,461 she went through Mary's safe. 445 00:24:55,494 --> 00:24:57,396 [Tim] Geraldine finds a letter from 446 00:24:57,429 --> 00:24:59,498 the Social Security Administration 447 00:24:59,531 --> 00:25:01,233 addressed to herself, 448 00:25:01,266 --> 00:25:05,838 and she realizes that she had been awarded benefits. 449 00:25:05,871 --> 00:25:10,175 Geraldine had applied for widow's benefits, 450 00:25:10,209 --> 00:25:13,912 but she thought that she was just denied that. 451 00:25:13,946 --> 00:25:18,417 What happened was, Mary intercepted the award letter. 452 00:25:18,450 --> 00:25:20,819 So, that's when Geraldine called me. 453 00:25:20,853 --> 00:25:22,788 I did an investigation on that and found out 454 00:25:22,821 --> 00:25:24,523 it was a little over 10,000 dollars 455 00:25:24,556 --> 00:25:28,394 that Mary had stolen from Geraldine. 456 00:25:28,427 --> 00:25:30,262 So we went back to the grand jury 457 00:25:30,295 --> 00:25:33,198 and we got those charges added. 458 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:39,371 While Mary Bowles is on the radar of the police, 459 00:25:39,405 --> 00:25:41,306 there really wasn't anything to concretely say 460 00:25:41,340 --> 00:25:44,143 she was responsible for Cathy Jo's death. 461 00:25:46,445 --> 00:25:50,783 In '05, Mary Bowles is released, uh, from federal custody. 462 00:25:50,816 --> 00:25:54,219 She returns to her residence and reassumes her life. 463 00:25:57,156 --> 00:25:59,692 [Narrator] In fact, six years pass 464 00:25:59,725 --> 00:26:03,028 with no movement on the missing persons case... 465 00:26:03,028 --> 00:26:09,034 until the discovery of Cathy Jo's remains in 2011. 466 00:26:09,034 --> 00:26:12,237 The normal procedure is to notify next of kin 467 00:26:12,271 --> 00:26:14,273 of the death. 468 00:26:14,306 --> 00:26:15,808 In this case, uh, next of kin 469 00:26:15,841 --> 00:26:19,311 was determined to be her mother, Mary Bowles. 470 00:26:19,345 --> 00:26:22,648 [Narrator] And yet, when officers attempt to locate Mary 471 00:26:22,681 --> 00:26:25,184 they come up empty handed. 472 00:26:25,217 --> 00:26:28,687 Investigators were not able to track down Mary. 473 00:26:30,255 --> 00:26:32,925 [Daniel] They're contacting her family members. 474 00:26:32,958 --> 00:26:35,561 Every attempt that they made at that point 475 00:26:35,594 --> 00:26:38,330 to locate Mary Bowles, 476 00:26:38,364 --> 00:26:41,100 the troopers came up empty each and every time. 477 00:26:42,835 --> 00:26:45,871 Once investigators exhaust all attempts 478 00:26:45,904 --> 00:26:47,940 to contact Mary Bowles, 479 00:26:47,973 --> 00:26:51,210 they decided to go ahead and go to Cathy Jo McCoy's children 480 00:26:51,243 --> 00:26:54,880 and advise them their mother has been found. 481 00:26:58,884 --> 00:27:02,021 [Narrator] On April 26, 2011, 482 00:27:02,054 --> 00:27:06,458 investigators locate Cathy Jo's 20-year-old daughter, Jasmine, 483 00:27:06,492 --> 00:27:11,430 who was raised by her father an paternal grandmother, Vicki. 484 00:27:11,463 --> 00:27:17,302 [Vicki] They first came by and asked Jasmine for a DNA sample. 485 00:27:17,336 --> 00:27:22,241 I was praying that it wasn't going to be a match, 486 00:27:22,274 --> 00:27:27,212 because I could see how heartbroken my baby was. 487 00:27:27,246 --> 00:27:30,315 But then when they came back, they told us. 488 00:27:31,650 --> 00:27:33,352 [Jasmine] I was mostly in shock, 489 00:27:33,385 --> 00:27:37,056 because in my mind, I just thought and hoped 490 00:27:37,089 --> 00:27:39,425 that she was somewhere out there. 491 00:27:43,696 --> 00:27:45,631 [Narrator] Investigators learn from Jasmine 492 00:27:45,664 --> 00:27:48,834 that her grandmother Mary didn't seem all that concerned 493 00:27:48,867 --> 00:27:52,738 when Cathy Jo disappeared. 494 00:27:52,771 --> 00:27:54,206 [Jasmine] Mary hurried up to go and get 495 00:27:54,239 --> 00:27:58,544 Medicaid and food stamps in her name, 496 00:27:58,577 --> 00:28:03,015 and to switch custody of us to her. 497 00:28:03,015 --> 00:28:05,017 [Narrator] Jasmine's grandmother Vicki 498 00:28:05,017 --> 00:28:08,854 tells investigators that a mont after Cathy Jo disappeared, 499 00:28:08,887 --> 00:28:13,792 in July 2000, she received an invitation from Mary. 500 00:28:15,394 --> 00:28:17,563 [Vicki] The day of Jasmine's birthday, 501 00:28:17,596 --> 00:28:23,035 Mary invited us to her trailer in Pikeston, West Virginia 502 00:28:23,068 --> 00:28:26,405 to celebrate with Jasmine and the kids. 503 00:28:26,438 --> 00:28:31,643 She told us that Cathy Jo had left with three guys. 504 00:28:31,677 --> 00:28:33,112 [Narrator] Vicki tells investigators 505 00:28:33,145 --> 00:28:38,083 that what happened next was absolutely chilling. 506 00:28:38,117 --> 00:28:41,053 Mary says, "I want to show you something." 507 00:28:41,053 --> 00:28:43,455 And I'm thinking, well, maybe she's going to show me 508 00:28:43,489 --> 00:28:46,291 a gift that she bought for the little girl or whatever. 509 00:28:46,325 --> 00:28:48,727 And she goes in, and she pulls out this twenty-two 510 00:28:48,761 --> 00:28:50,729 and shows it to me. 511 00:28:50,763 --> 00:28:52,931 And I said, "Aren't you afraid to have that in the house 512 00:28:52,965 --> 00:28:55,067 when you've got kids?" 513 00:28:55,100 --> 00:28:56,735 And she said, "Oh, they don't pay any attention 514 00:28:56,769 --> 00:28:59,905 to anything I do." And she put it away. 515 00:29:00,005 --> 00:29:03,842 But I wondered that day why she would do that. 516 00:29:08,647 --> 00:29:12,017 [Narrator] The story rings a bell for investigators. 517 00:29:12,017 --> 00:29:16,055 The caliber gun Mary showed Vicki all those years ago 518 00:29:16,088 --> 00:29:18,157 is the same caliber as the bullet 519 00:29:18,190 --> 00:29:22,127 recovered from Cathy Jo's skull 520 00:29:22,161 --> 00:29:26,031 The victim died as a result of a .22 caliber gunshot wound. 521 00:29:27,366 --> 00:29:31,136 At this point, investigators have bumped up, uh, 522 00:29:31,170 --> 00:29:33,172 the pursuit for Mary Bowles. 523 00:29:33,205 --> 00:29:35,307 It's gone into multiple states. 524 00:29:38,811 --> 00:29:41,647 [Narrator] On April 27, 2011, 525 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,183 three weeks into the search for Mary, 526 00:29:44,216 --> 00:29:48,854 homicide investigators talk to Cathy Jo's son, Carl McCoy, 527 00:29:48,887 --> 00:29:52,624 who was only 12 when his mother went missing. 528 00:29:52,658 --> 00:29:55,060 [Carl] When Mom's remains were found, 529 00:29:55,060 --> 00:29:57,963 I mean, I completely went downhill from there. 530 00:29:58,063 --> 00:30:00,866 You know what happened, you suspected, 531 00:30:00,899 --> 00:30:03,002 but there's still that little glimmer of hope 532 00:30:03,035 --> 00:30:04,703 that she may come back. 533 00:30:04,737 --> 00:30:10,709 Maybe there's some merit to what Mary is trying to tell us, 534 00:30:10,743 --> 00:30:12,144 because she's your grandmother, right? 535 00:30:12,177 --> 00:30:13,946 She wouldn't lie to you about something like that. 536 00:30:13,979 --> 00:30:15,581 This is her daughter. 537 00:30:18,150 --> 00:30:20,185 [Narrator] Carl points out that Cathy Jo 538 00:30:20,219 --> 00:30:22,121 isn't the first family member 539 00:30:22,154 --> 00:30:26,959 to die under suspicious circumstances. 540 00:30:26,992 --> 00:30:28,861 [Michael] Carl related a story to investigators 541 00:30:28,894 --> 00:30:32,364 about his uncle Mark, who, at age 17, 542 00:30:32,398 --> 00:30:34,500 was in a very serious car accident 543 00:30:34,533 --> 00:30:36,168 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. 544 00:30:37,836 --> 00:30:39,705 [Daniel] Mary Bowles, she decides 545 00:30:39,738 --> 00:30:43,242 to yank him out of the hospital 546 00:30:43,275 --> 00:30:46,845 She proceeds to take Mark to a hotel 547 00:30:46,879 --> 00:30:49,314 not too far from that location. 548 00:30:51,250 --> 00:30:56,789 [Vicki] His mom signed him out against medical advice. 549 00:30:56,822 --> 00:31:00,192 Mark screamed in pain most of the night. 550 00:31:00,225 --> 00:31:03,328 And Mary wouldn't let anybody in to help him. 551 00:31:04,596 --> 00:31:09,268 Only one that was in that room was him and Mark's girlfriend. 552 00:31:09,301 --> 00:31:12,571 She, uh, just told us Mary took and laid the mattress 553 00:31:12,604 --> 00:31:16,575 against the door, where they couldn't get out. 554 00:31:16,608 --> 00:31:19,078 He died right there in the motel room. 555 00:31:19,111 --> 00:31:21,747 Died from a lower punctured intestine. 556 00:31:21,780 --> 00:31:23,449 Drowned in his own fluids. 557 00:31:27,486 --> 00:31:29,088 No remorse. 558 00:31:30,155 --> 00:31:32,191 It's like it didn't faze her. 559 00:31:35,794 --> 00:31:36,995 [Narrator] According to the family, 560 00:31:37,096 --> 00:31:41,900 once back home, Mary started looking for an attorney. 561 00:31:41,934 --> 00:31:44,703 Then she turns around and sues the hospital. 562 00:31:44,737 --> 00:31:48,107 [Michael] Mary Bowles filed action against the hospital. 563 00:31:48,140 --> 00:31:52,311 She successfully sued them for the amount of $24,000. 564 00:31:52,344 --> 00:31:55,214 [Daniel] Based on all of her past behavior, 565 00:31:55,247 --> 00:31:57,549 she, yes, has shown a propensity 566 00:31:57,583 --> 00:32:00,319 to take advantage of even her loved ones 567 00:32:00,352 --> 00:32:03,922 if it meant some money going into her pocket. 568 00:32:05,257 --> 00:32:08,060 She's had a lotta people leave out with her 569 00:32:08,093 --> 00:32:09,962 and not come back. 570 00:32:13,198 --> 00:32:14,733 [Narrator] Coming up, 571 00:32:14,767 --> 00:32:17,069 the hunt is on. 572 00:32:17,069 --> 00:32:20,773 They discover her white full-sized pickup truck 573 00:32:20,806 --> 00:32:22,608 parked in the yard. 574 00:32:22,641 --> 00:32:25,678 [Narrator] And a former friend is no longer afraid 575 00:32:25,711 --> 00:32:28,480 to share what she knows... 576 00:32:28,514 --> 00:32:32,151 Mary had been traipsing around in the woods all day, 577 00:32:32,184 --> 00:32:33,819 and she was sopping wet from her hair 578 00:32:33,852 --> 00:32:35,954 all the way down to her feet. 579 00:32:50,770 --> 00:32:54,207 [Narrator] After years spent under a cloud of suspicion, 580 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,277 Mary Bowles is now suspect number one 581 00:32:57,310 --> 00:33:01,514 in the murder of her daughter, Cathy Jo McCoy. 582 00:33:01,548 --> 00:33:05,151 Family, as well as other witnesses, have, uh, 583 00:33:05,185 --> 00:33:09,189 implicated her in the death of her own son and her daughter. 584 00:33:13,259 --> 00:33:16,096 Investigators have bumped up the pursuit. 585 00:33:16,129 --> 00:33:18,698 It's gone into multiple states. 586 00:33:18,732 --> 00:33:22,202 She appears to be eluding, uh, law enforcement, 587 00:33:22,235 --> 00:33:24,337 but that hasn't stopped investigators. 588 00:33:26,106 --> 00:33:27,507 [Narrator] They continue to reach out 589 00:33:27,540 --> 00:33:28,975 to potential witnesses 590 00:33:29,075 --> 00:33:31,244 who might help bolster their case, 591 00:33:31,277 --> 00:33:34,681 including Mary's former friend and roommate, 592 00:33:34,714 --> 00:33:37,250 Geraldine Tincher. 593 00:33:37,283 --> 00:33:38,451 [Michael] Shortly after Mary Bowles 594 00:33:38,485 --> 00:33:41,788 went to prison for fraud in 2003, 595 00:33:41,821 --> 00:33:44,290 her roommate, Geraldine Tincher 596 00:33:44,324 --> 00:33:48,194 discovered that she in fact was a victim of fraud. 597 00:33:50,463 --> 00:33:53,233 Geraldine was not a fan of Mary Bowles anymore 598 00:33:53,266 --> 00:33:56,102 because she stole from her. 599 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:01,508 [Narrator] When state investigators 600 00:34:01,541 --> 00:34:07,113 circle back to Geraldine, she doesn't hold back. 601 00:34:07,147 --> 00:34:09,315 [Daniel] Geraldine Tincher was able to say that, 602 00:34:09,349 --> 00:34:11,217 about the night of June the 5th 603 00:34:11,251 --> 00:34:13,119 when Mary came into the house, 604 00:34:13,153 --> 00:34:16,122 it appeared as if Mary had been 605 00:34:16,156 --> 00:34:18,124 traipsing around in the woods all day 606 00:34:18,158 --> 00:34:20,126 just by the way her, her clothes were, 607 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:21,795 and that she was sopping wet from her hair 608 00:34:21,828 --> 00:34:23,530 all the way down to her feet. 609 00:34:25,765 --> 00:34:28,601 [Tim] Geraldine asked Mary what was going on. 610 00:34:28,635 --> 00:34:31,237 She said, "Oh, I just, uh, dropped Cathy off 611 00:34:31,271 --> 00:34:33,740 with some friends, and she's gonna get her own ride home." 612 00:34:37,177 --> 00:34:40,380 Geraldine thought it was odd that Cathy's purse 613 00:34:40,413 --> 00:34:44,484 was still in the, the front seat of the van. 614 00:34:44,517 --> 00:34:48,154 She sees Mary getting in Cathy's purse 615 00:34:48,188 --> 00:34:51,958 and getting her driver's license out of her purse. 616 00:34:51,991 --> 00:34:53,860 She said, "I'm getting her driver's license 617 00:34:53,893 --> 00:34:55,362 'cause I'm going to the State Police 618 00:34:55,395 --> 00:34:58,198 and file a missing person's report." 619 00:34:58,231 --> 00:35:00,734 One was never filed with the West Virginia State Police. 620 00:35:05,071 --> 00:35:06,239 [Narrator] But investigators know 621 00:35:06,272 --> 00:35:11,344 that's not the real reason she wanted Cathy Jo's ID. 622 00:35:11,378 --> 00:35:13,346 She was getting that driver's license 623 00:35:13,380 --> 00:35:16,783 to cash Cathy's checks at the bank. 624 00:35:16,816 --> 00:35:18,852 Geraldine said, the children. 625 00:35:18,885 --> 00:35:22,188 She said, she wanted custody of those children. 626 00:35:22,222 --> 00:35:24,424 There had been a feud between the two of them 627 00:35:24,457 --> 00:35:27,927 over the children since the accident. 628 00:35:27,961 --> 00:35:29,462 Mary wanted custody, 629 00:35:29,496 --> 00:35:31,598 and Cathy would not give up custody of those children. 630 00:35:38,271 --> 00:35:40,940 [Narrator] On April 28, 2011, 631 00:35:40,974 --> 00:35:44,844 detectives speak with Cathy Jo' brother, Matthew Lukach, 632 00:35:44,878 --> 00:35:46,646 and get an unexpected break 633 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,517 after weeks of searching for Mary Bowles. 634 00:35:50,550 --> 00:35:52,318 [Michael] Matthew told investigators 635 00:35:52,352 --> 00:35:55,655 he recently received a phone call from his mother. 636 00:35:55,689 --> 00:35:56,890 And the Caller ID showed 637 00:35:56,923 --> 00:36:00,226 that she was actually in the local area, in West Virginia. 638 00:36:04,297 --> 00:36:05,532 [Narrator] West Virginia State Police 639 00:36:05,565 --> 00:36:08,702 immediately go looking for Mary 640 00:36:08,735 --> 00:36:11,371 [Michael] When investigators get to the address 641 00:36:11,404 --> 00:36:13,907 based on tracking of the phone number, 642 00:36:13,940 --> 00:36:17,043 they discover Mary's white full-sized pickup truck 643 00:36:17,077 --> 00:36:18,678 parked in the yard. 644 00:36:18,712 --> 00:36:20,714 When investigators attempted to notify 645 00:36:20,747 --> 00:36:24,718 that Cathy in fact was deceased and her remains were recovered, 646 00:36:24,751 --> 00:36:27,287 Mary indicated she already was aware of the fact. 647 00:36:28,288 --> 00:36:29,723 [Narrator] Mary tells investigators 648 00:36:29,756 --> 00:36:33,660 she saw the story on the local news. 649 00:36:33,693 --> 00:36:38,531 Investigators ask her to go back to the station for a statement. 650 00:36:43,336 --> 00:36:45,905 [Narrator] State troopers immediately bring Mary in 651 00:36:45,939 --> 00:36:47,607 for questioning. 652 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:52,445 She insists she knows nothing about her daughter's murder. 653 00:36:52,479 --> 00:36:56,816 Mary Bowles was the last person who saw Cathy. 654 00:36:58,418 --> 00:37:02,322 And Mary Bowles benefited from Cathy's disappearance 655 00:37:02,355 --> 00:37:04,858 and ultimate death. 656 00:37:04,891 --> 00:37:07,460 When you put all those little pieces together, 657 00:37:07,494 --> 00:37:09,496 coming home wet and muddy, 658 00:37:09,529 --> 00:37:14,200 all of that behavior added up to someone 659 00:37:14,234 --> 00:37:16,503 that you have to believe is, 660 00:37:16,536 --> 00:37:19,205 is very culpable of this crime. 661 00:37:22,676 --> 00:37:25,745 [Narrator] But Mary stands her ground. 662 00:37:25,779 --> 00:37:30,483 [Michael] Mary Bowles does agree to take a polygraph examination 663 00:37:30,517 --> 00:37:32,686 And she ends up failing the polygraph, uh, 664 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,321 with deception noted. 665 00:37:35,355 --> 00:37:37,490 [Narrator] Authorities arrest Mary Bowles 666 00:37:37,524 --> 00:37:41,594 for the shooting death of her daughter, Cathy Jo. 667 00:37:41,628 --> 00:37:43,830 [Michael] The fact that she failed the polygraph, 668 00:37:43,863 --> 00:37:46,066 her track record on committing fraud, 669 00:37:46,099 --> 00:37:49,369 and a life full of lies, 670 00:37:49,402 --> 00:37:51,971 coupled with possession of a firearm, 671 00:37:52,072 --> 00:37:54,507 it's painting a picture to the investigators. 672 00:37:55,475 --> 00:37:57,510 We charged her with first degree murder. 673 00:38:00,814 --> 00:38:02,182 [Narrator] Coming up, 674 00:38:02,215 --> 00:38:05,819 will Mary finally face justice? 675 00:38:05,852 --> 00:38:08,154 An eleven-year crime 676 00:38:08,188 --> 00:38:12,392 is just a very difficult crime to pursue. 677 00:38:12,425 --> 00:38:15,795 [Narrator] Or will she escape yet again? 678 00:38:15,829 --> 00:38:18,264 A trial was just not going to happen. 679 00:38:33,513 --> 00:38:35,815 [Narrator] Following Mary Bowles' arrest, 680 00:38:35,849 --> 00:38:39,552 prosecutors present their case to a grand jury-- 681 00:38:39,586 --> 00:38:44,724 11 years after her daughter, Cathy Jo, disappeared. 682 00:38:44,758 --> 00:38:47,660 With the help of Geraldine Tincher's testimony, 683 00:38:47,694 --> 00:38:51,765 prosecutors secure what they need. 684 00:38:51,798 --> 00:38:55,135 Geraldine testified at the preliminary, uh, 685 00:38:55,168 --> 00:38:57,437 she was a wonderful witness. 686 00:38:57,470 --> 00:39:00,640 Mary Bowles was indicted for first degree murder. 687 00:39:02,142 --> 00:39:04,811 It was an uphill battle after the preliminary hearing. 688 00:39:04,844 --> 00:39:07,280 An eleven-year crime 689 00:39:07,313 --> 00:39:10,784 is just a very difficult crime to pursue. 690 00:39:12,052 --> 00:39:14,387 [Michael] Number one, you don't have a murder weapon, 691 00:39:14,421 --> 00:39:15,689 uh, and number two, 692 00:39:15,722 --> 00:39:19,626 a lack of forensic evidence because of the amount of time. 693 00:39:19,659 --> 00:39:23,463 There's not an ability to get anything DNA-wise on clothing, 694 00:39:23,496 --> 00:39:27,033 or the crime scene with drag marks. 695 00:39:27,033 --> 00:39:29,436 There's none of that evidence that exists. 696 00:39:29,469 --> 00:39:32,138 And the age of the case is going against you, 697 00:39:32,172 --> 00:39:34,140 the memories of witnesses. 698 00:39:34,174 --> 00:39:36,843 They are at a disadvantage in a number of areas. 699 00:39:40,914 --> 00:39:44,184 [Narrator] Prosecutors face the lingering questions, 700 00:39:44,217 --> 00:39:48,588 including exactly what went down between Mary and Cathy Jo 701 00:39:48,621 --> 00:39:53,426 when they left home on June 5, 2000. 702 00:39:53,460 --> 00:39:55,929 We believed there was some premeditation. 703 00:39:55,962 --> 00:40:00,567 That Mary planned for some period of time. 704 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:02,335 [Narrator] Though they can't prove exactly 705 00:40:02,369 --> 00:40:04,904 how Mary killed Cathy Jo, 706 00:40:04,938 --> 00:40:08,775 prosecutors are confident about why. 707 00:40:08,808 --> 00:40:14,514 The one theme that seems to be constant in this case is greed. 708 00:40:14,547 --> 00:40:17,083 Mary Bowles is a prolific liar, 709 00:40:17,117 --> 00:40:21,154 someone that's committed fraud her entire life. 710 00:40:21,187 --> 00:40:22,889 [Jasmine] Mary looked innocent, 711 00:40:22,922 --> 00:40:27,093 but underneath, she was the devil. 712 00:40:27,127 --> 00:40:29,529 Mary was money hungry. 713 00:40:29,562 --> 00:40:32,465 My mother was getting Social Security checks monthly. 714 00:40:32,499 --> 00:40:34,934 She was getting food stamps for us kids 715 00:40:34,968 --> 00:40:38,505 because she didn't have a job, where she was disabled. 716 00:40:38,538 --> 00:40:42,776 So Mary thought that if she had us children, 717 00:40:42,809 --> 00:40:45,879 then she would get those benefits, 718 00:40:45,912 --> 00:40:48,515 and my mother stood in the way of that. 719 00:40:52,786 --> 00:40:54,754 [Narrator] While the family eagerly awaits 720 00:40:54,788 --> 00:40:58,825 Mary's day in court, they are dealt a setback. 721 00:40:58,858 --> 00:41:01,695 Mary was indicted on murder charges. 722 00:41:01,728 --> 00:41:05,165 And the trial was set to go, 723 00:41:05,198 --> 00:41:10,904 and then she had received a terminal cancer diagnosis. 724 00:41:10,937 --> 00:41:15,842 You could see the decline in her health. 725 00:41:15,875 --> 00:41:19,679 We would have hearings, and it got to the point 726 00:41:19,713 --> 00:41:23,850 where the ambulance had to actually get her 727 00:41:23,883 --> 00:41:27,387 and bring her up to the courtroom 728 00:41:27,420 --> 00:41:29,622 in either a wheelchair, or at, 729 00:41:29,656 --> 00:41:32,992 I think, the last hearing, a stretcher. 730 00:41:33,093 --> 00:41:37,764 What happened during our case is Ms. Bowles' health deteriorated 731 00:41:37,797 --> 00:41:40,734 to the point that I knew that having a trial 732 00:41:40,767 --> 00:41:42,869 was just not going to happen. 733 00:41:47,273 --> 00:41:51,544 [Narrator] In 2016, Mary Bowles is released from jail 734 00:41:51,578 --> 00:41:53,980 and placed in hospice care. 735 00:41:54,014 --> 00:41:59,152 The prosecution dismisses their case against her. 736 00:41:59,185 --> 00:42:01,054 [Amy] I left the prosecuting attorney's office 737 00:42:01,054 --> 00:42:02,856 in December 2016. 738 00:42:02,889 --> 00:42:05,925 I dismissed it before I left because 739 00:42:05,959 --> 00:42:10,463 I didn't wanna leave a case like that to my next in line. 740 00:42:12,665 --> 00:42:17,971 [Narrator] Mary Bowles dies on July 5, 2017. 741 00:42:18,071 --> 00:42:20,774 [Amy] When I got the notice that Mary Bowles was dead, 742 00:42:20,807 --> 00:42:22,676 I took a deep breath. 743 00:42:22,709 --> 00:42:27,213 Mary Bowles was not going to hurt anyone again. 744 00:42:31,818 --> 00:42:33,753 [Narrator] But for Cathy Jo's family, 745 00:42:33,787 --> 00:42:37,624 the news brings mixed emotions. 746 00:42:37,657 --> 00:42:40,660 [Jasmine] I was mad when I found out 747 00:42:40,694 --> 00:42:44,531 my mom will never get justice like she deserves. 748 00:42:44,564 --> 00:42:49,102 My mother was kind, beautiful. 749 00:42:49,102 --> 00:42:51,204 She would do anything for her kids. 750 00:42:51,237 --> 00:42:53,506 I just want people to know that 751 00:42:53,540 --> 00:42:56,276 my mother just didn't deserve it 752 00:42:56,309 --> 00:42:59,112 and that she was a good person. 753 00:43:01,815 --> 00:43:03,717 [Matthew] Justice wasn't served. 754 00:43:03,750 --> 00:43:05,819 It was not served at all. 755 00:43:05,852 --> 00:43:08,688 That woman never had remorse about anything. 756 00:43:10,490 --> 00:43:12,459 [Jessica] What I want them to remember about Cathy Jo, 757 00:43:12,492 --> 00:43:14,094 my mother, 758 00:43:14,127 --> 00:43:17,230 is that she was one of the most loving, free-spirited, 759 00:43:17,263 --> 00:43:20,066 outgoing, beautiful people. 760 00:43:20,066 --> 00:43:23,336 And she, she was human. She had a voice. 761 00:43:23,370 --> 00:43:25,939 And though she ain't here to say it right now, we are. 762 00:43:25,972 --> 00:43:27,741 And her voice will be heard. 763 00:43:31,478 --> 00:43:43,623 [music]