[female narrator] a peaceful afternoon
Erupts in chaos when young siblings come home
To the unthinkable.
We open up the door
And that's when I noticed the pool of blood.
We've got a young mother whose been executed, and a baby gone.
[narrator] while a desperate search
For a newborn baby ensues, red flags begin to surface.
He had brought his co-worker over to meet the baby.
And my mom wasn't very happy.
He said, I really didn't want to tell you
Because I thought you would think that this was involved.
[narrator] and police find the truth
Is stranger than fiction.
She was a clown that performed at birthday parties.
It looked as if she might have been shopping for a baby.
[peggy] she came in with the baby,
And the hair stood up on the back of my neck.
It was time to either confess
That she wasn't telling the truth or get a baby,
She chose the latter.
[music]
[narrator] lehigh acres, just outside of fort myers florida,
Is a well-kept haven with a small-town vibe.
Lehigh acres is the eastern portion of the county.
At the time in the late '80s early '90s
It wasn't heavily populated.
Growing up in lehigh, we were pretty secluded.
We spent a lot of time outside.
It was a good life.
[narrator] that childhood innocence comes to a tragic end
On March 29, 1990,
When six-year-old twins jacob and joshua parker
Return home from school.
[jacob] I remember me and my brother
Getting off the school bus.
Something at school that day happened.
We wanted to hurry up and get home and tell mom about it.
We got home, opened up the door and just hi mom we're home.
I happened to see her slumped over the side of the chair.
I thought she was asleep at first,
That's when I noticed the pool of blood in the floor.
Then I noticed the gunshot wound to her head.
We're both just kinda standing there,
A couple of six years olds.
We don't fully understand what's going on.
Then things just started clicking.
[narrator] scared and confused,
The brothers look around for their newborn sister, julie
[joshua] we had a ten-day old sister.
You know she should've been crying;
She should've been there.
We walked through the house; we couldn't find her.
[narrator] at a loss,
The twins wait outside for their 14-year-old sister,
Heather, to return home.
[jacob] we didn't know what to do.
We went back outside.
Waited for heather to get off the bus.
[heather] I got off my school bus
And my brothers were standing there waiting for me.
[joshua] she was like, why are you guys out here?
And so, we go, we think moms dead.
And she freaks out.
[heather] when I opened my front door,
I could see my mom in the recliner.
I was only fourteen years old,
So when I came in the house
And saw my mom and I saw the blood
I really didn't know what had happened.
I didn't know if she was shot or stabbed or attacked.
I could just tell that my mom was gone
And that my sister was missing.
I ran to every room in the hous and looked for her everywhere
And I couldn't find her.
I picked up the phone to call 9-1-1.
And then, I took my brothers
And started walking to our babysitter's house
Because it was within walking distance to us.
[narrator] the babysitter quickly tries
To contact the children's father, gary parker at work.
When the first responders arrive,
They immediately determine there is nothing they can do,
And detectives are called to the parker home.
[jim] word came in from patrol
That they had a dead body in lehigh acres.
Detectives were dispatched.
Les partington was one of them, I was one of them.
[les] we found sharon in a recliner.
We were told the baby was missing.
Without disturbing the whole scene,
We certainly checked the house
To make sure that the child wasn't there.
Where is the child?
Something was terribly wrong.
[jack] who could fathom stealing a baby.
It was a nightmare.
[narrator] as an apb goes out for the missing newborn,
Investigators take a closer loo at sharon's body for clues.
[joseph] she was leaned over to the left
And there was also blood dripping off of her head area,
Down onto the carpet.
[jim] you could see that there was
A wound in the back of the head
It appears to be a gunshot wound.
We had a kidnapping, and we had a murder.
In this case it's all hands-on deck.
[jim] when it started, everybody's a suspect.
There was a hurried rush to get people searching
For sharon parker's child immediately.
We went to the family.
We went to neighbors.
We went everywhere
Trying to figure out who was responsible for this.
[narrator] born and raised in florida,
Sharon parker always thrived on strong family ties.
My mom had two sisters, and a brother.
In the '60s, and '70s, my mom was always very in fashion.
She loved music, so she went to concerts, and things,
With her friends.
[narrator] in 1976, at the age of 19,
Sharon's life took an unexpected turn
When she discovered she was pregnant
With a baby girl she later named heather.
[heather] my mom, and dad,
Got married right out of high school.
We lived in alabama, where I was born,
And we had a little house.
They were very young, but she was a great mom.
They were only married for the three years,
And then they got a divorce.
And she, and I, moved to florida.
My mother was a billing coordinator
At charter glade hospital,
But really her job was to be a mom.
That's what she loved doing.
[narrator] the young mother didn't stay single for long.
In 1983 sharon's mother
Introduced her to an eligible bachelor,
A contractor named gary parker.
He was a hardworking man.
Dad worked for lee builders.
And he was a supervisor, he was a carpenter,
House builder.
They started dating, and were married soon after,
When I was in first grade.
They would go out every Friday night,
If they were in an argument or something,
She would get flowers.
I loved gary, my mom loved him.
He loved her.
[narrator] a year after the wedding,
The budding parker family tree blossomed with twin sons,
Joshua and jacob.
[joshua] me and jake have always had the mentality
Of me and him against the world.
Heather was our second mom.
We always called her sissy.
We always loved our sissy.
[narrator] in the late 80s,
The family of five settled into the peaceful enclave
Of lehigh, florida, and embrace the smalltown vibes.
[heather] we did a lot of things together as a family outside.
We did camping out in the backyard, in tents.
We had a pool for the summertime.
[joshua] I remember those days,
We just all be out there smiles and laughs,
Fire, hot dogs, marshmallows.
My mother and I loved music and we used to sing
On Saturday mornings when we were cleaning the house
Into our hairbrushes.
[narrator] in 1990 the young parents announced exciting news
Sharon was expecting another daughter.
When mom told us that she was pregnant again, with julie,
I was a teenager.
Gary was very excited to have another baby,
And josh and jake couldn't wait.
[narrator] on March 19, baby julie was born
A healthy seven pounds with a full head of dark hair.
[heather] I was super excited .
Mother and I were looking forward to having another girl,
And we did.
[narrator] only ten days later
The family home is the scene of chaos and confusion.
After finding their mother dead and their baby sister missing,
Heather, joshua and jacob wait at a neighbor's home.
At 4:40pm their father gary arrives.
As soon as he got word of what happened, he raced home.
I watched him run into the house.
He was...In shock.
I mean, as you can imagine.
Uncontrollably crying.
[jim] according to the husband, nothing was taken relating
To the care of the baby.
[narrator] gary quickly notices one item is missing,
A banner that reads "it's a girl."
He said it was a traditional celebratory,
Uh, banner of a new child.
A longer banner, maybe six feet long.
[narrator] investigators excuse gary
To reunite with his children.
[jacob] he took us all in his arms and...Held us.
I don't think he really could say much in that moment.
[narrator] for police, there is no time to waste.
[jim] we had children emotional.
We had a husband who was completely broken up.
Um, we've got a, a young mother
Whose been executed in the house and a baby gone.
The baby would not survive long on its own if it was just left
Without any type of parental care.
Given the urgency of this crime
Police knew they had to find it immediately.
[jim] we couldn't find the baby.
Was the baby taken out?
Was it dumped?
Is it gonna be ransom?
We didn't know.
The captain says what do you need?
And I said everything.
[narrator] coming up...
A community is on edge...
We had everybody that was available out searching.
[narrator] until a bizarre tip pays off.
I was looking at the baby,
I could tell she had shaved her head.
[music]
[narrator] less than an hour after finding mother of four,
Sharon parker, dead from a gunshot wound,
The search for her newborn is in high gear.
We had a murder and what appeared to be a kidnapping.
[les] when you do have a missing baby,
You have all the issues of the child getting food.
Is the child safe?
Is it sheltered?
A lot of missing kid's cases,
They turn up under beds, in closets.
So, we certainly checked the cars and things of that nature.
There was a hurried rush to get people searching for the child.
We had helicopters,
We probably had least half of the department out.
We had everybody that was available out searching.
[narrator] as part of the on-foot search,
Detectives reach out to neighbors.
One reports seeing a suspicious vehicle around 9:45
That morning.
[jim] she told investigators
That a faded red hatchback vehicle
Pulled up into the parker driveway.
[narrator] according to the witness,
A woman got out of the vehicle and went inside the home.
She had dark hair, approximately five eight to five nine.
[narrator] now, law enforcement must prioritize tracking down
The mystery visitor.
[jim] we did a composite on the face
And although it was from a distance,
It gave us a basic starting point
And that went to the news media who put it out that day.
[narrator] as the search continues,
Crime scene techs process the parker home,
Starting with sharon's body.
I noticed blood on the top of her head,
So I assumed it was a small caliber gunshot.
All indications to me, as a crime scene technician was
She died pretty quick.
You're checking the house to see if there was any forced entry.
You're checking to see if there's obvious theft
That may have occurred.
[joseph] nothing appeared out of place.
It would indicate, to us,
That the person was either known, or invited in.
[jim] she had one leg tucked under the other,
Which meant she was comfortable in the environment.
She absolutely knew the perpetrator.
[narrator] investigators head to the station
Where the parker family is waiting.
Fourteen-year-old heather is accompanied by her aunt
Into the interrogation room.
[les] I wanted to interview the 14-year-old daughter, heather.
You hear things that go on with family
And you know what's going on in that house.
She was very composed.
She's very smart and articulate
I asked her background information about the family.
[narrator] instinctively,
Detectives press young heather for anything she can offer
And she gives them compelling information.
[heather] a few days before my mom was murdered
Someone gary worked with, named stephanie,
Had come to the house to meet the baby.
While she was there,
My mother came to talk to me because she wasn't very happy
That he had brought his co-worker
Over to meet the baby.
[narrator] according to heather, stephanie was gary's supervisor
[les] heather said they spent a lotta time together.
And that her mother, heather's mother,
Was at times upset over that.
And so there was an ongoing issue.
Heather would hear her mother and her stepfather,
Argue sometimes about the amount of time
That the father was spending with his boss.
They even traveled to daytona.
[hather] I believe I was in shock.
As an adult, I understand.
But as a child I didn't understand
Why I was being asked all those questions.
[narrator] now eager to hear directly from gary,
Investigators interview him next.
Was he at work all day?
Who can verify that?
Where was he? What was he doing?
Gary gave his alibi where he was and gary stated that,
Um, during the time of this offense,
He was at work and then at a bar.
During the interview,
I asked gary if there was any financial issues?
Any indicators that would be stressors?
And we found nothing, uh, that was significant.
[narrator] and when police press gary about his work,
He makes no mention of stephanie.
He wasn't forthcoming and then toward the end of the interview,
I somewhat challenged him
Regarding his relationship with his boss.
He said, I really didn't want to tell you about my boss.
And those things that went on
Because I thought you would think that this was involved.
Gary was spending a lot of time with his boss.
But there was never any information
That they had a relationship.
And he said and I also forgot to tell you,
I do have a small caliber firearm under the seat
In my truck outside.
And that was important, because we obviously knew
That it was a small caliber type pistol that was used
In this crime.
But he gave me the firearm, turned it over to us.
[narrator] after more than three hours of questioning
Police let gary go.
We couldn't eliminate him because of the fact
That he did have a firearm and that he wasn't 100% truthful
In the beginning.
[narrator] the next day investigators gain more insight
When the medical examiner
Confirms sharon's cause of death.
It wasn't point blank,
But it was a close range shot to the back of the head.
The projectile was retrieved
From, um, mrs. Parker's head area, was a 25 caliber.
[narrator] which means the pistol
Sharon's husband gary turned over to police, a .22,
Is not the murder weapon.
Gary's alibi also checks out.
He was at work and then at a bar
And all that was checked and he in fact was.
[narrator] gary's boss, stephanie,
Is also interviewed and reveals she too was at work
Eliminating both of them as suspects.
With no apparent leads, the hun for baby julie turns desperate.
I remember sitting on the couch with dad, you know,
And we're just, when's mommy coming home?
You know we thought that the hospital was gonna fix her up.
My family tried to keep me from watching the news.
I knew that they were having roadblocks
And there was a search.
I had, um, almost been able to think that maybe
None of this was real.
It just kind of hit home that our mom wasn't coming back.
[jim] we enlisted and asked for help from the public.
We have a murder.
We have a child that's missing.
If anybody reports anything unusual
Contact sheriff's office immediately.
[narrator] the media blitz initiated
By the sheriff's department soon has their phones ringing
Off the hook.
We got over 100 leads.
[jim] every one of them had to be tracked down.
We had to get agents or detectives to go out
And confirm or deny whether or not every one of them was valid.
[narrator] but to investigators,
There is one remaining lead that stands out.
[les] out of all the tips and leads that came in,
One tip came in that there was a person that worked
At perkins restaurant.
His wife had claimed to have just had a baby .
But she didn't look like she had been pregnant.
[music]
[narrator] within 24 hours of the murder of sharon parker,
One tip has caught the eye of law enforcement.
Investigators speak to the tipster,
An employee at the chain restaurant "perkins",
Peggy mason.
It was all over the news, that a woman was killed,
And her baby was taken.
So, I was very aware of that.
Betty anne came into the restaurant that Thursday
With the baby.
And the hair stood up on the back of my neck.
[narrator] "betty ann" is betty ann kirk,
Wife to peggy's fellow perkins employee, craig.
[peggy] I'd known him for a couple of years.
He was happy to find out that she was pregnant.
And we all hoped for the best.
I remember after he told us that,
Betty ann would come in and we kept saying,
She's not getting very big and he said,
Well it's, she's having a kidney issues.
So, I went out, and I saw the baby.
And betty kept cradling the baby.
She wasn't letting anybody too close to it.
And I kept pressing.
I kept getting up on her.
Betty let me see and I was telling her,
Betty ann she's just beautiful.
[narrator] reluctantly, betty allowed peggy to get closer.
While I was looking at the baby,
I could tell that, that betty had shaved her head.
I could see she had long dark tuft of hair
That she missed when she shaved her head.
I said, betty, I've gotta get back to work,
But I knew I was on the right track.
[narrator] peggy gives police a description of betty ann.
[peggy] she had to be, maybe 5'7", 5'8.
And I said, she's got a red subaru.
[narrator] the details of the vehicle match the description
Given by the neighbor who saw a woman at sharon's hom
On the day of the murder.
The name betty kirk also rings a bell with one investigator.
[jack] I was actually working a case on her for check fraud.
That's the only criminal background I know.
I had never suspected her of anything like this.
[lauren] betty ann kirk was born here in florida
On November 7th, 1958,
And grew up in the area.
[narrator] betty's first marriage
Was a whirlwind of trauma and abuse.
Betty had two children from a previous relationship
That didn't work.
They fought every single night, and it was constant.
It was, it was harsh.
[narrator] in 1981, child protective services
Placed her children in foster care.
[lauren] dhs actually took her son away
After one of these battery incidents
And put him in foster care.
[narrator] betty divorced her first husband
And in 1982, she met craig kirk
Betty met craig when she was living here in fort myers,
And this was the love of her life.
She was just so smitten.
[narrator] the couple officially tied the knot in 1983.
But newlywed bliss quickly faded.
From the start, the family face financial challenges
Caring for two children under five.
Craig was struggling because he was working as a cook
At a local perkin's restaurant,
But not bringing in very much money.
And at the time she was uneducated
And not able to get a lot of opportunities for employment.
[narrator] despite her unemployment,
Betty was a passionate volunteer.
[lauren] betty kirk loved children.
She was a girl scout troop leader.
[narrator] eventually, betty found a way
To turn her love of working with children into a paycheck.
[lauren] she was a clown with a local clown troupe,
And she would perform at birthday parties
In shopping malls, painting kids' faces, etc.
[narrator] despite her happy persona,
Betty and craig struggled to make ends meet.
Leading betty at times to take desperate measures.
She had written some fraudulent checks
And cashed them at the grocery store.
[narrator] within a year, betty made a surprising announcement.
In the summer of 1989, betty announced that she was pregnant.
The couple began buying clothes and a crib.
[peggy] once she told us that she was pregnant,
I started the count.
And where every woman will go 40 weeks, for a pregnancy,
Betty anne was at 43.
It just kept going.
[lauren] but on March 29th of 1990,
Betty and craig announced the birth of their daughter,
Laura velta kirk.
Some of the perkins restaurant employees, um,
Thought it was strange because she had a child,
The same day as the murder.
[narrator] the baby's birthday
Occurring the same day as sharon's murder,
Is a coincidence investigators cannot dismiss.
So, we got a detective go out and, investigate that lead.
When he told me the name,
Then it immediately registered to me because I knew
The name from my check fraud case I was working.
[narrator] he heads first to the restaurant
Where betty's husband, craig, is a cook.
Neither betty nor craig are there.
[jack] I tried to talk to the employees and their stories
Were all about the same.
[narrator] by March of 1990,
Craig's co workers were beyond suspicious.
[lauren] she didn't gain too much weight
And, her belly didn't pop out the way a pregnant belly would.
[peggy] craig had come to work the day before and said,
He thought betty anne was, was gonna have the baby.
Soon, very soon.
[narrator] the next day betty shows up to visit the restauran
With a brand-new baby girl.
We have a missing baby and all of a sudden,
One shows up, big red flags go up.
[narrator] with baby julie missing for 24 hours,
There is no time to waste.
Investigators race to the home of betty ann kirk.
When police arrive at the kirk trailer,
It's in bad condition.
[jim] there was clothes piled up.
There was what I call debris on the counters.
Some of the beds were literally had no frame,
They were on the floor.
It was a filthy environment.
[narrator] adding to their concern, betty's husband, craig
Seems to be drunk and able to answer only basic questions.
Craig is sitting in this bar area just drinking.
And it just seems like he's already drunk.
Craig confirmed that his wife had recently, uh the day prior,
Uh, delivered the baby.
[jack] betty kirk came out of a bedroo
Which was to the back,
And we started asking her questions about the baby.
She had said that she went to the health department,
Had the baby there, and they sent her directly home
Betty kirk gave an explanation that she had the baby
At the health department on michigan avenue.
We knew that the health department on michigan avenue
Doesn't deliver babies.
[narrator] they press betty for proof that the baby is hers
She told police she couldn't find the birth certificate.
[jack] my concern was the baby's safety where the baby was.
We kept asking her questions and eventually,
Got around to could we see the baby.
Well, she brought the baby out to show it to us,
It was wrapped in a blanket when I saw it.
[jim] another investigator, his kids were still rather young,
So he remembers the difference between an actual newborn
And somebody being ten or twelve or fourteen days old,
Um, more alert, more awake, eyes open.
It obviously, wasn't born the day before yesterday.
[music]
[narrator] thirty hours into the investigation
Of the murder of sharon parker
And the search for now 11 day old missing baby julie,
Police in lehigh florida suspect that the newborn
In betty ann kirk's home may not be her own.
[jack] I was concerned for the child.
But at that point, we couldn't really do a lot about it
Until we did some follow up
And either verified her story or discredited her story,
And we excused ourselves and left.
[narrator] one officer conducts surveillance
Near betty kirk's home,
While the other reports back to his supervisor.
He went about a half mile away and had to use a payphone.
There was no cellphones back then.
He called my lieutenant and gave him a full briefing
On what was happening.
[jack] when we went to make phone calls,
Try to verify some of this information, we could not.
Betty is claiming that she gave birth on March 29th of 1990
At the health department,
Which they have no facility for a woman to give birth,
So investigators checked every hospital,
Every clinic in the area and there was no record
Of betty kirk giving birth.
[narrator] meanwhile,
The officer keeping watch over the kirk home
Notes alarming activity.
I started seeing a shadow come out of the house, go to the car,
Made about three or four trips,
Appeared to be carrying something.
[jim] it was betty kirk.
Jack got on the radio and said betty is leaving.
She came out and got in the car
And drove directly in front of me,
I followed her.
And about a mile and a half or so away,
We made a vehicle stop on her vehicle.
[narrator] the baby isn't in the vehicle
But the officer does find a reason
To believe their suspect may be running away.
[jack] she had a couple of baskets of clothes,
A couple of bags of clothes.
She had said she was going to a store.
The store she mentioned,
I knew it was closed because of the hour.
It was 10:00 or 11:00 at night.
[narrator] investigators aren't letting betty out of sight.
[jim] they asked betty if she would willingly go
To headquarters for an interview and she agreed.
I got very concerned about the infant
Being left at the house with a intoxicated person.
So, I went back to the house
To check on the safety of the child.
[narrator] the baby is with betty's husband, craig.
When I got there, the gentleman was still there
And was still drinking.
I do not believe he could take care of an infant
At that point, the protocol changes.
Now, were have an endangered child.
We called in the troops at that point dcfs got involved,
We secured everything while they completed their investigation.
[jim] we had health and rehabilitative services go
And, uh, take custody of the child.
They brought the child to lee memorial hospital
For observation, an examination.
[narrator] before detectives interview betty kirk,
They question her husband.
Craig is adamant he had every reason to believe
His wife was pregnant.
She went three times to the doctor.
For what her husband thought was prenatal care.
She even told her husband
That he couldn't sleep in the bed with her
Because she needed the extra space for her pregnant belly.
[narrator] as for the day of the murder,
And the alleged birth of his child,
Craig has an alibi.
[jim] I had learned that craig kirk
Was working all day the day of the murder.
So, his alibi was easily accountable.
Investigators ask craig if betty has a gun,
And he tells them yes, a .25 caliber handgun,
But he says he hasn't seen it in a while.
The gun used to kill sharon was a .25-caliber,
Which isn't the most common.
But this is the exact type of gun that betty owned.
[narrator] after confirming his alibi,
Craig is released with no charges.
Next, investigators question betty,
Now pressing her on what she knows about sharon parker.
In a surprise move, betty admits she knew sharon.
[lauren] betty claims that she and sharon
Are, actually, friends.
Betty told investigators
That she met sharon at a shopping mall
When she was dressed as a clown.
[jim] betty would dress up as a clown
And that's where betty kirk met sharon parker.
[narrator] according to betty,
She got to know sharon while painting the twins' faces.
[lauren] the two women had bonded because
Betty had told sharon she was, also, pregnant.
[jim] they exchanged phone numbers,
And they began to befriend each other.
[narrator] according to betty,
When she read the birth announcement for sharon's baby
In the newspaper on March 29th,
She decided to congratulate her friend in person.
Betty kirk said that she went to the house and that, uh,
She was invited in.
And sharon parker was sitting in a chair.
[jim] they spoke for a while.
At one point, uh, betty said she was thirsty,
A short distance away was a convenient type store
And, sharon gave her a dollar
And said get me a candy bar as well.
And betty kirk left for a short period,
Got a pepsi or coke and came back with the candy bar.
[narrator] betty says when she returned from the store
And reached into her purse for sharon's change,
A horrible accident ensued.
Betty says that she regularly carries a handgun
In her purse for protection.
[jim] the pistol fell out of her purse.
She grabbed it and the gun went off.
She shot sharon parker in the back of the head...
But she explained it away as an accident.
When it accidentally went off and hit sharon,
She panicked and just grabbed the baby and fled.
[narrator] as to her extended pregnancy,
Detectives learn that there was an unfortunate explanation.
[lauren] betty is claiming that she had a miscarriage,
But she continued to pretend like she was pregnant.
[dr. Bryanna] a lot of the positive attention
And things that she was receiving,
Uh, that was making her feel optimistic about her future
And happy about her life was taken away.
And so, she didn't want that to end.
[narrator] the forensics don't match betty's version of events
The angle at which the gun was used to fire
Couldn't possibly have been from an accident.
It wasn't like you accidentally stand above somebody,
Behind them, and shoot at them.
At this point, police have enough to arrest her,
Even though she's still maintaining
That it was an accident.
[narrator] less than two days after the investigation began,
Betty ann kirk is booked and stops talking.
Betty invoked her right to remain silent
And get an attorney.
[narrator] coming up...
A joyous reunion.
All I ever heard was what a great mother she was.
[narrator] and to prove their case,
Police piece together a diabolical plan.
It looked as if she might have been shopping for a baby.
[music]
[narrator] 31-year-old betty kirk
Is in custody for allegedly murdering
Young mother sharon parker and kidnapping her baby, julie.
Betty claims the shooting was an accident.
She was just hanging out at sharon's house
Because they were friends,
And in the midst of this, the gun just went off.
[narrator] after her arrest, investigators search her car.
[joseph] there was a .25 caliber handgun
Found in betty kirk's car
And the projectile was retrieved from mrs. Parker's head,
Was a .25 caliber.
[narrator] the gun isn't the only damning evidence.
[heather] there was a "it's a girl" banner
That was found.
There was some clothing and little trinkets and stuff
That were gifted to my mother from her baby showers.
There was a stack of several newspapers
With birth announcements.
It appeared to have I believe five or six different births
Circled on it.
Sharon was one of the people that was circled.
It looked as if she might have been shopping for a baby.
[lauren] investigators followed up
With the other women whose name were circled in the newspaper,
And one of these women told investigators that betty kirk,
Actually did show up at her house claiming to be
A healthcare worker.
Investigators believe that bett
Was just going to keep going down the list
Until somebody with a baby let her in the house.
[narrator] the baby found in betty's custody
Is positively identified as julie parker.
I went with my stepdad and josh and jake
To the sheriff's department,
Where we picked her up
And we were very happy to have our sister back.
[julie] the only thing I'm sure of
Is that it happened.
It was just kind of known in my family.
People just talked about it openly.
For a lot of my childhood, I felt very guilty,
Like if I weren't born, that wouldn't have happened,
And she'd still be here,
And all my siblings would still have their mother.
All I ever heard was what a great person she was.
What a great, specifically, mother she was.
That her passion in life was her children.
[narrator] on March 30
Betty pleads innocent to charge of first-degree murder
And kidnapping.
As prosecutors prepare for trial,
They delve into betty's motive
By speaking to those close to the couple.
[peggy] craig and betty weren't getting along,
And he told her he was thinking about leaving her.
There was always fighting, they never had money.
And so, he was already considering leaving.
[narrator] betty was determined to see him stay.
She was trying to get pregnant,
To entrap craig to stay in their relationship.
[lauren] they tried to get pregnant for a long time
And she eventually did get pregnant in the summer of 1989,
But she miscarried in December of that year.
At that point, she had told people that she was pregnant,
Friends, family and, uh,
It was time to either confess
That she wasn't telling the truth or get a baby,
She chose the latter.
[narrator] fourteen months after the murder,
The case nears trial.
Staring down a possible death sentence,
Betty weighs her options.
Betty ann kirk ultimately pled no contest
To first-degree murder.
She was later sentenced to life in prison.
[heather] in order to avoid additional trauma,
My family decided to accept that plea bargain.
[julie] I just heard she was this amazing,
Like, ideal person.
And ya know, that everybody's blessed to know
And I, unfortunately, missed the chance.
And how sorry everybody felt for me
That I didn't get to experience that.
This lady didn't just steal my mom, she stole my joy.
And I had to find it in my hear to do like jesus did
And to be able to give some sort of forgiveness
That way I could be free.
A lotta people get to call their mom and tell 'em...About things.
I never got to do that.
She don't get to meet my kids.
But not a day goes by I don't think about her.
[music]