1 00:00:03,670 --> 00:00:04,671 [Female narrator] A peaceful afternoon 2 00:00:06,131 --> 00:00:08,717 erupts in chaos when young siblings come home 3 00:00:08,758 --> 00:00:11,678 to the unthinkable. 4 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:12,971 We open up the door 5 00:00:13,013 --> 00:00:15,515 and that's when I noticed the pool of blood. 6 00:00:17,017 --> 00:00:22,355 We've got a young mother whose been executed, and a baby gone. 7 00:00:22,397 --> 00:00:23,940 [Narrator] While a desperate search 8 00:00:23,982 --> 00:00:28,570 for a newborn baby ensues, red flags begin to surface. 9 00:00:29,696 --> 00:00:32,198 He had brought his co-worker over to meet the baby. 10 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,159 And my mom wasn't very happy. 11 00:00:35,076 --> 00:00:37,412 He said, I really didn't want to tell you 12 00:00:37,454 --> 00:00:40,415 because I thought you would think that this was involved. 13 00:00:41,374 --> 00:00:43,710 [Narrator] And police find the truth 14 00:00:43,752 --> 00:00:46,379 is stranger than fiction. 15 00:00:46,421 --> 00:00:49,841 She was a clown that performed at birthday parties. 16 00:00:51,426 --> 00:00:54,763 It looked as if she might have been shopping for a baby. 17 00:00:56,431 --> 00:00:58,224 [Peggy] She came in with the baby, 18 00:00:58,266 --> 00:01:01,311 and the hair stood up on the back of my neck. 19 00:01:01,353 --> 00:01:03,104 It was time to either confess 20 00:01:03,146 --> 00:01:07,275 that she wasn't telling the truth or get a baby, 21 00:01:07,317 --> 00:01:08,818 she chose the latter. 22 00:01:22,791 --> 00:01:23,083 [music] 23 00:01:24,876 --> 00:01:28,129 [Narrator] Lehigh Acres, just outside of Fort Myers Florida, 24 00:01:28,171 --> 00:01:33,301 is a well-kept haven with a small-town vibe. 25 00:01:33,343 --> 00:01:36,346 Lehigh Acres is the eastern portion of the county. 26 00:01:36,388 --> 00:01:39,933 At the time in the late '80s early '90s 27 00:01:39,974 --> 00:01:41,768 it wasn't heavily populated. 28 00:01:43,228 --> 00:01:47,273 Growing up in Lehigh, we were pretty secluded. 29 00:01:47,315 --> 00:01:49,359 We spent a lot of time outside. 30 00:01:49,401 --> 00:01:50,777 It was a good life. 31 00:01:56,533 --> 00:01:59,661 [Narrator] That childhood innocence comes to a tragic end 32 00:01:59,703 --> 00:02:02,288 on march 29, 1990, 33 00:02:02,330 --> 00:02:05,333 when six-year-old twins Jacob and Joshua Parker 34 00:02:05,375 --> 00:02:07,377 return home from school. 35 00:02:09,629 --> 00:02:11,006 [Jacob] I remember me and my brother 36 00:02:11,047 --> 00:02:13,008 getting off the school bus. 37 00:02:13,049 --> 00:02:14,968 Something at school that day happened. 38 00:02:15,010 --> 00:02:17,387 We wanted to hurry up and get home and tell Mom about it. 39 00:02:19,723 --> 00:02:25,437 We got home, opened up the door and just hi mom we're home. 40 00:02:27,022 --> 00:02:29,524 I happened to see her slumped over the side of the chair. 41 00:02:32,235 --> 00:02:35,697 I thought she was asleep at first, 42 00:02:35,739 --> 00:02:38,324 that's when I noticed the pool of blood in the floor. 43 00:02:41,828 --> 00:02:45,206 Then I noticed the gunshot wound to her head. 44 00:02:45,248 --> 00:02:47,542 We're both just kinda standing there, 45 00:02:47,584 --> 00:02:48,793 a couple of six years olds. 46 00:02:48,835 --> 00:02:51,171 We don't fully understand what's going on. 47 00:02:51,212 --> 00:02:52,756 Then things just started clicking. 48 00:02:54,090 --> 00:02:55,550 [Narrator] Scared and confused, 49 00:02:55,592 --> 00:02:59,220 the brothers look around for their newborn sister, Julie. 50 00:03:00,555 --> 00:03:02,349 [Joshua] We had a ten-day old sister. 51 00:03:02,390 --> 00:03:03,391 You know she should've been crying; 52 00:03:03,433 --> 00:03:05,060 she should've been there. 53 00:03:05,101 --> 00:03:07,395 We walked through the house; we couldn't find her. 54 00:03:07,979 --> 00:03:09,522 [Narrator] At a loss, 55 00:03:09,564 --> 00:03:12,359 the twins wait outside for their 14-year-old sister, 56 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:14,611 Heather, to return home. 57 00:03:14,652 --> 00:03:16,321 [Jacob] We didn't know what to do. 58 00:03:16,363 --> 00:03:18,239 We went back outside. 59 00:03:18,281 --> 00:03:19,866 Waited for Heather to get off the bus. 60 00:03:25,121 --> 00:03:26,873 [Heather] I got off my school bus 61 00:03:26,915 --> 00:03:31,461 and my brothers were standing there waiting for me. 62 00:03:33,129 --> 00:03:35,048 [Joshua] She was like, why are you guys out here? 63 00:03:35,090 --> 00:03:39,302 And so, we go, we think moms dead. 64 00:03:39,344 --> 00:03:41,388 And she freaks out. 65 00:03:42,597 --> 00:03:44,391 [Heather] When I opened my front door, 66 00:03:44,432 --> 00:03:46,768 I could see my mom in the recliner. 67 00:03:48,603 --> 00:03:50,230 I was only fourteen years old, 68 00:03:50,271 --> 00:03:51,606 so when I came in the house 69 00:03:51,648 --> 00:03:53,900 and saw my mom and I saw the blood 70 00:03:53,942 --> 00:03:58,571 I really didn't know what had happened. 71 00:03:58,613 --> 00:04:02,742 I didn't know if she was shot or stabbed or attacked. 72 00:04:02,784 --> 00:04:05,245 I could just tell that my mom was gone 73 00:04:05,286 --> 00:04:06,955 and that my sister was missing. 74 00:04:08,957 --> 00:04:12,877 I ran to every room in the house and looked for her everywhere 75 00:04:12,919 --> 00:04:16,172 and I couldn't find her. 76 00:04:16,214 --> 00:04:20,385 I picked up the phone to call 9-1-1. 77 00:04:20,427 --> 00:04:22,387 And then, I took my brothers 78 00:04:22,429 --> 00:04:25,598 and started walking to our babysitter's house 79 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,393 because it was within walking distance to us. 80 00:04:31,980 --> 00:04:33,690 [Narrator] The babysitter quickly tries 81 00:04:33,732 --> 00:04:37,819 to contact the children's father, Gary Parker at work. 82 00:04:37,861 --> 00:04:39,946 When the first responders arrive, 83 00:04:39,988 --> 00:04:43,867 they immediately determine there is nothing they can do, 84 00:04:43,908 --> 00:04:47,704 and detectives are called to the parker home. 85 00:04:47,746 --> 00:04:49,289 [Jim] Word came in from patrol 86 00:04:49,330 --> 00:04:53,126 that they had a dead body in Lehigh Acres. 87 00:04:53,168 --> 00:04:54,794 Detectives were dispatched. 88 00:04:54,836 --> 00:04:58,256 Les Partington was one of them, I was one of them. 89 00:04:58,298 --> 00:05:01,885 [Les] We found Sharon in a recliner. 90 00:05:01,926 --> 00:05:03,845 We were told the baby was missing. 91 00:05:03,887 --> 00:05:05,555 Without disturbing the whole scene, 92 00:05:05,597 --> 00:05:06,973 we certainly checked the house 93 00:05:07,015 --> 00:05:10,435 to make sure that the child wasn't there. 94 00:05:10,477 --> 00:05:11,728 Where is the child? 95 00:05:11,770 --> 00:05:14,356 Something was terribly wrong. 96 00:05:14,397 --> 00:05:16,858 [Jack] Who could fathom stealing a baby. 97 00:05:16,900 --> 00:05:18,026 It was a nightmare. 98 00:05:24,032 --> 00:05:27,118 [Narrator] As an APB goes out for the missing newborn, 99 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:32,749 investigators take a closer look at Sharon's body for clues. 100 00:05:32,791 --> 00:05:34,793 [Joseph] She was leaned over to the left, 101 00:05:34,834 --> 00:05:37,587 and there was also blood dripping off of her head area, 102 00:05:37,629 --> 00:05:39,631 down onto the carpet. 103 00:05:39,673 --> 00:05:41,091 [Jim] You could see that there was 104 00:05:41,132 --> 00:05:42,509 a wound in the back of the head. 105 00:05:42,550 --> 00:05:43,843 It appears to be a gunshot wound. 106 00:05:45,387 --> 00:05:49,683 We had a kidnapping, and we had a murder. 107 00:05:49,724 --> 00:05:53,687 In this case it's all hands-on deck. 108 00:05:53,728 --> 00:05:56,481 [Jim] When it started, everybody's a suspect. 109 00:05:56,523 --> 00:05:58,858 There was a hurried rush to get people searching 110 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:01,361 for Sharon Parker's child immediately. 111 00:06:01,403 --> 00:06:02,696 We went to the family. 112 00:06:02,737 --> 00:06:03,947 We went to neighbors. 113 00:06:03,988 --> 00:06:05,699 We went everywhere 114 00:06:05,740 --> 00:06:08,493 trying to figure out who was responsible for this. 115 00:06:15,083 --> 00:06:17,085 [Narrator] Born and raised in Florida, 116 00:06:17,127 --> 00:06:22,298 Sharon Parker always thrived on strong family ties. 117 00:06:22,340 --> 00:06:26,678 My mom had two sisters, and a brother. 118 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:31,891 In the '60s, and '70s, my mom was always very in fashion. 119 00:06:31,933 --> 00:06:34,978 She loved music, so she went to concerts, and things, 120 00:06:35,020 --> 00:06:36,146 with her friends. 121 00:06:40,859 --> 00:06:44,362 [Narrator] In 1976, at the age of 19, 122 00:06:44,404 --> 00:06:46,865 Sharon's life took an unexpected turn 123 00:06:46,906 --> 00:06:48,742 when she discovered she was pregnant 124 00:06:48,783 --> 00:06:52,579 with a baby girl she later named Heather. 125 00:06:52,620 --> 00:06:53,872 [Heather] My mom, and dad, 126 00:06:53,913 --> 00:06:56,416 got married right out of high school. 127 00:06:56,458 --> 00:06:59,085 We lived in Alabama, where I was born, 128 00:06:59,127 --> 00:07:02,047 and we had a little house. 129 00:07:02,088 --> 00:07:05,842 They were very young, but she was a great mom. 130 00:07:05,884 --> 00:07:08,261 They were only married for the three years, 131 00:07:08,303 --> 00:07:10,472 and then they got a divorce. 132 00:07:10,513 --> 00:07:12,849 And she, and I, moved to Florida. 133 00:07:14,059 --> 00:07:16,186 My mother was a billing coordinator 134 00:07:16,227 --> 00:07:17,979 at Charter Glade Hospital, 135 00:07:18,021 --> 00:07:20,148 but really her job was to be a mom. 136 00:07:20,190 --> 00:07:21,649 That's what she loved doing. 137 00:07:26,988 --> 00:07:30,158 [Narrator] The young mother didn't stay single for long. 138 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,577 In 1983 Sharon's mother 139 00:07:32,619 --> 00:07:35,163 introduced her to an eligible bachelor, 140 00:07:35,205 --> 00:07:38,291 a contractor named Gary Parker. 141 00:07:38,333 --> 00:07:41,252 He was a hardworking man. 142 00:07:41,294 --> 00:07:44,005 Dad worked for Lee Builders. 143 00:07:44,047 --> 00:07:48,134 And he was a supervisor, he was a carpenter, 144 00:07:48,176 --> 00:07:49,594 house builder. 145 00:07:51,054 --> 00:07:54,641 They started dating, and were married soon after, 146 00:07:54,683 --> 00:07:56,893 when I was in first grade. 147 00:07:56,935 --> 00:07:59,020 They would go out every Friday night, 148 00:07:59,062 --> 00:08:01,189 if they were in an argument or something, 149 00:08:01,231 --> 00:08:03,525 she would get flowers. 150 00:08:03,566 --> 00:08:05,568 I loved Gary, my mom loved him. 151 00:08:05,610 --> 00:08:07,654 He loved her. 152 00:08:07,696 --> 00:08:09,364 [Narrator] A year after the wedding, 153 00:08:09,406 --> 00:08:13,618 the budding Parker family tree blossomed with twin sons, 154 00:08:13,660 --> 00:08:15,745 Joshua and Jacob. 155 00:08:15,787 --> 00:08:18,498 [Joshua] Me and Jake have always had the mentality 156 00:08:18,540 --> 00:08:21,251 of me and him against the world. 157 00:08:21,292 --> 00:08:23,878 Heather was our second mom. 158 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:25,588 We always called her Sissy. 159 00:08:25,630 --> 00:08:27,674 We always loved our Sissy. 160 00:08:29,801 --> 00:08:31,344 [Narrator] In the late 80s, 161 00:08:31,386 --> 00:08:34,264 the family of five settled into the peaceful enclave 162 00:08:34,305 --> 00:08:39,519 of Lehigh, Florida, and embraced the smalltown vibes. 163 00:08:39,561 --> 00:08:43,690 [Heather] We did a lot of things together as a family outside. 164 00:08:43,732 --> 00:08:47,360 We did camping out in the backyard, in tents. 165 00:08:47,402 --> 00:08:50,989 We had a pool for the summertime. 166 00:08:51,031 --> 00:08:52,198 [Joshua] I remember those days, 167 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,784 we just all be out there smiles and laughs, 168 00:08:54,826 --> 00:08:58,872 fire, hot dogs, marshmallows. 169 00:08:58,913 --> 00:09:03,376 My mother and I loved music and we used to sing 170 00:09:03,418 --> 00:09:06,129 on Saturday mornings when we were cleaning the house 171 00:09:06,171 --> 00:09:07,714 into our hairbrushes. 172 00:09:11,885 --> 00:09:15,764 [Narrator] In 1990 the young parents announced exciting news, 173 00:09:15,805 --> 00:09:19,809 Sharon was expecting another daughter. 174 00:09:19,851 --> 00:09:24,522 When mom told us that she was pregnant again, with Julie, 175 00:09:24,564 --> 00:09:26,900 I was a teenager. 176 00:09:26,941 --> 00:09:29,361 Gary was very excited to have another baby, 177 00:09:29,402 --> 00:09:32,280 and Josh and Jake couldn't wait. 178 00:09:32,322 --> 00:09:35,367 [Narrator] On march 19, baby Julie was born 179 00:09:35,408 --> 00:09:40,080 a healthy seven pounds with a full head of dark hair. 180 00:09:40,121 --> 00:09:42,832 [Heather] I was super excited. 181 00:09:42,874 --> 00:09:46,002 Mother and I were looking forward to having another girl, 182 00:09:46,044 --> 00:09:48,046 and we did. 183 00:09:54,010 --> 00:09:55,929 [Narrator] Only ten days later 184 00:09:55,970 --> 00:09:59,849 the family home is the scene of chaos and confusion. 185 00:10:02,185 --> 00:10:06,356 After finding their mother dead and their baby sister missing, 186 00:10:06,398 --> 00:10:10,110 Heather, Joshua and Jacob wait at a neighbor's home. 187 00:10:10,151 --> 00:10:13,405 At 4:40pm their father Gary arrives. 188 00:10:18,159 --> 00:10:21,204 As soon as he got word of what happened, he raced home. 189 00:10:21,246 --> 00:10:23,623 I watched him run into the house. 190 00:10:23,665 --> 00:10:25,458 He was...in shock. 191 00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:27,377 I mean, as you can imagine. 192 00:10:27,419 --> 00:10:29,087 Uncontrollably crying. 193 00:10:29,129 --> 00:10:31,631 [Jim] According to the husband, nothing was taken relating 194 00:10:31,673 --> 00:10:33,091 to the care of the baby. 195 00:10:36,094 --> 00:10:39,556 [Narrator] Gary quickly notices one item is missing, 196 00:10:39,597 --> 00:10:43,852 a banner that reads "It's a girl." 197 00:10:43,893 --> 00:10:47,939 He said it was a traditional celebratory, 198 00:10:47,981 --> 00:10:49,983 uh, banner of a new child. 199 00:10:50,025 --> 00:10:52,360 A longer banner, maybe six feet long. 200 00:10:53,737 --> 00:10:55,488 [Narrator] Investigators excuse Gary 201 00:10:55,530 --> 00:10:58,033 to reunite with his children. 202 00:10:58,074 --> 00:11:01,036 [Jacob] He took us all in his arms and...held us. 203 00:11:01,077 --> 00:11:03,204 I don't think he really could say much in that moment. 204 00:11:07,542 --> 00:11:11,796 [Narrator] For police, there is no time to waste. 205 00:11:11,838 --> 00:11:13,214 [Jim] We had children emotional. 206 00:11:13,256 --> 00:11:16,426 We had a husband who was completely broken up. 207 00:11:16,468 --> 00:11:19,304 Um, we've got a, a young mother 208 00:11:19,346 --> 00:11:22,974 whose been executed in the house and a baby gone. 209 00:11:23,016 --> 00:11:26,061 The baby would not survive long on its own if it was just left 210 00:11:26,102 --> 00:11:28,855 without any type of parental care. 211 00:11:28,897 --> 00:11:30,482 Given the urgency of this crime 212 00:11:30,523 --> 00:11:32,901 police knew they had to find it immediately. 213 00:11:34,527 --> 00:11:36,363 [Jim] We couldn't find the baby. 214 00:11:36,404 --> 00:11:38,156 Was the baby taken out? 215 00:11:38,198 --> 00:11:39,282 Was it dumped? 216 00:11:39,324 --> 00:11:41,534 Is it gonna be ransom? 217 00:11:41,576 --> 00:11:42,869 We didn't know. 218 00:11:42,911 --> 00:11:44,329 The captain says what do you need? 219 00:11:44,371 --> 00:11:45,997 And I said everything. 220 00:11:49,584 --> 00:11:50,752 [Narrator] Coming up... 221 00:11:50,794 --> 00:11:53,380 a community is on edge... 222 00:11:53,421 --> 00:11:57,092 We had everybody that was available out searching. 223 00:11:57,133 --> 00:11:59,928 [Narrator] Until a bizarre tip pays off. 224 00:11:59,969 --> 00:12:01,554 I was looking at the baby, 225 00:12:01,596 --> 00:12:03,556 I could tell she had shaved her head. 226 00:12:14,025 --> 00:12:17,320 [music] 227 00:12:19,030 --> 00:12:21,491 [Narrator] Less than an hour after finding mother of four, 228 00:12:21,533 --> 00:12:24,536 Sharon Parker, dead from a gunshot wound, 229 00:12:24,577 --> 00:12:27,914 the search for her newborn is in high gear. 230 00:12:29,290 --> 00:12:32,877 We had a murder and what appeared to be a kidnapping. 231 00:12:32,919 --> 00:12:35,046 [Les] When you do have a missing baby, 232 00:12:35,088 --> 00:12:39,634 you have all the issues of the child getting food. 233 00:12:39,676 --> 00:12:40,802 Is the child safe? 234 00:12:40,844 --> 00:12:42,178 Is it sheltered? 235 00:12:42,220 --> 00:12:44,973 A lot of missing kid's cases, 236 00:12:45,015 --> 00:12:47,809 they turn up under beds, in closets. 237 00:12:47,851 --> 00:12:52,063 So, we certainly checked the cars and things of that nature. 238 00:12:55,191 --> 00:12:59,404 There was a hurried rush to get people searching for the child. 239 00:12:59,446 --> 00:13:01,322 We had helicopters, 240 00:13:01,364 --> 00:13:05,994 we probably had least half of the department out. 241 00:13:06,036 --> 00:13:09,122 We had everybody that was available out searching. 242 00:13:13,543 --> 00:13:15,754 [Narrator] As part of the on-foot search, 243 00:13:15,795 --> 00:13:18,173 detectives reach out to neighbors. 244 00:13:18,214 --> 00:13:22,385 One reports seeing a suspicious vehicle around 9:45 245 00:13:22,427 --> 00:13:24,262 that morning. 246 00:13:24,304 --> 00:13:25,847 [Jim] She told investigators 247 00:13:25,889 --> 00:13:28,224 that a faded red hatchback vehicle 248 00:13:28,266 --> 00:13:32,437 pulled up into the Parker driveway. 249 00:13:32,479 --> 00:13:34,189 [Narrator] According to the witness, 250 00:13:34,230 --> 00:13:37,609 a woman got out of the vehicle and went inside the home. 251 00:13:39,319 --> 00:13:43,615 She had dark hair, approximately five eight to five nine. 252 00:13:43,656 --> 00:13:47,494 [Narrator] Now, law enforcement must prioritize tracking down 253 00:13:47,535 --> 00:13:50,205 the mystery visitor. 254 00:13:50,246 --> 00:13:51,456 [Jim] We did a composite on the face 255 00:13:51,498 --> 00:13:52,832 and although it was from a distance, 256 00:13:52,874 --> 00:13:54,584 it gave us a basic starting point 257 00:13:54,626 --> 00:13:58,588 and that went to the news media who put it out that day. 258 00:14:03,259 --> 00:14:05,053 [Narrator] As the search continues, 259 00:14:05,095 --> 00:14:08,056 crime scene techs process the Parker home, 260 00:14:08,098 --> 00:14:10,225 starting with Sharon's body. 261 00:14:11,434 --> 00:14:13,269 I noticed blood on the top of her head, 262 00:14:13,311 --> 00:14:16,856 so I assumed it was a small caliber gunshot. 263 00:14:16,898 --> 00:14:19,567 All indications to me, as a crime scene technician was, 264 00:14:19,609 --> 00:14:21,444 she died pretty quick. 265 00:14:21,486 --> 00:14:24,989 You're checking the house to see if there was any forced entry. 266 00:14:25,031 --> 00:14:27,075 You're checking to see if there's obvious theft 267 00:14:27,117 --> 00:14:29,244 that may have occurred. 268 00:14:29,285 --> 00:14:31,162 [Joseph] Nothing appeared out of place. 269 00:14:31,204 --> 00:14:32,706 It would indicate, to us, 270 00:14:32,747 --> 00:14:36,209 that the person was either known, or invited in. 271 00:14:37,669 --> 00:14:40,588 [Jim] She had one leg tucked under the other, 272 00:14:40,630 --> 00:14:43,091 which meant she was comfortable in the environment. 273 00:14:43,133 --> 00:14:45,760 She absolutely knew the perpetrator. 274 00:14:50,432 --> 00:14:52,267 [Narrator] Investigators head to the station 275 00:14:52,308 --> 00:14:55,311 where the Parker family is waiting. 276 00:14:55,353 --> 00:14:58,231 Fourteen-year-old Heather is accompanied by her aunt 277 00:14:58,273 --> 00:15:01,443 into the interrogation room. 278 00:15:01,484 --> 00:15:05,905 [Les] I wanted to interview the 14-year-old daughter, Heather. 279 00:15:05,947 --> 00:15:08,283 You hear things that go on with family 280 00:15:08,324 --> 00:15:11,244 and you know what's going on in that house. 281 00:15:11,286 --> 00:15:12,954 She was very composed. 282 00:15:12,996 --> 00:15:15,790 She's very smart and articulate. 283 00:15:15,832 --> 00:15:20,587 I asked her background information about the family. 284 00:15:20,628 --> 00:15:22,255 [Narrator] Instinctively, 285 00:15:22,297 --> 00:15:25,425 detectives press young Heather for anything she can offer 286 00:15:25,467 --> 00:15:28,303 and she gives them compelling information. 287 00:15:33,224 --> 00:15:35,435 [Heather] A few days before my mom was murdered 288 00:15:35,477 --> 00:15:38,146 someone Gary worked with, named Stephanie, 289 00:15:38,188 --> 00:15:42,233 had come to the house to meet the baby. 290 00:15:42,275 --> 00:15:43,818 While she was there, 291 00:15:43,860 --> 00:15:46,988 my mother came to talk to me because she wasn't very happy 292 00:15:47,030 --> 00:15:48,281 that he had brought his co-worker 293 00:15:48,323 --> 00:15:49,657 over to meet the baby. 294 00:15:51,451 --> 00:15:56,331 [Narrator] According to Heather, Stephanie was Gary's supervisor. 295 00:15:56,373 --> 00:15:59,292 [Les] Heather said they spent a lotta time together. 296 00:15:59,334 --> 00:16:02,379 And that her mother, Heather's mother, 297 00:16:02,420 --> 00:16:05,173 was at times upset over that. 298 00:16:05,215 --> 00:16:08,301 And so there was an ongoing issue. 299 00:16:09,803 --> 00:16:12,514 Heather would hear her mother and her stepfather, 300 00:16:12,555 --> 00:16:15,684 argue sometimes about the amount of time 301 00:16:15,725 --> 00:16:18,353 that the father was spending with his boss. 302 00:16:18,395 --> 00:16:21,439 They even traveled to Daytona. 303 00:16:21,481 --> 00:16:23,316 [Hather] I believe I was in shock. 304 00:16:23,358 --> 00:16:25,068 As an adult, I understand. 305 00:16:25,110 --> 00:16:27,195 But as a child I didn't understand 306 00:16:27,237 --> 00:16:29,531 why I was being asked all those questions. 307 00:16:34,244 --> 00:16:37,038 [Narrator] Now eager to hear directly from Gary, 308 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:39,708 investigators interview him next. 309 00:16:41,710 --> 00:16:43,044 Was he at work all day? 310 00:16:43,086 --> 00:16:44,295 Who can verify that? 311 00:16:44,337 --> 00:16:46,715 Where was he? What was he doing? 312 00:16:46,756 --> 00:16:51,219 Gary gave his alibi where he was and Gary stated that, 313 00:16:51,261 --> 00:16:53,596 um, during the time of this offense, 314 00:16:53,638 --> 00:16:56,891 he was at work and then at a bar. 315 00:16:56,933 --> 00:16:58,393 During the interview, 316 00:16:58,435 --> 00:17:02,063 I asked Gary if there was any financial issues? 317 00:17:02,105 --> 00:17:04,899 Any indicators that would be stressors? 318 00:17:04,941 --> 00:17:09,863 And we found nothing, uh, that was significant. 319 00:17:09,904 --> 00:17:12,407 [Narrator] And when police press Gary about his work, 320 00:17:12,449 --> 00:17:14,743 he makes no mention of Stephanie. 321 00:17:16,453 --> 00:17:19,372 He wasn't forthcoming and then toward the end of the interview, 322 00:17:19,414 --> 00:17:22,125 I somewhat challenged him 323 00:17:22,167 --> 00:17:25,503 regarding his relationship with his boss. 324 00:17:29,049 --> 00:17:32,385 He said, I really didn't want to tell you about my boss. 325 00:17:32,427 --> 00:17:33,928 And those things that went on 326 00:17:33,970 --> 00:17:38,224 because I thought you would think that this was involved. 327 00:17:38,266 --> 00:17:40,560 Gary was spending a lot of time with his boss. 328 00:17:40,602 --> 00:17:42,354 But there was never any information 329 00:17:42,395 --> 00:17:44,439 that they had a relationship. 330 00:17:46,483 --> 00:17:48,360 And he said and I also forgot to tell you, 331 00:17:48,401 --> 00:17:51,071 I do have a small caliber firearm under the seat 332 00:17:51,112 --> 00:17:52,572 in my truck outside. 333 00:17:54,407 --> 00:17:56,910 And that was important, because we obviously knew 334 00:17:56,951 --> 00:18:00,205 that it was a small caliber type pistol that was used 335 00:18:00,246 --> 00:18:02,499 in this crime. 336 00:18:02,540 --> 00:18:06,336 But he gave me the firearm, turned it over to us. 337 00:18:06,378 --> 00:18:09,130 [Narrator] After more than three hours of questioning, 338 00:18:09,172 --> 00:18:11,257 police let Gary go. 339 00:18:13,635 --> 00:18:15,929 We couldn't eliminate him because of the fact 340 00:18:15,970 --> 00:18:20,350 that he did have a firearm and that he wasn't 100% truthful 341 00:18:20,392 --> 00:18:21,810 in the beginning. 342 00:18:27,691 --> 00:18:30,985 [Narrator] The next day investigators gain more insight 343 00:18:31,027 --> 00:18:32,612 when the medical examiner 344 00:18:32,654 --> 00:18:35,281 confirms Sharon's cause of death. 345 00:18:35,323 --> 00:18:36,741 It wasn't point blank, 346 00:18:36,783 --> 00:18:39,994 but it was a close range shot to the back of the head. 347 00:18:40,036 --> 00:18:41,621 The projectile was retrieved 348 00:18:41,663 --> 00:18:46,418 from, um, Mrs. Parker's head area, was a 25 caliber. 349 00:18:46,459 --> 00:18:47,961 [Narrator] Which means the pistol 350 00:18:48,003 --> 00:18:52,132 Sharon's husband Gary turned over to police, a .22, 351 00:18:52,173 --> 00:18:55,010 is not the murder weapon. 352 00:18:55,051 --> 00:18:58,430 Gary's alibi also checks out. 353 00:18:58,471 --> 00:19:01,224 He was at work and then at a bar 354 00:19:01,266 --> 00:19:04,394 and all that was checked and he in fact was. 355 00:19:05,562 --> 00:19:06,980 [Narrator] Gary's boss, Stephanie, 356 00:19:07,022 --> 00:19:10,734 is also interviewed and reveals she too was at work 357 00:19:10,775 --> 00:19:13,403 eliminating both of them as suspects. 358 00:19:17,574 --> 00:19:23,538 With no apparent leads, the hunt for baby Julie turns desperate. 359 00:19:23,580 --> 00:19:26,541 I remember sitting on the couch with dad, you know, 360 00:19:26,583 --> 00:19:30,628 and we're just, when's mommy coming home? 361 00:19:30,670 --> 00:19:33,840 You know we thought that the hospital was gonna fix her up. 362 00:19:33,882 --> 00:19:37,802 My family tried to keep me from watching the news. 363 00:19:37,844 --> 00:19:40,055 I knew that they were having roadblocks 364 00:19:40,096 --> 00:19:41,973 and there was a search. 365 00:19:42,015 --> 00:19:48,063 I had, um, almost been able to think that maybe 366 00:19:48,104 --> 00:19:49,856 none of this was real. 367 00:19:49,898 --> 00:19:53,818 It just kind of hit home that our mom wasn't coming back. 368 00:19:55,820 --> 00:20:00,075 [Jim] We enlisted and asked for help from the public. 369 00:20:00,116 --> 00:20:01,242 We have a murder. 370 00:20:01,284 --> 00:20:03,119 We have a child that's missing. 371 00:20:03,161 --> 00:20:04,788 If anybody reports anything unusual 372 00:20:04,829 --> 00:20:07,123 contact sheriff's office immediately. 373 00:20:11,753 --> 00:20:13,338 [Narrator] The media blitz initiated 374 00:20:13,380 --> 00:20:16,341 by the sheriff's department soon has their phones ringing 375 00:20:16,383 --> 00:20:18,843 off the hook. 376 00:20:18,885 --> 00:20:21,471 We got over 100 leads. 377 00:20:21,513 --> 00:20:24,891 [Jim] Every one of them had to be tracked down. 378 00:20:24,933 --> 00:20:27,686 We had to get agents or detectives to go out 379 00:20:27,727 --> 00:20:32,148 and confirm or deny whether or not every one of them was valid. 380 00:20:32,190 --> 00:20:33,650 [Narrator] But to investigators, 381 00:20:33,692 --> 00:20:37,737 there is one remaining lead that stands out. 382 00:20:37,779 --> 00:20:40,490 [Les] Out of all the tips and leads that came in, 383 00:20:40,532 --> 00:20:44,160 one tip came in that there was a person that worked 384 00:20:44,202 --> 00:20:45,995 at Perkins Restaurant. 385 00:20:46,037 --> 00:20:49,290 His wife had claimed to have just had a baby. 386 00:20:49,332 --> 00:20:51,793 But she didn't look like she had been pregnant. 387 00:20:55,797 --> 00:20:58,883 [music] 388 00:21:03,096 --> 00:21:03,388 [music] 389 00:21:07,809 --> 00:21:11,521 [Narrator] Within 24 hours of the murder of Sharon Parker, 390 00:21:11,563 --> 00:21:14,691 one tip has caught the eye of law enforcement. 391 00:21:16,484 --> 00:21:18,862 Investigators speak to the tipster, 392 00:21:18,903 --> 00:21:21,948 an employee at the chain restaurant "Perkins", 393 00:21:21,990 --> 00:21:23,825 Peggy Mason. 394 00:21:23,867 --> 00:21:28,621 It was all over the news, that a woman was killed, 395 00:21:28,663 --> 00:21:30,707 and her baby was taken. 396 00:21:30,749 --> 00:21:33,668 So, I was very aware of that. 397 00:21:33,710 --> 00:21:36,880 Betty Anne came into the restaurant that Thursday 398 00:21:36,921 --> 00:21:38,173 with the baby. 399 00:21:38,214 --> 00:21:40,008 And the hair stood up on the back of my neck. 400 00:21:42,052 --> 00:21:44,596 [Narrator] "Betty Ann" is Betty Ann Kirk, 401 00:21:44,637 --> 00:21:48,600 wife to Peggy's fellow Perkins employee, Craig. 402 00:21:48,641 --> 00:21:50,060 [Peggy] I'd known him for a couple of years. 403 00:21:50,101 --> 00:21:52,228 He was happy to find out that she was pregnant. 404 00:21:52,270 --> 00:21:53,772 And we all hoped for the best. 405 00:21:53,813 --> 00:21:55,899 I remember after he told us that, 406 00:21:55,940 --> 00:21:57,609 Betty Ann would come in and we kept saying, 407 00:21:57,650 --> 00:21:59,069 she's not getting very big and he said, 408 00:21:59,110 --> 00:22:01,613 well it's, she's having a kidney issues. 409 00:22:03,656 --> 00:22:06,743 So, I went out, and I saw the baby. 410 00:22:06,785 --> 00:22:09,371 And Betty kept cradling the baby. 411 00:22:09,412 --> 00:22:12,248 She wasn't letting anybody too close to it. 412 00:22:12,290 --> 00:22:13,667 And I kept pressing. 413 00:22:13,708 --> 00:22:14,959 I kept getting up on her. 414 00:22:15,001 --> 00:22:16,419 Betty let me see and I was telling her, 415 00:22:16,461 --> 00:22:20,048 Betty Ann she's just beautiful. 416 00:22:20,090 --> 00:22:24,803 [Narrator] Reluctantly, Betty allowed Peggy to get closer. 417 00:22:24,844 --> 00:22:26,513 While I was looking at the baby, 418 00:22:26,554 --> 00:22:29,265 I could tell that, that Betty had shaved her head. 419 00:22:32,477 --> 00:22:36,523 I could see she had long dark tuft of hair 420 00:22:36,564 --> 00:22:38,900 that she missed when she shaved her head. 421 00:22:41,152 --> 00:22:43,446 I said, Betty, I've gotta get back to work, 422 00:22:43,488 --> 00:22:46,199 but I knew I was on the right track. 423 00:22:49,035 --> 00:22:52,789 [Narrator] Peggy gives police a description of betty ann. 424 00:22:52,831 --> 00:22:56,001 [Peggy] She had to be, maybe 5'7", 5'8. 425 00:22:56,042 --> 00:23:00,380 And I said, she's got a red Subaru. 426 00:23:00,422 --> 00:23:03,425 [Narrator] The details of the vehicle match the description 427 00:23:03,466 --> 00:23:06,761 given by the neighbor who saw a woman at Sharon's home 428 00:23:06,803 --> 00:23:09,514 on the day of the murder. 429 00:23:09,556 --> 00:23:14,978 The name Betty Kirk also rings a bell with one investigator. 430 00:23:15,020 --> 00:23:19,107 [Jack] I was actually working a case on her for check fraud. 431 00:23:19,149 --> 00:23:21,735 That's the only criminal background I know. 432 00:23:21,776 --> 00:23:24,863 I had never suspected her of anything like this. 433 00:23:30,035 --> 00:23:33,621 [Lauren] Betty Ann Kirk was born here in Florida 434 00:23:33,663 --> 00:23:36,583 on November 7th, 1958, 435 00:23:36,624 --> 00:23:39,419 and grew up in the area. 436 00:23:39,461 --> 00:23:40,837 [Narrator] Betty's first marriage 437 00:23:40,879 --> 00:23:44,632 was a whirlwind of trauma and abuse. 438 00:23:44,674 --> 00:23:47,594 Betty had two children from a previous relationship 439 00:23:47,635 --> 00:23:49,346 that didn't work. 440 00:23:49,387 --> 00:23:52,682 They fought every single night, and it was constant. 441 00:23:52,724 --> 00:23:55,685 It was, it was harsh. 442 00:23:55,727 --> 00:23:58,855 [Narrator] In 1981, child protective services 443 00:23:58,897 --> 00:24:02,650 placed her children in foster care. 444 00:24:02,692 --> 00:24:05,111 [Lauren] DHS actually took her son away 445 00:24:05,153 --> 00:24:07,864 after one of these battery incidents 446 00:24:07,906 --> 00:24:10,700 and put him in foster care. 447 00:24:13,703 --> 00:24:15,830 [Narrator] Betty divorced her first husband 448 00:24:15,872 --> 00:24:18,875 and in 1982, she met Craig Kirk. 449 00:24:20,377 --> 00:24:22,962 Betty met Craig when she was living here in Fort Myers, 450 00:24:23,004 --> 00:24:25,715 and this was the love of her life. 451 00:24:25,757 --> 00:24:27,884 She was just so smitten. 452 00:24:27,926 --> 00:24:31,721 [Narrator] The couple officially tied the knot in 1983. 453 00:24:31,763 --> 00:24:34,724 But newlywed bliss quickly faded. 454 00:24:37,102 --> 00:24:40,563 From the start, the family faced financial challenges 455 00:24:40,605 --> 00:24:43,775 caring for two children under five. 456 00:24:43,817 --> 00:24:46,444 Craig was struggling because he was working as a cook 457 00:24:46,486 --> 00:24:47,862 at a local Perkin's Restaurant, 458 00:24:47,904 --> 00:24:49,739 but not bringing in very much money. 459 00:24:49,781 --> 00:24:51,950 And at the time she was uneducated 460 00:24:51,991 --> 00:24:55,620 and not able to get a lot of opportunities for employment. 461 00:25:00,166 --> 00:25:01,918 [Narrator] Despite her unemployment, 462 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,422 Betty was a passionate volunteer. 463 00:25:05,463 --> 00:25:07,841 [Lauren] Betty Kirk loved children. 464 00:25:07,882 --> 00:25:10,802 She was a Girl Scout troop leader. 465 00:25:10,844 --> 00:25:12,929 [Narrator] Eventually, Betty found a way 466 00:25:12,971 --> 00:25:17,183 to turn her love of working with children into a paycheck. 467 00:25:17,225 --> 00:25:21,062 [Lauren] She was a clown with a local clown troupe, 468 00:25:21,104 --> 00:25:23,023 and she would perform at birthday parties 469 00:25:23,064 --> 00:25:26,943 in shopping malls, painting kids' faces, etc. 470 00:25:31,990 --> 00:25:34,242 [Narrator] Despite her happy persona, 471 00:25:34,284 --> 00:25:37,787 Betty and Craig struggled to make ends meet. 472 00:25:37,829 --> 00:25:42,500 Leading Betty at times to take desperate measures. 473 00:25:42,542 --> 00:25:45,086 She had written some fraudulent checks 474 00:25:45,128 --> 00:25:47,380 and cashed them at the grocery store. 475 00:25:50,508 --> 00:25:54,888 [Narrator] Within a year, Betty made a surprising announcement. 476 00:25:54,929 --> 00:25:58,850 In the summer of 1989, Betty announced that she was pregnant. 477 00:25:58,892 --> 00:26:01,895 The couple began buying clothes, and a crib. 478 00:26:01,936 --> 00:26:03,938 [Peggy] Once she told us that she was pregnant, 479 00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:05,482 I started the count. 480 00:26:05,523 --> 00:26:10,236 And where every woman will go 40 weeks, for a pregnancy, 481 00:26:10,278 --> 00:26:13,365 Betty Anne was at 43. 482 00:26:13,406 --> 00:26:14,991 It just kept going. 483 00:26:15,033 --> 00:26:17,994 [Lauren] But on March 29th of 1990, 484 00:26:18,036 --> 00:26:21,206 Betty and Craig announced the birth of their daughter, 485 00:26:21,247 --> 00:26:23,833 Laura Velta Kirk. 486 00:26:23,875 --> 00:26:27,003 Some of the Perkins Restaurant employees, um, 487 00:26:27,045 --> 00:26:29,839 thought it was strange because she had a child, 488 00:26:29,881 --> 00:26:31,966 the same day as the murder. 489 00:26:33,843 --> 00:26:35,178 [Narrator] The baby's birthday 490 00:26:35,220 --> 00:26:38,056 occurring the same day as Sharon's murder, 491 00:26:38,098 --> 00:26:42,477 is a coincidence investigators cannot dismiss. 492 00:26:42,519 --> 00:26:46,773 So, we got a detective go out and, investigate that lead. 493 00:26:46,815 --> 00:26:48,191 When he told me the name, 494 00:26:48,233 --> 00:26:50,902 then it immediately registered to me because I knew 495 00:26:50,944 --> 00:26:53,822 the name from my check fraud case I was working. 496 00:26:56,908 --> 00:26:58,785 [Narrator] He heads first to the restaurant 497 00:26:58,827 --> 00:27:01,705 where Betty's husband, Craig, is a cook. 498 00:27:01,746 --> 00:27:04,958 Neither Betty nor Craig are there. 499 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:08,712 [Jack] I tried to talk to the employees and their stories 500 00:27:08,753 --> 00:27:10,714 were all about the same. 501 00:27:10,755 --> 00:27:12,716 [Narrator] By march of 1990, 502 00:27:12,757 --> 00:27:16,219 Craig's co workers were beyond suspicious. 503 00:27:16,261 --> 00:27:17,846 [Lauren] She didn't gain too much weight 504 00:27:17,887 --> 00:27:23,059 and, her belly didn't pop out the way a pregnant belly would. 505 00:27:23,101 --> 00:27:26,062 [Peggy] Craig had come to work the day before and said, 506 00:27:26,104 --> 00:27:29,733 he thought Betty Anne was, was gonna have the baby. 507 00:27:29,774 --> 00:27:31,067 Soon, very soon. 508 00:27:32,819 --> 00:27:35,989 [Narrator] The next day Betty shows up to visit the restaurant 509 00:27:36,031 --> 00:27:39,367 with a brand-new baby girl. 510 00:27:39,409 --> 00:27:41,870 We have a missing baby and all of a sudden, 511 00:27:41,911 --> 00:27:44,414 one shows up, big red flags go up. 512 00:27:48,918 --> 00:27:51,755 [Narrator] With baby Julie missing for 24 hours, 513 00:27:51,796 --> 00:27:54,591 there is no time to waste. 514 00:27:54,632 --> 00:27:58,970 Investigators race to the home of Betty Ann Kirk. 515 00:27:59,012 --> 00:28:02,766 When police arrive at the Kirk trailer, 516 00:28:02,807 --> 00:28:05,977 it's in bad condition. 517 00:28:09,689 --> 00:28:11,274 [Jim] There was clothes piled up. 518 00:28:11,316 --> 00:28:15,236 There was what I call debris on the counters. 519 00:28:15,278 --> 00:28:17,113 Some of the beds were literally had no frame, 520 00:28:17,155 --> 00:28:19,157 they were on the floor. 521 00:28:19,199 --> 00:28:21,534 It was a filthy environment. 522 00:28:21,576 --> 00:28:24,746 [Narrator] Adding to their concern, betty's husband, Craig, 523 00:28:24,788 --> 00:28:30,251 seems to be drunk and able to answer only basic questions. 524 00:28:30,293 --> 00:28:34,339 Craig is sitting in this bar area just drinking. 525 00:28:34,381 --> 00:28:37,676 And it just seems like he's already drunk. 526 00:28:37,717 --> 00:28:41,805 Craig confirmed that his wife had recently, uh the day prior, 527 00:28:41,846 --> 00:28:43,973 uh, delivered the baby. 528 00:28:44,015 --> 00:28:45,767 [Jack] Betty Kirk came out of a bedroom 529 00:28:45,809 --> 00:28:47,143 which was to the back, 530 00:28:47,185 --> 00:28:50,689 and we started asking her questions about the baby. 531 00:28:50,730 --> 00:28:53,400 She had said that she went to the health department, 532 00:28:53,441 --> 00:28:57,487 had the baby there, and they sent her directly home. 533 00:28:57,529 --> 00:29:01,116 Betty Kirk gave an explanation that she had the baby 534 00:29:01,157 --> 00:29:04,160 at the health department on Michigan Avenue. 535 00:29:04,202 --> 00:29:06,538 We knew that the health department on Michigan Avenue 536 00:29:06,579 --> 00:29:08,206 doesn't deliver babies. 537 00:29:10,166 --> 00:29:14,587 [Narrator] They press Betty for proof that the baby is hers. 538 00:29:14,629 --> 00:29:17,632 She told police she couldn't find the birth certificate. 539 00:29:17,674 --> 00:29:21,845 [Jack] My concern was the baby's safety where the baby was. 540 00:29:21,886 --> 00:29:23,680 We kept asking her questions and eventually, 541 00:29:23,722 --> 00:29:26,182 got around to could we see the baby. 542 00:29:26,224 --> 00:29:28,309 Well, she brought the baby out to show it to us, 543 00:29:28,351 --> 00:29:31,312 it was wrapped in a blanket when I saw it. 544 00:29:31,354 --> 00:29:33,815 [Jim] Another investigator, his kids were still rather young, 545 00:29:33,857 --> 00:29:36,651 so he remembers the difference between an actual newborn 546 00:29:36,693 --> 00:29:41,865 and somebody being ten or twelve or fourteen days old, 547 00:29:41,906 --> 00:29:45,118 um, more alert, more awake, eyes open. 548 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:47,454 It obviously, wasn't born the day before yesterday. 549 00:29:51,624 --> 00:29:54,461 [music] 550 00:29:58,673 --> 00:29:58,965 [music] 551 00:30:03,428 --> 00:30:05,263 [Narrator] Thirty hours into the investigation 552 00:30:05,305 --> 00:30:07,432 of the murder of Sharon Parker 553 00:30:07,474 --> 00:30:12,395 and the search for now 11 day old missing baby Julie, 554 00:30:12,437 --> 00:30:15,523 police in Lehigh Florida suspect that the newborn 555 00:30:15,565 --> 00:30:19,319 in Betty Ann Kirk's home may not be her own. 556 00:30:20,904 --> 00:30:23,281 [Jack] I was concerned for the child. 557 00:30:23,323 --> 00:30:26,785 But at that point, we couldn't really do a lot about it 558 00:30:26,826 --> 00:30:28,828 until we did some follow up 559 00:30:28,870 --> 00:30:32,957 and either verified her story or discredited her story, 560 00:30:32,999 --> 00:30:35,126 and we excused ourselves and left. 561 00:30:39,255 --> 00:30:41,132 [Narrator] One officer conducts surveillance 562 00:30:41,174 --> 00:30:42,676 near Betty Kirk's home, 563 00:30:42,717 --> 00:30:46,721 while the other reports back to his supervisor. 564 00:30:46,763 --> 00:30:49,265 He went about a half mile away and had to use a payphone. 565 00:30:49,307 --> 00:30:51,434 There was no cellphones back then. 566 00:30:51,476 --> 00:30:54,979 He called my lieutenant and gave him a full briefing 567 00:30:55,021 --> 00:30:57,107 on what was happening. 568 00:30:57,148 --> 00:30:59,109 [Jack] When we went to make phone calls, 569 00:30:59,150 --> 00:31:03,279 try to verify some of this information, we could not. 570 00:31:03,321 --> 00:31:07,867 Betty is claiming that she gave birth on March 29th of 1990 571 00:31:07,909 --> 00:31:09,536 at the Health Department, 572 00:31:09,577 --> 00:31:14,040 which they have no facility for a woman to give birth, 573 00:31:14,082 --> 00:31:16,668 so investigators checked every hospital, 574 00:31:16,710 --> 00:31:20,338 every clinic in the area and there was no record 575 00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:22,340 of Betty Kirk giving birth. 576 00:31:26,344 --> 00:31:27,762 [Narrator] Meanwhile, 577 00:31:27,804 --> 00:31:30,015 the officer keeping watch over the Kirk home 578 00:31:30,056 --> 00:31:32,225 notes alarming activity. 579 00:31:33,727 --> 00:31:38,189 I started seeing a shadow come out of the house, go to the car, 580 00:31:38,231 --> 00:31:40,442 made about three or four trips, 581 00:31:40,483 --> 00:31:42,777 appeared to be carrying something. 582 00:31:42,819 --> 00:31:44,738 [Jim] It was Betty Kirk. 583 00:31:44,779 --> 00:31:48,241 Jack got on the radio and said Betty is leaving. 584 00:31:49,492 --> 00:31:52,370 She came out and got in the car 585 00:31:52,412 --> 00:31:55,665 and drove directly in front of me, 586 00:31:55,707 --> 00:31:57,125 I followed her. 587 00:31:57,167 --> 00:31:59,336 And about a mile and a half or so away, 588 00:31:59,377 --> 00:32:01,379 we made a vehicle stop on her vehicle. 589 00:32:05,342 --> 00:32:07,594 [Narrator] The baby isn't in the vehicle 590 00:32:07,635 --> 00:32:09,637 but the officer does find a reason 591 00:32:09,679 --> 00:32:13,183 to believe their suspect may be running away. 592 00:32:14,309 --> 00:32:16,019 [Jack] She had a couple of baskets of clothes, 593 00:32:16,061 --> 00:32:18,521 a couple of bags of clothes. 594 00:32:18,563 --> 00:32:21,232 She had said she was going to a store. 595 00:32:21,274 --> 00:32:22,984 The store she mentioned, 596 00:32:23,026 --> 00:32:25,445 I knew it was closed because of the hour. 597 00:32:25,487 --> 00:32:27,781 It was 10:00 or 11:00 at night. 598 00:32:27,822 --> 00:32:31,910 [Narrator] Investigators aren't letting betty out of sight. 599 00:32:31,951 --> 00:32:34,120 [Jim] They asked Betty if she would willingly go 600 00:32:34,162 --> 00:32:37,248 to headquarters for an interview and she agreed. 601 00:32:37,290 --> 00:32:40,752 I got very concerned about the infant 602 00:32:40,794 --> 00:32:45,465 being left at the house with a intoxicated person. 603 00:32:45,507 --> 00:32:47,384 So, I went back to the house 604 00:32:47,425 --> 00:32:49,678 to check on the safety of the child. 605 00:32:51,346 --> 00:32:55,141 [Narrator] The baby is with betty's husband, Craig. 606 00:32:55,183 --> 00:32:57,435 When I got there, the gentleman was still there 607 00:32:57,477 --> 00:32:58,895 and was still drinking. 608 00:32:58,937 --> 00:33:01,523 I do not believe he could take care of an infant. 609 00:33:01,564 --> 00:33:04,150 At that point, the protocol changes. 610 00:33:04,192 --> 00:33:06,945 Now, were have an endangered child. 611 00:33:06,986 --> 00:33:10,865 We called in the troops at that point DCFS got involved, 612 00:33:10,907 --> 00:33:14,619 we secured everything while they completed their investigation. 613 00:33:15,829 --> 00:33:17,664 [Jim] We had health and rehabilitative services go 614 00:33:17,706 --> 00:33:19,874 and, uh, take custody of the child. 615 00:33:19,916 --> 00:33:22,502 They brought the child to Lee Memorial Hospital 616 00:33:22,544 --> 00:33:24,796 for observation, an examination. 617 00:33:28,341 --> 00:33:30,844 [Narrator] Before detectives interview Betty Kirk, 618 00:33:30,885 --> 00:33:33,722 they question her husband. 619 00:33:33,763 --> 00:33:36,975 Craig is adamant he had every reason to believe 620 00:33:37,017 --> 00:33:39,144 his wife was pregnant. 621 00:33:39,185 --> 00:33:40,854 She went three times to the doctor. 622 00:33:40,895 --> 00:33:44,399 For what her husband thought was prenatal care. 623 00:33:44,441 --> 00:33:45,775 She even told her husband 624 00:33:45,817 --> 00:33:47,610 that he couldn't sleep in the bed with her 625 00:33:47,652 --> 00:33:50,572 because she needed the extra space for her pregnant belly. 626 00:33:54,451 --> 00:33:56,161 [Narrator] As for the day of the murder, 627 00:33:56,202 --> 00:33:58,329 and the alleged birth of his child, 628 00:33:58,371 --> 00:34:00,790 Craig has an alibi. 629 00:34:00,832 --> 00:34:02,375 [Jim] I had learned that Craig Kirk 630 00:34:02,417 --> 00:34:05,045 was working all day the day of the murder. 631 00:34:05,086 --> 00:34:08,340 So, his alibi was easily accountable. 632 00:34:08,381 --> 00:34:11,176 Investigators ask Craig if Betty has a gun, 633 00:34:11,217 --> 00:34:15,221 and he tells them yes, a .25 caliber handgun, 634 00:34:15,263 --> 00:34:17,974 but he says he hasn't seen it in a while. 635 00:34:18,016 --> 00:34:22,354 The gun used to kill Sharon was a .25-caliber, 636 00:34:22,395 --> 00:34:24,439 which isn't the most common. 637 00:34:24,481 --> 00:34:27,817 But this is the exact type of gun that Betty owned. 638 00:34:28,860 --> 00:34:31,196 [Narrator] After confirming his alibi, 639 00:34:31,237 --> 00:34:33,615 Craig is released with no charges. 640 00:34:36,576 --> 00:34:39,496 Next, investigators question Betty, 641 00:34:39,537 --> 00:34:43,667 now pressing her on what she knows about Sharon Parker. 642 00:34:43,708 --> 00:34:48,505 In a surprise move, Betty admits she knew Sharon. 643 00:34:48,546 --> 00:34:51,216 [Lauren] Betty claims that she and Sharon 644 00:34:51,257 --> 00:34:52,967 are, actually, friends. 645 00:34:53,009 --> 00:34:54,386 Betty told investigators 646 00:34:54,427 --> 00:34:57,305 that she met Sharon at a shopping mall 647 00:34:57,347 --> 00:34:59,516 when she was dressed as a clown. 648 00:34:59,557 --> 00:35:00,850 [Jim] Betty would dress up as a clown 649 00:35:00,892 --> 00:35:04,396 and that's where Betty Kirk met Sharon Parker. 650 00:35:04,437 --> 00:35:06,022 [Narrator] According to Betty, 651 00:35:06,064 --> 00:35:09,901 she got to know Sharon while painting the twins' faces. 652 00:35:09,943 --> 00:35:11,903 [Lauren] The two women had bonded because 653 00:35:11,945 --> 00:35:15,281 Betty had told Sharon she was, also, pregnant. 654 00:35:15,323 --> 00:35:16,825 [Jim] They exchanged phone numbers, 655 00:35:16,866 --> 00:35:18,952 and they began to befriend each other. 656 00:35:23,415 --> 00:35:24,874 [Narrator] According to Betty, 657 00:35:24,916 --> 00:35:27,502 when she read the birth announcement for Sharon's baby 658 00:35:27,544 --> 00:35:30,130 in the newspaper on march 29th, 659 00:35:30,171 --> 00:35:34,634 she decided to congratulate her friend in person. 660 00:35:34,676 --> 00:35:37,846 Betty Kirk said that she went to the house and that, uh, 661 00:35:37,887 --> 00:35:39,764 she was invited in. 662 00:35:39,806 --> 00:35:44,394 And Sharon Parker was sitting in a chair. 663 00:35:44,436 --> 00:35:45,770 [Jim] They spoke for a while. 664 00:35:45,812 --> 00:35:48,523 At one point, uh, Betty said she was thirsty, 665 00:35:48,565 --> 00:35:51,568 a short distance away was a convenient type store 666 00:35:51,609 --> 00:35:53,153 and, Sharon gave her a dollar 667 00:35:53,194 --> 00:35:55,447 and said get me a candy bar as well. 668 00:35:55,488 --> 00:35:58,074 And Betty Kirk left for a short period, 669 00:35:58,116 --> 00:36:01,453 got a Pepsi or Coke and came back with the candy bar. 670 00:36:04,956 --> 00:36:07,042 [Narrator] Betty says when she returned from the store 671 00:36:07,083 --> 00:36:10,170 and reached into her purse for Sharon's change, 672 00:36:10,211 --> 00:36:13,506 a horrible accident ensued. 673 00:36:13,548 --> 00:36:16,468 Betty says that she regularly carries a handgun 674 00:36:16,509 --> 00:36:18,970 in her purse for protection. 675 00:36:19,012 --> 00:36:21,598 [Jim] The pistol fell out of her purse. 676 00:36:21,639 --> 00:36:25,101 She grabbed it and the gun went off. 677 00:36:27,604 --> 00:36:32,650 She shot Sharon Parker in the back of the head... 678 00:36:32,692 --> 00:36:36,029 but she explained it away as an accident. 679 00:36:37,072 --> 00:36:40,658 When it accidentally went off and hit Sharon, 680 00:36:40,700 --> 00:36:43,995 she panicked and just grabbed the baby and fled. 681 00:36:47,374 --> 00:36:49,668 [Narrator] As to her extended pregnancy, 682 00:36:49,709 --> 00:36:54,005 detectives learn that there was an unfortunate explanation. 683 00:36:54,047 --> 00:36:56,675 [Lauren] Betty is claiming that she had a miscarriage, 684 00:36:56,716 --> 00:37:01,471 but she continued to pretend like she was pregnant. 685 00:37:01,513 --> 00:37:03,640 [Dr. Bryanna] A lot of the positive attention 686 00:37:03,682 --> 00:37:05,684 and things that she was receiving, 687 00:37:05,725 --> 00:37:08,520 uh, that was making her feel optimistic about her future 688 00:37:08,561 --> 00:37:10,689 and happy about her life was taken away. 689 00:37:10,730 --> 00:37:13,400 And so, she didn't want that to end. 690 00:37:13,441 --> 00:37:18,029 [Narrator] The forensics don't match Betty's version of events. 691 00:37:18,071 --> 00:37:22,575 The angle at which the gun was used to fire 692 00:37:22,617 --> 00:37:24,953 couldn't possibly have been from an accident. 693 00:37:24,994 --> 00:37:27,664 It wasn't like you accidentally stand above somebody, 694 00:37:27,706 --> 00:37:29,749 behind them, and shoot at them. 695 00:37:31,459 --> 00:37:33,920 At this point, police have enough to arrest her, 696 00:37:33,962 --> 00:37:35,463 even though she's still maintaining 697 00:37:35,505 --> 00:37:37,007 that it was an accident. 698 00:37:38,675 --> 00:37:41,553 [Narrator] Less than two days after the investigation began, 699 00:37:41,594 --> 00:37:45,056 Betty Ann Kirk is booked and stops talking. 700 00:37:46,391 --> 00:37:48,977 Betty invoked her right to remain silent 701 00:37:49,019 --> 00:37:50,103 and get an attorney. 702 00:37:52,731 --> 00:37:53,940 [Narrator] Coming up... 703 00:37:53,982 --> 00:37:56,443 A joyous reunion. 704 00:37:56,484 --> 00:37:59,821 All I ever heard was what a great mother she was. 705 00:37:59,863 --> 00:38:01,573 [Narrator] And to prove their case, 706 00:38:01,614 --> 00:38:05,910 police piece together a diabolical plan. 707 00:38:05,952 --> 00:38:09,289 It looked as if she might have been shopping for a baby. 708 00:38:12,500 --> 00:38:15,045 [music] 709 00:38:20,091 --> 00:38:20,383 [music] 710 00:38:24,679 --> 00:38:26,806 [Narrator] 31-year-old Betty Kirk 711 00:38:26,848 --> 00:38:29,392 is in custody for allegedly murdering 712 00:38:29,434 --> 00:38:34,564 young mother Sharon Parker and kidnapping her baby, Julie. 713 00:38:34,606 --> 00:38:38,985 Betty claims the shooting was an accident. 714 00:38:39,027 --> 00:38:41,446 She was just hanging out at Sharon's house 715 00:38:41,488 --> 00:38:42,947 because they were friends, 716 00:38:42,989 --> 00:38:46,284 and in the midst of this, the gun just went off. 717 00:38:51,164 --> 00:38:55,085 [Narrator] After her arrest, investigators search her car. 718 00:38:55,126 --> 00:38:56,753 [Joseph] There was a .25 caliber handgun 719 00:38:56,795 --> 00:38:59,839 found in Betty Kirk's car 720 00:38:59,881 --> 00:39:03,510 and the projectile was retrieved from Mrs. Parker's head, 721 00:39:03,551 --> 00:39:05,053 was a .25 caliber. 722 00:39:08,098 --> 00:39:12,018 [Narrator] The gun isn't the only damning evidence. 723 00:39:12,060 --> 00:39:14,229 [Heather] There was a "It's a Girl" banner 724 00:39:14,270 --> 00:39:16,147 that was found. 725 00:39:16,189 --> 00:39:20,026 There was some clothing and little trinkets and stuff 726 00:39:20,068 --> 00:39:23,947 that were gifted to my mother from her baby showers. 727 00:39:24,989 --> 00:39:26,741 There was a stack of several newspapers 728 00:39:26,783 --> 00:39:28,910 with birth announcements. 729 00:39:28,952 --> 00:39:32,539 It appeared to have I believe five or six different births 730 00:39:32,580 --> 00:39:34,207 circled on it. 731 00:39:34,249 --> 00:39:36,960 Sharon was one of the people that was circled. 732 00:39:38,086 --> 00:39:41,047 It looked as if she might have been shopping for a baby. 733 00:39:42,757 --> 00:39:44,384 [Lauren] Investigators followed up 734 00:39:44,426 --> 00:39:48,221 with the other women whose names were circled in the newspaper, 735 00:39:48,263 --> 00:39:51,933 and one of these women told investigators that Betty Kirk, 736 00:39:51,975 --> 00:39:55,228 actually did show up at her house claiming to be 737 00:39:55,270 --> 00:39:56,980 a healthcare worker. 738 00:39:57,022 --> 00:39:58,606 Investigators believe that Betty 739 00:39:58,648 --> 00:40:01,067 was just going to keep going down the list 740 00:40:01,109 --> 00:40:03,903 until somebody with a baby let her in the house. 741 00:40:08,783 --> 00:40:11,077 [Narrator] The baby found in Betty's custody 742 00:40:11,119 --> 00:40:15,749 is positively identified as Julie Parker. 743 00:40:15,790 --> 00:40:18,793 I went with my stepdad and Josh and Jake 744 00:40:18,835 --> 00:40:20,462 to the sheriff's department, 745 00:40:20,503 --> 00:40:21,921 where we picked her up 746 00:40:21,963 --> 00:40:26,134 and we were very happy to have our sister back. 747 00:40:26,176 --> 00:40:27,886 [Julie] The only thing I'm sure of 748 00:40:27,927 --> 00:40:30,221 is that it happened. 749 00:40:30,263 --> 00:40:33,600 It was just kind of known in my family. 750 00:40:33,641 --> 00:40:36,394 People just talked about it openly. 751 00:40:36,436 --> 00:40:39,773 For a lot of my childhood, I felt very guilty, 752 00:40:39,814 --> 00:40:41,900 like if I weren't born, that wouldn't have happened, 753 00:40:41,941 --> 00:40:43,360 and she'd still be here, 754 00:40:43,401 --> 00:40:46,237 and all my siblings would still have their mother. 755 00:40:46,279 --> 00:40:49,240 All I ever heard was what a great person she was. 756 00:40:49,282 --> 00:40:51,785 What a great, specifically, mother she was. 757 00:40:51,826 --> 00:40:54,412 That her passion in life was her children. 758 00:40:57,665 --> 00:40:59,250 [Narrator] On march 30 759 00:40:59,292 --> 00:41:02,671 Betty pleads innocent to charges of first-degree murder 760 00:41:02,712 --> 00:41:05,507 and kidnapping. 761 00:41:05,548 --> 00:41:07,926 As prosecutors prepare for trial, 762 00:41:07,967 --> 00:41:09,969 they delve into Betty's motive 763 00:41:10,011 --> 00:41:13,390 by speaking to those close to the couple. 764 00:41:13,431 --> 00:41:16,017 [Peggy] Craig and Betty weren't getting along, 765 00:41:16,059 --> 00:41:19,813 and he told her he was thinking about leaving her. 766 00:41:19,854 --> 00:41:22,315 There was always fighting, they never had money. 767 00:41:22,357 --> 00:41:25,318 And so, he was already considering leaving. 768 00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:28,905 [Narrator] Betty was determined to see him stay. 769 00:41:28,947 --> 00:41:31,241 She was trying to get pregnant, 770 00:41:31,282 --> 00:41:35,245 to entrap Craig to stay in their relationship. 771 00:41:35,286 --> 00:41:37,038 [Lauren] They tried to get pregnant for a long time 772 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:42,168 and she eventually did get pregnant in the summer of 1989, 773 00:41:42,210 --> 00:41:45,839 but she miscarried in December of that year. 774 00:41:47,590 --> 00:41:50,844 At that point, she had told people that she was pregnant, 775 00:41:50,885 --> 00:41:53,596 friends, family and, uh, 776 00:41:53,638 --> 00:41:55,140 it was time to either confess 777 00:41:55,181 --> 00:42:00,437 that she wasn't telling the truth or get a baby, 778 00:42:00,478 --> 00:42:02,147 she chose the latter. 779 00:42:06,484 --> 00:42:08,778 [Narrator] Fourteen months after the murder, 780 00:42:08,820 --> 00:42:11,239 the case nears trial. 781 00:42:11,281 --> 00:42:13,908 Staring down a possible death sentence, 782 00:42:13,950 --> 00:42:16,911 Betty weighs her options. 783 00:42:16,953 --> 00:42:19,581 Betty Ann Kirk ultimately pled no contest 784 00:42:19,622 --> 00:42:21,041 to first-degree murder. 785 00:42:21,082 --> 00:42:23,376 She was later sentenced to life in prison. 786 00:42:25,337 --> 00:42:28,882 [Heather] In order to avoid additional trauma, 787 00:42:28,923 --> 00:42:32,010 my family decided to accept that plea bargain. 788 00:42:37,265 --> 00:42:39,851 [Julie] I just heard she was this amazing, 789 00:42:39,893 --> 00:42:42,020 like, ideal person. 790 00:42:42,062 --> 00:42:44,939 And ya know, that everybody's blessed to know 791 00:42:44,981 --> 00:42:47,150 and I, unfortunately, missed the chance. 792 00:42:47,192 --> 00:42:49,694 And how sorry everybody felt for me 793 00:42:49,736 --> 00:42:53,281 that I didn't get to experience that. 794 00:42:53,323 --> 00:42:58,328 This lady didn't just steal my mom, she stole my joy. 795 00:42:58,370 --> 00:43:01,998 And I had to find it in my heart to do like Jesus did 796 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:05,627 and to be able to give some sort of forgiveness 797 00:43:05,669 --> 00:43:08,171 that way I could be free. 798 00:43:08,213 --> 00:43:13,343 A lotta people get to call their mom and tell 'em...about things. 799 00:43:13,385 --> 00:43:15,011 I never got to do that. 800 00:43:17,514 --> 00:43:20,016 She don't get to meet my kids. 801 00:43:20,058 --> 00:43:22,519 But not a day goes by I don't think about her. 802 00:43:28,483 --> 00:43:32,070 [music]