♪♪
Huffman: THE POLICE CHIEF, HE STOPPED ME.
AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD FOUND A BODY.
AND I JUST LOOKED AT HIM, AND I SAID, "IS IT TARA?"
AND HE SAID, "WE BELIEVE SO."
♪♪
THERE WAS A SQUAD CAR,
AND HE WAS ACTUALLY SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT OF THAT SQUAD CAR.
HE JUST HAD THIS LOOK ON HIS FACE,
AND I THOUGHT, "WHO IN THE HECK IS THAT GUY?"
HE WAS THIS MONSTER THAT WAS PREYING ON OUR CHILDREN.
IT WAS ALMOST LIKE HE HAD KIND OF BECAME
THE FREDDY KRUEGER OF KANKAKEE COUNTY.
♪♪
Mulcahy: I HAD BEEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR A WHILE AT THAT POINT,
SO I HAD SEEN SOME PRETTY HORRIFIC THINGS.
I ALWAYS KNEW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS EVIL AND BAD PEOPLE,
BUT YOU JUST WANT TO HAVE FAITH THAT PEOPLE ARE...
THAT YOU LIVE BY ARE BETTER THAN THAT.
Reporter: TWO WILL COUNTY OFFICERS FOUND MEYER'S BODY.
AT THE END OF THIS PATH NEAR THE KANKAKEE COUNTY BORDER.
AND I'M SITTING THERE, LOOKING RIGHT AT HER,
AND KNOWING WHAT HER LITTLE BOY WENT THROUGH,
[ SIGHS ] IT WAS A HORRIBLE THING.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.
JUST CRIED.
WE JUST SAT AND CRIED.
♪♪
Moulton: MY BIGGEST PAIN IS THAT I DIDN'T GET TO SAY GOODBYE,
AND I DIDN'T GET TO KNOW FOR SURE
IF HE KNEW HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM.
♪♪
[ Voice breaking ] THAT'S THE HARD PART.
[ Normal voice ] AND I THINK THAT'S THE PART OF...
...MY LIFE I REGRET THE MOST
IS I DON'T KNOW IF I SAID, "I LOVE YOU" THAT DAY.
I DON'T REMEMBER.
♪♪
Captions by VITAC... www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
♪♪
OKAY.
THAT'S TARA.
♪♪
TARA WAS THE YOUNGEST OF ALL THE CHILDREN.
SHE WAS KIND OF THE CELEBRITY OF THE FAMILY.
I WAS THE OLDEST CHILD LIVING AT HOME.
YOU KNOW, I WAS 13 YEARS OLD OR SO.
I WAS THE BROTHER THAT MAYBE SHE HAD THE CLOSER BOND TO.
♪♪
SHE REALLY LOVED HER ANIMALS. THAT'S FOR SURE.
SHE HAD TWO DOGS, AND THEN, OF COURSE,
WHEN THEY WENT OUT TO THE RIVER,
SHE WAS FINDING THE TURTLES OR THE FROGS
OR WHATEVER SHE COULD GET HER HANDS ON.
SHE JUST LOVED LIFE.
♪♪
I DON'T ALWAYS REMEMBER THE DATE,
BUT I NEVER FORGET THE DAY.
♪♪
ON MY WAY HOME, I HAD FOUND A LITTLE TURTLE,
AND I BROUGHT IT HOME TO GIVE IT TO TARA SUE.
♪♪
SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN 5 YEARS OLD THEN.
♪♪
MOM WAS HOME, AND I ASKED WHERE TARA SUE WAS,
AND SHE SAID SHE HAD GONE DOWN TO THE NEIGHBORS' HOUSE
TO PLAY WITH HER FRIEND.
♪♪
THEN I WENT DOWN TO THE NEIGHBORS',
AND THEY HADN'T SEEN HER.
I WENT BACK HOME, AND I SAID, "WELL, SHE AIN'T DOWN THERE,
AND THEY HAVEN'T SEEN HER."
♪♪
MY FATHER STARTED CALLING PEOPLE.
♪♪
YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN A NEIGHBORHOOD
YOU DIDN'T LOCK YOUR DOORS AT NIGHT.
YOU COULD LEAVE THE KEYS IN THE CAR, YOU KNOW?
IT WAS JUST THAT TYPE OF NEIGHBORHOOD.
NOTHING HAPPENED THERE.
HELLO, FRED.
HAVE YOU SEEN TARA SUE COME BY TODAY?
EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY,
AND YOU KNEW EVERYBODY'S KIDS, TOO.
I DON'T THINK THAT THERE WAS EVER ANY PANIC.
WE ALL THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW,
SHE'D DONE SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY,
SO WE JUST GOT TO FIND HER.
WHY DON'T YOU GO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AROUND?
OKAY.
YOU KNOW, IN 1981,
NOBODY EVER EVEN HEARD OF ANYTHING
HAPPENING TO A KID BACK THEN,
SO IT JUST...
IT'S LIKE IT WASN'T PART OF YOUR VOCABULARY.
YOU COULDN'T PRONOUNCE THAT, YOU KNOW?
IT JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN.
♪♪
Moulton: CHRIS SAID, ABOUT 1:00, HE GOES, "MOM, CAN I GO DOWN..."
PLAY WITH THE OTHER KIDS AT THE RIVER?
CAN I GO DOWN THERE?" AND I SAID, "SURE."
♪♪
5:00 CAME, AND HE WASN'T HOME,
AND I THOUGHT, "WELL, WHERE IS CHRIS?"
THIS WAS THE STRICT RULE IN OUR HOUSE...
TO BE HOME ON TIME.
♪♪
THEN, I WAS DOING STUFF IN THE KITCHEN,
AND I LOOKED AT THE STOVE, AND IT SAID 5:22,
AND I HAD THIS HORRIBLE, GUT-WRENCHING FEELING
LIKE SOMEBODY HAD PUNCHED ME IN THE GUT.
♪♪
I JUST FELT THIS NEED TO GO FIND HIM IMMEDIATELY.
[ OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS ]
♪♪
I TOOK OFF, AND I WENT DOWN TO THE RIVER,
AND I TALKED TO A COUPLE PEOPLE, COUPLE OF KIDS,
AND THEY WERE... AND ONE OF THEM WAS LIKE,
"HE LEFT, LIKE, AN HOUR AGO."
I THOUGHT, "OKAY, WE CROSSED PATHS."
♪♪
SO, I WENT BACK TO THE HOUSE.
CHRISTOPHER?
CHRIS WASN'T THERE.
CHRISTOPHER?
AS A MOM, YOU KNOW, YOU WORRY ABOUT ALL THIS LITTLE STUFF,
AND THEN EVERYTHING IS FINE, YOU KNOW?
YOU'RE ALWAYS, "WORRY, WORRY, WORRY, WORRY,
EVERYTHING'S FINE."
CHRISTOPHER?
SO, I DIDN'T WANT TO OVERREACT,
BUT AS EACH MOMENT THAT FELT LIKE AN ETERNITY WENT ON...
...I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT.
♪♪
THE SUN IS STARTING TO GO DOWN, IT'S, LIKE, 8:00,
AND THAT'S WHEN I SAID, "I HAVE TO CALL THE POLICE.
IT'S TIME TO CALL THE POLICE."
♪♪
AND THEY CAME OUT TO TAKE THE REPORT...
YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS HE WEARING AND HIS HEIGHT AND HIS WEIGHT.
HE WAS JUST WEARING A T-SHIRT AND PAIR OF SHORTS.
IT JUST WAS VERY SURREAL.
I COULDN'T COMPREHEND WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON.
ONE MOMENT, IT WAS SLOW-MOTION,
AND THE NEXT MOMENT, IT WAS A FLASH.
PEOPLE WERE COMING TO THE HOUSE, AND I JUST FELT LIKE,
"WELL, LET'S JUST GET THROUGH ALL THIS
SO WE CAN GET BACK TO OUR 'NORMAL' LIFE."
IT WAS CHAOS IN THE HOUSE,
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, JO APPEARS.
♪♪
SHE WAS SO CALM.
WE'RE GONNA DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO FIND HIM.
♪♪
I REMEMBER JUST THINKING I COULD TRUST THIS WOMAN.
♪♪
IN 1995, I WAS A SERGEANT IN INVESTIGATIONS.
♪♪
THE SHERIFF HAD CALLED ME IN AND TOLD ME WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
HE SAID THAT, "WE HAVE EVERYBODY OUT THERE SEARCHING",
AND I WANT YOU TO TALK TO THE MOTHER
AND FIND OUT WHAT YOU CAN AND MAKE SURE SHE UNDERSTANDS
THAT YOU'LL BE THE LIAISON,
"AND YOU CAN TALK TO HER, AND SHE CAN CALL YOU ANY TIME."
WHAT IS CHRISTOPHER LIKE?
WHAT DOES HE DO FOR FUN?
I WANTED TO KNOW CHRISTOPHER'S HABITS
AND WHAT HE LIKED TO DO.
HE LIKES TO FISH. HE RIDES HIS BIKE,
AND HE'S JUST A TYPICAL LITTLE 10-YEAR-OLD.
SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH CHRISTOPHER.
HE WAS A GOOD BOY.
SHE WAS JUST EXHAUSTED AND WORRIED.
BEING A MOTHER MYSELF AND KNOWING THAT
A CHILD IS MISSING AND TALKING MIKA,
YOU PUT YOURSELF IN THAT SITUATION, AND YOU CARE.
SHE KNEW THAT I WAS CONCERNED.
EVERYBODY WAS CONCERNED. I MEAN, WHO WOULDN'T BE?
♪♪
Reporter: CHRISTOPHER MEYER WAS LAST SEEN FISHING.
ALONG THE KANKAKEE RIVER.
NOW A HALF DOZEN BOATS AND OVER A HUNDRED WORKERS
ARE SEARCHING THE AREA.
EVERYBODY WAS INVOLVED IN THIS SEARCH
'CAUSE IT DOESN'T USUALLY HAPPEN,
A 10-YEAR-OLD MISSING OVERNIGHT LIKE THAT.
IT WAS URGENT. WE HAD TO FIND HIM.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR.
WE DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WERE LOOKING FOR A BODY,
IF HE WAS FLOATING IN THE WATER OR IF HE WAS JUST LOST.
♪♪
Reporter: THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING BOY CHRISTOPHER MEYER.
POLICE SAY HE WAS LAST SEEN FISHING ALONG THE RIVER
WHEN HE DISAPPEARED.
♪♪
Huffman: THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS LOOKING FOR TARA.
PEOPLE ARE GOING DOOR-TO-DOOR.
THEY'RE ALL SHARING THIS INFORMATION
THAT THIS LITTLE GIRL IS MISSING,
BUT THERE WAS NO CLUES AS TO WHERE SHE COULD HAVE GONE.
♪♪
I WAS STANDING HERE TALKING TO A GROUP OF THE NEIGHBORS
THAT WERE LOOKING FOR TARA ALSO, AND WE WERE CONVERSING ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, WHERE WE WERE GOING NEXT,
AND I NOTICED THIS YOUNG BOY
SITTING ON THE PORCH OF THIS HOME.
AND HE'S LOOKING AT ME, AND HE HAD THIS LOOK ON HIS FACE
THAT IT JUST STRUCK ME REALLY ODD, YOU KNOW?
I HAD NO IDEA WHO HE WAS,
BUT I NEVER FORGOT HIM FROM THAT MOMENT ON.
♪♪
HE WAS JUST A KID,
AND HE WAS JUST SITTING ON THE PORCH,
BUT WHEN WE MADE EYE CONTACT, THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE.
IT'S JUST HARD TO EXPLAIN.
♪♪
A HALF AN HOUR, 40 MINUTES LATER,
I SAW AN AMBULANCE PULL UP.
MY MOTHER AND MY TWO SISTERS WERE STANDING THERE,
AND I SAID, "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"
THAT'S WHEN THE POLICE CHIEF STOPPED ME
AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD FOUND A BODY.
AND I JUST LOOKED AT HIM,
AND I SAID, "IS IT TARA?"
AND HE SAID, "WE BELIEVE SO."
♪♪
MY MOM AND MY SISTERS, THEY HEARD THIS.
THEY ALL SCREAMED, AND MY MOTHER FAINTED,
AND THEY CAUGHT HER.
♪♪
ALL I COULD THINK IS, "I'D BETTER GET HOME TO TELL MY DAD."
♪♪
AND WHEN I LEFT, THERE WAS A SQUAD CAR,
AND THAT BOY THAT WAS SITTING ON THE PORCH LOOKING AT ME
WAS ACTUALLY SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT OF THAT SQUAD CAR,
AND AGAIN, WE MADE EYE CONTACT.
HE JUST HAD THIS LOOK ON HIS FACE,
AND I THOUGHT, "WHO IN THE HECK IS THAT KID?"
♪♪
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
I REMEMBER I WALKED IN THE HOUSE,
AND MY FATHER WAS ON THE PHONE, AND I TOLD HIM, YOU KNOW,
"HANG UP THE PHONE AND SIT DOWN."
♪♪
[ Voice breaking ] AND THAT'S WHEN I TOLD HIM.
[ SNIFFLES ]
[ Normal voice ] THAT'S WHEN I TOLD HIM THAT THEY FOUND A BODY,
AND THEY BELIEVE IT'S TARA.
♪♪
HE IMMEDIATELY... STARTED CRYING,
AND I REMEMBER HOLDING HIM.
AND...
I WANT TO SAY THAT'S PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME
[voice breaking] IN MY LIFE.
THAT I EVER SAW HIM CR... CR
[CLEARS THROAT] CRY.
AND... HE REALLY CRIED.
[ SNIFFLES ]
[ CRYING ]
♪♪
I'll GET THROUGH THIS.
[ SIGHS ]
♪♪
Reporter: AS THE SEARCH CONTINUES ALONG THE BANKS.
OF THE KANKAKEE RIVER, THERE HAS BEEN NO SIGN
OF MISSING 10-YEAR-OLD CHRISTOPHER MEYER.
♪♪
Moulton: I WOULD SIT AND LOOK OUT OUR PICTURE WINDOW.
AND JUST KNOW HE WAS GONNA COME UP,
PUSHING HIS BIKE, YOU KNOW, UP THE DRIVEWAY.
I IMAGINED HIM BEING DIRTY AND MUDDY,
TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEGS LIKE, "OH, GOD,
I'M IN SO MUCH TROUBLE NOW," KIND OF A THING,
AND YET HOW RELIEVED I WAS GONNA BE THAT HE WAS OKAY.
♪♪
[ TELEPHONE RINGING ]
AND THEN I GOT A PHONE CALL SAYING,
"YOU NEED TO COME DOWN TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT,"
AND I WAS LIKE, "OH, THEY FOUND HIM!"
♪♪
I REMEMBER THEM OPENING THE DOORS OF THIS CARGO VAN...
...AND THERE WAS HIS BIKE.
IT WAS VERY ODD SEEING THAT BIKE AND NOT HIM WITH IT.
♪♪
BUT I KNEW THAT I HAD TO BELIEVE
THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG EITHER...
"EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE OKAY.
HE'S GOING TO COME WALKING UP THAT DRIVE, YOU KNOW?
HE'S GONNA COME HOME. HE'S GONNA COME HOME."
AND THEY BROUGHT A SHOE IN THAT THEY HAD FOUND IN THE RIVER.
♪♪
I FELT LIKE MY KNEES BUCKLED.
♪♪
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT WAS JUST LIKE, LIKE,
I COULDN'T HOLD ONTO MY SANITY FOR A MOMENT.
I STARTED GOING TO THAT DARK PLACE
'CAUSE THEY HAD FOUND THESE THINGS.
♪♪
ON AUGUST 14th, WE WERE PHYSICALLY.
AND EMOTIONALLY DRAINED.
♪♪
I HADN'T SEEN MY OTHER KIDS IN SEVERAL DAYS
BECAUSE THEY WERE WITH FRIENDS,
AND I WANTED THEM TO BE SHIELDED FROM ALL THIS.
♪♪
AND I WAS SO TIRED OF BEING IN CHAOS.
I HATED IT.
I PRAYED, "PLEASE LET THIS BE OVER,
AND WHATEVER IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN,
I'M GONNA ACCEPT,"
AND I PRAYED AND PRAYED AND PRAYED,
AND I REMEMBER... I'll NEVER FORGET.
THAT WAS AT 1:00 A.M.
WHEN I CURLED UP INTO BED...
♪♪
...AND I FELT, LIKE, A SPLIT SECOND LATER,
SOMEONE WAS AT MY DOOR.
[ KNOCKS ON DOOR ]
♪♪
[ KNOCKING CONTINUES ]
♪♪
I KNOW I PRAYED ON THE WAY OVER THERE TO GIVE ME STRENGTH.
♪♪
SHE COULD TELL BY THE LOOK ON MY FACE,
I'M SURE, THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED.
I SAYS, "I NEED TO TALK TO YOU,"
AND SO WE WENT BACK INTO ANOTHER ROOM AND SAT DOWN.
♪♪
Moulton: AND THEN SHE SAID,
"WE FOUND A CHILD'S BODY,"
AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT, SAID,
"BUT WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CHRISTOPHER'S."
♪♪
AND I WASN'T CRYING.
I JUST REMEMBER LOOKING AT HER AND SAYING,
"BUT THERE'S NO OTHER KIDS MISSING."
♪♪
YOU WANTED TO GIVE HER SOME HOPE, BUT THERE WAS...
SHE KNEW, AND I KNEW, AND IT WAS JUST...
IT WAS TOUGH. IT WAS TOUGH.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.
JUST CRIED.
WE JUST SAT AND CRIED AND HELD HANDS.
[ SOBBING ]
♪♪
I'M A MOM, AND I WAS GOING THROUGH IT WITH HER,
NOT THE SAME, BUT I WAS STILL GOING THROUGH IT WITH HER.
♪♪S
MY WHOLE WORLD, MY WHOLE LIFE AS I KNEW IT,
MY WHOLE EVERYTHING ABOUT ME, CHANGED,
AND THE FUTURE THAT I ENVISIONED FOR MYSELF...
[SNIFFLES]
...IT TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.
♪♪
AND I KNEW THAT I WASN'T WAKING UP FROM THE NIGHTMARE.
[ SNIFFLES ]
♪♪
Reporter: A TRAGIC END TO THE SEARCH FOR A MISSING BOY.
TWO WILL COUNTY OFFICERS FOUND MEYER'S BODY
AT THE END OF THIS PATH NEAR THE KANKAKEE COUNTY BORDER.
POLICE ARE HOPING TO IDENTIFY A SUSPECT,
AS WITNESSES SAY THEY SAW HIM SPEAKING TO A MAN
ABOUT 35 YEARS OLD WITH DARK HAIR AND A MUSTACHE.
♪♪
ONE DAY, I OPENED THE PAPER,
AND THERE WAS THIS PICTURE,
A COMPOSITE SKETCH.
♪♪
YOU KNOW, I REALIZED HE WOULD BE IN HIS MID-20s OR SO,
AND I SAW THE EYES.
YOU KNOW, THOSE EYES, THEY'RE ALMOST...
THEY'RE STARING AT YOU, BUT THERE'S...
IT'S A BLANK-TYPE, YOU KNOW, EMOTIONLESS STARE.
THEN I TOLD MY WIFE. I SAID, "DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS?"
AND SHE SAID, "NO," AND I TOLD HER IT WAS TIM BUSS.
♪♪
I HADN'T LAID EYES ON HIM IN,
YOU KNOW, 15 YEARS PROBABLY.
THERE HE WAS.
♪♪
WHEN I SAW HIM IN THE SQUAD CAR
AND THEN AGAIN WHEN I SAW THE COMPOSITE SKETCH,
IT WAS, LIKE, THE SAME FEELING THAT CAME OVER ME.
♪♪
I KNEW WHO IT WAS BECAUSE THE SKETCH HIT ME
AS THAT BOY THAT WAS SITTING ON THE PORCH LOOKING AT ME.
♪♪
IT WAS AT THAT POINT WHEN HE GOT UP OFF OF THAT PORCH,
AND HE JOINED IN ON THE SEARCH AT THAT MOMENT.
♪♪
LATER THAT DAY, THE NEWS HAD GOTTEN TO ME THAT
THAT WAS THE BOY WHO FOUND TARA.
♪♪
AND THEY WERE WALKING INTO THIS...
IT'S AN OLD CITY DUMP.
THE KID JUST KIND OF VEERED OFF ON HIS OWN,
AND HE WAS LIKE, "I FOUND HER."
I FOUND HER," AND HE ACTUALLY PICKED HER UP.
♪♪
PRETTY SOON, IT'S...
THE WHOLE PICTURE STARTS COMING TOGETHER,
AND YOU'RE LIKE, "I'll BE DAMNED," YOU KNOW,
"HE'S THE GUY. HE'S THE GUY. HE DID IT."
♪♪
YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST... IT'S STILL UNIMAGINABLE.
♪♪
I BELIEVE WHAT KILLED HER WAS THAT SHE HAD SUFFERED
A BLUNT-FORCE TRAUMA TO THE HEAD.
♪♪
I MEAN, IT WAS HORRIBLE.
♪♪
THE SECOND I SEEN IT, I KNEW WHO IT WAS,
AND I WENT TO THE POLICE OFFICER AND TOLD HIM,
"I CAN IDENTIFY THIS SKETCH,"
AND I TOLD HIM IT WAS TIM BUSS,
AND HE LOOKED AT ME LIKE
MAYBE HE'D JUST SEEN A GHOST OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW?
♪♪
I HADN'T SEEN TIM BUSS SINCE HE WAS 13.
♪♪
I WAS THE JUVENILE OFFICER FOR KANKAKEE COUNTY,
AND WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE JAIL,
SO I HAD TO TRANSPORT TIM BUSS TO WILL COUNTY FOR HIS CASE.
HIS LACK OF EMOTION WAS REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW?
AFTER WHAT HE HAD BEEN THROUGH AND STAYING IN THE COUNTY JAIL,
I WOULD THINK HE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE EMOTIONAL OR DOWN,
AND HE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE. HE WAS NOT EMOTIONAL AT ALL.
♪♪
"LOOKS A LOT LIKE TIMOTHY BUSS. WHERE'S HE AT?
DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHERE HE'S AT?"
TIMOTHY BUSS WAS IN PRISON, AS FAR AS WE KNEW.
I MEAN, IT WAS LIKE, "HE'S NOT OUT, IS HE?"
♪♪
Mulcahy: TIM BUSS HAD MURDERED TARA SUE.
HE WAS JUST A CHILD. HE WAS JUST 13.
TARA SUE WAS ONLY 5,
AND IT WAS JUST SO HORRIBLE FOR EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY
TO THINK SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN HERE.
♪♪
WE HAD A COMPOSITE SKETCH MADE UP.
A COUPLE OF PEOPLE LOOKED AT THAT
AND THOUGHT IT RESEMBLED SOMEBODY THAT THEY KNEW,
WHICH WAS TIMOTHY BUSS.
♪♪
TIMOTHY BUSS WAS IN PRISON, AS FAR AS WE KNEW,
BUT, I MEAN, IT WAS LIKE, "HE'S NOT OUT, IS HE?"
♪♪
SO, WE CONTACTED DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
AND FOUND OUT THAT HE WAS RELEASED TWO YEARS PRIOR.
[ SIGHS DEEPLY ]
IT WAS HORRIBLE.
[SNIFFLES] BUT ANYWAY,
YEAH, WHEN I HEARD, "TIM BUSS,"
IT WAS JUST, LIKE,
I PRAYED IT WASN'T THE SAME.
NO, THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU.
[ HANGS RECEIVER UP ]
OUR HEARTS SANK, AND WE JUST HAD TO DO OUR INVESTIGATION.
♪♪
TIM BUSS WAS FROM THIS AREA.
HIS FAMILY STILL LIVED IN THE AREA,
AND I THINK HE WAS DRAWN TO THE WATER, THE RIVER.
♪♪
HE WAS A SUSPECT, BUT AT THAT POINT,
WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF EVIDENCE OR ANYTHING.
WE JUST NEEDED TO TALK TO HIM.
♪♪
MR. BUSS!
AND OUR OFFICERS AND DETECTIVES APPROACHED HIM.
THAT'S WHEN HE GOT A LITTLE UPSET...
"ANY TIME A CHILD IS MISSING, ARE YOU GONNA COME AFTER ME
AND TRY TO ARREST ME?"
LOOKING AT HIM, HE'S AN ADULT NOW,
YOU KNOW, NOT A LITTLE KID ANYMORE.
♪♪
IT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE TO SEE HIM.
♪♪
WHEN THE OFFICERS ASKED TO SEARCH THE VEHICLE,
HE SAYS, "YOU CAN SEARCH IT. I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE,"
AND JUST SIGNED A WAIVER SAYING TO GO AHEAD AND SEARCH THE CAR.
♪♪
WHEN WE SAW THE BLOOD IN THE VEHICLE OR FOUND OUT
THAT THERE WAS BLOOD THERE IN THE TRUNK OF THE CAR,
THE EVIDENCE OFFICERS WERE TAKING PICTURES
AND COLLECTING EVIDENCE,
AND THEY COLLECTED SOME HAIR SAMPLES
SO THEY COULD MATCH THE DNA MATCH FOR THE BLOOD,
AND IT CAME BACK AS CHRISTOPHER'S.
♪♪
Reporter: BACK IN 1981, TIM BUSS WAS CONVICTED.
OF MURDERING 5-YEAR-OLD TARA SUE HUFFMAN.
AFTER SERVING ONLY HALF OF HIS PRISON SENTENCE,
HE WAS PAROLED TWO YEARS AGO.
HAD NO IDEA, YOU KNOW, THAT HE WAS EVEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
OR ANYWHERE AROUND US, BUT HE WAS.
HE WAS THIS MONSTER THAT WAS PREYING ON OUR CHILDREN,
AND IT WAS ALMOST LIKE HE HAD KIND OF
BECAME THE FREDDY KRUEGER OF KANKAKEE COUNTY.
♪♪
IT'S HARD TO FATHOM THAT SOMEBODY COULD DO THIS
AND THEN HAVE THAT SAME PERSON DO IT AGAIN.
SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT.
♪♪
IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN LIKE THIS,
NOT JUST ONCE BUT DEFINITELY NOT TWICE.
♪♪
Reporter: FRIENDS AND FAMILY GATHER AS YOUNG CHRISTOPHER MEYER.
IS LAID TO REST TODAY AT THE AROMA PARK CEMETERY.
HE IS REMEMBERED AS A BOY WHO LOVED TO FISH.
HE LOVED TO SING, LOVED BUTTERFLIES,
AND TRULY LIVED LIFE TO THE FULLEST.
♪♪
THAT MORNING THAT CHRISTOPHER WAS GETTING READY,
HE DREW A PICTURE OF A BUTTERFLY FOR A COWORKER
BECAUSE IT WAS HER BIRTHDAY...
♪♪
...AND THE DAY OF HIS FUNERAL,
MY FRIEND TALKED ABOUT THE PICTURE THAT HE DREW HER
AND HOW CHRIS NOW IS FREE LIKE A BUTTERFLY
TO FLOAT AND DANCE AND PLAY IN THE WIND,
AND THEN WHEN WE GOT OUT TO THE CEMETERY,
THERE WAS A BUTTERFLY FLOATING AROUND
AND CIRCLING AROUND THE GRAVE SITE.
♪♪
AND I LOOK BACK ON IT NOW
THAT HE MEANT A LOT TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY...
...YOU KNOW, THAT THERE WAS THIS LITTLE BOY THAT NOBODY KNEW
AND NOW EVERYBODY KNEW.
♪♪
MY BIGGEST PAIN IS THAT I DIDN'T GET TO SAY GOODBYE,
AND I DIDN'T GET TO KNOW FOR SURE
IF HE KNEW HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM.
[ Voice breaking ] THAT'S THE HARD PART.
[ Normal voice ] AND I THINK THAT'S THE PART OF...
...MY LIFE I REGRET THE MOST
IS I DON'T KNOW IF I SAID, "I LOVE YOU" THAT DAY.
I DON'T REMEMBER.
♪♪
SEEING THAT BLUE COFFIN CARRIED BY ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS
AND KNOWING THAT MY CHILD WAS IN THERE,
I MEAN, TO HAVE TO SEE YOUR CHILDREN GRIEVE THEIR SIBLING,
I THINK THAT'S HARDER THAN MY OWN GRIEF.
♪♪
WHEN SOMEBODY COMMITS A VIOLENT CRIME
AGAINST A CHILD ESPECIALLY,
THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE A SECOND CHANCE TO GET OUT.
IF NOT THE DEATH PENALTY, THEY SHOULD BE IN FOR LIFE.
WHAT I KNOW ABOUT TIM BUSS NOW,
THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER RELEASED HIM.
THAT YOUNG MAN HAS EVIL.
HE'S JUST EVIL.
HOW COULD A 13-YEAR-OLD CONCEIVABLY DO SOMETHING
SO HORRIBLE TO A LITTLE GIRL
AND WHY HE WOULD REPEAT WHAT HE HAD DONE YEARS BEFORE.
YEAH.
[ SNIFFS ]
[ EXHALES SHARPLY ] I MEAN, HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S MAD.
YEAH.
I SEE ANGER THERE.
♪♪
A MONTH BEFORE TIMOTHY BUSS
COMMITTED HIS FIRST MURDER AT AGE 13,
"BUSS' MOTHER, WHO HAD LEFT THE REST OF THE FAMILY YEARS BEFORE,
CAME TO COURT AND, WITH BUSS AND HIS THREE SIBLINGS PRESENT,
TOLD A JUDGE SHE DID NOT WANT ANYTHING TO DO
WITH HER CHILDREN."
YEAH, WHO KNOWS? WHO KNOWS WHAT WAS GOING ON IN HIS LIFE
AND HIS MIND, BUT THAT IS SAD.
IT'S VERY SAD THAT A CHILD HAS TO GO THROUGH THAT.
♪♪
HE MAKES ME HAPPY, YOU KNOW?
I SEE THIS, AND THAT'S HOW I REMEMBER HIM,
AND I HATE THAT I DON'T HAVE HIM HERE.
♪♪
SHORTLY AFTER HIS DEATH,
I WAS GOING THROUGH A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME,
AND I WAS ANGRY AT THE WORLD AND EVERYBODY,
AND I DROVE OUT TO THE CEMETERY, AND AS I WAS SITTING THERE,
A POLICE OFFICER CAME UP BECAUSE THE SIGN SAYS,
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE
AFTER DARK OR AFTER DUSK,
AND HE SAW IT WAS ME, AND I SAID, "I'M SORRY. I'll LEAVE,".
AND HE GOES, "IT'S OKAY,"
AND HE GOES, "BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW."
HE POINTED TO THE GRAVE SITE.
HE GOES, "THAT'S NOT HIM,"
HE SAYS, AND HE POINTED TO MY CHEST.
HE GOES, "HE'S IN HERE.
THE SOUL IS WITH YOU ALL THE TIME."
♪♪
MY LIFE WAS SHATTERED, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,
I HAD TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT
THAT WE'RE STILL MISSING PART OF OUR LIVES
AND A CHILD THAT'S NOT HERE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE,
AND I'M STILL AFRAID TO LET GO.
I'M STILL AFRAID.
22 YEARS LATER, I'M STILL AFRAID TO GRIEVE
'CAUSE I DON'T THINK I'll STOP.
♪♪
WHEN CHRISTOPHER WAS BURIED, I DID NOT GO OUT FOR THAT.
I DIDN'T GO TO THAT CEREMONY.
I WAITED AND WENT LATER AND...
[voice breaking] ...AND WENT BY MYSELF.
I DIDN'T GO WITH EVERYBODY ELSE.
I HATE THIS. I'M SORRY.
BUT, YEAH, I DIDN'T GO TO THE SERVICE.
I JUST COULDN'T. I DIDN'T THINK...
IT WASN'T ABOUT ME.
IT WAS ABOUT HER AND HER SUFFERING.
I CAME HOME AND HUGGED MY KIDS AND CRIED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW,
I HAD MY KID TO HUG, YOU KNOW, AND YOU FEEL THAT.
YOU FEEL LIKE, "GOSH, HE WAS 10 YEARS OLD,
AND HE HAD EVERY RIGHT TO GO DOWN TO THAT BOAT LAUNCH,
YOU KNOW, AND PLAY LIKE ANY OTHER 10-YEAR-OLD AND BE SAFE."
HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAFE.
♪♪
SOMETIMES EVIL OUTWEIGHS THE GOOD.
♪♪
TARA PLANTED THAT TREE
AND THAT MAPLE SEED HAD GOTTEN INTO HER SANDBOX,
AND IT GREW ABOUT PROBABLY 8 INCHES TALL,
AND SHE HAD DUG UP THAT LITTLE SAPLING
AND BROUGHT IT HOME IN A CUP,
AND SHE PLANTED IT THERE, AND THAT'S THE TREE TODAY.
IT'S 40 YEARS OLD PROBABLY, 42 MAYBE.
♪♪
IT'S A REAL EMOTIONAL HEARTBREAK FOR A 40-ODD.
IT OPENS YOUR EYES UP TO A LOT OF EVIL.
IT DOES.
THERE'S PEOPLE OUT THERE
THAT COULD COMMIT SUCH A HEINOUS CRIME, YOU KNOW,
AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY'RE AT.
THEY COULD BE NEXT DOOR.
♪♪
TIME DOESN'T REALLY HEAL YOU.
WHAT THE TIME DOES IS IT ALLOWS YOU
THE TIME TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH WHAT HAPPENED.
HONESTLY, IT'S HARDLY A DAY GOES BY
THAT SOMETHING DOESN'T SPARK THAT MEMORY, SO...
♪♪
WHEN I'M GONE FISHING, YOU KNOW,
SHE WENT WITH ME.
♪♪
NOW, WHEN I GO FISHING,
EVEN WHEN I GO FISHING WITH THE GUYS,
I STILL BRING HER WITH ME.
♪♪
SHE'S GONE, BUT SHE STILL LIVES.
YOU GOT TO LIVE, YOU KNOW?
WE'RE NOT IN THIS WORLD JUST TO BARELY SURVIVE.
WHEN YOU DIE, IT'S NOT ABOUT DEATH.
IT'S ABOUT THE LIFE THAT YOU LIVED.
♪♪
AS A PARENT, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT NEEDING TO KNOW
IF THERE WAS ONE MORE THING I COULD HAVE DONE.
♪♪
WHAT IS THE REASON THIS HAD TO BE MY CHILD?
IT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN TO ANYBODY, BUT WHY ME?
I NEED TO... I JUST FELT LIKE I NEEDED THOSE ANSWERS.
I WAS IN TRIAL, AND I FOUND OUT
THAT HE HAD DEFENSIVE WOUNDS ON HIS HANDS
AND THAT HE WAS CONSCIOUS,
AND THEN IT TOOK SEVERAL STAB WOUNDS,
AND I LEFT.
I HAD TO LEAVE THE COURTROOM,
AND I QUIETLY GOT UP AND SNUCK OUT.
I THINK I WAS HOLDING MY BREATH THE WHOLE TIME,
BUT THEN ON THE WAY HOME THAT DAY,
I THOUGHT, "HE DID WHAT I TOLD HIM TO DO,"
'CAUSE I REMEMBER TELLING THE KIDS,
"IF ANYBODY TRIES TO HURT YOU,
YOU KICK, FIGHT, SCRATCH, SCREAM,
DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET AWAY,"
AND I WENT... INSTEAD OF GOING HOME,
I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE CEMETERY AND TOLD HIM
I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM FOR TRYING.
♪♪
TO COPE WITH THE LOSS, I NEEDED TO MAKE A CHANGE
TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
♪♪
I STARTED THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
CHRISTOPHER'S CLUBHOUSE SO I COULD REACH OUT
TO MORE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
I WANTED TO TEACH KIDS SO EVERY CHILD
COULD BE SAFE IN EVERY SITUATION.
CHRISTOPHER, WE LOVE YOU.
YOUR SPIRIT WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE ON AND SHINE RIGHT HERE.
I THINK HE'S HAPPY.
I THINK HE'S PROUD, AND I THINK HE'S SAYING,
"IT'S OKAY, MOM."
THIS IS MY CHILD, YOU KNOW?
CHRIS IS MY CHILD, AND JUST LIKE PEOPLE TALK
ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN THAT ARE LIVING,
HE'S STILL ALIVE WITHIN ME,
AND SO I STILL WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIM.
♪♪