WHEN I GOT THERE IT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE I THREW
WATER IN HIS FACE, HIS WHOLE DEMEANOR CHANGED.
I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO WALTER
AND I KNEW I WAS GONNA FIND OUT.
EVERY ONCE AND WHILE YOU COME ACROSS A CASE LIKE
THE ACKERSON CASE, THAT IS SOMETHING I WON'T FORGET.
FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, ONE IT'S TRAGIC.
♪♪
"DEAR MR. LANTHIER, I'M WRITING TO YOU ON
"BEHALF OF A DOCUMENTARY SERIES FOR
"INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY, TITLED 'SHATTERED.'
"OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS I HAVE
BEEN RESEARCHING WALTER ACKERSON."
WHEN I FINALLY LEARNED WHAT HAPPENED TO WALTER ACKERSON,
IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT TIME FOR ME.
IT FELT LIKE I HAD FAILED,
REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANYONE ELSE DID,
THAT I HAD FAILED.
IT HAUNTS YOU. DAY AND NIGHT.
I WOULD HAVE DREAMS WHERE HE WOULD BE LIKE,
"YOU'RE NOT LOOKING HARD ENOUGH."
THEN YOU WOULD THINK WELL, MAYBE, YOU KNOW,
MAYBE I'M WRONG, MAYBE HE'S NOT GONE,
MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE.
BUT IT'S NOTHING YOU CAN REALLY TALK ABOUT.
YOU CAN'T TALK TO ANYBODY,
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY "HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU HAVE?"
AND YOU DON'T WANT TO SAY THREE,
BECAUSE THEN YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHY THERE'S ONLY TWO
AND SO YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT IT, YOU DON'T TELL ANYONE.
♪♪
Captions by VITAC... www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
♪♪
THE CALL THAT CAME IN ON THIS CASE THAT CAUSED ME TO LOOK
BACK INTO WAS A CALL FROM A POLICE AGENCY BACK IN ALABAMA.
♪♪
THEY WERE INVESTIGATING A PERSON WHO PREYED ON
16-YEAR-OLD BOYS AND WHEN WALTER CAME UP MISSING
HE WAS A 16-YEAR-OLD BOY.
AND ONE OF WALTER ACKERSON'S MISSING PERSON FLYERS WAS
IN THIS MAN WHO WAS ARRESTED, WAS IN HIS MATERIALS.
AND SO THE ASSUMPTION WAS, OF COURSE,
THAT WALTER MUST HAVE BEEN ONE OF HIS VICTIMS.
♪♪
THIS WAS MY FIRST MAJOR CASE AS A DETECTIVE
AND AT THE POINT I GOT THE INVESTIGATION
14 YEARS HAD PASSED, I HAD NO INFORMATION OR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT
THIS ACKERSON CASE THAT OCCURRED BACK IN 1990.
THAT'S BEFORE I EVEN STARTED.
WHEN I OPENED THE ORIGINAL CASE FILE
IT WAS JUST KIND OF A MESS.
THINGS THAT WERE OUT OF ORDER AND THERE WERE LEADS THERE
THAT WERE REALLY NOT FOLLOWED THROUGH.
THE VERY LAST ENTRY BY OUR OFFICE WAS THAT
THE CASE WAS CLOSED AS A RUNAWAY
BUT NOTHING WAS REALLY DONE WITH THE CASE.
AND THAT KIND OF CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.
THIS IS UNUSUAL, THIS ISN'T A CASE
THAT YOU COME ACROSS EVERY DAY.
♪♪
I WANTED TO BE CAREFUL WHAT I SAID.
I DIDN'T WANT TO SHARE WITH HER THAT THERE WAS
THE POTENTIAL OF THIS ABDUCTION AND MOLESTATION.
I DIDN'T WANT HER TO HAVE TO THINK THAT THESE VERY BAD
THINGS COULD'VE HAPPENED WHEN I CERTAINLY DIDN'T KNOW.
I'VE BEEN TAKING A LOOK AT THE FILES.
BUT I DID WANT TO LET HER KNOW THAT THE CASE
WAS BEING REOPENED AND INVESTIGATED.
I don't have any definitive evidence yet.
BUT I'M GONNA LOOK INTO IT FOR YOU.
SHE ACTUALLY TOOK THAT VERY POSITIVELY,
SHE WAS VERY HAPPY, SHE REALLY JUST WANTED THIS CASE
RUN OUT FURTHER AND SHE FELT LIKE SHE NEVER GOT THAT.
[ RECEIVER THUDS ]
♪♪
I WANTED THEM TO INVESTIGATE IN THE HOPES THAT
WE COULD FIND AN ANSWER AS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON.
ALL THESE YEARS POLICE HAD BEEN TELLING ME, YOU KNOW,
"HE'S A RUNAWAY, YOU'RE A HYSTERICAL MOTHER.
HE JUST WANTS TO DO HIS OWN THING."
BUT I KNOW MY SON,
THIS ISN'T, YOU KNOW, WHAT HE WOULD DO.
HE WOULD HAVE CALLED, THAT WAS JUST WHO HE WAS.
♪♪
WALTER WAS REALLY GOOD AT READING
AND HE WAS REASONABLY GOOD AT SPELLING AS WELL,
BUT PEOPLE BULLIED HIM BECAUSE HE WAS SMALLER.
SO HE WAS SKIPPING SCHOOL.
HE WOULD JUST LEAVE THE SCHOOL, THAT WAS THE SOLUTION
THAT HE HAD WAS JUST RUN FROM IT.
THEY WERE GOING TO EXPEL HIM FOR MISSING SO MUCH.
JOB CORPS SEEMED LIKE THE PERFECT
SOLUTION FOR HIM AT THAT TIME.
♪♪
THEY WOULD ATTEND THIS SCHOOL LIKE A HIGH SCHOOL
AND THEY WOULD LEARN TO FIND A VOCATION AT THE SAME TIME.
MY ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THERE WOULD BE STRICT RULES
AND REGULATIONS, LIKE A MINI MILITARY CAMP OF SORTS,
YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY WERE MONITORED AND WATCHED, YOU KNOW,
BUT ALSO ENCOURAGED TO GROW
AND TO DEVELOP AS A MATURE ADULT.
HE REALLY FELT LIKE IT WAS A GOOD CHANCE,
IT WAS A GROUND ZERO START OVER, MAKE EVERYTHING FRESH, NEW,
WHICH HE REALLY NEEDED FOR HIMSELF.
IF SOMEONE'S GIVING YOU A HARD TIME YOU CALL ME.
- OKAY. - OKAY?
- PROMISE? - I PROMISE.
GIVE ME A HUG.
I TOLD HIM I WAS EXTREMELY SAD
AND HE'S LIKE "MOM, YOU NEED TO STOP WORRYING.
IT'S GONNA BE OKAY, IT'LL BE OKAY."
- I LOVE YOU. - I LOVE YOU, TOO.
AND THEN HE GOT ON THE BUS, THAT WAS IT.
LAST TIME.
♪♪
MY WORST FEAR ALL THOSE YEARS
WAS, YOU KNOW, HAVING A CHILD
THAT WOULD BE ABDUCTED BY A SEX OFFENDER.
♪♪
THE MISSION OF JOB CORPS IS TO PROVIDE JOB TRAINING
AND PLACE STUDENTS IN CAREERS
AS A RESULT OF THAT TRAINING.
FOR THAT TO HAPPEN STUDENTS HAVE TO IMPROVE
IN SOCIAL SKILLS AND ACADEMIC SKILLS.
♪♪
WELL, I WAS ALWAYS WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
IN SOME ASPECT, VOLUNTEER OR NOT.
SO I WAS RECRUITED INTO JOB CORPS
BECAUSE ONE OF THE CENTERS WAS FAILING BADLY
AND THEY ASKED FOR MY HELP.
♪♪
WALTER, I'll TRADE YOU THIS BROWNIE.
- FOR THAT PUDDING. - ALL RIGHT.
Lanthier: WALTER LIKED PEOPLE, HE HAD A DEGREE OF COMPASSION.
AND STUDENTS LIKED HIM.
WALTER HAD POTENTIAL.
HE'S A KID THAT IF YOU COULD RING
THE RIGHT BELL WITH THEM MIGHT DO WELL.
AND HIS AGE GAVE HIM A LOT OF HOPE, TOO,
HE WAS YOUNG AND HE SEEMED BRIGHT.
♪♪
SUNDAY MORNING AT ABOUT 10:00 A.M.
THERE WAS A YOUNG LADY, EMMA, THAT CAME TO MEET ME
AND SHE ASKED ME IF I KNEW
WHERE WALTER ACKERSON WAS AND I SAID,
"I DON'T, I'VE BEEN GONE FOR A COUPLE DAYS."
AND SHE BEGAN TO TELL ME THE STORY
ABOUT HIM BEING GONE SINCE FRIDAY.
HE MUST BE SOMEWHERE AROUND CAMPUS.
NO, I'VE LOOKED EVERYWHERE.
REALLY?
Lanthier: EMMA BELIEVED SHE SHOULD KNOW.
WHERE HE WAS, THEY WERE FRIENDS.
AT JOB CORPS EVERY SHIFT AT SOME POINT WAS
REQUIRED TO ACCOUNT FOR EVERY STUDENT,
IF THEY WERE IN A CLASSROOM
THE INSTRUCTOR ACCOUNTED FOR 'EM.
IN THE EVENINGS THE RESIDENTIAL ADVISORS ACCOUNTED FOR THEM.
AND FOR TWO NIGHTS, THE PERSON THAT ACTUALLY CHECKED
HIS BED MARKED THAT HE WAS NOT PRESENT.
♪♪
I WAS WONDERING IF YOU GUYS HAD SEEN WALTER LATELY?
ONE OF MY FRIENDS TOLD ME THAT HE WAS DOWN BY THE LIQUOR STORE.
BY SUNDAY EVENING, I KNOW ABSOLUTELY THAT
WALTER IS NOT ON CAMPUS AND WAS SEEN WITH TWO ADULT MALES
WHO WERE NOT STUDENTS LEAVING A LIQUOR STORE
AND WALKING TOWARDS NYE BEACH.
MY IMPRESSION OF NYE BEACH WAS A LOT OF
ALCOHOL AND SMOKING WEED AND PROBABLY OTHER DRUGS.
I WAS CONCERNED BY THE STORY.
HE JUST DIDN'T STRIKE ME AS HE WAS HARDCORE ENOUGH.
THAT IMAGE OF HIM BEING WITH THE TWO ADULT MALES IN THE DARK
WALKING TO NYE BEACH WAS THE IMAGE
I KEPT IN MY HEAD ALL THOSE YEARS.
WHY DON'T WE TAKE A WALK, LITTLE MAN?
- OKAY. - HOW 'BOUT THAT?
THAT'S THE PART THAT HAUNTED ME, THAT WHATEVER
HAPPENED FROM THAT POINT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN GOOD.
♪♪
Lanthier: THE WAY I APPROACH THE ABSENCE OF A KID.
IS THAT I PRETEND
LIKE I'M THE PARENT LOOKING FOR THEM AND HOW IT FEELS.
WELL, IT WAS A MYSTERY THAT HAD TO BE SOLVED
'CAUSE SOMEBODY'S LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.
♪♪
IN THE EVENING, STUDENTS DIDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO
BE IN A PARTICULAR PLACE UNTIL CURFEW.
♪♪
ONE VERSION OF THE STORY THE STUDENT SAW WALTER
COME OUT OF THE LIQUOR STORE WITH TWO ADULTS THAT
WERE NOT STUDENTS AND WALKED DOWN TO NYE BEACH.
♪♪
SO HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN WALTER LATELY?
A FEW NIGHTS AGO. DOWN AT THE SHORE.
- AT THE BEACH. - YEAH.
Lanthier: THE THREE MALE STUDENTS,
THEY ADMITTED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH WALTER
AT NYE BEACH ON FRIDAY NIGHT.
THEY MET SOME GIRLS AND THEY WERE TOSSING FOOTBALL WITH THEM
AND THAT WALTER SCARED THESE GIRLS OFF.
HE WAS SO ANNOYING THAT THESE GIRLS DECIDED TO LEAVE.
- THAT WASN'T COOL MAN. - WHAT?
Lanthier: AND THEY BECAME ANGRY AND DITCHED WALTER.
AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME THAT THEY SAW HIM.
♪♪
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
HELLO, THIS IS KAREN.
THE PERSON THAT CALLED SAID TO ME,
"WHAT ARE WALTER'S PLANS?"
I STOPPED FOR A MOMENT CAUSE I'M LIKE,
WHY WOULD I KNOW MORE THAN YOU DO ABOUT HIS PLANS?
IS WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
I SAID, "WHY WOULDN'T YOU JUST ASK HIM?"
AND THE PERSON GOES, "WALTER'S NOT HERE, HE'S AWOL."
AND I'M LIKE, "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING",
"ARE YOU TELLING ME HE'S MISSING?
HAVE YOU CALLED THE POLICE?"
♪♪
WE WALKED IN, THE DIRECTOR IS SITTING BEHIND THE DESK
AND HE SAYS, "THESE BOYS WILL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED."
AND THE STORY THAT THEY TELL IS THAT
THEY WENT TO NYE BEACH,
WALTER HAD BEEN DRINKING EXCESSIVELY
AND WENT UP A LEDGE UP ABOVE.
AND WHEN THEY WENT TO GET HIM TO GO BACK HE WAS JUST GONE.
♪♪
OF COURSE, I'M THINKING SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED,
SOMETHING REALLY BAD HAS HAPPENED.
HE'S BEEN ABDUCTED BY A CHILD MOLESTER.
SOMEBODY HAD TO HAVE TAKEN HIM.
ONE OF THE BOYS LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, "I'M SO SORRY."
♪♪
IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT.
AND THEN THAT WAS THE END OF IT.
♪♪
I WENT TO THE POLICE AND TOLD THEM THAT I WANTED TO
FILE A MISSING PERSONS REPORT IMMEDIATELY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT.
- DO I WAIT? - THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
TEENAGERS RUN AWAY, THEY COME BACK.
IN THEIR MIND, HE JUST RAN OFF
AND HE WAS BOUND TO SURFACE AT SOME POINT.
POLICE HAD BEEN TELLING ME, YOU KNOW,
"HE'S A RUNAWAY, YOU'RE A HYSTERICAL MOTHER.
"HE JUST WANTS TO DO HIS OWN THING
AND HE DOESN'T WANT TO HAVE RULES AND REGULATIONS."
THIS ISN'T LIKE HIM.
WE WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED.
IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE THAT HE WOULD JUST VANISH
INTO THIN AIR WITHOUT A PHONE CALL TO ANYONE.
IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE SENSE.
OKAY.
WE JUST WANTED TO GET THE POLICE INVOLVED
SO THAT WE COULD FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED,
WHERE IS HE, WHY HAVEN'T WE HEARD FROM HIM?
♪♪
BUT NO ONE EVER CALLED.
♪♪
Meister: IT HAD BEEN FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS.
AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THAT CONNECTED THIS
PEDOPHILE FORM ALABAMA TO OUR AREA AT THE TIME.
♪♪
I DIDN'T CALL KAREN RIGHT WHEN THAT LEAD FIZZLED,
THIS IS WHAT KAREN WANTED FOR 14 YEARS, YOU KNOW,
TO HAVE THIS CASE LOOKED INTO AND EXPLORED FURTHER
AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.
BACK IN 1990, THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS
INTERVIEWED AT THE TIME WAS TROY CULVER.
♪♪
NO STATEMENT WAS TAKEN FROM THE OTHER KIDS.
THE INITIAL INVESTIGATORS IN THIS, THEY'RE GOOD PEOPLE,
I KNEW THEM, THEY MENTORED ME WHEN I STARTED
AND THEY DID VERY GOOD THINGS IN THEIR CAREER.
BUT THE BALL GOT DROPPED ON THIS AND IT'S A SHAME.
SOMETHING HAPPENED TO WALTER, HE'S NOT WITH US ANYMORE.
THOSE WERE THE LAST GUYS THAT SAW HIM ALIVE,
THEY HOLD THE KEY.
♪♪
I NEEDED TO FIND THESE PEOPLE AND TALK TO 'EM,
FOUND OUT WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY.
SO THE FIRST PERSON I TALKED TO WAS ERIC FORSGREN
AND THAT INTERVIEW BASICALLY RESULTED
IN A VERY SIMILAR STATEMENT
TO WHAT TROY CULVER HAD ORIGINALLY GIVEN BACK IN 1990.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
GEOFFREY CALLIGAN, HE WAS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR ME TO
GET A HOLD OF, HE WAS CURRENTLY IN THE NATIONAL GUARD.
BUT CALLIGAN WAS INTERVIEWED
AND BASICALLY THE SAME RESULT CAME FROM THERE.
- THERE WAS NOBODY ELSE THERE? - NO.
IT WAS VERY DISAPPOINTING.
YOU HAVE YOUR HOPES UP A LITTLE BIT,
THINKING MAYBE THIS'LL BE THE ONE.
THIS'LL BE THE STONE, I CAN KICK THIS ONE OVER
AND I'll HAVE SOMETHING HERE AND THEN IT'S A DEAD END.
♪♪
THE LAST THING I HAD WAS TO GO TALK TO TROY,
THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS INTERVIEWED BACK IN 1990.
TROY ANSWERED THE DOOR AND I SAID,
"I'M FOLLOWING UP ON THE WALTER ACKERSON
MISSING PERSON CASE."
AND IT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE I THREW WATER IN HIS FACE.
HIS WHOLE DEMEANOR CHANGED
AND HE JUST KIND OF STARED THROUGH ME THERE.
I ASKED HIM I COULD TALK TO HIM
AND HE SAID, "YEAH, WOW, OKAY."
AND HE SAT DOWN WITH ME ON THE FRONT PORCH.
CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY?
IT WAS APPARENT THAT WHAT I WAS TALKING TO HIM ABOUT
WAS IMPORTANT TO HIM BUT HIS MIND WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE.
IT WAS ALMOST DEALING WITH A PERSON WHO WAS IN TRAUMA.
SO I SAID, "TROY, YOU'RE DISTRACTED"
"AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE
"EXPERIENCE TRAUMATIC THINGS
"AND THAT IT PLAYS LIKE A MOVIE CLIP IN THEIR MIND,
"AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THAT IS."
AND HE SAID, "NO, NOTHING LIKE THAT."
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. HE JUST VANISHED.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE STUFF I GOT WASN'T REALLY ANYTHING
SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT TO WHAT TROY HAD GIVEN BACK IN 1990.
SO THE PROBLEM I HAD IS I JUST DIDN'T KNOW
WHERE ELSE TO GO WITH THIS.
I HAD TO MOVE ON.
♪♪
I KNOW I DIDN'T GET EVERYTHING FROM TROY.
THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE AND I DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT
IT WAS BUT I SUSPECTED HE HAD INFORMATION ON WALTER.
SOMETHING.
♪♪
Lanthier: WALTER WAS LIKED BY PEOPLE,
INCLUDING THE STAFF.
HE WAS A GOOD KID AND HE STRUCK ME AS VULNERABLE.
OUR VIEW OF STUDENTS WHO LEFT ON THEIR OWN WAS THAT THEY
WERE RUNAWAYS BUT STUDENTS THAT JUST DECIDED TO LEAVE
JOB CORPS HAD A PATTERN TO HOW THEY DID THINGS.
WALTER DIDN'T FIT THE PATTERN OF RUNAWAYS AT ALL.
HIS STUFF WAS THERE AND HIS BEST FRIEND,
THIS GIRL, DIDN'T KNOW WHERE HE WAS.
IF HE'S A RUNAWAY SHE CLEARLY WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHERE HE WAS
AND SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT
TO TELL ME WHERE HE WAS.
WELL, IT WAS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.
THERE WAS A FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THAT WALTER WAS GONE.
IT WAS CONVENIENT TO BELIEVE HE LEFT ON HIS OWN.
THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME, THAT HE WOULD DO THAT.
♪♪
IT WAS THE SENIOR COUNSELOR
THAT CALLED THE POLICE.
THE CENTER DIRECTOR ASKED ME
TO SIT DOWN WITH THE DETECTIVES.
THEY CAME ON CAMPUS AND INTERVIEWED ME.
EVERYBODY SEEMED TO LIKE HIM, HE WAS A GOOD KID.
I FULLY EXPECTED THAT THE NEXT THING THEY WERE GONNA DO
WAS TRY TO IDENTIFY WHO WALTER WAS WITH
AND THAT WAS VERY PAINFUL
BECAUSE HE WAS OUR LOSS.
HE WAS A RESULT OF THINGS WE DID
OR DIDN'T DO AND I WAS A PART OF THAT.
♪♪
I WOULD HAVE DREAMS WHERE HE WOULD BE LIKE,
"YOU'RE NOT LOOKING HARD ENOUGH."
OR JUST...
IT'S VERY, VERY, VERY HAUNTING.
I THINK I WAS TORN BETWEEN FINDING OUT THAT SOMETHING
REALLY AWFUL HAD HAPPENED
OR LIVING WITH NO KNOWLEDGE
OF WHAT HAPPENED, YOU KNOW,
WHICH WAS GOING TO BE WORSE FOR ME?
PERHAPS I DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW IF IT WAS AWFUL,
THAT I HAD TO KNOW THAT MY CHILD SUFFERED.
♪♪
BEFORE WE GET TO THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE
A YOUNG LADY APPROACHES US.
MRS. HULL.
YES?
THERE'S SOMETHING I NEED TO TELL YOU.
SHE SAYS HER NAME IS EMMA,
SHE SAYS SHE WAS WALTER'S GIRLFRIEND AND SHE SAYS,
"I HEARD THEY GOT IN A FIGHT
AND I HEARD THEY THREW HIM IN A CREEK."
♪♪
SHE TALKED AS FAST AS SHE COULD,
WHISPERING, AND SHE RAN.
SHE RAN AWAY.
OH, MY GOD, SOMEBODY'S DONE SOMETHING TO WALTER AND THIS
LITTLE GIRL KNOWS ABOUT IT AND SOMEBODY'S LYING SOMEWHERE.
MAYBE SOMEONE KILLED HIM,
MAYBE THEY THREW HIM IN A CREEK,
AND MAYBE HE DROWNED.
NOW WE'RE AT THE POINT, WE HAVE A WHOLE NEW STORY
AND NOW YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, NOW THE POLICE HAVE TO
INVESTIGATE, THEY HAVE TO TALK TO EMMA, RIGHT?
THEY NEED TO TALK TO EMMA.
WE LEFT, WE WENT TO THE POLICE.
WE TOLD THEM THE WHOLE STORY.
THAT THERE WAS THIS NEW INFORMATION,
THAT SOMEONE HAD BEAT HIM UP AND THREW HIM IN A CREEK.
CAN YOU PLEASE JUST GO AND LOOK INTO THIS, PLEASE?
THERE'S NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT HER STORY.
Lanthier: THEY DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS ANY TRUTH.
TO THE STORY THAT THE YOUNG LADY HAD TOLD US.
IT'S NOT POSSIBLE.
I'll NEVER FORGET THIS AS LONG AS I LIVE.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A DROWNING IN OUR AREA
WHERE THE BODY HAS NOT WASHED UP.
"NEVER."
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THAT GENTLEMAN SAID.
I THINK THEY TRULY BELIEVED
THAT IT WAS A RUNAWAY
AND I WOULD BE WASTING THEIR TIME HAVING THEM INVESTIGATE.
♪♪
WE WENT UP THE COASTLINES AND WE POSTED THEM IN
GAS STATIONS, GROCERY STORES, ANY PLACE THAT ALLOWED US TO
PUT THEM UP, WHICH MOST OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY VERY KIND
ABOUT THAT, TRYING TO COVER THE WHOLE WASHINGTON COAST IN
THE EVENT THAT, YOU KNOW,
ANYONE HAD SEEN ANYTHING ALONG THE WAY.
♪♪
NOTHING, NEVER, NOT ONE WORD.
♪♪
IF I TRIED TO TALK ABOUT IT I WOULD BREAK DOWN
AND I WOULD START CRYING
AND SO, I COULDN'T LIVE THAT WAY
WHEN I HAD TO KEEP MOVING, I HAD KIDS TO TAKE CARE OF.
I HAD THINGS TO DO AND SO I JUST
DIDN'T DISCUSS IT WITH ANYONE.
BUT...
I PRAYED FOR HIS RETURN.
♪♪
IT'S ALWAYS THERE,
IT NEVER GOES AWAY NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO.
THERE'S JUST SO MANY LITTLE TRIGGERS IN THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY, "HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU HAVE?"
AND YOU DON'T WANT TO SAY THREE BECAUSE THEN YOU HAVE
TO EXPLAIN WHY THERE'S ONLY TWO.
AND SO YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT IT, YOU DON'T TELL ANYONE.
[ CRYING, SNIFFLES ]
SORRY.
♪♪
[ PHONE RINGS ]
I GOT A CALL FROM A LIEUTENANT OVER IN PRINEVILLE, WASHINGTON
AND HE IS SAYING THAT A GUY HAS WALKED IN THERE
AND WANTS TO CONFESS TO A MURDER THAT OCCURRED HERE,
THE MURDER OF WALTER ACKERSON.
AND HE TOLD ME THE GUY'S NAME AND I SAID,
"OH, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING,
I KNOW THAT CASE, I KNOW THAT GUY."
I'll BE RIGHT THERE.
I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO WALTER
AND I KNEW I WAS GONNA FIND OUT.
♪♪
A MAN HAD WALKED INTO THE PRINEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT
AND WANTED TO CONFESS TO A MURDER IN 1990.
THE MAN CONFESSING TO WALTER'S MURDER WAS TROY CULVER.
♪♪
WHEN I WAS THINKING BACK TO 2004 WHEN I TALKED TO HIM,
I KNEW FROM THE INTERVIEW I HAD WITH HIM
THAT THERE WAS MORE THERE.
HE WAS WATCHING HIMSELF DO WHAT HE DID TO WALTER ACKERSON
IN HIS MIND AND IT WAS NEVER GONNA GO AWAY.
HE WASN'T READY TO TELL ME BUT HE WAS READY TO TELL ME NOW.
♪♪
TROY SAID HE BEGAN A VICIOUS, UNPROVOKED ATTACK
ON WALTER, WHO DID NOT DEFEND HIMSELF.
TO THE POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, WALTER LOST CONSCIOUSNESS
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
WE FINALLY GOT THE CONFESSION,
BUT NOW IT WAS ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE.
I DIDN'T EXPECT IT, BUT IT WAS GREAT.
IT WAS REALLY GREAT BECAUSE NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME,
REGARDLESS OF EVERYTHING THAT WENT WRONG,
IT CAN ALL BE RIGHT, WE CAN GET CLOSURE,
WE CAN FIGURE OUT EVERYTHING, WE'VE GOT IT.
♪♪
I RECEIVED A CALL FROM DETECTIVE MEISTER.
HE SAID, "I'M GOING TO BE IN WASHINGTON",
"AND I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO DROP BY
AND MEET YOU."
AND I WAS LIKE, "OH, THAT'S REALLY SWEET OF HIM."
[ CHUCKLES ]
AND THEN, OF COURSE, AFTER I THOUGHT IT OVER,
I'M LIKE, "NO, HE'S PROBABLY NOT JUST COMING",
"YOU KNOW, TO MEET ME.
"HE PROBABLY KNOWS SOMETHING,
AND YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY FOUND WALTER'S BODY."
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
YOU KNOW THAT THEY'RE GONNA TELL YOU SOMETHING
THAT I GUESS YOU NEVER WANNA HEAR.
WE GOT SOME NEW INFORMATION ON THE CASE.
HE EXPLAINED THAT TROY HAD CONFESSED
TO WALTER'S MURDER.
IT WAS SHOCKING TO FIND OUT THAT TROY CULVER
HAD SAT IN THAT ROOM AND GAVE US THE STORY
ABOUT THE NYE BEACH INCIDENT,
WHEN HE WAS ACTUALLY THE ONE
WHO COMMITTED MURDER.
HE CONFESSED?
YES.
THE HARDEST THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD
IS TO REALIZE THAT WHEN HE SAID, "I'M SO SORRY,"
HE DIDN'T MEAN, "I'M SO SORRY BECAUSE I NEGLECTED
TO WATCH AFTER YOUR SON,"
HE'S LIKE, "I'M SO SORRY 'CAUSE I KILLED HIM," YOU KNOW?
♪♪
AND I SAID, "IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT."
[ CHUCKLES ]
AND ALL THE TIME, HE KNEW IT WAS.
HE KNEW.
♪♪
THE HARDEST PART WAS THEY SAID THAT
HE WAS CRYING AND, YOU KNOW, BLUBBERING.
WELL, OF COURSE, HE IS, YOU'RE BEATING HIM UP.
MY GOD, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE SUBSTANTIALLY BIGGER
THAN HE IS, HE'S JUST A LITTLE, I MEAN,
EVEN THOUGH HE'S 16 OF AGE, IN STATURE,
HE'S JUST A LITTLE KID, RIGHT?
HE'S JUST A LITTLE KID.
TO KNOW THAT HE SUFFERED WAS REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HARD.
YOU JUST WANT THEM TO PAY FOR THEIR CRIME, AT THAT POINT.
♪♪
I KNEW THAT WALTER WAS MISSING,
AND I BELIEVED HE WAS MURDERED,
AND NOW I'VE GOT A GUY WHO WAS THERE,
WHEN HE CAME UP MISSING, CONFESSING.
BUT A CONFESSION ALONE,
DOESN'T ALLOW YOU TO CONVICT SOMEBODY OF A CRIME.
REQUIRED TO HAVE EVIDENCE OR PROOF
THAT THIS CRIME OCCURRED.
THE DIFFICULTY WAS WE HAD NO EVIDENCE.
♪♪
THE MAN CONFESSING TO WALTER'S MURDER
WAS TROY CULVER.
HE MADE A POINT TO TELL ME THAT HE ACTED ALONE,
THAT THE OTHER GUYS DIDN'T PARTICIPATE.
BUT A CONFESSION ALONE DOESN'T ALLOW YOU
TO CONVICT SOMEBODY OF A CRIME.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE CORROBORATING INFORMATION
THAT EVEN A CRIME OCCURRED, BUT WE HAD NO EVIDENCE,
SO I NEEDED TO GET THE OTHER PERSPECTIVES.
♪♪
IF WE COULD GET ONE OR MORE
OF THOSE PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER
AND TESTIFY AGAINST ANOTHER ONE,
ESSENTIALLY, THAT'S WHAT WE BELIEVED WOULD ALLOW US
TO PROSECUTE THE CASE AND GO FORWARD
AND USE THE CONFESSION OF TROY CULVER.
♪♪
BOTH OF THEM SAID AT ONE POINT, IT WAS...
IT WAS WAY, WAY OUTTA CONTROL.
THEY HAD NO INTENTION OF IT GOING THAT FAR,
AND TROY WOULD NOT STOP.
WE GAMBLED TO LET THOSE TWO GUYS GET AWAY
WITH WHATEVER THEIR INVOLVEMENT WAS,
SO WE COULD USE THEIR STATEMENTS IN COURT,
ALONG WITH TROY'S CONFESSION,
TO GET THE CONVICTION ON TROY.
WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED, AND IT WORKED.
JUSTICE PREVAILED,
BUT IT WAS A WATERED DOWN VERSION OF JUSTICE.
THE PRIMARY AGGRESSOR WAS PROSECUTED,
BUT WE HAD TO GO BACK TO 1990
STANDARDS IN THE LAW ON PROSECUTION,
WHICH MEANT A MUCH LOWER SENTENCE FOR TROY CULVER.
♪♪
I DIDN'T HOPE THAT HE WOULD GO TO PRISON
FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE.
BUT I WOULD HAVE NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS
HAVE EVER BELIEVED THAT YOU WOULD GET 10 YEARS
FOR A MURDER, EVER.
I'M NOT THE TYPE WHO SEEKS VENGEANCE, YOU KNOW,
IN SOME FOOLISH WAY.
I GUESS THEIR TIME WILL COME SOME DAY.
THEY'LL HAVE THEIR MAKER TO ANSWER TO.
♪♪
"DEAR MR. LANTHIER, I'M WRITING TO YOU
"ON BEHALF OF THE DOCUMENTARY SERIES FOR
"INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY, TITLED 'SHATTERED.'
"EACH EPISODE EXPLORES THE IMPACT OF A CRIME,
"AND HOW IT HAS AFFECTED THREE DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS.
"OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING
"THE DEATH OF WALTER ACKERSON,
"WHO WAS A STUDENT AT THE ANGELL JOB CORPS
WHEN YOU ALSO WORKED THERE."
THIS IS HOW I LEARNED ABOUT
HOW IT WAS RESOLVED.
THIS LETTER PRESUMES THAT I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
TO WALTER, AND I DON'T, I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL I READ THIS.
THE DAY I GOT THIS, BUT, UM,
PART THAT IT WAS,
A HOMICIDE BY OTHER STUDENTS,
AND THE OTHER STUDENTS PART WAS JUST AS DEVASTATING.
♪♪
I RETAIN GUILT AND A VERY DEEP SADNESS
BECAUSE I THINK IN MY HEART OF HEARTS,
I ALWAYS KNEW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.
JUST NOT THE FACTS.
AND I COULDN'T TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN FOR WHILE.
[ CRYING ]
♪♪
Meister: THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS I LOOK BACK ON,
KIND OF IN A BITTERSWEET WAY.
I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, I THINK,
AND AT LEAST GET CLOSURE FOR THE FAMILY.
AND THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT,
AND I KNOW IT WAS TO KAREN.
IF YOU HAVE A MISSING LOVED ONE,
ESPECIALLY YOUR CHILD,
AND JUST TO KNOW, WHAT FINALLY HAPPENED
AND THAT YOU CAN GRIEVE, AND YOU CAN KNOW.
♪♪
THIS IS THE LAST SCHOOL PHOTO THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE 10th GRADE.
YEAH, THEY WERE ALL PUT AWAY.
I JUST KEPT THEM IN A BOX.
IF I LOOKED AT HIS PICTURE, I WOULD BREAK DOWN,
SO IT WAS EASIER NOT TO HAVE IT UP.
[ CRYING ]
SO THAT I COULD FUNCTION.
I FELT REALLY BAD ABOUT THAT.
'CAUSE IT FELT LIKE IT WAS HIDING HIM AWAY,
AND NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THAT HE EXISTED.
♪♪
AND SO, ONE DAY, I DON'T KNOW WHY,
BUT JUST ONE DAY, I FINALLY GOT HIS THINGS OUT,
AND I DECIDED THAT I HAD TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT
HE WAS PART OF MY LIFE, EVEN IF HE WAS GONE.
[ SNIFFLES ]
AND WHEN YOU LOOK, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ALWAYS SEE
HOW MUCH HE LOVED HIS FAMILY.
HOW IMPORTANT EVERYONE WAS TO HIM.
JUST ALWAYS HUGGING ONE OF THEM.
HE'S A VERY LOVING PERSON.
♪♪
I THINK I'M BETTER.
I STILL FEEL A HUGE HOLE IN MY HEART,
YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I LOOK AT HIS PICTURE.
AND I'll ALWAYS MISS HIM, AND I'll ALWAYS WONDER,
YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD HE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW.
WHO WOULD HE BE AS AN ADULT?
BUT I THINK I'VE MADE PEACE, YOU KNOW,
HE'S WITH THE LORD, AND SOMEDAY WE'LL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN.
♪♪