1
00:00:01,900 --> 00:00:03,300
[Christine] <i>It was</i>
<i>my birthday.</i>

2
00:00:03,367 --> 00:00:05,033
<i>My aunt had called my mom</i>

3
00:00:05,033 --> 00:00:10,467
and said that Racheyl had been
involved in an accident
out at the hunting club.

4
00:00:10,467 --> 00:00:16,200
No hunter in their right mind
would ever go into this
rickety tree stand.

5
00:00:16,266 --> 00:00:17,967
[Carolyn] <i>You're not</i>
<i>going to get</i>
<i>that many bruises</i>

6
00:00:17,967 --> 00:00:20,166
in that many different places
falling out of a tree.

7
00:00:22,567 --> 00:00:25,266
[Graham] <i>Any sudden,</i>
<i>unexpected death</i>

8
00:00:25,266 --> 00:00:29,400
should be treated
as a crime scene
and that was not done.

9
00:00:29,467 --> 00:00:30,000
[Christine] <i>We just knew</i>
<i>something wasn't right.</i>

10
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:31,000
[Christine] <i>We just knew</i>
<i>something wasn't right.</i>

11
00:00:32,266 --> 00:00:34,400
Racheyl never went
into that tree stand.

12
00:00:36,266 --> 00:00:39,467
She had so much to live for
and so much to fight for

13
00:00:39,467 --> 00:00:41,400
and that's what she was doing.

14
00:00:41,467 --> 00:00:45,200
We knew it was a lie
and we had to get
to the bottom of it.

15
00:00:45,266 --> 00:00:49,867
I practically happened
to force the investigators
to investigate.

16
00:00:49,867 --> 00:00:53,166
I don't believe in any way
that my sister would
take her own life.

17
00:00:54,266 --> 00:00:56,166
[Cindy] There's been
no closure.

18
00:00:56,166 --> 00:00:58,800
There's still been
no real investigation.

19
00:00:59,467 --> 00:01:00,000
[opening theme music playing]

20
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:01,000
[opening theme music playing]

21
00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:13,967
{\an8}[narrator] <i>November 25th,</i>
<i>2001, Kingsland, Georgia,</i>

22
00:01:13,967 --> 00:01:18,567
<i>bordered by the Atlantic Ocean</i>
<i>to the east</i>
<i>and Florida to the south.</i>

23
00:01:18,567 --> 00:01:24,000
<i>The area is rural,</i>
<i>heavily wooded</i>
<i>and sparsely populated.</i>

24
00:01:24,066 --> 00:01:27,867
<i>A paradise for anyone</i>
<i>who loves the outdoors.</i>

25
00:01:27,867 --> 00:01:30,000
<i>But when a 32-year-old mother</i>
<i>is found dead</i>
<i>at her hunting club,</i>

26
00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:31,000
<i>But when a 32-year-old mother</i>
<i>is found dead</i>
<i>at her hunting club,</i>

27
00:01:32,467 --> 00:01:34,867
<i>the small community</i>
<i>is suspicious</i>

28
00:01:34,867 --> 00:01:39,467
<i>of what some want to quickly</i>
<i>brush off as an accident.</i>

29
00:01:39,467 --> 00:01:43,066
The town loved her
and the town's suffering
for this loss.

30
00:01:43,066 --> 00:01:45,166
I couldn't wrap
my head around it.

31
00:01:45,166 --> 00:01:46,800
You just don't think
something like that's

32
00:01:46,867 --> 00:01:48,166
going to happen
to your family.

33
00:01:52,300 --> 00:01:54,500
[narrator] <i>Growing up</i>
<i>in rural Georgia,</i>

34
00:01:54,567 --> 00:01:58,166
<i>Racheyl Smith can't imagine</i>
<i>living anywhere else.</i>

35
00:01:58,166 --> 00:02:00,000
{\an8}She fit right in perfectly,
she loved Camden County.

36
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,000
{\an8}She fit right in perfectly,
she loved Camden County.

37
00:02:02,166 --> 00:02:03,667
{\an8}It was her playground.

38
00:02:04,467 --> 00:02:05,767
{\an8}[Carolyn] <i>She loved it here.</i>

39
00:02:05,767 --> 00:02:07,367
{\an8}<i>She was very active.</i>

40
00:02:08,066 --> 00:02:09,567
{\an8}<i>She liked riding horses.</i>

41
00:02:09,567 --> 00:02:13,166
{\an8}Hunting, fishing,
you name it, she did.

42
00:02:14,767 --> 00:02:18,867
{\an8}[Christine] <i>She was</i>
<i>a petite tomboy,</i>
<i>if you want to say.</i>

43
00:02:18,867 --> 00:02:24,867
{\an8}Racheyl was very well-known
and very well-liked
in this small town.

44
00:02:24,867 --> 00:02:28,867
[narrator] <i>Racheyl's</i>
<i>idyllic childhood</i>
<i>takes a tough turn</i>

45
00:02:28,867 --> 00:02:30,000
<i>when her father dies suddenly.</i>

46
00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:30,400
<i>when her father dies suddenly.</i>

47
00:02:31,900 --> 00:02:33,800
<i>She's only 14.</i>

48
00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,700
She was devastated.

49
00:02:36,767 --> 00:02:38,900
[Carolyn] <i>He taught her</i>
<i>how to hunt.</i>

50
00:02:38,967 --> 00:02:40,867
He taught her
how to ride horses.

51
00:02:41,467 --> 00:02:43,900
<i>They were very close.</i>

52
00:02:43,967 --> 00:02:47,266
[narrator] <i>With her</i>
<i>father gone,</i>
<i>and as the oldest child,</i>

53
00:02:47,266 --> 00:02:49,900
<i>Racheyl takes</i>
<i>a leadership role</i>
<i>in the family</i>

54
00:02:49,967 --> 00:02:52,500
<i>alongside her mom, Pat.</i>

55
00:02:52,567 --> 00:02:56,400
[Christine] <i>She had to help</i>
<i>Aunt Pat take care</i>
<i>of Aaron and Brian,</i>

56
00:02:56,467 --> 00:02:58,867
and she would cook,
and she'd clean

57
00:02:58,867 --> 00:03:00,000
and she would go to school.

58
00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:01,000
and she would go to school.

59
00:03:01,166 --> 00:03:03,700
<i>She had</i>
<i>a large responsibility.</i>

60
00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:09,867
[narrator] <i>In high school,</i>
<i>Racheyl meets her</i>
<i>future husband, Steve.</i>

61
00:03:09,867 --> 00:03:13,166
[Christine] <i>Racheyl was</i>
<i>smitten with Steve.</i>

62
00:03:13,166 --> 00:03:16,100
<i>Steve was</i>
<i>her first everything.</i>

63
00:03:16,166 --> 00:03:19,100
It was what she thought
true love should've been.

64
00:03:19,166 --> 00:03:21,567
They were
really good together.

65
00:03:22,467 --> 00:03:25,000
{\an8}[narrator] <i>June 8th, 1991,</i>

66
00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:29,400
{\an8}<i>Racheyl marries Steve</i>
<i>and becomes Racheyl Brinson.</i>

67
00:03:29,467 --> 00:03:30,000
<i>She soon learns her husband</i>
<i>has special privileges</i>
<i>in their small town.</i>

68
00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:31,000
<i>She soon learns her husband</i>
<i>has special privileges</i>
<i>in their small town.</i>

69
00:03:34,367 --> 00:03:37,767
I remember her telling me
that they would
get out of trouble

70
00:03:37,767 --> 00:03:40,900
because Steve was cousins
with the Sheriff.

71
00:03:40,967 --> 00:03:43,500
[Fish] <i>She loved him</i>
<i>but it wasn't too long</i>

72
00:03:43,567 --> 00:03:46,867
before there started
to be problems in their home.

73
00:03:48,300 --> 00:03:50,100
[narrator] <i>A few years</i>
<i>into the marriage,</i>

74
00:03:50,166 --> 00:03:54,467
<i>Racheyl discovers Steve does</i>
<i>not only feel above the law,</i>

75
00:03:54,467 --> 00:03:57,500
<i>but above his</i>
<i>wedding vows as well.</i>

76
00:03:57,567 --> 00:04:00,000
Steve cheated on her
and it really tore Racheyl up.

77
00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,000
Steve cheated on her
and it really tore Racheyl up.

78
00:04:01,467 --> 00:04:04,867
{\an8}I do believe that Racheyl
had forgave Steve,

79
00:04:04,867 --> 00:04:09,867
{\an8}but I think she had
a hard time
trusting him afterwards.

80
00:04:09,867 --> 00:04:13,667
{\an8}[Christine] <i>They decided</i>
<i>to work things out</i>
<i>and not get a divorce,</i>

81
00:04:13,667 --> 00:04:17,600
{\an8}and she thought that
having a child
would mend their relationship.

82
00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:20,200
{\an8}[babies crying]

83
00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:24,467
{\an8}[narrator] <i>In October, 1999,</i>
<i>eight years</i>
<i>into their marriage,</i>

84
00:04:24,467 --> 00:04:28,266
<i>Racheyl gives birth</i>
<i>to the couples'</i>
<i>only child, Cole.</i>

85
00:04:30,700 --> 00:04:31,000
[Fish] <i>She lived for Cole,</i>
<i>she really loved him,</i>

86
00:04:33,367 --> 00:04:35,667
and from whether family said

87
00:04:35,667 --> 00:04:37,800
she really changed
when she had Cole.

88
00:04:37,867 --> 00:04:44,467
She went from this wild,
uncontainable spirit
to focused on her son.

89
00:04:45,367 --> 00:04:47,467
Racheyl was a great mother.

90
00:04:47,467 --> 00:04:50,166
She loved that little boy.

91
00:04:50,166 --> 00:04:55,900
[Fish] <i>While she was</i>
<i>completely enamored</i>
<i>with her baby boy,</i>

92
00:04:55,967 --> 00:05:00,000
<i>her husband really didn't</i>
<i>like Cole very much.</i>

93
00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:00,400
<i>her husband really didn't</i>
<i>like Cole very much.</i>

94
00:05:00,467 --> 00:05:01,000
He would refer to Cole
as, "it," rather than, "him."

95
00:05:03,967 --> 00:05:07,600
And it was at that time
that Racheyl discovered

96
00:05:07,667 --> 00:05:09,700
that Steve
was being unfaithful

97
00:05:09,767 --> 00:05:13,100
for about the third time
in their marriage.

98
00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,166
[narrator] <i>Steve's infidelity</i>
<i>leads to escalating arguments.</i>

99
00:05:19,266 --> 00:05:21,967
{\an8}<i>On July 22nd, 2001,</i>

100
00:05:21,967 --> 00:05:23,767
{\an8}<i>Racheyl calls 911 to report</i>

101
00:05:23,767 --> 00:05:28,467
{\an8}<i>that Steve is suicidal</i>
<i>and is threatening</i>
<i>her life as well.</i>

102
00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:30,000
{\an8}<i>A few weeks later,</i>
<i>on August 16th,</i>
<i>they're fighting again,</i>

103
00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,000
{\an8}<i>A few weeks later,</i>
<i>on August 16th,</i>
<i>they're fighting again,</i>

104
00:05:34,266 --> 00:05:37,867
<i>and Racheyl's family</i>
<i>is concerned for her safety.</i>

105
00:05:37,867 --> 00:05:40,567
<i>This time they call 911.</i>

106
00:05:40,567 --> 00:05:42,900
[Jackie] <i>I know the officer</i>
<i>that went there,</i>

107
00:05:42,967 --> 00:05:47,967
he begged Racheyl to go
and file charges against him
for domestic violence

108
00:05:47,967 --> 00:05:49,767
but she wouldn't do it.

109
00:05:51,266 --> 00:05:54,467
<i>I believe Racheyl was</i>
<i>scared to press charges</i>

110
00:05:54,467 --> 00:05:58,367
because the sheriff
was related to Steve.

111
00:05:58,367 --> 00:06:00,000
[narrator] <i>That fall,</i>
<i>Steve moves out of the house</i>

112
00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,000
[narrator] <i>That fall,</i>
<i>Steve moves out of the house</i>

113
00:06:01,166 --> 00:06:02,967
<i>and stays</i>
<i>in the couples' camper</i>

114
00:06:02,967 --> 00:06:05,066
<i>at Mumford Island</i>
<i>Hunting Club.</i>

115
00:06:06,066 --> 00:06:09,166
{\an8}<i>A few days later,</i>
<i>on November 25th,</i>

116
00:06:09,166 --> 00:06:12,367
{\an8}<i>Racheyl drops her son off</i>
<i>with her mother, Pat,</i>

117
00:06:12,367 --> 00:06:16,667
<i>because she plans to pay Steve</i>
<i>a visit at the hunting club.</i>

118
00:06:16,667 --> 00:06:19,266
So the point of going
to the club was two-fold.

119
00:06:19,266 --> 00:06:22,367
"I'm going to tell my husband
that I want a divorce,

120
00:06:22,367 --> 00:06:25,967
and then I'm going to go
to the tree stand
that I've carefully prepared."

121
00:06:25,967 --> 00:06:29,066
So she was going out
to actually hunt.

122
00:06:30,467 --> 00:06:31,000
<i>At that time,</i>
<i>members of the club</i>

123
00:06:32,867 --> 00:06:35,266
<i>saw that Racheyl</i>
<i>was drinking beer,</i>

124
00:06:35,266 --> 00:06:37,467
<i>saw that Steve</i>
<i>was drinking beer,</i>

125
00:06:37,467 --> 00:06:40,967
<i>and they all scattered</i>

126
00:06:40,967 --> 00:06:44,300
<i>to different parts</i>
<i>of the hunting club property</i>
<i>to hunt.</i>

127
00:06:47,667 --> 00:06:49,266
[narrator] <i>At 4:30 p.m.,</i>
<i>Racheyl and Steve,</i>

128
00:06:49,266 --> 00:06:53,367
<i>both leave for their</i>
<i>respective hunting stands</i>
<i>in the woods.</i>

129
00:06:54,500 --> 00:06:57,867
[Fish] <i>Now according to Steve,</i>
<i>she'd said,</i>

130
00:06:57,867 --> 00:07:00,000
"You know what,
I don't want to shoot
out of the stand

131
00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,000
"You know what,
I don't want to shoot
out of the stand

132
00:07:01,266 --> 00:07:05,767
that I have prepared, baited,
sighted in my gun for.

133
00:07:05,767 --> 00:07:11,266
I think I would rather go
to that stand over there."

134
00:07:11,266 --> 00:07:13,900
<i>Now the stand that</i>
<i>he's talking about here</i>

135
00:07:13,967 --> 00:07:17,767
<i>is about a 20-year-old</i>
<i>homemade stand,</i>

136
00:07:17,767 --> 00:07:22,100
and one that no hunter
in their right mind
would ever go into.

137
00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,867
[narrator] <i>According to Steve,</i>
<i>at around 5:45 p.m.,</i>

138
00:07:26,867 --> 00:07:30,000
<i>he hears a deer make</i>
<i>a sound known as</i>
<i>a, "blow" from his stand.</i>

139
00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:30,767
<i>he hears a deer make</i>
<i>a sound known as</i>
<i>a, "blow" from his stand.</i>

140
00:07:31,567 --> 00:07:33,200
[Fish] <i>He didn't</i>
<i>get a shot off</i>

141
00:07:33,266 --> 00:07:36,867
and figured that,
"It's now too late, really,
to hunt anyway,

142
00:07:36,867 --> 00:07:40,066
<i>I'm going to get down</i>
<i>from the stand</i>
<i>and go get Racheyl."</i>

143
00:07:40,066 --> 00:07:44,100
He calls for her,
looks for her, can't find her.

144
00:07:45,900 --> 00:07:49,900
<i>But, eventually, finds her,</i>
<i>according to him,</i>

145
00:07:49,967 --> 00:07:54,567
face down at the bottom
of this rickety tree stand

146
00:07:54,567 --> 00:07:58,100
<i>that nobody had any business</i>
<i>being in anyway.</i>

147
00:08:00,667 --> 00:08:01,000
[narrator] <i>At 6:04 p.m.,</i>
<i>Steve calls 911.</i>

148
00:08:04,266 --> 00:08:06,900
<i>He says his wife</i>
<i>is lying face down.</i>

149
00:08:06,967 --> 00:08:08,667
<i>She doesn't have a pulse,</i>

150
00:08:08,667 --> 00:08:12,767
<i>she's not breathing,</i>
<i>and her eyes aren't</i>
<i>responding to light.</i>

151
00:08:12,767 --> 00:08:16,600
<i>The 911 operator</i>
<i>tells Steve to begin CPR.</i>

152
00:08:16,667 --> 00:08:18,100
It was my birthday.

153
00:08:18,166 --> 00:08:19,834
My aunt had called my mom

154
00:08:19,834 --> 00:08:25,266
and said that Racheyl had been
involved in an accident
out at the hunting club.

155
00:08:25,266 --> 00:08:29,967
<i>They were going to life flight</i>
<i>Racheyl to Jacksonville.</i>

156
00:08:29,967 --> 00:08:30,000
And while we were in the car,
we got the phone call

157
00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:31,000
And while we were in the car,
we got the phone call

158
00:08:35,166 --> 00:08:37,967
that life flight
had been called off,

159
00:08:37,967 --> 00:08:41,000
and that Racheyl
had been pronounced dead.

160
00:08:47,100 --> 00:08:48,900
[narrator] <i>At the news</i>
<i>of Racheyl's death,</i>

161
00:08:48,967 --> 00:08:53,700
<i>her family and friends</i>
<i>gather at her mother,</i>
<i>Pat's house in shock.</i>

162
00:08:53,767 --> 00:08:55,166
[Jackie] <i>It was just,</i>
<i>kind of, frantic,</i>

163
00:08:55,166 --> 00:08:57,500
<i>but at the same,</i>
<i>like, time flew.</i>

164
00:08:57,567 --> 00:08:59,367
{\an8}People just started piling in.

165
00:08:59,367 --> 00:09:01,800
{\an8}Like, I don't really know
how they found out so quick.

166
00:09:01,867 --> 00:09:05,066
{\an8}When we arrived at my
aunt's house that night,

167
00:09:05,066 --> 00:09:07,700
{\an8}Steve was still
in his hunting clothes.

168
00:09:07,767 --> 00:09:13,467
He cried and he told me
that him and Racheyl had been
getting along a lot better,

169
00:09:13,467 --> 00:09:15,758
<i>and that he was really lost.</i>

170
00:09:15,758 --> 00:09:15,900
<i>and that he was really lost.</i>

171
00:09:17,667 --> 00:09:20,867
[narrator] <i>Racheyl's family</i>
<i>immediately starts questioning</i>

172
00:09:20,867 --> 00:09:25,066
<i>how a fall</i>
<i>from a hunting stand</i>
<i>could kill her.</i>

173
00:09:25,066 --> 00:09:28,467
The way that the ground
was out there, I mean,
it was just so soggy.

174
00:09:28,467 --> 00:09:33,567
<i>There wasn't really anything</i>
<i>around that I think that she</i>
<i>could've hit her head on.</i>

175
00:09:33,567 --> 00:09:38,100
{\an8}[narrator] <i>On the morning</i>
<i>of November 26th,</i>
the day after Racheyl's death,

176
00:09:38,166 --> 00:09:41,266
{\an8}<i>an investigator</i>
<i>from the Camden County</i>
<i>Sheriff's Office,</i>

177
00:09:41,266 --> 00:09:45,100
{\an8}<i>and an investigator</i>
<i>from the Georgia Department</i>
<i>of Natural Resources</i>

178
00:09:45,166 --> 00:09:45,758
{\an8}<i>returned to the scene.</i>

179
00:09:45,758 --> 00:09:46,000
{\an8}<i>returned to the scene.</i>

180
00:09:46,667 --> 00:09:48,867
{\an8}It wasn't much
of an investigation.

181
00:09:48,867 --> 00:09:51,800
{\an8}There should've
been suspicion.

182
00:09:51,867 --> 00:09:55,000
[Jackie] <i>Racheyl was very</i>
<i>cautious when she hunted.</i>

183
00:09:55,066 --> 00:09:58,800
I don't think she would ever
even attempt to go
in that stand at all.

184
00:10:00,667 --> 00:10:03,867
[narrator] <i>That afternoon,</i>
<i>the coroner, L.W. Bruce,</i>

185
00:10:03,867 --> 00:10:06,266
<i>after examining</i>
<i>Racheyl's body,</i>

186
00:10:06,266 --> 00:10:10,667
<i>requests a complete autopsy</i>
<i>from the Georgia Bureau</i>
<i>of Investigation</i>

187
00:10:10,667 --> 00:10:13,567
<i>because of the history</i>
<i>of domestic violence reports.</i>

188
00:10:15,367 --> 00:10:15,758
<i>Dr. Lora Darrisaw</i>
<i>is the medical examiner</i>
<i>with the GBI.</i>

189
00:10:15,758 --> 00:10:16,000
<i>Dr. Lora Darrisaw</i>
<i>is the medical examiner</i>
<i>with the GBI.</i>

190
00:10:20,667 --> 00:10:23,367
[Fish] <i>Dr. Darrisaw</i>
<i>was pretty new.</i>

191
00:10:23,367 --> 00:10:29,667
And she broke, what I think,
is a complete cardinal rule
of doing autopsies.

192
00:10:29,667 --> 00:10:35,000
She took no photos
of her examination
and investigations.

193
00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:36,600
[somber music playing]

194
00:10:36,667 --> 00:10:39,467
{\an8}[narrator] <i>Three days later,</i>
<i>on November 29th,</i>

195
00:10:39,467 --> 00:10:43,467
{\an8}<i>Racheyl's family,</i>
<i>full of unease,</i>
<i>gather at her funeral.</i>

196
00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:45,758
{\an8}[Carolyn] <i>His family's</i>
<i>on one side,</i>
<i>our family is on the other.</i>

197
00:10:45,758 --> 00:10:46,000
{\an8}[Carolyn] <i>His family's</i>
<i>on one side,</i>
<i>our family is on the other.</i>

198
00:10:48,767 --> 00:10:51,166
{\an8}And nobody
talked to each other.

199
00:10:51,166 --> 00:10:54,467
{\an8}It was just really bad.

200
00:10:54,467 --> 00:10:56,767
["Amazing Grace"
Playing on bagpipes]

201
00:10:56,767 --> 00:10:58,867
[Christine] <i>Steve would</i>
<i>sit out there and laugh</i>

202
00:10:58,867 --> 00:11:01,266
<i>and tell jokes</i>
<i>with his buddies.</i>

203
00:11:01,266 --> 00:11:07,967
Just not something
that you expect
a grieving husband to do.

204
00:11:07,967 --> 00:11:12,266
[narrator] <i>When Racheyl's</i>
<i>family finally sees her body</i>
<i>for the first time,</i>

205
00:11:12,266 --> 00:11:13,900
<i>they're alarmed.</i>

206
00:11:13,967 --> 00:11:15,758
At the viewing,
they told Aunt Pat not to let
anyone touch the body.

207
00:11:15,758 --> 00:11:16,000
At the viewing,
they told Aunt Pat not to let
anyone touch the body.

208
00:11:18,166 --> 00:11:19,867
So when I got there,

209
00:11:20,767 --> 00:11:23,066
I walked up to see Racheyl.

210
00:11:23,066 --> 00:11:28,066
<i>And I noticed that there were</i>
<i>a lot of injuries on her face.</i>

211
00:11:28,066 --> 00:11:34,367
She had
three fingerprint bruises
on the inner part of her arm.

212
00:11:34,367 --> 00:11:38,867
Looked like where someone
had grabbed her, forcefully.

213
00:11:38,867 --> 00:11:40,567
[narrator]
<i>After Racheyl's death,</i>

214
00:11:40,567 --> 00:11:45,266
<i>her husband's behavior</i>
<i>continues to disturb</i>
<i>her family.</i>

215
00:11:45,266 --> 00:11:45,758
Morning after the accident,
he called her job to see

216
00:11:45,758 --> 00:11:46,000
Morning after the accident,
he called her job to see

217
00:11:48,467 --> 00:11:51,300
if her insurance was double
if it was an accident.

218
00:11:52,567 --> 00:11:55,600
[Fish] <i>Shortly after</i>
<i>Racheyl's death,</i>

219
00:11:55,667 --> 00:11:57,767
<i>Steve shows up in a brand new</i>
<i>pickup truck,</i>

220
00:11:57,767 --> 00:12:00,667
and he starts, like,
spending this money

221
00:12:00,667 --> 00:12:04,800
like a guy who has no control
and just won the lottery.

222
00:12:04,867 --> 00:12:09,600
He started calling
on that insurance,
like, real fast.

223
00:12:10,700 --> 00:12:13,500
{\an8}[narrator]
<i>On January 30th, 2002,</i>

224
00:12:13,567 --> 00:12:15,758
{\an8}<i>when the Georgia Bureau</i>
<i>of Investigation's</i>
<i>medical examiner,</i>

225
00:12:15,758 --> 00:12:16,000
{\an8}<i>when the Georgia Bureau</i>
<i>of Investigation's</i>
<i>medical examiner,</i>

226
00:12:16,967 --> 00:12:22,467
<i>Dr. Lora Darrisaw completes</i>
<i>Racheyl's official</i>
<i>autopsy report,</i>

227
00:12:22,467 --> 00:12:28,100
<i>the family notices details</i>
<i>that clearly seem like errors.</i>

228
00:12:28,100 --> 00:12:33,100
She said there was no
visible marks on her body,
like scars and stuff.

229
00:12:33,100 --> 00:12:37,266
Well, she'd had a melanoma
removed from her arm
right here

230
00:12:37,266 --> 00:12:41,266
<i>which left a pretty big,</i>
<i>ugly mark.</i>

231
00:12:41,266 --> 00:12:43,467
[Christine] <i>And you can</i>
<i>see the scar,</i>

232
00:12:43,467 --> 00:12:45,758
and this doctor
for some reason,

233
00:12:45,758 --> 00:12:45,867
and this doctor
for some reason,

234
00:12:45,867 --> 00:12:46,000
couldn't see it on her body
when she did the autopsy.

235
00:12:50,266 --> 00:12:53,100
[narrator] <i>But her family's</i>
<i>biggest issue with the report</i>

236
00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:56,200
<i>lies in the cause</i>
<i>and manner of death.</i>

237
00:12:57,500 --> 00:13:00,867
[Fish] <i>Dr. Darrisaw came</i>
<i>to the conclusion that</i>

238
00:13:00,867 --> 00:13:04,166
this indeed look like
the death of a woman

239
00:13:04,166 --> 00:13:06,000
that suffered
blunt force trauma

240
00:13:06,066 --> 00:13:08,800
as a result
of falling out of a tree.

241
00:13:08,867 --> 00:13:13,300
The autopsy report said
she was crushed
like Rice Krispies.

242
00:13:13,367 --> 00:13:15,758
<i>Falling out of a tree,</i>
<i>you're not going to get</i>
<i>that many bruises</i>

243
00:13:15,758 --> 00:13:15,900
<i>Falling out of a tree,</i>
<i>you're not going to get</i>
<i>that many bruises</i>

244
00:13:15,967 --> 00:13:16,000
<i>in that many different places</i>
<i>front and back.</i>

245
00:13:19,066 --> 00:13:22,266
[Christine] <i>We asked</i>
<i>the head investigator</i>

246
00:13:22,266 --> 00:13:24,767
how that could've
possibly happened.

247
00:13:24,767 --> 00:13:27,000
And he gave us the story,

248
00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,800
"Well, Racheyl was probably
traveling at such
a high rate of speed

249
00:13:30,867 --> 00:13:33,166
after she fell
out of the tree,

250
00:13:33,166 --> 00:13:36,800
<i>that when she hit the ground,"</i>
<i>which was soft,</i>

251
00:13:36,867 --> 00:13:43,066
<i>"That her body hit so hard</i>
<i>that it probably</i>
<i>flipped her over,"</i>

252
00:13:43,066 --> 00:13:45,166
<i>at a 12 to 15-foot fall.</i>

253
00:13:47,367 --> 00:13:49,367
{\an8}[narrator] <i>In November, 2003,</i>

254
00:13:49,367 --> 00:13:53,100
{\an8}<i>Racheyl's mother hires</i>
<i>two private investigators.</i>

255
00:13:53,100 --> 00:13:56,000
{\an8}The very first mistake
that was made was

256
00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,700
{\an8}taking Steven's word
for the incident,

257
00:14:00,767 --> 00:14:02,667
that she had fallen
from that stand.

258
00:14:03,567 --> 00:14:06,400
<i>Any sudden, unexpected death</i>

259
00:14:06,467 --> 00:14:11,467
should be treated
as a crime scene
and that was not done.

260
00:14:11,467 --> 00:14:14,400
[Ross] <i>The scene was</i>
<i>not processed correctly.</i>

261
00:14:14,467 --> 00:14:15,758
They didn't do any searches.

262
00:14:15,758 --> 00:14:16,000
They didn't do any searches.

263
00:14:16,367 --> 00:14:20,000
<i>They didn't ask Steve Brinson</i>
<i>any questions,</i>

264
00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,066
<i>they didn't take his clothes.</i>

265
00:14:23,066 --> 00:14:25,867
[narrator]
<i>With private investigators</i>
<i>on her side,</i>

266
00:14:25,867 --> 00:14:30,266
<i>Racheyl's mother is hopeful</i>
<i>that all her hard work</i>
<i>will pay off.</i>

267
00:14:30,266 --> 00:14:31,367
What we knew
from the beginning

268
00:14:31,367 --> 00:14:33,567
was that Pat thought
it was murder,

269
00:14:33,567 --> 00:14:38,800
so we went with the intent
to investigate
and find out what it was.

270
00:14:38,867 --> 00:14:41,767
Was it a fall from a tree?
Was it a homicide?

271
00:14:41,767 --> 00:14:43,967
And the more we investigated,

272
00:14:43,967 --> 00:14:45,758
the more we determined
that it was a homicide.

273
00:14:45,758 --> 00:14:46,000
the more we determined
that it was a homicide.

274
00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:56,900
<i>When I got there,</i>
<i>it was like everyone in town</i>
<i>knew I was there.</i>

275
00:14:56,967 --> 00:15:01,000
<i>I would go into lunch cafe</i>
<i>and they would all look at me.</i>

276
00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:03,100
{\an8}But when I wanted to talk
to these witnesses,

277
00:15:03,166 --> 00:15:04,600
{\an8}they all wanted to talk.

278
00:15:04,667 --> 00:15:06,400
{\an8}They were never interviewed
by the sheriff

279
00:15:06,467 --> 00:15:08,500
{\an8}or the Sheriff's Department,
at all.

280
00:15:08,567 --> 00:15:11,467
{\an8}So they wanted
to tell their story.

281
00:15:11,467 --> 00:15:13,867
{\an8}[Christine] <i>Law enforcement</i>
<i>didn't interview anybody.</i>

282
00:15:13,867 --> 00:15:16,467
{\an8}<i>They didn't interview</i>
<i>Royce Proctor.</i>

283
00:15:16,467 --> 00:15:19,922
{\an8}He is the one that gave Steve
a ride to Aunt Pat's house.

284
00:15:19,922 --> 00:15:20,000
{\an8}He is the one that gave Steve
a ride to Aunt Pat's house.

285
00:15:21,667 --> 00:15:23,600
<i>Royce turned to Steve</i>
<i>and said,</i>

286
00:15:23,667 --> 00:15:28,367
<i>"Steve, is there anybody</i>
<i>you need to call, you know,</i>
<i>to be with you at this time?"</i>

287
00:15:28,367 --> 00:15:29,867
[phone rings]

288
00:15:29,867 --> 00:15:32,266
<i>So he tried his dad.</i>

289
00:15:32,266 --> 00:15:37,100
The exact words that Royce
said come out of his mouth
when his dad answered was,

290
00:15:37,166 --> 00:15:41,100
"Dad, I really
[bleep] up this time,
Racheyl's dead."

291
00:15:42,166 --> 00:15:44,600
And Royce said,

292
00:15:44,667 --> 00:15:46,800
"I almost lost it."

293
00:15:46,867 --> 00:15:49,922
He said, "I was so shocked
to hear that
come out of his mouth."

294
00:15:49,922 --> 00:15:50,000
He said, "I was so shocked
to hear that
come out of his mouth."

295
00:15:52,367 --> 00:15:56,066
[Ross] <i>Blunt force trauma</i>
<i>can come</i>
<i>from different things,</i>

296
00:15:56,066 --> 00:16:00,266
<i>and facial injuries</i>
<i>can come</i>
<i>from different things.</i>

297
00:16:00,266 --> 00:16:04,266
So instead of attributing
to falling out
of a tree stand,

298
00:16:04,266 --> 00:16:08,100
there are other things
that could do that to you.

299
00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:11,000
[narrator]
<i>The private investigators</i>

300
00:16:11,066 --> 00:16:13,700
<i>share the family's concerns</i>
<i>about the thoroughness</i>

301
00:16:13,767 --> 00:16:16,166
<i>of Dr. Lora Darrisaw's</i>
<i>autopsy.</i>

302
00:16:17,367 --> 00:16:19,922
[Ross] <i>It was a very partial,</i>
<i>quick autopsy.</i>

303
00:16:19,922 --> 00:16:20,000
[Ross] <i>It was a very partial,</i>
<i>quick autopsy.</i>

304
00:16:20,567 --> 00:16:24,400
I found out later
that the Sheriff's Department

305
00:16:24,467 --> 00:16:27,400
had called her and told her
what happened,

306
00:16:27,467 --> 00:16:30,667
and she took that verbatim.

307
00:16:30,667 --> 00:16:34,200
But I also found out that
police officers had called

308
00:16:34,266 --> 00:16:39,467
and told her
about the physical abuse
and the domestic problems.

309
00:16:39,467 --> 00:16:42,467
<i>And I asked her</i>
<i>why she didn't pursue that,</i>

310
00:16:42,467 --> 00:16:45,767
<i>she said the body</i>
<i>had been already released.</i>

311
00:16:45,767 --> 00:16:49,922
<i>And I asked her</i>
<i>what would cause her to fall</i>
<i>from a tree stand if she fell,</i>

312
00:16:49,922 --> 00:16:50,000
<i>And I asked her</i>
<i>what would cause her to fall</i>
<i>from a tree stand if she fell,</i>

313
00:16:50,967 --> 00:16:53,567
and she said, "She was drunk."

314
00:16:54,467 --> 00:16:57,567
She had a .15 alcohol rating.

315
00:16:57,567 --> 00:17:02,266
[narrator] <i>PI Rich Graham</i>
<i>has his doubts</i>
<i>about the entire story.</i>

316
00:17:02,266 --> 00:17:04,867
[Graham] <i>Racheyl never</i>
<i>went into that tree stand.</i>

317
00:17:04,867 --> 00:17:09,367
{\an8}I believe that when they left
from shooting the rifles in,

318
00:17:09,367 --> 00:17:12,467
{\an8}they went back
to Steven's camp.

319
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,166
<i>And I believe that that's when</i>

320
00:17:16,166 --> 00:17:19,922
Racheyl told him
that she wanted a divorce.

321
00:17:19,922 --> 00:17:20,000
Racheyl told him
that she wanted a divorce.

322
00:17:21,367 --> 00:17:23,300
<i>I believe that he's upset.</i>

323
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:25,800
There was an altercation.

324
00:17:25,867 --> 00:17:28,667
<i>I think he also was</i>
<i>suspicious of her</i>

325
00:17:28,667 --> 00:17:32,066
possibly having an affair
with one of her coworkers.

326
00:17:32,066 --> 00:17:36,400
There was a culmination
of everything
and he just lost it.

327
00:17:36,467 --> 00:17:39,867
[Christine] <i>He had made</i>
<i>the comment to my Aunt Pat</i>

328
00:17:39,867 --> 00:17:44,166
that, "Racheyl makes me
so mad sometimes,
I could just kill her."

329
00:17:44,166 --> 00:17:48,700
They were fighting,
he cheated on her,
he beat her up.

330
00:17:48,767 --> 00:17:49,922
We just knew
something wasn't right.

331
00:17:49,922 --> 00:17:50,000
We just knew
something wasn't right.

332
00:17:52,266 --> 00:17:54,867
[narrator] <i>The family's</i>
<i>private eyes</i>
<i>used their findings</i>

333
00:17:54,867 --> 00:18:00,166
<i>to try to persuade</i>
<i>law enforcement</i>
<i>to reopen her case.</i>

334
00:18:00,166 --> 00:18:05,367
<i>They approached L.W. Bruce,</i>
<i>the coroner, who originally</i>
<i>examined Racheyl's body.</i>

335
00:18:05,367 --> 00:18:09,166
[Graham] <i>In my opinion,</i>
<i>Coroner Bruce made his ruling</i>

336
00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:12,266
based largely
on Steven Brinson's statement.

337
00:18:12,266 --> 00:18:17,166
And we tried to approach him
with information
after we investigated,

338
00:18:17,166 --> 00:18:19,922
to try to explain to him
why we felt he should
change his ruling.

339
00:18:19,922 --> 00:18:20,000
to try to explain to him
why we felt he should
change his ruling.

340
00:18:21,567 --> 00:18:23,867
And he referred something
or other about,

341
00:18:23,867 --> 00:18:25,667
"You damn Yankees
don't come down here

342
00:18:25,667 --> 00:18:28,367
and tell me
how to do my work."

343
00:18:28,367 --> 00:18:31,467
[narrator] <i>Coroner Bruce</i>
<i>did not respond</i>
<i>to our interview request,</i>

344
00:18:31,467 --> 00:18:34,567
<i>and has made</i>
<i>no public statements.</i>

345
00:18:34,567 --> 00:18:38,000
<i>Given the official refusal</i>
<i>to take another look</i>
<i>at the case,</i>

346
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,266
<i>Racheyl's family</i>
<i>is left piecing it</i>
<i>all together themselves.</i>

347
00:18:42,867 --> 00:18:46,300
<i>Based on the timeline evidence</i>
<i>found by their private eyes,</i>

348
00:18:46,367 --> 00:18:49,600
<i>the injuries they</i>
<i>witnessed at the funeral,</i>

349
00:18:49,667 --> 00:18:49,922
<i>and what they know</i>
<i>about Steve and Racheyl.</i>

350
00:18:49,922 --> 00:18:50,000
<i>and what they know</i>
<i>about Steve and Racheyl.</i>

351
00:18:52,166 --> 00:18:54,967
I believe that Steve
and her got into an argument

352
00:18:54,967 --> 00:18:57,467
on the way back
to the hunting club.

353
00:18:57,467 --> 00:18:59,066
I believe he beat her.

354
00:18:59,066 --> 00:19:03,867
I believe he grabbed her
by the arm
and put those bruises on her.

355
00:19:03,867 --> 00:19:06,266
I believe she got away
from him.

356
00:19:06,266 --> 00:19:10,867
<i>I believe she ran</i>
<i>out of the trailer,</i>
<i>he followed her.</i>

357
00:19:10,867 --> 00:19:13,767
I believe he took
the butt of the gun

358
00:19:13,767 --> 00:19:17,767
and hit her so hard in
the back of the head with it

359
00:19:17,767 --> 00:19:19,922
that he split her
from ear to ear.

360
00:19:19,922 --> 00:19:20,000
that he split her
from ear to ear.

361
00:19:21,567 --> 00:19:25,367
<i>And Lt. Dale Bundy's report</i>

362
00:19:25,367 --> 00:19:27,467
<i>said that he checked the gun,</i>

363
00:19:27,467 --> 00:19:30,567
<i>he noticed blood</i>
<i>all over the gun,</i>

364
00:19:30,567 --> 00:19:33,767
and he did not send it
for forensics,

365
00:19:33,767 --> 00:19:37,066
he gave it back to Steve.

366
00:19:37,066 --> 00:19:39,867
{\an8}I don't even think she died
underneath that tree,

367
00:19:39,867 --> 00:19:42,367
{\an8}I think she was moved there.

368
00:19:42,367 --> 00:19:47,200
[narrator] <i>Neither</i>
<i>Steve Brinson nor his cousin,</i>
<i>Former Sheriff Bill Smith,</i>

369
00:19:47,266 --> 00:19:49,922
<i>responded to our request</i>
<i>for an interview or statement.</i>

370
00:19:49,922 --> 00:19:50,000
<i>responded to our request</i>
<i>for an interview or statement.</i>

371
00:19:51,567 --> 00:19:54,200
<i>Steve is not considered</i>
<i>a suspect,</i>

372
00:19:54,266 --> 00:19:57,467
<i>and has not been charged</i>
<i>with anything related</i>
<i>to this case.</i>

373
00:19:58,767 --> 00:20:02,367
<i>While Racheyl's family lives</i>
<i>with unanswered questions,</i>

374
00:20:02,367 --> 00:20:06,467
<i>they continue to mourn their</i>
<i>loss and fight for justice.</i>

375
00:20:06,467 --> 00:20:09,066
[Carolyn] <i>It's really been</i>
<i>rough on everybody</i>
<i>for 20 years now,</i>

376
00:20:09,066 --> 00:20:12,900
and I think somebody,
somebody needs to do
something about it.

377
00:20:12,967 --> 00:20:16,200
We just want some answers,
you know.

378
00:20:16,266 --> 00:20:19,922
[Jackie] <i>I think that we all</i>
<i>have been cheated out</i>
<i>and it's unfair.</i>

379
00:20:19,922 --> 00:20:20,000
[Jackie] <i>I think that we all</i>
<i>have been cheated out</i>
<i>and it's unfair.</i>

380
00:20:20,567 --> 00:20:23,100
{\an8}Miss Pat, she's been
a different person, I think,

381
00:20:23,100 --> 00:20:27,367
{\an8}from the time that she heard,
you know, Racheyl had passed.

382
00:20:27,367 --> 00:20:32,867
<i>The only thing she focused on</i>
<i>was trying to prove</i>
<i>that Steve done it.</i>

383
00:20:32,867 --> 00:20:36,467
[Carolyn] <i>My sister,</i>
<i>she's not in the greatest</i>
<i>condition right now.</i>

384
00:20:36,467 --> 00:20:40,300
We'd like to see something
done while she's still alive.

385
00:20:41,767 --> 00:20:46,367
Racheyl was smart,
she was a good person,

386
00:20:46,367 --> 00:20:49,922
and she would've done
a lot in her life.

387
00:20:49,922 --> 00:20:49,967
and she would've done
a lot in her life.

388
00:20:49,967 --> 00:20:50,000
<i>She would've raised her son</i>
<i>with love and care</i>
<i>and tenderness.</i>

389
00:20:55,667 --> 00:20:57,400
And I would've loved
to have seen

390
00:20:57,467 --> 00:20:59,767
where she would've
taken her life today.

391
00:21:00,467 --> 00:21:02,367
<i>I think she would've gone far.</i>

392
00:21:08,867 --> 00:21:10,567
<i>Jessica died too soon.</i>

393
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:14,166
<i>And we need to understand why.</i>

394
00:21:14,166 --> 00:21:18,100
<i>Today I call upon</i>
<i>San Francisco</i>
<i>District Attorney</i>

395
00:21:18,166 --> 00:21:19,922
{\an8}<i>to investigate</i>
<i>the wrongful death</i>
<i>of Jessica Nicole Alva.</i>

396
00:21:19,922 --> 00:21:20,000
{\an8}<i>to investigate</i>
<i>the wrongful death</i>
<i>of Jessica Nicole Alva.</i>

397
00:21:23,467 --> 00:21:25,000
I just couldn't
have any peace.

398
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:28,867
It was like she was there
waiting for me
to find what was there.

399
00:21:30,567 --> 00:21:33,767
She had so much to live for
and so much to fight for

400
00:21:33,767 --> 00:21:35,000
and that's what she was doing.

401
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,667
We knew it was a lie.
We knew it was a lie.

402
00:21:39,667 --> 00:21:41,767
And we had
to get to the bottom of it.

403
00:21:46,266 --> 00:21:49,922
[narrator] <i>Born in</i>
<i>San Bernardino, California,</i>
<i>in 1984,</i>

404
00:21:49,922 --> 00:21:50,000
[narrator] <i>Born in</i>
<i>San Bernardino, California,</i>
<i>in 1984,</i>

405
00:21:50,567 --> 00:21:53,567
<i>Jessica is the third</i>
<i>of four children.</i>

406
00:21:53,567 --> 00:21:56,166
<i>As a military family,</i>
<i>they moved frequently</i>

407
00:21:56,166 --> 00:21:58,567
<i>before settling</i>
<i>in Redding, California.</i>

408
00:21:58,567 --> 00:22:01,667
{\an8}I remember when they told me
that I was a having
a baby sister,

409
00:22:01,667 --> 00:22:02,867
{\an8}I was so happy.

410
00:22:02,867 --> 00:22:06,200
{\an8}And when she came home, like,
we were inseparable, like,

411
00:22:06,266 --> 00:22:10,266
<i>we've always shared a room,</i>
<i>we've always had same friends.</i>

412
00:22:10,266 --> 00:22:13,066
[Cindy] <i>She would take care</i>
<i>of all the other kids</i>
<i>in the neighborhood.</i>

413
00:22:13,066 --> 00:22:15,066
<i>She was everybody's</i>
<i>favorite aunt.</i>

414
00:22:15,066 --> 00:22:18,467
She was just, like,
a person that was
born to care for people.

415
00:22:18,467 --> 00:22:19,922
[Cindy] <i>We had</i>
<i>domestic violence in our home.</i>

416
00:22:19,922 --> 00:22:20,000
[Cindy] <i>We had</i>
<i>domestic violence in our home.</i>

417
00:22:21,066 --> 00:22:23,767
<i>And when I was working,</i>
<i>when I wasn't there,</i>

418
00:22:23,767 --> 00:22:25,667
<i>it was mostly turned on her,</i>

419
00:22:25,667 --> 00:22:29,400
<i>and she did everything to try</i>
<i>to win the love of her father.</i>

420
00:22:30,567 --> 00:22:34,300
{\an8}Including later picking men
exactly like him.

421
00:22:34,367 --> 00:22:37,900
[narrator] <i>Jessica's</i>
<i>caring nature follows her</i>
<i>into motherhood.</i>

422
00:22:37,967 --> 00:22:41,100
<i>She eventually becomes</i>
<i>a mom of six.</i>

423
00:22:41,100 --> 00:22:43,667
<i>But her life</i>
<i>is not without hardship.</i>

424
00:22:43,667 --> 00:22:46,367
My sister had a lot
of struggles with addiction,

425
00:22:46,367 --> 00:22:49,922
<i>and I'm not sure,</i>
<i>if it's because our dad left</i>

426
00:22:49,922 --> 00:22:50,000
<i>and I'm not sure,</i>
<i>if it's because our dad left</i>

427
00:22:50,166 --> 00:22:53,800
and she just wanted
a man to love her

428
00:22:53,867 --> 00:22:56,667
the way that
she loved everybody,

429
00:22:56,667 --> 00:23:01,100
and take care of her
the way that she would
try to take care of everybody.

430
00:23:01,166 --> 00:23:07,200
She finally started to see
that she wanted
a whole different life,

431
00:23:07,266 --> 00:23:09,166
<i>and she started treatment.</i>

432
00:23:09,166 --> 00:23:13,000
[narrator] <i>In 2015,</i>
<i>Jessica moves to San Francisco</i>

433
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,700
<i>determined to start fresh</i>
<i>for her two youngest kids.</i>

434
00:23:16,767 --> 00:23:19,922
<i>She attends the recovery</i>
<i>program at Friendship House.</i>

435
00:23:19,922 --> 00:23:20,000
<i>She attends the recovery</i>
<i>program at Friendship House.</i>

436
00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:24,266
{\an8}Friendship House provides
traditional behavioral
health services

437
00:23:24,266 --> 00:23:28,200
{\an8}and recovery for native women
and native men.

438
00:23:28,266 --> 00:23:30,767
<i>Jessica was really proud</i>
<i>about her recovery.</i>

439
00:23:30,767 --> 00:23:35,367
<i>She came to San Francisco</i>
<i>to find her recovery</i>
<i>at Friendship House.</i>

440
00:23:35,367 --> 00:23:37,600
In her recovery,
the first thing she did

441
00:23:37,667 --> 00:23:39,467
was start reaching out
and helping others.

442
00:23:39,467 --> 00:23:41,200
[April] <i>She was able to work</i>
<i>at Friendship House.</i>

443
00:23:41,266 --> 00:23:44,900
<i>One of the things</i>
<i>that Jessica loved doing was</i>
<i>being at the front desk.</i>

444
00:23:44,967 --> 00:23:49,767
She was there to tell jokes,
she was there to dance,
listen to music.

445
00:23:49,767 --> 00:23:49,922
Like, she would just be...
[laughing] Be so crazy.

446
00:23:49,922 --> 00:23:50,000
Like, she would just be...
[laughing] Be so crazy.

447
00:23:53,767 --> 00:23:55,967
And just be funny
and be herself.

448
00:23:55,967 --> 00:23:58,166
[narrator]
<i>The native community</i>
<i>in San Francisco</i>

449
00:23:58,166 --> 00:24:02,066
<i>plays an important role</i>
<i>in Jessica's recovery</i>
<i>and life.</i>

450
00:24:02,066 --> 00:24:04,200
[singing]

451
00:24:04,266 --> 00:24:06,700
[Sarah] <i>We're Blackfoot</i>
<i>through my grandma</i>

452
00:24:06,767 --> 00:24:08,867
<i>and we're Yaqui</i>
<i>through my dad.</i>

453
00:24:08,867 --> 00:24:11,700
<i>I think when she moved</i>
<i>to San Francisco,</i>

454
00:24:11,767 --> 00:24:15,967
<i>that's when she more</i>
<i>got into her culture</i>
<i>and realized, like,</i>

455
00:24:15,967 --> 00:24:19,000
<i>that there was more help,</i>
<i>more love,</i>

456
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:19,922
more freedom in being
in our culture.

457
00:24:19,922 --> 00:24:20,000
more freedom in being
in our culture.

458
00:24:21,467 --> 00:24:25,667
[April] <i>Her children were</i>
<i>involved in the dance classes</i>
<i>that we had.</i>

459
00:24:25,667 --> 00:24:28,200
<i>She would come</i>
<i>to the community dinners.</i>

460
00:24:28,266 --> 00:24:32,567
<i>She was also really involved</i>
<i>with the Indian education</i>
<i>programme that we have here.</i>

461
00:24:32,567 --> 00:24:35,367
<i>She was really thriving</i>
<i>with her family.</i>

462
00:24:35,367 --> 00:24:37,767
[narrator] <i>Jessica's</i>
<i>generosity of spirit</i>

463
00:24:37,767 --> 00:24:42,467
<i>extends to a friend she's</i>
<i>known since childhood,</i>
<i>Clayton Rhoades.</i>

464
00:24:42,467 --> 00:24:45,767
[Cindy] <i>I've know Clayton</i>
<i>since he was a young boy.</i>

465
00:24:46,367 --> 00:24:48,166
I knew his parents.

466
00:24:48,166 --> 00:24:49,922
And his grandparents and I,
we were very close.

467
00:24:49,922 --> 00:24:50,000
And his grandparents and I,
we were very close.

468
00:24:51,266 --> 00:24:53,200
They were wonderful,
wonderful people.

469
00:24:53,266 --> 00:24:56,700
[Sarah] <i>We always called</i>
<i>each other cousins</i>
<i>in the neighborhood community,</i>

470
00:24:56,767 --> 00:24:58,467
<i>cousins or sisters.</i>

471
00:24:58,467 --> 00:25:01,400
And so, like, basically,
he was our family.

472
00:25:01,467 --> 00:25:03,867
[Cindy] <i>She had</i>
<i>started communicating,</i>

473
00:25:03,867 --> 00:25:07,367
<i>writing to Clayton</i>
<i>while he was in prison.</i>

474
00:25:07,367 --> 00:25:09,867
I just told her, you know,
"Just be careful.

475
00:25:09,867 --> 00:25:12,500
Sometimes people are
to stay in our past."

476
00:25:12,567 --> 00:25:17,266
[Cindy] <i>He had had</i>
<i>years of violent crimes,</i>

477
00:25:17,266 --> 00:25:19,500
<i>other domestic violence</i>
<i>crimes.</i>

478
00:25:19,567 --> 00:25:19,922
<i>Yet there was no way</i>
<i>to try to convince her</i>

479
00:25:19,922 --> 00:25:20,000
<i>Yet there was no way</i>
<i>to try to convince her</i>

480
00:25:22,100 --> 00:25:24,100
<i>that she wasn't</i>
<i>going to reform him,</i>

481
00:25:24,100 --> 00:25:26,700
and make him
into this wonderful man.

482
00:25:26,767 --> 00:25:29,066
[narrator] <i>After Clayton's</i>
<i>release from prison,</i>

483
00:25:29,066 --> 00:25:33,100
<i>he moves in with Jessica</i>
<i>and her two youngest children.</i>

484
00:25:33,100 --> 00:25:39,567
Well, I had hopes
because of her strong belief
in Clayton's recovery

485
00:25:39,567 --> 00:25:41,967
and that he really
wanted to change his life.

486
00:25:41,967 --> 00:25:43,967
She really thought that

487
00:25:43,967 --> 00:25:49,100
because she had gotten
clean and sober
and changed her life,

488
00:25:49,166 --> 00:25:49,922
that she wanted to give him
that opportunity.

489
00:25:49,922 --> 00:25:50,000
that she wanted to give him
that opportunity.

490
00:25:52,266 --> 00:25:56,166
[narrator] <i>But there are</i>
<i>signs of trouble</i>
<i>from the very start.</i>

491
00:25:56,166 --> 00:25:59,000
Jessica wouldn't stay
that long at the events.

492
00:25:59,066 --> 00:26:03,166
<i>And we also saw</i>
<i>that the children,</i>
<i>their behavior was different.</i>

493
00:26:03,166 --> 00:26:10,166
And we knew that there was
something about him
that was holding her.

494
00:26:10,166 --> 00:26:12,166
<i>We could see it,</i>
<i>we started to see it.</i>

495
00:26:12,166 --> 00:26:15,266
[Cindy] <i>I didn't expect him</i>
<i>to cut off all communication.</i>

496
00:26:15,266 --> 00:26:16,300
<i>She couldn't talk</i>
<i>to her family.</i>

497
00:26:16,367 --> 00:26:18,467
<i>We could barely</i>
<i>get a call through.</i>

498
00:26:18,467 --> 00:26:19,922
He'd have stay on the line
and listen to everything.

499
00:26:19,922 --> 00:26:20,000
He'd have stay on the line
and listen to everything.

500
00:26:22,266 --> 00:26:25,800
And so that made it
very difficult to help her.

501
00:26:25,867 --> 00:26:28,967
[Sarah] <i>When it came to her</i>
<i>not being able to talk to us,</i>

502
00:26:28,967 --> 00:26:32,467
or see us, I was scared.

503
00:26:32,467 --> 00:26:35,000
{\an8}[narrator] <i>On April 2nd, 2019,</i>

504
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:39,467
{\an8}the world of Jessica's family
is turned upside down.

505
00:26:39,467 --> 00:26:42,500
[Cindy] <i>In the early morning,</i>
<i>my daughter called me</i>

506
00:26:42,567 --> 00:26:45,767
saying that Jessica
was in the hospital.

507
00:26:45,767 --> 00:26:49,922
<i>We got everybody together</i>
<i>and got on the road</i>
<i>to San Francisco.</i>

508
00:26:49,922 --> 00:26:50,000
<i>We got everybody together</i>
<i>and got on the road</i>
<i>to San Francisco.</i>

509
00:26:51,567 --> 00:26:53,500
[narrator] <i>As they make</i>
<i>the long drive,</i>

510
00:26:53,567 --> 00:26:57,367
<i>Jessica's mom pleads</i>
<i>for information</i>
<i>from Clayton's sister.</i>

511
00:26:57,367 --> 00:26:59,066
[Cindy] <i>And we keep</i>
<i>asking her,</i>

512
00:26:59,066 --> 00:27:00,700
<i>"Something had to happen,</i>
<i>what happened?"</i>

513
00:27:00,767 --> 00:27:02,867
She says, "I don't know,
we don't know.

514
00:27:02,867 --> 00:27:04,767
We just found her
lying on the floor.

515
00:27:04,767 --> 00:27:06,467
And she was non-responsive,

516
00:27:06,467 --> 00:27:11,900
and then Clayton got on her
and tried doing CPR
and it didn't work.

517
00:27:11,967 --> 00:27:15,567
<i>And so, and we called 911."</i>

518
00:27:15,567 --> 00:27:18,266
<i>Finally got just outside</i>
<i>of San Francisco,</i>

519
00:27:18,266 --> 00:27:19,922
<i>I got a call from the doctor.</i>

520
00:27:19,922 --> 00:27:20,000
<i>I got a call from the doctor.</i>

521
00:27:21,467 --> 00:27:23,367
And he said,
"Well, it's really hard,

522
00:27:23,367 --> 00:27:26,967
'cause I need to tell you that
she tried to hang herself."

523
00:27:30,166 --> 00:27:33,467
{\an8}I was in disbelief
to hear that.

524
00:27:35,300 --> 00:27:37,166
{\an8}I don't believe in any way
that my sister

525
00:27:37,166 --> 00:27:39,967
{\an8}was the type of person
that would take her own life.

526
00:27:39,967 --> 00:27:41,467
{\an8}And I don't believe
for one minute

527
00:27:41,467 --> 00:27:45,000
{\an8}that she would've ever
given up on her kids, ever.

528
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,700
{\an8}We knew that she was
on life support.

529
00:27:48,767 --> 00:27:51,066
<i>But we weren't really prepared</i>

530
00:27:51,066 --> 00:27:53,467
<i>to see what we saw</i>
<i>when we walked into her room.</i>

531
00:27:57,066 --> 00:27:58,200
<i>It was horrific.</i>

532
00:27:59,700 --> 00:28:00,000
Maybe because she was silent
and she was never silent.

533
00:28:02,967 --> 00:28:04,367
<i>She's always,</i>
<i>she would walk in,</i>

534
00:28:04,367 --> 00:28:06,500
<i>she'd be smiling and laughing.</i>

535
00:28:06,567 --> 00:28:08,367
[Sarah] <i>Her head</i>
<i>was very swollen.</i>

536
00:28:08,367 --> 00:28:14,066
And I asked the doctors
why her head looked like that
and they didn't know.

537
00:28:14,066 --> 00:28:17,300
[Cindy] <i>My younger daughter</i>
<i>was holding her hand,</i>

538
00:28:17,367 --> 00:28:21,567
and she said,
"Mom, it's, like,
bruised and it's swollen."

539
00:28:21,567 --> 00:28:24,567
So then we looked
at the rest of her body,
and it was just

540
00:28:26,166 --> 00:28:29,000
bruises and swelling
all over her whole body.

541
00:28:31,100 --> 00:28:33,667
[narrator] <i>As family</i>
<i>and friends struggle</i>
<i>to reconcile</i>

542
00:28:33,667 --> 00:28:35,000
<i>what they see</i>
<i>in front of them,</i>

543
00:28:35,066 --> 00:28:37,000
<i>with the story</i>
<i>they'd been told,</i>

544
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:40,767
<i>they take pictures of all</i>
<i>of the bruises and swelling.</i>

545
00:28:40,767 --> 00:28:44,166
[Cindy] <i>And then the doctor</i>
<i>came and said he wanted</i>
<i>to take us into this room</i>

546
00:28:44,166 --> 00:28:47,000
<i>to talk to us about her</i>
<i>and what had happened to her.</i>

547
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,700
He told us the story of,
the paramedics
had brought her in,

548
00:28:50,767 --> 00:28:52,667
and she'd tried
to hang herself

549
00:28:53,900 --> 00:28:57,767
<i>from a windowsill</i>
<i>in her bedroom.</i>

550
00:28:57,767 --> 00:28:59,280
[narrator] <i>But the family</i>
<i>knows the windowsill is only</i>
<i>two feet off the ground.</i>

551
00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:00,000
[narrator] <i>But the family</i>
<i>knows the windowsill is only</i>
<i>two feet off the ground.</i>

552
00:29:03,166 --> 00:29:06,400
{\an8}<i>Jessica's mom shows the doctor</i>
<i>the photos she's taken.</i>

553
00:29:06,467 --> 00:29:09,400
And he's just, like,
just totally dumbfound

554
00:29:09,467 --> 00:29:10,867
and he said,
"I can't believe that."

555
00:29:10,867 --> 00:29:13,300
And he goes,
"They brought her in
strictly as a hanging,

556
00:29:13,367 --> 00:29:18,166
<i>and so we were completely</i>
<i>focused on resuscitating her</i>
<i>that way."</i>

557
00:29:18,166 --> 00:29:21,767
<i>So he went in</i>
<i>and he reexamined her.</i>

558
00:29:21,767 --> 00:29:26,567
<i>And came back in and said,</i>
<i>you know, "This is really bad</i>

559
00:29:26,567 --> 00:29:28,800
<i>because there's so much trauma</i>
<i>to her head</i>

560
00:29:28,867 --> 00:29:29,280
that that maybe what's caused
the unconsciousness."

561
00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:30,000
that that maybe what's caused
the unconsciousness."

562
00:29:33,266 --> 00:29:36,467
[narrator] <i>Jessica's mom</i>
<i>stays at her bedside</i>

563
00:29:36,467 --> 00:29:38,467
<i>desperate for</i>
<i>more information.</i>

564
00:29:38,467 --> 00:29:42,066
<i>The other family members</i>
<i>go to Jessica's apartment.</i>

565
00:29:42,066 --> 00:29:45,667
<i>Clayton's sister and cousin</i>
<i>refuse to let them in.</i>

566
00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:53,467
[Cindy] <i>The police arrived</i>
<i>and tried to get them</i>
<i>to let them in.</i>

567
00:29:56,266 --> 00:29:58,100
And they refused,

568
00:29:58,166 --> 00:29:59,280
until, finally, the police
had a whole SWAT team there
surrounding the building.

569
00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:00,000
until, finally, the police
had a whole SWAT team there
surrounding the building.

570
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,467
[narrator] <i>By now,</i>
<i>hours have passed</i>
<i>and Clayton is gone.</i>

571
00:30:07,467 --> 00:30:10,400
<i>His sister and cousin</i>
<i>are still there.</i>

572
00:30:10,467 --> 00:30:12,767
The police went in first,
they wouldn't let us in,

573
00:30:12,767 --> 00:30:14,266
they got Clayton's family out,

574
00:30:14,266 --> 00:30:18,400
and they said the whole house
smelled like bleach.

575
00:30:18,467 --> 00:30:22,166
[narrator] <i>When Jessica's</i>
<i>sisters are granted access</i>
<i>to her apartment,</i>

576
00:30:22,166 --> 00:30:26,567
<i>they discover that her jewelry</i>
<i>and bank cards are missing.</i>

577
00:30:26,567 --> 00:30:29,280
<i>Her children's</i>
<i>social security documents</i>
<i>and piggy banks</i>

578
00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:30,000
<i>Her children's</i>
<i>social security documents</i>
<i>and piggy banks</i>

579
00:30:30,266 --> 00:30:33,266
<i>also appeared</i>
<i>to have been stolen.</i>

580
00:30:33,266 --> 00:30:38,100
<i>Meanwhile, in the hospital,</i>
<i>Cindy watches Jessica</i>
<i>fight for her life.</i>

581
00:30:40,567 --> 00:30:42,667
[Cindy] <i>During the night,</i>

582
00:30:42,667 --> 00:30:45,266
I just had this
overwhelming feeling

583
00:30:45,266 --> 00:30:47,266
that I wasn't
sitting there alone.

584
00:30:47,266 --> 00:30:51,000
Just all I could think of
was that

585
00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:57,000
every other mother of every
daughter that's suffered
through domestic violence

586
00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,280
<i>who were part of our</i>
<i>missing and murdered</i>
<i>indigenous women,</i>

587
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:00,000
<i>who were part of our</i>
<i>missing and murdered</i>
<i>indigenous women,</i>

588
00:31:01,500 --> 00:31:03,000
<i>they were all there.</i>

589
00:31:03,066 --> 00:31:06,400
<i>I could feel their pain</i>
<i>and their presence.</i>

590
00:31:07,567 --> 00:31:10,367
<i>I knew Jessica would</i>
<i>want me to use that.</i>

591
00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:14,066
<i>To speak to any other women</i>
<i>out there.</i>

592
00:31:14,066 --> 00:31:16,767
<i>And so, I put the pictures</i>
<i>that I had taken of her</i>

593
00:31:16,767 --> 00:31:20,500
and posted it on my own
personal Facebook page.

594
00:31:20,567 --> 00:31:25,166
[narrator] <i>The post is read</i>
<i>and shared tens of thousands</i>
<i>of times.</i>

595
00:31:25,166 --> 00:31:29,266
<i>The next day,</i>
<i>the San Francisco police</i>
<i>show up at the hospital.</i>

596
00:31:29,266 --> 00:31:29,280
<i>I said, "Well, so are you</i>
<i>going to do</i>
<i>the investigation?"</i>

597
00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:30,000
<i>I said, "Well, so are you</i>
<i>going to do</i>
<i>the investigation?"</i>

598
00:31:32,467 --> 00:31:36,467
<i>They said, "Well, we weren't</i>
<i>but there were so many calls.</i>

599
00:31:36,467 --> 00:31:40,600
<i>The Captain sent us out</i>
<i>and said they had seen</i>
<i>your Facebook posts."</i>

600
00:31:40,667 --> 00:31:44,266
And they told me
they took it down.

601
00:31:44,266 --> 00:31:48,600
And that I was not allowed
to post anything else
about Jessica.

602
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:51,567
[narrator] <i>According</i>
<i>to the family,</i>

603
00:31:51,567 --> 00:31:55,266
<i>statements made to police</i>
<i>by Jessica's boyfriend</i>
<i>at the scene</i>

604
00:31:55,266 --> 00:31:59,280
<i>tell a different story</i>
<i>than what the family</i>
<i>is hearing thus far.</i>

605
00:31:59,280 --> 00:31:59,600
<i>tell a different story</i>
<i>than what the family</i>
<i>is hearing thus far.</i>

606
00:31:59,667 --> 00:32:00,000
<i>In this version, her boyfriend</i>
<i>says that Jessica hung herself</i>

607
00:32:03,667 --> 00:32:06,567
<i>in her closet</i>
<i>with a pair of suspenders.</i>

608
00:32:06,567 --> 00:32:08,000
[Cindy] <i>He told</i>
<i>the investigators</i>

609
00:32:08,066 --> 00:32:11,667
that he heard
some kind of noise
in the bedroom,

610
00:32:13,066 --> 00:32:19,100
and that he went in
and found her hanging
in the closet

611
00:32:19,166 --> 00:32:22,400
<i>on her knees with her face</i>
<i>six inches from the floor.</i>

612
00:32:22,467 --> 00:32:26,867
And that he had cut her down.

613
00:32:26,867 --> 00:32:28,767
[narrator] <i>He's not</i>
<i>questioned further</i>

614
00:32:28,767 --> 00:32:29,280
<i>and because he'd given</i>
<i>the police a false name</i>

615
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:30,000
<i>and because he'd given</i>
<i>the police a false name</i>

616
00:32:31,467 --> 00:32:36,367
<i>he's not taken into custody</i>
<i>even though he's in violation</i>
<i>of his parole conditions.</i>

617
00:32:36,367 --> 00:32:40,100
{\an8}A very customary thing for
the responding officers to do

618
00:32:40,100 --> 00:32:43,767
{\an8}is to gather the names
and, very often,

619
00:32:43,767 --> 00:32:47,000
through the presentation
of identification,

620
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:51,400
the identities of anybody
who is at the scene.

621
00:32:51,467 --> 00:32:53,567
<i>The officer doesn't know</i>

622
00:32:53,567 --> 00:32:58,600
whether they're
potential witnesses,
they could be suspects.

623
00:32:58,667 --> 00:32:59,280
[April] <i>San Francisco</i>
<i>Police Department</i>
<i>failed Jessica.</i>

624
00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:00,000
[April] <i>San Francisco</i>
<i>Police Department</i>
<i>failed Jessica.</i>

625
00:33:03,066 --> 00:33:05,767
<i>San Francisco</i>
<i>Police Department</i>
<i>failed our community.</i>

626
00:33:05,767 --> 00:33:08,767
<i>How are you going to go</i>
<i>and believe a felon?</i>

627
00:33:08,767 --> 00:33:14,100
This person is on parole
who has a lengthy background
of violence.

628
00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:17,467
<i>You're going to believe him</i>
<i>that she committed suicide?</i>

629
00:33:17,467 --> 00:33:19,967
I knew immediately
when I heard that,
that that was not true.

630
00:33:21,967 --> 00:33:24,166
[narrator] <i>Doctors tell</i>
<i>Jessica's mom, Cindy,</i>

631
00:33:24,166 --> 00:33:26,300
<i>that the damage</i>
<i>to Jessica's brain</i>

632
00:33:26,367 --> 00:33:29,280
<i>and the continued swelling</i>
<i>mean that she will not</i>
<i>regain consciousness.</i>

633
00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:30,000
<i>and the continued swelling</i>
<i>mean that she will not</i>
<i>regain consciousness.</i>

634
00:33:31,166 --> 00:33:34,266
I know she was fighting
for her life, for her kids

635
00:33:34,266 --> 00:33:37,000
and for her
to leave this earth,

636
00:33:38,367 --> 00:33:42,000
it was, yeah,
it was pretty hard to take.

637
00:33:43,066 --> 00:33:45,400
We got Jessica's kids to her
to say goodbye

638
00:33:45,467 --> 00:33:47,867
because those kids
were her world.

639
00:33:47,867 --> 00:33:52,266
<i>And it was devastating,</i>
<i>but after the kids left,</i>

640
00:33:52,266 --> 00:33:56,467
they gave a chance for me
and brother, my sister
and my mom to sit in there.

641
00:33:58,100 --> 00:33:59,280
And we sat in there,
and we held her hand
sang songs to her.

642
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:00,000
And we sat in there,
and we held her hand
sang songs to her.

643
00:34:04,367 --> 00:34:06,066
Until she was gone.

644
00:34:07,900 --> 00:34:09,467
Jessica's death

645
00:34:14,567 --> 00:34:15,767
was devastating.

646
00:34:15,767 --> 00:34:19,066
It's painful and sad.

647
00:34:20,967 --> 00:34:24,400
And as a mother,
you just keep feeling
your child all the time.

648
00:34:25,567 --> 00:34:28,500
Cindy took upon herself
to do an investigation

649
00:34:28,567 --> 00:34:29,280
<i>because she wanted</i>
<i>justice for Jessica.</i>

650
00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:30,000
<i>because she wanted</i>
<i>justice for Jessica.</i>

651
00:34:30,767 --> 00:34:32,166
She knew her daughter.

652
00:34:32,166 --> 00:34:35,567
She knew that her daughter
did not commit suicide.

653
00:34:35,567 --> 00:34:40,467
I practically happened
to force the investigators
to investigate.

654
00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:47,467
[narrator] <i>Information</i>
<i>from the children themselves</i>
<i>fills out more of the picture.</i>

655
00:34:47,467 --> 00:34:49,967
<i>Jessica's daughter</i>
<i>was in her room,</i>

656
00:34:49,967 --> 00:34:52,367
<i>she says she heard screaming.</i>

657
00:34:52,367 --> 00:34:54,800
She tells her grandma
what happened next.

658
00:34:56,467 --> 00:34:59,066
[Cindy] <i>She said,</i>
<i>"I looked out my door,</i>

659
00:34:59,066 --> 00:34:59,280
<i>and I could see him</i>
<i>pulling her by the hair</i>
<i>in the hallway."</i>

660
00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:00,000
<i>and I could see him</i>
<i>pulling her by the hair</i>
<i>in the hallway."</i>

661
00:35:02,266 --> 00:35:04,867
She said, "And then,
I couldn't go out there
'cause we're not allowed to,

662
00:35:04,867 --> 00:35:07,100
so I had to close the door
and go back in my room."

663
00:35:07,100 --> 00:35:11,467
[narrator] <i>Multiple reports</i>
<i>of suspected and observed</i>
<i>violence were made</i>

664
00:35:11,467 --> 00:35:15,400
<i>including one to police</i>
<i>on April 1st, 2019,</i>

665
00:35:15,467 --> 00:35:18,900
<i>the day before Jessica</i>
<i>ended up in the hospital.</i>

666
00:35:18,967 --> 00:35:22,100
<i>The kids were at the park</i>
<i>with Jessica</i>
<i>and her boyfriend.</i>

667
00:35:22,166 --> 00:35:25,667
<i>There was an ATM</i>
<i>at a store close by.</i>

668
00:35:25,667 --> 00:35:29,280
[Cindy] <i>Clayton was really</i>
<i>angry and telling Jessica</i>
<i>he wanted money,</i>

669
00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:30,000
[Cindy] <i>Clayton was really</i>
<i>angry and telling Jessica</i>
<i>he wanted money,</i>

670
00:35:30,467 --> 00:35:34,100
he needed money,
so he had grabbed her purse,

671
00:35:34,100 --> 00:35:36,266
<i>and then, he took off</i>
<i>over to the machine,</i>

672
00:35:36,266 --> 00:35:38,667
<i>and because there wasn't any,</i>
<i>it wouldn't give him</i>
<i>any money.</i>

673
00:35:38,667 --> 00:35:40,767
<i>So then,</i>
<i>he became very furious,</i>

674
00:35:40,767 --> 00:35:42,900
<i>came back over to her</i>
<i>and the children.</i>

675
00:35:44,266 --> 00:35:48,000
Began hitting her
and yelling at her
and pulled her by the hair

676
00:35:48,066 --> 00:35:51,400
and drug her from there
over to the ATM machine,

677
00:35:52,100 --> 00:35:53,500
and the kids were following,

678
00:35:53,567 --> 00:35:55,000
and then she was
yelling at the kids,

679
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:56,867
telling them to go back,
to go get help.

680
00:35:56,867 --> 00:35:59,166
And there was
a young couple there,

681
00:35:59,166 --> 00:35:59,280
there was a couple that was
walking in the park,

682
00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:00,000
there was a couple that was
walking in the park,

683
00:36:01,367 --> 00:36:03,867
<i>so they called the police,</i>
<i>the police came</i>

684
00:36:03,867 --> 00:36:05,800
<i>but Clayton</i>
<i>had already ran away.</i>

685
00:36:05,867 --> 00:36:08,967
And so they interviewed
the people

686
00:36:08,967 --> 00:36:15,100
<i>and just did, like,</i>
<i>an incident report on it</i>
<i>and then that was it.</i>

687
00:36:15,166 --> 00:36:17,967
[narrator] <i>The police</i>
<i>don't pursue Clayton.</i>

688
00:36:17,967 --> 00:36:22,166
<i>Jessica and the kids</i>
<i>are left to handle</i>
<i>the aftermath on their own.</i>

689
00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:28,467
<i>According to the Centers</i>
<i>for Disease Control</i>
<i>and Prevention,</i>

690
00:36:28,467 --> 00:36:29,280
<i>the murder rate</i>
<i>for native women</i>

691
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:30,000
<i>the murder rate</i>
<i>for native women</i>

692
00:36:30,467 --> 00:36:34,667
<i>can be up to ten times higher</i>
<i>than the national average.</i>

693
00:36:34,667 --> 00:36:38,200
<i>And the vast majority</i>
<i>of those murders are unsolved.</i>

694
00:36:41,266 --> 00:36:44,467
<i>As Cindy waits for the report</i>
<i>from the medical examiner</i>

695
00:36:44,467 --> 00:36:47,700
<i>and pushes for the police</i>
<i>to investigate further,</i>

696
00:36:47,767 --> 00:36:49,800
<i>she returns</i>
<i>to Jessica's apartment.</i>

697
00:36:51,667 --> 00:36:54,867
[Cindy] <i>I knew that the truth,</i>

698
00:36:54,867 --> 00:36:59,280
<i>and the evidence to the truth</i>
<i>to what had happened there</i>
<i>was there.</i>

699
00:36:59,280 --> 00:36:59,367
<i>and the evidence to the truth</i>
<i>to what had happened there</i>
<i>was there.</i>

700
00:36:59,367 --> 00:37:00,000
And I just couldn't
have any peace,

701
00:37:01,266 --> 00:37:04,467
it was like she was
not at peace.

702
00:37:04,467 --> 00:37:07,900
She was there waiting for me
to find what was there.

703
00:37:07,967 --> 00:37:12,266
[narrator] <i>Cindy follows up</i>
<i>with everyone she can think of</i>
<i>to press for action.</i>

704
00:37:12,266 --> 00:37:17,467
<i>At night, she sleeps</i>
<i>on a blow-up mattress</i>
<i>in her daughter's apartment.</i>

705
00:37:17,467 --> 00:37:20,767
[Cindy] <i>I measured,</i>
<i>all of the measurements</i>
<i>of the closet.</i>

706
00:37:20,767 --> 00:37:23,000
<i>From the rod to the floor,</i>

707
00:37:23,066 --> 00:37:24,867
<i>from the top shelf</i>
<i>to the floor.</i>

708
00:37:24,867 --> 00:37:28,367
<i>And then I went by</i>
<i>what the details</i>
<i>of what he said happened.</i>

709
00:37:28,367 --> 00:37:29,280
<i>From the floor to the rod</i>
<i>is five feet high.</i>

710
00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:30,000
<i>From the floor to the rod</i>
<i>is five feet high.</i>

711
00:37:32,066 --> 00:37:35,166
<i>Jessica was 5'.3", 5'.4".</i>

712
00:37:35,166 --> 00:37:39,266
There's not enough
leeway to hang yourself there.

713
00:37:40,867 --> 00:37:43,166
[Sarah] <i>Because my mom</i>
<i>would never give up,</i>

714
00:37:43,166 --> 00:37:45,667
and she kept
haunting the police,

715
00:37:45,667 --> 00:37:49,100
they finally went over
the body cams, then came back,

716
00:37:49,100 --> 00:37:50,667
because they were
looking for something

717
00:37:50,667 --> 00:37:52,700
<i>they had discovered</i>
<i>in Jessica's room.</i>

718
00:37:56,300 --> 00:37:59,266
[Cindy] <i>It was a month later.</i>

719
00:37:59,266 --> 00:38:04,900
{\an8}Investigator, Sergeant
from the Special Victims Unit
called me

720
00:38:04,967 --> 00:38:08,900
and asked if I could still
access the apartment.

721
00:38:08,967 --> 00:38:10,400
<i>I said,</i>
<i>"Yes, I'm staying here."</i>

722
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:12,266
<i>I let them in.</i>

723
00:38:12,266 --> 00:38:14,600
<i>And then, right away,</i>
<i>could tell that</i>

724
00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:17,567
<i>they were searching</i>
<i>for something specific.</i>

725
00:38:17,567 --> 00:38:23,200
And they said that
they had seen
the videos of the bodycams

726
00:38:23,266 --> 00:38:24,572
that the police officers
who were initially
on the scene.

727
00:38:24,572 --> 00:38:25,000
that the police officers
who were initially
on the scene.

728
00:38:26,867 --> 00:38:31,667
<i>And in those videos,</i>
<i>the officers walk</i>
<i>into the bedroom,</i>

729
00:38:32,767 --> 00:38:35,667
and it shows on the video,

730
00:38:35,667 --> 00:38:41,867
this very long strip
of reddish brown rough leather
lying on the floor.

731
00:38:41,867 --> 00:38:44,700
[narrator] <i>It wasn't recovered</i>
<i>from the initial crime scene.</i>

732
00:38:44,767 --> 00:38:46,667
<i>And despite</i>
<i>looking everywhere,</i>

733
00:38:46,667 --> 00:38:50,266
<i>the police and Cindy</i>
<i>still can't find it.</i>

734
00:38:50,266 --> 00:38:54,367
<i>When Cindy finally gets</i>
<i>the medical examiner's report</i>
<i>a month later,</i>

735
00:38:54,367 --> 00:38:54,572
<i>she understands why they were</i>
<i>looking so hard for it.</i>

736
00:38:54,572 --> 00:38:55,000
<i>she understands why they were</i>
<i>looking so hard for it.</i>

737
00:38:58,367 --> 00:38:59,667
[Cindy] <i>In the autopsy report,</i>

738
00:38:59,667 --> 00:39:04,200
it says that on her neck
there is fibers

739
00:39:04,266 --> 00:39:09,166
from a reddish brown
rough leather
that's embedded in her skin.

740
00:39:09,166 --> 00:39:11,000
[narrator]
<i>The medical examiner's report</i>

741
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:15,600
<i>also notes</i>
<i>the numerous bruises</i>
<i>all over Jessica's body.</i>

742
00:39:15,667 --> 00:39:18,500
<i>Before Cindy even has time</i>
<i>to finish reading it,</i>

743
00:39:18,567 --> 00:39:22,166
<i>she receives a call from</i>
<i>one of the police officers</i>
<i>on the case.</i>

744
00:39:22,166 --> 00:39:24,572
[Cindy] <i>He goes, "Well, I just</i>
<i>wanted to let you know</i>
<i>that since the autopsy,</i>

745
00:39:24,572 --> 00:39:25,000
[Cindy] <i>He goes, "Well, I just</i>
<i>wanted to let you know</i>
<i>that since the autopsy,</i>

746
00:39:25,266 --> 00:39:28,967
it says on there
that the cause of death
is hanging,

747
00:39:28,967 --> 00:39:31,300
then the case is closed,

748
00:39:31,367 --> 00:39:33,500
<i>and there's</i>
<i>no further investigation."</i>

749
00:39:33,900 --> 00:39:35,166
And I said,

750
00:39:35,166 --> 00:39:38,166
"It's closed for you
but it's not closed for me.

751
00:39:38,166 --> 00:39:42,367
I'll continue on
until we have the truth."

752
00:39:42,367 --> 00:39:45,967
[narrator] <i>With the police</i>
<i>declaring Jessica's</i>
<i>case closed,</i>

753
00:39:45,967 --> 00:39:48,667
<i>Cindy continues</i>
<i>searching for answers.</i>

754
00:39:48,667 --> 00:39:51,867
[Cindy] <i>Since I believe</i>
<i>what happened to her</i>
<i>happened in the bathroom,</i>

755
00:39:51,867 --> 00:39:53,567
<i>the towel racks</i>
<i>were broken off,</i>

756
00:39:53,567 --> 00:39:54,572
<i>the shower doors, the runners,</i>
<i>they were broken there.</i>

757
00:39:54,572 --> 00:39:55,000
<i>the shower doors, the runners,</i>
<i>they were broken there.</i>

758
00:39:56,667 --> 00:40:00,000
<i>There was damage like that</i>
<i>all over it.</i>

759
00:40:00,066 --> 00:40:04,100
[narrator] <i>The San Francisco</i>
<i>Police Department declined</i>
<i>to comment for this story</i>

760
00:40:04,166 --> 00:40:07,100
<i>saying that the case</i>
<i>is open but inactive.</i>

761
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:14,667
<i>Clayton Rhoades was arrested</i>
<i>for parole violations</i>
<i>on April 7th, 2019.</i>

762
00:40:14,667 --> 00:40:18,367
<i>He has not faced any charges</i>
<i>in connection</i>
<i>with Jessica's death.</i>

763
00:40:19,567 --> 00:40:22,000
[Sarah] <i>It's hard</i>
<i>trying to move on</i>

764
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:24,266
{\an8}when we don't know
what happened to Jessica.

765
00:40:24,266 --> 00:40:24,572
{\an8}We just, kind of,
move forward,

766
00:40:24,572 --> 00:40:25,000
{\an8}We just, kind of,
move forward,

767
00:40:26,266 --> 00:40:28,200
we can't move on.

768
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,166
[singing native American song]

769
00:40:36,567 --> 00:40:40,900
What our family wants
is justice for Jessica,

770
00:40:40,967 --> 00:40:42,900
and, especially,
for her children.

771
00:40:42,967 --> 00:40:46,367
And one day they're
going to look at her
death certificate

772
00:40:46,367 --> 00:40:48,166
<i>that says,</i>
<i>"Hanged herself," on it.</i>

773
00:40:49,667 --> 00:40:51,233
<i>And they shouldn't</i>
<i>have to live with that,</i>

774
00:40:51,233 --> 00:40:54,572
<i>because they lived</i>
<i>with the violence</i>
<i>and they know what happened.</i>

775
00:40:54,572 --> 00:40:55,000
<i>because they lived</i>
<i>with the violence</i>
<i>and they know what happened.</i>

776
00:40:57,100 --> 00:41:01,600
[Sarah] <i>I have taken in</i>
<i>Jessica's children,</i>
<i>the two youngest ones.</i>

777
00:41:01,667 --> 00:41:03,867
<i>I just want</i>
<i>to try to start over</i>

778
00:41:03,867 --> 00:41:07,100
and make sure that these kids
have a better life.

779
00:41:08,900 --> 00:41:13,100
[narrator] <i>Native American</i>
<i>communities have been</i>
<i>calling for action for years</i>

780
00:41:13,166 --> 00:41:17,467
<i>to address the crisis</i>
<i>of missing and murdered</i>
<i>indigenous women.</i>

781
00:41:17,467 --> 00:41:21,767
<i>Report after report</i>
<i>document the failure</i>
<i>of law enforcement,</i>

782
00:41:21,767 --> 00:41:24,572
<i>the justice system</i>
<i>and society, at large,</i>
<i>to prevent this tragic loss.</i>

783
00:41:24,572 --> 00:41:25,000
<i>the justice system</i>
<i>and society, at large,</i>
<i>to prevent this tragic loss.</i>

784
00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:32,200
<i>Jessica's family continues</i>
<i>to fight for justice</i>

785
00:41:32,266 --> 00:41:36,667
<i>remembering every day</i>
<i>what they've lost.</i>

786
00:41:36,667 --> 00:41:39,900
{\an8}[Cindy] <i>She'd be away,</i>
<i>soon as she'd come</i>
<i>through the door,</i>

787
00:41:39,967 --> 00:41:42,667
{\an8}<i>she'd come running</i>
<i>through the door, and say,</i>
<i>"I'm here, Mommy, I'm here,"</i>

788
00:41:42,667 --> 00:41:45,000
{\an8}<i>and run and grab me</i>
<i>and hug me.</i>

789
00:41:45,667 --> 00:41:46,767
{\an8}Say, "I love you."

790
00:41:46,767 --> 00:41:49,367
{\an8}And no matter what was
going on that day,

791
00:41:49,367 --> 00:41:54,567
{\an8}no matter what troubles
or problems or anything
I was having,

792
00:41:54,567 --> 00:41:54,572
{\an8}it just lit up my whole life,

793
00:41:54,572 --> 00:41:55,000
{\an8}it just lit up my whole life,

794
00:41:56,367 --> 00:42:00,367
{\an8}just to see that
smile on her face,
and that light in her eyes.

795
00:42:00,967 --> 00:42:02,800
{\an8}<i>And it was needed.</i>

796
00:42:02,867 --> 00:42:05,567
{\an8}<i>It was needed by not just me</i>
<i>and our family members,</i>

797
00:42:05,567 --> 00:42:06,900
{\an8}<i>but for all</i>
<i>the other people that...</i>

798
00:42:06,967 --> 00:42:08,800
{\an8}<i>She was touching their lives,</i>
<i>all over.</i>