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NARRATOR: A young mother
of three vanishes
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from a remote
California suburb.
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LINDA: He saw his wife's car
by the side of the road
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with a flat tire.
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NARRATOR: And leaves
a disturbing mystery
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in her wake.
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JEFF: The flat tire
didn't look right to him.
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NARRATOR: Could she have been
looking for a fresh start?
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DENNIS: She had said that
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she just wanted to leave
and disappear.
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LINDA: She could have just
needed a break or had a break.
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LARRY: There's no way
that she would leave her kids.
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Maybe she had been abducted
from that vehicle.
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JEFF: There is a series
of bodies being found.
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LINDA: She would be
the victim of a killer
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that was killing younger women.
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NARRATOR: A family waits years
for answers.
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LARRY: I started getting mad.
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I was afraid I might not
be able to control myself.
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NARRATOR: Until detectives
learn the truth
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may lie disturbingly
close to home.
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LINDA: Maybe she had gone off
with her boyfriend
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who wanted to get rid of her.
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JEFF: This is a setup.
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LARRY:
And I was totally shocked.
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JEFF: The youngest child said,
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"I know why you're here.
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You think my mom's buried
in the backyard."
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[**]
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NARRATOR: Just north
of the border with Mexico,
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the small town of Jamul
offers breathtaking views
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of the majestic Southern
California desert.
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LINDA: Jamul is known
as East County San Diego,
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and it's about as far east
as you can get.
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The properties are large.
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You can see
a lot of rolling hills
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and oak trees.
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LARRY: The people
are real friendly.
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They're-- they're--
they're spread out.
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They like a privacy.
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[**]
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NARRATOR: But a few days
before Christmas in 1991,
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the peace of the hillside
community is disrupted
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when a throng of law enforcement
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descends upon a home
on a normally quiet street.
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LINDA: On December 21st, 1991,
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investigators obtained
a search warrant
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to search the backyard,
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hoping to find a woman
who had been missing.
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[**]
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DENNIS: The property itself
is a four-acre
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piece of-- of land
with a house on it
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and ravine
behind the property.
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One section in the ravine
was filled in.
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From investigators' standpoint,
you'd look at that and say,
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"Why would someone fill in
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just one 20-foot
section of a ravine
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that's a natural runoff
for water?"
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It didn't really make
a lot of sense.
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JEFF: The backhoe operator
was able to dig
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a hole down there,
probably eight to ten feet deep.
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They found a portion
of a chain-link fence
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down in the hole.
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It had been basically nailed
into the ground
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with two wooden stakes
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so it wouldn't wash away
if there was ever any flood.
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NARRATOR: As detectives step in
for a closer look
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at their strange discovery,
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they spot something
beneath the chain-link fence
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that looks like a blanket.
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JEFF: A sheriff's detective
pulled out a knife
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and dug around the cloth
material found in the hole.
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And she felt a bone.
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Our forensic anthropologist
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was able to determine
that it was a knee bone.
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NARRATOR:
The detectives believe
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their gruesome discovery
may finally end a dark mystery
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that has pained a family
for four years.
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DENNIS: The only identifying
thing on the body itself
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was the clothing,
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but I was confident
that it was our missing person.
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LINDA: When you find a body
in a backyard,
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you-- you need to know
who it is.
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But you're also wanting to know
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how this person died.
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What was it that led to them
being buried
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so unceremoniously like this?
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It's not every day
in San Diego County
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that you find somebody buried
in the backyard.
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[**]
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LARRY: We grew up
in Southern California
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for the most of our life.
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It was 68-degree weather
it seemed like year-round.
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It was a beautiful place
to grow up.
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[**]
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LARRY:
I'm the oldest of six.
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Vickie was the second-oldest
in the family.
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SANDY: She was beautiful.
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Long, dark-brown hair,
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and a smile that just
could melt your heart.
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She was just a beautiful
young lady.
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Fun, adventurous,
willing to try new things.
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And she would do something
that was really exceptional.
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They'd always say,
"There she goes,
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Vickie Valerie Vess,
three V's for victory."
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[**]
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NARRATOR: The Vess' hometown
of San Diego
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is also home
to the US Navy's Pacific Fleet.
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In 1975, at the age of 17,
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Vickie meets a sailor
stationed there,
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Lieutenant Commander
Leonard Eddington.
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LARRY: Leonard was aspiring
to go into the officer corps.
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SANDY: She was so vivacious
and-- and bubbly.
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I'm sure that's what
caught his eye.
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NARRATOR:
It's a whirlwind courtship.
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Even though Leonard at 29
is much older than Vickie,
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her parents give her
their blessing.
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SANDY: She had already
finished high school,
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and back in those days,
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it just seemed like
a normal progression
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to find somebody
and get married.
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[**]
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NARRATOR:
Vickie and Leonard Eddington
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moved to Jamul,
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on the remote edge
of East San Diego County
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to begin their life together.
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SANDY:
They had three children,
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two boys and a girl,
and they were her life.
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Her whole future
was based on doing
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what was right
by those children.
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During the first part
of their marriage,
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Lenny had several promotions.
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LARRY: Leonard wanted to go
to dinners and the dances
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in order to advance his career,
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and he wanted Vickie
to be a wife
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that would support
that kind of activity.
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And Vickie was her own woman,
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and I think that's
where some of the problems
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that they had in their marriage
started out.
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LINDA: Over time,
they decided
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they were going to separate.
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Leonard went to live
in a mobile home
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that was on
his mother's property,
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which was actually right
next door to their property.
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NARRATOR: It's a painful
decision for both,
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but with Leonard living
just next door,
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they agreed to remain separated
and to co-parent,
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raising the children
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with as little disruption
as possible.
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Knowing she'll need
to provide for her kids,
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Vickie sets her sights
on becoming a nurse.
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She started working,
um, in medical clinics,
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and then she started
picking up classes,
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one or two at a time.
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LARRY:
She loved to help people.
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She was a caring person.
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SANDY: So she was going
to school, and working,
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and then taking care
of her children.
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[**]
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LINDA:
Vickie was one credit away
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from finishing
her medical training.
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But everything
was just cut short.
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[**]
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NARRATOR: On a bright
and warm summer morning,
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the San Diego
Sheriff's Department
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receives a frantic 911 call
from Leonard Eddington.
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LINDA: He had seen
Vickie's car
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by the side of the road
with a flat tire.
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DENNIS: The car was
approximately four miles
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from their home
on Highway 94.
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LINDA: And he saw this
as he was taking
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his children to swim class.
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He actually was calling
to report her missing.
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DENNIS: Leonard stated that
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he had dropped the children
off at the YMCA in La Mesa.
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He said he signed them in
at 8:02 that morning.
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[**]
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JEFF: From there,
he drove back, uh, to the car,
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took a closer look at it,
and saw, uh, the flat tire.
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[**]
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JEFF: Leonard called
Vickie's first job,
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the hospital.
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They indicated that she had not
shown up for work that evening.
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He said he also
called Colorspan,
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Vickie's second job.
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And likewise,
they had not seen her that day.
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[**]
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NARRATOR: The sheriff's office
dispatches deputies
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to Leonard's home,
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and he provides
as many details as he can
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about Vickie's movements
the previous day.
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LINDA: He said the night
that she disappeared,
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her mother was supposed
to come over
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and take care of the kids
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while she went off
to her night job,
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and her mother
couldn't make it.
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So Leonard stepped in,
he came over to her house,
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walked out to her car,
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and that's the last
he saw her.
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[**]
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JEFF:
Leonard told Deputy Miller,
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Vickie had left for work
around 10:30 the previous night.
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[**]
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NARRATOR: After hearing
Leonard's story,
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deputies head to the location
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where he spotted
her abandoned station wagon.
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LINDA:
When investigators arrived,
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00:09:50,131 --> 00:09:53,385
they did indeed find the car
with a flat tire,
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just off the side of the road.
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JEFF: Deputy Miller
found the car was locked
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and secured, uh,
it looked like someone
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00:10:00,850 --> 00:10:03,395
had tried to change a flat tire,
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00:10:03,436 --> 00:10:06,189
but the spare tire was missing.
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00:10:07,774 --> 00:10:11,277
The flat tire
didn't look right to him.
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00:10:11,319 --> 00:10:15,448
There was no damage to the rim,
the metal part of the wheel.
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00:10:15,490 --> 00:10:17,033
That should be scraped.
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You know,
where the car was parked
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at the time
of the disappearance was,
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00:10:20,995 --> 00:10:22,664
it was off to the side
of the road,
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there were no street lights,
no sidewalks.
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Then Vickie walked
four miles on a dark,
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lonely, curvy road at night,
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it didn't make sense.
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Why would she just disappear
and leave her children behind?
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I've got this uneasy
feeling that, uh,
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00:10:43,351 --> 00:10:44,352
it may be a crime of violence.
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[**]
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LINDA: It brought up
everybody's deepest fears.
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LARRY: You can tell
when things aren't right.
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I had a lot of that feeling.
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JEFF: He was nervous.
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00:10:56,698 --> 00:10:58,116
He's like a cat
on a hot tin roof,
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he-- he--
he could not sit still.
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[**]
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NARRATOR:
Vickie Eddington has vanished.
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And the condition
of the flat tire on her car,
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abandoned on a remote
and desolate California road
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00:11:21,431 --> 00:11:24,476
is raising red flags
for law enforcement.
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00:11:25,477 --> 00:11:27,437
[**]
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00:11:27,479 --> 00:11:29,773
DENNIS: Deputy saw the car
on the side of the road,
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00:11:29,814 --> 00:11:32,067
looked it over,
but it didn't look like the tire
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00:11:32,108 --> 00:11:34,235
had been driven
while it was flat.
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00:11:35,070 --> 00:11:37,113
What you had at this point was,
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00:11:37,155 --> 00:11:40,533
"Vickie Eddington missing
under unusual circumstances."
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00:11:40,575 --> 00:11:42,911
[**]
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00:11:42,952 --> 00:11:45,205
NARRATOR: In an age
before cell phones,
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00:11:45,246 --> 00:11:46,873
Vickie could not call for help
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00:11:46,915 --> 00:11:48,625
in the event of a flat tire,
249
00:11:48,667 --> 00:11:52,504
and investigators know that
even if there was no foul play,
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00:11:52,545 --> 00:11:54,047
she could have run into trouble
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00:11:54,089 --> 00:11:57,217
late at night on a dark,
lonely road.
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00:11:57,258 --> 00:11:59,469
DENNIS: Sometimes people
get disoriented,
253
00:11:59,511 --> 00:12:01,471
especially at night in--
in rural country,
254
00:12:01,513 --> 00:12:04,808
part of their county,
and they take off walking.
255
00:12:04,849 --> 00:12:07,268
[**]
256
00:12:07,310 --> 00:12:09,396
DENNIS: And maybe she was
trying to perhaps
257
00:12:09,437 --> 00:12:13,066
take a shortcut to go home
because her car broke down
258
00:12:13,108 --> 00:12:17,320
and-- and she got injured
in a fall.
259
00:12:17,362 --> 00:12:19,322
She could have been walking
and hit by a car
260
00:12:19,364 --> 00:12:20,865
and knocked on the side
of the road.
261
00:12:20,907 --> 00:12:22,992
[HORN HONKING]
262
00:12:25,078 --> 00:12:27,330
DENNIS: There was a search
in the area
263
00:12:27,372 --> 00:12:30,166
and residents
in close proximity
264
00:12:30,208 --> 00:12:32,252
to where the car was found
were contacted,
265
00:12:32,293 --> 00:12:34,212
but that was
with negative results.
266
00:12:36,381 --> 00:12:38,675
JEFF: The sheriff's department
did an aerial search
267
00:12:38,717 --> 00:12:40,719
to see if they
could find anything
268
00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,972
that might look suspicious.
269
00:12:44,014 --> 00:12:46,307
It was negative,
they didn't see anything.
270
00:12:48,309 --> 00:12:50,061
NARRATOR: Later that day,
271
00:12:50,103 --> 00:12:52,105
deputies impound Vickie's
station wagon
272
00:12:52,147 --> 00:12:54,107
and begin processing it
for evidence,
273
00:12:54,149 --> 00:12:56,026
looking for any clue
it might yield
274
00:12:56,067 --> 00:12:58,028
that could help lead to her.
275
00:12:58,069 --> 00:13:00,363
DENNIS: We were hoping to find
prints of someone stopped
276
00:13:00,405 --> 00:13:04,909
and may have touched her car
or other evidence on the car.
277
00:13:04,951 --> 00:13:09,748
JEFF: They lifted latent prints
from the flat tire
278
00:13:09,789 --> 00:13:12,042
and they were
Leonard Eddington's prints.
279
00:13:12,083 --> 00:13:13,543
DENNIS: So at that point,
280
00:13:13,585 --> 00:13:15,420
the only prints they've
gotten off the vehicle
281
00:13:15,462 --> 00:13:20,383
were Vickie's and, uh, Leonard
which was suspicious.
282
00:13:20,425 --> 00:13:22,344
NARRATOR:
Meanwhile, detectives head back
283
00:13:22,385 --> 00:13:25,555
to Vickie's home to see
what clues it might offer.
284
00:13:26,598 --> 00:13:28,725
JEFF: The detective
checked around the house
285
00:13:28,767 --> 00:13:32,479
for signs of a struggle,
blood, anything out of place.
286
00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:33,396
He saw nothing.
287
00:13:33,438 --> 00:13:36,566
[**]
288
00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,111
NARRATOR: That afternoon,
289
00:13:40,153 --> 00:13:42,530
Vickie's family
learns of her disappearance,
290
00:13:42,572 --> 00:13:46,534
her mother Alice
is beside herself with worry.
291
00:13:46,576 --> 00:13:50,038
Mom called dad,
and then dad called us.
292
00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:51,915
There was a lot of fear.
293
00:13:51,956 --> 00:13:54,084
We didn't know what to think.
294
00:13:54,125 --> 00:13:56,795
LARRY: After she went missing,
it was high stress.
295
00:13:56,836 --> 00:13:59,881
Vickie was not the kind
of person that would disappear.
296
00:13:59,923 --> 00:14:02,842
She would have found a way to
reach out or we would know more.
297
00:14:02,884 --> 00:14:05,011
You can tell
when things aren't right
298
00:14:05,053 --> 00:14:07,472
and I had a lot of that feeling.
299
00:14:07,514 --> 00:14:11,976
Most my worrying was
when I came home at night.
300
00:14:13,436 --> 00:14:14,646
I tried to sleep.
301
00:14:16,439 --> 00:14:18,316
I think that would have been
about the only time
302
00:14:18,358 --> 00:14:21,486
that I would have
let myself focus on that.
303
00:14:23,363 --> 00:14:27,075
NARRATOR: As the family prays
for Vickie's safe return home,
304
00:14:27,117 --> 00:14:29,119
police extend
their investigation
305
00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,955
beyond the immediate area
where her car was found.
306
00:14:31,996 --> 00:14:35,000
It quickly results
in a promising lead,
307
00:14:35,041 --> 00:14:36,876
from the clerk
at a convenience store
308
00:14:36,918 --> 00:14:41,297
two miles up the road
from Vickie's abandoned car.
309
00:14:41,339 --> 00:14:44,092
JEFF: The worker indicated
that a female
310
00:14:44,134 --> 00:14:46,302
came into the store
that evening
311
00:14:46,344 --> 00:14:49,222
complaining that
she had received a flat tire
312
00:14:49,264 --> 00:14:52,392
and she had $20
and she wanted change
313
00:14:52,434 --> 00:14:55,687
to make a call for somebody
to come help her.
314
00:14:58,106 --> 00:15:00,817
He was shown a photograph
of Vickie Eddington
315
00:15:00,859 --> 00:15:04,821
and asked if that was the person
that came to the store.
316
00:15:04,863 --> 00:15:07,157
And he said that
he thought it was her,
317
00:15:07,198 --> 00:15:08,658
it looked like her.
318
00:15:08,700 --> 00:15:11,411
At that point,
he gave her, uh, change
319
00:15:11,453 --> 00:15:14,205
and she went off
and he didn't see where she went
320
00:15:14,247 --> 00:15:17,042
and he just assumed that
she went to make a phone call.
321
00:15:18,585 --> 00:15:20,086
LINDA: Because
it was hard to believe
322
00:15:20,128 --> 00:15:21,463
that she had just taken off,
323
00:15:21,504 --> 00:15:24,341
it led to, kind of,
an assumption
324
00:15:24,382 --> 00:15:26,343
and that something really bad
had happened to her,
325
00:15:26,384 --> 00:15:28,928
possibly involving
some stranger.
326
00:15:28,970 --> 00:15:30,180
My thought was that was that,
327
00:15:30,221 --> 00:15:31,848
after she left
the convenience store
328
00:15:31,890 --> 00:15:34,184
presumably walking back
to her car,
329
00:15:34,225 --> 00:15:37,187
that somebody stopped,
330
00:15:37,228 --> 00:15:38,980
and either picked her up,
331
00:15:39,022 --> 00:15:41,733
or forcibly picked her up.
332
00:15:45,695 --> 00:15:48,615
DENNIS: The next question
would come to mind would be,
333
00:15:48,656 --> 00:15:52,619
"Who would she have called
to help her?"
334
00:15:52,660 --> 00:15:55,830
And also,
if she was there that night,
335
00:15:57,582 --> 00:15:58,750
where is she now?
336
00:16:02,629 --> 00:16:05,173
JEFF: Leonard Eddington said,
"She would call me,"
337
00:16:05,215 --> 00:16:07,050
uh, that's who she would call
338
00:16:07,092 --> 00:16:09,260
if in fact
she got some change
339
00:16:09,302 --> 00:16:10,595
and was able to make a call,
340
00:16:10,637 --> 00:16:14,349
and he said that
that call was never made.
341
00:16:14,391 --> 00:16:16,393
NARRATOR: But he admits
there is possibly
342
00:16:16,434 --> 00:16:19,729
someone else she may have tried
to contact.
343
00:16:19,771 --> 00:16:23,650
So Leonard told investigators
that Vickie had a boyfriend.
344
00:16:24,818 --> 00:16:26,236
He was a CHP officer,
345
00:16:26,277 --> 00:16:28,363
California Highway
Patrol officer.
346
00:16:28,405 --> 00:16:32,575
Leonard suggested that
detectives look at that person.
347
00:16:34,452 --> 00:16:36,413
NARRATOR: The detectives
are surprised,
348
00:16:36,454 --> 00:16:39,541
it's the first they've heard
that Vickie has a boyfriend.
349
00:16:41,126 --> 00:16:43,086
JEFF: He told that detective
350
00:16:43,128 --> 00:16:45,088
that the marriage,
uh, was stormy.
351
00:16:45,130 --> 00:16:48,425
They were having a hard time.
352
00:16:48,466 --> 00:16:50,468
LINDA: Vickie was separated
from her husband.
353
00:16:50,510 --> 00:16:52,679
They had talked about
getting divorced
354
00:16:52,721 --> 00:16:55,098
and they had decided
on staying separated.
355
00:16:55,140 --> 00:16:59,602
So she had been separated for
a couple of years at this point.
356
00:16:59,644 --> 00:17:04,441
JEFF: Detectives needed to
interview, uh, the CHP officer.
357
00:17:04,482 --> 00:17:07,569
LINDA: Maybe if she had
gone off with her boyfriend,
358
00:17:19,914 --> 00:17:20,248
[**]
359
00:17:22,417 --> 00:17:24,711
NARRATOR: There has been
no sign of Vickie Eddington,
360
00:17:24,753 --> 00:17:28,715
a young mother of three
for twenty-four hours.
361
00:17:28,757 --> 00:17:31,634
Police have been talking
to the people closest to Vickie
362
00:17:31,676 --> 00:17:34,054
and have just learned that
with a troubled marriage,
363
00:17:34,095 --> 00:17:36,264
she may have a boyfriend
364
00:17:36,306 --> 00:17:39,184
who is a California Highway
Patrol Officer.
365
00:17:39,225 --> 00:17:42,145
Certainly the detectives
needed to interview,
366
00:17:42,187 --> 00:17:44,230
uh, the CHP officer.
And they did so,
367
00:17:44,272 --> 00:17:45,982
but they need to do it
face-to-face
368
00:17:46,024 --> 00:17:47,400
so you can read the person
369
00:17:47,442 --> 00:17:48,693
as they're giving the answers.
370
00:17:48,735 --> 00:17:50,278
And they found out
from the officer
371
00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:52,405
that in fact,
he did know Vickie Eddington.
372
00:17:52,447 --> 00:17:56,201
They had met about 1985,
373
00:17:56,242 --> 00:17:59,496
two years before
he was working
374
00:17:59,537 --> 00:18:01,748
some sort of patrol unit
up in the mountains.
375
00:18:01,790 --> 00:18:06,294
And he and Vickie made contact
in a traffic stop.
376
00:18:06,336 --> 00:18:09,089
He was assigned to the area
of San Diego County
377
00:18:09,130 --> 00:18:11,341
where Vickie lived,
his county.
378
00:18:11,383 --> 00:18:13,259
And she would see him
occasionally
379
00:18:13,301 --> 00:18:14,761
while he was patrolling.
380
00:18:14,803 --> 00:18:18,264
At the time,
he was going through a divorce,
381
00:18:18,306 --> 00:18:21,601
Vickie was going through
a divorce,
382
00:18:21,643 --> 00:18:24,729
and somehow the connection
was made about that.
383
00:18:24,771 --> 00:18:27,649
DENNIS: It was a very
friendly relationship.
384
00:18:27,691 --> 00:18:31,069
He went over to the house
one time for iced tea.
385
00:18:31,111 --> 00:18:32,612
He had met her children.
386
00:18:32,654 --> 00:18:35,031
JEFF: The CHP officer,
he liked her.
387
00:18:35,073 --> 00:18:38,034
He had hopes of maybe
cultivating a relationship
388
00:18:38,076 --> 00:18:39,411
if both of them
could get out
389
00:18:39,452 --> 00:18:41,955
of their respective
divorce proceedings.
390
00:18:41,996 --> 00:18:45,291
DENNIS: At that point,
she was separated from Leonard,
391
00:18:45,333 --> 00:18:48,253
but they mutually agreed
that the relationship
392
00:18:48,294 --> 00:18:49,629
probably couldn't go
much further
393
00:18:49,671 --> 00:18:52,549
because of their
marital situations.
394
00:18:53,967 --> 00:18:56,052
NARRATOR: The officer
tells the investigators
395
00:18:56,094 --> 00:18:57,637
Vickie did not call him
396
00:18:57,679 --> 00:18:59,889
on the night of her
disappearance.
397
00:18:59,931 --> 00:19:03,727
He had not seen her socially
for over two years.
398
00:19:03,768 --> 00:19:07,063
At the time, he had been
happily married to his wife
399
00:19:07,105 --> 00:19:08,606
for six months.
400
00:19:08,648 --> 00:19:11,151
And he heard about
Vickie's disappearance
401
00:19:11,192 --> 00:19:12,485
from his wife.
402
00:19:12,527 --> 00:19:15,113
Apparently,
she had seen it on the TV,
403
00:19:15,155 --> 00:19:19,534
which told me that he had been
forthcoming with his wife
404
00:19:19,576 --> 00:19:21,494
and that he had
nothing to hide.
405
00:19:21,536 --> 00:19:25,331
As far as an alibi for the night
of Vickie's disappearance,
406
00:19:25,373 --> 00:19:28,460
the CHP officer,
he was working that night.
407
00:19:30,545 --> 00:19:32,839
It was checked into it.
408
00:19:32,881 --> 00:19:35,800
His supervisors,
they confirmed he was working
409
00:19:35,842 --> 00:19:40,096
a different area and so
he was ruled out as a suspect.
410
00:19:42,557 --> 00:19:44,517
NARRATOR: Now,
the investigators wonder
411
00:19:44,559 --> 00:19:47,437
if Vickie didn't call
her husband Leonard that night
412
00:19:47,479 --> 00:19:49,647
and didn't call her boyfriend,
413
00:19:49,689 --> 00:19:51,566
then who did she call
with the change
414
00:19:51,608 --> 00:19:54,027
the convenience store clerk
gave her.
415
00:19:54,069 --> 00:19:57,155
And why did she disappear
right afterward?
416
00:20:00,658 --> 00:20:02,535
To help answer these questions,
417
00:20:02,577 --> 00:20:05,372
law enforcement mounts
a publicity campaign,
418
00:20:05,413 --> 00:20:07,165
hoping to generate tips.
419
00:20:07,207 --> 00:20:09,668
DENNIS: It's very important
to get the media involved
420
00:20:09,709 --> 00:20:12,003
as quickly as you can
in these types of cases.
421
00:20:12,045 --> 00:20:14,839
People are generally helpful
and they'll give you a call
422
00:20:14,881 --> 00:20:16,549
and say, "Hey,
this is what I saw,"
423
00:20:16,591 --> 00:20:18,635
and they can break a case
wide open.
424
00:20:20,261 --> 00:20:22,389
Vickie's disappearance
was actually all over the news,
425
00:20:22,430 --> 00:20:24,724
not just in San Diego County.
426
00:20:24,766 --> 00:20:26,851
The people in Jamul
were quite concerned
427
00:20:26,893 --> 00:20:30,855
because they knew Vickie
as a very responsible individual
428
00:20:30,897 --> 00:20:33,066
and this is not the kind
of thing that would happen.
429
00:20:33,108 --> 00:20:34,984
She would not just disappear.
430
00:20:35,026 --> 00:20:37,320
She was a young mother
431
00:20:37,362 --> 00:20:39,531
and she had her life
ahead of her.
432
00:20:39,572 --> 00:20:42,158
It brought up everybody's
deepest fears.
433
00:20:45,036 --> 00:20:46,746
NARRATOR: After hearing
from the community
434
00:20:46,788 --> 00:20:48,581
and talking more with Leonard,
435
00:20:48,623 --> 00:20:50,917
the detectives realized
they can't rule out
436
00:20:50,959 --> 00:20:54,421
the possibility that
despite her family's concerns,
437
00:20:54,462 --> 00:20:57,757
Vickie's disappearance
may be voluntary.
438
00:20:57,799 --> 00:20:59,676
DENNIS: Leonard said
Vickie had told him
439
00:20:59,718 --> 00:21:01,803
that she just wanted
to leave and disappear
440
00:21:01,845 --> 00:21:04,889
because she was stressed out
and needed a break.
441
00:21:04,931 --> 00:21:08,435
LINDA: So, what we were hearing
in terms of theories was
442
00:21:08,476 --> 00:21:12,564
she was tired
and wanted her own space
443
00:21:12,605 --> 00:21:16,443
and just left--
left the family.
444
00:21:16,484 --> 00:21:19,529
It seemed like it was possible
that this woman
445
00:21:19,571 --> 00:21:20,864
who was working two jobs
446
00:21:20,905 --> 00:21:23,783
and dealing with
a separated husband,
447
00:21:23,825 --> 00:21:26,578
raising three children
that she could have
448
00:21:26,619 --> 00:21:31,791
just needed a break
or had a break.
449
00:21:33,668 --> 00:21:35,962
NARRATOR: But Vickie's family
finds that theory
450
00:21:36,004 --> 00:21:37,464
hard to accept.
451
00:21:37,505 --> 00:21:40,342
My sister would never
leave her kids.
452
00:21:40,383 --> 00:21:42,260
That's unthinkable.
453
00:21:42,302 --> 00:21:45,513
She loved her kids.
Her kids were everything to her.
454
00:21:53,188 --> 00:21:55,148
LINDA: At the time, there was
quite a bit of pressure
455
00:21:55,190 --> 00:21:56,691
on these detectives to
456
00:21:56,733 --> 00:21:59,277
really figure out
what was going on.
457
00:21:59,319 --> 00:22:01,321
There was community pressure.
458
00:22:01,363 --> 00:22:02,739
People wanted to know
459
00:22:02,781 --> 00:22:04,824
what happened
to Vickie Eddington.
460
00:22:04,866 --> 00:22:07,786
NARRATOR: With Vickie's
disappearance making headlines,
461
00:22:07,827 --> 00:22:09,454
she's never far
from the thoughts
462
00:22:09,496 --> 00:22:11,706
of her neighbors in Jamul.
463
00:22:11,748 --> 00:22:14,167
They even organized
their own search parties.
464
00:22:14,209 --> 00:22:16,961
At this point, everybody was
seeing her photo everywhere.
465
00:22:17,003 --> 00:22:19,214
It was even up
in the convenience store
466
00:22:19,255 --> 00:22:20,882
that she supposedly
stopped at.
467
00:22:24,719 --> 00:22:26,179
NARRATOR:
The effort pays off.
468
00:22:26,221 --> 00:22:28,515
A potential witness
comes forward
469
00:22:28,556 --> 00:22:31,184
and his story sets off
new alarms.
470
00:22:32,018 --> 00:22:33,687
On the night Vickie vanished,
471
00:22:33,728 --> 00:22:35,689
he tells the police
he saw a man
472
00:22:35,730 --> 00:22:37,899
lurking around
the convenience store.
473
00:22:37,941 --> 00:22:43,071
The nervous way the man acted
made him seem very suspicious.
474
00:22:43,113 --> 00:22:47,283
JEFF: We heard from witness
that he was antsy, pacing.
475
00:22:47,325 --> 00:22:48,535
He was nervous.
476
00:22:48,576 --> 00:22:50,912
He-- like a cat
on a hot tin roof.
477
00:22:52,038 --> 00:22:53,832
NARRATOR:
With little to go on,
478
00:22:53,873 --> 00:22:55,875
police immediately begin
trying to track down the man
479
00:22:55,917 --> 00:22:59,170
seen at the convenience store.
480
00:22:59,212 --> 00:23:00,797
Has she been kidnapped,
481
00:23:01,631 --> 00:23:03,174
held against her will?
482
00:23:03,216 --> 00:23:05,385
Time can be of the essence
in a case like this,
483
00:23:05,427 --> 00:23:08,221
so you really do want to try
and figure out what happened
484
00:23:08,263 --> 00:23:09,639
as quickly as possible.
485
00:23:12,142 --> 00:23:16,688
LINDA: He had ads placed
in the San Diego Union Tribune
486
00:23:16,730 --> 00:23:21,234
and was actively seeking
relationships with women.
487
00:23:21,276 --> 00:23:23,820
JEFF: Looks like somebody
had flattened the tire.
488
00:23:23,862 --> 00:23:26,990
LARRY: I start getting mad
and when I got mad,
489
00:23:40,128 --> 00:23:40,462
[**]
490
00:23:41,796 --> 00:23:43,256
NARRATOR:
There's a new witness
491
00:23:43,298 --> 00:23:45,967
in the search
for Vickie Eddington.
492
00:23:46,009 --> 00:23:49,429
And police find his story
alarming.
493
00:23:49,471 --> 00:23:52,182
It concerns something he saw
at the convenience store
494
00:23:52,223 --> 00:23:54,517
where Vickie
was reportedly seen late
495
00:23:54,559 --> 00:23:56,811
on the night she vanished.
496
00:23:58,146 --> 00:24:00,190
DENNIS: Someone called in
from Jamul
497
00:24:00,231 --> 00:24:04,027
and said that on the evening
of Vickie's disappearance,
498
00:24:04,069 --> 00:24:06,529
they had seen a man
by a parked car,
499
00:24:06,571 --> 00:24:08,114
drinking some beer.
500
00:24:08,156 --> 00:24:12,952
His behavior,
he was perspiring, nervous.
501
00:24:12,994 --> 00:24:14,871
That's when he said
he became alarmed
502
00:24:14,913 --> 00:24:18,208
or suspicious
of this person.
503
00:24:18,249 --> 00:24:20,377
NARRATOR: The witness says
the suspicious man
504
00:24:20,418 --> 00:24:24,214
was sitting
in a green Volkswagen.
505
00:24:24,255 --> 00:24:26,841
Police start trying
to track down the vehicle
506
00:24:26,883 --> 00:24:29,886
and again ask the public
for its help.
507
00:24:29,928 --> 00:24:32,972
And the community were
all involved in searching.
508
00:24:33,014 --> 00:24:35,308
Someone called in
to tell the sheriff
509
00:24:35,350 --> 00:24:36,810
they had seen a vehicle.
510
00:24:38,853 --> 00:24:40,855
NARRATOR: The call helps
detectives identify
511
00:24:40,897 --> 00:24:42,899
the owner
of the green Volkswagen
512
00:24:42,941 --> 00:24:44,943
and they quickly
track him down.
513
00:24:47,112 --> 00:24:49,280
DENNIS: It turned out
that he just was a fellow
514
00:24:49,322 --> 00:24:51,032
who was drinking beer
by his car,
515
00:24:51,074 --> 00:24:53,493
who stopped and want
to decompress little bit
516
00:24:53,535 --> 00:24:54,869
before he got home.
517
00:24:54,911 --> 00:24:57,372
It was checked into.
518
00:24:57,414 --> 00:25:00,291
He had a reasonable answer
for why he was there.
519
00:25:02,168 --> 00:25:04,379
NARRATOR: The search
for Vickie Eddington
520
00:25:04,421 --> 00:25:06,214
is back at square one.
521
00:25:06,256 --> 00:25:09,676
And the odds of bringing
a missing person home safely
522
00:25:09,718 --> 00:25:12,470
grow slimmer
with each passing hour.
523
00:25:14,139 --> 00:25:16,266
Looking for anything
they might have missed,
524
00:25:16,307 --> 00:25:19,269
the detectives ask Vickie's
supervisors at the hospital
525
00:25:19,310 --> 00:25:22,939
to dig into their memories
for every detail they can recall
526
00:25:22,981 --> 00:25:26,317
about the morning
she was reported missing.
527
00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:28,945
DENNIS:
The hospital kept a log
528
00:25:28,987 --> 00:25:31,448
of what time
the calls came in
529
00:25:31,489 --> 00:25:34,451
and they received a call
from Leonard Eddington
530
00:25:34,492 --> 00:25:37,120
at 7:00 that morning
531
00:25:37,162 --> 00:25:39,414
asking if Vickie was there.
532
00:25:39,456 --> 00:25:43,585
And they received a second call
at 7:10 that morning
533
00:25:43,626 --> 00:25:45,003
asking if Vickie
had been to work,
534
00:25:45,045 --> 00:25:47,464
and they were told
she had not.
535
00:25:48,923 --> 00:25:50,633
NARRATOR:
Something about those calls
536
00:25:50,675 --> 00:25:52,469
stands out
to the detectives.
537
00:25:52,510 --> 00:25:55,096
Leonard Eddington told them
he called the hospital
538
00:25:55,138 --> 00:25:56,973
looking for his wife
that morning
539
00:25:57,015 --> 00:25:59,142
after he dropped
his children off.
540
00:25:59,184 --> 00:26:01,728
JEFF: He said
he did not see the car
541
00:26:01,770 --> 00:26:04,981
with a flat tire till 7:30
542
00:26:05,023 --> 00:26:09,277
and he did not drop his kids
off at the YMCA till 8:00,
543
00:26:09,319 --> 00:26:11,029
which means he didn't get back
to the house
544
00:26:11,071 --> 00:26:13,948
till some time 8:30 or so.
545
00:26:13,990 --> 00:26:18,036
So he was calling asking
about Vickie Eddington
546
00:26:18,078 --> 00:26:22,832
before he claimed he knew
she was even missing.
547
00:26:22,874 --> 00:26:24,834
NARRATOR:
A week into the investigation,
548
00:26:24,876 --> 00:26:26,586
the new questions
about Leonard's story
549
00:26:26,628 --> 00:26:29,047
prompt the detectives
to take a closer look
550
00:26:29,089 --> 00:26:31,174
at everything
he's told them.
551
00:26:31,216 --> 00:26:34,886
And they discover
another discrepancy.
552
00:26:34,928 --> 00:26:36,221
DENNIS: The hospital
was concerned
553
00:26:36,262 --> 00:26:38,223
that Vickie didn't show up
for work.
554
00:26:38,264 --> 00:26:41,935
JEFF: They started calling
every 10, 15 minutes
555
00:26:41,976 --> 00:26:44,479
or three or four hours,
let the phone ring.
556
00:26:45,897 --> 00:26:47,565
Nobody ever picked up.
557
00:26:48,817 --> 00:26:50,902
But Leonard had told
law enforcement
558
00:26:50,944 --> 00:26:53,238
he was sleeping
at Vickie's house that night.
559
00:26:53,279 --> 00:26:55,407
And he didn't get
any phone calls.
560
00:26:57,659 --> 00:27:00,370
NARRATOR: As the investigation
begins to focus on Leonard
561
00:27:00,412 --> 00:27:03,289
as a possible suspect
in his wife's disappearance,
562
00:27:03,331 --> 00:27:07,210
Vickie's family finds itself
in an agonizing position.
563
00:27:07,252 --> 00:27:10,547
SANDY:
It was very tense at times
564
00:27:10,588 --> 00:27:11,840
because we had to play nice
565
00:27:11,881 --> 00:27:13,675
in order to be
with the children.
566
00:27:13,717 --> 00:27:17,095
LARRY: The first couple times
that we came to the house
567
00:27:17,137 --> 00:27:18,888
and we'd be in the backyard
568
00:27:18,930 --> 00:27:21,307
and every time
we got near the back,
569
00:27:21,349 --> 00:27:23,143
he would steer us
out of there.
570
00:27:23,184 --> 00:27:25,603
And finally,
we confronted him and said,
571
00:27:25,645 --> 00:27:27,272
"Oh, why can't
we walk around?"
572
00:27:27,313 --> 00:27:29,065
"No, you have
to leave now."
573
00:27:29,107 --> 00:27:32,068
He just-- he kicked us
off the property.
574
00:27:32,110 --> 00:27:33,737
We told the investigators
575
00:27:33,778 --> 00:27:36,448
and they said it's just
not enough to get a warrant.
576
00:27:36,489 --> 00:27:37,949
And we couldn't gather
any proof
577
00:27:37,991 --> 00:27:39,534
because we couldn't
go there.
578
00:27:39,576 --> 00:27:41,536
We were restricted
from the property altogether.
579
00:27:41,578 --> 00:27:45,373
If we wanted to see the kids,
the kids were brought to us.
580
00:27:46,541 --> 00:27:48,084
I started getting mad
581
00:27:48,126 --> 00:27:50,378
and when I got mad,
582
00:27:50,420 --> 00:27:55,050
I was afraid I might not
be able to control...
583
00:27:55,091 --> 00:27:59,095
uh, myself around Leonard
584
00:27:59,137 --> 00:28:00,638
and I might do something
585
00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:02,640
that would make it even worse
for the family.
586
00:28:02,682 --> 00:28:05,977
[**]
587
00:28:06,019 --> 00:28:09,606
JEFF: Leonard Eddington
was intensely tied
588
00:28:09,647 --> 00:28:11,107
to his property.
589
00:28:11,149 --> 00:28:13,151
Although the house was built
590
00:28:13,193 --> 00:28:15,320
while he and Vickie
were married,
591
00:28:15,362 --> 00:28:19,157
uh, he still considered it his
and his pride and joy,
592
00:28:19,199 --> 00:28:22,952
and he did not want
to lose possession of it
593
00:28:22,994 --> 00:28:24,662
or have to divide it
or sell it.
594
00:28:24,704 --> 00:28:29,542
In fact made numerous statements
to his Navy coworkers
595
00:28:29,584 --> 00:28:33,254
that he would not give up
that house willingly,
596
00:28:33,296 --> 00:28:35,173
cut it in half
with a chainsaw
597
00:28:35,215 --> 00:28:40,428
if the court ordered it
to be split.
598
00:28:40,470 --> 00:28:42,639
NARRATOR: Despite the air
of suspicion about him,
599
00:28:42,681 --> 00:28:46,685
Leonard seems to be doing
all he can to help find Vickie.
600
00:28:46,726 --> 00:28:49,813
LINDA: Leonard actually
appeared on television,
601
00:28:49,854 --> 00:28:51,481
pleading very emotionally
602
00:28:51,523 --> 00:28:53,775
for anybody
with any kind of information
603
00:28:53,817 --> 00:28:56,152
to please come forward.
604
00:28:56,194 --> 00:28:57,987
NARRATOR:
But it doesn't have the result
605
00:28:58,029 --> 00:29:00,115
he may have been hoping for.
606
00:29:01,366 --> 00:29:03,159
DENNIS:
We were contacted by a lady
607
00:29:03,201 --> 00:29:07,205
who said that at the time
of Vickie's disappearance,
608
00:29:07,247 --> 00:29:09,040
she was engaged to Leonard.
609
00:29:11,042 --> 00:29:14,004
Leonard had told her
that he'd been divorced
610
00:29:14,045 --> 00:29:15,505
for a couple of years.
611
00:29:18,341 --> 00:29:22,512
What started to come to light
was that Leonard was actively
612
00:29:22,554 --> 00:29:26,057
seeking relationships
with women.
613
00:29:26,099 --> 00:29:30,186
He had ads placed
in the San Diego Union Tribune
614
00:29:30,228 --> 00:29:34,816
and had some encounters
and involvements.
615
00:29:38,361 --> 00:29:40,447
When this information
started coming out
616
00:29:40,488 --> 00:29:43,783
after Vickie's disappearance,
617
00:29:43,825 --> 00:29:45,326
it really opened the door
618
00:29:45,368 --> 00:29:47,370
to the possibility that
he wanted to get rid of her.
619
00:30:00,925 --> 00:30:02,469
NARRATOR: It's been a month
since Vickie Eddington vanished
620
00:30:04,471 --> 00:30:07,557
and suspicions are growing
about her husband Leonard.
621
00:30:09,351 --> 00:30:11,519
DENNIS: Even though
there was a lot of suspicion
622
00:30:11,561 --> 00:30:13,480
that points finger
at Leonard
623
00:30:13,521 --> 00:30:16,524
for being somehow involved
in Vickie's disappearance,
624
00:30:16,566 --> 00:30:18,777
there's really
no hard evidence that he is.
625
00:30:18,818 --> 00:30:21,529
The case kind of comes
to a standstill
626
00:30:21,571 --> 00:30:25,575
when there's really nothing
more definitive than suspicion.
627
00:30:28,578 --> 00:30:31,039
NARRATOR: Detectives keep
their sights on Leonard
628
00:30:31,081 --> 00:30:33,958
but months go by,
then a year,
629
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:35,669
and they can still find nothing
630
00:30:35,710 --> 00:30:38,004
that connects him
to Vickie's disappearance.
631
00:30:43,259 --> 00:30:46,930
Then a frightening
new possibility arises.
632
00:30:49,933 --> 00:30:53,395
On the afternoon
of July 15th, 1982,
633
00:30:53,436 --> 00:30:55,939
two boys on a bike ride
discovered the body
634
00:30:55,980 --> 00:30:58,108
of 16-year-old Wendy Caulfield
635
00:30:58,149 --> 00:31:00,110
in the Green River
in Washington.
636
00:31:00,151 --> 00:31:03,863
Within a month, four more
bodies would be found.
637
00:31:06,783 --> 00:31:10,912
SANDY: In Washington,
young women were disappearing.
638
00:31:10,954 --> 00:31:13,915
And their bodies were being
found along the Green River.
639
00:31:15,667 --> 00:31:17,711
Well, it turns out
in San Diego,
640
00:31:17,752 --> 00:31:22,674
the same pattern had started
to develop down there.
641
00:31:22,716 --> 00:31:26,469
JEFF: At the time, there was
a series of bodies of women
642
00:31:26,511 --> 00:31:30,932
being found in the east county
portion of San Diego.
643
00:31:30,974 --> 00:31:33,018
Uh, a lot of them prostitutes,
644
00:31:33,059 --> 00:31:35,854
runaways, hitchhikers.
645
00:31:37,981 --> 00:31:41,151
DENNIS: Vickie disappeared 1987
and people brought up the--
646
00:31:41,192 --> 00:31:45,613
the issue
of the Green River Killer.
647
00:31:45,655 --> 00:31:49,826
So the Seattle group contacted
the San Diego group
648
00:31:49,868 --> 00:31:53,663
and they started correlating
their information
649
00:31:53,705 --> 00:31:56,624
to figure out
if there was a connection.
650
00:31:58,418 --> 00:32:00,670
LINDA: What we were hearing
in terms of theories
651
00:32:00,712 --> 00:32:05,383
was that Vickie could be
a victim of that person
652
00:32:05,425 --> 00:32:06,801
who was killing
younger women.
653
00:32:06,843 --> 00:32:09,054
[**]
654
00:32:11,681 --> 00:32:14,142
NARRATOR: Investigators
pour over every bit of evidence
655
00:32:14,184 --> 00:32:16,686
they have collected
since Vickie Eddington vanished
656
00:32:16,728 --> 00:32:20,482
from a desolate road
in July 1987.
657
00:32:20,523 --> 00:32:23,151
But there's nothing to connect
her to the other cases
658
00:32:23,193 --> 00:32:24,652
in San Diego County
659
00:32:24,694 --> 00:32:26,863
or to the Green River Killer.
660
00:32:26,905 --> 00:32:30,200
Police conclude the timing
of Vickie's disappearance
661
00:32:30,241 --> 00:32:32,786
is just an eerie coincidence.
662
00:32:35,372 --> 00:32:37,165
Vickie's family
is losing hope
663
00:32:37,207 --> 00:32:39,751
that they will ever learn
what happened to her.
664
00:32:42,212 --> 00:32:43,755
After the first year,
665
00:32:43,797 --> 00:32:45,674
we accepted the fact that
she was dead and gone.
666
00:32:45,715 --> 00:32:48,760
It was very frustrating,
667
00:32:48,802 --> 00:32:51,846
but until the body is found,
what else can you do?
668
00:32:51,888 --> 00:32:55,558
[**]
669
00:32:57,560 --> 00:32:59,312
LINDA:
Four and a half years go by
670
00:32:59,354 --> 00:33:01,981
from when she first
went missing.
671
00:33:02,023 --> 00:33:03,483
Case is completely cold
672
00:33:03,525 --> 00:33:06,152
but there's still a lot
of interest in the community
673
00:33:06,194 --> 00:33:07,487
in finding out what happened,
674
00:33:07,529 --> 00:33:10,198
so much so that a member
of the community
675
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:11,825
actually brought it up
to a detective
676
00:33:11,866 --> 00:33:13,910
who was working
a different case.
677
00:33:13,952 --> 00:33:17,914
[**]
678
00:33:20,250 --> 00:33:22,711
DENNIS: I was assigned
to the San Diego Metropolitan
679
00:33:22,752 --> 00:33:26,506
Homicide Task Force
and I was in the Jamul area
680
00:33:26,548 --> 00:33:29,968
of San Diego County
investigating another homicide.
681
00:33:31,302 --> 00:33:35,724
JEFF: Uh, the proprietor
had a feed store in Jamul,
682
00:33:35,765 --> 00:33:38,810
didn't know anything about
the, uh, the Jane Doe case
683
00:33:38,852 --> 00:33:42,063
but he brought up,
"What about Vickie Eddington?
684
00:33:42,105 --> 00:33:43,565
Why don't you check that out?"
685
00:33:44,858 --> 00:33:46,568
DENNIS: At the time,
I didn't know
686
00:33:46,609 --> 00:33:48,528
who Vickie Eddington was.
687
00:33:48,570 --> 00:33:51,239
So that day,
I went back to the office
688
00:33:51,281 --> 00:33:53,116
and I pulled her case.
689
00:33:55,785 --> 00:33:57,662
NARRATOR: Like the original
investigators,
690
00:33:57,704 --> 00:34:00,040
Detective Brugos
quickly becomes suspicious
691
00:34:00,081 --> 00:34:03,335
of the story told by Vickie's
estranged husband Leonard
692
00:34:03,376 --> 00:34:07,005
about finding Vickie's car
abandoned with a flat tire.
693
00:34:07,047 --> 00:34:10,508
The original team had noticed
something strange
694
00:34:10,550 --> 00:34:12,135
about the tire.
695
00:34:12,177 --> 00:34:15,096
DENNIS: Deputy Miller reported
that there was no wear
696
00:34:15,138 --> 00:34:17,265
on the tire like there
always is when, uh,
697
00:34:17,307 --> 00:34:18,767
someone has a flat tire
on the road.
698
00:34:19,934 --> 00:34:21,561
NARRATOR:
Detective Brugos learns
699
00:34:21,603 --> 00:34:23,271
that even after four years,
700
00:34:23,313 --> 00:34:26,775
Vickie's car is still
in a police impound lot.
701
00:34:26,816 --> 00:34:29,277
DENNIS: That made me decide
that the tires should be sent
702
00:34:29,319 --> 00:34:33,114
back to the manufacturer
for examination.
703
00:34:33,156 --> 00:34:37,202
And their experts said the flat
was not from the result
704
00:34:37,243 --> 00:34:39,746
of any type of road damage.
705
00:34:40,914 --> 00:34:43,500
JEFF:
Then they got inside the tire
706
00:34:43,541 --> 00:34:47,379
and found why it went flat.
707
00:34:47,420 --> 00:34:49,005
There were two puncture holes
708
00:34:49,047 --> 00:34:51,800
on the inside of the tire
right next each other.
709
00:34:51,841 --> 00:34:55,887
So it looked like somebody
flattened the tire.
710
00:34:55,929 --> 00:34:59,849
You know, that tells me
that this is a setup.
711
00:35:01,017 --> 00:35:02,769
NARRATOR:
The new discovery
712
00:35:02,811 --> 00:35:04,771
combined with what
the original detectives
713
00:35:04,813 --> 00:35:08,733
found in Vickie's car
paint a damning picture.
714
00:35:08,775 --> 00:35:11,152
JEFF:
Only Leonard Eddington's prints
715
00:35:11,194 --> 00:35:13,154
were on the spare tire,
716
00:35:14,656 --> 00:35:16,324
on the jack,
717
00:35:16,366 --> 00:35:19,077
inside the door,
718
00:35:19,119 --> 00:35:23,707
and on the frame
that concealed the spare tire.
719
00:35:23,748 --> 00:35:26,751
Her fingerprints
were inside the car.
720
00:35:27,919 --> 00:35:29,671
NARRATOR:
The new evidence once again
721
00:35:29,713 --> 00:35:32,257
makes Leonard Eddington
a prime suspect
722
00:35:32,298 --> 00:35:35,176
in his wife's disappearance.
723
00:35:35,218 --> 00:35:37,762
Detective Brugos
begins digging deeper
724
00:35:37,804 --> 00:35:39,848
into his relationship
with Vickie,
725
00:35:39,889 --> 00:35:43,059
looking for the proof
he needs.
726
00:35:43,101 --> 00:35:45,103
His interviews include
a neighbor
727
00:35:45,145 --> 00:35:47,605
who tells the detectives
something that sets off
728
00:35:47,647 --> 00:35:49,733
a major alarm.
729
00:35:49,774 --> 00:35:51,985
DENNIS: They said about two
months after her disappearance,
730
00:35:52,027 --> 00:35:53,987
Leonard brought in some
heavy equipment
731
00:35:54,029 --> 00:35:56,823
to fill in a ravine
behind the house
732
00:35:56,865 --> 00:35:58,950
for no logical reason.
733
00:35:58,992 --> 00:36:00,910
He actually had told neighbors
he was gonna put
734
00:36:00,952 --> 00:36:04,789
his motorhome on the property
which he never did.
735
00:36:06,416 --> 00:36:08,043
NARRATOR:
Aerial photos confirmed
736
00:36:08,084 --> 00:36:10,628
there's a suspicious spot
in Leonard's backyard
737
00:36:10,670 --> 00:36:13,006
along with the new evidence
pointing to him,
738
00:36:13,048 --> 00:36:16,176
it's enough for investigators
to get a search warrant.
739
00:36:16,217 --> 00:36:19,971
[**]
740
00:36:23,099 --> 00:36:24,726
NARRATOR:
On the morning of Saturday
741
00:36:24,768 --> 00:36:27,270
December 21st, 1991,
742
00:36:27,312 --> 00:36:29,898
Detective Brugos
and a team of investigators
743
00:36:29,939 --> 00:36:34,027
and forensic techs
descend on the Eddington home.
744
00:36:34,069 --> 00:36:36,112
[**]
745
00:36:36,154 --> 00:36:38,073
DENNIS:
Leonard came to the door
746
00:36:38,114 --> 00:36:41,493
and, uh, explained to him
that we had a search warrant,
747
00:36:41,534 --> 00:36:44,120
and he was very nervous.
748
00:36:44,162 --> 00:36:47,832
JEFF: He could not look
the police officer in the eye.
749
00:36:47,874 --> 00:36:50,085
One of the female deputies
750
00:36:50,126 --> 00:36:52,796
was assigned to take control
of the children.
751
00:36:53,672 --> 00:36:55,757
When she got the children,
752
00:36:55,799 --> 00:36:59,511
she explained who she was
and the youngest child,
753
00:36:59,552 --> 00:37:02,055
I think she was four years old
at the time,
754
00:37:03,390 --> 00:37:06,267
told her,
"I know why you're here.
755
00:37:06,309 --> 00:37:09,145
You think my mom is buried
in the backyard."
756
00:37:21,825 --> 00:37:23,076
NARRATOR: Four years
after Leonard Eddington
757
00:37:24,119 --> 00:37:25,453
reported his wife
Vickie missing,
758
00:37:25,495 --> 00:37:29,040
California police
are searching his backyard.
759
00:37:29,082 --> 00:37:31,292
New evidence and a tip
from a neighbor
760
00:37:31,334 --> 00:37:33,878
suggest Vickie maybe
buried there,
761
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:37,716
a hunch even her own children
have picked up on.
762
00:37:37,757 --> 00:37:39,342
DENNIS: I asked that
the backhoe operator
763
00:37:39,384 --> 00:37:43,304
dig in a specific spot
on the property at the ravine
764
00:37:43,346 --> 00:37:45,598
that Leonard Eddington
had filled in shortly
765
00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:47,726
after his wife's
disappearance.
766
00:37:47,767 --> 00:37:51,187
[**]
767
00:37:52,772 --> 00:37:57,318
JEFF: Ultimately, we found a
portion of a chain-link fence
768
00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:00,071
down in the hole,
it was flat,
769
00:38:00,113 --> 00:38:02,991
we were able to see
that there was some cloth
770
00:38:03,033 --> 00:38:04,534
down into the hole next.
771
00:38:04,576 --> 00:38:07,454
[**]
772
00:38:08,955 --> 00:38:10,331
And then the bones.
773
00:38:10,373 --> 00:38:14,085
[**]
774
00:38:16,921 --> 00:38:18,923
JEFF: We'd obtained
Vickie's dental records
775
00:38:18,965 --> 00:38:20,425
from her dentist
776
00:38:20,467 --> 00:38:21,885
and eventually the autopsy
777
00:38:21,926 --> 00:38:23,803
was able to match records
778
00:38:23,845 --> 00:38:26,723
with the records
of the-- of the body.
779
00:38:26,765 --> 00:38:29,559
[**]
780
00:38:33,229 --> 00:38:35,774
DENNIS: And then Leonard
Eddington was transported
781
00:38:35,815 --> 00:38:38,568
to, uh, county jail
and charged with murder.
782
00:38:38,610 --> 00:38:41,946
[**]
783
00:38:47,035 --> 00:38:48,828
LARRY: I was numb,
784
00:38:49,954 --> 00:38:52,499
but it was a relief when I...
785
00:38:52,540 --> 00:38:54,793
heard that they had found her.
786
00:38:54,834 --> 00:38:57,545
I knew that we could
put her body to rest
787
00:38:57,587 --> 00:39:02,342
and that we could move on
from that point.
788
00:39:02,384 --> 00:39:05,345
[**]
789
00:39:08,890 --> 00:39:10,517
DENNIS: The medical examiner
790
00:39:10,558 --> 00:39:11,893
determined that Vickie died
791
00:39:11,935 --> 00:39:13,520
blunt force trauma
to the head.
792
00:39:15,397 --> 00:39:17,190
NARRATOR:
As they prepared for a trial,
793
00:39:17,232 --> 00:39:19,693
prosecutors are finally able
to put together
794
00:39:19,734 --> 00:39:21,444
a clear picture
of what happened
795
00:39:21,486 --> 00:39:22,654
to Vickie Eddington
796
00:39:22,696 --> 00:39:26,282
on the night of July 30th, 1987.
797
00:39:26,324 --> 00:39:28,284
[**]
798
00:39:28,326 --> 00:39:31,121
JEFF: Leonard Eddington said
he was in Vickie's house
799
00:39:31,162 --> 00:39:33,540
consensually on the night
of her disappearance.
800
00:39:34,874 --> 00:39:36,334
Kids were asleep
801
00:39:36,376 --> 00:39:38,336
and Vickie eventually
went to sleep
802
00:39:38,378 --> 00:39:42,507
to get ready for her 11:00 shift
at the hospital.
803
00:39:43,675 --> 00:39:45,885
While she was sleeping...
804
00:39:45,927 --> 00:39:47,971
he beat her badly.
805
00:39:48,013 --> 00:39:51,599
[**]
806
00:39:54,728 --> 00:39:58,732
JEFF: He wrapped her up
in the items that were there,
807
00:39:58,773 --> 00:40:02,527
the sheets, some other bedding
that may have been there.
808
00:40:02,569 --> 00:40:04,446
[**]
809
00:40:04,487 --> 00:40:07,449
JEFF: When he buries her,
he puts the chain-link fence
810
00:40:07,490 --> 00:40:10,952
over the top so that
when the rains come,
811
00:40:10,994 --> 00:40:13,288
even if it erodes
the top layer of dirt,
812
00:40:13,329 --> 00:40:15,498
the body's not gonna come
floating off.
813
00:40:15,540 --> 00:40:18,376
[**]
814
00:40:18,418 --> 00:40:21,087
NARRATOR: After burying Vickie,
prosecutors say
815
00:40:21,129 --> 00:40:23,089
Leonard drove her car
four miles down
816
00:40:23,131 --> 00:40:26,176
an isolated road.
817
00:40:26,217 --> 00:40:28,720
He staged it with the tire
he had already punctured
818
00:40:28,762 --> 00:40:31,389
to make it look like
an accident.
819
00:40:31,431 --> 00:40:34,309
Then he walked back
to the house.
820
00:40:34,351 --> 00:40:36,853
LINDA: A young woman,
29 years old,
821
00:40:36,895 --> 00:40:41,399
is brutally murdered buried
in her backyard.
822
00:40:41,441 --> 00:40:43,109
It was so disturbing
823
00:40:43,151 --> 00:40:46,321
to know that
her husband had killed
824
00:40:46,363 --> 00:40:49,240
the mother of their
three children.
825
00:40:49,282 --> 00:40:51,076
NARRATOR:
The reported sighting of Vickie
826
00:40:51,117 --> 00:40:52,619
at a convenience store
827
00:40:52,660 --> 00:40:53,995
is determined to be a case
828
00:40:54,037 --> 00:40:56,081
of mistaken identification
829
00:40:56,122 --> 00:40:58,667
and a strange coincidence.
830
00:40:58,708 --> 00:41:02,837
JEFF: Ultimately,
we were able to locate a woman
831
00:41:02,879 --> 00:41:04,381
who looked like Vickie
832
00:41:04,422 --> 00:41:07,258
and claimed she went
to that 7-Eleven
833
00:41:07,300 --> 00:41:10,261
either that night
or close to that night
834
00:41:10,303 --> 00:41:12,180
claiming she had a flat tire
and she needed change
835
00:41:12,222 --> 00:41:13,598
to call somebody for a flat.
836
00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:17,018
[**]
837
00:41:19,312 --> 00:41:22,107
NARRATOR: Five years after
Vickie Eddington vanished,
838
00:41:22,148 --> 00:41:24,526
Leonard goes on trial
for her murder.
839
00:41:24,567 --> 00:41:27,987
JEFF: Leonard Eddington's
motive in this case was money,
840
00:41:28,029 --> 00:41:30,240
greed, financial gain.
841
00:41:30,281 --> 00:41:32,575
He knew a divorce
was going to happen
842
00:41:32,617 --> 00:41:36,079
but there was a dispute
over how the property
843
00:41:36,121 --> 00:41:38,998
and the assets
were gonna be divided.
844
00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:41,543
He did not want
to divide up his house,
845
00:41:41,584 --> 00:41:46,214
his property, his pension,
and share it with Vickie.
846
00:41:46,256 --> 00:41:49,968
So instead of doing that,
he made her disappear.
847
00:41:50,010 --> 00:41:54,764
[**]
848
00:41:54,806 --> 00:41:56,725
NARRATOR: The jury deliberates
less than a day
849
00:41:56,766 --> 00:42:00,395
before finding
Leonard Eddington guilty.
850
00:42:01,688 --> 00:42:04,190
JEFF: He was sentenced
to life in prison
851
00:42:04,232 --> 00:42:06,526
without the possibility
of parole.
852
00:42:09,029 --> 00:42:10,905
SANDY: It was a relief,
853
00:42:10,947 --> 00:42:12,866
we pretty much knew
he was guilty
854
00:42:12,907 --> 00:42:16,619
and the fact
that they were able
855
00:42:16,661 --> 00:42:18,496
to prove it so clearly,
856
00:42:18,538 --> 00:42:22,959
it really let us change
our focus now
857
00:42:23,001 --> 00:42:25,295
from mourning Vickie
858
00:42:25,337 --> 00:42:27,672
to taking care
of Vickie's kids.
859
00:42:27,714 --> 00:42:30,175
[**]
860
00:42:30,216 --> 00:42:33,386
NARRATOR: But Vickie's family
receives another blow.
861
00:42:33,428 --> 00:42:36,514
After a court hearing,
Leonard Eddington's sister
862
00:42:36,556 --> 00:42:39,017
is awarded custody
of the children.
863
00:42:39,059 --> 00:42:41,269
(Sobbing)
864
00:42:41,311 --> 00:42:43,396
It didn't seem just.
865
00:42:45,982 --> 00:42:48,151
They need to know that
they are loved.
866
00:42:49,069 --> 00:42:50,820
I miss Vickie.
867
00:42:53,156 --> 00:42:55,367
It's a hole in my heart,
868
00:42:57,077 --> 00:42:59,746
one that can never be filled.
869
00:43:01,247 --> 00:43:04,125
And anybody
that has a loss
870
00:43:04,167 --> 00:43:06,211
will understand that.
871
00:43:06,252 --> 00:43:08,546
It just makes no sense.
872
00:43:08,588 --> 00:43:10,382
[**]
873
00:43:10,423 --> 00:43:13,843
LARRY: The world is missing
a very bright individual
874
00:43:13,885 --> 00:43:18,723
that's loving and caring,
and was full of life.
875
00:43:18,765 --> 00:43:22,310
She was a positive influence
no matter where she went.
876
00:43:23,186 --> 00:43:26,481
[**]