1 00:00:03,586 --> 00:00:05,046 Narrator: A summer of fun turns into a season of mystery 2 00:00:07,465 --> 00:00:11,553 when a teenage girl disappears from a small Michigan town. 3 00:00:11,594 --> 00:00:14,055 Cindy: She was vibrant. 4 00:00:14,097 --> 00:00:17,559 She was a little on the wild side. 5 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,729 Pam: We're thinking somebody just snatched her up. 6 00:00:20,770 --> 00:00:23,523 There was just no way she ran away. 7 00:00:23,565 --> 00:00:27,527 Gina: She had just vanished into thin air. 8 00:00:27,569 --> 00:00:30,697 Narrator: Police have no shortage of suspects. 9 00:00:30,739 --> 00:00:32,490 Scott: He basically had no alibi 10 00:00:32,532 --> 00:00:36,244 for where he was when she disappeared. 11 00:00:36,286 --> 00:00:38,538 Gina: He said I know her friends are lying. 12 00:00:38,580 --> 00:00:40,749 We're gonna get the truth out of them. 13 00:00:40,790 --> 00:00:42,709 Who refuses to take a polygraph 14 00:00:42,751 --> 00:00:46,129 and then skips town if they're not guilty? 15 00:00:46,171 --> 00:00:48,173 Narrator: But when dark secrets come to light... 16 00:00:48,214 --> 00:00:49,466 Scott: She told police she knew 17 00:00:49,507 --> 00:00:51,843 where the body was buried. 18 00:00:51,885 --> 00:00:53,636 Pam: I think that had to have been 19 00:00:53,678 --> 00:00:56,765 the worst moment of her life. 20 00:00:56,806 --> 00:00:58,600 Narrator: The truth is more twisted 21 00:00:58,641 --> 00:01:01,728 than anyone imagined. 22 00:01:01,770 --> 00:01:03,605 Scott: I think he took her out there, 23 00:01:03,646 --> 00:01:05,815 showed her the hole in the ground, 24 00:01:05,857 --> 00:01:09,527 and then she started to fight. 25 00:01:09,569 --> 00:01:12,238 Cindy: And something went terribly wrong. 26 00:01:17,535 --> 00:01:19,746 [***] 27 00:01:21,831 --> 00:01:23,917 Narrator: It's a crisp October afternoon 28 00:01:23,958 --> 00:01:25,794 in Southwest Michigan. 29 00:01:29,214 --> 00:01:33,468 But the peace of the perfect fall day is shattered 30 00:01:33,510 --> 00:01:35,428 when police arrive at a farmhouse 31 00:01:35,470 --> 00:01:38,306 and officers pour into the backyard. 32 00:01:42,519 --> 00:01:43,728 Gina: Police got a tip 33 00:01:43,770 --> 00:01:47,148 that a body may be buried on a farm. 34 00:01:50,819 --> 00:01:53,279 It was a wooded area next to the lake 35 00:01:53,321 --> 00:01:54,447 under a wood pile. 36 00:01:57,742 --> 00:01:59,411 Narrator: After digging for hours 37 00:01:59,452 --> 00:02:01,162 and not finding anything, 38 00:02:01,204 --> 00:02:04,666 officers decide they need mechanical help. 39 00:02:04,708 --> 00:02:06,376 [***] 40 00:02:06,418 --> 00:02:07,335 Det. David: It was starting to get dark, 41 00:02:07,377 --> 00:02:10,213 I made contact with a person I know 42 00:02:10,255 --> 00:02:13,591 who has a backhoe and he came out there. 43 00:02:13,633 --> 00:02:16,845 Scott: The idea is you wanna be as delicate as you can 44 00:02:16,886 --> 00:02:20,640 and-- and he would move a couple inches of dirt 45 00:02:20,682 --> 00:02:22,559 and then he would start again and he would move 46 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:23,935 another couple inches of dirt. 47 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:27,814 Gina: Eventually, that backhoe 48 00:02:27,856 --> 00:02:30,483 snagged on something red. 49 00:02:33,319 --> 00:02:35,947 And so they stopped digging and went to check it out. 50 00:02:38,366 --> 00:02:40,702 And it was a piece of clothing. 51 00:02:43,663 --> 00:02:47,834 Scott: And a small portion of body came with it. 52 00:02:52,005 --> 00:02:53,882 Obviously, you hope 53 00:02:53,923 --> 00:02:55,842 that you're not gonna discover the body 54 00:02:55,884 --> 00:02:57,635 of an innocent young girl... 55 00:02:59,554 --> 00:03:01,222 that had been murdered and buried 56 00:03:01,264 --> 00:03:03,850 but it had been ongoing for two years 57 00:03:03,892 --> 00:03:06,644 and I think everybody in the community 58 00:03:06,686 --> 00:03:09,230 and everybody in law enforcement anticipated 59 00:03:09,272 --> 00:03:10,899 it was gonna turn out this way. 60 00:03:17,489 --> 00:03:20,533 [***] 61 00:03:22,744 --> 00:03:24,954 Gina: Niles, Michigan is right across 62 00:03:24,996 --> 00:03:29,459 the Indiana border from South Bend, Indiana. 63 00:03:29,501 --> 00:03:33,922 Pam: I've been there for 43 years in the same house. 64 00:03:33,963 --> 00:03:36,424 I wouldn't wanna live anywhere else. 65 00:03:36,466 --> 00:03:40,553 Gina: Back in 1993, Niles was a small town. 66 00:03:40,595 --> 00:03:44,766 Midwestern vanilla sort of place. 67 00:03:44,808 --> 00:03:46,434 There's not a lot going on there 68 00:03:46,476 --> 00:03:49,270 but it is close to a lot of places. 69 00:03:50,689 --> 00:03:52,565 [LAUGHTER] 70 00:03:52,607 --> 00:03:54,401 Cindy: We live a half an hour away 71 00:03:54,442 --> 00:03:55,777 from Lake Michigan, 72 00:03:55,819 --> 00:03:58,905 so in the summertime when school gets out, 73 00:03:58,947 --> 00:04:00,907 we love to go to the beaches a lot. 74 00:04:00,949 --> 00:04:03,785 We love to have a lot of outdoor activities, 75 00:04:03,827 --> 00:04:09,499 cookouts, camping, and things like that. 76 00:04:09,541 --> 00:04:11,292 Narrator: For one of the town's teenagers, 77 00:04:11,334 --> 00:04:12,919 15-year-old Becky Stowe, 78 00:04:12,961 --> 00:04:16,798 this summer is especially magical. 79 00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:19,759 Cindy: Becky was vibrant. 80 00:04:19,801 --> 00:04:22,303 She was a little on the wild side. 81 00:04:22,345 --> 00:04:26,516 I mean, she was very adventurous. 82 00:04:26,558 --> 00:04:30,562 When she was younger, like, I would say around 10, 11, 83 00:04:30,603 --> 00:04:32,355 she was more like a tomboy. 84 00:04:32,397 --> 00:04:35,734 She played baseball and things like that. 85 00:04:35,775 --> 00:04:38,695 And then as she grew a little older, 86 00:04:38,737 --> 00:04:41,656 she started to wear more makeup, 87 00:04:41,698 --> 00:04:43,450 doing her hair more, 88 00:04:43,491 --> 00:04:46,619 painting her nails, things like that. 89 00:04:46,661 --> 00:04:49,873 Rob was the big crush that summer, 90 00:04:49,914 --> 00:04:52,542 the guy that she told me that she was dating. 91 00:04:52,584 --> 00:04:56,671 She was excited and happy to have a boyfriend. 92 00:04:56,713 --> 00:04:58,798 Gina: Rob was this popular, 93 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:03,845 clean cut football hero, good-looking guy. 94 00:05:03,887 --> 00:05:06,639 He was in the popular crowd. 95 00:05:06,681 --> 00:05:08,808 And Becky was not. 96 00:05:08,850 --> 00:05:13,730 She was more one of the rebels. 97 00:05:13,772 --> 00:05:17,484 Todd: She was head over heels for him. 98 00:05:17,525 --> 00:05:20,653 During the summer of '93, it was the time 99 00:05:20,695 --> 00:05:22,530 that Becky's best friend Jaclyn and I 100 00:05:22,572 --> 00:05:24,574 had just gotten together and started dating. 101 00:05:24,616 --> 00:05:26,701 We would spend a lot of time with Becky. 102 00:05:26,743 --> 00:05:29,120 The three of us did a lot of stuff together. 103 00:05:30,830 --> 00:05:32,791 Gina: Becky lived with her mom, Diane, 104 00:05:32,832 --> 00:05:34,167 who is a single mom. 105 00:05:34,209 --> 00:05:36,795 And her mom's boyfriend Steve. 106 00:05:36,836 --> 00:05:39,005 Both of them worked in factories. 107 00:05:39,047 --> 00:05:41,841 Becky's sister Cindy was 11 years older, 108 00:05:41,883 --> 00:05:44,177 so Becky was alone 109 00:05:44,219 --> 00:05:47,847 a lot of the time when her mom was at work. 110 00:05:47,889 --> 00:05:49,516 I don't think it bothered her. 111 00:05:49,557 --> 00:05:51,976 I think she had a very independent streak 112 00:05:52,018 --> 00:05:54,771 and was pretty good at taking care of herself. 113 00:05:58,566 --> 00:06:00,694 Narrator: Although she is close to her mother, 114 00:06:00,735 --> 00:06:02,862 there's been tension the last few years 115 00:06:02,904 --> 00:06:05,115 since Becky became a teenager. 116 00:06:07,826 --> 00:06:11,871 Cindy: My mom and Becky clashed from time to time. 117 00:06:11,913 --> 00:06:15,000 Becky was a typical teenager. 118 00:06:15,041 --> 00:06:16,918 Becky liked doing her own thing. 119 00:06:18,795 --> 00:06:20,422 Gina: Back in the '90s, 120 00:06:20,463 --> 00:06:21,673 the menthol cigarettes meant 121 00:06:21,715 --> 00:06:23,049 you were one of the cool girls 122 00:06:23,091 --> 00:06:27,554 and Becky smoked a pack a day of Newport. 123 00:06:27,595 --> 00:06:30,181 Teenagers, they think they're invincible, 124 00:06:30,223 --> 00:06:32,142 they know everything. 125 00:06:32,183 --> 00:06:33,935 Their parents are old-fashioned 126 00:06:33,977 --> 00:06:36,813 and, you know, are just trying to control them. 127 00:06:38,523 --> 00:06:40,191 Like most other teenage girls, 128 00:06:40,233 --> 00:06:42,527 she had arguments with her mom. 129 00:06:42,569 --> 00:06:44,779 And she would tell her mom's boyfriend, 130 00:06:44,821 --> 00:06:47,657 you know, you can't tell me what to do. 131 00:06:47,699 --> 00:06:50,118 Very typical sorts of teenage things. 132 00:06:52,537 --> 00:06:56,041 Cindy: When Steve first moved in, 133 00:06:56,082 --> 00:06:59,794 he was being a father figure for Becky. 134 00:07:02,047 --> 00:07:05,800 But Steve would come across as bossy to Becky 135 00:07:05,842 --> 00:07:07,177 and Becky didn't like that 136 00:07:07,218 --> 00:07:09,471 and they would butt heads at times. 137 00:07:11,181 --> 00:07:12,724 It was rough. 138 00:07:12,766 --> 00:07:16,519 She did confide in me how rough that was. 139 00:07:16,561 --> 00:07:17,979 Todd: They had a lot of tiffs, 140 00:07:18,021 --> 00:07:19,856 a lot of yelling matches. 141 00:07:19,898 --> 00:07:21,900 I never saw anything really serious 142 00:07:21,941 --> 00:07:24,027 but she got upset about it a lot. 143 00:07:26,071 --> 00:07:28,615 Narrator: On July 12th, 1993, 144 00:07:28,656 --> 00:07:32,660 tempers are threatening to boil over again. 145 00:07:32,702 --> 00:07:34,704 Becky says she wants to go and sleep over 146 00:07:34,746 --> 00:07:37,082 at her best friend Jaclyn's place for a while 147 00:07:37,123 --> 00:07:40,001 to let things between her and Steve simmer down. 148 00:07:40,043 --> 00:07:41,920 And her mother Diane agrees. 149 00:07:41,961 --> 00:07:44,964 [***] 150 00:07:45,006 --> 00:07:47,008 Narrator: Becky arrives at Jaclyn's place 151 00:07:47,050 --> 00:07:49,135 and calm is restored. 152 00:07:51,971 --> 00:07:54,808 The following day, Jaclyn and her boyfriend Todd 153 00:07:54,849 --> 00:07:58,978 head out for some alone time, returning a few hours later. 154 00:07:59,020 --> 00:08:00,730 Todd: There was no one at the house. 155 00:08:02,315 --> 00:08:05,151 Becky had recently been there we could tell 156 00:08:05,193 --> 00:08:07,529 because the mirror was still fogged up 157 00:08:07,570 --> 00:08:09,030 when she got out of the shower. 158 00:08:11,866 --> 00:08:13,243 She had left us a note 159 00:08:13,284 --> 00:08:15,161 saying that she had gone to talk to Rob. 160 00:08:17,664 --> 00:08:20,625 Narrator: Becky's boyfriend Rob lives just a mile away. 161 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:23,294 And Becky often walks to his house. 162 00:08:23,336 --> 00:08:25,672 Todd: A little while later the phone rang 163 00:08:25,714 --> 00:08:27,590 and it was Rob. 164 00:08:27,632 --> 00:08:31,136 And he asked Jaclyn if-- 165 00:08:31,177 --> 00:08:33,096 if Becky was there. 166 00:08:33,138 --> 00:08:35,181 And... 167 00:08:35,223 --> 00:08:36,850 Jaclyn said, "Here. 168 00:08:36,891 --> 00:08:38,268 We thought that she was with you." 169 00:08:38,309 --> 00:08:42,022 He insisted that he had not seen her all day. 170 00:08:42,063 --> 00:08:46,192 And Jaclyn hung up the phone and she said, 171 00:08:46,234 --> 00:08:48,236 "Well, that's just really strange." 172 00:08:51,823 --> 00:08:53,074 Gina: At that point, they realized 173 00:08:53,116 --> 00:08:54,868 her keys were there, 174 00:08:54,909 --> 00:08:57,871 her wallet was $60 in babysitting money. 175 00:08:57,912 --> 00:09:00,331 She smoked a pack a day. 176 00:09:00,373 --> 00:09:03,752 Her cigarettes were still there. 177 00:09:03,793 --> 00:09:05,628 She hadn't taken any clothes. 178 00:09:05,670 --> 00:09:07,047 Like it just didn't make sense 179 00:09:07,088 --> 00:09:09,049 that if she was gonna go off somewhere 180 00:09:09,090 --> 00:09:11,968 she wouldn't bring some of her things. 181 00:09:12,010 --> 00:09:13,636 Narrator: Jaclyn starts calling around 182 00:09:13,678 --> 00:09:14,888 to friends and family. 183 00:09:17,265 --> 00:09:19,768 When Becky's mother Diane hears the news, 184 00:09:19,809 --> 00:09:21,895 she heads over. 185 00:09:21,936 --> 00:09:25,982 She and Jaclyn drive around town but no one's seen Becky. 186 00:09:28,318 --> 00:09:30,278 Diane was calling all of her sisters 187 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:31,905 and everybody in the family. 188 00:09:31,946 --> 00:09:33,615 That's how we found out. 189 00:09:38,244 --> 00:09:40,163 Narrator: Then, Diane phones the police 190 00:09:40,205 --> 00:09:43,708 and reports Becky missing. 191 00:09:43,750 --> 00:09:46,670 Scott: When police start an investigation 192 00:09:46,711 --> 00:09:49,047 for a missing person, the first thing to do 193 00:09:49,089 --> 00:09:51,007 is go to who's the last person 194 00:09:51,049 --> 00:09:52,717 they had contact with. 195 00:09:52,759 --> 00:09:55,095 And what was the last conversation is. 196 00:09:55,136 --> 00:09:58,014 You know, police came, they talked to us. 197 00:09:58,056 --> 00:10:00,392 It was very surreal. 198 00:10:00,433 --> 00:10:02,143 Narrator: Officers asked Todd and Jaclyn 199 00:10:02,185 --> 00:10:04,354 if Becky had shared anything with them 200 00:10:04,396 --> 00:10:06,314 which might explain her disappearance. 201 00:10:06,356 --> 00:10:09,442 They mentioned the note about meeting Rob. 202 00:10:09,484 --> 00:10:13,780 But then Jaclyn has one more thing to add. 203 00:10:13,822 --> 00:10:16,032 Jaclyn knew what nobody else knew. 204 00:10:16,074 --> 00:10:18,451 And that was that Becky Stowe was pregnant. 205 00:10:18,493 --> 00:10:23,039 [***] 206 00:10:23,081 --> 00:10:24,666 Scott: In over 25 years, 207 00:10:24,708 --> 00:10:27,836 I've never had any law enforcement agency 208 00:10:27,877 --> 00:10:29,295 consult with a psychic. 209 00:10:30,380 --> 00:10:32,090 Gina: They all said 210 00:10:32,132 --> 00:10:35,135 she was never gonna be found alive. 211 00:10:35,176 --> 00:10:37,303 Todd: She was rather desperate. 212 00:10:46,396 --> 00:10:47,856 [***] 213 00:10:50,275 --> 00:10:51,735 Narrator: Becky Stowe has vanished, 214 00:10:51,776 --> 00:10:53,361 leaving behind a note that she was going 215 00:10:53,403 --> 00:10:55,488 to visit her boyfriend. 216 00:10:55,530 --> 00:10:57,407 The detectives searching for her 217 00:10:57,449 --> 00:11:00,452 have just learned that the 15-year-old is pregnant. 218 00:11:03,621 --> 00:11:05,165 Gina: In 1993, 219 00:11:05,206 --> 00:11:09,294 Becky had her first boyfriend Rob. 220 00:11:12,464 --> 00:11:16,259 Scott: Rob Leamon was a year ahead of her in school. 221 00:11:16,301 --> 00:11:17,802 He was an athlete. 222 00:11:17,844 --> 00:11:20,805 He was in the popular group. 223 00:11:20,847 --> 00:11:22,807 He was a good-looking young man. 224 00:11:22,849 --> 00:11:24,559 And first time in her life 225 00:11:24,601 --> 00:11:27,437 somebody like that paid attention to her. 226 00:11:27,479 --> 00:11:30,482 And I think that was life changing for her. 227 00:11:33,234 --> 00:11:36,237 Gina: Becky lost her virginity to him. 228 00:11:36,279 --> 00:11:39,282 She would put a little star in her calendar 229 00:11:39,324 --> 00:11:41,785 every time she and Rob had sex. 230 00:11:41,826 --> 00:11:43,411 And by that time, 231 00:11:43,453 --> 00:11:46,873 Rob and Becky had had sex six times. 232 00:11:46,915 --> 00:11:49,417 When Becky missed her period, 233 00:11:49,459 --> 00:11:51,920 she told Jaclyn. 234 00:11:51,961 --> 00:11:54,881 Pam: She had gone to the Kmart store there 235 00:11:54,923 --> 00:11:57,926 and had bought a pregnancy test. 236 00:11:57,967 --> 00:12:00,428 And her and Jackie 237 00:12:00,470 --> 00:12:03,431 went over to Burger King right there 238 00:12:03,473 --> 00:12:06,226 in the same lot and she did the pregnancy test 239 00:12:06,267 --> 00:12:07,686 and that's when she found out. 240 00:12:09,312 --> 00:12:11,690 Todd: It was early on. She wasn't showing. 241 00:12:13,525 --> 00:12:16,528 She told me that it was Rob's kid. 242 00:12:19,823 --> 00:12:22,784 [***] 243 00:12:22,826 --> 00:12:24,411 Narrator: But when police bring Rob Leamon in 244 00:12:24,452 --> 00:12:25,912 for an interview, 245 00:12:25,954 --> 00:12:27,664 he tells detectives that he and Becky 246 00:12:27,706 --> 00:12:29,749 weren't seriously dating. 247 00:12:31,668 --> 00:12:33,753 Pam: I do remember the comments 248 00:12:33,795 --> 00:12:35,797 about him dating Becky. 249 00:12:35,839 --> 00:12:38,842 That he's going on the other side of the tracks 250 00:12:38,883 --> 00:12:41,886 dating somebody that was way beneath him. 251 00:12:43,763 --> 00:12:46,474 Rob had actually been dating somebody else 252 00:12:46,516 --> 00:12:47,559 during the school year. 253 00:12:48,893 --> 00:12:50,478 Gina: Becky was, kind of, you know, 254 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:52,313 the girl on the side 255 00:12:52,355 --> 00:12:54,774 while Rob's girlfriend was in New York for the summer. 256 00:12:57,068 --> 00:12:59,696 [***] 257 00:12:59,738 --> 00:13:01,364 Narrator: Rob admits to the detectives 258 00:13:01,406 --> 00:13:03,241 that Becky told him she was pregnant 259 00:13:03,283 --> 00:13:05,285 and that he was the father. 260 00:13:05,326 --> 00:13:07,871 He also admits that he asked her to get an abortion. 261 00:13:07,912 --> 00:13:12,709 But he says he didn't see her the day she disappeared. 262 00:13:12,751 --> 00:13:14,878 Scott: Rob said he had not had contact with her. 263 00:13:14,919 --> 00:13:16,713 That they were supposed to meet. 264 00:13:16,755 --> 00:13:18,256 They didn't meet, 265 00:13:18,298 --> 00:13:19,549 that he didn't know where she was at 266 00:13:19,591 --> 00:13:21,426 and didn't know what happened. 267 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:25,722 Gina: Rob was very easily 268 00:13:25,764 --> 00:13:28,266 able to account for his whereabouts that day. 269 00:13:29,642 --> 00:13:31,603 He had done a landscaping job. 270 00:13:31,644 --> 00:13:33,396 Then he went and talked 271 00:13:33,438 --> 00:13:35,607 to his friend Gary for a while. 272 00:13:35,648 --> 00:13:37,525 Then he hung out with his mom. 273 00:13:37,567 --> 00:13:40,612 And then he went to his job as a bus boy. 274 00:13:42,489 --> 00:13:44,949 The police checked with all of those people. 275 00:13:44,991 --> 00:13:46,743 Gary said he had seen Rob. 276 00:13:46,785 --> 00:13:50,330 Rob's mom said she had seen Rob. 277 00:13:50,372 --> 00:13:52,457 Scott: He said that he was at work. 278 00:13:52,499 --> 00:13:55,335 And we checked that out and that was verified. 279 00:13:55,377 --> 00:13:57,587 Said that he hung out with his cousin. 280 00:13:57,629 --> 00:14:00,632 And we checked that out and that was verified. 281 00:14:00,674 --> 00:14:02,801 So he had an alibi. 282 00:14:02,842 --> 00:14:04,761 This is not the kid that you pick out 283 00:14:04,803 --> 00:14:08,765 going, "Okay, that kid's a troublemaker or a liar." 284 00:14:08,807 --> 00:14:10,350 We didn't have any reason to doubt 285 00:14:10,392 --> 00:14:11,643 that he was telling us the truth. 286 00:14:13,978 --> 00:14:15,689 -[BIRDS CHIRPING] -[***] 287 00:14:15,730 --> 00:14:18,316 Narrator: Still, investigators ask Rob 288 00:14:18,358 --> 00:14:21,111 to take a polygraph test. 289 00:14:21,152 --> 00:14:22,821 Det. David: He passed the test. 290 00:14:24,572 --> 00:14:26,991 They reported him as being truthful, 291 00:14:27,033 --> 00:14:30,328 that he had no involvement in Becky's disappearance. 292 00:14:32,580 --> 00:14:33,790 Scott: So then we're like, "Okay, well then 293 00:14:33,832 --> 00:14:37,460 that really does set Rob aside." 294 00:14:37,502 --> 00:14:39,587 Narrator: As the detectives consider the case, 295 00:14:39,629 --> 00:14:41,548 they can't rule out the possibility 296 00:14:41,589 --> 00:14:44,509 that the person responsible for Becky's disappearance 297 00:14:44,551 --> 00:14:46,386 is Becky herself. 298 00:14:46,428 --> 00:14:48,972 [***] 299 00:14:49,014 --> 00:14:50,682 Gina: Becky was pregnant. 300 00:14:50,724 --> 00:14:52,517 And she was really excited about it. 301 00:14:53,852 --> 00:14:55,937 Todd: From what I understood, 302 00:14:55,979 --> 00:14:59,024 Rob had asked her to get an abortion. 303 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,652 And initially she thought maybe 304 00:15:02,694 --> 00:15:04,404 she could do that 305 00:15:04,446 --> 00:15:07,073 but I think she just changed her mind 306 00:15:07,115 --> 00:15:11,036 and she just felt like 307 00:15:11,077 --> 00:15:12,954 she wanted to keep the child. 308 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:20,962 Det. David: Not uncommon that a 15-year-old 309 00:15:21,004 --> 00:15:23,715 becomes pregnant. 310 00:15:23,757 --> 00:15:26,009 And they all handle it in different ways. 311 00:15:26,051 --> 00:15:30,638 And she may have taken off and ran away. 312 00:15:32,682 --> 00:15:35,060 Scott: You're 15, you don't have a job, 313 00:15:35,101 --> 00:15:37,437 you don't have an education, you don't have any way 314 00:15:37,479 --> 00:15:40,440 to take care of a kid because you're still a kid. 315 00:15:40,482 --> 00:15:43,902 And so I think Becky was concerned 316 00:15:43,943 --> 00:15:46,529 that no one else was going to be 317 00:15:46,571 --> 00:15:49,949 as excited about this pregnancy as she was. 318 00:15:49,991 --> 00:15:51,785 Narrator: Still, Becky's friends 319 00:15:51,826 --> 00:15:54,704 find it hard to accept she would just run away. 320 00:15:54,746 --> 00:15:56,664 [***] 321 00:15:56,706 --> 00:15:58,708 Pam: You know, like I said, she left her purse, 322 00:15:58,750 --> 00:16:01,753 her cigarettes, her everything there at that house. 323 00:16:01,795 --> 00:16:04,881 And so everybody said something's happened to her. 324 00:16:04,923 --> 00:16:07,717 [***] 325 00:16:07,759 --> 00:16:09,511 Narrator: The theory that Becky had run away 326 00:16:09,552 --> 00:16:11,930 because of her pregnancy seems even weaker 327 00:16:11,971 --> 00:16:15,100 when detectives break the news to her mother Diane. 328 00:16:19,646 --> 00:16:24,150 Pam: When Diane heard that she was pregnant, 329 00:16:24,192 --> 00:16:26,861 she-- she-- she was-- would've been supportive. 330 00:16:26,903 --> 00:16:28,988 She was that way. 331 00:16:29,030 --> 00:16:30,615 Scott: She was upset by the fact 332 00:16:30,657 --> 00:16:33,743 that Becky hadn't come to her and told her. 333 00:16:35,787 --> 00:16:38,832 But she knew there was tension between the two of them. 334 00:16:42,127 --> 00:16:43,545 Narrator: Diane tells detectives 335 00:16:43,586 --> 00:16:45,088 about the arguments at home 336 00:16:45,130 --> 00:16:46,506 but they quickly rule out 337 00:16:46,548 --> 00:16:47,590 any connection 338 00:16:47,632 --> 00:16:48,883 between Diane herself 339 00:16:48,925 --> 00:16:50,719 and Becky's disappearance. 340 00:16:53,930 --> 00:16:55,765 Gina: Becky's mom was at work. 341 00:16:55,807 --> 00:17:00,603 So she wasn't a suspect in her disappearance. 342 00:17:00,645 --> 00:17:03,189 Narrator: But it doesn't escape the investigator's notice 343 00:17:03,231 --> 00:17:05,692 that Becky's mother isn't the only person 344 00:17:05,734 --> 00:17:09,112 at home with whom Becky has sometimes struggled. 345 00:17:09,154 --> 00:17:11,031 Todd: There was some tension between Becky 346 00:17:11,072 --> 00:17:14,576 and her mother's partner Steve. 347 00:17:16,036 --> 00:17:18,246 They-- they didn't really get along very well 348 00:17:18,288 --> 00:17:21,666 and-- and I think maybe he was one of the reasons 349 00:17:21,708 --> 00:17:25,211 that she wanted to get out of the house for a while. 350 00:17:25,253 --> 00:17:31,718 Their interactions were tense, sometimes almost hostile. 351 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:32,802 Narrator: What detectives learned 352 00:17:32,844 --> 00:17:34,054 from Becky's friends 353 00:17:34,095 --> 00:17:35,221 about the situation inside 354 00:17:35,263 --> 00:17:37,515 Becky's home leads them 355 00:17:37,557 --> 00:17:40,143 to take a closer look at Steve. 356 00:17:43,813 --> 00:17:46,107 Scott: That scenario where you have 357 00:17:46,149 --> 00:17:48,109 a live-in boyfriend, 358 00:17:48,151 --> 00:17:49,611 teenage daughter, 359 00:17:49,652 --> 00:17:51,821 teenage daughter becomes pregnant, 360 00:17:51,863 --> 00:17:53,865 when law enforcement looks at it, 361 00:17:53,907 --> 00:17:55,658 we're looking at it through that lens 362 00:17:55,700 --> 00:17:58,036 of going why don't you go to mom or you don't go 363 00:17:58,078 --> 00:18:02,123 to mom because perhaps the father is not Robbie. 364 00:18:02,165 --> 00:18:04,042 What's going on between mom's boyfriend 365 00:18:04,084 --> 00:18:05,919 and teenage daughter? 366 00:18:18,098 --> 00:18:18,973 Narrator: Days after 15-year-old 367 00:18:21,059 --> 00:18:22,727 Becky Stowe vanishes in Niles, Michigan, 368 00:18:22,769 --> 00:18:25,105 police are asking questions about the relationship 369 00:18:25,146 --> 00:18:26,981 between the pregnant teenager 370 00:18:27,023 --> 00:18:31,486 and her mother's boyfriend Steve. 371 00:18:31,528 --> 00:18:34,072 Gina: So the police went to question Steve 372 00:18:34,114 --> 00:18:38,952 about his whereabouts on July 13th, 1993. 373 00:18:38,993 --> 00:18:40,954 What they found out was that he 374 00:18:40,995 --> 00:18:43,206 had not been at work that day. 375 00:18:43,248 --> 00:18:45,250 He said that he wasn't feeling well. 376 00:18:45,291 --> 00:18:49,129 He stayed home and no one had been there with him. 377 00:18:49,170 --> 00:18:51,631 He was just home alone. 378 00:18:54,092 --> 00:18:56,094 Scott: So he basically had no alibi 379 00:18:56,136 --> 00:18:58,430 for where he was when Becky disappeared. 380 00:19:01,433 --> 00:19:03,268 Gina: Diane was convinced that Steve 381 00:19:03,309 --> 00:19:05,353 had nothing to do with Becky's disappearance 382 00:19:05,395 --> 00:19:08,106 because he was her longtime boyfriend. 383 00:19:08,148 --> 00:19:12,610 She trusted him. She loved him. 384 00:19:12,652 --> 00:19:15,155 Narrator: Police placed a surveillance team on Steve 385 00:19:15,196 --> 00:19:18,533 hoping it might lead to a clue to Becky's whereabouts. 386 00:19:18,575 --> 00:19:21,619 Meanwhile, Becky's family and friends are doing 387 00:19:21,661 --> 00:19:26,458 everything they can to drum up clues on their own. 388 00:19:26,499 --> 00:19:30,003 Gina: Diane needed the singular purpose 389 00:19:30,045 --> 00:19:32,422 of her life to find her daughter. 390 00:19:32,464 --> 00:19:36,468 She's nagging the police almost every day. 391 00:19:36,509 --> 00:19:39,721 What are you doing to try to find Becky? 392 00:19:39,763 --> 00:19:43,099 She and her family are putting missing persons fliers 393 00:19:43,141 --> 00:19:45,518 up all over town. 394 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:49,481 Cindy: We were making posters, posting them on grocery stores, 395 00:19:49,522 --> 00:19:51,399 restaurants, utility poles, 396 00:19:51,441 --> 00:19:54,527 and putting them out on people's cars 397 00:19:54,569 --> 00:19:56,404 in the parking lots. 398 00:19:56,446 --> 00:19:59,449 Rob and all of her friends 399 00:19:59,491 --> 00:20:01,743 were part of the search team. 400 00:20:01,785 --> 00:20:03,536 We searched every place. 401 00:20:05,872 --> 00:20:08,124 Pam: We're thinking somebody just snatched her up. 402 00:20:08,166 --> 00:20:10,377 There was just no way we thought she ran away. 403 00:20:10,418 --> 00:20:12,671 So we just started putting out fliers and doing everything 404 00:20:12,712 --> 00:20:17,717 we could to help Diane figure out how to find her. 405 00:20:17,759 --> 00:20:19,761 Todd: It was the talk of the town. 406 00:20:19,803 --> 00:20:24,474 The community was well-aware that she was missing. 407 00:20:27,435 --> 00:20:29,354 Cindy: Niles is a small town 408 00:20:29,396 --> 00:20:32,357 and we had a lot of people that kept 409 00:20:32,399 --> 00:20:37,696 saying, well, I've seen Becky over here or over there. 410 00:20:37,737 --> 00:20:39,197 Just places that they thought 411 00:20:39,239 --> 00:20:41,491 that they had seen someone 412 00:20:41,533 --> 00:20:42,701 that looked like her. 413 00:20:42,742 --> 00:20:45,370 And it was never Becky. 414 00:20:50,500 --> 00:20:51,751 Narrator: Days turned to weeks. 415 00:20:51,793 --> 00:20:53,712 And although many tips come in, 416 00:20:53,753 --> 00:20:55,463 nothing comes of them. 417 00:20:55,505 --> 00:20:59,092 Becky's loved ones refused to give up. 418 00:20:59,134 --> 00:21:02,137 Todd: We drove all around Southwest Michigan, 419 00:21:02,178 --> 00:21:03,430 Northern Indiana 420 00:21:03,471 --> 00:21:05,724 talking to mutual friends, 421 00:21:05,765 --> 00:21:10,270 going to places that she liked to go to. 422 00:21:10,311 --> 00:21:12,480 Just came up completely empty-handed. 423 00:21:15,316 --> 00:21:19,738 Gina: Diane would just go around town and look for her. 424 00:21:19,779 --> 00:21:22,824 Diane would, like, drive to abandoned houses 425 00:21:22,866 --> 00:21:24,743 and look through the windows and try 426 00:21:24,784 --> 00:21:27,579 to go inside and see if Becky was in there. 427 00:21:27,620 --> 00:21:30,123 [***] 428 00:21:32,208 --> 00:21:34,753 Narrator: Despite the cloud of suspicion over him, 429 00:21:34,794 --> 00:21:36,171 Diane's boyfriend, Steve, 430 00:21:36,212 --> 00:21:37,672 seems increasingly 431 00:21:37,714 --> 00:21:39,632 engrossed in the search, 432 00:21:39,674 --> 00:21:42,344 and he begins insisting that Becky's friends 433 00:21:42,385 --> 00:21:45,138 are hiding something. 434 00:21:45,180 --> 00:21:48,516 Gina: Steve was convinced that some of Becky's friends 435 00:21:48,558 --> 00:21:50,852 knew what had happened to her. 436 00:21:50,894 --> 00:21:53,229 One time, he even woke up in the middle of the night 437 00:21:53,271 --> 00:21:57,233 and said to Diane, "I know her friends are lying, 438 00:21:57,275 --> 00:21:58,943 we're getting the truth out of them, 439 00:21:58,985 --> 00:22:01,154 we're gonna figure out what happened." 440 00:22:01,196 --> 00:22:02,655 [***] 441 00:22:02,697 --> 00:22:04,949 Todd: Becky's mother did contact me. 442 00:22:04,991 --> 00:22:07,827 One day, she showed up at my house, 443 00:22:07,869 --> 00:22:10,372 completely hysterical. 444 00:22:10,413 --> 00:22:12,791 And she asked me if she could look in the trunk 445 00:22:12,832 --> 00:22:15,627 of my car and look at my basement, 446 00:22:15,669 --> 00:22:17,587 and I let her do it, 447 00:22:17,629 --> 00:22:21,800 I let her looked everywhere she wanted to look. 448 00:22:21,841 --> 00:22:24,761 I totally understood where she was coming from. 449 00:22:24,803 --> 00:22:26,179 It was just something that she felt 450 00:22:26,221 --> 00:22:27,430 that she had to do, 451 00:22:27,472 --> 00:22:30,183 she was leaving no stone unturned. 452 00:22:30,225 --> 00:22:32,435 She was rather desperate. 453 00:22:32,477 --> 00:22:34,854 We all were desperate by that point. 454 00:22:34,896 --> 00:22:37,774 [***] 455 00:22:37,816 --> 00:22:39,693 Narrator: After weeks of surveillance, 456 00:22:39,734 --> 00:22:41,486 the police have seen nothing 457 00:22:41,528 --> 00:22:44,280 connecting Steve to Becky's disappearance. 458 00:22:44,322 --> 00:22:46,282 But they aren't ready to clear him, 459 00:22:46,324 --> 00:22:48,576 so they asked him to take a polygraph test. 460 00:22:48,618 --> 00:22:50,829 [***] 461 00:22:50,870 --> 00:22:52,997 Scott: Originally, he said, "Oh, yeah, I'll do that." 462 00:22:53,039 --> 00:22:55,333 And then the next thing you know, we get a contact 463 00:22:55,375 --> 00:22:58,753 from his attorney that says, uh, he's not doing a polygraph. 464 00:22:58,795 --> 00:23:01,840 [***] 465 00:23:01,881 --> 00:23:04,676 Scott: That usually means you don't think you can pass it. 466 00:23:04,718 --> 00:23:06,553 Why can't you pass it? 467 00:23:06,594 --> 00:23:08,346 He's not at work like he's supposed to, 468 00:23:08,388 --> 00:23:11,016 there's tension between him and Becky, 469 00:23:11,057 --> 00:23:13,643 he's indicated he's angry with her, 470 00:23:13,685 --> 00:23:15,645 and he has no alibi. 471 00:23:15,687 --> 00:23:18,440 So, that keeps him at the top of our list. 472 00:23:18,481 --> 00:23:22,694 [***] 473 00:23:22,736 --> 00:23:26,322 Pam: And it got really bad between him and Diane 474 00:23:26,364 --> 00:23:30,618 because she was mad at him and he was mad at her. 475 00:23:30,660 --> 00:23:32,871 Cindy: They were fighting over that. 476 00:23:32,912 --> 00:23:36,374 If he knew he was innocent and didn't do anything wrong, 477 00:23:36,416 --> 00:23:39,294 go ahead and take the polygraph and clear your name. 478 00:23:41,713 --> 00:23:44,549 [***] 479 00:23:44,591 --> 00:23:49,596 Cindy: He made himself look very suspicious. 480 00:23:49,637 --> 00:23:53,558 [***] 481 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,561 Pam: And, uh, it wasn't too long after that 482 00:23:56,603 --> 00:23:59,564 that he pretty much packed up and left. 483 00:24:01,983 --> 00:24:04,736 Gina: So, one day Diane gets home 484 00:24:04,778 --> 00:24:07,614 and Steve is just gone. 485 00:24:07,655 --> 00:24:10,825 They've been in a relationship for 12 years 486 00:24:10,867 --> 00:24:14,287 and suddenly he's cleared out. 487 00:24:14,329 --> 00:24:16,790 She didn't know what happened to him. 488 00:24:16,831 --> 00:24:19,751 And he was just gone. 489 00:24:19,793 --> 00:24:22,837 Scott: He couldn't have done anything else to make himself 490 00:24:22,879 --> 00:24:25,799 look more guilty than the way that he was behaving. 491 00:24:40,438 --> 00:24:42,065 Narrator: Michigan detectives looking for missing 15-year-old 492 00:24:43,983 --> 00:24:45,443 Becky Stowe have growing questions about 493 00:24:45,485 --> 00:24:48,488 her mother Diane's boyfriend, Steve. 494 00:24:48,530 --> 00:24:50,782 But three months after Becky vanished, 495 00:24:50,824 --> 00:24:53,743 Steve has apparently disappeared too. 496 00:24:53,785 --> 00:24:55,370 [***] 497 00:24:55,412 --> 00:24:57,831 Pam: He just took off. 498 00:24:57,872 --> 00:25:02,293 And I know Diane was totally upset about it. 499 00:25:02,335 --> 00:25:06,214 Todd: I heard that Steve disappeared 500 00:25:06,256 --> 00:25:08,383 which, kind of, 501 00:25:08,425 --> 00:25:10,010 reinforced my idea 502 00:25:10,051 --> 00:25:13,054 that maybe he has something to do with it. 503 00:25:13,096 --> 00:25:16,057 And some of his behavior throughout, 504 00:25:16,099 --> 00:25:20,395 it just seemed so bizarre. 505 00:25:20,437 --> 00:25:22,397 Steve, instead of taking the polygraph, 506 00:25:22,439 --> 00:25:24,232 moved out of the house. 507 00:25:24,274 --> 00:25:28,111 Well, for us, that just keeps ramping it up. 508 00:25:28,153 --> 00:25:30,196 Gina: Who refuses to take a polygraph, 509 00:25:30,238 --> 00:25:32,073 gets a lawyer, and then skips town 510 00:25:32,115 --> 00:25:34,242 if they're not guilty? 511 00:25:34,284 --> 00:25:36,870 [SIREN BLARES] 512 00:25:36,911 --> 00:25:39,831 Narrator: Police immediately begin searching for Steve. 513 00:25:39,873 --> 00:25:43,001 [***] 514 00:25:43,043 --> 00:25:46,254 Narrator: But he proves adept at keeping under the radar. 515 00:25:46,296 --> 00:25:48,214 [EAGLE SCREECHES] 516 00:25:48,256 --> 00:25:51,593 Narrator: Months go by with no sign of him. 517 00:25:51,634 --> 00:25:53,970 And still no sign of Becky. 518 00:25:54,012 --> 00:25:55,805 [***] 519 00:25:55,847 --> 00:25:58,475 Scott: There were at least 20 or 30 times 520 00:25:58,516 --> 00:26:01,811 that we put together searches, cadaver dogs, 521 00:26:01,853 --> 00:26:03,605 the whole bit, to go out to some location 522 00:26:03,646 --> 00:26:05,857 that she was allegedly buried, 523 00:26:05,899 --> 00:26:07,525 and wouldn't find anything. 524 00:26:07,567 --> 00:26:09,944 So yeah, this went on for months, 525 00:26:09,986 --> 00:26:11,988 and months, and months, and months. 526 00:26:13,323 --> 00:26:15,450 [***] 527 00:26:15,492 --> 00:26:17,994 Narrator: The not knowing is mental torture 528 00:26:18,036 --> 00:26:20,455 for Becky's mother. 529 00:26:20,497 --> 00:26:24,000 Pam: With Diane also being, uh, by herself, 530 00:26:25,877 --> 00:26:27,962 I think it was worse for her. 531 00:26:28,004 --> 00:26:30,006 She's, you know, stayed in that house, 532 00:26:30,048 --> 00:26:32,509 she didn't wanna leave, she didn't wanna go anywhere 533 00:26:32,550 --> 00:26:35,011 because she was afraid that she'd miss, 534 00:26:35,053 --> 00:26:36,429 you know, miss Becky. 535 00:26:36,471 --> 00:26:39,057 [***] 536 00:26:39,099 --> 00:26:40,934 Narrator: Desperate for answers, 537 00:26:40,975 --> 00:26:43,603 Becky's mother, Diane, reaches out to anyone, 538 00:26:43,645 --> 00:26:47,190 anywhere who might provide a fresh clue. 539 00:26:47,232 --> 00:26:49,859 Cindy: My mom contacted several psychics 540 00:26:49,901 --> 00:26:52,362 about where Becky was. 541 00:26:52,404 --> 00:26:57,617 So, I mean, you grasp at anything. 542 00:26:57,659 --> 00:26:59,953 Gina: The thing that they all said the same 543 00:26:59,994 --> 00:27:03,373 was that Becky was dead, and they were looking 544 00:27:03,415 --> 00:27:05,041 for her body, 545 00:27:05,083 --> 00:27:07,335 but she was never gonna be found alive. 546 00:27:07,377 --> 00:27:10,005 [***] 547 00:27:10,046 --> 00:27:12,590 Scott: In over 25 years I've been a prosecutor, 548 00:27:12,632 --> 00:27:16,177 I've never, um, had any law enforcement agency 549 00:27:16,219 --> 00:27:18,138 consult with a psychic. 550 00:27:18,179 --> 00:27:21,016 In this case, um, because, again, we had gone 551 00:27:21,057 --> 00:27:22,934 on for over a year and a half 552 00:27:22,976 --> 00:27:26,021 and we were coming up empty. 553 00:27:26,062 --> 00:27:29,566 And the decision was made to consult with a psychic 554 00:27:29,607 --> 00:27:32,277 that had assisted law enforcement in another case. 555 00:27:32,318 --> 00:27:34,362 [***] 556 00:27:34,404 --> 00:27:39,993 Scott: The psychic had pictured an industrial kind of area, 557 00:27:40,035 --> 00:27:42,704 and then she also indicated there was water nearby. 558 00:27:42,746 --> 00:27:45,999 [***] 559 00:27:46,041 --> 00:27:48,710 Scott: She also indicated railroad tracks. 560 00:27:48,752 --> 00:27:50,628 There's a couple of them that run through Cass County. 561 00:27:52,130 --> 00:27:54,090 It was interesting, 562 00:27:54,132 --> 00:27:57,344 um, it wasn't specific enough 563 00:27:57,385 --> 00:27:59,137 for us to pin down. 564 00:28:00,597 --> 00:28:02,390 It didn't break the case. 565 00:28:02,432 --> 00:28:05,477 [***] 566 00:28:07,312 --> 00:28:10,065 Gina: I don't think Diane ever believed 567 00:28:10,106 --> 00:28:12,025 that Becky was dead. 568 00:28:12,067 --> 00:28:15,403 I think, as a mother, she thought 569 00:28:15,445 --> 00:28:18,031 that if Becky was dead, she would feel it. 570 00:28:18,073 --> 00:28:20,575 [***] 571 00:28:20,617 --> 00:28:22,744 Cindy: I feel that my mom was hoping Becky 572 00:28:22,786 --> 00:28:24,287 would just walk in the front door 573 00:28:24,329 --> 00:28:27,415 at any given time 574 00:28:27,457 --> 00:28:29,459 and it'd all be over. 575 00:28:29,501 --> 00:28:32,545 [***] 576 00:28:35,632 --> 00:28:38,760 Narrator: An agonizing year and a half goes by. 577 00:28:38,802 --> 00:28:42,639 Then, Diane's tireless efforts appeared to pay off. 578 00:28:42,681 --> 00:28:44,474 One of her volunteer searchers 579 00:28:44,516 --> 00:28:47,268 has found something suspicious in a field. 580 00:28:47,310 --> 00:28:49,396 [***] 581 00:28:49,437 --> 00:28:50,980 She got a call that there were bones 582 00:28:51,022 --> 00:28:52,190 out at this particular farm 583 00:28:52,232 --> 00:28:53,566 and she, you know, put together 584 00:28:53,608 --> 00:28:56,069 her team of volunteers. 585 00:28:58,488 --> 00:29:00,448 Gina: And so they started digging up that patch 586 00:29:00,490 --> 00:29:03,743 of dirt and found bones. 587 00:29:03,785 --> 00:29:07,706 They called the police and it turned out 588 00:29:07,747 --> 00:29:10,709 this poor farmer had just recently buried 589 00:29:10,750 --> 00:29:14,629 his deceased dog and they were dog bones. 590 00:29:14,671 --> 00:29:18,133 [***] 591 00:29:18,174 --> 00:29:20,010 Scott: If you put yourself in her position, 592 00:29:20,051 --> 00:29:23,638 you'll move heaven and earth to find your kid. 593 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:26,307 So I don't-- I don't blame her a bit. 594 00:29:26,349 --> 00:29:29,060 But at that point, by the time we hit that 20, 595 00:29:29,102 --> 00:29:32,022 21, 22 months mark, 596 00:29:32,063 --> 00:29:33,523 we were running on empty. 597 00:29:35,692 --> 00:29:38,445 And we still met regularly to go, "Okay. 598 00:29:38,486 --> 00:29:41,614 Is there something we can circle back and do again? 599 00:29:41,656 --> 00:29:45,452 You know, do we need to find Steve and harass him some more?" 600 00:29:45,493 --> 00:29:47,495 We found nothing that would indicate 601 00:29:47,537 --> 00:29:49,122 that Steve was involved 602 00:29:49,164 --> 00:29:51,291 in anything inappropriate with Becky, 603 00:29:51,332 --> 00:29:54,669 or that he had anything to do with the disappearance. 604 00:29:54,711 --> 00:29:56,338 What else can we do? 605 00:29:56,379 --> 00:29:58,798 [***] 606 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:04,471 Narrator: With no new leads, Becky's case goes cold. 607 00:30:04,512 --> 00:30:06,848 Then, in October 1995, 608 00:30:06,890 --> 00:30:09,642 the phone rings in the Cass County Sheriff's Office 609 00:30:09,684 --> 00:30:13,063 and everything changes. 610 00:30:13,104 --> 00:30:14,814 The woman on the other end of the line 611 00:30:14,856 --> 00:30:17,776 claims she knows exactly what happened to Becky Stowe 612 00:30:17,817 --> 00:30:19,819 two years earlier. 613 00:30:19,861 --> 00:30:21,571 Scott: We couldn't believe it. 614 00:30:21,613 --> 00:30:24,282 It was Angela Snyder. 615 00:30:24,324 --> 00:30:26,743 The ongoing steady girlfriend 616 00:30:26,785 --> 00:30:30,163 of Robbie Leamon. 617 00:30:30,205 --> 00:30:33,249 [***] 618 00:30:36,586 --> 00:30:38,505 Pam: It just makes me sick to my stomach 619 00:30:38,546 --> 00:30:42,425 to think that she went through that at 15 years old. 620 00:30:44,344 --> 00:30:46,638 [ Sighs ] 621 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:51,142 Cindy: He was evil, and he was manipulative, 622 00:31:00,819 --> 00:31:02,278 [***] 623 00:31:04,823 --> 00:31:06,533 Narrator: Becky Stowe has been missing 624 00:31:06,574 --> 00:31:08,660 in Michigan for two years. 625 00:31:08,702 --> 00:31:10,870 But now, a witness has come forward, 626 00:31:10,912 --> 00:31:13,081 claiming to know what happened to the teenager. 627 00:31:16,751 --> 00:31:19,754 Gina: In 1993, before she disappeared, 628 00:31:19,796 --> 00:31:22,882 Becky had her first boyfriend, 629 00:31:22,924 --> 00:31:25,218 Rob. 630 00:31:25,260 --> 00:31:27,178 Scott: At that time, Angela Snyder 631 00:31:27,220 --> 00:31:30,849 was Robert Leamon's ongoing, steady girlfriend, 632 00:31:30,890 --> 00:31:32,976 except for the time he was sleeping with Becky 633 00:31:33,018 --> 00:31:34,894 during the summer of '93. 634 00:31:37,647 --> 00:31:39,691 Narrator: Police cleared Rob as a suspect 635 00:31:39,733 --> 00:31:42,277 early in the investigation. 636 00:31:42,318 --> 00:31:44,237 Scott: He was, you know, a good kid, 637 00:31:44,279 --> 00:31:46,114 he hadn't been in trouble before. 638 00:31:46,156 --> 00:31:50,035 He was involved in school, he was involved in sports. 639 00:31:50,076 --> 00:31:51,870 So when he said, "Hey, I was at work, 640 00:31:51,911 --> 00:31:55,582 um, I didn't see her." And then we checked it out, 641 00:31:55,623 --> 00:31:57,250 and it-- and it-- it checked out. 642 00:31:57,292 --> 00:32:00,086 So then it must be somebody else. 643 00:32:04,174 --> 00:32:06,301 Narrator: But now, Angela drops a bombshell 644 00:32:06,343 --> 00:32:09,304 on the investigation. 645 00:32:09,346 --> 00:32:12,640 She tells detectives she knows that Rob Leamon 646 00:32:12,682 --> 00:32:15,226 killed Becky Stowe. 647 00:32:15,268 --> 00:32:17,228 She claims that he admitted it to her 648 00:32:17,270 --> 00:32:18,938 and she's been too frightened 649 00:32:18,980 --> 00:32:23,360 to reveal the awful secret until now. 650 00:32:23,401 --> 00:32:25,820 Scott: We said, "When did he tell you this?" 651 00:32:25,862 --> 00:32:29,157 Seventeen months before she told us. 652 00:32:30,992 --> 00:32:33,203 And, of course, we're like "So you've been carrying 653 00:32:33,244 --> 00:32:36,247 this information for 17 months 654 00:32:36,289 --> 00:32:39,709 while her mom, every single day, 655 00:32:39,751 --> 00:32:41,336 is out looking for her daughter, 656 00:32:41,378 --> 00:32:43,380 and all of the law enforcement 657 00:32:43,421 --> 00:32:45,757 has been looking for her for two years?" 658 00:32:47,467 --> 00:32:50,261 And I never got a good answer for why. 659 00:32:55,433 --> 00:32:58,019 Narrator: Then, Angela drops another bomb. 660 00:32:58,061 --> 00:33:02,691 She claims to also know where Becky's body is buried. 661 00:33:02,732 --> 00:33:04,776 Scott: She said Becky's body was out 662 00:33:04,818 --> 00:33:09,948 on a farm owned by Robbie's uncle. 663 00:33:09,989 --> 00:33:12,409 It was a wooded area next to the lake 664 00:33:12,450 --> 00:33:16,955 on the end of his farm, and it was under a wood pile. 665 00:33:16,996 --> 00:33:18,832 That's pretty specific. 666 00:33:22,419 --> 00:33:26,881 [***] 667 00:33:26,923 --> 00:33:28,883 Narrator: On a cold October morning, 668 00:33:28,925 --> 00:33:30,844 investigators arrive at the farm 669 00:33:30,885 --> 00:33:33,805 and start digging near a log pile in the backyard 670 00:33:33,847 --> 00:33:36,808 but it's tough going. 671 00:33:36,850 --> 00:33:39,811 Det. David: I made contact with a person I know 672 00:33:39,853 --> 00:33:41,938 who has a backhoe and he came out there. 673 00:33:41,980 --> 00:33:43,857 [BACKHOE ENGINE REVVING] 674 00:33:45,984 --> 00:33:49,112 Det. David: After some scoops by the excavator, 675 00:33:49,154 --> 00:33:51,906 there was some clothing and body parts 676 00:33:51,948 --> 00:33:53,867 that came up on the bucket. 677 00:33:55,326 --> 00:33:57,120 Scott: It was easy to recognize, 678 00:33:57,162 --> 00:34:00,999 it was a pelvic bone and a thigh. 679 00:34:01,041 --> 00:34:04,044 Narrator: The officers believe they have found Becky Stowe. 680 00:34:05,879 --> 00:34:07,881 They gather around the burial site 681 00:34:07,922 --> 00:34:10,800 and offer a prayer. 682 00:34:10,842 --> 00:34:13,178 Det. David: In one sense, it's gut-wrenching to see, 683 00:34:13,219 --> 00:34:16,306 in the other sense, you feel a sense of relief 684 00:34:16,348 --> 00:34:19,267 because it's probably Becky. 685 00:34:19,309 --> 00:34:23,438 [***] 686 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,899 Narrator: The bones are taken to the medical examiners 687 00:34:25,940 --> 00:34:27,817 where the forensic team checks the teeth 688 00:34:27,859 --> 00:34:30,028 against Becky's dental records. 689 00:34:30,070 --> 00:34:31,488 They are a match. 690 00:34:34,574 --> 00:34:36,451 But because of decomposition, 691 00:34:36,493 --> 00:34:38,870 the medical examiner is unable to determine 692 00:34:38,912 --> 00:34:41,206 the cause of death. 693 00:34:41,247 --> 00:34:42,874 Gina: The body was so decomposed 694 00:34:42,916 --> 00:34:44,334 they couldn't find medical evidence 695 00:34:44,376 --> 00:34:45,752 of the fact that she had been pregnant. 696 00:34:51,549 --> 00:34:54,386 Narrator: Detectives sadly bring Becky's mother Diane, 697 00:34:54,427 --> 00:34:57,305 the news she's been dreading for two years. 698 00:34:59,015 --> 00:35:02,102 Pam: I think that had to have been 699 00:35:02,143 --> 00:35:04,229 the worst moment of her life. 700 00:35:04,270 --> 00:35:07,273 [***] 701 00:35:09,109 --> 00:35:11,111 It was horrid. 702 00:35:14,447 --> 00:35:17,325 Cindy: My mom called me on the phone and said, 703 00:35:17,367 --> 00:35:19,828 "You need to come over. 704 00:35:19,869 --> 00:35:21,913 They found Becky." 705 00:35:21,955 --> 00:35:24,165 I was like, just, 706 00:35:24,207 --> 00:35:26,918 [ Gasps ] I was just shocked. 707 00:35:29,129 --> 00:35:32,173 [***] 708 00:35:35,135 --> 00:35:36,886 Narrator: The missing person's case 709 00:35:36,928 --> 00:35:39,889 has become a homicide case. 710 00:35:39,931 --> 00:35:43,101 And Rob Leamon is the prime suspect. 711 00:35:43,143 --> 00:35:44,853 Detectives are surprised 712 00:35:44,894 --> 00:35:46,813 when he agrees to speak with them, 713 00:35:46,855 --> 00:35:49,941 and they're stunned when with no hesitation, 714 00:35:49,983 --> 00:35:51,985 he tells them the story of what happened 715 00:35:52,027 --> 00:35:53,611 the day Becky died. 716 00:35:53,653 --> 00:35:57,449 [***] 717 00:35:57,490 --> 00:35:59,200 Narrator: He tells them he picked Becky up 718 00:35:59,242 --> 00:36:01,036 and drove her to his uncle's farm 719 00:36:01,077 --> 00:36:04,873 so they could spend some time together. 720 00:36:04,914 --> 00:36:08,209 Scott: He said they got into, uh, a little bit of an argument. 721 00:36:08,251 --> 00:36:10,962 [***] 722 00:36:11,004 --> 00:36:13,298 Scott: Robbie began to describe what, in effect, 723 00:36:13,340 --> 00:36:17,469 was a wrestling match where he was behind Becky, 724 00:36:17,510 --> 00:36:19,846 had his arms wrapped around her head. 725 00:36:19,888 --> 00:36:21,306 And they kind of rolled around, 726 00:36:21,348 --> 00:36:22,932 and something popped in her neck. 727 00:36:25,602 --> 00:36:27,437 It was sort of minimizing, 728 00:36:27,479 --> 00:36:30,273 sort of a pseudo-accident explanation? 729 00:36:30,315 --> 00:36:32,233 That doesn't work like that in real life. 730 00:36:32,275 --> 00:36:34,444 [***] 731 00:36:34,486 --> 00:36:36,529 Narrator: The investigators find Rob's story 732 00:36:36,571 --> 00:36:40,033 hard to swallow, even more so when Rob's cousin 733 00:36:40,075 --> 00:36:45,163 tells them he helped Rob dig the hole the previous day. 734 00:36:45,205 --> 00:36:48,667 Scott: His cousin is learning-impaired, 735 00:36:48,708 --> 00:36:52,629 and so he didn't connect the dots on what was going on. 736 00:36:52,671 --> 00:36:56,508 [***] 737 00:36:56,549 --> 00:36:58,218 Scott: After that interview, 738 00:36:58,259 --> 00:37:00,512 Rob Leamon was placed into custody 739 00:37:00,553 --> 00:37:03,306 and then charged with open murder. 740 00:37:03,348 --> 00:37:07,310 [***] 741 00:37:07,352 --> 00:37:09,604 When we found out 742 00:37:09,646 --> 00:37:15,110 that Robert had been arrested, 743 00:37:15,151 --> 00:37:18,279 it was kind of a bit of relief 744 00:37:18,321 --> 00:37:20,532 because we had spent 745 00:37:20,573 --> 00:37:22,200 a couple of years 746 00:37:22,242 --> 00:37:24,911 looking and hoping and... 747 00:37:26,621 --> 00:37:28,665 Sighs: and, um... 748 00:37:30,500 --> 00:37:32,544 that's pretty stressful. 749 00:37:32,585 --> 00:37:35,588 [***] 750 00:37:38,675 --> 00:37:40,510 Narrator: Although he was only 16 751 00:37:40,552 --> 00:37:42,429 at the time of the murder, 752 00:37:42,470 --> 00:37:44,931 a judge rules that Rob Leamon will be tried 753 00:37:44,973 --> 00:37:47,684 as an adult because of the severity of the crime. 754 00:37:50,645 --> 00:37:52,564 As the trial date approaches, 755 00:37:52,605 --> 00:37:54,232 Becky's family must deal 756 00:37:54,274 --> 00:37:57,068 with another shocking revelation. 757 00:37:57,110 --> 00:38:00,196 Forensic testing has determined that Becky's death 758 00:38:00,238 --> 00:38:03,033 was even more cruel than they had imagined. 759 00:38:04,284 --> 00:38:06,453 Pam: It was awful. 760 00:38:18,715 --> 00:38:20,175 [***] 761 00:38:21,718 --> 00:38:23,928 Narrator: In January 1997, 762 00:38:23,970 --> 00:38:27,474 Rob Leamon goes on trial for the murder of Becky Stowe, 763 00:38:27,515 --> 00:38:30,101 his pregnant girlfriend, four years earlier. 764 00:38:31,603 --> 00:38:33,813 [***] 765 00:38:33,855 --> 00:38:35,899 Scott: We did attend the trial 766 00:38:35,940 --> 00:38:38,777 that was held in Cassopolis, Michigan, 767 00:38:38,818 --> 00:38:41,863 which is even smaller than Niles. 768 00:38:43,114 --> 00:38:44,866 It was quite a major event. 769 00:38:46,534 --> 00:38:50,580 Pam: I even wrote down every word 770 00:38:50,622 --> 00:38:52,582 that was said in that trial. 771 00:38:52,624 --> 00:38:54,167 It was something I felt like I had to do 772 00:38:54,209 --> 00:38:56,586 because I didn't wanna miss anything, 773 00:38:56,628 --> 00:38:58,922 as far as what he was saying 774 00:38:58,963 --> 00:39:01,800 and what was being said. 775 00:39:01,841 --> 00:39:03,510 Narrator: Rob sticks to his story 776 00:39:03,551 --> 00:39:05,845 that Becky's death was accidental. 777 00:39:05,887 --> 00:39:07,722 But prosecutors tell the jury 778 00:39:07,764 --> 00:39:10,475 the evidence suggests something else. 779 00:39:10,517 --> 00:39:12,060 Scott: I think he took her out there, 780 00:39:12,102 --> 00:39:13,728 showed her the hole in the ground 781 00:39:13,770 --> 00:39:15,522 and said, "Do you understand how serious I am 782 00:39:15,563 --> 00:39:17,023 about you getting an abortion?" 783 00:39:17,065 --> 00:39:18,775 [SCREAMS] 784 00:39:18,817 --> 00:39:20,944 Scott: And then she started to fight. 785 00:39:22,696 --> 00:39:25,240 She was strangled, 786 00:39:25,281 --> 00:39:27,534 to the point where she lost consciousness. 787 00:39:29,828 --> 00:39:31,830 And then put in the hole. 788 00:39:34,165 --> 00:39:37,711 She might not have died instantly from being strangled. 789 00:39:41,172 --> 00:39:43,133 Becky Stowe was buried alive. 790 00:39:45,927 --> 00:39:48,680 Pam: Absolutely the hardest thing to hear 791 00:39:48,722 --> 00:39:52,517 was that her heart could've still been beating 792 00:39:52,559 --> 00:39:54,269 when he threw her in that hole. 793 00:39:54,310 --> 00:39:57,272 I mean, that just makes me sick to my stomach, 794 00:39:57,313 --> 00:40:02,193 and to think that she went through that at 15 years old. 795 00:40:03,862 --> 00:40:05,655 [ SIGHS ] 796 00:40:05,697 --> 00:40:07,198 It's just horrible. 797 00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:10,285 [***] 798 00:40:12,704 --> 00:40:14,122 Narrator: Rob's lawyers point out 799 00:40:14,164 --> 00:40:15,749 that he was just a teenager. 800 00:40:15,790 --> 00:40:17,667 He passed a lie detector test 801 00:40:17,709 --> 00:40:19,336 and he had an alibi. 802 00:40:19,377 --> 00:40:21,212 His time card shows he was at work 803 00:40:21,254 --> 00:40:22,922 the day Becky went missing. 804 00:40:24,382 --> 00:40:26,760 [***] 805 00:40:26,801 --> 00:40:29,179 Rob was evil. 806 00:40:29,220 --> 00:40:31,139 And he was manipulative, 807 00:40:31,181 --> 00:40:35,185 and he planned this whole thing out from the beginning. 808 00:40:35,226 --> 00:40:38,355 When they found out that Rob had someone 809 00:40:38,396 --> 00:40:41,608 clock him in and out at work for an alibi? 810 00:40:44,069 --> 00:40:45,653 It was just so sick, 811 00:40:45,695 --> 00:40:47,238 his cousin helped him dig the hole 812 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:51,868 the day before, and, uh, it's just unreal. 813 00:40:53,161 --> 00:40:55,163 [***] 814 00:40:55,205 --> 00:40:57,040 Narrator: After three weeks of testimony, 815 00:40:57,082 --> 00:40:58,750 the jury delivers its verdict 816 00:40:58,792 --> 00:41:01,670 on January 29th, 1997. 817 00:41:03,713 --> 00:41:06,091 Cindy: When the jury came back with the guilty verdict, 818 00:41:06,132 --> 00:41:08,593 we were just shedding tears. 819 00:41:10,345 --> 00:41:15,600 Overwhelming feelings of just, it's over. 820 00:41:17,018 --> 00:41:18,937 We have justice for Becky. 821 00:41:21,272 --> 00:41:24,150 [***] 822 00:41:24,192 --> 00:41:26,820 Cindy: And it was an overwhelming feeling. 823 00:41:29,864 --> 00:41:32,909 [***] 824 00:41:38,707 --> 00:41:41,835 Narrator: Rob Leamon is sentenced to life in prison. 825 00:41:42,961 --> 00:41:46,006 [***] 826 00:41:48,425 --> 00:41:52,053 Scott: Becky Stowe died because she had a crush 827 00:41:52,095 --> 00:41:55,849 on a kid, and she fell in love with him, 828 00:41:55,890 --> 00:41:59,769 she slept with him, she got pregnant. 829 00:41:59,811 --> 00:42:02,063 And this kid, out of all of the people 830 00:42:02,105 --> 00:42:03,940 she could've picked, 831 00:42:03,982 --> 00:42:07,027 was a homicidal sociopath. 832 00:42:07,068 --> 00:42:09,362 And when faced with a choice of being embarrassed 833 00:42:09,404 --> 00:42:13,324 that he slept with her or killing her, 834 00:42:13,366 --> 00:42:15,827 he chose killing her. 835 00:42:15,869 --> 00:42:18,913 [***] 836 00:42:23,168 --> 00:42:27,672 Cindy: Rob taking my sister's life just... 837 00:42:27,714 --> 00:42:32,802 [ Sighs ] just destroyed my mom's life, literally. 838 00:42:32,844 --> 00:42:37,849 I mean, she had such major anxiety over it, 839 00:42:37,891 --> 00:42:41,019 um, she cried so much. 840 00:42:44,773 --> 00:42:48,860 Now, we know the truth though, it was not Steve at all. 841 00:42:48,902 --> 00:42:53,323 But she never saw him again. 842 00:42:53,365 --> 00:42:56,368 [***] 843 00:42:58,411 --> 00:43:01,247 Cindy: I have a poem I wrote for Becky. 844 00:43:01,289 --> 00:43:04,876 Why did God give you wings so early to fly? 845 00:43:06,753 --> 00:43:09,798 Now I see you only in my dreams. 846 00:43:09,839 --> 00:43:12,008 I know you're in God's loving arms, 847 00:43:12,050 --> 00:43:13,927 shining like a beam. 848 00:43:16,054 --> 00:43:18,223 So fly, my angel, fly, 849 00:43:18,264 --> 00:43:20,058 up in the heavens so high. 850 00:43:21,810 --> 00:43:24,854 [***]