1
00:00:01,867 --> 00:00:03,667
[crowd cheering]
2
00:00:03,667 --> 00:00:06,266
[chanting]
3
00:00:06,333 --> 00:00:07,567
[crowd cheering]
4
00:00:07,567 --> 00:00:10,266
At Silsbee High School,
Friday night football
was everything,
5
00:00:10,266 --> 00:00:12,734
and it's always
the place to be.
6
00:00:14,066 --> 00:00:17,667
It's Friday night lights,
the smells, the popcorn,
7
00:00:17,667 --> 00:00:21,367
the atmosphere,
the adrenaline,
and you're a part of it.
8
00:00:21,433 --> 00:00:24,367
[Bonnie Coon]
Tristan was a freshman
at Silsbee High School.
9
00:00:24,433 --> 00:00:27,000
She love cheering
for Silsbee.
10
00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,634
After homecoming I said,
"I love you, I'll see you
at school tomorrow."
11
00:00:31,767 --> 00:00:33,967
That was the last thing
I said to her.
12
00:00:38,367 --> 00:00:41,333
There was blood in her mouth
and coming out of her nose.
13
00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,166
It just didn't register...
Murder.
14
00:00:45,667 --> 00:00:49,066
I knew that it had to be
somebody that we knew.
15
00:00:49,133 --> 00:00:51,667
They all come back
from the homecoming game
16
00:00:51,734 --> 00:00:55,000
and that brings in
so many more suspects.
17
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,367
I was very worried they were
targeting young girls.
18
00:00:58,367 --> 00:00:59,667
[knock on door]
19
00:00:59,667 --> 00:01:00,967
[Chief Scott Duncan]
It could have been
a football player.
20
00:01:01,033 --> 00:01:03,266
It could have been a friend.
21
00:01:03,333 --> 00:01:05,867
Everybody at that point
in time is a suspect.
22
00:01:11,100 --> 00:01:12,100
[whistle blowing]
23
00:01:12,100 --> 00:01:14,367
[opening theme music playing]
24
00:01:34,667 --> 00:01:38,133
[siren wailing]
25
00:01:40,367 --> 00:01:43,166
Our 911 center received
a very frantic,
26
00:01:43,233 --> 00:01:44,567
very emotional,
27
00:01:44,567 --> 00:01:49,166
very shaky call
from a male individual.
28
00:01:49,166 --> 00:01:54,100
His sister was unresponsive,
CPR had been started,
29
00:01:54,100 --> 00:01:55,266
and I believe
he's made mention
30
00:01:55,266 --> 00:01:58,734
of there being a pool of blood
in the area.
31
00:02:02,900 --> 00:02:05,266
When I got to the location,
32
00:02:05,333 --> 00:02:09,033
I made contact
with the mother
and her brother.
33
00:02:10,100 --> 00:02:12,867
Of course,
the family was in shock.
34
00:02:12,934 --> 00:02:15,467
Very emotional,
in disbelief.
35
00:02:16,467 --> 00:02:18,367
It was then
identified to me
36
00:02:18,433 --> 00:02:21,667
that the victim
was a JV cheerleader
at the Silsbee School.
37
00:02:23,266 --> 00:02:24,634
One Tristan Dilley.
38
00:02:27,467 --> 00:02:30,266
When I walked
into Tristan Dilley's room
as we all did,
39
00:02:30,266 --> 00:02:33,567
we were walking
into our daughter's room.
40
00:02:33,567 --> 00:02:35,367
'Cause the same things
that was in our
daughter's room
41
00:02:35,367 --> 00:02:38,467
like the mums
and the trophies
and the pictures,
42
00:02:38,467 --> 00:02:42,333
all those triggers
are in your house.
43
00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,166
So, of course,
it was hard to block that out.
44
00:02:46,166 --> 00:02:47,266
It hits home
whenever you ask me.
45
00:02:47,266 --> 00:02:50,834
This case hit home
at every level.
46
00:02:58,266 --> 00:03:01,133
[train horn blowing]
47
00:03:05,100 --> 00:03:08,867
[Carly] Silsbee
is a very tight community.
48
00:03:08,867 --> 00:03:11,066
We're only a town
of 7,000 people,
49
00:03:11,133 --> 00:03:14,467
so anytime you have business
that shouldn't be told,
50
00:03:14,533 --> 00:03:17,166
if you tell one person,
everyone's gonna know.
51
00:03:17,166 --> 00:03:18,634
Them and their momma.
52
00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:22,233
But, we're just
one tight, big family here.
53
00:03:23,567 --> 00:03:28,667
Football here is big.
It brings the whole
community together.
54
00:03:28,734 --> 00:03:30,667
If you're not there
on a Friday,
55
00:03:30,667 --> 00:03:32,767
then we don't know
what you're doing
with your life.
56
00:03:32,767 --> 00:03:37,100
[crowd cheering]
57
00:03:37,100 --> 00:03:41,367
In Silsbee, football,
it's one of those things
where it's expected.
58
00:03:41,367 --> 00:03:46,066
Our motto in Silsbee
was always and forever will be
"Tiger pride."
59
00:03:46,066 --> 00:03:47,266
It doesn't matter
what you're doing,
60
00:03:47,266 --> 00:03:48,967
it doesn't matter
where you are,
61
00:03:48,967 --> 00:03:52,066
that sense of pride,
it runs through our veins.
62
00:03:53,467 --> 00:03:55,867
We always end every cheer
with "Two, three,"
63
00:03:55,867 --> 00:03:58,166
and then you go... "Tigers."
64
00:03:58,166 --> 00:03:59,367
[crowd clapping]
65
00:03:59,433 --> 00:04:01,667
[Carly] And our favorite one
was actually a chant,
66
00:04:01,734 --> 00:04:03,266
and it's called "Fire it up."
67
00:04:03,266 --> 00:04:04,367
And so it goes,
68
00:04:04,367 --> 00:04:05,967
"Fire it up."
[rhythmic hand claps]
69
00:04:06,033 --> 00:04:07,133
"Fire it up."
[rhythmic hand claps]
70
00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,567
[all chanting] Fire it up
and up and up
and up and up.
71
00:04:09,567 --> 00:04:10,567
Fire it up!
72
00:04:10,567 --> 00:04:12,567
Fire it up and up
and up and up and up.
73
00:04:12,634 --> 00:04:13,767
-[all chanting] Fire it up!
-[rhythmic hand claps]
74
00:04:13,767 --> 00:04:15,266
-Fire it up!
-[rhythmic hand claps]
75
00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,000
[crowd cheering]
76
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:27,734
[marching band music plays]
77
00:04:29,467 --> 00:04:33,166
Homecoming
is the biggest weekend
in Silsbee.
78
00:04:33,166 --> 00:04:36,767
[crowd cheering]
79
00:04:36,767 --> 00:04:38,867
[Carly] Thousands
of people show up.
80
00:04:38,867 --> 00:04:41,934
Literally the whole town.
Everyone's just standing up,
screaming.
81
00:04:42,767 --> 00:04:44,867
Tristan was so excited,
82
00:04:44,934 --> 00:04:47,266
but she was also very nervous
'cause there's so many
people there.
83
00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:49,867
I was like,
"You should be nervous.
84
00:04:49,934 --> 00:04:52,767
They're all gonna
stare at you." [laughs]
85
00:04:52,834 --> 00:04:56,934
Being a cheerleader
for a homecoming game,
you feel like a celebrity.
86
00:04:58,066 --> 00:04:59,767
When Tristan
was in her uniform,
87
00:04:59,767 --> 00:05:02,767
it was just wrinkle-free,
perfect-looking.
88
00:05:02,767 --> 00:05:05,266
Her bow was just perfect
in her hair.
89
00:05:05,333 --> 00:05:08,100
When I saw her that night,
it just blew me away.
90
00:05:08,100 --> 00:05:09,567
I mean, I was so proud
for my friend.
91
00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,166
After the games,
it doesn't stop.
92
00:05:15,166 --> 00:05:17,367
You get to get ready
for the dance.
93
00:05:17,367 --> 00:05:20,166
[Carly]
She was wearing a blue dress
that had sparkles on it,
94
00:05:20,233 --> 00:05:24,233
and then she also was wearing
some sparkly kind of shoes.
95
00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:29,367
After the dance,
96
00:05:29,367 --> 00:05:31,066
Tristan went over
to Keeleigh's house
to stay the night.
97
00:05:39,367 --> 00:05:41,767
[Keeleigh] The next day,
Tristan got picked up,
98
00:05:41,767 --> 00:05:42,867
and I gave her a hug
and I said,
99
00:05:42,867 --> 00:05:45,000
"I love you, I'll see you
at school tomorrow,"
100
00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,233
and waved to her mom
and she got in the car
and they left.
101
00:05:48,066 --> 00:05:49,734
That was the last thing
I said to her.
102
00:05:54,467 --> 00:05:57,667
On our way home,
we were discussing
her 15th birthday,
103
00:05:57,667 --> 00:06:00,066
which was in two days.
104
00:06:00,066 --> 00:06:03,367
We were gonna have
a mother-daughter date night,
105
00:06:03,367 --> 00:06:05,867
and just talk about
anything and everything.
106
00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,967
We got home,
and I had to go
107
00:06:09,967 --> 00:06:14,000
do five or six little errands
that we had to run,
left at about three o'clock.
108
00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,367
I gave her a hug and told her
that we'd be back soon.
109
00:06:20,767 --> 00:06:24,567
We were constantly texting,
and I talked to her.
110
00:06:24,567 --> 00:06:26,867
And I was like,
"Just something seems off."
111
00:06:26,867 --> 00:06:29,667
She seemed like she
was kind of scared or worried,
112
00:06:29,667 --> 00:06:32,166
or, you know,
concerned about something.
113
00:06:32,166 --> 00:06:33,634
I couldn't
put my finger on it.
114
00:06:38,467 --> 00:06:42,266
We had cut a few
of our errands just so
we could get home quickly.
115
00:06:42,266 --> 00:06:46,166
And I texted her
at like 5:12,
116
00:06:46,233 --> 00:06:48,567
when we'd stopped at the store
right down the road
from the house.
117
00:06:48,567 --> 00:06:52,667
Her last text to me
was at 4:44 p.m.
118
00:06:52,667 --> 00:06:59,333
and I didn't realize
that she hadn't replied
to my 5:12 text.
119
00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:02,867
Got home...
120
00:07:04,767 --> 00:07:06,567
[footsteps approaching]
121
00:07:06,567 --> 00:07:09,867
...went upstairs to go
check on her, let her know
that we were back.
122
00:07:09,867 --> 00:07:11,667
[Bonnie inhales]
123
00:07:11,734 --> 00:07:13,266
I cracked open the door,
124
00:07:13,333 --> 00:07:15,367
I was like,
"Tristan, we're home."
125
00:07:15,367 --> 00:07:19,166
The light was off,
it was dark in the room,
so I closed the door, too,
126
00:07:19,166 --> 00:07:22,533
and was like,
"She was up late,
let her sleep."
127
00:07:23,500 --> 00:07:27,767
And [voice shaking]
went back downstairs.
128
00:07:32,467 --> 00:07:35,767
Mom told me
it was time to take a shower
and get ready for dinner.
129
00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:41,467
So I go upstairs and
I walked into her room.
130
00:07:41,467 --> 00:07:43,734
I went to go
turn on the light...
131
00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:49,667
and then stepped in
what was thinking was water.
132
00:07:51,767 --> 00:07:56,333
And I looked down
and she's laying in her own
puddle of blood on the bed.
133
00:08:00,567 --> 00:08:04,066
He yelled,
"Mom, Tristan's bleeding!"
134
00:08:05,467 --> 00:08:11,266
And... So I immediately
start running up the stairs.
135
00:08:14,500 --> 00:08:18,634
I go into her room, and...
136
00:08:20,567 --> 00:08:22,934
there was a lot of blood.
137
00:08:23,767 --> 00:08:26,467
I screamed at Colby
to get out.
138
00:08:29,467 --> 00:08:35,533
I run over there to her
and there's blood in her mouth
and coming out of her nose.
139
00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,834
[sighs] So I scooped her
off of the bed and...
140
00:08:41,767 --> 00:08:43,333
laid her onto the floor.
141
00:08:44,567 --> 00:08:45,634
And...
142
00:08:47,066 --> 00:08:49,066
started CPR.
143
00:08:49,133 --> 00:08:51,967
[siren wailing]
144
00:08:51,967 --> 00:08:55,834
[Bonnie] I continued on
until the first responders
got there.
145
00:08:57,300 --> 00:09:00,934
He just looked up at me
and he shook his head.
146
00:09:01,667 --> 00:09:07,100
And... I just kneeled down
147
00:09:07,100 --> 00:09:09,734
and touched
my little baby's feet.
148
00:09:12,166 --> 00:09:13,834
And I walked out.
149
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,066
I drove
towards where they were at,
150
00:09:22,066 --> 00:09:23,567
and as soon as you turn off,
151
00:09:23,567 --> 00:09:27,767
you could see
cop cars and lights.
152
00:09:27,834 --> 00:09:33,767
I ran up there
and ran past Bonnie
and I tried to go inside.
153
00:09:33,834 --> 00:09:36,367
Three cops stopped me,
and I told them
that was my daughter,
154
00:09:36,367 --> 00:09:37,767
I'm going inside there.
155
00:09:37,767 --> 00:09:40,667
And they told me,
"No, you don't need to see her
the way she is."
156
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,667
-[siren wails]
-[police radio chatter]
157
00:09:46,734 --> 00:09:49,567
[Duncan] We noticed
that there was what appeared
to be a bullet hole
158
00:09:49,567 --> 00:09:53,266
in the Sheetrock wall
right above Tristan's bed.
159
00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:59,967
The bullet appeared
to me to be .22 caliber
Magnum shell.
160
00:10:01,667 --> 00:10:05,967
All we knew was
there was no weapon
located at the scene.
161
00:10:06,033 --> 00:10:10,333
At that point in time
we started quickly leaning
towards a homicide.
162
00:10:11,567 --> 00:10:14,100
[Bonnie] Just didn't register,
you know, murder.
163
00:10:14,100 --> 00:10:18,166
My child, Tristan,
seems impossible.
164
00:10:18,233 --> 00:10:22,166
We didn't feel unsafe
or anything along those lines
165
00:10:22,166 --> 00:10:26,634
so that was hard
to wrap our mind around.
166
00:10:30,667 --> 00:10:33,367
[Duncan] We didn't know
what we had going on.
167
00:10:33,367 --> 00:10:36,834
There's just hundreds
of scenarios that was
playing on our mind.
168
00:10:38,066 --> 00:10:41,367
A lot of people come back
from the homecoming game.
Hundreds.
169
00:10:41,367 --> 00:10:45,567
Students, football players,
teachers, band members.
170
00:10:45,567 --> 00:10:48,066
That's what a homecoming
is all about.
171
00:10:48,066 --> 00:10:51,000
And that brings in
so many more suspects.
172
00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:55,266
A predator could have been
in the stands watching her
or tracking her in some way.
173
00:10:56,567 --> 00:10:59,567
Everybody
at that point in time
is a suspect.
174
00:10:59,567 --> 00:11:02,967
We did have to wonder
if there was somebody
targeting cheerleaders
175
00:11:02,967 --> 00:11:06,166
or young girls matching
Tristan Dilley's description.
176
00:11:16,266 --> 00:11:21,767
[Carly] I met Tristan
in 2017 at cheer tryouts.
177
00:11:21,767 --> 00:11:27,867
I was in the locker room
and she had walked up to me
and she was like,
178
00:11:27,867 --> 00:11:29,567
"Can you help me
with this cheer?
179
00:11:29,567 --> 00:11:31,000
Like, I'm nervous,
and I'm struggling,
180
00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:32,567
and I don't know
if I'll mess it up
or whatever."
181
00:11:32,567 --> 00:11:34,266
And I was like,
"Yeah, I'll help you."
182
00:11:34,333 --> 00:11:36,133
And then after that,
we were glued at the hip.
183
00:11:41,166 --> 00:11:42,967
She had been waiting
her whole life
to get into cheer.
184
00:11:43,667 --> 00:11:45,467
From the age of two and three,
185
00:11:45,533 --> 00:11:48,066
instead of watching
different cartoons,
186
00:11:48,133 --> 00:11:52,266
she would watch literally
these cheer competitions,
you know, going to state.
187
00:11:52,266 --> 00:11:54,367
[people laughing]
188
00:11:54,433 --> 00:11:57,867
She was little bitty,
but she was a firecracker.
189
00:11:57,867 --> 00:12:01,967
-[yelling] Whoa!
-[girl laughing]
190
00:12:02,033 --> 00:12:04,467
[Bonnie] So, she was
on the top of the pyramid.
191
00:12:04,467 --> 00:12:06,567
And she could
do the flips and stuff.
192
00:12:06,567 --> 00:12:11,533
She was very proud.
She put on that uniform
and she lit up.
193
00:12:23,266 --> 00:12:26,467
[Keeleigh]
My parents came in my room
at 3:00 in the morning,
194
00:12:26,533 --> 00:12:28,367
and my dad
woke me up and he said,
195
00:12:28,433 --> 00:12:31,266
"Tristan was murdered
last night."
196
00:12:31,266 --> 00:12:36,100
And I had to rack my brain
and try to figure out how many
Tristans were in the school.
197
00:12:36,100 --> 00:12:37,767
I mean, like,
it can't be my Tristan.
198
00:12:37,767 --> 00:12:39,166
Like, there's no way.
199
00:12:39,233 --> 00:12:41,567
[sniffling] I'm sorry.
200
00:12:49,367 --> 00:12:54,567
Twenty-four hours before,
she was on the dance floor
having a great time.
201
00:12:54,634 --> 00:12:57,467
She came to my house,
we had a sleepover.
202
00:12:57,533 --> 00:13:01,533
I mean, it just had to be
the worst imaginable thing.
203
00:13:02,667 --> 00:13:05,967
Tristan had texted me
on Snapchat that day,
204
00:13:06,033 --> 00:13:07,533
and she was like,
"Hey, can we
hang out tonight?"
205
00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:09,967
But I was asleep.
206
00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:11,867
And then I texted back,
207
00:13:11,934 --> 00:13:14,266
but, of course,
there was no answer.
208
00:13:14,333 --> 00:13:16,867
And so I'd live with the guilt
of wondering like,
209
00:13:16,867 --> 00:13:20,333
"What if I did just
go over anyways?" Type thing.
210
00:13:23,066 --> 00:13:26,033
[police radio chatter]
211
00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,166
[Bonnie] I remember looking up
212
00:13:29,166 --> 00:13:32,166
at the ceiling fan
or anything that could have
213
00:13:32,166 --> 00:13:35,367
hit her in the head
in any way, shape, or form.
214
00:13:35,433 --> 00:13:37,333
My mind could not register
a gunshot.
215
00:13:39,300 --> 00:13:41,367
Everything just
kind of turned into a blur.
216
00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:45,266
The investigators,
they were asking
a lot of questions,
217
00:13:45,266 --> 00:13:47,533
and they asked me
about the night of the murder.
218
00:13:48,266 --> 00:13:50,467
I remember I'd
tidied up the house
219
00:13:50,467 --> 00:13:51,867
before I left,
and when I got back,
220
00:13:51,867 --> 00:13:53,734
I'd noticed
that there's some other things
had been cleaned.
221
00:13:55,166 --> 00:13:58,367
Not that I found it odd
because it was completely
normal of her
222
00:13:58,367 --> 00:14:00,367
to help out around the house.
223
00:14:00,367 --> 00:14:02,533
But I felt
something different.
224
00:14:03,467 --> 00:14:05,367
[Duncan] The fact that we saw
no forced entry,
225
00:14:05,367 --> 00:14:08,967
that the house was somewhat
unusually cleaner,
226
00:14:09,033 --> 00:14:12,166
that led me to believe
227
00:14:12,166 --> 00:14:13,767
that the parents got away
for a little while,
228
00:14:13,767 --> 00:14:15,967
so we're gonna
invite somebody over.
229
00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:20,266
So, therefore,
we narrowed it down
230
00:14:20,266 --> 00:14:24,367
to there's somebody
that she knew,
that she trusted,
231
00:14:24,367 --> 00:14:27,634
that walked into that house
and performed
this heinous act.
232
00:14:29,967 --> 00:14:35,867
[both laughing and screaming]
233
00:14:36,667 --> 00:14:40,166
[Colby] I was 13
when everything happened.
234
00:14:40,166 --> 00:14:46,166
I did have investigators come,
but my mom shut them off
pretty quick
235
00:14:46,233 --> 00:14:50,533
because that's my sister.
That was my best friend.
236
00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:53,734
Everywhere she went,
I was basically her shadow.
237
00:14:54,667 --> 00:14:57,066
It was just... I don't know.
238
00:14:57,066 --> 00:14:59,533
My mind was
so many other places.
239
00:15:00,667 --> 00:15:03,567
[Duncan] The family,
you're dealing
with emotional people,
240
00:15:03,567 --> 00:15:05,567
you're dealing
with distraught individuals
241
00:15:05,634 --> 00:15:08,367
'cause this is their daughter,
their family, their loved one.
242
00:15:08,367 --> 00:15:11,967
So we have to move forward
cautiously with that.
243
00:15:12,033 --> 00:15:14,367
We don't like that,
nobody does,
244
00:15:14,433 --> 00:15:16,533
but it has to be done.
It's part of the job.
245
00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,333
Word has made its way
to the high school
by the time I got there.
246
00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,367
There was a big group hug
247
00:15:32,433 --> 00:15:34,767
in the middle
of the cafeteria.
248
00:15:34,767 --> 00:15:41,100
And every kid in there,
knowing Tristan or not,
was in tears.
249
00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:43,166
I mean, instantly,
I just... I lost it.
250
00:15:46,166 --> 00:15:47,867
And then the cheerleaders
251
00:15:47,934 --> 00:15:49,567
were all brought
into the auditorium
252
00:15:49,567 --> 00:15:52,834
and they were talked to
about what happened
and questioned.
253
00:15:54,667 --> 00:15:58,967
The investigators
were asking questions.
They were saying,
254
00:15:59,033 --> 00:16:01,266
"Do you have an idea
of who would have done this?"
255
00:16:02,367 --> 00:16:04,467
I had zero answers
for them, honestly.
256
00:16:04,467 --> 00:16:07,266
I was just like,
"Being a cheerleader
at Silsbee High School
257
00:16:07,333 --> 00:16:11,567
had a lot of disadvantages
'cause you're popular
and the center of attention
258
00:16:11,567 --> 00:16:13,734
for any pep rallies,
or games, or anything.
259
00:16:14,567 --> 00:16:17,066
And especially for Tristan."
260
00:16:17,066 --> 00:16:19,567
People were
definitely jealous of her,
she was beautiful,
261
00:16:19,634 --> 00:16:21,767
she had all these things
under her belt.
262
00:16:21,767 --> 00:16:27,066
And being a flyer in the air,
I mean, everybody does turn
their attention to you.
263
00:16:27,133 --> 00:16:31,066
I knew that it had to be
somebody that we knew.
264
00:16:31,066 --> 00:16:34,834
And that was very hard for me
and for her other friends.
265
00:16:42,367 --> 00:16:45,767
We needed to figure out
who all had interaction
with Tristan
266
00:16:45,834 --> 00:16:49,100
between the homecoming dance
and Tristan's death.
267
00:16:49,100 --> 00:16:52,767
We had found out
that Tristan had
an ex-boyfriend named Brian.
268
00:16:52,834 --> 00:16:54,367
Keeleigh did advise us
269
00:16:54,433 --> 00:16:58,467
that the night
before the murder
at the homecoming dance,
270
00:16:58,533 --> 00:17:02,867
there was a jealousy issue
because Tristan was dancing
with Brian
271
00:17:02,867 --> 00:17:06,433
and maybe another girl
liked that boy.
272
00:17:08,367 --> 00:17:11,967
Bryan would be
one of the good-looking
football players in Silsbee
273
00:17:12,033 --> 00:17:14,467
that the girls
would wanna go for.
274
00:17:14,467 --> 00:17:17,867
And so, I think a lot
of the other cheerleaders
were jealous and mad
275
00:17:17,934 --> 00:17:20,867
'cause they couldn't have
what she had.
276
00:17:20,934 --> 00:17:26,033
And it did cause drama
and gossip within the group
of the cheerleaders.
277
00:17:31,467 --> 00:17:32,967
[Duncan] We don't tag it
as "That's just girl drama."
278
00:17:33,033 --> 00:17:35,667
We gotta follow that lead
out to ground
279
00:17:35,667 --> 00:17:38,767
and that just widens
the spectrum of where
we gotta look.
280
00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:44,667
But we was advised
that it was just some looks
and maybe some comments.
281
00:17:44,667 --> 00:17:46,367
You know
how homecoming dances are,
282
00:17:46,367 --> 00:17:48,767
so that's what
we kind of felt that was.
283
00:17:48,767 --> 00:17:50,734
Was nothing
out of the ordinary.
284
00:17:52,100 --> 00:17:55,967
I remember, after the dance,
when we were waiting on my dad
to pick us up,
285
00:17:56,033 --> 00:17:57,467
we were sitting on the curb
and she was telling me
286
00:17:57,467 --> 00:18:00,133
how she wished she could have
met up with someone.
287
00:18:01,367 --> 00:18:03,367
I think when we got back
to the house,
288
00:18:03,367 --> 00:18:05,166
she was on her phone
with the guy.
289
00:18:05,867 --> 00:18:07,133
I didn't know who he was.
290
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:13,967
[Duncan] We needed to speak
to the guy she was texting.
291
00:18:15,500 --> 00:18:18,333
So we got permission
from her mother to check
Tristan's phone.
292
00:18:21,867 --> 00:18:24,667
While we were looking
at Tristan's phone,
293
00:18:24,667 --> 00:18:29,233
we noticed there was
a text message started
at 2:52 p.m.
294
00:18:32,100 --> 00:18:36,433
The number come back
to somebody
with the name of Adam.
295
00:18:39,900 --> 00:18:44,166
Looking at the text,
we could tell that Adam
was interested
296
00:18:44,166 --> 00:18:46,567
in coming and getting
to the house.
297
00:18:46,567 --> 00:18:50,166
And that Tristan was trying
to hide it from her mother.
298
00:18:51,166 --> 00:18:53,333
It raised questions to us.
299
00:18:54,967 --> 00:18:56,767
[Duncan] The communication
was more like
300
00:18:56,767 --> 00:18:59,533
"My parents are leaving,
you need to hurry."
301
00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,433
The investigators asked me
about someone named Adam.
302
00:19:06,767 --> 00:19:10,066
I'm like, "I think she does
have a friend named Adam."
303
00:19:10,133 --> 00:19:12,567
She said
he was 15, 16 years old
304
00:19:12,567 --> 00:19:13,867
and that he went
to school with her
305
00:19:13,934 --> 00:19:14,967
and that was
pretty much about it.
306
00:19:14,967 --> 00:19:17,567
And I just asked them
to ask her dad, Phillip,
307
00:19:17,567 --> 00:19:19,567
because I think
Phillip had met him
308
00:19:19,567 --> 00:19:22,433
and might know
more information than I would.
309
00:19:24,500 --> 00:19:27,967
And I said,
"The only person I knew
by the name of Adam
310
00:19:28,033 --> 00:19:31,233
was a tall, lanky guy
that she went to school with."
311
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:39,467
[Duncan]
We got a somewhat description
312
00:19:39,467 --> 00:19:41,467
from Tristan's father,
Phillip,
313
00:19:41,533 --> 00:19:43,767
so we went to the next step
at that point,
314
00:19:43,767 --> 00:19:47,834
trying to identify and locate
who this Adam was.
315
00:19:50,367 --> 00:19:53,266
I told the investigators
I did not know any Adams
in my high school.
316
00:19:54,066 --> 00:19:56,266
I was just so confused.
317
00:19:56,266 --> 00:19:58,367
With Silsbee being
as small as it is,
318
00:19:58,367 --> 00:20:00,867
everybody knows everybody.
319
00:20:00,867 --> 00:20:02,767
I just felt helpless, like
there wasn't anything
I could do
320
00:20:02,767 --> 00:20:04,867
to point them
in the right direction.
321
00:20:04,934 --> 00:20:07,467
[Sheriff Mitchell Newman]
We made contact
with Silsbee School,
322
00:20:07,467 --> 00:20:12,634
and they had no information
on a kid around that age
named Adam.
323
00:20:15,066 --> 00:20:18,000
[Duncan] Somebody was lying
about who Adam was.
324
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,967
Right then, we was all saying,
"Where's he at and what part
does he have to play in this?"
325
00:20:27,867 --> 00:20:30,467
[thunder rolling]
326
00:20:30,467 --> 00:20:34,233
[thunder cracking]
327
00:20:38,667 --> 00:20:45,133
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey
was a nightmare for Silsbee.
328
00:20:48,767 --> 00:20:52,166
It destroyed multiple houses,
multiple businesses.
329
00:20:53,367 --> 00:20:54,834
You'd have thought
the world was ending
330
00:20:54,834 --> 00:20:56,266
'cause of how much thunder
there was.
331
00:20:56,266 --> 00:21:00,133
[thunder rumbling]
332
00:21:00,133 --> 00:21:05,033
Silsbee High School football
was actually delayed for weeks
because of Harvey.
333
00:21:06,100 --> 00:21:08,000
Our community
could not handle a delay.
334
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,900
They were like,
"We still need a dawn."
335
00:21:13,266 --> 00:21:17,667
Prior to school starting,
we starting helping out
everyone in the community.
336
00:21:17,734 --> 00:21:20,934
Tristan had
actually got together
three bags of clothes
337
00:21:20,934 --> 00:21:25,333
and then a full bag-and-a-half
of shoes to donate.
338
00:21:26,734 --> 00:21:30,667
She was always
wanting to help somebody out
in any way that she could.
339
00:21:30,667 --> 00:21:33,166
She just had
a very, very good heart.
340
00:21:33,166 --> 00:21:35,133
Tristan was very trusting
and she was very sweet.
341
00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:40,934
I think that she would have
never guessed what would
happen
342
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:42,734
because she tried to help.
343
00:21:53,867 --> 00:21:56,734
[Duncan] Things were starting
to gain momentum
at this point,
344
00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:00,667
but we only had
the name of Adam
and we had a number.
345
00:22:00,734 --> 00:22:04,367
She had made
several text messages
with this Adam guy.
346
00:22:04,433 --> 00:22:08,934
So we went on Facebook
and searched Adam
with that number
347
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,033
and found an individual
by the name of Paul Adams.
348
00:22:14,266 --> 00:22:19,734
And we saw that
this Paul Adams was in fact
friends with Tristan.
349
00:22:19,734 --> 00:22:23,934
So that posed the question,
why is he just Adam
on Tristan's phone?
350
00:22:25,867 --> 00:22:31,166
An officer comes up to me,
showed me the pictures
and asked me,
351
00:22:31,166 --> 00:22:34,467
"Was this the gentleman
that she was talking to?"
352
00:22:34,467 --> 00:22:37,233
And I told him
I didn't recognize him.
353
00:22:39,133 --> 00:22:41,734
[Duncan] We started tracking
Paul Adams down
354
00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:43,734
because even though
he's not a suspect,
355
00:22:43,734 --> 00:22:46,834
they can be a witness.
They can be a lead.
356
00:22:47,934 --> 00:22:49,567
But as we dug deeper,
357
00:22:49,567 --> 00:22:54,133
we found out
that Paul Adams is actually
a 19-year-old young man
358
00:22:54,133 --> 00:22:56,166
at a nursing school,
359
00:22:56,166 --> 00:22:59,567
not a 16-year-old student
that went to Silsbee School.
360
00:22:59,567 --> 00:23:02,266
We didn't know
if this Paul Adams
was lying to her
361
00:23:02,266 --> 00:23:05,166
or both of them was
to maybe conceal Paul
from the parents
362
00:23:05,166 --> 00:23:07,433
'cause he was
a little bit older.
363
00:23:08,767 --> 00:23:10,367
[Bonnie] After
Hurricane Harvey,
364
00:23:10,367 --> 00:23:14,767
I know that Tristan
and Paul Adams became
friends on Facebook.
365
00:23:14,767 --> 00:23:17,934
Paul Adams' house flooded
and needed assistance,
366
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:22,567
and Tristan contacted
other friends that were out
helping people
367
00:23:22,567 --> 00:23:24,934
with boats
and everything else like that
368
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,567
and then sent help
to rescue him and his family.
369
00:23:28,634 --> 00:23:32,567
That was the end of August
and they communicated through
the month of September.
370
00:23:33,867 --> 00:23:37,667
Tristan's mom, Bonnie,
advised us that they was
just acquaintances,
371
00:23:37,734 --> 00:23:41,734
passerbys during
a traumatic time in a storm
372
00:23:41,734 --> 00:23:44,533
and she didn't really think
there was anything more
than that.
373
00:23:45,367 --> 00:23:47,567
[Bonnie] We did have
one conversation.
374
00:23:47,567 --> 00:23:48,934
She said something
along the lines
375
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:50,934
about a 19-year-old boy
being interested in her,
376
00:23:50,934 --> 00:23:55,467
but she wasn't specific
about it being Paul Adams,
377
00:23:55,467 --> 00:23:59,266
and I told her that her
being 14 and him being 19,
378
00:23:59,333 --> 00:24:01,000
I didn't think
that was appropriate.
379
00:24:01,667 --> 00:24:04,133
So, I think
she kept that a secret.
380
00:24:04,133 --> 00:24:09,667
And she just put him
as Adam versus Paul Adams
in her phone.
381
00:24:11,867 --> 00:24:15,667
As a teenager,
you try to cover your tracks
as well as you can.
382
00:24:15,734 --> 00:24:19,934
I mean, when a freshman
talks to a senior,
it's kind of frowned upon,
383
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:21,533
but there's nothing
anybody can do about it.
384
00:24:22,667 --> 00:24:25,100
But he wasn't a senior,
he was older
385
00:24:25,100 --> 00:24:29,266
and she didn't want
to be the talk of the town
in a bad light.
386
00:24:29,266 --> 00:24:33,667
Their age difference,
it's not something normal.
387
00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:37,000
[Duncan] Based upon
the text messages,
388
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,033
it was our opinion
that Paul Adams
being a 19-year-old,
389
00:24:40,033 --> 00:24:45,834
more experienced in life,
was possibly grooming Tristan
and getting into her life,
390
00:24:45,834 --> 00:24:49,000
real emotional with her,
gaining her trust.
391
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,367
And when we checked
his Facebook,
392
00:24:51,433 --> 00:24:54,734
most of the girls,
all matched the description
of Tristan.
393
00:24:57,667 --> 00:25:01,266
That in itself is an indicator
that he had a certain type
of girl,
394
00:25:01,266 --> 00:25:03,066
certain body shape,
certain hair color,
395
00:25:03,066 --> 00:25:05,567
certain eye color
that he liked.
396
00:25:05,567 --> 00:25:09,567
And that's what made us
even more concerned
with this individual.
397
00:25:13,934 --> 00:25:16,367
We found out
that he lived in Vidor
398
00:25:16,367 --> 00:25:19,734
within ten minutes
of where Tristan lived.
399
00:25:22,066 --> 00:25:25,133
At this point, we knew
that we had enough information
400
00:25:25,133 --> 00:25:27,934
that we needed to find him
and question him.
401
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,834
-[siren wailing]
-[police radio chatter]
402
00:25:30,834 --> 00:25:32,934
So, we arrived
at this location,
403
00:25:32,934 --> 00:25:36,734
we noticed a camper trailer
and a house frame to the side
of the camper.
404
00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,033
[Newman] It was
after the storm,
405
00:25:40,033 --> 00:25:45,367
and the house they normally
lived in was being repaired.
406
00:25:45,433 --> 00:25:47,567
It was a mess.
407
00:25:47,634 --> 00:25:51,166
[Duncan]
So at approximately midnight,
we knocked on the camper door
408
00:25:51,166 --> 00:25:55,100
and we were met by a female
that was named Patricia Adams.
409
00:25:57,667 --> 00:25:59,567
She stated that
her son, Paul Adams,
410
00:25:59,567 --> 00:26:03,233
was staying in the house
in the back bedroom.
411
00:26:04,367 --> 00:26:09,900
We went to the back bedroom...
Paul Adams was not there.
412
00:26:11,467 --> 00:26:13,967
At that point,
Ms. Adams advised us
413
00:26:13,967 --> 00:26:17,033
that her son had left
to go meet another girl.
414
00:26:18,767 --> 00:26:20,734
We needed
to find him quick.
415
00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:37,033
[Duncan] Because Paul Adams
is with another female,
416
00:26:38,133 --> 00:26:41,100
we no longer
can be covert, if you will.
417
00:26:41,100 --> 00:26:46,467
So we advised the mother,
Ms. Patricia Adams,
why we're looking for him,
418
00:26:46,533 --> 00:26:48,233
what he might
be involved in,
419
00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:51,734
to which time
Ms. Patricia Adams states,
"I'll help you find him."
420
00:26:54,667 --> 00:26:57,233
She tried to contact Paul
to no avail.
421
00:26:57,300 --> 00:26:58,734
He didn't
answer his phone.
422
00:26:58,734 --> 00:27:03,100
So at that point,
we didn't have
an exact location.
423
00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:07,533
But during this whole time,
we had been pinging
Paul's phone.
424
00:27:09,166 --> 00:27:12,967
And the only
reliable information we had
425
00:27:12,967 --> 00:27:17,467
that it was 3.69 miles
of a tire in Orange County.
426
00:27:17,467 --> 00:27:21,033
It didn't tell us
if it was north, south,
east, west.
427
00:27:21,033 --> 00:27:22,033
It could have been anywhere.
428
00:27:25,467 --> 00:27:27,467
We asked Ms. Patricia Adams
at that point
429
00:27:27,467 --> 00:27:29,367
what kind of vehicle
did Paul Adams drive,
430
00:27:29,433 --> 00:27:34,233
and she advised us it was
a 1995 white Toyota Camry.
431
00:27:35,467 --> 00:27:38,667
So with that
vehicle description,
we put a BOLO out on this
432
00:27:38,734 --> 00:27:41,266
for every
law enforcement agency,
every police officer,
433
00:27:41,266 --> 00:27:45,233
every patrol to be trying
to be attempting
to locate this vehicle.
434
00:27:45,300 --> 00:27:48,934
And we could start
checking residences,
checking gas stations,
435
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,667
checking hotels to see
if we can locate that car.
436
00:28:02,066 --> 00:28:06,934
The investigators,
they were just keeping me
informed of what's happening,
437
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:08,233
what the next step is,
438
00:28:10,100 --> 00:28:16,533
as I went on
to plan her funeral
instead of her birthday.
439
00:28:18,066 --> 00:28:20,233
I'd never planned
a funeral before.
440
00:28:20,300 --> 00:28:22,533
How do you plan one
for your baby? So...
441
00:28:25,133 --> 00:28:27,667
Given how much
she loved cheering,
442
00:28:27,667 --> 00:28:31,667
I felt it best
that she be buried
in her uniform.
443
00:28:33,166 --> 00:28:38,467
They had a football game,
and before they went to that,
444
00:28:38,467 --> 00:28:40,467
they loaded
the school buses
445
00:28:40,467 --> 00:28:41,567
and came to where
446
00:28:41,634 --> 00:28:42,667
her funeral was at.
447
00:28:43,300 --> 00:28:44,567
Then after the funeral,
448
00:28:44,567 --> 00:28:49,567
the cheerleaders didn't even
wanna go do the football game
449
00:28:49,567 --> 00:28:53,233
because Tristan
was their fly-up girl
cheerleader,
450
00:28:53,300 --> 00:28:55,266
and they didn't know
what to do.
451
00:28:55,266 --> 00:28:57,100
[crowd cheering]
452
00:28:57,100 --> 00:29:00,066
[Bonnie] A friend had
brought me the game ball
453
00:29:00,066 --> 00:29:05,634
straight from off the field
to present to me at home,
and it was really sweet.
454
00:29:07,467 --> 00:29:11,367
After the game, we all,
the family got together
455
00:29:11,433 --> 00:29:13,734
and showed up
at Silsbee High School
456
00:29:13,734 --> 00:29:16,266
and we had a little
candle-light vigil.
457
00:29:16,266 --> 00:29:17,734
They brought us
458
00:29:17,734 --> 00:29:22,066
into like a little gazebo area
in the middle of the school
459
00:29:22,066 --> 00:29:24,533
and we all brought
a bunch of purple balloons.
460
00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:27,800
Purple was
Tristan's favorite color.
461
00:29:28,300 --> 00:29:30,467
[all] Five, six, seven, eight.
462
00:29:30,533 --> 00:29:32,834
[Carly] We yelled
"Five, six, seven, eight,"
when we released 'em.
463
00:29:32,834 --> 00:29:34,634
It was like a sea
of purple balloons.
464
00:29:35,467 --> 00:29:37,033
There was a lot of crying.
465
00:29:38,166 --> 00:29:40,300
The community basically
held each other
together after.
466
00:29:48,233 --> 00:29:51,367
[Duncan]
At that point, we went back
to Paul Adams' residence
467
00:29:51,433 --> 00:29:53,467
so we could get
a better search.
468
00:29:53,467 --> 00:29:59,533
We went to the back bedroom.
We observed there to be a lump
in this mattress on the floor.
469
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,133
We pulled the covers back
470
00:30:03,500 --> 00:30:07,800
and we located a .22 caliber
Magnum spent casing,
471
00:30:10,033 --> 00:30:14,433
which we believed to be
the caliber that caused
Tristan's death.
472
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,200
So now Paul Adams
is a prime suspect.
473
00:30:21,100 --> 00:30:23,033
[Newman] While we were
searching his room,
474
00:30:23,033 --> 00:30:29,533
we called the Texas Rangers
to come to Paul's residence
and talk to his mother.
475
00:30:30,667 --> 00:30:33,467
We was hoping
that he had made contact
476
00:30:33,467 --> 00:30:36,233
and she would know
his whereabouts.
477
00:30:37,767 --> 00:30:40,367
While the ranger was talking
to Paul's mother...
478
00:30:40,367 --> 00:30:42,667
-[cell phone ringing]
-...the phone rang.
479
00:30:45,133 --> 00:30:46,834
And it was Paul.
480
00:30:48,567 --> 00:30:53,367
And she let the ranger
speak to Paul on the phone.
481
00:30:53,433 --> 00:30:57,567
The ranger told him
that he needed to come in
and needed to talk to him,
482
00:30:57,567 --> 00:31:02,100
he needed to visit with him
about what was going on.
483
00:31:03,033 --> 00:31:06,033
Paul Adams was very emotional,
was crying.
484
00:31:07,367 --> 00:31:09,533
He said he had
past history with Tristan.
485
00:31:10,367 --> 00:31:12,467
And they was just
texting each other,
486
00:31:12,467 --> 00:31:15,734
then he asked, "While
you're parents are gone,
let me come over there."
487
00:31:19,066 --> 00:31:23,333
He stated that he was
in the house at the time
that she was murdered,
488
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:25,767
but he did not kill her.
489
00:31:27,100 --> 00:31:31,734
But then what he told us
almost gave a horror-story
kind of feel to it.
490
00:31:38,166 --> 00:31:40,667
Paul Adams stated
that he heard someone
coming in,
491
00:31:40,734 --> 00:31:41,900
he thought it might be
the mom.
492
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:48,834
And then he hid
in the shower.
493
00:31:52,967 --> 00:31:54,834
And he comes out,
it wasn't the mom,
494
00:31:56,166 --> 00:32:00,133
he described a male subject
wearing a Boston Red Sox cap
with a beard.
495
00:32:02,934 --> 00:32:05,166
It was this
white bearded male,
496
00:32:05,166 --> 00:32:08,634
got on top of Tristan,
he could hear Tristan
screaming.
497
00:32:10,367 --> 00:32:12,033
The reason why
he didn't come out
of the shower?
498
00:32:12,033 --> 00:32:14,667
Because he was
threatening her with a gun,
he was gonna kill her.
499
00:32:14,667 --> 00:32:16,266
And that's why
he didn't help her.
500
00:32:16,266 --> 00:32:19,100
[gunshots]
501
00:32:19,100 --> 00:32:21,467
And Tristan's bedroom,
where her body was,
on the bed,
502
00:32:21,533 --> 00:32:25,967
and the way the stuff
was situated in her room,
everything was in its place.
503
00:32:25,967 --> 00:32:29,867
That does not go along
with somebody coming
to that room,
504
00:32:29,867 --> 00:32:32,066
getting on top of her,
struggling with her.
505
00:32:36,867 --> 00:32:42,467
Even after this happened
and the male left,
he still didn't call 911.
506
00:32:42,533 --> 00:32:45,367
That's one thing
he didn't do that doesn't
put merit to his story.
507
00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:49,133
During
that phone conversation,
508
00:32:49,133 --> 00:32:52,734
the ranger stated
that for a few seconds
there was silence.
509
00:32:54,300 --> 00:32:57,266
Then the ranger heard
what appeared to be a gunshot.
510
00:32:57,266 --> 00:32:59,133
[gunshot over phone]
511
00:33:00,934 --> 00:33:05,934
We didn't have any idea
what might have happened
at that moment.
512
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:10,467
All we knew was Paul Adams
was with another female.
513
00:33:10,467 --> 00:33:13,133
So this kind of throws us
into a whole 'nother gear.
514
00:33:13,133 --> 00:33:17,834
Then we start thinking,
"Okay, now we're looking
for a body."
515
00:33:17,900 --> 00:33:19,233
Now we're looking
for another victim.
516
00:33:19,233 --> 00:33:21,333
Or we don't know
what we got.
517
00:33:30,467 --> 00:33:32,367
[gunshot over phone]
518
00:33:32,367 --> 00:33:33,867
[Duncan] Based upon
the evidence,
519
00:33:33,867 --> 00:33:37,233
Paul Adams' story
of what happened to Tristan
is not adding up.
520
00:33:38,100 --> 00:33:40,367
And you think
how our mind's working.
521
00:33:40,433 --> 00:33:41,433
At this point,
522
00:33:41,433 --> 00:33:44,734
there could have
very well been
a second victim.
523
00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:48,934
Paul was still
our prime suspect.
We needed to find him.
524
00:33:49,500 --> 00:33:51,767
But we knew
that he had a gun
525
00:33:51,767 --> 00:33:53,934
'cause we found the casings
in the room,
526
00:33:53,934 --> 00:33:56,567
so we figured
that he was armed
527
00:33:56,567 --> 00:33:59,967
and we didn't know
what Paul would do next.
528
00:33:59,967 --> 00:34:01,967
[police siren wailing]
529
00:34:01,967 --> 00:34:08,467
So we split up and
we went to drive
in that 3.5-mile circle
530
00:34:09,467 --> 00:34:12,667
'cause we knew his phone
was somewhere within that.
531
00:34:12,667 --> 00:34:14,967
[police radio chatter]
532
00:34:14,967 --> 00:34:16,266
[Duncan] The phone
was not moving,
533
00:34:16,266 --> 00:34:19,834
so quite possibly,
we are looking for an injured
or a body.
534
00:34:20,867 --> 00:34:23,567
Everybody's running
every different directions.
535
00:34:23,567 --> 00:34:26,266
And I remembered seeing
a set of tracks
536
00:34:26,333 --> 00:34:29,000
that went off in the grass
down the drainage ditch.
537
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:31,333
The grass was laid down
in a perfect set
of tire tracks.
538
00:34:33,467 --> 00:34:35,734
[police radio chatter]
539
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:39,567
So we're on this road
going down approximately
about a half mile.
540
00:34:39,567 --> 00:34:43,834
We see a light-colored tent
set up with a bunch of stuff
around it,
541
00:34:43,900 --> 00:34:46,433
and a vehicle parked
between us and the tent.
542
00:34:47,367 --> 00:34:49,266
I realize that the vehicle
in question
543
00:34:49,266 --> 00:34:52,467
matched that description
of the 1995 white Toyota,
544
00:34:52,533 --> 00:34:55,100
which was Paul Adams' vehicle.
545
00:34:58,166 --> 00:35:01,567
I saw movement,
appeared to be somebody
sitting down
546
00:35:01,567 --> 00:35:05,834
at the rear bumper
of the vehicle on the ground,
leaning up to the vehicle.
547
00:35:05,834 --> 00:35:09,367
So we go from looking
to we found him.
548
00:35:09,433 --> 00:35:11,066
[police radio chatter]
549
00:35:11,066 --> 00:35:14,066
We then get our weapons ready.
We don't know what's fixing
to happen.
550
00:35:16,166 --> 00:35:17,900
I can see a white male.
551
00:35:20,367 --> 00:35:23,266
And then raised
his right arm,
552
00:35:23,266 --> 00:35:25,433
and I said, "Hey,
I got movement,
I think he's got a gun."
553
00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:28,800
[gunshot]
554
00:35:30,467 --> 00:35:33,266
I see a red splatter
come out the side of his head,
555
00:35:33,266 --> 00:35:35,100
and he falls to the left side
of the ground.
556
00:35:37,667 --> 00:35:40,834
At that point, we speed up,
we're going up there,
557
00:35:40,900 --> 00:35:46,367
I observe Paul Adams
roll over on his side,
look up and that was it.
558
00:35:46,367 --> 00:35:48,166
Paul Adams
ceased all movement.
559
00:35:53,967 --> 00:35:56,934
I don't think he was
really ever with another girl.
560
00:35:56,934 --> 00:35:58,934
He was hiding out there,
at the stink ditch,
the whole time.
561
00:36:00,867 --> 00:36:03,467
We also recovered
what appeared to be
562
00:36:03,467 --> 00:36:05,934
index cards
of a apparent suicide note
563
00:36:06,934 --> 00:36:08,066
along the lines of
564
00:36:08,066 --> 00:36:10,266
"It wasn't me. I didn't do it.
565
00:36:10,266 --> 00:36:13,166
Everybody's gonna think
I'm a coward 'cause
I didn't help Tristan
566
00:36:13,166 --> 00:36:16,834
and I'm sorry and I'm this
and nobody's gonna
believe me."
567
00:36:16,834 --> 00:36:20,467
[Newman]
The ballistics found that
that was the same gun
568
00:36:20,533 --> 00:36:24,266
that killed Paul
killed Tristan.
569
00:36:24,333 --> 00:36:29,467
There is no doubt
in my mind that he took
the life of Tristan.
570
00:36:33,033 --> 00:36:34,567
I was torn
with different emotions.
571
00:36:34,634 --> 00:36:37,867
A part of me was
like so grateful
572
00:36:37,867 --> 00:36:40,734
that this part,
this section was over,
573
00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:45,166
you know, and I wouldn't
have to suffer
through a trial
574
00:36:45,233 --> 00:36:47,533
and everything that comes
from him being arrested.
575
00:36:48,467 --> 00:36:51,166
But then another part of me
was devastated because
576
00:36:51,166 --> 00:36:54,734
there were so many things
that I didn't have
the answers to.
577
00:36:54,734 --> 00:37:01,367
Things that I would never know
that happened in that house
when nobody was there.
578
00:37:01,367 --> 00:37:05,066
Maybe it wasn't
meant for me to know
those things, you know,
579
00:37:05,066 --> 00:37:06,433
have those answers.
580
00:37:07,867 --> 00:37:12,266
-[siren wailing]
-[police radio chatter]
581
00:37:12,266 --> 00:37:14,367
[Duncan] Once we started
processing that scene,
582
00:37:14,367 --> 00:37:19,133
that's when it became
even more apparent
what was gonna happen.
583
00:37:21,500 --> 00:37:27,166
He has four burlap sacks,
he had a brand-new
30-pound dumbbell.
584
00:37:27,166 --> 00:37:29,934
A brand-new
40-pound dumbbell.
585
00:37:29,934 --> 00:37:34,166
There was also several
hand restraints present too,
in the car.
586
00:37:34,233 --> 00:37:36,467
And we found
receipts in the vehicle
587
00:37:36,533 --> 00:37:38,834
where all the stuff
was bought.
588
00:37:41,100 --> 00:37:44,834
He had a tent set up
right in front of the car.
589
00:37:44,900 --> 00:37:49,567
Based upon the evidence
that we discovered, possibly,
to dismantle bodies.
590
00:37:52,100 --> 00:37:58,100
All that led me to believe
that he was gonna get Tristan
to that location
591
00:37:58,100 --> 00:38:02,367
and then do her harm there
and then discard her body
in that stink ditch,
592
00:38:02,433 --> 00:38:05,567
but something
messed that plan up.
593
00:38:05,567 --> 00:38:10,166
I went back
to the last text we got
from Bonnie to Tristan
594
00:38:10,166 --> 00:38:12,967
was we're on our way home.
595
00:38:12,967 --> 00:38:16,734
I really think that
that text made him panic
596
00:38:16,734 --> 00:38:18,533
and it had to be done
at the house.
597
00:38:25,467 --> 00:38:29,467
The thought
of Paul Adams killing Tristan,
that still haunts me.
598
00:38:31,100 --> 00:38:35,033
I think Tristan herself
was gonna possibly be
the first of many.
599
00:38:35,934 --> 00:38:38,266
So, we was fixing to have,
600
00:38:38,266 --> 00:38:40,433
in my opinion,
a serial killer.
601
00:38:45,367 --> 00:38:47,967
[knock on door]
602
00:38:47,967 --> 00:38:49,667
[Bonnie] It was just such
a short amount of time
603
00:38:49,667 --> 00:38:52,467
for it to turn into
what turned into.
604
00:38:52,467 --> 00:38:54,934
I believe the reason
she let him come over
605
00:38:54,934 --> 00:38:58,867
is because he told her
he just wanted to talk,
606
00:38:58,867 --> 00:39:02,100
and there was
some manipulating
that went on there
607
00:39:02,100 --> 00:39:06,367
and she saw it
as he was hurting,
or he was sad,
608
00:39:06,367 --> 00:39:09,367
or he was upset
and trying to make him
feel better.
609
00:39:10,834 --> 00:39:13,000
She was probably just gonna
let him come over,
610
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:16,000
talk to him, and then
probably never speak
to him again.
611
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,634
She was doing what she thought
was the best option.
612
00:39:20,500 --> 00:39:26,333
I think that she would
have never guessed
what that would lead to.
613
00:39:38,567 --> 00:39:42,166
So after Tristan's passing,
every game after that,
614
00:39:42,166 --> 00:39:46,266
we always honored her
with her favorite chant
to always start the game off.
615
00:39:46,266 --> 00:39:48,066
[chanting] Up and up
and up and up.
616
00:39:48,066 --> 00:39:51,000
Fire it up.
[rhythmic hand claps]
617
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:56,166
And I have one solid memory
of we were doing a jump line
and we put the microphone,
618
00:39:56,166 --> 00:39:58,834
the memorial microphone
at the end of it.
619
00:40:00,166 --> 00:40:03,266
Graduation
was very hard for me.
620
00:40:03,333 --> 00:40:06,266
We knew that Tristan
should have been there.
621
00:40:06,333 --> 00:40:11,634
I wasn't keeping track
and they said her name,
and I was just stunned.
622
00:40:14,100 --> 00:40:17,934
And she was just so kind,
so good.
623
00:40:17,934 --> 00:40:19,166
And...
624
00:40:21,500 --> 00:40:24,767
She is so greatly loved
and missed by everyone
625
00:40:24,767 --> 00:40:27,166
that ever had the honor
and privilege of meeting her.
626
00:40:29,867 --> 00:40:34,467
With her being gone,
we do a lot more things
as a family
627
00:40:34,467 --> 00:40:36,667
just because we don't know
when we're gonna go.
628
00:40:36,734 --> 00:40:39,634
So we try to enjoy
every moment while
we have together.
629
00:40:43,100 --> 00:40:46,567
[Duncan] In times like this,
when these devastations
happen,
630
00:40:46,634 --> 00:40:49,467
our communities
always comeback together,
support one another,
631
00:40:49,467 --> 00:40:51,333
and heal, and become stronger.
632
00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,467
The way to go back
to normalcy is just go back
633
00:40:55,533 --> 00:40:58,767
to Friday night ball games
and cheerleaders.
634
00:40:58,767 --> 00:41:02,166
And if I got anything
to say to her friends,
635
00:41:02,233 --> 00:41:03,333
just honor Tristan
by living for her.
636
00:41:17,367 --> 00:41:18,667
He was intensely competetive.
637
00:41:18,734 --> 00:41:21,033
We'd never seen anything like
that in Canton.
638
00:41:21,934 --> 00:41:23,033
School is on lockdown.
639
00:41:23,033 --> 00:41:24,266
This is not a drill.
640
00:41:24,266 --> 00:41:26,934
If you start messing with
someone's children
641
00:41:26,934 --> 00:41:28,266
you're gonna have a problem.
642
00:41:28,266 --> 00:41:29,967
♪