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YEAH, MY MOM IS KIND OF WORRIED ABOUT ME
BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WORKING SO MUCH.
LONG DAY?
VERY LONG DAY.
[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]
[ ENGINE TURNS OVER ]
[ ENGINE TURNS OVER ]
[ TIRES SCREECH ]
Man: AT APPROXIMATELY 12:48 A.M.,
A PASSERBY NOTICED
THAT THERE WAS A VEHICLE ABANDONED IN THE ROAD.
[ Dialing ]
AND IT JUST SEEMED UNUSUAL
THAT A CAR WOULD BE ABANDONED IN THAT WAY.
[ SIREN WAILS ]
[ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ]
THERE'S A WALLET ON THE SEAT.
OKAY, YOU CHECK THE I.D. I'M GONNA RUN THE TAG.
Man: THERE'S KIND OF A FEELING
THAT WHEN SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER DISAPPEARS
THAT THAT COULD BE YOUR DAUGHTER.
Man: THIS WAS NOT A CARJACKING.
IT WAS NOT AN ARMED ROBBERY.
HER WALLET WAS FOUND AT THE SCENE.
WHAT WAS TAKEN WAS THE DRIVER HERSELF.
[ SIREN WAILING ]
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
[ CROWS CAWING ]
[ TELEPHONE RINGING ]
Narrator: IT'S EVERY PARENT'S NIGHTMARE.
THE PHONE CALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
HELLO?
AND FOR CONNIE SUTTON,
THIS CALL IS ABOUT AS BAD AS IT GETS.
ON THE OTHER END OF THE LINE IS
THE FRANKLIN, INDIANA, POLICE CALLING TO TELL HER
A CAR HAS BEEN ABANDONED
AT AN INTERSECTION A FEW MILES AWAY.
INSIDE THE CAR IS
HER 17-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER KELLY NICOLE ECKART'S WALLET.
UH, NO, SHE WOULD NOT.
SHE -- SHE COMES HOME EVERY NIGHT.
WITH NO SIGNS OF KELLY TO BE FOUND,
POLICE ASK CONNIE TO COME DOWN TO THE STATION TO HELP.
Sutton: WE WERE THERE ALL NIGHT.
I DIDN'T GO HOME TILL THE NEXT AFTERNOON.
I'D BE INSIDE AND I'D BE SO NERVOUS,
I WOULD BE SO WORRIED,
AND THEN I WOULD GO OUT IN THE PARKING LOT
AND I WOULD JUST DO LAPS.
I WOULD WALK VERY FAST AROUND THE PARKING LOT JUST TO...
I GUESS A STRESS RELIEVER.
I WAS SCARED. I REALLY WAS.
Narrator: WITHOUT QUESTION, THIS IS UNLIKE KELLY.
SHE SIMPLY ISN'T THE KIND OF GIRL
WHO JUST VANISHES ON A WHIM.
Sutton: WHY WOULD SHE LEAVE HER CAR?
IT RAN. IT RAN JUST FINE.
THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.
AND SHE WOULDN'T HAVE LEFT HER BILLFOLD.
Narrator: IF ANYTHING,
THE CAR TELLS MORE ABOUT WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO KELLY
THAN WHAT DID.
THERE IS NO BLOOD,
NO EVIDENCE OF A STRUGGLE OR VIOLENCE.
HER WALLET AND PURSE ARE STILL ON THE SEAT.
THE KEYS ARE EVEN IN THE IGNITION.
AS POLICE CAREFULLY COMB THROUGH THE CAR,
THEY FIND ONLY ONE CLUE.
ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE BUMPER,
THERE'S A SMALL DENT,
ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE IT COULD BE RECENT.
SHE'D BEEN TICKED. SOMEBODY HIT HER CAR.
AND SHE PROBABLY GOT OUT AND LOOKED.
Narrator: BUT NONE OF THAT CAN EXPLAIN
HOW OR WHY KELLY HAS SEEMINGLY VANISHED
INTO THE COOL NIGHT AIR.
KELLY NICOLE ECKART IS KNOWN TO EVERYONE
IN THE SMALL FARMING COMMUNITY OF BOGGSTOWN, INDIANA,
AS A CHEERFUL, BRIGHT BUNDLE OF POSITIVE ENERGY.
KELLY WAS THE ALL-AMERICAN SWEETHEART KIND OF A GIRL.
YOU RARELY SAW HER
WHERE SHE WASN'T LAUGHING AND HAPPY.
SHE WAS REALLY SWEET, REALLY INNOCENT,
YOU KNOW, FRIENDS WITH EVERYBODY,
ALWAYS UPBEAT, ALWAYS LAUGHING.
YOU KNOW, WE WOULD GET IN TROUBLE FOR
SHE'D MAKE ME START GIGGLING IN THE MIDDLE OF SPANISH CLASS.
YOU KNOW, WE'D GET IN TROUBLE FOR THAT.
I MEAN, MOSTLY SHE WAS POSITIVE ALL THE TIME.
OH, THOSE ARE PRETTY.
Narrator: AT HOME,
KELLY IS THE BEATING HEART OF HER FAMILY.
YEAH. THAT LOOKS NICE.
I THINK WE'RE READY FOR FALL NOW.
Sutton: SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE,
DO THINGS FOR PEOPLE.
AND SHE'S JUST AN ALL-AROUND GOOD KID.
COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER DAUGHTER.
ME AND KELLY, MY SISTER,
HAD, I THINK, A GREAT RELATIONSHIP.
WE DIDN'T ARGUE AND BICKER VERY OFTEN.
IT WAS VERY RARE THAT WE DID.
HAD A LOT OF FUN PLAYING TOGETHER.
Narrator: BUT BY THE TIME THE SUN COMES UP THAT MORNING,
IT'S PRETTY CLEAR KELLY HASN'T JUST WANDERED AWAY FROM HER CAR.
AND THROUGHOUT THE TINY TOWN OF ROUGHLY 400,
WORDS LIKE "ABDUCTION" ARE BEING WHISPERED
FROM EVERYONE'S LIPS.
AFTER ALL, IT'S NOT LIKE THIS IS
SOME RANDOM STRANGER ON THE NEWS.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE KELLY WAS,
BUT IT HAD BECOME CLEAR AT THAT POINT
THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO HER.
AND PEOPLE JUST KEPT COMING AND ASKING, "WHAT DO WE DO?"
Schutt: I WAS AT MY MOM AND STEPDAD'S WEDDING RECEPTION,
AND SOMEONE SAID THAT KELLY HAD BEEN MISSING.
AND, LIKE, I JUST -- YOU KNOW, MY HEART WAS --
IT JUST FELT LIKE IT STOPPED BEATING
BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, "THAT'S SO SCARY," YOU KNOW?
I'M NOT NORMALLY PARANOID ABOUT STUFF,
BUT IT JUST WASN'T NORMAL.
IT WAS AWFUL.
IT WAS UNSETTLING.
IT WAS SO DISTURBING BECAUSE I HAD A 17-YEAR-OLD AT HOME,
AND YOU JUST ALWAYS THINK,
"THAT COULD HAVE BEEN MY DAUGHTER."
IT WAS JUST THE UNTHINKABLE.
Narrator: AS WORD CONTINUES TO SPREAD ABOUT TOWN,
POLICE INTENSIFY THEIR SEARCH.
THEY KNOW ALL TOO WELL THAT IN A CASE LIKE THIS,
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
AND IT'S QUICKLY RUNNING OUT.
THEY CANVASSED THE AREA,
THINKING PERHAPS SHE WAS OUT ON FOOT.
I WAS LOOKING AT EVERY CAR THAT WENT BY
AND THINKING SHE MIGHT BE IN ANY ONE OF THEM.
I DON'T KNOW. I FELT VERY ALONE.
Narrator: AND SOON IT'S NOT JUST POLICE
WHO ARE SEARCHING FOR THE MISSING GIRL.
BEFORE A DAY GOES BY, KELLY'S FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
ARE OUT SEARCHING THE BYWAYS AND CORNFIELDS ALL ACROSS TOWN.
Wager: WE HAD HIGH-SCHOOL KIDS
WHO, ON THEIR OWN, WERE GOING AND CHECKING
ALL THESE OLD BARNS AND SHEDS AND CULVERTS
AND ANYPLACE THEY THOUGHT THAT KELLY MIGHT POSSIBLY BE.
Sutton: THEY JUST CAME OUT OF THE WOODWORK.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO BE FAMILY. THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO BE FRIENDS.
THEY WERE FRIENDS OF FRIENDS OF FRIENDS,
AND THEY WERE HERE
TO DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD DO TO HELP.
Narrator: DESPITE THE COMMUNITY'S BEST EFFORTS,
THE SEARCHING TURNS UP NOTHING.
BY DAY THREE,
HOPE STARTS GIVING WAY TO SINKING DESPAIR.
PEOPLE DARE NOT ADMIT OUT LOUD WHAT THEY KNOW DEEP DOWN.
EVEN IF THEY DO FIND KELLY, THE NEWS MAY NOT BE GOOD.
WE WERE ALL HOLDING OUT HOPE THAT MAYBE SHE WOULD BE --
WE WOULD FIND HER SOMEWHERE.
THERE WERE LOTS OF PEOPLE OUT SEARCHING.
I MEAN, AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS, I WAS LIKE,
"I DON'T THINK I CAN GO SEARCH FOR HER"
BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE ONE TO FIND HER
'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW --
I DIDN'T KNOW HOW I WOULD HAVE HANDLED THAT.
THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING FOR KELLY,
BUT ALSO DREADING THAT THEY MIGHT FIND HER
'CAUSE NOBODY WANTED TO BE THE PERSON
TO SEE HER IN A DITCH OR IN A BARN
AND HAVE TO TELL CONNIE AND DALE THAT THEIR DAUGHTER WAS DEAD.
Narrator: KELLY ECKART AND HER FAMILY
MAKE THEIR HOME IN THE SMALL INDIANA FARMING COMMUNITY
OF BOGGSTOWN.
YOU COULD CALL IT THE CORE OF THE AMERICAN HEARTLAND,
THE KIND OF PLACE
WHERE NEIGHBORS KNOW AND TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER
AND ARE PROUD OF IT.
EVERYBODY KNEW EACH OTHER'S CHILDREN,
AND WE ALL LOOKED OUT FOR EACH OTHER'S CHILDREN.
SO, I THINK IT WAS VERY CAREFREE AND VERY SAFE.
Narrator: IN SEPTEMBER OF 1997,
LIFELONG RESIDENT KELLY ECKART
HAS JUST STARTED CLASSES AT NEARBY FRANKLIN COLLEGE
WITH AN EYE TOWARD MAJORING IN ACCOUNTING.
Sutton: SHE WAS VERY EXCITED ABOUT COLLEGE.
I REMEMBER THE DAY SHE FOUND OUT SHE COULD GO TO FRANKLIN.
IT WAS RIGHT HERE IN THIS KITCHEN,
AND SHE WAS JUMPING UP AND DOWN.
SHE WAS SO HAPPY.
SHE WAS GOING TO THE SCHOOL OF HER DREAMS.
Narrator: IN ORDER FOR HER TO AFFORD THE SCHOOL OF HER DREAMS,
KELLY APPLIES FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
AND GETS A JOB AT A FARM STORE IN FRANKLIN,
THE CLOSEST REAL TOWN TO HERS.
WHAT CAN I GET FOR YOU TODAY?
I'M LOOKING FOR FAUCETS FOR MY KITCHEN AND FOR MY BATHS.
OKAY. ARE YOU LOOKING...
SHE DIDN'T MIND WORKING. SHE LOVED HER JOB.
SHE LOVED TO WORK WITH PEOPLE,
SO THAT'S WHY IT WAS A GOOD FIT FOR HER.
RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE ON THE LEFT.
YEAH.
Narrator: FOR HER FRESHMAN YEAR,
KELLY DECIDES SHE DOESN'T WANT TO LIVE IN THE DORMS.
SHE WANTS TO BE WITH HER LOVED ONES BACK IN BOGGSTOWN,
EVEN IF THAT MEANS A LONGER DRIVE HOME
AFTER A LONG DAY OF SCHOOL AND WORK.
SHE WASN'T READY TO LEAVE HER FAMILY.
EVEN THOUGH IT'S ONLY 20 MINUTES AWAY,
SHE STILL WANTED TO LIVE AT HOME AND SLEEP IN HER OWN BED.
SHE USED TO GET HOME LATER -- PAST MY BEDTIME, ACTUALLY --
AND PROBABLY DO HOMEWORK AND GO TO BED
AND THEN START THE ENTIRE PROCESS ALL BACK OVER.
Narrator: AND THAT'S JUST WHAT KELLY ECKART IS DOING
ON FRIDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 26, 1997.
KELLY WAS IN THE SHOWER WHEN I WAS LEAVING FOR WORK.
AND I STUCK MY HEAD IN THE DOOR,
TOLD HER I LOVED HER, JUST LIKE WE DID EVERY DAY,
AND I LEFT AND WENT TO WORK.
HONEY, I'LL SEE YOU AFTER WORK.
LOVE YOU.
BYE, MOM. LOVE YOU, TOO.
Narrator: AROUND 4:00,
KELLY FINISHES HER LAST CLASS OF THE DAY
AND HEADS OFF TO WORK, JUST LIKE SHE DOES EVERY DAY.
AFTER FINISHING HER SHIFT,
SHE MET UP WITH HER BOYFRIEND THERE AT THE STORE.
HOW WAS WORK?
YOU KNOW, IT WAS LONG. ALL RIGHT.
HE WALKED HER OUT TO HER CAR,
AND THEY TALKED FOR A COUPLE MINUTES
AND THEN THEY TOOK OFF DOWN THE ROAD.
Narrator: THAT'S THE LAST TIME
ANYONE EVER SEES KELLY ECKART ALIVE.
ALL RIGHT, ANTHONY, YOU UNDERSTAND
THAT YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON TO SEE KELLY.
IS THAT RIGHT?
Narrator: THE MORNING AFTER HER DISAPPEARANCE,
THE POLICE ARE EAGER TO TALK TO HER BOYFRIEND, ANTHONY.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN TELL ME?
NO, NOTHING.
IT WAS -- IT WAS FINE, YOU KNOW?
ANTHONY INSISTS
THAT HE HAS NO REASON TO BE UPSET OR ANGRY AT KELLY
AND THAT THE LAST GLIMPSE HE CAUGHT OF HER
WAS THE MOMENT WHEN THEY PARTED WAYS,
JUST A FEW SHORT MINUTES' DRIVE
FROM THE SPOT WHERE KELLY'S CAR IS FOUND.
Sutton: ANTHONY COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WERE LOOKING AT HIM,
AND IT UPSET HIM A LOT.
WE TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT'S THE WAY IT GOES,
THAT'S THE START OF AN INVESTIGATION.
THEY HAD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP,
HAD ALWAYS HAD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP,
AND THERE HAD NEVER BEEN ANY FRICTION.
Narrator: EVEN SO,
AFTER HIS INITIAL INTERVIEW WITH POLICE,
ANTHONY HIRES AN ATTORNEY
WHO REFUSES TO LET HIM SPEAK TO INVESTIGATORS ANY FURTHER.
MEANWHILE, KELLY'S FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
CONTINUE TO SEARCH FOR HER
IN THE CORNFIELDS AND WOODS OF BOGGSTOWN.
LOSING HOPE WITH EACH PASSING HOUR
SHE'LL BE FOUND ALIVE,
POLICE RETURN TO THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
GATHERED IN AND AROUND KELLY'S CAR.
AND WHILE THEY DON'T FIND MUCH
BEYOND THE DENT IN HER REAR FENDER,
THEY DO MANAGE TO RAISE A FEW MYSTERIOUS PRINTS
NEAR THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR --
PRINTS THAT DON'T BELONG TO KELLY.
Sutton: THEY HAD SOME FUNNY HANDPRINTS ON THE --
I GUESS IT'S THE ROOF RIGHT OVER HER DOOR.
Narrator: AT THE END OF THE WEEKEND,
AFTER THREE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS DAYS
OF SEARCHING AND QUESTIONING,
THERE'S STILL NO SIGN WHATSOEVER OF KELLY.
THE ANXIETY LEVEL AROUND TOWN MOUNTS WITH EVERY PASSING DAY,
EVERY TICK OF THE CLOCK.
NEAR THE END OF THEIR TETHER,
THE PEOPLE OF BOGGSTOWN TURN TO THEIR FAITH.
WE HAD THE CHANCE EMOTIONALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY, AND SPIRITUALLY
TO BE PREPARED FOR WHAT WAS GOING TO COME NEXT.
BREWSTER! BREWSTER!
Narrator: FOUR DAYS AFTER KELLY'S DISAPPEARANCE,
TWO WOMEN ARE WALKING ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
A FEW MILES FROM WHERE HER CAR WAS FOUND.
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A LOST DOG.
HERE, BREWSTER!
THEY NEVER DO FIND THE DOG, BUT THEY DO FIND SOMETHING ELSE.
Corbin: AT FIRST, IT APPEARED TO BE A MANNEQUIN.
BUT WHEN THEY WENT TO INSPECT, TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK,
THEY SAW IT WAS THE PARTIALLY CLOTHED BODY OF A YOUNG FEMALE,
DECEASED, LYING BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THEY CALLED IT IN,
AND BY THE TIME THAT WE HEARD THAT,
WE KNEW THAT THAT WAS GONNA BE KELLY ECKART'S BODY.
Narrator: EVERYONE'S WORST FEARS HAVE COME TRUE.
IT IS KELLY.
SHE HAS BEEN STRANGLED
AND BRUTALLY DUMPED BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
IN THIS LONELY SPOT.
WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA NEED CRIME LAB AND AN INVESTIGATOR.
I'LL GET HIM ON THE LINE.
I THINK I WAS VERY NUMB.
I MEAN, YOU DON'T IMAGINE
YOUR CHILD BEING GONE BEFORE YOU.
I NEVER COULD IMAGINE SUCH A THING HAPPENING TO ANY OF US.
BUT I KNEW IT WAS TRUE.
I JUST KIND OF SAT
AND I WAS ALONE IN THE OTHER ROOM.
AND THEN SOMEBODY COME IN,
AND I TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS KELLY AND IT'S CONFIRMED.
Narrator: UP UNTIL NOW,
EVERYONE HAD HOPED AGAINST HOPE THAT KELLY WAS STILL ALIVE,
THAT THERE'D BE SOME KIND OF EXPLANATION
THAT WOULD HAVE LED TO A HAPPY ENDING.
BUT THOSE HOPES ARE CRUELLY MOCKED
BY WHAT HAS REALLY HAPPENED.
NATURALLY, PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY
WHO HOPED THAT KELLY MIGHT RETURN UNHARMED,
THEIR HOPES WERE DASHED.
IT WAS NOW A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION.
Narrator: AS THEY BEGIN TO PROCESS THE CRIME SCENE,
INVESTIGATORS NOTICE
A PUZZLING WOUND AT THE SIDE OF KELLY'S HEAD
THAT RESEMBLES A GUNSHOT WOUND BUT DOES NOT PENETRATE HER SKIN.
AND THERE'S ANOTHER THING -- SOMETHING KIND OF STRANGE.
KELLY'S SHOES ARE MISSING.
ONE OF HER SHOELACES WAS TAKEN OFF
AND THE OVERALL STRAPS TO HER BIB OVERALLS WERE CUT
AND THOSE WERE SOMEHOW LACED TOGETHER
AND THEN PLACED AROUND HER NECK,
TIGHTENED UNTIL SHE WAS ASPHYXIATED.
THEY PUT OUT A BULLETIN
SAYING THEY WERE LOOKING FOR ITEMS OF CLOTHING --
HER SHOES --
AND IF ANYBODY FOUND THESE SHOES TO CALL POLICE.
Narrator: WITHOUT ANY VIABLE SUSPECTS,
THIS INVESTIGATION HAS NOWHERE TO GO,
WHICH MEANS THE INCREASINGLY FRANTIC RESIDENTS OF BOGGSTOWN
MUST CONFRONT THE GRIM REALITY
THAT A DERANGED KILLER IS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE,
LURKING IN THE SHADOWS OF THEIR COZY LITTLE COMMUNITY.
Narrator: THE ABDUCTION AND ***
OF 18-YEAR-OLD KELLY ECKART
HAS THE TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY OF BOGGSTOWN, INDIANA, IN A PANIC.
KELLY IS A FAVORITE OF THE TINY TOWN,
AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HER IS TAKEN VERY PERSONALLY.
EVEN TO INVESTIGATORS, THIS IS NO ORDINARY CASE.
I DRIVE BY THE CORNER WHERE SHE'S ABDUCTED.
I LIVE FIVE MINUTES FROM WHERE WAS STRANGLED.
Narrator: BOGGSTOWN IS THE KIND OF PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE ARE USED TO ROLLING UP THEIR SLEEVES
AND DOING WHATEVER IT IS THAT NEEDS TO GET DONE,
WHETHER IT'S BRINGING IN CROPS OR CLEANING UP AFTER A TWISTER.
BUT NO ONE AROUND HERE HAS EVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING
LIKE THE BRUTAL ASSAULT AND *** OF KELLY ECKART,
AND THE STRAIN IS BEGINNING TO UNRAVEL
THE LITTLE TOWN AT THE SEAMS.
[ ROOSTER CROWS ]
IT'S SUCH A SHATTERING EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE.
AND I THINK IT REALLY DID CHANGE THE COMMUNITY
AND CHANGE THE PEOPLE IN AND AROUND BOGGSTOWN.
WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?
DO WE HAVE A KILLER ON THE LOOSE?
WHAT CAUSED THIS?
WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO KILL KELLY ECKART?
IF SHE WAS KILLED, IS ANYONE ELSE IN DANGER?
ARE PEOPLE BEING STALKED?
ALL THOSE QUESTIONS WENT THROUGH PEOPLE'S MINDS.
THAT'S NOT A HOLE.
Narrator: BEYOND THE PECULIAR FACT
THAT KELLY'S SHOES ARE MISSING FROM HER BODY,
THE POLICE HAVE LITTLE ELSE TO GO ON.
AND THAT LEAVES AN AWFUL LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM
FOR FOLKS TO CONJURE UP THEIR OWN CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
REALLY OUTRAGEOUS RUMORS BEGAN TO SPREAD.
THERE WAS ONE RUMOR THAT THE BODY HAD BEEN MUTILATED.
RUMORS OF OCCULT ACTIVITY AND DEVIL WORSHIP
AND THINGS THAT WERE JUST WILD.
Narrator: AFTER ALL,
THE ONLY THING ANYONE KNOWS FOR SURE
IS THAT A YOUNG WOMAN WHO GREW UP ALONGSIDE THEM
IS THE VICTIM OF HEINOUS CRIME
AND THAT WHOEVER COMMITTED IT MAY STILL BE WALKING AMONG THEM,
PERHAPS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.
WE ALL KNEW THAT THERE WAS AN ABDUCTOR AND A KILLER
THAT WAS LOOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY,
AND IT PUT EVERYBODY ON EDGE.
IT PUT ME ON EDGE.
AND I REMEMBER THINKING, AS I'M WALKING HOME FROM WORK,
THAT THIS IS NOT THE SAME WAY I USED TO WALK HOME.
IT BROUGHT ON A LOT OF FEAR.
I THINK IT BROUGHT OUT INSECURITIES IN PEOPLE.
THOSE OF US WHO HAD TEENAGE DAUGHTERS
WERE VERY FEARFUL
AND VERY WORRIED FOR THEIR SAFETY.
Narrator: AFRAID FOR THEIR VERY LIVES,
THE LOCALS HUDDLE TOGETHER
AND RESOLVE TO TAKE ACTION THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN.
I DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD OFFER A SELF-DEFENSE CLASS
AND A SAFETY CLASS THROUGH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
IT WAS SO BIG WE HAD TO HAVE IT TWO NIGHTS.
Narrator: WHEN KELLY'S BODY IS FOUND
IN A REMOTE PART OF TOWN,
POLICE ARE ABLE TO RULE OUT HER BOYFRIEND, ANTHONY EVANS,
AS A SUSPECT.
HE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TIME
TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY OUT THERE AND BACK.
HIS WHEREABOUTS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR EVERY MINUTE,
SO HE WAS VERY QUICKLY CLEARED OF ANY INVOLVEMENT.
Narrator: THE FINGERPRINTS FOUND ON HER CAR
ALSO TURN OUT TO BE A DEAD END.
POLICE FINALLY FIND A MATCH.
THEY BELONG TO HER BROTHER, CHRIS.
COME TO FIND OUT CHRISTOPHER HAD MESSED WITH HER.
THAT MORNING BEFORE SHE WENT TO SCHOOL,
HE WAS GRABBING HER CAR AND SHAKING IT,
AND THAT'S WHAT PUT HIS FINGERPRINTS ON THERE.
AND SO, IT WAS HIM.
IT WASN'T ANYBODY THAT WAS TRYING TO HURT HER.
FELT LIKE WE WERE A LONG WAY
FROM ACTUALLY FINDING OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
Narrator: BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN
ALL HOPE OF SOLVING THE CASE IS LOST.
ON THE DAY THE BODY IS FOUND,
ANOTHER WOMAN REPORTS SEEING A VEHICLE IN THE AREA --
ONE SHE DID NOT RECOGNIZE.
SHE SAW A VAN SPEEDING AWAY DOWN THAT ROAD,
WHICH SEEMED KIND OF PECULIAR --
AND A MAN IN THE VAN --
THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE DRIVING AWAY FROM THE AREA
AT SUCH HIGH SPEED.
Narrator: AND WHEN THE FORENSICS REPORT COMES BACK
THE WEEK AFTER KELLY'S BODY IS FOUND,
POLICE GET ANOTHER VALUABLE CLUE.
THE MYSTERIOUS WOUND TO KELLY'S HEAD
WAS LIKELY INFLICTED BY A BLANK GUN OR A STARTER PISTOL.
Corbin: ONE HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THIS RENDERED HER UNCONSCIOUS
OR DRIFTING IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS
DURING THE ABDUCTION AND ATTACK
SO THAT SHE WAS UNABLE TO DEFEND HERSELF.
Narrator: BUT EVEN AS SOME OF THE PUZZLE PIECES
FALL INTO PLACE,
ONE HUGE, GAPING HOLE REMAINS.
WE PRETTY MUCH PUT TOGETHER WHAT PHYSICALLY HAPPENED TO HER.
WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHO DID IT OR WHERE IT TOOK PLACE.
Narrator: AND UNTIL THEY CAN FIND A PIECE OF HARD EVIDENCE
LINKING A PERSON OR PLACE TO THE CRIME,
KELLY'S *** WILL REMAIN UNSOLVED.
THEN, NEARLY A MONTH AFTER KELLY'S BODY IS DISCOVERED,
POLICE GET THE TIP THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
A WOMAN SAID SHE HAD SEEN SOME WHITE WOMEN'S SHOES
IN THE BOTTOM OF A PIT TOILET
IN A PARK IN SOUTHERN JOHNSON COUNTY.
Narrator: WITHIN HOURS,
THE SHOES ARE POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED
AS THE PAIR KELLY WORE ON THE FATEFUL NIGHT.
ONE OF THEM IS MISSING ITS SHOELACE,
THE ONE USED TO STRANGLE HER.
WELL, IT CERTAINLY ADDED A NEW DIMENSION TO THE CASE
BECAUSE SHE DISAPPEARED FROM FRANKLIN,
SHE WAS FOUND ON A RURAL ROAD IN BROWN COUNTY, INDIANA,
AND THEN THE FACT THAT HER SHOES WERE FOUND
IN THE VICINITY OF CAMP ATTERBURY,
THAT IS A THIRD SITE,
A THIRD CRIME SCENE, IF YOU WILL.
Narrator: AND A FEW DAYS LATER, THERE'S A FOURTH,
AND IT'S SOMETHING NO ONE SEES COMING.
DUDE, WHAT DID WE JUST STEP ON?
OH, MY GOD.
Corbin: ON NOVEMBER THE 2nd,
SKELETAL REMAINS OF ANOTHER WOMAN
WERE FOUND AT CAMP ATTERBURY
APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE
FROM WHERE KELLY ECKART'S SHOES WERE RECOVERED.
Narrator: IT'S NOVEMBER 2, 1997,
MORE THAN A MONTH
SINCE BOGGSTOWN, INDIANA'S, FAVORITE DAUGHTER,
KELLY ECKART, DISAPPEARED.
THE NORMALLY QUIET MIDWESTERN FARMING COMMUNITY
IS GRIPPED IN SILENT TERROR
AFTER THE VIOLENT ABDUCTION AND *** OF ONE OF THEIR OWN.
TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, POLICE STILL HAVE NO SUSPECTS.
AND NOW THEY HAVE SOMETHING EVEN WORSE --
A SECOND VICTIM.
DISCOVERED IN A REMOTE AREA
LESS THAN A MILE FROM WHERE KELLY'S BODY WAS FOUND,
POLICE IDENTIFY THIS BODY
AS THAT OF 26-YEAR-OLD SHARON MYERS.
Corbin: THESE WERE THE SKELETAL REMAINS
OF A WOMAN FROM COLUMBUS, INDIANA,
WHO HAD DISAPPEARED FROM HER WORKPLACE
APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS EARLIER.
Narrator: LOCATION ISN'T THE ONLY EERIE TIE
THAT LINKS SHARON'S *** TO KELLY'S.
LIKE KELLY, SHARON MYERS IS FOUND WITHOUT HER SHOES.
Corbin: WE HAD TWO WOMEN.
BOTH DIED OF LIGATURE STRANGULATION,
BOTH ABDUCTED AT OR NEAR THEIR PLACES OF WORK,
EVIDENCE RECOVERED IN THE VICINITY OF CAMP ATTERBURY.
IT DID MAKE PEOPLE NERVOUS.
IT MADE THEM WONDER,
IS SOMETHING REALLY SINISTER GOING ON AROUND HERE?
Narrator: WITH NEW LEADS TO WORK FROM
AND A TOWN IN NEAR PANIC,
INVESTIGATORS REDOUBLE THEIR EFFORTS.
THAT COMBINATION OF FACTORS OF THOSE VARIABLES
WAS INITIALLY QUITE STRIKING.
WE WERE WONDERING
IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A SERIAL KILLER IN THE AREA.
AND THAT WAS A CHILLING EXPERIENCE.
Narrator: AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF QUESTIONING
THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW SHARON MYERS,
POLICE MAKE AN ARREST --
JASON DEAN HUBBELL,
A CO-WORKER AT A LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE PLANT
WHOSE WHITE VAN FITS THE DESCRIPTION
MYERS IS LAST SEEN GETTING INTO.
WHILE BEING HELD IN THE COUNTY JAIL,
HUBBELL CONFESSES TO SHARON'S ***.
BUT WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT KELLY ECKART,
HE VEHEMENTLY DENIES HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER DEATH.
WHO IS KELLY ECKART? I DON'T KNOW A KELLY ECKART.
I'VE NEVER KNOWN A KELLY ECKART. I DON'T KNOW WHO SHE IS.
Narrator: LUCKILY, INVESTIGATORS HAVE AN EASY WAY TO TELL
IF HUBBELL IS LYING.
DNA WAS RECOVERED FROM BOTH BODIES.
AS INVESTIGATORS WAIT FOR THE RESULTS,
THE BOGGSTOWN COMMUNITY DARES TO HOPE
THAT KELLY'S KILLER IS NO LONGER OUT THERE,
WAITING TO PREY ON THE TOWN'S INNOCENCE.
Wager: IT WAS A HUGE SENSE OF RELIEF IN A LOT OF WAYS
FOR SOME PEOPLE,
BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT NOW THIS PERSON WAS OFF THE STREET.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HIM HURTING ANYBODY ELSE.
Narrator: AND IF HUBBELL IS INDEED THE KILLER,
THEY CAN AT LEAST TAKE SOME COMFORT IN THE FACT
THAT SUCH PURE EVIL DID NOT COME FROM WITHIN.
THERE'S A SENSE OR MAYBE A KNEE-JERK REACTION
THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS COULDN'T BE SOMEBODY --
THIS COULDN'T BE ONE OF US WHO COMMITTED A CRIME LIKE THIS.
THIS HAD TO BE SOMEBODY FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE.
Narrator: BUT ONCE AGAIN, THE HOPES OF THE TOWN
PLUMMET BACK INTO THE DESPAIR OF UNCERTAINTY.
THE DNA TEST RESULTS ARE NEGATIVE.
SHARON MYERS' CASE IS SOLVED,
BUT WHOEVER MURDERED KELLY ECKART
IS STILL ON THE LOOSE.
IT TURNED OUT TO BE A TOTAL COINCIDENCE.
THERE WAS NO KNOWN CONNECTION BETWEEN THE KELLY ECKART CASE
AND THE SHARON MYERS *** AND DISAPPEARANCE.
Narrator: SO, IF JASON HUBBELL
ISN'T RESPONSIBLE FOR KELLY'S DEATH,
WHO, THEN, IS?
AND WHAT EVERYONE FEARS ABOVE ALL --
IS HE STILL OUT THERE,
BIDING HIS TIME BEFORE HE STRIKES AGAIN?
IT WAS JUST NOTHING SHORT OF TOTAL COMMUNITY ANXIETY.
EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT IT. EVERYBODY WAS WORRIED ABOUT IT.
IT WAS PALPABLE.
Narrator: AND WHILE NO ONE AROUND TOWN
WANTS TO BELIEVE IT,
THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE BEHIND THE GROWING DREAD IN BOGGSTOWN.
IT'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO DENY THE POSSIBILITY
THAT KELLY'S ABDUCTION, ASSAULT, AND ***
HAVE BEEN COMMITTED BY A MEMBER OF THEIR OWN COMMUNITY.
THERE WAS SOMETHING LOST IN THIS COMMUNITY AFTER KELLY'S ***.
THERE WAS A SENSE THAT CRIMES OF VIOLENCE CAN HAPPEN HERE.
YOU DON'T WANT TO THINK
A MONSTER LIVES NEXT DOOR TO YOU.
Narrator: IT'S NOW BEEN WELL OVER A MONTH
SINCE KELLY ECKART'S BODY
WAS FOUND IN A RAVINE OUTSIDE OF BOGGSTOWN.
AND POLICE ARE REALLY NO CLOSER TO SOLVING THE MYSTERY
THAN THEY WERE BACK THEN.
WHAT THEY DESPERATELY NEED IS A BREAK IN THE CASE
OR AT LEAST SOMETHING
TO GET THEM STARTED IN A NEW DIRECTION.
THAT BREAK COMES IN THE FORM OF A MYSTERIOUS PHONE CALL.
Corbin: POLICE RECEIVE A TIP
THAT A MAN NAMED SCOTT OVERSTREET
MAY HAVE INFORMATION THAT COULD SOLVE THE CRIME.
Cooper: THERE WERE SOME FRIENDS SITTING AROUND A CAMPFIRE.
THEY WERE SMOKING POT AND DRINKING.
AND ONE OF THEM GOT TO BRAGGING
THAT HE KNEW WHAT HAPPENED TO KELLY ECKART.
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION GOING AROUND.
AND I KNOW SOME THINGS, BUT IT'S JUST --
IT'S NOT COOL TO SAY.
COME ON, MAN. YOU CAN TELL US.
LET'S JUST SAY THAT MY BROTHER TOLD ME WHO DID IT.
Narrator: SCOTT OVERSTREET
HAS LIVED IN THE AREA HIS WHOLE LIFE,
BUT HE HAS NO DISCERNABLE CONNECTION
TO KELLY ECKART OR HER FAMILY.
HIS NAME HASN'T COME UP EVEN ONCE
SO FAR IN THE INVESTIGATION.
BUT THE TIP HAS POLICE THINKING
IT'S TIME TO HAVE A LITTLE TALK WITH HIM.
WHEN THEY PICK HIM UP,
SCOTT BEGINS TO TALK ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
ACCORDING TO HIM,
HE GOT A CALL FROM HIS BROTHER MICHAEL
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SEPTEMBER 26, 1997.
MICHAEL SAID HE WAS TOO DRUNK TO DRIVE
AND NEEDED A RIDE.
HE WAS SUMMONED BY HIS BROTHER TO A FRANKLIN HOTEL PARKING LOT.
Narrator: SCOTT SAYS HIS BROTHER SOUNDED VERY STRANGE ON THE PHONE
AND KEPT SAYING HE TOOK THIS GIRL.
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NEARLY 3:00 A.M.,
HE DID AS HE WAS ASKED.
THE LAST WORDS THAT MICHAEL TOLD TO SCOTT
IN THAT PHONE CONVERSATION WAS, "DON'T LET ME DOWN."
AH, FINALLY.
I CALLED YOU LIKE 20 MINUTES AGO, MAN.
I'M HERE.
YEAH, GET IN THE VAN. YOU'RE DRIVING.
Narrator: SCOTT TELLS POLICE THAT WHEN HE GOT TO THE HOTEL,
MICHAEL'S VAN WAS THERE
AND THERE WAS AN UNCONSCIOUS GIRL IN THE BACK.
MIKE, WHAT IS GOING ON?
SHUT UP AND DRIVE, OKAY?
GO!
Corbin: AND MICHAEL DEAN ESSENTIALLY ORDERED SCOTT
TO DRIVE HIM AND AN UNCONSCIOUS FEMALE
TO CAMP ATTERBURY.
HE DECIDED HE WAS NOT GONNA LOOK BACK
AND SEE WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON
AND JUST DROVE THE VAN
TO EXACTLY WHERE MICHAEL SAID TO TAKE IT.
Corbin: AND HE LOOKED DOWN AND HE DID NOT OBSERVE
WHAT HIS BROTHER MICHAEL DEAN OVERSTREET
WAS DOING IN THE BACK OF THE VAN.
Narrator: SCOTT TELLS POLICE THAT WHEN THEY GET TO THE CAMP,
HIS BROTHER TAKES THE GIRL,
STILL UNCONSCIOUS AND WRAPPED IN A QUILT,
OUT OF THE VAN.
Corbin: MICHAEL DEAN OVERSTREET, ACCORDING TO SCOTT,
INSTRUCTED HIS BROTHER TO HAVE HIS WIFE, MICHAEL DEAN'S WIFE,
PICK HIM UP AT 3:30 A.M.
SCOTT OVERSTREET DID AS INSTRUCTED,
DROVE BACK TO FRANKLIN, INDIANA,
NOTIFIED MICHAEL DEAN OVERSTREET'S WIFE,
HIS SISTER-IN-LAW, OF THESE EVENTS.
AND SHE, IN TURN, DROVE BACK TO CAMP ATTERBURY
TO RENDEZVOUS WITH MICHAEL DEAN OVERSTREET.
Narrator: IT'S CERTAINLY AN INTRIGUING STORY.
AND IF IT'S TRUE,
IT COULD BE THE FIRST REAL LEAD IN THE CASE
SINCE KELLY'S SHOES WERE FOUND AT CAMP ATTERBURY WEEKS AGO.
THE POLICE WERE...
THERE WAS HIGH ENERGY IN THE DEPARTMENT.
IT WAS LATE.
PEOPLE USUALLY ARE KIND OF TIRED TOWARDS THE END OF THE DAY,
BUT THEY WERE NOT TIRED.
THEY WERE ENERGIZED AND READY TO GO.
I THINK THEY FELT LIKE FINALLY, AFTER ALL THIS TIME,
WE'VE GOT SOMETHING WE CAN WORK WITH.
AND THAT JUST GAVE THEM A RENEWED SENSE OF ENERGY.
Narrator: BUT WHILE THE POLICE MAY FEEL ENERGIZED,
THE CASE IS FAR FROM BEING SOLVED.
THE BIG QUESTION REMAINING IS,
HOW CAN THEY BE SURE THAT THE UNCONSCIOUS WOMAN
SCOTT OVERSTREET CLAIMS HIS BROTHER WAS WITH
WAS KELLY ECKART?
HE NEVER ACTUALLY SAW HER.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THEORIES ON SCOTT OVERSTREET,
AND I WAS OF THE THEORY
THAT HE WAS A LOT MORE INVOLVED THAN HE LET ON.
Narrator: EITHER WAY,
IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE THE *** MAY HAVE BEEN PERPETRATED
BY A LOCAL RESIDENT AFTER ALL,
SOMEONE WHO'D BEEN LIVING QUIETLY
AMONG THE UNSUSPECTING CITIZENS OF BOGGSTOWN ALL THIS TIME.
Ryckaert: IT WAS SOMEBODY FROM THE AREA,
SOMEBODY WHO HAD SHOPPED AT THE SAME STORES
AND WORKED IN THE COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, THAT THIS WAS SOMEBODY FROM WITHIN.
THERE WAS A PREDATOR AMONGST US, AND WE WERE NOT USED TO THAT.
Narrator: POLICE DECIDE TO HOLD SCOTT OVERSTREET IN CUSTODY
UNTIL THEY CAN VERIFY SOME OF THE DETAILS OF HIS STORY.
WHILE THEY DON'T ARREST HIM AT THIS TIME,
THEY DO WARN HIM THAT UNLESS HIS STORY COMPLETELY CHECKS OUT,
HE WILL BE CHARGED WITH THE *** OF KELLY ECKART.
Narrator: THE ABDUCTION, ASSAULT, AND *** OF KELLY ECKART
HAS HAD THE SMALL FARMING COMMUNITY OF BOGGSTOWN, INDIANA,
ON EDGE FOR MORE THAN A MONTH.
NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME,
THE FOCUS OF THE CASE
HAS NARROWED ONTO SOMEBODY IN PARTICULAR --
SCOTT OVERSTREET.
SCOTT CLAIMS HIS BROTHER MICHAEL OVERSTREET
HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH KELLY'S DEATH
AND THAT WHILE HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY SEE KELLY,
HE CAN PROVE THAT HE'S TELLING THE TRUTH.
YEAH, WE KIND OF PULLED IN...
SCOTT TAKES POLICE OUT TO WHERE HE CLAIMS
HE SAW HIS BROTHER TAKE THE UNCONSCIOUS GIRL OUT OF HIS VAN
AND INTO THE WOODS.
Officer: IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS,
THIS IS YOUR TIME TO COME CLEAN RIGHT NOW.
AND THIS IS GONNA HELP ME, TOO, RIGHT?
THIS IS GONNA HELP YOU, ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAD -- WE HAD PULLED IN,
AND I HAD PULLED THIS WAY AND THEY GOT OUT.
OKAY. WHAT WAS SHE WEARING?
I KIND OF REMEMBER HER WEARING SOME JEWELRY.
I DON'T -- I MEAN, IT WAS DARK.
I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER WHAT SHE WAS --
JEWELRY ON HER NECK, JEWELRY ON HER WRIST?
OKAY.
I THINK SHE HAD A PAGER.
'CAUSE I REMEMBER HEARING A PAGER GO OFF.
I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF BRACELETS LAYING BACK HERE,
AND ALL THIS STUFF IS NICE AND SHINY
LIKE IT HASN'T BEEN HERE LONG.
THEY LOCATED KELLY'S JEWELRY, HER PAGER, HER HAIR SCRUNCHIE,
AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE KNEW WERE ON HER PERSON
AT THE TIME SHE WAS ABDUCTED.
Narrator: WITH THE EVIDENCE FOUND AT THE SCENE IN HAND,
THE NEXT THING POLICE DO IS APPLY FOR A SEARCH WARRANT
FOR MICHAEL OVERSTREET'S HOME AND VEHICLE.
EVERYTHING THAT WE KNEW THAT WAS --
THAT SHE HAD ON HER PERSON THAT WE DIDN'T RECOVER AT THE SCENE,
WE'RE GONNA INCLUDE IN THE SEARCH WARRANT,
ANYTHING THAT WE THINK COULD HAVE BEEN USED
IN THE COMMISSION OF THE CRIME.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
YEAH.
OKAY, STEP OUT HERE FOR ME, PLEASE.
WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?
HOW YOU DOING?
SIR, IF YOU'LL HAVE A SEAT HERE,
WE'VE GOT A WARRANT TO SEARCH YOUR HOUSE.
WHAT?
HAVE A SEAT FOR ME, MICHAEL.
IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE HOUSE?
NO.
NOBODY'S IN THE HOUSE?
NOT A SINGLE PERSON?
OKAY.
WE'VE GOT A WARRANT TO SEARCH YOUR HOUSE.
WE'VE GOT A WARRANT TO SEARCH YOUR VAN.
OKAY? OKAY. READ THIS WARRANT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT,
I'LL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO YOU, OKAY?
Corbin: POLICE RECOVERED A QUILTED BLANKET
MATCHING THAT DESCRIBED BY SCOTT OVERSTREET
AS THE BLANKET IN WHICH THE VICTIM WAS WRAPPED.
Cooper: WE ALSO FOUND A BLANK BULLET
WHEN YOU SHOT IT OUT OF A REGULAR GUN.
WHICH YOU PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER,
THAT WAS EXPLAINING
WHAT WE THEN BELIEVED TO BE THE WOUND TO KELLY'S HEAD.
Narrator: BUT WHAT THEY FIND
WHEN THEY GET TO OVERSTREET'S VAN
TURNS OUT TO BE THE REAL GOLD MINE.
Cooper: FIBERS THAT WERE FOUND ON KELLY'S CLOTHING
WHEN HER BODY WAS FOUND
MATCHED IN COLOR, FORM, AND TEXTURE
TO THE FIBERS THAT WERE FOUND
THAT WERE IN THE BACK OF OVERSTREET'S VAN.
THIS WAS THE CORROBORATION WE NEEDED.
STOP RESISTING.
STOP RESISTING.
TRUNK.
Narrator: AND THAT MEANS, AT LONG LAST,
THE END OF THE ROAD --
AN ARREST IN THE ABDUCTION AND KILLING OF KELLY ECKART.
HE'S A REAL TOUGH GUY, ISN'T HE?
Corbin: MICHAEL DEAN OVERSTREET
WAS CHARGED BY THE JOHNSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR
WITH ***, ***, CRIMINAL CONFINEMENT,
AND *** IN THE COMMISSION OF A FELONY.
I ANSWERED THE PHONE.
AND I CAN HEAR HIM PLAIN AS DAY TO THIS DAY --
HE TOLD ME, HE SAYS, "WE GOT HIM."
AND I PUT THE PHONE DOWN AND CRIED
BECAUSE WE FINALLY HAD THE MAN WHO DID THIS.
Narrator: FOR A SMALL COMMUNITY
THAT HAS BEEN LIVING IN FEAR FOR FAR TOO LONG,
THE DAM HAS FINALLY BROKEN.
EVERYBODY JUST SEEMED TO RELAX A LITTLE BIT.
IT WAS LIKE, "OKAY, WE FOUND THE MAN
"WHO DID THIS HORRIBLE THING.
HE'S IN JAIL. HE WILL NEVER BE OUT AGAIN."
I WAS RELIEVED TO FIND OUT THAT HE WAS BEHIND BARS
AND HE COULDN'T HURT ANYBODY ELSE.
Narrator: AT TRIAL,
THE PROSECUTION PRESENTS OVERSTREET
AS SOMEONE WHO WAS DESTINED TO COMMIT SUCH A HORRIBLE CRIME.
HE LIKED FIREARMS, HE LIKED MUTILATING ANIMALS,
HE KEPT TO HIMSELF,
HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME OFF DOING STUFF IN THE WOODS,
AND IT JUST SEEMED LIKE HE WAS WELL ON HIS WAY
TO BEING SOMETHING HORRIFICALLY EVIL.
Narrator: BUT WHY KELLY?
THEY WEREN'T FRIENDS.
AS FAR AS ANYONE KNEW, THEY HAD NEVER MET.
Ryckaert: THERE WAS SOME TESTIMONY THAT HE HAD FOUND HER AT WORK
AND HAD FOLLOWED HER WHEN SHE LEFT.
THE THEORY WAS HE BUMPED HIS CAR INTO HERS
AND GOT HER TO PULL OVER,
AND SHE RECOGNIZED HIM 'CAUSE HE WAS A CUSTOMER.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY WERE TALKING,
HE SHOT HER.
Narrator: WHAT POLICE DO KNOW FOR SURE
IS THAT ONCE KELLY GOT OUT OF HER CAR,
HER FATE WAS SEALED.
HELLO?
THIS WAS A TRUE, RANDOM, INNOCENT FEMALE
WHO GOT SELECTED BY A KILLER
AND WAS ABDUCTED, ***, AND MURDERED.
Narrator: ON MAY 18, 2000,
MICHAEL OVERSTREET IS CONVICTED
AND SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR THE *** OF KELLY ECKART.
OVERSTREET NEVER CONFESSES TO THE CRIME
OR TESTIFIES IN HIS OWN DEFENSE.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW ANYBODY COULD DO WHAT HE DID.
Narrator: THE TERRIBLE THING THAT HAPPENED TO KELLY
WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN IN THIS SMALL, PEACEFUL TOWN.
AS A MOTHER, THIS EXPERIENCE CHANGED ME.
I MEAN, I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T HAVE MY CHILDREN WHEN THIS HAPPENED,
BUT I DO KEEP A CLOSER EYE ON THEM, MAYBE.
IT'S GONNA BE REALLY HARD WHEN THEY DO GET OLDER
AND THEY START GOING OFF ON THEIR OWN.
I MAY BE A LITTLE BIT MORE, YOU KNOW, TERRIFIED
OF THAT WHOLE SITUATION THAN SOME PEOPLE.
I CAN'T IMAGINE -- SORRY.
IT CHANGED THE WAY EVERYBODY...
MADE SURE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER AND REACH OUT.
AND IT CHANGED THE WAY PARENTS RELATED TO THEIR KIDS.
Narrator: TODAY, KELLY ECKART'S MEMORY STILL LIVES ON.
FRANKLIN COLLEGE HAS ESTABLISHED A SCHOLARSHIP IN HER NAME,
AND THE STUDENTS THERE HAVE ALSO PLANTED A TREE ON THE CAMPUS
IN HER MEMORY.
Sutton: I GO OUT THERE ABOUT EVERY SPRING.
IT'S A BIG BEAUTIFUL TREE
THAT HAS SUCH SWEET-SMELLING BLOSSOMS.
I LOVE TO STAND THERE AND JUST SMELL IT.
KELLY USED TO WALK THAT CAMPUS.
I LIKE TO IMAGINE HER WALKING THE CAMPUS
AND WHAT LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR HER.