User Reviews

The local sheriff's department, in this case, let this family down from the first moment of this case. The sheriff's department's decision to make the family wait 24 hours may have prevented finding the young girl in the case alive. They then did the most amateurish search of the missing girl's car that it was rendered useless as a piece of evidence. The family had to call the FBI, the sheriff's office did not. But any evidence the sheriff's office had was so badly handled it was useless. Which made his and his wife's appearance in this episode so surprising. There was no explaining away the mistakes made by his department. After all this, it's hard to imagine they could foul up any worse. Well, then they brought the case to court against the wrong man. The local detective said things on the stand that caused a mistrial. Which was a good thing for the man they had accused! Finally, years later a cold case detective got involved. His investigation led to the proper person being charged. But the bad stuff doesn't stop there. Not only did they wind up letting the vicious murderer plead to a lower charge. It was later determined that the defense attorneys were holding back information. Important information. The sheriff and everyone associated with that office should be ashamed of themselves. And they needed retraining. But to me, the most disgusting actions were those of the defense attorney associated with the 2002 case. He should have face some form of punishment.

While Telovon's review has its merits, I think you need to put yourself in the families shoes. They obviously knew their daughter better than the sheriffs department & believed she would never be a runaway. The case was a challenge either way with who the murderer was, but seemed like there was a possibility to crack the case early if they acted quicker. She was kept alive, in the same area, and the brother was there to be questioned everyday if the sheriffs chose to. The heat could of been applied within the first 3-4 days. What else does the sheriffs department got going on let's be real? A little girl is missing... I can't imagine the suffering this family went through to have to rely on the FBI weeks later in what should have been a small town close knitted community INCLUDING the sheriffs department...