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Will a hidden message discovered on the body of a murder victim be the key to finding the young woman's killer?
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00:00When they walked into Kathy's bedroom, what did they see?
00:09She was stabbed, strangled, and beaten.
00:13It's about as bad as it could get.
00:17He cut her from ear to ear.
00:21She was fighting up until the last minute.
00:24That must have been a horrific few moments.
00:30On her left leg was written, I was here.
00:35There's similar writing on the refrigerator that matches her leg.
00:42Did the killer leave us a message?
00:49I remember looking at people thinking, did they kill my mom?
00:55There was a lot of pressure on law enforcement to find the killer.
00:58It was scary.
01:01I used to sleep with a knife.
01:04A serial killer was caught in the area.
01:08Everybody thought, it's got to be him.
01:11Did he ever betray his dark sides as he sat casually with law enforcement?
01:18He did not.
01:20Here's this gruesome crime, the worst I've ever seen in my career.
01:24How could this person have done it?
01:26Hi, I'm Paula Zahn, and tonight, we're on the case in Three Rivers, Michigan.
01:46The Christmas spirit was in the air throughout this tight-knit community
01:50when a savage act of violence brought fear instead of goodwill.
01:55Residents were stunned by the murder of 19-year-old Kathy Swartz.
02:00And the details of how it happened only made things worse.
02:05The defenseless teenager was killed in her home
02:08while her nine-month-old baby was just steps away.
02:11The dedicated team of investigators discovered a crime scene filled with clues,
02:17but no prime suspect.
02:20And over time, many wondered if justice would ever be served.
02:28December 2nd, 1988.
02:32It was 3.30 on a bitterly cold afternoon
02:36when a disturbing call came in to the Three Rivers Police Department.
02:41The woman on the line frantically explained that her neighbor,
02:4619-year-old Kathy Swartz, was just found dead inside her apartment.
02:56The caller reported that Kathy's fiancée had found her deceased.
03:02He was so shook up that he could not even talk on the phone.
03:05Was he able to give her any details?
03:08He was not.
03:09He was just so shocked by what he saw inside.
03:14Officers raced to the apartment complex to investigate.
03:18When first responders arrived here on scene,
03:21they came to apartment 102, Kathy's apartment.
03:24As police and emergency workers quickly fanned out around the apartment,
03:29they made a chilling discovery.
03:34Kathy's nine-month-old baby crying in her crib.
03:39She was untouched.
03:40Thank God for that.
03:45But the pristine room where the child was found
03:48stood in stark contrast to the rest of the upstairs.
03:53Detective Sergeant Ken Laninga
03:55will never forget his first moments in the apartment.
04:00What did you see?
04:01The thing that struck me the most was the amount of blood.
04:08Going up the steps on the banister, there was blood smears.
04:12And then once we got upstairs, there was blood on the walls.
04:22Describe to me what you saw when you walked into Kathy's bedroom.
04:25She was lying on the floor on her back.
04:31She was wearing a nightgown that had been pulled up to about her chest area.
04:36Was it obvious to you how she had been killed?
04:40There was bruises on her body.
04:44There was stab wounds on her body.
04:47There was marks on her neck where it looked like somebody had tried to strangle her.
04:53And she had a very severe cut across her throat, almost ear to ear.
04:59How painful was it to see the violence involved in this murder,
05:08knowing that her nine-month-old was just feet away?
05:13It's hard to comprehend.
05:15At the time, I had young children.
05:17Thinking about that baby being in that crib, crying for its mother,
05:22that's something that just really stuck with you.
05:25But the veteran investigators had a job to do,
05:34and their first critical clue stood out amidst the mayhem.
05:39There was a circle pattern on her shirt
05:42that closely resembled a pair of hairdresser's scissors.
05:48Could the scissors have been used for the neck injury?
05:52If they were sharp enough, then they could have been used to stab her.
05:56Was the murder weapon found inside the apartment?
06:00We were never able to find a murder weapon.
06:07The unusual murder weapon also seemed to explain
06:11some of the other evidence police saw.
06:13There was defensive wounds on her hands.
06:18It was obvious that she had put up a fight before she was killed.
06:24She's fighting for her life right up until the last minute.
06:27It's just a very chaotic scene.
06:30Detectives believe that the final stab wounds were inflicted near Kathy's bed.
06:35The blankets were mostly pulled off.
06:39There was broken bottles also on the floor,
06:42and then there was a telephone lying on the bed.
06:46The cord was cut.
06:50Police believed it had been cut
06:53to prevent the desperate young woman from getting help.
06:57They found a fingerprint right here on the telephone
07:00that was in blood.
07:02Evidence on the teenager's body
07:08told more of the gruesome story.
07:11There was blood smears on her leg
07:14where maybe somebody's hand had slipped
07:15trying to move her.
07:22As police studied the rest of the apartment,
07:26additional details emerged.
07:28Could they determine where the attack started?
07:31We believe the attack began in the kitchen on the first floor.
07:36There were some blood droppings in the kitchen.
07:39Then as you follow that path of blood droplets
07:42over the stairwell,
07:44they begin to increase in volume and intensity.
07:48We theorized Kathy fled up the stairs,
07:52and the attacker was stabbing her from behind.
07:55As soon as you get to the top of that stair,
07:58there is all kinds of bloody impressions
08:00all the way down that hallway
08:01leading to that bedroom
08:02where she was ultimately found.
08:08A check of the upstairs bathroom
08:10provided a disturbing look
08:12at what happened after the savage attack was over.
08:16There was blood in the area of the tub shower,
08:21and it appeared that the individual
08:24cleaned up after the homicide took place.
08:29We believe he took a shower
08:30because the faucet was still dripping
08:33like it had been recently used.
08:35And there was more.
08:40When investigators processed the bathroom,
08:42they found this footprint in blood
08:44on the tile floor next to the shower.
08:51Investigators sent all of the evidence
08:53to the lab for testing,
08:55hoping he would provide a leak.
08:57We didn't know if they were Kathy's prints
09:01in blood or if it was the suspects.
09:08Meanwhile, detectives downstairs
09:11look for clues as to how the killer
09:14had gotten inside.
09:16Were there any signs of a break-in?
09:18No, there were not.
09:20How many different ways
09:21could you enter the apartment?
09:23There was a front door and a back door.
09:25Police weren't sure
09:27which one the killer had used
09:29to enter the apartment,
09:30but they were confident they knew
09:32how he had fled the scene.
09:35There was a candy cane found
09:37just outside the back door.
09:39He probably knocked it off the Christmas tree
09:42as he was leaving.
09:47As investigators tried to wrap their heads
09:50around the evidence,
09:51their theory of the crime
09:53gained more focus.
09:55There was no breaking and entering.
09:58There had to have been a lot of emotion
10:00that would give someone the rage
10:02to be able to do that to another human.
10:05It's the worst type of a scene
10:06that you can imagine.
10:08It was so brutal.
10:10The chances of it being someone
10:11that she was acquainted with
10:12were really high.
10:13The attack on Kathy Swartz
10:29had turned her apartment
10:30into a house of horrors.
10:35But for some reason,
10:37the killer spared her infant daughter.
10:39And that raised a question
10:45that has troubled Courtney all her life.
10:49Have you ever thought about
10:51why you weren't hurt?
10:55Oh, all the time.
10:56Now that I'm older
10:57and I'm raising my own kids,
11:01it hits me a little different
11:03than it did when I was little.
11:08Courtney's grandparents
11:10did everything they could
11:11to make her childhood
11:12as normal as possible
11:14and keep a part of Kathy
11:15in her life.
11:17What does your grandparents
11:19tell you about your mother?
11:20They said that I was her whole world.
11:24She loved me.
11:26She was responsible.
11:28She had a lot of friends.
11:29They all loved her
11:30and she was fun to hang out with.
11:39Investigators also wanted
11:40to know more about Kathy's life.
11:43But their questions were different.
11:46They wanted to know
11:47if there was someone
11:48who had a reason to hurt her.
11:51All the evidence
11:52of the crime scene
11:53indicated that her killer
11:54knew her habits
11:55and when she would be alone.
12:00What did the fact
12:01that the killer took time
12:02to clean up
12:03tell you about his mindset?
12:05It was almost like
12:06he knew nobody was
12:08going to be back there
12:10for a little while.
12:14Those clues
12:16and the lack of forced entry
12:18led detectives
12:19to start the investigation
12:20to start the investigation
12:21with Kathy's inner circle.
12:24Why did investigators
12:25need to take a close look
12:27at Kathy's fiancée?
12:29Obviously he would
12:30have access to the apartment.
12:33Whoever discovers that body
12:35is going to have to
12:36be scrutinized immediately.
12:38He has to be the top guy
12:39on the list.
12:39Kathy's fiancée
12:45was not her daughter's father
12:47and the couple
12:48had only been engaged
12:50for three weeks.
12:52Detectives carefully
12:53questioned the young man
12:54about their relationship
12:55and his whereabouts
12:57during the window of time
12:59in which the murder
13:00had taken place.
13:06What did Kathy's fiancée
13:08say happened that morning?
13:09He had to get up early
13:11for work.
13:11Kathy had gotten up
13:12with him
13:13and she was going
13:14to go back to bed
13:15with the intent
13:15to get up
13:16when Courtney got up.
13:18What happened next?
13:19He left approximately
13:21between 5.30
13:22and 5.45
13:22that morning.
13:23They actually had
13:24a punch card system there
13:25so he physically
13:27had to punch in
13:28and punch out.
13:30And that system
13:31indicated that
13:32Kathy's fiancée
13:34had left the paper plant
13:35during the afternoon.
13:37How suspicious
13:38were investigators
13:39of the fact
13:41that he had left work
13:42the day of the murder
13:44for about an hour
13:45around lunchtime?
13:47Very.
13:48As soon as you have
13:49that gap of time
13:51where someone isn't
13:52with other people
13:53then it's got to
13:54raise suspicions.
13:56He's a possible suspect.
13:57But was that
14:05one hour window
14:06enough time
14:08to commit the crime?
14:10Did investigators
14:12think it was possible
14:13that he went home
14:16committed the murder
14:17and then came back
14:18to work?
14:19There's no way
14:20for him to be able
14:21to drive to Three Rivers
14:22commit the murder
14:23clean up
14:24and then drive back
14:25to be back at work
14:26on time.
14:27There's just not
14:27enough time.
14:28So we were able
14:29to quickly establish
14:31that he had an alibi.
14:33He was at work.
14:37Once Kathy's fiancée
14:39was cleared
14:40police focused
14:41on the details
14:42in the rest
14:43of his story.
14:44The distraught
14:45young man said
14:46he had tried
14:47to get in touch
14:47with her
14:48around 1.45
14:49that afternoon.
14:52The fiancée
14:53called
14:53and there was
14:54no answer.
14:55Based on his account
15:01detectives
15:02now theorized
15:03that Kathy
15:04had been killed
15:05sometime
15:05after 6 a.m
15:07and before
15:09the unanswered call
15:10at 1.45.
15:12We also believed
15:13because she was still
15:14wearing her night shirt
15:15that it occurred
15:16sometime in the morning
15:17but we were never
15:18able to definitively
15:20put a time frame
15:21on there.
15:21It was another clue
15:26that indicated
15:27that the killer
15:28had carefully
15:29planned
15:29his deadly attack
15:30and the medical
15:33examiner's report
15:34added details
15:35to the grim story
15:36of Kathy's
15:38fight for survival.
15:39What did the medical
15:43examiner determine
15:44had happened to her?
15:45Kathy had been strangled
15:46and that was actually
15:48the mechanism of death.
15:50Then after the fact
15:51the killer had slit
15:52her throat.
15:55How would you describe
15:57Kathy's last moments
15:59alive?
15:59Brutal.
16:02She wasn't only
16:02stabbed and strangled
16:04but she was beaten.
16:05A lot of injury
16:06to her face.
16:07That must have been
16:07just a horrific
16:08few moments.
16:13But perhaps
16:14the most critical clue
16:15was revealed
16:16when the body
16:17was studied
16:18under an alternative
16:19light source.
16:21We turn
16:23this alternate
16:23light source
16:24and we're scanning
16:25the body
16:26and on the inside
16:27of her left leg
16:29was written
16:30I was here.
16:34Could you tell
16:35what it had been
16:36written in?
16:37It was some kind
16:38of a marker.
16:40We really thought
16:41that was our
16:43smoking gun.
16:48Investigators
16:49then used
16:49the same technique
16:51to scan
16:51the entire
16:52crime scene.
16:54It led to
16:54a chilling discovery
16:56in Kathy's kitchen.
16:59When you looked
16:59at Kathy's refrigerator
17:01what did you notice?
17:02Written on the refrigerator
17:03was
17:04Harley
17:05was here.
17:11What was your reaction?
17:13Because you had just
17:14discovered the three words
17:15on Kathy's leg
17:16I was here
17:17and now you're seeing
17:18Harley
17:19was here.
17:20It was almost like
17:22you were getting
17:22the feeling that
17:23the murderer
17:24left a calling card
17:25and that
17:26freaked you out.
17:31Did the killer
17:32leave us a message?
17:45Detectives
17:46investigating the murder
17:47of Kathy Swartz
17:48had just discovered
17:50a pair of
17:51disturbing clues.
17:52they believed
17:54that her killer
17:54had left them
17:55two handwritten
17:56messages
17:57and he had
17:58carefully hidden
17:59them at the
18:00crime scene.
18:01The statement
18:02on her leg
18:03I was here
18:04and then
18:07Harley was here.
18:10Similar
18:10writing
18:11on the refrigerator
18:13that matches
18:13writing on her leg.
18:16Could you just
18:16make out faint
18:17markings of a marker
18:18with the naked eye?
18:19You could see
18:19nothing unless
18:21you had that
18:21alternate light
18:22source
18:23and the
18:23filter goggles
18:24that you had
18:25to wear
18:25to see it.
18:31Police knew
18:32they had to
18:33follow up
18:33on that lead.
18:34The first step
18:35was identifying
18:37the mysterious
18:38Harley.
18:39Could investigators
18:40find Harley's
18:41identity?
18:42Yes.
18:43One of her
18:43ex-boyfriends
18:44his nickname
18:45was Harley.
18:46And a closer
18:51look at the
18:51ex-boyfriend
18:52raised more
18:53red flags.
18:55She and
18:56Harley had
18:57had some
18:58problems.
18:59It wasn't
18:59a good
19:00relationship.
19:05Witnesses
19:05said that
19:06Harley was
19:07upset when
19:08Kathy had
19:09recently gotten
19:10engaged.
19:11He's not happy
19:13about that
19:13relationship and
19:14obviously is very
19:15familiar with
19:16her, knows
19:16that she has
19:17a child, knows
19:18the apartment,
19:19knows the ins
19:19and outs, who's
19:20coming and
19:20going.
19:26Detectives
19:27confronted the
19:2825-year-old and
19:29asked him where
19:30he was during
19:31the critical
19:32seven and a
19:32half hours when
19:33the crime had
19:34likely taken
19:35place.
19:36Did he have
19:37an alibi for
19:38the day of
19:38Kathy's murder?
19:39He did not
19:39have anyone to
19:40vouch where he
19:41was at.
19:42There was a
19:42huge gap in
19:43his timeline.
19:46Investigators
19:47pressed Harley
19:48and asked him
19:49to take a
19:49polygraph,
19:50which he
19:51failed.
19:55Kathy's ex
19:56was now the
19:57prime suspect
19:58in her murder,
20:00and police
20:01believe their
20:01crime lab had
20:03just provided
20:04them with the
20:05physical evidence
20:05they needed to
20:06seal his fate.
20:08They found an
20:08unknown fingerprint
20:09in blood on
20:11the phone.
20:12It had to have
20:14been someone
20:14there at the
20:16time of the
20:17assault, so we
20:18felt pretty
20:19confident that
20:19was the
20:20killer's
20:20fingerprint.
20:21And testing
20:22of the blood
20:23revealed it did
20:25not belong to
20:26Kathy.
20:27It was the
20:28killer's blood.
20:30We believe that
20:31he'd cut his
20:32hand at some
20:33point during the
20:34murder and left
20:35a bloody
20:36fingerprint on
20:37the telephone.
20:38Was that the
20:41only place where
20:42the killer's blood
20:43was found at
20:43the scene?
20:44Yes.
20:44Every other
20:45blood sample
20:46turned out to
20:46be Kathy's.
20:51And there was
20:51one other clue
20:52that the suspect
20:53had left behind.
20:56The lab results
20:57showed that the
20:57footprint was the
20:58killer's footprint.
20:59As Detective
21:08Sergeant Ken
21:09Laninga prepared
21:10to test the
21:11crime scene
21:12evidence against
21:13samples provided
21:14by Kathy's
21:15ex-boyfriend,
21:16he was all too
21:17aware of what
21:19was at stake.
21:20I made the
21:21comparison with
21:23Harley's known
21:24impressions.
21:25And you talk
21:26about pressure,
21:27I mean,
21:27everybody's waiting
21:28for me to do
21:29the examination
21:29and say,
21:31yeah, we got
21:31them, they're
21:32Harleys.
21:34Did Harley's
21:35prints match
21:36the evidence
21:37collected from
21:38the scene?
21:39No, they did
21:39not.
21:42These aren't
21:43Harleys.
21:45In fact,
21:47not even
21:47Harley's blood
21:48type was a
21:49match.
21:50That came as a
21:51big shock to
21:52all of us.
21:53It really let the
21:54wind out of
21:55everybody's
21:55sales.
21:59Conversations
21:59with those
22:00closest to
22:01Kathy even
22:01revealed a
22:02plausible
22:03explanation for
22:04the written
22:04notes police
22:05had found.
22:06The ex-boyfriend
22:08had been at
22:08the apartment
22:09during a party
22:10and in jest
22:11had wrote his
22:12name on the
22:13refrigerator.
22:18Harley later
22:20claimed he
22:21also had
22:22jokingly written
22:22something similar
22:24on Kathy's
22:24leg.
22:26We ultimately
22:27ruled him out
22:28as being the
22:29killer in
22:30Kathy's murder.
22:34It was a
22:35crushing blow
22:36for every
22:37investigator on
22:39the case.
22:40I was hoping
22:41this was going
22:42to be a quick
22:42case.
22:43We got a
22:43good suspect.
22:44We got the
22:45prints and
22:46case over,
22:46but that was
22:47not the case.
22:50Despite their
22:51disappointment,
22:52investigators refused
22:53to give up.
22:54There was a
22:55vicious killer
22:56on the loose
22:57and no one
22:58was going to
22:59rest until
23:00he was caught.
23:14Detectives trying
23:15to solve the murder
23:16of Kathy Schwartz
23:17remain convinced
23:18that her killer
23:19was someone
23:20who knew
23:21when she
23:21would be
23:21alone and
23:22vulnerable.
23:24That meant
23:25taking a hard
23:27look at every
23:28man in her
23:29life, including
23:30the father of
23:32her daughter.
23:33Did his blood
23:34type and prints
23:35match the evidence
23:37from the crime
23:37scene?
23:38They did not.
23:39Based on blood
23:40typing, he's not
23:41a match, and then
23:41the footprint
23:42didn't match, the
23:42fingerprint didn't
23:43match.
23:44We quickly ruled
23:46him out.
23:50Investigators also
23:52had to look at
23:53other possibilities.
23:55Could Kathy have
23:56opened her door
23:57to a stranger
23:58who had been
23:59secretly stalking
24:00her?
24:02We began to print
24:04everyone who was
24:05arrested by the
24:06department because
24:07we believe that the
24:08killer may have
24:09been somebody who
24:09lived in the
24:10Three Rivers area.
24:11Just how much
24:13work went in to
24:15trying to match
24:16that evidence with
24:17a suspect.
24:18There was a
24:19tremendous amount
24:19of work.
24:20I compared
24:20hundreds of
24:22prints, maybe
24:23four to five
24:24hundred suspects,
24:25about everybody
24:25that ever knew
24:26Kathy.
24:28But the prints
24:29were not in the
24:30system.
24:33Although the best
24:34evidence police
24:35had led nowhere,
24:37getting Kathy's
24:38story out into
24:39the public eye did
24:40lead to a new
24:41tip.
24:43Did any of her
24:44neighbors see
24:46unusual activity
24:47that morning?
24:49There was one
24:49neighbor who saw
24:50a person that
24:52they didn't
24:52recognize with a
24:53jacket that had
24:54an emblem on the
24:55back.
24:55That was very
24:56unusual.
24:59A composite of
25:00the suspect, and
25:02the jacket was
25:02created and
25:03released to the
25:04media.
25:06Investigators hope
25:07that the face, or
25:09the jacket's unique
25:10logo, might lead
25:11to another tip.
25:13We were never
25:14able to locate
25:15an organization
25:16that recognized
25:18that emblem.
25:18So neither the
25:19jacket nor the
25:20man were ever
25:21found?
25:22Correct.
25:23We were not
25:23able to identify
25:24the person or
25:26the jacket.
25:32Every member of
25:33law enforcement on
25:34the case struggled
25:35with the lack of
25:36progress.
25:38It was frustrating.
25:39Everybody kept
25:40running into dead
25:41ends and not
25:42getting that
25:43all-important
25:44lead.
25:47And it seemed
25:48clear that finding
25:50the lead that would
25:51break the case
25:52open required
25:53detectives to
25:54expand the scope
25:56of the investigation
25:57even further.
25:58Did you consider
25:59the possibility that
26:00Kathy was the
26:01victim of a
26:02serial killer?
26:03We did.
26:03A serial killer
26:04definitely became a
26:05real possibility.
26:06And one name
26:08really stood out.
26:10Jeffrey Wayne
26:11Gordon.
26:16Who was Jeffrey
26:17Wayne Gordon?
26:18He was a serial
26:20killer that was
26:21caught in the area
26:22who had a style of
26:24killing that was
26:24very similar to
26:25Kathy's.
26:26What were some
26:30of the similarities
26:31you focused on?
26:32The big similarity
26:33for us was that
26:35he was known
26:36with all of his
26:37victims to slit
26:37their throat.
26:39And so we thought
26:40he was possibly
26:42the person that
26:43we were looking
26:43for.
26:47And Gordon
26:48only heightened
26:49those suspicions
26:50with cagey
26:51remarks he made
26:52from behind
26:53bars.
26:54Did he admit
26:55to committing
26:56other murders
26:57that had been
26:58left unsolved?
27:00Yes.
27:00He confessed
27:01to killing
27:02more women.
27:04He never gave
27:05specifics but
27:06he bragged
27:07about other
27:07murders that
27:08law enforcement
27:09had not
27:09discovered.
27:11Did he ever
27:12admit to
27:13Kathy's murder?
27:14No.
27:14He never
27:14admitted to
27:15her murder.
27:20Still,
27:21police were
27:22able to get
27:22a warrant
27:23for his
27:23fingerprints
27:24to compare
27:25to the bloody
27:26one found
27:26on Kathy's
27:27phone.
27:28Did Gordon's
27:30prints match
27:30the evidence
27:31from the crime
27:32scene?
27:32They did not.
27:34So based on
27:36that alone,
27:36you could rule
27:37him out?
27:37Yes.
27:38His fingerprints
27:38and his footprint
27:39did not match
27:40what was found
27:42at the scene.
27:43The case
27:49was now back
27:50to square one
27:51and there
27:52was no
27:52new suspect
27:53on the horizon.
27:55But detectives
27:56hoped that
27:57a major
27:57advancement
27:58in law
27:58enforcement
27:59would jump
28:00start the
28:00investigation.
28:02As the
28:02computer technology
28:04advanced,
28:05those prints
28:06were put into
28:07the automated
28:07fingerprint
28:08identification
28:09systems and
28:10over the years
28:11it kept being
28:12run through
28:13but it never
28:14hit on anybody.
28:20The news
28:21was devastating
28:22for Kathy's
28:23daughter,
28:24Courtney,
28:24who had spent
28:25her entire life
28:26in Three Rivers,
28:28trapped in the
28:29dark cloud
28:30left behind
28:31by the crime.
28:32At what age
28:33did you find out
28:34about what had
28:35happened to your
28:36mother?
28:36I read the police
28:37report when I was
28:3816.
28:41When I did read
28:42exactly what
28:43happened,
28:44I was disgusted.
28:48What made you
28:49want to read
28:50the police report?
28:51I was the baby
28:52when all this
28:52happened,
28:53so I wasn't
28:54old enough
28:55to remember.
28:57I feel like
28:57the more I know
28:59what happened,
29:01the more I know
29:02my mom.
29:04I can't imagine
29:06hearing that
29:06at any age.
29:08How did you
29:08deal with the truth?
29:10Because I was
29:11so young,
29:11it was traumatic,
29:13and I just
29:14had to still
29:15live life.
29:21In her heart,
29:23Courtney knew
29:24she would never
29:25have peace
29:26until her mother's
29:27killer was brought
29:28to justice.
29:30How difficult
29:31was it for you
29:33that the case
29:34remained unsolved?
29:36It was scary.
29:38I remember
29:39just looking
29:40at random
29:40people thinking,
29:42did they kill
29:43my mom?
29:44A kid should not
29:45have to even
29:46think about anything
29:47like that.
29:49Every night,
29:50I would go to bed,
29:51and I would just
29:52pray that her case
29:54would get solved.
29:55And as the years
30:00went by,
30:02Courtney never
30:03gave up.
30:04Neither did
30:05the investigators
30:06trying to find
30:07her mother's
30:08killer.
30:09And her faith
30:10and their hard
30:12work were about
30:13to be rewarded
30:14in a way no one
30:16could have expected.
30:16The unsolved murder
30:31of Kathy Schwartz
30:32remained a priority
30:35for investigators,
30:36and they hoped
30:37that advances
30:38in DNA technology
30:40might reignite
30:42the case.
30:44With the advent
30:45of CODIS,
30:46we were able
30:47to enter
30:47the sample,
30:48and we thought
30:49that with that
30:50DNA in the system
30:51that we would be
30:52able to identify
30:53a killer.
30:55But the results
30:56were not
30:57what they expected.
30:58Did you ever
30:59get a hit
30:59in CODIS?
31:00There's always hope
31:01that once it's
31:02in CODIS
31:02that it will hit,
31:03but in this case
31:04there was no hits.
31:07Were you surprised
31:09that whoever
31:10killed Kathy Schwartz
31:12had not been involved
31:14in another felony,
31:15or at least
31:15hadn't been caught?
31:17It is surprising
31:17based on how violent
31:19it was.
31:20I did expect
31:20that we would
31:21get a hit.
31:26Forensic expert
31:27Joel Schultz
31:28and detective
31:29Sam Smallcomb
31:30were part of
31:31the cold case team
31:32that reopened
31:33the investigation
31:34in 2022.
31:36What did you see
31:37as your biggest challenge
31:39when you took
31:40on the case?
31:40Where do we start?
31:42Because when you
31:43looked at the case files
31:44there was so much
31:45information,
31:46so many tips
31:48that had come in
31:49over the years.
31:51It becomes a huge
31:52hurdle to try to
31:53figure out
31:53what's actually in there.
31:59Unsure of how
32:00to organize the materials,
32:02police turned
32:03to students
32:04at Western Michigan
32:05University
32:06for help.
32:06What did the students
32:08contribute
32:09to your investigation?
32:11We had literally
32:12boxes of paper files
32:14on this murder.
32:16They made everything
32:16digital for us
32:18and that made it
32:18readily searchable.
32:20Police could now
32:21revisit any detail
32:23in the massive file
32:24with a touch of a key.
32:25And that ease of access
32:27became crucial
32:28when modern DNA science
32:31allowed detectives
32:32to forensically
32:34narrow the list
32:35of potential suspects
32:36down to a single
32:37family tree.
32:39What did the forensic
32:40process reveal?
32:42It was one of four
32:43brothers
32:44from a family
32:45that had lived
32:46just outside
32:46of Three Rivers
32:47back in the late 80s.
32:53Although police
32:55found no links
32:56to Kathy Swartz,
32:57in the police reports,
32:59one of the brothers'
33:00rap sheet
33:00left investigators
33:02convinced
33:02they were on
33:03the brink
33:04of an arrest.
33:05We immediately
33:06see that one
33:07of the four brothers
33:08has an extensive
33:09criminal history.
33:11Everybody thought
33:11it's got to be him.
33:16But the easy answer
33:18was almost
33:19immediately dismissed.
33:21His DNA
33:23was already
33:23in the system
33:24and it didn't match.
33:27So we quickly
33:28eliminated him.
33:29DNA
33:30and fingerprint
33:31comparisons
33:32were used
33:33to scratch
33:33two more brothers
33:34off the list.
33:36So that left you
33:38then with
33:39one suspect.
33:40Yeah,
33:41so that narrowed
33:41it down
33:42to one brother
33:43who lived
33:44in South Carolina.
33:46After 35 years,
33:48the investigation
33:49had a brand new
33:51suspect
33:51to zero in on.
33:53We were
33:54laser focused
33:55on the remaining
33:56brother,
33:56Robert Waters.
33:57Robert Waters
34:01was 18 years old
34:03at the time
34:04of Kathy's murder.
34:05He had moved
34:06away from Michigan
34:07shortly after
34:08the crime.
34:10Over the years,
34:11he had started
34:11a business,
34:12got married,
34:13and raised a family.
34:16Did Robert Waters
34:17have a criminal history?
34:19He did not.
34:20He'd never been
34:21arrested for anything,
34:22which explains
34:23why his DNA
34:25and his fingerprints
34:26were not
34:27in the system.
34:29But a deeper dive
34:30revealed that Waters
34:31did have a connection
34:33to Kathy Schwartz.
34:35Robert had been
34:36classmates
34:37with Kathy's fiancée,
34:39and he had actually
34:41visited their apartment
34:42approximately one month
34:44prior to her murder.
34:45Detectives were now
34:52confident
34:53that the DNA
34:54had identified
34:55the right man.
34:57When they approached
34:58the 53-year-old's home
35:00with local police,
35:01they were ready
35:02for anything.
35:03Hey, Robert.
35:04How are you doing?
35:05Good.
35:06How are you?
35:06How can we help you?
35:07This is Todd Peters
35:08from Michigan State Police.
35:09Nice to meet you.
35:10Nice to meet you.
35:10Robert really didn't
35:12question us
35:12about the investigation,
35:13not even, you know,
35:15so much as,
35:16oh, what kind
35:16of a case is it?
35:17We were wondering
35:17if you wouldn't have
35:19time to come down
35:20to the police
35:20and talk with us
35:22down there.
35:22Yeah.
35:23Okay.
35:24He was pretty
35:25calm and cool about it.
35:26Scott, bye.
35:27Go back.
35:27I got a water.
35:30Waters told police
35:32he wanted a lawyer present
35:33during his questioning.
35:35But investigators
35:36were able to execute
35:38a search warrant
35:39for Waters' fingerprints
35:40and an impression
35:42of his foot.
35:43They were immediately
35:45compared to the bloody
35:46evidence found
35:47at the crime scene.
35:49The results
35:50were stunning.
35:52They got a match
35:53on that fingerprint.
35:55And the footprint
35:56were also a match.
35:59What was your reaction
36:01to the fingerprint match?
36:04Excitement, relief.
36:05We finally identified
36:07our killer.
36:08detective sergeant
36:13Smallcomb told Waters
36:15what that identification
36:16meant.
36:18We did submit the print
36:19that we took
36:20from here earlier.
36:21It didn't match
36:21to the one in the crime scene.
36:23This time you are
36:24under arrest
36:24for the murder
36:25of Kathy Schwartz.
36:27Okay?
36:27Okay.
36:28What was his reaction?
36:30It was just like
36:30I told him
36:31it was raining outside.
36:32He didn't have shock
36:34or denial
36:35or anything.
36:37What did his
36:38nonchalance suggest
36:39to you?
36:40Robert had probably
36:41played that scenario
36:43over in his head
36:44a hundred times
36:46over the years.
36:47Did he ever
36:49admit
36:50that he killed
36:51Kathy Schwartz?
36:52He never did.
36:53Still,
36:57any lingering
36:57questions
36:58investigators had
36:59were answered
37:00by the rest
37:01of the scientific
37:02testing.
37:04When you compared
37:05Robert Waters'
37:06DNA
37:06with the DNA
37:07evidence
37:08from the crime scene,
37:10what was the result?
37:11It was a direct match.
37:15Step on up.
37:16Go ahead.
37:17Can I find it back
37:18for me?
37:19How strong
37:20was your case
37:21against Robert Waters?
37:22Very strong.
37:23We had a fingerprint
37:24in his blood
37:25on the telephone.
37:29We had his footprint.
37:32There was no doubt.
37:33All of the pieces
37:34were there
37:35to get a conviction.
37:42Detectives
37:43immediately called
37:44Kathy's daughter
37:45to share the news.
37:47What went through
37:48your mind
37:48when you found out
37:49that Robert Waters'
37:51DNA matched
37:52the evidence
37:53from the crime scene?
37:54I was in shock.
37:56I started bawling.
37:58I couldn't believe it.
37:59Did you feel
38:01any relief?
38:02Yes.
38:03I wanted him
38:03to see me
38:04in the courtroom
38:05and feel my presence
38:06for my mother.
38:07But just days later,
38:15Courtney got word
38:16that the man
38:17who killed her mother
38:18had found a way
38:19to prevent that moment
38:21from ever happening.
38:23We were notified
38:24that Mr. Waters
38:26had taken his own life
38:28in the Beaufort County Jail.
38:32How did you react
38:33to that news?
38:34I was angry.
38:35He knew he was guilty.
38:37And now we were never
38:38going to get
38:39the why question answered.
38:41And that's what
38:42I really felt like
38:43Kathy's family deserved.
38:45Why did he do it?
38:49How does it make you feel
38:50that he never had
38:51to accept responsibility
38:53for what he did?
38:54It makes me mad
38:56and really sad.
38:58It's still not fair.
39:03Although investigators
39:05never got a confession
39:07from Waters,
39:08experience
39:08and the evidence
39:10allowed them
39:11to formulate
39:12a hypothesis.
39:14The theory is
39:15that he must have
39:17come over there
39:18to try and hook up
39:20with Kathy
39:21and that she turned him down.
39:24Police believe
39:25that after being rebuffed,
39:27Waters flew into
39:28a homicidal rage
39:30and attacked Kathy
39:31with the only weapon
39:33he could find,
39:34a pair of scissors.
39:36That's what I believed
39:38based upon
39:38the behavioral analysis
39:40of such a depraved crime.
39:48The lack of answers
39:50was tormenting.
39:52But Courtney also knows
39:53there was nothing
39:55Robert Waters
39:56could have said or done
39:57that would ease the pain
39:59of what he stole that day.
40:01the joy
40:02of knowing her mother.
40:05What was the hardest part
40:06of growing up
40:08without your mother?
40:09Feeling alone.
40:11I had my grandparents,
40:12but I wasn't theirs.
40:16They're both gone too.
40:17And now I don't have anybody
40:19to ask for like advice.
40:21I don't have anybody
40:23to talk to
40:24to help make decisions.
40:25I feel like I don't
40:27have a person.
40:30It's very hard.
40:33I just want her to hug me.
40:37I never got to experience that.
40:42That hurts a lot.
40:45Following Robert Waters' suicide,
40:53police entered his fingerprints
40:55and DNA
40:56into the National Offender
40:57databases.
40:59But so far,
41:00he hasn't been connected
41:02to any other crimes.
41:05I'm Paula Zahn.
41:06Please join us again next time
41:08when we're back
41:09on the case.
41:10On the next,
41:12on the case.
41:13What did police see
41:15when they arrived?
41:16Sandra deceased,
41:17the victim of a murder.
41:19She had told her friends,
41:20if I ever end up dead,
41:21it's the guy downstairs.
41:24I remember saying,
41:26here we go.
41:27Now we have something.
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