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On the Case with Paula Zahn Season 28 Episode 12
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00:00It put Carlsbad in a state of fear and panic.
00:04It rocked this community to its very core.
00:07We were all scared to not know who did it and if he's among you.
00:13That was very traumatizing.
00:15How could this happen?
00:18Where is this person?
00:23He was on the loose and his crimes were similar in nature.
00:28This person may be lurking in the shadows.
00:31If he wanted something that she wasn't willing to give,
00:36he was not a man that was going to take no for an answer.
00:40Do you think she ever sensed she was in danger?
00:44No, it was a crime of opportunity.
00:48Donna Sue experienced evil at its highest point.
00:57Hi, I'm Paula Zahn.
01:10And tonight, we're on the case in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
01:14A close-knit community best known for its spectacular underground caverns.
01:19But it became the unlikely setting for a terrifying tragedy
01:23when 38-year-old Donna Sue Hyatt was stabbed to death during a savage attack.
01:30When police arrived to investigate, they were stunned by the sheer violence.
01:35But perhaps almost as troubling was the story that the rest of the bloodstained evidence told.
01:41It seemed clear that Donna Sue had been murdered by someone she knew and trusted.
01:51July 8, 1987.
01:55It was just after 11.30 on a typical night in Carlsbad
02:00when the peace and quiet were shattered
02:04by a terrifying call for help.
02:08The man on the line told police dispatchers
02:13that his girlfriend had just found her mother, Donna Sue Hyatt,
02:18lifeless on the floor of her living room.
02:23She entered the residence.
02:27She sees her mother.
02:31She freaks out.
02:32She actually runs out the front door
02:34to her boyfriend.
02:38Yells,
02:38My mom,
02:39She's dead.
02:40She's dead.
02:43He calls the Carlsbad police department.
02:47Minutes later,
02:48police arrived
02:49and were met outside
02:51by Donna Sue's distraught loved ones.
02:54What did the first officer see
02:56when he arrived at the home
02:58and went inside?
02:59Donna Sue lying on the carpeting
03:02in the living room.
03:04Her shirt is pushed up.
03:06She is naked from the waist down.
03:09She has been beaten severely.
03:12She's bruised.
03:14There's a lot of blood.
03:15It's just a gruesome scene.
03:17The stunned first responding officer
03:21called for the homicide team
03:22while paramedics like Dennis Williams
03:25took a closer look at Donna Sue.
03:27We stepped in the front door.
03:33There,
03:34Donna Sue Hyatt lied
03:35half naked.
03:37She had eviscerated organs.
03:39It was too late.
03:40We were there too late.
03:42It was unbelievable.
03:43We were all kind of in shock.
03:46Somebody's murdered this poor woman.
03:51Homicide detectives
03:52began the grim task
03:54of trying to determine
03:55what had actually happened
03:57to Donna Sue Hyatt.
03:59Describe the crime scene.
04:01There had obviously been
04:03a struggle.
04:05She had been stabbed.
04:08She had been hit in the face
04:11numerous times
04:12and then strangled.
04:15The condition of Donna Sue's clothing
04:19and the location
04:21of the blood evidence
04:22helped tell more of the story
04:24and led detectives
04:25to consider
04:26a potential motive.
04:32Because she was found,
04:34nude officers were making
04:35the initial assumption
04:36that it had been
04:37a sexual attack.
04:38police believe
04:42the entire assault
04:43took place
04:44within just a few steps
04:46of Donna Sue's body.
04:48The house was
04:49very neat,
04:50very clean.
04:51It wasn't like
04:52the house was ransacked.
04:54Based on the location
04:56of Donna Sue's house keys,
04:58which were found
04:59on the living room floor,
05:00investigators believe
05:02it was likely
05:03that Donna Sue
05:04had been overwhelmed
05:06shortly after
05:07she walked through the door.
05:11Were there any signs
05:12of forced entry
05:13into her home?
05:15There were no signs
05:16of forced entry,
05:17which immediately
05:17clued the officers
05:18that this was a person
05:19that she had invited
05:20into her home.
05:24As police carefully examined
05:26the trail of blood evidence,
05:28it seemed clear
05:29Donna Sue
05:31had been taken by surprise
05:33by the sudden assault.
05:34and once it was over,
05:37her killer
05:38simply fled
05:39through the same door
05:40he had entered.
05:43They discovered
05:44the actual path
05:46of the exit
05:46of the suspect.
05:48There was some blood
05:49that had been transferred
05:51from the living room,
05:53carpeting area,
05:54into the kitchen area.
05:56In the kitchen,
05:58police zeroed in
05:59on a clue
05:59that led them
06:00to believe
06:01the crime had taken place
06:03after dark.
06:04The light was turned on
06:06in the kitchen.
06:07There was some blood smear
06:09on the light switch,
06:12but the fingerprints
06:13that were in the actual blood
06:14wasn't a good print.
06:21Detectives also picked up
06:23another important lead
06:24when they took a closer look
06:26at a drawer
06:27that had been pulled open.
06:29The one drawer
06:30that was open
06:31had utensils in it
06:32and through talking
06:34with Angie,
06:35the daughter of Donna Sue,
06:37they learned
06:38that one of the knives
06:39was missing.
06:41What did it suggest to you
06:42that the killer
06:44used one of Donna Sue's knives
06:47to commit the murder?
06:49That it had not been planned?
06:51that it was merely
06:55a crime of opportunity.
06:59Was the knife
07:00ever found?
07:01No.
07:02Besides the knife,
07:03was anything missing
07:04from the home?
07:05Yes.
07:06Donna Sue's purse
07:07was missing
07:08from the house.
07:11But all the evidence
07:13that pointed
07:13towards the crime
07:14being a random act
07:15of violence
07:16stood in stark contrast
07:18to the deeply personal nature
07:20of the assault
07:22on Donna Sue.
07:23Just how brutal
07:25of an attack was it?
07:27It was messy.
07:28It was unbelievable.
07:31There was obviously
07:32the fear that
07:33whoever had done this
07:35was still close by.
07:38And investigators
07:40quickly found evidence
07:42that supported that theory.
07:43It was clear
07:44the killer
07:45had fled the scene
07:47on foot.
07:49What did detectives see
07:50when they went
07:51into the backyard?
07:53They found
07:53a shoe impression
07:55that was in
07:56the dirt
07:57to the
07:58east of the residence.
08:00There was a fence area
08:01and it looked
08:02as if
08:03the actual chain link fence
08:04had been pushed down.
08:06Detectives believed
08:07that the killer
08:08exited the house,
08:09went over the fence,
08:10into the alleyway,
08:12and then went
08:12into the neighborhood.
08:14And police
08:15became convinced
08:16they were right
08:17when they discovered
08:18blood on the
08:20damaged fence.
08:24Did detectives
08:25believe it was likely
08:26he had injured himself
08:28during the attack?
08:29They thought he probably
08:30did.
08:31That's what they were
08:32hoping for.
08:34Whether it was through
08:35a suspect injury
08:36or transference
08:38from the actual
08:38act itself,
08:40they figured
08:41it was a good piece
08:42of evidence
08:42to start moving
08:43in the case port.
08:48And there was more.
08:50Police suspected
08:51that the killer's
08:52escape route
08:53through the unlit
08:54backyard
08:55meant that he had
08:56to be familiar
08:57with the area.
08:58Due to the time
08:59of this incident,
09:00it would have been dark
09:01and there's alleyways
09:02everywhere,
09:03so everybody
09:04started operating
09:04out of the theory
09:05that it was most likely
09:07somebody that was
09:08from this community.
09:08While officers
09:14fanned out
09:14to speak with
09:15everyone who
09:16lived nearby,
09:17investigators
09:18carefully bagged
09:20and tagged
09:20anything inside
09:22the home
09:22that could be
09:23connected to the
09:24attack.
09:25The detectives
09:27knew they were
09:28on the hunt
09:29for a vicious
09:30killer.
09:31And everything
09:32indicated that
09:33the investigation
09:34had to start
09:35with Donna Sue's
09:36inner circle.
09:37This is somebody
09:39that was close
09:41with Donna.
09:42Stabbing is very
09:43personal.
09:44This person may
09:45possibly still be
09:46lurking in the
09:47shadows.
09:47It was crazy.
10:01The murder
10:02of 38-year-old
10:04Donna Sue Hyatt
10:05sent shockwaves
10:06through the small
10:07community of
10:08Carlsbad, New
10:09Mexico.
10:10And for her
10:11loved ones,
10:12it was an
10:13unimaginable blow.
10:16How would you
10:17describe your
10:17mother?
10:18She was a young
10:19mother.
10:20She was a single
10:21mother.
10:22She'd been
10:22widowed.
10:23She loved us
10:24so much,
10:25and she spent
10:26all of her time
10:27with us.
10:32After losing
10:33her husband,
10:34Donna Sue
10:35became even
10:36more determined
10:37to do
10:37whatever she
10:38could to
10:38make sure
10:39her children
10:40felt her
10:40presence.
10:42She liked
10:42to be the
10:43class mother
10:43at school.
10:44She was the
10:44one who would
10:45come in and
10:45help the teacher
10:46plan the class
10:46parties and
10:47things like
10:48that.
10:49Did your
10:50mother have
10:50a lot of
10:50friends in
10:51Carlsbad?
10:52Yeah, she
10:53had a lot of
10:53friends.
10:53She loved
10:54going to
10:54church because
10:55she liked
10:56all of the
10:56different
10:56activities that
10:58went on at
10:59and around
10:59church.
11:05Donna Sue
11:06had spent her
11:07whole life in
11:08Carlsbad, and
11:10that meant the
11:11investigators on
11:12the case knew
11:13her well.
11:14She was a very
11:15kind person.
11:16There was no
11:17one that ever
11:17had a bad
11:18thing to say
11:18about her.
11:19I've been in
11:21this job for
11:22quite a while,
11:22and I don't
11:23know that I've
11:24met anyone that
11:25was so universally
11:26beloved by the
11:27community.
11:29She's someone that
11:30had suffered
11:30hardships along
11:31the way, yet
11:32she did not let
11:32that affect her
11:33personality.
11:34She was very
11:35outgoing, she
11:36was very loving
11:37and caring to
11:38everyone.
11:43And the
11:44personal
11:44connections
11:45detectives had
11:46with Donna Sue
11:47made the
11:47brutal scene
11:49inside her
11:49home even
11:50harder for
11:51them to
11:52understand.
11:53This would
11:54be the last
11:55person that
11:55anyone would
11:56suspect would
11:57be a victim
11:57of a crime.
12:02Donna Sue's
12:03daughter Michelle
12:03was just 22
12:05and living out
12:06of state on
12:07the night her
12:08mother died,
12:08and it never
12:10crossed her mind
12:11that foul play
12:12was involved.
12:13When I first
12:14heard that
12:15mother was
12:16dead, my
12:17first thought
12:17was that it
12:18probably had
12:18something to
12:19do with
12:19her epilepsy
12:20because she
12:21would have
12:21seizures and
12:22she would
12:22fall.
12:23And then when
12:24I found out
12:24that it was
12:25something so
12:26totally different,
12:27you don't see
12:27that coming.
12:31And in those
12:32mind-numbing
12:33moments, Michelle
12:34also had to find
12:36a way to comfort
12:37her sister Angie,
12:38who was
12:39devastated after
12:41finding her
12:41mother.
12:43It's been very
12:44difficult for her,
12:44I'm sure it still
12:45Liz, she's
12:46been heartbroken
12:47and scared
12:48at the same
12:49time, because
12:51it's scary to
12:52not know who
12:52did it and
12:53if he's
12:56among you.
13:02The Carlsbad
13:03Police Department
13:04was working
13:05around the
13:06clock to find
13:07the man
13:07responsible and
13:08ease those fears
13:10for Donna Sue's
13:11family and their
13:12community.
13:13They hoped
13:15that the
13:15autopsy report
13:16might give
13:17the investigation
13:18a direction.
13:20What did the
13:20medical examiner
13:22conclude caused
13:23her death?
13:24She had a
13:24broken hyoid
13:25bone where she
13:26had been strangled
13:27and actually her
13:28neck had been
13:28broken.
13:30She had been
13:31beaten severely
13:32and then there
13:33was a stab
13:34wound.
13:36The medical
13:37examiner also
13:38confirmed that
13:39Donna Sue had
13:40been sexually
13:41assaulted.
13:43What evidence
13:46was actually
13:46collected at
13:47autopsy?
13:48They did a
13:49rape kit and
13:50swabbed semen
13:51that was left
13:52on Donna Sue's
13:53inner thigh.
13:54Back in 1987,
13:56what could you
13:57do with that
13:57evidence?
13:58There wasn't a
13:58lot you could
13:59do with that.
14:00DNA wasn't a
14:00thing and so
14:02you pretty much
14:02just had to
14:04hold on to it.
14:04The grisly
14:10details in the
14:11report bolstered
14:12investigators'
14:13theory about
14:14the type of
14:15suspect they
14:16were pursuing.
14:18What did the
14:19brutality of the
14:21attack tell
14:22detectives about
14:23who might be
14:24responsible?
14:25Initially, we
14:26looked at people
14:27that would have
14:28been close to
14:28her, maybe
14:29ex-boyfriends or
14:31somebody she had
14:32turned down and
14:33not been
14:34interested in in
14:36an intimate
14:36way.
14:42While detectives
14:43began to
14:44interview those
14:44closest to
14:45Donna Sue about
14:46any romantic
14:47relationship she
14:48had, officers
14:49attempted to
14:50retrace her
14:51last known
14:52movements.
14:53Investigators
14:54had to start
14:54backtracking
14:55the old-fashioned
14:56way.
14:57When detectives
14:58canvassed the
14:59neighborhood,
14:59could they
15:00find any
15:00witnesses?
15:01They were able
15:02to locate some
15:03witnesses that
15:04were able to
15:04provide them
15:05with some very
15:05rudimentary
15:06evidence.
15:10There were
15:11several people
15:12that heard
15:12dogs barking.
15:14They thought
15:14somebody had
15:15ran down the
15:16alleyway.
15:17One lady
15:18explained that
15:19she had heard
15:19bushes kind
15:20of rustle.
15:22One gentleman
15:23spoke about
15:24actually seeing
15:25a guy,
15:26tall, thin,
15:27with a white
15:27t-shirt and
15:28shorts on,
15:29running from
15:30the direction
15:31that would
15:31have been
15:32from Donna
15:33Sue's house.
15:38The most
15:39important
15:40connection in
15:41the varied
15:41stories was
15:43that all the
15:44activity took
15:44place around
15:451030 on the
15:46night of the
15:47murder.
15:48So that
15:48significantly
15:49shrinks your
15:50timeline, just
15:52that information
15:52alone.
15:54unfortunately,
15:57when it came
15:58to more
15:58specific details,
16:00the accounts
16:00were limited.
16:02It was dark
16:03and they
16:03couldn't really
16:04give a physical
16:04description of
16:05the suspect.
16:07There wasn't
16:07anybody that
16:08saw the
16:09actual crime.
16:13The fact
16:14that the
16:15killer had
16:15hopped over
16:16Donna Sue's
16:17fence,
16:18scampered
16:19through bushes,
16:20and made his
16:20getaway down a
16:22dark alleyway
16:23narrowed the
16:24initial suspect
16:25pool to
16:25locals.
16:27Carlsbad, it's
16:28a smaller, pretty
16:29isolated town in
16:30New Mexico.
16:32Most homicides
16:33that we investigate,
16:34the statistics will
16:35show you that
16:35there's someone
16:36that you know,
16:37someone that you're
16:37very familiar with.
16:39She felt
16:40comfortable with
16:40this person and
16:41she trusted this
16:42person.
16:44And that left
16:46police in this
16:46close-knit community
16:47with a troubling
16:49question, was
16:50Donna Sue's
16:51killer someone
16:52they all knew?
17:09Detectives trying
17:10to solve the
17:11Donna Sue Hyatt murder
17:12were desperate to
17:14find out more
17:14about what she
17:15was doing during
17:16her final hours.
17:19As investigators
17:23interviewed Donna
17:24Sue's daughter,
17:25who had been
17:25living in the
17:26house at the
17:26time, critical
17:28details emerged.
17:30What did Donna
17:31Sue's daughter,
17:33Angie, say about
17:34the last time she
17:36saw her mother?
17:37She said the
17:38last time she
17:39spoke to Donna
17:39Sue, they had
17:40had an argument
17:41about her not
17:42paying rent and
17:42that she needed
17:43to pitch in and
17:44help.
17:45The heated
17:45exchange about
17:46their family
17:47finances took
17:48place around
17:498.30 that
17:50night.
17:51When it ended,
17:52Donna Sue grabbed
17:53her purse and
17:55stormed out.
17:57She just said
17:57she was going
17:58for a walk.
17:59She left the
17:59house.
18:01It was the
18:02last time Angie
18:04saw her mother
18:05alive.
18:06Did Donna Sue
18:08indicate to Angie
18:10where she was
18:11headed?
18:11No.
18:13Angie told police
18:14that she sat in
18:15the kitchen expecting
18:17her mother to
18:17return.
18:19But after 15
18:20minutes, she
18:21called her
18:21boyfriend.
18:23Donna Sue's
18:23daughter decided
18:24then also to
18:25leave the house.
18:27When she returned
18:29around 11.30, she
18:31found Donna Sue
18:32dead on the floor.
18:36The final argument
18:38and the bloodstained
18:40crime scene are
18:41memories that will
18:43haunt her the rest
18:44of her life.
18:45She and Mama
18:46weren't getting
18:47along real well at
18:48the time, so that
18:49leaves a lot left
18:50unsaid.
18:52We were both
18:52heartbroken.
18:53the frayed
18:58relationship and the
18:59harsh words meant
19:01that investigators
19:02would be forced to
19:03verify everything
19:04Angie had told
19:05them.
19:06Did Angie's story
19:08line up with all
19:09the evidence
19:10discovered in the
19:11house?
19:11It absolutely
19:12lined up with the
19:13evidence that was
19:14found at the scene.
19:16Officers consider
19:17all people as
19:18potential suspects
19:19in the beginning,
19:20but Angie had a
19:21really good alibi
19:22because she was
19:22with another person
19:23at the time that
19:24this incident occurred.
19:25It became apparent
19:26to them very quickly
19:27that Angie would
19:28not be a suspect.
19:31Ultimately, the
19:32investigators relied
19:33on the crime scene
19:34evidence and the
19:35neighbor sightings of
19:37a man fleeing
19:37Donna Sue's home at
19:3910.30 to clear
19:41Angie of anyone in
19:42her mother's murder.
19:48Police were also
19:49able to eliminate
19:50most of Donna Sue's
19:52inner circle through
19:53alibis of where
19:54they had been
19:55between 10 and
19:5710.30 p.m.
19:59Investigators now
20:00had to focus on
20:02what Donna Sue had
20:03done after her
20:04argument with Angie.
20:06And a conversation
20:07with one of Donna Sue's
20:09friends raised a new
20:10possibility.
20:12They thought that
20:13she may have had
20:14plans to meet up
20:15with someone,
20:16a man she had met
20:17while having her
20:18hair styled earlier
20:19that day.
20:24What did Donna Sue's
20:26friend tell police
20:27about a man that
20:29she had met at the
20:30salon the afternoon
20:31of her murder?
20:32Donna Sue had
20:33actually gone to the
20:34salon early in the
20:35day on July 8th and
20:37met a man there who
20:39was having his
20:40daughter's haircut.
20:42How did she describe
20:44him to her friend?
20:45He was good looking,
20:46that he was blonde,
20:47he was thin,
20:48very friendly.
20:49He's a real nice
20:50guy, she thought.
20:52She was pretty
20:52excited about that.
20:59Investigators were
21:00intrigued.
21:01The vague description
21:03sounded similar to the
21:04man seen fleeing the
21:06area on the night of
21:07the murder.
21:09And Lee took on
21:10greater significance
21:11when Donna Sue's
21:13friend revealed that
21:14she liked him enough
21:16to see him again.
21:18She did give a man
21:19her phone number,
21:20her address on the
21:21piece of paper.
21:23She was hopeful to
21:24hear from him in the
21:24future.
21:31Suddenly, investigators
21:33had a plausible scenario
21:35of how the crime
21:37might have unfolded.
21:39Could the man from the
21:40salon have called
21:42Donna Sue while she was
21:43still angry from the
21:45fight with her daughter
21:45and invited him over
21:47without thinking about
21:49the consequences?
21:53Did police think it
21:54was possible that the
21:55man she had given her
21:57personal information to
21:58could have been her
21:59killer?
21:59Yes.
22:02This was definitely
22:03someone that piqued the
22:04investigator's interest.
22:08Detectives immediately
22:09set out to find the
22:11suspicious stranger.
22:12How did investigators
22:14track him down?
22:16They talked to the
22:16salon people about
22:17who he was and they
22:19got a name and how to
22:20get in contact with him.
22:22Police discovered that
22:23Andrew was staying with
22:25his daughter and went
22:26to her home to speak
22:28with him.
22:29They did a full interview
22:31with him.
22:31Andrew told the police
22:32that he had met
22:33Donna Sue and talked
22:34to her and that she
22:37had given her phone
22:38number to him and he
22:40thought she was very
22:41nice.
22:45Andrew said he had
22:46planned to ask her out
22:48until he heard about
22:49the brutal attack.
22:52What did he tell
22:53investigators when they
22:54asked him if he had
22:56anything to do with
22:58Donna Sue's murder?
22:59He told investigators
23:00that he had not been
23:01in contact with Donna
23:02Sue after parting ways
23:04from the beauty shop
23:05and that he hadn't
23:06been involved in it.
23:07police pressed Andrew
23:13for more details.
23:15He was able to provide
23:16a very good alibi to
23:17where he was.
23:19Could his alibi be
23:20corroborated?
23:21Yes.
23:26Andrew could not have
23:27been anywhere near the
23:29Hyatt's home between 10
23:30and 1030 on the night
23:32of the crime.
23:32That quickly cleared up
23:36that he was not
23:37involved in the
23:38incident.
23:39The confirmation
23:40meant investigators
23:41were back at square
23:42one with few leads
23:44left to follow.
23:47It put Carlsbad in a
23:48state of fear and
23:49panic.
23:50The fact that such a
23:51brutal murder could
23:52take place in a
23:54residential area in a
23:55town like this,
23:57it really rocked this
23:59community to its very
24:00core.
24:00police in Carlsbad,
24:15New Mexico,
24:16believed they had
24:17already eliminated
24:18every viable suspect
24:20in the murder of
24:21Donna Sue Hyatt.
24:24But detectives weren't
24:26giving up and their
24:28frustration led them to
24:29go back to the
24:30beginning,
24:31starting with all the
24:32evidence found at the
24:33crime scene.
24:35Among the items
24:36collected was a brown
24:38paper bag found on
24:39Donna Sue's kitchen
24:40table.
24:42A closer look at its
24:43contents revealed, an
24:45uneaten fried pie and a
24:47receipt.
24:49The receipt was from
24:50the Circle K local
24:51convenience store,
24:52four blocks or so to
24:54the east of where
24:55Donna Sue lived.
24:56The seemingly
25:01meaningless slip of
25:03paper showed that
25:04Donna Sue had bought
25:06two Cokes along with
25:07a fried pie.
25:09But the receipt
25:10immediately became a
25:12critical lead when
25:13police noted the
25:14time stamp.
25:16The purchase had
25:17taken place at
25:189.13 on the
25:19night of the
25:20murder.
25:20That was roughly an
25:22hour before Donna
25:23Sue had been
25:24killed.
25:26Police raced to
25:31the store to
25:32follow up on the
25:33lead.
25:34When detectives
25:35questioned the
25:36worker at the
25:37Circle K, did he
25:38remember seeing
25:39Donna Sue that
25:39night?
25:41Donna Sue was the
25:42frequent customer of
25:43that particular store
25:44and so he absolutely
25:45remembered her coming
25:46into the store and
25:47making a purchase.
25:49And the clerk then
25:51added a shocking
25:53detail.
25:54He said that she
25:55wasn't alone.
25:58He remembered seeing
26:00a man with Donna Sue
26:01that night inside the
26:02Circle K.
26:04The employee didn't
26:06recognize the man and
26:08wasn't sure he was even
26:09with Donna Sue until he
26:11overheard their
26:12conversation.
26:14Donna Sue was asking
26:16him, what do you want
26:17to drink?
26:18He said, I don't care.
26:19And she was like, well,
26:19just get something.
26:21And so he ended up
26:24coming up to the
26:24counter with soda and
26:26then Donna Sue paid for
26:27both the sodas and the
26:29fried pie.
26:32Despite the friendly
26:33exchange, the clerk
26:35believed that Donna Sue
26:37had just met the man.
26:39And he explained why.
26:41This person had been in
26:43the store trying to
26:44purchase alcohol earlier
26:45and they didn't sell
26:46alcohol.
26:46And the clerk
26:47immediately made the
26:48mental note that that
26:49male said it must not
26:50be from the local
26:51community.
26:52Otherwise, he would have
26:53known they didn't sell
26:54alcohol at the store.
26:56Did he think they look
26:56comfortable together?
26:58He described the
26:59situation as very
27:00innocent in nature.
27:01It seemed to be a very
27:02casual encounter and
27:03Donna Sue didn't seem to
27:05be acting out of the
27:06ordinary.
27:11After Donna Sue paid for
27:13the items, the clerk
27:14watched them leave.
27:17Did he see them walk
27:18out of the store together?
27:20He did see them exit the
27:21store together and start
27:22walking in the general
27:23direction of her house.
27:27At that time of night,
27:28did many people walk in
27:30the area?
27:31Absolutely.
27:32There's a lot of people
27:33that go out and about at
27:34night, but unfortunately,
27:36we weren't able to locate
27:37people that remember
27:38seeing them walking.
27:40Police asked the clerk for
27:42a description of the man.
27:43He was described as a
27:45tall, thin-built,
27:47Caucasian male.
27:49In his early 20s, he had
27:51light brown to blondish
27:54colored hair, lighter eyes,
27:56not brown eyes.
28:00The timing of the encounter
28:02and the description of the
28:04man left detectives convinced
28:06that the stranger was
28:07responsible for Donna Sue's
28:09murder.
28:09With the help of the store
28:12clerk, a composite sketch
28:14was created and released
28:16to the public.
28:17Did police get any leads
28:19from the composite sketch
28:20that was created?
28:22No, there was really no
28:23leads that were what I would
28:25call a positive lead in the
28:26case.
28:28The ominous face and the
28:30lack of direction on the
28:32case was troubling to
28:33everyone in the small,
28:35close-knit city.
28:36And those fears quickly
28:38escalated when state police
28:40asked the Carlsbad PD to be
28:43on the lookout for a violent
28:45sexual predator who had
28:46escaped from prison just days
28:49before Donna Sue's murder.
28:53How did a man named Alfredo
28:56Jimenez end up on law
28:58enforcement's radar?
29:00Alfredo Jimenez had done a
29:02crime where some girls were
29:04kidnapped, they were raped,
29:05they were murdered, and he
29:06was on the loose.
29:08Was it their belief he had
29:10come to Carlsbad after
29:11escaping from prison?
29:13Yes.
29:13He was from the area, and so
29:16police were looking at him
29:17as a possible suspect.
29:21But that theory was
29:23ultimately dismissed when
29:25Jimenez was captured in
29:27another state, and his route
29:29documented that he was
29:30nowhere near Carlsbad on the
29:33night of Donna Sue's murder.
29:34Investigators were once
29:37again back at square one.
29:41Days turned into weeks, and
29:44then years without any new
29:46clues.
29:48What happened to the case
29:49over time?
29:50Kind of at a dead end.
29:53It's not that interest is
29:54lost, it's just there's
29:55nothing new to follow up on.
29:57A case like that goes cold.
29:59Donna Sue's loved one slowly
30:05began to accept that the man
30:07who killed her had gotten
30:09away with murder.
30:11What were all those years
30:13like when the investigation
30:15didn't seem to be going
30:17anywhere?
30:18I honestly had given up on
30:20ever finding out.
30:21I had pretty much come to the
30:22conclusion that I was never
30:24going to know in this life.
30:29In most investigations,
30:31every day that goes by
30:33without an arrest is a
30:35detective's worst enemy.
30:38But in this case, the passage
30:40of time would ultimately
30:42provide the lead that put
30:44police on the trail of
30:46Donna Sue's killer.
30:48The murder of Donna Sue
31:03Hyatt continued to haunt
31:04residents of Carlsbad, New
31:06Mexico for more than a
31:08decade.
31:09I can't think of any one
31:11particular case that people
31:12wanted solved more than this
31:14one because of how much she
31:15meant to the community.
31:18As the years passed,
31:22cold case investigators
31:23understood that their best
31:25chance of getting justice
31:26for Donna Sue relied on
31:29finding a match to the DNA
31:31evidence recovered at the
31:32crime scene.
31:34And when the FBI created a
31:36national offenders database,
31:38it seemed like an amazing
31:40new opportunity.
31:42What happened when the
31:44unknown DNA profile was
31:46uploaded into CODIS?
31:48When it was uploaded,
31:48everybody crosses their
31:49fingers and hoped that
31:50they're going to get
31:51results, but unfortunately
31:52there was no hits in the
31:53CODIS system.
31:57Modern forensic science
31:59also allowed the cold case
32:01team to do a one-to-one
32:03DNA comparison with every
32:05man mentioned in the
32:07massive file.
32:09Did any of the original
32:10suspects match the DNA
32:12profile?
32:13None of the DNA matched.
32:15None of it.
32:15The investigation was at a
32:18standstill, and it stayed that
32:20way until 2020, when it
32:23piqued the curiosity of
32:25Detective Tim Nice.
32:26I was working another cold case
32:29and actually solved Donna Sue's
32:31case file on a shelf.
32:33I started reading it, and I saw
32:35that there was good biological
32:36evidence.
32:37I just knew this DNA could solve
32:39this case.
32:40I just needed to find the right
32:42angle.
32:44His partner, Detective Joey
32:51Landgrave, was less optimistic.
32:54When you reviewed the case
32:55file, did you think the case
32:59could be solved?
33:00I was hopeful, but the problem
33:01was the DNA had been in CODIS
33:03since the 90s and never had a
33:06hit.
33:06But there was still one DNA
33:12technique investigators hadn't
33:15explored.
33:16Forensic genealogy.
33:18We were all hopeful that this
33:20could be the key that unlocked
33:21this entire case.
33:23We started building family trees
33:25of who this person could have
33:27been related to.
33:29How tedious was the process of
33:32building out a family tree?
33:33It's very tedious, but we were
33:36going to give it a shot.
33:40And that time-consuming hard work
33:42appeared to pay off when that
33:45family tree was whittled down to
33:47its final branch and a single
33:49name.
33:50What was the name of the suspect
33:53you were ultimately given?
33:55We eventually narrowed it down to a
33:57person that was named Michael
33:58Ruff Wiggly.
33:59What was your reaction?
34:06It was like winning the lottery.
34:07I remember just like jumping out of
34:09my seat.
34:10I was just ecstatic because we're
34:12going to bring justice for the
34:13family.
34:14That is my goal through all of
34:18this.
34:18Justice for Donna Sue.
34:19Still, investigators knew the job
34:28was far from finished.
34:30They immediately went to work
34:32trying to connect their prime
34:34suspect to Donna Sue.
34:37What did you learn when you
34:39researched his background?
34:41In the early 80s, he was an
34:44enlisted soldier in the Army.
34:45He was stationed in Fort Hood,
34:47Central Texas.
34:48Following a dishonorable
34:50discharge, Wiggly began a life
34:52of crime.
34:57What did you learn about Wiggly's
34:59criminal history?
35:00He had actually been convicted of
35:04raping a woman in Copper's Cove,
35:06Texas.
35:06He was put in prison, not for very
35:08long.
35:09He'd only spent about five years of
35:12the 12-year sentence that he was
35:13given.
35:14And then he was let out again in
35:16the mid-80s.
35:18That was long before violent
35:20criminals were forced to provide
35:22authorities with a DNA sample.
35:25And it was just 18 months after his
35:28release from that Texas prison that
35:31Donna Sue Hyatt was murdered.
35:33As they studied Wiggly's file, investigators were
35:42able to place him in Carlsbad.
35:45He had family that lived in the area, so he'd been
35:48there for a brief period of time.
35:50Shortly after the attack on Donna Sue, Wiggly's trail came to a sudden end.
35:56I found out that he had actually been involved in a car crash on a train track, and he had
36:02died in October of 1989.
36:07I was very upset.
36:08But after the disappointment settled in, the cold case team saw another way of proving beyond a
36:19reasonable doubt that Michael Wiggly killed Donna Sue Hyatt.
36:23We decided to exhume his body because we needed to take a DNA sample for the final comparative
36:30analysis to confirm the genealogy DNA results.
36:34We felt like that that would give us the final piece of the puzzle where we could say, without
36:39a doubt, he was the suspect that was involved in the case.
36:43Donna Sue's family needed closure.
36:45And if we had the opportunity to give them the answer as an absolute, then we were going to do
36:53everything that we could.
36:58Armed with a search warrant, detectives headed to Amarillo, Texas, to exhume Wiggly's remains.
37:05We took him in his coffin to Lubbock to a forensic pathologist.
37:12What did the testing reveal?
37:16It revealed 100% that Michael Ruff Wiggly was our suspect.
37:28A decades-old mystery had been solved by a team of relentless cold case investigators,
37:34and they now had the chance to share the fruit of their labor with Donna Sue's daughters.
37:40What did it mean to you to finally be able to give Donna Sue's family some answers?
37:48It meant everything.
37:49I don't know how to describe it.
37:51It's probably one of the greatest things I get to do as a police officer is tell the family
37:57when something like this is solved.
38:03For Donna Sue's loved ones, the news triggered a whirlwind of emotions.
38:08When I learned that he had died at a young age, I was shocked, and I cried.
38:16There was frustration and anger mixed with a deep sense of relief.
38:22It was certainly a sense of closure.
38:26At least I have more of an understanding of what happened.
38:30And he didn't live a long life and continue to hurt other people.
38:34I was glad to learn that.
38:35Michelle and her loved ones were also able to express their gratitude to everyone who worked on the case.
38:44Was it an emotional experience for you?
38:47Yes, very.
38:48I remember Michelle and Angie's faces.
38:53Imagine waiting 36 years to find who killed your mom.
38:58No one will ever know exactly what happened the night Donna Sue was murdered.
39:09But investigators have their theories.
39:12How do you think he and Donna Sue crossed paths?
39:15I believe he saw Donna Sue walking.
39:18Donna Sue was friendly.
39:19And I believe that Michael was a slick talker.
39:26At the Circle K, the convicted sexual predator turned on the charm and asked Donna Sue to buy him a Coke.
39:35Mama was a very trusting person.
39:38She liked people.
39:39She'd talk to anybody.
39:41She'd befriend anybody.
39:42Especially people who seemed like they needed it.
39:44As they walked away from the store, Wiggly either convinced Donna Sue to allow him to walk her home, or he followed her.
39:54What do you think happened that changed the situation from a friendly encounter into a terrible tragedy?
40:05Michael Ruff Wiggly was a man who didn't take no for an answer.
40:11So if he wanted something from Donna Sue that she wasn't willing to give, he was going to take.
40:20It was literally a crime of opportunity.
40:24Wiggly's savagery forever changed the small community of Carlsbad.
40:36Many spent years living in fear.
40:40But in the end, it's what he stole from Donna Sue's family that has left a void that will never be filled.
40:47What has been the hardest part of your loss?
40:54Mama was never there for any of our graduations, for our weddings.
40:58We missed her for all of the events.
41:01But worse than that, we didn't have her friendship.
41:06She was vibrant and enthusiastic and friendly.
41:10And it's sad that that was taken, because everyone who knew her loved her.
41:20Investigators say they will continue to pursue every means possible to solve cold cases like Donna Sue's.
41:27They hope families know that they will never stop working to get them the answers they deserve.
41:33I'm Paula Zahn.
41:36Please join us again next time when we're back on The Case.
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