Dateline Unforgettable S07E06

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00:00:00Some stories are unforgettable.

00:00:07This is one of them.

00:00:12She would show up sometimes before the pastor.

00:00:17She loved the love we gave her.

00:00:22I got a phone call that she didn't come home.

00:00:25She went missing on Friday the 13th.

00:00:28I heard sirens.

00:00:30And my heart kind of dropped.

00:00:32Kids would call it a haunted house.

00:00:34I visited the scene of the crime, and haunted house is right.

00:00:38It really was shocking to see, and not just because I knew what happened there.

00:00:43You couldn't imagine a scarier place for a body to be found.

00:00:49We're trying to identify potential suspects.

00:00:53John Adams was Shantae's boyfriend.

00:00:54He said, I'm your boyfriend. I have a right.

00:00:58She said, no, you don't.

00:01:00Colin's name had been mentioned multiple times.

00:01:02Colin told her to meet him in the shed and not to tell anybody.

00:01:07She knew Ryan.

00:01:09He was missing. He couldn't be located.

00:01:12There was this stunning juxtaposition of good and evil, and two places representing those very things.

00:01:18A church and a spooky house.

00:01:20I have never seen anything like it in a case that I've covered.

00:01:25Take me to that Wednesday night church service.

00:01:27He starts talking about demon thoughts.

00:01:31That's when it just exploded.

00:01:33I grabbed the pew, and I was like, ow.

00:01:41Ow.

00:01:48This is Dateline Unforgettable.

00:01:50I'm Blaine Alexander with a fresh look at The Haunted House Confession.

00:01:55Down this backcountry road is an isolated stretch of land, a place where hunters come looking for prey.

00:02:08Behind the fence, just through the overgrown grass, sits an abandoned farmhouse.

00:02:14The few people who know it's here call it The Haunted House.

00:02:21This place is truly creepy, straight out of a horror movie.

00:02:26But one night, the horror became real.

00:02:31This was the scene of a crime so evil, it haunted an entire community and made neighbor doubt neighbor.

00:02:39Everybody was a suspect.

00:02:41In the very beginning, absolutely.

00:02:44The search for justice would lead to a different house.

00:02:48A house of worship.

00:02:50Had evil made its way there, too?

00:02:55To report this story, I spent a lot of time in Brown County, Texas.

00:03:00And it became clear to me that faith is profoundly important to many in this community.

00:03:06This tragic case, for some, tested that faith, and for others, caused them to lean more deeply into it.

00:03:13You're going to meet people who truly look out for each other.

00:03:17It's something that stuck with me, and I think it will for you, too.

00:03:23For the congregation of North Lake Community Church, this simple building was a refuge.

00:03:29A place to sing and worship in peace.

00:03:32A haven for people like Shantae Blankenship.

00:03:37You walk in that church, and you felt like this is home.

00:03:41This is family.

00:03:43And I really think that is what kept her coming back.

00:03:47She felt safe there.

00:03:48Yes.

00:03:50Shantae was 25 and lived with her grandfather and boyfriend in a community on Lake Brownwood in Central Texas.

00:03:58Linda and Russell Lamond met Shantae at church.

00:04:03Russell was the assistant pastor.

00:04:05He and his wife took Shantae under their wing when she started showing up with a notebook and her own Bible.

00:04:12You couldn't help but smile with her around because she just, she glowed.

00:04:18You know, she glowed.

00:04:20It didn't take a lot to make her happy.

00:04:22Shantae's younger sister, Destiny Jarvis.

00:04:25You know, she was happy with where she lived, her church, her neighbors, you know, going on her walks every day.

00:04:32Neighbors could count on seeing Shantae every day as she strolled her neighborhood by the lake.

00:04:38Friday, May 13, 2016, was no different except that evening, Shantae went out for a walk and didn't come home.

00:04:49Her grandfather called Shantae's mom, Michelle McDaniel.

00:04:53My dad had called and said that Shantae hadn't came home.

00:04:57We just, my dad had kind of figured she had spent the night with one of her friends.

00:05:01Shantae's mother wasn't too worried at first, but as the hours ticked by, that changed.

00:05:08He told me she still wasn't home.

00:05:11The next day, her mom went to the house, took a look around and saw that her purse was still there.

00:05:18She didn't go anywhere without her purse.

00:05:20It had kind of went over me, something had happened.

00:05:23Shantae's grandfather said he'd been calling her nonstop.

00:05:27It wasn't normal for her not to communicate, especially with him.

00:05:31The family reported her missing to the sheriff.

00:05:34And in a community this close, word spread quickly.

00:05:39A search was organized after church on Sunday.

00:05:42Were you surprised by how many people turned out to search?

00:05:45Actually, no.

00:05:46She was loved by everybody.

00:05:47And then in the moment we found out that she was missing, it was like not even a thought.

00:05:53Let's look forward.

00:05:54We had to find Shantae.

00:05:55I remember coming down the hill back to the church and the parking lot's full, probably 200 people.

00:06:02All there to search for her.

00:06:04Yes.

00:06:05Since it was such a small community, it's like she's got to be around here.

00:06:10You know, she couldn't have walked that far.

00:06:12We searched under piles of leaves.

00:06:16We searched under boats.

00:06:18You know, anything that would look like it would be hiding something.

00:06:229-1-1, what's the location of your emergency?

00:06:24I have no idea where I'm at.

00:06:26I am in the middle of nowhere.

00:06:28We were looking for Shantae for a good ship.

00:06:30It was Sunday afternoon.

00:06:32Shantae had been missing almost 48 hours.

00:06:36We found her.

00:06:36Deputies sped down a road five miles from Shantae's home to that abandoned farmhouse.

00:06:44Their body cameras were rolling as they met Charlie Radel and his girlfriend Jackie Neal.

00:06:50We were just driving around looking for her.

00:06:52Everybody met at three at the church to go look for her and we were just driving around.

00:06:58I walked around in the house.

00:07:00Uh-huh.

00:07:01I didn't see nothing in there and went to all the outbuildings.

00:07:03Yeah.

00:07:04And I was coming back and that storm cell over there had a bunch of grass knocked down.

00:07:09So I run around and looked and there she is.

00:07:11She's upside down in there.

00:07:12And she just beat the s**t.

00:07:16I got a daughter that age.

00:07:19I don't mind it.

00:07:21Brown County Sheriff's Office Investigator Scott Bird responded to the scene.

00:07:26What was the condition she was in?

00:07:28Very brutal assault.

00:07:29There was cuts, bruises all over her face and head.

00:07:34So it was very clear to you from the beginning, this is a murder investigation.

00:07:38Oh, yes.

00:07:39That meant all hands on deck.

00:07:42Texas Ranger Jason Shea was called in to help.

00:07:46I'm a dad.

00:07:47I've got kids.

00:07:47It kind of hits home to you because we all have kids and it affects you.

00:07:56I can tell.

00:07:57Just looking at you, when you talk about it, it affects you.

00:08:00Yeah.

00:08:01Sure.

00:08:03A young woman of violent murder.

00:08:06It felt like it couldn't have been a first-time killer.

00:08:11The disappearance on Friday the 13th and the location where she was found.

00:08:16Is this some type of cult activity?

00:08:19It could have been anybody.

00:08:21How long could a murderer hide?

00:08:23I can't grab ahold of him.

00:08:25I can't find him.

00:08:27All of a sudden, it was almost like somebody turned the lights on and you were like, oh,

00:08:31and there he is.

00:08:32I realize it's like I just put my face in front of a killer's face.

00:08:36You know, I mean, that close.

00:08:38Shantae's mother, Michelle, heard the sirens first.

00:08:53Then a friend who'd helped organize the searches came to find her in person.

00:08:58I remember her telling me they had found her.

00:09:01I remember falling to my knees, screaming.

00:09:03Are there any words to describe what you felt?

00:09:09I was lost.

00:09:11I just, I lost myself at that moment.

00:09:15I'd fell to my knees and asking why.

00:09:18I was devastated.

00:09:19Yeah, devastated and in shock.

00:09:22There's bad things that go on in the community.

00:09:26Anywhere.

00:09:26You'll get that anywhere.

00:09:28But her specifically, why her?

00:09:33Why would anyone want to hurt Shantae?

00:09:38What was it about Shantae that just really drew people to her?

00:09:41Her love.

00:09:43Just, just her.

00:09:45I mean, just meeting her would make you just fall in love with her.

00:09:50Stephen McDaniel is Shantae's stepfather.

00:09:53He'd known her since she was six years old.

00:09:56What was Shantae like?

00:09:57Funny, love music.

00:09:59She had a good smile.

00:10:01You couldn't question whether or not she was happy.

00:10:03People not only noticed Shantae's smile, she had a sense of style, too.

00:10:09She thought everything was better in pink or with sparkles or glitter.

00:10:13Shantae was tiny, not even five feet, barely 90 pounds, but she had big opinions.

00:10:23And her grandfather, Charlie, the one she lived with, was happy to give her whatever she wanted.

00:10:29He'd helped raise her from birth.

00:10:31I had her when I was 16.

00:10:32I guess I was trying to live for me for a while.

00:10:34I worked and I partied, so she just became my dad's permanent kid, pretty much.

00:10:42Growing up, Shantae needed extra care.

00:10:46She developed more slowly than other kids.

00:10:49So her walking, her talking, all of that was delayed.

00:10:54If you talked to her, you would know that she was different than a normal child.

00:10:59She still kind of talked like a child.

00:11:00It was like she aged to a certain point and she stopped.

00:11:06How did she navigate those challenges?

00:11:09She just did.

00:11:11She, nothing ever bothered her.

00:11:13She would figure it out.

00:11:15But she didn't do it alone.

00:11:17It seemed everyone in the neighborhood had a protective eye on her.

00:11:21From her family, her friends, and of course, her boyfriend, John.

00:11:26He spoiled her just like my dad.

00:11:28She never went without as long as they were together.

00:11:32Sounds like he really took care of her.

00:11:33He did take care of her.

00:11:35So did her friends at church.

00:11:37I understand that there were some times you would help her with the hymns that would be sung in church.

00:11:44She stood right next to Linda and I in the choir.

00:11:47She was like our daughter.

00:11:49She felt like family to you.

00:11:51This is the church, North Lake.

00:11:52Shantae's church had become the makeshift headquarters for her search.

00:11:57Now, it was where authorities launched their investigation.

00:12:01Pastor?

00:12:03How are you, sir?

00:12:05Hey, folks, could you have your attention just a minute?

00:12:07If you believe you have information that will assist in this investigation, I ask you don't discuss it with anybody else.

00:12:15I want your recollections to be your own.

00:12:17We'll be speaking to you as we get to you, all right?

00:12:19She wasn't involved in any type of drugs or gangs.

00:12:23This was an innocent girl who hadn't done anything wrong.

00:12:27And then we find her in the bottom of the cellar.

00:12:30Texas Ranger Jason Shea and a team of investigators canvassed Shantae's neighborhood, retracing her final steps.

00:12:38This really was the starting place for your investigation.

00:12:41Yes, this is the very beginning of it.

00:12:43Besides the crime scene, we knew that she had been over here, so this is the main area where we focused a lot of our investigation.

00:12:51A quick word about the hats.

00:12:53I was fascinated.

00:12:56Ranger Shea told me it's a tradition among Texas Rangers.

00:12:59It's an actual part of their uniform.

00:13:02And their hats are a light color because in the old westerns, dark hats represented the bad guys.

00:13:07I also have fond memories of the show Walker, Texas Ranger, so I can't lie, I was excited to meet one in real life.

00:13:15But what really stood out for me was the deep connection that Ranger Shea and Investigator Bird had to this community.

00:13:23What did you hope to find out?

00:13:24Somebody that had seen her or seen her get in a car with somebody.

00:13:28A handful of neighbors had seen her at a local restaurant just a few hours before she disappeared.

00:13:35Then she went home, said goodbye to her boyfriend, John, before he left for work at 6 p.m.

00:13:42She set out for her walk right after, eventually meeting up with a friend.

00:13:47That friend, Caitlin McAbee, told investigators that she and Shantae walked together for a couple of hours.

00:13:54Her grandpa called her right before we got to the end of the street, said, hey, it's getting dark.

00:14:02She was like, it's okay, Papa, I'll be home soon.

00:14:07She says, I'm walking.

00:14:10And that's all she said.

00:14:12Her grandfather confirmed to police that call was at 8.48 p.m.

00:14:18That's about the dust.

00:14:20Caitlin said after that, she and Shantae said goodbye.

00:14:23She kind of was laughing and just took off running.

00:14:28Down the road?

00:14:29Yeah, down the road.

00:14:31And then within minutes after, she and her friend split.

00:14:35She goes missing.

00:14:36And where she and her friend parted ways, how far was she from her home?

00:14:39Quarter mile.

00:14:40When you think about that small window, does it mean that the killer was maybe following her, waiting for her?

00:14:47He could have been.

00:14:48And he may have been waiting for her and watching for her and waited for that time to where she was by herself to take his chance.

00:14:58What happened next was still a mystery, but a bizarre clue was about to spark a new and terrifying question.

00:15:06You think Friday the 13th, you start wondering, is there something more sinister than just somebody got murdered?

00:15:12The old house was set back from the road, isolated and in a state of disrepair.

00:15:32Even for a native like Investigator Scott Byrd, a complete mystery.

00:15:38I've never seen that house before.

00:15:40I don't know that I'd ever been on that county road in my career.

00:15:44Investigators soon learned it was a party spot for kids.

00:15:48Teenagers had nicknamed it the haunted house.

00:15:51So it's obvious that people haven't lived here for years.

00:15:54The floor is gone.

00:15:56It's just joists going across.

00:15:59You're going to find snakes in there, other living animals in there.

00:16:04Stepping up to the scene of the crime with Investigator Byrd was powerful.

00:16:09I'd only seen pictures of the crime scene to that point, so arriving there immediately gave me chills.

00:16:16It really was a haunted house.

00:16:18Standing in that very same spot where terrible things happened was emotional.

00:16:23My heart broke thinking of Shantae being brought there in darkness, murdered, and then discarded.

00:16:29This house was seemingly forgotten, and it felt that the killer hoped the same would happen to Shantae.

00:16:36What were you looking for immediately when you got here?

00:16:39We looked for shoe prints, what's being left in the dirt, tire tracks, looking for any kind of biological material, blood, hair.

00:16:48I've got his body cam, so we can get a video going over there.

00:16:54Investigators set up a grid search, combing every inch of the property for clues.

00:17:00There's good tire tracks that just dead end at the gate and back out, and then there's spin-out marks.

00:17:06Like someone's been through it recently or something.

00:17:09They found Shantae's bracelets scattered across the grass.

00:17:13Here's another pink man right here, John.

00:17:16She wore a bunch of different colored bracelets.

00:17:19There was one on this side of the gate, and then there was one just on the other side of the gate.

00:17:23So what did that tell you?

00:17:24Bracelet here, bracelet there, both on the ground.

00:17:28Somehow or another, she's losing them off of her arm.

00:17:32At that point, we didn't know what caused that.

00:17:34Then, in the gravel, they found strands of brown hair.

00:17:40You can kind of see it right there in this grass, where it looks like something's been through here right here.

00:17:45Yeah, right here too.

00:17:47Yeah.

00:17:47Investigators concluded someone had dragged Shantae to the place where she was found.

00:17:53Her body had been thrown over the fence, and then she was drugged by her hair to the cellar.

00:17:58Something very brutal happened out there.

00:18:01You don't just walk and lose your hair and your bracelets and your jewelry.

00:18:06Traumatic events were happening.

00:18:08Just the brutality of it is what sticks out.

00:18:11Investigators found a rusty lawnmower blade near her body.

00:18:15It was covered in blood.

00:18:18And there's blood spatter on that brick, so you know she's bleeding good.

00:18:22There were deep cuts on Shantae's scalp and face,

00:18:26bruises on both sides of her neck, her arms and legs.

00:18:30And something odd on her chest.

00:18:34We didn't know what it came from.

00:18:37It was kind of jagged lines, almost like triangles.

00:18:43We even took a picture of that and sent that to the FBI headquarters.

00:18:47An autopsy revealed Shantae had died from blunt force trauma,

00:18:52consistent with that bloody lawnmower blade.

00:18:55She had also been sexually assaulted.

00:18:59Not only did we have a murder, we had a rapist as well.

00:19:03Crime scene techs collected evidence at the scene and sent it out for DNA testing,

00:19:08hoping it would lead them to Shantae's killer.

00:19:10There is a lot of fear that's generated when something like this happens in a place like Brownwood.

00:19:20Alicia Byrd is Investigator Byrd's wife.

00:19:24She is also the county's assistant DA.

00:19:26There becomes a time when you switch from your role as a supportive spouse to I am a prosecutor

00:19:35and there is a murder within my county.

00:19:38When she saw a photo of that mark on Shantae's chest

00:19:42and considered that the murder happened on Friday the 13th,

00:19:46a theory started to take shape.

00:19:48When you put all that together and you think Friday the 13th,

00:19:52you start wondering if there's something connecting all of this.

00:19:57You know, is there something more sinister than just somebody got murdered?

00:20:00Is this some type of cult activity?

00:20:05Maybe that could explain the why, if only they could figure out the who.

00:20:11Right away, Investigator Byrd knew who he wanted to look at first.

00:20:16Charlie Radel and Jackie Neal, the searchers who found Shantae.

00:20:25I thought we already found who did this

00:20:28because you're five miles away from where everybody else is looking.

00:20:32You're in the middle of nowhere.

00:20:34She can't be seen from the road.

00:20:36You have to get out of your truck, climb a fence,

00:20:39walk through a hundred yards of tall grass to get to where she was.

00:20:44So you're thinking, we found who did this, and they gave themselves away?

00:20:49Correct.

00:20:51Time to head to the sheriff's office for questioning.

00:20:55What might a polygraph reveal?

00:20:58Did you kill Shantae?

00:20:59The search for Shantae had ended,

00:21:13but the hunt for her killer was just getting underway.

00:21:18To start, investigators wanted to take a hard look at Charlie Radel

00:21:22and his girlfriend Jackie, the searchers who found Shantae.

00:21:26We were just driving around looking for her.

00:21:29It was just, it was odd that they had found this.

00:21:33It seemed so unlikely that they just got lucky.

00:21:37The house is so remote, it's almost impossible to find, even with GPS.

00:21:43It's on a dirt road off of another dirt road.

00:21:47It's incredible to me that Charlie and his girlfriend found Shantae's body in that storm cellar.

00:21:54I grew up in Oklahoma, Tornado Alley.

00:21:57So storm cellars are very common.

00:21:59It's where people shelter during a storm.

00:22:02They're usually detached from the house with doors that lead underground.

00:22:06This one was so overgrown that I almost couldn't even see it from where I was standing.

00:22:11And for me, it becomes its own character in this story just because of how eerie it felt.

00:22:16What are the odds that he found her out there innocently?

00:22:21Sometimes where there's smoke, there's fire.

00:22:23If y'all want to have a seat in the truck so we don't make any more footprints than we've already got.

00:22:28Charlie and Jackie were both in their 40s,

00:22:31and they both knew Shantae from her daily walks in the neighborhood.

00:22:35She lived about a mile away from them.

00:22:37I got a dog that age.

00:22:41I don't minding.

00:22:42Investigators took note of Charlie's emotion at the scene

00:22:46and invited him to the sheriff's office to see how he would answer questions there.

00:22:51Do you go by Charlie?

00:22:53Everybody don't go by Chap.

00:22:55Chap, okay.

00:22:55C-H-A-P.

00:22:56Charlie told the investigator he'd just seen Shantae out walking,

00:23:01not long before she disappeared.

00:23:03When you saw her on Friday, what was she wearing?

00:23:06What was she wearing?

00:23:07A white shirt with kind of faded Daisy Duke shorts on.

00:23:13Charlie said that as soon as they heard a search was being organized,

00:23:17he and Jackie jumped in the truck and hit the country roads.

00:23:21I was talking to the Lord, and I said,

00:23:23Lord, I hope she's okay, but if she's in a bad way, please show her to me.

00:23:27Then, he said, they came upon that dirt road, the one leading to the haunted house.

00:23:33He had stated that his kids used to go out there and, you know,

00:23:37teenagers going out there and partying at this old abandoned house.

00:23:40I walked over to the galvanized gate, and I'm propped up on it.

00:23:44I'm looking at the house.

00:23:46Jackie, she comes up behind me.

00:23:47She's pointing with her foot.

00:23:49She said, what is that?

00:23:50I got down close to it, and I grabbed it.

00:23:53I said, Jackie, that's human hair.

00:23:54I shot through the fence, and I went to the house.

00:23:59After looking around the dilapidated house,

00:24:02he said he decided to check the storm cellar.

00:24:05That's where he found Shante's body.

00:24:08Jackie asked me, she said, is she dead?

00:24:12I said, yeah, she's dead.

00:24:15I said, she had love on the phone.

00:24:18I said, you sure it's Shante?

00:24:20I said, yeah, it's her.

00:24:22Did you touch her?

00:24:23No.

00:24:24No, I didn't touch her.

00:24:25Why do you think somebody would kill her?

00:24:30I don't know.

00:24:33I can't imagine how anybody could do something like that.

00:24:36They also interviewed Jackie.

00:24:38The investigator asked her where Charlie was on Friday the 13th.

00:24:43The night Shante disappeared.

00:24:45Where are you behind what time?

00:24:49It was between 17 and 7.15.

00:24:52Somewhere.

00:24:53And he was at work before that.

00:24:57They offered investigators their DNA.

00:24:59Go ahead and do the DNA test.

00:25:02Rule me out.

00:25:04Charlie also agreed to a polygraph.

00:25:06How hard did law enforcement press Charlie?

00:25:10Extremely hard.

00:25:11Did you participate in killing Shante?

00:25:13Shante, no.

00:25:17Did you kill Shante?

00:25:18No.

00:25:20And he showed no indication of deception during that polygraph.

00:25:24And we decided it's time to move on.

00:25:26While investigators searched for Shante's killer, her family was facing the difficult task of planning her funeral.

00:25:35Mourners gathered for the service at her beloved church.

00:25:40Everybody had a touch of pink somewhere, whether they were wearing, you know, just pink bracelet or that they were wearing actual pink.

00:25:49You know, my mom, my brothers, they'd all got like matching shirts and things like that.

00:25:53What stands out to you the most about that day?

00:25:57The people.

00:25:58Some people are standing outside, walking into the church, being seated, and it's packed.

00:26:03People are standing.

00:26:05The whole parking lot's full of people.

00:26:07Did you feel the love that this community had for your daughter?

00:26:10I did.

00:26:11I did.

00:26:12Did you ever consider the possibility that her killer might be right there in the room, in the church with you?

00:26:19I didn't.

00:26:20She didn't, but investigators did.

00:26:24They rigged up surveillance cameras inside the church.

00:26:28You thought that it was important to see who was coming, who was going.

00:26:33Yes, people will come back to see what we have found or to downplay what they've done.

00:26:40or to hide in plain sight.

00:26:42But after scrubbing through hours of video, investigators didn't find anything suspicious.

00:26:49Still, they were convinced Shante's killer had to be close by, almost certainly someone she knew.

00:26:57She wouldn't get in a car with somebody she didn't know.

00:26:59Everyone just knew that about her.

00:27:01They knew that.

00:27:02There were, I can't tell you how many people came up to us and said,

00:27:04had to have been somebody who'd known because she wouldn't have gotten in a vehicle that she didn't know that person.

00:27:10So they would have to look at everyone in Shante's circle, starting with the man closest to her.

00:27:17He said, I'm your boyfriend.

00:27:20I have a right.

00:27:21She said, you know you don't.

00:27:22In the days after Shante's body was found, her family and friends tried to come to terms with her savage murder.

00:27:40I know that you'd said at some point, even after she was found, there were days when you almost still expected to see her on those walks.

00:27:49Yes, I remember the first time we drove down that road, and it was sad.

00:27:56It's like, she's supposed to be here.

00:27:58She's not here.

00:27:59It was almost like living that day over again that we found out that she wasn't alive.

00:28:06As investigators looked for Shante's killer, those closest to her were under scrutiny.

00:28:12When we're doing any of these investigations, who are the first people you look at as boyfriend?

00:28:17John Adams, Shante's live-in boyfriend.

00:28:21At 26, he was a year older than Shante.

00:28:24They'd known each other since middle school, had been a couple for more than three years.

00:28:29They were even starting to talk about marriage.

00:28:33John meant a lot to her.

00:28:34She meant a lot to him.

00:28:36That's what mattered to Shante's family.

00:28:39They made it clear to John that Shante was special and needed to be protected.

00:28:45So with John, I think there was a lot of conversations between him and other family members about it.

00:28:54And I think they trusted him to not ever take advantage of her and to treat her right.

00:28:59Two days after Shante's body was found, investigators paid John a visit.

00:29:06Hello.

00:29:07Carlisle Govroom.

00:29:08What's your name?

00:29:09John Adams.

00:29:10John recognized the deputy from a traffic stop.

00:29:13You pulled me over before.

00:29:14I pulled you over before for what?

00:29:16Oh, down there on Sissy Whitson Road.

00:29:19Oh, okay.

00:29:20Is this where you all live in here?

00:29:22Yeah.

00:29:23Can we go inside?

00:29:24Yeah.

00:29:25John led them to the bedroom he shared with Shante.

00:29:28Is there anything missing out of here?

00:29:31No.

00:29:32They studied the room.

00:29:33Can we have this brush?

00:29:35Took pictures and examined Shante's belongings.

00:29:39I'm just going to dump this out.

00:29:45So she goes everywhere with her purse, but she just didn't have her purse today.

00:29:50Then they went back outside.

00:29:52That's when they let John know they weren't just looking for clues.

00:29:56They were looking at him.

00:29:59Normally, boyfriends are going to be the number one suspect a lot of times.

00:30:04And also a lot of times when we do these, we do find another suspect.

00:30:11So when we do find the real killer, then we could say, oh, we covered that base.

00:30:18They walked around the property looking into outbuildings.

00:30:21What is that on that hammer?

00:30:23Is that for pulling out nails or something?

00:30:25They took pictures of John's pickup truck and were interested to see a lot of lawnmowers in the shed.

00:30:32Man, do you guys have a lawn care service or something?

00:30:36Remember, it was a lawnmower blade that killed Shante.

00:30:40That was missing, that was tore up.

00:30:42They also wanted to know about John's relationship with Shante.

00:30:48Investigators had heard it was loving, but could be tense at times.

00:30:53It was strained.

00:30:55They weren't the Ozzie and Harriet.

00:30:57They weren't perfect.

00:30:58Shante liked to wave at boys, and boys would wave back, and it made her feel good.

00:31:04And that made him a little jealous.

00:31:07Now, she didn't mean anything by it, but John was a little bit jealous, so it upset him some.

00:31:14Did you ever learn that Shante had complained to neighbors about John sometimes wanting to control her?

00:31:20Sure.

00:31:21Would tell her what to eat, what not to eat, where she could go, where she couldn't go.

00:31:27Bitsy Hobbs, one of Shante's friends, told investigators she heard the couple fighting.

00:31:33Shante sounded angry.

00:31:36You had no control over me.

00:31:38You cannot tell me what to do.

00:31:41Well, you know, I went on cussing.

00:31:43Mm-hmm.

00:31:45He said, I'm your boyfriend.

00:31:47I have a right.

00:31:49She said, no, you don't.

00:31:51You do not have control over me.

00:31:53I'll see whoever I want to.

00:31:54I think talking to witnesses who had spoken to John prior to the homicide, that he was worried about the relationship and didn't know how much longer it was going to last.

00:32:08Mm.

00:32:08So he was thinking it may come to an end soon.

00:32:11Quite possible.

00:32:12You know, could this have been a spat, an argument, and that's why, you know, she was killed?

00:32:19We didn't know at that time.

00:32:20But they were about to find out.

00:32:24They had a stack of questions for John Adams.

00:32:28For starters, what did he do with his phone?

00:32:32These text messages that you deleted, and you know what I'm talking about, because you even told somebody, hey, my phone's clean.

00:32:39I spoke with John Harper the first night and stuff, told my side of the story.

00:32:53John Adams seemed like a friendly guy when he met investigators.

00:32:57Who lives here?

00:32:59Charlie Barnett.

00:33:00And this is where you live, too?

00:33:01Yes, sir.

00:33:02But friendly didn't mean innocent.

00:33:04We didn't know if he knew more about what had happened to Shantae than what he was actually telling us.

00:33:10Did you bring him in?

00:33:11We did bring him in and asked him what was going on.

00:33:14So we had a good timeline of where Shantae was at, and we needed to see where he was at during that time.

00:33:19So the last time you talked to her on the phone?

00:33:21John said that around 5 p.m., he picked Shantae up at the restaurant where neighbors had seen her that afternoon.

00:33:29So he picked her up and took her to where?

00:33:31To the house.

00:33:32And dropped her off?

00:33:33No.

00:33:34And went to the shower.

00:33:36And then we were there.

00:33:37John said he then went to work at his restaurant job around 6 p.m.

00:33:43So he left and she stayed there?

00:33:45Yeah.

00:33:45Is that what time you have to be at work?

00:33:47Are you supposed to be at work at 6?

00:33:48It was 9.

00:33:49If I show up, you can ask her, I would show up earlier.

00:33:52You're supposed to go work at 9.

00:33:54Yeah, but I'd show up earlier sometimes up there, too.

00:33:56He said he worked an overnight shift and got home around 5 the next morning.

00:34:02Shantae wasn't there.

00:34:04He thought maybe she was at a friend's place.

00:34:07That's when you discovered she wasn't there.

00:34:09Yeah, I went and saw her room.

00:34:10Did you start calling her phone?

00:34:12I called her phone and it was disconnected.

00:34:15They dug into his relationship with Shantae.

00:34:18Do you have another girlfriend?

00:34:20Huh?

00:34:20Do you have another girlfriend?

00:34:21No.

00:34:22Another girl who talked to you that you don't have to?

00:34:24No.

00:34:24No?

00:34:25I'm a faithful man.

00:34:27I'm a lawyer.

00:34:27Did she ever tell you that she had been sexually intimate with anybody else?

00:34:32I've never said anything about that.

00:34:33I've asked her.

00:34:35Did she just say no or she just avoided the conversation?

00:34:38She avoided the conversation and said no.

00:34:40After that interview, John was free to go.

00:34:45But investigators found something while searching his cell phone data.

00:34:50He had given us his cell phone to download.

00:34:53We looked at that and noticed that there was some communication that had been deleted.

00:34:57So we had to pull him back in.

00:34:59Some messages?

00:34:59Some messages.

00:35:00This time, the conversation was less friendly on both sides.

00:35:05Do you delete your text messages?

00:35:07Yeah.

00:35:08Okay.

00:35:09And apparently you deleted some yesterday before you showed up.

00:35:12That was way early.

00:35:14No, that's not what these text messages that you deleted.

00:35:18And you know what I'm talking about.

00:35:19Because you even told somebody, hey, my phone's clean.

00:35:22So why don't you tell me if that's mine?

00:35:26John admitted he was trying to hide something, but not about Shantae.

00:35:32I smoke weed and I just don't want that.

00:35:35That's one thing that would be in there.

00:35:37You know, he said, hey, this is what was going on.

00:35:40I was using drugs and those messages were in reference to buying and selling marijuana.

00:35:46And so that's how he explained it.

00:35:48I'm asking you questions.

00:35:48They interviewed John four times.

00:35:51They were trying to pressure me.

00:35:53We interviewed him, too, and asked him what it was like to be grilled like that.

00:35:58Could you, you could tell that when they were talking to you, they weren't just trying to get information.

00:36:04They were thinking that you had something to do with it.

00:36:06They were trying to pressure me to confess what they were trying to do.

00:36:11Were you upset?

00:36:12I was.

00:36:13I was very upset.

00:36:15It hurt.

00:36:15I have, I don't have a bone in my body to do something like that to someone.

00:36:22He told us the same thing he told investigators.

00:36:25His relationship with Shantae was not perfect, but it was solid.

00:36:30Were there ever any rocky moments?

00:36:33Uh, there were things, you know, she'd just get mad for certain reasons.

00:36:38There would be times where I just had to, I'd walk away, you know, I wouldn't yell really at her or argue with her, you know.

00:36:45But, I mean, learning out, we stayed together, you know, made it work, you know.

00:36:49Even if there were ups and downs between the two of you?

00:36:52Yeah.

00:36:52It wasn't just investigators.

00:36:55John knew neighbors were quick to assume the boyfriend was to blame.

00:37:00But he told us what some saw as controlling behavior was his way of protecting Shantae.

00:37:07Already people were starting to point their fingers at you.

00:37:09And it made me mad.

00:37:11Knowing Danewell, I didn't, I didn't do nothing.

00:37:15I did nothing but protect her.

00:37:16Investigators needed to check out everything John told them, including what he said about other men in town.

00:37:26Like a guy named Bobby Sousa, who John said liked to throw parties.

00:37:33He lived in the area.

00:37:34He was always seen driving around that area.

00:37:37Shantae's friend told investigators she'd seen a red and white Bronco in the neighborhood the night Shantae disappeared.

00:37:44That the driver waved at them and seemed creepy.

00:37:48They tracked down Sousa and confirmed he drove a red and white Bronco and brought him in for questioning at the sheriff's office.

00:37:57I understand you guys got to be your job.

00:37:59Sousa said he did drive by Shantae on her walk that night.

00:38:03But that was it.

00:38:04If you did have something to do with this, you need to let me know now.

00:38:07I would have thought you'd be a one.

00:38:09Did investigators search his house, search his car?

00:38:12They searched everything.

00:38:12He was, come in my house, search my vehicle, look anywhere you want.

00:38:16Sorry about the mess.

00:38:18Oh, you're good, man.

00:38:19So he was very open.

00:38:21Absolutely.

00:38:21He also shared where he'd been that night.

00:38:24He had gone to another residence and there were multiple individuals there that he didn't leave until late that evening.

00:38:31Were you able to verify that?

00:38:33We were able to verify that.

00:38:34The pressure to find Shantae's killer was mounting.

00:38:38Meanwhile, police had more questions for John Adams, especially after investigators found

00:38:45out he'd been deleting text messages from his phone.

00:38:48So why don't you tell me about mine?

00:38:51Investigators checked out his story and confirmed those deleted text messages were just about marijuana.

00:38:58So you caught him in something else, but not murder.

00:39:01Correct.

00:39:01They were also able to get security video from the restaurant where John worked, along with the timesheets.

00:39:09He told us exactly where he was, what he had done, and everything he told us was truthful.

00:39:14So he gave you an alibi and you were able to verify it?

00:39:17Yes.

00:39:18Through video.

00:39:18I mean, it doesn't get much better alibi than that.

00:39:21He was just worried and upset that his fiancée had been killed.

00:39:25He wanted to figure out who had done this also.

00:39:28In talking to John Adams, it was very clear that his pain was still raw.

00:39:34I can't imagine grieving the loss of a loved one while, at the same time, living under this cloud of suspicion.

00:39:41It's always the first place investigators start with the significant other.

00:39:44And I got the sense that John was still traumatized by everything that happened.

00:39:50I was so grateful that he chose to open up to us and tell his part of the story.

00:39:55I want to ask you, John, what do you miss the most about Shantay?

00:40:02The most I miss about Shantay?

00:40:10Our laughter.

00:40:11It made life easier when she smiled and just laughed and not mad at you.

00:40:20She was like my best friend.

00:40:23John, as a suspect, was a dead end.

00:40:26But that didn't mean talking to him was a waste of time.

00:40:30Not at all.

00:40:31We still needed more information of potential suspects that might be involved in the case.

00:40:36So we had to continue to try to keep him on our side to get as much information as we could.

00:40:43John gave them another name, a name they heard from other neighbors, Colin Smith.

00:40:50When we started doing interviews, his name had been mentioned multiple times.

00:40:55Colin was in his 20s, did some lawn mowing and odd jobs around town.

00:41:00And he lived just around the corner from Shantay.

00:41:05Shantay went missing and it was right there by Colin's house.

00:41:09Here's where Colin was living at the time.

00:41:11Yep.

00:41:12Okay.

00:41:12And it kind of backs up back to the road to where Shantay was living at too.

00:41:17Okay.

00:41:18So she would have had to walk down this area the day that she went missing.

00:41:24John Adams told investigators Colin was a troublemaker.

00:41:29He used to ride around with him and stuff.

00:41:32And he used to just do stupid stuff.

00:41:34I mean, like, ride around with a drone.

00:41:36And Shantay's stepdad, Stephen, recalls that months before the murder,

00:41:41Colin took Shantay out for a late night joyride.

00:41:45Stephen was furious.

00:41:48What did you say?

00:41:48I just asked him what he was doing with her, and I made her get out of the vehicle

00:41:54and told him to stay away from her.

00:41:58You told him to stay away from her?

00:42:00Yes.

00:42:01Did he?

00:42:02As far as my knowledge, yes.

00:42:05But Ranger Shea heard that's not what Colin did.

00:42:09Miss McBee that had been walking with Shantay had told us that

00:42:13Colin Smith had purchased her some shoes recently.

00:42:17Shantay also told her friend Colin wanted to meet up the night she disappeared.

00:42:23Saying, hey, meet me out by the barn tonight, but don't tell anybody.

00:42:27To Shantay?

00:42:28Yes.

00:42:38The Texas Rangers investigating the Shantay Blankenship murder

00:42:42were starting to hear the same name from several people, Colin Smith.

00:42:47And Shantay's friend, Caitlin McAbee, told them about a secret meeting the night Shantay disappeared.

00:42:53She told me Colin told her to meet, yeah, told her to meet him in the shed behind his house that night

00:43:03and not to tell anybody.

00:43:08That very well meant that Colin could have been the last person to see her alive.

00:43:12Sure, and that's what we were thinking.

00:43:14Is he the one?

00:43:16Did she say something that upset him?

00:43:19In my opinion, he was a number one that we needed to talk to.

00:43:24Shantay went to see him in person.

00:43:26How you doing, sir?

00:43:27I'm Jason Shantay.

00:43:28I'm with the Texas Rangers.

00:43:29What's your name?

00:43:30Paul.

00:43:31How did you find him?

00:43:32Did he seem shifty to you?

00:43:34He really didn't.

00:43:36There was a little bit of concern.

00:43:37I mean, it's ridiculous that I'm even being looked at.

00:43:41Like other neighbors investigators spoke to, Colin said he did see Shantay the night she

00:43:47disappeared, but only from a distance.

00:43:49He'd seen her pass by his house on her last walk.

00:43:53But, uh, probably around, the last time we seen her, it was around 6.37.

00:44:00Shantay was just a friend, Colin said, but he told investigators that she was interested

00:44:06in more than friendship.

00:44:08I had to change my number because she would call it from like 6.30 in the morning to like

00:44:12midnight at night.

00:44:13Just call, hang up, call, hang up, call, hang up.

00:44:16Like a high school girl.

00:44:18Yeah.

00:44:18Did y'all have any type of physical relationship at all?

00:44:21Uh-uh.

00:44:22So never?

00:44:23No.

00:44:24Investigators wanted to ask him more questions, this time hooked up to a lie detector.

00:44:30Uh, why are we here today, Colin?

00:44:32Uh, they want to find out who the murderer is.

00:44:34I want to prove to them that it ain't me.

00:44:36But right before they got started, a key part of his story changed.

00:44:41He admitted he did have a physical relationship with Shantay.

00:44:45I was like, wow.

00:44:47We kind of, we thought we were dating, you know?

00:44:52Colin told police he didn't know Shantay and John were serious.

00:44:57Once everybody started telling me that she did have a boyfriend and all the stuff, John

00:45:00Adams.

00:45:01Mm-hmm.

00:45:02I mean, I left her alone.

00:45:03When was the last time you'd been with her?

00:45:06A couple weeks ago.

00:45:07He ended up admitting that he had been in a sexual relationship with her.

00:45:11Was that the only thing he'd been hiding?

00:45:15Wired up to the machine, the questions got very specific.

00:45:19Did you physically cause the death of Shantay?

00:45:22No.

00:45:23You don't know...

00:45:24I don't know what happened to her.

00:45:25...how she, uh, how she died?

00:45:27Not at all.

00:45:27Uh, you don't know what kind of weapon was used?

00:45:30No.

00:45:30The investigator told Colin the results of the tests were not good.

00:45:35Okay.

00:45:36I've done a lot of these tests, and I'm looking at this, and I'm showing deception.

00:45:42Okay?

00:45:42I'm not allowed to do.

00:45:44Was that a red flag?

00:45:45That's a big red flag.

00:45:46A lie detector test can be a powerful tool for investigators.

00:45:50Just the willingness of someone to take the test can often speak volumes.

00:45:56But here's what many people don't realize.

00:45:58These tests are not foolproof.

00:46:00There are plenty of factors, stress, grief, anxiety, even medical conditions that can throw

00:46:06off the readings.

00:46:08That's why polygraph results cannot be used as evidence in court.

00:46:12They're just too unreliable.

00:46:14But detectives can use them to apply pressure.

00:46:17I'm telling you right now that something is causing the issues on this.

00:46:20And I want to get down to the bottom of it.

00:46:22If you didn't kill her...

00:46:24I have no idea.

00:46:24I didn't do it.

00:46:26Bottom line.

00:46:27Colin, who'd been cooperative up to this point, seemed eager to leave.

00:46:32About what I've done.

00:46:33Well, you still want to cooperate, right?

00:46:36Yeah.

00:46:37Don't make me out to be the bad guy here.

00:46:39We're going to have a serious problem.

00:46:41I will hire a lawyer.

00:46:42Hey, I don't give a f*** one way or another if you're going to hire a lawyer.

00:46:45Do not sit there and try to threaten me with hiring a lawyer.

00:46:49You're the one that's in here cooperating, are you not?

00:46:51Yes, sir.

00:46:52Okay.

00:46:52I thought you said we were done, though.

00:46:53Okay.

00:46:54Go ahead and put your hands together, please.

00:46:56I thought you said we were done.

00:46:57I'm sorry.

00:46:58Colin stayed long enough to give them his alibi.

00:47:01He'd been at his brother's house, he said, about 10 miles away.

00:47:05Where did you stay that night?

00:47:07I'm going to go out to my brother's living room.

00:47:09Fall asleep watching basketball games.

00:47:11Texas Ranger Shea and I knew we had to get to the brother to talk to him before Colin could.

00:47:17To get the true story and not Colin calling his brother and saying, hey, cover for me.

00:47:22Would Colin's alibi check out?

00:47:25Or would police be forced to consider a whole new theory?

00:47:29It felt like it couldn't have been a first-time killer.

00:47:45Investigators thought they might finally be getting somewhere.

00:47:49In a room with a young man they found highly suspicious.

00:47:53Colin Smith was my main focus.

00:47:55Colin had initially lied to detectives about his relationship with Chante.

00:48:00And when they hooked him up to that polygraph, it seemed he still wasn't telling the whole story.

00:48:06Colin told the polygrapher that he had an alibi.

00:48:11He was with his brother, but couldn't explain why he failed the polygraph.

00:48:16Investigators raced to talk to Colin's brother before he could.

00:48:21And the brother confirmed his alibi.

00:48:23It's not just his brother that we talked to.

00:48:26Who else is there with you?

00:48:28They also talked to his niece and nephew, who said they saw Colin too.

00:48:33Of course, they're family members.

00:48:35So we've got to look at that too.

00:48:39It's not the strongest alibi.

00:48:40It's not the strongest because, you know, family members will cover family members.

00:48:45Investigators also took Colin's DNA and sent it to the crime lab.

00:48:49How does that come back?

00:48:50It come back that he's not a match to the DNA that was found on their body.

00:48:54So you're able to clear him?

00:48:55Yes.

00:48:56Another dead end.

00:48:58By now, DNA results were coming in from the other men they'd talked to.

00:49:03Chante's boyfriend, John, was not a match.

00:49:06Neither was neighbor Bobby Sousa.

00:49:08Nobody may have ever looked in that cellar.

00:49:11It may have been years.

00:49:12And the DNA also proved those searchers who found Chante were exactly what they appeared to be, good Samaritans.

00:49:21Far from suspects, they had been a blessing to the investigation.

00:49:25We were very lucky, very blessed.

00:49:28There's all kinds of predatory animals out here.

00:49:31Coyotes, bobcats, stray dogs, any kind of occasional mountain lion.

00:49:38If we hadn't have found her, that's probably what would have found her, some kind of animal.

00:49:42The timely discovery of Chante's body was a stroke of luck that, to Investigator Byrd, felt like divine intervention.

00:49:51But that luck seemed to be running out as they tore through lead after lead.

00:49:57How many calls were coming in that you guys had to chase down?

00:50:01A lot. Hundreds.

00:50:03At first, it was just, try this name, try this name, try this name.

00:50:08And you all have to chase after each and every one.

00:50:10Anytime somebody called in and said, hey, this person was in the neighborhood, we'd go talk to them.

00:50:16And we would ask the male for a buccal swab to take their DNA.

00:50:20Investigators collected samples from at least two dozen men, including Chante's grandfather, Charlie.

00:50:27It seemed unthinkable the doting Charlie could be the killer, but Chante's mom was in favor of testing him.

00:50:35You thought he could have possibly been involved.

00:50:37I'd die. Everybody was involved.

00:50:39Nobody was ruled out in your eyes.

00:50:41Nobody was ruled out in my eyes.

00:50:43It wasn't the grandfather.

00:50:45And it also wasn't anyone in CODIS, the National Law Enforcement DNA Database.

00:50:51Back to square one.

00:50:52Back to square one.

00:50:53Just heart-wrenching.

00:50:55This is how cold cases are born.

00:50:58It's dead end after dead end.

00:51:00It's painful for the families.

00:51:02It's terrifying for communities wondering who among them is a killer.

00:51:06For Investigator Byrd, he told me it was particularly frustrating because he had the killer's DNA, but didn't know who it belonged to.

00:51:15The answer was right there, but completely out of reach.

00:51:19As a journalist, I'm struck by how easily leads can go cold, but new technology or someone finally coming forward can make all the difference.

00:51:28As weeks went by, and then months.

00:51:34We just know that they're out there.

00:51:37It's scary.

00:51:38Out there and possibly right there in the community.

00:51:41Right.

00:51:41Is this a neighbor?

00:51:42Is this a friend?

00:51:43Everybody was scared.

00:51:45The kids that walked out there constantly started pairing up.

00:51:49Nobody walked alone.

00:51:50It snatched away that feeling of safety from the whole community.

00:51:54At Shante's church, parishioners were desperate for answers.

00:51:59I can't believe they would take such a precious person.

00:52:04She meant so much to Linda and I and to the community.

00:52:07Pastor, are you, sir?

00:52:09The pastor hounded investigators for updates.

00:52:12Called me every day, every two days, every three days,

00:52:17wanting to know what we found and asking questions about the evidence.

00:52:22Asking about the case.

00:52:23Yes.

00:52:24And because no one was above suspicion,

00:52:27investigators even wondered about the pastor himself.

00:52:31When somebody becomes too involved in your case,

00:52:34sometimes they're trying to figure out what you do know,

00:52:37what you have found out, what you haven't found out,

00:52:40to protect themselves.

00:52:42That went nowhere.

00:52:44And while authorities suspected the killer was someone Shante knew,

00:52:49they couldn't rule out other theories.

00:52:52Did you ever consider the possibility that you were dealing with a serial killer?

00:52:56You know, that's always a possibility of things that we look at.

00:53:00Alicia Bird was still thinking about that strange symbol on Shante's chest.

00:53:06What could it mean?

00:53:07The disappearance on Friday the 13th,

00:53:10and the location where she was found,

00:53:12it just all, you know, you're looking for some sort of cohesiveness.

00:53:17You're looking for some theory of the case.

00:53:19A lot of sleepless nights laying there wondering,

00:53:23what did I miss today?

00:53:24Did I talk to this person today?

00:53:28It makes you start second-guessing yourself.

00:53:31What are you missing?

00:53:33You were really taking this case personally.

00:53:35Absolutely.

00:53:35Investigator Bird's wife could see the case was weighing heavily on her husband.

00:53:41And the great thing with us both being in this field is we're able to give each other that space,

00:53:49recognizing that he needs to be able to think and to figure out what his next investigatory step will be.

00:53:58Shante's family feared the investigation had hit a wall.

00:54:03It seemed like that nothing was getting done to me.

00:54:08Desperate for answers, Shante's stepfather admits he badgered his neighbors.

00:54:13I would stop everybody that drove by the house.

00:54:15I was out there morning to dark, trying to find out answers.

00:54:22I caused a lot of problems out there.

00:54:24I wanted to know.

00:54:25You were desperate.

00:54:26That was your girl.

00:54:27Yes, ma'am.

00:54:28You start thinking at that point,

00:54:30they'll probably never actually find who did this.

00:54:33They told me they would never stop, but in my eyes they had stopped

00:54:36because they were doing stuff that I didn't know at the time.

00:54:40What she didn't know was that Investigator Byrd was about to take a leap of faith

00:54:45with a cutting-edge technology.

00:54:48Maybe this would reveal the face of the killer.

00:54:52I'm willing to try anything.

00:54:53It very much seemed too good to be true.

00:54:58One year after Shante was murdered, her mom organized a memorial.

00:55:13Friends and family came together and walked Shante's route.

00:55:17Everybody was out of breath.

00:55:18We didn't know how she did it.

00:55:20Yeah.

00:55:20Well, that was her thing.

00:55:21Yeah, it was her thing.

00:55:22It was.

00:55:23She loved it.

00:55:24Everybody always talked about her, you know, all the beautiful moments.

00:55:29You know, everybody's seen her.

00:55:30Most of them are walking in her smile.

00:55:33Those were difficult days for everyone.

00:55:36Those who loved her spent hours by her grave,

00:55:39the stone inscribed singing in the angels' choir.

00:55:44Her stepfather, Stephen, was grieving and feeling guilty.

00:55:48Before she went missing, he told Shante he might take her fishing on that Friday.

00:55:52Instead, he picked up an extra shift at work.

00:55:57It's been hard.

00:55:59Real hard.

00:56:00Because I figured if I wouldn't have went to work that weekend,

00:56:04I should still be here.

00:56:06You think through all these what-ifs.

00:56:10And I blame myself every day.

00:56:13The Le Mans were suffering, too.

00:56:15I cried for months and months.

00:56:17Afterward, it came to the point where it was unsolved.

00:56:21It hurt.

00:56:22I was really angry that, you know, if I said,

00:56:24man, if I could just get five minutes alone with this guy.

00:56:27And, you know, that's not a proper way to think.

00:56:29But, you know, still, you know, they took something from all of us.

00:56:34Despite all the leads the investigators had run down,

00:56:38Shante's killer was still out there.

00:56:40Now, like a losing football team, they were ready for a Hail Mary.

00:56:46I was trying anything I could.

00:56:48We were lost.

00:56:51We couldn't...

00:56:52We didn't know what the next step was.

00:56:54Bird felt incredibly frustrated.

00:56:57He couldn't crack the case, even though he had the killer's DNA.

00:57:02It tells us who the killer is.

00:57:04It doesn't give us a name, but it tells us who did this.

00:57:08And it's undisputable.

00:57:09So what you have in your hand is quite possibly the best piece of evidence

00:57:14in terms of identifying someone, but no name.

00:57:17Right.

00:57:18That's how I've described it to people.

00:57:20I know exactly who you are.

00:57:22Then Bird heard about a new DNA technique his department had never used.

00:57:28The process is called phenotyping.

00:57:30It uses DNA to predict the way a person looks,

00:57:34eye, hair, and skin color, among other things.

00:57:37Back in 2017, it was a shiny new tool for law enforcement.

00:57:43One of our investigators, who doesn't work for us anymore,

00:57:47saw a show on TV.

00:57:50Hmm.

00:57:51And it was about phenotyping.

00:57:53And he told me about it.

00:57:54Bird Googled it and called around.

00:57:56So you're hearing success stories.

00:57:58Correct.

00:57:59And thinking, this could work for us, too.

00:58:01Right.

00:58:01But when the investigator ran it by others, he hit a wall of skepticism,

00:58:07including his wife, Alicia, in the district attorney's office.

00:58:11It felt very television-esque, you know?

00:58:16It felt like something that you see on TV,

00:58:19but it doesn't really happen that way in real criminal cases.

00:58:24And so it very much felt like a science fiction idea.

00:58:30You doubted it from the very beginning.

00:58:31From the very beginning, I didn't believe that it would work.

00:58:34This is not a TV show.

00:58:36This is not a TV show, and this is not...

00:58:38They can't do that with DNA.

00:58:40You had a lot of people to convince.

00:58:42I did, including the sheriff, the district attorney.

00:58:46And then I had to convince them to give me some more money.

00:58:48That couldn't have been easy.

00:58:49That's not easy.

00:58:50The price tag?

00:58:52$3,600.

00:58:54More money for an investigation that was already

00:58:58one of the most expensive this sheriff's office had ever done.

00:59:03Michael Murray is the Brown County District Attorney.

00:59:06Did you have concerns about whether or not

00:59:08this would even be admissible in court or this could help with the case?

00:59:11It wasn't so much that we needed to use it in court,

00:59:14but we needed a lead that would help lead to real other evidence.

00:59:18And so sometimes, while it may not be the primary evidence you use in court,

00:59:22if it leads to other evidence, that would be the important aspect here.

00:59:26Finally, they all agreed it was time for that Hail Mary.

00:59:30They got the money, and the DNA was submitted to a lab owned by a Virginia tech company called Parabon.

00:59:38You thought there goes $3,600 down the drain?

00:59:41Yes.

00:59:41I think the county just wasted some money.

00:59:44Five months later, Investigator Byrd got an email.

00:59:47It was late afternoon.

00:59:48I pulled it up, and it said the image was included.

00:59:53Oh, goodness.

00:59:54What are you thinking before you open this picture?

00:59:56I hope I recognize the person.

00:59:59I hope this gives me an idea of who the person is.

01:00:03This is the image in the email.

01:00:05So I opened it, and I had no clue.

01:00:08It was just a stranger.

01:00:10Zero recognition.

01:00:11Zero.

01:00:12Did you see it?

01:00:12I did.

01:00:13Did you think that it looked like a person?

01:00:16I mean, did it seem like, hey, this could lead us somewhere?

01:00:18It looked like, to me, it looked like every white kid out at North Lake.

01:00:22It could have been anybody.

01:00:24Not exactly the miracle they were hoping for.

01:00:27Still, they posted it on social media and pinned their hopes on the public,

01:00:32the chance that somebody out there just might recognize this face.

01:00:37I mean, you're like, I have no idea.

01:00:39This looks like just an average white boy with blonde, sandy blonde hair.

01:00:44And it's like, I don't know who that could be.

01:00:48We look at the sketch, me and my husband, and nothing.

01:00:52Did anything about it stand out to you?

01:00:54Nothing.

01:00:55Shante's sister studied it and was struck by its sophistication.

01:01:00You know, you grow up looking at the news, and it, you know,

01:01:03they're looking for the guy who did whatever, and it's like a stick figure,

01:01:05and it looks like something you could have drew in art class.

01:01:08This was way advanced, you know, compared to anything that you had seen prior to that.

01:01:16But it didn't ring a bell for destiny, either.

01:01:19To me, looks like any dude, a pitcher, you know.

01:01:23Everyone felt defeated.

01:01:25Then Michelle got a call from another member of the family, Shante's half-brother.

01:01:31He saw something others didn't, and gave his mother a name to look up.

01:01:37My heart hit the floor, and I remember crying, and I turned, and I said, this is him.

01:01:42At first, the Parabon sketch felt like a big dud.

01:01:56Police posted it on social media and showed it to the family, but nothing.

01:02:02Then Michelle's son, Cutter, called her.

01:02:06He said he felt like he knew it right then.

01:02:08Cutter told his mom he was sure the sketch showed somebody he knew, someone named Ryan Riggs.

01:02:19I looked him up, and as soon as I seen that face, my heart hit the floor,

01:02:25and I remember crying, and I turned, and I said, this is him. This is him.

01:02:30All of a sudden, it was almost like somebody turned the lights on, and you were like, there he is.

01:02:36Ryan Riggs was a local, a member of Shante's church.

01:02:42Cutter knew Riggs from high school and would never forget him.

01:02:46Ryan had bullied Cutter in school and had poured a whole glass of sweet tea over his head.

01:02:51So your son had known him for years.

01:02:53They all did, and they all used to play video games together.

01:02:58Michelle called Scott Bird and gave him the name.

01:03:01You've got a picture. You've got a name. How do you put those together?

01:03:05We went to social media.

01:03:08We basically looked up Ryan Riggs on Facebook,

01:03:12and the picture that popped up of him was the spitting image of the computer image that we'd received.

01:03:21It felt definitive.

01:03:24It felt like here is the answer.

01:03:26We have been looking for a year and a half, and we've had nothing, and here it is, and it's a perfect match.

01:03:39What did you think when you saw that side by side?

01:03:41I started becoming a believer.

01:03:43Maybe it wasn't a waste of $3,600.

01:03:44Maybe this is not a waste of money.

01:03:47Investigators still had a lot of work to do.

01:03:50The sketch alone wasn't enough for an arrest.

01:03:54We start diving into Ryan Riggs to find out who he is.

01:03:59They learned that the 21-year-old Riggs loved playing video games online and picked up work doing lawn care.

01:04:07When Shantae first went missing, he'd even been part of the search, riding with John on an ATV.

01:04:14We was telling her name and just trying to see anything that was out of ordinary or see if we could just get lucky to find her, you know?

01:04:25And Ryan was calling her name, too?

01:04:26Yeah, he was.

01:04:29When investigators looked in their own files, they learned more.

01:04:33We found that he was a suspect in an illegal dumping case.

01:04:38That's where he dumped some trash on a county road.

01:04:41Dumping trash is no big deal.

01:04:45But where he dumped it was.

01:04:48Just a half mile from where Shantae's body was found, along that same remote country road.

01:04:56So what does that tell you?

01:04:58He knows the area.

01:05:00What's more, in those dark days after Shantae's murder, Riggs was a constant presence.

01:05:07Here he is, captured on the police surveillance video, attending Shantae's funeral, waiting at the entrance to the church, then watching from the doorway.

01:05:18Midway through the service, he gets a program and takes a seat.

01:05:22And then he leaves before it's over.

01:05:26He was at the house for, you know, her wake.

01:05:30He was at her house multiple times with John.

01:05:34Shantae's boyfriend.

01:05:35Mm-hmm.

01:05:35I'd be crying, talking about it, and he'd just act like just normal.

01:05:41To me, this was one of the most chilling aspects of this case.

01:05:47People often say a killer returns to the scene of a crime, sometimes to admire their work or to monitor detectives.

01:05:54But if Ryan was the killer, being so intimately close to Shantae's family, even sharing an ATV with her boyfriend during the search, is just beyond comprehension.

01:06:05It would be evil and terrifying that someone could commit such a brutal murder and then just act normal.

01:06:13He would come into your intimate space and offer comfort, give you hugs.

01:06:19He was there, standing next to him, he shook my hand.

01:06:25He shook your hand?

01:06:27Yes, ma'am.

01:06:30The day we buried my daughter.

01:06:32The fact that he was there for some of the most painful moments, that had to feel like the ultimate insult.

01:06:38It was.

01:06:39How could anybody do that?

01:06:41I mean, I just didn't understand.

01:06:47And I was mad, just because he was there the whole time, and I couldn't see it.

01:06:54And he was right there.

01:06:57After 18 months of hard work, investigators now had a new and urgent priority.

01:07:04Find Ryan Riggs.

01:07:06We find his mom and dad.

01:07:08They let us come in and look in the house.

01:07:11He's not there.

01:07:12They don't know where he is, hasn't been home for several days.

01:07:15After police released the sketch to the public, Riggs had taken off.

01:07:20So now we know Ryan's on the run from us.

01:07:23We figure he's seen the sketch, he's seen the news release.

01:07:27And at this point, you're looking, but...

01:07:29We can't find him.

01:07:31My job at that point was, we're going to have to come up with a plan to locate him.

01:07:36If that's out in the woods, out in the brush, wherever he's at, we've got to find him.

01:07:40You were preparing for a manhunt.

01:07:42We were getting ready for a manhunt.

01:07:43The investigation had been jump-started, and another dramatic development was just around

01:07:51the corner, not in the woods or the brush, but at the very church that Shantae loved.

01:07:59I want you guys to take me to that Wednesday night church service.

01:08:02Ryan Riggs was now the prime suspect in Shantae's murder, but almost a week after the DNA sketch

01:08:25was made public, he was nowhere to be found.

01:08:29Scott Byrd believed he was on the run.

01:08:32We're calling informants.

01:08:34We have his picture out to the police department, our department.

01:08:39Everybody out driving around is looking for him.

01:08:41Russell and Linda Lamond had no idea there was an all-out manhunt underway for the young man

01:08:49they knew from church.

01:08:52He would pop up every once in a while.

01:08:54He was always with his mom and dad, or if mom was there by herself.

01:08:58And his sister as well.

01:08:59Yeah.

01:09:00Yes, his sister.

01:09:01What did you know about Ryan Riggs?

01:09:03Oh, he was a good kid.

01:09:04Good kid.

01:09:05He would do anything for you?

01:09:07Mm-hmm.

01:09:08Anything you would ask him, hey, can you do this for me?

01:09:11And it would be, yes, ma'am, yes, sir.

01:09:13We had a community cleanup of one of the homeless shelters.

01:09:17I remember him out there weed-eating, just going to town and weed-eating, cleaning up the community.

01:09:21He was very excited about doing it.

01:09:24On November 15, 2017, 18 months after Shantae was murdered,

01:09:30the Lamonds headed to church for a regular Wednesday night service.

01:09:35I want you guys to take me to that Wednesday night church service.

01:09:38Okay, I'll start.

01:09:46When we got to church, there's Ryan's parents, the pastor and his wife, and then I see Ryan in the middle.

01:09:58There was Ryan, not hiding, not on the run, but there in plain sight at the church.

01:10:04We sat down, and the pastor said that, you know, Ryan wants to tell us something.

01:10:12And he starts talking, but he's talking about his salvation.

01:10:19And my thought's like, what is he talking about?

01:10:22So you're just lost.

01:10:23He's like, I'm lost.

01:10:24And he starts talking about that he had, you know, demon thoughts, or he had, you know, voices in his head that was telling him to do things.

01:10:36And then Ryan Riggs, standing alone at the pulpit in front of the whole congregation, said it.

01:10:44He was a murderer.

01:10:49I start crying, and I don't even remember everything he said at that point.

01:10:54I want to ask you, Russell.

01:10:56All I had to do was mention that church service, and you were almost brought to tears.

01:11:01It was very difficult, very difficult, because when he said, I'm a murderer, I just got sick.

01:11:11I was like, and I remember saying, please don't tell me he's talking about Shantae.

01:11:16Please don't tell me.

01:11:18And the pastor's wife was standing next to us, and she goes, yes.

01:11:22And I put my head down, and I was so angry.

01:11:34I was so angry.

01:11:36But I put my head down, and I grabbed the pew, and I was like, how?

01:11:42I love this boy.

01:11:44And pastor saw that he could see the look on my face.

01:11:49You were really conflicted.

01:11:49And he goes, Russell, I want you to come stand next to him.

01:11:53And I'm thinking to myself, that's probably not a good idea right now.

01:11:57You know, I'm not an angry person, but I wanted to hurt you for five minutes.

01:12:02I kid you not, because I loved her so much.

01:12:05And now you're being asked to stand next to him.

01:12:07So now I'm being asked to stand up next to him.

01:12:11And I went up to the pulpit, and I put my arms around him, and I embraced him.

01:12:18And I told him I loved him.

01:12:20It was one of the hardest things I had to do.

01:12:25Did you forgive him in that moment?

01:12:27Yes, I did.

01:12:28I did.

01:12:29This is, without question, one of those interviews that will always stay with me.

01:12:35You saw Russell's emotion, just choking up at my mere mention of the church service.

01:12:41I felt his pain.

01:12:43Here's a man of deep faith who believed he must love and forgive while being wrapped with grief over Shante's death.

01:12:50And Ryan Riggs was given such a graceful space to surrender without police pressure.

01:12:56It's compassion that Ryan certainly did not show Shante, and it's something that really upset her family.

01:13:03This is a brutal, cold-blooded murderer, and he's being treated with kid gloves.

01:13:10He's allowed to come to this church where he's very familiar, confess in front of people who love him.

01:13:16Where's the SWAT scene?

01:13:18Where are the dogs?

01:13:20Yeah.

01:13:21Yeah.

01:13:21I don't know how he was able to do that at church.

01:13:28And my thought was, he needs to know we're angry.

01:13:33And so before he left, I just put my face in front of a killer's face.

01:13:38You know, I mean, that close.

01:13:40It kind of, it scared me a little bit, but I had grabbed his hands and told Ryan.

01:13:45And I said, Ryan, we want to hate you, but we can't.

01:13:52We love you.

01:13:53Because I just wanted him to feel that what he did was wrong.

01:13:58Do you think he felt that?

01:14:00I'm hoping he did.

01:14:03Before that unforgettable scene at the church, Riggs had been on the run for several days.

01:14:09But then he showed up at the church with his parents, told the pastor what he'd done,

01:14:15and asked if he could confess to the congregation.

01:14:19The pastor agreed.

01:14:21So after the confession, what happens?

01:14:24Pastor Keener calls Sheriff Hill and says, I'm bringing in Ryan Riggs.

01:14:30He's just confessed to me in the church of killing Shantae.

01:14:33So they all ride to the sheriff's office together.

01:14:36He's not cuffed.

01:14:37He's not arrested.

01:14:38He's just in the car with his parents going to the sheriff's office.

01:14:41The sheriff met him out on the highway and followed him in to make sure Ryan didn't have a change of heart.

01:14:49Investigator Byrd and Ranger Shea rushed to the sheriff's office.

01:14:53As you're processing all of this.

01:14:55How can you process that?

01:14:57That he just confessed to the church that he attended, that he's the one that everybody's been looking for for the last 18 months.

01:15:05You know, driving to the sheriff's office, trying to process that, a million things are going through your mind.

01:15:12Did he really do it?

01:15:13Is he just saying that he did it?

01:15:15This is somebody that you've been pursuing for 18 months, day in and day out.

01:15:21Finally, you're face to face with this person.

01:15:23What was that moment like for you?

01:15:26I kept thinking, my job's not done yet.

01:15:29Now it's time to talk.

01:15:31And did he talk?

01:15:32Yes, he did.

01:15:33I've always had this, it's like this different part of me, that it just wants nothing but destruction and evil.

01:15:45This was the news Michelle had wanted so badly for so long, ever since that terrible Friday the 13th.

01:16:04Her daughter's killer was finally in custody.

01:16:08But she was confused by the way it happened.

01:16:12Ryan Riggs did not confess to authorities.

01:16:15He'd done it in front of the congregation at Shantae's church.

01:16:21This was the place where she would go and find comfort day after day, where she would sing and sit in the pews.

01:16:28The place she loved.

01:16:30How did it feel to know that he had chosen that place, that church, to confess to killing her?

01:16:37I couldn't imagine being a person sitting on that pew when he confessed that.

01:16:41Michelle was angry that the pastor had arranged what Riggs himself described as a moment of salvation.

01:16:50I felt like it was done wrongfully, that he shouldn't have been brought into the church.

01:16:58Should not have been able to step foot in that church.

01:17:00The way he decided to go about telling everybody was, like, his opportunity to try to cleanse himself or ask for some sort of forgiveness or his way of saying, like, hey, look, I'm sorry.

01:17:14Um, I don't believe he was sorry.

01:17:16When Riggs arrived at the sheriff's office after the service, he was finally face-to-face with Ranger Shea and Investigator Byrd.

01:17:28What I'm going to do is take you back a little bit and go through some of this stuff.

01:17:33Where did you find Shantae that day?

01:17:34Well, she was walking past the mailboxes, and I had stopped and asked her if she needed a ride, and she got in my truck.

01:17:44Riggs said they drove around the neighborhood.

01:17:47Then he pulled over in a secluded spot.

01:17:50When y'all were sitting in the truck talking, what were y'all talking about?

01:17:54Music.

01:17:56Like, is it all locked?

01:17:57What was playing or what?

01:17:58I was letting her go through all my music, and every time she'd play a song, she'd be, she'd say something like, oh, that's my song.

01:18:09He told investigators that as they sat there in the truck listening to music, something inside of him snapped.

01:18:20Out of nowhere, I just put my left arm around her and began to strangle her.

01:18:25And whenever she had passed out, I took her clothes off, and I raped her.

01:18:37While she's unconscious?

01:18:39While she's unconscious.

01:18:40Then what happened?

01:18:42He told us he knew he couldn't let her live because he had raped her, and he couldn't have her talking.

01:18:49I went to the abandoned house.

01:18:51Riggs knew about the haunted house because he'd been there with friends when he was a teenager.

01:18:58I threw her over that fence, and then climbed over the fence and dragged her to that tank battery where I had put her.

01:19:09But before I threw her in there, I went back to my truck and got a lawnmower blade out of the back of my truck.

01:19:18And I went back to where she was, and I beat her to death with it.

01:19:23I had stomped on her chest as well.

01:19:27So he stomped on her chest to try to kill her.

01:19:30That was the mark.

01:19:31That's the mark from his shoes.

01:19:34It was an appalling story.

01:19:37But the way Riggs told it was cold, almost methodical.

01:19:44I think whatever came over me knew that she was an easy target.

01:19:51What was his demeanor?

01:19:52A matter of fact.

01:19:54And that's what surprised us also.

01:19:57There wasn't really a whole bunch of emotion involved in this.

01:20:01It's like this different part of me that it just wants nothing but destruction and evil.

01:20:10It wanted to kill somebody.

01:20:12It wanted to rape.

01:20:13How long have you been having those thoughts before this happened?

01:20:18I've always had these thoughts.

01:20:20We used to have a chihuahua.

01:20:23And I tried on numerous occasions to drown that chihuahua in a five-gallon bucket of water.

01:20:32But I would just hold it there long enough to where I would just think to myself, what am I doing?

01:20:40Your parents never saw you do it?

01:20:41No, I always made sure to do it whenever they were away.

01:20:45As you're sitting there, listening to him, what are you thinking about this guy?

01:20:50This guy's dangerous.

01:20:52This guy's scary.

01:20:54He kills without remorse.

01:20:57And I'm shocked he hadn't done it again.

01:20:59Did you believe that Ryan Riggs would kill again?

01:21:02Absolutely.

01:21:04If you could say something right now to Shante, what would you say?

01:21:08Then I'm sorry that I did what I did.

01:21:13And I, whatever I have coming towards me, I deserve.

01:21:18What do you think you deserve?

01:21:20Death, for sure.

01:21:23Riggs was charged with capital murder.

01:21:26In the state of Texas, if you commit a murder and there's aggravating circumstances around it,

01:21:32for instance, in this case, sexually assaulting the victim,

01:21:36that by itself transformed this from a regular murder case into a capital murder case.

01:21:40So the death penalty is on the table?

01:21:42At this point, it very much is.

01:21:44But before D.A. Murray went to court to seek the death penalty,

01:21:48he talked to Shante's family.

01:21:51He wanted them to know there is a long process before an execution can be carried out,

01:21:56likely spanning many years.

01:21:59The question is, are you going to be able to get justice for the family

01:22:02in a reasonable period of time that's not going to prolong their agony?

01:22:07Shante's mom decided death was too good for Ryan Riggs.

01:22:12To me, that would have been an easy way out.

01:22:15Easy for him?

01:22:16Easy for him. What? He wouldn't have got to suffer.

01:22:19So the state offered Riggs a deal, a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

01:22:26It was important for our community to have closure.

01:22:30And the finality of being able to tell everyone,

01:22:35we are guaranteed that he will remain in prison.

01:22:39And that was incredibly valuable for our community.

01:22:43Riggs accepted the deal.

01:22:45He was sentenced in February 2019.

01:22:49He will never marry, never have kids.

01:22:52But he's still alive.

01:22:55And he can still see his family.

01:22:59He got the choice to live or die.

01:23:01And Shante did not.

01:23:04Michelle feels she knows what would have been in her daughter's heart.

01:23:09She would have forgave him.

01:23:11Do you forgive him?

01:23:12I don't.

01:23:15Shante's loved ones try not to dwell on the man who killed her.

01:23:21Michelle would rather remember her feisty, radiant daughter.

01:23:24When you close your eyes and think about your daughter,

01:23:30what's the first thing that comes to your mind?

01:23:33Her smile.

01:23:34Her smile.

01:23:38Yeah.

01:23:40It doesn't ever go away.

01:23:42I see her all the time.

01:23:43I want people to remember her singing at the choir,

01:23:52walking down the street, waving at people.

01:23:54That's how everybody needs to remember her,

01:23:56not as some sort of a victim.

01:23:59I will always remember this community's bond.

01:24:03They watched over Shante on her daily walks.

01:24:06Then they came together to search for her when she vanished.

01:24:09And the faith that many in the community believed helped bring the killer to justice.

01:24:14Those neighbors finding Shante's body so quickly in that remote location.

01:24:19Detective Byrd told me repeatedly that without that speedy discovery,

01:24:23which helped preserve DNA evidence,

01:24:26they never would have solved this murder.

01:24:28Call it divine intervention or incredible luck,

01:24:32but something extraordinary happened here.

01:24:36And on the streets where she walked,

01:24:39in the church where she sang,

01:24:43Shante's spirit is still very much alive.

01:24:49Her family visits her on holidays,

01:24:53decorating her grave

01:24:54and picturing her smiling

01:24:58as she sings in the angels' choir.

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