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00:00What did the first officer see when he arrived at the home?
00:08Donna Sue, naked from the waist down, beaten severely.
00:13Just a gruesome scene.
00:15It had been a sexual attack.
00:17She had been stabbed.
00:20It was horrific.
00:22She had been murdered by some deranged person.
00:26We were all in shock.
00:30It put Carlsbad in a state of fear and panic.
00:34It rocked this community to its very core.
00:37We were all scared to not know who did it and if he's among you.
00:44That was very traumatizing.
00:46How could this happen?
00:48Where is this person?
00:53He was on the loose, and his crimes were similar in nature.
00:57This person may be lurking in the shadows.
01:02If he wanted something that she wasn't willing to give, he was not a man that was going to take no for an answer.
01:10Do you think she ever sensed she was in danger?
01:14No.
01:15It was a crime of opportunity.
01:18Donna Sue experienced evil at its highest point.
01:23Hi, I'm Paula Zahn, and tonight we're on the case in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
01:44A close-knit community best known for its spectacular underground caverns.
01:49But it became the unlikely setting for a terrifying tragedy when 38-year-old Donna Sue Hyatt was stabbed to death during a savage attack.
02:00When police arrived to investigate, they were stunned by the sheer violence.
02:05But perhaps almost as troubling was the story that the rest of the bloodstained evidence told.
02:12It seemed clear that Donna Sue had been murdered by someone she knew and trusted.
02:21July 8, 1987.
02:25It was just after 11.30 on a typical night in Carlsbad when the peace and quiet were shattered by a terrifying call for help.
02:38The man on the line told police dispatchers that his girlfriend had just found her mother, Donna Sue Hyatt, lifeless on the floor of her living room.
02:51She entered the residence.
02:57She sees her mother.
03:01She freaks out.
03:02She actually runs out the front door
03:05to her boyfriend.
03:08Yells, my mom, she's dead, she's dead.
03:13He calls the Carlsbad Police Department.
03:15Minutes later, police arrived and were met outside by Donna Sue's distraught loved ones.
03:25What did the first officer see when he arrived at the home and went inside?
03:30Donna Sue lying on the carpeting in the living room.
03:34Her shirt is pushed up.
03:36She is naked from the waist down.
03:39She has been beaten severely.
03:43She's bruised.
03:44There's a lot of blood.
03:45It's just a gruesome scene.
03:48The stunned first responding officer called for the homicide team,
03:53while paramedics like Dennis Williams took a closer look at Donna Sue.
03:58We stepped in the front door.
04:03There, Donna Sue Hyatt lied half naked.
04:08She had eviscerated organs.
04:09It was too late.
04:10We were there too late.
04:12It was unbelievable.
04:14We were all kind of in shock.
04:16Somebody's murdered this poor woman.
04:21Homicide detectives began the grim task
04:24of trying to determine what had actually happened to Donna Sue Hyatt.
04:30Describe the crime scene.
04:31There had obviously been a struggle.
04:36She had been stabbed.
04:38She had been hit in the face numerous times and then strangled.
04:47The condition of Donna Sue's clothing and the location of the blood evidence
04:52helped tell more of the story
04:54and led detectives to consider a potential motive.
05:02Because she was found,
05:04nude officers were making the initial assumption
05:06that it had been a sexual attack.
05:11Police believe the entire assault took place
05:14within just a few steps of Donna Sue's body.
05:18The house was very neat, very clean.
05:21It wasn't like the house was ransacked.
05:25Based on the location of Donna Sue's house keys,
05:28which were found on the living room floor,
05:31investigators believe it was likely
05:33that Donna Sue had been overwhelmed
05:36shortly after she walked through the door.
05:41Were there any signs of forced entry into her home?
05:45There were no signs of forced entry,
05:47which immediately clued the officers
05:48that this was a person that she had invited into her home.
05:54As police carefully examined the trail of blood evidence,
05:58it seemed clear Donna Sue had been taken by surprise
06:03by the sudden assault.
06:05And once it was over,
06:07her killer simply fled through the same door he had entered.
06:12They discovered the actual path of the exit of the suspect.
06:17There was some blood that had been transferred
06:21from the living room,
06:24carpeting area,
06:24into the kitchen area.
06:26In the kitchen,
06:28police zeroed in on a clue
06:30that led them to believe
06:31the crime had taken place after dark.
06:34The light was turned on in the kitchen.
06:38There was some blood smear on the light switch,
06:42but the fingerprints that were in the actual blood
06:44wasn't a good print.
06:51Detectives also picked up another important lead
06:54when they took a closer look at a drawer
06:57that had been pulled open.
06:59The one drawer that was open
07:01had utensils in it,
07:03and through talking with Angie,
07:06the daughter of Donna Sue,
07:07they learned that one of the knives was missing.
07:11What did it suggest to you
07:13that the killer
07:14used one of Donna Sue's knives
07:18to commit the murder?
07:19That it had not been planned.
07:24That it was merely a crime of opportunity.
07:29Was the knife ever found?
07:31No.
07:33Besides the knife,
07:34was anything missing from the home?
07:36Yes.
07:36Donna Sue's purse
07:37was missing from the house.
07:41But all the evidence
07:43that pointed towards the crime
07:45being a random act of violence
07:46stood in stark contrast
07:48to the deeply personal nature
07:51of the assault on Donna Sue.
07:54Just how brutal of an attack was it?
07:57It was messy.
07:58And it was unbelievable.
08:01There was obviously the fear
08:03that whoever had done this
08:05was still close by.
08:09And investigators quickly found evidence
08:12that supported that theory.
08:14It was clear the killer
08:16had fled the scene on foot.
08:19What did detectives see
08:21when they went into the backyard?
08:23They found a shoe impression
08:25that was in the dirt.
08:28To the east of the residence,
08:30there was a fence area
08:31and it looked as if
08:33the actual chain link fence
08:34had been pushed down.
08:37Detectives believe
08:37that the killer exited the house,
08:39went over the fence,
08:40into the alleyway,
08:42and then went into the neighborhood.
08:45And police became convinced
08:47they were right
08:48when they discovered blood
08:49on the damaged fence.
08:54Did detectives believe
08:56it was likely
08:56he had injured himself
08:58during the attack?
08:59They thought he probably did.
09:01That's what they were hoping for.
09:04Whether it was through
09:05a suspect injury
09:07or transference
09:08from the actual act itself,
09:10they figured
09:11it was a good piece of evidence
09:13to start moving the case forward.
09:18And there was more.
09:20Police suspected
09:21that the killer's escape route
09:23through the unlit backyard
09:25meant that he had
09:26to be familiar with the area.
09:28Due to the time
09:29of this incident,
09:30it would have been dark
09:31and there's alleyways everywhere.
09:33So everybody started operating
09:35out of the theory
09:35that it was most likely
09:37somebody that was
09:38from this community.
09:39While officers fanned out
09:44to speak with everyone
09:46who lived nearby,
09:48investigators carefully bagged
09:50and tagged anything
09:51inside the home
09:53that could be connected
09:54to the attack.
09:55The detectives knew
09:57they were on the hunt
09:59for a vicious killer.
10:01And everything indicated
10:03that the investigation
10:04had to start
10:05with Donna Sue's inner circle.
10:08This is somebody
10:09that was close with Donna.
10:12Stabbing is very personal.
10:14This person may possibly
10:16still be lurking
10:17in the shadows.
10:18It was crazy.
10:19The murder of 38-year-old
10:34Donna Sue Hyatt
10:35sent shockwaves
10:37through the small community
10:38of Carlsbad, New Mexico.
10:41And for her loved ones,
10:43it was an unimaginable blow.
10:46How would you describe
10:47your mother?
10:48She was a young mother.
10:50She was a single mother.
10:52She'd been widowed.
10:54She loved us so much.
10:56And she spent all
10:57of her time with us.
11:02After losing her husband,
11:05Donna Sue became
11:06even more determined
11:07to do whatever she could
11:08to make sure her children
11:10felt her presence.
11:12She liked to be
11:13the class mother at school.
11:14She was the one
11:15who would come in
11:15and help the teacher
11:16plan the class parties
11:17and things like that.
11:19Did your mother have
11:20a lot of friends
11:21in Carlsbad?
11:22Yeah, she had a lot
11:23of friends.
11:24She loved going to church
11:25because she liked
11:26all of the different
11:26activities that went on
11:28at and around church.
11:35Donna Sue had spent
11:37her whole life
11:38in Carlsbad,
11:40and that meant
11:41the investigators
11:42on the case
11:43knew her well.
11:45She was a very kind person.
11:46There was no one
11:47that ever had a bad thing
11:48to say about her.
11:50I've been in this job
11:52for quite a while,
11:53and I don't know
11:53that I've met anyone
11:55that was so universally
11:56beloved by the community.
11:59She's someone
12:00that had suffered
12:00hardships along the way,
12:01yet she did not let that
12:03affect her personality.
12:04She was very outgoing.
12:06She was very loving
12:07and caring to everyone.
12:13And the personal
12:14connections detectives
12:16had with Donna Sue
12:17made the brutal scene
12:19inside her home
12:20even harder for them
12:22to understand.
12:24This would be
12:24the last person
12:25that anyone would suspect
12:27would be a victim
12:27of a crime.
12:32Donna Sue's daughter,
12:33Michelle,
12:34was just 22
12:35and living out of state
12:37on the night
12:38her mother died.
12:39And it never crossed her mind
12:41that foul play
12:42was involved.
12:43When I first heard
12:45that mother was dead,
12:47my first thought
12:47was that it probably
12:48had something to do
12:49with her epilepsy
12:50because she would have seizures
12:52and she would fall.
12:53And then when I found out
12:55that it was something
12:55so totally different,
12:57you don't see that coming.
13:02And in those
13:03mind-numbing moments,
13:04Michelle also had to find
13:06a way to comfort
13:07her sister Angie
13:08who was devastated
13:10after finding her mother.
13:13It's been very difficult
13:14for her.
13:15I'm sure it still is.
13:16She's been heartbroken
13:18and scared
13:18at the same time
13:19because it's scary
13:22to not know
13:22who did it
13:23and if he's
13:26among you.
13:27The Carlsbad Police Department
13:35was working around the clock
13:36to find the man responsible
13:38and ease those fears
13:40for Donna Sue's family
13:41and their community.
13:44They hoped that the autopsy report
13:47might give the investigation
13:48a direction.
13:50What did the medical examiner
13:52conclude caused her death?
13:54She had a broken hyoid bone
13:56where she had been strangled
13:57and actually her neck
13:58had been broken.
14:01She had been beaten severely
14:02and then there was
14:03a stab wound.
14:06The medical examiner
14:08also confirmed
14:09that Donna Sue
14:10had been sexually assaulted.
14:12What evidence
14:16was actually collected
14:17at autopsy?
14:19They did a rape kit
14:20and swabbed semen
14:21that was left
14:22on Donna Sue's
14:23inner thigh.
14:24Back in 1987,
14:26what could you do
14:27with that evidence?
14:28There wasn't a lot
14:29you could do with that.
14:30DNA wasn't a thing
14:31and so you pretty much
14:33just had to hold on to it.
14:39The grisly details
14:41in the report
14:42bolstered investigators' theory
14:44about the type of suspect
14:45they were pursuing.
14:49What did the brutality
14:50of the attack
14:51tell detectives
14:53about who might be responsible?
14:55Initially,
14:56we look at people
14:57that would have been
14:58close to her,
14:59maybe ex-boyfriends
15:01or somebody
15:02she had turned down
15:03and not been interested in
15:06in an intimate way.
15:07While detectives
15:13began to interview
15:14those closest to Donna Sue
15:16about any romantic
15:17relationship she had,
15:19officers attempted
15:20to retrace
15:21her last known movements.
15:24Investigators
15:24had to start
15:25backtracking
15:25the old-fashioned way.
15:27When detectives
15:28canvassed the neighborhood,
15:29could they find
15:30any witnesses?
15:32They were able
15:32to locate some witnesses
15:33that were able
15:34to provide them
15:35with some very
15:35rudimentary evidence.
15:40There were several people
15:42that heard dogs barking.
15:44They thought somebody
15:44had ran down
15:46the alleyway.
15:47One lady explained
15:49that she had heard
15:50bushes kind of rustle.
15:52One gentleman
15:53spoke about
15:54actually seeing a guy
15:56tall, thin,
15:57with a white T-shirt
15:58and shorts on,
15:59running from the direction
16:01that would have been
16:02from Donna Sue's house.
16:05The most important
16:10connection
16:11in the varied stories
16:12was that
16:13all the activity
16:14took place
16:15around 10.30
16:16on the night
16:17of the murder.
16:18So that significantly
16:19shrinks your timeline,
16:22just that information alone.
16:26Unfortunately,
16:27when it came
16:28to more specific details,
16:30the accounts
16:31were limited.
16:32It was dark
16:33and they couldn't
16:34really give
16:34a physical description
16:35of the suspect.
16:37There wasn't anybody
16:38that saw
16:39the actual crime.
16:43The fact
16:44that the killer
16:45had hopped over
16:47Donna Sue's fence,
16:48scampered through bushes,
16:50and made his getaway
16:51down a dark alleyway
16:53narrowed the initial
16:55suspect pool
16:55to locals.
16:57Carlsbad,
16:58it's a smaller,
16:59pretty isolated town
17:00in New Mexico.
17:02Most homicides
17:03that we investigate,
17:04the statistics
17:05will show you
17:06that there's someone
17:06that you know,
17:07someone that you're
17:07very familiar with.
17:09She felt comfortable
17:10with this person
17:11and she trusted
17:12this person.
17:15And that left police
17:16in this close-knit community
17:18with a troubling question.
17:20Was Donna Sue's killer
17:22someone they all knew?
17:24Detectives trying
17:40to solve
17:41the Donna Sue Hyatt murder
17:42were desperate
17:44to find out more
17:45about what she was doing
17:46during her final hours.
17:52As investigators
17:53interviewed Donna Sue's
17:54daughter,
17:55who had been living
17:56in the house at the time,
17:58critical details emerged.
18:00What did Donna Sue's
18:02daughter, Angie,
18:03say about the last time
18:06she saw her mother?
18:08She said the last time
18:09she spoke to Donna Sue,
18:10they had had an argument
18:11about her not paying rent
18:12and that she needed
18:13to pitch in and help.
18:15The heated exchange
18:16about their family finances
18:18took place around 8.30
18:20that night.
18:21When it ended,
18:22Donna Sue grabbed her purse
18:24and stormed out.
18:27She just said
18:28she was going for a walk.
18:29She left the house.
18:31It was the last time
18:34Angie saw her mother alive.
18:37Did Donna Sue
18:38indicate to Angie
18:40where she was headed?
18:42No.
18:43Angie told police
18:45that she sat in the kitchen
18:46expecting her mother
18:47to return.
18:48But after 15 minutes,
18:51she called her boyfriend.
18:53Donna Sue's daughter
18:54decided then also
18:55to leave the house.
18:57When she returned
18:59around 11.30,
19:01she found Donna Sue
19:02dead on the floor.
19:07The final argument
19:09and the bloodstained crime scene
19:11are memories
19:12that will haunt her
19:14the rest of her life.
19:16She and Mama
19:17weren't getting along
19:18real well at the time,
19:19so that leaves a lot
19:20left unsaid.
19:22We were both heartbroken.
19:27The frayed relationship
19:29and the harsh words
19:31meant that investigators
19:32would be forced
19:33to verify everything
19:35Angie had told them.
19:36Did Angie's story
19:38line up with all
19:39the evidence
19:40discovered in the house?
19:41It absolutely
19:42lined up with
19:43the evidence
19:44that was found
19:44at the scene.
19:46Officers consider
19:47all people
19:48as potential suspects
19:49in the beginning,
19:50but Angie had
19:51a really good alibi
19:52because she was
19:53with another person
19:54at the time
19:54that this incident occurred.
19:56It became apparent
19:57to them very quickly
19:57that Angie
19:58would not be
19:59a suspect.
20:01Ultimately,
20:02the investigators
20:03relied on the crime scene
20:05evidence and the neighbor
20:06sightings of a man
20:07fleeing Donna Sue's home
20:09at 10.30
20:10to clear Angie
20:11of any law
20:12in her mother's murder.
20:18Police were also able
20:20to eliminate
20:21most of Donna Sue's
20:22inner circle
20:23through alibis
20:24of where they had been
20:26between 10 and 10.30 p.m.
20:30Investigators now
20:31had to focus
20:31on what Donna Sue
20:33had done
20:33after her argument
20:35with Angie.
20:36And a conversation
20:37with one of
20:38Donna Sue's friends
20:39raised a new possibility.
20:42They thought
20:43that she may have
20:44had plans
20:45to meet up
20:45with someone,
20:46a man she had met
20:47while having her
20:48hair styled
20:49earlier that day.
20:54What did Donna Sue's
20:56friend tell police
20:57about a man
20:59that she had met
21:00at the salon
21:01the afternoon
21:01of her murder?
21:02Donna Sue
21:03had actually
21:03gone to the salon
21:04early in the day
21:06on July 8th
21:07and met a man
21:08there who was
21:10having his
21:10daughter's hair cut.
21:12How did she
21:13describe him
21:14to her friend?
21:15He was good looking,
21:17that he was blonde,
21:18he was thin,
21:19very friendly.
21:20He's a real nice guy,
21:21she thought.
21:22She was pretty
21:23excited about that.
21:30Investigators
21:30were intrigued.
21:32The vague description
21:33sounded similar
21:34to the man seen
21:35fleeing the area
21:36on the night
21:37of the murder.
21:39And the lead
21:40took on greater
21:41significance
21:42when Donna Sue's
21:43friend revealed
21:44that she liked him
21:46enough to see him
21:47again.
21:48She did give a man
21:49her phone number,
21:50her address
21:51on a piece of paper.
21:53She was hopeful
21:54to hear from him
21:55in the future.
22:02Suddenly,
22:03investigators
22:03had a plausible
22:05scenario
22:06of how the crime
22:07might have unfolded.
22:09Could the man
22:10from the salon
22:11have called
22:12Donna Sue
22:13while she was
22:13still angry
22:14from the fight
22:15with her daughter
22:16and invited him
22:17over without
22:18thinking about
22:19the consequences?
22:20Do police
22:24think it was
22:25possible
22:25that the man
22:26she had given
22:27her personal
22:27information to
22:28could have
22:29been her killer?
22:29Yes.
22:32This was
22:33definitely
22:33someone that
22:34piqued the
22:35investigator's
22:35interest.
22:38Detectives
22:39immediately
22:40set out
22:40to find
22:41the suspicious
22:42stranger.
22:43How did
22:44investigators
22:45track him down?
22:46They talked
22:46to the salon
22:47people about
22:47who he was
22:48and they got
22:49a name
22:49and how
22:50to get
22:50in contact
22:51with him.
22:52Police
22:53discovered
22:53that Andrew
22:54was staying
22:55with his
22:55daughter
22:56and went
22:57to her
22:57home
22:57to speak
22:58with him.
23:00They did
23:00a full
23:01interview
23:01with him.
23:02Andrew
23:02told the
23:02police
23:02that he
23:03had met
23:04Donna Sue
23:04and talked
23:05to her
23:05and that
23:06she'd
23:07given
23:07her phone
23:08number
23:09to him
23:09and he
23:11thought
23:11she was
23:11very nice.
23:15Andrew
23:16said he
23:17had planned
23:17to ask
23:18her out
23:18until he
23:19heard about
23:20the brutal
23:20attack.
23:22What did
23:23he tell
23:23investigators
23:24when they
23:25asked him
23:26if he
23:26had anything
23:27to do
23:28with Donna
23:28Sue's
23:29murder?
23:29He told
23:30investigators
23:31that he
23:31had not
23:32been in
23:32contact
23:32with Donna
23:33Sue
23:33after parting
23:34ways from
23:35the beauty
23:35shop and
23:36that he
23:36hadn't been
23:37involved in
23:37it.
23:41Police
23:42pressed
23:42Andrew
23:43for more
23:43details.
23:45He was
23:45able to
23:46provide a
23:46very good
23:47alibi to
23:47where he
23:48was.
23:49Could his
23:50alibi be
23:50corroborated?
23:52Yes.
23:56Andrew
23:57could not
23:57have been
23:58anywhere near
23:59the Hyatt's
23:59home between
24:0010 and
24:011030 on the
24:02night of the
24:02crime.
24:05That quickly
24:06cleared up that
24:06he was not
24:07involved in the
24:08incident.
24:09The confirmation
24:10meant investigators
24:11were back at
24:12square one with
24:14few leads left
24:15to follow.
24:17It put
24:18Carlsbad in a
24:19state of fear
24:19and panic.
24:21The fact that
24:21such a brutal
24:22murder could
24:23take place in a
24:24residential area
24:25in a town like
24:26this, it really
24:28rocked this
24:29community to its
24:30very core.
24:30police in Carlsbad,
24:45New Mexico
24:46believed they had
24:47already eliminated
24:49every viable suspect
24:50in the murder of
24:52Donna Sue Hyatt.
24:53But detectives
24:56weren't giving up
24:57and their
24:58frustration led
24:59them to go back
25:00to the beginning,
25:01starting with all
25:02the evidence found
25:03at the crime scene.
25:05Among the items
25:06collected was a
25:08brown paper bag
25:09found on Donna
25:10Sue's kitchen table.
25:12A closer look at
25:13its contents revealed
25:14an uneaten fried
25:16pie and a receipt.
25:19The receipt was
25:20from the Circle K
25:21local convenience
25:22store, four
25:22blocks or so
25:23to the east
25:24of where
25:25Donna Sue lived.
25:30The seemingly
25:32meaningless slip
25:33of paper showed
25:34that Donna Sue
25:35had bought two
25:37Cokes along with
25:38the fried pie.
25:39But the receipt
25:40immediately became
25:42a critical lead
25:43when police noted
25:44the time stamp.
25:46The purchase had
25:47taken place at
25:489.13 on the
25:49night of the murder.
25:51That was roughly
25:52an hour before
25:53Donna Sue had been
25:54killed.
26:00Police raced to the
26:02store to follow up
26:03on the lead.
26:04When detectives
26:05questioned the worker
26:06at the Circle K,
26:08did he remember
26:08seeing Donna Sue
26:09that night?
26:11Donna Sue was the
26:12frequent customer of
26:13that particular store,
26:15and so he absolutely
26:16remembered her coming
26:17into the store and
26:18making a purchase.
26:20And the clerk then
26:22added a shocking
26:23detail.
26:24He said that she
26:26wasn't alone.
26:29He remembered seeing
26:30a man with Donna Sue
26:31that night inside the
26:33Circle K.
26:35The employee didn't
26:36recognize the man
26:37and wasn't sure
26:38he was even
26:39with Donna Sue
26:40until he overheard
26:42their conversation.
26:45Donna Sue was
26:46asking him,
26:47what do you want
26:47to drink?
26:48He said,
26:48I don't care.
26:49And she was like,
26:50well, just get
26:50something.
26:52And so he ended
26:54up coming up
26:54to the counter
26:55with soda,
26:56and then Donna Sue
26:57paid for both
26:58the sodas
26:59and the pride pie.
27:02Despite the
27:03friendly exchange,
27:05the clerk believed
27:06that Donna Sue
27:07had just met
27:08the man,
27:09and he explained
27:10why.
27:12This person had
27:13been in the store
27:13trying to purchase
27:14alcohol earlier,
27:15and they didn't
27:16sell alcohol,
27:17and the clerk
27:18immediately made
27:18the mental note
27:19that that male
27:20subject must not
27:21be from the
27:21local community,
27:22otherwise he would
27:23have known they
27:24didn't sell alcohol
27:25at the store.
27:26Did he think
27:26they looked
27:27comfortable together?
27:28He described
27:29the situation
27:30as very innocent
27:31in nature.
27:31It seemed to be
27:32a very casual
27:33encounter,
27:34and Donna Sue
27:34didn't seem to be
27:35acting out of
27:36the ordinary.
27:41After Donna Sue
27:43paid for the items,
27:44the clerk
27:44watched them leave.
27:47Did he see them
27:48walk out of the store
27:49together?
27:50He did see them
27:51exit the store
27:52together and start
27:53walking in the
27:54general direction
27:54of her house.
27:57At that time
27:58of night,
27:59did many people
28:00walk in the area?
28:01Absolutely.
28:02There's a lot
28:03of people that
28:03go out and about
28:05at night,
28:05but unfortunately,
28:07we weren't able
28:07to locate people
28:08that remember
28:09seeing them walking.
28:10Police asked the
28:11clerk for a
28:12description of the
28:13man.
28:14He was described
28:15as a tall,
28:17thin-built,
28:18Caucasian male.
28:19In his early 20s,
28:21he had light brown
28:23to blondish colored
28:25hair, lighter eyes,
28:27not brown eyes.
28:30The timing of the
28:32encounter and the
28:33description of the man
28:34left detectives
28:35convinced that the
28:37stranger was responsible
28:38for Donna Sue's murder.
28:41With the help of the
28:42store clerk,
28:43a composite sketch was
28:45created and released
28:46to the public.
28:47Did police get any
28:49leads from the
28:50composite sketch
28:51that was created?
28:52No, there was
28:52really no leads
28:54that were what I
28:55would call a
28:56positive lead
28:57in the case.
28:58The ominous face
29:00and the lack
29:01of direction
29:01on the case
29:02was troubling
29:03to everyone
29:04in the small,
29:05close-knit city.
29:07And those fears
29:08quickly escalated
29:09when state police
29:10asked the
29:11Carlsbad PD
29:12to be on the lookout
29:14for a violent
29:15sexual predator
29:16who had escaped
29:17from prison
29:18just days
29:19before Donna Sue's
29:20murder.
29:24How did a man
29:25named Alfredo Jimenez
29:27end up
29:28on law enforcement's
29:29radar?
29:30Alfredo Jimenez
29:31had done a crime
29:33where some girls
29:34were kidnapped,
29:35they were raped,
29:36they were murdered,
29:36and he was on the
29:37loose.
29:39Was it their belief
29:40he had come to
29:40Carlsbad after
29:42escaping from prison?
29:43Yes.
29:44He was from
29:45the area
29:45and so police
29:46were looking
29:47at him
29:48as a possible
29:48suspect.
29:51But that theory
29:53was ultimately
29:54dismissed
29:55when Jimenez
29:56was captured
29:57in another state
29:58and his route
29:59documented
30:00that he was
30:01nowhere near
30:02Carlsbad
30:02on the night
30:03of Donna Sue's
30:04murder.
30:06Investigators
30:07were once again
30:08back at square one.
30:11Days turned
30:12into weeks
30:13and then years
30:15without any
30:16new clues.
30:18What happened
30:19to the case
30:20over time?
30:21Kind of at a
30:21dead end.
30:23It's not that
30:24interest is lost,
30:25it's just there's
30:26nothing new
30:26to follow up on.
30:27A case like that
30:28goes cold.
30:33Donna Sue's
30:34loved one
30:35slowly began
30:35to accept
30:36that the man
30:37who killed her
30:38had gotten away
30:39with murder.
30:41What were all
30:43those years like
30:44when the investigation
30:46didn't seem
30:47to be going
30:47anywhere?
30:48I honestly
30:49had given up
30:50on ever finding out.
30:51I had pretty much
30:52come to the conclusion
30:53that I was never
30:54going to know
30:54in this life.
31:00In most investigations,
31:02every day that goes by
31:03without an arrest
31:04is a detective's
31:06worst enemy.
31:08But in this case,
31:10the passage of time
31:11would ultimately
31:13provide the lead
31:14that put police
31:15on the trail
31:16of Donna Sue's killer.
31:18The murder
31:32of Donna Sue Hyatt
31:33continued to haunt
31:35residents of
31:36Carlsbad, New Mexico
31:37for more than a decade.
31:40I can't think of
31:41any one particular
31:42case that people
31:42wanted solved
31:43more than this one
31:44because of how much
31:45she meant to the
31:46community.
31:48As the years passed,
31:52cold case investigators
31:53understood that
31:54their best chance
31:56of getting justice
31:57for Donna Sue
31:58relied on finding
32:00a match to the
32:01DNA evidence
32:02recovered at the
32:03crime scene.
32:04And when the FBI
32:05created a national
32:06offenders database,
32:08it seemed like
32:09an amazing new
32:10opportunity.
32:12What happened
32:13when the unknown
32:15DNA profile
32:16was uploaded
32:17into CODIS?
32:18When it was uploaded,
32:19everybody crosses
32:19their fingers
32:20and hoped that
32:21they're going to
32:21get results,
32:21but unfortunately,
32:22there was no hits
32:23in the CODIS system.
32:28Modern forensic
32:29science also
32:30allowed the
32:31cold case team
32:32to do a
32:32one-to-one
32:33DNA comparison
32:35with every man
32:36mentioned in
32:37the massive file.
32:39Did any of
32:40the original
32:40suspects match
32:42the DNA profile?
32:43None of the DNA
32:44matched.
32:45None of it.
32:46The investigation
32:48was at a standstill
32:49and it stayed that way
32:51until 2020
32:52when it piqued the
32:54curiosity of
32:55Detective Tim Nice.
32:57I was working
32:58another cold case
33:00and actually saw
33:01Donna Sue's case
33:02file on a shelf.
33:03I started reading it
33:04and I saw that there
33:05was good biological
33:06evidence.
33:07I just knew
33:08this DNA
33:09could solve
33:10this case.
33:11I just needed
33:11to find the
33:12right angle.
33:18His partner,
33:20Detective Joey Landgraaf,
33:22was less optimistic.
33:24When you reviewed
33:25the case file,
33:27did you think
33:28the case could be
33:29solved?
33:30I was hopeful,
33:31but the problem
33:32was the DNA
33:33had been in CODIS
33:34since the 90s
33:35and never had a hit.
33:37But there was
33:41still one DNA
33:43technique
33:43investigators
33:44hadn't explored.
33:46Forensic genealogy.
33:48We were all hopeful
33:50that this could be
33:51the key that
33:51unlocked this
33:52entire case.
33:54We started
33:54building family
33:55trees of
33:56who this person
33:57could have been
33:58related to.
34:00How tedious
34:00was the process
34:02of building out
34:03a family tree?
34:04It's very tedious,
34:06but we were going
34:06to give it a shot.
34:11And that time-consuming
34:12hard work
34:13appeared to pay off
34:14when that family tree
34:16was whittled down
34:17to its final branch
34:19and a single name.
34:21What was the name
34:22of the suspect
34:23you were ultimately given?
34:25We eventually
34:26narrowed it down
34:26to a person
34:27that was named
34:28Michael Ruff Wigley.
34:34What was your reaction?
34:36It was like winning
34:37the lottery.
34:38I remember just like
34:39jumping out of my seat.
34:40I was just ecstatic
34:42because we're going to
34:43bring justice
34:43for the family.
34:44That is my
34:45goal
34:47through all of this.
34:48Justice for Donna Sue.
34:49Still,
34:57investigators knew
34:58the job
34:59was far from finished.
35:00They immediately
35:02went to work
35:03trying to connect
35:04their prime suspect
35:05to Donna Sue.
35:08What did you learn
35:09when you researched
35:10his background?
35:11In the early 80s,
35:14he was an enlisted
35:14soldier in the Army.
35:16He was stationed
35:16in Fort Hood,
35:18Central Texas.
35:18Following a
35:20dishonorable discharge,
35:21Wigley began
35:22a life of crime.
35:27What did you learn
35:28about Wigley's
35:29criminal history?
35:31He had actually
35:32been convicted
35:33of raping a woman
35:35in Copper's Cove,
35:36Texas.
35:37He was put in prison
35:38not for very long.
35:39He'd only spent
35:40about five years
35:42of the 12-year sentence
35:43that he was given.
35:45And then he was
35:45let out again
35:46in the mid-80s.
35:48That was long
35:50before violent
35:51criminals were
35:51forced to provide
35:52authorities with
35:53a DNA sample.
35:55And it was just
35:5618 months
35:58after his release
35:59from that Texas
36:00prison
36:00that Donna Sue
36:02Hyatt was murdered.
36:03As they studied
36:10Wigley's file,
36:11investigators were able
36:13to place him
36:13in Carlsbad.
36:15He had family
36:16that lived in the area,
36:17so he'd been there
36:18for a brief period
36:19of time.
36:20Shortly after
36:21the attack
36:22on Donna Sue,
36:23Wigley's trail
36:24came to a sudden end.
36:26I found out
36:27that he had actually
36:28been involved
36:29in a car crash
36:30on a train track,
36:31and he had died
36:32in October
36:33of 1989.
36:37I was very upset.
36:42But after the
36:44disappointment
36:44settled in,
36:45the cold case
36:46team saw
36:47another way
36:48of proving
36:49beyond a reasonable
36:49doubt
36:50that Michael
36:51Wigley
36:52had killed
36:52Donna Sue Hyatt.
36:54We decided
36:56to exhume his body
36:56because we needed
36:57to take a DNA sample
36:59for the final
36:59comparative analysis
37:01to confirm
37:02the genealogy DNA results.
37:05We felt like
37:05that that would give us
37:06the final piece
37:07of the puzzle
37:07where we could say
37:09without a doubt
37:10he was the suspect
37:11that was involved
37:12in the case.
37:13Donna Sue's family
37:14needed closure,
37:16and if we had
37:17the opportunity
37:18to give them
37:19the answer
37:20as an absolute,
37:21then we were going
37:23to do everything
37:23that we could.
37:28Armed with a search
37:30warrant,
37:30detectives headed
37:31to Amarillo, Texas
37:33to exhume
37:34Wigley's remains.
37:35We took him
37:37in his coffin
37:39to Lubbock
37:40to a forensic
37:42pathologist.
37:44What did the testing
37:45reveal?
37:46It revealed 100%
37:47that Michael Ruff
37:48Wigley
37:49was our suspect.
37:58A decades-old mystery
38:00had been solved
38:01by a team
38:02of relentless
38:03cold case investigators,
38:05and they now
38:06had the chance
38:06to share
38:07the fruit of their labor
38:08with Donna Sue's daughters.
38:12What did it mean
38:13to you
38:13to finally be able
38:15to give Donna Sue's
38:16family some answers?
38:17It meant everything.
38:19I don't know
38:20how to describe it.
38:21It's probably
38:22one of the greatest
38:23things I get to do
38:24as a police officer
38:25is tell the family
38:27when something
38:27like this is solved.
38:33For Donna Sue's
38:35loved ones,
38:35the news triggered
38:36a whirlwind
38:37of emotions.
38:39When I learned
38:40that he had died
38:41at a young age,
38:43I was shocked
38:44and I cried.
38:46There was frustration
38:47and anger
38:49mixed with a deep
38:51sense of relief.
38:53It was certainly
38:54a sense of closure.
38:56At least I have
38:57more of an understanding
38:58of what happened,
38:59and he didn't live
39:02a long life
39:02and continue
39:03to hurt other people.
39:04I was glad
39:05to learn that.
39:07Michelle and her
39:08loved ones
39:08were also able
39:09to express
39:10their gratitude
39:11to everyone
39:12who worked
39:13on the case.
39:14Was it an emotional
39:16experience for you?
39:17Yes, very.
39:19I remember
39:19Michelle and
39:21Angie's faces.
39:23Imagine waiting
39:2436 years
39:26to find
39:27who killed
39:27your mom.
39:33No one
39:34will ever know
39:35exactly what
39:36happened the night
39:37Donna Sue
39:37was murdered,
39:38but investigators
39:40have their theories.
39:42How do you think
39:43he and Donna Sue
39:44crossed paths?
39:46I believe he saw
39:47Donna Sue
39:47walking.
39:49Donna Sue
39:49was friendly,
39:50and I believe
39:52that Michael
39:53was a slick
39:55talker.
39:55At the Circle
39:57K,
39:58the convicted
39:59sexual predator
40:00turned on the charm
40:01and asked Donna Sue
40:03to buy him a Coke.
40:05Mama was a very
40:07trusting person.
40:08She liked people.
40:09She talked to anybody.
40:11She'd befriend anybody,
40:12especially people
40:13who seemed like
40:14they needed it.
40:15As they walked
40:17away from the store,
40:18Wiggly either
40:19convinced Donna Sue
40:20to allow him
40:21to walk her home,
40:22or he followed her.
40:25What do you think
40:26happened that
40:27changed the situation
40:29from a friendly
40:30encounter
40:31into a terrible
40:33tragedy?
40:35Michael Ruff Wiggly
40:36was a man
40:37who didn't take
40:38no for an answer.
40:41So if he wanted
40:43something from
40:44Donna Sue
40:44that she wasn't
40:45willing to give,
40:46he was going
40:47to take.
40:48It was literally
40:51a crime
40:52of opportunity.
41:00Wiggly's
41:01savagery
41:02forever changed
41:03the small community
41:04of Carlsbad.
41:06Many spent years
41:07living in fear.
41:10But in the end,
41:11it's what he stole
41:12from Donna Sue's family
41:14that has left a void
41:16that will never
41:17be filled.
41:19What has been
41:20the hardest
41:21part of your loss?
41:24Mama was never
41:25there for any
41:26of our graduations,
41:27for our weddings.
41:28We missed her
41:29for all of the events.
41:32But worse than that,
41:33we didn't have
41:34her friendship.
41:36She was vibrant.
41:37We missed her in
41:53the way,
41:53and it literally
41:55has venced her
41:57love.
41:58But when
41:59she went
42:02to show her
42:02where she
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