>> reporter: she would've never have left without talkin' to me about it. and talkin' to paris. she'd been gone a week when the sheriff asked detective keith matz to look into it. that text message. something off, said her family. >> this doesn't sound like marie. >> reporter: huh, so when you got that one -- the antenna must have gone up, huh? >> the antennas did go up. >> reporter: detective nesli suhi-moore didn't hear about the case then. because -- >> i was on leave. >> reporter: on maternity leave. >> correct. so -- and i came back, two weeks after she was initially reported missing. >> reporter: and that's when nesli heard from other detectives about the case keith was working on. >> and -- poor keith had no idea that i was gonna come bully my way into that investigation. >> reporter: and why did you wanna bully your way into the investigation? >> i think the connection of just having a child -- i just knew that she didn't leave on her own. >> reporter: so here they were. partners.