her mission. so how many names did you have? about 2,300 names. could cutting-edge technology crack an ice-cold case? i was like, no way. i believe in the devil, and people that don t believe in the devil, i think, they re in for a big surprise. hello and welcome to dateline. michella and jenni were just like most kids their age. they loved riding bikes, and playing outdoors. the fun-loving girls didn t know each other. but they would be forever connected, through tragedy. decades later, a detective would leave no stone unturned, on a quest for justice. and in the process, uncovered a twist that left investigators speechless. here is keith morrison with evil was watching. again and again, she came here. stood under the ancient canopy. walked the damp, narrow paths, to the places the killer used to hide what he had done. as if looking, once more, after all these years would tell her something. as if the dense undergrowth would part and finally reveal a name
angles. was it a kidnapping? maybe, they were going to ask for ransom. we just didn t know. or maybe, jenni got lost or was badly hurt. there were, literally, hundreds of people looking through the park for her. everybody wanted to find jenni. gene miller helped run down hundreds of suspected sightings. there was a lot of good-faith effort, on the part of citizens, to call in. and say i think i saw her here or i think i saw her there. pattie waited. still, hoping her jenni would walk right in the door. she was at home, when she got a visit from another mother. barbara. michella s mom. there to offer support. just seemed like the thing to do. she was very, very sweet. very nice. i said, thank you. she left. and i said, to a friend who was sitting there, i m not sure why she came. jennifer s not dead. you represented the outcome she kpraetly did not want to
would be next. here s keith morrison with the conclusion of evil was watching. it s a hole, big hole that nothing else can fill, no amount of comfort. the loss of her daughter michella hit barbara leonard and the grief there s never an end to it and there won t be, i don t think, until i see her and i have that hope and promise. the bible is true. the bible says the dead are sleeping. they will be resurrected. that s where you find your comfort? of course it is. that s how i ve been able to maintain a relationship and understand other people s pain. of course, barbara was glad when she heard there was an arrest in jenni s case in may of 2018 but she knew it wouldn t shed any light on
alleged killer was finally in custody. but what about michella s murderer? his identity was, still, a mystery. of the 160 men, whose dna was tested, none matched. did you get to the point where you thought this is just we re just live with this? never going to be solved? yeah. oh, yeah. whether it was solved or not, was never going to bring her back. but i did not ever want that to happen to other children. so in my mind, it would be a great idea to find this guy. remember, back in 2016, parabon made a sketch based on the suspect s d in a but it didn t lead to a suspect. so, in 2018, the company decided to try a newer, more advanced version of forensic genealogy. and what do ya know? coming up how could you find somebody, how could somebody still be out there? one mother, still, seeking answers. and one more phone call, from out of the blue. i believe in the devil. and people that don t believe in the devil, i think, they re in for a big surprise. when dateline
yes. yes. and the reason for that is not for me, the reason is for future, to help psychologists, parents, detectives understand what can be in a human being. what what what make him this person? and also why did washburn call in a tip about michella s murder months before he killed jenni. that s another question we d like an answer to. had he been planning it all that time? i don t know. watching for somebody? certainly possible. after 32 years jenni s case had finally ended but the bastian wade partnership had not. the two joined forces 20 get a bill that expands dna collection and make sure it gets into a national registry