Thank you for watching im craig melvin, and im natalie morales, and this is dateline. I dont even think i understand what happened. Because you dont want to hear details. That was the worst day of my life that i found out about my mom. A loving couple. A romantic hike. A secluded spot. She was turning to look at the bird. Its like her feet just went out from under her. All of a sudden i hear yelling coming from downstream. There was mrs. Mueller floating face up. A wife falling to her death. Her husband falling apart. He was panicking. He was shaking. Crying. The evidence at the scene makes us believe something entirely different happen. He told me she fell 20 feet. Were the injuries . Why did i not see what i expected to see . A search for the truth in the woods and water. If your theory is right, that is almost like she was being hunted. Its almost like a hare and a wolf. Two chilling accounts of what happened to the mom they all adore. One seemingly unsolvable mystery. If you believe crazy story a, or you believe crazy story. Both stories are crazy. Which one do you want to go with . Winding down a mountain in southwest colorado, waterfalls spill over granite. Sunlight filters through a spins and evergreens. Cottonwood creek, and only in the west sort of backdrop. These snapshots barely capture it. But who can resist trying. What a spot to preserve the memory. Careful though, this is wilderness. The dangerous kind. Shes in the river. She fell. They cant find her. She thinks shes dead. The frigid Currents Hair can take a life. And also, maybe, sweep away secrets. Wheres it was the Perfect Place to commit a murder, where nobody would see it . If you go into it looking for trouble, you can find it. And up in those mountains, sometimes questions are left behind. I dont have an explanation. But certainly, it does truly haunt me. The story begins with those pictures. Together, they form a couple. Husband and wife. Leslie and fred mueller. Married for almost 27 years. They were always super affectionate. They acted like they were two High School Kids that had just started dating. All over each other. You. [laughs] these are the muellers three children. Amanda, the eldest. Then him ariel and alex, the only boy. They were brought up in texas near the town san angelo. But for fun this family heading out to their second home in lake city, colorado. Those photos of their parents were taken nearby. They both love the cabin and going up to colorado. It was so pretty. It was in a valley and you would look and see the mountains. There was a River Running right near there. Their rockies getaway was a family place to relax and escape their busy lives back home. What was lifelike up at the cabin . We would usually go in the summers. We would just hike together. Horseback riding. Hang out as a family. Did you feel like there was a lot of Family Bonding . Yes. Definitely. We ended up having a lot of fun. Board games, going out hiking. Doing all these different activities together. In texas, leslie hadnt ob gyn practice and work long hours or delivering babies. She was the Areas First Ob Gyn . Female ob gyn . She was. She was very much a pioneer in that sense. I think the more people told her you cant do this, she wanted to do it. She was very strong and willed. And definitely a feminist in a way that she was all about, i can do anything that anyone can do. And i can do it better. In 2004, leslie decided to make a change in her life. She retired from medicine and devoted her time to the church. She even studied theology. But most of all, leslie loved the outdoors. Especially Riding Horses. I think if she had her choice she would be Riding Horses every day and practicing theology. Im sure she wished the days were longer. Shes like super woman. Yeah. Their mom embraced adventure and she wanted her kids to as well. One time mom and i went, just the two of us. I had made horseback right in while. I told her i didnt want to go maybe five, six miles. She said, okay, on this trail is eight miles. But you can do it. By the time it ended, it was 16 miles. I said, mom . So she trick . Two [laughs] we had such a wonderful time. But the next day i was not moving. As for fried, he owned a multi Million Dollar company importing steel for construction. Still, their dad wasnt all business all the time. In the traditional motherly rolls, he will definitely step up and was in a free to be mr. Mom. The mueller kids say their parents fit one another perfectly. He make a point of every night trying to do something nice for her. They talked all the time. Anytime there was any type of disagreement about who the dishes werent done or some honey do chore. They would talk about it until they were completely resolved. The next second, they would be all over each other again and be perfectly happy. It was a happy weekend at the muellers colorado cabin. May 3rd, 2008. Now that leslie was no longer working, she was spending much more time up here. That saturday, the spring day with sunny. The High Altitude air still chilled. Morning began with chores. I think we were unloading some hay. Doing stuff kind of like that around the house. So was this just a very typical weekend in colorado . Yeah. It was just alex, then 14, out with his appearance on this trip. Then afternoon the three went to mass in town. Later, after a snack, his parents suggested they cap off the day with a hike to photograph some stunning waterfalls nearby. I was pretty wiped out by that time. I wanted to hang out in the cabin and read a book or Something Like that. So, i turned them down on going for the hike. Fred and leslie headed off with her dog gracie, a Border Collie pup. I think she was only six months old. Was she rambunctious . She was rambunctious, for sure. She was the type of dog when the ceiling fan would be going to try to jump up and follow it around. Fred and leslie parked at the base of the trail. Snow still covered the ground in patches. They hiked up passed a series of waterfalls. Up until they found the perfect spot for pictures. They had arrived at Cottonwood Creek. Fred struck a pose first. Next, leslies turn. One more of fred, big smile. And then leslie, again. This time with her beloved gracie. Then, something went wrong. Its like it just happened in slow motion in front of me. In an instant, leslie was gone. At the waterfall. Shes in the river. What happened at Cottonwood Creek . Coming up as she did . Tell them is too soon to know. The hunt for answers would start with a frantic search. At the waterfall. She fell and they cant find her. Where was Leslie Mueller . And did she survive. All of a sudden i hear yelling. Yelling is coming from downstream. When dateline continues. Eze driftin on by you know how i feel copd may have gotten you here, but you decide whats next. Start a new day with trelegy. 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For a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage, go with the general. Before you go there, or fist bump there, or. Oh i cant wait to go there or reunite there, start here. Walgreens makes it easy to stay protected wherever you go. Schedule your free covid19 booster today. Its our ultimate sleep number event on the sleep number 360 smart bed. It senses your movements and automatically adjusts to relieve pressure points. Wherever you go. And its Temperature Balancing so you both sleep just right. And now, save 50 on the sleep number 360 limited Edition Smart bed. Alex mueller was alone a his plus, 0 interest for 48 months on all smart beds. Ends monday familys Vacation Cabin in colorado. His sisters were on this weekend trip. And that saturday afternoon, his parents went out for a hike without him. Do you remember the last words you said to your mom as she was leaving the cabin . See you later. You know . Just a normal, of course im going to see my mom in an hour . Yeah, exactly. Nothing really memorable. So then, theres a whole period of time that they are gone. Whats the next thing you remember . So, reading. Hanging around. I think the first time i kind of notice it was getting a little late. It had gotten dark. And i know nobody should be kind of hiking when its dark. Alex had no inkling of the tragedy unfolding at Cottonwood Creek. It started right after his dad took this picture of his mother, leslie. Leslie gracie posed here. You can see its a stunning setting. But just about an arms length behind me is a cliff. A steep drop off to the granite below. The icy cold waters of Cottonwood Creek. Right after fred snapped the picture, leslie fell and was swept away in the water. Unable to find her, fred raced for help. Driving more than a mile to the nearest house. Somebody just showed up at my house. With no cell service up by the greek, the owner of the house, justin sparks was the first to call 911. He pulled up, he said. At the waterfall. Shes in the river. She fell and they cant find her. Hes frantic, of course. He said he thinks his wife is dead. Its his wife . Yeah its. The homeowner offered right away to help fred. The sped back up the mountain and fred dropped him off at a spot to begin searching. Just down the road, Physicians Assistant and ems volunteer Michael Golob was on duty. A call went out over the radio for a female drowning victim. Golob headed over to the base of the trail. There he ran into fred. He comes Barreling Down at a high rate of speed. Kind of slams on his brakes. Starts yelling at me. Lets go lets go, lets go the ems responded notice the man he was trying to help could also be injured. Freds face was also scratched up. He had some superficial lacerations and so i take a minute to make sure this isnt my second victim. To make sure hes okay. He assures me hes fine, hes fine. Just kind of wants to keep going. But then, as fred drove, he seemed disoriented. He pulled over but he couldnt seem to find where leslie fell. I start to unload from the jeep. He says no, this isnt it. And we came back in the jeep. He continues upstream, or uphill. After another stop, they found the right place and hike toward the creek. All of a sudden i hear yelling. And the yelling is coming from downstream. It was the homeowner justin sparks. Michael golob, took off towards him. He was in a neat poll towards the war falls. There was mrs. Mueller. Shes dressed in a lime green jacket. Shes floating face up. He actually found her. I believe he used the word pinned under the log and face down. Leslie had no pulse. And golob thought there was still hope she could be revived. Fred had caught up, towering over them from the peak creek indictment. He says, she dead . I told him it was too soon to. Golob sent fred back down the road for more help. By then a small village ofs First Responders had assembled at the start of the trail. Among them was Hinsdale County sheriffs deputy at the time, justin casey. We had other officers responded. We also had ems personnel, ambulances. Fire personnel. Coming with trucks. Dispatchers put in a call call to local sheriff ron bruce. We got report of a drowning at Cottonwood Creek. By then, a group of medical responders made their way up to the creek to help. But still, no heartbeat. Not a breath from leslie. And it was clear she was gone. We were not going to be able to bring mrs. Mueller back. At the cabin, alex was wondering why his parents were back yet. Their hike was only supposed to last an hour or so. But they had been gone more than three hours. Were you worried . Not really worried as if something happened to them. It was more like it was where they would stay out past dark. It was passed 8 pm when his dad got home. Without his mom. Its my dad and the deputy. They come in. Its kind of a shock to see. When youre expecting somebody, to see strangers coming in instead. What did you think when you see that . Not a whole lot at the time honestly. You kind of going to shut down mode. Alex recalled his dad seemed like he was in shock. He was very disheveled. Had been crying a lot. He gave me a big hug and broke. I cant even imagine getting that news. When you just thought your parents were going for quick height. Its disbelief, really. The whole thing just seemed so surreal. Then, father and son were shuttled to the Sheriffs Department where fred could file a report about the accident. I remember then saying, you take fred and ill take alex. Sheriff bruce was at the station to meet them. And my initial reaction to fred was he was a victim. A grieving husband. Fred gave a brief handwritten statement. We want to make sure weve dotted the ice, cross the ts. We were dealing with the death of a woman. Then fred and alex headed back to their empty cabin. And there in that home, that had been then full of happy memories. Fred and alex enjoyed the longest night of their lives. We Stay Together in the same room, the whole night. And did your dad sleep at all . It was a very long night. That they had no idea it was just the first sleep in this night of what would become the longest ordeal of their lives. Coming up we started taking photos. She took a few of me. I took some of her. Fred gives investigators a detailed account of what happened to leslie. It looked to me like she just did a swan dive. And lands on the rocks, right by the water. And hes very clear on who was to blame. It was that damn dog tangled up in her legs is well i think it was. What would police think of that . When dateline continues. Spray. Lysol. What it takes to protect. At lowes, you never have to be finished with your finishing touches. With aisles of ways to refresh and restyle. For whatever style youre feeling. At prices youre really feelin. Shop the lowes bath style save event now instore and online. Fred and Leslie Muellers daughters, amanda and ariel, were hundreds of miles away from colorado when it happened. Their dad had to break the terrible news to them by phone. He said, im so sorry. Im so sorry. What happened . He said, we were hiking. I was trying to take a picture. She fell. And i remember seeing, but shes going to be okay . He said no, shes dead. And i kind of lost it. Started crying terribly. And he said, i am so, so sorry. What did your dad say to you when you got him on the phone . I dont even think i assumed what havent. Because you dont want to hear details. I could easily say that was the worst day of my life that i found out about my mom. The only detail that mattered was that she was gone. The tragic details, however, were the business of Hinsdale County county sheriff ron bruce. He and his small office had the huge job of patrolling more than 1100 square miles of potentially dangerous wilderness and wildlife. Should they have not gone to that area . No, no. It was perfectly fine. I think he related that it was something of an idyllic day. The day after leslie died, Sheriff Bruce stopped by the muellers cabin to get a more precise account of what happened during that hike. Bruces under sheriff and a state State Investigator Talk to fred. You know. I should have taken or up there. Its all my fault. The conversation at the muellers Kitchen Table was recorded. We started taking photos. She took a few me. I took a few of her. Fred describe it in detail how that kodak moment went wrong. I suggested that she take a picture with her dog. And its a Border Collie and its just a an extremely skittish dog. She looks at me and i take her picture and we think everything cool. And i think, like, a bird kind of flutters by. Fred said the rambunctious Border Collie got startled. But the dog just jumps out as shes turning and its like. Her feet just went out from under her. Its like a just happened in slow motion in front of me. She falls forward and i remember lunging for to try to. Get to her. But i was probably five, six, seven feet from. Her fred said he witnessed leslie freefall. It looked like to me like she just did a swan dive. And lands on the rocks, right by the water. Just just like head and shoulders. And just crumples. And then just slides like mush into the little channel. And im screaming her name. Im hollering. I shouldve just jumped in. Fred says he lost sight of leslie in the waters, so he ran down to where he thought the current would take her. He said he got scratched up as he stumbled up and down this embankment, navigating rocks, and running for breaches. I must have tripped. Have a few times. Quite a few times coming down. Im sure i hit, obviously hit something come down with a few times. He told how he had left the camera with those last images of his wife behind. I would imagine i would imagine i just dropped it while i was screaming. Unable to locate leslie, he abandoned his search