But were never more than a phone call or a letter away. Dear aunt toni, how are you . I have no homework. We finished little pear eight days till christmas. Im so excited. I love you. Anna kate. Reporter she still writes her letters even though toni can no longer respond. Dear aunt toni, are you enjoying it in heaven . I miss you very much. I read a book about heaven. It must be great. Love, your niece, anna kate. Reporter anna kate was 7 when her aunt died. It was sudden, scary and heartbreaking. So she took out an old shoe box, decorated it and filled it with thoughts of aunt toni. Now shes dead. Now we cant see her again. And our lives will never be the same again. Reporter the Ripple Effect of tonis death was huge. She was a respected doctor, an ophthalmologist who had a thriving practice first in in denver, colorado. A devout christian who sang in her church choir. A mother to a little girl named haley. A wife to man named harold, and the older sister to anna kates dad todd bertolet. This story is about toni and what happened to her one bright sunny day high up in the mountains. 911. Whats the address of your emergency . I need an Alpine Mountain rescue team immediately. Reporter its al a secrets long buried sometimes dont stay that way. Where did toni fit into your family . She was the middle between two brothers. Sometimes she thought that was an advantage and sometimes she thought it was a disadvantage being an only girl with two brothers. Obviously were not going to sit down and play barbies with her. You know, we needed the extra backyard Football Game. And she had to oblige us. Reporter did it turn her into a little bit of a tomboy . I wouldnt say she was a tomboy, but she was a great athlete. Of course, she could do anything she put her mind to. Reporter Toni Bertolet grew up with her two brothers around natchez, mississippi. The epitome of the old south. She was ambitious academically and athletically and yet did toni embrace the hair and the makeup and sort of the things that you would think of as a its coat and tie and sunday dresses for Football Games. Reporter no sweatpants . No, no. Not to go out. She would never go out in public in sweatpants, never. Reporter toni did have one flaw when it came to being a belle. When i first got to college, she felt like, you know, i was a little bit too skinny and needed to bulk up a little bit. And so she decided she was going to come over and cook some Fried Chicken. Reporter well, mississippis mississippi. And every southern lady ought to be able to cook some Fried Chicken. And little did she know that, you know, when you took it out of the freezer youd have to let it thaw. Reporter frozen Fried Chicken aside, toni was someone who set goals and made them happen. After college she went to medical school, and in 1988 graduated in the top 10 of her class. Then she settled into a new practice and a new marriage with a young dentist. But the woman who could do it all couldnt save a relationship she tried. But after seven years the marriage ended. I dont think my sister took failure well. And so i think that was a disappointing time in her life. Reporter todds wife rhonda remembers how toni continued to thrive at work, but her love life stalled. Her career was extremely important, and so there was a time issue there. She didnt have a lot of time to to her job. And to be honest, i really dont think that there was very good pickings possibly. Reporter and the clock was ticking when it came to starting a family. So in her late 30s, toni turned to a place many do to find a mate the internet. She chose a christian dating site. Finding a man who shared her faith was very important to her. She didnt tell her little brother or his wife rhonda right away about her online adventure. But she did share her secret with her good friend aon talley. Did she give you updates on how it was going and if she was meeting anybody . I didnt really ask. But i did know that she had met a couple of guys. Reporter then toni met the one. Handsome guy, little bit older than her, charming, incredibly charming. Just extended a hand immediately and welldressed and very polished and well spoken, very professional looking. Reporter his name was harold he lived in colorado and worked as a consultant to nonprofits. He didnt smoke, rarely drank, and he said he was a planner. Eventually harold flew out to jackson to meet toni in person. And with them both being methodical types, they devised a formula for lasting love. They had come up with a system for compatibility. And it was five cs. And i dont remember what they all stood for. Compatibility was one of them. Christianity was one of them. Chemistry was one of them. When they met for the first time, they would know if the chemistry was there. Theyd confirmed four out of the five before their first meeting. Reporter so when they met it was combustion. Maybe that was one of them. Reporter toni ticked off her cs. Then she introduced harold to everyone. First impression . Way more outgoing, way more vocal than she she was quiet. I thought, this is great for her. This gets her out of her shell. And it gives her somebody to do widower, and told the bertolets he had waited a long time for another chance at love. His first wife died in a car accident. My heart went out to him. I was like, wow, he deserves his happiness, you know. And if its with toni, then thats awesome. You know, he said he had been lonely. Reporter harolds friend, kim laferriere, had been best friends with harolds first wife, lynn. What did harold tell you about this new woman in his life, toni . He didnt tell ot but he did tell me that he really liked her. Reporter after lynn died, kim and harold remained close. Now he wanted kim to meet the new woman in his life. I felt like i couldnt talk about lynn anymore which i understood that. But i was happy that he moved on. Oo and i felt like it was time and that he was starting a new life. Reporter so now harold, the planner, as hed said in his out to orchestrate the perfect proposal. Harold really studied the jackson area to find out the Perfect Place to propose. And he found this beautiful place in jackson that we all love. Reporter and how excited was she to tell you her news . Very. She was excited. And she had a beautiful ring. It was a nice ring. And just she was very happy. Very happy that it seemed like it was all coming together and she was going to be very happy. Reporter on september 30th, 2000, less than a year after bertolet married Harold Henthorn in a Big Church Wedding in jackson. She looked fantastic, happy, glowing. It was a lovely day. It was beautiful. It looked like the first day of the rest of her life. It really did. Reporter the future was bright. Tonis career had been her focus for so long. Harold promised something different. Marry me. Im wealthy. I can take you away from, you working all the time. And allow you to be the mother, which is the main thing she wanted to be. Reporter her knight in shining armor . Thats it. Reporter but its amazing how life has a way of intruding on our fairy tales. When we come back, a romantic surprise. Hi. She is like, whats going on . And he says, you know, were going away for the weekend. A whirlwind escape to the mountains. She couldnt say no. It seemed tonis thoughtful husband had planned everything. Almost. I need an Alpine Mountain rescue team immediately. The vera wang love collection. And now, its waiting for you at jared. Hey team, i know were tight on time, but i really need a. Sick day tomorrow. Moms dont take sick days. Moms take nyquil severe the. Nighttime sniffling,sneezing, coughing, aching, fever best. Sleep with a cold, medicine. Heres something to get stuck on this holiday season. Switch to Cricket Wireless and get the Samsung Galaxy amp 2, for free just a little Holiday Cheer from the merrier carrier Cricket Wireless. Something to smile about. Nivea inshower body lotion after washing apply and rinse 24 hours of moisture with no sticky feel. Then get dressed and go. Delight your senses with inshower cocoa butter. Available in the body lotion aisle. Whats the best way to get two servings of veggies . Available in the body lotion aisle. V8 or a fancy juice store . One large rutabaga, with eggplant. Done thats not fair. Glad i had a v8. The original way to fuel your day. Thinning of the teeth and leading to being extremely yellow would probably gross me out my dentist recommended pronamel. It can help protect enamel from acid erosion. Pronamel is all about your enamel. After toni and harold got married, friends and loved ones knew the couple wanted to start a family. For the first two years of their marriage their careers kept them apart. Toni in mississippi, harold in colorado. And when toni was finally able to move west to be with harold miscarriages. It was a sadness to her. Reporter back in mississippi, tonis brother todd and sisterinlaw rhonda were also struggling to have a baby. But then after years of disappointment for both couples, all their prayers were answered. We both ended up pregnant at the same time. Reporter that must have been a really happy time given what you went through to get there. Absolutely. All of sudden, you know, good news here, good news here, and, you know, get ready because, you know, youre going to have a houseful. Reporter in june of 2005, toni and harold welcomed their baby girl, haley. By then, todd and rhonda already had anna kate. When the girls were a little over a year old, the henthorns came to mississippi and the who cousins got to meet. It was a very happy occasion. And i do remember toni just reporter and although toni had always wanted to be a mom, it was pretty clear harold was mr. Mom. He was the one in charge. The diaper change. Most women have to beg their husbands to do that kind of stuff. He was the one he was like a nanny. Reporter handson dad . Yeah. He was in charge of everything about that child. Reporter with harold such a doting father, toni was able to go back to work. She soon built a thriving practice in colorado. She was a beloved doctor. She had a really great bedside manner. Reporter tammi abruscatto managed the practice. She took time. She treated her patients as a whole body not just their eyes. She was interested in their family life. She had the good oldfashioned southern hospitality. Reporter tammi saw how committed toni was to her patients. Sometimes it was hard to get her to leave the office. So tammi was charmed when one day in September Harold asked her for help. The blue from harold. Yes, about two weeks before their anniversary he phoned and said, hey, tammi, i want to surprise toni for our anniversary. Can you help me out . Reporter it was their 12th wedding anniversary. Harold wanted to celebrate with a surprise trip to one of colorados wonders, Rocky MountainNational Park. So youre being really sneaky in all of this. I am. I mean wed all love for our husbands to call and do something fun like that. So i me office by 3 00, but it looked like she would be there till 5 00. Reporter the big day was september 28, 2012. He came into the office, and the other girls thought it would be fun to really surprise her. So they put him in an exam room. Reporter a colleague shot this cell phone video. So she picks up a chart, walks into the room like she normally would, and then theres and he says, you know, were going away for the weekend, happy anniversary. And shes like, no, no, no, no. I cant do that. And he says, you can. Tammi fixed the schedule so youre ready to leave. Reporter this was well orchestrated. Yes. Reporter this anniversary plan. Yes. Reporter harold thought of everything. He hired babysitters for haley. Hed even packed tonis clothes. She couldnt say no. I mean, she just, you know, he had it all worked out, so off they went. Pulled it off. Now the perfect anniversary weekend could begin. The couple left denver on a friday afternoon and headed north. Harold booked a room at the stanley, a historic Beautiful Hotel in estes park. My name is jack torrance. Reporter famous for inspiring stephen kings the shining. Thank you. Reporter he scheduled an early dinner so they could turn in early. It was a romantic weekend, after set out for Rocky MountainNational Park to go on a hiking trail harold had scouted out a few months earlier. But just about 24 hours in, the perfect weekend turned tragic. 911, whats the address of your emergency . Hello, my name is Harold Henthorn, and im in the Rocky MountainNational Park. Okay. I need an Alpine Mountain rescue team immediately. Reporter it was just before 6 00 and harold needed help urgently. My wife has fallen from a rock on the noh mountain. On the Deer Mountain trail. And shes in really critical condition. Reporter harold told the 911 operator that toni had fallen from the edge of a cliff. We need to be sure that you know my location first. I have really bad cell coverage. Okay. Okay. Im on Deer Mountain. Reporter immediately, the park launched a ranger who was also a trained emt, but the only way to get there from the trail head was on foot, and that would take hours. Breathing . No, shes not. Shes not been conscious. She is breathing. Reporter harold, desperate, pleaded for a rescue helicopter. Heres the thing. I will pay any and all expenses for a helicopter. I dont care if its private, i dont care if its commercial, i will pay any and all expenses right now if you drop a paramedic down here. Reporter the operator tried to explain that no aircraft could do what harold was asking, not at that altitude over that terrain. They cant like drop somebody out of the helicopter. From a 10foot rope . No, sir. That has n b experience. Reporter harold knew tonis situation was grave. She needs to get out of here. She needs to get to the hospital. Reporter harold didnt stay on with the 911 operator. He hung up because he was worried his cell phone battery might die. Then at 6 16, he texted tonis older brother barry, a cardiologist, back in mississippi. Barry, urgent. Toni is injured in estes park. Fall from rock. Critical. Will be dark when arrive. Pray. Todd got a call from his brother barry. Barry said that toni had been in an accident and that he was being texted the vital signs, and it didnt look good. You know, he said, i dont think shes going to make it. Reporter back on the mountain, the rescuers were having trouble finding the henthorns. Theyre asking you to put as many bright items out as possible to see if they can see you. Anybody near you, sir . Reporter the henthorns were all alone and time was running out. The sun was setting. So harold lit a fire. Ive started a small fire in a completely enclosed rock enclosure with wet moss on it thinking you can see the smoke. Reporter now in the dark, the henthorns were off the grid. And still waiting. Just before 7 00, an hour after harolds first call to 911, an hello . Harold, this is julia, Estes Park Police department. They tell me you need some assistance doing some cpr. Any help you could give me would be good. Okay. Is she awake . No, unconscious. Okay. Im going to go through my questions really fast with you. Is she breathing . Her breathing has gone from ten to five and nothing, to zero. Okay. What im going to do now is im going to count for you as you go through the breaths. Ive got my computer on and i can count. So we can make sure were getting that blood flow. Reporter but harold said he the rangers have to find me. Okay. I will let you go. Call 911 any time and you get me, okay . Reporter harold continued to text tonis brother with details, none were good. Cant find a pulse. He texted a friend asking if he could drive up to Rocky MountainNational Park to pick him up. He called back dispatch. You guys have an eta on the rangers . Theres actually a ranger in the area. If you could start using your whistle. Hes trying to find you. Okay, okay. Reporter he texted barry again cpr. Help 10 minutes out. Finally, 8 09 pm more than two hours after harold called 911 the ranger arrived prepared for a rescue, but there was no rescue to be made. Coming up i just said is she okay . And i fell to my knees. Exactly what had happened up there on the mountain . This is a spot that most people wou approach. And try pluggable febreze, the investigation begins. It was supposed to be the edge of a steep cliff. 8 41 mountain time, her husband harold texted her family two horrible words. Shes gone. Id never seen my dad cry. Never. And id say for probably the next two weeks all the time. Just constant. Reporter she was his little girl. Uhhuh. I can tell you it doesnt matter, you know, what age they are, you know, a parent can never accept it. Rte work couldnt believe it either. I got a call from christy at our office and all she said is, tammi, toni fell. Reporter what did you think when she said she fell . I just said, is she okay . No, she died. And i fell to my knees. And my husband said, oh, my gosh, whats going on . And i said, dr. Henthorn fell off a cliff. Reporter everyone was heartbroken for toni. Harold. 7yearold daughter haley. I put myself on the mountain and at the moment that she probably knew, well, this is it, you know. I know her thoughts were of haley. Reporter about 150 people die in National Parks each year. In Rocky MountainNational Park, the leading cause of death is falling. Before i wrote this book, i didnt know that the National Reporter journalist Michael Fleeman covered the death of Toni Henthorn. I just thought the extent of their police work was to tell you to put out a rogue campfire or something, or dont park here, dont feed the bears. Reporter but theres more to it. Every death in our National Parks is investigated. And in ton