Turned to infinite terror. I just hear her saying help, someones in trouble. I was scared. I was scared. Reporter a husband, found murdered in a closet. A wife, tied up in another. They found her on the ground, with her hands behind her back. She just had bruising on her arms and her face. Inconsolable. Screaming. Crying. Who could be behind this . Their only daughter, desperate for justice for her dad. Be careful what you wish for. Everybody gasped. Nobody could believe it. This terrifies me because this could happen to anybody. Hello and welcome to dateline. She was his teenage crush. Then, puppy love turned into a lifelong love affair. Eventually, high school sweethearts, jamie and Sandra Melgar got married and raised a daughter. They were celebrating a remarkable 32 years together, when jamie was brutally murdered. To crack the case, investigators would have to uncover the secrets of an illusion worthy of the great houdini. Heres Dennis Murphy with unspeakable. The Scented Candles were lit. The jacuzzi jets turned on high. It was a belated anniversary evening, but not some big blowout. Sandra and jamie really werent that kind of couple. They were just so kind to each other and always very respectful. They had raised a daughter. Juggled all the usual things that families do. And now, retirement for jamie was right around the corner. They sat there and talked about the future, and what they were hookilooking forward to. Reporter but the future for these two would last no longer than the flame on that candle. By the next afternoon, there would be blood. Lots of it. Somehow, someone had turned a cozy celebration into a monstrous crime scene. This was just it was horrible. What, in the world, had happened in that house . I have no idea. Reporter the story of the two begins as high school meet cute. Sandra, the new girl from laredo, assigned a seat in her houston classroom, just in front of jamie melgar. Their daughter, liz, doesnt know how many times she heard that story. He used to pull on her hair in the middle of class. Apparently, one time he invited her ice skating and when she showed up, it was one of his friends. And he left a little bit after that. So a little bit of a scheme. Yeah, but it ended well. And that was that. Sandra and jamie were a done deal. An inseparable couple. Sandra studied nursing, and jamie set aside whatever time he could for his family. While investing in real estate. Happy family . Very happy family. I was definitely a daddys girl growing up. And jamie carried himself with a certain, goofy joy as his niece Melissa Campos remembers it. Easygoing guy . Yes, very easygoing. Easy to talk to. Had the worst jokes. They were so bad that you would just stop and grown. And they became known as jim jokes. Melissas aunt sandra would roll her eyes, then laugh indulgently, at uncle jim. I remember her being like, your uncle. They joined the jehovahs witnesses, early in their relationship. But by her early 20s, daughter, liz, had left the church. Newly independent, she rushed into a marriage. A bad one. True that he was involved in heavy drugs . Yes. And that was the end of it . That was it. I didnt want to live that kind of life. Reporter but her parents marriage just kept going, through sickness and health. In fact, in recent years, jamie was looking younger than ever on a vegetarian diet and exercise regimen. Your mom, your poor mom, meanwhile, had a constellation of health problems, didnt she . Yes. Lupus. Chemotherapy. At times, yeah. But she also had the epilepsy. Did she have the seizures . Did you ever see her . Yeah, she did. Then, their 32nd wedding anniversary. Sandra was ill on the actual day so they went out ten days later on december 22nd. The next day, the 23rd, marissas family would join them to celebrate again, over a late lunch. On our way there, i remember texting him. Texting your uncle . Yes. I didnt get a sporesponse but was that unusual that he didnt text you back . Yes. They got to the house around 4 00 p. M. And knocked on the front door. Nothing. No answer. Marissas father, jamies brother, herman, checked around the back of the house. No seen of jamie or sandra. We thought, okay, maybe they left. Maybe they went to go get something. And my dads like, no, but his truck is out there. Finally, thats when my dad said im just going to go inside. Herman entered the house itself through an unlocked interior door. Then, he comes around to open up the front door. The visitors huddled in the dark entrance, expecting a greeting from sandra or jamie but none came. Just as they got ready to leave, they heard something. It sounded like sandra. It was mumbling. Where did the voice come from . We did not know. My dad, i just remember, just ran straight into the master bedroom. Marissa raced after her father. I just hear her saying help, someones in trouble. Were you really scared at this point . Yes, i was scared. The voice was coming from inside a walkin closet attached to the bathroom. Herman moved closer. Wedged against the doorknob was a dining chair. And there was sandra, on the floor, tied by her arms and ankles, but alive. He said that she did not look well, at all. As marissas mom cuts sandra loose, her dad spoke. Where is my brother . Where is your uncle . The answer to that, unspeakable. What had happened to jamie melgar and to his wife . Coming up. She looked like she had aged ten years, overnight. Just broken and lost. Sandra melgar, the only possible witness to a night of terror. What would she remember . When dateline continues. When dateline continues. And your health is key to that. Centrum supports your body with vitamin c and zinc to help maintain your immune system today and into the new tomorrow. Centrum. Thats why ive got the power of 1,2,3 medicines with trelegy. 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Trying to calculate her familys terrible new math. In the bedroom, opened drawers. A tossed wallet. Had this been a Home Invasion . And where was her uncle jamie . Then, she glanced to her side. And, there, about 20 feet away from the bathroom, next to jamie and sandras bed. I just saw his his ankles. And this was, what, in a closet area off the off the off their master, huh . Uhhuh. So, you just saw his feet. Uhhuh. I cant even know what had happened to him. I just knew his ankles were tied up. It was horrible. There was jamie, naked, covered in blood on the floor, not far from his safe. A red rope encircled his chest. A phone chord looped around his ankles. Sandra, now freed of her ties, sprang from her closet captivity. A nurse, she checked for his pulse and she found none. Your aunt was crying . Yes. Yes. Marissa, what in the world happened in that house . Im not sure. Who could have done Something Like that to them. First responders werent sure what they had been dispatched to, either. They told us two victims and thats all we knew when we got there. Stephanie robinson was the First Responder on the scene. She checked on jamie. He was clearly dead, huh . Yeah, clearly dead. You know gunshot wounds from knife wounds. You couldnt really tell, there was so much blood. I did notice down his neck. She was kind of balled up a little bit. And she was crying, hysterically. The emts started to assess sandra, who said her head hurt. But she said she has no injuries. Still, sandra seemed disoriented. What time was it . Morning . Or afternoon . Then, between gulping sobs, sandra said she simply could not remember what happened the night before. Shed been unconscious. Maybe, had one of her seizures. She said after a seizure, that its not uncommon that she falls asleep for several hours. By now, Harris County investigators had desended on a crime scene that was once just the melgars modest home. Jamie, they could see, had suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso. By the looks of it, over a dozen. Collecting evidence. Things like a bloody chair near jamies body. And a knife. Sandra declined to go to the hospital. Instead, she wept to talk with investigators. Sandra told investigators the last thing she remembered was her anniversary night with jamie. We went out to eat. And what time was that . I want to say about 8. I mean, im just guessing, i dont know. Sandra told them they stopped for mixers at a cvs on the way home. What time did you get home . Probably, midnight. She said they intended to share some latenitro manght ro candles, and strawberries. Went and got in the jacuzzi. In your master bathroom . Right. But was disrupted by the barking dog outside. When theyre too loud, you know, the neighbors complain. And he just, was taking a while. So i got out and was going to get dressed or change in my closet. Reporter maybe thats when she had the seizure. Thats all i remember, until i woke up. As they talked, sandra broke down. Who could have done this, she wondered . She recalled, for the detectives, a scary moment on their way home. I think when we were at cvs, there was a car following us because when we came in our neighborhood, it was still behind us and he was really close. Reporter something for the detectives to check out. After sandra was done talking, her cousin diana, who had rushed into town to help, met her at a friends house. She looked like she had aged ten years, overnight. And she couldnt stop shaking. And so, i didnt want to ask her too many questions. Reporter liz, remarried now, was an ocean away. Living in europe, when she finally got her mother on the phone. What did you hear in her voice . She was just broken. And lost. She was just devastated. And, at that point, you had very fragmentary information, huh . Yeah. All i knew is my dad was killed in a Home Invasion and, thankfully, my mom was still alive. Thats not any kind of news you should ever hear. Its shocking. It really doesnt sink in for a while. You just kind of go into crisis mode. Reporter liz booked the next flight back to texas. I just knew i had to get there. Had to get back. Back to a new reality, with a murderer father and a traumatized mother. Grieving would have to take a number, while the daughter held everyone together. Nothing made sense. Coming up. Were you worried about your mother . That whoever this person was, might come back for her . Absolutely. She was traumatized. Tips begin to trickle in. Who could have done this . You are getting information, right away, about kind of a sketchy neighbor. Thats right. Just getting out of jail, who was suspicious. When dateline continues. Businesses are starting to bounce back. But what if you could do better than that . Like adapt. Discover. Deliver. In new ways. To new customers. What if you could come back stronger . Faster. Better. At comcast business, we want to help you not just bounce back. But bounce forward. And now, were committed to helping you do just that with a powerful and reliable internet and voice solution at a great price. Call or go online today. Two days after the bloody discovery in her childhood home, liz melgar landed in houston. A daddys girl. Shaken even more by the face that was missing. I think, at that time, it really hit me that i wasnt going to see him anymore. He wasnt going to be there to pick me up from the airport. A still very rocky sandra came with family to pick up her daughter. We both just broke down at the sight of each other. She had been through a terrible ordeal. You dont really know the whole story, yet. But did you see injuries on her . Just had bruising on her arms and on her face. Did she have a bump on her head . She did. She told me her head was hurting and i could feel it back there. Liz insisted her mom get some rest. So the next day, when detective came by the house where liz and sandra were staying, the daughter was the one to field their questions. And liz thought it prudent to record the conversation. She updated the detectives on her mothers health. Shes just in complete shock. And she has retrograde amnesia at the moment. She has a hard time remembering things, as it is, because of the seizures. Liz had witnessed her moms seizures before. And now, she theorized thats what kept her live during the Home Invasion. She probably had a seizure and it probably freaked out whoever was there. Because, if she could ever remember a suspect, thats the best thing for me and him. Because then, we have a description and everything else. Right now, we have nothing. Ive been asking. Ive been asking her. And then, detectives ask liz if she could pay a visit to her parents house. Anything you thinks missing . Because we need to start searching for the items that are missing. I cant imagine you going back to this house, where youve known your parents and happy times. And then, its a crime scene. Absolutely. Its the one place youre supposed to be safe. And its just been, i dont know, its been tainted. Reporter she went through the house, room by room. Cataloging what she thought was missing. A tv set. Jewelry. Cash. And medication. Last stop, the garage. The garage was full of things that could easily be stolen and pawned. Yeah. There, liz spied something to her eyes, oddly out of place. Her middle school backpack. Sticking out of it, an x box console. Could this have been the killers loot, dropped in a panic, as he ran from the scene . Liz called investigators. They returned to the house, snapped even more photos, and collected the backpack as potential evidence. Theyd later find, beneath that x box, some of sandras jewelry. And liz realized she had an idea for detectives, too. A possible suspect. Is it true, liz, that you even suggested they take a look at your ex, at that point . Yes, i tried to give them as much information as i could. Yes, the exhusband. In his last days of his marriage to liz, the melgars suspected he and a buddy lifted some medication. The same reported to be missing. But now, liz told detectives, talk to the ex. By now, the murder breakin story was all over the news. Deputies say melgar tell them she cant remember who tied her up. And neighbors start offering up crimestopper tips. One of them, amanda ore, then of reuters and the Houston ChronicleAffairs Reporter covered. A sketchy neighbor known to break in houses. Thats right. A neighbor who had just getting out of jail. Who was suspicious. Liz thought, add him to the histo list of potential suspects. Did you have ideas for them . I did. She also suggested they talk to one of her parents tenants. Someone who had disputes with her dad. And there was a coworker of jamie she got a bad vibe from. And again, she urged detectives to look at her ex. If not him, what about people in his circle . Months dragged by, without word on the investigation. You believe someone out there has gotten away with killing your father. Yeah, absolutely. It was hard to sleep at night. I was every little noise had me on edge. Were you worried about your mother . Oh, yeah. That whoever this person was might come back for her. Absolutely. I was constantly worried. And how was her health, at that time . She had started having seizures. And, you know, she was she was traumatized. She had posttraumatic stress. She had anxiety. She had depression. She was a mess. Liz clung to the hope that one of those leads she gave detectives would eventually pan out. But, for now, anyway, it looked like Law Enforcement was playing its cards close to the vest. According to prosecutor of the Harris County district attorneys office, that was because they had made some early observations about the crime scene. Officers have investigated burglaries and robberies for many years before they get in homicide. And they thought that the scene looked kind of suspicious. So, what was off kilter with this one . The fact that it didnt look burglarized. But drawers were open i think, right . They were open a little bit but nothing was tossed. But what about those items liz noticed were missing from the house . And the backpack of apparent burglars loot she found in the garage . Well, detectives took note of many other items, pricey things, that had been left untouched. Cameras. The bicycle. Painting equipment. And then, what was taken and put in a backpack was left in the garage. Doesnt make sense. The home, to investigators, showed no sign of forced entry. That opened garage door, the only way possible way in for an intruder. But Law Enforcement thought, that, too, seemed as though it could have been staged. To investigators, this didnt look like a burglary gone bad but more like a targeted killing. And they theorized their suspect was somebody already inside the house. Coming up. My memory is so bad. How murky was her memory, really . Investigators are about to listen, very carefully, to sandras story when dateline continues. s story when dateli continues. No matter how you stay fit keep it light with light fits rainbow of delightful, proteinpacked flavors. When you drink or eat something thats acidic everyone is at risk for enamel loss. It sucks the minerals out of the tooths surface. Pronamel