Here . Yeah. Reporter thirty years of secrets. Do you still want to talk to me about what happened that night . Reporter two trials. They have no evidence. Reporter a heartstopping finish. Youre gonna be holding the skull itself in front of the jury. It was a sacred thing for us to do. Reporter a daughters decadeslong search for her mothers murderer. You never heal from this, ever. He ruined my life, and he needs to pay for it. Reporter im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres den lonely road. Reporter a few feet from the city limits of toledo, ohio, a car swings around the corner onto a desolate stretch of road. Its dark. Wee hours. Just stabs of light spilling from the houses. Most people are asleep. He could so easily have missed her, lying in the grass on the side of the road. Her knees drawn up to her chest. At first he drove right by her the story went then doubled back for a closer look. And what he found launched a thirtyyear journey for one lonely child. Theres all these whys that have not been answered. Why was she forgotten about for all these years . Reporter a daughter determined to find out what happened that night. Whats making you go forward . Why not just let it be . Something inside of me just wouldnt i wouldnt stop. Reporter o the truth. Shes knocking on every door, shes ringing every phone. Did you wish she werent doing it, toby . I would just love to to say to her one more time, you know, i love you. One more time. Reporter a daughter who wasnt afraid to make enemies. You are his nemesis. Mmhmm. And ill never go away. Up in oregon, ohio a comfortable town perched on the edge of lake erie, where weekends meant lawn mowers, church, and softball games. What are you happy doing . What makes you wanna pop out of bed in the morning as a child . I danced. Reporter brittany felt loved. Safe. Until one afternoon in kindergarten, she says her teacher had a question for her. She had asked me you know how did your mom die . Was she in a car accident . I think i was like five and i remember getting really teary eyed and going, i dont know what youre talking about. So i went home crying and asked my mom, what is she talking about . Reporter it was a horrible way to realize the person she called mom was actually her grandmother. That her mother, 19yearold Dana Rosendale, had died in a car accident. Dana was a stranger to her. Do you have so much as a memory of your mothers smile, or her touch . None. I was only eight months old when it happened, so reporter brittany was greedy for memories of this mother shed never known. She badgered danas older sister, aunt deb. So when the curious little girl asks you, the aunt, tell me about my mother, what do you say . I just she was a she was a beautiful woman, you know . She loved life. Reporter and adored her baby girl. She loved that little girl to death. She was just a great, great reporter dana had been so young. Just eighteen when she got pregnant. Did dana ever feel sorry for herself in any way . Im having a baby too young, my friends are out having a life, and im gonna miss some of that stuff . Never. It would be natural to feel that way . Yeah, she never felt sorry for herself. She was she took life head on. Reporter and just like brittany, dana had loved to dance. Thats what had taken her and her best friend to a club across town the south side roxy. Just a few hours later. But aunt deb hadnt told brittany much about that night. There were some things she just wasnt willing to share with the little girl. Did you talk about her last hours . Did she know no. What happened to her . No, no. Did you try and keep her mothers presence in her life . Somewhat, you know . Its hard to do. Its hard to do, because of the the horrible way that that the events happened. That she died. So do you want to continually know . Or do you put it put it away . Reporter but as the years passed, the silence, the mystery that weighed on brittany was a dark one. The older i got it was like everybody knew. Everybody knew my mom had gotten killed, however it was did a kid tell you something . No, i just i could feel it. Nobody could deal with my moms death. So, something was missing yeah. In your moms story. You didnt know what it was . Yeah. Reporter then in seventh grade, brittany says, a police her attention. He said, anything that ever happens can be found on microfiche at the library. This is a light bulb moment for you . Uhhuh. I was like, well, what is that . And he said, all the newspaper articles, all the police reports. Anything youve ever done thats on a record or thats happened is going to be on an archive. Reporter that night brittany scored a lift to the library and headed straight for the archives. And i just started scanning all the newspapers they had on file. Found another article and the headline was 19yearold found on road, dead. So i read through that one, and then there was another one. And this is your mom, this is not a uhhuh. Right. Paper for school or an historic figure. This is your mom youre researching. Yeah. And so i think it was more of a shock, you know, and i just every article that was on there. Reporter shocking to read about her mothers death in black and white. Shed never let herself picture the accident in her head. Woman found on road dies reporter the articles didnt describe two cars colliding, but rather her mothers battered body lying on a lonely roadway. Dana rosendales death ruled undetermined. Reporter and perhaps the most Surprising New detail in those articles a comment from the local coroner. In 1982, he had told the press he had doubts, wasnt sure that dana had died in a car accident at all. But if not, how had she died . At that time, i was so mad that everyone lied to me. And it was just a whirof emotions. Reporter brittany wondered if her family had been hiding something even more sinister than shed ever imagined that her 19yearold mother had been murdered. How did dana die . Did the secret die with her . When we return. I can remember grabbin her hospital gown and saying, you know, wake up. Just wake up, just open your reporter and years later, brittany demands the truth from someone who might know, and hits a dead end. Did he say, okay, youre old enough now, i can tell you unhuh. He said, youre not ready. With diabetic nerve pain. If you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain dont suffer in silence step on up and ask your doctor about diabetic nerve pain. Tell em cedric sent you. The chase freedom unlimited card earns you unlimited 1. 5 cash back on everything you buy. The cash back is unlimited and you can spend it on anything. Like, whatever the next ad is selling. Get the chase freedom unlimited card. Olay total effects vitamin enriched to revive skin olay. Ageless. Marie knows that a hearty Turkey Pot Pie gives you a warm way to cozy up on a chilly day. So she seasons and roasts tender turkey breast to perfection. And prepares a golden flaky crust from scratch. Then she fills it with crisp vegetables. And seals in the goodness with perfectlycrimped edges. Because Marie Callender knows that when its cold outside, Marie Callenders. Its time to savor. Rm, flaky layers are on the inside. But lets just say its more than ever. Share the warmth of grands biscuits, now with even more flaky layers reporter Brittany Storks world was spinning. The 13yearold believed all the adults in her life were lying to her. Had been lying to her for years. I was just so mad at everybody. It was just, leave me alone. And you cant tell me what to do. You know, you lied to me. Reporter a tragic car accident. Thats what brittany had been told about her moms death, but far more suspicious. Brittany made a copy of them and confronted her dad, toby. Hed been in an onagain, offagain relationship with her mom, dana, at the time of her death. And i cant remember what i wrote on it, but i know that it wasnt a very nice message. Whats up with this basically . Yeah, i think i actually told him i hated him. Did he say, okay, youre old enough now, i can tell you unhuh. A more complete story . Unhuh. He said, youre not ready. Youre not ready, still . Reporter brittany wasnt sure her dad would evell he wasnt around much during her childhood. His parents were the ones whod taken her in as a baby, raised her. They wouldnt talk about the past much either. So youre an angry teenage girl with your fists balled up, and youre still trying to find out the story of your mother, huh . Right. Whats making you go forward . Why not just let it be . Something inside of me just wouldnt i wouldnt stop. You know, i then i would start the hyperventilating, id wake up crying all the time, you and theyd tell me, you need to stop, you need to calm down. So then i started digging. Reporter sometimes when her grandmother slept, brittany says she rifled through her old photo albums. Brittany, youre becoming kind of a detective in this thing. Uhhuh. Reporter aunt deb says the very image of brittanys mom was much closer than the little girl knew. All she had to do was look in the mirror. You look at brittany and it takes your breath away because shell shes like a little clone. Reporter brittanys questions were opening up its a fresh, open wound again. Absolutely. Yeah. Just like it happened yesterday. You know, i i would just love to to say to her one more time, you know, i love you. One more time. Reporter dana and deb had grown up the rosendale sisters in 1970s toledo. On summer evenings you could find them twirling batons in their backyard, tossing them high above their heads. Michigan, canada. We twirled in parades and marched in a marching band called the ambassadors. Reporter deb, the older sister, was more serious, more competitive. Dana, the baby, was more interested in barbies and make up and her friends. She was vivacious, gregarious personality, big personality. You know, everybody liked her. She had a lot of friends. Where was her life headed . She had a lotta goals. She wanted to own a boutique. Get a job, be successful, have a good life. But she never got there. Never got there. Reporter it was labor day weekend, 1982. Deb was camping with her family when she got word that dana had been found lying on the side of the road, about eight miles from the dance club where shed gone with a friend. And i needed to get to toledo as soon as possible. She was in Critical Condition at st. Charles hospital, in oregon, ohio. So this is an awful drive for you . Absolutely, yeah. You dont know what youre gonna find at the other end . Dana hooked up to life support and friends and family gathering. And of course my mother was there, and she was in pieces. Dana was her, you know, dana was the baby of the family and she was unconscious. Tubes, bandages, machines . Ventilator she had severe swelling. Severe swelling in her face. Reporter and that was the only injury dana appeared to have. Debs mind reeled with the possibilities of what might have happened a terrible accident, perhaps a hitandrun. And of course nothing could be learned from dana herself. Even though she was unconscious, were you talking to her . Absolutely, you know, begging her, wake up. You know, i can remember grabbin her hospital gown and saying, you know, wake up. Just wake up, just open your eyes, you know. Open your eyes. Hitandrun on tracy road. He raced to the scene. So you pull up. What do you see . When i pull up, what i see is the squad is still there, the rescue squad. And there are people, of course, congregated at this point. Reporter among them, a young man who said he was the person who had first spotted dana. He said, i was drivin by. I seen somethin, thought it was a body. I turned around. He showed me where he turned around, and came back, and sure as heck it was. Now, he said, i immediately went up to some homes, knocked on the doors to try to seek some some help. Reporter the detective wrote down the mans name Russell Adkins. What did you think you had . I really wasnt sure, to be honest with you. I didnt know if i had someone hit by a car or was she thrown from a vehicle . I i i really had no idea. Answers from danas family and friends. What he heard were words of suspicion, hints even of murder. With some people in danas family pointing the finger at someone very close to home. Coming up if it was murder, how would they ever prove it . It was all circumstantial evidence. There wasnt a murder weapon. They just had her body. Just had stories and a victim on the side of the road. Right. Reporter when dateline continues. We took lifelong pasta experts is what happened. Thats because even ragu users prefer the taste of prego traditional twotoone. Emma dreamed of honeymooning in aruba. But with the jetblue card, she got there faster than she could get married. Fly faster than you think. Get two times at restaurants and Grocery Stores. Im maggie hassan, and i approve this message. Nothing matters more than our security. Thats why i hired more state troopers. And strengthened plans for school safety. Support aggressive action to destroy isis. And put our security before my party opposing president obamas plan to close guantanamo. Narrator all while kelly ayotte supports reckless and dangerous donald trump. And ayotte skipped nearly half her Homeland SecurityCommittee Hearings on Border Security and drug trafficking. Reporter six days after Dana Rosendale had been found dying on an ohio back road, to take her off life support. How did you say goodbye to her . That was so absolutely horrible, it was horrible. Once they took the ventilator off, probably less than three minutes and she was dead. It was horrible. Reporter deb says her family was shattered. You never heal from this ever. Ever. You grieve and youre angry. And then you grieve, but you never get over it. No one believed dana had been killed in an accident, deb says. And some people in the family openly wondered whether danas boyfriend, toby, father to baby brittany, might have hurt dana. The relationship was a rocky one. It was kind of like a a cant live with you, cant live without you type of relationship. Reporter toby certainly caught the wary eye of detective bratton. The boyfriend refused to talk to him in the hospital waiting room. He learned i was a detective. I aint talkin to you. He started walking away from me. So i latch onto him. I bring him back and we exchange some words. Reporter the detective says he blocked the doorway until toby calmed down. When he did, toby gave bratton his alibi, hed been asleep in danas apartment at the time of the incident. But that apartment was less than a mile from the place where dana had been found. Bratton says family members told him toby had a temper and the start immediately. About your involvement . Immediately. A lot of members of her family think that youre the killer here. Yes. Reporter toby says danas family had never approved of his relationship with her. He was a rough and tumble character, four years older than she, fond of boxing and motorcycles. There was evel knievel, and i was considered awful. Knawful. Perhaps. But toby says they fell hard for each other after a chance meeting at a bar. This girl walked by me, and she said, goodbye. And at that moment, i said, well, how can you say goodbye to me . You never said hello. Reporter sure they argued, toby says, but the birth of baby brittany brought them closer together. Did you think you had a future together . Oh, yes. We planned on getting married. Thats what our goal was. So, you were going to give it a shot . Oh, yeah. With dana at the south side roxy is because hed come home after a hard day at work. He was beat. As dana went to go away to go to the party and everything, she woke me up and told me, i love you. And that was the last thing i ever heard from her. Reporter it was a touching tale, but danas mother didnt buy it. She asked toby to leave the hospital in those final, awful didnt know what to think. The only thing she was certain of was this. You believed at that point that dana had been murdered . Yeah, i i believed shed been murdered. Who, why . I dont know. You know, i have no idea. What did she do . You know, why would somebody want to hurt this beautiful little girl that was full of life . Reporter it looked as though deb would never find out. A few months after danas death, the investigation seemed to sputter out. The air seems to go out of the balloon, deb, and nothing what do you think happened . I believe it was it was open for a couple of years. There wasnt a murder weapon. They just had her body. Technology is different in 1982. No cell phones. No gps. Just had stories and a victim on the side of the road. Right. Right. Reporter many years later, as she watched danas daughter, now a teenager, trying to find out about her moms mysterious death, aunt deb wondered if she should have pushed police harder. Do you beat yourself up about that . Sure i do. Sure i do. For not staying on top of the you know, i have a lot of guilt. Reporter fear, too. Back in the day, deb believed danas killer was on the loose somewhere. She wanted to protect her family, not make waves. But as brittany got older, she knew nothing was going to stop the teenager from searching for answers. What was taken from her, deb . Her mother. A mothers love. There cant be anything worse. Theres nothing worse. Theres nothing worse than losing your mothers love. Yeah. But its clothes and toys. But its not the same. Its not the same to have your mom whos your best friend when you grow up as an adult. Its gone. Reporter and someone else important was missing in 15yearold brittanys life. Her dad. Brittany had heard the whispers about him over the years. His temper. The fights with her mom. Toby had spent much of her childhood in and out of prison serving time for theft, assault, domestic violence. Id turned into, you know, just kind of severing the relationship with my dad. So he was out of your life virtually from that point on . Yes. Reporter and so brittany grew up motherless, now fatherless. She felt so lost until she decided to take the initiative and get answers to the mystery of her mothers death, no matter what the personal cost. Coming up want someone to investigate what happened to her, or i want her file and im going to take it somewhere else. . . Ever since you touched my hand i knew . . Where you go ill follow, ill follow, ill follow. . . Youll always be my true love, my true love, my true love, . . Forever . . My belly pain and constipation . Ive heard it all. Eat more fiber. Flax seeds. Keep moving. I know try laxatives. Been there, done that. My chronic constipation keeps coming back. I know. Tell me something i dont know. Vo linzess works differently from laxatives. Linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation or chronic constipation. It can help relieve your belly pain, and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements that are easier to pass. Do not give linzess to children under six and it should not be given to children six to seventeen. It may harm them. Get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. The most common side effec