everything was a blur. all i m thinking is, is shannon really gone? we interviewed her roommates, boyfriends, everybody is a suspect. then a phone rings. right. he says i ve kidnapped her, i have her. and we ran his criminal history. that s when all the bells went off. he pulls in, asked me to get in the car. i feel the cold blade against my neck. he carries me to the basement of his home. it was jaw-dropping! just chilling! they started digging and they found women s clothing. it was just escalating! escalating! there were so many victims, aren t there? there. were there still are. until this guy is no longer in existence. i will carry this fight! hello, and welcome to dateline! shannon melendi dreamed big. at 15, she wanted to become a supreme court justice. in college, she scored a prestigious internship at former president jimmy carter s foundation. then, suddenly she vanished! detectives had a suspect in their sights. but it would take years
of his home. it was jaw-dropping! just chilling! they started digging and they found women s clothing. it was just escalating! escalating! there were so many victims, aren t there? there. were there still are. until this guy is no longer in existence. i will carry this fight! hello, and welcome to hello, and welcome to dateline! shannon melendi dreamed big. at 5, she wanted to become a supreme court justice. in college, she scored as prestigious internship at the headquarters foundation. then, suddenly she vanished! detectives had a suspect in their sights. but it would take years, and the revelation of another teenager s horrific tale, to our unravel the mystery of sharon s disappearance. here s dennis murphy with shannon s story! the snapshots, the videos. they documented her life. the photographer dad, the camera professional captured every moment of his daughter s life. she loved life. she wanted to do everything! these parents did no
All im thinking is, is shannon really gone . We interviewed her roommates, boyfriends, everybody is a suspect. Then a phone rings. Right. He says ive kidnapped her, i have her. And we ran his criminal history. Thats when all the bells went off. He pulls in, asked me to get in the car. I feel the cold blade against my neck. He carries me to the basement of his home. It was jawdropping just chilling they started digging and they found womens clothing. It was just escalating escalating there were so many victims, arent there . There were. There still are. Until this guy is no longer in existence. I will carry this fight hello, and welcome to dateline Shannon Melendi dreamed big. At 15, she wanted to become a Supreme Court justice. In college, she scored a prestigious internship at former president jimmy carters foundation. Then, suddenly she vanished detectives had a suspect in their sights. But it would take years, and the revelation of another teenagers horrific tale, to unravel the mys
Chastised little boy. so his demeanor changed again? yeah. and so she is begging. she says butch, you have problems, you need to get help. but hinton was arrested and charged with kidnapping and taking indecencies with a child. he pleaded guilty, but mentally ill. how long was he inside? he received a four year sentence and he served about 21 months. that short prison sentence in tammy s case back in the 80s meant he was a free man. free to divorce and remarry. free to move to georgia, free to get those jobs at delta airlines and the softball field. and free to meet shannon in march of 1994. as john petrie studied the files, he realized there was a lot there. but with a huge challenge. shannon s body had never been found. but this prosecutor wanted to take a chance. this is the kind of case that you look at and you say, i want one of those! i can make a difference here? yes, i can make a difference! hinton was released from prison for that insurance fraud
Trunk. tammy says he drove around with her in the trunk for a long time. until they finally got to his house. he carries me through the seller door in the basement of his home. it s now dark out? yes. can you yell or scream at this point? no my mouth is gagged. you had clearly been objected. to what ends you do not know. how are you going to play this person? i prayed hard. he took the gag off of her mouth and started asking her questions. he asked me if i ever had sexual intercourse. i told him no i had not, i was a virgin. i had never had sex. what did you say about his face? about his demeanor? there was a jekyll and hyde personality. i recall the evil that passed over his eyes. there was definitely an evil in his eyes. at the time he is talking to me. hinton took her to a bed and sexually s assaulted her.