A Crime to Remember

THE SOUTH IS FULL OF LEGENDS OF THE EVILS

THAT LURK AT TWILIGHT

SPOOKS AND SPECTERS THAT HAUNT THE HALLOWS,

BLACK CATS WHO STEAL YOUR BREATH,

AND THE DEMON WHO HIDES IN THE HONEYSUCKLE LOOKIN'

TO STEAL YOUR SOUL.

BUT AS A YOUNG GIRL,

I LEARNED THAT WHAT WE TRULY NEED TO FEAR

ARE NOT THE MONSTERS FROM THE MOONLIT WOODS...

BUT THE DEVIL WHO LIVES NEXT DOOR.

GAFFNEY, SOUTH CAROLINA, WAS KIND OF A SMALL TOWN

WHERE EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY,

IF NOT BY NAME, THEN BY SIGHT.

OF COURSE IN 1968,

WE WERE HAUNTED BY THE SAME TROUBLES

AS ANYWHERE ELSE SOUTH OF THE MASON-DIXON LINE.

AND I CAN'T SAY IT WAS EASY.

SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA,

THE INTEGRATION ARGUMENT WAS HAPPENING.

GAFFNEY SCHOOLS WERE JUST GOIN' THROUGH

INTEGRATION FOR THE FIRST TIME.

I WAITED IN LINE FOR 4 HOURS THAT MORNIN'

TO REGISTER FOR SCHOOL.

FOUR HOURS ON THOSE TOWN HALL STEPS,

WHICH IS WHY I REMEMBER SO CLEARLY...

HEY, BILL. WHEN MR. BILL GIBBONS,

WHO EDITED THE PAPER, ARRIVED.

I ASSUMED HE WAS THERE TO WRITE ABOUT US,

BUT I WAS DEAD WRONG. HEY, BILL.

BILL GIBBONS DIDN'T HAVE A STORY TO WRITE.

HE HAD A STORY TO TELL.

BILL GIBBONS WAS THE EDITOR OF THE GAFFNEY LEDGER.

BILL'S IMMEDIATE DUTIES

WERE NOT TO HANG OUT AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE,

BUT HE WAS NO STRANGER TO 'EM.

SHERIFF...

HEY, BILL, HOW ARE YA?

I GOT A STRANGE CALL DOWN AT THE LEDGER JUST NOW.

NOW, THIS FELLA CALLS, TELLS ME HE HAS THREE STORIES.

AND TO TAKE NOTES ON 'EM ON THREE SHEETS OF PAPER.

DID YOU RECOGNIZE HIM? NO, NO.

IT COULDA BEEN ANYONE, MALE, MIGHT BE WHITE.

HE TOLD YOU TO NUMBER 'EM?

YES, SIR: ONE, TWO, THREE.

HE SAID, "NANCY CHRISTINE," AND THEN, SOME DIRECTIONS,

SOUNDS LIKE CHAIN GANG ROAD.

AND THEN...

PILE OF BRUSH?

NEXT ONE, HE TELLS ME NANCY CAROL PARRIS DOWNSTREAM

FROM THE, FORD ROAD BRIDGE.

IN THE WATER, ON THE DOWNHILL SIDE,

YOU'LL FIND THE BODY.

THE BODY?

YEAH.

THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT.

HE JUST TOLD ME ANNIE LOUISE DEDMOND,

JERUSALEM ROAD, MARCH 1967.

JERUSALEM ROAD?

UNION COUNTY, YEAH.

I MEAN, IT JUST DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A PRANK AFTER A WHILE.

HAS TO BE.

BUT HE TOLD YOU BODIES?

YES, SIR.

WE GET PRANK CALLS IN NEWSPAPER ALL THE TIME,

BUT GIBBONS SAYS THE CALLER TOLD HIM, "DON'T GO ALONE.

BE SURE AND GET THE SHERIFF."

THE SHERIFF AND BILL

AND A DEPUTY GET IN A PATROL CAR

AND HEAD OFF FOR THE BRIDGE ON FORD ROAD.

THAT WAS THE MOST ACCESSIBLE OF THE THREE PLACES.

THE WIFE SAYS SHE LIKES THE BEACH BETTER IN THE OFF-SEASON.

OF COURSE, SHE AIN'T PRONE TO GIRL WATCHIN'.

WELL, I'LL TAKE ANYWHERE WARM.

IN GAFFNEY, LIKE IN MOST SMALL TOWNS,

MURDERS AREN'T THAT COMMON.

THE IDEA THAT IT WAS SOME KIND OF A PRACTICAL JOKE

MADE MUCH MORE SENSE.

SHE'S NUDE, AND HER HAIR IS IN HER FACE.

HER LEGS ARE SLIGHTLY SPLIT.

THERE IS A VERY DISTINCTIVE BLUISH MARK AROUND HER NECK.

THE MEDICAL EXAMINER

LATER CONFIRMS THAT THE MARKS ARE FROM STRANGULATION.

SHE'D BEEN DEAD NO MORE THAN A DAY

BEFORE BILL GIBBONS GOT THAT CALL.

THE BODY IS NANCY CAROL PARRIS.

THE SAME NAME THAT THE CALLER HAD SAID TO HIM.

MISS PARRIS USED TO COME BY MY DADDY'S SHOP NOW AND THEN.

YOU CAN GET TO KNOW PEOPLE THAT WAY,

SEEIN' IF THEY HAVE TIME FOR A SMILE AND A KIND WAVE,

EVEN WHEN SHE WAS WITH HER HUSBAND MONROE.

SHERIFF!

LOOK I --

I -- I'M JUST AS SHOCKED AS YOU ARE ABOUT THIS.

I -- I THOUGHT THIS WAS SOME KINDA PRANK,

AND CLEARLY IT'S NOT. IT'S A... WELL...

I HOPE THAT'S THE ONLY BODY WE FIND,

'CAUSE IF THERE'RE TWO OTHER WOMEN OUT THERE...

THEY'RE CALLING YOU TO TELL US ABOUT IT?

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS.

THE ZODIAC KILLER WAS STILL 10, 11 MONTHS IN THE FUTURE,

WHICH WAS THE MOST FAMOUS CASE, IN AMERICAN HISTORY,

OF A KILLER CONTACTING THE MEDIA SAYING,

"HEY, THIS IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE.

THIS IS WHERE YOU'LL FIND THEM."

SO THEY GO TO THE NEXT LOCATION,

CHAIN GANG ROAD.

THE CHAIN GANG ROAD WAS A FEW MILES OUTSIDE OF TOWN,

FULL UP WITH KUDZU AND SPANISH MOSS.

KIDS USED TO GO OUT THERE TO PARK WITH THEIR STEADIES.

THE MAN ON THE PHONE SAID THIS IS WHERE THEY'D FIND

THE GIRL CALLED NANCY CHRISTINE.

REMEMBER NOW, WE'RE LOOKING FOR A BRUSH PILE,

NO MORE THAN A QUARTER MILE FROM THE CARS.

IT IS THICK UNDERBRUSH, DENSE FOREST,

SO THEY SPREAD OUT 20, 30 FEET APART.

MORE PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED, MORE SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES.

MORE PEOPLE FROM THE NEWSPAPER HAVE SHOWED UP.

BILL GIBBONS CALLED ME TO BRING MY CAMERA.

YOU JUST HEAR YOUR FOOTSTEPS ON THE FLOOR OF THE FOREST.

ALL OF US GOT A LITTLE EERIE FEELING.

I FOUND HER, OVER HERE!

A WOMAN'S FOOT IS STICKING OUT

FROM THE UNDERGROWTH.

THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A CAMERA.

SO I WAS TAKING PICTURES.

MY GOD.

LIKE THE FIRST BODY, THE MARKS ARE FROM STRANGULATION.

SHE'D BEEN DEAD AT LEAST A WEEK AND HIDDEN IN THE BRUSH

LIKE SHE WAS SOMEONE OR SOMETHING'S SECRET.

THE OTHER GIRL HAD BEEN KILLED JUST YESTERDAY

AND WAS LEFT OUT FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.

IT SEEMED LIKE THE DEVIL WAS MOVING CLOSER TO GAFFNEY

AND GETTING BOLDER.

SHE'S JUST A TEENAGER.

THE RHINEHART GIRL?

YEAH, I THINK SO.

DAMN IT.

THE VICTIM IS NANCY CHRISTINA RHINEHART.

TINA, SHE'S 14.

THE RHINEHART GIRL WAS TINA RHINEHART.

HER MOTHER HAD REPORTED HER MISSING A WEEK AGO,

BUT THE SHERIFF JUST THOUGHT SHE WAS A RUNAWAY.

WHAT THE SHERIFF DIDN'T KNOW

WAS THAT HER CHRISTIAN NAME WAS NANCY CHRISTINE.

SO WHEN THEY SAW BILL GIBBON'S

THEY NEVER PUT IT TOGETHER.

BILL AND TOMMY DOWN AT THE LEDGER.

THE CALLER SAID THE THIRD VICTIM

WAS OUT NEAR JERUSALEM ROAD,

WHICH IS A ROAD IN UNION COUNTY, WHICH IS A NEIGHBORING COUNTY.

ANN DEDMOND.

SO THEY CALLED,

THE SHERIFF IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OVER THERE.

AND HE SAYS, "WELL, THAT'S WHERE MISS DEDMOND WAS FOUND."

A LADY NAMED ANNIE DEDMOND

WAS FOUND OVER IN UNION COUNTY 6 MONTHS EARLIER.

THEY FOUND HER JUST LIKE OUR TWO GIRLS,

UNDRESSED AND STRANGLED.

WE GOT A PAIR OF LOCAL GIRLS WITH THE SAME THING...

NO, NOT LAST YEAR, TODAY.

YOU KNOW THAT SINKING FEELING YOU GET

IN THE PIT OF YOUR STOMACH WHEN YOU GET BAD NEWS?

THANKS, TOM.

WELL, I IMAGINE THAT'S WHAT THE POLICE

FELT WHEN THEY HEARD SOMEONE WAS ALREADY SITTING IN JAIL

FOR ANNIE DEDMOND'S MURDER.

HER HUSBAND IS SERVING TIME FOR THAT NOW.

HE'S BEEN CONVICTED FOR 9 MONTHS.

IS THE WRONG MAN IN JAIL FOR THIS MURDER?

DID WE ARREST THE WRONG GUY,

AND LEAVE THE MURDERER OUT TO KILL THESE TWO WOMEN

WE JUST FOUND?

IN VIETNAM, KHE SANH CONTINUES TO BE UNDER SIEGE.

THERE, THE FIRST...

IT SEEMED LIKE BILL GIBBONS HAD FOUND HIMSELF

SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF A REAL-LIVE NEWS EVENT.

A MONSTER WAS LEAVING A TRAIL OF WOMEN

AS HE MARCHED FROM UNION COUNTY INTO THE HEART OF GAFFNEY.

AND HE WANTED US TO KNOW HE WAS COMIN'.

WHO IS THIS CALLER? IS HE TOYING WITH THE POLICE?

ARE THERE MORE VICTIMS OUT THERE?

IS THERE GOIN' TO BE MORE?

IN A SMALL SOUTHERN TOWN, FOLKS CAN FOOL THEMSELVES

INTO THINKING THAT THEY KNOW THEIR NEIGHBORS.

BUT WHO ARE THEY, REALLY,

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS OR ALONE IN THE WOODS?

WE WOULD ALL COME TO LEARN

THAT PUTTING YOUR TRUST IN THE WRONG PERSON

MIGHT JUST BE THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO.

...IT GIVES COMFORT TO ALL WHO MOURN...

THREE GIRLS MURDERED --

IT WAS THE MOST TERRIFYING THING

ANYONE GAFFNEY COULD REMEMBER.

FOLKS FROM ALL OVER TURNED UP FOR TINA'S FUNERAL.

SHE WAS JUST 14, AFTER ALL.

IT WAS A BONDING FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY.

LOOK NOT ON IT AS GOING TO ASHES,

BUT INSTEAD TO A FREEDOM.

SORRY FOR THIS.

MY CONDOLENCES.