Marlena Childress

27:53A man he won't name just yet, he only says that he's from the city of Martin, Tennessee. He also confirms that yes, the man was questioned very early in the morning but released due to a lack of evidence to corroborate Pam's claims. At this point, the media goes absolutely wild, and reporters start swarming Pam's house and speaking to everyone they can about this recent development. And the statements are a bit split. Some people can't believe it, like Elena Webb, who lived next door. Kathy Christian, who lived down the block, told William Thomas with a commercial appeal, quote, She wasn't a bad mother.

28:34She was over here Sunday, and she was real depressed. If she did it, I think something real bad happened to make her do it. End quote. Teresa Roberson, two doors down, said that she felt sorry for Pam, and remembers her in the police car the night she was reported missing, screaming Marlena's name. But others, like William May, the one I told you about earlier, said he suspected Pam may have done something all along, because the neighborhood was so active, and no one could confirm her story about seeing a red car outside of the house when Marlena went missing. And you guys, even the mayor chimed in.

29:11Jimmy Jones said that he wasn't surprised either, saying he, quote, talked frequently with the police chief, and little things he said led me to believe that something was not right about this case. As for the town, however, I will say that this is a good aspect to all of this. We do not have a kidnapper on the loose in Union City, and that ought to relieve the minds of many parents with children. There's been a lot of concern here since the child was reported missing. The bad side is that a little girl is apparently dead, despite the efforts of thousands of people from all over this part of the country, end quote.

29:48Which brings me right to Clara Ann Wyrick, friend of Pam's family and the person who spearheaded the Find Marlena committee. She said, quote, I have no regrets. I would do the same thing again. I still can't stand the thought of a child being lost. But if what I hear is true, some people are saying God bless you, and other people are canceling the payment on the checks they've donated for this effort. End quote. She did express sympathy for Marlena's maternal grandparents, though. And she said that however people feel about Pam, they're still sticking by LaWade and Catherine Strickland. And Catherine does give a statement, too.

30:32It's short and sweet. She says that once she pulls herself together, she plans on going to the river to help search for her granddaughter. her. But the very next day, when Pam's husband and parents visit her while she's still in custody, Pam recants her confession, just 48 hours after telling investigators she killed Marlena. What ensues has been dubbed by the media as a world war between the Union City PD, the Find Marlena Committee, Pam's family, their lawyer and PIs, and none other than this so far unnamed accomplice. It is absolutely insane, so let's get into it. After searching the river for five days, the Martin PD and Union City PD hold a press conference on June 15th, and they announced to the public that they found nothing in the river.

31:32But they also announced that the man Pam Bailey named as her accomplice was 65-year-old P.L. Summers of Martin, Tennessee. According to Pam's confession, he is who she ran to after accidentally killing Marlena. He is who instructed her to dispose of her body in the river. And he is the person who physically helped her do so. So basically, they're looking for information from the public to corroborate Pam's confession. Nine days later, on June 14th, enter Pam's lawyer, 50-year-old Wayne Emmons. Really, the best lawyer LaWade Strickland's money could buy, it seems. He was a part of the Find Marlena committee, but more importantly, he was a criminal defense attorney for 19 years, and he was a former district attorney general for Dyer and Lake Counties in Tennessee.

32:27So he's good. On the 24th, he holds his own press conference to announce that his client's confession was false. And while he doesn't name P.L. Summers directly, he explains that Pam Bailey didn't kill Marlena. Instead, she was covering for the man formerly named as an accomplice. He says this man sexually abused Pam Bailey for most of her life before entering her home and taking Marlena against her will. Here is Wayne Emmons. Pam has told all of us that on the day of Marlena's disappearance, this person came to her house, and when she refused his sexual advances, said that he would instead take Marlena to get some candy.

33:17Pam has told us that she resisted, but that he took her over her protest. Nobody's been found. A confession taken under the most suspicious circumstances imaginable is all the evidence the state has. If they've got more, then they haven't come forward with it yet. So why did Pam make up the story of him being an accomplice instead of just telling police that he took her daughter? Well, Emmons has an answer for that, too. He says it was Pam's former private investigator, Stan Cabness, who emotionally coerced her into confessing. Here's Pam Bailey in her own words. at that time I had just gotten out of the hospital.

34:04I had been in the hospital for two weeks and I was on quite a bit of prescription stuff that gave me nerves and everything. And so he said that if I stick with him that he wouldn't let me go to lecture chair. And then that time I didn't know. I didn't know any better. I thought I was going to lecture chair for something I hadn't even done.

34:26I know some of that was hard to make out. But basically, Pam says that she was on prescription drugs, thought she was facing the electric chair for a crime she didn't commit, and trusting her P.I. Stan Kavnis, she falsely confessed. But P.I. Stan Kavnis doesn't just sit by and let this happen. Literally, at the press conference, after Wayne Emmons says all of this, Stan pulls out a tape recorder and begins playing Pam's confession for all the journalists there. Now, Pam's lawyer said that he didn't know this tape even existed So in the archival footage, you can see him watching in disbelief As this man debunks his story at the press conference he organized to clear his client's name After Emmons' announcement, the attention suddenly turned to Kavnis Who surprised everyone, including Emmons, by producing a tape of the confession A tape that Emmons admitted he had never heard and didn't know existed Here's a small part of what Kavnis plays for the press.

35:30I can't read myself. You're not thinking this up just because you're afraid? No, I can't read. Again, I know it's a bit hard to hear, but Pam says that she threw Marlena in the river herself. Kavnis asks, you're not making this up just because you're afraid. and Pam says again that she threw Marlena in. Now there is another portion of this tape available but no matter how hard I tried to clean it up it's very hard to hear without captions so I'm just going to tell you what it says. Kavnis says just tell me the truth now Pam. Is everything you've told me so far been the truth? Pam says yeah. Kavnis says don't make up anything.

36:19And Pam says, I'm not. She's down there in the water. Kavnis asks, who brought Marlena down to the water? And Pam says, me and P.L. Kavnis asks, what did you bring her down here in? And Pam says, the truck. Kavnis says, tell me the truth. And Pam says, we brought her down here in the truck. So all of this happens at the press conference, and Kavnis doesn't play the whole tape, just about five minutes. But this obviously causes a huge stir. And not just because of this public confrontation. This is the first time investigators hear Pam's new story as well. Basically, everyone is finding out new information or new accusations during the press conference.

37:11And just like Stan Kavnis, P.L. Summers has something to say The very next day, after weeks of silence He hand delivers copies of a four-page letter he wrote to the news and radio stations across the city You tell yourself, no one wants your college-era band tees But on Depop, people are searching for exactly what you've got You once paid a small fortune for them at merch stands Now, a teenager who calls them vintage will offer that same small fortune back. Sell them easily on Depop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. Who knew your questionable music taste would be a money-making machine?

37:53Your style can make you cash. Start selling on Depop, where taste recognizes taste.

38:10action simon williams audition for wonder man i'm gonna need you to sign this assuming you don't have superpowers i'll never work again if anyone found out my lips are sealed marvel televisions wonder man all eight episodes now streaming only on disney plus it's time to talk about pl summers he'd been in martin tennessee for basically his entire life And he did know Pam Bailey, really for her entire life. They were neighbors when she was Pam Strickland. And P.L. is really a pillar of this community. When the accusations against him came out, a former police chief who was also his neighbor said he was one of the nicest neighbors you could have.

38:55Many people have stated similar sentiments about P.L. Summers. He was a World War II veteran. When he returned, he worked for General Telephone Company for 40 years and became their district manager in the late 1950s. He sometimes helped Pam's parents by picking her up from school and taking her back to his offices for about an hour before taking her back home at the end of the day. Eventually, Pam began modeling for the general phone company ads since she was already at their offices. But it appears that there was an incident in the office between P.L. Summers, Pam, and another boy who was in the offices that led to Pam no longer being invited there anymore.

39:35and eventually, P.L. Summers' early retirement. I'm not being intentionally vague. The details are fuzzy for sure. Employees have been tight-lipped, or they said that they were just told that he was retiring early. Whatever happened didn't result in any criminal charges, and the police refused to elaborate altogether when asked. So we don't know what happened there, but we do know that Pam left Martin, Tennessee when she was 16. Flash forward six years later when she's 22 in Union City in 1987. Now she's blaming P.L. Summers for the disappearance of her four-year-old daughter Marlena. And like I said before the break, P.L.

40:16Summers had something to say about it. The four-page letter he hand-delivered to the media. It is long, but it gives so much information that was never publicly released before, so I'm going to read it to you. Quote, In view of the allegations that have been recently made associating my name with the disappearance of Marlena Childress, I feel it is important that a truthful statement of facts be made. On the date of the disappearance of Marlena Childress, April 16, 1987, I worked at my place of employment in Martin from approximately 7.30 a.m. until approximately 11.30 or 12.00 noon, and returned to my place of employment at approximately 3.50 to 4 p.m.

40:59These facts have already been verified by numerous police officers and by my employer. On the night of June 8, 1987, at the Martin Police Station, I was told I was allegedly involved in the disappearance of Marlena Childress in a time frame from 4 p.m. until 5.15 p.m. Officers from the Union City Police Department have verified through my employment records by discussions with my fellow employees and by discussions by witnesses who were with me in my home from 4.10 p.m. until 6 p.m. that I could not have possibly been in Union City and the Campground Road area or with Pam Bailey during the time she claims I was involved in the disappearance of Marlena.

41:41Many credible witnesses have discussed these facts with officers from the Union City and Martin Police Departments and have verified that I could not have been in Union City or with Pam Bailey during the time she claims the child disappeared. It has further been stated that cassette tapes are available to prove telephone conversations between me and Pam Bailey. I ask the person who claims to have those cassette tapes to produce them to the Union City Police Department or to the District Attorney General. I deny that there are any telephone conversations between me and Pam Bailey and deny that there are any such cassette tapes.

42:18The only telephone conversations of which I am aware were made to me by the Martin Police Department after Pam Bailey had been taken into custody on the date of her confession of June 8, 1987. These telephone calls were made to my home at approximately 10.30pm on June 8, and they were reported by me to the Martin Police Department immediately. It is further alleged that I called Pam Bailey at her home on the date that she confessed, which was June 8, 1987. I deny that I called her home. In fact, I was of the understanding that she did not have a telephone in her home. My attorneys were informed today that the police had placed a telephone in the home after the disappearance of Marlena.

43:01I would assume that any conversations made to that home are recorded and can be verified. Again, I deny calling her home, and I deny that I have called her home at any time or contacted her in any way during or after the disappearance of Marlena. Within a few days after Marlena Childress disappeared, I was questioned by not only the Union City Police Department, but by agents of the FBI. I voluntarily participated in that investigation. I was asked to submit to a lie detector test or a polygraph. I did this willingly within two or three weeks after the disappearance of Marlena Childress. I was told that fingerprints had been located in the truck owned by Pam Bailey, which could possibly be the fingerprints of the person involved.

43:46I voluntarily and willingly allowed my fingerprints to be taken by the officers. I was also told that hair samples had been found in the truck, and I voluntarily allowed hair samples to be taken from me for comparison. When I was first taken into custody at the Martin Police Station on the date of June 8, 1987, I waived all Fifth Amendment rights that I had, and waived all rights to remain silent, and voluntarily submitted to questioning by officers for more than three hours. I also voluntarily submitted the names of those reputable people who could verify where I was on the date of the disappearance of the child.

44:25Those witnesses were questioned by the police that night prior to my attorneys or myself having an opportunity to talk with them. This can be verified by Paul McCollin, David Rhodes, and Ken Riger, all of the Union City Police Department, and by numerous officers who were present at the Martin Police Department. Since the disappearance of Marlena, I voluntarily submitted to the search of my home and automobile by agents of the FBI and the Union City Police Department, and I have been questioned extensively by officers at a time that I could have refused to answer any questions. I have cooperated 100 % with every officer who has allegedly been involved in this investigation, and it is my understanding that the statements that I have made to the police officers have been verified by reputable people from Martin.

45:16At this time, I am 65 years old. During the time that I have been an adult, I have never been charged with the commission of any criminal offense. Several years ago, I received a speeding ticket in Texarkana, Texas. To my knowledge, that traffic offense is the only record I have. A search of all the records of the courthouse of Weakley County or Obion County should establish that I am not at this time, and I have never in the past been accused or suspected of any criminal activity. I have worked for my present employer for approximately 9 years, and I worked for my prior employer for approximately 30 years.

45:55During these 39 years I've lived in Martin, Tennessee, I have not been accused of any crime or criminal offense. Approximately two years ago, my wife and I did see Pam Bailey and her husband and Marlena working in her father's yard in Martin. I have not seen her either accidentally or intentionally since that occasion. End quote. Again, I know that was a lot, but P.L. Summers really laid it all out on the table, assuming he's telling the truth. And it does seem that investigators believed him. Because on September 2nd, 1987, Martin Police Chief Jackie Moore told the media that his department was exiting the investigation into the disappearance of Marlena Childress due to insufficient evidence a crime occurred in their jurisdiction.

46:46He added very specifically that they've concluded that P.L. Summers was not a suspect as far as his department was concerned. Basically, they don't believe any of Pam's stories about what happened to Marlena, and they're no longer working the case. That same day, Loaid Strickland announced that he increased the reward for information leading to Marlena's safe return from$30 ,000 to$50 ,000. Now, by this time, Pam was already out on bond and her second-degree murder charges were reduced to voluntary manslaughter. Her trial was set for October and her loved ones stood by her. After investigators basically dismissed Pam Bailey's claims, the Stricklands began publicly criticizing how they were handling the case.

47:37And not long after Chief Moore's statements, the Find Marlena committee sent out letters to the media stating that their new PI, Renfro Hayes, found a new witness who says they saw a person in a blue car speaking to Marlena outside of her home on the day she went missing. And in what appears to be the last known battle in this world war as the media dubbed it, Union City Police Chief Rode speaks to the media about this letter. He says this witness who saw the blue car that they discussed has been interviewed repeatedly by the Union City PD, the TBI, and FBI, and that their statements don't match P.I.

48:17Renfro Hay's claims in the letter. But he adds that he's happy to interview the witness again. He also directly states that Hayes, quote, appears to be conducting operations to clear Pam Bailey and the statement she has made, end quote. And Rhodes chastises them for announcing this lead to the media instead of going directly to law enforcement. But he ensures everyone that everything they have in Marlena's case will be handed over to the Attorney General. It seems the war was over. and then absolutely nothing happens. The charges against Pam Bailey are dropped completely with prosecutors citing a lack of evidence to proceed.

49:07But not everyone stands by Pam's side in the end. Marlena's biological father, Kevin Morris Childress, was compelled to speak under oath during Pam's court hearings. He said he never thought Pam was capable of murdering Marlena, but he did outline instances of abuse that concerned him in hindsight. He says Marlena once came to his house with a large knot on her head and a black eye. Pam told him that she spanked her for standing up on a rocking chair, causing Marlena to tumble out of it and hit her head on a table. In another instance, Marlena had friction burns on her knees. Pam said that Marlena was crawling on the floor and acting like a baby.

49:49As punishment, she made her crawl on their wood floors for the rest of the day, and she forced her to eat baby food. These claims were supported by Kevin's mother, Arlette Childress, Marlena's grandmother that loved baking biscuits with her no matter how messy it got. She says she saw the bruises and the black eye around October 1986. Pam Bailey's new husband stood behind her, though. He said Kevin's claims were false. Johnny Bailey stood with Pam Bailey through a lot. Around the year 1990, they had another son together. And life seemed to go on without Marlena. There were reported sightings of her over the years, but nothing panned out.

50:34And the town of Union City, Tennessee, was left wondering if Pam Bailey was truly the monster she was painted out to be. If one of their own could really do something as terrible as killing their own child. That is, until the year 2002 Actually, almost 15 years to the day that Pam Bailey reported Marlena missing On April 22, 2002, Pam Bailey was arrested in Mayfield, Kentucky on an attempted murder charge Not for Marlena, but for her 12-year-old son It was premeditated She told him they were going somewhere for a surprise. As they're driving, she tells her son to put on a blindfold. She then drives him to a cemetery, and while he's still blindfolded, she leads him to a gravestone with the word son on it.

51:33She instructs him to sit down, and then begins stabbing him. Now, thank goodness, he is able to fight his mother off and run for help, so he survived to tell the story. This also prompts investigators to reopen Marlena's case. I mean, she's obviously more than capable of killing one of her children, so they're doing whatever they can to make charges stick for Marlena, too. Now, when it goes to court, Pam Bailey says that she blacked out and has no memory of trying to kill her son. She pleads no contest to second-degree assault and gets 10 years in prison. and while Pam and Johnny do get a divorce in 2004 he's right back at Pam's side advocating for her early release and of course she is eventually released and as far as I could find walking free among us all as you hear this right now according to reporting by Action 5 News as of 2012 they do have DNA samples for Marlena and they have put them into a national database.

52:44The only other update I have for you is that P.L. Summers maintained his innocence until he passed away in 2013 at the age of 91. As of this recording, no further charges have been brought against Pam Bailey or anyone else in relation to the disappearance of Marlena Childress. Which brings me right to our call to action. To be extremely frank, it's unacceptable that Marlena Childress is still without justice. She was four years old. Four. And nearly 40 years later, this case still feels like it's never gotten the level of attention, scrutiny, or pressure it deserves. Which infuriates me. With the advances we've seen in DNA and cold case investigations, there's no reason Marlena's case should be forgotten or treated like it's too old to solve.

53:42It's not too old and she's not forgotten. So if you care about this case, if something about this episode moved you, do something. Share Marlena's story. Push it farther. Keep her name in people's faces. Because the more pressure this case gets, the harder it becomes for justice to stay out of reach.

54:13As a reminder, Marlena Danielle Childress was just four years old when she vanished on April 16, 1987, from Union City, Tennessee, where she was last seen playing in the front yard of her family's home. She was four feet tall, weighed about 38 pounds, and had light brown hair and blue or hazel eyes. Her ears were pierced, and she had silver or stainless steel caps on her top and bottom front teeth. The day she disappeared, Marlena was wearing a purple and white checkered shirt with lace trim, light purple pants, and pink jelly-style shoes. Anyone with information is asked to call the Union City Police Department at 731-885-1515.

55:05But, as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.

55:16Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show on your podcast player. It's an easy and free way to help us and help more people find these cases in need of justice. Thank you.

56:19Welcome to the Secret After Show. The studio door is open and our emotional support puppies, Popcorn and Heber, are in the room. Let's go right into the case because I'm still mad. I'm still mad um literally the first thing on my list is omg I cannot believe the way that this case unfolded I've said it before and I'll say it again that the justice system seriously lacks common sense it really does and it's hard right I get it we have to protect the accused as well as the accuser. But in situations like this, I just wish there was something they could do. Surely, they don't just need DNA. They don't just need Marlena's body.

57:14And I have to imagine that they have so much more than they're telling us, which is why I read P.L. Summers' letter, right? Because that's not really something the media was reporting on before he released it. I mean, them having the hair, them having the fingerprints on the truck. Obviously, they have something. Maybe not enough. Maybe they're just not using it. Like I said, there hasn't been an update in this case for a very long time. But with the anniversary approaching, I hope that something happens. That maybe some type of media pressure can push somebody to take another look at this case.

57:54I don't know. the next thing I have on my list is this media world war which I so like when I research these cases right I like obviously you have to start somewhere I have like a giant research doc that I do and I just start like inputting things like oh they say that this is her bio dad and I start putting that under bio dad and cite my source you know what I mean and it was just one after or the other. It was like, oh, there's a press conference here saying this. And the next day, they refute that by saying this. And the media is calling it a world war. What is happening? And then I start finding the archival footage.

58:38And it was insane, you guys. Obviously, it's listed on the sources on my website. If you guys don't know, I do post over on VoicesForJusticePodcast.com. The cases have their own page where I give a very brief synopsis. I post pictures, stuff for you guys to see, and I also cite my sources. So if you want to see it, part of it was Unsolved Mysteries, but then part of it was, and thank, bless the people on the internet who put these things together, part of it was a YouTube compilation of media coverage from the 80s about Marlena's case, which is so, so helpful. But in it, you can see, right? You can see Wayne Emmons, Pam's lawyer, you know, make these statements like there's a grave injustice here and, you know, blah, blah, blah.

59:27And the way that this confession was coerced by emotional terrorism, he didn't say that, but you guys know what I mean. And then it's like, oh, you know, and then the PI, Cavness, right? He stands up and he starts playing the audio for the journalist. I was losing my mind. And I was like, go you. Go you, Kavnes. I think that's the way to do it, right? Is fight fire with fire. Fight it with facts. The way he was accusing this man of emotionally coercing Pam Bailey, which again, you know, I can't say for sure. I have not heard that whole recording to my understanding it's never been released in full.

1:00:09But for him to have the gumption to just stand up and say, nope, I've got it right here, and he just starts playing it for journalists, I haven't seen anything like it. And I thought that that was incredible and very bold. And if he is lying, an even bolder move. I do have to say, I couldn't fit this into the episode. It just didn't feel appropriate. But I was laughing when I saw this. It was like this tiny little snippet in an article, and it talks about Wayne Emmons, right? And basically, like, while he's doing all this stuff for Pam Bailey, he does this, like, cowboy skit, and it goes viral on the local radio on these, like, country stations, and it's like a comedy thing.

1:00:58So he talks about how eventually he wants to, like, leave the legal field and become a comedian. And I just want to say, Wayne, you know, I don't know if you're still out there, but maybe perhaps that is a good pivot for you. Maybe, you know, do some comedy instead of defending people like Pam Bailey. Boy, follow your dreams. But I feel so sassy. And you guys really seemed to like me sassy last week. So I'm good at inserting some sass because it's truly how I feel. Like I try not to make these episodes dramatic because I feel like that's not appropriate. But when I genuinely get fired up, right, just like when I genuinely get sad, you know, like I'm not going to sit there and re-record something to sound more robotic versus like when I get a little teary-eyed.

1:01:50So when I get sassy, I like to leave it in because I think that it conveys real human emotion that I imagine you guys are feeling right along with me, that you guys tell me you're feeling right along with me. So thank you for the positive feedback about the sass. Sometimes I do get a little self-conscious about it. I never want to be like on a soapbox screaming at people, but I like showing the sass, so I think it's here to stay. Now on to the media discrepancies. There really, like, it was so many articles, right, and so many archival articles. And aside from like some time differences, it was pretty good.

1:02:31Even the Unsolved Mysteries episode was pretty good. It's like a like maybe like 17 minute segment or something. It's pretty short. So that was like my only gripe with them. It was just there was so much to this case and they left out so much. It was so short that I just I couldn't understand why they focused on what they did. But perhaps it was like a matter of not wanting to accuse people of things. I don't know. But it seemed fine. It was just kind of short. And I will say that it was definitely valuable for a lot of the audio you heard in this episode. Which brings me right to our heroes of the episode.

1:03:11I'm not gonna lie. This week was hard, you guys. There was no one that I was like all about. I should say, I didn't have one on the list, but I just thought about it now, the sheriff of Weakley County who was like leading the search teams. You can be a hero. Let's make you a hero of the episode. I remember reading that and I was like stunned. I was like, wait, the sheriff himself is helping lead the charge? Like, that's amazing. Maybe I'm just like a city girl. But usually in my experience, the sheriff or the police chief kind of sits back and lets the other people do the dirty work. So you're a hero.

1:03:49You're an impromptu hero. Next on my list are Gail and Janice, our ladies at the hair salon. It wasn't Marlena, right? But they were so passionate and they did all the right things when they thought it could have been her. I mean, reading about, was it Gail or Janice? I forget. When they went on their break at work and then they're at the convenience store grabbing, you know, like a drink or whatever, and they see Marlena in the paper. And immediately to the store clerk, I think I just saw this girl. They use the phone at that store, not even going back to the salon. They call the police right away, runs back to the salon, confirms it with the other stylist.

1:04:30And then they help. They help the Stricklands track down this lead and eventually eliminate it. Which again, even though it wasn't Marlena, it is valuable to eliminate it. So Gail and Janice, you are some of our heroes of this episode. Last but not least is P.I. Kapniss. I couldn't, again, it kind of makes me feel bad because we don't know if that confession was coerced, but like, give me a break. Like, Pam Bailey literally tried to stab her other child to death. So do I think the confession was coerced? Personally, not really. So P.I. Kapniss is a hero of this episode for, you know, sitting there during the press conference saying, hold on, let me just play this for you guys, while Wayne Emmons, our comedian, prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, sits there stunned.

1:05:25I've just never seen anything like it. So P.I. Kapniss, you also make our heroes of this episode. but let's go on to our segment of hope this is from january of this year written by peyton yeager and tracy de lott from fox 4 in dallas and the title reads dallas police solve missing persons case after 52 years the article reads in part family members reported 16 year old Norman Prater missing on January 4, 1973. Ah, so long ago. The teenager was last seen in East Dallas walking with friends, but he never made it home. Six months after Prater's disappearance in July of 1973, an unidentified white male was killed in a hit-and-run in Rockport, Texas, near Corpus Christi.

1:06:23Despite police and local news outlets pleading for public assistance, the body was never identified. But at the end of 2025, the Aransas County Medical Examiner's Office found a new photo of the unidentified body and passed it on to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. No shock there, they are always helping out these cases, but it says that new photo made its way to Dallas Detective Ryan Dalby's desk. He, along with a forensic analyst with the Texas Rangers, agreed it was highly likely that this newly obtained photo was of Pratter. Pratter's older brother in Louisville was contacted and shown the photo.

1:07:02He also made a positive identification. With no DNA evidence or fingerprints to compare, that new photo was crucial in closing the case after 52 years. And Detective Dalby describes what the brother said to him, and I'm going to try not to be emotional, but he says, quote, he just looks at me and goes, that scar right there on the lip, That's where he got bit by a dog. That scar on the eyebrow. That's where he got into a fight. That's my brother. We can close the case now. To bring closure to a family member who has been waiting 52 years, I really can't describe how I feel. It's just so amazing.

1:07:45But the case is still unsolved. The article goes on to read, Detective Dalby still doesn't know how or why Prater was near Corpus Christi. He suspects the teenager was hitchhiking in the early 70s. As for the hit and run, that investigation remains unsolved, but with an identity, authorities down there have a chance to solve it. The article also adds, Pratter's case was the longest cold case missing persons investigation in the history of the Dallas Police Department. I thought that this was such a great segment of hope, especially for this episode. We're looking at another case that's been sitting for a long time, another missing child, and look at this.

1:08:31It was solved without DNA, without fingerprints, just through some old-school sleuthing. It's really cool to see. And I hope that, you know, his family gets even more answers now that they have this bit more of information. But as always, thank you. I love you. And I'll talk to you next time.

1:09:16intuitive setup. Go to monday.com and try it for free. Yes, the same monday.com.