TO REASSIGN LOCAL STUDENTS TO A NEW SCHOOL. HOW PARENTS ARE RESPONDING TO THE PLAN THEY
JUST HEARD ABOUT. YOU'RE
WATCHING EYEWITNESS NEWS.
WE'RE LIVE AT 10.
NEW TONIGHT AND ONLY ON 9 TO
30 YEAR SEARCH FOR A MISSING
MOTHER IN UNION COUNTY COMES TO
A TRAGIC END. INVESTIGATORS SAY
A JAILHOUSE CONFESSION CHANGED
THIS CASE FROM MISSING PERSON
TO MURDER. ONLY CHANNEL NINE'S.
GENEVIEVE CURTIS SPOKE TO HER
SON ABOUT THE ONE THING THAT HE
STILL HOPES FOR.
>> AMY, I
>> I'M IN THE MELODY HOOTIE AND
THE BLOWFISH. SOME MICHAEL
LITTLE HAS ALWAYS FOUND COMFORT
THROUGH 3 DECADES WORTH OF
WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS
MISSING MOTHER. LINDA LITTLE
MUSHY WAS AN ARTIST.
>> SHE DOES SCULPTURES. SHE
DID CERAMIC. SHE WAS A
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER.
SHE WAS A TRAINED GOURMET COOK,
A FREE SPIRITED ADVENTURE WITH
BRIGHT RED HAIR AND A LAUGH YOU
COULD HEAR BEFORE SHE WALKED IN
A ROOM.
>> MICHAEL SAYS IT WAS ALWAYS
JUST THE 2 OF THEM. SHE WAS
SEEING SOMETHING IN THE 80'S.
LINDA'S ADVENTURES TOOK HER TO
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, TO LIVE
BY THE OCEAN. LINDA, IN HER
EARLY 40'S AT THE TIME CAME
HOME TO UNION COUNTY THE
CHRISTMAS BEFORE SHE
DISAPPEARED. THE CHRISTMAS
BEFORE SHE
>> GOT MISS. AND MY DAUGHTER
MARY.
>> SHE MET MICHAEL'S DAUGHTER,
HER FIRST GRANDCHILD. THIS
PHOTO IS THE LAST TREASURED
MEMORY. MICHAEL HAS BEFORE SHE
VANISHED IN 1991, HE SAYS HIS
GRANDPARENTS AND LINDA SIBLINGS
BEGAN A DESPERATE SEARCH FOR
THEY WENT DOOR TO DOOR.
>> YOU KNOW, PASSING OUT
PICTURES AND FLYERS. MICHAEL
WAS A LONG-HAUL TRUCK DRIVER
AT THE TIME WHEN ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY. EVERY TIME I'VE
STOPPED, IF YOU'LL EVER 500
MILES I PUT UP A FLYER, THE
TRUCK STOPS. HE SAYS THE
RESTAURANT WHERE SHE WORKED
OFFERED A $10,000 REWARD.
THE FAMILY PUT UP BILLBOARDS
LIKE THIS ONE. I ENJOY IT.
I HAVE TO MENTION MY ENJOY IT
NEVER GAVE UP. YOU KNOW, STU.
IT COULD BE A BOARD TO.
>> IT NEVER AMOUNTED TO
ANYTHING UNTIL LAST WEEK WHEN
INVESTIGATORS IN DAYTONA CALLED
TO TELL HIM THAT THIS MAN, 53
YEAR-OLD MICHAEL TOWNSEND
CONFESSED TO KILLING LINDA
TOWNSEND HAS BEEN IN PRISON
SINCE THE 2008 HOMICIDE.
AND NOW INVESTIGATORS SAY THERE
COULD BE AT LEAST 2 MORE
CALLING HIM A SUSPECTED SERIAL
KILLER.
>> HE'S A MONSTER. I'M
ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTE MONSTER. ON THE LAST
NIGHT OF LINDA'S LIFE,
INVESTIGATORS TOLD MICHAEL
>> TOWNSEND CONFESSED THAT HE
WENT OUT TO CELEBRATE HIS 21ST
BIRTHDAY AND MY MOM, I GOT OFF
WORK AND WENT BY HER LITTLE
NEIGHBORHOOD BAR. ON THE WAY
HOME. SHE USUALLY HAD A FEW
MARTINIS. HE MET LINDA AT THAT
BAR. HE TOLD INVESTIGATORS SHE
MADE HIM MAD AND HE SNAPPED
A GRAND JURY, INDICTED HIM ON
MONDAY. I REALLY DON'T WANT
TO TO RECEIVE A DEATH AND I
THINK IT'S TOO EASY FOR
MICHAEL. THE KILLER'S
CONFESSION RELEASED THE
INVISIBLE WEIGHT OF A GNAWING
ON KNOWING IT WAS TOUGH.
>> AND IT, YOU KNOW, IT FELT
LIKE A WEIGHT HAD BEEN
RELEASED.
LIKE I LAST LOOKED LIKE A LOST
50 POUNDS. BUT IN SOME WAYS,
HIS MOTHER'S CASE CHANGING FROM
MISSING TO MURDER OPENS FRESH
WOUNDS.
>> EXTINGUISHING THE FLICKER OF
HOPE. HE'S HELD ONTO IT ALWAYS
KIND OF HOPE. THAT SHE JUST POP
UP ON THE AIR.
>> YOU KNOW, TELL ME ABOUT MY
CAREER VENTURES WHERE SHE'S
BEEN AND WHATEVER YOU KNOW.
>> AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT
WHAT HAPPENED. MICHAEL SAYS 2
AGENCIES IN FLORIDA ARE LOOKING
FOR LINDA'S REMAINS IN THE
AREA. WERE TOWNSEND SAYS HE
BURIED HER. CHANCES ARE 5 OF
THE MAJOR KIND OF SLAM. YOU
NEVER KNOW WHEN THEY MIGHT
FIND.
FIND HER, YOU KNOW, AND WILL
HAVE TO BE ABLE TO EAT. YOU
KNOW, PUT IT AND HOW IT DOWN.
>> MICHAEL IS LOOKING FORWARD
TO ONE DAY HAVING A MEMORIAL
SERVICE FOR HIS MOM, HIS FIRST
CHANCE TO TRULY GRIEVE, AS I
THINK THAT THAT DAY WILL BE
THAT.
>> THE BIG DAY FOR ME, FINALLY
SETTING HER FREE LIKE THE
LYRICS OF THAT SONG.
>> THE TO MY ROOM LITTLE
GENEVIEVE CURTIS CHANNEL 9
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
>> WELL, TOWNSEND WILL BE TAKEN
FROM AN