>>
>> IT
>> IT IS
>> IT IS A MYSTERY THAT HAS BAFFLED LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR 50
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. A
YEARS. A FAMILY MURDERED ON A DESOLATE
TEXAS HIGHWAY.
TEXAS HIGHWAY. TONIGHT A RETIRED SAN ANTONIO
POLICE OFFICER IS STILL
SEARCHING FOR THE ANSWERS IN
THIS COLD CASE.
>> EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER
VANESSA ROY HAS MORE IN THIS
KID'S FILE EXCLUSIVE.
>> I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THIS IN THE THIRTY THREE
YEARS I'VE BEEN DOING THIS.
JOHN.
JOHN.
JOHN. INDIVIDUALS HERE WERE MORE OR
LESS EXECUTED.
LESS EXECUTED. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A BAD
CRIME THAT HAPPENS HERE ABOUT
ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS.
BUT THIS IS JUST ONE OF
THE CENTURY.
THE CENTURY. THERE WAS A HORRIBLE CRIME
COULD BE JUST PURE EVIL FOR ANY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.
>> THERE ARE CASES HARD TO
FORGET.
FORGET.
FORGET. YOU KNOW, I NEVER HEARD ABOUT
THIS CASE UNTIL I CAME UP WITH
COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
>> BUT FOR EDWARDS COUNTY
SHERIFF'S CHIEF INSTIGATOR
DARYL VOLLMANN.
DARYL VOLLMANN. THIS ONE IS HAUNTING WAKE UP
MIDDLE NIGHT.
MIDDLE NIGHT. >> YOU THINK ABOUT THE STORY
BEGINS ON APRIL 16, 1968.
THE AUDIENCE FAMILY FATHER MAN
WELL HIS WIFE MONICA AND HIS
SISTER ROSA WERE TRAVELING FROM
MEXICO WITH THE COUPLE'S THREE
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. THEY WERE GOING TO SAN ANGELO
BECAUSE THEY HAD A NEWBORN IN
THE FAMILY BUT THE AUDIENCE WAS
NEVER MADE IT.
THEY HAD A FLAT TIRE ALONG A
REMOTE STRETCH OF HIGHWAY 277
BETWEEN DEL RIO AND SONORA.
HE DIDN'T HAVE A SPARE.
SO SOMEBODY PICKED HIM UP AND
TOOK HIM TO SONORA.
THESE PEOPLE JUST PICKED
THE WRONG PERSON.
THE NEXT MORNING ROAD CREWS
DISCOVERED THE MASSACRE THAT
HAPPENED OVERNIGHT.
HAPPENED OVERNIGHT. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR
WAS LEFT ABANDONED AND
EVERYBODY SCATTERED EVERYWHERE
.
.
. THEY
. THEY FOUND THE TWO CHILDREN
FIRST BOTH UNDER THE AGE OF TWO
SHOT IN THE HEAD AND KILLED
THREE MILES DOWN HIGHWAY 277
CREWS FOUND THE BODIES OF MAN.
WELL, HIS WIFE AND SISTER ROSA
HAD BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND
HIDDEN IN THE TALL GRASS.
THEY FOUND A 5 YEAR OLD BOY IN
A POOL OF BLOOD.
HE'D BEEN SHOT TWICE AND
STABBED BUT WAS STILL ALIVE.
I DO BELIEVE HE SAW HIS FAMILY
KILLED.
KILLED.
KILLED. >> THE ONLY SURVIVOR IN A
VICIOUS CRIME THAT'S BAFFLED
TEXAS LAW MEN FOR OVER 50 YEARS
IS OLDEST UNSOLVED MASS MURDER
ON THE STATE'S MEMORIAL STANDS
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. >>
TODAY. >> THE ONLY REMINDER OF
THE HORRORS THAT HAPPENED
ALONGSIDE THIS HIGHWAY AND OVER
THE YEARS INVESTIGATORS HAVE
HAD SOME PROMISING LEADS BUT
I'VE YET TO FIND THE KILLER OR
KILLERS.
KILLERS.
KILLERS. >> THEY RUN THROUGH REAL HARD
HOT TRACK FOR A WHILE AND IT
JUST WENT COLD FOR SOME
RICHMOND AND FOR THIS RETIRED
SAN ANTONIO POLICE OFFICER.
LONGER GOES THE COLDER IT GETS
THE 20TH.
THE 20TH.
THE 20TH. INVESTIGATOR ON THE CASE YOU
HAD THE MAN YOU'RE YOUNG.
>> I'M SURE AT THE TIME THAT
YOU WOULD HAVE SHOT TWO OF HIS
CHILDREN HE WOULD'VE FELT LIKE
LIKE AN ANIMAL.
IT'S A MYSTERY HE'S DETERMINED
TO SOLVE.
TO SOLVE.
TO SOLVE. >> BUT I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT
THE RUSSIAN POLICE TOO.
THAT WAS AN ERROR THAT WAS
SUSPECT.
SUSPECT.
SUSPECT. I DIDN'T THINK THAT ONE MAN
COULD HAVE CALLED ALL THIS
DAMAGE AND TURMOIL BY HIMSELF.
FORMER EDWARDS COUNTY SHERIFF
DON LETT SINGER WAS A DEPUTY
BACK THEN AND REMEMBERS
THE FEAR THAT CLINCHED THREE
COUNTIES BEING AROUND TO
SOMEBODY MAYBE SOMEONE FROM OUR
COUNTY HERE IN EDWARDS COUNTY,
SOMEONE FROM CERTAIN COUNTY OR
SOMEONE OUT OF ALREADY COUNTY
THAT'S CAPABLE OF MURDERING
FIVE PEOPLE.
FIVE PEOPLE. >> SHORTLY AFTER THE MURDERS,
THE TEXAS RANGERS INTERVIEWED
THE LITTLE BOY.
WELL, I THOUGHT THE PERSON
GETTING THE SCRIPT FROM IT WAS
STILL THE SUSPECT DESCRIPTION.
NOT UNUSUAL IN THIS RURAL
COUNTY.
COUNTY.
COUNTY. >> TALL COWBOY WITH A COWBOY
TOP BOOTS WITH HIS PANTS INSIDE
HIS BOOTS.
HIS BOOTS. A PASSING DRIVER SAID HE ALSO
SAW A COWBOY WITH A FAMILY
EARLIER THAT DAY WITH ALL KINDS
PEOPLE SAYING WE THINK THIS IS
WHO HE IS.
>> NOTHING EVER CAME UP.
>> BUT A FEW YEARS LATER A
TWIST IN THE CASE A MAN
CONVICTED IN CALIFORNIA OF A
STRIKINGLY SIMILAR CRIME.
THEY WERE CONVINCED THAT THIS
INDIVIDUAL WAS PART OF HE WAS
THE GUY WHO FIXED THE FLAT AND
SOME MORE.
SOME MORE. COULD THIS MAN BE THE COWBOY
REPORTEDLY SEEN WITH THE FAMILY
BEFORE THEY DIED AND THEY WENT
TO CALIFORNIA AND GOT HIS DNA
DID NOT MATCH ANYTHING THAT
WE'RE SEEING THERE.
>> AND THEN DECADES LATER
VULCAN THOUGHT HE HAD ANOTHER
STRONG LEAD, A DIFFERENT MAN
CONNECTED TO THE CASE.
>> BUT DNA TESTS AGAIN WERE
INCONCLUSIVE.
INCONCLUSIVE. >> FIELD IS CONTAMINATED
BECAUSE OF 1968.
LAW ENFORCEMENT DIDN'T HANDLE
THAT TYPE EVIDENCE LIKE WE HAVE
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. AND AS ANOTHER YEAR PASSES, 52
YEARS OLD SUSPECTS WHO LEAVE
ENOUGH FALCON STILL SORT
THROUGH ALL THE CRIME SCENE
EVIDENCE.
EVIDENCE.
EVIDENCE. >> I'M NOT ABLE TO SLEEP AT
NIGHT AND ALL I JUST KEEP
PLAYING THESE THESE PHOTOGRAPHS
IN THE BACK, MY MIND SEARCHING
FOR THE PERSON WHO HIDES THIS
DEEP, DARK SECRET MORMON HAS
REMORSE CONTROLLING THEM AND
HOLDS THE KEY TO UNLOCK THIS
MYSTERY.
MYSTERY.
MYSTERY. >> THIS MIGHT BE SOLVED TO FIND
JUSTICE FOR THE ONLY SURVIVOR
OF THIS UNSPEAKABLE CRIME.
>> HE NEEDS ANSWERS.
AND FOR THE FAMILY WHO DIED ON
THAT LONELY ROADWAY EVEN IF
THE PERSON NOW IS DECEASED HE'S
PAID HIS PRICE WITH SOMEONE
ELSE.
ELSE.
ELSE. VANESSA CROIX KENS 5 EYEWITNESS
NEWS.
NEWS.
NEWS. >>
NEWS. >> WE WERE NOT ABLE TO CONTACT
THE ONLY SURVIVOR IN THIS CASE
BARNWELL AVIANO JUNIOR CHIEF
DEPUTY BOOKMAN DID TELL US