HOPEFUL
HOPEFUL THEY ARE CLOSE TO SOLVING THE CASE OF ONE OF THEIR OWN.
THE EERIE SILENCE ALERTED
DISPATCH SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT
EXACTLY WHERE IT OCCURRED THAT
EVENING.
YOU CAN SEE THIS IS A VERY
RURAL ROAD, A REMOTE AND
SECLUDED AREA ON SLOUGHHOUSE
NOTHING AROUND EXCEPT A WHITE
VAN, NO PLATES.
A GRUESOME DISCOVERY OF A
VIOLENT STRUGGLE ON OCTOBER 27,
2006 AT ABOUT THREE TWENTY FOUR
IN THE MORNING .
DEPUTY MITCHELL HAD COME IN
CONTACT WITH A WHITE VAN.
SACRAMENTO
SHERIFF'S
SHERIFF'S DEPUTY JEFFREY MITCHELL TOLD DISPATCH SHE WAS CHECKING ON A
WHITE VAN HE SPOTTED ON THE
SIDE OF MAYS' ROAD ABOUT SIX OR
SEVEN MINUTES LATER DISPATCHERS
IS HIS RADIO KEYED?
>> THERE IS A CLEARING OF THE
AIR A LITTLE BIT.
THEY DONE A WELFARE CHECK ON
HIM.
THERE WAS NO RESPONSE.
>> DISPATCH TOLD ALL NEARBY
UNITS TO RESPOND ABOUT 40
MINUTES LATER IN THE FIRST UNIT
GOT HERE.
>> THE FIRST OFFICER TO ARRIVE
FOUND DEPUTY MITCHELL ON THE
GROUND.
>> HE HAD BEEN SHOT.
THE WHITE VAN WAS GONE.
IT BECAME CLEAR TO
INVESTIGATORS MITCHELL FOUGHT
FOR HIS LIFE.
THERE WAS A VIOLENT ENCOUNTER
BEFORE SOMEONE SHOT MITCHELL
WITH HIS OWN GUN.
I REMEMBER MY PAGER GOING OFF
AND READING THE PAGE THAT WE
HAD AN OFFICER DOWN.
>> SERGEANT TONI TURNBULL WAS
FRIENDS WITH MITCHELL.
I WAS IN SHOCK TO SEE HIS NAME
COME ACROSS MY PAGER ON ALERT
WAS PUT OUT ON THE FREEWAY
SIGNS.
>> OFFICERS SHOT WHITE CHEVY
VAN NBOW PLATE.
THE VERY NEXT DAY A COUPLE WHO
HAD SEEN THE ALERT REPORTED A
WHITE VAN STUCK IN THE
CONSUMNES RIVER DOWN BELOW
HIGHWAY 49 IN ELDORADO COUNTY.
THIS IS WHERE WE LOCATED THE
WHITE VAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
RIVER FROM THE SITE OF THE
MURDER TO THE LOCATION OF THE
VAN IS A 27 MINUTE DRIVE.
>> I THINK IT THEY CAME
DIRECTLY HERE FROM THE SCENE.
THE VAN ALREADY AN IMPORTANT
FIND REVEALED A HORRIFYING NEW
LAYER IN THIS CASE NOTICED
IMMEDIATELY THAT THERE WERE
DECEASED INSIDE INSIDE WERE THE
BODIES OF THE VAN'S REGISTERED
OWNER 43 YEAR OLD ALAN SCHUBERT
AND HIS FRIEND 28 YEAR OLD
NICOLE WELSCH.
>> THEIR CAUSE OF DEATH
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.
TURNBULL BELIEVES THEY WERE
ALREADY DEAD WHEN DEPUTY
MITCHELL WAS SHOT AND KILLED.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THEORIES THAT
ALAN AND NICOLE HERE ARE
DECEASED WHEN THE BAND WAS OUT
HERE.
WHOEVER WAS HERE WITH THEM,
WHETHER ONE PERSON THAT WAS
DRIVING THE VAN OR THERE WAS
MULTIPLE PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO
GET RID OF THE BODIES.
>> TURNBULL SAYS THE SHERIFF'S
OFFICE PROCESSED THE VAN,
INTERVIEWED THE FAMILIES WELSH
AND SCHUBERT AND INVESTIGATED
ALL LEADS.
BUT THE CIRCUM STANCES OF THIS
CASE TIME OF DAY, LACK
OF EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE AND NO
WITNESSES MAKES IT INCREDIBLY
DIFFICULT TO INVESTIGATE.
STILL, TURNBULL AND OTHER
DETECTIVES LIKE MICKEY LINC'S
INSIST THIS IS NOT A COLD CASE
.
THAT'S NEVER BEEN A COLD CASE.
IT'S UNSOLVED BUT IT'S NOT
COLD.
AFTER 14 YEARS WE'VE MADE A LOT
OF STRIDES TO BE QUITE HONEST
WITH YOU TO SAY THERE'S NO
SUSPECT OR A PERSON OF INTEREST
WOULD BE LYING.
DO WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE LOOKED AT
SOMEBODY?
SOME PEOPLE STRONGLY AND THEY
HAVE NOT BEEN RULED OUT THAT
THIS MEMORIAL STANDS FOR DEPUTY
MITCHELL WAS KILLED BUT HIS
COWORKERS ARE ALSO REMINDED
OF HIM WHEN THEY GO TO WORK
BOXES UPON BOXES OF HIS CASE
FILES LINE THEIR CUBICLES.
ARE WE THERE?
I THINK WE'RE CLOSE.
I CAN'T GIVE A TIMEFRAME BUT I
CAN HONESTLY SAY WE'RE PROBABLY
NOT FAR AWAY.
WE JUST NEED SOMETHING OR
SOMEBODY TO GET US OVER THE
TOP.
IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS
CASE, CALL NINE ONE SIX EIGHT
SEVEN FOUR FIVE ZERO
FIVE SEVEN.
DEPUTY MITCHELL SURVIVED BY HIS
WIFE CRISTOL SON JAKE.
NEXT WEEK ON UNSOLVED
CALIFORNIA I SIT DOWN WITH