MICHIGAN, SEEMS TO BE THE IMAGE
OF PEACE AND QUIET.
WHEN A LOCAL MAN GOES MISSING,
THOSE WHO CALLED THE SMALL TOWN
HOME HAVE THEIR LIVES TURNED
UPSIDE-DOWN.
AND AS THEY WOULD COME TO FIND
OUT, ONE WOMAN SEEMS TO BE AT
THE CENTER OF IT ALL.
"DEAD NORTH" TAKES A DEEP DIVE
INTO A STORY THAT'S
UNBELIEVABLE.
WE'RE GOING TO FRONT IT FOR YOU
IN A MINUTE.
FIRST, JUST WATCH THIS.
LAURA WAS THE LONE FEMALE POLICE
CHIEF IN THE REMOTE TOWN OF IRON
RIVER, MICHIGAN.
>> IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO COME AND
TRY TO START YOUR LIFE OVER.
NOBODY KNOWS YOU.
NOBODY REALLY PAYS ATTENTION.
>> Reporter: BUT THE BIGGEST
CASE THE FORMER POLICE CHIEF
WOULD INVESTIGATE BEGAN IN
OCTOBER 2014, WHEN TERRY
O'DONNELL REPORTED HER
EX-BOYFRIEND, CHRIS REGAN,
MISSING.
>> I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS
SUPPOSED TO TELL THE POLICE.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS
SUPPOSED TO DO BESIDES TELL THE
POLICE THAT HE'S MISSING.
HE'S GONE.
SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIM.
SOMETHING TERRIBLE'S HAPPENED?
>> Reporter: HER INVESTIGATION
INTO THE DISAPPEARANCE LED HER
TO A MARRIED COUPLE, KELLY AND
JASON COCHRAN.
SHE DISCOVERED THAT KELLY WAS
HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH CHRIS
REGAN.
>> AT THAT POINT, I FELT LIKE
THERE'S DEFINITELY ROOM FOR
SUSPICION WITH THESE PEOPLE.
>> CHRIS WAS STILL MISSING, THE
QUESTIONS LINGERED.
THEN, TWO YEARS LATER, KELLY
MADE A SUSPICIOUS 911 CALL ABOUT
HER HUSBAND, JASON.
>> HE'S LEAVING EARLY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG.
>> WHEN AUTHORITIES ARRIVED,
JASON WAS DEAD.
>> THE AUTOPSY REPORT CAME BACK
AND IT WAS RULED A HOMICIDE.
WE ALL KIND OF LOOK AT EACH
OTHER LIKE, SHE KILLED HIM.
>> Reporter: A NEW DOCUMENTARY,
"DEAD NORTH" TAKES A LOOK AT
THIS TWISTED LOVE TRIANGLE AND
HOW FAR KELLY WOULD GO TO COVER
HER CRIMES.
>> IF YOU HAVE THE AFFAIR, IT'S
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KILL OFF
THAT PERSON.
>> OR HE WOULD KILL ME.
>> AND FORMER POLICE CHIEF,
LAURA RIZZO JOINS ME NOW WITH
MORE ON THIS INCREDIBLE STORY.
YOU EMERGE AS THE HEROINE OF
THIS PIECE.
SHE WAS SHOT DOWN, PEOPLE TRY TO
TAKE OVER THE INVESTIGATION, TRY
TO LEAD THE INVESTIGATION IN
DIFFERENT WAYS.
SHE WAS LIKE A DOG WITH A BONE,
YOU WOULD NOT LET GO OF THIS
CASE.
ULTIMATELY, AT GREAT PERIL TO
YOURSELF.
IT STARTED WHEN A WOMAN NAMED
TERRY O'DONNELL, WHO IS WITH US,
CAME IN TO REPORT THAT HER
NOW-EX-BOYFRIEND SEEMED TO BE
MISSING.
AND SOME PEOPLE LOOKED AT YOU,
TERRY, AND SAY, UH-HUH, RIGHT?
WHAT DID YOU DO TO CHRIS?
YOU WERE LIKE, I'M NOT FEELING
THAT.
TURNS OUT CHRIS HAD ANOTHER
GIRLFRIEND, NAMED KELLY.
AND KELLY WAS MARRIED TO A GUY
NAMED JASON.
LAURA, OUR POLICE CHIEF SAYS,
HUSBANDS DON'T LIKE IT WHEN
THEIR WIVES HAVE AFFAIRS AND
STARTS TO LOOK AT JASON.
THIS WOULD DOMINATE HOW MANY
YEARS OF YOUR LIFE?
>> ABOUT 18 MONTHS.
>> AT FIRST, YOU WERE LOOKING AT
JASON, THE HUSBAND.
AT WHAT POINT DID IT DAWN ON
YOU, THAT KELLY, THE WIFE AND
AFFAIR PARTNER OF THE MISSING
MAN, MAY BE THE MORE LIKELY
NUMBER ONE SUSPECT?
>> RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING,
WHEN SHE HAD HER INTERVIEW AND
HE HAD HIS INTERVIEW AND I
WATCHED BOTH OF THEM, IT WAS
IMMEDIATELY APPARENT THAT SHE
WAS MORE DOMINANT.
SHE WAS IN CONTROL OF HER
EMOTIONS AND HER BODY LANGUAGE.
INITIALLY, I THOUGHT MAYBE THIS
GUY DID SNAP.
MAYBE HE WAS JEALOUS.
IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED.
SHE'S TRYING TO PROTECT HIM.
AS TIME WENT ON AND I RECEIVED
MORE RECORDS, PHONE RECORDS,
STARTED PIECING TOGETHER TEXT
MESSAGES BETWEEN THEM, PUT
TOGETHER A HISTORY BETWEEN THEM.
IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE WOMAN WAS
CONTROLLING OF
>>> WHAT HAPPENED?
WHAT HAPPENED?
>> GOT RID OF HIM.
>> HOW?
WHAT DID HE DO WITH CHRIS?
>> CUT HIM UP.
>> THAT WAS KELLY COCHRAN,
CONFESSING TO HOW SHE AND HER
HUSBAND, JASON COCHRAN, MURDERED
HER LOVER, CHRIS REGAN.
SHE DID IT AND THEN DISPOSED OF
HIS BODY IN 2014, SOMETHING THE
POLICE CHIEF SUSPECTED AND
STRUGGLED MIGHTILY TO PROVE.
YOU CAN SEE MORE OF THAT
CONFESSION ON DISCOVERY "DEAD
NORTH."
LAUREN FRIZZO IS HERE.
SHE HELPED CAPTURE THIS WOMAN.
WHAT WAS THE TURNING POINT?
WHEN KELLY'S HUSBAND, JASON, WAS
DEAD?
>> IF THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN THE WAY
DETECTIVES STAGED THIS LETTER
THAT DIDN'T EXIST.
>> THEY LED HER TO BELIEVE THAT
CHRIS REGAN, THE GUY WHO HAD
BEEN MISSING, SENT A LETTER TO
SOMEBODY SAYING, IF ANYTHING
SHOULD HAPPEN TO ME, CONTACT THE
COPS.
AND SHE STARTED TO SING LIKE A
CANARY.
>> RIGHT.
IF THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, SHE WOULD
NEVER HAVE CONFESSED.
IT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I KNEW
NO MATTER WHAT I DO, THEY HAD
CLEANED UP SO WELL, WE COULDN'T
PULL EVIDENCE OR ANYTHING, AND I
THOUGHT, SHE'S NEVER GOING TO
GET CAUGHT.
>> SO, THEY TOOK CARE OF THE
CORPSE IN THE MOST GRUESOME WAY
POSSIBLE.
YOU CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENED.
IT'S SHOCKING AND DISTURBING.
YOU FINALLY GET HER IN CUSTODY.
AND THEN, THERE'S NO DOUBT SHE
DID IT.
SHE TRIED TO PLEAD NOT GUILTY.
SHE WAS FOUND GUILTY.
THERE'S A SHOCKING TWIST AT THE
END ABOUT HOW MANY DEATHS THIS
WOMAN MAY HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE
FOR.
>> RIGHT.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE YOU FOUND ONE
OF THE MOST PROLIFIC SERIAL
KILLERS IN OUR COUNTRY?
>> IF YOU'RE ASKING IF I THINK
THERE'S OTHER VICTIMS, MOST
DEFINITELY.
WHEN WE STARTED, IT WAS A COUPLE
OF MONTHS INTO THE INVESTIGATION
WHEN I REALIZED THERE'S
SOMETHING UP WITH THESE PEOPLE.
THE WAY THEY CONTROL THEIR
EMOTIONS, THE WAY THEY HANDLE
THEMSELVES, I FELT LIKE, MAYBE
THEY CAME TO MICHIGAN TO GET
AWAY FROM SOMETHING ELSE THEY
HAD DONE.
I HAD AN AMAZING ASSISTANT NAMED
WENDY WHO GOT ON THE INTERNET
AND DID SOME SEARCHING.
WE BELIEVE THEY FOUND SOMETHING
THEY MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR.
THAT'S JUST ONE.
AS THE CASE WENT ON, YOU KNOW,
AND WE DO THE SEARCH WARRANT AT
THEIR HOUSE, THE CLEANUP WAS
AMAZING.
>> SEEMS LIKE THEY KNEW WHAT
THEY WERE DOING.
>> YES.
>> AND THEN, THERE'S A SHOCKING
DISCUSSION CAUGHT ON TAPE
BETWEEN KELLY AND HER MOTHER, AT
THE END OF THE FOUR-HOUR
DOCUMENTARY, WHICH YOU WILL HEAR
IF YOU WATCH IT, AND IT LEAVES
VERY LITTLE DOUBT WHAT THIS
WOMAN WAS UP TO.
IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE WOMAN
SITTING HERE, YOU WOULDN'T KNOW
ANY OF IT.
THE CITY MANAGER IN RESPONSE TO
LAURA'S HARD WORK FIRED
>>> WANT TO TELL THE AUDIENCE
THAT WE DID REACH OUT TO IRON
CITY MANAGER, AND THEY GAVE US A
STATEMENT, THE CITY WAS AND
REMAINS PROUD OF HER WORK ON
THAT CASE.
LAURA FRIZZO WAS TERMINATED
BECAUSE OF CONFLICTS BETWEEN HER
AND HER BOSS THAT HAD NOTHING TO
DO WITH REGARD TO THE KELLY
COCHRAN INVESTIGATION.