Secret Killer Leads Cops Into Her $3,000,000 Murder Mansion

It doesn't look like anyone's been here. I'm not. What's that smell? This officer is unknowingly reacting to. the decomposition odor coming from Craig. Thetford's hidden body. Police have been. searching for him for months with no. success. And even now, with the foul. odor in the air, they still have no idea. he's buried only feet away. Is that dirt or is that blood? This is.

the only way I've been able to have any. communication with you. And I don't even. know if it's him. I wouldn't even know where to start. looking. There's some weird going. on. Whoever killed Craig [music] covered. their tracks meticulously using. chemicals to mask the odor, disabling. security cameras, and hiding [music] in. plain sight. And while detectives spend. months trying to figure out where Craig. went, [music] the suspected killer. quietly continues spending Craig's. money, allegedly [music] buying houses,

cars, and crafting a plan to ensure. they're never found. [music]. >> [snorts]. >> Oh, it's warm. I want to say something else, but I. don't want to implicate her. You need to. say it. You might start looking in the. Caribbean. Police department, CRAIG THETFORD IS. MISSING, SIR. IT'S A late May evening in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. [music]. Tucked among wooded acreage and mountain. terrain, sits a 2,000 square foot.

property owned by 60-year-old Craig. Thetford. [music] He lives inside this. large three-story house with his wife. Dena. The Thetfords enjoy a [music]. comfortable lifestyle thanks to Craig's. roofing business. They own multiple. residential properties and frequently. take luxury vacations. But a few months. ago, something dark took place inside. the Thetford household, [music]. and it went unnoticed for weeks until. May 2025, when the Otero County. Sheriff's Office receives a disturbing.

call. Communications on recorded line, how can I help you? Who would I talk to. to have a wellness check done on an. individual? That would be me. What's. going on? The name is Craig Thetford. Everybody here in Texas has been trying. to get a hold of Craig for nearly 2. months. We can't get a hold of his wife. We're really concerned about him because. this is not like him. He always answered. his phone and called back. Even his. family here hasn't been able to get a. hold of him. Nobody can get a hold of.

him. On the line is Larry Scott requesting a. welfare check on his friend, but. something about this call is different. As Larry explains, nobody has seen Craig. or his wife for months, a detail that's. highly unusual since most missing person. reports come within days. Following. this, officers are dispatched to the. address to conduct a welfare check on. the Thetford couple. [music]. Once they pull up to the long driveway. and step out into the mountain air, they.

can sense something is off about this. place. Sheriff's Office.

Can you see anything through the. windows? Yeah, I got a pretty good look through. the windows. Doesn't look like there's anyone in. there. As officers walk around the. residence, they notice the sheer size of. the property with multiple carports and. outbuildings. Lights are on throughout. the home itself, but strangely, no one.

answers the door. Looking through the. windows, one officer notices several. boxes stacked, suggesting that the. couple might be in the process of moving. or had already left. As another officer. circles towards the carport, he. hesitates. There's something odd about. the air around him. They got a pretty decent security camera. on the back. Doesn't look like anyone's been here.

>> [music]. >> What's that smell? Coming from the carport, a faint, strange odor drifts through the space. But up in the mountains, with wildlife. and wooded terrain, unusual smells. aren't uncommon. So, the officer brushes. it off and moves on. With the home. appearing vacant and no immediate signs. of foul play, cops call it off and leave.

with the impression that the Thetford. couple likely moved out and simply. forgot to inform their friend Larry. Unknowingly, officers are walking away. from the first signs that something far. more sinister is at play. The next day, things begin to shift into. something more serious as police receive. a second call [music] about Craig. However, this one carries more. concerning details than the last.

Thetford Communications on a recorded. line, how can I help you? Okay, this is. going to seem really, really strange. About 4 months ago, my grandpa have been. off the like face of the of the world, and he's a volunteer firefighter up. there. He loves to do it. He talked. about it to me all that all the time. And so, I'd like to place a wellness. check, but the only person that said. she's talked to him in 4 months is his. wife, and apparently now they're getting. a divorce. He's doing a whole bunch of. stuff, but I don't I don't believe it. It's not my grandpa. It's just really.

strange. And what's his name? Craig. Thetford. And what's your name? My name. is Cody Gibson, and I'm his grandson. His wife is supposedly in Texas getting. a divorce. With yet another welfare check request. from Craig's grandson, Cody, a clearer. timeline begins to form. And now it. sounds like Craig hasn't been missing. for 2 months as previously believed by. his friend. Instead, he hasn't been seen. for over 4 months, which is even more. alarming. Additionally, the reason no.

formal missing person report was filed. starts to make sense as Cody goes on to. explain [music] that his grandfather's. wife, Dina Thetford, has been telling. everyone that Craig is in Mexico with. another woman after filing for divorce. A story that doesn't sit right with. Craig's grandson. Following the second call, Otero County. Sheriff's deputies are dispatched back. to Craig's house. This time, instead of. simply knocking and leaving, they widen.

the scope. If Craig and his wife aren't. inside the house, maybe someone nearby. has seen or heard something. So, deputies begin canvassing the. surrounding properties. A decision that. will quietly kick-start an investigation. into what may become one of the most. elaborate and twisted homicide cover-ups. they've ever handled. Deputy Pintero with the Sheriff's. Office. By chance, have you seen your your. neighbors over No, sir. I haven't. I. I've been really worried about him Okay.

>> since January. And we're real good friends and. everything. Okay. And we were both on. the James Canyon Fire Department. Mhm. And then it come January, it was just no contact. No contact at. all come January. I got him. I've been. on the I was on James Canyon Fire. Department there for. about about 5 and 1/2 years. >> Mhm. And when he moved up here, I talked him. into it. Okay. And then I mean we were. real good friends and everything. >> Yeah. And then Josh over here, he got on We. got him on the fire department. Josh and. Heidi here would know more information.

about them cuz Okay. >> I know what was Do you know what the the. address is over there? It's it's this. this that A-frame right there. >> This one right here? >> one right here. >> Okay. Hi, can I help you? Yes, ma'am. How are. you? I'm Deputy Pinter with the Teller. County Sheriff's Office. Yeah. We were. looking for Craig Setford. Yeah, we haven't heard from Craig. Okay. Um we're buying the house from him. He. was in Breckenridge taking care of his.

mom. Okay. >> Dina, is my friend. Um she's in and out. from the house down there. Okay. She. hasn't really talked to me either, which. is weird. Have you talked to Dina. lately? Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. And have you. asked her anything about like Craig, how. he's doing or anything like that? >> She From what she's telling me, she's. not talking to him either. She's Oh, okay. Sorry, are they like not together. right now? >> they're splitting up. You got you. Okay. Okay. Okay. >> what's happening. And when was the last. time you saw Dina here in the in the.

area? It's probably been about 3 weeks now. About 3 weeks? >> Yeah. As far as Heidi knows, Craig and Dina. are in the middle of separating with. Craig supposedly staying at his mother's. house in Texas. That explanation doesn't. match what Dina told Craig's grandson, Cody, [music] who was under the. impression that his grandfather went to. Mexico after filing for divorce. To. investigate further, the deputy asks. Heidi for [music] Dina's phone number. and tries calling her, but worryingly, it goes straight to voicemail. With no.

immediate leads, officers return to the. station. Before Deputy Pinter can relay. his findings to detectives, his phone. starts ringing. Interestingly, the. caller is one of the Thetfords. Hello. Uh hi, Mr. phone call? Yes, ma'am. How are you? This is Deputy. Pinter calling from the Torrance County. Sheriff's Office. I was calling in in. reference to your husband, Craig. It. seems that he hasn't been in contact. with a lot of his family and and some of. his friends. Right. Yeah. We have been.

separated and [clears throat] I recently. filed for divorce. He's kind of He's. involved with someone else and currently. he's in Mexico. And when was the last. time you saw him or spoke to him? Before he left. Would you have an. estimate, like, you know, was it like 1. week, 2 weeks? First of the month. First. of the month. And you saw him in person, correct? Yes. Yes, he was packing. Yes. Where was this at? Was this at your. residence on Heatherwood?

>> Yes. He. has moved out. And where are you. currently staying at? I'm at my mom's in. Texas, Seymour, Texas. Yeah. Well, I. guess let me ask you, are you going to. permanently be staying at Seymour, Texas? No, okay. Until I see what. happens in the divorce. I'm going to ask. for the property. Okay. I mean, I don't. I don't think he's missing. On the line is Dina Thetford clarifying. that her husband is actually in Mexico. with another woman, the same story she.

told Craig's grandson, but different. from what her neighbor reported. Naturally, this drastically complicates. the investigation as locating a missing. person in another country is. exponentially more difficult. But during. the phone call, Dina also goes on to. explain that she suspected Craig of. cheating on her for nearly a year before. confirming the affair a couple of months. earlier. Now she's staying with her. mother in Texas, but plans to return to. New Mexico and fight Craig in court to.

keep the property for herself. The. deputy confirms Dina's current phone. number before ending the call. Aside. from the inconsistent story about. Craig's whereabouts, police have no. reason to believe Dina is hiding. anything, but that is about to change. No, I tried to warn Craig. He did state. [clears throat] I could kill Craig and. get away with it I'd do it. My mom is. crazy. Like she's tried to kill me. before. In the days that follow, Craig Tetford. is officially entered into the FBI.

database as a missing person and the. case is assigned to Detective Bobby. Curtis with the district's major crimes. unit. As Curtis begins digging into the. couple's background, one detail. immediately [music] stands out. Craig is. Dina's fourth husband. She had already. been married three times before and. those relationships seemingly ended. under troubling circumstances. So Curtis. decides to call the people who might. know Dina best, her ex-husbands. And. what she's about to hear may not just.

explain where Craig is, but also what. really happened to him. I got a voicemail from you about an hour. ago, I guess. I was calling to see if you had a minute. to talk to me about Dina. I was married. to her 30 years ago. I called her Dina. possessed one time and thought her. crazy. I was told that there was possibly a. time when she had tried to run you over. with her car. I would probably say.

that's more of her. her drug addicted or alcohol addicted. state. That's the against that way. And. that's the the best time to leave her. alone is when she's that way. And I. think that's how we we both survived for. 10 years. Hello? Hi, is this Scotty? Yes. Hi, it's Detective Curtis First. let's. go ahead and start with the why did you. guys end up getting a divorce? Cuz she's.

crazy. She is what they classify as a binge. drinking alcoholic. She would always be very abusive. Yeah, she has assaulted me multiple. times. Broke two pair of glasses, bald. up her fist and hit me twice tried to. kill me. You know, I was always afraid something. like this was going to happen cuz I knew. she was capable and then you know, when. I when I saw that Craig was missing I. immediately called. You know, I tried to. warn Craig multiple times and she did. say in front of me and my wife if I.

could kill Craig and get away with it. I'd do it. That final remark from Scott is. disturbing and certainly doesn't bode. well for the situation. Following these. statements from Dina's ex-husbands, Detective Curtis decides to dig further. into Scott's claims. Turns out Dina. worked as a correctional officer for. nearly eight years in the early 2000s. Then in 2008, according to Scott, Dina. was arrested for allegedly trying to. stab him while intoxicated, an incident.

[music] that reportedly landed her in. jail overnight. After that, the couple. briefly reconciled, but in 2010, Scott. also alleged that Dina found his pistol. and chased him while pulling the. trigger, though the gun was not loaded. and he survived. As Curtis continues. reviewing the reports, she notices that. at various points over the years, Dina's. daughter Leslie had lived with her and. Craig. So one of Curtis's. co-investigators reaches out to Leslie. to gain insights into what was happening.

inside that house. When he finally gets. her on the phone, she shares some. startling information about her mother. How are you this morning? Good as I can. be. How are you? I'm good. So whenever you were living at the. house, Leslie, was there domestic. violence going on in the house? Did your. mom and dad fight? >> Yeah, all the time. My mom is crazy. My. mom is so crazy. Like she's tried to. kill me before. She stabbed one of her. other husbands. She tried to run my real. dad over with a car. She had my sister.

hog-tied and thrown in a car and like. shipped off one time. So, what's your. mom. >> [music]. >> said to you? Yeah, to everyone pretty. much. She's I always thought she was. like possessed, like demonic. Like it. was so evil that like I just couldn't. even believe like it was real. Okay. >> [music]. >> At the time that that you were there at. the house, did your mom and dad drink or. use drugs, >> [music]. >> either one of them? Yeah, she she's an. alcoholic. She's always been. She also.

does other drugs and I think she might. have poisoned him or been trying to. poison him or something like or like. messing with his medication or. something. Needless to say, things are starting to. sound grim. There are now two [music]. separate people alleging that Craig may. be dead and that Dina could somehow be. involved. With this troubling. development in mind, Detective Curtis. moves on to review the couple's recent. financial activity and this is where. things become very peculiar. In the last.

four months, Dina appears to have spent. hundreds of thousands of dollars [music]. including a new house and a new car. while also potentially helping fund her. son's new business. With all these. findings combined and Dina's shifting. story, investigators begin to suspect. they may be dealing with something far. more serious than a missing person case. and the possibility of a concealed. homicide now sits squarely on the table. But in the middle of trying to piece. together what really happened to Craig,

detectives receive a tip that his wife. Dina has returned home and is acting as. if nothing ever happened. What if somebody's home? Following this, Deputy Roger Schoolcraft. is sent to check if Dina returned home. and can provide any answers. In a few. seconds, he will come face-to-face with. the one person investigators now believe. may be their prime suspect. But before.

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Roger, who's on the verge of hearing a. story that may explain why Craig truly. vanished. >> Hi, good morning. Dena? Yes. >> Hi. Good morning. Good morning. Hey, I'm doing some follow-up. I'm. Roger. I'm sorry. Roger Spur back. Nice. to meet Dena? Yes, I think we met at a.

base uh. football game. Probably did. I'm trying to do some follow-up on. uh Craig. And I thought maybe I could. meet with you and maybe you could try to. kind of help me give me some information. and or can we sit somewhere or. All right. Kind of chilly. Okay, well, obviously we got some calls. because people haven't been hearing from. her or anything. So, you being the wife, you might be able to help me. Well, it's. his mom. I talked to his mom. Oh,

really? So, you guys aren't. No, we have been having. some issues. Uh Okay. I guess you would say we're separated. How long's that been going on? Um. nothing's [clears throat] legal yet. We. just haven't been spending any time. together since at least February. February? Early February or late. February? >> Late. things weren't working out. So, you.

left, he left. How did it He left. He's. He told me Well, he first went to Texas. cuz he was studying, needed to go help. his mom. So, he left here to go help his. mom? >> That's That was what he said, yes. Um I've never really had any reason not. to not believe what he said. And that was like the second week of. February? You You'll have to bear with me because. I don't keep track of time. Even though Dena doesn't keep track of. time, she does seem to keep track of.

other things, like the details. surrounding Craig's disappearance. Within just a few minutes of their. conversation, Deputy Roger notices that. Dina slightly adjusts her explanation. about Craig's whereabouts, now claiming. that he simply told her what he was. doing and she had no reason not to. believe him. But as the pair continue. rehashing the details, Dina begins to. visibly sense that Deputy Roger isn't. convinced. She appears to have no idea. of the amount of suspicion that's been.

mounting against her. In reality, Dina. is well prepared for this moment because. she's about to present what she believes. is concrete proof to validate her story. and put an [music] end to the growing. suspicion around her. I've never had a reason to doubt it, but. I now I do. I mean I I really I think. that he has hooked up with some. youngsters. that are doing these classes and I think. he's reliving his youth. >> [music].

>> and he's ready for me to get out of the. picture. >> And where would he be doing that at? Mexico, I guess. Mexico. But when I. would come home, I mean he's been here. Um. Uh it got to the point where he would. just leave me a note like that one. Over there. Now this There's been several. This is. This is our communication right here for. the last. 2 months. Okay. And there's been. several, but this is the Now this one is.

from. not like 2 weeks ago. Can you put place This is your. handwriting and that's his? >> Yes, cuz his family's been calling me, "Where is he?". You know, and I'm like, "I know as much. as you do.". Where's El Salto? Mexico. And he has. friends in El Salto or he went. >> Because El Salto is a. trophy bass fishing. >> Oh, okay, yeah. I'm a big bass. fisherman, too. >> He's I I this would make like the third.

time he's been there. Even if Deputy Roger tried, he couldn't. sound fully convinced that Craig. actually wrote this message. But he. takes the bait anyway, or at least. allows Dina to believe her plan is. unfolding exactly as she intended. Conveniently, Dina quickly moves on to. the next step in her plan. There's. something downstairs that might help. clear things up, and she's willing to. share it off the record. Can I say something off the record?

Sure. Um. Craig keeps all our money in cash. I. can't get in the safe, so I can't tell. you. if he took it or if it's there. All the money? Mhm. And why can't you get into the safe? >> have the combinations. And was that an issue between the two of. you? That he wouldn't let you have. access to the safe or what? It wasn't an. issue with us, but. uh it was an issue with his first wife. Well, she was stealing money from him or. what? Okay, I understand now.

And how much? 1.5 million. Could you show me where that safe is? >> Yes. Okay. That's a substantial amount of money by. anyone's standards, and Deputy Roger is. beginning to suspect he may already know. why Craig suddenly vanished. Even though. Dina claims she can't access the safe, Roger will soon discover that this, too, might not be true. But since Dina. brought up the money unprompted, Roger.

recognizes an opportunity to dig deeper. and decides to take it. I'm sorry. You got me? Uh. got a bad knee. I'm apologizing. Well, we could do No, it's good. >> floor. No, just getting old. I feel you. Holy smokes, big house. Yeah, it is. Too. big for two people. >> way too big. Uh this is the bottom floor here. >> Yes. Okay. I'm sorry. Oh, that's cool.

Right? Yeah, good lord. That cost a penny. Yeah, that was my present and. now I don't know if I get to keep it. Yeah. This one and this one. Oh, there's two. of them. >> Yeah. So, you don't have the combination. for either safe? >> No. No, I just. >> [sighs]. >> You didn't keep it written down anywhere. or you know, you don't know. Okay. As Roger checks the safe, he has no idea.

that he is standing in the very spot. where Craig's body remained for days. before it was eventually moved and. hidden. [music]. None of that is apparent in this moment, so the two head back upstairs after. taking a quick look. By this point, Roger feels he's heard what he came for. and then some. But before leaving, he. decides to share a small surprise he's. been holding back. Have you been married. before, too, or. >> Oh gosh, yes. >> Okay. Oh, gosh, yes. Why do you say that? Oh, well, cuz I. used to It seemed to be a regular.

occurrence. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> [laughter]. >> No, no, it's it's I'll make it a joke. I'll make it a joke. Yeah, I mean, I I. just It took me a long time to figure. out I'm the common denominator. Mhm. So, um. >> How many times were you married? He is. my fourth. >> Your fourth, okay. >> Yes. I don't know, it's just a little history. of me. I'm actually a retired police officer. Came back to work about 2 years ago. I. got bored sitting at home. Um but the vast [clears throat] majority. of my career I was I worked in in. investigations, CID, homicide unit.

Albuquerque. So, that's most of my. career has been doing that. Deputy Roger. leaves little room for doubt, subtly. making it clear that he is in fact. investigating a possible homicide. Even. though Dina tries to appear nonchalant, her face tells a different story. She. looks visibly taken aback by the idea. that a homicide detective is now sitting. in her living room and the timing of. Roger's reveal couldn't have been more. deliberate coming right after Dina.

seemingly acknowledged that she's the. common denominator in her previous. failed marriages. With the surprise. revealed Roger wraps up the conversation. and heads out leaving Dina with a clear. implication that she may now be a prime. suspect in the possible homicide of her. husband. A thought that will soon begin. to consume her. At the same time Roger. walks away with something else he. believes he identified during the. hour-long interview. A possible.

financial motive behind Craig's. disappearance as well as an even. stronger suspicion that he may have just. been speaking with the alleged killer. herself. Before heading back to the station to. relay his findings Roger's relentless. instincts get the best of him. With more. than two decades of experience and. having handled a case with eerily. similar circumstances that later turned. into a homicide he can't shake [music]. the feeling that something isn't right. So instead of leaving right away he.

decides to stick around the neighborhood. and speak with people who live nearby. A. move that will not only fuel Roger's. growing suspicions [music]. but also reveal some new details police. hadn't fully heard before. All right. How are you doing? >> How are you? Roger's going to I wouldn't. mind. Yeah. I just I was at the school. You want to go out here? We can we can. come up here. Will the dog bite me? No. No. No. No. No. There. There. >> Just a good [music] barker. What do you know anything on the last.

time you saw him or talked to him? You. know, um. it's been a while and there's some weird. stuff going on. Yeah, for sure. And I'm. I. I don't want to I'm not trying to. implicate Right. anybody. What it sounds. like in past, you know, whenever those. two get like. when I say those two, Craig and Dina, they get together and. you mix in a little bit of alcohol, things get a little bit flammable or can.

be. And Craig said if anything ever happens. to me out of one these calls, Dina has a. combination to the safe and [music] I. keep a I keep a. an envelope full of money in it. This is. all I wait I've been able to have any. communication with you. and I don't even know if it's him. Wonder who he supposedly went fishing to. Mexico with. See, we had a call like. this a long time ago. Long story short, turned into a murder. She was staying in the house 3 weeks.

[music] after she'd murdered him and she. dragged him out in the back portion and. covered him up with a tarp. Kind of. rings the same deal. Same [music] story, oh, he went on a fishing trip. Well, he. kept not showing up for work and people. were calling. So, he's really nowhere to be found. No, ma'am, he's nowhere to be found. >> Everything we've been told and heard is. I I don't know how he is. So, then I I want to say something else, but I don't want to implicate [music]. her. You need to say it. When we first moved here, we were just.

having conversations and she was like. and she didn't say she'd kill him, but. she was like if that happened, you know, I'd be okay with it. Kind of to that. effect. >> Mhm. By now, the pattern is becoming. impossible to ignore and it seems like. everyone familiar with the couple is. thinking the same thing. They're. [clears throat] just hesitant to say it. out loud. Notably, Craig's firefighter. friend Thomas [music] also reveals that. Craig told him Dina has the combination. to the safe, directly contradicting. Dina's claims earlier when she claimed.

she had no way of accessing the money. inside the safe. Roger records these. statements [music] and eventually heads. back to the station to speak with a lead. detective Curtis to determine their next. steps. [music] Even though investigators. are now strongly considering the. possibility of homicide, they still. [music] lack physical evidence of foul. play or Craig's body, at least for the. time being. Five days after his initial visit, Deputy Roger returns to the Thetfords'. house to follow up with Dina. They still.

haven't been able to reach Craig, and. the situation is looking increasingly. grim. But this time, something different. awaits Roger. As he arrives and steps. [music] out of his car, he notices. something unsettling on the ground.

Good morning. How are you? Good. How are you? Good. Good. >> about to make some coffee. I'll take. some coffee. What are you putting in the. ground? I'm not putting in the ground. I. was trying to flatten it. I'm going to. roll those rocks back in there. Oh, well, I saw that metal thing. I thought. maybe it was some kind of a home. improvement thing. It's an above ground gardening. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Roger treats the discovery.

lightly, even joking about the massive. hole Dina dug outside. But he'll soon. find out that he's been unknowingly. walking right over the truth this whole. time. Was he close to? Was he close to. any of the females at all? He's nice to. everybody. I mean, everybody adores. [music] him. >> Yeah. You know, we were going to church. and. uh everybody just loves him and the. neighbors, he would do anything for. anybody. So, none of these neighbors had. a gripe with him or an issue with him.

It's just so unusual somebody just. completely just completely pop off the. radar. Just poof. They're gone. Well, it's a it's a mystery. I just keep. thinking he's maybe got an enemy that. we're not aware of or somebody that had. felt like they had something to gain. I. think, you know, if I had just left when. he told me to, then none of this would. have happened. With this statement coming directly from. Dina, she has effectively pointed. [music] the finger at herself. Whether. she realizes it or not, remains to be.

seen. With the remainder of the. conversation yielding no new leads, Roger wraps up his second visit and. heads out still empty-handed. But as he. leaves the property, Roger has no idea. that this [music] might be the last time. he ever sees Dina alive. In the following weeks, things begin to. escalate dramatically as Dina appears to. have vanished. Any phone calls from. detectives went straight to voicemail.

and police were unable to locate her. Investigators also caught wind of rumors. alleging Dina was talking about fleeing. to Jamaica or taking her own life. However, there's a huge development. that's about to happen today because. sometime in the afternoon, an old. co-worker of Dina from her prison job. calls lead detective Curtis with an. explosive tip. Hello. Hi, is this Andrew? Yes, ma'am. This is Detective Curtis with the Otero. County Sheriff's Office. I had a message.

that you had called. Yes, ma'am. All right. What can I help you with, sir? I. >> [clears throat]. >> recently got in touch with an old friend. of mine. She was married to that dude. and apparently she said she said she. shot him. I don't I don't I have a. conscience and I can't. I couldn't just not say nothing. Can you. tell me her name? Uh this is my ex-wife, Dina. Did she tell you when? No, no, ma'am. I. don't have I don't know none of the. details. What everyone has been. anticipating this entire time has.

finally come to fruition. Seemingly. straight from Dina herself, according to. her old friend Andrew. However, without. a body or hard evidence, Detective. Curtis can't obtain an arrest warrant or. press any charges. But not long after. this call, another development takes. place. This time, police catch wind that. Dina was at her mother's house in Texas. and attempted to take her own life. Detective Curtis realizes how quickly. and dangerously the situation is. escalating. If Dina manages to flee or.

worse yet, takes life, they may never. find Craig's body and the case is doomed. to go cold. With that possibility looming over the. case, Curtis decides to act fast. She. obtains a search warrant for Craig's. house and begins coordinating with the. major crimes unit to execute the search, find Dina, and more importantly, uncover. Craig's body. As coordination is. underway, Curtis sends a group of. detectives and heads out to Dina's. mother's residence. She needs to figure.

out why Dina is trying to hurt herself. I watched this thing to get stuck in. your. Hi Mary, I'm Detective Curtis with the. Sheriff's Office of New Mexico. Is it. okay if I come in? Sure. I understand that these guys updated you. on where we're all here. Yes. Okay, we're hoping that maybe we could. talk to you a little bit bit about. everything that's going on if that's all. right. And tried to take her.

Did Did Dina tell you why she wanted to. take. No. No? Did she have a message she was. planning on using? I don't know. She didn't say that? I. knew she was real depressed. I didn't expect any of this. >> [snorts]. >> About how long has she been back here?

She. She started coming back. off and on. I think it was maybe I'm not sure. Dina's mother is visibly shaken by the. thought of her daughter harming herself, but she can't explain why Dina would. take such drastic action. Detective. Curtis wraps up the interview and. gathers possible addresses for Dina's. acquaintances, hotels, and hospitals. where she might be. They need to find.

her before she can do something. irreversible. Hours later, back in New Mexico, the. major crimes unit is briefed and the. coordination is in full effect. Detective Curtis and Deputy Roger, along. with a group of officers, make their way. to the Thetford property hoping to find. at least one of the two alive. You stay locked OUT OF THERE.

SHERIFF'S OFFICE! IS THERE A QUICK CODE SPOT? NO. Let me check these other doors. No. This one's already been forced. It's already been what? Huh. After circling around the exterior of. the top floor, deputies discover one of. the front doors is suspiciously unlocked. suggesting Dina may be somewhere inside.

Officers decide to conduct an initial. sweep for potential threats. Given. Dina's violent past, her prison officer. background, and the murder allegations. hanging over her, deputies can't be too. careful. One of the deputies has a code. for the garage door downstairs, and. that's where they decide to make their. entry. Through the garage. We're up this way. That door's clear. Sheriff's office.

Clear. It's locked. Any stairs there? Locked. Two doors to the left. I'm going to open this. Stairs? Upstairs. What's it? What's it? You got stairs? What do you want to So. there's another door on this other side. You want to check that door and I'll go. upstairs.

Clear this door. I got another door. All right. Come on, dude. I got another door. Clear. Hello. Hello, Blue. I'm good. Yep. Yep. Back around. After clearing the basement, officers. spot Craig's safe that's supposedly.

holding 1.5 million dollars in savings. A locksmith quickly gets to work on. unlocking the safe while deputies head. upstairs to continue sweeping the house. where they'll soon find their first. clues of foul play. Back up. Hello, Blue.

All clear. All clear? I already checked the bedroom here and. the bathroom and the closet. As police finish sweeping the house, they begin to notice multiple clues that. suggest a violent event and subsequent. clean up. Multiple bottles of bleach. scattered throughout the house, a. surveillance system that appears to have. been physically disabled, and various. areas showing signs of cleaning. But.

with no sign of Dina or Craig's body in. the main house, deputies move outside to. check the outbuildings starting with. Craig's man cave. It's a. This is my man cave. There you go. Good job, Deborah. WHO IS THE FOREMAN? SEARCH UPSTAIRS, SEARCH YOURSELF.

SEARCH WIDE. LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE AN UPSTAIRS. Small room, got a door. Small room coming out. Okay, small room. Light it up. Clear. Clear. So, I'm looking to see if there's any. cameras. I haven't seen any. >> [cough].

>> There's cameras on the back side of this. house. Yeah. Which is good if we find anything. I'm sure she destroyed it if there was. any. Is that dirt? Or is that blood? As deputies continue their search, they. also find a table saw with possible. blood traces, as well as suspected. splatter in the workshop area. But.

still, no human body or remains. anywhere. In the meantime, back in the. basement of the main house, the. locksmith is seconds away from opening. Craig's safe and confirming something. Deputy Roger had suspected all along. Let me get a photographer over here. Where do you guys want us? Over here in. the corner? On camera. We can get out of here for a minute if. you'd like. >> No, you're good. You're good.

Got your ammo? Rifle, pistol? Yeah, I have it all here. Holy smokes. I want. >> Kimber is missing. I want to destroy. this. >> that. I'm not going to have it stored in. my name. Can I turn this in? Looks like it was 4,200 first time. Okay, 4,200? Okay. She missed it. I'm set. Yeah. 10,000, 4,200,

70,000. 84,200. right here. The total amount Deputy Roger counts is. far less than the 1.5 million dollars. Deanna had told him was inside just a. few weeks ago. The missing money further. supports investigators speculations that. Craig's been dead for a while and that. his wife has been burning through his. money. The area is vast and if Craig had. been buried somewhere beyond the. property, finding him could take months.

or longer. What officers don't yet. realize is that Craig's body has been. hidden in plain sight the entire time. As the search continues, a detective. back at the police station gets a call. from someone all too familiar with. Deanna, her daughter, Leslie. The last. time the detective spoke with Leslie, she revealed [music] startling. allegations about her mother's behavior. during the time they lived together. This time, however, Leslie has critical.

information to share, >> [music]. >> details she and her siblings supposedly. knew for a while, but she's the one who. finally decided to talk. Really, it's. Lizzie and I have Leslie on the line. So, I told her that I kind of filled you. in, but I was going to let you ask her. any questions you may have. Okay. Hi, Leslie. How are you this morning? Oh, you know. Hanging in there? Yeah. Well, good. So, Leslie, can you tell me what your mom. told you? It was just like everyone was.

being so weird and I knew something was. going on, but nobody would tell me. anything. Well, it's my sister she came. she said she was going to. and then she came to see me one last. time and she wanted to see my son, her. grandson one last time and then she told. me what happened. What did she tell you. happened? She said Craig pushed her down the. stairs and she shot him and he fell into. the pool room. She left him laying there. on the floor for like a day, two days.

and a half and then she wrapped him up I. don't know rug, plastic garbage stuff. and then they tied that up with a. tractor and they moved him with the. tractor to the carport. Did you. >> two carports over there and I kind of. have the feeling that he's probably in. the one by the bunk house where he used. to park like underneath the tractor or. like something parked on top of him like. it might be like they might have dug. like a little hole or something. It's. like that hidden in plain sight type of.

thing. So, why do you think your mom called. you? Well, I was the last one to find. out. My other siblings had already known. for a long time. She said she wanted to. like unburden herself. All my siblings. knew that everybody was like acting so. weird. Then my sister was crying and. everything and she asked me to come to. her house to see her. So, I went to her. house and then after I got back from. there like everyone cut contact off with. me. And I haven't talked to them since then.

And just like that, Leslie seemingly. cracks the case, [music]. giving investigators the breakthrough. they've been looking for. The deputies. back at the residence are informed that. Craig's body is hidden on the property. Based [music] on Leslie's tip, they move. to conduct a thorough search of the. detached metal carport west of the. house, [music] where investigators will. discover that the truth has been hidden. in plain sight all along. In the carport, next to the tractor,

officers spot a large pile of cardboard. boxes, rugs, soil bags, and other items. stacked to hide something underneath. As. they clear the pile, black plastic. sheets become visible, and inside they. discover a human body concealed beneath. materials to hide the foul odor. After. transporting [music] the body for an. autopsy, doctors estimated it's been. deceased for weeks to months, consistent. with a January killing. Three or four. gunshot wounds are found on the left.

side, including one through the heart, classifying the death as homicide. After. using fingerprints, the body is. positively identified as Craig Thetford. With this tragic discovery, an arrest. warrant is officially issued for Dina, and multiple units in both New Mexico. and Texas are informed to be on the. lookout for her. A few hours into the. search, officers in Texas receive. information from Dina's mother, Mary. She tells them that Dina is at Red River.

Hospital. Officers [music] quickly. arrive at the hospital where they find. Dina alive and unharmed. She's taken. into custody without incident. As she's transported to the station for. questioning, Dina remains calm and. cordial, almost as if she's been. expecting this moment for months. Detective Curtis now has a body and what. she believes enough evidence to pursue. homicide charges, but there's one final. question she doesn't have an answer to. yet. Why was Craig truly killed? We will.

let you know. if the district attorney's office has. anything to add. I'm Detective Curtis. with the Otero County Sheriff's Office. So, I am sure you understand why we're. all here. Yes. Did you get a copy of your arrest. warrant yesterday? >> gotten a copy of it. Anything by anybody anywhere. Okay. And. I'm just going to tell you right now I'm.

going to need a lawyer. Okay. And that's. as far as I want to go. Okay. This is my. plan because I don't know any better any. other way. I don't either, unfortunately. They don't let me get very close. As fate would have it, Detective Curtis. won't get the answer she hoped for as. Dena invokes her right to a lawyer. effectively ending the interview. Following this, Dena is booked into jail. without bond for first-degree murder and.

tampering with evidence. And while the. why of Craig's death remains unanswered, the investigation continues. In the. following weeks, detectives and. prosecutors gather their evidence and. build a classic circumstantial homicide. case alleging Dena intentionally shot. Craig multiple times inside the house, moved and hid his body, lied repeatedly. about his whereabouts, and looted shared. assets. Prosecutors believe what they. have will lead to a conviction with the. main open question being whether the.

jury finds first-degree murder or a. lesser homicide charge. As of March. 2026, [music] Dena Fetzer's case is. still in the pretrial phase and she. remains innocent until proven guilty in. court. She faces life in prison with the. possibility of parole after 30 [music]. years if convicted of first-degree. murder or 18 years if convicted of. second-degree murder, plus additional. time for the tampering charge.