over here under Do you smell that smell? I >> smell something. >> This is the body of 44year-old Clinton James Pierce riding away in the garage of his closest friend. James had been missing for more than a month. And because of his history with drug abuse, detectives assume it was an overdose. But when a furious crowd of residents demands that the police find the killer, one officer begins [music] to suspect something far more sinister. >> Serious. That's three bodies. >> Three people. >> This is not his first time. >> My baby had been sitting in his garage away like a >> one of the detectives I know. Hey, he might have overdosed. Even if he did, that's not how he would have been found. That's going to be a homicide. It has to be. >> The officer sets out to uncover the truth, even if it means going against his own department. Because if he doesn't, a killer will get away with murder. >> Put your window down. Put both hands outside the car. In the late hours of a Thursday evening, police in Dayton, Ohio, receive a frantic call from a woman claiming she's found her husband dead in a friend's garage. On the line is Amanda Carson. Her voice trembling as she struggles to contain her sister [music] Nicole. But when officers arrive, they have no idea the entire neighborhood has already gathered and the scene is moments away from spiraling into absolute chaos. >> I'm the one who did the report. >> Okay. Well, can you come here with me? Um, we're pretty sure his shoes are in here underneath the padding. This is your son. This is his wife. >> Hey, why don't you guys get back? >> Thought you guys were actually in the garage. >> Well, yeah. This is all my personal stuff. And over here underw you step out. Do you see that thing of [singing] candy right there where you're standing to your right? That's Do you smell that smell? >> I smell something. >> Under this one in the corner. >> He's going to be >> back up. Back. Beneath piles of garbage lies the body of 43-year-old Clinton James Pierce, known to everyone simply as CJ. His family is furious, convinced the police ignored his disappearance for months, dismissing him as a drug addict who overdosed. But as Officer Floyd prepares to step outside, one resident bursts into panic, shouting that this is not the first time someone has died in this very garage. You got >> in the second garage now, >> bro. Serious. That's three bodies, bro. >> Three bodies. Why would you take out this stuff? Because the man who lives here has moved out. They left. >> He's in the report. >> Yes. Three more people. >> This is not his first time. >> It's not the first time. >> This is not his first time. >> The scene is pure chaos. Nicole, the caller's sister, stands before the crowd of the victim's family and neighbors. According to them, whoever lived here has allegedly killed more than two people in the past. Now, with a potential serial killer on the loose and a furious crowd closing in, Officer Floyd knows they need to act fast. Lucky for him, Nicole knows exactly who the killer is and will be instrumental in his capture. >> We tried telling him he's going to come up here. We told our detective he's been missing since July 15th. >> You guys matter. I need you guys to move down the alley. So, >> back up, guys. Come on. >> Well, I have the officers here. I'm about the only one calm enough to talk to them. So, I'm going to stand here and talk about these two officers. >> Go down there. >> What do you want us to do? >> Go down there with your guys didn't do it. This man came out and took the report. I mean, and just because Jay Carter said he's a dope dude that don't do it now. They're going to have the evidence to get Jay out. >> He's got a dead body in his garage. >> As soon as I saw him, not touching it until an evidence. >> They have dead body in his garage. Regardless, he's got an answer. >> Where's Jay at now? >> They're going to get him. Go get him. Go get him. The lady in pink just mentioned the name Jay, someone she claims recently moved out after killing CJ. Officer Floyd recognizes the name immediately. Jay was listed in a previous missing person report, the very one the detectives chose to ignore. Jay is CJ's business partner and longtime friend. Now he's nowhere to be found, and Floyd fears he may have already fled town. But worse yet, the officer doesn't realize that Jay has even tried to hide his horrifying act. >> So sorry about this like emotional >> absolutely no abs. I completely understand. I had a bad feeling when I did the report that the circumstances that led up to everything. I >> My name's Nicole. I was on >> Who's Where's his ex wife? >> Wife's down there fiance. They're not They weren't legally married yet. >> You know who owns the property? >> Amanda does. >> Amanda does. >> His [music] fiance. Yeah. Dude who lived here? His daughter has been talking 10 kinds of [ __ ] to her about, "Oh, you won't you'll find out what's happened to your husband. You'll know eventually." Like, just crazy. It's all in screenshots, so if needed, we'll be able to Yeah. >> According to Nicole, Jay's girlfriend has been openly talking about CJ's murder, trying to intimidate the family, especially his wife, Amanda. But before the officer speaks to Amanda, he first has to convince his sergeant that CJ's death is a homicide and not an accident. >> This is our sergeant. You just you just >> help out your family a little bit >> and then uh we'll do everything we can. Okay. >> It's going to be a homicide. Has to be. >> He's a missing person. Super suspicious circumstances. This house is owned by family members, but there was a guy that was living here. He just recently moved out. These guys have been looking for him non-stop. They drove past the garage today. The door was cracked. I'm not sure the situation there, but there was smell of a dead body. They opened the door and it was stronger. There's carpet and a whole bunch of like uh floor padding and stuff all in the corner and it's covering his dead body. I saw his leg. There's his shoe and then you can see his leg. I put everything else back. >> What was the circumstances about him? >> Um so he works he's got a work van. He works with the guy that lived here. He just got moved out or got evicted. With everyone at the scene pointing to the same person, officers now have a main suspect, 47-year-old Jeremy Van Vorhees, a man they'll soon learn has a lengthy criminal record. Meanwhile, the lead officer goes to speak with the victim's wife, Amanda. The police still believe CJ was a drug addict and haven't ruled out the overdose theory. But what Amanda says next would expose just how wrong the police have been about CJ all along. Mhm. >> He's the one that actually owns the house. >> I can go get her for you. >> Take it to me >> cuz I got her phone right here. I just take that. Her son had to find the daddy. >> Yeah. >> Amanda. >> Yeah. >> Amanda, I know you're not going anywhere. However, so you you own that house, correct? >> Yes, sir. >> So, the reason so everybody knows, the reason we're not just ping that door and grabbing whoever we can is because if we do that right now without a warrant, it throws out a lot of evidence so the detectives can talk to you. I understand. >> I told you there wasn't something right about there. I don't understand. There's a post. That's why they didn't want me around this mother and that I've been telling him for a month. They're not letting me in the house or that garage. There's something wrong. Oh, we can't do nothing. We can't do nothing. You son of a [ __ ] now. What are you going to do? You're really not going to do nothing now. How's this story pan out now that he really jumped out of a car and got someone else's car, didn't he? >> The whole time my baby's been right here underneath my nose. My baby has been sitting in his garage away like a piece of >> allure that you got him now though, baby. >> We gave this son of a place to live. >> We gave him a place to live. We gave him a job. We got him out of jail. We put our house up for him to get out of jail. >> CJ's fiance, Amanda, is visibly distraught. realizing she will never see her children's father again. She says they gave Jeremy a house and even got him out of jail several times. Yet, he still chose to murder CJ over what officers will soon discover was merely a pay dispute. Devastated by what he's just heard, the officer finally grasps the gravity of the police department's failure to investigate CJ's disappearance sooner. From this moment on, Officer Floyd makes it his mission to uncover the truth and bring the killer to justice, even if it means holding his own department accountable. >> There was something wrong. >> The family was back cuz I guess somebody from the family called one of the detectives and told one of the detectives that he was like a drug user. But the initial story was like he hasn't had any of us with us for like 12 years. So he didn't have anything. He's got like a steady job, has grandkids and stuff, has a family, has a house that he lives with, his fiance for the last like 15 years. And somebody was like, "Do me." And so in the email then one of the detectives sent out might overdose. But I'm like, "That's not even if he did, that's not how he would have been found." >> They explained to them what she knew that she took the initial. >> So I was we did the initial missing on 16th or 17th of July. Family basically said, "Got a [music] steady life, secure job, now runs with police for 12 years. We're good life." His coworker lives here. The deceased family actually owns the house. They allowed him to live here. He's got residency here. They were co-workers. They went to work. They came home. He was acting a little funny like he was had something on his mind. And that was the last time he was seen. >> And with that short speech, officer Floyd single-handedly pushes forward the search for the main suspect in CJ's death. And an arrest warrant is issued for Jeremy Van Vorhees on suspicion of murder. Soon after, the residents disperse and officers return to the station, hoping the autopsy results will give the investigation the boost it needs. Though they finally have a lead, no one knows just how far their suspect will go to stay free, even if that means putting dozens of lives at risk. The very next day, the autopsy results come back, revealing a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The body is in an advanced state of decay, and investigators determine that CJ likely died about a month earlier, around the same time he was reported missing. As the search for Jeremy intensifies, Officer Floyd calls the victim's wife, hoping she can help him piece together what drove Jeremy to snap at CJ. According to her, the two men have been arguing over money, with Jeremy demanding $30,000 in cash for his work, which CJ refused to pay. Now, Officer Floyd realizes that if Jeremy is capable of killing out of spite, no one knows what he might do next, or who else might be on his list of grudges. But there was still one person close to CJ. Investigators could talk to, the woman Amanda mentioned earlier, Jeremy's wife of 30 years, Brandy Vanvorhees. Detectives brought Brandy in for questioning. At first, she stayed completely silent. No cooperation at all. But as the interview went on, she'd start to slip, accidentally revealing a perfect motive for the murder. But to get to that point, Brandy would first need to share a few key details about CJ and Jeremy's volatile relationship. >> You'll have a seat right here in [clears throat] the corner. You're obviously you're not in trouble. You're not uh anything like that. >> I just want to get some background information from you, get some information. What is your relationship uh with Jeremy and Boris? >> Um well, I call him my husband, but we've been together since I've been 18. >> How many years is that? >> 28 in December, I do believe. >> And how do you know Amanda or CJ? >> Um I actually met him through a mutual friend years ago. Jay is a carpet installer and CJ needed help at one point in time. It was through a mutual friend somebody else that day had worked on a crew with years ago. >> So they basically met through work business >> pretty much. >> They lived in a close-knit community, [music] the kind of place where everyone looked out for each other. That's how Jeremy and CJ first met and eventually started working with each other. But after CJ's disappearance, everything changed. The entire neighborhood turned against Brandy and Jeremy. Once CJ is missing, the family, I assume, reaches out to you guys. >> They call they call on Friday night and ask if we had seen him and they said, "Now, next thing you know, they're they're getting loud and they're like just accusing point fingers and starting an argument and it was what they was going to do and how they was going to hurt us and that." They're they're basically threatening you guys to try to find out where CJ is. Correct. >> Think that you guys have something to do with it. >> And it went straight from straight from that to threatening. We have been we're in we're entwined. You know, I I'm not going to say we hang out and party because we we're not that type of crowd. We don't drink and all that good stuff, but our families are entwined. you know, if one of the guys didn't work, then none of us was taken care of. So to see everybody at the front door was kind of nuts. And not only was it just the guys on the front door, there was cars lining up. Right about that time, he decided he was going to open the door again and argued with him for a few minutes. And I pushed the door shut and I told him just get off my porch and go away. By that time, my neighbors would come out. They were like trying to calm the crowd down. But at that point, there was people everywhere. >> According to Brandy, CJ's family and neighbors have harassed them over CJ's disappearance, even threatening them. But instead of making Brandy doubt her husband, the pressure seemed to have the opposite effect. It only strengthened her belief that Jeremy was innocent. That became clear when investigators asked her directly, did she think Jeremy had killed CJ? >> Has he said anything then? Have you had any convers any conversations about have you asked him did he do this? I have asked him and he said no and he said you know it's just like have faith in me and [clears throat] we've been married almost we I stay married but we've been together for almost 30 years you know so that's almost married pretty much and all I can do is just cry I'll be honest that's all I can do is just cry right now >> I have to say when he says trust me faith in me >> at this point [music] Brindy seemed to think she'd gained some sympathy from investigators after describing the harassment they'd faced. That may be exactly why just moments later she'd slip up and accidentally reveal a crystalclear motive for the brutal murder. >> How were they doing it? You know, were they issuing one check that they wouldn't divide or were they issuing a check to Jay and a check to CJ? >> They issue one check and this was the same way it was done to Sheron Williams. Um when you're a subcontractor, you have like a leader of the crew, >> you know. So, um, you have to carry a certain amount of insurance and all that good stuff. So, everything is in CJ's name. So, there's one check and then after they would pay, we have a >> Would they use that that white work van? Was that >> Yeah. >> Obviously, you know that the CJ had been reported missing. >> Mhm. >> And then his body was discovered in the garage at For Park where you guys were living. And like the last one was um where's the phrase? The phrase was pavilion in there is an old folks home Lincoln something right there. >> That was the one big job that Jay did without [music] CJ although he should have been there. Only job that I can think of that was big money. >> Obviously around the time that this happened or he went missing where he may have came into a bunch of money. >> There's no $4,000 check. It's almost as if Brandy realized her mistake the moment she said [music] it. And immediately she started backpedaling, but the damage was done. To investigators, [music] it was clear. The missing payments for that huge job lining up perfectly with CJ's disappearance was no coincidence. At this point, they were nearly certain. Jeremy was behind the murder. But one major problem remained. Police still didn't know where he was, what car he was driving, or what he might be planning next. But just as the investigation seems to stall, the officers receive an unexpected visit. One that points directly to the killer. 6 days [music] after CJ's body is found, a man walks into the police station claiming he knows where Jeremy is hiding. The man is Shawn Connelly, Jeremy's best friend for more than 10 years. The officers sit him down for an interview, quickly pulling up everything they can find on him. They learn that Shawn has recently been released from prison, a detail they know they can use as leverage to pressure him and ensure he doesn't mislead them. Now Shawn has just become the officer's best hope of finding Jeremy. >> You know him? >> He's my best friend. >> Okay. How long have you known him? >> Okay. At least 10. >> At least 10. So you want to talk with me about him? >> What if I was able to take you to his [music] location? >> What's that? >> What if I was able to take you to a location? >> Depends on your cooperation. You know you got a good trans person. We take [music] care of that. >> Others prefer so you guys don't go. We're not out to hurt anybody. I don't want that. None of that, man. >> Shawn claims that Jeremy is hiding at his mother's house about 45 minutes north of Dayton. Detectives immediately head to the location and begin surveillance. After several hours, they spot Jeremy leaving the residence and driving away in a black Hyundai Sonata. But when officers move in to stop him, Jeremy takes off. He knows the police have more than enough evidence to put him away for good. Not to mention that his car is filled to the brim with drugs like crack cocaine. So Jeremy does the only thing he can. He drives like a madman. Yeah. Heat. >> [screaming] >> Jeremy is driving with extreme recklessness, showing complete disregard for anyone on the road. The officers know they need to stop him. If they don't, innocent lives could be lost. But then something completely unexpected happens. Something that will bring Jeremy to his knees. We're eastbound on eastbound slowing down. Slowing down to 60. I want you packed. Do you guys have a dog with you? >> PUT YOUR WINDOW DOWN. PUT BOTH hands outside the car. Suspect, with your left hand, REACH OUT AND OPEN the car door. Outside the car. Keep your hands in the air. Step out. Grab the back of your shirt and lift it. Come back to the sound of my voice. Back. Back. Back. >> Hands up. >> I got cuffs. I got cuffs. >> Cross your ankle. Cross your ankle. After an hour-long chase, seemingly by a miracle, Jeremy runs out of gas and is forced to pull over. [music] To the officer's relief, he doesn't resist and is quickly handcuffed before being taken to jail. The evidence against him is overwhelming, and the high-speed chase [music] only makes things worse. Still, Jeremy has a plan to get out of this predicament. CJ's family and officer Floyd wait in anxious anticipation, hoping the detectives don't blunder again and let a killer slip away. Unbeknownst to Jeremy, the detectives about to walk into the room are the exact same ones who let him off the hook and gave him a month of freedom. Hey, sir. [music] >> Jeremy, how you doing, bud? >> All right. I'm Detective House. Uh this is Detective Lips. We're with the Dayton Police Department. We're investigating an incident with Clayton. All right. Do you want to talk to us about what's going on? Get your side of the story. I didn't I didn't do this, but I would like to have talk to a lawyer. >> Realizing he's in serious trouble, Jeremy asks for a lawyer. But fortunately, the evidence against him is strong enough that a confession isn't even necessary. Officer Floyd can finally relax knowing the killer has been caught. Still, he can't shake the thought that the detective's inaction may have cost an innocent man his life. Jeremy Van Vorhees is charged [music] with two counts of murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, and gross [music] abuse of a corpse. He is sentenced to 22 years to life in prison. For the high-speed chase, an additional 24 months is added to his sentence. Regarding the two other deaths mentioned by the residents, [music] the police could not find any proof that Jeremy was involved with any of