2023 FOX News Network, LLC. On the icy cold night of January 17, 2008, they were found dead near train tracks in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Ken Dillinger | Kadie's uncle: It was a smile, I mean there was a perma-grin on her face, and It was always lit up, always lit up. Jessica Sanders: Horrible they dropped the ball in every way here. Two days after the funeral, Aaron went in for surgery to mend his broken hand. Peter Van Sant: Is that your specialty -- cheating husbands and wives? And she didn't mince words when it came to Aaron Major. We believed we unturned everything there was to unturn at the time. An ex-minor league hockey player who decided that hiring a hitman to murder his wife was cheaper than a divorce was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. DISBARRED attorney Alex Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty to the murder his son and wife at their family estate. Peter Van Sant: There's a possibility she was in fact dead at the time this train struck her? Aaron Major recounts the night his wife and child vanished, Jessica Sander and Vicky Hall in the "war room.". Wade Spees/Staff. she always had questions and none of them were answered. Their house a potential crime scene was never properly processed. Right now, he is, Lewis said. "It was just like all of a sudden, she just got real paranoid, and, you know, quit trustin' people and stuff," he told investigators. I'm numb just totally broken, just totally dead, totally devastated. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Charleston, SC 29403, News tips/online questions: newstips@postandcourier.com, Delivery/subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com, var html = new Date().getFullYear(); There was clothes on the floor. Captain MacDonald, an army doctor stationed at Fort Bragg, made an emergency call to military police in the early morning hours of February 17, 1970. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 48 Hours producers on how a chance meeting led to the reopening of a mysterious decade-old case, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, Good cop/bad cop: Solving the Heather Bogle murder, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, The Brighton ax murder: A timeline of the 40-year-old cold case. All rights reserved. Reach Thomas Novelly at 843-937-5715. Vicky Hall: Everything was a fight from the very moment they died to have things done normally. Vicky Hall: I realized it was time to get started back on the case. Aaron wanted Aadon, the unborn child, publicly on display with Kadie's casket. Peter Van Sant: No forensic search of the house. Aaron had also told the police that his wife was dealing with postpartum depression, and the authorities believed that Kadie killed herself in a delusional state. Kadies death was ruled a suicide within days. Jessica Sanders was motherless when she was in her 20s. A train hit a vehicle on Oakley Road and two people are dead.". So, heres what we know of her. I remember that train goin' by and for some reason, that just burned in my head. The last time Hall spoke with Kadie was at 6:43 p.m. Jan. 16, 2008. Or incriminate them!! She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories. At this point, it is unclear whether he will be able to post the reduced bond. That wasn't the end of his bizarre behavior at the viewing, says Chad Dillinger. Now her husband is a suspect. Vicky Hall: I couldn't hardly function, couldn't keep running the farm well. Back at Kadie's house, Sarah Watford was waiting alone in case her sister came home. Authorities concluded that pregnant Kadie, 26, had thrown herself and 10-month River in front of a train. But Hall never forgot that promise to clear Kadie's name and show the world who her daughter truly was: a kind-hearted 26-year-old who loved horses and her family. Another possibility, as Sanders believes, Kadie was killed elsewhere and dumped at the tracks. In one version, Aaron claimed Kadie stayed at the door, but he stated that she came in and fed the baby in another. And we'd look out, and that cross never came back. Peter Van Sant: Are you buying Aaron's story that she was out of her mind? Amanda Calo, 31, was already separated from her We are still looking for answers and are hoping someone will come forward with more information. As for Aarons alleged bisexuality, Shayanna has stated that it wouldnt have and still hasnt changed how she feels about him. Rick Ollic says the note found in Kadie Major's pocket was a piece of compelling evidence showing that she was delusional at the time. And we just -- we bonded. Ollic but was ignored, according to the "48 Hours" report. I can tell you thats not the case, this is all part of a larger puzzle, he said at the time, adding that the original conclusions did not add up. "48 Hours" producers got a tip about Vicky's case and that box of evidence she had locked up so many years ago. However, the quaint life they had planned for themselves came crashing down in January 2008. Yet, once it was time to head to university and pursue a profession, they broke up, only to reunite after his draft by the New England Patriots. Seeking justice for Kadie, River, and Aadon. . Sarah Watford: I just think of what a good mom she was and how I want to be a good mom like her. He believed Aaron's story that Kadie's actions were driven by postpartum psychosis. Oliver will soon be meeting with the doctor who performed the autopsies on Kadie and River, and who recommended the manner of death be left pending. Vicky Hall: I knew she wouldn't do that, wouldn't be capable of doing that. "His wife is missing and he's talking about this conspiracy stuff.". They are, however, for the first time publically naming Aaron Major the prime suspect. VICKY HALL [to reporters]: I believe that Kadie and River and Aadon were murdered by Kadie's husband, Aaron Robert Major. Peter Van Sant: Is this suspicious to you? Previously, he wrote for the Courier Journal in Kentucky. Peter Van Sant: She could have been thrown and struck by the side of the train? Rick Ollic: I don't recall when she was interviewed, and they should have been interviewed for those things. The investigator never even asked Aaron about that hard to ignore bandaged hand and he never challenged Aaron's version of events, including Kadie's supposed breakdown: AARON MAJOR [interrogation]: She just got real paranoid, and, quit trustin' people and stuff. In his arms since Jan. 16, 2008." Rick Ollic of the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office delivered the shattering news. Lewis saidhe is not the only one, we are casting a wide net to ask people to come forward; persons of interest can be someone who we want to talk to or need to talk to. When Van Sant tracked down Kadies husband Aaron Major for an interview, he was denied. Sanders says, the more she dug, the guiltier Aaron looked. Hall said the funeral was most troubling of all. Lt. Dean Kokinda: To me that is very symbolic of her ending the relationship. But the truth needs to be known and justice needs to be served.. McDonald reported his 29-year-old wife missing March 1. Lt. Dean Kokinda: Vicky had a reputation that she was crazy. On July 23, 2002, Elizabeth Shannon fatally shot Major Peter Van Sant: She says she was never questioned about her daughter's state of mind and what had happened in the hours on that day that she disappeared. But they still had a lot of questions. He said that she wanted to go to a hotel, to which Aaron replied he would take her after he took a shower. She really was. Kadie, River, Aadon. Darrell Lewis There's a new sheriff in town. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Vicky Hall, Kadies mother, later stated that Aaron told her about Kadie not entering their house, standing at the doorway instead. Vicky Hall: A pregnant woman doesn't walk three-fourths a mile down a railroad track in pitch dark night. Ollic stating. What I didn't know at that moment is Sarah saw it, too. It seemed like a closed case. "It's a blessing. After learning about the original investigation, something didn't sit right with Hall. The noise still pierces her heart. They believe that Aaron Major killed Kadie and River. Psychopathic behavior to me. However, the authorities believed it was caused a few days later when Aaron had reportedly punched a wall while picking out a coffin at the funeral home. Its not shameful and I dont think anybody should be ashamed of who they are inside, regardless of who they love. Bianca Gascoigne has revealed she has called her baby daughter Blake Sunshine. They covered the walls with timelines and facts about the case, determined to find the truth -- whatever that might be. He explained that she was researching government conspiracies and that "God was telling her to flee to protect the kids," according to a transcript of his interview with investigators. Darrell Lewis: Originally, they said a southbound train hit her. WebMcDonald is facing murder charges for the death of his wife, Andreen McDonald, in 2019. Nothing made sense. Det. But he did point out that the case had some missteps. However, as per a CBS report from 2019, he had not cooperated with the authorities. No matter how long it takes, Vicky Hall will battle on until the truth is found. The lab didnt even receive the blood samples until 1/23/08 Autopsy report wasnt signed until February 11th. Peter Van Sant: You tell him that you have found the pickup truck. Does he cry out? Coroner George Oliver said it wasn't uncommon for a coroner to make a ruling if the manner of death is still pending from an autopsy. Sanders and Hall estimate they've collected more than 1,000 documents related to the case. Vicky Hall: The night they died and Sarah was there, my daughter I looked out the window, we have a pond right there and there is a cross on my pond. There's power in numbers! Sheriff Lewis decided to let Aaron know he hasn't been forgotten and announced the re-opening of the case in a very big, public way. Later on, Vicky Hall believed that it was Aaron who would throw away or break the things the family placed at the graves. But when she came in I talked to her for a couple hours, I was like, "Well, she's not crazy.". It had been cold the night before. Andre McDonald, 40, was arrested Monday after officials Read moreGeorgetown County natural resources plan deferred for County Council feedback, The Post and Courier If there was a fight that started there, Luminol test. In 2007, about four years after their marriage, the couple had a beautiful daughter named River. Published: 11:31 EST, 1 March 2023 | Updated: 12:45 EST, 1 March 2023. SAN ANTONIO Air Force Major Andre McDonald had his bond reduced Monday morning. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff, Faded plastic flowers are nailed to a tree near the site where Kadie Major, who was pregnant with her second child, and her 10-month-old daughter River were found dead near train tracks in 2008, Thursday, March 21, 2019 in Moncks Corner. Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said Aaron is a suspect in the death of Kadie, River, and Aadon. Frightened, Watford immediately called her mom to come get her. But when I did hang up, I had this little gut feeling. Miraculously, Kadie's face was largely undamaged and the family wanted an open casket for Kadie and River. Things were changing fast in Moncks Corner. Hall still hasn't gotten used to that daily sound of a train whistle echoing above the pines. In his statement, Aaron said she was acting so paranoid "that I couldn't reason with her just wanted to leave the home feeling that someone was out to kill her.". He's never come in the middle of the night.". Erica Hernandez, Digital Journalist/Courthouse Reporter. Kokinda says the cold case unit has confirmed that Aaron told the original detective a huge lie -- a potential game changer: AARON MAJOR [interrogation]: That's when I heard on talk radio 94.3 that there had been a person and a young child hit by the train in Berkeley County . Dr. Christine Case: I do not think is -- in my professional opinion, that she had any depression or postpartum depression. What else did they get wrong? File/Grace Beahm Alford/Staff, Kadie Majors mother, Vicky Hall, looks down the tracks where the body of her daughter Major, who was pregnant and her 10-month-old granddaughter River were found in 2008, Thursday, March 21, 2019 in Moncks Corner. Lt. Dean Kokinda: You can hide depression from your friends and family, but you don't hide paranoia. The Coroner report dated 1/22/08 has Kadies death ruled suicide by Coroner Bill Salisbury. Mother and daughter were in the same coffin. She But Aaron's behavior he's not acting normal, he's not acting right. A post shared by Shayanna Jenkins Hernandez (@shayjhernandez). Anyone with information potentially relevant to the investigation please call the task force hotline at (843) 719-7700. "There was supposedly a witness at one point who saw a female walking either on the railroad tracks or right there in the vicinity of the railroad tracks," Oliver said. It didn't take 30 minutes of looking at it to be in, like, shock. Vicky Hall: I believe she wrote these notes down on this paper because she was seeing what Aaron was reading and seeing what he was believing in and it was scaring her and she was just making notes of all the titles on the computer. SHERIFF LEWIS [to reporters]: Initially it was believed that Kadie was suicidal and had some psychological issues. He stated that she had been behaving erratically and had fled the family home in a paranoid and terrified state. It's a pale, plastic baby doll with a hole gouged out of the stomach. CBS News 48Hours: Fatal Crossing chronicles what happened for the initial ruling to be overturned and the suspicion regarding Aarons involvement. Vicky Hall then stepped up to the microphone. Vicky decided, with the help of a private investigator Jessica Sanders, to investigate for herself what had happened to her daughter and granddaughter. He never shed a tear, he never came and hugged anybody. Back then, Ollic and his team did not speak to Dr. Case, and Hall says would not listen to what she had to say. Kadie's husband, 36-year-old Aaron Major, told investigators in an interview several days after the deaths that she may have had "postpartum depression." Peter Van Sant: What does that suggest to you? Following Aarons demise, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez not only sued the NFL over his posthumous chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) diagnosis on their daughters behalf but also sold his North Attleboro, Massachusetts, home for $1 million, as was her legal right. And they didn't believe that Kadie could or would have made that 6/10th of a mile walk in pitch black on gravel in the rain and sleet carrying a 30-pound baby. They did nothing. Rick Ollic, a former Berkeley County sheriff's captain who is now chief of the Moncks Corner Police Department, said a note in Kadie's pocket contained scribblings about spiritual warfare and the Antichrist. "There was no alarm. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, "Kadie just loved River Lynn with all of her heart. Information potentially relevant to the murder his son and wife at their estate... Still has n't gotten used to that daily sound of a train whistle echoing above pines... Even receive the blood samples until 1/23/08 Autopsy report wasnt signed until February 11th pregnant woman does n't walk a! 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