Missing Firefighter Found in Murder Mansion

(dramatic music) (gun firing) - Release the fireman! (gun firing) - The safe zone's near the zone! - It's to the left, of course. (gun firing) - The turn is in the left. (dramatic music) (phone ringing) - The communications on a recorded line, how can I help you? - Who would I talk to you about how a wellness check done on an individual? - That would be me, let's go and answer. - Same as Craig, Stettford. Everybody here in Texas has been trying to get ahold of Craig for nearly two months. - Okay. - We can't get ahold of these wives. We're really concerned about it, because this is not like him. He's always asked if he's sold her to all sides. Nobody can get ahold of him. - The caller identifies himself as Craig Thetford's friend and business partner. He explains that 60-year-old Craig, the retired owner of a successful roofing business, frequently travels to Texas, to visit family. But Craig lives with his wife, 60-year-old Dina Thetford in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a scenic mountain town tucked inside Lincoln National Forest. That same day, officers from the Otero County Sheriff's Office are dispatched to Craig and Dina's home to perform a wellness check. - Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's Office. - Doesn't look like there's anyone in there. No lights on, nothing like that. - There's no sign of Craig or Dina, or anything particularly unusual. So officers approach a neighbor to see if he might know anything about Craig and Dina's whereabouts. He's a deputy mentor with the Sheriff's Office. By chance, have you seen your neighbors over at 97, Heather? - No sir, I had, I've been really worried about him. - Okay. - Since January. - Since January. So, is it like, do they live here like part-time, or is it like full-time kind of thing? Do you know? - Well, he moved up here, they moved up here full-time. - Okay. - All this was back about two years ago. And we were real good friends and everything. - Okay. - And we were both on the chance candy fire department. And then it come January. It was just no contact. - No contact at all, come January. Okay. About like how often would you see guys usually talk or? - Oh, we talked all the time. - Like was it like phone calls, messages, or just like in person? - They just want to help me do all this driveway. - Oh, okay. - They just want to help me do this roof. - Okay, okay, so you guys would hang out. - Yeah, yeah, we were real good friends. - Gotcha, gotcha. - And you sit since January, you haven't seen anybody hurt from him or anything like that. - Yeah, January, I got sick, he got sick, and then it was after that, it just disappeared. - Okay. - I didn't know if he got sick and passed away. I didn't know what happened. - Okay. - 'Cause I ain't been able to talk to him or nothing. - Gotcha. Officers make contacts with another neighbor. - Hi, can I help you? - Yes, ma'am, how are you? I'm definitely been sort with the Turk on a sheriff's office. - We were looking for Craig, Setford. - Yeah, we haven't heard from Craig. - Okay, how long has it been since you have spoken to him or seen him? - It has been since January. - It is about January? - Yeah. - Okay. - And it's why Dina's my friend. She's in and out from the house down there. - Okay. - She hasn't really talked to me though, which is weird. - And when was the last time you saw Dina here in the area? - It's probably been about three weeks now. - About three weeks? - Gotcha. - Let's be coming to town this week though. Is everything okay? - Yeah, so pretty much the reason we're here is we're here 'cause some of Craig's friends were worried about him 'cause they haven't heard him from him in a while. So that's why we came out here to try to see if he was here. Just make sure that he's okay. Obviously, as you already know, there hasn't been anybody staying in the house for a while. So we're just kind of trying to piece everything together. Just want to make sure that he's okay. - Yeah, no kidding. From what we heard, I mean, what Dina said that he was going to break and reach 'cause his mom, can you just take care of his mom? - Okay. Before officers leave, the neighbor gives them Dina's cell phone number. When they call her number, it goes straight to voicemail. The next day, the sheriff's office receives another concern. - Imagine setting your makeup, then forgetting it's even theirs. Meet new groupie setting mist from Maybelline, New York. Gel to mist technology locks in your look for up to 24 hours, with flexible, all day comfy grip. No tightness, no stickiness, no residue. Just plum, dewy, hydrated skin. That still feels like your skin. Try new groupie setting mist from Maybelline, New York. - Maybe it's Maybelline. - And call about Craig. This time, it's from one of his grandsons. - Communications on a recorded line. How can I help you? - Okay, this is gonna seem really, really strange. - About four months ago, my grandpa had way also like the face of the world. And he's a volunteer firefighter up there. He loved to do it. He talked to me all that all the time. And so I like to place a wellness shake, but the only person that said she's talked to him in four months, is his wife, and apparently now they're getting a divorce. He's doing the whole bunch of stuff. Well, I don't believe it. It's not my grandpa. It's just really strange. - What's his name? - Craig Stetford. - After the message is relayed, a detective follows up with Craig's grandson. - Calling from the Atura County Sheriff's Office is this (beep) - Yes sir, sure is. - Yes sir, so I was calling your regards to you. I believe you're your grandfather. - Grandpa, yes sir, Craig. - Yes sir. - Can you tell me what's going on? - Okay, so, I mean this, he's even like completely ghosts from the family for. I mean, this started January. I mean, last time my grandma was using the hospital. And so, I mean, I wasn't really worried about it 'cause I mean, if you went like a month or two months without texting us or contacting anybody, then I mean, it's just that, that. But whenever mothers didn't come along, that's when we really started getting worried 'cause he didn't call his mother. And so, it's like, like I said, it's been about four months since like he hasn't texted nobody, but he just randomly went missing. And his wife is the only one that has had contact with him. Have you guys had any contact with his wife? - Yeah, she came over to my grandma's today saying, he's apparently gone AWOL and is going talking to other girls. And he's working in another, but I don't believe him. He wouldn't go to his family. - Okay. - After speaking with his grandson, officers returned to Craig and Dean's house again. - Here's our fish. - I'm sick laying on this. - Yeah, yeah, it's the same light. - It's seen. Anything different? - No, it looks exactly the same. It doesn't look like anyone's been here. - I'm like, seeing anything that's changed in the mood. Same motion lights turning on like nobody's friends. - Once again, it appears no one is home. As officers scan the property, one of the neighbors they spoke with yesterday waves them down. He pulls out his cell phone and shows them his text thread with Craig. - Blue's here, right? - Yeah, blue's me, and he's on the side. This is the only way I've been able to have any communication with you. And I don't even know if it's seen him. - Okay. - And he read this one, did respond. I'll send him another one on this one. - Mm-hmm. - And I hadn't gotten another, I mean. - And she was 20,000. - I don't even show that it's been rated. - So true. - That was 27th? - Yeah, the 27th of January. Yeah, the 27th of January. - You know, obviously he recognizes the voice if you talk to him. - Oh, yeah. - Yeah. - Oh, I do me a favor. I call his phone when we're really never over here. I can give it to you if you don't have it ready available. 'Cause if she answers his phone, there's a problem. And if she does answer the phone, saying, hey, he just hadn't heard from me all in the vet or whatever, and you know, (beep) don't tell him here. I'm just gonna speak now. - Welcome to Verizon Wireless. Your call can now be completed as the cold party is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later. - While officers have no physical proof that Craig is in any kind of danger, based on everything they've learned so far, it's clear something is off about this situation. And the case grows even more puzzling when they speak with Dina. - Hello? - Hi, I'm Mr. Falkall. This is Deputy Pintora calling from the Terror County Sheriff's Office. - Yes, sir. - I was calling in reference to your husband, Craig. - Yes. - So we got some calls. There were some concerns. It seems that he hasn't been in contact with a lot of his family and some of his friends. - Right, yeah, we have been separated and I recently followed for divorce. He's kind of, went he's involved with someone else and so partly he's in Mexico. In Mexico? Okay. Yeah, El Salto. Would you happen to have an address for him? Anything like that? Well, I don't. All I know is by credit card charges and I don't. I came to Texas for Mother's Day and I haven't gotten back there yet. That's right. When was the last time you saw him in person? Before he left. Okay. Would you have an estimate like, you know, was it like one week, two weeks? I wish I had a calendar. This is the 12th, the first of the month. First of the month. And that is definitely an estimate. Okay. 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. Yes. Yes. He has moved out, essentially. Okay. Do you remember what he was wearing that day? He was wearing a big dog. Well, he wears big dog t-shirts. I'm not sure which one. And shorts. Okay. Was he wearing any hats or accessories or anything like that? Yes. He always wears a hat. What color was it? Camo. So being that it seems that it's been several weeks in that no one has seen him in person. What we will be doing is filing a missing persons report, okay? And where are you currently staying in? I'm at my mom's in Texas, see more Texas. Deena tells the detective she plans to hit the road and head back to New Mexico tomorrow. Okay. I believe I have all the information I have for now. If I have any more questions, I'll give you a call back to this number, okay? Yeah, this is a good number. What do I need to do? I don't think he's missing. Gotcha. Yeah. You know, the issue here, I guess, is nobody's been able to get in contact with him. And so that's concerning, in a sense. His family, his main concern, their main concern was that, you know, he hasn't talked to them in months, but not just that. Imagine setting your makeup, then forgetting it's even theirs. Meet new groupie setting mist from Mavily New York. Gel to mist technology locks in your look for up to 24 hours, with flexible all-day comfy grip. Just plump, dewy, hydrated skin that still feels like your skin. Try new groupie setting mist from Mavily New York. Maybe it's Mavily. Usually, he would always call, I believe it was his grandmother or his mother. On Mother's Day, and so they found it very odd that he hadn't been in contact with them. Hello? All of a sudden, the call drops. When the investigator tries calling Dina back, there's no answer. Hello, Dina, leave a message. While investigators wait for Dina to return to New Mexico so they can interview her in person, they issue a statewide missing person's alert for Craig Thetford. Based on Dina's claim that Craig has fled to Mexico with another woman, detectives contact United States Border Patrol to see if they can verify this. But according to Border Patrol records, the last time Craig left the country was two years ago in 2023. Detectives also learn Craig's red pickup truck has been sitting in a local mechanic's shop awaiting repairs, so it's unclear how he would have driven to Mexico, if that's true. I'm in route to 97 Heatherway. Per some more follow-up, our emergency disappearance of Craig Thetford. I'll go back on VL when I arrive at the residence. Forty-eight hours after Craig's business partner and friend first reported him missing, detectives get word that Dina's back in town. So one of them decides to pay her a visit. That's a nice home. Hi, good morning. Dina? Yes. Hi. Good morning, good morning. Hey, I'm doing some follow-up, I'm Roger, I'm sorry. I think we met at a baseball game. Probably did. I'm trying to do some follow-up on Craig. And I thought maybe I can meet with you anyway, you could try to kind of help me give me some information. Sure. What can we sit somewhere? Come over here. All right. Okay, well, obviously we got some calls because people haven't been living from or anything. So you being a wife, you might be able to help me. Well, it's his mom, I talked to his mom. His mom? I had gone to visit her Monday, I guess. This last Monday? Yes. Okay. And then I guess she called y'all to see if y'all could catch him up. And she only shows up when I leave. Oh really? So you guys aren't? No, we have been having some issues. Okay. I guess you would say we're separated. How long has that been going on? Well, nothing's legal yet. We haven't been really spending much time together since probably February. February. Early February, February. Like February. Or mid-February. Since mid-February. Okay. And then things weren't working out. So you left, he left, how did that? He left, he told me. Well, he first went to Texas because he was said he needed to go help his mom. So he left here to go help his mom? That's what he said, yes. Dena says after Craig visited his mother in Texas, he headed to Albuquerque for firefighter training. Who was that? That was, like probably maybe the second week of February. Then he left the first time. And that was the second week of February? You'll have to bear with me because I don't keep track of time at all. But yeah, it was February. And supposedly he would stay there a week and then come back on the weekend. And you thinking this is maybe the Sicoral Fire Academy or the Albuquerque Park? Well, all he ever really told me was Albuquerque. Okay. But then, you know, and it just, and I just, you know, whatever. And sometime in February, you know, I kind of started getting feeling resentful. And I asked him to start spending more time with me. And doing things and he just, he just put this above everything. And my, this is, now this is my side and that's how I feel. That was in February too? February, maybe March, or, no, it was the end of February because it was my mom's birthday. So we had a big commotion about his priorities. And that sort of thing. And he basically told me to take what I wanted and get out. He told you to take your stuff and leave? Yep. Take what you want and get out. And I said, do you take what you want and you get out? That was an argument. Right. And at that time, you know, it was my mom's birthday. She'd been sick. So I just had had it and I packed my little car and packed a bag and went to my mom's for a couple weeks. Maybe a week. And then that this is how it's been. Was he calling you or y'all were texting each other? He stopped talking to me at the fight. When we had the fight, he stopped talking to me. No, it was here. Yes, yes, he wouldn't return my text. You know, that can be his personality. I'm not saying that, you know, but I didn't feel like it was intentional at that time. Like I did now. So that was all back in late February. Right? Late February and that's the time frame. February. More early March. Yeah. You know, it starts staying away. But when I would come home, I mean, he's been here. It got to the point. Imagine setting your makeup. Then forgetting it's even there. Meet new Grippy setting mist from Mavily New York. Try new Grippy setting mist from Mavily New York. Maybe it's Mavily, where he would just leave me a note like that one over there. Can you grab it for me? I'm waiting to get cataract surgery down in my eyes. They're not working too great. I've gotten to where I have to wear my glasses all the time. Now, this-- there's been several. This is our communication right here, for the last two months. And there's been several, but this is the-- now, this one is from-- No, what two weeks ago? And that I wrote that. That's why. Can you put-- this is your handwriting, and that says-- Yes, because 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. But when did he write that? I'm going to say he wrote that on March 28th. All this time's gone by. I mean, he just-- he quit coming home. Mm-hmm. He would come in, like, in the-- well, I say the middle of the night, I go to bed early, but he'd come in, he'd do laundry, and he'd be gone again. He's packed up all his clothes. I got back yesterday. Now all his clothes are going. His home computer's gone. Dina also mentions that during his brief return trips to their house, Craig would collect their mail, including their bank and credit card statements, and leave with it. So do you think he came back and got all that? The credit card bills, I mean, all that disappeared. I think that between the-- whenever he laughs, there's nothing in there. I just don't think-- I don't know what the hell he's doing. So how are the bills getting paid if he's not here? They're all set up on credit cards. Did you have access to his credit card accounts and all that? I had two that he gave me. And then he showed me how to go up to the computer and make the payment, because he does that manually each time. But I mean, nothing's cut off. As the detective continues to question her about any activity on Craig's bank and credit card accounts, Dina announces she has something she needs to confess. I have an important fact, but I'm hesitant to say. Mm-hmm. Can I say something off the record? Sure. Craig keeps all our money in cash. OK. So I can't get in the safe. So I can't tell you if he took it or if it's there. Call the money. Why can't you get into the safe? I don't have the combinations. Could you show me where that safe is? OK. Dina leads the detective downstairs to a rec room area. Does one in this one? Oh, there's two. Yeah. Well, obviously he was a farm guy like me, but I don't have safes like this. So what's that white stuff? I think it's from what he's made it. I think it's-- Oh, it's just got scratched, OK? So you don't have the combination for either safe. Yeah. No, I just-- I didn't keep the written down anywhere. And you don't know. OK. Throughout their conversation, the detective makes a pointed observation. Dina doesn't seem worried or upset about Craig's mysterious disappearance at all. So what do you think's going on? Honestly, I think he's running around with someone. He should. No idea though, who? No. Or where? No. So you're thinking maybe he's in a relationship with somebody else? I really do. Well, is there anything else you can think of that might lead me in the right direction or a direction? I think you want me out. I think there's a reason that he wants me out. And I mean, I don't-- I can't prove anything to you. I've never seen him with anyone. Before he leaves, the detective double checks one detail. Yes, again, I'm sorry to write down. When did he leave that white board message for you? It was on-- well, I went to town on the 28th. Oh, this month? April. April. Yes. Silently, the detective clocks a contradiction in Dina's timeline. Earlier in the interview, she told him Craig left her that message at the end of March. Now she's claiming it was April. Alrighty. Anything else you think of? I need to know. Have you heard from him? I need to know right away. OK. Oh, because I have entered him as a missing person at this point. He's listed as a missing person. So he's when they just drop off the whole radar. Something's not good. As the detective heads back to his vehicle, he notices there's a brand new Ford Mustang parked in the driveway with Texas tags. He runs the plate. It's registered to Dina. As their suspicions surrounding Dina's story mount detectives continue interviewing Craig's family and friends for information. During a conversation with Craig's sister, she reveals something notable. Dina recently purchased a brand new home for herself in Seymour, Texas. A detective reaches out to a real estate agent to verify the intel. OK. I just want to know if maybe you could help me out with answering some questions on a property that you had sold in February, if you have a second. Yes. Which of a chance is it? 500 North River Street in Seymour. Yes, yes. You had sold it to a single buyer? Yes. Can you verify the name for me? Do you-- Dina? Yes. OK. She didn't have another person in the transaction with her. No, ma'am. OK. Do you remember when it was that she was inquiring to purchase a property? I know she closed the first week of February. I want to say she closed the fourth. And I think it all happened within a week. Was there any talk about why it was so quick? She was moving down here to be closer to her mom. Is all I knew. Was there a mortgage or was that a cash sale? It was. It was all-- I think it was this cash sale. I know she didn't have a loan. All right. Is there anything else that she mentioned? Was that-- or him moving with her? Or-- No, I thought that they had got divorced. Kind of just what I've heard, but I don't know for sure. She just said that they weren't together anymore. I just kind of figured that they split up. It happens that I didn't cry. Sure. The fact that Dina has made two big purchases in the wake of Craig's disappearance strikes detectives as highly questionable. If Craig controls their finances as she claims he does, where exactly did she get the money to pay for a new car and a new house and how? The next day, a detective meets up again with Craig's neighbor. The neighbor takes him to an area where he says Craig and Dina liked to ride their ATVs and shoot their guns. While they search the area for any potential clues, the neighbor recalls a conversation he had with Craig. Then forgetting it's even theirs. Meet new grippy setting mist from Maybelline, New York. Just plump, dewy, hydrated skin. Try new grippy setting mist from Maybelline, New York. Maybe it's Maybelline. Weaves on our way back home in Craig's head. If anything ever happens to me, I don't want to lose cause. Dina has a combination to the safe. And I keep an envelope full of money in it. And that way she can take care of anything. OK. He was telling that cause he trusted you as a friend and saying, you know, that these are the things that are in place, especially if something went wrong or one of the fire scenes. And kind of letting you know that something goes bad. At least his wife has a combination to save for. He would keep money. The detective realizes this is yet another indication that Dina is hiding something. She told me during that video tape interview that she didn't-- she's never had the combination to the safe. So it's a contradiction of what-- Craig, that word told me-- obviously what Dina-- that word told me yesterday on the 15th of May 2025. Four days later. The detective returns to Craig and Dean his home. 24 basin, I'll be 97. And he's struck by what he sees. On the property next to the house, there's a freshly dug hole. It looks to be around four feet deep. A few yards away, he spots a backhoe. Good morning. How are you? Good, how are you? Good, good. I was 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, I saw that metal thing, I thought maybe there was some kind of a hole in the tank. It's in the above ground, gardening. Oh, yeah, yeah. If Dean is telling the truth, the hole could be for a garden. It could also be for something more sinister. It's pretty strong. Pretty good. I like strong coffee. Is anyone else you think he could have gone? I mean, I don't see where he's traveling out of the United States yet. I haven't seen anything. I haven't. No. I was up in the financial records to help us track him and see what's going on in his head. I guess the reason why I keep bugging you about the credit card stuff is how is he financing anything unless he just took all the money, you know? I wish I knew how we could get into those two saves, but without destroying them, I don't know anything about the little big saves, but I know it's an act of God to get one of those things cut open. I couldn't even begin to guess what a password would be here. I mean, can they be gotten into? I guess she can solve them. Yeah, yes. Once again, despite what Craig's neighbor told the detective, Deena insists she doesn't have the combinations to Craig's two saves. All right, my dear. I'm going to get out of here. Like I said, call me if something pops off or we'll go from there and then what else to tell you. Looks like you tore up your shed with the. I did. And I was just waiting for it to get warm enough to what my original plan was just to flatten it out. Yeah. And, I mean, I used to drive that tractor, but I just don't, I just don't have it anymore. So, I'll hear you. I'm going to do some above ground gardening. Yeah, that. Yeah. Fill it up with logs. Yeah. I have a bell. I need to get rid of. Yeah. Put a hay in there and get it buried. As the contradictions in Deena's story nodded, then authorities decided to dig deeper into her background. They learned the former correctional officer had been married three times prior to her union with Craig. And when a detective speaks with her third ex-husband, they get quite an earphone. Why did you guys end up getting a divorce? Um. She's crazy. Can you elaborate a little bit more on this one? Yeah, she is what they classified as binge drinking alcohol. She will go sober for long periods of time, months, sometimes, and then she'll start drinking, if it starts by having a beard, and then a beard turns into a six-pack, and then a six-pack turned into a twelve-pack, and then if you start drinking whiskey, if it starts drinking whiskey, she goes to play dance, right? Okay. So, she gets violent when she drinks? Oh, absolutely. Twice, twice. You want it? Back up. Okay, Max. At one time, when it gets in that, I had to call the same old police and have her arrest to get her off of me. And then, another time, she had found my block 22, and then my dresser door, luckily, I was torn up to the chamber, and she got a hold of that and chased me out of the house with that. I'll pull in the trigger. Then, she figured out what was going on fire, so she could try and direct the slide to load it. And then, the strength of the no-hour or whatever couldn't get loaded, so that afforded me a chance to play. Okay. Did this go on the entirety of your marriage, or what's this? Oh, yeah. Yeah, the whole time. Okay. Dina's ex-husband says, aside from the knife incident, which resulted in Dina spending a night in jail to sober up, he never reported the violence to police. I don't know. I guess I thought I could just try, I guess. You know, men don't get abused by women. But his revelations, regarding Dina's alleged violent unstable behavior, are just the beginning. There's more. Around six years ago, he says, Dina came by his house to drop off their son. What she said back then, haunts him even now. One time, she's never been to my house here, which, so, and dropped [bleep] off, and we stood on the porch and talked for 10 minutes or so, and she did stay in front of me. And my wife, if I could kill Greg, get away with it, I'd do it. This damning disclosure, along with all the other information and evidence detectives have accumulated over the course of their investigation, has them convinced that Greg didn't run off to Mexico. They believe he's the victim of foul play, and Dina possibly has something to do with it. But investigators still need concrete evidence to prove their theory. Weeks go by, and as investigators continue to build their case against Dina, there's a sudden break in the case, and it comes from a surprising source, Dina's daughter from a previous marriage. How are you this morning? Oh, you know. All right, I guess. Hang in there? Yeah. Well, good. [bleep] I got a couple of questions for you this morning, and I have E.J. in the office with me also, that may have a couple of questions for you also, okay? Okay. Okay. Did you ever remember the day that your mother comes to see you? Dina's daughter tells detectives that a month ago, in May, right around the time Craig was reported missing. Her mother paid her an unexpected visit in Texas. Then she called me and she was like, "I'm in town, I got this hotel, do you want to come over and I'll take you out to dinner." So we went to Joe's Crab Shack, and then she told me it, Joe's Crab Shack. She told you the Crab Shack, what, what had happened? Yeah. Well, like briefly, and then she came over in my apartment's leader like the next day or something, and I asked her questions, and then that's when she told me more. But she said that they were fighting, and that Craig pushed her down the stairs and laughed about it or laughed at her or something. And then she just flew into a rage, and I was blinded by rage, and just shot him like pop, pop, pop. She specifically told you that she shot him. Yeah, that's what she said. And she described it how. Like, pop, pop, pop, that's what she literally said. And then I was trying to ask her, like, so you went to go grab the gun, like I was going to ask her where the gun was, but then she started, like, her story wasn't really like all together. So then I was like, okay, so then I moved on to, well, were you looking at him? Like, did you see him when we shot, like, were you facing him? Like, did you see his eyes or what her? And she nodded her head, yes, like that she was facing him or looking at him or something like that, or saw him. So then I was like, okay. And then I asked her, like, why she shot the gun so many times, because I was like, well, did he not go down after the first one or whatever? And she was like, I don't know, I just, like, shot really fast. And I was like, okay, and then she said he fell down into the pool room. Okay. So from the pool room, how would someone get his body outside? I think I asked her that and she said that she couldn't move him because he's so heavy. So she left him there, like he laid there for like a day and a half or two days and a half. And then she wrapped him up in a rug. She said there was a rug there, which I don't remember there being a rug there, but maybe there was. I don't know. She wrapped him in a rug, she wrapped him in, like, some plastic. She said she would do a little bit and then she would have to stop and like, go back in the house and then she would do a little bit and then have to go back in the house and she's like, explaining that to me. And then she said that she tied something around the rug and dragged it out with a tractor. She dragged him out and then she told me that his body is in the car port. She told me that I asked her how long, that this happened, like how long ago, like how long has he been there basically? And she said that this happened in like January or February or something. So it's been like a while. Did she say she dug a hole and put them in there? She did not say and I didn't even think to ask anymore questions because I'm kind of like still can't believe like this has happened. Oh, I get it. Yes. I understand. Okay. Did he keep money in the house? Craig? Yes. Yeah. I think the majority of his money was. cash. So my mom said that he had, like, double bags full of cash at the house so we're okay. Dean, his daughter says she wanted to go to authorities, but she was afraid of the consequences for herself and her family. I'm scared that she would try to take us all down with her. Because she's that type of person. Despite her fears, she ultimately decided she couldn't let her mother get away with murder. Craig did not deserve that. No matter what she said happened or didn't happen. Like Craig was, you know, a pretty decent guy and he did not pay didn't deserve for that to happen. That day, armed with a search warrant, authorities descend on Craig and Dean's house in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. 97 other way on the search warrant. 25 sand dashed to 10 to 60. We used to fire in. Safe roads in the end of the soul. So try. Dean is nowhere in sight, but when police approached the carport area, they're hit with the sickening smell of rotting flesh. There underneath piles of cardboard wrapped in blankets and stuffed in a garbage bag filled with mothballs. They find Craig Thetford's dead body. Craig's remains are placed in a body bag removed from the scene and preserved for autopsy. Meanwhile, police break the locks and access the two gun safes. Okay. Has 10,000. 10,000. Okay. Did we hold that open? Oh, these smokes. Is it more? Oh, yeah. Yeah. In addition to $84,200 in cash, investigators also find a treasure trove of guns. They also find evidence of a cover up, an arsenal of cleaning agents, including a carpet shampooing machine. Is it dirt or is that blood? The medical examiner rules Craig died from three gunshot wounds. His cause of death and the location of his body lines up exactly with the information Dean's daughter provided to police. Information she claims came straight from Dean as mouth. Three weeks later on July 8, 2025, investigators descend on Dean as mother's house in Seymour, Texas with an arrest warrant in hand. She's on house, but she's not here. She's in where she falls. Where she's there to which stuff holds. Officers make the 50 mile drive to the hospital in Wichita Falls and arrest Dina. She's transported to the Wichita County Sheriff's Office jail and charged with first degree murder and tampering with evidence. The next day at the police station, detectives give Dina a chance to come clean. All right, Dina. So I'm sure you understand why we're out here. Did you get a copy of your arrest warrant yesterday? Anything, by anybody anywhere. And I'm just going to tell you right now. And that's as far as I'm going to go the following month while Dina remains in jail awaiting trial. Craig's devastated family and friends gather to say goodbye. And lay him to rest in Texas. Whether Craig's loved ones get justice remains to be seen. For now, Dina Thetford remains in jail. Her trial is scheduled to begin in July of 2026. Gel to mist technology locks in your look for up to 24 hours with flexible all day comfy grip. No tightness, no stickiness, no residue, just plump, dewy, hydrated skin. Maybe it's maybe lane.