You Took My Daughter

Summary

Podcast Summary: 20/20 – "You Took My Daughter"

Date: November 8, 2025
Host: ABC News (David Muir & Deborah Roberts)

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Overview:

In “You Took My Daughter,” 20/20 investigates the heartbreaking true crime story of Army nurse Second Lieutenant Holly Lynn James (later Wymonk), who vanished in July 2008 from her Fayetteville, North Carolina apartment, near Fort Bragg. The episode follows the frantic search for Holly, the familial devastation in its wake, and the unraveling of a twisted web involving jealousy, domestic violence, and betrayal within the military community. In parallel, investigators respond to another missing female soldier, fueling serial killer fears and intense public scrutiny, before ultimately exposing a more personal and tragic motive. The crime, its investigation, and its aftermath are told through interviews with family, investigators, and those who knew Holly best.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights:

1. Holly’s Background & Disappearance

• Holly James: A dedicated Army nurse, mother of two, and rising military officer, described as driven, compassionate, and determined to serve her country ([04:23]).
• Her ambition: “She wanted to go out and do something great,” says her brother Beau ([04:19]).
• Disappearance: Holly failed to show up for work on July 10, 2008, prompting alarm among coworkers ([03:54]).

2. Crime Scene Findings

• Apartment was intentionally set on fire, but not effectively due to lack of ventilation ([13:35]).
• Key forensic clues:
  • Holly’s purse, wallet, and phone left behind ([14:40]).
  • Several knives missing from the kitchen ([15:09]).
  • Blood spatter and a precisely cut piece of carpet in the bedroom; all bedding removed ([15:43]).
  • A single bullet hole in the closet door ([16:12]).
  • A crumpled note survived the fire, reading, “She shot herself. And I tried to make it look like an accident.” ([16:52]).

3. Family’s Desperation & Hope

• Holly’s father, Jesse James, flies in to hunt for answers ([09:53]).
• He investigates her financial records for clues of activity ([23:39]).
• Visits her workplace, retracing her last steps ([24:56]).
• “I believed Holly was alive. I said, I'm going to try to get her back...do everything that I can” – Jesse James ([17:34]).

4. Parallel Cases & Serial Killer Fears

• Just weeks prior, another female Fort Bragg soldier, Megan Touma, is found murdered in a hotel ([27:17]).
• Eerie similarities: Both soldiers, both women, disappearing in short sequence.
• Letters received by police and press referenced “the Zodiac Killer”; symbolic insignias left at crime scenes ([29:36]).
• Ultimately, Megan’s murder traced to Edgar Patino, her lover, revealed as her killer via forensic and circumstantial evidence ([34:02]).
• The two cases—though briefly investigated as connected—are found to be independent, each stemming from personal motives, not serial activity ([34:58]).

5. The Focus Shifts Closer to Home

• Investigators rule out John’s ex-girlfriend Lindsay as a suspect ([38:07]), but her testimony and alibi redirect attention.
• Clues point to Holly’s husband, John Wymonk:
  • Ongoing volatile, abusive marriage ([44:21]).
  • Holly had filed for a protective order, citing threats, violence, and his carving her name onto a bullet ([73:12]).
  • John’s insecurity over Holly’s higher rank and independence noted by friends and family ([44:21], [44:56]).

6. Break in the Case

• Witness sees a man fleeing Holly’s apartment complex at the time of the fire, getting into a black pickup truck ([50:10]).
• At Camp Lejeune, a young Marine (Kyle Alden) was borrowing a truck at John’s request ([51:24]).
• Detective Locklear’s psychological pressure induces Alden to detail his involvement ([53:20]).
• Alden confesses: He helped Wymonk move a suspiciously heavy bag, likely containing Holly’s body, and dispose of it ([65:08], [65:32]).

7. The Grim Discovery

• Four days after Holly’s disappearance, her burned, dismembered remains are found in a shallow grave near Camp Lejeune ([57:26], [58:32]).
• Autopsy: Cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head; the murder weapon and missing knives matched those in her apartment ([61:09], [59:17]).

8. Perpetrators Brought to Justice

• Alden is convicted for his role (aiding after the fact, arson) – sentenced to five years; he cooperates with authorities ([76:34]).
• John Wymonk, ultimately confronted with overwhelming evidence, pleads guilty to first-degree murder, arson, and conspiracy; sentenced to life without parole ([77:06]).

9. The Aftermath for Holly’s Family

• Jesse James, haunted by grief but showing remarkable composure, attempts to contact Wymonk for answers ([80:15]).
• Wymonk’s response shows no remorse: “Even in that letter that he wrote, there's no apology. He only cares about what's happening to him.” ([81:01], [81:29]).
• Family and friends strive to remember Holly as a loving mother, sister, and true patriot ([83:13]).

10. Holly’s Legacy and Advocacy

• Jesse becomes an advocate against domestic violence inspired by Holly’s story ([83:52]).
• A plaque at Womack Army Medical Center honors Holly’s service ([79:39]).

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Memorable Quotes and Moments

• Jesse James, father:
  “For 17 years, we have lived with the pain of losing our daughter...You stole my daughter from me.” ([01:51], [41:14])
• Jesse James (refusing closure with Wymonk):
  “John, I can assure you that I have no interest in engaging in restorative justice or any sense of closure with you. How could you possibly restore 17 years of life without Hollywood?” ([81:29])
• Deborah Roberts, on uncovering the scene:
  “If I were to go off somewhere, my purse and at least my personal belongings, credit cards...would have come with me.” ([14:52])
• Detective Locklear (to Alden):
  “For God's sake, son. I need to find this woman. Help me help you. If you don't get it right now, tomorrow is gonna be too late.” ([53:20])
• Jesse James, direct confrontation with John Wymonk:
  “If you somehow committed a perfect murder and left no evidence behind...but if one person knows, you're gonna die for the crime.” ([55:54])
• Deborah Roberts, remembering Holly:
  “A patriot is someone who goes above and beyond, and that's what she did like, no matter what. She put everything above herself.” ([83:22])
• David Muir, closing reflection:
  “The pain of losing a daughter never fades. And neither do the unanswered questions.” ([79:50])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Holly’s disappearance & initial family reaction: [02:59] – [05:44]
• Discovery of the apartment crime scene: [13:35] – [16:52]
• Parallel case: Megan Touma’s murder & Zodiac letters: [27:17] – [34:58]
• Focus shifts to John Wymonk; relationship dynamics: [44:21] – [46:41]
• Detective Locklear pressures Alden: [53:20] – [54:13]
• Discovery of Holly’s remains: [57:26] – [59:17]
• Alden’s confession and details of disposal: [65:08] – [68:37]
• Jesse’s letter to Wymonk and the (non-)response: [80:15] – [81:29]
• Reflections on Holly’s memory and legacy: [83:13] – [83:52]

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Tone & Style

The episode mixes investigative reporting with intimate, emotional interviews. The tone is sober but compassionate, with a deep empathy for the James family’s ordeal. Investigators and family alike express a blend of procedural doggedness and heartfelt sorrow. The podcast also addresses systemic issues: domestic violence, military culture, and justice for victims.

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For Listeners:

“You Took My Daughter” is a compelling, thorough examination of a crime that rocked a military community and destroyed a family. It offers insight into police work, family grief, and the dangers hidden within seemingly ordinary relationships. The episode’s focus on Holly’s life and legacy ensures her humanity remains at the center of the story.

Transcript

[David Muir]

Thanks for listening to 20 20. Remember, you can follow us on Amazon Music to hear this podcast and other ABC News podcasts ad free. Or you can ask Alexa to play the podcast 2020 on Amazon Music.

[Deborah Roberts]

I bought this camcorder just so I could talk to you. I just wanted to tell you hi.

[David Muir]

And I love you and I miss you. I'm very proud of you.

[Jesse James]

My wife got the call at home, and they said Holly was.

[David Muir]

The army's got a missing soldier. That's a big deal. We're now inside Fort Bragg. One of those soldiers goes missing. They would just jump into action. We didn't know this is someone that had kidnapped Holly or killed Holly. That's 146. That was her apartment.

[Deborah Roberts]

We could tell looking through the back window that place had been burned. She was not in there. Several knives were missing from the knife block.

[David Muir]

Then, bizarrely, a scene. Second female soldier goes missing. Megan Tuma. She was supposed to go to work and she didn't show up for work.

[Deborah Roberts]

Or they just missing. Did they succumb to foul play? Like you just don't know. The mirror had a very large insignia drawn on it. That insignia is a zodiac sign.

[David Muir]

While there's this massive search for Holly.

[Deborah Roberts]

These mysterious letters come in from a person purporting to be reenacting the Zodiac murders.

[David Muir]

This could be the same killer.

[Jesse James]

My name is Jesse James. For 17 years, we have lived with the pain of losing our daughter.

[David Muir]

Harry.

[Jesse James]

Holly. It's something that cannot be explained in words. Recently, I decided to write to the person responsible for taking Holly from us. I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure what I'm reaching for, but it just feels like I need to express my thoughts. Many, many people loved Hollywood. And you took her from all of us. I still have episodes of grief that I'm unable to control. Why did he choose Ollie? I've decided to reach out and try to discover.

[David Muir]

So right now I'm on my way to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It's one of the largest military bases in the world. Some say that this base right here is America's first line of defense. I'm investigating a mysterious disappearance of a army nurse. Her name is Second Lieutenant Holly Lynn James. When Holly fails to show up for her shift at Womack Army Medical center, it causes because it's something totally out of character for any soldier.

[Deborah Roberts]

I was driving back to Fort Bragg from Iowa, and I received a text from a friend at work asking me when the last time I heard from Holly was. It was unusual. Holly was Very dependable. And it's just, you know, being an army officer, it was kind of unheard of to not show up for work.

[David Muir]

Her co workers went to her apartment and when they got there, they found that she wasn't there and it had been set on fire. So they called the police.

[Deborah Roberts]

Pretty much as soon as Holly went.

[David Muir]

Missing, I heard about it, our homicide.

[Deborah Roberts]

Team heard about it.

[David Muir]

It was very concerning.

[Deborah Roberts]

She had just sort of disappeared into thin air. This is the face of the missing.

[David Muir]

Fort Bragg soldier, has not been seen since Wednesday. Holly was driven by ambition, an unshakable work ethic, and felt a powerful call to serve her country. A lot of us are military in our family and she wanted to go out and do something great. Holly's younger brother Beau, a Marine himself, says that Holly had found her calling as a nurse. Were you pretty proud of her? Absolutely, yeah. They're absolutely lifesavers.

[Jesse James]

She wanted to go to Iraq. I said, why would you want to go to Iraq, to the war zone? And she said, dad, I just think I can help soldiers. If I'm out there as a first responder in a war zone, I can do more good and help more soldiers.

[David Muir]

Although Holly never served in combat and was ultimately stationed in the US she was going places and by age 23 had become a second lieutenant in the United States Army.

[Jesse James]

Even though I was a sergeant major, she was technically a higher rank than me starting out, you know, and I was pretty proud of that. They assigned her to the mother baby ward at Womack. She just always wanted to be in the thick of things.

[Deborah Roberts]

She was a floor nurse. She loved helping people all the time and she really loved children.

[David Muir]

Actually at the time, Holly was raising a couple of children on her own, born from a relationship with her ex boyfriend from her hometown of Dubuque, Iowa. Then in 2007 she met this 22 year old Marine, Corporal John Wymunk, a combat engineer who was stationed along with her brother Beau at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Colonel Kirk Cordova was John Wymunk's commanding officer.

[Deborah Roberts]

He's a non commissioned officer working towards.

[David Muir]

Being a sergeant and probably one of.

[Deborah Roberts]

The best ranks in the Marine Corps.

[David Muir]

So he was very proficient, I can tell you that. We deployed together. A lot of times we were looking for explosives or blowing things up. He was very good at our robots that we used for looking for explosives or setting them. I was embedded in the war zone with the Marines in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The level of danger was similar to what they experienced. Marines continue to bring their heavy armor north, and you realize just how intense their jobs really are. Why did you decide you wanted to introduce him to your sister, Holly? Everything he said just seemed so funny. And I thought Holly deserved some humor in her life, too.

[Jesse James]

She outranked him. She was an officer, and he was an enlisted man. A lower enlisted man.

[David Muir]

The couple eventually married and shared an apartment together in Fayetteville, just outside the gates of Fort Bragg. Wymonk lived two hours away at Camp Lejeune, but would visit on weekends.

[Deborah Roberts]

Holly and John seemed happy, Seemed like a good match. Being a dual military couple. It's just that extra layer of complication. You're just apart quite a bit.

[David Muir]

During Wymonk's deployment, Holly bridged the distance with heartfelt video messages.

[Deborah Roberts]

I bought this camcorder just like I talked to you. I just wanted to tell you hi, and I love you, and I miss you.

[David Muir]

I'm very proud of you.

[Jesse James]

There was a number of videos that she had made for him, you know, and they were sweet.

[Deborah Roberts]

I'm pretty excited he'll be here in two months.

[Jesse James]

She would talk about, you know, how much she loved him, how much she was looking forward to him coming back.

[David Muir]

I didn't talk to you, so I.

[Jesse James]

Just wanted to send you a quick.

[Deborah Roberts]

Hand, let you know that everything's okay.

[Jesse James]

Just being a sweet gal.

[David Muir]

Together, they were rising in the military ranks. Newly married, full of hope. But everything would change on that terrible night Holly went missing.

[Deborah Roberts]

There is still no official word on the whereabouts and the fate of Army Lt. Holly Wymonk.

[David Muir]

Investigators speak with Wymunk, who says that he was hours away at Camp Lejeune and knew nothing about Holly's whereabouts.

[Jesse James]

My wife got the call at home, and they said Holly was missing.

[Deborah Roberts]

Police and federal investigators are on the case. Crime scene tape surrounds the apartment complex.

[Jesse James]

I began to see reports on the Internet. The first report I saw was the police there, the military there, and they were towing her car away from the apartment complex.

[Deborah Roberts]

There was a lot of interest locally and nationally about what had happened to Holly. I had reporters on my doorstep. They were asking if I knew anything about Holly. What could I tell him? I think that's when I realized it was bigger than what I was imagining. At this point, we didn't know if this was a random act of violence that occurred or if this is someone.

[David Muir]

That had kidnapped Holly or killed Holly.

[Deborah Roberts]

It's currently under investigation, and we're working.

[David Muir]

With Fort Bragg trying to locate this person. People are scared. People are worried, and they've Got to go fast to try to find her.

[Jesse James]

It was all happening so rapidly, so quick.

[David Muir]

You decided to fly out to see exactly what's happening.

[Jesse James]

I did.

[David Muir]

But your main job was really to find her.

[Jesse James]

I came here on a mission. I was scared to death because I was afraid of what I was gonna find.

[David Muir]

And when investigators are given the all clear to enter Holly's apartment, there was.

[Deborah Roberts]

A note that had survived the fire.

[David Muir]

This letter, what or who will they uncover? Oh, look at the cheeks there.

[Jesse James]

I know. Huge cheeks. You know.

[David Muir]

She'S adorable.

[Jesse James]

Really. Very cute, huh? She was a little daddy's girl. She loved working at that hospital. Had no doubt she was gonna stay in the army. Cause she loved it that much, she.

[David Muir]

Found the job she loved.

[Jesse James]

Yep, she did.

[Deborah Roberts]

She was up for the challenge. And from what I know, I think she did great.

[David Muir]

She worked really hard so she'd be.

[Deborah Roberts]

Able to get a good life and.

[David Muir]

A good job to be able to raise us better. At the time of Holly's disappearance In July of 2008, her children, Harper, just 7, and 3 year old Kendall, were far from the chaos, visiting their father back in Iowa.

[Deborah Roberts]

We were not there when our mom went missing. Authorities finally released the name and picture of second Lieutenant Holly Wymonk, a nurse.

[David Muir]

At Womack Army Medical Center. You decided to fly out to see exactly what's happening.

[Jesse James]

I did. You know, my first thought was, go to the media like I've seen other families do. Ask Holly to surface, or if somebody's got Holly, ask them to bring her back. You know? And then I thought, I should do that from Fayetteville, I should do that from Fort Bragg. Because if she is around there, you know, I can say, here I am right here, and you can come to see me.

[David Muir]

We're in constant contact with the family. What exactly did the investigators tell you?

[Jesse James]

Well, that evening when I got here and I met with the chief of detectives, one of the first questions I said, is, is my daughter dead? And he said, we can't say that, he said, because that hasn't been proven. But he said, I can tell you we have grave, grave concern.

[David Muir]

Once the flames were out, investigators combed through the charred remains of Holly's apartment, searching for anything the fire had not destroyed.

[Deborah Roberts]

For the second day in a row, state and federal agents scoured the young woman's burned apartment.

[David Muir]

The case would soon fall to Detective Jeff Locklear of the Fayetteville Police Department, the man tasked with uncovering what happened to Holly. What was your reaction when you learned that the woman that's missing was a soldier.

[Deborah Roberts]

My partner and I, we were surprised at that time. You know, the whole city was kind of on edge.

[David Muir]

How far are we from her apartment?

[Deborah Roberts]

So as the crow flies, maybe a mile, not very far at all. All of that stuff was pretty centralized around the mall area of Fayetteville.

[David Muir]

Holly's apartment sits along this busy stretch of road just five miles outside the gates of fort Bragg, where she worked as an army nurse.

[Deborah Roberts]

And her apartment building was actually the first building that you come to on the right down here.

[David Muir]

146?

[Deborah Roberts]

Yep, 146. Well, as soon as we got here, we could tell looking through the back window that place had been burned. She, of course, was not in there.

[David Muir]

What's the first thing you saw when you walked in?

[Deborah Roberts]

Well, I think a better question would be, what was the first thing that I smelled? And that was gasoline. There was so much gasoline in the apartment, poured on the floor and on the carpet, that as my partner and I would walk, it would kind of gush up next to our chute. The fire department was really concerned. They said spark could light this whole place up.

[David Muir]

Why was it the building was not completely burnt to the ground?

[Deborah Roberts]

Anybody can strike a match, but you got to know, you got to have enough air. With this amount of gasoline that was poured in the apartment, they didn't have enough air. They should have left the door open to have vented it more, and we would have had a more complete fire.

[David Muir]

So this was an arson, but not a very talented arson.

[Deborah Roberts]

Exactly. So in 2008, I was a forensic.

[David Muir]

Technician dispatched via radio to respond out.

[Deborah Roberts]

To an apartment fire. At that time, I initially started taking photographs around. There's a certain level of emotion that teeters on excitement and anxiety because you're kind of afraid of what you might find.

[David Muir]

By the front door, investigators discovered Holly's purse, Still holding her ID, Credit cards, her keys, and phone. For the detectives, the abandoned belongings are a red flag.

[Deborah Roberts]

Typically, being a woman myself, if I were to go off somewhere, my purse and at least my personal belongings, credit cards, things of that nature, would have come with.

[David Muir]

As investigators push deeper into the apartment, the kitchen reveals its own disturbing clue.

[Deborah Roberts]

I noticed that there was a knife block sitting over on the counter, and several knives were missing from the knife block. We couldn't find any of those knives knocking a drawer or maybe dirty in the sink. They were missing from that house altogether. We knew that could have been used as some sort of a weapon.

[David Muir]

So we. We certainly took note of that as well. The missing knives raised the Grim possibility that Holly was stabbed. There were also signs of blood spatter in her bedroom, along with another disturbing piece of evidence.

[Deborah Roberts]

Probably one of the most alarming things about the master bedroom is one, the carpet, the large amount of carpet that had been cut from around the door frame. It was almost, you know, carved precisely.

[David Muir]

To cut out a specific shape.

[Deborah Roberts]

All of the bedding had been removed to include the pillowcases. So that was a little out of the norm as well, of a home that had been lived in where there was absolutely no bed linen on it at all.

[David Muir]

Then eagle eyed detectives spot something easy to miss. A single bullet hole in the closet door.

[Deborah Roberts]

Something potentially could have occurred right in.

[David Muir]

Front of the closet. Amid the devastation, one piece of evidence survived, and it would become the investigation's biggest clue. I just happened to notice an odd.

[Deborah Roberts]

Scrap of paper in the middle of the hallway. Then once I uncrumpled the ball of paper, I notified Detective Locklear that there was a message on it. A note survived the fire.

[David Muir]

This, this, this letter.

[Deborah Roberts]

We just thought it might have just been some trash, some refuge, whatever, until we unraveled it.

[David Muir]

Can you read that?

[Deborah Roberts]

Says something to the effect of she shot herself. And I tried to make it look like an accident.

[David Muir]

The note, scrawled in jagged handwriting and unsigned, hinted at Holly's fate, but raised more questions than answers.

[Deborah Roberts]

It wasn't consistent with what we were seeing, but obviously it was an important piece of evidence that we took note of.

[David Muir]

Was the note a confession or a calculated attempt to throw investigators off the trail?

[Deborah Roberts]

Even the smallest details are something that. It may be insignificant now, but down the line it might be one of.

[David Muir]

The most critical pieces of evidence that you have. When Holly's father arrives at the scene, the evidence looks grim, and yet he holds out hope.

[Jesse James]

I believed Holly was alive. I said, I'm going to work to try to get her back here and I'm going to do everything that I can do to try to get her.

[Deborah Roberts]

The thought was that she still could be alive and that we could find her. But we knew this also could end very tragically.

[David Muir]

And with an active duty soldier missing, the US army search and rescue mission kicks into high gear. I mean, the army's got a missing soldier and that's a big deal. We'll dedicate as many people as we.

[Deborah Roberts]

Have because this is one of our own.

[David Muir]

That's a sister, this young mother. This soldier is missing. The clock was ticking. But where was Holly? And is there a hidden secret in this last photo taken of her before she vanished? If we knew more about our sleep, what would we do differently?

[Deborah Roberts]

Would we go to bed at a.

[David Muir]

Consistent time or take steps to reduce.

[Deborah Roberts]

Interruptions to our sleep?

[David Muir]

With the all new sleep score, Apple.

[Deborah Roberts]

Watch measures your bedtime consistency, interruptions and sleep duration. Then every morning it combines these factors.

[David Muir]

Into an easy to understand score from 1 to 100.

[Deborah Roberts]

So you'll know how to take the quality of your sleep from good to excellent.

[David Muir]

Introducing the new sleep score on Apple Watch, iPhone 11 or later required. It started with a phone call in the early hours of the morning. 911.

[Jesse James]

What is the address to your emergency?

[David Muir]

A terrified woman tells the operator she's been kidnapped, assaulted and that she's trapped in a room with her attacker.

[Deborah Roberts]

He's fallen asleep.

[David Muir]

So she quietly and ever so carefully finds his phone and calls for help.

[Deborah Roberts]

Is there any way you can get.

[David Muir]

Out of the building?

[Deborah Roberts]

I don't know.

[Jesse James]

Without waking him and I'm scared.

[David Muir]

This 911 call began an investigation that would turn the town of Ashland into into a crime scene.

[Deborah Roberts]

We've got something big going on here. The first thing hit my mind is a monster.

[David Muir]

A new series from ABC Audio and 2020 the Hand in the window. Out now wherever you listen to podcasts, we're now inside Fort Bragg, North Carolina. About 250 square miles, about 50,000 active duty soldiers. Fort Bragg is a city unto itself. Sprawling, relentless and brimming with power. Soldiers here often call it the center of the military universe. And when second lieutenant Holly James goes missing, the US army mobilizes, launching an all out search, working around the clock to find answers. Good to see you. Special agent Al Diaz is the man in charge of the army's criminal investigation division at Fort Bragg. What do you remember when the news came out that Holly was missing? Just like anytime a service member shows.

[Deborah Roberts]

A missing, there's just that natural sense of concern.

[David Muir]

And then what we can do to.

[Deborah Roberts]

Help local law enforcement find her.

[David Muir]

Does it become 24 hours a day?

[Jesse James]

Absolutely.

[Deborah Roberts]

I mean you want to put as much effort and resources to it until you find the individual. Are they just missing? Did they succumb to foul play?

[David Muir]

Like you just don't know. Fort Bragg sits like a fortress. At its heart is Womack Medical center where Holly worked as an army nurse. With 13 access points in and out, CID's task was clear reconstruct Holly's every step in the days before she vanished. Adam Armstrong is a special agent with cid. So you get the call from the police about what was happening that afternoon.

[Deborah Roberts]

So when we get that, we'll immediately.

[David Muir]

Get a picture of her out so we can start working on the reward posters and all that. And then we start figuring out, okay, how can we start putting together elements to go out and start searching? Tell us where we're going. Right now, we're just heading back to the one side of base where Holly was last seen. Investigators learned that just two nights before she was reported missing, Holly had been seen at a late night softball game on base. So this is the last place that she was, right here on the right hand side. So this was the 8th, two days before they discovered that she was missing. This is where she was. And so a sergeant first class had invited her out to come watch. And then after the game, she actually approached him. He actually helped out a lot, played a big role in understanding the last time that she was seen. This is the last photo of Holly taken just before she disappeared. He said she was happy that night.

[Deborah Roberts]

Bubbly, and just seemed to be in good spirits.

[David Muir]

With the cell phone analysis and they were able to identify that she. She did leave the base, and she did make it home. Something had happened to Holly. You just felt like you had to.

[Jesse James]

Get here, had to come.

[David Muir]

While army investigators combed the base, Holly's father, Jesse James, launches his own search for answers.

[Jesse James]

Hard to get to Fort Bragg. So I had to think about how I was going to get sort of control of the situation.

[David Muir]

Your father was on a mission to try to figure out what happened to his daughter, to your sister. Absolutely, he was on a mission. And 10 seconds of hearing that his daughter was missing, he wasn't gonna let it go, nor should he.

[Deborah Roberts]

Thinking about my grandfather dropping everything to fly to Fayetteville and find her. That's a man who loves his daughter.

[David Muir]

And it shows how loving and caring he is and how deeply he loves his family.

[Jesse James]

The thought occurred to me that I'm going to go to the bank and see if she had any charges on her checking account or credit card since she disappeared. I got up and drove over to the bank. I said, are there any recent charges in the past day to her credit card or her debt checking account?

[David Muir]

A bank attorney confirms that there had been activity on Holly's account. Charges dated the very day she vanished. So there was hope.

[Jesse James]

Oh, let's see. I walked away, stepping lightly as quickly as I could. Called detective Locklear, and he almost hung up on me. He wanted to call that bank to get a warrant to get the checking account information.

[David Muir]

But to Jesse's disappointment, what seems like a promising lead goes nowhere. It turns out those transactions were older ones. Charges that had only just been cleared.

[Jesse James]

Took all the wind out of me and was right back where we started.

[David Muir]

Desperate for answers, Jesse comes here to Holly's workplace at Womack Medical center to try to retrace his daughter's footsteps. So this is where she was, huh?

[Jesse James]

It is where she was. The morning after I got here, I just walked in and introduced myself, and I could just feel a shockwave go through the unit, you know, because they were experiencing it just like we were. She loved these people. She loved the people she worked with. I could sense a presence here of Holly. I could see her just running the hall. She never walked slow. I could see her just rushing through these hallways, and I could feel that. And I thought I just might be putting my feet where her feet were. And that affected me.

[David Muir]

Days into the investigation, there is still no sign of Holly. But then an unexpected twist. A possible link to another female soldier who had also gone missing from Fort Bragg.

[Deborah Roberts]

These mysterious letters come into the Fable observer as well as the Fayetteville Police Department. CID said, look, we got a second female soldier that's missing and has possibly been harmed. We wondered, could this be connected to Holly's case? Are we dealing with a copycat here?

[David Muir]

A disturbing letter marked with a chilling.

[Deborah Roberts]

Symbol, and there it is on that mirror and the lips are.

[David Muir]

And could there be a connection to Holly?

[Deborah Roberts]

I'm like, this has never happened. It's like something you see in a movie. When I left the crime scene, I didn't think that we would find her alive.

[David Muir]

Summer 2008. Holly Lynn James has vanished. Teams of investigators search for clues in a burned out apartment near Fort Bragg army base. But it turns out Holly's not the only female soldier in the area to go missing that June. And right at the same time, there's two different investigations, also with soldiers, also females.

[Deborah Roberts]

It's two females now. Both are in the military, and both of the situations are. Nothing about them is normal. It was getting interesting here at the Fayetteville Police department.

[David Muir]

About a month before Holly disappeared, another female soldier from Fort Bragg went missing. The police got a call saying that there was a strange odor coming out of this hotel. And that took a chilling turn.

[Deborah Roberts]

A deceased person was located inside room 143. She was dressed in a bathing suit, almost like she had just left the pool. And then when the maintenance guy found her, the water was still running in the bathtub.

[David Muir]

She was submerged in the bathtub. And so there was water everywhere. There was actually a towel along the bottom edge of the door. So whoever had done it was thinking ahead. And so that way the water couldn't get out to alert anybody.

[Deborah Roberts]

This room had been rented to a Megan Tuma. Megan was a soldier, an active duty soldier. 23 year old. Megan Tuma was a dental specialist who had been with the army for five years. Her body was found in a hotel room June 21. She was seven months pregnant and may have been dead for days.

[David Muir]

Megan Tooma had newly transferred to Fort Bragg from a military base in Germany. She was supposed to go to work and she didn't show up for work. They did not notice that she was missing. She's found on the 21st of June. The last time she was seen, I.

[Deborah Roberts]

Believe was the 15th of June.

[David Muir]

And so there's about a six day gap. And then the hotel that she was staying in off post, she had one of those do not disturbs on. And so that's why she was in there for a lengthy time without anybody coming in.

[Deborah Roberts]

So she was in an advanced state of decomposition. Some evidence of a struggle, some of what we believe to be blood. Light blood transfer on the wall.

[David Muir]

So she was murdered in that hotel.

[Deborah Roberts]

The autopsy revealed she had been strangled. We flipped the switch then and it went to a homicide investigation. There was something else in the room though, that made us really suspicious. The mirror outside the bathroom had a very large insignia drawn on it and lipstick. That insignia that was drawn there was the Zodiac sign. A couple days later, we get a letter through the mail from a person purporting to be somebody who is reenacting the Zodiac murders from the West Coast.

[David Muir]

From 1968 to 1974, several newspapers in the San Francisco area received a series of anonymous letters from the self proclaimed Zodiac killer who claimed credit for up to 37 murders. The 2007 movie Zodiac put one of America's biggest unsolved murder cases on the big screen. It's unsigned except for a symbol.

[Deborah Roberts]

Is it me? What does that look like? A gun sign.

[David Muir]

A letter has surfaced claiming the murder is a work of a serial killer.

[Deborah Roberts]

Good morning, Robin. That letter certainly has gotten everyone's attention.

[David Muir]

In a twisted case with very few.

[Deborah Roberts]

Leads, police have been forced to pay particular attention to this letter sent to a local newspaper.

[David Muir]

The writer signed the letter with a.

[Deborah Roberts]

Symbol made famous by the infamous Zodiac killer of the 1960s.

[David Muir]

The fable observer received a letter and this is what the letter said. I am responsible for the dead body that was found on Saturday, June 21st at 11:30 in room 143. I confess that I have killed many times before in several states. But now I will start using my role model's signature.

[Deborah Roberts]

We were sitting down in a meeting with CID about this exact letter when we got the call to go out to Holly's apartment. We were like, what is going on here? It's like something you see in a movie. The guy's trying to communicate with the police by way of mail.

[David Muir]

And you're looking at the possibility this could be the same killer.

[Deborah Roberts]

Of course, the same symbol is on the bottom of this letter that was written on the mirror in the hotel room in the lipstick. So we're dealing with a copycat here. We very much thought that it was a possibility. Possibility these were connected. Was Holly this killer's next victim, which would have been just a couple of weeks after Megan Tooma's murder.

[David Muir]

So it was certainly of interest and of concern in the disappearance of Holly.

[Deborah Roberts]

The public is demanding answers now. People are making phone calls. They're calling the chief, the city council. Hey, is there a serial killer in Fayetteville?

[David Muir]

But as investigators dig deeper into the Megan Tuma case, they begin to question that serial killer theory. Detectives are able to uncover evidence that her murder might have been a highly personal one. And the trail leads to someone very close to her.

[Deborah Roberts]

She had began a relationship with an individual, and she had become pregnant as a result of that relationship. Well, it turns out he was married. He was in the military on the same base in Germany that Megan was assigned to. We did a search warrant on his house, and you wouldn't believe it. He was actually actively taking the crime scene class at a local college.

[David Muir]

Here in Fayetteville, authorities begin to close in on the man that they think might be responsible for Megan's murder. And in that parallel investigation, detectives also uncover evidence that Holly's disappearance also might not have been random, that it, too, could have been a highly personal crime.

[Deborah Roberts]

It was obvious that something terrible had happened to Holly, and we were fairly certain that it was someone close to her that had done it.

[David Muir]

Could a woman connected to John Wymonk, with a possible grudge against Holly, be responsible for her disappearance? She was a threat. She was a threat. Two women stationed at Fort Bragg have met with tragedy. Fayetteville, North Carolina, is a town on edge.

[Deborah Roberts]

I think it's horrible what happened.

[David Muir]

Stop shooting your trucks. The community was scared.

[Deborah Roberts]

It sort of put a lot of.

[David Muir]

Pressure on us as well.

[Deborah Roberts]

The public is wanting to know, what are we doing about it?

[David Muir]

But then a huge development in the Megan Tuma case. As Fayetteville police Close in on the person they suspect is responsible for her murder. Police in North Carolina are expected to offer details today about the death of a pregnant Fort Bragg soldier. Who was it that was ultimately found to be the murderer in this case?

[Deborah Roberts]

The person that was responsible for taking Megan Tooma's life was Edgar Pitino. He was the father of her child that she was carrying.

[David Muir]

And then the person claiming to have killed her had sent letters to the newspaper and to the police claiming to be like the Zodiac killer.

[Deborah Roberts]

We were able to prove that the letters that were sent were typed at our suspect's house by a typewriter in our suspect's room.

[David Muir]

Edgar was also married at the time.

[Deborah Roberts]

And he had killed Megan Tuma because she was pregnant with a child. And yet he was still married, and.

[David Muir]

He wanted to remain with his wife.

[Deborah Roberts]

And he's the one that set that crime scene up. He's the one that drew that zodiac sign on the mirror.

[David Muir]

Tino was playing games with the cops, trying to be too clever for his own good and lead them astray. And I don't think they ever really bought it.

[Deborah Roberts]

So at that point, we had ruled out that the killer of Megan Tuma was also the killer or person responsible for the disappearance of Holly.

[David Muir]

So now the race is on to find the culprit behind Holly's disappearance. A review of the evidence at the crime scene has investigators convinced that Holly knew her assailant. There was no evidence that there was.

[Deborah Roberts]

An intruder who had forced their way into the home through the door, through.

[David Muir]

A window, or something like that.

[Deborah Roberts]

We never thought that some stranger walking down Morganton Road just decided to peep through this girl's window and do all of this. We were fairly certain that the person that had done all these things knew her and that she knew that person.

[David Muir]

Did it seem to indicate that this may have been done by somebody who knew the details of that apartment?

[Deborah Roberts]

Holly either let that person in, or that person made his way into the apartment by some other means, possibly by key.

[David Muir]

Detectives believe that whoever was in Holly's apartment also tried to cover up evidence of what happened there.

[Deborah Roberts]

We found, actually, a carpet cross cleaner, and we tested that carpet cleaner, and it tested positive for blood. On a preliminary test, just from what I'd seen, the reaction we got from the luminol, the amount of carpet that was cut from the floor in the bedroom, the bed sheets and clothing and stuff had been taken off the bed. All those were indicators for me that there had been at least some measure of crime scene cleanup that had tried to, you know, to take place.

[David Muir]

Whoever did this might have tried to cover their tracks, but that crumpled letter was left behind.

[Deborah Roberts]

It appeared that whoever wrote that note was inside the apartment when this terrible thing happened to Holly, but it does not identify who they were or what.

[David Muir]

Their relationship to Holly was.

[Deborah Roberts]

The person that wrote this letter is the person that tried to burn that apartment, which is the person that knows where Holly's at. That's the way I was looking at it at the time of Holly's disappearance. We knew she was going through a tumultuous time in her life.

[David Muir]

As investigators look into Holly's personal life for clues, they learned that about eight months before she went missing, Holly had filed a request for a temporary restraining order against an ex girlfriend of her husband named Lindsay. In the filing, Holly alleges that for 18 months, the defendant has continuously posted pictures of herself and my spouse on the Internet with comments directed at me and claims I have changed my phone number six times.

[Deborah Roberts]

Hollywood always call Lindsay John's little girlfriend. I think there was a lot of yelling, a lot of swearing. Holly was getting exhausted because of the bombardment. I think she was just at the end of her rope.

[David Muir]

Lindsey denied harassing Holly. In fact, she tells investigators, Holly was the one harassing her, and she was never served. With Holly's request for a restraining order, she was considered threat. That's why we wanted to look at her, because we had to consider her. But when investigators talked to her, she denies having anything to do with Holly's disappearance. They also discover she had an alibi on the date Holly disappeared. What did she say? She provided a full breakdown of her timeline leading up to the disappearance of Holly.

[Deborah Roberts]

She was not in Fayetteville the night Holly went missing, so there was no.

[David Muir]

Evidence whatsoever to charge her for what happened to Holly.

[Deborah Roberts]

She had no criminal culpability in this at all.

[David Muir]

While Lindsey is fully cleared, investigators say she provides them with some revealing information about John Wymonk's activities. The night of Holly's disappearance.

[Deborah Roberts]

She actually told us about a phone call that she had with John, and John said that he was actually on his way to Fayetteville. So that was a key piece of evidence for us.

[David Muir]

When she called him, he was like.

[Deborah Roberts]

I'm on my way.

[David Muir]

I can't do this anymore. Why would he reveal this to her? That's what we had to look at. As investigators learn more about John Wymonk, they decide to bring him in again to answer questions about his wife's disappearance. I'm at the point where I have no idea what's going on? Okay?

[Deborah Roberts]

This is my wife.

[David Muir]

What the is going to come with my wife? That's what we're all trying to find out. And a shocking discovery in the middle of nowhere will bring yet another Marine into the frame.

[Deborah Roberts]

Guess why. Just come from they soot and dirt on my shoes. Why do you think there's soot and dirt on my shoes? How am I supposed to believe anything that you say? For God's sake, son, I need to find this woman. I need to. I gotta do something for these kids. Let you know that everything's okay.

[David Muir]

I'll talk to you later, baby.

[Deborah Roberts]

Tell him it's a Chevy.

[David Muir]

It's a Chevy. This young mother. The soldier is missing. The clock was ticking.

[Deborah Roberts]

What the is going on with my wife?

[David Muir]

You know what I mean? That's what we're all trying to find out here was a mysterious person running.

[Deborah Roberts]

Through the parking lot and getting into a black pickup truck. Today is the day of salvation. You better get on board right now.

[David Muir]

What he specifically, specifically said is, are y' all looking for a blonde girl?

[Jesse James]

If you somehow committed a perfect murder and left no evidence, you could get away with it.

[Deborah Roberts]

Zach, what's the worst you've ever done?

[David Muir]

He said, the worst thing I've ever done is kill somebody.

[Deborah Roberts]

He carved her name into a bullet and told her, this one's for you. It's come to Jesus time. Now you tell me. Tell me the rest of it. Tell me the rest of it.

[Jesse James]

For many years, I Woke up at 4am Went to the basement so I could cry, and called out for my daughter. When I had contacted you, I had no idea it would be so complicated. You stole my daughter from me.

[Deborah Roberts]

Holly was a second lieutenant, nurse corps officer. She was assigned to Womack Army Medical center at Fort Bragg. All of her patients loved her. Her co workers loved her.

[David Muir]

That morning of the 10th of July, that was the first indication that. That something strange had happened.

[Deborah Roberts]

She didn't show up for work and she wouldn't answer any of the calls from her friends. And for them, that was a big deal.

[David Muir]

Her co workers there became concerned, so they went to her apartment and found that it had been set on fire.

[Deborah Roberts]

What the scene did tell us was that something horrible had happened inside that apartment. You just don't know the full extent of what has occurred, but you're also kind of afraid of what you might find.

[David Muir]

Your father was on a mission to try to figure out what happened to his daughter. He was on a mission and he wasn't gonna let it go.

[Jesse James]

I was Living like in two different worlds, I think. One believing that she's alive, another that she's dead.

[David Muir]

This young mother, this soldier is missing. The clock was ticking.

[Deborah Roberts]

There was a lot of pressure on us.

[David Muir]

It had been three days since Holly James had disappeared. Police had taken a close look at John Wymonk's former girlfriend. But investigators discovered that she had an alibi for the night Holly went missing and was nowhere near Fayetteville. What was her demeanor when you're talking to her, investigating?

[Deborah Roberts]

She was scared that she had been drawn into this mess. She was ruled out as a suspect in the investigation, but she had provided information that was helpful.

[David Muir]

Investigators say the former girlfriend is able to provide them with an inside look at the relationship between John and Holly. They had been married for approximately a.

[Deborah Roberts]

Year, but towards the end of this.

[David Muir]

One year marriage, it had become rather complicated between them. Holly's brother Bo says the phone calls between John and Holly were becoming increasingly volatile. He would be on the phone and then he would be just screaming at her. You're watching him scream and you could hear your sister Holly reacting to that. What was she doing? Crying, telling him to stop. And I felt like, well, I need to say something. But at the same time I thought, well, this is a married couple. I thought about if somebody tried doing that to me, it might absolutely upset me. As investigators looked deeper into their relationship, they learned from friends close to Holly that John seemed insecure that he held a lower rank than his wife.

[Jesse James]

I think it was something of a resentment that she was a woman and she outranked him.

[David Muir]

John Wymonk was a corporal. Yes. So his level of skills was pretty high end. I would say it was good. He's still honing his skills and still learning.

[Deborah Roberts]

Her being an officer, she outranked him and he would always tell her, you're not a real officer. Things like that. Just putting her down.

[David Muir]

We had a non commissioned officer married.

[Deborah Roberts]

To an army second lieutenant.

[David Muir]

It just doesn't happen. That's the first time in my whole career that I had seen something like that. According to Holly's friends, it was clear that John's attitude and frequent yelling directed towards his wife and distance between their bases was putting a strain on their relationship.

[Deborah Roberts]

I didn't talk to you, so I.

[Jesse James]

Just wanted to send you a quick.

[Deborah Roberts]

Honey and let you know that everything's okay.

[David Muir]

They live two and a half hours apart from.

[Deborah Roberts]

Eventually their marriage became estranged. She had put up with the emotional.

[Jesse James]

Abuse, and I think she finally realized.

[Deborah Roberts]

That it wasn't going to get any better.

[David Muir]

And as investigators continued to dig, they begin to realize that the alleged abuse may have been more than emotional.

[Deborah Roberts]

We had done a number of interviews with her friends, some of the ladies that worked with her at Womack. First thing they told us was is how violent John had been in the past.

[David Muir]

Armed with these insights into Holly and John's marriage, investigators head to Camp Lejeune to talk with him. This is where the Marines are. They have a lot of questions for Holly's husband, John Wymonk, about where he was and what he did that night. NCIS agent brought him in from the command, interviewed him, just to try and figure out what was going on and what he knew about Holly's whereabouts. Hey, John.

[Deborah Roberts]

Here's my guidebook.

[David Muir]

Hey, John. How you doing, sir?

[Deborah Roberts]

You sipping this hot coffee down, buddy? John Jeff Locklear. Welcome to paying for you.

[David Muir]

He expressed that there were concerns for.

[Deborah Roberts]

His wife that he did not know where she was.

[David Muir]

I'm at the point where I have no idea what's going on, okay?

[Deborah Roberts]

This is my wife.

[David Muir]

Everybody knows that that is my apartment.

[Deborah Roberts]

What the is going on with my wife? You know what I mean?

[David Muir]

That's what we're all trying to find out, man. After a brief conversation, the agent conducting the interview noticed a smell of alcohol.

[Deborah Roberts]

And the Corporal y monk was likely intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol.

[David Muir]

I have been drinking, okay?

[Deborah Roberts]

And I don't want the things that.

[David Muir]

I say to be turned around.

[Deborah Roberts]

I don't want to talk with you now that you know I can smell.

[David Muir]

The odor of alcohol on you.

[Deborah Roberts]

I don't want to talk to you about legal stuff.

[David Muir]

While that's even the question in my mind.

[Deborah Roberts]

Let's handle all that tomorrow. So he's free to go. He's not in custody or whatever.

[David Muir]

So what did you learn in this investigation here?

[Deborah Roberts]

It gives me a chance to look him in his eye. It gives me a chance to smell him. There's a difference between regular sweating and stress sweat. You can smell that guy.

[David Muir]

Really? So you knew at that point?

[Deborah Roberts]

Yeah. He ain't telling me everything, right?

[David Muir]

In any type of case where we have a missing person, we have suspicious circumstances. I mean, the spouse is obviously a person of interest. NCIS will immediately look at them and trying to establish are they related or are they unrelated?

[Deborah Roberts]

Either way, we continue to gather evidence.

[David Muir]

To interview people really focus in on John's movements and whereabouts around July 9th. But as investigators focus their attention on John Wymonk, they are also conducting a canvass of Holly's apartment. Complex and get a tip that is about to pay off in a big way. Here was a mysterious person running through.

[Deborah Roberts]

The parking lot and getting into a black pickup truck. It gave us something to go on. It was a turning point in the investigation. An all new season of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is coming to Hulu on November 13th. Mom Talk started as a sisterhood and that's gone to Flame. S new secrets and lies are coming out.

[David Muir]

This is going to be catastrophic. We're fighting for our marriages and the girls are just putting us through hell.

[Deborah Roberts]

They make everything about themselves. I can't. Hopefully this doesn't end in a bloodbath. Watch the Hulu original the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on November 13th. Streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney for bundle subscribers terms apply.

[David Muir]

You better whoop.

[Deborah Roberts]

You're the best divorce lawyers in town.

[David Muir]

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[Deborah Roberts]

On Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus for month subscribers. Terms apply.

[David Muir]

As investigators continue their urgent search for any leads linked to Holly's disappearance, they get their first big break in the case. At her apartment complex, we began interviewing neighbors. Did anybody see anything?

[Deborah Roberts]

Did anybody hear anything? We interviewed one young lady, and she said that the night that apartment was burned, she was outside walking her dog, and she said that she saw a guy running through the shadows. She said he was purposely trying to stay in the shadows and that he had dark clothing on and that he was a white male. She did distinctly remember him running out to a truck. It gave us something to go on.

[David Muir]

Investigators talk to anyone involved in Holly's life to find out more details about that truck and who it may have belonged to, including at Camp Lejeune, where she often spent time with her husband. As the police canvassed and interviewed people at Camp Lejeune, they found out that a young Marine named Kyle had been asking around about borrowing a pickup truck to help a friend move some things. And that was in the time period that Holly had disappeared. Kyle is in fact Lance Corporal Kyle Alden. And investigators discover the identity of the man who he said he was helping to move. It was none other than Holly's husband, John Wymock.

[Deborah Roberts]

This became a very important piece of information. So we wanted to talk to Kyle and see if we could Connect the dots. Hey, buddy.

[David Muir]

Hey.

[Deborah Roberts]

I'm Locklear.

[David Muir]

Alden is brought in for an interview at Camp Lejeune with Detective Jeff Locklear.

[Deborah Roberts]

This apartment, we got a fire department. This is correct. Do you know who owns that apartment? Without me even getting into specifics, go ahead and tell me. Who owns the apartment in Fayetteville?

[Jesse James]

Who used to live there?

[Deborah Roberts]

John Wymont. John Wymont. And you know John. It's okay.

[David Muir]

So you have all this evidence. You go to interview Alden. So you treat him like. Like your buddy, to be somebody who you want to be nice to.

[Deborah Roberts]

Never had to raise my voice to him. We're cussing and yelling at him. Weren't accusing him of anything. Just going through and stuff and kind of set the stage for him to begin to let his guard down some. And you guys get the Fayetteville, and you went and picked up the stuff.

[David Muir]

We get to Fayetteville. Walker to the back of the apartment building, grabbed the grill, left it over the railing, and put it in the truck.

[Deborah Roberts]

So you guys didn't go inside his old apartment?

[David Muir]

No, sir. Kyle Alden tells Locklear that he and Wymonk went to Holly's apartment but could not get inside. He then says that they left. He went back home to go sleep with his wife. But it turns out that Locklear had already spoken to Alden's wife.

[Deborah Roberts]

She says, I don't know what the heck's going on.

[Jesse James]

Okay?

[Deborah Roberts]

But not only that, but he's telling me to cover him. Okay?

[David Muir]

He was lying about large elements of the story.

[Deborah Roberts]

This is true.

[David Muir]

At this point of the interview, Locklear decides to dramatically up the ante with Alden.

[Deborah Roberts]

For God's sake, son. I need to find this woman. I need to. I gotta do something for these kids. Tell me. Help me. Help me help you. That life raps out. I need for you to grab it. I need for you to hold on to. If you don't get it right now, okay, tomorrow is gonna be too late. Yes, sir. I'm telling you. For God's sake, son. Tell me, tell me, tell me. Now's the time. Yesterday was hijack.

[David Muir]

Yes, sir.

[Deborah Roberts]

Tomorrow's a mystery. Today is what we're dealing with. Today is the day of salvation. You better get on board right now. Yes, sir. He seems to be holding back.

[David Muir]

We think he knows more than he's telling us.

[Deborah Roberts]

Did John hurt Holly? I have no idea. I think John. Do you think John hurt Holly?

[David Muir]

Kinda.

[Deborah Roberts]

But I hope not. I do, too. I would love for Holly to call me right now. I'd forgotten that ain't gonna happen.

[David Muir]

But as Detective Locklear is turning the screws on Kyle Alden, the interview is suddenly interrupted.

[Deborah Roberts]

Somebody came and knocked on the interview door. Go outside and talk to the boss a minute. If somebody's stopping the interview, the building better be on fire. But somebody did.

[David Muir]

A 911 call has come in from a forestry service in nearby Onslow County. Did what? Yes, you heard me right. That could lead to happiness or heartache.

[Deborah Roberts]

What he specifically said is, are y'.

[David Muir]

All looking for a blonde girl? It had been four days since Lt. Holly James had vanished, and at this point, John Wymonk has emerged as the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife, a fact not lost on his commanding officer, Colonel Kirk Cordoba. The prime suspect was a marine, and it was one of my marines. And given the reputation that he had, did you think at that time that maybe he is somebody that could be guilty of this? Yes, given his nature and the fact that he is somewhat of a hothead and wanted to be in control. As soon as I heard Wymock was a prime suspect, I assigned somebody to him and make sure he didn't leave.

[Deborah Roberts]

Didn'T run, so we knew where he.

[David Muir]

Was at at all times. While investigators methodically build their case against Wymonk, Jesse James decides to take a more direct approach, confronting him in person. What did he say exactly to you?

[Jesse James]

I drove out to Camp Lejeune, and he was with, like, three friends. I saw some arrogance so that he was drinking. I just leaned into him very, very close, and I said, john, if you somehow committed a perfect murder and left no evidence behind and no one but you knows it, there's a sliver of chance that you could get away with it. But I said, if one person knows, you're gonna die for the crime.

[David Muir]

What'd you read in his face?

[Jesse James]

Fear. Fear that all the arrogance was gone. If I'd have had a gun that day, I would have killed him.

[Deborah Roberts]

I want you to tell me what happened. I gotta find Harley. For God's sakes. Where's Holly at?

[David Muir]

I do not know.

[Jesse James]

Okay.

[David Muir]

Police continue to try and chip away at Wymonk's fellow Marine, Kyle Alden. But if he knows anything about Holly's disappearance, he's not giving up the goods. Investigators knew he wasn't telling the truth.

[Deborah Roberts]

And that he was hiding something.

[David Muir]

He was stonewalling the investigation.

[Jesse James]

Oh, yeah. I was surprised that he could hold out as long as he held out.

[David Muir]

So he's in the middle of an interview and suddenly some information came in that something was found at this field. About 15 miles away from Camp Lejeune.

[Deborah Roberts]

NCIS received a phone call. What we discovered was that the North.

[David Muir]

Carolina Forestry Service had responded to a fire in a wooded area in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina.

[Deborah Roberts]

So those guys respond, got to the scene and they go over there. It was pretty clear that there's a body in a shallow grave that looks like someone has tried to burn. They put the call into the sheriff's office. We down here on this fire.

[David Muir]

We need sheriff's department down here for possible burned up body.

[Deborah Roberts]

Do what?

[David Muir]

Yes, you heard me right. When they called you, they knew it was a body.

[Deborah Roberts]

They said, we believe we found a burial site and this might be the missing female from Fayetteville. What he specifically said is, are y'.

[David Muir]

All looking for a blonde girl?

[Deborah Roberts]

And obviously that hit really close to home. It was a sad day in that we knew what had ultimately happened to Hollywood.

[David Muir]

The authorities shifted their focus here to Sneeze Ferry, North Carolina. This is about 130 miles away where Holly was living in her apartment. Only about 15 miles away from Camp Lejeune.

[Deborah Roberts]

If you were looking to hide a body, it would be a good place to do it.

[David Muir]

It's a very remote spot.

[Deborah Roberts]

We drove out there to the crime scene, to the burial site.

[David Muir]

You saw a body there, a burnt body.

[Deborah Roberts]

I saw human remains rolled up in what appeared to be a air mattress. There was a hatchet in the burn pit with the remains. I saw a number of knives that looked like they came out of a butcher block.

[David Muir]

Were those the ones that were also identified that we saw in the pictures inside her apartment that day when. When it was found out that she was missing?

[Deborah Roberts]

Right. So those knives that were found with.

[David Muir]

The body matched the style, make and type that were missing from Holly's apartment.

[Deborah Roberts]

Best way I could explain it to you is it was an oval shaped 6 inch hole in the ground long enough, you know, to place her body.

[David Muir]

So she was not buried. She was just laid there for the fire. And then how did they ignite it?

[Deborah Roberts]

Gasoline.

[David Muir]

Just poured it all around the area. Jesse James is at his son's house at Camp Lejeune when a detective from Fayetteville police calls him with the news.

[Jesse James]

And of course I said, let's go. I'm going out there, you know, to see the remains. And he said, well, he said, I don't think you should do that. I don't think you should come out there with. And I said, well, you know, I don't care, really, what you think at this point. I'm going out where my child's remains were found. And he says, well, let me just try to make it a little clearer. There isn't much to see. He said the body had been burning for days.

[Deborah Roberts]

I know that when it came to finding her, there was a lot of.

[Jesse James]

Love poured into it, and.

[Deborah Roberts]

And that is something that I really appreciate, that people who didn't necessarily know her still felt the need to find her and loved her as deeply as they did.

[David Muir]

An autopsy would confirm that the dismembered remains found in the pit were Holly's. The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head.

[Deborah Roberts]

During the initial crime scene process, one of the things that kind of stood out to me was a small hole in the closet door of the master bedroom. I didn't know why. I couldn't explain it. Sure enough, as soon as we cut that door in two, a piece of bullet fragment fell out. So my suspicions initially were correct that it looks like she was laying down on the floor in the bedroom. The round was fired into her head, it exited her head. It hit the concrete floor, ricocheted up, and rested in the closet door.

[David Muir]

One of the critical pieces that you.

[Deborah Roberts]

Need is the physical body of the.

[David Muir]

Person that was killed.

[Deborah Roberts]

And we had that now.

[David Muir]

And so the first thing we wanted.

[Deborah Roberts]

To do is go talk to Kyle Alden again and ask him what really happened that day.

[David Muir]

But would this tough Marine finally crack?

[Deborah Roberts]

It's come to Jesus time, all right? But you can't get forgiveness unless you ask for forgiveness. You better get it out right now.

[David Muir]

Investigators have finally discovered the remains of Holly Lynn James at a. A sight deep in a pine forest. But Kyle Alden denies knowing anything about what became of her. Have you guys found her body yet?

[Deborah Roberts]

I'll be honest with you. I mean, we will find her, all right? I promise that.

[David Muir]

As the questioning continues, Detective Locklear decides to see if some psychological persuasion can get Alden to open up.

[Deborah Roberts]

And then, I guess that's the whole crew. Photos tend to help get people in their feelings, and that's the reason I introduced some photos in the interview.

[David Muir]

So now you're showing him the pictures of these two adorable kids.

[Deborah Roberts]

He tried to not look at the photos. Every time I would catch him kind of leading off not looking at the photos, I said, no, no, no, no, no, no. Look at her and her kids. And that pressure really worked with him.

[David Muir]

Finally, Alden starts revealing details about the day of Holly's disappearance. He Tells detectives that John Wymonk called to ask if he could borrow a truck. I told him, I can make a couple phone calls and see if I.

[Deborah Roberts]

Can get a truck.

[David Muir]

He said, okay, I'll meet Jim Clinton. What is this?

[Deborah Roberts]

Kyle Alden and John Wymonk stopped at a Shield gas station in Clinton, North Carolina, which is about halfway between here and Camp Lejeune.

[David Muir]

And then we go into the gas station.

[Deborah Roberts]

He's like, you want something to drink?

[David Muir]

It's like, okay.

[Deborah Roberts]

And then we go back outside, we.

[David Muir]

Talk a little bit.

[Deborah Roberts]

He's like, what's the worst thing you've ever done?

[David Muir]

He said, the worst thing I've ever done is killed somebody.

[Deborah Roberts]

What do you think he means by this?

[David Muir]

I do not know. I did not want to know.

[Deborah Roberts]

What else does he say?

[David Muir]

He's like, you can't say anything about this, but I need your help doing something.

[Deborah Roberts]

Okay.

[David Muir]

And dare you ask him what he means? No.

[Jesse James]

Are you worried at this point?

[David Muir]

I'm kind of worried.

[Deborah Roberts]

I'm kind of hesitant.

[David Muir]

What could he have done?

[Jesse James]

Why does he not want me to tell anybody?

[Deborah Roberts]

The dam's beginning to break. The information's beginning to come forward.

[David Muir]

Alden says they leave the Shell station, and about an hour later, the pair reaches their destination, Holly's apartment in Fayetteville.

[Deborah Roberts]

Here.

[David Muir]

Alden changes his story now, saying that the two did, in fact, go into the apartment.

[Deborah Roberts]

We'll get on the truck, and then we walk down the sidewalk back over to his parking.

[David Muir]

Then I come into the master bedroom, and the carpet's down, kept torn out.

[Deborah Roberts]

I just don't think that he was prepared when he arrived at her apartment for what he saw.

[David Muir]

So you guys carry that stuff out.

[Deborah Roberts]

To the other truck?

[David Muir]

Yes.

[Deborah Roberts]

What do you do next?

[David Muir]

We go back in for the blue bag thing, and then we just pick it up and carry it.

[Deborah Roberts]

How much the bag weigh?

[David Muir]

Probably about £150.

[Deborah Roberts]

What do you think was in the bag?

[David Muir]

Thought crossed my mind as I the worst thing he's ever done is killed somebody.

[Deborah Roberts]

We're in his house.

[David Muir]

There was a blood spot on his wall.

[Deborah Roberts]

There's a blood spot on the bed.

[David Muir]

There's a blood spot on the floor.

[Deborah Roberts]

What the hell happened?

[David Muir]

Am I carrying out a body?

[Deborah Roberts]

He got really nervous talking about what he saw when he first arrived at the apartment. His carotid artery. You can watch that in a person. And when they really get nervous, it's almost like there's a little small green tree frog rat in their throat. It's just throbbing.

[David Muir]

We drive around For a little bit. And then he says, hey, we need to go to Walmart. Then a brazen act is caught on video.

[Deborah Roberts]

When they got to Walmart and parked, they actually went to the bed of the truck, picked her body up, took it, put it in the cab of the truck, closed the door, locked it, went inside. In shop.

[David Muir]

We grabbed two jugs of shell oil. They pay for the items at the register and head back to the truck.

[Deborah Roberts]

They then came back out and removed her body from the interior of the truck and put it back in the bed. We retrieved that video. That was really key piece of evidence for us that they had the callousness to do that.

[David Muir]

Alden says the pair then head back towards Camp Lejeune, stopping along the way to pick up Wymonk's car. And then from there, they each drive to a secluded spot.

[Jesse James]

That's what happens.

[David Muir]

Then I continue to put the bags in the tote in the trunk, get a big bag in the backseat of the car, and then I take off. Alden says he then continues home solo, and that was the end of his involvement.

[Deborah Roberts]

So any details that we missed this time?

[David Muir]

Not that I can think of right now. But Detective Locklear has a hunch that Alden has more to tell. Could bringing him back for one more day of questioning finally break the case fully open?

[Deborah Roberts]

The next day, when I walk back in that interview room, I had my chest poked out and my tail feathers were high because I was armed with information that I didn't have when I first went in there. And I let him know it. Guess where I just come from. There's soot and dirt on my shoes. Why do you think there's soot and dirt on my shoes? I have no idea. I went where Holly's at. You have been lying to me since we met one another, right? But I don't understand why.

[David Muir]

Sensing that Alden is still holding back, Detective Jeff Locklear, who happens to be a preacher's son, invokes a higher authority.

[Deborah Roberts]

It's come to Jesus time.

[Jesse James]

All right.

[Deborah Roberts]

But you can't get forgiveness unless you ask for forgiveness. You better get it out right now. Now you tell me. Tell me the rest of it. Tell me the rest of it.

[David Muir]

Will that appeal? Get Alden to see the light? Will he finally tell the truth about what really happened to Holly?

[Deborah Roberts]

I tell him. This stuff is scaring me.

[David Muir]

I don't know what to do.

[Deborah Roberts]

This episode is brought to you by Rakuten. The holidays are here, and that means it's the most wonderful time of the year. To save with Rakuten Use Rakuten to stack cash back at your favorite stores on top of of holiday sales.

[Jesse James]

That's savings on savings.

[Deborah Roberts]

With Rakuten, you can get cash back on gifts for everyone on your list, from toys for the kids to kitchen gear for the person who loves to cook to electronics for everyone. You can even save on something for yourself. Cash back is automatically added to your account as you shop and you can get paid with gift cards, PayPal or check. Or eligible American Express card members can choose to earn membership rewards points. Join for free today and get a new member bonus after minimum qualifying purchases. Just go to rakuten.com download the app or install the browser extension. Terms and conditions apply.

[David Muir]

From 20th Century Studios and the director of Prey Predator Badlands welcome to the.

[Deborah Roberts]

Most dangerous planet in the universe. Now playing Everything in this world is trying to kill you. You are prey until you become the predator.

[David Muir]

Experience it in 3D and IMAX.

[Deborah Roberts]

We might not be alone in this hunt.

[David Muir]

Predator Badlands Ready PG13 may be inappropriate.

[Deborah Roberts]

For children under 13 now playing.

[David Muir]

In the NCIS building at Camp Lejeune. It's been three long days of questioning for Marine Kyle Alden, and it's at this point he finally tells investigators what he claims to know about John Wymonk's involvement in the death of his wife, Holly. He called me, it was around 6:30. He said that he'd been there all.

[Deborah Roberts]

Morning and all afternoon.

[David Muir]

Say I killed her.

[Deborah Roberts]

I didn't ask him how he killed her. I just said, why? You have to be careful in situations like this. He's telling me a story and if I encourage him and it's not correct, he'd go down the wrong road here. Told me that she didn't die right.

[David Muir]

Away, so he had to hit her again. I told him, I don't want to hear that.

[Deborah Roberts]

But he still kept telling, you didn't?

[David Muir]

Yes, sir.

[Deborah Roberts]

What did he say? He's like, the look in her eye. He.

[David Muir]

He'd never seen anything like it.

[Deborah Roberts]

The look in her eye.

[David Muir]

Kyle Alden then says he and John Wymonk are not yet done at the apartment.

[Deborah Roberts]

He told me he had to burn.

[David Muir]

The apartment and he had to let it burn for a really long time because he wanted to try to get.

[Deborah Roberts]

Rid of all the evidence. They had devised a plan or made an agreement that they would drive her remains back to the area of Camp Lejeune and find somewhere at that point to bury the remains.

[David Muir]

Investigators say they choose a place familiar to Alden Alden was living not far from here. How far away was he?

[Deborah Roberts]

As the crow flies, about a half a mile. The reason they picked this area was he was familiar with it because he had been back here doing some target shooting. That's how he even knew that this place existed. I had enough probable cause at that time to charge him with the arson and the conspiracy to commit the arson. That allowed me to arrest him, Alden, and arrest Wymonk and get my hands on him and get him back to Fayetteville.

[David Muir]

With both men in custody, the focus now switches back to John Wymonk. And what possible motive could he have to kill his wife? Investigators believe the answer to that question lies in what they were told about John's alleged violent treatment of Holly.

[Deborah Roberts]

The first time we really talked about it is when her and John Wymont got in the fight, and she showed up at my house. Her hair was a mess. She had scratches and claw marks all over her back.

[Jesse James]

We came out a couple of weeks on vacation to visit Holly a couple of weeks before she was murdered, and I met him again. Once there, I just really didn't have a sense that there was anything until she began talking about a divorce.

[David Muir]

Authorities come to learn that Holly filed for a protective order against John Wymonk in May, less than two months before she was killed, in which she alleged a chilling encounter with her husband. We discovered that there had been an incident in the prior months leading up.

[Deborah Roberts]

To this where he had threatened suicide.

[David Muir]

And also held a gun to her head. To her head, Correct. Threatening to kill her.

[Deborah Roberts]

Yes. The night that Holly left John at the apartment, she was kind of telling me everything that happened, that John had threatened her. He carved her name into a bullet and told her, this one's for you. The fact that he was in the military and went as extreme as he did makes it so much worse, because his main priority should have been protecting her. That was his main job, was to protect a mother and a wife, and he couldn't, and he wouldn't do that.

[David Muir]

After Holly did not show up for a court hearing on the protective order, the case was dismissed. You need anything to drink? Glass of water still?

[Deborah Roberts]

You want some water? Fair enough.

[David Muir]

Despite the growing amount of evidence against John Wymonk implicating him in Holly's murder, Wymunk still will not talk.

[Deborah Roberts]

Armed with the information that Kyle had.

[David Muir]

Given investigators, they gave John Wymack an opportunity to come clean and tell what happened.

[Deborah Roberts]

He said he wasn't gonna talk with them without an attorney present.

[David Muir]

Okay. Stand up. Follow me out here.

[Deborah Roberts]

He was then charged with first degree.

[David Muir]

Murder, second degree arson, as well as conspiracy to commit second degree arson. Corporal John Wymonk is accused of killing his wife, Second Lieutenant Holly Wymunk, a.

[Deborah Roberts]

Nurse stationed at Fort Bragg. My client is presumed to be innocent. We don't want this case tried in the media. We want it to be tried in a court of law. Taking a case to trial, there's always risk involved. In this case, we had very good information from Kyle, and the thought was, is that Kyle would testify at trial.

[David Muir]

As to what happened, and then we would put all the circumstantial evidence together.

[Deborah Roberts]

To point to the fact of what.

[David Muir]

John Wymack had done that night. While John Wymock pleads not guilty to all charges in connection with the arson and his wife's death, Kyle Olden is now cooperating with authorities. He agrees to take Detective Locklear through the night of Holly's murder at the scene of the crime.

[Deborah Roberts]

It was very telling to bring him back to the spot he had never been here before, right before that night. This is only the second time he had ever been here, and he could still remember where he parked. I parked right there, besides the Chrysler. It was worth taking him back out there and having him tell it from his own, the viewpoint of the guy that was there tonight. This happened from there. You guys went to. We went back out towards Jacksonville, Smith's ferry area.

[David Muir]

Did he give an indication of why it is that he did what he did, what Alden did?

[Deborah Roberts]

The only explanation that I'm aware of.

[David Muir]

Is that Wymunk, being another Marine, asked him for help, and he agreed. You're a Marine. Would you do that?

[Deborah Roberts]

Absolutely not.

[David Muir]

After he confessed, Kyle Alden was charged, and he ultimately pleaded guilty. Kyle Alden was sentenced to approximately five years in prison. And at a hearing for John Wymonk, Holly's brother Beau sees the man he once called a friend, now accused of killing his sister. But we stood up when Wymunk came.

[Deborah Roberts]

In, and he didn't even look.

[David Muir]

He didn't turn around. Ultimately, in 2010, John Wymack pled guilty.

[Deborah Roberts]

To first degree murder.

[David Muir]

John Wymonk is sentenced to life in prison for arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and Holly's murder.

[Jesse James]

The district attorney called me, and he said, I have Wymuck here. His parents have convinced him to take a plea of life without parole. I said, you just take the plea and send him to prison. You know, so that's what they did.

[David Muir]

Did you hope there was a Death penalty. I personally wanted it. Yeah. It's a different opinion than my dad's. With John Weinwalk now behind bars, Jesse James still has questions. Did you expect he would write back to you? Will this father finally get answers from his daughter's killer? She was honored in many ways.

[Jesse James]

It was a lavish funeral, and I did it on purpose because Holly was a big personality. The police in the community from several communities came, and the Patriot Guard. It looked like a state funeral.

[David Muir]

Dignitary.

[Jesse James]

Dignitary. Yeah. And that's what I wanted for Holly.

[David Muir]

What was it like then, to be at a funeral like that? It was heartbreaking, and I just uncontrollably cried. It was awful. In so many ways. You put them together. The man that you. That you introduced to your sister ultimately killed her. Right? It's part of what haunts me for a long part of my life. Absolutely. But that's looking back. Nobody can ever predict something that they already learned. But once you go through something, it's really hard to take it away. Pretending it didn't happen is hard, but. But coming to terms with it is even harder.

[Jesse James]

Sometimes I think every time I take a step here, maybe I'm taking a step in a place she has stepped, and that gives me a sense of presence.

[David Muir]

Here in the hallway of Womack Army Medical center, where Holly once worked, her memory stands eternal, a silent testament to a life that will not be forgotten. What does that say down there?

[Jesse James]

In memory of Second Lieutenant Holly James. For her joy, her service, and her support of mothers and babies.

[David Muir]

Well, she was loved.

[Jesse James]

Yes, she was.

[David Muir]

The pain of losing a daughter never fades. And neither do the unanswered questions. So after all these years, you still want to know more?

[Jesse James]

Yeah, I'd like to know more.

[David Muir]

Recently, Jesse made the difficult decision to reach out to John Wymonk, the man who murdered his daughter, through an online prisoner website.

[Jesse James]

John, both my son Jesse and I carry no anger toward you, but only grief for the loss of Holly. The level of grief we carry leaves no room for you. To my surprise, I did receive a response to my letter. The response goes like, thank you for reaching out to me. You are entitled to answers to which I will give them to you as best I can. I hope this will provide some closure for all parties involved.

[David Muir]

Did you expect he would write back to you?

[Jesse James]

I thought he would. It took a long time, and the return letter went into the things like, you know, yeah, we need to talk.

[David Muir]

But rather than taking responsibility, Wymonk outlines a process centered on his own Terms and not on the needs of Jesse. Even in that letter that he wrote, there's no apology. He does not care about what he did. He only cares about what's happening to him. You are now communicating with the man who murdered your daughter. If you were to talk to him in person, would that be something that would be somewhat helpful to you?

[Jesse James]

I think being in the same room would have a negative impact on me. John, I can assure you that I have no interest in engaging in restorative justice or any sense of closure with you. How could you possibly restore 17 years of life without Hollywood? I fought to live a life of joy because I didn't want to be a victim of John Wymock ii.

[David Muir]

So you've never been there?

[Jesse James]

Never been there. Would you want to go there at this point? I think I would like to do that.

[David Muir]

Years after his daughter was discovered here, Jesse James visits the sacred hallowed ground for the first time. Not just a face where Holly's body was abandoned, but to honor her memory.

[Jesse James]

Not only for myself, but, you know, I'd like to represent my family and her friends that did not get to see her again.

[David Muir]

What do you think about now? I think that I miss my protector. She was always the big sister. Today, those who loved Holly keep her memory alive, remembering her as the devoted mother and dedicated soldier she always strived to be. What would you like the world to remember about Hollywood? I think she should be remembered for trying to give so much. My sister loved protecting the people she cared about.

[Jesse James]

Got the same smile, too, right there.

[David Muir]

I want people to remember her as a really good mother with the time she had.

[Deborah Roberts]

I am very proud of who she was. A patriot is someone who goes above and beyond, and that's what she did like, no matter what. Isn't she sweet? She put everything above herself. And I don't think there's anything more patriotic than that.

[David Muir]

The life of a true patriot cut short. In the years since his daughter's murder, Jesse James has been become an advocate in the fight against domestic violence. Hoping David to make a difference. After completing his sentence, Kyle Alden was released from prison. Neither he nor John Wymonk are members.

[Deborah Roberts]

Of the Marine Corps any longer.

[David Muir]

That is our program for tonight.

[Deborah Roberts]

Thank you for watching.

[David Muir]

I'm David Muir. And I'm Deborah Roberts. From all of us at 2020 and ABC News, Good.

[Deborah Roberts]

Sam.