48 Hours – The Mother I Wish I Knew

Podcast: 48 Hours
Date: January 26, 2026
Host: CBS News, Narrator/Investigator Slater
Case: The 1988 murder of Deborah (“Debbie”) Aatrops—an Oregon cold case finally solved nearly 37 years later—and its profound impact on Debbie’s daughter, Rhianna Stevens.

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the decades-old murder of Deborah Aatrops, who disappeared in November 1988 and was found murdered days later. Through new forensic evidence, dogged cold case investigation, and emotional family testimony, “48 Hours” chronicles the quest for justice, the trial and conviction of Debbie’s estranged husband Robert (“Bob”) Aatrops, and the devastating long-term effects on their daughter, Rhianna.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disappearance and Discovery of Debbie Aatrops

• The Night Debbie Disappeared

  • Debbie, separated from husband Bob, was last seen driving a rural road after a hair appointment (02:16).
  • Bob reported her missing that night after she failed to pick up their infant daughter, Rhianna (“Riri”) (06:43).
  • Her car was found two days later at a construction site; Debbie was in the trunk, strangled, with mud on her clothing and vehicle (09:00–09:16).

• Immediate Investigation & Early Suspects

  • Focus initially on Bob Aatrops, but other romantic partners are investigated: ex-boyfriend Jeff Freeberg and new boyfriend John Pearson (10:50–11:11; 14:48–15:52).
  • Bob’s behavior (“very calm”; “not consistent with a grieving, estranged husband”) immediately strikes investigators as odd (09:47–10:02).

2. Life, Relationships, and Secrets

• Debbie’s Romantic Life and Personality

  • Debbie described as having “good taste” but “terrible judge of men” (11:11).
  • Quick marriage to Bob; separation followed months after adopting their daughter (13:53–14:27).
  • She maintained connections not only with Bob, but with Freeberg and Pearson, leading to a web of complications (15:09–16:14).

• Rhianna’s Upbringing and Loss

  • Rhianna, a baby at the time, grew up with only stories about her mother (13:31).
  • She learned of her mother’s murder as a child, now left wrestling with the trial and conviction of her father decades later (39:18–43:16).

3. Evidence, Forensics, and Cold Case Breakthroughs

• Renewed Investigation in 2022

  • Cold Case team re-examines physical evidence with advanced forensics (soil, DNA) unavailable in 1988 (20:31, 22:01).
  • Soil from Debbie’s car matches Bob’s property, not the dump site; DNA mixture on Debbie’s coat can’t exclude Bob, but isn’t conclusive (23:02–23:31, 22:27–22:35).
  • “It’s moderate support that it’s more likely Mr. Aatrops than an unknown individual.” – Rhianna Stevens, reporting on prosecutors’ stance (22:27).

• Phone Call Inconsistencies

  • Bob claimed to have made calls from home the night of the murder, but phone bills did not show them (18:10–18:33).
  • Decades later, Bob changes his story to say he used an “MCI calling card,” but prosecutors say he did not have one in 1988; the process seemed suspicious for someone “frantically” searching for his wife (24:11; 24:46).

4. Trial and Key Testimonies

• Domestic Violence Allegations

  • Friends testify Debbie feared Bob; she allegedly told friends, “If anything happens to me, Bob did it.” (32:21–32:39)
  • Another friend recalled Debbie said she was afraid Bob would kill her if he found out about her new relationship (32:39).
  • Defense counters with suggestions that Debbie told “questionable stories” and was sometimes untruthful (33:01).

• Conflicting DNA and Defense Strategies

  • DNA from semen found at autopsy matched John Pearson, not Bob, despite Pearson’s denial of contact within 72 hours prior to the murder (36:11–37:06).
  • Defense argues mud/soil evidence is circumstantial (“as common as dirt”) and that DNA transfer can occur in shared custody situations, making results non-incriminating (35:01; 35:45).
  • Defense further points to missing phone records as possible equipment failure, supporting Bob’s alibi (34:00).

5. John Pearson’s Suicide and Impact on the Case

• John Pearson found dead days before he was to testify at Bob’s trial, having apparently committed suicide in Arizona (27:17–27:53).
• Defense tries to imply Pearson’s guilt or at least reasonable doubt; prosecution maintains his death was unrelated to guilt (26:23–27:50; 40:26–40:48).

6. The Verdict and Aftermath

• Jury Deliberation & Decision

  • Jury finds Robert Aatrops guilty of second-degree murder after a two-week trial and six hours of deliberation, 37 years after Debbie’s death (38:00–38:45).
  • Emotional reaction from family: “It was like the room went dead silent and everything was still. In that moment, we all crumbled. We are grieving someone that is still alive.” – Rhianna Stevens (38:55).

• Sentencing and Family Appeals

  • Rhianna and Bob’s current wife plead for leniency; Bob receives life with parole possible after 25 years (42:17–43:10).
  • Rhianna, who lost her mother as an infant, now grieves her father who will likely die in prison (43:16–43:30).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“She was found in her trunk. There was just so much unknown. Who did this? Why did this happen?”
— Rhianna Stevens (02:16)

“You being the husband, we need permission. We'd like to search the car… A few minutes later, police found Debbie's body face down in the trunk.”
— Detective O'Connell via Rhianna Stevens (08:51, 09:00)

“He was very calm, much more calm than I would expect.”
— Cold case witness recalling Bob’s demeanor (10:02)

“I miss her every day, still.”
— Darlene Lufkin, Debbie’s friend (20:19)

“He calls law enforcement within, you know, probably 20 minutes... To us, that seemed a little quick.”
— Prosecutors on Bob’s behavior (20:50)

“They swapped that area of her coat, because if you're strangled, that would be the area you'd have contact with… Bob Atrops could not be excluded as a contributor to that DNA mixture.”
— Forensic finding (22:01–22:27)

“This murder was connected to mud... the mud on Debbie's car tire did not match the mud where her car was found. However, that mud… was indistinguishable from the mud from Bob's lawn…”
— Prosecution theory (22:55–23:02)

“My opinion is you've told yourself a story for the last 34 years, and you've told yourself the story over and over and over again to the point that it's become the truth for you… No, I did not.”
— Investigators confronting Bob after his arrest (25:47–26:23)

“She was concerned that he'd kill her... I turned around and... I saw that she was genuinely scared.”
— Tammy Nelson, testifying about Debbie’s fears (32:07–32:19)

“Everything is telling us that that was most likely deposited on the day that she was murdered.”
— Attorney Janice Puracell on Pearson’s DNA found at autopsy (37:08)

“To the charge of murder in the second degree, the jury has found the defendant guilty.”
— Verdict read (38:45)

“When I was eight months old, someone robbed me of getting to have a life with my mom… 36 years later, I'm being robbed of my father.”
— Rhianna Stevens at sentencing (42:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Debbie’s Disappearance & Early Investigation: 01:26–10:02
• Debbie’s Relationships & Family: 13:18–16:53
• Forensics and New Investigation: 20:31–24:46
• Alibis, Phone Records, and Inconsistencies: 17:25–18:45, 24:03–25:02
• Cold Case Breakthroughs: 23:02–23:35
• Trial Testimonies (Friends, Violence, Alibis): 29:44–33:28
• DNA Evidence & Counterarguments: 35:25–37:08
• Pearson’s Death & Defense’s Theories: 27:17–27:53, 40:26–40:48
• Jury Verdict and Emotional Impact: 38:00–39:18
• Sentencing & Family Appeals: 42:17–43:10

Episode Tone & Final Reflections

The tone is emotional, investigative, and at times, heartbreaking. The search for justice—comes at significant personal cost to the Aatrops/Stevens family. The episode raises questions about memory, evidence, and justice, and gives voice to a daughter who lost her mother to murder and, decades later, her father to a murder conviction.

Final words from Rhianna encapsulate the tragedy:

“I can't make sense of what's happening. I just have to live through it and keep fighting. She truly loved Rihanna. … She was alive. That should still be here.” (43:16, 43:33)

For Listeners

This episode presents a complex, decades-spanning investigation that finally comes to a jury’s decision—while leaving the surviving family mired in pain and uncertainty. The “mother I wish I knew” is both a crime story and a profound family tragedy.