Looking for Leslie

Summary

Blood and Water: “Looking for Leslie”

ABC News | 20/20 | April 28, 2026
Episode 1 Recap & Detailed Summary

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Main Theme & Purpose

The first episode of Blood and Water, titled “Looking for Leslie,” introduces listeners to the 2001 murder of Leslie Preer, a well-liked office administrator and mother living in the affluent suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Using interviews, original police tapes, and first-hand accounts from those closest to Leslie, the episode explores the confusing and traumatic initial hours surrounding her disappearance and the shocking crime scene at her home. The episode sets up the decades-long case, shifting suspicion, and the groundbreaking forensic advancements that would ultimately bring answers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene & Leslie’s Character

• Opening Context ([00:27–01:26])
  Linda Lyle (colleague): Recalls the strikingly beautiful, reserved Leslie, who had an “almost Grace Kelly-esqe beauty,” and was “dainty,” but reliable in her work.

  “She was beautiful. She had a quiet manner. She was dainty to me.” — Linda Lyle [01:18]

2. Leslie’s Absence & Mounting Concern

• Office Response ([01:26–03:53])
  Brett Reedy (operations manager, Leslie’s boss): Describes how Leslie’s unexplained absence was atypical, especially since “she was on probation for punctuality.” He made several unsuccessful attempts to locate her and describes the growing worry among colleagues.

  “When she didn’t show up at 10:15, I just assumed she had a doctor’s appointment... but by 11:15, I said, something’s really wrong.” — Brett Reedy [02:32 | 03:32]

• Brett decides to drive to Leslie’s house, retracing her usual bus route while hoping to find an explanation.

3. Discovery of the Crime Scene

• Arrival & First Impressions ([05:38–08:16, 10:03–15:42])
  Brett recalls his personal connection to the neighborhood, describing both nostalgia and the shock of what he would soon find.

  • On arrival, he and Leslie’s husband, Sandy, enter the home and discover a “significant amount of blood” in the foyer, smeared on the walls and stairs, with signs of attempted cleanup.

    “As soon as I walk in, I look to my right and there’s a large pool of blood… maybe about a 3 foot diameter.” — Brett Reedy [10:51] “I noticed a lot of blood on the steps leading upstairs. Splattered blood all over the steps. Oh God. Something’s happened here.” [11:54]

  • Brett describes the tension and dread, heightened when the basement door suddenly opens – only for the family dog to emerge. [12:37–13:14]

  • Sandy repeatedly insists Leslie might have “fallen,” seemingly ignoring the gravity of the scene.

    “He goes, she must have fallen. Well, that’s... my reaction probably was, that’s a hell of a fall.” — Brett Reedy [13:58]

• Search for Leslie & 911 Call ([15:42–18:45])

  • After 15 minutes searching the home and seeing more blood in the kitchen, Brett calls 911.

    “There’s blood in the, in the, in the foyer and looks like something possibly happened.” — Brett Reedy to 911 [16:00]

  • Police arrive quickly, discovering Leslie’s body in the upstairs bathroom shower; her murder is clear.

  • Brett recalls police informing Sandy:

    “I knew right then. And he walked right up to Sandy and said, sir, your wife is dead.” — Brett Reedy [18:15]

4. Family Reaction & Memories

• Lauren Preer’s Grief & Childhood Memories ([21:09–23:39])
  Lauren Preer, Leslie’s only child, describes an idyllic childhood with a loving mother who was her “best friend” and comforted her through nightmares.

  “My mom and I were best friends. Yeah, she was. To me, everything. And I just couldn’t believe it.” — Lauren Preer [23:25]

  • She recalls the horrifying moment she learned of her mother’s death.

    “I saw my dad and a police officer get out of the car. And I said, oh God, what the hell’s happening? ... He’s like, Lauren, your mom has been in an accident … she’s no longer with us anymore.” — Lauren Preer [24:18]

5. The Investigation: Early Theories and the Scene

• Mysterious Details ([25:26–26:38])
  The Preer house shows no sign of forced entry. Leslie’s body is found upstairs, but her blood is in multiple locations downstairs — some of it haphazardly cleaned, some on kitchen appliances, and the back door ajar.

  • Police initially treat the case as a suspicious accident, but autopsy confirms homicide.

    “This was not an accident. Homicide.” — Lauren Preer [26:29]

  • Leslie was beaten and strangled, then dragged upstairs and placed in a scalding shower, apparently in an attempt to destroy evidence.

6. Community & Police Suspicions

• Immediate Aftermath ([26:38–29:03])
  Residents of Chevy Chase are sent into shock and fear, unable to comprehend such violence in their safe enclave.

  • Investigators quickly look to Sandy, Leslie’s husband, as the prime suspect, a development that Lauren adamantly resists:

    “And the scary part was, is that they tried to put it on my father. I said, no. I’m like my dad loved my mom. Loved, adored her.” — Lauren Preer [28:07]

• Under questioning, Sandy admits to conflicts in the marriage, exposing family secrets and strain but no clear motive or evidence at this stage.

7. Lingering Uncertainty

• Open Case, Public Fear ([28:40–29:03])

  • Brett captures the frustration and fear that follow an unresolved murder:

    “It makes you paranoid in a way to think that there’s somebody that could commit this brutal crime and then just be walking free.” — Stephanie Ramos [28:40]

• The episode concludes by referencing stunning DNA evidence—“the presence of an ‘unknown male’”—that would soon change the course of the case.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 01:18 | Linda Lyle | “She was beautiful. She had a quiet manner. She was dainty to me.” | | 03:32 | Brett Reedy | “Something’s really wrong.” | | 10:51 | Brett Reedy | “As soon as I walk in, I look to my right and there’s a large pool of blood...” | | 13:58 | Brett Reedy | “He goes, she must have fallen. Well, that’s... my reaction probably was, that’s a hell of a fall.” | | 16:00 | Brett Reedy | “There’s blood in the, in the, in the foyer and looks like something possibly happened.” (to 911) | | 18:15 | Brett Reedy | “Sir, your wife is dead.” (Recounting police words to Sandy) | | 23:25 | Lauren Preer | “My mom and I were best friends. Yeah, she was. To me, everything. And I just couldn’t believe it.” | | 24:18 | Lauren Preer | “Lauren, your mom has been in an accident ... she’s no longer with us anymore.” | | 26:29 | Lauren Preer | “This was not an accident. Homicide.” | | 28:07 | Lauren Preer | “And the scary part was, is that they tried to put it on my father. I said, no. I’m like my dad loved my mom.” | | 29:03 | Stephanie Ramos | “It makes you paranoid in a way to think that there’s somebody that could commit this brutal crime and then just be walking free.” |

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:27–01:26] — Introduction to Leslie and colleagues’ memories
• [05:38–08:16] — Brett revisits Chevy Chase neighborhood and the Preer home
• [10:03–15:42] — Discovery of the crime scene, first thoughts, 911 call
• [18:45–19:37] — Notification of death, impact on Brett and Lauren
• [21:09–23:39] — Lauren’s memories of her mother and their relationship
• [24:18–26:29] — Lauren receives the news and discusses the aftermath
• [26:38–28:07] — Crime scene findings, confirmation of homicide, initial suspicion
• [28:40–29:03] — Community unease and unresolved questions

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Tone and Style

The tone is deeply empathetic, alternating between the methodical calm of the investigation and the raw shock and pain of those left behind, especially Leslie’s daughter, Lauren, and Brett, her longtime colleague. The speakers often interject warmth, nostalgia, and disbelief—a balance of true crime intrigue and human drama.

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Episode Takeaways

• The episode powerfully sets the stage for the series, immersing listeners in Leslie’s life and the events of the tragic day.
• It highlights the jarring contrast between an idyllic suburban life and unimaginable violence.
• The narrative establishes key players—Leslie, her family, and her colleagues—while foreshadowing dramatic investigative twists to come, especially via forensic revelations.
• Listeners become invested in the pursuit of justice as both a personal and societal necessity.

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For Listeners New to the Series

This opening episode tightly weaves personal testimony and investigative chronology, drawing the audience into both the case and the lives forever changed by Leslie’s murder. It combines thorough storytelling with emotional candor, laying the groundwork for an exploration not just of a murder, but of a community’s trust, suspicion, and hope for resolution.

Transcript

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Shopify.com setup May 2, 2001 was 25 years ago. But Linda Lyle still remembers what the weather was like that day.

[Linda Lyle]

It was a beautiful, beautiful May day. The sun was shining. It was, it was just a beautiful day.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Back then, Linda was working at an advertising company on the edge of Washington D.C. it was a small office and Linda knew all her colleagues by name, including a woman named Leslie Preyer.

[Linda Lyle]

Leslie was a part time employee. She had been brought. We were desperate for someone to file.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Leslie helped with the administrative side of the business. She'd been with the company for four years. She was in her late 40s, but looked a lot younger. A classic Grace Kelly esque beauty with dark hair and fine features.

[Linda Lyle]

Oh, she was beautiful. She had a quiet manner. She was dainty to me.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

But on this particular spring morning in 2001, Leslie was not at work as scheduled.

[Linda Lyle]

She didn't show up.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

This was a problem from a business perspective. It was Leslie's job to mail invoices. If no invoices went out, no money was coming in.

[Brett Reedy]

This was 2001 where the company had a lot of still paperwork, if you will, because we weren't in quite the digital age.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Brett Reedy was the operations manager in the office. He was also Leslie's boss. Brett had recently had a talk with her about punctuality. Leslie lived nearby, just a few miles away, but she'd been turning up late a lot.

[Brett Reedy]

It was odd that she wasn't there only because she was kind of on probation, if you will. With me, it wasn't a handwritten probation or anything like that. It was just like look, you got make it by 10.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

So when 10am came and went, Brett took notice.

[Brett Reedy]

When she didn't show up at 10:15, I just assumed she had a doctor's appointment or something held her up in the bus or something like that.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Brett Reedy is a pretty even keeled guy. But Leslie's absence that day, it clearly got his attention. At 10:15 he asked around the office. Did anyone know where Leslie was? Everyone said no. At 10:30, Brett had his secretary call Leslie's house. No answer.

[Linda Lyle]

He said, darn it, you know, where the hell is Leslie?

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Linda says Brett was annoyed, but he was also concerned. He wondered if Leslie's bus had broken down.

[Brett Reedy]

I know it only takes about 20, 25 minutes for her to get to the office. So I said something must have happened.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

By 11:15, Brett called Leslie's husband, Sandy Preyer.

[Brett Reedy]

I said, well, you know, I'm calling you because Leslie's not here. And did she have a doctor's appointment I don't know about? He goes, no, very quickly. And he goes, that's not good. So like wait, okay, so this now something's, something's really wrong.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

So on that warm May morning 25 years ago, Brett made the decision to go to Leslie Preer's home and try to find out why she hadn't shown up. It was a decision that would land Brett in the middle of a gruesome scene and a bewildering mystery that would take decades to solve.

[911 Operator]

91 1, what's your emergency? There's blood in the, in the, in the foyer and looks like something possibly happened.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

What happened was a violent secret carefully kept for years until a revolution in how crimes are investigated finally brought the truth to light. From ABC Audio In 2020, I'm Stephanie Ramos and this is Blood and Water. Episode one. Looking for Leslie. Leslie Prier and her husband Sandy lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It's a prestigious suburb of Washington D.C. full of picturesque neighborhoods. And it's a place I know well. When I first joined ABC News 11 years ago, I worked out of the D.C. bureau just a few miles away. Chevy Chase is a place that always seemed to radiate calm, quiet respectability and wealth. Even in 2001, the average house in Chevy Chase cost three times the national average. It's in one of the most educated, high earning counties in the country. So how far are we from where you and Leslie worked at the time?

[Brett Reedy]

Probably at the most, two miles.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

About two miles away. Last year, I asked Leslie Prears boss Brett Brady to show me the neighborhood where the Prius lived. Now in his 60s, Brett drove me retracing his journey from all those years ago. On that day in 2001, when Leslie didn't show up for work, Brett had driven the long way to her house, checking side streets and Leslie's bus route. If her bus had broken down, perhaps she'd been stranded by the road. Yes, basically this is what it looked like Back then?

[Brett Reedy]

Well, absolutely.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Like many other suburbs across the country, Chevy Chase is full of lush green lawns and lots of helpful signs telling you to look out for children playing and neighborhood watch. The Prers lived on Drummond Avenue, where a row of large houses sit behind tall trees. It's an area Brett Reedy knows like the back of his hand.

[Brett Reedy]

And this is my house where I grew up in this one right here. The next one on the right.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Oh, it's lovely.

[Brett Reedy]

But this is. Yeah, great neighborhood. I had about probably six friends that lived on this street from elementary school. And right here at this intersection, I was off on a patrol for elementary school right here for this crossing.

[Lauren Preyer]

I remember those days, too.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

I was a patrol. I was a fifth grade patrol. Patrol kid.

[911 Operator]

Right.

[Brett Reedy]

Mine was sixth grade. You had to fold the patrol belt a certain way.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Leslie's daughter, the prayer's only child, had attended that same elementary school. Brett said the reason he went to Leslie's house that day is because he knew the neighborhood so well. Even the street they lived on was familiar. Brett drove me the length of Drummond Avenue to where the cul de sac ended. Okay, this is where the house.

[Brett Reedy]

This is where the house would have been. So you see, it's obviously redone.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

The Preirs home was knocked down a few years ago, and a different modern house now sits in its place. Crime scene pictures show that the Preirs house was a colonial style red brick home, two stories tall with white columns flanking the front door. In the photos, the house looks perfectly symmetrical, neat as a pin. Brett and I stopped right out front where the Prius house once stood.

[Brett Reedy]

And then if I get right here, this is where I would think about Leslie.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Brett's tour of the neighborhood had ended right where he was 25 years ago. Looking up at a perfect house on a perfect street, totally unaware of what was lurking inside.

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[Lauren Preyer]

The tape is blood curdling.

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On the morning of May 2, 2001, it was sunny, warm and approaching 11:30am When Brett Reedy pulled up at the prayer house and walked up to the front door. Brett recognized Leslie's husband when he pulled into the driveway. Just after him, Sandy Prior was broad shouldered with reddish hair and thick glasses. The two men weren't friends, but but they'd met before. Sandy worked in an office nearby. When Brett told Sandy that Leslie hadn't shown up at work, Sandy told his boss he had a family emergency and left immediately to go to the house, arriving moments after Brett.

[Brett Reedy]

He walked up to me and he said, hey Brett, how you doing? He opens the door and he's yelling, leslie. Leslie.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Leslie.

[Brett Reedy]

And as soon as I walk in, I look to my right and there's a large pool of blood. I mean, it's a significant amount of blood, maybe about a 3 foot diameter of pooled blood.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Brett later told police that he felt he saw the blood moments before Sandy. When Sandy did notice it, he said, oh my God. The men were standing in the foyer. From there, they had a view of most of the house. The living room was on their left, the stairs to the second floor were straight ahead, and the dining room was to the right with a view of the kitchen toward the back of the house. In the foyer, blood was smeared around the floor as if someone had tried to wipe it up. It was also spattered on the walls. A small welcome mat stained with blood lay in a heap in the living room. A table that usually stood in the entranceway had been knocked over.

[Brett Reedy]

I noticed a lot of blood on the steps leading upstairs. Splattered blood all over the steps. Oh God. Something. Something's happened here.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

It looked bad, like the aftermath of something violent. Brett didn't want to move. He didn't want to find Leslie, he said, in some kind of compromised position. So he stayed in the foyer while Sandy walked up to the second floor. Calling for his wife, Brett looked into the dining room and saw something peculiar. A pool of water on the floor. He bent down to take a closer look.

[Brett Reedy]

And I'm still kind of knelt down. And as I'm knelt down, I notice something move down the hall.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

It was the door to the basement.

[Brett Reedy]

And that door was slowly opening. I was like, oh, no. You know, the way it slowly opened again, I'm thinking, oh, it's Leslie. She's probably hurt and something's happened. But it was not. It was the dog.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

The prayer's elderly black lab boomer.

[Brett Reedy]

A dog had pushed its nose, opened the door, and then started walking towards me. So there was a little bit of that heart palpitation there for a second.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Sandy went down the basement steps to check things out, but soon came back up. Still no sign of Leslie. Brett started pointing out the blood smears to Sandy. Blood on the floor, blood on the walls, blood on the stairs. Sandy had noticed them, but he kept insisting that there had been an accident perhaps on the stairs and that Leslie had been hurt. To Brett, it felt like Sandy hadn't grasped the seriousness of the situation.

[Brett Reedy]

And he goes, she must have fallen. Well, that's, you know, my reaction probably was, that's a hell of a fall.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Where Brett found the situation shocking. He says Sandy seemed calm.

[Brett Reedy]

Sandy did not seem to react to what I was pointing out. It was a little strange. I remember saying to him, look, Sandy, they tried to clean this up. So I think intuitively I just, somebody hurt somebody and tried to clean it up. Sandy's reaction was she must have fallen down. He kept going that route.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Sandy later told police he believed Leslie had injured herself at home and a neighbor had taken her to a hospital. He thought she was hurt but being taken care of. Sandy said that a few minutes after entering the home, he decided to call local emergency rooms to see if Leslie had been brought in. Sandy and Brett went into the kitchen, where Sandy opened up the yellow pages on the counter. But they soon noticed the kitchen also showed evidence of Leslie being injured.

[Brett Reedy]

Blood everywhere, Blood on the appliances, Blood on the back door, blood a little bit on the table. But what I noticed was the back door was ajar a little bit. It wasn't fully closed. So something I remembered really well, I thought it was odd.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

By this time, the men had been in the house for around 15 minutes. From the top floor to the basement, they'd found no sign of Leslie, but plenty of blood. At 11:46am Brett called 911-911.

[911 Operator]

What's your emergency? I work for a company and we didn't hear. Have a call from an employee. We just walked in the door, her husband and I, and there's blood in the. In the. In the foyer and looks like something possibly happened. Okay, so you're not in the house anymore? I mean, we're in the house right now. The husband's looking around. You hadn't heard? You're with the husband? I'm with the husband, yes. Is there a lot of blood? But it looks like there's possibly, you know, just struggle, a couple things knocked down. Okay, can I ask you guys to step out of the house?

[Brett Reedy]

I said, okay, all right. And I said to Sandy, we. We have to get out.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Brett and Sandy waited in the front yard. It only took 10 minutes for the police to arrive. And by then it was approaching midday

[Brett Reedy]

when they showed up. Sandy, well, he kind of greeted them again a little odd, and they. They pulled their guns. And Sandy goes, whoa, you guys mean business, like, kind of in a joking way.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

The officers asked Sandy if the door was unlocked. And when he said it was, they.

[Brett Reedy]

I'm outside talking to Sandy. I said, you know, could there something, you know, anything else that maybe she's. You don't know about or, you know, just trying to figure this out. And I asked him directly, I said, sandy, you were upstairs awfully quick. Did you check everywhere? And as soon as I said that, he puts his hand to his head and he goes, oh, I forgot to check the bathroom.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Sandy told Brett that when he had gone upstairs, he'd briefly looked into the doorway of each of the rooms, but hadn't gone all the way in. But Brett didn't have long to dwell

[Brett Reedy]

on that, I would say. Within a minute, the police came back out. And when they walked out, the policeman was wearing gloves and he was taking them off. And I knew right then. And he walked right up to Sandy and said, sir, your wife is dead.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Brett says that Sandy seemed completely shocked.

[Brett Reedy]

Disbelief. What I don't understand. How can that be?

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Leslie Preyer's body was found lying in the shower of the upstairs bathroom. Near her head was a large pool of blood. The police report from that day described it as a sudden death, undetermined. An autopsy would be needed to figure out the exact cause of death.

[Brett Reedy]

The first thing I thought of was Lauren, the daughter. This was going to be tough. The only daughter. And that's all Leslie talked about.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

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[Lauren Preyer]

Oh, cuz we're a team now.

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[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Lauren Preer was 23 years old when she got the news that her mother had died. So talk to me a little bit about your childhood. How was that for you growing up in Maryland with your mom and dad?

[Lauren Preyer]

Just wonderful. See, I knew I was gonna cry.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

It's okay. When I sat down with her last year to talk about her mom's death, Lauren was almost exactly the same age her mom had been when she died, in her late 40s, she says. Until that day in 2001, the Prius family life had been idyllic.

[Lauren Preyer]

We were on Drummond Avenue. It's a beautiful neighborhood, extremely safe. I never felt scared there. And we just would have barbecues and my friends would come over like I said. My parents would. My dad would cook. My mom was actually not the best cook. Not to be mean, but she wasn't. We all love our strengths, right? But so we. It was just wonderful. We had a huge backyard and my mom and I would plant tulips in the front of the house and they would grow.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

So Lauren said Leslie was always there when she needed her.

[Lauren Preyer]

When I was very young, I always had sleepover parties for my birthday and I had like 8 to 10, you know, there was like a bunch of girls. We had all sleeping bags and we sleep downstairs in the living room.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

It's like a girl's dream.

[Lauren Preyer]

Yeah. But anyways, my mom, for some bizarre reason, let me rent the Exorcist. Actually, it was my dad. It wasn't my mom. And so my girls and I all watched the Exorcist. And then after that, I never slept alone. My mom slept in my trundle bed with me. So it was like the pull out thing, you know? So I had my top part, and she would sleep until I fell asleep. So she always stayed with me. And that's a scary but wonderful memory.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Lauren said that she and her mom spent a lot of time together. Even after Lauren moved out of the house and into an apartment in nearby Silver Spring, they would take trips to D.C. to visit the museums. Lauren said her mom especially liked the National Portrait Gallery. Seems like you guys, you both had a very good relationship.

[Lauren Preyer]

Oh, yeah. My mom and I were best friends. Yeah, she was. To me, everything. And I just couldn't believe it.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

On May 2, 2001 in the afternoon, Lauren tried to call Leslie.

[Lauren Preyer]

My mom and I talked on the phone every single day. That was a routine. I mean, seriously. I would call her office, and her friend Gail worked there. And I called the office, and Gail answered the phone. And I was like, hi, Gail, it's Lauren. I was like, can I talk to my mom? And she was like, oh, she's not in yet. But I was told to tell you that if you called to call your father. And then I knew something was weird.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Lauren called Sandy on his cell.

[Lauren Preyer]

I said, daddy. I was like, hi. I was like, mama's not at work. What's going on? I was confused. And I looked out the window, and I saw a police car pull up. And I said something. I said, what's going on? And I saw my dad and a police officer get out of the car. And I said, oh, God, what the hell's happening? My dad is like, talk. He was just talking, but everything was in slow motion. He's like, lauren, your mom has been in an accident. I think seeing, like a bus accident or she got in a car. Like, you know, I wasn't thinking the word like that. And then he said, she's no longer with us anymore. I was like, what? And so I ran into my bedroom, and he screamed, like, scream. Screamed like what you hear on, like, the horror movies, like, deep down into your stomach. Scream. And I just waited for a few minutes. And I said, I don't understand.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Sandy told Lauren that Leslie had died in an accident, but investigators didn't actually know what happened. The scene at the prior home was full of details that didn't make sense. No signs of forced entry. Leslie dead in an upstairs shower. Her blood downstairs. Some of it hastily cleaned up. Lauren said she and her dad were in shock, and when they went home, they weren't allowed in.

[Lauren Preyer]

But I saw her the. The gurney with her body going out. I never saw her dead body. Thank God. I'd be in an institution right now.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Until investigators could find answers, they told Sandy he'd have to find somewhere else to stay. He moved into a nearby hotel while Leslie's body was moved to the county coroner's office. Three days later, on May 5, Lauren got news about her mother's autopsy.

[Lauren Preyer]

The detective came to to my place and said this was not an accident. Homicide

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

authorities would determine that Leslie Pryor was killed in the foyer of her home. She had been beaten and strangled with multiple blunt force trauma injuries. A large V shaped wound on her head matched the outline of the baseboards near the front door. After her death, investigators believed that her body had been dragged upstairs and put into a scalding shower. The water had been so hot, it caused thermal burns. Detectives believed this was an attempt to clean up the scene. Shock and fear spread throughout the neighborhood. Leslie had been murdered in her own home, and the killer could still be out there. But something else spread, too. Intense curiosity. Soon the police would be inundated with tips from Leslie Prey's neighbors, co workers and friends, all trying to help solve this murder. A murder that seemed from the outset not to make any sense at all. Detectives didn't believe that this crime, committed in one of the safest counties in the country, was random. By the time they told Lauren Prear on May 5 that her mother was the victim of a homicide, they already had a number one suspect in mind.

[Lauren Preyer]

And the scary part was, is that they tried to put it on my father. I said, no. I'm like my dad loved my mom. Loved, adored her.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

But under questioning, Sandy showed that there were secrets in the prayer house. Arguments between husband and wife that had been getting worse. Just bam, bam, bam.

[Brett Reedy]

Just keep coming at you. Just keep coming at you. And it was, it was, it wasn't fun.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

This was not an open and shut case. The investigation was riddled with unexpected revelations and dead ends that would prevent justice from coming for a very long time. It makes you paranoid in a way to think that there's somebody that could commit this brutal crime and then just be walking free in your eyes.

[Brett Reedy]

It's guilty until proven innocent, honey.

[Shopify Advertiser / Nikki Glaser]

Your DNA was in the Crime Scene.

[Stephanie Ramos (Host/Narrator)]

Blood and water is a production of abc audio in 2020, hosted by me, stephanie ramos. Produced by madeline wood, shane mckeon and kiara powell, with help from emily schutz and caitlin schiffer. Edited by gianna palmer. Our supervising producer is susie liu. Music and mixing by evan viola. Scoring by kiara powell. Special thanks to katie dindas, janice johnston, sean dooley, chris donovan, camille peterson, christina corbin, gail deutch, amanda carr, ellie joestad, engie adam and michelle margulis. Josh cohan is our director of podcast programming. Eamon mcniff is our executive producer.

[Shopify Advertiser / Nikki Glaser]

Hey, it's Nikki Glaser. My new stand up special, Good Girl, is now streaming on Hulu. Every single woman loves Good Girl. And guys don't want to say it because they're like, it sounds like I'm her dad. And it's like, exactly. Okay, just be my dad at Starbucks. This girl came up to me and she was like, are you? And I was like, yeah. And she was like, oh, where there's a band aid in your hair. Don't miss Good Girl. Now streaming on Hulu Terms. Apply.