Carol Dawson (3:05)

She disappeared on Labor Day night one week. And one day later, three fishermen were fishing in the Trinity river way out in the country.

Sandy Salter Cripps (3:17)

She was wrapped in plastic wrapping. And she had a chain around her neck with cinder blocks, and she had chains around her legs with cinder blocks.

Carol Dawson (3:29)

One of the fishermen calls 911, and then all hell breaks loose from there.

Wes Ferguson (3:37)

The gruesome way someone tried to make Shelly disappear, expecting her body to sink like a stone to the bottom of the trinity, stunned her friends and pretty much everybody else in town.

Sandy Salter Cripps (3:48)

I mean, it was awful. It made my stomach hurt.

Janet Bailey Gummelt (3:52)

That kind of thing doesn't happen in Corsicana, you know.

Wes Ferguson (3:55)

That was Corsicana native Teresa Weidman Darby. This is Janet Bailey Gummelt.

Janet Bailey Gummelt (4:00)

I was just so shocked and numb. Somebody had done something really bad to my friend. Somebody had murdered Shelly.

Wes Ferguson (4:06)

Who killed Shelly Salter Watkins, who threw her in the river. More than three decades later, this unsolved murder still troubles the town where Shelley had tried to make her home until suddenly everything was taken from her. One person who's never stopped thinking about Shelly Watkins is author and historian Carol Dawson.

Carol Dawson (4:27)

When I was growing up in Corsicana, I was in the same class as one of Shelley's in laws. Her husband, Jerry Mack Watkins, was in my brother John's class. I didn't really know these people very well, and I certainly did not know Shelly Watkins or get to know who she was until after she was dead. When I moved back to Texas in 1997 from New Zealand, I heard the story of Shelly's death. And then I realized that I have a family member who was personally involved. It had a profound effect on me, as you might imagine. And there was a certain time, about a year and a half ago, I suddenly went, oh, boy, it's really time to tell the story of my hometown. And it is time to really tell the story of this woman's murder as objectively as possible, without pointing any fingers or anything like that, but tell the story of what happened to her when she entered Corsicana as an outsider. And so I started reading stories and clippings, started talking to a lot of people, started writing this book. It just poured out. And I realized how long I had been holding this whole thing in the back of my mind. I was deeply invested in talking about violently murdered women, especially women who had been murdered by their partners. And for some reason, it did not dawn on me until I was writing this book. Oh, yeah, I have to do this because I came very close to that fate myself. Somebody nearly killed me. And it was only a split second that lay between me and my own death that saved me. So all of a sudden, it became really crucial to get to the heart of this story because Shelley didn't have that chance. That split second, I showed the book to someone who said, you know, this would make a great podcast. I've never made a podcast before. Then some close mutual friends said, you need to talk to Wes Ferguson.

Wes Ferguson (6:47)

That's me. I get this email out of the blue from Carol. She tells me about a book she's written called the Labor Day Ghost. We agree to meet for lunch. I've been a journalist in Texas for more than half my life. Sometimes it feels like I've heard it all before. Then Carol starts telling me the story of Shelly Watkins. Three months after Shelly's body was found in the Trinity river, her husband, Jerry Mack Watkins, was indicted for her murder. He has always maintained his innocence. To a lot of people, the evidence against him was damning. You'll hear all about that later and can decide for yourself. Jerry Mack's lawyers were getting ready for his day in court. Then, out of nowhere, the indictment was dropped. When Carol told me why the judge dismissed Jerry Mack's case, I was shocked. It had nothing to do with Jerry Mack's innocence or guilt and everything to do with an act of political corruption so brazen even the FBI stepped in afterward. As far as anyone could tell, the case just went away. What was the deal? Was it a cover up? Why was the death of Shelly Watkins, a woman from one of the town's most prominent families, seemingly swept under the rug? After Jerry Mack went free, he quickly married a woman who lived down the street, one of his dead wife's closest friends. And they seem to have lived happily ever after. Business has boomed, giving Jerry Mack even more power in Corsicana. Locals who say they know things and wish they could talk refuse to go on the record. They have too much at stake. Silence is often the unwritten code in small towns.

Carol Dawson (8:28)

But people are still to this day being deeply affected by this one particular death. Deeply affected. Their lives have been shaped by it. I mean, the ripple effect just does not end. She does not go away. She haunts Corsicana itself. She haunts all of the people involved. They regard it as a cold case, but in fact, it's still hot.

Wes Ferguson (8:59)

Thirty years after someone tried to dispose of Shelly Watkins in the Trinity River. The we're back at the same bridge Farm to Market Road 85. It's just a few miles from the tiny community where Shelly Watkins husband and his siblings grew up.

Sandy Salter Cripps (9:14)

Here we are.

Carol Dawson (9:16)

Trinity River. Can you get out that side? All right, I'm going to turn on my flashers.

Wes Ferguson (9:26)

Carol parks on the shoulder and we get out to have a look around. The river is low, the water's brown and the banks are bare and sandy. All through here are swampy floodplains, creeks and oxbow lakes. A world hidden behind a wall of thicket.

Carol Dawson (9:41)

The sense of isolation here might have been enough to afford somebody a strong sense of security in what they were doing. And they would have to know about this bridge. And they would have to know that the water was deep enough here. This is a hell of a place for a woman to wind up. It is so unfair, not just to her, but to her children, to her family. And that really makes me mad. It really does.

Wes Ferguson (10:14)

This is a story of power, wealth, violence and corruption. Carol and I don't know where our reporting will take us. We're going to do everything we can to find out who Shelley was as a mom, a sister, a friend, and why the quest to deliver justice for Shelley's death has gone so horribly wrong for so long. Oh, it was just a stranger that.

Larry Warrick (10:37)

Abducted her and did this.

Wes Ferguson (10:39)

This is Shelly's brother in law, Gary. No, because a stranger does not do all of this. All the plastic, all the chains, all the cinder blocks. Somebody that knows her and wants to get rid of a body does what they did.

Sandy Salter Cripps (10:54)

They do intimidate me for sure. Don't ruffle too many feathers. You need to be careful there. But also, 30 years later, I'm getting freaking tired now of oh no. We're still hoping and praying that we get some sort of closure. Don't we want to find out who killed Shelly?

Carol Dawson (11:18)

My name is Carol Dawson.

Wes Ferguson (11:20)

And I'm Wes Ferguson. You're listening to the unforgotten. Season 1 the Labor Day Ghost Chapter 1 the river say come in. Did you hear someone say come in?

Carol Dawson (11:48)

I heard somebody make a sound, but not come in. Oh.

Wes Ferguson (11:54)

Carol and I are standing on the front steps of a house we've never been to. I'm not entirely sure, but there's a good chance a guy named Larry Warrick might live here. We've been trying to get in touch with Larry for weeks. Sent texts, left voicemails, wrote him an old fashioned letter and dropped it in the mail. Nothing's worked so far. When you run out of other options, you just have to find an address, show up on the doorstep, and hope for the best.

Carol Dawson (12:21)

Hey, bud.

Wes Ferguson (12:23)

Yeah.

Carol Dawson (12:28)

Thank you. Are you Larry?

Sandy Salter Cripps (12:33)

I am Larry.

Carol Dawson (12:34)

My name is Carol Dawson.

Larry Warrick (12:36)

Hi, Carol.

Carol Dawson (12:36)

I'm Marie Tulink with Corsicana.

Larry Warrick (12:39)

Okay.

Wes Ferguson (12:40)

I'm Wes Ferguson.

Larry Warrick (12:41)

Okay, what can I do for you?

Wes Ferguson (12:43)

Standing in the doorway is a tall man in his late 60s. He introduces himself as Larry Warrick. This is the guy we've been trying so hard to reach before we came here. We looked up Larry online. We knew he'd retired about a year ago as the assistant police chief in Gun Barrel City. That's a small town on a lake called Cedar Creek Reservoir in Henderson County, Texas. Back in the early 90s, Larry was an investigator for the Henderson County Sheriff's Office. He and a Texas Ranger named Ray Nutt led the investigation into the death of Shelly Watkins. Carol and I want to ask Larry what he remembers about the case.

Larry Warrick (13:21)

Well, I don't know what I can tell you. I have dementia now, and that's why I retired, and my memory is horrible. I would love to help you. That's. I. I know who did it.

Rick Thomas (13:35)

Y'.

Wes Ferguson (13:35)

All.

Larry Warrick (13:36)

Y' all come on in.

Carol Dawson (13:37)

Thank you, Larry.

Larry Warrick (13:38)

Excuse my house.

Wes Ferguson (13:40)

We follow Larry inside. He has an old recliner where he sits down. We ask him about Shelly.

Larry Warrick (13:46)

I was just thinking about her this other day.

Carol Dawson (13:49)

Were you?

Larry Warrick (13:49)

Yeah, I really was. That's another one of my murders that I. I've worked so many, so many that I've led to a successful closure, and that's one of them that just haunts me. My wife actually took the 911 call.

Wes Ferguson (14:15)

I'm pretty sure Carol's ears perk up right about now. I know mine do. I was sorry to hear that Larry has dementia and he doesn't remember details about the case anymore. I've had family members with dementia, and I know how hard it can be. But Larry has just told us something Carol and I had no idea about. Larry's wife, Christy was the 911 operator who took the call when Shelly's body was first discovered.

Larry Warrick (14:40)

Now, Christy may remember more about the actual call. Hey, Siri, call Christy on speaker.

Sandy Salter Cripps (14:51)

Call it.

Carol Dawson (14:52)

Christy, my one true love.

Wes Ferguson (14:53)

Oh.

Carol Dawson (14:54)

Mobile on speaker.

Larry Warrick (14:56)

Well, she is.

Carol Dawson (14:59)

Wonder if my husband would ever say something like that.

Larry Warrick (15:02)

Hey, are you busy?

Janet Bailey Gummelt (15:03)

I'm still at work, yeah.

Christy Warrick (15:04)

What you need?

Larry Warrick (15:05)

Well, I actually have some people here that's investigating Shelly's Watkins murder, and they wanted to holler at you for a minute. Are you coming home for lunch?

Christy Warrick (15:19)

Who are they?

Larry Warrick (15:20)

Well, I'll let them introduce themselves.

Wes Ferguson (15:22)

I can tell from Christy's tone that, yeah, she's too busy right now. She's also like, who are these strangers in my living room? But I also get a sense that Christy will want to talk when she has time.

Christy Warrick (15:34)

I know he'd love to help y' all figure this out. I mean, it was kind of figured out, but it just wasn't handled correctly by anybody. Like you said, it's haunted Larry. We've spent many sleepless nights, so, you know, so he'll definitely want to be included and to help y' all as much as he can.

Carol Dawson (15:50)

She sounds lovely.

Larry Warrick (15:52)

Oh, she's a peach. Her memory's really good, and I know she'll remember everything about the 911 call.

Wes Ferguson (16:00)

We say our goodbyes. Carol and I get back in the car to debrief. Meeting Larry and Christy is a huge break.

Carol Dawson (16:08)

That went so much better than I feared it would. He does remember some things, and I don't think his dementia disqualifies the more important things he had to say.

Wes Ferguson (16:21)

Two weeks later, we're back in Larry and Christy's living room. So you were a dispatcher?

Christy Warrick (16:26)

I started out as a jailer, and then I switched over to dispatching. I still say to this day, I think all my years of dispatching made me very nosy. I don't mind asking a question, I don't mind stating a fact or, you know, not rudely, but just, I need to know. Why do you need to know? Because it helps me help you. You know, it's not just talking over radio, taking calls. It's getting people the help they need so they're safe.

Wes Ferguson (16:55)

Do you remember when you ended up getting that call?

Christy Warrick (16:59)

I do remember the call. I never forget the call. It was in the evening time. It was, you know, darker, I think. The one gentleman said they were fishing on the Trinity river and they had found a body. They just said that it was. The body was in a bag and they said they were going to tie it up, which blows my mind while I'm hearing this. They're going to tie it up to a tree limb stump or something out there that's in the water so it wouldn't go further down. What do you say to that? They were very. I don't want to say nonchalant. I guess people shouldn't be surprised what they find in the Trinity River. Maybe, because that is happens a lot in the Trinity river or more than it should, floating down from Dallas. Well, sometimes you think, yeah, but it just. I kept thinking, is this a joke? You know, is this. I didn't even know what to say or how to respond to it. It took me a minute. And I'm snapping at my CO worker because I need her to get on her console so she can help a.

Wes Ferguson (18:09)

Girl out here, Christy and the other dispatcher on duty, a Woman named Jamie. Start working through their emergency protocols.

Christy Warrick (18:17)

Well, you hear about adrenaline that kicks in on certain calls, and it happens even though we're sitting behind a desk. There's things that need to happen, and it's a lot of things at one time.

Wes Ferguson (18:27)

She puts the call out, she radios a lot of people. Deputies Larry, the investigator, state troopers, firefighters, an ambulance, the captain and the sheriff. Someone calls in the Texas Rangers too.

Christy Warrick (18:41)

Because this is a major call where everybody needs to be on the scene with, you know, not saying other calls are less important, but it's just kind of an all hands on deck kind of thing.

Wes Ferguson (18:53)

To fish the body out of the river, Christy also has to find somebody with a boat.

Rick Thomas (19:00)

Yeah, I've been a game warden since 1967.

Wes Ferguson (19:05)

This is Rick Thomas. He's retired now.

Rick Thomas (19:08)

I, I was at home that night and got a call that the fisherman had found a body in the Trinity River. I want to say it was about 9 or 10 o'.

Sandy Salter Cripps (19:16)

Clock.

Rick Thomas (19:17)

I was watching TV.

Wes Ferguson (19:18)

Over the years, Rick says he was called out pretty often to help recover human bodies in rivers and lakes. Most were drowning victims, accidental deaths. This was different.

Rick Thomas (19:30)

And so I got my little boat and went up there. That part of the river, you never see that many people on it.

Wes Ferguson (19:41)

When Rick got to the Trinity river, he, he pulled off the highway.

Rick Thomas (19:44)

You just have to back down there and load and drop the boat in the water.

Wes Ferguson (19:50)

Rick steered investigator Larry Warrick and Texas Ranger Ray Nutt down the river.

Rick Thomas (19:55)

It was cool at night. That was what I remember. We're just idling along. When we got to the area, we could see the body kind of floating.

Wes Ferguson (20:04)

How far downstream from that bridge was she?

Rick Thomas (20:07)

Probably, I'm going to say quarter to a half a mile maybe.

Wes Ferguson (20:13)

Had she been hung up on some debris or was she just in on the bank or what?

Rick Thomas (20:19)

No, she was. She was in the middle of the river. And evidently there was some debris underwater that stopped her from floating down. And, and you know, you got to remember she had two large concrete blocks that had rope, so that was hanging. So that's hung up on the bottom because the river wouldn't. It probably wasn't 12ft deep. And the only reason these fishermen found her is that plaque. They saw that plastic. She was face down in the water and her hair was just floating on the surface. And, and she was covered with this plastic. It had kind of come up, come undone, but she was covered with it. You have to understand, I'm in the back of the boat driving it. It's a motor, and they're up in the front. And they. They're the ones that picked her up and put her in the boat. So I just saw what I saw till I got the boat turned around. We got there and removed the plastic and got the body and put it in the boat. And at the time, I didn't know anything about the cakes at all.

Wes Ferguson (21:28)

At the bridge, Rick can recall talking to a sheriff's investigator named Jimmy Johnson.

Rick Thomas (21:34)

And when we got the body back up to the bridge, Jimmy Johnson leaned over and told me. He said, that's going to be Shelly, a girl that's missing. And I just happened to see her feet, and I saw her toenails were painted, I want to say kind of a pale red, what I remember. So that kind of made for sure, you know, it was her.

Wes Ferguson (21:56)

The clothing also matched the description of Shelly Watkins attire when she was last seen. A dark blue sleeveless hoodie and matching athletic shorts. The cotton briefs were Calvin Klein. The investigators were confident they'd found Shelly in the river, but they had to make sure the body was in an advanced state of decomposition. There was a justice of the peace who also responded to the scene. He ordered an autopsy.

Rick Thomas (22:22)

We were in a first call vehicle, which was a suburban.

Wes Ferguson (22:25)

This is J.D. jennings. He's a funeral director. At the time, he was an apprentice for a local funeral home.

Rick Thomas (22:31)

We drive to the scene, we get her caught out, and we handed the body bag off to the gang wardens. And then they brought her up and placed her in the back of the car, and I drove to Dallas.

Wes Ferguson (22:41)

Once you get to Dallas, what happens?

Rick Thomas (22:44)

Transferred her off the cot onto a table, and that was basically it.

Wes Ferguson (22:50)

By sending off the body to the medical examiner's office in Dallas, dental records could be used to confirm whether or not this really was Shelly Watkins, the mother of two who'd been missing for a little more than a week. Meanwhile, Shelly's sister, her mom, her grandma, the people who loved her most, they lived out of state, and they were desperately waiting for updates. They would continue to wait. Shelly's husband, Jerry Mack Watkins, had gone silent. Hey, Sandy, thank you so much for calling me. How are you?

Sandy Salter Cripps (23:31)

I'm doing okay. I'm a little nervous, but, you know, it's not like I haven't been through this plenty of times.

Carol Dawson (23:37)

This is Sandy Salter Cripps. She Shelly's older sister.

Sandy Salter Cripps (23:41)

And I'm just like, gosh, it's been so many years, and I just. I just. I just won't give up hope. I just can't give up Hope.

Carol Dawson (23:51)

In 1993. Sandy lived and worked in Atlanta, Georgia, as a corporate travel agent for UPS and IBM. Sandy and her husband, Gary, were raising two daughters in the same age range as Shelley's own two little girls. Visits between the two families swapped back and forth. Shelly came to Atlanta to see her sister and her own mother, Dusty, who was also living there. And Sandy and her family traveled to Corsicana for several vacations. The two young mothers were very close.

Wes Ferguson (24:22)

How did you find out that Shelly was missing?

Sandy Salter Cripps (24:26)

Well, I didn't find out right away. She technically died that Monday, Labor Day, and I think Wednesday is when Jerry called me.

Carol Dawson (24:37)

Jerry, of course, is Shelly's husband, Jerry Mack Watkins. It took him nearly two days to inform Sandy that her sister was missing.

Sandy Salter Cripps (24:46)

I mean, he should have called me the next morning and said, my God, your sister's not here. But he didn't. He waited until Wednesday afternoon. He's like, hey, just wanted to let you know, you know, your sister and I had a fight, and, you know, she's not here. I said, where are the girls? Well, they're here. I said, you're saying that she just left? He said, yeah, she was upset. She just walked out. I said, jerry, I don't think she would do that. He goes, well, she did, Jerry.

Carol Dawson (25:16)

Mack Watkins hasn't responded to our requests for an interview. His criminal attorney also declined a request to talk. Jerry has always maintained his innocence. He says that he and Shelly were arguing at their house when she simply walked away into the night, never to be seen again.

Sandy Salter Cripps (25:37)

Let me tell you, Wes, that would have never in a million years happened, ever. So that right off the bat, when Jerry was trying to tell me that, I was like, something's not right here. Something's not right. She might have taken her girls with her, but she would have never left, as Jerry said, and walked down the street. Not gonna happen.

Carol Dawson (25:59)

Janet Bailey Gummelt, whom you heard earlier in this story, agrees with Sandy.

Janet Bailey Gummelt (26:05)

Another thing I'd like conveyed is how much she loved those girls. She was a good mother, and she doted on those girls. She wanted them to have the best experiences. She would have never left those girls. I do know that she would have never willingly left those. Those girls.

Carol Dawson (26:26)

Not only were Sandy and Shelly close, but they kept in regular touch and liked to feel reassured about what was happening in one another's life.

Sandy Salter Cripps (26:35)

I lived in Georgia, but we saw each other frequently. There were some things that I probably missed that were going on because initially I was trying to believe in Jerry because I'd only seen, you know, I'd been to Texas many times and he was always the greatest host. And, you know, everything was great. My parents adored him and, you know, all was good.

Carol Dawson (27:06)

But Sandy says his story and his actions just didn't add up.

Sandy Salter Cripps (27:10)

And then he said, I just wanted to let you know I'm going to go to my sister's. He said, I'm going to go over there with the girls. I said, jerry, she walked out on Monday and you're going to leave the house with the children on Wednesday night. Who does that? So that was another red flag. I'm like I said, I just think it's a big mistake. You shouldn't leave the house. You should be waiting there for her to come back. But he knew she wasn't coming back. Of course he did, hence him not wanting to be at the house.

Carol Dawson (27:48)

Sandy tried calling for updates about her sister.

Sandy Salter Cripps (27:51)

And then Jerry gapped out on me again and I didn't hear anything. And I was like, what in the world? And I would leave messages, not a word, not a word. Her body had been found on that Monday by the fisherman. Well, nobody contacted me at all again until Wednesday. And I'm calling, calling, calling.

Carol Dawson (28:15)

Sandy's on the phone calling Watkins Construction, the family business.

Sandy Salter Cripps (28:20)

I'm calling anybody I can get because there's a gap of time now and what is the problem? So finally, I mean, I called, I was about darn hysterical and I called like the receptionist or whatever and I think I said, you tell Jerry to call me now. And Carmack called me.

Carol Dawson (28:38)

Finally the phone rings. It's not her brother in law, Jerry. It's Jerry's dad, Carmack.

Sandy Salter Cripps (28:45)

That was so jarring. I was at home and my 6 year old had just walked in from school when he told me she'll never ever, ever forget.

Janet Bailey Gummelt (29:01)

It seared into my brain.

Carol Dawson (29:04)

This is Dr. Courtney Cripps, Shelley's niece.

Janet Bailey Gummelt (29:08)

Could you talk about that a little bit, please? It was the most guttural and visceral reaction that one could have. Like it came from just the deepest, deepest of places. Like the phone rings, she gets the call. Yeah, guttural is the only way to put it. As a six year old, I actually remember kind of laughing in the moment, which was obviously not met with any good response from my mom. It was only met with more like fury or complete devastation and, you know, a slight momentary anger towards me to kind of like, what is wrong with you? But I just, I could not comprehend what this all meant. I guess even though I was hearing all the words, it just made absolutely no sense. And then I remember leaving for a bit, actually getting on my bike, thinking I'm going to ride my bike to Texas and like go handle it over everyone. Because it was literally as if the roof had crumbled. You know, like life changed in that moment. Yeah, that moment will never, ever leave my brain.

Carol Dawson (30:16)

And what were the exact words her mother heard as soon as she answered the phone that were blurted straight out by Shelly's father in law, Carmack Watkins.

Sandy Salter Cripps (30:25)

And it was really hard to say, but God damn, they found the body. Verbatim. God damn, they found the body.

Carol Dawson (30:38)

Next time on the Unforgotten.

Sandy Salter Cripps (30:41)

Jerry was a very, very good looking guy. They were like very, very much in love. It was kind of fairy tale like. And Shelly said, I gotta tell you, you though there are different things that I've heard that if I ever disclose, the Watkins could be in a lot of trouble. And I looked at her, I said, the Watkins have a lot of power. Don't ever say that to anybody. Forget it. Be done.

Wes Ferguson (31:15)

Foreign thank you for listening to the Unforgotten. Get updates, photos, case files and more when you sign up for our newsletter@unforgottenpod.com the Unforgotten is a free range production. Season one, the Labor Day Ghost is created, written and hosted by by Carol Dawson and me, Wes Ferguson. I'm the executive producer here at Free Range Audio Recording, editing and mixing by Austin Sisler at Eastside Studios in Austin, Texas. Scored by Austin Sisler and Jamie Cummins. Our theme song, ghost, is written and performed by Corsicana's own Will Mechatron Jones. If you support our efforts to shine a new light on Shelly Watkins Cold Case, please like subscribe, give us a review and tell your friends. Thanks again and see you soon.