Unraveling Secrets: Benjamin Hale on the Mysterious Disappearance That Haunts the Ozarks
I still didn’t know why when I wrote the Harper’s article. Later, I found out why, and I think this revelation is probably the only original piece of detective-work I contributed to the case. It came out in the middle of a conversation with retired Newton County Sheriff Ray Watkins. Ray had been a Sheriff’s deputy at the time (he later served as Sheriff), and was one of the officers who arrested them. They were arrested in Newton County, but they were wanted for another crime in Benton County, so they were taken to Benton County and booked there. The next day, the defendant who was granted immunity was given that immunity in exchange for telling the Benton County cops about the murder and agreeing to show them where the body was buried.
