Hi, park enthusiasts. I'm your host, Delia Diambra. And the case I'm going to tell you about today

takes place in Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, a swath of public land that I've mentioned

once before on this show in an episode that was released a few weeks back titled The Accomplices.

It's interesting because when I was first researching that case, I had no idea that this one

even existed. But call it fake, call it coincidence, call it destiny, whatever, today's story

did eventually ping on my radar, and I'm glad that it did, because it's definitely one of those

stories that just seems so appropriate to deep dive into on a show like this.

Cherokee National Forest is a place that's special to a lot of people. Maybe because it's a

recreation space they camped in a lot growing up, have a picnic at every year, or tackle whitewater

every summer. But whatever people's reasons for exploring the 650,000-acre forest,

it's definitely a place that has something for everyone. One spot that attracts a lot of visitors

who might be looking to get off the grid is the Teleco River area, which in certain parts

is surrounded by thousands of acres of remote backcountry. According to the Tennessee River Valley's website, the river itself is heralded as a

premier waterway to fish for trout.

It flows for nearly 20 miles all the way from North Carolina to the Teleco Plains in Tennessee.

Along its many tributaries, you'll find stocked and native species of trout.

But in the summer of 2012, it wasn't an abundance of fish coming from the river that made local headlines. It was a murder.

A horrific slaying right there on the banks that caused many people to take pause.

To this day, the crime remains a vivid memory for one detective who worked to solve it,

and I was fortunate enough to get a chance to speak with him one-on-one.

Some of the details he shared with me weren't in the news articles I dug up about this case.

They're not in any of the public court files I requested either.

...