Unsolved Mysteries – Missing Witness

By starrymag | July 17, 2020

By: Sammi Turano

 

 

The final episode opens with Brandi Peterson talking about her missing sister Lena Chapin, showing off pictures and talking about her disappearance. She crises about how much she misses her.

Her other sister Robin talks about how she went to see her sister on the day she went missing and how her boyfriend said she went to Florida with another man, as per her mom Sandy. Robin never believed that since she would leave her son or her belongings behind. She knew something was wrong when her mom had Lena’s son Colter.

Detective Rick says he interviewed family members and that a lot of stuff got ruined outside. He said Brandi said that she thought her mom was somehow involved.

Brandi says her mom, Sandra “Sandy” Klemp was a good mom who worked hard their entire lives. She says there were six sisters in all and Lena was a mouthy, ornery thing. Her friend Josh says she was outspoken and outgoing.

Robin says there were a lot of hard days growing up and that they moved around a lot. Her mom would be with multiple men and work several different jobs, causing an unstable life.

Sandy’s second husband Albert McCullough says she was good at telling people what they wanted to hear. Brandi says he was a good stepdad who raised them when Sandy was in nursing school.

Albert explains Sandy had an affair with his brother, causing a huge fight and Sandy knocking him out during it. He warned Gary about her, but they ended up together anyway. The girls moved in with Gary.

Jeff, Gary’s friend, says he loved being with the farm on the girls. Brandi says he was a good person.

Reporter Andrew says she moves from guy to guy when she gets bored with one. She left Gary for a guy named Kris Klemp.

Gary’s friends talk about how Sandy passed bad checks and Gary filed for divorce. He soon went missing. They knew at that point they were looking for his body. They talk about his gun and how Sandy threatened him with it. The only thing that saved him was a good shell.

Gary’s cousin reported him missing, so the cops investigate. They see his cows out when Sandy and Lena come home. Sandy says she was meaning to report Gary missing but didn’t get around to it. She thought he was away getting roosters and casually agreed to do the report.

A few days later they came back with a warrant and found some disturbing discoveries. Gary all but disappeared, but Kris’s stuff was there and he is moved in. Everyone found it strange and demanded Sandy take a polygraph. She said she would do it when they found a body.

The cops say that Lena was hostile when interviewed and defended Sandy. The sisters say that Lena told them not to talk about it.

Brandi recalls a strange incident where she went into the house scrubbing it down. Later that night they were giving a cover story for the night Gary disappeared…he went to get fighting roosters and they ate spaghetti for dinner. Robin recalls Sandy and Kris struggling with something she realizes was Gary. She says that Lena told them that if they talk, they will be separated.

The family kept moving and, eventually, Kris and Sandy got married. Josh says that Lena eventually turned to drinking and drugs while Robin says she lost herself for awhile.

Lena finally told Albert what happened, who says something wasn’t right with her. He shares the recording of the confession and says he knows she was telling the truth. The recording gets turned in and they know they have a case.

Lena and Sandy lawyer up, making Albert realize Sandy is guilty, especially when Lena recants what she said….confusing everyone.

Albert knows Sandy is guilty, but cannot prove it, while Brandi questions everything. Robin recalls Lena telling the truth and we get a reenactment of what may have happened. Brandi recalls fighting with Sandy and how she threatened to expose her mom. She recalls being put in a truck with her mom and Kris, who held her at gunpoint. She held onto her mom so he couldn’t shoot her and finally got Kris to back down. She decided to keep quiet to save herself, knowing Lena also remained quiet since that moment.

Robin remembers Lena becoming a mom and Sandy taking care of her son when Lena worked.

We then see some news footage about the confession and Gary going missing.

Lena eventually went out on her own, which was a threat to Sandy because it meant her losing control.

A civil suit was filed by Gary’s daughters. Lena was missing by the time the summons was about to be filed. No one believed the story about the guy from Florida and abandoning everyone. Robin had a feeling Sandy killed her, but put up missing persons posters anyway. Sandy paid one of the other sisters to take them down. This led to Robin telling Sandy that she was going to get the truth, like it or not.

Robin and Brandi know Sandy is responsible, as do the cops. They also know Sandy wanted Lena’s son and was obsessed with him to the point where she made Colter call him mom. She even filed abandonment charges when Lena went missing to get custody.

Brandi talks about testifying against her mom.

Sandy and Kris were ordered to pay seven million dollars to Gary’s family, but have yet to do so.

Kris and Sandy are now divorced and she has since remarried and still has custody of Lena’s son. Brandi says she has not seen Colter for years and he is homeschooled. She is heartbroken over the entire situation.

Sandy and Kris had two properties, which were searched by Brandi and Robin. They give a tour and wonder if Lena is hidden there somewhere. Brandi sees a lot of changes and tries to figure out why the well is no longer there. Robin also has suspicions about things on Sandy’s other property. They are able to look into it further via a ground scan tool, but find nothing.

The episode ends with Robin and Brandi telling Lena they love her.