Secret Killer Leads Cops Into Her $3,000,000 Murder Mansion

It doesn't look like anyone's been here.

What's that smell?

This officer is unknowingly reacting to the decomposition odor coming from Craig Thetford's hidden body. Police have been searching for him for months with no success, and even now, with the foul odor in the air, they still have no idea he's buried only feet away.

Is that dirt or is that blood?

This is the only way I've been able to have any communication with you. And I don't even know if it's him.

I wouldn't even know where to start looking.

There's some weird going on.

Whoever killed Craig covered their tracks meticulously, using chemicals to mask the odor, disabling security cameras, and hiding in plain sight. And while detectives spend months trying to figure out where Craig went, the suspected killer quietly continues spending Craig's money, allegedly buying houses, cars, and crafting a plan to ensure they're never found. Holy smokes.

Well, I want to say something else, but I don't want to implicate her.

You need to say it.

You might start looking in the Caribbean. Police department!

Sheriff Thompson, you're under arrest!

It's a late May evening in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Tucked among wooded acreage and mountain terrain sits a 2,000 square foot property owned by 60-year-old Craig Thetford. He lives inside this large three-story house with his wife, Dina. The Thetfords enjoy a comfortable lifestyle thanks to Craig's roofing business. They own multiple residential properties and frequently take luxury vacations.

But a few months ago, something dark took place inside the Thetford household, and it went unnoticed for weeks, until May 2025, when the Otero County Sheriff's Office receives a disturbing call.

Communications on a recorded line.

How can I help you?

Who would I talk to to have a wellness check done on an individual?

That would be me. receives a disturbing call. I'm really concerned about him because this is not like him. He always answers his phone or calls back. Even his family here hasn't been able to get a hold of him. Nobody can get a hold of him.

On the line is Larry Scott, requesting a welfare check on his friend. But something about this call is different. As Larry explains, nobody has seen Craig or his wife for months, a detail that's highly

unusual since most missing person reports come within days. Following this, officers are dispatched to the address to conduct a welfare check on the Thetford couple. Once they pull up to the long driveway and step out into the mountain air they can sense something is off about this place. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on. As officers walk around the residence, they notice the sheer size of the property, with multiple carports and outbuildings. Lights are on throughout the home itself, but strangely, no one answers the door. Looking through the windows, one officer notices several boxes stacked, suggesting that the couple might be in the process of moving or had already left. As another officer circles towards the carport, he hesitates. about the air around him. Coming from the carport, a faint strange odor drifts through the space, but up in the

mountains with wildlife and wooded terrain, unusual smells aren't uncommon, so the officer brushes it off and moves on. With the home appearing vacant and no immediate signs of foul play, cops call it off and leave with the impression that the Thetford couple likely moved out and simply forgot to inform their friend Larry. Unknowingly, officers are walking away from the first signs that something far more sinister

is at play.

The next day, things begin to shift into something more serious, as police receive a second call about Craig.

However, this one carries more about it all the time. And so I'd like to place a wellness check, but the only person that said she's talked to him in four months is his wife. And apparently now they're getting a divorce. He's doing a whole bunch of stuff, but I don't believe it.

It's not my grandpa. It's just really strange.

What's his name?

Greg Thetford. With yet another welfare check request from Craig's grandson Cody, a clearer timeline begins to form. It now sounds like Craig hasn't been missing for two months as previously believed by his friend. Instead, he hasn't been seen for over four months, which is even more alarming. Additionally, the reason no formal missing person report was filed starts to make sense as Cody goes on to explain that his

grandfather's wife, Dina Thetford, has been telling everyone that Craig is in Mexico with another woman after filing for divorce. A story that doesn't sit right with Craig's grandson. Following this second call, Otero County Sheriff's deputies are dispatched back to Craig's house. This time, instead of simply knocking and leaving,

they widen the scope. If Craig and his wife aren't inside the house, maybe someone nearby has seen or heard something. So deputies begin canvassing the surrounding properties, a decision that will quietly kickstart an investigation into what may become one of the most elaborate and twisted homicide

cover-ups they've ever handled. It was just no contact. No contact at all. Come check. I got him, I've been on, I was on James Canyon Fire Department there for about five and a

half years. And when he moved up here I talked him into it. Okay. And I mean we were real good friends and everything. Yeah. And then Josh over here, he got on, we got him on the fire department.

Josh and Heidi here would know more information about the young cause. Okay. I know. Do you know what the address is over there? It's it's just the A frame right there. This one right here. This one. Okay.

Hi. Can I help you? Yes, ma'am. How are you? I'm deputy been sort with the turk on a sheriff's office. We were looking for Craig Setford. Yeah, we haven't heard

from Craig. Okay. We're buying the house from him. He was in Breckenridge taking care of his mom. Okay. His wife Dina is my friend. She's in and out from the house

down there. Okay. She hasn't really talked to him either, which is weird. Have you talked to Dina lately? Mm-hmm. Yeah? Yeah. And have you asked her anything about like Craig, how he's doing As As far as Heidi knows, Craig and Dina are in the middle of separating, with Craig supposedly

staying at his mother's house in Texas. That explanation doesn't match what Dina told Craig's grandson Cody, who was under the impression that his grandfather went to Mexico after filing for divorce. To investigate further, the deputy asks Heidi for Dina's phone number and tries calling her, but worryingly, it goes straight to voicemail. With no immediate leads, officers return to the station. Before Deputy Pinter can relay

his findings to detectives, his phone starts ringing. Interestingly, the caller is one of the Thetfords. Hello?

Hi, Mr. Phone Call?

Yes, ma'am.

How are you?

This is Deputy Pintoro calling from the Ocotero County Sheriff's Office. I was calling in reference to your husband, Craig. It seems that he hasn't been in contact with a lot of his family and some of his friends.

Right. And we have been separated and I recently filed for divorce. He's kind of, he's involved with someone else and currently he's in Mexico.

And when was the last time you saw him or spoke to him?

Before he left.

Would you have an estimate like, you know, was it like one week, two weeks?

First of the month.

First of the month. And you saw him in person, correct? Yes, yes.

He was packing, yes.

Where was this at?

Was this at your residence on Heatherwood?

Yes.

He has moved out.

And where are you currently staying at?

I'm at my mom's in Texas, Seymour, Texas.

Yeah. Are you going to permanently be staying at Seymour, Texas? No. Okay.

Until I see what happens in the divorce, I'm going to ask for the property.

Okay.

I mean, I don't think he's missing.

On the line is Dina Thetford clarifying that her husband is actually in Mexico with another woman. The same story she told Craig's grandson, but different from what her neighbor reported. Naturally, this drastically complicates the investigation, as locating a missing person in another country is exponentially more difficult. But during the phone call, Dina also goes on to explain that she suspected Craig of

cheating on her for nearly a year before confirming the affair a couple months earlier. Now she's staying with her mother in Texas, but plans to return to New Mexico and fight Craig in court to keep the property for herself. The deputy confirms Dina's current phone number before ending the call. Aside from the inconsistent story about Craig's whereabouts, police have no reason to believe Dina is hiding anything.

But that is about to change.

I tried to warn Craig, he didn't stay. If I could kill Craig and get away with it, I'd do it.

My mom is crazy. Like, she's tried to kill me before.

In the days that follow, Craig Thetford is officially entered into the FBI database as a missing person, and the case is assigned to Detective Bobby Curtis with the district's major crimes unit. As Curtis begins digging into the couple's background, one detail immediately stands out.

Craig is Dina's fourth husband. She had already been married three times before, and those relationships seemingly ended under troubling circumstances. So Curtis decides to call the people who might know Dina best, her ex-husbands. And what she's about to hear

may not just explain where Craig is, but also what really happened to him.

I got a voicemail from you about an hour ago, I guess.

I was calling to see if you had a minute to talk to me about Dina. I was married to see if you had a minute to talk to me about Dina.

I was married to her 30 years ago.

I called her demon possessed one time and got drunk with Tracy.

I was told there was possibly a time when she had tried to run you over with her car.

I would probably say that's more of her drug addicted or alcohol addicted state. I think it's that way. And that's the best time to leave her alone is when she's that way.

I think that's how we both survived for 10 years.

Phone ringing.

Hello?

Hi, is this Scottie?

Yes. Hi, this is Detective Curtis. First of all, go ahead and start with the, why did you guys end up getting a divorce?

Because she's crazy. She is what they classify as a binge drinking alcoholic. Which she turns her against. Yeah, she assaulted me multiple times and broke two pair of glasses, balled up her fist and hit me twice and tried to kill me. You know, I was always afraid something like this

was gonna happen,

because I knew she was capable. And then, you know, when I saw that Craig was missing, I immediately called. You know, I tried to warn Craig multiple times, and he did stay in front of me and my wife.

If I could kill Craig and get away with it, I'd do it." That final remark from Scott is disturbing and certainly doesn't bode well for the situation. Following these statements from Dina's ex-husbands, Detective Curtis decides to dig further into Scott's claims. Turns out, Dina worked as a correctional officer for nearly eight years in the early 2000s. Then, in 2008, according to Scott, Dina was arrested for allegedly trying to stab him while intoxicated, an incident that reportedly landed her in jail overnight. After that, the couple briefly reconciled, but in 2010, Scott also alleged that Dina

found his pistol and chased him while pulling the trigger, though the gun was not loaded and he survived. As Curtis continues reviewing the reports, she notices that at various points over the years, Dina's daughter Leslie had lived with her and Craig, so one of Curtis' co-investigators reaches out to Leslie to gain insights into what was happening inside that house. When he finally gets her on. Like, she's tried to kill me before.

She stabbed one of her other husbands. She tried to run my real dad over with a car. She had my sister hog tied and thrown in a car and like shipped off one time.

So, was your mom, to you?

Yep, to everyone pretty much. I always thought she was like possessed, like demonic. Like it was so evil that like I just couldn't believe like it was real.

Okay. At the time that you were there at the house, did your mom and dad drink or use drugs?

Either one of them?

Yeah. She's an alcoholic. She's always been. She also does other drugs and I think she might have poisoned him or been trying to poison him or something like, or like messing Needless to say, things are starting to sound grim.

There are now two separate people alleging that Craig may be dead and that Dina could somehow be involved. With this troubling development in mind, Detective Curtis moves on to review the couple's recent financial activity, and this is where things become very peculiar. In the last four months, Dina appears to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, including a new house and a new car, while also potentially helping fund her son's new business.

With all these findings combined, and Dina's shifting story, investigators begin to suspect they may be dealing with something far more serious than a missing person case, and the possibility of a concealed homicide now sits squarely on the table. But in the middle of trying to piece together what really happened to Craig, detectives receive a tip that his wife Dina has returned home and is acting as if nothing ever happened. Following this, Deputy Roger Schoolcraft is sent to check if Dina returned home and can

provide any answers. In a few seconds, he will come face to face with the one person investigators now believe may be their prime suspect. But before we get to that, if you're like me, you probably want to save money and have your money actually work for you. Without overcomplicating things or constantly thinking about it, that's where our video's sponsor, Chime, comes in. Chime is the most loved banking app that makes savings simple, especially with their high-yield savings account. The national average savings rate is 0.39% APY, which is basically nothing.

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Insanity, or just click the link in the description below or scan the QR code on screen. With that said, let's get back to Deputy Roger, who's on the verge of hearing a story that may explain why Craig truly vanished.

Hi, good morning.

Dina?

Yes.

Hi, good morning, good morning. Hey, I'm Roger, I'm sorry. Roger's split back.

Dina?

Yes, I think we met at the base, football game.

Probably did.

I'm trying to do some follow up on Craig. And I thought maybe I can meet with you, you could try to kind of help me and give me some information. Sure. Can we sit somewhere?

All right, gosh, chilly Okay, well obviously we got some calls because people haven't been hearing from or anything so you being a wife You might be able to help me. Well, it's his mom. I talked to his mom. Oh really? So you guys aren't

No, we have been having some issues. Okay. I guess you would say we're separated. How long has that been going on? Um, nothing's legal yet. We just haven't been spending any time together since at least February February early February February

Mid-February since mid-February things weren't working out so you left he left out of it

He left he told me well He first went to Texas because he was said he needed to go help his mom

So he left here to go help his mom. That's that was what he said yes

I've never really had any reason not to not believe what he said Even though Dina doesn't keep track of time, she does seem to keep track of other things, like the details surrounding Craig's disappearance. Within just a few minutes of their conversation, Deputy Roger notices that Dina slightly adjusts her explanation about Craig's whereabouts, now claiming that he simply told her what he was doing, and she had no reason not to believe him. But as the pair continue rehashing the details, Dina begins to visibly sense that Deputy Roger isn't convinced.

She appears to have no idea of the amount of suspicion that's been mounting against her. In reality, Dina is well prepared for this moment, because she's about to present what she believes is concrete proof to validate her story and put an end to the growing suspicion around her.

I've never had a reason to doubt it, but now I do. I mean, I really, I think that he has hooked up with some youngsters that are doing these classes and I think he's reliving his youth and he's ready for me to get it out of the

picture.

Where would he be doing that at? Mexico, I guess. Mexico. But when I would come home, I mean, he's been here. Um, it got to the point where he would just leave me a note. Like that one.

Over there.

Now this, there's been several. This is, this is our communication right here for the last two months and there's been several but this is the now this one is from not

two weeks ago can you put in place this is your handwriting and that's his yes

because his family's been calling me where is is he? You know, and I'm like, I know as much as you do.

Where's El Salto?

Mexico.

And he has friends in El Salto? He does.

El Salto is a trophy bass fishing.

Oh, okay, yeah.

I'm a big bass fisherman, too.

He's, I think this would make like the third time he's been there.

Even if Deputy Roger tried, he couldn't sound fully convinced that Craig actually wrote this message. But he takes the bait anyway, or at least allows Dina to believe her plan is unfolding exactly as she intended.

Conveniently, Dina quickly moves on to the next step in her plan. There's something downstairs that might help clear things up and she's willing to share it off the record.

Can I say something off the record?

Sure.

Um, Craig keeps all our money in cash. I can't get in the safe, so I can't tell you if he took it or if it's there.

All the money?

Mm-hmm.

Why can't you get into the safe?

I don't have the combinations.

Was that an issue between the two of you? They wouldn't let you have access to the safe?

It wasn't an issue with us, but it was an issue with his first wife.

Was she stealing money from him or what? Okay, I understand now. And how much? $1.5 million. Could you show me where that safe is? Yes. Okay.

That's a substantial amount of money by anyone's standards, and Deputy Roger is beginning to suspect he may already know why Craig suddenly vanished. Even though Dina claims she can't access the safe, Roger will soon discover that this, too, might not be true. But since Dina claims she can't access the safe, Roger will soon discover that this, too, might not be true. But since Dina brought up the money unprompted, Roger recognizes an opportunity to dig deeper and decides to take it.

I'm sorry.

You got me?

I've got a bad knee. I'm apologizing.

Well, we could do the ground weight.

No, it's good.

No, it's getting old.

I feel you.

Holy smokes. No, it's good. It's getting old. I feel you. Holy smokes, big house. Yeah it is. Too big for two people. It's way too big. This is the bottom floor here? Yes. Okay. I'm sorry. Oh, that's cool. Right?

Yeah, good lord. that cost a penny. Yeah that was my present and

now I don't know if I get to keep it. This one and this one. Oh there's two of them. Yeah.

So you don't have the combination for either safe? No. No I just. You didn't keep it written down anywhere? Or you don't know?

Okay. As Roger checks the safe, he has no idea that he is standing in the very spot where Craig's body remained for days before it was eventually moved and hidden. None of that is apparent in this moment, so the two head back upstairs after taking a quick look.

By this point, Roger feels he's heard what he came for and then some, but before leaving, he decides to share a small surprise he's been holding back.

Have you been married before too?

Gosh yes.

Okay.

Oh gosh yes?

Yes.

Why do you say that? Well, cause I used to. It seemed to be a regular occurrence. Oh, I'm sorry. No, I make it a joke. I make it a joke. Yeah, I mean, it took me a long time

to figure out I'm the common denominator. So.

How many times were you married?

He is my fourth.

Your fourth, OK.

Yes.

I don't know, just a little history of me. I'm actually a retired police officer. Came back to work about two years ago. I got bored sitting at home. But the vast majority of my career I was, I worked in investigation, CID, homicide unit in Albuquerque. So that's most of my career has been doing that. Deputy Roger leaves little room for doubt,

subtly making it clear that he is in in fact, investigating a possible homicide. Even though Dina tries to appear nonchalant, her face tells a different story. She looks visibly taken aback by the idea that a homicide detective is now sitting in her living room, and the timing of Roger's reveal couldn't have been more deliberate, coming right after Dina seemingly acknowledged that she's the common denominator in her previous failed marriages.

With the surprise revealed, Roger wraps up the conversation and heads out, leaving Dina with a clear implication that she may now be a prime suspect in the possible homicide of her husband, a thought that will soon begin to consume her. At the same time, Roger walks away with something else he believes he identified during the hour-long interview, a possible financial motive behind Craig's disappearance, as well as an even stronger suspicion that he may have just been speaking with the alleged killer

herself. Before heading back to the station to relay his findings, Roger's relentless instincts get the best of him. With more than two decades of experience and having handled a case with eerily similar circumstances that later turned into a homicide, he can't shake the feeling that something isn't right.

So instead of leaving right away, he decides to stick around the neighborhood and speak with people who live nearby. A move that will not only fuel Roger's growing suspicions, but also reveal some new details we met yeah I was at school you want to go up here your dog by me no no no no

okay just a good barker what do you know anything last time you saw him or talked

to him no it's been a while and there's some weird going on yeah for sure and I'm I don't wanna I'm not trying to implicate anybody.

Right.

From what it sounds like in the past, you know, whenever those two get, like, when I say those two, Craig and Dina, they get together and you mix in a little bit of alcohol, things get a little bit flammable. It can be.

And Craig said, if anything ever happens to me I don't want these calls. Dana has a combination to the safe and I keep a keep a an envelope full of money in it. This is the only way I've been able to have any communication

with you and I don't even know if it's him. I wonder who he supposedly went fishing to Mexico with. See we had a call like this a long time ago. Long story short, turned into a murder. She was staying in the house three weeks after she'd murdered him, and she'd drug him out in the back ports and cover him up with a tarp.

Kind of rings the same deal. Same story, all he went on a fishing trip, but he kept not showing up for work, and people were calling.

So he's really nowhere to be seen.

No, ma'am, he's nowhere to be found anymore.

Everything we've been told and heard is...

I'm an honest person, and I want to say something else, but I don't want to implicate her.

You need to say it.

When we first moved here, we were just having conversations, and she was like... She didn't say she'd kill him, but she was like, if it happened, you know, I'd be okay with it coming to that effect.

By now, the pattern is becoming impossible to ignore. And it seems like everyone familiar with the couple is thinking the same thing. They're just hesitant to say it out loud. Notably, Craig's firefighter friend, Thomas, also reveals that Craig told

him Dina has the combination to the safe, directly contradicting Dina's claims earlier when she claimed she had no way of accessing the money inside the safe. Roger records these statements and eventually heads back to the station to speak with the lead detective Curtis to determine their next steps. Even though investigators are now strongly considering the possibility of homicide, they still lack physical evidence of foul play, or Craig's body. At least for the time being.

Five days after his initial visit, Deputy Roger returns to the Thetford's house to follow up with Dina. They still haven't been able to reach Craig, and the situation is looking increasingly grim. But this time, something different awaits Roger. As he arrives and steps out of his car, he notices something unsettling on the ground.

Uh-oh. Good morning. How are you? Good, how are you? Good, good. I was about to make some coffee. I'll take some coffee. What are you putting in the ground? I'm not putting in the ground. I was trying to flatten it. I'm going to roll those rocks back in there.

I'm going to flatten it. I'm going to roll those rocks back in there. I'm going to flatten it.

I'm going to make some coffee. I'll take some coffee. What are you putting in the ground?

I'm not putting in the ground.

I was trying to flatten it.

I'm going to roll those rocks back in there.

Oh, I saw that metal thing. I thought maybe it was some kind of a hole in the ground.

Yeah, it's an above ground gardening.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Roger treats the discovery lightly, even joking about the massive hole Dina dug outside. But he'll soon find out that he's been, unknowingly, walking right over the truth this whole time. We're going to church and everybody just loves him.

And the neighbors, he would do anything for anybody.

So none of these neighbors had a gripe with him or an issue with him? It's just so unusual for somebody to just completely, just completely pop off the radar. Just poof, they're gone. Well, it's a mystery.

I just keep thinking he's maybe got an enemy that we're not aware of or somebody that somebody that felt like they had something to gain.

I think, you know, if I had just left when he told me to, then none of this would have happened.

With this statement coming directly from Dina, she has effectively pointed the finger at herself. Whether she realizes it or not remains to be seen. With the remainder of the conversation yielding no new leads, Roger wraps up his second visit and heads out, still empty-handed.

But as he leaves the property, Roger has no idea that this might be the last time he ever sees Dina alive. In the following weeks, things begin to escalate dramatically as Dina appears to have vanished. Any phone calls from detectives went straight to voicemail and police were unable to locate her. Investigators also caught wind of rumors alleging Dina was talking about fleeing to Jamaica

or taking her own life. However, there's a huge development that's about to happen today. Because sometime in the afternoon, an old co-worker of Dina from her prison job calls Lee Detective Curtis with an explosive tip.

Hello?

Hi, is this Andrew?

Yes, ma'am. This is Detective Curtis with the Otero County Sheriff's Office. I had a message that you had called.

Yes, ma'am.

All right, what can I help you with, sir? What This is why I think. Did she tell you when? No, no ma'am, I don't have,

I don't know none of the details.

What everyone has been anticipating this entire time has finally come to fruition. Seemingly straight from Dina herself, according to her old friend, Andrew. However, without a body or hard evidence, Detective Curtis can't obtain an arrest warrant

or press any charges. But not long after this call, another development takes place. This time, police catch wind that Dina was at her mother's house in Texas and attempted to take her own life. Detective Curtis realizes how quickly and dangerously the situation is escalating. If Dina manages to flee or, worse yet, takes life, they may never find Craig's body and the case is doomed to go cold.

With that possibility looming over the case, Curtis decides to act fast. She obtains a search warrant for Craig's house and begins coordinating with the major crimes unit to execute the search, find Dina, and more importantly, uncover Craig's body. As coordination is underway, Curtis sends a group of detectives and heads out to Dina's mother's residence. She needs to figure out why Dina is trying to harm herself.

Watch this, don't get stuck in here.

Hi Mary, I'm Detective Curtis with the Sheriff's Office in New Mexico.

Is it okay if I come in?

Sure.

I understand that these guys updated you on why we're all here.

Okay, we're hoping that maybe we could talk to you a little bit about

everything that's going on if that's all right. Did you tell her to take her?

Did Dina tell you why he wanted to take her? Did Dina tell you why she wanted to take her?

No.

No?

Did she have a method she was planning on using?

I don't know.

She didn't say none? I mean, she was a little depressed. Didn't expect it any of this. About how long has she been back here? She started coming back off and on. I think it was maybe, I'm not sure.

Dina's mother is visibly shaken by the thought of her daughter harming herself, but she can't explain why Dina would take such drastic action. Detective Curtis wraps up the interview and gathers possible addresses for Dina's acquaintances,

hotels, and hospitals where she might be. They need to find her before she can do something irreversible. Hours later, back in New Mexico, the major crimes unit is briefed and the coordination is in full effect.

Detective Curtis and Deputy Roger, along with a group of officers, make their way to the Thetford property, hoping to find at least one of the two alive. Sheriff's office!

Is there a code spot?

No. Let me check these other doors. No. This one's already been forced. It's already been what? Huh.

After circling around the exterior of the top floor, deputies discover one of the front doors is suspiciously unlocked, suggesting Dina may be somewhere inside. Officers decide to conduct an initial sweep for potential threats. Given Dina's violent past, her prison officer background, and the murder allegations hanging over her, deputies can't be too careful. One of the deputies has a code for the garage door downstairs, and that's where they decide to make their entry.

Through the garage!

That door's blocked.

Sheriff's office!

Clear.

It's locked.

It's locked.

Are there stairs there?

There's two doors to the left.

Two doors.

We're gonna open this.

Stairs? I got stairs. Closet? I'm gonna open this.

Stairs?

I got stairs. Closet?

Closet.

You got stairs?

If you want to, so there's another door on this other side.

You want to check that door and I'll go upstairs. Fuck.

I got another door.

I got another door.

I got another door.

Blue.

Blue. I'm good, Blue. You good?

Yep, back around.

After clearing the basement, officers spot Craig's safe that's supposedly holding $1.5 million in savings. A locksmith quickly gets to work on unlocking the safe, while deputies head upstairs to continue sweeping the house, where they'll soon find their first clues of foul play. Call clear.

Call clear.

I already checked the bedroom here and the bathroom and the closet.

As police finish sweeping the house, they begin to notice multiple clues that suggest a violent event and subsequent cleanup. Multiple bottles of bleach scattered throughout the house, a surveillance system that appears to have been physically disabled, and various areas showing signs of cleaning. But with no sign of Dina or Craig's body in the main house, deputies move outside to check the outbuildings, starting with Craig's man case. . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . Search warrant! Looks like you have an upstairs. Small room, got a door. Small room coming out.

Okay, small room. Light it up.

Clear. Let's have a look to see if there's any cameras.

I haven't seen any. There's cameras on the back side of this house. Yeah. Which is good.

If we find anything. I'm sure she destroyed it if there was any.

Is that dirt?

Or is that blood? Let me see. Let me see. Let me see. Let me see. Let me see.

Let me see. Let me see.

Let me see.

Let me see. Still, no human body or remains anywhere. In the meantime, back in the basement of the main house, the locksmith is seconds away from opening Craig's safe and confirming something Deputy Roger had suspected all along.

Let me get a photographer. Where do you guys want us?

Over here in that corner?

In that corner.

On camera. We can get out of here for a minute if you'd like. Where do you guys want us? Over here in that order? In that order.

On camera.

We can get out of here for a minute if you'd like. Nope, you're good.

Got your hammer?

I've got the pistol.

I have all of it. Holy smokes. Kimber is missing.

I don't want to destroy this.

I'm fine. I'm fine.

I'm fine. Looks know it's right here. It looks like it was 42.

4,200. Okay.

She missed it.

10,000, 4,200, 70,000.

84,200 is the right area.

The total amount Deputy Roger counts is far less than the $1.5 million Deanna had told him was inside just a few weeks ago. The missing money further supports investigators' speculations that Craig's been dead for a while and that his wife has been burning through his money. The area is vast, and if Craig had been buried somewhere beyond the property, finding him could take months or longer.

What officers don't yet realize is that Craig's body has been hidden in plain sight the entire

time.

As the search continues, a detective back at the police station gets a call from someone all too familiar with Dina, her daughter, Leslie. The last time the detective spoke with Leslie, she revealed startling allegations about her mother's behavior during the time they lived together. This time, however, Leslie has critical information to share. Details she and her siblings supposedly knew for a while, but she's the one who finally decided to talk.

Randy, it's Lizzie, and I have Leslie on the line. So I told her that I had kind of filled you in, but I was going to let you ask her any questions you might have.

OK. Hi, Leslie.

How are you this morning?

Oh, you know.

Hanging in there?

Yeah. Well good. So Leslie can you tell me what your mom told you?

It was just like everyone was being so weird and I knew something was going on but nobody would tell me anything. Well it's my first time she came she said she was gonna and then she came to see me one last time and she wanted to see my son, her grandson one last time and then she told me what happened.

What did she tell you happened?

That Craig pushed her down the stairs and she shot him and he fell into the pool room. She left him laying there on the floor for like a day, two days and a half and then she wrapped him up, I don't know, rug, plastic wrap and stuff and then she wrapped him up I don't know rug plastic wrap and stuff and then they tied that up with a tractor and they moved him with the tractor to the carport and there's two carports over there and I kind of have a feeling that he's probably in the one by the bunkhouse where he used to park

like underneath the tractor or like something parked on top of them like it might be like they might have dug like a little hole or something it's like that hidden in plain sight type of thing. So why do you think your mom called you? Well I was the last one to find out. My other siblings had already known for a long time. She said she wanted to like unburden herself. All my siblings and everybody was like acting so weird.

Then my sister was crying and everything. And she asked me to come to her house to see her. So I went to her house. And then after I got back from there, like everyone cut contact off with me. And I haven't talked to them since then.

And just like that, Leslie seemingly cracks the case, giving investigators the breakthrough they've been looking for. The deputies back at the residence are informed that Craig's body is hidden on the property. Based on Leslie's tip, they move to conduct a thorough search

of the detached metal carport west of the house, where investigators will discover that the truth has been hidden in plain sight all along. In the carport, next to the tractor, officers spot a large pile of cardboard boxes, rugs, soil bags, and other items stacked to hide something underneath. As they clear the pile, black plastic sheets become visible, and inside, they discover a human body concealed

beneath materials to hide the foul odor. After transporting the body for an autopsy, doctors estimate it has been deceased for weeks to months, consistent with a January killing. Three or four gunshot wounds are found on the left side, including one through the heart, classifying the death as homicide. After using fingerprints, the body is positively identified as Craig Thetford.

With this tragic discovery, an arrest warrant is officially issued for Dina, and multiple units in both New Mexico and Texas are informed to be on the lookout for her. A few hours into the search, officers in Texas receive information from Dina's mother, Mary. She tells them that Dina is at Red River Hospital. Officers quickly arrive at the hospital where they find Dina alive and unharmed. She's taken into custody without incident.

As she's transported to the station for questioning, Dina remains calm and cordial, almost as if she's been expecting this moment for months. Detective Curtis now has a body and, what she believes, enough evidence to pursue homicide charges. But there's one final question she doesn't have an answer to yet. Why was Craig truly killed? William Lindowsky, I'm the district attorney's office out of New Mexico.

Sorry.

I'm Detective Curtis with the Otero Police Sheriff's Office.

Yes.

You're standing.

What the fuck, dude?

Camera recording started.

So I'm sure you understand why we're all here?

Yes.

Did you get a copy of your arrest warrant yesterday?

No, I haven't gotten a copy of it.

And you picked up? Did you get a copy of your arrest warrant yesterday? No, I haven't gotten a copy of it. Okay.

Anything by anybody, anywhere. Okay.

And I'm just gonna tell you right now, I'm gonna need a lawyer.

Okay.

And that's as far as I wanna go. Okay. This is my plan because I don't know any better, any other way. I don't either, unfortunately.

They don't let me get very close. As fate would have it, Detective Curtis won't get the answer she hoped for, as Dina invokes her right to a lawyer, effectively ending the interview. Following this, Dina is booked into jail without bond for first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. And while the why of Craig's death remains unanswered, the investigation continues. In the following weeks, detectives and prosecutors gather their evidence and build a classic

circumstantial homicide case, alleging Dina intentionally shot Craig multiple times inside the house, moved and hid his body, lied repeatedly about his whereabouts, and looted shared assets. Prosecutors believe what they have will lead to a conviction, with the main open question being whether the jury finds first-degree murder or a lesser homicide charge. As of March 2026, Dina Thetford's case is still in the pretrial phase, and she remains innocent until proven guilty in court.

She faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years if convicted of first-degree murder or 18 years if convicted of second-degree murder, plus additional time for the tampering murder or 18 years if convicted of second-degree murder, plus additional time for the tampering charge.