we're still hoping that something will happen with vegas. >> a fresh charge might come up? >> a fresh charge might come up. another woman might speak up. >> dina's family has been proactive, appealing to the state parole board every time sandoval comes out for a hearing. saying do not release him! not this time, not ever! >> if tina was sitting here, don't we wish that she were. what would you tell are about all those years? >> i would tell her that i love her. and that we try the hardest. and that we are going to keep trying. justice is not wholly served yet. keep pushing. e. i'm craig melvin, and this why would a father drop off his daughter and disappear? is dateline! >> he loved his daughter. his daughter was his life.

>> it was a puzzle for police. why would a father drop off his daughter and disappear? >> i knew something was not right. >> then they found it. the diary that he recorded in secret. >> this whole thing is just getting absurd. >> and the clues came pouring out. blind, in the bushes. >> this was the hot spot? this was the crime scene? >> a stunner of a surveillance team. >> charles, rob. >> anything you might need for a murder! >> exactly. >> and what may just be. the most sinister mother daughter conversation that you have ever overheard. >> it's already in motion, you need to do your part. >> these are not the same people that the public thinks they are. >> you will realize how cold this family is. >> it's pretty twisted. >> very twisted. ♪ ♪ ♪ hello, and welcome to

dateline. stephen moore was a champion speedskater who was fast on the track was slow to find direction in life. that is, until he fell for kindergarten teacher, kathryn dorset. soon came a marriage, a career, and a baby. but would stephen disappeared, detectives wondered if there was a drop in his seemingly normal life. but even they could not have imagined the sinister scheme at the heart of this case. here is andrea canning with shattered bonds. >> 9-1-1 wears the emergency? >> there's a fire burning. >> it might be a car. >> you think it might be a car? >> as a hot, office nights turned in today. the car burst into flames. the sound woke up to neighbors in a quiet street on the jersey shore. no one knew how it happened, or

why. when those questions were finally answered, a bigger mystery unraveled. ♪ ♪ ♪ only four miles from their, but a world away was a closely cul-de-sac. where this family lived. everyone near the door sets, there was thomas busy with his wrist fridge ration business but not too busy to lend a hand. the wife leslie, a school board member. and the daughter, kathleen, a kindergarten teacher. kathleen loved her work, left her parents, and seemed happy nestled into the neighborhood where she grew up. but she longed for a family of her own. and then, she met stephen moore. ♪ ♪ ♪ could she have found someone more different? stephen grew up in southern california, killing at the beach. taking things easy. according to his friend, can graham. >> he never really held a job,

but he was always working. always finding something to do. >> steven's mom l.a. fill-in says her son was not lazy, just laid back. >> he got by, but he wasn't truly motivated. >> but if stephen was serious about anything, it was skating. >> we would go skating on the beach. >> his friend, missy, skated to. but it's not like stephen. he took the bronze at the national speedskating competition. >> he would encourage me to skate fast. he would be way ahead of me. >> when he was not skating, he was happy to go wherever, whenever. like when his mother, evelyn, a travel agent, invited him to see the world. he was 30 something, free, and loved his mom. so why not? >> he was adventurous. >> here i am, on the right. >> what countries did you take him to? >> we did most of the asia. most of europe.

south america. we have had a lot of interesting experiences, and have a lot of fun. >> eventually, evelyn decided to retire to the jersey shore. and she wanted steven to come to. she needed his help. so is loyal son grab the skates and the rest of the stuff and jumped into his car. >> it was packed. everything that he owned was in that car. it was funny. >> he knocked around for a few years and then one day in 2006, he met kathleen door set. >> i know she was a schoolteacher, and that she lived in jersey and that he was in love with her. it seemed like he had found the one. >> and of opposites attract, this set could not miss. kathleen gorsuch seemed as grounded as it gets, she had a house across the street from her folks. and she was great with children. as friends noticed when stephen

brought her out to california. >> they came down, and stayed awake with us. they took my kids out, took them shopping, bought some games for them and stuff like that. >> steven started taking life a little more seriously, he got a job at the local honda dealership and did really well according to his coworker and friend lloyd mccracken. >> absolutely, it's more like he was a team player. if you needed something you could always vent to him. >> kathleen was eager to start a family of her own, so about a year after they met, she and stephen got married. >> he could not believe that this was happening. he was so happy. >> so, there he was. stephen moore, solids tillerson with a steady job. the wife, and the nice in-laws across the street. >> finally settling down. got a family. besides taking care of his mother, he had someone else he could actually take care of. >> and kids could not come fast enough.

elizabeth was born a year and a half after the wedding. >> do you remember the day that she was born? >> oh my god, yeah. and i can remember standing at the nursery. and he stood there with his arms around me, crying. both of us looking at her. >> kathleen seaborne to be a mother. and stephen? >> all of a sudden it all came together for him. and his daughter made a man out of him. >> that should have been the beginning of a happy ending for stephen, and his wife kathleen. but in 2010, on a monday morning in office, steven did not show up for work. the guys at the honda called claflin, she had not seen him since early morning. >> i didn't see him, and he's usually there before me. he did not show up, i kept calling the phone. it kept going to voice mail. >> his wife, evelyn, had been taking a vacation in maine. maybe he had blown off work to go with her. he doubted it. >> when i found, i just said to

you know where her your son's? and she was like. no >> -- the honda folks waited a couple of hours and then called the police. the detectives had a missing persons investigation. >> noon on the 16th, we received a call from the employer expressing that he did not show up for work. >> police learned steven had loaned evelyn his own card to make the drive to maine because it was nowhere, and safer. he was driving his mom's car until she got back. >> maybe he drove somewhere and it is a bad car crash, and they do not know where he is. >> where was stephen moore? as police follow his trail, they got a glimpse of where he had been. but the question remained, where did he go? >> detectives pieced together the timeline of stephen sudden disappearance. and they uncover the first clues. coming up! a text from kathleen. >> where are you? everybody is looking for you.

>> a stop at the store. >> there was a transaction, a local quick check. >> where would he be? even investigators could not have imagined that. >> i've never had a case with so many twists and turns. >> when dateline continues! line continues i've never been healthier. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache,

shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. kiddo: mom, can i go to the movies? mommy: not now, sweetie. how are we ever going to find a car to fit our budget? daddy: and that fits all of us? kiddo: carvana! mommy: i don't want to spend more than 30k. kiddo: budget... daddy: i want something we can go camping in. kiddo: style. mommy: we like heated seats. daddy: and you like singing at stoplights kiddo: premium sound.. mommy & daddy: and we both need parking assist. kiddo: here. i'll meet you outside. bring your purse. daddy: carvana. our kid's a genius. mommy: how do we get it? kiddo: they deliver! daddy: all right, let's go. announcer: buy your car the easy way with carvana. this is how it feels to du more with less asthma... ...thanks to dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids.

imagine that. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. who knows what you can do when you du more with less asthma. ask your doctor about dupixent. the most prescribed biologic for asthma. after advil. feeling better? on top of the worlddddd!!! before advil. advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. when pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liqui-gels. nature's bounty hair growth. clinically shown to help grow thicker, fuller hair with just one capsule a day of advanced hair complex. conquer hair thinning...

...and fall in love with your hair all over again. only from nature's bounty. andrea canning: as the day wore on, steven's work friends grew more worried. a no-show at the dealership, he ♪ ♪ ♪ wasn't answering his phone. >> as the day wore on, stephens where friends grew more worried. a no-show at the dealership, he

wasn't answering his phone. detectives looking for him made that crash course in steven's life. they started with the family that he had married into. there was kathleen of course, dedicated teacher. attentive mother. the kind who made her own baby food and fretted over every detail of her daughters care. >> did you check into their standing in the community? >> i know what and who they were. so the fact that she was a teacher, and where they reside it. >> detective learned that thomas adored his granddaughter, and he got along with the neighbors to. >> we heard stories of thomas shoveling sidewalks, and driveways, and if there was a mechanical failure on an air conditioner something like that, simple phone call and thomas would be there. >> and steven's mother in law leslie? nearly everyone saw her campaign ads when she ran for the school board. >> today i wanted to introduce myself and tell you who i am and why am qualified to serve.

>> detectives also learned that the door sets, who often hosted barbecues on the block, often where visited. >> my parents lived on the corner right there, so right across the street. >> but when investigators talk to kathleen and her parents about where stephen might be, they were not much help. because, as it turns out, steven did not live there anymore. for steven and kathleen, wedded bliss did not last very long. detectives learned the marriage went downhill after the baby was born. kathleen, often driven, was a super mom. and made stephen feel like he could not do anything right. >> he wasn't holding the baby right. he wasn't changing the diapers right. he was not putting her down for a naps at the right time. >> just very protective of the child which is sometimes

mothers are like that at the beginning. >> so in love with her baby friends told police how kathleen hovered over her care. >> they say it's the hormones, and everything going on with her, and just relax and go with it a little bit and see what happens. >> but steven complained, and it did not get better. >> she wasn't showing him and they love anymore, and no intimacy, everything was gone. >> and there was another problem for stephen, that cozy life across the street from the in-laws had gotten to cozy. police learned that the doting grandparents could not stay away. >> they were just pop in, and announced, not even not just walk in the house at anytime. he felt that was kind of weird. >> investigators learned that stephen felt so smothered, that went was ten months old, he walked out on his wife and in laws, and move back in with his

mom. the divorce became final a few months before stephen disappeared. they had to wonder, maybe stephen just had to get away? >> it crosses my mind. sometimes you just want to disappear for a little bit and not talk to anybody, get your thoughts together and find out exactly what is going on. >> but that is not the vibe that investigators were getting. his mother said stephen did not sound that he wanted to get away. in fact, he sounded pretty happy the night before he disappeared. he was enjoying an overnight visit with 21 month old elizabeth. >> he said we are in our jammies, and we're watching cartoons. and i said sleep tight, i will talk to you tomorrow. >> the next morning he left the baby with kathleen. >> stephen showed up to her house at 7:45 am with their daughter. he drops them off. >> kathleen told investigators that she had not heard from him since. even when she sent him a text. >> what was the tech she sent him?

>> she showed me a photo that says where are you, everyone is looking for you. >> investigators ran through all the possibilities. >> did he have a girlfriend? >> not that where aware of. >> was he into anything bad? into drugs? anything that would get him into trouble? >> no, not that we are aware of. >> financial issues? >> no. >> but when police looked at his checking account, it showed something. two debit charges posted on monday afternoon. >> as out of that there was a transaction, at a local quick check on that day for $9. and then there was another transaction later on that day, at a chipotle in eatontown, which is the same town that he works in. >> this is after he dropped out daughter? >> correct. >> so what happened to stephen could have well happened later on monday. another day went by and know stephen. then, in the early morning hours of wednesday, august 18th, a 9-1-1 call came into dispatch. >> 9-1-1 what is your emergency? >> i'm finding the right words

to say [inaudible] >> a car fire had erupted in a section of long branch, new jersey. not far from the dorsetts, tidy, peaceful straight. the question, where was stephen moore was about to be answered! >> coming up! >> i was like, here we go. i had that intuition that it was going to be bad. and it was. >> a whole new mystery begins as police uncover a secret -- >> it's one of those homicide cases when you really want to get into that victims had and know exactly what is going on? stephen left it for us. >> a recording by steven himself. >> this whole thing is just getting absurd. >> when dateline continues! es

why are we the only birds heading this way? [ screams ] we're trying to get to jamaica.

stay close and... everything will be all right. i'm ok. i'm ok. andrea canning: the call went out just after 4:00 in the morning. a car had erupted in flames in long branch, new jersey. by the time detective al vega arrived on the scene, >> the call went out just after four in the morning. a car had erupted in flames in long, bridge keep new jersey. by the time detective al vega arrived on the scene, he had already gotten word that the car was at the lead more, the same one that stephen was driving when he disappeared. detective al vega had a bad feeling. >> i was like, here we go. i had that intuition, it's gonna be bad. and it was, during fire suppression efforts they found an identifiable human remains in the trunk.

>> reporter: it was the body of a man burned beyond recognition. but investigators could make out a tattoo identical to stevens. the missing persons case had just taken a tragic turn. stephen moore, devoted father and loving son. was that. detective jeff wilbert with the prosecutors office took charge. >> the vehicle was parked, and that's when we took on the homicide investigation. >> and it took a whole new direction? >> it did. >> did you have any theories of what might have happened? >> no, at that time we did not. >> one thing was clear, whoever had torch the car had started with the trunk, where the victim was. >> the rear bumper just completely melted off the vehicle. >> could you tell how the fire was started? >> one to open the truck, and once the body was removed there was definitely an obvious order of gasoline.

>> now that he had gone from missing person to murder victim, investigators had to look at everything in steven's life. >> we spent some time looking into steven's background. we learned that he was a competitive skit skater. >> but life is a skater turned up nothing. >> how was he doing at work? we learned that he was doing very well at work. >> so investigators took a another look at the brief marriage to kathleen. and learned how bad it really got. friends like missy thought kathleen had gone mad with motherhood, like the time steven tried to feed elisabeth the smidgen of sauerkraut. >> she screamed of him. you don't fade a baby sauerkraut! that's not baby food! >> stevens divorce attorney, veronica davis, said she had never seen anything like it. >> she gave him a schedule, a written schedule. an outline.

and she wanted him to fill in the banks. when did she a today, when did she nab, when did she go to the bathroom, how long did she sleep, and she would call even if he only had her for three hours. what are you doing? it was very disconcerting. it was disk functional. >> that dysfunction was seeping into steven's life at work. when mccracken was told that kathleen would bring the baby over just to humiliate him in front of his coworkers. >> i think out of spite she would bring the baby in. and he would try to pick up and hold the baby, and she would just take the baby out of his arms. and it became into a yelling match. and then she would storm out. >> i just felt like all she wanted out of me, it was the baby. basically a sperm donor, that's how he felt. >> investigators felt that even though the divorce was final, the custody battle was never enduring. steven fought for more time with his daughter.

but is mom it look like an uphill battle, he could not afford the endless litigation. >> her parents had more money than i did to help him. so he did not stand a chance. >> but his divorce attorney saw him toughen up. deciding when enough was enough. >> she was issuing all these effects. and that's when he came to me, panicked. and we did go into court immediately. >> so steven was pushing back, and investigators looking at the case took note. his friends and family believe that kathleen thought she had married a passive, go a long guy. but ended up with a man who would not roll over. >> he had overnight vinis, and stuff like that. she did not like that at all. because she could not control what was happening. >> detective wilburt, heard plenty of the custody battle from friends and family. but then discovered evidence both powerful and unique.

stephen had kept an audio diary. >> he was documenting all the issues going on between he and kathleen. >> stephen made this recording about three weeks before his murder. >> i am getting very tired of katy calling me at that questioning every move that i make. i am able to take care of our child, just as well as he can. >> one of those few homicide cases, when you really want to get into that victims had and know exactly what is going on? stephen left it for us. >> and it is always bs. and it is her way or no way. i just want to be able to spend time with my daughter with no bulk. >> investigators also heard stephen standing up for his rights. he recorded one exchange with kathleen, as he was picking up

the baby for a short visit. kathleen was planning to take elisabeth for a weekend trip out of state, against his wishes. >> are you still planning on going to florida? >> yeah. >> okay, i would like an itinerary. i would like to know who, where are you flying on? >> why? >> because it's my right. >> okay. >> and times. >> okay, we'll see. yeah, sure. i will get them to you. >> and when are you leaving? >> thursday, like i told you. >> okay, this is still not right. >> good for you, that it is not. right >> investigators could hear kathleen digging for stephen in front of their daughter. >> i know you don't want to go but it is what it is. it is whether there's, my princess. >> and what it was was ugly, and better. but a lot of custody fights are like that. and they do not and in murder. the mystery of who killed stephen moore was still a puzzle, but the pieces were about to come together. >> coming up!

>> she offered us food, a drink. >> police pay another visit to kathleen. >> i remember eating grapes with her and her kitchen, like everything was normal. >> and make a big discovery in the bushes. >> make sure the entire crime scene unit gets here as quick as possible. >> when dateline continues! ontinues and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. want the power of 5 serum benefits in 1? new olay super serum activates on skin to hydrate, smooth, visibly firm, brighten, and improve texture. it's my best skin yet. olay >> i am katie phang what the

hours top stories. nbc news is projecting a runoff victory for democrat wet mayer, over rashida jackson-lee in the houston mayoral race. what mayer as state senator will now really the fourth largest city in the united states. baseball superstar ohtani has signed a 700 million dollar deal with the l.a. dodgers, with the free agent deal in baseball history. he has a unique skill set of high level pitching and badgering. he will start with the dodgers next season. now back to dateline! now back to dateline! welcome back to dateline.

i'm craig melvin. police investigating the murder of stephen moore had uncovered a cache of clothes. recording stephen made that detailed his combative relationship with ex-wife, kathleen. but investigators had no physical evidence pointing to steven's killer. at least not yet. a gruesome discovery was about to give detectives his first big break. back to andrea canning with shattered bonds! >> reporter: kathleen dorsett and stephen moore seem to be at war over custody of her baby. so detectives where surprised to learn that the couple had agreed on something a couple months before stephen's disappearance. they were planning a move to get there. >> where they moving soon? >> they were. she said construction was ahead

of schedule, and they plan on moving in the next couple of weeks. >> the plan came together after kathleen announced she was taking the baby, and moving with her parents to florida. instead of fighting it, steven worked with his attorney to iron out an agreement. the dorsett could take her to florida if they took steven to. >> they would get an apartment, and he would only have to pay $600 a month towards the rant, and it would be in close proximity to where they lived, and that they would actually give him financial support until he got a job. >> with this agreement it's even think that things were turning around? was he okay with it? >> he was hopeful, he was willing to move to florida. >> steven's friend, cam, thought it was a bad idea. >> i immediately told him to not do, it i just wouldn't trust her. >> and in fact, investigators learned that the florida plan wasn't solving the problems between kathleen and stephen, the friend said that kathleen was criticizing him more than ever. so steven stopped answering his

phone, so he could save her voice mails, just keeping a record in case they needed it someday. >> we're following this schedule [inaudible] >> investigators heard the hostile relationship really reaching the boiling point. >> stephen left there for, as he left it for the team even leading up ten days prior to his death. he had his voice recording diary going, and it was very helpful. >> i don't care what you think, my way or the highway. >> as police considered the aathil problems between kathleen and stephen, another key piece of information came to light. the debit charges that had stevens account after he dropped the baby off? another check with the bank show stephen made those charges a few days before. here he is at a chipotle of few days after he disappeared. the charge he made didn't post on monday. >> stephen was last seen alive

in front of kathleen dorsett's house that monday morning. >> so, with all that information, investigators made a beeline back to kathleen dorsett in the cozy cul-de-sac. it came with an update from the medical examiner. >> the medical examiner ruled it as a homicide, traumatic blunt force trauma was the cause and i said do you have any questions? and she said, how am i supposed to respond to this? >> so come, it still was not clear where this line of questioning would lead, until another investigator pulled detective wilburt aside, he had been talking to the neighbors and they had a story to tell. >> on the morning of august 16th, they were both woken from their sleep after hearing screams. and in fact one of the neighbors actually looked out her window, her bedroom window, and she saw kathleen towards

the back of the house and the neighbor, she inquired are you okay? what is going on? and kathleen said close the window. >> screams on the morning stephen disappeared? later kathleen told the neighbors that it was the dog having a seizure. detective wilbur thought he might be standing at a crime scene. he asked kathleen if they could search her property. >> without hesitation she said, no, that's fine. >> the detective was struck by her nonchalant response, but wasted no time in telling his investigator. >> make sure the entire crime scene unit gets here as quick as possible. and while we were waiting for the crime scene unit to show up, she offered as food, a drink, the bathroom. i remember eating grapes with her in her kitchen. like everything was normal. >> kathleen also talked about her gardening efforts. they put in some new mulch to spruce up the yard for the upcoming open house. she said. >> it was odd, it was an area

of interest. >> it seemed like she was just trying to make small talk, but when the crime scene investigator showed up. it was one of the first places that they checked. >> one of the forensic detectives put on protective gloves. he had put his hand into the mulch and in fact came up with blood on the protective globe. >> not a few smatterings. lots of blood! and it tested human. >> police believe kathleen is involved in her ex husband's murder. but a clue caught on camera will turn the spotlight on a new suspect. >> coming up! the ex-wife makes a trip to the station. >> do you wish to? >> and then. >> this is such a moment for you? >> it's a breaking moment. >> a stunner on thin surveillance tape. >> it looks like a tarp, a rope, a four by four. >> everything you might need for a murder? >> yes. exactly. >> when dateline continues! for the chance at clear or almost clear skin.

it's like the feeling of finding your back... is back. or finding psoriasis can't deny the splendor of these thighs. once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. so clearly you. sotyktu. (vo) red lobster's new lobster & shrimp celebration ♪ ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin.

(vo) three lobster and shrimp entrees for a limited time. ♪ i've never been healthier. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. travel. there is nothing like it dancing is my passion. but with my moderate-to-severe eczema, it hasn't always been easy. i was constantly itching. whatever i was doing now, i'm staying ahead of my eczema there's a power inside all of us to live our passion. and dupixent works on the inside, to help heal your skin from within. it helps block a key source of inflammation

inside the body that can cause eczema. so, adults can have long lasting, clearer skin and fast itch relief serious allergic reactions can occur, that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pains, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. healing from within is a powerful thing. ask your eczema specialist how dupixent can help heal your skin from within. choose advil liqui-gels for faster, stronger and longer-lasting relief than tylenol rapid release gels because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. so for faster pain relief, advil the pain away.

andrea canning: some home improvement because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. had changed the landscape of the stephen moore murder investigation in ways no one saw coming. >> some home improvement had crime scene investigators found changed the landscape of the stephen moore murder investigation in ways no one saw coming. crime scene investigators found human blood around some new mulch at the home of kathleen dorsett. detective wilbur and brought kathleen down to the station and the chatty woman who just been serving him grapes just refused to talk. >> if you wish to -- >> okay. >> mark was the prosecutor assigned to the case. he had the blood along with the reports of screaming in the

morning stephen disappeared. and the bad history between kathleen and stephen. but he wanted to nail down the details of the case, so he let her leave the station. >> we do not charge her yet. and the reason for that is that we wanted to sit back and figure out, was there more to the story? >> two days later, they made a decision. with police cameras rolling, the investigation team went back to kathleen's home. >> i remember walking up to the door, knocking on the door, thomas had answered it and invited me in. i told kathleen that she was under arrest for the murder of stephen moore. she was handcuffed and she was quickly escorted from the residents. >> the neighbors watched flabbergasted as kathleen door said, teacher, devoted mother, and daughter of a nice respectable couple was arrested for the murder of stephen moore. her father, still standing in her house, was clearly devastated. who knows what triggered his next move.

very early the next morning, thomas store said drove to his attorney's office. >> he parked there and it looked like he was taking a nap. >> was he really taken a nap? >> no, when his attorney arrived shortly after eight i am, he pulled in, parked his vehicle next to thomas dorsett 's vehicle, and all of a sudden, panic set in. >> thomas wasn't sleeping. >> thomas had a tube hooked up to a 32 pound refrigerated canister and that it was in his mouth. >> police busted through's window and pulled him out. he was rushed to the hospital in a coma. >> suicide attempt? >> that's what it was. >> his daughter's arrest may have pushed him over the edge, but police suspected something other than despair caused to thomas to try to kill himself, like maybe guilt. >> detective wilbert remember something thomas did when they arrived to arrest his daughter. >> as soon as we entered into the residence, thomas doors that removed his wallet from his back pocket as if he was

going to turn it over, as if he was -- exactly, let me get rid of my property right now. >> he was gonna get arrested was what it looked like. >> right. >> but more than anything, the prosecutor focused on the cause of stephen's death, blunt force trauma and strangulation. >> what was the significance of the injuries? >> the significance of that led us to clearly know that this was something more than just kathleen being involved. >> the police still didn't have any hard evidence to connect thomas to the crime until -- >> there was a phone call that came in from a restaurant. >> this restaurant owner had some videotape, he said, that might be of interest to the investigators. >> we left the scene where thomas tried to commit suicide and immediately responded to the restaurant in long branch. >> there, they found the security video, recorded monday august 16th, the morning of stephen's disappearance. it shows two cars arrive in one after the other. the first car grabbed their

attention. it was evelyn moore's, the car stephen was driving before his death. and there, behind the wheel, we -- saw thomas door set drive-in adalynn moore's vehicle and kathleen door said following in her vehicle. >> this is such a moment for you. >> it's a breaking moment. >> evelyn morris car, what was thomas doing with it? the investigators were sure at the moment that the video was taken, stephen's body had to be in the trunk of that car. an hour later, tomas returned to the dumpster. this time, in his white van. >> it got better. thomas dorsett pulls back into that parking lot area. thomas is seen wearing protective gloves and discarding a number of items into the dumpster, which included garbin canned filled with items, a tarp, a rope, a four by four. >> everything you might need for a murder. >> yes, exactly. >> that puck thomas as well as

kathleen in the thick of the crime. [inaudible] to the monmouth county -- >> a plan was made for kathleen to have stephen to go down the driveway to go get some tours from the basement, and as he came down, thomas was standing behind him in a bush next to the driveway. and as he came down, he was struck right in the face. stephen was pleading all over that driveway, bleeding into the bushes. and we know that thomas takes a rope and he throws it out later and he uses that rope to extinguish any ounce of life that stephen had left. >> with kathleen and her father in jail, a court decided that kathleen's mother leslie wasn't

a fit guardian. so grandma evelyn, steven's mother, got the baby. in the end, the investigators believed kathleen and thomas killed steven because they wanted him away from the baby and out of their lives. >> if they had ever made it to florida, they have a backup plan for stephen? >> someone that got close with gasoline after the murder had told her that one of their plans was to feed stephen to the alligators down in florida. >> it's like it just keeps getting taken to a whole new level. >> it seemed like a slam dunk case, but as kathleen sat in jail awaiting trial, she didn't sound like a woman facing hard time. on the phone with her mother, she sounded oddly breezy, almost cheerful. >> how is dinner? >> very nice. we went to the place where luigi's funeral. was >> oh, okay. >> just the beginning of a conversation that caught a stranger and stranger. there is another crime brewing,

a whole new chapter in the tail of kathleen dorsett and her family. >> coming up -- >> how much can you come up with in cash? >> i told you. we >> just 1000, that's it? >> yes, that's all i have left. >> in underhanded plot and in undercover sting. >> -- >> they wanted to make it look like some kind of medication overdose. >> mother and daughter were in for a hit, just not the kind that they were expecting. when dateline continues. with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today.

after advil dual action back pain: yo. who. haha. [dog barks] what? my back feels better. [rewind sound] before advil: [grunts] oh. advil dual action back pain fights back pain two ways. for 8 hours of relief.

(car engine revs) (engine accelerating) (texting clicks) (tires squeal) (glass shattering) (loose gravel clanking)

andrea canning: four months after the death of stephen moore, kathleen dorsett and her father were in jail awaiting trial for his murder. >> four months after the death given all that, you'd think kathleen would of stephen moore, kathleen dorsett and her father were in jail awaiting trial for his murder. given all that, you think kathleen would have been wallowing and despair while she was sitting in jail. that's not how she sounded when she called her mother. >> how is the party? how is everybody? >> wonderful time. everybody send you their regards, laura specifically. >> oh, really? oh, good. >> they talked about the weather. >> yeah, we're only supposed to get four or six inches. >> and the cats. >> you know what those bratty cats knocked down? elizabeth's strawberry shortcake plate. and broke. it >> oh no! those little -- >> and i didn't think it could be broken. >> and gossiped about a friend's kids. >> yeah, she can't take of them

by themselves. >> -- and they also talked about money. kathleen, and inmate, suddenly needed a lot of cash. >> how much can you come up with in cash? >> i told you. >> just 1000, that's it? >> yes, that's all i have left. >> mother and daughter met in person after that. then, came this cagey call. >> what we discussed at the visit? >> yeah. >> it's kind of already in motion. you need to do your part. >> something was brewing. >> remember natural? >> write that her. the word, diabetic. that's it. and the original amount i told you in money, 1000. that's it. >> okay. >> zealot. someone will meet you there. it's not even gonna be someone you know. bècho >> that someone was this man. >> i'm sandy, i'm the guy. kathleen hired --

bruno >> evelyn moore, the grandmother who had custody of baby elizabeth. >> kathleen dorset had set up that i would meet the mother at the target in ocean township. >> so on the appointed day, elizabeth's grandmother, leslie, arrived at the target within envelope of cash in evelyn moore's address ready to put the hit on the other grandmother. there she is, looking for sammy. >> hello, what's happening? >> i. >> did she have the thousand dollars? >> she provided me a white envelop with $1,000 cash. >> how much is in here? >> 1000. >> cash? >> cash. >> 100, 200, three, four -- >> they also provided me evelyn moore's address on that envelope. >> how do you want this done? look like an accident? >> natural. >> natural? >> as possible. >> they wanted the murder to look like it was natural. >> natural, today have any suggestions? >> poisoning. >> so, like a poisoning or you tell me. >> she's a diabetic.

>> they told me that evelyn moore was a diabetic and they wanted to make it look like she either died in her sleep, some type of medication or photos, but certainly, they didn't want to brutal murder where they bring attention coming back to them. >> you would also asked for a photo, was that provided? >> it was not. she said that kathleen did not tell her to bring the photo. >> i told you to have one, doofus. >> i did, you did not. >> yes, i did. i told you to write the stuff on the back of the picture. that's what i told. you >> know. >> yes i did, yes i did, yes i did, yes i. did mother. >> so mother did as she was told. she got the picture of evelyn, got back in her car, and headed out to mail the photo to the hitmen. however, -- >> this it was never going to happen, was it? >> it was not. because i'm a detective from the prosecutors office. >> not a hitman sammy, but detective scott sam us. it turns out kathleen's cell mate tipped him off that kathleen wanted to put a hit on evelyn. the cell mate said kathleen was so angry evelyn had custody that she wanted to have evelyn

killed. so the cops were on to them from the start. >> lots of people don't like their mother-in-law. but murder? >> it was highly disturbing. to know and see what happened here. >> leslie was arrested with evelyn's picture in an envelope on the passenger seat. and now kathleen already charged with murder, was also charged with attempted murder. >> how shocking was it? how did you even find out that this plan was in motion of? >> to kill me? you're jeff will tell you. >> i said leslie's been arrested for a conspiracy to commit murder. >> she said, on who? i said, on you. leslie and kathleen that plotted to kill you. >> with the murder for hire plot revealed, the case against the family came together. so three years after stephen was killed, -- >> after stephen was convinced to retrieve his tools, i took my daughter into my house, knowing all the time my father was back there waiting to kill

him. bruno >> the family had a family reunion of sorts. and monmouth county superior court, the former schoolteacher pleaded guilty to those charges of murder and attempted murder. thomas, doting grandfather and good neighbor, pleaded guilty to murder and arson for hire. leslie, former school board member pleaded guilty to second degree conspiracy to commit murder. >> the goal was to kill evelyn. >> kathleen caught 58 years in prison. thomas got 45. and leslie was sentenced to seven years. she was released on parole after serving about half her time. brigitte thomas wrote a letter to dateline to say that stephen's murder was not planned. it was, he wrote, the first fight of my life, and katie was not involved. he also wrote that he and kathleen took the police to save my wife's life. >> the crazy thing about this is that it all centered around a child. and she so desperately wanted

to have this child. >> that's what she never thought about. she didn't realize at the end of the day, she was eliminating her own ability to be a mom. 80 >> did it feel like kathleen was the ringleader of everything that happened in this family? >> absolutely. definitely. she was running the show. it was her world and everybody else was just living in it. >> evelyn tried not to think about the easy to dorsett. she was grateful to the prosecution team that saved her son's life. >> scott had my back, literally. >> what's your nickname for him? yuck >> he's my hitman. oh my own private man. >> detective jeff wilbur had a special place in her heart. >> jeff, i couldn't love him more if he was my son he. that's really the way i feel. he >> mostly, she wanted to give her youngest son the credit she felt he deserved. >> what do you tell your

granddaughter about her father? what's the most important thing that she knows as she grows up. >> that he loved her. he that he's in heaven and he's looking down and he'll always be there, loving her. >> evelyn is gone now to. she died in 2021 at the age of 86. and elizabeth, she continued to live with family who wanted only the best for her. just as her father did before. >> how are you doing, the girl? hi there. oh, daddy loves you. daddy loves you. yes, he does. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. thank you for watching. >> i'm craig melvin and this is dateline. >> i ju k