york, and i'll see you tomorrow on msnbc from nevada on the eve of the republican caucus. for all of us here at nbc news, have a great night. what is going on? why are they calling for crime scene tape? i felt helpless. i started crying and screaming because i knew it was my worst

>> a beloved couple found murdered. >> it definitely seemed to be personal. >> their bodies found in their home along with a lifetime of curiosities. >> i remember seeing bayonets and cannonballs and all kinds of stuff. >> was there any connection between the memorabilia and the murder? >> did you ever wonder about that stuff there? >> it was time for police to start collecting suspects. >> who was going to benefit by these two deaths? >> jessica was the only child. >> the sole heir? >> the sole heir. >> was there someone else who stood to gain? >> it was by far the most important piece of evidence in the case. >> the clue that would reveal a mind blowing betrayal. >> i don't know how someone could have predicted this. >> but first, a very different kind of "dateline" mystery. one every family needs to see. >> she was a rare gem to have as a friend.

with her. >> a bright and beautiful teen invites a friend to sleep over. the next morning, she's dead. >> oh, my god, i don't feel a pulse. >> what in the world happened? how could this be? >> it turned out this was no ordinary slumber party. >> we know from their phones that this was a planned event. they had discussed it. >> stories surfacing of a dangerous experiment. >> the main purpose of having this involvement was to try it. >> an experiment that just might tempt other teens. >> we know it's entered our high school. >> why the clues in this mystery could save a life in your family. >> you have a lot of people watching "dateline." they need to talk to their kids. >> i'm lester holt. this is "dateline." here is kate snow with "one small dose." >> they're killing our kids. and we need to do something about it.

>> she was saying, "erin, your best friend died." and she kept yelling that over and over. >> reporter: and these teens found out about it the hard way. >> it is kind of made out to seem like one of those -- "you're not really gonna see it in your life" kind of drug. >> reporter: they're called synthetic drugs, and they are cheap, dangerous, easy to get, and often marketed specifically to young people. >> something this deadly in this small of a dose had entered our high school, not just our community, but our kids. >> reporter: you may not have heard of them, but law enforcement agencies across the country have, and they're sounding the alarm. >> it is a gamble every time. a kid gets a hold of one of these things, they're gambling. except they're gambling with their life. >> reporter: and there's no better way to understand that life-threatening gamble than the story of 17-year-old tara fitzgerald. >> oh, my god, she -- her lips are blue and -- and i don't -- i

i don't feel a pulse. >> reporter: it's a story no parent wants to hear, but this mom and dad feel compelled to share. >> it seemed surreal. unbelievable. unimaginable. >> reporter: tara fitzgerald was no typical teenager. at least that's what her closest friends say. >> she looked at the world so much deeper and with so much more meaning than anyone that i have met. >> reporter: most people were worried about prom dresses and she was worried about what kinds of things? >> she was very philosophical. she wanted to -- she wanted to know how the world worked and how the universe worked and how god worked. >> i'd consider her an old soul. >> such an old soul. >> yeah. [ laughter ] >> reporter: but tara also had a lighter, more carefree side. >> "quirky" is the key word when it comes to tara. 'cause she -- she did have kind of a different sense of humor,

everyone laugh. >> she liked to make faces. and her and her friends would just act goofy sometimes and they -- they enjoyed that. lived with her parents, tom and mai, and her little sister in the quiet suburban city of woodbury, mi cities. >> tara was a really energetic kid from a very young age.ording to her dad, she was a bit of a daredevil. >> yes, i got it.do skateboarding and the climbing walls. she'd do the -- tubing. >> reporter: on the back of a boat? >> yeah, on the back of the boat. n. and -- she would just be a >> she liked going and -- and just kind of taking risks and stuff. her family and friends agree, tara's greatest passions were drawing and music. >> she had a pretty decent sized basement.y music down there a lot.

there and jam. just did it. i just did it. >> she was playing guitar a lot, and she was getting into music. a lot of the classic '70s stuff,yrd skynyrd. huge, huge -- huge oasis fan. >> reporter: yet, none of that got in the way of school. says tara was a bright honor roll student who loved to learn. >> she would read books -- four once. and she was sitting eating dinner, and, you know, reading book at the same time. >> reporter: you'd have to tell book away from the table? >> yeah, right. but a lot of times, like, how could you yell at a kid when they read a book? >> yeah. >> rep >> yes, she was a smart kid. science just came easily for her. >> reporter: and when she aced her a.c.t college admissions ver the moon. >> she loved to rub it in and brag. >> i'm pretty sure she texted me in all capital letters, like, throughout our whole conversation, "oh my gosh, look what i got.

>> reporter: it was january 10, 2014, and to celebrate her score tara asked if she could have a friday night sleepover. >> at that time i was so happy. >> reporter: can't turn her down.h, i can't turn her down. so i say, "sure." >> reporter: and the girl that came over was somebody you knew? >> you know, we didn't know her as well as -- as -- her clo -- s. but tara knew her pretty well. and they would just sit there and watch scary movies or whatever and chat and talk. >> it made me feel very secure knowing that they were in -- in the lower level of our home and hanging out together where they had some space from us and yet they're safe.r: but there was something some of tara's friends knew, that her parents didn't. tara was planning to experiment with lsd. >> the main purpose of having the sleepover was to try it. to try the drug. >> reporter: to try lsd? >> reporter: tara's friends say their group, including tara, didn't usually drink or do

going to parties and drugs and alcohol wasn't really something that was like her. >> reporter: but still, this was high school, and they weren't that tara wanted to try something illegal. >> i told her, "that's a stupid idea." >> reporter: and you left it at that? >> yeah.dn't really wanna be talked out of it. >> i think everyone kinda knew it was kind of a bucket list type thing for her. i mean, she was really into the beatles and they obviously talk of thing in their songs. >> reporter: that weekend started like so many for teenagers. r their friday night sleepover and the two girls spent the night doing their own thing in the basement. >> i could hear the girls down there laughing. didn't want to go down there and talk to them. and i just wanted to leave them alone. >> reporter: invade their privacy? >> yeah. >> reporter: the next morning the girls sleep in and quietly left the house for a basketball game with tara's little sister. s fine at the house, until they got a frantic call.

of the friend who'd slept over.d said that she was at our house and that they couldn't wake tara up. >> reporter: they couldn't wake her up? >> right. and then, she said, she -- something about, "i think aken some -- some drug or something." and i was, like, "what? you can't wake her up?" i said, "call 911."diately got off the phone and grabbed mai and we shot out the door to go for home.gs? they couldn't fathom it. but tara's parents, as well as their whole community, were about to get an unwelcome >> i never would've thought that she'd take anything. million years. >> what exactly had happened to tara? investigators were about to isturbing clues. >> we know from their phones that this was a planned event. they had discussed it. they took pictures.

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he sun rose on a cold, midwestern morning and tom and mai fitzgerald were facing the >> what in the world happened?this be? >> they were at an early morning basketball game with their hen they got a terrifying phone call from a fellow parent who was at their home. she said their 17 old daughter, unresponsive in the basement. tom told her to call 9-1-1. >> oh my god she, her lips are and i don't. i don't feel a pulse.

>> you don't feel a pulse? >> correct. >> okay. umm, try to shake her and shout-- 'are you okay?' does she respond? >> are --okay. >> are you alright tara? are you okay sweetie? nothing. nothing. >> tara are you okay? >> tom and mai raced home to surrounded. >> just a lot of cops car and ambulance. i was prayin'.nd the paramedics were working on her, trying to get her to breathe. i talked to her.know, sayin', "please tara. you know, come back," and tryin' to encourage her. >> they put her in the ambulance, took her to the hospital. >> then i went.onsolable, so i had to just leave. i-- i went by myself and i drove to the hospital. so i was in-- i was in there nd the doctors >> doctors worked tirelessly for almost half an hour to save

>> they just told me that-- "it wasn't gonna happen," so they were gonna stop their efforts. yeah, i don't know. i was in shock i went and laid on her and cried it seemed surreal. unbelievable. >> it's a terrible story to hear. you never thought it could happen. >> not in a million years. >> you never think that would happen. and so, when it happens, you don'o. >> tara's friends knew she was planning to take l-s-d that night. but it never occurred to them that she could die. >> she assured me, "it's not dangerous."'t know anything about it. and so i assumed that she must be doing her research on it. >> mai called them to break the news. really hysterical.

friend died."ling that over and over. >> oh, my god. what did you do? >> i was just so shocked. and it was-- it was, like, so hard to process, like, what that meant. you kidding?" because it didn't feel real yet. um. but then it was like everything kind of hit at once. and it was apart. >> investigators were surprised too -- but by something else. commander brian mueller is the l drug task force. when he heard tara overdosed on d up. >> we don't see that with-- lsd-related drugs. >> lsd--also known as acid---was research chemist back in the 30s and has been studied for decades. much is known about its effects. ience, he knows lsd can trigger deadly behavior. >> somebody jumps out a window or acts out because of the lsd? >> absolutely. yeah.emselves or gets in a

window. >> but the drug itself is not usually deadly. >> an lsd overdose typically en in our experience. and so, our concern at that time is immediately what was ingested, you know, was that theth and is there anymore out there? >> even tara's grief stricken father was perplexed."acid," i thought i had never heard about anybody overdosing from acid. so it seemed really peculiar. i mean this is some of the running through my mind. >> and another question -- if tara and her friend both took the drug, why did one girl live her die? michelle frascone was the lead detective. >> how do you explain that? >> terrifying.something we had to look at. why do we have one that's able to communicate with us a few hours later, sittin' in an interview room, and we have one

our first thing was to talk to the friend, who provided us quite a bit of information from that evening, at least a decen we did phone forensics immediately. >> what did that tell you about what happened after midnight? >> we know from their phones that this was a planned event.ed it. they took pictures. >> this is a photo of tara, taken just moments after she took the drug. and that's what an actual l-s-d it was unclear to detectives whether those are two tabs or one tab that came apart.son they had selected the night of the 10th was because tara's parents were gonna be gone in the morning for a sporting event for her sister. and, so, this was gonna give to recover. >> tara and her friend had planned it all out, even arranging to have another friend on standby to call, in case went wrong. and as teenagers do, they had their phones out -- taking photos and videos.

taken that night. the video showed investigators how the night went from a fun, giggly high -- >> how do you feel tara? >> mm.o this -- tara lying unresponsive on the basement floor.us trouble, but her friend never woke tara's parents who were right upstairs, but she did call the friend who'd agreed to help in an emergency -- and she sped right over -- >> it sounds like she comes in . something's not right with tara. she's not communicating anymore. she's not talking to 'em.sitter who comes says, "i sit with her on the floor. i, you know, rub her hair. i just hope it's all gonna go away.e stay? >> she stays for a bit of time. and ultimately says the reason for leaving is, well, one, she home. but secondly, she just-- it was too freaky.

>> yeah. didn't wanna have to deal with it.eeping over wrote this heartbreaking note towards the end of the night. >> dear tara, this is the worst night of our life.ll isn't over. love, the friend." >> how do the friends explain not calling for help? what did they say to you? >> they simply say they didn't wanna get in trouble. their parents to be upset or disappointed. these were a honor roll students. >> and they thought they could wait it out? >> right.eenagers didn't think l-s-d was all that dangerous, let alone deadly. >> she assumed that it was and she must have read somewhere that you-- you can't overdose on genuine lsd.were thinking along those same lines -- it couldn't have been l-s-d. tara had to have taken something >> we have to figure out where it came from, what it is, is it illegal.

mystery to soldrug to track down. >> coming up -- investigators also want to find out who gave tara got the drug now they, and her family, are in for a huge surprise. >> i was like, "what the-- are you kidding me?ere? how can this be?" >> when "dateline" continues. i'm not peeking my flight.ait, i missed my flight. owl photos. desert photos. photos of... dolphins! a high-stepping man. pizza gifs. it's all faster with 3d touch on iphone 6s. atcha doin? just prepping for my boss' party in a couple weeks. what are those? crest whitestrips. they whiten way better than paste. crest 3d white whitestrips...er than the leading whitening toothpaste. i'd say... ...someone's making

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>> reporter: the woodbury, was

dose of a drug killed 17-year-old tara fitzgerald. was taking lsd but the local drug task force team suspected she'd taken something else. >> we're pretty sure it's some c drug, either that we've heard about or don't know about. >> a synthetic drug? >> yes. >> reporter: the term synthetic rs to a new class of narcotics developed in just the last seven years. they are made from chemicals that can be unpredictable and mes sold masquerading as other better known drugs. tara's case was the first time police in this suburb were th a synthetic drug death. and tara's friends say they knew little, if anything about this new class of drugs. health class, which all high schoolers are required to take, they do speak of synthetic drugs. but it is kind of made out to those you're not really gonna see it in your

>> are there lots of drugs in >> it was casual to hear about marijuana and alcohol in our grade or in our high school. but then you get up into the gerous drugs, we wouldn't hear -- really hear about that. >> so at parties, would people be -- they'd be smoking pot, right? >> yeah. it was-- >> drinking? >> uh-huh.g more than that? >> no. if people were going to do anything more than that it usually would have been something that was a little bit more private. >> we were -- absolutely our biggest fear as a police department and as a community, as that -- something this deadly entered our high school, not just our community, but our kids. >> reporter: investigators' first priority was locating the g them off the street. that meant finding the person who sold them to tara. her text messages pointed to one name. >> so, you're able right away to figure out, here's the person that-- >> here's the next person. yup. tara? and who was that?

>> brian was completely unknown to us.an was a high school junior, honors student, football player and a close of friend of tara's. >> never been in trouble before? >> never been in trouble. in trouble before. >> reporter: yet somehow, brian was mixed up in a drug deal. text messages told police he'd for ten dollars each. so, you need to find brian right away? >> we need to find brian. >> reporter: it was saturday -- just hours after tara died -- and her friends were gathered at her home. >> i remember walking in and e couch and hearing her scream. and the atmosphere was just ne was absolutely heartbroken. >> reporter: two of tara's friends knew that brian sold herted him to meet. but they didn't know police were looking for him too.

drove and we met up with him on the street and just went into his car to tell him what had happened.guys are walking from up there, right? >> uh-huh. >> and brian is driving a car. >> yeah brian drove up to here. >> yeah. m that way. >> reporter: sitting in the car, they told brian what happened. >> i mean he had to deal with ng his friend on top of thinking, i gave her that drug. so i think it was so much for him to take in all at once so we just kind of all sat in silence. ce was broken when a car pulled up -- and someone approached the window. it was the police. >> what happens? tells brian to get out of the car, erin? >> tells brian to get out of the so then we all stepped out of the car. another officer asked jessie and i to put our hands in the back of the car. they took our information and took our phones cause everything.ll phones? >> yeah. >> so you're watching brian be handcuffed? >> yeah.

station, brian admitted right he had supplied the drugs to tara... and he was clearly distraught... >> i didn't want to kill her. to kill her? >> no! >> was brian a drug user, a drug dealer? was this something he did regularly? >> not that we believe. >> reporter: brian said the drug deal was a one-time thing.one as a favor for his friend tara. >> do you know what kind of drug it was? >> yup. >> what was it? >> lsd. >> okay.ly lsd, as far as you know, or is it somethin' else? >> i'm fairly positive it is. >> ok. >> reporter: brian was reluctantgot it. but eventually he gave police a name. >> who is alistair berg? >> reporter: officers went right out to find him. they questioned alistair at his home where he confessed to s, but said he was no drug dealer

he said he bought the drugs from hool student - sydney johnson. >> this is becoming even more concerning for law enforcement. because we have not made it out ol yet. >> who are these kids that we're talking about? >> they're good kids. they've never been in trouble with the law.en in trouble at school. for the majority of them, straight a's honor society, honor roll kids.r: and now they were all in serious trouble. tara's parents were stunned when they heard where the police investigation was going.hat the -- are you kidding me? brian norlander was the one that gave this to her? how -- what is going on here? how can this be?rld is being-- >> turned upside down. >> -- shaken? >> turned upside down completely. i-- he would be the last person in the world that i would've hat she would've gotten something from. >> responsible kid? >> very responsible, very good influence. >> and he -- he is smart kid. >> reporter: it was that third om the high school -

the next important piece of information. number of a local dealer. he had a girlfriend who went to woodbury high. >> cole is the lead we've been waiting for.. we have a drug dealer. we have the connection to the high school. we have the statements up to cole.r: the next day, 18-year-old cole matenaer was arrested with more than thirty doses of the same drug tara took. ready to be sold.more of the stuff. he's peddling it. he's selling it. >> not only does he have more ofs more of the stuff knowing that someone has already died in our community. >> reporter: detectives later his attorney, and cole confirmed what authorities already suspected. he was lying to his clients, drugs were lsd because he knew they wouldn't want synthetics.

that stuff. they think it's, it's bad, you know? >> reporter: police were about to find out exactly what killed ta that it was a problem that went way beyond their quiet suburb. up. many synthetic drugs are packaged to seem completely harmless. but -- >> they're not regulated, they're not consistent, they're

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er weeks of speculation, woodbury police finally confirmed that the drug 17-year-old tara fitzgerald had taken was really a deadly >> people are generally just

>> yeah, everyone just --i go buy acid. >> reporter: cole matanaer was the local dealer who supplied the drugs to students at woodbury high.olice the tabs he was selling as l-s-d were ic drug called 2-5-i. >> because people don't like that stuff. they think it's -- they know it's bad, you know? >> but you know it's 2-5-i. >> yeah. ever heard of it before? >> never. we had never dealt with it before. >> reporter: 2-5-i is a new hat was only made illegal in the u.s. two months before tara died. it can cause hallucinations, like lsd. but in tara's case it also led s, respiratory distress and ultimately cardiac arrest. it sometimes goes by the street omb" or "smiles." and detectives were about to show us the doses they'd seized

>> this is the size of that.- that's the drug? on that little --of paper? >> it's smaller than my pinky fingernail. >> reporter: typically packaged in tiny pieces of tinfoil, it almost looks like trash. but inside, the drugs investigators have to handle them with gloves. >> the reason that -- detective frascone and i are wearing gloves is if you touch that you could absorb that and become -- that -- th >> the drug could get in your system? >> could affect you just simply by absorption. >> reporter: and when you take a closer look, it's easy to see how some tabs could be stronger s. >> there's no way of knowing the amount of drug on this tab here, and this individual tab here. >> they all look different. >> how would they're getting? >> that is the biggest problem and our biggest concern is that this whole process is so unscientific. >> reporter: it's a problem national concern as well. across the country, the drug enforcement administration has seen an increased number of synthetic drug

we paid a visit to a nondescriptunder intense security. it's the dea's research and testing lab where we met with rvisory chemist, jill head. >> are we still in the midst of a growing epidemic when it comes to synthetics?hat we are. >> reporter: this dea lab has analyzed and identified more than four hundred different types of synthetic drugs seized in the u.s. most of these chemicals have oneg in common, they've been manufactured for the sole purpose of creating a cheap, recreational high. this one is the base chemical ingested. >> in this vial is 2-5-i. >> is it just a powder? >> it is a powder. >> reporter: when dissolved into5-i is soaked or eye dropped onto perforated paper to create doses that look just like lsd tabs.s very similar to lsd. it's dosed in levels that are

>> is it chemically like lsd? >> lsd. >> reporter: a drop of 2-5-i is n a drop of lsd. and if you apply too much, a single dose can be fatal. >> it's like russian roulette. you don't know until it's too late.hat's in it or what effect it's going to have, and it really just takes one time to have very serious effects.eporter: these new chemicals are turned into drugs that come in all different forms -- powders, pills, crystals, even liquids.by dealers. but there's another, even easier way that kids get their hands on synthetic drugs. stores or head shops in packages like these, designed to make them look harmless. contain any dea-banned substances." statements like these are -- are very misleading. >> even though they're in flashy

they're not consistent. they're not safe. they're not tested. dea has even found problems with what's sometimes called synthetic marijuana. it looks like pot and is n headshops, but is nothing like the marijuana that's been legalized in some states. been coated or sprayed with a synthetic drug, making it much more potent and potentially deadly. a combination of plant material that has been dosed with a drug. >> and somebody would roll that and smoke it?ght. >> reporter: but one of the scariest things about all these synthetic drugs is where they're coming from, and how difficult e flow into the united states. >> how easy is it for someone here in america to -- to buy these chemicals?remely easy. a couple clicks and it's on its

>> reporter: coming up -- all-too tempting to kids. why dealers love them, too -- so investment in these chemicals, you can probably make about a quarter of a million dollars on the street. >> that's a huge return on investment.rkup. >> reporter: when dateline continues. continues. how do you eat healthier, while you enjoy life and lose weight? now you can do it all with one simple plan.tpoints from weight watchers. our most advanced plan ever.

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local stations matter. le local officials were chasing down the source of a deadly synthetic drug in this town near minneapolis,nforcement administration has been doing the same on a national level. >> you're talking about a multi-million dollar industry in the united states. >> the administrator in charge of the d-e-a. >> but you're talking about an industry that's killing our kids. .a. says the synthetic drug problem in the u.s. originates far outside our

>> the chemicals come from abroad.ssed or assembled and packaged here. but the chemicals are coming from overseas.t of these chemicals coming from china? is that fair to say? >> most of it's coming from china. >> reporter: in china for the perfectly legal to manufacture and sell most synthetic chemicals. in fact, over the last seven years, the china pipeline, as made so many of these chemical compounds, it's created a whole new world of drug dealing. a dealers rarely meet. and where drug buys take place online. >> how easy is it for someone here in america to buy these chemicals? >> too easy.easy. somebody sits down at their keyboard, orders it over the internet, and it shows up in a *r( r* shows up in a package.nably savvy in the way they package it and you can only imagine how many packages are, transiting our borders every single day. you're talking about millions

packages. finding the one with the bad stuff in it, that's hard to do. finding a website that's willing to sell and ship these chemicals straight to your doorstep, sy. >> my producer found several websites where you can pretty easily buy and import a kilo -- few pounds, right? >> 2.2 pounds. >> 2.2 pounds. so if she can do it, can anyone do it? do it legally. but yes. if she can do it, anyone can do >> we didn't, by the way. >> oh, i'm glad to hear that. i would prefer that you not. >> reporter: this is video shot inside an actual lab in china manufactured. and for those willing to break the law and have them shipped to the u.s., dealing synthetic drugs can be easier and cheaper than dealing drugs like meth and lsd.ls are sold ready made. required.

can reap enormous profits. of the chemical is needed for one dose, so a kilo goes a long way. >> somebody who knows this n that into 6,500 or so foil packets for resale.a $1,500 or so investment -- in these chemicals, you can probably make about a quarter of a million dollars on the street. >> that's a huge return on investment.rkup. they're in it to make money. and they don't care whose life they take. >> it is -- a gamble every time. a kid gets a hold of one of ey're gambling. except they're gambling with their life. >> because it's so inconsistent? >> absolutely, right.go buy the same thing on the same day in the same place and nothing happens to you, and i end up dead. >> reporter: that was apparently tara's case. the tabs she and her friend took were haphazardly made.

deadly dose.high level of this -- this drug. >> had you ever heard of-- >> never heard of it. and i'm sure tara hadn't either, they thought they were taking something completely different than what they were. >> what did you know about synthetic drugs before this? >> nothing. the trafficking of synthetics can be tough to prosecute. because as soon as the federal chemical compound illegal, foreign labs alter its molecular structure. producing a similar version ially banned. >> the formulas are being tweaked all the time. and that's a problem, right. so there is some degree of playing catch-up. whack-a-mole where you whack one and then something else pops up? >> it's not a bad analogy. detectives had identified four local people, three high school students and a dealer who were involved in the drug sales that leand after months of digging,

supplier. 19-year-old alexander claussen.ght with more than 300 doses of 2-5-i. >> alex you have a right to remain silent. can and will be used against you in a court of law. >> reporter: the drugs were seized and the entire in involved in tara's death was finally shut down. just one final question loomed. what would happen to tara's classmates?ho expected to be going off to college soon, not prison? >> religiously i want to forgive everybody.as a parent, let me tell you, it's harder. it's very hard. >> reporter: coming up. the stakes are about to go up. tara's classmates may be charged with no less than homicide. >> if you sell a substance that leads to death, you're guilty of murder. for tara's parents?

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lesson they never asked for, one that came too late to save tara drug overdose. >> we're not taught how dangerous it really is and how unstable the chemicals can be.s don't know how deadly these drugs are. there's not enough information that's being pushed out to the public. you hear a lot about things like cocaine and meth. but -- something like these synthetics is far deadlier in

>> reporter: prosecutors st synthetic drug death in woodbury now had five defendants, including 3 high school students.ults, who knew they were selling 2-5-i and profited from the drugs, were charged not with drug sales, but with murder. >> why homicide?esota, there's murder in the 3rd degree. it's a pretty open statute that a substance, a schedule one or two substance, that leads to the death you're . >> reporter: both adults pleaded guilty to 3rd-degree murder. the main supplier, alexander claussen, was years in prison, while cole matenaer got a year in county jail and 15 years probation.e to prosecuting the three students, there were more difficult decisions to be

these teenagers had never been e and seemed to have promising futures. but like the adults, they too facing murder charges. county attorney pete orputt. >> i don't want to scare kids. bullies scare people. i just let them know if you do this, you can expect justice. firm about it. >> so when investigators said they were going to throw the book at these kids? >> yeah, i was for it.e for it? >> i was for it. yes, absolutely. yeah, they make mistakes. so from that aspect of it, i can understand both sides.ring part of it is that i am tara's dad, and they made a mistake that killed my daughter. they have to take responsibility for that., it never came to that. inside the county attorney's office, negotiations got l three teens reached plea agreements. they pleaded guilty to drug sale charges in juvenile court and o a combination of parole, fines and one weekend

>> you end up negotiating a pretty creative deal for the l students. >> i think so. >> why'd you do that? >> because we try to be fair. they weren't the ones making ng it. this seemed like a one-time deal. i don't want them to suffer. have some guilt about what they did. it can't be free. >> reporter: mai and tom were disappointed with the more lenient plea deals the teens negotiated.? >> no, not by a long shot for me. no, it's not. >> tara's parents would say it wasn't enough. not flip about it. we put a good deal of time into going, "are we being too tough? are we being tough enough?"d they were fair resolutions in the end. >> reporter: tom went to all five sentencing hearings and looked each defendant in the eye.ted to read a statement to them and -- and show them what this loss has meant to the

this is who tara was and what s. she meant everything, everything to us along with her younger sister.r, a piece of our h -- soul is gone. >> it was heart wrenching to hear him talk about his daughter that he doesn't get to see any more.difficult to watch him and see all the emotion. >> reporter: since tara's death and with the publicity surrounding her case, have not seen another synthetic drug overdose. >> i think it's definitely caused a deterrent. it in the high school like we were with this case. >> reporter: on the national level, the d-e-a increased efforts to shut down synthetic in just the last three years, operation project synergy has ,000 pounds of synthetic drugs and made more >> did we get it all? of course, not.

thing to do. but we got a bunch of it. and we got some stuff off the streets.ume that we -- in the process, saved some lives. >> reporter: and last october, after years of international pressure, china made it illegal nd sell more than 100 synthetic drug chemicals, including 2-5-i. >> that was a great step. is it enough?ot enough. we need to do a lot more, them, us, everybody. >> reporter: and at home, ne suggests parents start respecting their kids' privacy a little less and start snooping around a lot more.eir stuff. search their stuff. >> that's hard, though. >> it is -- it is hard. there's -- >> it's hard. privacy? they're teenagers. >> there is an element of privacy with teenagers. however, you don't want me showing up at your door.e is an upset kid and you know what they're doing or them being in a casket, i guess i'd choose the upset kid.

downstairs. because i would've probably omething off with those girls, but i didn't because i didn't want to infringe on their space. >> reporter: tom and mai's that other parents will learn from their loss and become more aware of the risks. >> we all feel immune to drugs because our kids are better than that, they know better. o this. they're going to be smarter, and it's not going to happen to us. >> reporter: tara's friends are in college now and think of her often.with the investigation behind them, people will remember tara not just for the t as they do. >> i want people to remember how spunky she was. >> she was a rare gem, to have as a friend. been with her. >> i want people to know that she was smart, and she had a future.

w, an all new "dateline" mystery. this one also begins in a quiet neighborhood stunned by sudden tragedy.l. >> i was reeling from shock that my parents were gone. >> a devoted couple killed in hey shared with a museum's worth of collectibles. >> he was big into the civil war. guns, coins of all kinds.onnection between the memorabilia and the murder? >> who was going to benefit from these deaths?e only child. >> the sole heir? >> the sole heir.ong the treasures, a clue pointing to a most surprising and calculating killer.