in 1988, debbie loveless and her two daughters from a previous marriage, amy and april, moved in with john miller. he, too, was divorced and worked in the construction industry. >> my marriage with john was good. he was a very good man. took care of me and the kids real well, and we had a happy home life. >> we had a lot of fun together, the children. we did a lot of things with the children. we didn't leave them home when we went somewheres. we took them with us. and had a family -- a very close-knit family, really. >> john, debbie, and the two girls moved onto a five acre farm just a few miles outside of town. it was complete with a house, barn, horses, and family pets. and for the children, freedom to roam and play among the beauties of nature. 4-year-old april loved living on a farm. >> she loved to play outside. she loved, you know, being outside. she liked to climb trees a lot, so i had a time keeping her out of trees. >> she was just bubbly. i mean, she was just full of life. she just got into everything. she was always running. i don't think she knew how to walk. she just ran