by that time, going on 6:00 a.m., karen lange had been missing more than 12 hours.ally, the morning sun lit up the banks of the umatilla river. and.. >> the policemen called. he said we found your wife. >> reporter: she was found and alive. but what the policeman said next was terrifying. >> well, when he said we found your wife and she's alive, that was a great relief. but, he certainly made it sound like it was a tough, tough thing. >> reporter: oh, it was. karen had been struck from behind by some heavy, blunt object. her skull was crushed. the wound was massive. right away the detective called the chief on vacation in the mountains 5 hours away. and described the way they found her. >> did he think she was dead already? >> he thought she was dead. tremendous amount of blood. he indicates that he reaches for her wrist to see if she has a pulse, and her leg moves, and she gasps. >> reporter: but it didn't look like she'd be alive for long. the detective drove dan lange to the hospital. told him, prepare for the worst. as he arrived at the emergency room, dan ran i