05x10 - The Blood Trail

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

Narrator: a scene of carnage outside a hotel...

Cox: I noticed a large amount of blood

Pooled on the parking lot.

It's evident something very bad has happened.

Nash: I had nightmares about it.

It was just beyond my comprehension.

Narrator: detectives are baffled...

There is no clear indication on who was responsible.

Narrator: ...and turn to surveillance video to crack the case.

We had a camera that potentially caught the whole incident.

Narrator: shocking footage...

What's disturbing is you can see the stain on his cheek.

Narrator: ...leads to a trail of bodies...

Will: eight homicides over a 4-day period --

That makes it a spree k*lling.

Narrator: detectives must track down their k*ller...

Will: it was just a matter of time

Before he would find another victim.

Narrator: ...before he strikes again.

Who's going to be next?

♪♪

♪♪

--Captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by discovery communications

♪♪

Narrator: festus, missouri, june 29, 2008.

Jill and tom estes are in town

For their niece's graduation party.

Nearly ready?

We got to leave in 5.

Nearly there.

-Wow... -What do you think?

...look at you. Oh.

The high-school sweethearts live 300 miles away in arkansas.

...we haven't seen in years.

Nash: they were so close, such a happy couple.

They were always traveling together,

Going out of town on trips.

Ooh. We're going to...

Narrator: with their children grown up,

Their two dogs now accompany them wherever they go.

-Come on. -Let's go.

Come on, buddy. Come on. -Let's go.

Nash: their dogs, they went everywhere with them.

I'm surprised she didn't bring them to school with her

Because she just loved those dogs.

Okay. Let's go. Let's go.

Narrator: back in arkansas, jill is a much-loved teaching assistant,

While husband tom is a mechanic for a railway company.

They knew where to go if they needed help.

If they couldn't fix something, they'd go to tom.

♪♪

Narrator: later that evening, the comfort inn receptionist notices

Two dogs wandering around outside.

They appear to be unattended and have blood on their fur.

Ugh.

Fearing the dogs are wounded and lost,

The receptionist dials 911.

There's two dogs here. They don't have an owner.

♪♪

Officers and animal control arrived at comfort inn

And immediately take the dog to have it checked for injuries.

Not that I can see.

There are no injuries to the small dogs.

So where's the blood coming from?

Another animal, maybe.

Narrator: the dogs' tags bear the names tom and jill estes.

They're staying here.

The receptionist tries calling their room.

No answer.

[ Door knocking ]

They go to the room of the couple,

Knock on the door, but there's no answer.

♪♪

Narrator: the estes' belongings are there...

But their beds are unslept-in.

Detective tom cox is called to the comfort inn.

Concerned for the estes' welfare, he videos the scene.

Cox: we went to the parking lot to see

If we could find their vehicle out there.

Narrator: the couple's car, a red corvette with arkansas plates,

Is at the back of the car lot.

♪♪

A handbag sits abandoned on the front passenger seat.

Close by, an ominous discovery.

Cox: I noticed a large amount of blood

Pooled on the parking lot...

And also on the rocks and bushes next to the building itself.

Narrator: detective cox follows the blood trail.

Cox: there was a hoop earring with blood on it laying on the rocks.

Narrator: then another disturbing find.

We noticed two damaged pair of glasses.

It's evident something very bad has happened.

At this point, we feel we're dealing with

A serious as*ault or homicide.

Narrator: the hotel parking lot is now a crime scene...

But tom and jill estes are not here.

Police follow the blood trail.

Cox: the blood trail starts behind the hotel

And travels around the building and out on to the main roadway.

Narrator: then the trail simply stops.

We have an extensive amount of blood,

A large blood trail, and no victims.

♪♪

Narrator: the next morning, a short distance from the hotel,

A woman makes a gruesome discovery.

♪♪

I immediately head to the chip's 66 gas station.

When I arrive, officers are on the scene taping the area.

Narrator: once again, there are telltale blood droplets.

Cox: this blood trail seems to be the same as the blood trail

On comfort inn parking lot, just not as heavy.

Narrator: on the other side of the fence, a terrible sight.

Cox: we find two bodies...

Male and female,

Possibly in the their 50s with severe trauma

To both the head and face area.

The female is missing some teeth and also a sandal.

Narrator: it's just a mile and a half from the comfort inn.

Detective cox suspects he knows who the couple are.

It seems reasonable that these bodies may be

The same couple missing from the comfort inn.

Narrator: when police contact the estes family,

They discover the couple were in town for a party

At jill's sister's home.

This photo of them was taken just hours before

The dogs were found.

From there, it became clear that the two people that were

Located behind the dumpster were, in fact, the estes'.

Narrator: friends and family are horrified by the news.

No.

We just couldn't believe that our friend could've been

Subjected to such a horrible ending.

Narrator: officers ask if they can think of anyone

Who would want to harm tom and jill.

No, everyone loved them.

We wanted to find out if they have any enemies or anything

That could lead us to a potential suspect.

There wasn't anything like that in this case.

Man: everybody loved them,

And they had no enemies. We all were horrified.

Narrator: that afternoon, festus p.d. Call

In the major-case squad for assistance.

...victims here.

Cox: homicide in festus is extremely rare.

A double homicide has never happened here in my career.

Just for a couple of days and...

The major-case squad is activated typically on cases

Where there is no clear indication

On who was responsible,

Cases that are characterized as true who-done-its.

Narrator: detectives head straight to the comfort inn

To question staff and guests.

Any strange vehicles parked?

I wanted to know if they have had any problems in the rooms

Or anything else that can kind of give us an idea

What precipitated this horrendous event.

So tell me, did you hear any raised voices

Either in the hallway or coming from one of the rooms?

No, nothing like that.

Any strange vehicles parked that you didn't notice before?

No.

Narrator: but no one saw or heard anything unusual.

The detectives' best hope now is for another kind of witness.

One of the very first things we want to look for

Is any surveillance cameras because we want, obviously,

To be able to focus and narrow our investigation.

Narrator: the hotel's cameras can't help them.

We asked the staff about any cameras

That would've covered the back lot.

Unfortunately, there is nothing in the back of the hotel

That covers this area.

Narrator: but they're not giving up.

We're going to have to check every surveillance camera

Between here, where we are,

And the gas station where the bodies were found.

I send investigators out to adjacent businesses to see

If we have any usable video or surveillance cameras.

Narrator: their first stop is the gas station where the estes'

Bodies were found, and they are in luck.

Will: we had a camera that potentially caught the whole incident.

We can have a picture of our suspect at the very beginning.

What a great way to start an investigation.

♪♪

Narrator: following the double homicide of tom and jill estes,

Investigators have found a surveillance camera

That they hope will expose their k*ller.

The gas station where their bodies were found

Has multiple cameras...

But there's a problem.

Will: the manager is unable to get his surveillance system to work.

He even called in his technician,

And he tries to get this device

To work only to find out that the thing wasn't working.

How frustrating was that?

Very frustrating.

Narrator: the clock is ticking, and the major-case squad

Still hasn't found a single lead.

At the rear of the gas station,

Captain will joins the forensic team.

Will: as the investigators were processing the area,

I lift up a little bit of the trash

And immediately see a bloody shoe.

Hey, get a picture of that, please.

Will: in the dumpster, we find a wealth of evidence

Including bloody clothes, bloody shirts, bloody shorts.

♪♪

Narrator: a few minutes later, another breakthrough.

As we lift up the bloody shoes from the box,

We find a receipt from the local walmart.

It lists a lot of items that were purchased,

Including a pair of shoes.

Narrator: but the brand listed on the receipt is not the same

As the bloodstained shoes in the box.

It became clear they the person who purchased these shoes likely

Put the bloody shoes back into the box

And then hid them inside of the dumpster.

Narrator: the receipt is from a walmart less than a mile away

With a time stamp of 12:38 a.m.,

Just 40 minutes after the estes' dogs were found

In the comfort inn parking lot.

It was very likely the person involved in this incident

Had visited that walmart.

It's obvious that that's the next place we need to go.

Thank you.

So your receipt shows 12:38 a.m.

Can we queue it to before that?

Narrator: the manager selects the camera

Overlooking the register marked on the receipt.

♪♪

At 12:36 a.m., A red shoebox appears on the conveyor belt.

And in fact, the shoebox appears to be the same one

That we recovered, the same brand, anyway.

Narrator: the cashier opens the box

To reveal a pair of black and white sneakers.

As the video goes along, a person comes into frame.

♪♪

Narrator: frustratingly, the customer hovers on the edge of the frame,

So his face cannot be seen.

A number of other items move forward on the conveyor belt.

Socks and shirts and shorts, these are all things that match

The receipt that we recovered from the dumpster.

Come on. Move up.

As the items are going across the conveyor belt,

A person comes into view.

Freeze it there.

Can you zoom in?

Narrator: it's a white male wearing a sleeveless gray top,

But the man's features are unclear.

Okay, play on.

At 12:38, the man finally turns towards the camera.

Let's zoom in.

Captain will can't believe what he's seeing.

The man's chicago bears t-shirt appears to be bloodstained.

Will: that subject is wearing a shirt that matches the one

That we found inside of the dumpster,

The one that's covered in blood.

He doesn't give a care about anybody who sees him.

Narrator: captain will watches as the suspect man

Pays in cash, then exits frame.

You got a camera on the door, right?

Maybe we'll get a better view of him coming in.

Narrator: the manager switches to the entrance camera.

Let's roll it backwards.

♪♪

Will: at 12:24, the camera shows a woman in red walking in,

And then it appears to be the same individual

Wearing the gray sleeveless shirt.

Freeze it there.

Narrator: the entrance-camera footage gives captain will

His clearest view yet of his suspect

Covered head to toe in blood.

We have an individual walking into the store

Wearing the clothes that we find

In the dumpster right next to our victims.

They're covered in blood.

This is a person that we want to follow up on.

We finally have a good picture of his face.

Narrator: captain will is certain he's looking at the estes' k*ller,

But he needs to i.d. Him if he has any chance of catching him.

You have cameras in the parking lot, right?

Okay. Let's take a look at them.

The manager pulls up surveillance video

From the parking lot and finds footage

More horrifying than anyone ever imagined.

♪♪

Narrator: investigators have identified a suspect

On walmart's surveillance cameras.

He's covered in blood, wearing items found at the crime scene.

Will: surveillance footage can be much better than even an eyewitness.

That definitely narrows our focus

When we have camera evidence of what's going on.

Narrator: hoping to identify him,

They turn their attention to his vehicle.

Can you queue it to just before he comes in?

At this time of night, the parking lot is almost empty,

And it doesn't take long to spot activity.

At 12:19, we see a dark-colored truck pull

On to the walmart lot

And a male subject exit the vehicle.

Pause it there.

Can you zoom in?

Narrator: the man's sleeveless gray shirt is a dead giveaway.

It's the same bloodstained suspect.

He arrives at walmart at the exact time

As police find blood trails at the comfort inn.

Okay, play on.

♪♪

Narrator: the man's strange behavior

Catches captain will's attention.

Let's rewind, take another look at all that.

♪♪

Will: he appears to be manipulating something inside of the truck.

He then exits the truck and appears to be cleaning himself.

He's there for several minutes.

♪♪

Then at 12:22, we can actually see him

Briefly go to the back of the truck.

It's unclear what he's doing back there.

He is taking his time.

It's not something that an ordinary person would do.

You would go into a parking lot and go right into a store.

Narrator: there's no sign of the esteses on the footage,

But captain will has a hunch.

Yeah, I'd like to see where he parked the truck.

When we investigate the scene

Where the truck was parked, we find...

-Whoa. -...blood.

Will: it was consistent with the trail of blood

That we found on the comfort inn lot

And the trail that was visible on the chip's 66 lot.

Narrator: captain will believes tom and jill estes

Were in the footage but hidden in the truck bed,

And the volume of blood reveals a gruesome insight

Into their final moments.

Will: what this blood tells me

Is that either one or both of the victims were still alive

When the truck pulled into the lot and when it left.

Narrator: it's a horrifying revelation.

♪♪

Detectives need to identify their suspect's vehicle

As quickly as possible.

If we can find out who the truck belongs to,

We might have found our k*ller.

Narrator: but the footage is too unclear to make out a license plate.

Detectives put out a police-wide bulletin

With a description of the dark blue truck and its driver.

I have some terrible, tragic news.

Narrator: in arkansas, the principal of jill's elementary school

Breaks the news of tom and jill's m*rder.

The school and the children were devastated

When we heard the news.

I can't think of a single person that would have any...

Narrator: it's a profound shock to the entire school community.

Nash: it was hard to walk into that building

And not see jill's face lighting up the school

Like it had for so many years.

You just wonder, you know, why a person like that,

That did so much good for others,

Would have to suffer like that for something

That just seemed so senseless and for no reason.

I had nightmares about it.

It was just beyond my comprehension

That you could k*ll my friend and dump her body,

Along with her beloved husband, in a dumpster.

♪♪

Narrator: back in festus, captain will gets a surprising

Lead on the case from a neighboring state.

We are contacted by illinois investigators who tell us

That they have a missing person...

-Really? -...whose blue truck was stolen.

Narrator: the description of the vehicle

Matches the truck seen on the walmart video.

[ Sirens blaring ]

Later that afternoon, illinois investigators

Locate their missing person -- 65-year-old ronald randall.

Ronald randall's body was discovered behind the dumpster

In the hy-vee grocery store.

It appeared that mr. Randall suffered

Some kind of blunt force trauma.

Narrator: he's been dead for some time,

And his dark blue chevrolet silverado truck

Is nowhere to be found.

Will: that information was vital.

It showed that that vehicle was involved

In a potentially similar incident

That occurred in illinois as the one we are investigating.

Narrator: the illinois detectives turn

To hy-vee's surveillance cameras for clues.

Cirimotich: we knew that there were cameras installed,

And I make my way inside to speak with management

About securing the video.

Narrator: the manager pulls up the surveillance video

From saturday, june 28th,

When ronald randall was last seen alive.

I'm looking to try and find mr. Randall's vehicle

Or anything I can identify of a suspicious nature.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: finally, at 8:25 p.m., He finds something.

Cirimotich: I observe a blue chevy silverado truck sitting at a gas pump.

Narrator: it's a match for ronald randall's missing truck.

A man exits the vehicle.

Can you freeze it right there?

Can we get any closer?

Cirimotich: he's wearing a orange-colored hat with a white front,

Tan shorts, what appears to be a blue-type undershirt,

And a plaid shirt over the top.

Narrator: but the driver bears no resemblance

To 65-year-old ronald randall.

Do you have any cameras inside?

♪♪

♪♪

Cirimotich: I see the same man at the counter.

He purchased a six-pack of beer, some cigarettes, and a lighter.

Narrator: detective cirimotich asks to speak to the cashier.

She distinctly remembers the customer.

Cirimotich: she said he had blood all over him.

Narrator: the bloodstains aren't visible,

So they switch to another camera for a closer look.

Cirimotich: if you look closely, what's disturbing is

You can see the stain on his cheek.

Narrator: convinced they have caught

Ronald randall's k*ller on camera,

Illinois officers send the images

To the major-case squad in festus,

To compare with their suspect.

When captain will sees the illinois pictures,

He's certain it's his man driving the same truck

That he's seen in the walmart video.

What makes this individual even more dangerous is the fact

That he doesn't seem to care what evidence he leaves behind.

He walks into the festus walmart covered in blood.

He walks into the hy-vee just outside

Of where ronald randall was found with blood on his face.

Narrator: the man is now suspected of three killings.

The major-case squad has a serial k*ller on its hands.

♪♪

Narrator: the man suspected of murdering tom and jill estes in missouri,

Has been linked to the brutal homicide of ronald randall

In neighboring illinois.

That afternoon, a call comes in.

Ronald randall's blue chevrolet silverado has been found.

Will: there were able to track the vehicle to a area in st. Louis.

They called the st. Louis police,

Who recovered the vehicle.

Narrator: major-case squad investigators head to the police garage

Where forensic technicians are processing the vehicle.

The bed of the truck was essentially bathed in blood.

Narrator: suggesting this is where tom and jill estes were k*lled,

And that's not all.

There were teeth in the back.

One of the sandals that was in the truck

Matches the sandal that was at the scene.

This was a brutal m*rder

In which people were made to suffer,

Died in a horrible way,

And it became clear to me that this was an individual

That we had to get off the street right away.

Narrator: as captain will leaves the crime scene,

There's even more horrifying news.

I received a call from the illinois investigators

Informing me about four more individuals

That were k*lled in rock falls, illinois.

What?

Narrator: the four victims were k*lled by blunt-force trauma

To the head, just like tom and jill estes.

We had a person that's on the run just k*lling at will.

Who's going to be next?

Narrator: unfortunately, they still don't know

The name of their bloodstained k*ller.

Captain, hold on one second.

But another call to the major-case squad

Provides a breakthrough.

The caller is illinois,

Got some interesting information.

Police in sterling, illinois, are investigating a homicide

Of 93-year-old russell reed one week earlier.

Mr. Reed was found in the trunk of his car.

Narrator: just like the other victims,

Russell reed has been bludgeoned to death.

But sterling police have a suspect.

Will: this individual left his vehicle parked outside

Of russell reed's house, out of gas.

Narrator: his name is nicholas sheley,

A violent criminal with a lengthy record

Who is now on the run.

♪♪

Major-case squad investigators are sent a mugshot

Of nicholas sheley.

Will: it is a big moment when we compare it

To video from walmart.

It appears to be the same individual.

Narrator: captain will's prime suspect now has a name.

Will: nicholas sheley is now wanted in connection

With eight homicides over a 4-day period.

That makes it a spree k*lling.

Suspect for russell reed's m*rder...

Narrator: six of those murders took place

Near sheley's hometown in northern illinois,



We discovered that while he was incarcerated in prison,

Sheley has developed a pen-pal relationship

With a young lady who lived in the festus area.

Narrator: officers immediately track down the pen pal, terri engel.

Terri explains that she became pen pals with him

While he was doing time in a prison.

She felt like people sometimes deserve a second chance.

Narrator: but terri's opinion of sheley quickly changed.

She felt like sheley had gone too far

When he called her during a christmas celebration.

She felt like that was an invasion of family time

And at that point decided it was best

That she cut off any communication with him.

Narrator: captain will asks when sheley last contacted her.

Will: we discovered that not only had he been trying

To locate her at her residence

But had been by her place of employment.

Narrator: terri thought it strange but had no reason to suspect anyone

Was in danger until now.

Sheley was in town trying to track her down on the same day

That he m*rder*d the esteses.

Captain will heads to the lowe's store

Where terri works to check for surveillance video.

The lowe's security manager pulls up surveillance footage

From two days ago.

She remembers sheley and points him out on the video.

♪♪

Will: he appears to be loitering around.

He's looking as if he's checking the area out.

And then he approaches a female employee

Who said that he wanted to know if terri was working.

Narrator: the employee brushes him off,

But sheley won't take no for an answer.

Will: the manager was called, and sheley waits for him,

And then the manager has a protracted discussion with him.

It's concerning in that he is willing to

Talk to so many people

And to be pushy about getting information about terri.

Narrator: sheley fails to track down terri.

After 10 minutes in the store, he finally gives up and leaves.

The lowe's video told us that sheley was in the festus area

On the 29th looking for terri.

Narrator: just 12 hours before he k*lled the esteses.

Concerned for terri's welfare,

Captain will assigns an undercover team

To monitor terri's home.

While detectives are working to find sheley in festus,

Illinois investigators interview sheley's wife, holly.

She's clearly shocked by the allegations

Against her husband and tells police she

And nick had had an argument over a week ago.

She's not seen him since, but she has heard from him.

He has contacted her from various unknown numbers,

And he has sent her photographs.

Will: why one would take a picture of the arch or a construction crane

After committing a homicide is beyond me.

Many of the photographs contain notes from sheley to his wife,

And he talked about his love for his wife

And how much he missed her,

How he was relaxing on a park bench

But could only do so for a moment.

That's very telling because this was a man who knows he's wanted

And a man who's on the run.

Narrator: but these photos will prove to be his undoing.

These photographs are important to us

Because they're timestamped.

Narrator: in the photo stamped june 29th,

Sheley is wearing the clothes that were found in the dumpster.

The pictures that were stamped on the 30th

Are of particular interest

Because now he is wearing a clean white t-shirt,

What appear to be brand-new shorts, and brand-new shoes.

Narrator: items purchased at the walmart.

Crucially, the photographs suggest sheley is still

In the st. Louis area...

...and now the hunt is really on.

The major-case squad releases nicholas sheley's name

And photograph to the media.

We knew that getting the word out

To hundred of thousands of people

Would give us a hundred thousand different eyes

To look for this subject.

Reporter: police in illinois are searching for this man

In connection with a string of eight killings

That have terrified residents in two states.

They're listing nicholas t. Sheley

As a person of interest

In at least five deaths in western illinois,

And they say he may be connected to three others

There and in missouri.

Narrator: meanwhile, holly sheley allows the f.b.i.

To monitor her cell phone.

It's not long before her husband calls.

Hey.

With the help of the f.b.i., Holly's phone is monitored,

So we can capture any information

From phone calls he makes to her.

Narrator: holly urges her husband to turn himself in.

You really need to call an attorney.

Okay. Bye.

The f.b.i. Tell us that sheley was in the area

Of the st. Louis busch stadium.

Narrator: investigators race to the stadium.

[ Sirens blaring ]

Will: we flooded the area with detectives and police officers

And were still unable to locate him.

One of my primary concerns was the fact

That nicholas sheley no longer had mr. Randall's truck.

Now I've got a man who has k*lled eight people

And no longer has transportation.

It's just a matter of time before he would find

Another victim to k*ll and take their vehicle.

Narrator: investigators must find sheley before he strikes again.

♪♪

Narrator: investigators are in hot pursuit of suspected

Spree k*ller nicholas sheley,

Who's hiding somewhere in the shadows of st. Louis.

♪♪

In a bar in nearby granite city,

A customer is watching the evening news.

Reporter: they say nicholas sheley is wanted in connection

With five murders in illinois.

They say he may be responsible for...

Will: as she's watching the screen, she looks across the bar,

And she realizes she is sitting next

To a man wanted for eight murders.

Reporter: police say sheley was last spotted in st. Louis,

And that he should not be approached, as he may be armed.

Sheley has already served time and has multiple convictions

For drug, weapons... -Excuse me?

I realized I need to grab some cash.

I'm going to use the a.t.m. Outside.

-She doesn't have far to go. -Officer, officer.

Will: she quickly comes upon an officer and reports

What she has seen inside the bar.

I saw him on the news.

He k*lled all those people.

I'm...

Narrator: after a week on the run, sheley's k*lling spree is over.

♪♪

Over the next 6 years, nicholas sheley is found guilty

Of all six illinois murders.

In 2018, sheley is transferred to missouri

To face trial for the m*rder of tom and jill estes.

Prosecutors are clear on what they believe happened

During sheley's murderous rampage in june 2008.

On june 23rd, in his hometown of sterling, illinois,

Sheley needed money for drugs.

He knew that 93-year-old russell reed,

Who had given him scrap metal in the past,

Kept cash in the house.

♪♪

He bludgeoned the elderly man to death,

Then helped himself to his money.

[ Kettle whistling ]

Sheley then put reed's body in the trunk of his car

And dumped it outside a nearby house.

Five days later, on june 28th, sheley stole a car

And drove 80 miles south to galesburg, illinois.

At a car wash, he saw another vehicle he wanted.

Nicholas sheley kills ronald randall and steals his truck.

Narrator: sheley disposed of randall's body behind a dumpster,

Picked up beer and cigarettes,

And took off in the stolen truck.

A few hours later, he k*lled again.

The victims are his wife holly's ex-boyfriend,

The man's girlfriend,

Her 2-year-old son, and a roommate.

Sheley leaves illinois and crosses the border

Into missouri,

Where he drives to festus, looking for terri.

Narrator: but she's not at her place of work...

...so he sits in wait in a nearby parking lot

When tom and jill estes cross his path.

Sheley comes across tom and jill estes,

Who have returned from a graduation party.

Sheley: hey, excuse me, boss.

I was wondering if you had a little bit of money. I just...

Narrator: there was no reason to k*ll them

Other than the rage and blood lust of a psychopath.

Nicholas sheley showed complete disregard for human life.

None of this was necessary.

This is just an evil man.

Narrator: to avoid the death penalty, sheley pleads guilty

To the m*rder of tom and jill estes.

He is sentenced to life in prison

Without the possibility of parole to serve in addition

To the six life sentences for the illinois murders.

The video of our suspect in walmart

Was such a strong piece of evidence.

Will: in this case, surveillance was very important.

It gave us a very clear time line on nicholas sheley,

And it was a big part of our investigation.

Narrator: although justice has been served,

No punishment can bring tom and jill estes back.

Tom was such a good person, very good person.

Both of them were.

Everybody loved them.

Jill was so important at our school

That a lot of the parents came out

To help build a memorial garden in her honor.

She will be remembered as a wonderful, caring person.