But when I did hang up, I had this little gut feeling. Among their many theories, maybe an answer to that question: that Kadie fled the house after a fight, drove her pickup truck to the tracks, got out and ran with Aaron giving chase. After the tragic deaths, it was reported that Aaron moved to Charleston, South Carolina, to live with his parents. "It didn't make sense to me," she said. Not long after River was born, Kadie got pregnant again; this time, she learned, with a son. Why is Aaron here sitting on the porch? I believe 100 percent there was a fight and she was trying to leave him. Her body lay beside the track with a nearly 2-foot cut on her abdomen and a laceration on her inside thigh. Lt. Dean Kokinda: Yeah, come talk to us. In the year that followed, Shayanna became pregnant, and in 2012, the couple gladly welcomed their daughter and got engaged. Thus, when Aaron was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to a life term without the possibility of parole, Shayanna legally changed her name to Jenkins-Hernandez. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Rick Ollic, now the chief of police at the Moncks Corner Police Department, maintains he considered Aaron Major a suspect. Lt. Dean Kokinda: We believe that night there was a fight Some argument whether it be verbal or physical. They wanted to know more. and he's just not looking and I'm like to myself, "Why is he not looking? Vicky Hall: Captain Ollic is right there and I'm just looking him in the eye, and I just remember his face. Kadie's family never believed she was delusional or that she would take her own life. However, as per a CBS report from 2019, he had not cooperated with the authorities. By then, a forensic team was at the death scene over half a mile down the tracks. Vicky Hall: I'm looking at every car coming trying to see her truck. He also discussed postpartum depression with a detective. Kadie's white 2006 Chevrolet Colorado pickup was parkedclose to Hall's home, at the end of nearby Oakley Road. In March, Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said investigators had ruled out the suicide angle. The next day, eight days after his wife and baby died under mysterious circumstances, Aaron, with a freshly bandaged hand, was finally brought in to the Sheriff's Office for questioning: DET. SHERIFF LEWIS [to reporters]: Initially it was believed that Kadie was suicidal and had some psychological issues. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Vicky Hall: Some stuff was knocked off of River's dresser. Vicky had further stated that Aarons behavior was strange during Kadies funeral. As a Patriots player in the NFL for three seasons, he was on the way to greatness until his sudden arrest, trial, and conviction for the 2013 shooting murder of Odin Lloyd, followed by his suicide. It is unclear if Aaron has new legal representation. Soon after that, Kadie was pregnant with their son, Aadon. She told "48 Hours" that she was never approached by investigators after the incident. Kadies mother disagrees and says the sheriffs department has been avoiding me. Kadies family hired a private investigator, Jessica Sanders, who also believes Kadie did not step in front of the train and thinks Kadies husbandAaron Majorkilled Kadie and River Lynn. That wasn't the end of his bizarre behavior at the viewing, says Chad Dillinger. "Originally, they said a southbound train hit her," Darrell Lewis told "48 Hours." Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Rick Ollic: She was alive when the train struck her to me it was self-inflicted. Then, at 11:31 a.m., came a call from Aaron that would alter the course of her life. Sanders and Hall estimate they've collected more than 1,000 documents related to the case. What else did they miss?". 48 Hours airs tonight November 11, 8/7c on Investigation Discovery. 48 Hours producers on how a chance meeting led to the reopening of a mysterious decade-old case, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, Good cop/bad cop: Solving the Heather Bogle murder, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, The Brighton ax murder: A timeline of the 40-year-old cold case. One of the witness statements was made by a woman who claimed to have seen Kadie walk down the tracks. Peter Van Sant: So why do you think he was Googling that? Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said there are multiple persons of interest including Kadies husband. The walls were painted with whiteboard paint and were covered in timelines and transcriptions. I wanna thank Charleston county. Our voices will be heard! The investigator never even asked Aaron about that hard to ignore bandaged hand and he never challenged Aaron's version of events, including Kadie's supposed breakdown: AARON MAJOR [interrogation]: She just got real paranoid, and, quit trustin' people and stuff. Authorities concluded that pregnant Kadie, 26, had thrown herself and 10-month River in front of a train. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, They are, however, for the first time publically naming Aaron Major the prime suspect. it just made no sense that they weren't here. He caught her and threw her against the train. Two months after the suicide ruling, Hall hired a forensic psychologist in the hopes of proving Ollic wrong. After her role in The Turning Point, the 16-year-olds acting career seemingly hit a bump in the road when Paramount let her 6-month contract lapse. It's been 11 years since that cold, wet January morning. Vicky Hall: I just remember them looking at me in the eye and saying, "Your daughter had a mental illness, and she did this.". Aaron Major: I'm not going to comment on this. She said it's too painful. / CBS News, Produced by Liza Finley and Ryan N. Smith, [This story first aired on March 2. WebKadie Major, who was married, was found dead alongside a section of railroad tracks. Read moreNew penny tax proposed to fix Spartanburg County roads, bridges, A final vote on the natural resources element of Georgetown County's comprehensive plan was deferred for the county council's Feb. 28 meeting. ", "We knew there was more to this," Sanders said. Officially, the manner of 10-month-old River Lynn's death was undetermined. An Air Force major was arrested in connection to his wifes disappearance after police said they found 'disturbing items' inside their Texas home. Peter Van Sant: She says she was never questioned about her daughter's state of mind and what had happened in the hours on that day that she disappeared. Det. Hall held a candlelight vigil May 11 at Lacy Park in Moncks Corner. His position as the Chief of Police now in Moncks Corner is a direct reflection of incompetence in that position. They quickly ruled out postpartum psychosis. Kadie's husband, 36-year-old Aaron Major, told investigators in an interview several days after the deaths that she may have had "postpartum depression." The initial theory was Kadie jumped toward the side of the train and the impact hurled River into the creek. Berkeley County Sheriffs office has since reopened the case. Among the scribblings was this: the Antichrist could be a woman. Correct? Jessica Sanders: We became very close. Ken Dillinger | Kadie's uncle: It was a smile, I mean there was a perma-grin on her face, and It was always lit up, always lit up. Vicky Hall: I couldn't hardly function, couldn't keep running the farm well. In 2007, they welcomed River Lynn. Peter Van Sant: There's a possibility she was in fact dead at the time this train struck her? Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. Maj. Andre McDonald, 40, already behind bars in connection with his wifes disappearance, was charged Saturday with murder by the Bexar County Sheriffs OfficeHomicide Unit. He's never come in the middle of the night.". Jessica Sanders: in his story she's shaking, trembling, scared. Hall asked her private investigator pal to help. She wanted to have the same name as her daughter, Avielle. Peter Van Sant: What was her reaction to that? Darrell Lewis There's a new sheriff in town. 24 hours later it had all been cleaned up. Kadie Majors family has also sought a private investigator. ", Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. in the case. Desperate for answers, Hall started her own investigation: gathering documents, keeping meticulous notes -- anything to find the truth. Peter Van Sant: The dead bodies of his family are right in front of him. The force of the railroad cars threw 10-month-old River into a nearby creek. Lewis quickly answered his own question. Then he started going on about conspiracy theories, such as notions that the government blew up the Twin Towers and that the Antichrist was coming, Hall said. Maj. It's a pale, plastic baby doll with a hole gouged out of the stomach. What do you have to say about that? With that, we cant help but wonder more about the one person who always stood by him, his fiance, Shayanna Jenkins. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. And she's the person that I want to be. A note left at his family's residence was not answered. Vicky Hall: I remember saying, "OK, Vicky, you can either let this kill you and destroy you or you can try to make Kadie and River proud of you and pull it together.". "The support keeps me going," Hall said. But Aaron's behavior he's not acting normal, he's not acting right. To investigators, all indications seemed to point to the pregnant 26-year-old throwing herself in front of a passing train while battling crippling postpartum depression. She thought someone was coming to kill her and then she took off, he told Hall. The pair decided to open it back up and send it to "48 Hours. Peter Van Sant: There was no radio report? The only times those websites were looked at was when Aaron would have been home, Sanders said. Aaron and Kadie were high school sweethearts who tied the knot in 2003. Jessica Sanders: It's disturbing. Correspondent Peter Van Sant interviews Kadies mother Vicky Hall and the detective assigned to the case in 2008. AIR FORCE MAJOR HUSBAND OF MISSING TEXAS WOMAN PURCHASED AX, SHOVEL, TRASH BAGS AND GAS: POLICE, Mugshot, left, for Air Force Maj. Andre McDonald, charged Saturday with murder in the death of his 29-year-old wife Andreen McDonald. With the help of some good friends and a strong dose of faith, Hall stopped drinking. High near 80F. Ollic believed it was a murder-suicide and says a note found in Kadie's pocket was a piece of compelling evidence showing that she was delusional at the time. Aaron Major continues to live the life of a free man -- something Hall blames on the original investigator, Rick Ollic. And he told me they were dead. Back at Kadie's house, Sarah Watford was waiting alone in case her sister came home. VICKY HALL [to reporters]: Thank you to this sheriff's department. Would you be willing to apologize if it turns out you were wrong? However, the authorities believed it was caused a few days later when Aaron had reportedly punched a wall while picking out a coffin at the funeral home. So I wasn't looking forward to meeting with her. Vicky Hall: He wanted Aadon, the unborn son, displayed publicly for viewing on top of Kadie. "There was no alarm. How many other obstruction of justice cases are out there. It didn't take 30 minutes of looking at it to be in, like, shock. Wade Spees/Staff. At 1:44 a.m., Aaron knocked on Hall's door. Kadie Major died on Jan. 17, 2008 when she was hit by a train in Moncks Corner. Peter Van Sant: Family members who had been inside that house claim it was in disarray, that things had been thrown about. Vicky Hall [at railroad tracks]: And I just fell on my knees and collapsed,' cuz I knew it wouldn't make any sense. Hall was driving home from an Applebee's restaurant when she received a call from her daughter. "I have an open mind. Lt. Dean Kokinda [walking where the bodies were found]: If she wanted to kill herself, she parked right here. A post shared by Shayanna Jenkins Hernandez (@shayjhernandez). The force of the impact allegedly threw River into a nearby creek where You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! WebAuthorities concluded that pregnant Kadie, 26, had thrown herself and 10-month River in front of a train. McDonald reported his 29-year-old wife missing March 1. The force of the impact allegedly threw River into a nearby creek where she drowned. She can get hit 10 feet from her car. Upon his apprehension, his fiance continued to support him, even at the cost of her apparent estrangement from her sister. However, the quaint life they had planned for themselves came crashing down in January 2008. Det. An online petition asking for the town of Moncks Corner to investigate Ollic has more than 3,000 signatures. But by night, Jessica Sanders, the private eye, is at the gun range or on the road with cameras and disguises in hot pursuit. Totally devastated. Cause, they said a young child. Together Sanders and Hall built the "war room." Vicky Hall: Like the world's coming to an end and, you know, the government blew up the Twin Towers. The Berkeley County Sheriffs Office opened up a task force to look further into the investigation earlier this year. They covered the walls with timelines and facts about the case, determined to find the truth -- whatever that might be. Peter Van Sant: Is that a red flag for you? After his wife and child died, Aaron moved in with his parents in Charleston, about a 40-minute drive from Moncks Corner. But Ollic said Aaron's hand was injured two days later, when he was picking out coffinsfor Kadie and River. Peter Van Sant: Is this suspicious to you? Hall's suspicions wouldn't go away, so she decided to investigate Kadie's death. Sanders, a mother of five, works as a private investigator, specializing in unfaithful spouses. Jessica Sanders: When she called Vicky, she was wanting to go eat dinner with her. Sheriff Lewis had assigned Lt. Dean Kokinda to take a second look. Hall routinely tried to share suspicions such as these with Capt. Bond today was reduced from $2 million to $450,000 by Judge Frank Castro in the 399th Darrell Lewis: You call it an interrogation, we call it an interview. Rick Ollic explains his theory to "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant. Sarah Watford: It just made me think, like, did he hit his hand on the train pushing her into the train, or fighting with her? And I never knew that my daughter and my granddaughter would have been laying there, dead. Sanders says, the more she dug, the guiltier Aaron looked. While the police have continued investigating, Aaron has maintained a low profile. Sheriff Lewis decided to let Aaron know he hasn't been forgotten and announced the re-opening of the case in a very big, public way. Video shot by Aaron Major 10 months after the deaths of his wife and daughter shows River Lynn's high chair pulled up to the table with a jar food on it. Natural resources is one of 10 elements required in a countys comprehensive plan a map for future development that is updated every 10 years. "I dont know. Nothing made sense. Aaron went to work for Kadie's dad, who was a housepainter. They found her 50 yards away from her mother, floating motionless in the streamclose by the rails, according to copies of the autopsy. They spoke to a dozen witnesses, including Kadie's Obstetrician Dr. Christine Case who examined her the day before her death. Kokinda says the cold case unit has confirmed that Aaron told the original detective a huge lie -- a potential game changer: AARON MAJOR [interrogation]: That's when I heard on talk radio 94.3 that there had been a person and a young child hit by the train in Berkeley County . Vicky Hall: He said when Kadie got home she said she had a premonition that someone was gonna kill her He said, "She's standing there shaking and trembling And she wanted to go get a hotel.". Lt. Dean Kokinda: There was no radio report. If youre wondering what happened to Aaron Major since then, heres what we know! However, his stories diagnosis reportedly backed up by Kadies obstetrician. Andreen'sremains were found Thursday east of Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis. Rick Ollic: There was information that she was going through some type of spiritual warfare in her life. Lewis said Aaron has not cooperated with authorities yet. CBS news, 48 Hours has been investigating the case and has aired the story. Days later, investigators concluded the two were hit by a train during an apparent suicide. It didnt take this long. Peter Van Sant: What were Kadie's dreams in this life? Kadie's truck undamaged -- was found about 500 feet from the tracks. Claiming he was too emotional to write, a detective wrote it for him. Peter Van Sant: This beloved young mother was made out to be some depressed child killer. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff, Kadie Majors mother, Vicky Hall, working with private investigator Jessica Sanders, visits the site on railroad tracks where the body of Major, who was pregnant and her 10-month-old granddaughter River were found in 2008, Thursday, March 21, 2019 in Moncks Corner. In another version, he says she did go in to feed the baby. Det. I. He will then decide if he should overturn the original manner of death. Jessica Sanders: There was a fight. At the time, he worked for Kadies father, a house painter. If he didn't Investigate a young pregnant mother and 10 month old baby girls murder what else is he hiding? Aaron Major recounts the night his wife and child vanished, Jessica Sander and Vicky Hall in the "war room.". James Waybern Hall: The murderer known as "Big Jim" killed 4 people, including his wife, in Arkansas between 1944 and 1945. During questioning in 2008, the investigator never asked Aaron Major about his bandaged hand. Vicky Hall: He said "I heard on the radio that there's, uh, an accident. Web0:32. VICKY HALL [to reporters]: I believe that Kadie and River and Aadon were murdered by Kadie's husband, Aaron Robert Major. No toxicology completed. The investigation into the death of Kadie Major was totally botched by the investigators. Air Force major husband of missing Texas woman purchased ax, shovel, trash bags and gas: police. Read moreGeorgetown County natural resources plan deferred for County Council feedback, The Post and Courier But Dr. Christine Case, Kadie'sobstetrician, told "48 Hours" that Kadie didn't appear to have signs of a mental breakdown. document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "© " + html; Hall headed straight to Oakley Road, but there was no train, no vehicle, no sign of a collision. Read moreAlex Murdaugh's prosecutor warns jury in final argument: 'Don't let him fool you, too', Spartanburg County may ask voters to approve another six-year penny sales tax in November, which could generate $478 million for road and bridge work. "The evidence shows it was a northbound train. Miraculously, Kadie's face was largely undamaged and the family wanted an open casket for Kadie and River. "Based on the information that he had then it would appear to be a suicide," Oliver said. WebMaj. Peter Van Sant: She could have been thrown and struck by the side of the train? Yet, once it was time to head to university and pursue a profession, they broke up, only to reunite after his draft by the New England Patriots. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff, A memorial near the site where Kadie Major, who was pregnant with her second child, and her 10-month-old daughter River were found dead near train tracks in 2008, Thursday, March 21, 2019 in Moncks Corner. Hall filed that detail and the other red flags in the back of her mind and went out searching on her own. Having known each other since they were little children running around in elementary school, Shayanna Jenkins and Aaron Hernandez first decided to take their bond to the next level by starting to date in high school. Back then, Ollic and his team did not speak to Dr. Case, and Hall says would not listen to what she had to say. Peter Van Sant: Is there anything you'd like to say to Aaron major right now if he's watching? Det. "There was supposedly a witness at one point who saw a female walking either on the railroad tracks or right there in the vicinity of the railroad tracks," Oliver said. Peter Van Sant: What did you read in those papers? That's the million-dollar question right now. That changed in 2015, seven long years after her daughter's death. Like he had River's high chair pulled up to the table with jar food on it, a pillow stuffed in the bed where Kadie would sleep as if she's laying in the bed. He never shed a tear, he never came and hugged anybody. Rick Ollic: There were some things that were in that note that made me believe that she was buying into this spiritual warfare that she had going on in her life. It was the sickest thing I ever witnessed in my whole life. Mostly cloudy. And I wish that he you know, he wouldve told me cause I wouldnt I would not have loved him any differently. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Sarah Watford: She was better than most people -- just had a giving heart, just a true genuine person. I'm numb just totally broken, just totally dead, totally devastated. Ollic says they found a note in Kadie's pocket which he believes is compelling evidence that she was delusional obsessed with reading about end of the world conspiracies on the internet. Vicky Hall: So, I put everything back in the box and I closed it and I locked it. Vicky did not believe Aarons version of events, either, and she felt that he himself had been behaving a little erratically at the time of Kadies disappearance. Rick Ollic, who led the investigation back in 2008, didn't see it that way. Peter Van Sant: You tell him that you have found the pickup truck. She was a homemaker who enjoyed being a mother and Jessica Sanders: Good [laughs]. Peter Van Sant: Do you believe that Kadie Major may have died inside her own house? Vicky Hall [to detectives]: And when she's shaking and trembling how is she holding River? Vicky Hall: On the cross is this old, nasty-looking doll. Chad Dillinger: She kept fighting and fighting and fighting and fighting She wouldn't let anybody tell her different. I promised Kadie and River within days of finding out that they were murdered that I would do whatever it took and I wouldnt stop fighting, Vicky Hall, Kadie Majors mother, said. Say Yes to the Dress "Bionic Bride" (TLC), 2012-2023, 2paragraphs Productions, LLC. Details of Aaron Hernandezs Death and CTE. Kadies death was ruled a suicide within days. Im not sure, I dont believe he can make that bond amount, Convery said. McDonald is facing murder charges for the death of his wife, Andreen McDonald, in 2019. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Anyone with information potentially relevant to the investigation is asked to call the task force hotline at 843-719-7700. And they didn't believe that Kadie could or would have made that 6/10th of a mile walk in pitch black on gravel in the rain and sleet carrying a 30-pound baby. I will fight for this till the day I die. "She was just a person that was so full of life.". Grace Beahm Alford/Staff, Kadie Majors mother, Vicky Hall, organizes information she has collected about the incident that led to the death of her daughter, who was found dead with her granddaughter, 10-month-old River, in 2008 along train tracks Thursday, March 21, 2019 in Moncks Corner. File/Grace Beahm Alford/Staff, Kadie Majors mother, Vicky Hall, looks down the tracks where the body of her daughter Major, who was pregnant and her 10-month-old granddaughter River were found in 2008, Thursday, March 21, 2019 in Moncks Corner. The last time Hall spoke with Kadie was at 6:43 p.m. Jan. 16, 2008. Mugshot, left, for Air Force Maj. Andre McDonald, charged Saturday with murder in the death of his 29-year-old wife Andreen McDonald. The couple, who were high school sweethearts, married in 2003. Found the resolution to each, I know who really killed Chanin, her husband did not, I have so many questions about this story. "48 Hours" asked Aaron Major to speak with us on camera, but he declined through his attorney. In 1951, novelist William S. Burroughs was charged with murder when he shot his wife, Joan Vollmer, in the head during a drunken game of William Tell that Sheriff Duane Lewistold The Post and Courier that Aaron is now the only suspect in the case. She could walk right here. Legal Statement. Berkeley County said Kadie Major died by suicide in 2008. JERRY MERRITHEW: If you knew what happened, would you tell us? What else did they get wrong? About 35 miles from Moncks, he set up a house painting business and seemed to lead an everyday life there. Market data provided by Factset.