Episode 67 of Dateline NBC Season 3 explores the mysterious death of Dr. Leslie Mueller on May 3, 2008. A Dateline correspondent Andrea Canning covers this story on The Secrets of Cottonwood Creek.
Leslie was on a weekend trip with her husband Frederick Mueller at Cottonwood Creek, close to their vacation house in Lake City, southwest Colorado. The couple was on a hike when the incident took place and an anonymous 911 call was received by the local authorities, saying:
"She's in the river. She fell and they can't find her.....He thinks she's dead."
According to Frederick Mueller's statements, he was hiking with his wife and had stopped to take her photo on the verge of a cliff. Leslie suddenly lost her balance, fell into the creek, and was swept by the current downstream, as detailed on Dateline.
From what initial reports had said, it looked like an accident but further investigation unearthed some harrowing details about the death of Leslie Mueller. Here's a look at the official synopsis of the Dateline episode The Secrets of Cottonwood Creek:
"During a weekend away, a longtime married couple, Fred and Leslie Mueller, go on an afternoon hike that ends in tragedy; a multitude of evidence makes the mystery hard to untangle."
To know more about the mysterious death of Leslie Mueller, follow this article.
5 harrowing details about Leslie Mueller's death as seen on Dateline
1) An afternoon hike goes wrong for Leslie Mueller
Leslie Mueller was out on an afternoon hike with he husband Fred and her dog Gracie. She had stopped near a cliff and was posing for a picture with her dog when a bluebird suddenly flew by and startled them. According to Fred's statements, Leslie tried to get back on her feet, lost balance, and fell backward.
2) Leslie Mueller's body was found drowned in the Cottonwood Creek
The police found Leslie's body ledged underneath a log, drowned in the Cottonwood Creek. She had no visible injuries on her body or any broken bones. The area below the creek was rocky and almost 15 feet down, but the team found her dead at some distance from the reported place - way down the creek.
3) Fred Mueller's statements did not match with the results of Leslie's autopsy reports
According to investigators, Fred Mueller had said in her statements that Leslie accidentally fell off the cliff and was carried away by the running water. He further added:
"And she did a swan dive, just like head and shoulders and just slides like mush into the channel. I'm screaming her name, I'm hollering, I don't know what I'm doing and the next thing I know she's out of sight there. And I can't really see where I can get to her. And I can't really see where I can get to her. She's just face down in the water head first going downstream."
But Leslie's autopsy reports couldn't validate Fred's statements and further raised suspicion. She did not have any broken bones, though a fall from that height would definitely lead to physical damage. Moreover, a direct fall would land her in a rocky area right below the cliff. On the contrary, she reportedly landed on a boulder and got carried by the stream.
4) Fred Mueller was eventually accused of the murder of his wife
According to Hinsdale County undersheriff Bob Burden, Fred's statements made the whole incident look suspicious. He further added:
"He hit me as if he was reading from a recited script."
Fred had said that he had no motive to kill his wife and started to explain his relationship with Leslie - it looked as if he was answering a question that was never even asked. Though as per Bob, Fred sounded like a grieving man scratches on his face raised further questions. It indicated some kind of struggling during the fall - a sign of a possible crime.
Moreover, the police found a pair of glasses very close to the spot where Leslie's body was discovered. Bob Burden had put all the evidence together and came up with a theory that Fred had tried to push Leslie off the cliff but failed. The couple had a struggle and Fred's glasses fell and his face was scratched.
He later chased Leslie down the creek and then drowned her and left her body below the log. Though the evidence was not initially enough to make an arrest later in 2008, Fred was charged with the murder of his wife, Leslie Mueller, as explored on Dateline.
5) Fred went on trial twice
Frederick Mueller was tried twice for the murder of his wife. The jury could not reach a verdict following the first trial and statements from his children Alex, Ariel, and Amanda. However, eight months later he was again back in court in Broomfield, a suburb of Denver.
Eight of the jury members found him guilty after considering all the evidence and witness statements - but the judge declared it to be a mistrial. Fred could consequently be up for the third one. But, according to recent reports, no new evidence was found on Leslie's death, so Fred's case would not go for a third trial. There was no chance for conviction or vindication either, as seen on Dateline.
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