20/20 on ABC: 5 harrowing details about Robert Waters' crimes, revealed

The latest episode of 20/20 on ABC, which aired on March 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, followed a cold case that had no chances of getting solved for decades but with the help of DNA technology was able to finally reach its conclusion.

The official synopsis of the episode, as released by ABC, reads,

“In a new "20/20" episode, The Code Breakers, airing March 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, and streaming the next day on Hulu, David Muir explores the innovative DNA technology Othram used to crack the murder cases of two young women, Catherine Edwards and Cathy Swartz, that haunted their small communities for decades.”

It further mentions,

“20/20 features Muir's exclusive interviews with Cathy Swartz's daughter, law enforcement, as well as interviews with prosecutors and a prior victim speaking out for the first time on television about her assault by Edwards' killer.”

Let us now explore the details of the murder of Cathy Swartz and how eventually Robert Waters was arrested for the crime.

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Cathy Swartz was murdered when she was only 19 years old

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Cathy Swartz was only 19 years old when she was killed at her home in Three Rivers, Michigan. Cathy was a mother to 9 months old Courteney and lived with her fiance Mike Warner.

On December 2, 1988, when Warner came back home, he found that Cathy was lying dead, murdered brutally. She was not only stabbed violently, but also was strangled and her throat was also slit.

Judging by the wounds on her body, the Police had stated that she did fight for her life but ultimately her wounds were so bad that she could not survive.

Also Read: 20/20 on ABC: Who is Natalie Cochran and what did she do?

Cathay’s 9-month-old baby Courteney was upstairs when Cathy was murdered

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One of the most shocking aspects of Cathy’s murder was that her 9-month-old daughter Courteney was in her crib upstairs when this happened. However, fortunately, she was left unharmed by the killer.

This episode of 20/20 on ABC also features Courteney as she gives an interview to David Muir regarding her mother’s murder. Courteney mentions,

“I'm 100% convinced she was trying to save her baby because I feel like she would've just ran outside and yelled . . . but I was upstairs and she wasn't going to leave that apartment without me.”

Her words ring true when seen from the perspective of a mother because the natural motherly instinct prevents Cathy from going out and running.

Police initially thought someone known was involved in the murder

Cathy’s autopsy brought out even more chilling details about the attack as it mentioned that there were multiple stab wounds on her neck. The report also revealed that besides the evident strangulation, the woman was also beaten up badly. Moreover, she also had wounds on her arms, suggesting assault.

However, what seemed a bit strange was that there were no signs of any forced entry on the crime scene. This essentially led the authorities to believe that the crime was committed by someone that Cathy knew well and let inside herself.

The theory made sense and the first two suspects were inevitably Cathy's former lover Troy Schulthies and her fiancé Warner. However, the police could not find any conclusive evidence that could tie either of them to the scene, so they had to let them go.

In 2022, the Police finally cracked open the Cathy murder case

While DNA evidence was found on the scene of crime, due to the technology not being that good at that time, the Police spent years of futile attempts to find anyone who could hold a grudge on Cathy and kill her in such a violent manner.

However, finally, in 2022, the Three Rivers Police contacted Michigan State Police and teamed up to make the best use of forensic genealogy. With the help of this technology, they were finally able to pinpoint one family and from there they got hold of Robert Waters, whom they arrested as the murderer.

Robert Waters killed himself in prison

The Police finally arrested Robert Waters in April, 2023 and charged him with Cathy’s murder. He was a 53-year-old resident of Beaufort, South Carolina, and knew Cathy and Warner. His trial was supposed to take place at St. Joseph County.

However, five days before his trial, Robert killed himself. It was May 6, 2023 when he hung himself in his cell. Given he did not have any history or signs of mental illness, no suicide watch was put on him, which resulted in his death.

20/20 can be streamed on Hulu.