Dateline: The Necklace — 5 harrowing details about private investigator Taylor Wright's murder, explored

The Dateline episode titled The Necklace focuses on a disturbing case of betrayal, where a friend opts for murder instead of accepting her mistake. It tells the story of Taylor Wright, a police officer who worked in the Jacksonville Police Department, at different times between 2008 and 2013.

Wright later restarted her life as a private investigator, and after getting a divorce she moved in with her girlfriend, Casandra Waller. Like most couples, Wright and Waller, too, had issues in their relationship.

They tried sorting out their problems, and just when it felt like the relationship was getting better, Taylor Wright went missing. As shown in the Dateline episode, the incident happened in 2017 and Wright's disappearance led to an investigation.

As the detectives and police followed clues and forensic evidence, they discovered that one of Taylor Wright's friends was the killer. The private investigator was last seen with Ashley McArthur, a close friend who became the suspect, and was eventually found guilty of her murder.

Keep reading to know more about Wright's tragic case on Dateline.

5 harrowing details about Taylor Wright featured on Dateline

Taylor with her girlfriend (Image via NBC)

The murder of private investigator Taylor Wright is an example of how a close friend can betray another. Initially, it looked like there was no foul play when Wright went missing, but soon her dead body was found, followed by an autopsy report that proved she was shot dead.

Here are five harrowing details about the Taylor Wright murder case featured on the Dateline episode, The Necklace:

1) Taylor Wright's murder was likely a backup plan

One of the most harrowing details about Taylor Wright's case is that Ashley McArthur originally planned to kill the private investigator by secretly mixing cocaine into her beer. This way, she could have easily made it look like an overdose, and since Wright was already struggling with drug use, no one would have suspected foul play.

The Dateline episode reveals that one witness opened up about Taylor spitting out the beer because of strange taste. This suggests that McArthur's plan failed, and she then came up with the idea of killing Wright with a shotgun.

2) Murdered over stolen money

Ashley was driven by greed (Image via NBC)

From Taylor Wright's journey to becoming a private investigator to her shocking murder, the Dateline episode covers it all. As mentioned above, Wright's close pal McArthur killed her with a shotgun in September 2017.

The motive was simple — money. Not just any money, but stolen cash that rightfully belonged to Taylor Wright. Before her death, Wright was about to get a divorce and, during the process, she took $100,000 from a shared account.

She trusted Ashley McArthur and hoped she would safeguard $34,000 of that amount. Instead of keeping her friend's money safe, McArthur used it for herself. When Wright wanted an explanation for the betrayal, she got killed.

Also Read: Dateline: The Knock At The Door - 5 harrowing details about Tara Ord-Sidarovich's murder, explored

3) Taylor Wright's body was buried in concrete and potting soil

Ashley McArthur lied to the investigators (Image via NBC)

Yet another horrific detail uncovered in the Dateline show is how McArthur attempted to conceal Wright's corpse. Following a shot to the head, McArthur tried to completely destroy all evidence of her crime by concealing the corpse at her family farm.

She excavated a hidden grave and put Wright's body into it, before covering it with concrete. The heinous crime indicates how astutely McArthur planned the killing before carrying it out successfully.

4) Taylor Wright's final message was likely sent by Ashley McArthur

Wright's final message was dubious (Image via NBC)

As seen in the Dateline episode, Taylor Wright went out with McArthur on the day of her murder. After the private investigator disappeared, McArthur told the authorities that she seemed incredibly sad. However, according to Wright's girlfriend Cassandra Waller, she was excited about her day out.

Per Dateline: The Necklace, Wright sent a message to Waller and McArthur, saying:

"I’m ok. I just need some time to think the move and court is very stressful. I need a few days to myself. Everything is Ok. I am not doing anything bad."

So, if Wright was shot dead, how could she have messaged her girlfriend to tell her that she was alright? The authorities were quick to suspect that the message was likely sent by the killer, to mislead investigators during the search.

5) Ashely McArthur tried to cover up the murder with arson

Taylor A. Wright was known for her bravery (Image via NBC)

Before betraying Taylor Wright, Ashley McArthur was already involved in illegal activities to make money. She was reportedly taking out money from her family’s jukebox and pool table business.

Since there were records that could have immediately proved she had been involved in stealing, prosecutors argued that she set fire to escape justice. McArthur was found guilty of fraud and racketeering, but she escaped being convicted for arson due to lack of evidence.

Despite all this, Ashley McArthur also ended up killing her close friend and private investigator Taylor Wright. McArthur was given a life sentence which she tried to overturn, but her request was rejected.

Ashley McArthur never showed remorse for killing an innocent woman and a mother of two. Dateline shows how this case is all about greed, betrayal, and calculated violence, and how a trusted friend can become a brutal killer.