Ep 1. A Harvest of Grief

A Harvest of Grief is the premiere episode of the twelfth season of On the Case with Paula Zahn. In this episode, Paula Zahn takes viewers into the heart of rural America to investigate a case that has haunted a small farming community for nearly two decades.

The episode begins by introducing viewers to the victim, 17-year-old Jessica Carpenter. Jessica was a high school student who aspired to one day become a veterinarian. She was loved by everyone who knew her and had a bright future ahead of her. However, her life was tragically cut short on the evening of October 8th, 2001.

Jessica's mother, Sherry Carpenter, was the last person to see her alive. Sherry had dropped Jessica off at a local corn maze so she could meet up with some friends. When Jessica didn't return home that night, Sherry grew concerned and contacted the police.

The police immediately began searching the corn maze, as well as the surrounding fields and woods. It wasn't long before they discovered Jessica's body lying in a nearby field. She had been brutally beaten and left to die in the middle of the cornfield.

In the years that followed, the case went cold. Despite numerous leads and potential suspects, the murderer remained at large. However, in 2019, two decades after Jessica's death, there was a break in the case.

The episode details the tireless effort of Detective Stryker of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, who had been assigned to the case. He had inherited the case in 2006 and had been determined to solve it. He worked tirelessly, pouring over old evidence and re-interviewing potential suspects. His dedication eventually paid off when he received a tip about a man named Todd Mullis.

Mullis, who was married to Sherry Carpenter at the time of Jessica's murder, had been a prime suspect from the beginning. He had a history of violence and had been accused of domestic abuse by Sherry in the years following Jessica's death. However, without concrete evidence, the authorities were unable to make an arrest.

In 2019, Detective Stryker received a tip that Mullis had been involved in Jessica's murder. The tipster, who had been close to Mullis at the time of the murder, claimed that Mullis had confessed to killing Jessica because he suspected she was having an affair with a coworker.

With this new information, the authorities were able to obtain a search warrant for the Mullis farm. During the search, they discovered a piece of evidence that had been overlooked for years— a corn rake that had been used to kill Jessica. The rake had been cleaned and stored in the family's shed, leading authorities to believe that Mullis had been planning to dispose of the evidence.

With the corn rake in hand, the authorities arrested Mullis and charged him with first-degree murder. The episode details his trial and the emotional impact the case had on the small farming community.

Overall, A Harvest of Grief is a gripping episode that highlights the tireless dedication of law enforcement officials and the devastating impact that a murder can have on a small community. It's a powerful reminder that justice is never out of reach, even when a case goes unsolved for decades.