Blaine Alexander

It would take a new generation to bridge the divide.

People were sending you tips, like week after week.

I was just staring at the ceiling in utter shock and disbelief.

You couldn't even process it?

No, uh-uh.

If Tara Baker's bedroom held any clues about what happened to her, crime scene technician David Liedahl knew getting them would not be easy.

What was the condition of the room?

Was it immediately clear to you that she didn't die in the fire?

They found a knife by her body and signs of blunt force trauma to her head.

The cord around her neck came from her printer.

At the time, did you know anything else about her other injuries?

Later at Tara's autopsy, the medical examiner determined she had been raped, but a sexual assault kit did not provide any useful evidence.

As the crime scene technicians worked, detectives wanted to talk to anyone close to Tara, including her boyfriend, Chris.

When you were in there, they were asking you questions, but there were more than just questions.

They asked you for your fingerprints.

At the time, had they told you much about what had happened to Tara?

As Tara's family headed to the police station in Athens, they knew even less.

I'm thinking to myself, maybe somehow she fell asleep and one of her candles caught things on fire, but it can't be her.

She can't be gone.

I kept telling myself there's no way it could be her.