Delia D'Ambra

Why had Dwayne, a man with health issues and limited mobility, agreed to go on a long-distance road trip with Jennifer and Robert?

Well, the answer depends on whose story you're willing to believe.

The longer a case goes unsolved, the quieter it can become.

On Park Predators, I've reported on crimes that happened years, sometimes even decades ago.

And I'm always aware that for the families involved, time doesn't always make it easier.

That's one of the reasons I listened to the deck.

Host Ashley Flowers focuses on cold cases featured on official law enforcement playing cards.

A GBI agent involved in this case later testified in court that it was clear Jennifer had told Duane she needed to travel south to drop Robert off, but she'd expressed that she didn't want to drive by herself.

Text messages between the two of them prior to the road trip proved that that's how she'd pitched the road trip idea to Duane.

As part of my research for this episode, though, I reached out to Duane's son, James, and his granddaughter, Autumn.

I wanted to learn more about him and get their perspective on this case, especially regarding this detail about why Duane went on the road trip in the first place.

Autumn told me that at the time of the murder, as far as she and her dad knew, Duane had made it seem like the drive with Jennifer and Robert was his way of coming to visit them because he hadn't seen them in a while.

Autumn said she and her family were under the impression that Dwayne believed he was being driven to see family, and that's why he went with the couple.

Autumn stated that after the crime, when her dad went to New York to clean out Dwayne's place, he found photos of Autumn and him scattered on Dwayne's kitchen table, which suggested her grandfather had been thinking about them right before he left and was looking forward to visiting with them.

So it would seem that Dwayne wasn't supposed to be Jennifer's traveling companion, but rather it was more likely he assumed he was just getting a ride down to see his son and granddaughter.

According to his obituary, Dwayne had a number of relatives, including brothers and sisters, and he'd worked for Cornell University and various manufacturers until a disability took him out of the workforce.

Beneath his online obituary, his son James left a comment that stated, quote, Had I said it before instead of now, my heart might not feel so heavy.

I love you, Dad.

Always will.

End quote.