Peter Van Sant

Wally Medeiros was Stephen's father and Janet's ex husband.

Although they had divorced, Wally still has fond memories of his marriage to Janet.

Janet always had a special bond with her only child, Steven.

And so did his father.

About a year after Wally and Janet were divorced, Janet remarried a state trooper named Dick Dow, who adopted Steven.

Dow was a respected police officer.

Janet was a mail carrier who was friendly with everyone.

They all seemed happy.

Then, in the dark morning hours of December 10th, 1982, one of Dow's neighbors saw a fire on the side of the road.

John Sperling, a retired fire chief at the time, was the first to find the Dow's car.

Janet, aged 40, and 18-year-old Steven were burned beyond recognition, just 500 feet from their own home.

Could you see the Dow house from the accident scene?

But Dow never came.

The state police knocked on his door to break the news to their friend and colleague.

John Thall, police chief in nearby Dalton, went to the police academy with Dow and was a state trooper at the time.

The investigation was brief.

There were no autopsies, no interviews, and the car was destroyed within days.

The police concluded it was an accident because of what Dick Dow told them, that Janet might have been distracted because she had been arguing with Stephen as they drove off that morning.

When you first heard about this accident, did you have any suspicion whatsoever that foul play may have been involved?

Not at all.