Sam Mullins

But the only people who know what happened were Ron and Albert and Sheena. To me, there are a million questions. But to the Devon police, by necessity, there was only ever one. How did Ronald Platt end up at the bottom of the ocean? When they arrested Albert Walker, they had all of their resources on trying to answer this question.

Even with their undivided attention, they knew enough about Albert Walker to know that this wasn't going to be easy. This was a man who'd hidden in plain sight, undetected for six years, because he'd been crafty and knew how to cover his tracks. So if he really was the one who killed Ron, undoubtedly, he would have done a clean job of it.

Even with their undivided attention, they knew enough about Albert Walker to know that this wasn't going to be easy. This was a man who'd hidden in plain sight, undetected for six years, because he'd been crafty and knew how to cover his tracks. So if he really was the one who killed Ron, undoubtedly, he would have done a clean job of it.

If the police were going to find justice for Ronald Platt, they're going to need to do their very best detective work. They were going to need timelines, paper trails, and the latest technology all pointing in the same direction. They were going to need witnesses just to have a chance. And even with all that, they knew they'd need something else.

If the police were going to find justice for Ronald Platt, they're going to need to do their very best detective work. They were going to need timelines, paper trails, and the latest technology all pointing in the same direction. They were going to need witnesses just to have a chance. And even with all that, they knew they'd need something else.

The guiding force that had been with them all along and had brought them to this point. Luck. Their next miraculous stroke of good fortune begins with the name Lady Jane written on a whiteboard.

The guiding force that had been with them all along and had brought them to this point. Luck. Their next miraculous stroke of good fortune begins with the name Lady Jane written on a whiteboard.

Early on in the inquiry, the Essex police in charge of searching the farmhouse had a briefing where they were laying out possible leads based on their discoveries at the house and things that needed following up on.

Early on in the inquiry, the Essex police in charge of searching the farmhouse had a briefing where they were laying out possible leads based on their discoveries at the house and things that needed following up on.

And the lucky breaks didn't stop there. When the police charged David Davis with murder, it was all over the media, which jogged the memory of a local fisherman named John Coppock, the man who first discovered Ron Platt in his fishing net that summer.

And the lucky breaks didn't stop there. When the police charged David Davis with murder, it was all over the media, which jogged the memory of a local fisherman named John Coppock, the man who first discovered Ron Platt in his fishing net that summer.

As he read that police continued to investigate the death of Ronald Platt and put out calls for tips, Coppock remembered something from that day that seemed inconsequential at the time. Ron Platt's body wasn't the only out-of-the-ordinary thing in his net that day, and the more he thought about it, he wondered, could the two things be related?

As he read that police continued to investigate the death of Ronald Platt and put out calls for tips, Coppock remembered something from that day that seemed inconsequential at the time. Ron Platt's body wasn't the only out-of-the-ordinary thing in his net that day, and the more he thought about it, he wondered, could the two things be related?

Coppock called the police and asked, what about the anchor? To which the detective replied, Come on, John, what anchor's this?

Coppock called the police and asked, what about the anchor? To which the detective replied, Come on, John, what anchor's this?

And he said, what anchor are you talking about? Coppock explained that the day they caught Ron Platt's body, back at shore, they discovered that caught in a different part of the netting was an anchor.

And he said, what anchor are you talking about? Coppock explained that the day they caught Ron Platt's body, back at shore, they discovered that caught in a different part of the netting was an anchor.

It was caught more near the net's mouth, in the same trawl that produced the body. So the police asked, where's this anchor now, John?

It was caught more near the net's mouth, in the same trawl that produced the body. So the police asked, where's this anchor now, John?

That first day, right after the police took the body off Coppock's boat, Coppock steered his vessel to its usual parking spot in the fishing boat pens. As Coppock was finishing up, one of his buddies walked by, spotting the anchor in the net, and was like, is that anchor up for grabs? Coppock gave the anchor to his friend, who ended up not needing it.