Stephanie Ramos

At 10.15, he asked around the office, did anyone know where Leslie was?

Everyone said no.

At 10.30, Brett had his secretary call Leslie's house.

No answer.

He said, darn it, you know, where the hell is Leslie?

Linda says Brett was annoyed, but he was also concerned.

He wondered if Leslie's bus had broken down.

By 1115, Brett called Leslie's husband, Sandy Prier.

So on that warm May morning, 25 years ago, Brett made the decision to go to Leslie Preer's home and try to find out why she hadn't shown up.

It was a decision that would land Brett in the middle of a gruesome scene and a bewildering mystery that would take decades to solve.

What happened was a violent secret carefully kept for years until a revolution in how crimes are investigated finally brought the truth to light.

From ABC Audio in 2020, I'm Stephanie Ramos, and this is Blood and Water.

Episode one, Looking for Leslie.

Leslie Prier and her husband, Sandy, lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

It's a prestigious suburb of Washington, D.C., full of picturesque neighborhoods.

And it's a place I know well.

When I first joined ABC News 11 years ago, I worked out of the D.C.

Bureau, just a few miles away.

Chevy Chase is a place that always seemed to radiate calm, quiet respectability, and wealth.

Even in 2001, the average house in Chevy Chase cost three times the national average.