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Sneak peek: First Love, Then Murder
When Aaron Friar, 50, and daughter, Ellie, 15, vanished from their Medford, Oregon, location connected Oct. 2, 2017, investigators rapidly deduced that determination was foul play.
"They saw humor spatter down the couch, connected the ceiling, each the mode crossed the room," said pb Detective Bill Ford. "There was … a imaginable that this was what we could notation to arsenic a no-body homicide. That determination had been a homicide, but we don't person a body."
Ellie Friar, left, and her begetter Aaron Friar.
Ellie Friar/Instagram
But who was dead? Was it Aaron Friar, Ellie oregon both?
Natalie Morales investigates the pair's mysterious disappearance successful "First Love, Then Murder" an all-new "48 Hours" airing Saturday, April 19 astatine 10/9c connected CBS and streaming connected Paramount+.
The hunt was on.
"We astir apt had 70, 75 [officers] retired connected the streets of Medford," says Ford.
Then, conscionable 4 hours aft she had been reported missing, Ellie was located by police. She was alive, unharmed, and had been walking down a engaged thoroughfare with 2 young men: her boyfriend, Gavin MacFarlane, 19, and Gavin's friend, Russell Jones, 22.
"So, present we cognize Ellie is safe," said Ford.
But what astir her father, Aaron Friar?
Based connected the bloody transgression country astatine the house, clip was rapidly moving retired to find him. But could Ellie person been involved? Ford kept an unfastened mind.
Ellie and the 2 men were separated and brought to the Medford Police presumption for questioning. Ellie seemed perplexed erstwhile she was told by constabulary that her begetter was missing.
"I haven't been location and present I'm truly acrophobic astir what's been going on," Ellie told a detective.
She adjacent offered a proposition arsenic to wherever her dada mightiness be: "Maybe helium was looking for me."
Around that time, Ford began interviewing Russell Jones.
Russell Jones, near unsocial successful the interrogation room, began taunting investigators.
Medford Police Department
"He's a talker … very, precise talkative," said Ford. "So, I benignant of knew if I could get successful determination and get him talking, helium would … person a hard clip keeping his rima shut."
Ford's mentation was correct.
Jones was anxious to talk, but helium wanted thing first: a cigarette.
"I speech amended erstwhile I person a cigarette," Jones told Ford during his taped constabulary interview.
Ford took Russell extracurricular of the presumption for a cigaret break.
"Just benignant of smokin' and jokin' is what we telephone it," Ford explained.
But Ford was superior astir the task astatine hand: uncovering Aaron Friar.
"I look astatine him and I'm like, 'You know, Russell, I don't privation a kid to find Aaron, Ellie's dad, retired determination somewhere, travel crossed thing similar that,'" Ford recalls saying. "I said, 'Can you instrumentality america to Aaron?' And helium didn't bushed an eye. He's conscionable like, 'Yeah, I'll instrumentality you to him.'"
Ford was shocked: "Holy smokes! That's a large moment, you know?"
He instantly loaded Jones into his constabulary car.
As the seasoned researcher and his fishy began their drive, Jones confessed to Ford.
"He ends up saying helium wasn't liable for Aaron's death, but helium helped load the body," Ford recalled.
"You're driving on with him, present he's starting to sing similar a canary," said Morales.
"Exactly," Ford replied.
But who had killed Aaron Friar and why?
Detective Bill Ford, left, with Russell Jones during a cigaret break.
Medford Police Department
As their travel continued, Ford says Jones began going disconnected connected tangents. But Ford says helium didn't mind. It was each portion of his plan.
"Keep talking, support him happy," said Ford. "He adjacent asked for different cigaret … and I said, 'You've had 2 already. Once we get retired there, I'll springiness you different one.' And that's a tactic."
"He's gotta springiness america something," said Ford. "Nicotine is simply a almighty tool."
And then, arsenic they ascended a agrarian upland walk 20 miles extracurricular of town, Jones made an announcement:
Ford said, "All of a sudden, Russell says 'Stop! … Stop close here.'"
To spot much of the case, ticker "First Love, Then Murder" an all-new "48 Hours" airing Saturday, April 19 astatine 10/9c connected CBS and streaming connected Paramount +.
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