Page 4 - Danielle Locklear News Today

I have a little girl myself. if something happened to her would -- would be devastating. >> reporter: all the not knowing was torture for danielles mom. >> your mind is just -- youre going crazy. i mean, youre -- youre thinking of -- i mean, even some of the worst and the craziest stuff. >> reporter: by now, danielles disappearance wasnt just a hope mills story. she was featured in datelines "missing in america" series. her story was national news. >> the name of the missing 15-year-old is danie...

Yeah. but it even made me feel more nervous that it was by 95 because im like she -- were looking around here and she possibly could be somewhere else. >> reporter: after several days of searching the rv park, there was no sign of danielle, and no sign of her cell phone that last pinged by the highway. both could be anywhere. >> 95 is different than a county road. she couldve been five states away at that point. >> absolutely. absolutely. i mean, on i-95 an hour either way and youre in a differe...

Miles away. that night, but at 10:40 pm it suddenly started pinging off a tower miles away. the phone, and presumably danielle, were on the move. >> we get a pin drop that pretty much puts it on i-95, but in that pin out is a certain amount of area that the phone could be in. >> so helpful as phones are, it doesnt give you x marks the spot. >> reporter: not in this case. the last ping came from that spot near the highway. a worry in itself because i-95 is a big ribbon of opportunities from miami...

>> yeah. >> really he was just a really soft-hearted guy. he would always be there for anybody who needed him. >> reporter: in the end police couldnt find any electronic trail linking derek to danielle. detectives latest lead had fizzled out, and with no explanation for that word, help that chena found scrawled at the creek, they were down to their two main clues. >> so you got the sock on the trail, and you got a phone out at 95, more questions than answers. >> danielles last cell phone ping wa...

>> reporter: word that danielles body had been found was tearing through south view high school. >> somebody messaged me. i cant remember who it was. and they told me, "turn on the news." and i turned on the news, and they were -- it was, like, the video of them pulling the body out. and i called my moms work and i was crying on the phone. i was just begging her to come home. >> reporter: danielles family, too, was trying to come to grips with her death. her grandfather, whod let danielle leave ...

The water with lights. >> reporter: the cinderblocks were tied to the body with bright yellow rope. and they were unique. >> old-style is how i would categorize it. it was very old. >> reporter: not like you get at a modern-day building supply place. >> no, this one had a lot of pebbles and actual rocks in -- in it. so that stood out to me. >> reporter: on the banks of the river, they found shotgun shells. perhaps a clue as to how she died. but a shotgun had nothing to do with it. the next day, ...

Trampling, officials are looking into rumors about laced drugs. the show was eventually stopped in the interest the public safety. well stay on top of that story. now back to "dateline." >> reporter: on the morning of april 2nd, 2014, chena papa did what shed done almost every day since her niece disappeared. she went to her family church to pray for danielles safe return. but this time, her prayer was different. >> it was, "please just allow us to bring her home and lay her to rest." >> repor...

Had a pension for skipping, heres irregular at the creek, and familiar with daniels crowd. caroline was friends with. tim >> derrick is kind of like, at the time he was kind of like big and bulky everyone was kind of afraid of him. >> did you hear stories about him later? >> yes i did. >> and the story going around about derek, was more than a little scary. >> we had information concerning him stating that he was also trying to get into a romantic relationship with danielle locklear, and she ref...

On his own. jemichael malloy said that he and danielle had broken out, but he was still dear to her, i still love her shes a good girl. >> he pitched in just how much danielles family cared for him to the former boyfriend wanted to find her just as much as anyone -- so law enforcement pumped him for information. so she skipped school, she did not have a lot? >> she didnt like fourth period, because were close and so she got believed. >> she just normally to me, but she didnt have the best of clo...

Danielle had used a friends cell phone to do an end run around jemichaels block so she could keep texting him. ? his roundabout responses to her, jemichael seemed to threaten danielles life. he wrote: "come to my house. the way im feeling right now ill shoot you with no hesitation." >> jemichaels gonna kill danielle. >> that he would -- >> if what? >> if she didnt leave him alone. >> so, "get off my case." >> yup. >> reporter: detectives had confronted jemichael about that message early on. >> "...