i don't think they knew exactly what had happened other than that he was covered in blood. she was just broken and lost. there is a murderer out there and it is terrifying. >> it was supposed to be an anniversary celebration. 32 years together. >> they were in love even after all those years. they were very happy together. >> suddenly, an intimate moment turned to infinite terror. >> i just heard, help, someone is in trouble. i was scared. i was scared. >> a husband found murdered in a closet. a wife, tied up in another. >> they found her on the ground with her hands behind her back. >> she had bruising on her arms and on her face. >> inconsolable. screaming, crying. >> who could be behind this? >> their only daughter desperate for justice for her dad. be careful what you wish for. >> everybody gasped. nobody could believe it. this terrifies me because this can happen to anybody. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> hello, and welcome to dateline. she was his teenage crush, then, puppy love turned into a lifelong love affair. eventually, high school sweethearts jamie melgar and sandra got together and had a daughter. they celebrated a 32 years together when jamie was brutally murdered. to crack the case, they had to investigate an illusion worthy of the great houdini. here is dennis murphy with "unspeakable". >> the scented candles were lit. the jacuzzi jets turned on high. it was a belated anniversary evening, but not some big blowout. sandra and jaime were just not that kind of couple. >> there were so kind to each other, so respectful. >> it was really the start of a life victory lap for the two. they raised a daughter, did all the usual things that families do, and now the time for jamie was right around the corner -- >> they sat there and talked about the future and what they were looking forward to. >> but the future for these two would last no longer than the flame on that candle. by the next afternoon, there would be blood, lots of it. somehow, someone had turned a cozy celebration into a monstrous crime scene. >> it was just -- it was horrible. >> but in the world have happened in that house? >> i have no idea. >> the story of the two begins as high school me cute. sandra, the new girl from morocco, assigned a seat and her classroom just in front of jamie melgar. their daughter doesn't know how many times she heard that story. >> he used to pull her hair in the middle class. apparently, one time, he invited her eye skating. and he told her that a bunch of friends were going, when she shows up, it was just him and one friend who eventually left. >> so a bit of a scheme going on there? >> yes. but it went well. >> and that was. that sandra and jaime were a done deal. an inseparable couple. sandra studied nursing and jamie juggled a job as a computer programmer while investigating in real estate. >> a happy family? >> definitely. i was a daddy's girl growing up. >> and jamie carried himself as a goofy guy? >> was he an easygoing guy? >> yes very easygoing. he would crack the worst jokes. >> they were so bad that you would just stop and grown and they got known as jim jokes. >> melissa and sarah would roll her eyes and say, oh uncle jim. >> the melgar's life revolved around church too. they joined the jehovah's witnesses early in the relationship. but by the her early twenties, daughter liz left the church. she rushed into a marriage. a bad one. >> true he was involved in heavy drugs? >> yes. >> that was the end of it? >> that was it. i did not want to live that kind of life. >> but her parents marriage just kept going through sickness and health. in fact, in recent years, jaime was looking younger than ever on a vegetarian diet and exercise regiment. >> he just wanted to make sure that he was in good physical shape. >> your mother had a cluster of problems? >> yes. >> lupus, chemotherapy got involved too? >> she also had epilepsy. >> did you ever have seizures? >> yes she did. >> then december 2012 world around. their 32nd anniversary. sandra was ill on the actual day, so they went out to get ten days later, on december 22nd. >> she was finally feeling better to go have dinner. >> the next day, the 23rd, the marissa's family would join them to have a late lunch. >> on the way there i remember texting him. >> texting your uncle? >> yes. >> i didn't get a response. >> was it unusual that he did not text you back? >> yes. >> they got to the house around 4 pm and knocked on the front door. >> nothing. no answer. >> marissa's father, jamie's brother herman, went to the back of the house and no sign of them. >> we thought maybe they left, maybe they want to go that get something. and my dad, said no his truck is up there. and finally you that's when my dad said, okay will go inside. >> herman walked into the garage door and allowed himself into the front door. the visitors huddled in the entrance hall. expecting a greeting from sandra and jamie, but none came. just as they got ready to leave, they heard something that sounded like sandra. >> it was mumbling. >> where was the voice coming from? >> we did not know. my dad, i remember, ran straight into the master bedroom. >> marissa raced after her father. >> i just heard him saying, help, some is in trouble. >> were you scared? >> yes i was scared. >> the voice was coming from inside the walk-in closet attached to the bathroom. herman moved closer, nudged a against the doorknob was a dining chair. he opened the door, and there was sandra, on the floor, tied by her arms and ankles alive. >> he said that she did not look well at all. >> as marissa's mom cut sandra loose. her dad spoke. >> where is your dad, wears your uncle? >> the answer to that. unspeakable. >> what had happened to jamie melgar and to his wife? >> coming up. >> she looked like she had aged ten years overnight. >> broken, and lost. >> sandra melgar, the only possible witness to a terrible night. but what would she remember? when dateline continues. she's been looking for. sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis... for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding that outfit psoriasis tried to hide from you. or finding your swimsuit is ready for primetime. dad! once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. so clearly you. sotyktu. after advil. feeling better? 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on top of the worlddddd!!! before advil. advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. when pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liqui-gels. >> marissa, rattled to her core, dennis murphy (voiceover): marissa, rattled to her core, stood in her uncle jamie and aunt sandra's bedroom doorway, waiting for first responders. trying to calculate her family's terrible new math. >> i still didn't know everything that was going on. >> in the bedroom, open drawers, a tossed wallet. had this been a home invasion? and where was her uncle jamie? then she glanced to her side and there, about 20 feet away from the bathroom, next to jaime and sandra's bed. >> i just saw his ankles. >> and this was is in a closet area of the master? so, you just saw his feet? >> yes, i didn't even know what had happened to him. i just know his ankles were tied up. it was horrible. >> there was jaime, naked, covered in blood on the floor. not far from his safe. a red robe encircled his chest. a phone cord looped around his ankles. sandra, now freed of her ties, sprang from her closet captivity. a former nurse, she checked for his pulse and found none. >> your aunt is distraught, she's crying? >> yes, yes. >> marissa, what in the world had happened in that house? >> i have no idea. i'm not sure who could've done something like that to him. to them. >> first responders weren't exactly sure what they had been dispatched to either. >> they told us that there's possibly two victims. and that's all we knew when we got there. emt stephanie robinson was the first responder on the scene. she checked on jaime. he was clearly dead? >> yes, clearly. >> you know gunshot wounds from knife wounds -- >> you couldn't tell. there was so much dry blood. i did notice the gash on his neck. >> next emt robertson far found her way to sandra. by then collapsed on a chair in the bathroom, a family member by her side. >> she was bold up a little bit and she was crying hysterically. >> the emt started to assess sandra, who said her head hurt. but -- >> she said she has no injuries. >> still, sandra seemed disoriented. what time was it? morning or afternoon? then, between gulping sobs, sandra said she simply could not remember what happened the night before. she'd been unconscious. maybe had one of her seizures. >> she said after a seizure that it's not uncommon that she falls asleep for several hours. >> by now, harris county sheriff's investigators had descended on a crime scene that was once just their modest home. jamie, they could see, had suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso. by the looks of it, well over a dozen. the crime scene unit got to work inside. collecting evidence. things like a bloody chair near jaime's body. and a kitchen knife fished out of the bottom of the jacuzzi. sandra, seemingly in shock from her ordeal, declined to go to the hospital. instead, she went to talk with investigators. >> let's start with yesterday. >> sandra told investigators the last thing she remembered was her anniversary night with jaime. >> we went out to eat. >> and what time was that? >> i'm going to say about 8:00. i mean, i'm just guessing. i don't know. >> sandra told them they stopped for mixers at a cvs on the way home. >> what time did you get home, do you think? >> probably midnight. >> she said they intended to share some late night romance. candles, strawberries. >> we made some drinks. then we went and got in the jacuzzi. >> in your master bathroom? >> right. >> and then what? >> stayed there for about maybe two hours. talking and drinking. >> but the intimate jacuzzi was disrupted by their dogs barking outside in the yard. >> he got out and said he's more was moving the dogs to the office. because they were too loud. we don't want the neighbors to complain. and he just, you know, was taking a while. so, i got out and was going to get dressed -- or change in my closet. >> maybe that's when she had the seizure. >> that's all i remember, until i woke up. >> as they talked, sandra broke down. who could have done this, she wondered? she recalled for the detectives the scary moment on their way home. >> i think when we left cvs, there was a -- car following us, because when we came in our neighborhood, it was still behind us. and he was really close. >> something for the detectives to check out. after sandra was done talking, her cousin diana who had rushed into town to help, met her at a friends house. >> she looked like she had aged ten years overnight. she couldn't stop shaking. so, i didn't want to ask for too many questions. >> liz, remembered now, was an ocean away. living in europe when she finally got her mother on the phone. what did you hear in her voice? >> she was just broken. and lost. she was just devastated. >> at that point you had very fragmentary information? >> i knew my dad was killed in a home invasion and thankfully my mom was still alive. >> that's not any kind of news you should ever hear. >> it's shocking. it really doesn't sink in for a while. you just kind of go into crisis mode. >> liz booked the next flight back to texas. >> i just knew i had to get there. >> had to get back. back to a new reality with a murdered father and a traumatized mother. grieving would have to take a number while the daughter held everyone together. nothing made sense. >> coming up -- >> were you worried about your mother? whoever this person was my come back for her? >> absolutely. she was traumatized. >> tips begin to trickle in. who could have done this? >> you're getting information right a way about a sketchy neighbor. >> that's right. just got out of jail. who was suspicious. >> when "dateline" continues. called td, tardive dyskinesia. td can be caused by some mental health meds. and it's unlikely to improve without treatment. i felt like my movements were in the spotlight. #1-prescribed ingrezza is the only td treatment for adults that's always one pill, once daily. ingrezza 80 mg is proven to reduce td movements in 7 out of 10 people. people taking ingrezza can stay on most mental health meds. ingrezza can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have thoughts of suicide. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including angioedema, potential heart rhythm problems, and abnormal movements. report fevers, stiff muscles, or problems thinking as these may be life threatening. sleepiness is the most common side effect. it's nice. people focus more on me. ask your doctor about #1 prescribed, once-daily ingrezza. ♪ ingrezza ♪ alright, alright! tiny, branch, poppy... on another musical adventure. ♪ you're all i ever wanted ♪ i can't believe this is really happening. ♪ you're all i ever needed ♪ looks like your band days aren't behind you. grrr. dennis murphy (voiceover): two days >> two days after the bloody after the bloody discovery in her childhood home, discovery of in her childhood home, liz melgar landed in houston. a daddies girl, shaken even more by the face that was missing. >> i think at that time it really hit me that i was not going to see him anymore. he was not going to be there to pick me up from the airport. >> still very rocky sandra came to pick up her daughter. >> we both just broke down at the sight of each other. >> she had been through a terrible ordeal, you don't even know the full story yet? but did you see the injuries on her? >> she had bruising on her arms and on her face. >> did she have a bump on her head? >> she did. she told me her head was hurting and i could feel it back there. >> liz insisted her mom get some rest. so the next day, when detectives came by the house where listen center were staying, the daughter was the one to field their questions. >> and you flew in yesterday? >> that's right okay. >> and lewis thought it prudent to record the conversation. she's just a complete shock and she has retrograde amnesia and she has a hard time remembering things as they are because of the seizures. >> liz had witnessed her mom seizures before. and she theorized that's what's might've kept her alive during the home invasion. >> i think she probably had a seizure and that probably freaked out whoever was there. and maybe they thought they killed her. >> the detectives asked liz to keep them updated on her recovery. >> because if she could ever remember a suspect, that's the best thing for me and him. >> because -- >> right now at this point we have nothing. >> i've been asking. i've been asking her. >> and then the detectives asked liz if she could pay a visit to her parents house? >> anything is missing? because we have to start searching for the eye victims that are missing. >> i can't imagine you going to the house repairs at happy times and then it's a crime scene. >> absolutely, it is the one place you are supposed to be safe and it has just been -- it's been tainted. >> she went through the house room by room. cataloguing what she thought was missing. a tv set, jewelry, cash, and medication. last stop, the garage. the garage was full of things that could easily be stolen and pawned. >> yeah. >> there, liz finds something back to her eyes, was out of place. her middle school backpack sticking out of it, an xbox consul. could this have been the killers loop, dropped in a panic as he ran from the scene? this calls investigators, they return to the house, snapped even more photos, and collected the backpack as potential evidence. they later find beneath that xbox some of sandra's jewelry. and liz realized she had an idea for detectives, too. a possible suspect. >> is it true that is that you told your investigators to take a look at your ex? >> yes, i tried to give them as much in formation as i could. >> during the last years of his rocky marriage to liz the melgar's suspected that -- they never reported their suspicions to authorities, but now this told to tactics, talk to the ex. by now, the murder break-in story was all over the news. >> deputies tell the melgar don't remember who tied her up. >> the neighbors were starting to offer crime stopping tips. number one, check out for the guy caught outside lurking outside the house. kprc tv cover the mel g. a. r. murder. you have information about a sketcy neighbour. and he's up the block and maybe at the scene that night? >> that's right, a neighbor who had just gotten out of jail, he was suspicious. >> liz thought add him to the list of potential suspects. >> did you have ideas for them? >> i did. >> she also suggested they talk to one of her parents tenants. someone who had disputes with her dad. and it was a coworker of jamie she got a bad vibe from. and, again, liz says she urged detectives to look at her ex. he had a record of drug arrests. if not him, what if people in his circle? months dragged by without a word on the investigation. you believe someone is out there who got away with killing your father? >> absolutely. it was hard to sleep at night. every little noise was -- it had me on edge. >> were you worried about your mother? >> oh yeah. >> that whoever this person was would come back for her? >> i was constantly worried. >> and how is her health at that time? >> she had started having seizures and we, you know, she was traumatized, she had post-tr