an ache in the heart. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it was one of the most baffling cases investigators had ever seen. >> this tops the charts for most bizarre. >> no one can believe that this actually happened. >> a single mom and a whip smart computer whiz who seemed to disappear. >> i am starting to get text messages saying that she which her job. >> she had something down in kansas. >> left behind a puzzling computer trail. >> emails, text messages, so active on social media. nobody can locate her. >> she did not want to be found. >> exactly. >> a mom turned ghost. was she missing? or hiding? >> i wanted to know. >> taunts, threats, violence -- >> my leg is soaked with blood. oh, jesus. >> a deadly mystery that would lead three moms and one man. >> you were the last one to see her? >> it was as if i had already done something, and he already knew it. he was a drilling me with the ironies. >> it was almost an obsession to get it solved. >> a heart stopping case of jealousy, secret identity, and murder. >> it is like, they are on edge. what's gonna happen next? ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it was dark when they started searching, dark and cold. the 5th of december, 2015, just across the night black missouri from omaha, back and forth when the chopper, as a proud the park, big lake park, iowa, looking for shooter. >> 9-1-1. what's the address of your emergency? >> i have been shot in the leg. >> looking for whoever shot her, the woman who had come out here alone to clear her mind, get that nemesis out of her head. and instead, was bleeding through a hole shot clean through her thigh. >> is there any serious bleeding? >> my pant leg is soaked with blood. oh, jesus. >> oh, she knew who did it, she said. as they catch up her wounded leg, she knew all too well how deadly that crazy woman had been. >> so, she gets to shoot somebody, and then, she gets to kill another person. and then, she gets to move in with dave. and she gets to be free. and you guys are not arresting her. >> she? who was she? that furious woman's scorned. and what horrors was she capable of eliminator rivals, to win, or punish? the one man she is so desperately wanted, the man who didn't want her. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it began, as these things often do, on an innocent and ordinary day in omaha, nebraska, three years earlier. the fall of 2012. >> i am working. i'm behind the counter. doing ten things. >> it happened in an auto repair shop to a mechanic named dave kroupa. >> she walks, in i see her, we meet eyes. just, for a moment, i kind of stopped. i go, well, low. >> he was working. she wanted her suv repaired. >> in the back on my mind, i am thinking, wow, she is gorgeous. but, i'm at work. i'm representing the company i work for. that is off the table. it's not a possibility. >> but did you see the signal coming back? >> yeah, i did. >> then, a few weeks later, it seemed like fate. dave went on a dating website, and there she was. her profile, her picture, her name, cari. he started typing. >> i said, hey, i know you, ha. and she replied, the same thing. >> and then before long she came into his shop again. >> without saying anything, there was some sparks. we're both looking at each other, trying to say something, and we did. and we exchanged phone numbers. >> they had dinner. the food didn't matter. >> and we were very, i would say, enthralled with each other. >> he invited her back to this place and she agreed. and that's when something else happened. it didn't seem so important, not then, not like it would later. just as they walk into the apartment, the doorbell rang. it was daves ex-girlfriend, liz, here to pick up some things she left behind in her apartment. awkward. but cari just laughed, bowed out. >> she said, i get it. it's not a big deal. i'm gonna go home. you can call me when you are done dealing with this mess. >> so, dave escorted cari to the door. and her endless past each other at that moment, and there were no words spoken. >> did it start then, at that moment? later, once listened left his apartment, dave called cari. she invited me out to her place, which was, like an hour drive outside a town. cari when i got to her place was there for 20 minutes making coffee, bs-ing. and of course, pretty soon we are on the couch, and we are getting a little close, i'm, like at this point, we haven't even kissed. she turns to me and she said, look, if you're gonna have sex, that is all it is. period. there is nothing more to it. >> ha. >> and she asked me, are you good with that, is there gonna be a problem? and i said, okay, i hit the power ball. >> because dave felt exactly the same way. >> as a man, i want companionship. so i am always looking for a girlfriend. but never committed relationship. >> and you let them know that this is the way it's gonna be? >> that was the first conversation, yeah, take it or leave it, that's how it is. >> but with cari he, did not have to bring it up. >> it was all her. and we hit it off right from there. >> she told him she was a computer programmer. her office was close to his apartment. they met there, often, made love, talked. >> she was extremely intelligent. she was much smarter than i am. just in general, she just, had a brain on her. >> different than the women you had dated before? >> yeah, well, for instance, what she did for a living, programming, i considered myself a little bit of a computer nerd, compared to her, i don't know what computer was. >> dave reconsidered his no commitment role. a rule he had broken before. with a woman named amy flora. they had two kids together, but it didn't last. >> after 12 years, you would think that there would be some kind of a proposal, or something. but like i said, he's kind of emotionless, so -- >> you really didn't want to get married? >> no, and i want to eventually be married. you know, every girl does. everybody wants their fairytale wedding. >> amy and dave stayed friendly for the sake of their kits. and amy neo-about dates other women. heard about carrie. >> you expected you to meet her to some point, if it continues? >> yeah, if it continued, i would have liked to meet her. >> but amy did not meet cari, not then. no idea what was coming. >> early that november of 2012, cari told dave she had a big project at work. she would stay over at his place, instead of driving home to the country every night. until they began their work week together, and then, on tuesday, november 13th -- >> i gave her a kiss on her way out to the door. like, high, see later, honey. i was almost like a, that sort of 50s tv show garbage. >> that doesn't sound like a guy who has got no attachment. >> didn't say, honey, but that's the way it came out. she brought that out of me. that's why i say, with cari it, is potential, it might have been different with a long term thing. >> so you are in a pretty good mood? >> i was in a great mood. i have this beautiful lady was gonna be in my house when i get home. i don't know who wouldn't smile about that? >> dave was at his shop by 6:30. and he was entirely unprepared. and then -- >> by 10:00, i received a text from her that says, do you want to move in with me? or should we need to move in together, or something along those lines. >> really! >> i texted her back immediately, no, we have known each other for two weeks, it's not gonna happen. as soon as i texted her back, i get a text that says, fine, i don't ever want to see you again. go away. i am dating somebody else. i hate you. on and on and on and on. >> weird. >> very weird. very, what is going on here? but i was at work, it was very busy. i didn't have time for that nonsense. so, back in my mind i'm thinking, phew, i dodged bullet there. >> oh, but he didn't. now, it was just beginning. >> coming up-- who was this woman named carrie? she was about to vanish in a very mysterious way. >> where is she? >> yeah, i didn't know what to think at that point. >> when dateline continues. [coughs] when caroline has a cough, she takes robitussin. so, she can have those one on ones again. hey jim! can we talk about casual fridays? oh sure. what's up? get fast, powerful cough relief with robitussin, and find your voice. ♪robitussin♪ i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up, i've got symptom relief. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ♪ now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. teeth sensitivity is so common. it immediately feels like somebody's poking directly on the nerve. i recommend sensodyne. sensodyne toothpaste goes inside the tooth and calms the nerve down. and my patients say you know doc, it really works. my a1c was up here; now, it's down with rybelsus®. his a1c? and calms the nerve down. it's down with rybelsus®. my doctor told me rybelsus® lowered a1c better than a leading branded pill and that people taking rybelsus® lost more weight. i got to my a1c goal and lost some weight too. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. need to get your a1c down? you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. [coughs] when caroline has a cough, she takes robitussin. so, she can have those one on ones again. hey jim! can we talk about casual fridays? oh sure. what's up? get fast, powerful cough relief with robitussin, and find your voice. ♪robitussin♪ >> dave kroupa, the man who ith morrison: dave kroupa, the man who liked his sex liked his relationships uncommitted, was confused. the woman who seemed to share his philosophy had turned on him, was behaving like a woman who expected something from him, like a woman scorned. suddenly, she wanted to move in. and when he refused, she responded with a nonstop staccato of angry, often misspelled texts. cari, now, that name sounded like his personal horror show. >> she is the woman from hell now. >> all of a sudden, yeah. in the course of a couple of hours. >> wow. >> maybe to dave omaha, that's how it would seem. but an hours drive away, there was quite a different story. >> here in this tiny sweet farming town called macedonia, iowa. >> i think there is only around 250 people that live there now. it is very -- it is just home. >> home to cari. cari farver, and where she was raised by her stepfather mark, and her mother nancy, who would stick with cari through it all. but of course, they have always known there is something different about cari. >> she felt she wanted to do her own thing, and sometimes -- >> that doesn't always go well. >> it doesn't always go well, yeah. >> the thing is, cari was smart, supersmart. school was easy. but then, so we're boys. >> guys were just drawn to her. >> and she liked it? >> yeah, she did. >> hello, cari! >> but there was something else about cari, said her friend holly drummond. brady, yes. but she sometimes made dubious choices, like when she was away at college, and there was this guy, or a parade of guys. >> she would instantly talk about this night, where they were all dressed up, and it was midnight, they were walking in the streets with a bottle of champagne, i mean, she made a sound like, she made it sound like a romantic movie. >> didn't last. even when cari found out she was pregnant. >> did it come as a surprise? >> yes, yeah. i was just, i knew which was gonna have to go through, because i had been divorced with children, young children. and it's hard. >> it's not easy. >> she moved home, took computer courses, and she named the baby maxwell. everyone called him max. >> she was such a good mother, but i know she had so much on her plate too at that time, going to school and everything else. but she did very well. she held up very well. >> except that is, for mood swings, the dreadful depressions. >> she just would go under the covers and sleep, you know, she just hibernate. she would close herself off from everything. >> it is hard for a mother to watch her daughter go through that. >> yeah, it is. trying to get it out of her, you know, what can i do? and there is really nothing that i can do or say. >> but it got better, once cari was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, medication evened things out, and cari and max settled into an apparently happy and successful life. and then, that inexplicable turn. cari had just started that high tech job of hers in omaha. >> she didn't really like that job. >> which was she doing? >> she was computer programming. >> and then, november 2012, she took on that big project. max was a teenager then. he understood about her long hours and how she decided to stay in the city for a few days. he didn't ask about the man she would be staying with. >> i didn't know dave at the time. i just had heard of a dave, that was about. >> even talk about him? >> no. , usually, things like that he wouldn't talk about. >> dave, that's all her family knew. >> she wasn't a very good place. she had been for a long time, and i didn't think too much about it. >> and so, that weekend, nancy picked up max, and later cari drove off to omaha to spend the week with dave. she didn't text me or anything that monday. >> and then, i started getting text messages saying that she quit her job, she was going to kansas to live, and -- >> what was it like to get that? >> it was totally off the wall. >> that was about the same time dave was getting those angry texts. that, nancy had no idea about that. anyway, her news came as a big surprise to nancy. though, to max, maybe not so much. >> because she had something down in kansas that she was gonna be going interviewing for, after those few days at work. >> his mom had mentioned a possible job change. she even discussed with him staying with grandma to finish high school. and then, early that weird week -- >> i got a text, saying, hey, i got a second interview. >> but she would be back from kansas on the weekend, she texted, for a family wedding, at which max was an usher. but as the bride walked down the aisle, no sign of cari. >> i was, okay, she is running late. she would be at the reception. she'll be there for the party. but at the party, i remember probably, five, ten minutes i was glancing back at the door, just waiting for her. >> where is she? >> just wondering where she was. i just kept saying, she'll be any minute. she'll be or any minute. but not got around. and she wasn't there. i didn't know what to think at that point. >> coming up -- unsettling doubts about cari's story. was she moving? or was she missing? >> i got this feeling in my bones. something wasn't right here. >> i wasn't sure what was going on. >> it scared me tremendously. and i thought, i've got to do something. >> when "dateline" continues. hi, my name's steve. i lost 138 pounds on golo and i kept it off. so with other diets, you just feel like you're muscling your way through it. the reason why i like golo is plain and simple, it was easy. i didn't have to grit my teeth and do a diet. golo's a lifestyle change and you make the change and it stays off. golo's changed my life in so many ways. i sleep better, i eat better. took my shirt off for the first time in 25 years. it's golo. it's all golo. it's smarter, it's better, it will change your life forever. >> as long as he could remember, keith morrison: long as he could remember, max farver believed he knew his mom cari as well as anybody max believed he knew his mom cari, as well as anybody possibly could. we were really close. i was our second opinion on most things. >> so when cari was a no-show at the wedding, max knew something was way off. >> i wasn't sure what was going on. but, i was, i just knew something was wrong. >> i just get this feeling in my bones that i was, it was something that wasn't right here. >> nancy could not tell her grandson about the truly disturbing text she had received from carrie. this one didn't say anything about a new job. instead, cari texted she broke up with her boyfriend. and was thinking about checking into a mental hospital. >> that is scary. >> yes, it scared me tremendously. >> by boyfriend, did she mean this mysterious death? >> do you know how to reach this guy? do you even know what his last name was? >> i didn't know what to start looking for. >> so it was not like? >> it is hell. it's just -- frustration and just helplessness. >> so, before dropping off max at the wedding, she called the county sheriff's office, to file a missing persons report. they took down all the information, of course, and they couldn't, they didn't really offer too much. >> well, i guess they thought she's a grown woman. she can leave if she wants to leave. >> nancy told the deputies about cari's struggles with bipolar disorder. and here's what they told her, said nancy. >> well, she's probably gone for a medicine, and you, know these things happen. and that happens a lot. >> narcy tried calling, but cari just would not pick up. she did respond to text, but sent mixed messages. >> by moving down with this dave, i had no idea who this dave was. >> it was confusing did she have some sort of mental breakdown? cari quit her job in omaha, center company a text to let them know, and texted her mom but she was taking that job in kansas. and moving away. and has sold her furniture. she attached a photo of a check from the buyer. cari wanted nancy to let the buyer pick it up out of macedonia, and take it away. >> i said, absolutely not. i said, either you call me, you come see me, you come see me, i'm not doing anything before i can see you. that is a nasty text that started coming. >> but i was a bad mother. that she was gonna leave -- >> terry texted max too and let him know. >> you're coming with me, you have no choice. on the adult here. and what i say goes. >> i'm just trying to imagine what it was like to be you in the middle of this. >> it was a bit scary because we all thought that someone might come at school to try and get me. because the school would legally have to let them let me go with them, like if my mom showed up. >> max was scared, had no idea what was going on with his mom. he wanted to stay with his grandparents. >> i have heard all these horror stories about people having these personality changes. and going off the deep and. and i thought, i've got to do something about max. i've got to keep him safe. >> nancy applied for temporary guardianship of max. >> that must be so weird? >> oh. >> fraught? >> yes. i'm just wondering, what am i doing to my daughter, if we were doing this, the lawyer said, now, this is just temporary. she comes back, you can always undo this. i said, okay. >> meanwhile, surely the sheriff could find her daughter with some help. she showed them cari's texts about the furniture. the phone