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 just had bruising on her arms and on her face. Inconsolable, screaming, crying. Who could be behing this . It just eats me up inside reporter 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 could happen to anybody this is dateline. Reporter the Scented Candles were lit. The jacuzzi jets turned on high. It was a belated anniversary evening, but not some big blow out. Sandra and jaime really werent that kind of couple. They were just always so kind to each other. And always very respectful. Reporter it was really the start of a life victory lap for the two. Theyd raised a daughter, juggled all the usual things that families do, and now retirement for jaime was right around the corner. They sat there and they talked about the future, and what they were looking forward to. Reporter 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. What in the world had happened in that house . I have no idea. Reporter the story of the two begins as high school meetcute. Sandra, the new girl from laredo assigned a seat in her houston classroom just in front of jaime melgar. Their daughter lizz doesnt know how many times she heard that story. He used to pull on her hair. Oh, youre kidding. In the middle of class. Whos this guy behind me, pulling on my hair . Yeah. Apparently, one time he invited her ice skating. And he told her a bunch of friends were going so it wouldnt really be a date. And when she shows up, there its him and one of his friends. And his friend left shortly after that. So a little bit of a scheme going on. Yeah a little bit. But, you know, it ended well. Reporter and that was that. Sandra and jaime were a done deal, an inseparable couple. Sandra studied nursing, and jaime set aside every dime he could for his family, juggling a job as a Computer Programmer while investing in real estate. Happy family . Very happy family. I was definitely a daddys girl. Growing up. Reporter and jaime carried himself with a certain goofy joy, as his niece Marissa Campos remembers it. Easy going guy . Yes, very easy going. Easy to talk to. Had the worst jokes. They were so bad that you would just stop and groan. And they became known as jim jokes. Reporter marissas aunt sandra would roll her eyes, then laugh indulgently at uncle jim. I remember her being like, oh, your uncle. Oh. Reporter the melgars life revolved around not just family, but church, too. Theyd joined the jehovahs witnesses early in their relationship, but by her early 20s, daughter lizz had left the church. Newly independent, she rushed into a marriage. A bad one. True that he was involved in heavy drugs . Yes. That was the end of it . That was it. I didnt want to live that kind of life. Reporter 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 regimen. He realized he was getting older and he just wanted to make sure he was in the best physical shape. Your mom. Your poor mom. Meanwhile had a constellation of health problems, didnt she . Yes. Lupus . Chemotherapy involved in that . At times, yeah. She also had epilepsy. Did she have the seizures . Did you ever see her yes. Yeah, she did. Reporter then december 2012 rolled around. Their 32nd wedding anniversary. Sandra was ill on the actual day. So they went out together ten days later, on december 22nd. She was finally feeling well enough to go and have dinner. Reporter the next day, the 23rd, marissas family would join them to celebrate again over a late lunch. On our way there, i remember texting him. Texting your uncle. Yes. I didnt get a response. But was that unusual that he didnt text you back . Yes. Reporter they got to the house around 4 00pm and knocked on the front door. Nothing. No answer. Reporter marissas father, jaimes brother herman, checked around the back of the house. No sign of jaime or sandra. Then we thought, okay, well maybe well, maybe they they left. Maybe they went to go get something. And then my dads like, no, but his truck is out there. So finally thats when my dad said, oh, im just gonna go inside. Reporter herman walked through an open garage door, and entered the house itself through an unlocked interior door. Then he comes around and to open up the front door. Reporter the visitors huddled in the dark entrance hall, expecting a greeting from sandra or jaime. But none came. Just as they got ready to leave, they heard something. It sounded like sandra. It was mumbling. Where was her voice coming from, marissa . We did not know. My dad i just remember he just ran straight into the master bedroom. Reporter marissa raced after her father. I just hear, saying help. Someones in trouble. Are you really scared at this point . Yes, i was scared. Reporter the voice was coming from inside a walkincloset attached to the bathroom. Herman moved closer. Wedged against the door knob was a dining chair. He tugged it aside, opened the door, and there was sandra on the floor, tied by her arms and ankles, but alive. He said that she did not look well at all. Reporter as marissas mom cut sandra loose, her dad spoke. Wheres my brother . Wheres your uncle . Reporter the answer to that, unspeakable. What had happened to jaime melgar . And to his wife . She looked like she had aged ten years overnight. Just broken and lost. The only possible witness to a night of terror. Reporter what would she remember . There was a car following us. Reporter marissa, rattled to her core, stood in her uncle jaime and aunt sandras bedroom doorway, waiting for First Responders, trying to calculate her familys terrible new math. I still didnt know everything that was going on. Reporter in the bedroom open drawers, a tossed wallet. Had this been a Home Invasion . And where was her uncle jaime . Then she glanced to her side, and there, about 20 feet away from the bathroom, next to jaime and sandras bed i just saw his his ankles. Reporter and this was what . In a closet area off the off the master, huh . He was in a closet. Reporter so you just saw his feet. Uhhuh. I w didnt even know what had happened to him. I just know he was his ankles were tied up. It was horrible. Reporter there was jaime naked, covered in blood, on the floor, not far from his safe. A red rope 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 was distraught. Shes crying. Yes. Yes. Reporter marissa, what in the world had happened in that house . I have no idea. Im not sure who could have done Something Like that to him to them. Reporter First Responders werent exactly sure what theyd been dispatched to either. They told us that theres possibly two victims, and thats all we knew when we got there. Reporter emt Stephanie Robertson was the First Responder on the scene. She checked on jaime. He was clearly dead, huh . Yeah, clearly dead. Yeah. Reporter you know, gunshot wounds from knife wounds. You couldnt really tell, there was so much dry blood. I did notice the gash down his neck. Reporter next, emt robertson found her way to sandra, by then collapsed on a chair in the bathroom, a Family Member by her side. She was kind of balled up a little bit. And she was crying hysterically. Reporter the emt started to assess sandra, who said her head hurt, but she said she has no injuries. Reporter 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. Shed been unconscious maybe had one of her seizures. She said after a seizure, that its not uncommon that she falls asleep for several hours. Reporter by now, Harris County sheriffs investigators had descended on a crime scene that was once just the melgars modest home. Jaime, 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 jaimes 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. Lets start yesterday. Reporter sandra told investigators the last thing she remembered was her anniversary night with jaime. Went out to eat. And what time was that . I would say about 8 00. Im just guessing. I dont know. Reporter sandra told them they stopped for mixers at a cvs on the way home. What time did you get home on friday . Probably midnight. Reporter she said they intended to share some late night romance, candles and strawberries. We made some drinks. 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. Reporter but the intimate jacuzzi was disrupted by their dogs barking outside in the yard. He got out and said he was moving the dogs to the office. Because when theyre too loud we dont want the neighbors to complain. And he just, you know, was taking a while so i got out and was gonna get dressed or change in my closet. Reporter maybe thats when she had the seizure. Thats all i remember until i woke up. Reporter as they talked, sandra broke down. [ crying ] reporter who could have done this, she wondered . She recalled for the detectives a scary moment on their way home. I think when we left cvs there was a a car following us because when we came in our neighborhood, it was still behind us and he was really close. Reporter something for the detectives to check out. After sandra was done talking, her cousin diana whod rushed into town to help met her at a friends house. She looked like she had aged ten years overnight. She couldnt stop shaking. And so i i didnt wanna ask her too many questions. Reporter lizz, remarried 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. Reporter and at that point youve got very fragmented information, huh . Yeah, all i knew is my dad was killed in a Home Invasion. And thankfully, my mom was still alive. Reporter thats just not any kind of news you should ever hear. Its shocking. It really doesnt sink in for a while. You just kind of go into crisis mode. Reporter lizz booked the next flight back to texas. I just knew i had to get there. Reporter 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 . That whoever this person was might come back . Absolutely. She was traumatized. Tips begin to trickle in. Who could have done this . Theyre getting information right away about kind of a sketchy neighbor. Thats right. Just gettin out of jail, who was suspicious. When dateline continues. Reporter two days after the bloody discovery in her childhood home, lizz melgar landed in houston. A daddys girl shaken even more by the face that was missing. I think at that time, it really hit me that, i wasnt gonna see him anymore. He wasnt going to be there to pick me up from the airport. Reporter a still very rocky sandra came, with family, to pick up her daughter. We both just broke down at the sight of each other. Shed been through a terrible ordeal . You dont really know the whole story yet. But did you see injuries on her . She just 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. Reporter lizz insisted her mom get some rest. So the next day, when detectives came by the house where lizz and sandra were staying, the daughter was the one to field their questions. And you flew in, uh, yesterday . Yes. Thats right. Okay. Reporter and lizz, thought it prudent to record the conversation. She updated the detectives on her mothers health. Shes just in complete shock, and she has retrograde amnesia at the moment. She has a hard time remembering things as it is because of the seizures. Reporter lizz had witnessed her moms seizures before. And now she theorized thats what might have kept her alive during the Home Invasion. I think she, she probably had a seizure and that probably freaked out whoever was there, and maybe they thought they killed her. Reporter the detectives asked lizz to keep them updated on her recovery. Because if she could ever remember a suspect, thats the best thing for me and him. No i agree. Yeah. cause then we have a description, everything else, right now at this point. We have nothing. Ive been asking. Ive been asking her. Reporter and then the detectives asked lizz if she could pay a visit to her parents house. Anything you thinks missing, because we need to start searching for the items that are missing. I cant imagine you going back to this house, where youve known your parents in happy times, and then its a crime scene. Absolutely. Its the one place youre supposed to be safe. And its just been, i dont know. Its been tainted. Reporter she went through the house, room by room, cataloging 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. Reporter there lizz spied something, to her eyes, oddly out of place. Her middle school backpack. Sticking out of it, an xbox console. Could this have been the killers loot, dropped in a panic as he ran from the scene . Lizz called investigators. They returned to the house, snapped even more photos, and collected the backpack as potential evidence. Theyd later find, beneath that xbox, some of sandras jewelry. Reporter and lizz realized she had an idea for detectives too. A possible suspect. Is it true, lizz, that you even suggested they take a look at your ex at that point . Yes. I tried to give them as much information as i could. Reporter yes, the exhusband the melgars regarded as a noaccount. Turns out, during the rocky last days of his marriage to lizz, the melgars suspected he and a buddy lifted some of sandras medication. The same sort now believed to be missing. The melgars never reported their suspicions to authorities, but now lizz told detectives, talk to the ex. Reporter by now, the murder breakin story was all over the news. Reporter and neighbors started offering up crimestopper tips. Check out a guy seen lurking around outside the police tape. Reporter amanda orr of reuters, and brian rogers, the Houston Chronicles Legal Affairs reporter covered the melgar murder. Theyre getting information right away about kind of a sketchy neighbor, known to break into houses, steal stuff and pawn it. And hes up the block and maybe at the scene that night. Thats right. A neighbor who had just getting out of jail, who was suspicious. Reporter lizz thought to add him to the list of potential suspects. Did you have ideas for them . I did. Reporter she also suggested they talk to one of her parents tenants, someone whod had disputes with her dad. And there was a coworker of jaimes she got a bad vibe from. And again, lizz says she urged detectives to look at her ex. He had a record of drug arrests. If not him, what about people in his circle . Months dragged by without word on the investigation. You believe someone is out there, has gotten away with killing your father. Yeah, absolutely. It was hard to sleep at night. I was every little noise was had me on edge. Were you worried about your mother . Oh yeah. That whoever this person was might come back for her . Absolutely, i was constantly worried. And how was her health at that time . She had started having seizures. And you know she was traumatized. She had posttraumatic stress, she had anxiety, she had depression. She was a mess. Reporter lizz clung to the hope that one of those leads she gave detectives would eventually pan out. But for now anyway it looked as though Law Enforcement was playing its cards close to the vest. According to prosecutor Colleen Barnett of the Harris County district attorneys office, that was because theyd made some early observations about the crime scene. Officers have investigated burglaries and robberies for many years before they get in homicide. And they thought that the scene looked kind of suspicious. So what was off kilter with this one . The fact that it didnt look burglarized. The drawers were open, i think, right . They were open a little bit, but nothing was tossed. Reporter but what about those items lizz noticed were missing from the house . And that backpack of apparent burglars loot she found in the garage . Well, detectives took careful note of many other items, pricey things that had been left untouched. Cameras, the bicycle. There was some painting equipment. There were things that were easy to take that werent taken. And then the stuff that was taken and put in the backpack was left in the garage. Doesnt make sense. Reporter the home, to investigators, showed no sign of forced entry. That open garage door the only possible way in for an intruder. But Law Enforcement thought that too seemed as though it could have been staged. No. To investigators this didnt look like a burglary gone bad, but more like a targeted killing. And they theorized their suspect was someone already inside the house. Coming up my memory is so bad. Reporter how murky was her memory, really . Investigators are about to listen very carefully to sandras story. Reporter the day before reporter the day before christmas eve, also the First Anniversary of jaime melgars death, was impossibly hard for his family i mean thats all we really think about. Should be Holiday Season but its thats awful memory coming yes. Back, huh . Yes. Yes we are anxiously waiting for that day to come. I mean doesnt matter if its tomorrow or if its ten years from now, but we we would like some answers. Reporter but Law Enforcement wasnt exactly forthcoming with the melgar family. Might have been a reason, they doubted jaimes murderer was a burglar, or even someone else in sandra and jaimes remote orbit. Theres always a fir