He was dead. Missing persons case become a homicide. Thats correct. Why would anyone want to kill him . Maybe it had something to do with a woman in his life. Feel like i was a suspect. And somebody else nobody knew about. I was lonely, just needed someone to talk to. Hello and welcome to dateline, keith reed was a School Superintendent, respected by students. When he didnt show, investigators would take a hard look at keiths love life for clues, and another person to help detectives piece together this puzzle. Heres Dennis Murphy with at close range. Reporter winter comes early and stays late in far western new york. The farmlands near chautauqua lake, tilled by amish and dutch families, are encased in snow and ice for months at a time, but in this place of frozen stillness, the hottest of passions, boiling jealousy, came to call one day, and tiny clymer, 1700 residents in the southwest part of the country, county, is still shaking off the shock of it all. Joe gerace is the longtime sheriff. My 35 years in Law Enforcement, can you ever remember a homicide in clymer . Never. It began quite simply. The new School Superintendent in town went missing one weekend, just a few weeks into the school year in september 2012. Keith reed, 51 years old, was a longtime educator who had landed in the sweet spot of his professional career. Up until then School Principal had applied for top administrative job in the climer district with his big brother kevin urging him on. Old school in the county, i dont know if i should apply there. I said apply. Reporter you might think a closeknit Community Like clymer would be standoffish to newcomers. But parents and students quickly embraced a handson mr. Reed. His eldest daughter, caitlin. Greeted the kids in the morning, coming off the bus, he talked to them during the day he was in the hallways. He really loved teaching and working with kids and he was wonderful at it. Reporter new superintendent had three grown daughters and a painful divorce behind him. But hed never let lifes difficulties distract from his primary role, dad. Megan is the middle child. He loved to have fun. He would always dance crazy with us, like pick us up in the air and slide us between his legs and throw us up. Reporter and the old family snapshots, hiking in hawaii, disney world, all the christmases seemed to show a dad over the moon with his three girls. Kaitlyn was a star volleyball player an allamerican and knew without a doubt when her father was in the stands on game days. You could hear him . I could. Yeah. Everyone could. Reporter her dad was in a longterm relationship with a single mom named Kimberly Roush. He had three daughters and i had two boys and a lot of our time was spent being involved in their sporting events. Reporter they had been on again off again for years, but no sooner had they decided to take one of their periodic romantic timeouts from one another and then they would rubberband back together. A song would come on and he would pull the car over, take me out of the car and dance with me along the side of the road. Being with him was amazing. Reporter and now that his girls were grown, keith reed was at long last finding his special place, getting comfortable. He bought a big house in town, a sign that the superintendent wasnt just using clymer as a career stepping stone. He found where he wanted to be. Finally. After years and years of looking. They would have to pry him out with a bar. Reporter but on saturday morning, september 22nd, when clymers School Principal, ed bailey, drove past his friend and colleagues house, he was surprised to see both of keiths vehicles still in the driveway. The superintendent was meant to be across the state at an educators conference. I just made a mental note, i was going to be coming back by and i thought if both vehicles are there, ill stop in and see whats going on. Reporter when all looked the same on his return trip, the principal pulled into the drive. I actually went in the door of the house and yelled, yelled his name. And, of course, there was no answer. Reporter someone else who started to wonder what was up that saturday was caitlin. The two spoke by phone every day. He didnt answer my phone call on that saturday and so i thought that was a little strange. But i was really busy so just kind of forgot. Reporter by sunday, his daughter, megan, had become very concerned. She hadnt heard from him either, worrying. Okay, like answer the phone, its time to answer your phone, i was confused, he always just answers the first time we call. Reporter that sunday night, her uncle kevin, a former fbi agent of 20 years, was being called to the house in clymer by a school official. Said we cant find your brother. What do you mean you cant find my brother . He is supposed to be at a conference in albany, he didnt check in at the hotel. Both his cars are still at the house. I said, okay, were coming. Reporter kevin was hoping for a simple explanation that theyd come upon his brother on the property, hurt and maybe unable to get up. My hope was that he had gone out back. Theres a huge tract of land behind his house, and had fallen down and was laying out there and couldnt get home. Reporter but when he walked into the house, the former fbi man didnt like what he saw. I started looking around. And heres 600 in his wallet, suitcases partially packed. I came back downstairs and said, everybody out. Everybody out. What are you talking about . I said, just go out in the garage. This is not going to end well and this is a crime scene. Reporter principal ed bailey was taken aback by kevins comment. I understand we have an issue here that keiths not where we thought he should be, but what do you mean its not gonna end well . Reporter the principal had called the Sheriffs Office to report keith missing. Deputies had responded to the scene. Nothing added up. He had a bag packed. It looked like he was preparing for his trip, but nothing else was out of place. Reporter deputies broke out flashlights and searched the house, the grounds, but no luck. Keith reed was flat out gone. And its a real mystery to them when they leave the house . Correct. Reporter sunday night ended in drenching rain, darker than usual around the house. They hadnt yet figured out why the exterior lights by the garage werent working. They hadnt talked to the neighbors about some loud voices they heard. Where was the School Superintendent, mr. Reed . Coming up, as the search continues, police make a startling discovery. So your missing person case has become a homicide . Correct. And it was like, wow. 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Marco. polo scusa . Marco. polo ma io sono marco polo, ma playing marco polo with marco polo . Surprising. Ragazzini, io sono marco polo. Si, sono qui whats not surprising . Geico helping you save even more on car and motorcycle insurance. Ahhh. Polo. Marco. polo now get an extra 15 credit when you switch before october 7th. Okay. One down, mr. Bailey. Dont forget this. This snippet of cellphone video shows superintendent keith reed at the end of the first day of school, september 2012. In three weeks time, the highprofile educator would be reported to the Sheriffs Office as a missing person. The School Superintendent that everybody loved, kids loved him, he was there every morning greeting them as they got off the bus. Reporter keiths last known whereabouts was dinner with a friend on friday night. A Security Camera caught him leaving the restaurant around 8 30 p. M. The next day, he was a noshow at a big state educators conference across the state. His brother, kevin reed, a former fbi agent had a bad feeling about things when he arrived at his brothers house sunday night. I went right into fbi mode. I didnt didnt have time to get emotional. Reporter his brother, grounded, stable, reliable, was no ones candidate to just one day go missing, especially not then. Why, just a few weeks before, he had had the moment every dad lives for, walking his eldest daughter, caitlyn, down the aisle. It was one of the most momentous days of his life. He was just i have never seen him that happy. Reporter at the reception, he even busted out his Signature Dance moves. Lived it up on the dance floor. He was a very happy guy in august 2012 . Uhhuh. Reporter but now as dawn broke a month later, monday morning, september 24th, keith reed had vanished. The sheriffs people were dispatched again to do a daylight search of the grounds. It wasnt long before a k9 handler reported back. Keith reed, his body, had been found. Immediately, the dog and he found the body in the shrubs. Reporter keiths girlfriend, kimberly, was driving to a new job that morning when she got the news. She couldnt believe what she was hearing. Hes dead. They found him. And i just started crying and i said, no, thats not possible. Reporter but tucked into the hedgerow about 50 feet from his driveway lay keith reeds body. He had been shot three times, twice in the back, once in the chest, all at close range. It was like, wow. How could this happen . Who could have done this . Why would they do it . Reporter those same questions were soon roaring through the halls of keiths school. Principal ed bailey had gotten the news from the Sheriffs Office. I just about dropped the phone. Just couldnt believe it. We were talking about keith reed . Yeah. My friend. Reporter along with the shock in the Community Came an unnerving question, given the National Climate of schoolrelated shootings, could keith reed have been targeted because of his work leading the district . An angry student . A disgruntled parent . Was any of that even remotely possible . Im thinking and going back through, did he have any enemies . Who possibly could have been upset enough or crazy enough to do Something Like this, you know . Did you come up with any possibilities . Well, there was one incident that i know that the family was very upset with him. Schoolrelated beef of some kind . School related. But you know, nothing out of the ordinary, you know . Nothing that should have ever rose to this level. Reporter neighboring districts were understandably on edge, too. Were they next . My phone blew up from other schools, are we in danger . Is this the beginning of something bigger . Theres a lot of people worried. Reporter and concern only heightened, the sheriff said, when word spread that an unknown man had stopped by keiths school around noon that friday, asking to see mr. Reed. He told them that he was applying for a job as a substitute teacher, came in from connecticut looking for work. Reporter the man seen here was captured on School Surveillance cameras. Was this visitor a piece of the puzzle . Detectives didnt know. But given the potential nightmare of schools and children in jeopardy, it was more important than ever for the sheriff to have all hands on deck at the crime scene. County District Attorney david foley was there and a doortodoor canvas turned up a critical clue for the timeline. A neighbor couple had heard gunshots, three gunshots, friday evening, somewhere around 9 00 p. M. Reporter on the property itself though, detectives found themselves frustratingly short of clues, but they did recover in the grass a soggy piece of paper that looked like a receipt. It would be work for the lab to figure out. And around the garage, investigators took notice of something perplexing, three exterior lights, the bulbs were missing. Why are the bulbs gone . This is odd. This is really odd. So somebody had done some planning. Rang the door bell, cant see whos out there flips the light on, nothing happens, opens the door, theres his assailant. Reporter so the shooting of the superintendent for a grievance unknown became one theory to pursue, but detectives were about to hear a story that would make them look at the crime scene in a completely different way, something more traditional. Was it possible that keith reed was the victim of a bad romance . As it happened, a candidate for a suspect, someone on again off again was about to pull into the drive. Coming up, angry texts put a girlfriend in the hot seat. I just found out hes dead this morning, and now i feel like im a suspect. When dateline continues. I, keep being you. 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If youre living with hiv, keep loving who you are. And ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. The body of keith reed, the admired School Superintendent, had been found in a hedge by his house. He had been shot three times. Keiths brother, kevin, a Law Enforcement veteran, had caravanned to the house monday morning with his 80yearold parents, expecting to search for a missing person. The sheriff broke the news. So now ive got my mother wanting to go and cover him up with a blanket because hes cold. Try that sometime. Its a crime scene, mom, you cant go up there. Its tough. Reporter as the reed family struggled to make sense of the horror, investigators would put the question to keiths daughters. Did they know of anyone who had a reason to hurt their dad . We could not think of anyone to tell them. No one. Everyone was just, no. Reporter a name occurred to their uncle kevin. Of the leads to sort through, he suggested investigators look at keiths on again off again girlfriend of many years, Kimberly Roush. I said the first thing you need do is talk to kimberly. Where did that come from in you . Experience. And knowing the relationship. Reporter the investigators learned from kevin and others that the superintendents relationship with kimberly had at times been rocky. They had been engaged to be married but keith recently called off the wedding. By the time summer was over, he had said, no, were not doing this. Reporter was this what the crime scene was all about, a deadly confrontation between a man and his lover, upset over a canceled wedding . Kimberly, who was almost two hours away, raced to the house. I said, kevin, what happened . I said, did he have a heart attack or something . And he said, no. Somebody shot him. And i just started sobbing and i started to go down to my knees in the road. Reporter investigator randy boland was assigned to talk to her. She is crying and very, very, very emotional. So, i immediately go and speak to her but i give her some moments. Reporter but in the investigators eyes, kimberly quickly went from grieving girlfriend to potential suspect. He asked for her phone. I said, okay is there a reason why . You know, i just was kind of shocked. Reporter it turns out keith had asked kimberly to join him at the educators conference that weekend. She said they had never finalized the plan but she had been mad at him for not returning her calls. She gets very upset in her Text Messages back, like, i cant believe youre not talking to me. You know, and they are like halfviolent, like why are you why are you not calling me . Really flaming stuff, huh . Yeah. Reporter and Something Else. In keiths bedroom upstairs, crime scene analysts noticed this picture frame. It was toppled over and taken apart on a bookcase. Whatever picture had been in it was gone. You can put a story together with that pretty easily, huh . The pieces of the puzzle were just starting to come together. Reporter investigator boland brought kimberly in for a formal taped interview. She was read her rights. Im still in shock. I barely have my head around that he was killed and now i feel like im going right from that into are you the one that killed him . I just found out that he was dead this morning and then i show up and i found out he was shot. And now i feel like im a suspect. Reporter kimberly told investigator boland she had been three hours away at her parents house at the time they believed keith had been shot. She did admit while she did get angry with him, she would never hurt him. Never in a million years, no matter what he said or did did i ever consider or conceive of the thought of harming him or hurting him or living without him. I remember feeling absolutely terrified and i thought i have two little boys at home. I need to get home. They dont even know hes gone. But in through some of your messages, you displayed the people say things in anger. Anger. Anger. You know what i mean . Have i been angry . You bet i have been angry. Anybody would be in certain situations. That doesnt make them a killer. Reporter but had there been a trigger leading up to friday night . The investigators saw in kimberlys Text Messages