Hello and welcome to dateline extra. Im craig melvin. When police got word that someone had fallen off a cliff, they werent surprised. The place was known to be dangerous. But even though b couldnt gues that it would take almost 20 years to find out what really happened to a woman out on an evening hike with her husband. Heres Chris Jansing. Every couple has it. A shared song. A favorite movie. Or maybe a special place. Stephen schaaf says for him and his wife jodi this was it. Two rocks forming a lovers chair on the edge of a cliff. That was our spot. Wed bring our hibachi, a couple of lawn chairs, a cooler, and shed bring her work from graduate school. Theyd been escaping to this magical place for years. Ever since they were newlyweds in a starter apartment in new jersey. Up here the air was fresh and the views seemed limitless. Vi it sort of framed by trees. But you could look down and to the right and see the view of the georgeri washington bridge. Reporter what they couldnt see from here, of course, was the future. Had they caught even a glimpse of what was to come, surely they would have abandoned this place forever. Stephen and jodi met in the late 70s in georgia. He was in the army, a bookworm who loved the civil war. She taught history. Theirs was a meeting first of minds. Then hearts. How would you sort of describe those early years . Were they loving . Were they exciting . Yes. They were you know, we were in love. It was ecstatic. Reporter from there marriage, a house, a son jonathan in 1983. And how would you describe jodi as a mom . She was really devoted. Life was good. And even as the years went by, even with the demands of work and family, stephen says he and jodi still made time for each other. Like that last summer sunday in september of 1992. Stephen says it was supposed to be a date night. It wasnt no idea that that would be the most critical day in our life, our marriage. It was a day like any other day . Yes. Here was the plan. Husband and wife would drive into manhattan and go to a comedy club, a lighthearted night on the town. But they made a detour here to the palisades, to their spot. Stephen remembers pulling up to the scenic s lookout, sittin in the car with jodi, sharing a wine cooler. There were other people there sitting in their cars, and we walked up,he looked over the sp where the binoculars are, and then walked up, you know, to this sort of open view. He says they then turned and took ahe narrow wellworn path those rocks. They sat there as the night fell around them. Heou with his back against the rock, holding her as she sat directly in front of him. At some point something goes terribly wrong. Yes. He says he stood up intending to go back to the car to get wine and the blanket. For whatever reason jodi stood up too. The edge of the rock was at her feet. What was your last glimpse of your wife . Just standing up and, you know, and stumbling forward. Jodi had gone off the cliff. I didnt know how bad things were, but i was stunned. What did you do . I got down on my stomach, i stuck my head over, and i just yelled. Jodi. Jodi, talk to me. I just yelled down there. But no response. He grabbed a flashlight and flagged down a motorist, who came here to the palisades interstate parkway p police station. Lieutenant walter seary was on duty. This will he came to that doorwi it was a very quiet nigh. And all hell broke loose. The frantic man was telling them a woman had fallen from the lookout above and that her husband was waiting for help. Police called in michael chiofi, an experienced climber. I was there as a rescue mission. I thought she was alive. He began to lower himself off the side of the cliff where the womans husband said she had fallen. About ten feet down he caught sight of a ledge. Minute i grot to that ledge i observed the purse. I think it was two credit cards. On a ledge ten feet down. Right. But it was what he didnt see that confused him. There was no sign that the womans body had also hit that ledge a or any part of the clif. Nothing. No blood, no hair, no clothing. No fibers. No skin. By that point officer walter seary hadic arrived at the lookout. Since there was nothing the husband could do towa help in t rescue, seary was told to get him out of the way and drove him back down to police headquarters. On the way stephen recounted the awful momentph when his wife disappeared. We were walking and she said for me to go back to the car and get the blanket. And she slipped and i didnt see her anymore. As seary and the man arrived at the station, rescuer chofi had made it to the base of the cliff, more than 100 feet below the top. He expected to find a wounded woman there, but he didnt. Te i said shes not here. I thought maybe this is a hoax, maybe she never really went off the cliff. Reporter he and another rescuer began to walk along the base, pointing their flashlights north. Finally, about 30 feet away, the beams landed on something white. It was jodi, lying motionless next to a tree. There was a lot of blood on that tree. And the blood was actually draining down the tree. Thats where the severe impact took. Thats whereer she really jodi sharp had not survived the fall. To chiofi it was clear. She had slammed into that tree. Asd they began to move the bod he noticed something else. She had an odor of an alcoholic beverage. That emanated from her body. So when you smelled that, did you think, well, maybe she had had too much to drink and fell . That entered my mind, yes. D, at that moment stephen sha was sitting in a room at the police station, waiting for someone to tell him what had happened to his wife. Do you remember whats going through your mindmb at that poi . How badly is she hurt . Where is she . Why isnt she calling back to me . And thats when an officer walked into the room and broke the news to stephen. Jodi was gone. I dont even remember who came in and told me. And what was your reaction . T denial. It was, you know, how could this how could this happen . That question would haunt him and many others, and it would take years for the answers to finally come. Coming up he was rubbing his eyes to make it look like he was crying. You thought he was faking tears . Absolutely. Curious behavior puts a husband under the microscope. Ur when over the edge continues. When over the edge continues today is the day youre going to get motivated. Get stronger. Get closer. Start listening today to the Worlds Largest selection of audiobooks on audible. And now, get more. For just 14. 95 a month, youll get a credit a month good for any audiobook, plus two Audible Originals exclusive titles you cant find anywhere else. If you dont like a book, you can exchange it any time, no questions asked. 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Entyvio® may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. Pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection caused by a virus may be possible. Tell your doctor if you have an infection experience frequent infections or have flulike symptoms, or sores. Liver problems can occur with entyvio®. If your uc or crohns treatment isnt working for you, ask your gastroenterologist about entyvio®. Entyvio®. Relief and remission within reach. Theres no place likargh e im trying. Yippiekiyay. Mom. Welcome back to dateline extra. It started out as a romantic date for a new jersey couple. But it ended in tragedy. Jody and Stephen Scharf hiked to a favorite spot along the palisades cliffs to take in the view. But a short while later jody fell over the edge and questions about what really happened that night began to mount. Heres Chris Jansing. It was the worst night of his life, and now Stephen Scharf, in the Early Morning hours of september 21st, 1992, had to tell his 10yearold son, jonathan, his mother was dead. I said come on, jonathan, we need to take a walk. And i told him. And he immediately burst into tears. And i cried. I cried like a baby. I wasnt ashamed. He remembers his distraught sons reaction but little else from those dark hours. Were you sleeping . Were you eating . Drinking. You were drinking. I lost my wife. My son lost his mom. There was plenty of sympathy among family and friends to be sure. For the man newly widowed with a small child to raise on his own. His wife had died in a freak accident, off a cliff of all places. How could that happen . And thats exactly what police who were there the night of jodys death wanted to know too. Right away i got the feeling there was something definitely wrong. It nagged at rescuer michael chiofi. Why was jodys purse on a ledge just feet below where her husband said shed fallen . Where is she . She should be here. Or part of her should be here. Thats the first thing that came to you. Either she should be here or the pocketbook should be down with her. And it wasnt fitting. Another thought dawned on him. If jody had tumbled, why hadnt she hit the side of the cliffs . There was no blood or hair anywhere on the rocks. And the location of jodys body seemed off to chiofi, way off. She was like 30 to 40 feet away from us to the north. A person falls off the cliff, usually theyre going to go south or theyre going to go right down. She should have been right down where i got off the ropes. Thats where she should have been. Someone else was scratching his head about that night for different reasons. It had to do with stephens behavior while the search was under way. Officer walter sirry was surprised stephen was willing to leave the lookout as rescuers were still looking for jody. Did he give any indication i dont want to leave, my wife could still be alive down there . No. None at all. Sirry says he couldnt believe how willingly Stephen Scharf got into his patrol car. I tell you, if it was my wife, girlfriend, whoever, they would have had to pry me away from that scene if i was still at the top of the cliffs. But he willingly got into your patrol car. Without a word said. Stranger still was how calm the husband seemed. When the officer heard stephen describe how his wife had fallen, he made a mental note. There was no emotion in it. No emotion at all. Like he was reading a script. Did it occur to you, well, maybe hes in shock . No. Ive seen people who have lost loved ones, and ive never seen anybody act that way. But it was a particular moment later inside the station house that really caught the officers attention. He asked if he could get a drink from the water fountain. He was looking like over his shoulder at me and splashing water up into his face and then like rubbing his eyes to make it look like he was crying. You thought he was faking tears . Absolutely. Absolutely. A death scene where the pieces didnt connect. A husband who appeared nonchalant. From a cops point of view things were adding up and not in stephens favor. Not just one thing. It was the totality of the circumstances. Everything every little thing was clicking in my mind, im saying to myself, this isnt right. Somethings wrong here. Gut instinct is one thing. But evidence is quite another. People handle terrible events in different ways. The police are paid to be suspicious. Maybe their view of stephen was too jaundiced. There really was nothing to indicate that jodys fall was anything but an accident. A few months later the ruling was in. The Bergen County medical examiner concluded the manner of jody scharfs death could not be determined. An accident was as likely as anything else. Case closed. Or was it . Coming up so you didnt think this was a horrible accident . No. The suspicions grow. Was there a weapon at this romantic rendezvous . You have your wine, cheese, crackers, claw hammer. Red flares are going up. Theyve reached the top of the pole by that point. When over the edge continues. Welcome back to dateline extra. Police began to question Stephen Scharfs behavior after his wife fell from the edge of a cliff. To them he just didnt seem live a grieving husband. But did their suspicions amount to anything more than a hunch . Here again is Chris Jansing. Jodys death on these cliffs had been a horrible accident. Her husband said so. And the medical examiner wasnt arguing with him. But detectives have a kind of sixth sense about cases. It was telling James Lineham something sinister had just happened. So you didnt think this was a horrible accident . No. There wasnt any smoking gun really. Just something dark lineham thought he could read between the lines in the police notes he reviewed the day after jodys death. He did not react like somebody who just lost his wife should have reacted. And so the detective moved his investigation from the physical evidence to the less tangible clues. He quickly learned from jodys friends that this was a couple not in love but in crisis. The subject wasnt wine and roses on those cliffs. It was divorce. She was going to go through with it. Yes. Absolutely. Jodys longtime friend marianne hilferty told detectives jody had been determined to take her 10yearold son jonathan and leave her husband. She was convinced stephen had been cheating on her. She couldnt prove anything, but women called the house. And sometimes theyd call and hang up on her. In fact, lineham learned jody had served her husband divorce papers on september 8th, 1992. Less than two weeks later she was dead at the base of the palisades. The timing made him even more eager to talk to the widower scharf. Theres a sitdown with mr. Scharf. Hes consented to talk, right . Yes. Two days after his wifes death Stephen Scharf was freely answering detectives questions. Yes, he told them, he and his wife were talking divorce as they had sometimes done during their tempestuous marriage. And it was true. There were other women. He told us they had an open marriage, they were seeing different people. He actually said he had been with like 50 to 60 women. She was okay with it, according to him . According to him, yes. But he told detectives he and jody had become unhappy with their free love lifestyle. So they came to this romantic if treacherous spot to recommit to each other, stephen said. To kiss and make up. The spot where they went is not a spot you would go to reconcile with anybody. Detectives werent buying the story for another reason. They had found something suspicious inside scharfs car. A bag filled with items youd expect for a romantic picnic and one you would not. A hammer. You have your wine, cheese, crackers, opener, claw hammer. I mean, red flags are going up. They reached the top of the pole at that point. Did you think that might be a murder weapon . Yeah, i thought that might have been plan a. And he didnt youd it. So he went to plan b. Which lineham believed was to push or throw jody off that cliff. So detectives asked Stephen Scharf the obvious. What was a hammer doing in that picnic bag . He told us he fixed the drawer in his kitchen with the hammer and he just forgot to put it back in the garage. He put in the bag with the picnic items. It was just convenient. A convenient excuse for having that hammer. Detectives asked if they could check out the drawer and the rest of stephens house that night. He agreed. But as it turned out, something potentially far more telling was happening away from the action. And i said, look, mr. Scharf, im your local police department. Ted errenberg was a local officer told to keep an eye on Stephen Scharf that night as detectives combed through his house. The officer says he began talking to stephen about what had happened to jody when stephen interrupted him. He finally looks at me and he goes, you dont believe me. And then the officer says scharf said something that almost knocked him off his feet. I said i believe an accident occurred. And i said, was it an accident . And he put his head down and he said, no. Errenberg 3w4r50e6believed ta stunning confession. He ran to tell the other detectives, including lineham. But they had just spent hours grilling the man. We werent getting that feeling, that a reinterview at that point would have done anything. The detectives still believed they could find solid evidence to implicate Stephen Scharf, but they didnt. We took it as far as we could go. It hadnt been the cause of death at that time was listed as undetermined. So officially it wasnt a homicide. In time the detectives moved on to other cases. Stephen scharf moved on too. 14 years after his wifes death he remarried. Tina scharf says hes been a loving, ideal husband. It was like we were two puzzle pieces made for each other where each of us complemented and completed the other person. But even in this happy new life, he says, hes never forgotten about jody. But he might have been surprised to learn that someone else was thinking of her too after all these years. Bergen county had a new prosecutor, and he was eager to revisit old case files. Among them an unexplained death here on the cliffs of the palisades so many years ago. The death of jody scharf. It was this renewed push since 2002 to look into the cold cases. Kibat marcos covered the trial for the record newspaper in new jersey. On one hand, he says, it didnt seem the prosecutor had any reason to pursue the cold case. In terms of hard evidence, it had absolutely nothing new. But the prosecutor did have someone new. A famous name to join the investigation into jody scharfs death. Dr. Michael badden, a world renowned forensic pathologist who investigated the deaths of john f. Kennedy and john belushi and testified at the trial of o. J. Simpson. He was about to turn up the heat on a very cold case. Dr. Michael baden has reviewed the evidence and has determined that this could not have been an accidental fall. In december of 2008 detectives paid one more visit to Stephen Scharf. They wouldnt tell me what it was for. I had no idea what this was about. I mean, it didnt make sense. 16 years after that fatal night on the cliff police were back and Stephen Scharf wa