And thats when everything started to change. Something happened to her. In court, youll see it all come pouring out. A hidden crime and a sons he t heartpounding moment. This is a horrible crime. Im glad we know the truth. Secrets in the mist. Hello and welcome to dateline extra. Im craig melvin. Carol lubon was a loving young mom. Then, suddenly, she was gone. Her heartbroken family thought carol left them to start a new life. Police opened a missing person file but with no evidence of foul play, the case sat cold for decades until a sharp eye detective stumbled across the folder and noticed something suspicious. His hunch would lead investigators to an ugly truth and test the loyalty of a devoted son. Heres keith morrison. January 2013, point vicente, california. The wet, gray, morning cold has settled in to stay. At noon, a police boat sets off in the pea soup fog. A hail mary pass apparently. A slim chance to find the truth at last. But why out there . Why after all those lost 30 years . Maybe some cases are defstined o stay cold. Easier that way. Before they came along with their wild ideas about murder and facebook of all things. And now this. Their doomed errand into the fog. Her name was carol jean mayer, though she was carol lubonn when all this happened in 1981. The night of the slamming doors, the harsh words, the car roaring away. And its an old story anyway, pretty girl gets pregnant at 15, marries the guy. Pretty soon at 20something with two kids and a hankering to live, really live for a change. And this particular pretty girl she was fun. Outgoing. Had a lot of friends. She had these two sisters. Terry was the younger one. Gayle the older. We were very close and made each other laugh all the time. But carol lubon wasnt laughing at the end of march 81. She wanted to be somebody. Her own somebody. I know that carol wanted to complete school and further her career. Thats when she went back to study architecture. Sure, her husband was a nice kid, and she loved him once with all the intensity of first love, the Handsome High SchoolFootball Player who would hang around on her front porch. His friends would come over. I thought that was kind of cool. All those football athlete friends. Mike stepped up and married her after the baby was born. He was a good father. He just seemed to really enjoy his kids. Enjoyed carols family, too. Especially her dad, milt. So mike became kind of like his son. Milt brought young mike into the family house painting business. Just took to him immediately. Was always a very likable person. Friendly. Loyal, but not exactly ambitious. He didnt seem to find settling down to a modest existence. Him and the two kids crammed in a house in torrence. But carol did mind it, very much. She may have outgrown him somewhat. Shed had a secret affair by then. Maybe more than one. She got herself a cute little red car, an audi fox, ordered personalized plates, cjs fox. The car is long gone now so we did this one up to look just like it. And quite often shed get in her little car alone and go roaring off to school or to meat markets like the local red onion was back then. I know she was going to the red onion. I never went there with her, so i dont know what she was like. And then that night in march. Kids off to bed. Their son mike jr. Was just a boy, 10 years old. I was in bed. I had just got a new stereo for my 10th birthday and was listening to the headphones. From his bed, he could see something happening out in the hallway. I remember them getting into an argument which was unusual. Because they just didnt . Not that i knew of. I remember her marching past and going out the front door and slamming the door. You heard the slam . I heard the slam of the front door. I know that. And the next morning we got up and she wasnt there. Mike sr. Told carols dad that carol demanded he sign papers to sell their house and he didnt want to and they argued and went to bed. When he got up in the morning, she was just gone. So we just assumed she needed to get away for a few days. As the days went owe got extremely worried. Nearly a week after carol departed, her red audi fox showed up in the parking lot of the red onion, dusty, as if it had been there awhile. I remember being upset about it. She was gone, and i didnt know where she went. They drove around looking for her. Went to bars. Carols picture in hand. And nobody had seen her. What feeling was that . Hopelessness. The Torrance Police department opened a file but they couldnt answer any of the questions like, had she just finally gotten fed up with mike and this little place and gone off to start a new life somewhere else . Or had she been in an accident or something worse . More than a week after carol day peered, still absolutely no sign of her. And then something strange happened here at the house. Something very strange. Could it be that carol, unbeknownst to anyone, sneaked back in here when nobody else was around . Imagine what it was like back then in that little house. Mike thinking things over. On a hunch he said he placed tape on carols dresser drawers. A little trap. One day he took the kids to Universal Studios and, sure enough, when they returned, he noticed the tape was broken. And some mail on the counters was moved as well. A few weeks later, it happened again. Some of carols clothes went missing. Along with some money from a place no burglar would know to look. Under the butter dish in the refrigerator where mike said they kept 100 in emergency cash. And now 60 was missing. Just like carol, said her sister gayle. She would have not taken all of it. That was in carols personality to just be very fair. Made sense then . Uhhuh. And then there were those mysterious phone calls. Wed get the calls on special days. Her birthday, my birthday. My grandmother. Wed get calls. And just silence on the other end . Yeah. What would you do . Wed say, carol, we love you. We hope you come back. We felt like she was finding a happier life somewhere. And understood that to make that successful she might have to make a complete and total break . Yeah. Almost three months after carol vanished, the detective handling her case put it in the inactive file in his report he wrote, no foul play involved. I remember thinking about her all the time and i used to play records over and over that she liked. And just thinking, where is she . When is she coming back . Eventually, mike started dating a 19yearold names kerry. Brought her into the fold. We were happy that mike was going on with life. And so they did all go on with life. And many years went by. Until the morning in a whole new millennium when a torrance detective happened on the case of the missing young mother. And somewhere in the back of his brain, a little light turned on. I just had a hunch that this just didnt sound right to me. Decades after carols disappearance, detectives turned to a surprising source to help solve the mystery. Coming up why dont you establish a facebook account for carol. When secrets in the mist continues. Eyebrows first, just tease it a little. Slather it all over, dont hold back. Well, the squirrels followed me all the way out to california and theres a very strange badger staring at me. No, i cant believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my Car Insurance with geico. Uhhuh, wheres the camel . Mr. Big shots got his own trailer. Wheeeeeee believe it geico could save you 15 or more on Car Insurance. Back then, we checked our zero times a day. Times change. Eyes havent. Thats why theres ocuvite. Screen light. Sunlight. Longer hours. Eyes today are stressed but ocuvite has vital nutrients to help protect them. Ocuvite. Eye nutrition for today. So chantix can help you quit slow turkey. Rkey. Along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. With chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting so when the day arrives, youll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. When you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or lifethreatening allergic and skin reactions. Decrease alcohol use. Use caution driving or operating machinery. Tell your doctor if youve had Mental Health problems. The most common side effect is nausea. Talk to your doctor about chantix. Mno kidding. Rd. But moving your internet and tv . Thats easy. Easy . easy . Easy. Because now xfinity lets you transfer your Service Online in just about a minute with a few simple steps. Really . Really. That was easy. Yup. Plus, with twohour appointment windows, its all on your schedule. Awesome. Now all you have to do is move. That thing. [ sigh ] introducing an easier way to move with xfinity. Its just another way were working to make your life simple, easy, awesome. Go to xfinity. Com moving to get started. In march of 1981, carol lubon, a lovely young mother of two known to be unhappy in her marriage suddenly vanished, departed for parts unknown, leaving behind not just her husband mike but her son, mike junior. Then just 10 years old. Never felt that my mother abandoned me. I was never upset with her, ever. Really . I never thought she did. I dont know why. I just was upset she wasnt there. I thought she would be there to show up at a graduation or something. But she didnt. And at family gatherings, as the years went by, thanksgiving, christmases, that awful question, why would she leave them, remained the unmentional elephant in the room. When it came to my family, i think they didnt talk about it because they figured it would upset me or my sistero it was a taboo subject. They didnt really talk about her. My family is pretty closed to talking about heavy things. So Something Like that rarely talked about. An ultimate heavy thing . Yeah. Could you see it in your mothers eyes or your fathers . Moo in my fathers, for sure. What would you see there . A lot of emotion. A lot of sadness. Im going to cry thinking about it. 1987, almost six years after carol vanished, the Torrance Police department revisited the case. And time seemed to have altered mikes memory a little. A few more details had come back to him. Remember soon after carol vanished, mike said they argued. He went to sleep alone, woke up in the morning early and she was gone . But in 1987, he remembered they argued, went to bed together. She got up at 5 30 to go to the bathroom. He woke up and then drifted back asleep and woke up to the sound of a car engine starting and driving away. Odd. But memories do play tricks. Anyway, it didnt seem significant so the case went back into the file and got colder. Mike took over the house painting business from carols dad and went on to marry carrie and have two more sons. Gayle and terry raised their own families and it was having babies that started to change terrys way of looking at her sisters disappearance. As unhappy as you might be in your life, you might leave your husband. Youd take your kids with you. And you began to suspect that she wouldnt leave her children. Uhhuh. What did that mean to you . That something happened to her. In 1996, 15 years since theyd heard from carol, the police came around again. This time they scanned the lubons backyard with groundpenetrating radar. Even dug up the ground. Didnt find a thing. Funny thing, though, about four months later, the local paper did a story, interviewed mike. And this time his memory was slightly different. He remembered that on that terrible morning when carol left, he heard the garage door go up before she drove away. Just one more little detail, though nothing profoundly different. And, of course, no evidence whatsoever of any crime. The case went away again. And then one day in 2002, a detective named walt was rummaging through some cabinets behind his sergeants desk. I was just being nosy. What is this . It was the carol lubon case folder. At that point, more than 20 years old and cold as they come. I never even heard of it before. And i go, this is interesting. Wonder if this lady is still missing. Of course, she was. So again he read through the police reports. Couldnt help but notice the subtle changes in mikes story. And i thought that was kind of strange because i wouldnt think you would forget the last time you saw your wife. So he went to see carols parents, her mom melba, her dad milt. And he looked up at me. He was starting to cry. Im like, milt, are you okay . He goes, i just im so happy. Im glad you guys are still interested in this case. How much did that have to do with you driving ahead on this case, that conversation . A lot. Im the father of three daughters as well. And i thought, what if this is my middle daughter. Milt died one month later, never knowing what happened to his beautiful middle daughter. But when terry went to her fathers funeral and saw mike there, a private thought ate at her. Mike must know something. I didnt say anything. I tried to keep away. He was, of course, paying his respects to my family. But i couldnt carry on a conversation with him. Meanwhile, walt had become a little obsessed. He had many other more pressing cases, but something kept pulling him back to carol lubon. I actually would shove some of my work away. I got in a little trouble for that sometimes. For years the detective chipped away until finally, in 2010, eight years after he found that musty old blue file, he decided to pay a surprise visit to mike lubon. His colleagues thought he was nuts. There were those that thought, you think hes going to admit it to you . Well, i played enough sports in my time. I know youll not get anywhere if you dont try. Detective delsigne. We want to talk about carol. What story would mike tell this time . Turns out this version would be straight out of 007. Coming up think i did that james bond thing with the paper on the door . But one detail did ring true. She said, you make my skin crawl. I bet you she did say that. When secrets in the mist continues. Of a lifetime. Its progressive on ice. Everything you love about Car Insurance the discounts. The rate comparisons. And flo in a boat. Insurance adventure awaits at progressive on ice. Tickets not available now or ever. Its rukmini here from the new york times. Hey, you see this . But some give their clients cookie cutter portfolios. Fisher investments tailors portfolios to your goals and needs. Some only call when they have something to sell. Fisher calls regularly so you stay informed. And while some advisors are happy to earn commissions whether you do well or not. Fisher investments fees are structured so we do better when you do better. Maybe thats why most of our clients come from other money managers. Fisher investments. Clearly better money management. Welcome back. Detective walt delsigne could not let go of the carol lubon cold case. After the california mom disappeared, police found no evidence of a crime. But over the years, carols husband mike had made a few slight changes to his story about the night his wife vanished. Now the detective was determined to dig into those inconsistencies. And mike was about to share a chilling new detail. What he told investigators would send the case into overdrive. Heres keith morrison. For eight years, Torrance Police detective walt delsigne worried away at the carol lubon file, drawn by an irresistible hunch, that this young mother did not day peer voluntarily. But actual evidence of a crime . Just wasnt any. So finally in 2010, 29 years after carol supposedly walked out on her family and never came back, delsigne decided it was time for a surprise visit to michael lubon. He went over with his sergeant. He invited us in. We did catch him unexpectedly, but that was the plan. But was mike upset or thrown off . Not at all. Very nice. Like i anticipated he would be because i had now heard from everybody in the family how mike is a good guy. So together they went over again the details of that last night back in march 81. And right away, mike remembered a little more about the night carol presented him with a real estate contract and a demand they sell their tiny house. She came in and gave me papers. Did she just turn and walk away with it, or what happened . She said, you make my skin crawl. You make my skin crawl . Yeah. And i thought, bing. Ill bet you she did say that. So i pushed him some more, for more details. And the details were, once again, a little different about when and where he last saw her, for example. It wasnt when he went to bed around 10 00 p. M. As he said on one occasion or 5 30 the next morning as he also said. No, this time mike said he last saw carol about 10 30 or 11 00 p. M. In the bathtub. How did you see her in the tub . I used the bathroom. Then around midnight or 1 00 or 2 00, he heard the garage door go up and went to the door and actually saw carols car driving away. You see taillights . Yeah. Youre sure it was her car . Yeah. Also remember that story about putting tape on the dresser drawers after carol left and later he found it broken . Didnt remember that now. You didnt tape the thing . I didnt. As he said here in 2010, he did remember some other traps he had set. Even more elaborate. I would take like baby powder and put it right inside the door so if somebody stepped in it, i would see baby powder . Okay. And what else. Anything else . I think i did that james bonding thing with the paper on the door. Thats about it. By now, detective delsigne was working with colleague jim wallace and the deputy da john lewin. He specializes in tackling the most difficult of cold cases. Do you remember when you saw the results of that interview, what you thought . Yeah, i thought his memory had grown in areas where it shouldnt and in areas where he should be saying the same story it was different. And thats the hallmark of deception. But the mind plays tricks. The mind invents things, and inserts them into your memory and you believe them as strenuously as they happened. Thats an interesting theory. I dont think its supported. Memories can be lost, but memories dont increase in details over the years. And they dont increase different details. And thats a sign of what we call a lie. His version of what happened from the start made no sense to any of us. This makes the case. Then why would mike lie . To the Cold Case Team, it seemed obvious. He killed her that night. She stopped living that night and Everything Else thats going that doesnt make sense, its all because its a lie. If you know its a lie, then it all lines up. Remarkably, mike lubon continued to talk to them. Three times of his own free will. Very friendly. Without an attorney. He even let the prosecutor take a crack at him. If you were me in my position, what would you think . What were you thinking . Which is that i did it. Well, mike, i can tell you, you know, sometimes you know the kind of murder cases we get. We get cases where the husband finds out that his wife is che