Valentines day, and it happened to the last people on earth you would expect. A religious family dedicated to god and making the world a better place. We had a breakin. Is it going on right now . I dont know. The garage door is open. Theres glass in the back door, somebody broke in. My world had just been shattered. Reporter their Perfect World broke bein an act so evil it tore a family apart. The worst day of my life. And put an entire town on edge. Be extra cautious, lock your doors, windows. Pay attention to strangers in the area. They devoted their lives to others others. Who would ever want to hurt they were them . Absolutely it began with a happy way. With flowers and expression of love. Back when they were students apartment a small Baptist School in Central Illinois. Even a the that young age, nathan knew there was something to this sparkling little girl. I was in third grade and she was in fourth grade at the time and i doud doubt she even knew i existed but she was the cutest girl. What did you like so much . The bouncing curls and happygolucky smile in junior high. I began to see her character and what person she was that way. In high school nathan and denise got to know each other better bu they didnt date, because that both came from very religious families. My parents didnt believe in dating. We want to church events, saw her at school. She was my first and only girlfriend. Reporter got to know Nathan Nathan a basketball player, denise a cheerleader. Inseparable. Goof around with each other. In a loving, maybe puppy loveish way and it group into Something Special and we knew theyd be together. Whats more, nathan was inspired by her parents and what he saw as a perfect marriage. I looked at denises mom saw what she was am a woman a wife are and mother and saw that denise really favored her mother so i said, thats what i want. For denises mom, diane newton, the feeling was mutual. Was he over all the time . Yeah. He practically lived at our house. When denise went off to college, nathan, a year longer, followed. No surprise. The couple got engaged a year later. Diane knew it was coming. I knew they would end up getting married. I was always very happy being a wife and mother and was happy she had found someone to love and share her life with. Right before we did our vows denise prepared a song talksing about everything she wanted was in me. And that our marriage was going to be the kind she had always hoped for and dreamed for as a little child, and a wonderful day. After the young come settled in their hometown of peoria, illinois, denise went to work at an Insurance Company while nathan started a career in sales, but he couldnt shake a higher calling. For several years he dreamed of becoming a baptist missionarys in 1998 he finally seized the opportunity when another young couple at their church began their own missionary work in lithuania. So i approached the fella and said, you know, what would you think about denise and i coming and helping you guys . He said, that would be great. They moved in with us for six sold all their possessions. Tried to save up money. We didnt know any lithuanians at the time. Didnt know the language, studying, trying our best but if was definitely a shock. They returned home after a year and soon welcomed a son, seth, and a daughter julia. In 2002, the family went back to lithuania, which became their second home on and off for the next eight years. Thats a big undertaking, to right. I think it was very hard for denise to leave her family, leave everything shed known and to go over to a strange country, you know, with a toddler and a baby. It was traumatic experience for her, i think. This is because, really, nathan wanted to do it . Right. She was supporting him. It was wasnt really her calling. She was basically being a wife and a mother. But denise also became very devoted to the church there. She played the piano for the children and taught them songs and taught the little girls especially bible stories. They grew particularly close to some of the children and their families. We had helped women who had been in abusive relationships. We had brought several lithuanians to the United States over the years. For cultural reasons, for musical purposes, for sports. Their generosity extended to a young lithuanian they had gotten to know by who eventually came to the u. S. As a College Student and even lived with them for a while in peoria. Nathan has a very big heart for people. He just loves to help people out, and just wants to do the lords work. By the fall of 2010, nathan and denise were living back in the states. By then they had a third child, janel. Their days were filled with shuttling kids to school and day their next overseas mission. Life with three young kids was busy, hectic, normal. But then came valentines day 2013, when nathan pulled into their driveway midafternoon and discovered something terribly wrong. I could see that the windowpane was broken, glass on the ground. At that point i began to put things together and someone had broken into the home, and at that point i calmed the police. Called 911. 911. Wheres the emergency . We had a breakin. A daring burglary in the middle of the day that would rob this family of everything. This family of everything. There would be no more cards, candy or flowers this valentines day. No one can find denise. She hadnt answered her phone calls. Hadnt answered her Text Messages, and what police do find is terrifying. Everything stopped. I just kept looking at my daughter. My world had just been shattered point. Run away with me what will you be able to do in a Jeep Renegade . Lost souls in revelry pretty much anything you want. And i said hey, hey hey hey living like were renegades the most capable small suv ever. With available selecterrain traction control that can be adjusted to take on mud, sand or snow. Get 0 apr financing for well qualified buyers plus 500 bonus cash on 2015 Jeep Renegade models. Sfx ziploc bag opening sfx ambient School Cafeteria sounds, children talking life doesnt cry over spilled milk. It cheers. Life needs ziploc. Sfx ziploc bag closing vo my names nick and i make dog chow in denver, colorado. One of my fondest memories of khloe is the day we got her. I knew right there she was gonna be a great dog. Khloes a big influence on the family. She loved lincoln from the start. Shes his little protector. I trust dog chow to keep khloe healthy because i see the high Quality Ingredients that go into it. The standards that we follow are top notch. Cheezit grooves are the Perfect Union of a cheezit and a chip. You mean like they got married . Umm. I guess. Youd make a pretty bride in that wedding gown. Oh, its a lab coat so. Hey everyone, joes getting married bam bam ba bam. Oh, im not. We take time for our cheese to mature in our crispy cheezit grooves. Aaaaaaaand were back at Cricket Wireless switch and get a brand new lg risio for 19. 99, or take a spin with the Samsung Galaxy grand prime for 29. 99 Cricket Wireless. Something to smile about. When hollywoods premiere jewelry designer, neil lane, creates a ring for todays biggest stars. He designs it to look fabulous from every angle. And for his collection at kay jewelers. He does the exact. Same. Thing. Yes neil lane bridal. Uniquely beautiful handcrafted rings at kay, the number one Jewelry Store in america. My collection is vintage inspired. With flowing lines that evoke a sense of timelessness. Because i want every woman to feel like a star. Overseas as missionaries, the leuthold family returned to peoria, illinois. Denise, nathan and their three kids. Seth 12, julia 10 and janel 4 were living with denises parents. Nathan says it felt good to be home. We had tremendous friends and family here in the states. And thats always what he missed the most. Being back in the state also gave nathan an opportunity to travel to churches where he reported on his and denises missionary work and raised more funds so they could soon return to lithuania. In the u. S. They could also celebrate holidays americanstyle as they did on valentines day 2013. As is our tradition on holidays, whether its easter or christmas or birthdays or valentines, for the children we started off, right off the bat, so the children had their valentine sacks that denise prepared sitting there on the table for them. And for his wife my gift to her was the roses and the card that i had bought the night before and placed on the take. After the Early Morning celebration, the family went back to their usual routine. Taking the kids to school, shopping, running errands. Denises parents were at work, but that day something happened that was completely out of character for denise. She failed to pick up julia from school. My parents called me. You want us to pick her up . I said, denise should be there any minute. She must have been late. Turns out, no one had been able to reach da fleiss forenise for a while, including nathan. Hadnt hadnt answered a phone call or messages. Let me get to daycare ill leapt you know. Still hasnt come. Hasnt called. Well, im right by the house. Ill run by the house and see if as soon as i pulled into the driveway, garage door was open. Is that odd . Very odd. No car in the garage, but the garage doors open. Then as i got about half way into the garage, i could see that windowpane was broken. The glass is on the ground, and at that point i began to understand that someone had broken into the home. Did you fear that the person could still be in the house . I did. With his young daughter in the car, nathan backed into the neighbors driveway across the street so he could watch the house as he called 911. Whats the problem . We got a breakin. Is it going on right now . I dont know. I the garage door is open. Theres glass on the back door where somebodys broke in. Ive not gone into the house yet. Nathan waited at the neighbors repeatedly calling family to see if anyone had heard from denise. Then police arrived. Detectives jason lee and shawn curry were among the first on by the time we got here, officers starting to rope everything off. Securing the inside of the house. They didnt find an intruder. Instead, they found something far worse. While searching the house, i discovered a female obviously lyly deceased in the houses. 39yearold Denise Leuthold lying in a pool of blood had barely made it inside the house. Her coat was still on. Right on the other side of this door is where we found her laying down. Just right in the front door here. They quickly determined she had been killed by single gunshot to the head. She didnt even have time to take her coat off, her gloves, anything. When she entered the door, the next shot was immediate. And the weapon appeared to be a. 40 caliber landgun, but no sign of the gun. Did it seem denise had possibly startled a burg bler . It looked like she door and started going through the house and maybe startled the burglar when she came in through the front door. While investigators combed the crime scene, nathan anxiously watched the Police Activity from the house across the street. How did they tell you what they had found . The police were not the first people to tell me. Unfortunately i found out about it from my father. I was calling my dad, and dad said, well, im on my way. I just heard on the radio, the local news media just put it on the radio that at your house somebody was shot. Nathan realized it had to have been denise. When you came to that realization what was going through your mind . Everything stopped. Daughter who is the image of her mother. Curly hair and bouncy step and i just kept looking at my daughter, and i wanted to hug her and i wanted to i wanted to just let out all of the pain that was associated with knowing that there she was standing staring at me just smiling. My world had just been shattered, and i had to tell her at some point. Denises mom had no idea what happened, but she rushed home when nathan told her thered been a breakin. Adrove out there and the roads were all road blocked. Is that a sick feeling when you see all of the police and you know that oh, yeah. What are you thinking . Well, i didnt know what to think. I tried to run up there and to go into the house and they were like, no, you cant go in, and im like, i just want to know. I just want to know what is she in there . Where is she . They eventually took me downtown and then one of the policemen came in and told me that she had been shot. The worst day of my life. Now she had to tell her husband, denises father. Fell apart and cried. I guess its every parents Worst Nightmare to have a child taken from them. As denises faemily reeled from their unimaginable loss, this quiet Central Illinois community was starting to grapple with the fallout of a murder on valentines day. Did you feel like, we have a mystery on our hands. We got to solve this. Yeah. We knew we had something bad and it was going it take a lot of work to get to the point where we knew who had done it. A possible clue . Nathan remembers seeing a suspicious car near his house not long before the murder. This is kind of weird. Usually go through into the into the front door, and flip the outside lights on. Was the killer in that car . R in that car . flourish spray noise flourish spray noise flourish spray noise flourish spray noise the joy of real cream in 15 calories per serving. Enough said. Reddiwip. flourish spray noise share the joy. What about this guy . This guys. Been through a lot. Pedigree brings out the good in them. Feed the good. Something new has arrived. And it works in the middle of anywhere. [ ding ] the new iphone 6s on u. S. Cellular lets you stay connected where other networks dont. [ chuckles ] the new iphone 6s on u. S. Cellular. Shot to death in her home peoria, illinois. A friend, norm aldrick couldnt comprehend the news. Who could do Something Like this to a great, a great young woman. A family of three children. A great husband. Nathan said when he lost denise, he lost his foundation. My wife, my best friend, from third grade. The mother of the three most how do i function now . Without her . With the house now a crime scene, nathan went with detectives to the Police Station where they asked him if he could think of any reason his family would be targeted. Do you have any personal problems with anybody . No. Your wife . No. Was there anything of extreme value. In the house . In your room, in that room in particular . I i had, um, two watches. A couple hundred dollar watches. What about no. A laptop, digital camera and jewelry had been stolen. Two guns had also been taken including a. 40 caliber glock. The same caliber to kill denise. Had the killer used that weapon to shoot her . Do you know why anybody would have broke in there. That question since i pulled in the driveway. Nathan gave them a clue when he remembered a suspicious car in the neighborhood late at night a couple of weeks before the murder. Headlights. Thats all i saw. But they were on, on the road, when they turned in, they turned it off. You know, this is kind of weird. Pulling in the driveway i usually go through into the, the front door, and flip the outside lights on. Then, a few days before the murder, he said it happened again. Similar situation, but this time in the neighborhood. That time nathan called police and spoke with an officer. He said they probably were people that were out, his phrase was, casing the neighborhood. People in peoria, illinois were spooked. Could a brazen burglar willing to kill be on the loose . It caused a lot of stress in the neighborhood. I mean, the local school don thewn the street they locked to down. This stuff doesnt happen here. You come down during the day streets. Peek in the park walking around. Its not like a highcrime area, gunshots all the time. It was enough to scare everybody. It was a big story in town. Be extra cautious. Lock your doors, lock your windows. Pay attention to strangers in your area. What was the mood of the neighborhood . It was very eerie. Bow ebenezer is a reporter for nbcs weektv in peoria. A lot of people in the community really wanted to know what happened. I mean, theyre going to sleep every night not really sure who killed their neighbor. One neighbor says with two small kids at home she is feeling panicked and even a little paranoid. Tips started coming in right away. Diane parrish who lives a few houses down from nathan and denise remembered seeing a strange man on her street right around the time of the murder. So describe the man you saw walking along this road. He had a black hoodie sweatshirt on with the hood pulled up, and his hands were in and i will never forget the look on that mans face. What was so odd about the look on his face . He was very agitated. I knew immediately something was wrong with him. Neighbors were anxious, and detectives were puzzled. Denises neighborhood was normally very quiet. Not the type of place youd expect 0 burglary, even if she had accidentally stumbled upon an intruder, how had it turned so vicious so quickly . Why would somebody want to come into this particular house . Not typical as far as a burglary that results in a murder. Maybe it wasnt a burglary at all. If it wasnt a burglary, what was it . Was nathans life also in danger . Nathans parents told me that nathan and the three children had been moved to a safe house, just to protect them. Just to protect them. To take care of business so when your tax refund arrives, make it go a little further at walmart. From electronics, to home decor, even tires, get low prices on everything you need to get more fun out of your tax refund. Walmart. Earning unlimited cash back on purchases. Thats a win. But imagine earning it twice. You can with the citi double cash card. It lets you earn cash back twice. Once when you buy and again as you pay. Its cash back then cash back again. And thats a cash back winwin. The citi double cash card. The only card that lets you earncash back twice on everypurchase with 1 when you buy and 1 as you pay. With two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem onesided. Announcement this storm promises to be the biggest of the decade. With total accumulation of up to three feet. And schools are closed. Campbells soups go great with a cold and a nice red. Made for real, real life. Were non stop, weve gotta have our extra protein. Oikos triple zero greek non fat yogurt has 15 grams of protein. Zero added sugar, zero artific