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Crashed into the river at 15 miles per hour. there was far less damage to the test glasses than the ones found in the car. >> my conclusion was nick's head did not collide with the steering wheel in the car. >> this proved the glasses had been planted. and if nick hadn't been in the car during the crash, then there was still the possibility he was alive. >> we were a little emotional. well, very emotional but, you know, kind of on pins and needles. >> of course you pray for the best. but i think there's that part of you that knows it could go the other way. >> three weeks later, a search crew ...

We were pretty surprised when we did not. >> nick's broken glasses were on the floor of his car. and the side windows were open. >> i was still hoping that we would find him alive. i was hoping that he had swam out of the car and had been injured and didn't know who he was and that we were going to find him. >> the way the car went in, the fact that he got out, none of it made sense. >> inside nick's car, investigators found a greasy film on the dashboard and upholstery. >> it was kind of a light white milky substance that we didn't know what it was initially until we started touching it and p...

From the forensic evidence, investigators now knew that nick howard was not in his car when it crashed into the sacramento river. and nick had been strangled and dumped in the river at another time. in a search for suspects, investigators first questioned who would benefit from nick's death and learned that nick had several large life insurance policies. >> we found a life insurance policy that had an accidental death benefit rider on there, making the life insurance policy worth $850,000. now, a 18-year-old kid having an $850,000 life insurance policy is a little bit unusual. >> nick's family...

>> we had a deal with nick that he was welcome to stay at home, but he had to work or go to school. he had to be doing something with his life. he was starting to get a little bit lackadaisical about that. >> nick was a night person and often stayed out late with friends. on a february night in 1997, nick stopped by a local restaurant to pick up his driver's license he had left there earlier. but the restaurant was closed so he left a note for the owner. >> it was in his handwriting. we knew that he had gone down there. >> later, he called his parents' answering machine and left a message. >> ...