Page 5 - Son Alex News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

"t"s. we were dealing with the death of a woman. >> reporter: then fred and alex headed back to their empty cabin. and there, in that home that had until then been full of such happy memories, fred and alex endured the longest night of their lives. >> we stayed together in the same room. it was a long night. >> but it was just the first sleepless night in what would become the longest ordeal of their lives. >> coming up -- >> we started taking photos. >> fred gives investigators a detailed account of what happened to leslie. >> it looked to me like she just did a swan dive and lands on the roc...

Not sure if it would ever amount to anything. as the years moved on, investigators continued to build a case against fred. but the children were unaware. they were trying hard to remember the happy moments with their mother and put the tragedy behind them. what became of the cabin that held so many memories for all of you? >> i think after the accident it wasn't going to be a happy place for us, so dad decided to sell the place shortly after mom died. >> reporter: i would imagine that area is bittersweet now. >> yeah. unfortunately. it's a beautiful area. it's just -- >> not for us. >> repor...

>> mom and dad would walk to the pond and maybe be out there 30 minutes to an hour while the sun would be setting. >> amanda recalled how devastated her father was in the wake of her mother's death. >> i know he wasn't sleeping well. he would stay in bed a lot during the day. he cried all the time. >> and alex's testimony brought out an emotional response from fred in court. >> did you ever see your dad able to get over it? >> no. i'm looking at him right now and he's not over it. >> but what about fred's former assistant, the woman who'd given prosecutors a semblance of motive? in fact, durin...

Mcdonald's ceo, fired for an inappropriate relationship with an employee. now, back to "dateline." fred mueller spent the day after his wife's death talking with investigators about the accident on cottonwood creek. the next day he and his son alex flew home to texas, ferried by a friend in a private plane. >> you never think you would -- it could happen to you. >> reporter: there, fred and alex were reunited with amanda and ariel, alex's older sisters. >> you hear horrible stories and you feel for these people. it was surreal that we were now that family, and now, you know, just trying to g...

>> it's my dad and the deputy, and, yeah, they come in. it's kind of a shock to see, you know, when you're expecting somebody, to see strangers coming in instead. >> reporter: what do you think when you see that? >> not a whole lot of time to think, honestly. you kind of go into shutdown mode. >> reporter: alex recalled his dad seemed like he was in shock. >> he was very disheveled, had been crying a lot. and then he, you know, gave me a big hug, and that was kind of how it broke. >> reporter: i can't even imagine getting that news, when you've just thought your parents were going for a quick ...