Dateline: Unforgettable - How did the investigators catch Molly Matheson and Megan Getrum's murderers? Details revealed

The latest Dateline episode features the chilling case of Molly Matheson, who also linked the investigators to another unsolved case. The murders of Molly Jane Matheson and Megan Leigh Getrum were solved through the skillful application of forensic science, reconstruction of the timeline, and some valuable DNA evidence that linked the two crimes to a single perpetrator. Investigators combined surveillance information while taking notes from the behaviour of the culprit to conclude that Reginald Kimbro was the killer.

The case marks an example of how combining various facts and dotting the events together can lead to a suspect who has been successfully dodging the law all this time. Although early evidence was circumstantial, forensic analysis and the sharing of intelligence between police forces gradually revealed Kimbro’s involvement in both killings.

Trending

Read on to know how exactly the investigators catch Molly Matheson and Megan Getrum's murderers, per the Dateline episode.

How did the investigators catch Molly Matheson and Megan Getrum's murderers, as shown on Dateline?

As the Dateline episode explores, the probe started with the slaying of Molly Matheson in Fort Worth in 2017. Anderson and Sullivan, the detectives who responded quickly to the scene, immediately noticed evidence of sexual assault and observed something strange going on inside her apartment. Some laundry has been done, and the bedding and men’s underwear had been washed. It was suspected that the killer had tried to eliminate proof.

A crucial break came from the washing machine’s electricity meter, which told authorities when the washer had been run, helping to pinpoint when the killer was in the apartment.

Focus soon shifted to Reginald Kimbro, whose phone number was found in Molly’s records. He had texted her late on the night before her body was discovered, and he confessed he was at her apartment, but he said he left around 1:30 a.m. Surveillance video disproved this, capturing his vehicle departing closer to 2 a.m. Although he said he never had intercourse with Molly, his statements contradicted each other and raised red flags, especially in light of his inconsistent timeline and willingness to provide DNA while declining to take a polygraph.

Days later, Megan was reported missing, as shown on Dateline

The authorities did not have sufficient evidence to charge Kimbro with Molly’s murder, and he was released. Just days later, Megan Getrum was reported missing after taking an evening hike in Plano. Similarities were chilling; she’d been strangled, she’d been sexually assaulted, and had a blunt force trauma.

As Detective Aaron Benzick investigated Megan’s case, he found that Kimbro had been at the nature preserve the day she disappeared. This convergence led to collaboration between investigators from the two cases. When the DNA was tested and matched, it also tied Kimbro to the two murders, the dreaded confirmation that detectives had long hoped wouldn’t come.

Taken into custody on April 27, Kimbro later pleaded guilty in March 2022 to the killings of Molly Matheson and Megan Getrum and multiple sex assaults. And while the convictions have provided some justice, the case remains a chilling example of how the system failed, repeatedly, allowing a violent predator to prey upon more women before he was finally stopped.

The breakthrough in the Molly Matheson and Megan Getrum case was possible after the investigation team collaborated and exchanged some crucial confidential facts. The reconstruction of a timeline, surveillance, and DNA played a major role in revealing the lies and movements of Reginald Kimbro. The Dateline episode explores this rightly, painting the authentic picture of the incidents that took place years ago.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

Comment