Dateline: Who was Linda Watson and what happened to her? Disturbing details of a triple homicide, revisited

Dateline NBC episode titled "Secrets of the Desert" revisited the disturbing murder case of Tucson resident Linda Watson and how it eventually culminated in a shocking triple homicide. As the investigation proceeded, what initially appeared to be a missing persons case soon turned out to be murder in cold blood.

Linda Watson, a woman in her mid-thirties and mother of a single child, had been a victim of a custody battle with her former husband, David Watson. Little did she know that August 20, 2000, would turn out to be fatal for her, and it was the last time Linda was seen by any eyewitnesses.

As reported on Dateline, years passed with the case as Linda's mother, Marilyn Cox, kept on struggling with no crack at the investigation - on top of that, a legal battle against Linda's ex-husband, David (over Linda and his daughter Jordynn's custody). But October 2003 changed everything after Linda's remains were unearthed, and what followed were a series of gut-wrenching revelations.

Who was Linda Watson and what happened to her?

The official synopsis of the Dateline episode "Secrets of the Desert," per IMDb, reads:

"Deep in the Sonoran desert, the mystery surrounding the deaths of three women takes 17 years to untangle, and is only solved when a fourth woman comes forward with the truth."

Linda Watson was a 35-year-old mother residing in Tucson, Arizona, who had graduated from Fairfield Union High School. Right before her sudden disappearance, she was caught up in a legal tumult with her ex-husband, David Watson, over their only daughter, Jordynn.

David Watson was then recruited as a captain at the Tucson Fire Department, per Dateline, and was continuously fighting with Linda over his daughter's custody. But things went awry on August 20, 2000, when Linda Watson suddenly went MIA.

According to reports, her mother, Marilyn, was the last person to see her at lunch on the same day, and as per her statement, Linda safely went back to her place at West Curtis Road after that. Signs of infiltration at her residence were reported the next day, and Linda's close ones sensed foul play.

Not only this, but she also missed a court hearing related to the legal tussle with her ex-husband. Following the suspicious development, an official search party was disbanded on August 23, 2000. Linda's family even announced a cash reward for anyone who could come up with any clues that might lead to her whereabouts.

However, things went further sideways on May 7, 2003, after Marilyn Cox made a surprise visit with her granddaughter Jordynn to David's place, where he was living with his then-wife, Rosemary. Marilyn was, per Dateline, also accompanied by her close ally and friend, Renee Farnsworth. Tragedy struck as both Marilyn and Renee were shot to death by David, but his name did not come up until later.

The double murders added a new layer to Linda's case with Jordynn at the center of it, and it was, according to Dateline, soon declared to be a triple homicide. In October 2003, the investigation saw a major turn of events after the police found Linda Watson's skeletal remains in a desert region to the north of Tucson - to be precise, close to a place called the Silverbell Mine.

Linda's body was in a heavily decomposed state, and after a long hiatus till 2011, DNA imprints helped prove that it was her. According to medical reports, she had succumbed to a bullet wound to the head and was left to die in the middle of the desert.

Who was convicted in connection with Linda Watson's case and the double murders that followed

Linda's last remains were reportedly sent for forensics, and it was not long before the investigators were able to narrow the list of suspects down to David Watson. He was charged with second-degree murder of his wife, Linda Watson, and was also found guilty of first-degree murder of Marilyn Cox and her associate, Renee Farnsworth.

Although Rosemary Watson, who was then married to David, did provide an alibi during the time of the murders, she eventually surrendered to questioning and spilled the beans. Following a trial in 2016 that did not bring any results, David was put up for a re-trial the next year and, considering the magnitude of all his crimes, got a total of 66 years of imprisonment on April 17, 2017.

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.

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Edited by Subho Mukhopadhyay