22-year-old college student Rebekah Gould was a free spirit. Known to stand her ground and protect the ones she loved.
But in the third week of September 2004, it was Rebekah who may have needed protection.
Rebekah and her sister Danielle drove home from college for the weekend and Rebekah stayed with a friend in a town not far from their Mountain View, Arkansas, home.
On Monday, September 20, Rebekah was supposed to pick her sister up so they could drive back to school.
But that never happened.
The next day, Rebekah’s mother called the Izard County Sheriff’s Office to report her daughter missing.
Rebekah’s body would be found by the end of the week, down a steep embankment off a mountain highway.
Hear how friends and family remember Rebekah:
There was no shortage of suspects in the murder, but it would take nearly two decades to make an arrest.
As a result, the court of public opinion never really stopped spinning theories, dragging reputations through the mud.
The true killer, meanwhile, following it all from so many miles away, thinking he’d get away with it...
Watch the full episode, “Secrets in the Ozarks” on Peacock now.
You can also watch on the NBC app or listen to the podcast.
After the episode, watch Rebekah’s father and sister talk about sitting down with the killer after sentencing.
Also, watch our postcard from the field and learn about the Mountain View Ozark Folk Center State Park, dedicated to preserving Ozark heritage and tradition: