Sheriffs deputies were stationed at the site overnight to guard the crime scene. Deputy D.A. When he emerged, the sun had just slipped into the desert. But Lore Heavilin says she heard every word. About two months later, Carries body was found in Hastings, Minnesota. But once he reached the bottom, he recognized that retrieving the body was going to be more difficult than expected. Ill go down, he said. This new pregnancy came only months after Erin's miscarriage and Jon was overjoyed. I was controlled by the anger. Above ground, a somber silence fell over the rescue team. Erin was three months pregnant at the time and the wife of a marine. Dateline featured her disappearance in our Missing in America series on June 15, 2020. The sticky scent clung to his clothes and hair and even adhered to his skin. After a half hour of crawling over the rocky and sandy terrain, he and his two teammates arrived at the site, joining half a dozen rescuers and sheriffs deputies already huddled around the mine. In the meantime, he was making plans to move his family back to Alaska. She had been strangled. An inch at a time, Wheaton descended below the surface. But before long, their suspicions settled on one man: Chris Lee. When Erin vanished, police initially looked at both her husband and the man with whom she was having an affair. CHRIS LEE: She did and I kind of think honestly that she meant it. It was awful. Days began as early as 3:00 a.m. as summer temperatures soared past 115 degrees. Corwin's husband, Lance Cpl. Lore Heavilin: I would say it's a major miracle that they found Erin. But there was no sign of Erin. 00:00 - What happened to Erin Corwin husband?00:39 - Who killed Erin Dateline?01:04 - Did Lee kill Erin?Laura S. Harris (2021, June 21.) Aerial searches had identified more than a hundred potential burial sites. Lore Heavilin: Erin was cremated. Sean Daugherty: When the relationship was found out and they felt they couldn't see each other anymore, he wrote her a -- poem that was found actually in her materials after she disappeared. [Second cop enters the interrogation room]. Nineteen year old Erin Corwin told her husband, Jonathan Jon Corwin, that she was going to the Joshua Tree National Park to check out some trails. The San Bernardino Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team paired up with NCIS agents for the massive job of finding Erin Corwin. That garrote was similar to one found wrapped around Erin's neck. Sean Daugherty: It actually qualifies in California as an explosive device. Erin was petite, 5'2", small girl, blue eyes, dirty blonde hair Very pretty. And they were pretty sure that it was Erin. Jonathan Corwin, the widower of homicide victim Erin Corwin, is speaking to the media for the first time since his wife went missing on June 28. Sean Daugherty: There was no evidence Erin Corwin was molesting his daughter other than from him. Special Agent Clifton Randolph Jr.: This is a person. When Baum emerged onto the surface and removed his respirator, he fell to his knees. Erin Corwin's car was found in Twentynine Palms two days after she disappeared. Told him what to do And that's what the problem was, was that Chris and Nichole didn't have that relationship. The pair was recorded walking into a parking garage together. Evidence pointed to foul play. Meanwhile, the detectives made arrangements to bring in a crew of firefighters the following day. The defense would need something dramatic to counter the state's evidenceand it did not disappoint. It would take years for Kelsies family to get answers and justice for their daughter. COP: You told her that you loved her. You can read the full policy here. I really hope people can see the story of love and seeking, can fall in love with her, and wonder.. And we identified several text messages that were important to the investigation. He claimed Chris had not planned to kill Erin. The 19-year-old was expecting a baby and was anxiously awaiting her mother's first visit to California since Erin had moved to Twentynine Palms with her high school sweetheart and husband, Jon Corwin. The dramatic film is based on the true story of 19-year-old Erin Corwins death at the hands of her secret lover Marine Christopher Lee. If it fell through, Erin might be buried so deep she could never be recovered. When they started dating on Erin's 16th birthday, Jon, one year her senior, asked her parents' permission first. It was deeper than I had ever been.. ET on Lifetime. Erin Corwin's body was found 100 feet down a mine shaft in a remote area of the high desert near Joshua Tree National Park after a nearly two-month search. By December of that year, the Plano Police Department had arrested a suspect in connection with Christinas disappearance. But Jon had passed a polygraph test. The floor was likely rotted and could easily collapse. After an exhaustive, two-month search, Erins body was finally found in an abandoned mineshaft in a remote area of the desert. I don't know, but that's what she was telling everybody. She told him that she wanted to be part of his daughter's life. That propane tank was borrowed from a horse ranch that both Chris Lee and Erin Corwin adopted and took care of horses at. I get emotional just thinking about that day, Detective Hanke recalled. And I just kept choking her. However, the jury disagreed. COP: You never had any type of intercourse with her? Jonathan Corwin spoke with The Desert Sun shortly before the start of a vigil held in Erin's memory at Luckie Park in Twentynine Palms on Monday evening: Corwin also talked with KESQ-TV off camera about his favorite memory of Erin. A message posted this morning to mark Erin's birthday has already drawn close to 100 comments and more continue to pour in. Deputy D.A. During his trial, Chris argued that he had killed Erin because he believed she was molesting his 6-year-old daughter. She was not a perfect teenager, but you couldn't have asked for a better teenager. But unfortunately, they had a few downs as well. Deputy D.A. her husband was calling her, her mother was calling her, her friends were calling her, and it went straight to voicemail. On March 11, 2014, 15-year-old Danielle Locklear was reported missing by her grandfather, who said she left his residence in Hope Mills, North Carolina to go to a friends house. I have a mask.. It's not a 9:00 to 5:00 job It takes so much focus, so much energy to stay on some of these cases, to follow them through to the end. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Journalist Beth Ford Roth said the courtroom became extremely quiet as everyone absorbed the horror of Erin's murder. NCIS Agent Clifton Randolph had learned that a friend of Erin's possessed important information about the 19-year-old's disappearance. Lanky with cropped brown hair, Baum was admittedly claustrophobic. A few feet underground, the air was dank and cooler. A festering odor wafted from the derelict mine shaft on the edge of the remote Mojave Desert, just north of Californias Joshua Tree National Park. Mother of three Nicole Waller mysteriously disappeared on February 14, 2013, while driving from Fairview to Kalispell, Montana. NCIS Agent Ashley DeChelfin | Intelligence Specialist: It was big news for such a small area. Beth Ford Roth: Erin was devastated and really didn't have anyone to talk to. 'Cause you just don't know. At that point, our mission changes to recovery.. Sean Daugherty: It was important for the jurors to hear that. And he knew her from the horse ranch. Erin lived with her husband in the Twentynine Palms Marine Base in California, where the couple befriended Christopher, his wife, Nichole Lee, and their 5-year-old daughter. And Erin was somebody that gave him pleasure. According to court documents, Corwin and Lee planned to go hunting about two hours from their homes on June 28, 2014 the day she. The cavers weaved a climbing rope through the tripod, latching it onto a truck. On the day Erin Corwin died, the 19-year-old was excited. She never returned. Special Agent Clifton Randolph Jr.: You don't know what the monster is in the dark in the closet out there. The sun was still high in the sky at about 4:30 p.m., when Chiarabini and his team headed to the very last location on their lista 140-foot deep hole in the shadows of a sheer cliff. After a brief discussion, it was decided another volunteer would enter the mine and drop as low to the bottom as possible. So they went and got a warrant based on the potato launcher. Were at site 108, Chiarabini said. It took nearly two months for investigators to locate her body in August 2014, but once they did, they found her remains surrounded by DNA evidence that tied Lee to the scene, per 48 Hours. It was just a very scary day. It's just a whole lot of nothing out there. And I had a soft spot for her because of her love for animals. But Chris and Erin didnt stop seeing each other. Lore Heavilin: I sat there and put my head down and closed my eyes. Every other passenger had that People Magazine cover with Jon Corwin and Erin Corwin's picture. Special Agent Clifton Randolph Jr.: I was surprised when I saw his testimony -- what he said he had done to Erin Corwin and the manner in his facial expressions like he was reading off --. Along with the propane tank and gasoline smell, it became clear that someone had tried to incinerate the body and the contents of the mine. On July 1 -- three days after Erin Corwin told her friend that she was heading into the desert to meet Chris Lee -- investigators brought the Marine in for a formal interview. On the evening of February 4, 2013, 22-year-old Kelsie Schelling drove from Denver to Pueblo, Colorado to meet up with her boyfriend. It could be a body, Norman told detectives. Anastasia clipped the rope to his harness and narrowed the beam of his flashlight on the floor of the mine. On June 28, 2014, 19-year old Marine wife Erin Corwin tells her husband she is going out to scout hiking trails in Joshua Tree National Park. And she didn't have any right to want to be with her. But Erin never returned. Bill Heavilin: Erin was one of our adopted children. He and Detective Jonathan Woods reviewed the footage. Erin became very disturbed by that, became upset. Jon took part in artillery drills that sometimes kept him out in the desert for as long as a month at a time while Erin was left to adjust to living on a military base. Erin Corwin disappeared in 2014. Most of the crew stayed huddled under a shaded red tent. But instead of popping the question, Lee strangled Corwin and dumped her body down an abandoned mine shaft. Corwin was allegedly expecting a marriage proposal from Lee. The rigging would allow Chiarabini to drop down the center of the mine and avoid touching the walls. The original search area had covered approximately two thousand square miles, including Joshua Tree National Park, the Twentynine Palms Marine base, and the unincorporated community of Amboy, a ghost town off historic Route 66. For the past seven weeks, Chiarabini and his fellow volunteer cavers from the San Bernardino County Cave and Technical Rescue team had been on a mission most macabre. Watch Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS. The 2023 NHL playoffs have seen a number of fresh front office and media faces start to come into their own. He was cooperative, did not request a lawyer, and honest enough to admit that he and Erin had been having an emotional affair: CHRIS LEE: She was someone I could tell stuff I didn't want to tell anyone because she was a secret so I could tell her my secrets. Later, Anastasia would learn the device was a crude, homemade garrotea weapon used to strangle the life out of a human being. Sean Daugherty: His story was ridiculous. That was a sign that something was wrong. Lore Heavilin: He took advantage of her being so nave, and he manipulated her. In October 2016, after a change in venue and more than two years after Erin had kissed her husband goodbye, Chris Lee stood trial for first-degree murder in a San Bernardino courtroom. Jonathan Corwin, reported her missing on June 29, 24 hours after he says he last saw her leave the couple's house, get in her car and drive in the direction of Joshua Tree National Park. The clatters of crumbling rocks echoed off the walls as they tumbled to the mines floor. That he he threw her down like a piece of garbage. The next morning, an unidentified man got into the car around 7:20 a.m. and drove away. If not for the lack of oxygen, the mine would have burst into flames. Then they went on a safari Oceanside's Surf Museum explores science of surfing, San Diego man pleads guilty to taking part in Jan. 6 Capitol breach, Prebys Foundation announces $10 million program for low-income health care, Teachers at Gompers Prep will vote on whether to decertify their union. She was seen on security cameras at a 7-Eleven in Rock Island, Illinois around 4:00 p.m. that same day. Lore Heavilin: When they handed me that card that said, "Special Investigative Homicide Team," it just makes your heart sink. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. And Erin said, "Yes, but ". SECOND COP : Maybe you don't know. Blogger Beth Ford Roth was born into a military family and has covered issues important to service members and their loved ones for many years. She's not OK. Something happened to her out there and she's not OK and we're not going to stop until the truth is out there. There was buzz on base. In the days following the discovery of Erin's body, NCIS agents and sheriff deputies had continued the manhunt for Chris Lee, who had fled from the horse ranch along with his wife and daughter. Dateline shared Chelseas story in our Missing in America series in November of 2014, in the hope that someone with information might see it and come forward. And my only saving grace is I choose to believe that she was unconscious very quick, that she didn't have much time to think about it. Beth Ford Roth: And Erin really took her in. Detectives presented those photos to Doug Billings. The remains were positively identified as AJ. After a seven-week search, high desert law enforcement officials found Erin's body hidden. In December of 2016, Andrea Canning reported on the case in the episode The Last Day. Watch on Peacock TV or listen to the full story now. I found the perfect mine. Don't give up and I won't too -- Hopefully like me, you still think "I love you", NCIS Special Agent Clifton Randolph Jr. and NCIS Intelligence Specialist Ashley DeChelfin. Did something happen? Gone Mom on Lifetime: Who Was Jennifer Dulos and What Happened to Her Husband? In 2018, Dennis Murphy reported the full story on Dateline in the episode The Creek. Watch the full episode here or on Peacock TV. By sheer coincidence, Chris Lee finished his tour of service with the Marines that weekend and, with no charges pending against him, he was honorably discharged. I couldnt quite distinguish what it was, he recalled. The evidence seemed overwhelming. By then, the cameras memory card was nearly full, so Norman took the SIM card from his personal cell phone and inserted it in the camera. COP: Are you a cold-blooded killer? The morning of June 28, 2014, was the. Erin was 18 when she married Jon. And Christopher Lee saw that as his in to Erin. So I told the detectives. And asked Erin if Erin had molested his daughter. So he took it. The obscenely broken body bore no resemblance to the pretty young brunette Wheaton had seen on missing persons flyers posted around the Marine base. Beth Ford Roth: I had to put my head down because I began to cry. In 2018, Andrea Canning first reported on the case in The Landing. To learn more, watch The Landing or listen to the podcast. Beth Ford Roth: Erin Corwin was a 19-year-old pregnant Marine wife. Special Agent Clifton Randolph: It's a case -- I'll never forget it. ABC 7 reported that Lee testified that he didnt kill Corwin because of the alleged pregnancy, but because Corwin allegedly confessed to molesting Lees young daughter. Deputy D.A. Erin Corwin is 20 years old today. The investigation into what happened to Erin Corwin after she left home would expose a secret affair between two neighbors in the Marine Combat Base in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Nearly two months after her disappearance, her body was found dumped in one of the more than 1,000 abandoned mines in the unforgiving desert. Prayers from GA.", "HBD, Beautiful ," writes another. With this video, our goal is to spread scientific knowledge. Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. On a June morning, the 19-year-old military wife left home, telling her husband she planned to explore hiking trails near Joshua Tree National Park. To expedite the search, Norman had created a device to record video from inside the mine using a one-gallon bucket, a generic GoPro camera, a floodlight, and model airplane batteries he borrowed from a neighbor. Unbeknownst to the teenager, she was being pursued by a predator skulking behind a uniform at the worlds largest Marine base. Per 48 Hours, Lee told investigators that they never did anything more than kiss, but friends of Corwin claimed that she was pregnant and that the child was allegedly Lees. NCIS Director Andrew Traver: I think agents become so attached to these cases because it's such a huge investment. Deputy D.A. On the fateful June 2014 day, Lee took Corwin out into the desert of Joshua Tree National Park for what Corwins friends claimed she believed was going to be a proposal, according to ABC 7. Restaurant supply stores can help, Two doctors struck by tragedy in Sudan: One dead, one fleeing for his life, More people are getting away with murder. She then vanishes without a trace. But the fumes stung his eyes, causing them to water. Corwin's body was discovered on Aug. 16 in a 140-foot deep mine shaft southeast of Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert. Isabel Megli: It turned out to be very stressful. According to CBS 48 Hours, Corwin was living at the Marine base in Twentynine Palms, California with her husband, Marine Corporal Jon Corwin, whom shed married at age 18 in late 2012. In 2017, Josh Mankiewicz covered her case in the episode Frantic which is available to watch or listen to. She just has to be. Please enter valid email address to continue. She met her future husband, Jon Corwin, when she was still in grade school. As newlyweds, Jonathan and Erin had a lot of ups. And then when she went missing, I knew she was in a mine. In 2021, Keith Morrison told her story in the episode Secrets by the Bay. Watch the full episode or listen to it now. We featured Nicole in our Missing in America series in February of 2015. He said, "Oh, wait 'til you see my pictures. When she first started, I assured her we would never get a horse. "48 Hours: NCIS"is a series from the award-winning team behind "48 Hours." Sean Daugherty: And-- at one point, while he was there, he -- grabbed a weapon and was playing Russian roulette. People have to know what I did., I made the decision to kill her, Lee also testified. I started dry heaving.. Erin Grey (born January 7, 1950) is a model, casting agent, and actress best known for her roles as Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series Buck Rogers in the Twenty-First Century and Kate Summers-Stratton in the situation comedy Silver Spoons. Suddenly, Anastasia realized how combustible the situation truly was. NEWS REPORT: A helicopter took off Friday morning, giving teams another resource on day five of the search for 19-year-old Erin Corwin last seen driving away from the base for a trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Jagged rock formations loomed over the ground pockmarked with abandoned mine shaftsrelics of the California gold rush. I felt it was a small miracle. In July of 2018, 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts went for a jog around 7:30 p.m. in Brooklyn, Iowa. Where did she say she was gonna go? The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department decided that this was it: Saturday, August 16, would be the last day they would officially look for Erin. COP: OK, we're past that this moment is the most important moment of your life. No one on the base reported seeing Erin leave, so NCIS agents naturally began their investigation with her husband. Beth Ford Roth: You could see Erin was a shy, bashful, sweet kind girl. Changing places with Baum was Paul Anastasia, a burly veteran fire-fighter with coifed dark brown hair graying around the temples. They began dating when Erin was just 16 years old, and in proper fashion, Jon even asked permission from Erin's parents before officially dating her. Because that's not who Erin was. June 12, 2018 / 11:00 PM Billings pinpointed a nondescript hole in the ground called the Rose of Peru mine. That wasn't the only secret Erin had been keeping from her mother.