The.Essex.Millionaire.Murders.S01E01
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00hello everyone in the dream team Carol Baxter here still a newbie just a lovely lovely day
00:09here on Mercy Island in the UK just fabulous this is where I live this wonderful island
00:30I can't wait to join you all Carol back signing off now speak soon what are your thoughts seeing
00:42this now it's so nice to see her like that even just to hear a sound like that you know that was
00:48my mom and you know that is mom that's my mama just a lovely lovely day here she looks well she's
00:57got color in her face and her hair and her curls and she just looks happy back then I never would
01:08have ever thought that it would have ended like this it's heartbreaking really
01:27it was a hell of a day
01:43mum had really been poorly
01:49so me and my partner Marcus we thought we'd just drive past the house just to make sure
01:56everything's all right you know just see how mum was doing but couldn't get hold of mum or dad
02:06so I've let myself around the back of the house and then I found mum and dad
02:18I just I saw them and I just screamed I screamed and screamed
02:31I don't know I can't think they don't look like if they're blue I can't get to them I can't
02:45how old is the patient please
02:49I haven't been able to hold them from yesterday and they've come check their blinds feel sharp from last
02:55night my man's not very well my partner Marcus was like no no they're asleep they're just asleep and
03:16I just said look at them I was like actually look at them
03:19come Marcus back to the window
03:22back to the window
03:24look at home
03:28look at home
03:28look at home
03:29are you awake
03:32are you with the patient
03:36look at me so I can help you
03:38look at me so I can help you
03:39look at me so I can help you
03:41look at me
03:48the entire area they've evacuated residents
03:52is there anything else you require us to do
03:55I haven't been all the way out the back but if we can double check that
03:58I definitely want someone with the family
04:01my brother Harry turned up pretty quickly
04:07and then my friend Luke came down
04:14it was actually really helpful at that time because Luke talked to the police and I was really quite hysterical at this point
04:21she's done something silly I know she's done something silly I was trying to help her
04:26did you go in to see them yourself I have been in there yeah and I went upstairs to get all Carol's medication
04:33but she's got a low yeah they like to know what people take gives them an idea of what they suffer from
04:39she's actually taken it's quite often she might take she has every morning levothyroxine but sometimes she forgets and she could take it six or seven times
04:47she doesn't know she doesn't know she doesn't know she's taking it loads time
04:54I came to work on Monday the 10th of April 2023
05:12I was a duty senior investigating officer on call for that day
05:17and I came across an incident whereby a married couple were found dead in their armchairs in their house in Mersey
05:27as I was reading it I didn't it didn't sound right it just didn't sound right
05:33Karen Stephen Baxter was sat in the back of the house Stephen was sitting there dressed in his smart brown shoes
05:45and his polo t-shirt like he'd come in from a day out and Carol was sitting there with her shoes on
05:51wearing her her casual clothes described almost like they were asleep in their chairs
05:58the scene itself was described as clinical
06:07there wasn't any obvious signs as to why they died
06:11there was no empty packets of pills blister packs
06:16there wasn't any weapons there wasn't any sign of any breaking
06:20and it was just really really unusual
06:25there was concern of there being carbon monoxide poisoning
06:41which would fit with how they were found almost like they were asleep in their chairs
06:45so the house was cleared the neighboring properties were cleared and residents were getting evacuated
06:51yeah this is the chap you want to speak so I think he's done so of two readings
06:56it's probably best you hand over to Mr Gas
07:00it looks fairly brand new
07:04properties well maintained
07:06no readings on any level
07:08everything that's evidence-based for me and readings wise
07:12I don't think it's CO
07:15I don't think it's CO
07:20when they couldn't detect carbon monoxide poisoning
07:22that was a red flag to me
07:24two people don't die like that
07:26together at that time in that position
07:28there was a reason for their deaths
07:32and I needed to get answers
07:35I needed to find the truth
07:38I think all of us that worked on this job will never forget
07:52we refer to a case like this as a bit of whodunit
07:55we needed to prove and to check that there wasn't any foul play
08:01and if there was how was that done
08:04from the crime scene we had Stephen's phone
08:10I was the communications officer
08:13who basically takes charge and looks after all mobile devices, laptops
08:17so I started quite quick time looking at sort of day-to-day texts and whatsapps
08:23we could see regular communication between Stephen Baxter and his daughter
08:29their previous contact was quite normal quite routine
08:34but the day before her parents were found
08:39it was the weekend just before Eleanor's birthday
08:42it was also Easter weekend
08:44so she'd been trying to get hold of dad
08:46and wasn't getting anything
08:48and she was getting increasingly concerned
08:54we looked at the body worn footage
09:03Eleanor had been very open straight away
09:06to say that mum was not very well
09:09she was becoming very confused
09:11she's done something silly
09:12I know she's done something silly
09:14I'm trying to help her
09:16she said that mum had been doing silly things
09:18she'd been putting bleach in the kettle
09:21she'd had like putting pegs on plants outside
09:26and that they wouldn't leave her on her own
09:30mum had had a particularly bad episode
09:33I think on the Wednesday before
09:36which she had said was the worst she'd sort of ever seen it
09:40Eleanor said that would leave Stephen to have to try to manage mum as well
09:48as a carer effectively
09:51and that dad was struggling with that
10:02When I understood that Carol had complex health issues
10:06we started trying to understand
10:09were there any issues
10:10were there any problems between them
10:12were they searching up how to commit suicide
10:17or anything around sort of suicidal ideation
10:20my hypothesis at the time
10:22were a natural sudden death
10:24which had been very unusual
10:27that there was a suicide pact
10:29between Stephen and Carol
10:30that one of them murdered the other
10:35and then took their own lives
10:36or third party involvement
10:39mum was very bubbly
10:59she just loved to laugh
11:01she was just a really bright person
11:08you know really vibrant
11:10yeah she had a really beautiful song
11:12and growing up my brother Harry and I
11:27we were brought up in a house of love
11:29my parents really did love each other
11:33they were very affectionate
11:34you know they were always dancing with the music on in the kitchen
11:37it's really lovely to see
11:38I remember growing up actually
11:40one time I saw them kissing
11:42and I just thought
11:43yeah you know mum and dad
11:45and mum turned around to me
11:46and she was like
11:47well you're lucky you've got parents that love each other
11:48how can I hurt one holding you
11:52they both grew up in council estates in London
11:55dad was a engineer
11:58he would monitor buildings and do safety checks
12:02he'd done really well
12:04he'd done a lot of work over in America and Dubai
12:06and I mean he was famous within his industry
12:13mum was a teacher
12:14she'd teach maths
12:15but mum has always been full of ideas
12:17and if there was something she wanted
12:19she would get it
12:20so she started her business Cas Splash
12:23so Cas Splash was a bathmat business
12:27and my mum really really put her effort into that
12:31and to making it what it was
12:36she designed the maths herself
12:38and she got the intellectual property of it
12:40she was a very strong
12:41very powerful
12:42very strong minded woman
12:47and I think that kind of gave her that bit of confidence
12:50to then be able to move out of London really
12:52because she just really wanted that calmer environment
12:57she just really wanted that fresh start
13:01Hi I'm Carol Baxter
13:06I live on a beautiful island called Mersey Island
13:09on the east coast of England
13:10which is actually my office
13:12up until a year ago
13:14I had worked all my life
13:15five days a week
13:16nine to five
13:17nose to the grindstone
13:19I decided enough was enough
13:21I needed to get off this treadmill
13:23I wanted to spend more time with my family and friends
13:26travel the world
13:27and have the flexibility to work anywhere
13:30we've been informed by Carol's friends and family
13:46that she was suffering with her health
13:49so I was brought in initially to have a look at Carol's medical records
13:55and try and ascertain
13:57if there was anything that could help us understand why they had died
14:02that was a lengthy process
14:04because they were quite long and quite detailed
14:10she was suffering from a thyroid condition called Hashimoto's disease
14:14from our investigation Hashimoto's is a disease
14:18whereby antibodies in the body are attacking the thyroid
14:21and breaking it down
14:25the symptoms should have been something similar to fatigue
14:29low energy
14:32but it appeared to have been affecting Carol an awful lot
14:38and in fact had almost taken over her life
14:44how about getting you in the chair and try a bit of telly
14:55yeah it doesn't make a difference
14:57ok then
15:02right anything else you need
15:08growing up I was always aware that mum had Hashimoto's
15:15but it was only years after we moved to Mersey
15:17that it became any form of big thing
15:23because I mean this is a woman that would get up at 6 o'clock
15:26go do 50-60 lengths in the pool
15:28and then that's how she'd start her day you know
15:31and then suddenly she couldn't quite do that
15:34or if she did she'd need to have a nap in the afternoon
15:36and I think that was really hard for her to take
15:38you feel tired
15:40yeah
15:41yeah
15:42yeah
15:44and I think she really did want to understand why this was all happening
15:52what do you want to do though?
15:55to feel better
15:56sorry?
15:57to feel better
15:58yeah
16:04Carol was seeking medical advice about a year and a half before she died
16:08she was referred to a number of experts
16:11including a neurologist and a thyroid expert
16:15both of those ruled out that it was anything to do with their thyroid
16:19or anything to do with her brain
16:21and essentially the only diagnosis they had come up with was a form of anxiety
16:25they do know in the records that she was very very disappointed with the diagnosis
16:33and she was desperate to find anyone that could give her anything
16:39any information
16:41and then about a year before her death a doctor from America called Dr Andrea comes into her life
16:46I found a communication between Carol and an American endocrinologist Dr Andrea Bowden
17:02she first sort of came into contact via email in February 2022
17:08hello Carol
17:10this isn't another spam email
17:13I am actually talking to you
17:15all the way from sunny Florida
17:17to you in the UK
17:19describe your symptoms to me
17:21Dr Andrea Bowden
17:24the level of contact was multiple times a day
17:28daily
17:30there were thousands of emails
17:31I thought it was very strange that that amount of contact by any doctor for one person is just not normal
17:44when we first saw some of the messages we all felt they were strange
17:50because she would refer to Carol as honey
17:54not your typical patient doctor relationship
17:59first video was being recorded approximately 9am
18:12Hi Andrea, it's Carol here
18:15I hope to see your face soon
18:18this is me in the morning
18:21generally in good health
18:23but these last couple of days I've been feeling quite sick
18:26yeah, late afternoon is pretty damning really
18:32I just seem to
18:34just crash and burn a little bit
18:35crash and burn
18:36apparently did yesterday and unfortunately I wasn't aware of it
18:39and it's becoming quite hard
18:43yeah, okay, alright, well we'll do another one later
18:46and bye for now
18:48bye
18:50when Dr Andrea got involved, you know, mum saw it as a bit of a shimmer of hope
18:54you know, a bit of light
18:56obviously every doctor she's gone to is saying everything's fine
18:59so, you know, it's just answers really
19:01that's all she kind of really wanted
19:02she knew that she wasn't right
19:04and she didn't know what to put it down to
19:07okay, second video
19:09and it's now 11.15am
19:10I've been there yet
19:12how are you feeling Carol?
19:14I'm feeling a bit sick
19:17a bit swimmy
19:21it's not been a very good day
19:23good start to the day at all
19:25and I just don't know how to do it
19:29okay
19:41Dr Andrea had a list of rules for my mum to follow
19:46that would help her be able to live normally again
19:53is this on camera?
19:55yeah, I'm videoing you now
19:57I'm going to send this to Andrea
19:59keeping those hashies away
20:01she had to do different forms of exercise
20:04come on darling, keep going
20:06there was something called horizontals
20:07she had to lay down for certain periods of time throughout the day
20:15there would be medication plans
20:18and everything was if you do as I've suggested
20:22and follow the rules, you'll be cured
20:31she'd wake up really well some days
20:33and she'd be like, right, I've had enough
20:34I'm going to sort my house out
20:37and I need to go to the shop
20:38and I need to do this and that and this and that
20:40and every time she'd done that
20:41she would become really, really ill
20:43right, it's now half past three in the afternoon
20:46how are you Carol?
20:48erm...
20:52I'm doing alright
20:54I just don't know what it is
20:57alright darling
20:59you love very much
21:00what?
21:01you are
21:02ok
21:05as it got worse and worse
21:07and she started getting confused
21:08and her speech would go
21:10and she'd wake up the next day
21:12and there would be hours of the day before
21:14that she just can't recall
21:16or, you know, won't remember
21:18it was really upsetting for her
21:20I mean, she just couldn't understand
21:22what was going on
21:24ok, come on, try and get some sleep
21:26yeah, love you
21:27ok
21:28ok
21:33that's like that
21:35I don't really know what to say or do
21:36not say or do
21:46so the next step was to try and get in contact with Andrea to see what she could tell us about her interactions with Carol
21:52we established that the email address was an American email address
22:00I sent an email explaining that we needed to speak to her in relation to an investigation in the UK involving Carol
22:07I didn't go into detail about the investigation but I made it clear that it was a serious investigation
22:13and there was no reply
22:18something really didn't add up
22:22we still had no answers how Stephen and Carol had died
22:35and I wasn't happy about the whole situation
22:38I don't like not knowing
22:41so four days after the discovery of their bodies
22:45I decided to attend the post-mortem
22:47we were looking to try and establish if there are any injuries which could be contributed towards their death
23:01or anything which would be significant to the investigation
23:05but on this occasion
23:07there was no marks
23:09there was no obvious signs of injuries
23:12there was nothing obvious to explain how they died
23:18the post-mortems were both unremarkable
23:21with no evidence of any third-party involvement
23:26so we had sent away blood samples to our lab to analyse
23:30it was then just a waiting game
23:32at seven with the latest news for Essex
23:35following the deaths of a couple on Mersey Island
23:51Essex police say they're keeping an open mind as to how the couple died
23:53everybody knows everybody on Mersey Island
24:04so while we were waiting for the toxicology results
24:07we started house to house inquiries
24:11and we found people would always have an opinion about Eleanor
24:17which isn't always favourable for her
24:19and people were coming to their own conclusions
24:21so we looked at the family from what we knew about them
24:37and we discovered there had been domestics reported at the address where police had attended
24:39due to our arguments involving Eleanor and Harry
24:46they would have a bit more of a tempestuous relationship
24:50they were a family that rowed
24:53so do you think it's fair to say you sometimes had disagreements as a family?
25:02there were times that we did clash
25:07we were all very big personalities
25:09and I think because we were under the same roof
25:13all of us and because we all believed what we felt
25:16or what we wanted to do was right
25:18you know there was no
25:20unfortunately for my parents
25:22my brother and I really did break the boundaries
25:25you know there weren't any rules that we allowed them to keep
25:30and you know it can lead into some not quite nice things
25:36it was either my brother and I fighting with my parents
25:40or it would be my brother fighting against myself
25:43it was never mum and dad against each other
25:52you could tell Stephen loved his family very much
25:56and worked really really hard to support them
26:00they lived in a beautiful five bed detached premises
26:04they had nice cars
26:06they were part of the yacht club in Mersey Island
26:09but it wasn't until one of the sisters of Carol who was the executor of the will
26:15was handed a rather odd document
26:19that we started to think the main motive could be financial
26:23I couldn't go back into the house until forensics had done all the bits that they needed to do
26:44then when I got back into the house I kind of just thought God you know what would dad do what you know what do I need to do what what do I need
26:53I think my brain went into overdrive I really panicked and I just went upstairs and just started sieving through everything
27:05you know I took mum's bag and dad's wallet
27:09I went through the banking folder because I just wanted an account number of every bank they had
27:15and there was this letter that fell out and it said in the invent of Stephen and Carol Baxter passing and it said to Eleanor as well
27:31so I waited for the next day for my aunt to arrive
27:40and I kind of whispered to her like you know I want to have a chat with you
27:43and I went in the car and I showed her the letter
27:47and that was it
27:53that was the turning point
27:54oh quick babe
28:06yeah of course
28:07we were aware that this will had been found
28:10Eleanor had found that
28:12but it wasn't with the formal wills that had been drawn up by the family solicitors
28:17that for us straight away was it was a bit more unusual
28:28so the will concentrates on the family bathmat business
28:33in the event of our deaths
28:36Kaz Splash is to continue trading
28:38our daughter Eleanor Baxter is to be a hundred percent shareholder
28:43and complete owner
28:45Eleanor is to become the person of significant control
28:51the directorship is to be split 50-50 between Eleanor Baxter and Luke DeWitt
28:57our dear friend Luke DeWitt is to be director and person with significant control
29:03we thought it was very suspicious that Eleanor and Luke were beneficiaries to something that the rest of the family was not
29:17it was just strange that there was nobody else mentioned in it because Carol had two children from a previous relationship
29:36so we went back to the original solicitor of Carolyn Stephen's formal will and the solicitor had no idea and thought
29:46that it was very very odd and certainly wasn't a document by his company
29:51this raised more questions which I needed to get answers for
29:57I need to check in and always pop in
30:01because they wanted this weekend
30:03I was going to come back tomorrow and check on them again
30:06I wanted to understand how Luke DeWitt fitted into the family dynamics
30:09just left them to it absolutely
30:12okay
30:13and you say you last saw them on Friday
30:15Friday for eight so that's not on it
30:17and me and Steve were just talking about work and
30:20just the business because Carol can't work anymore
30:22yeah
30:23the past year she's not being able to do anything
30:25okay
30:26speaking to colleagues that took a statement from him said he was helpful, he was a nice guy
30:33he was clearly there as a support for Eleanor
30:36Eddie popped by first, saw the blinds were still down and immediately panicked
30:41so I literally ran from home to here to contact him
30:44okay
30:45everybody who spoke to liked Luke DeWitt
30:48he lived on Mersey Island all his life
30:52he used to volunteer for the carnival and community events
30:56he would be there to help anybody
30:59there wasn't a bad word that anybody said against him
31:07I was aware of speaking to witnesses that Luke would always go into the Baxter's house to go and check on them
31:15oh
31:19oh
31:20hello
31:21hi
31:22you all right?
31:23it's not right yet
31:24it's how many Luke's little here
31:26yeah he's been here for about three hours
31:29that's right
31:30yeah
31:31witnesses would describe that Carol was always seen with Luke DeWitt
31:35to the point they thought he was their son
31:39Stephen and Carol met Luke when they moved to West Mersey
31:43they needed somebody to assist them with their business with their IT
31:50and Luke was a whiz with IT
31:55as time went on he was given more hours by Carol and Stephen to work on the business
32:01and then as Carol's health deteriorated he was given more responsibility to the latter part where essentially the business was left to him to run daily
32:14should we just get that
32:17oh no sorry I'm here
32:19he would take on the role I suppose of carer when Carol's health had deteriorated
32:25yep
32:26he would help when she was confused
32:27watch the TV
32:30yeah
32:31come on should we wrap up
32:32yeah
32:33it became apparent Eleanor and Luke were very close
32:37they obviously confided in each other trusted each other
32:40um and I just needed to understand a little bit more about that relationship
32:45due to the fact I've got a fake will that names both of them
32:54Eleanor Baxter and Luke DeWitt were now people of interest in the investigation
32:59the investigation
33:20it was about three months after the deaths of Stephen and Carol
33:24and I received a telephone call from my crime scene manager
33:31he said that he'd just got off the phone to the forensic pathologist who'd got the results of the toxicology back
33:39and I was told that Stephen had a fatal dose of fentanyl within his blood
33:45and Carol had a double dose, fatal dose of promethazine
33:53and a fatal dose of fentanyl in her bloodstream
34:00it was at that point everything changed
34:04we've now got a reason why they've died
34:06and it's a whole new different investigative avenue around fentanyl
34:12how did they have possession of fentanyl
34:15was it them, was it somebody else
34:16there were still so many questions that weren't answered
34:22but it was quite clear that this now became a double homicide investigation
34:25the police only need suspicion to arrest somebody
34:34so at that point Eleanor Baxter and Luke DeWitt were already people of interest within the investigation
34:40and they were then designated as suspects
34:42we knew straight away that the arrests needed to be simultaneous to prevent any destruction of any evidence
35:00to prevent each other tipping the other off
35:05so we had two teams go to both dresses
35:09when we got to Eleanor's address I was the one with the warrant who asked Eleanor to open the door
35:19initially she didn't, I think, want to answer the door
35:22it was quite early in the morning
35:24she didn't really want to let us in because she was in her pyjamas
35:28and she was quite heavily pregnant at the time
35:30it was about seven o'clock, I was in the living room
35:39and I got a knock at the door
35:42and I was half dressed, I've peeped my head round
35:45and it's a couple of police officers
35:49I've said, oh, you know, can you give me five minutes to put some, put bra on, you know, put some clothes on
35:54and they said, no, you know, we're coming in and I take a look up and down the road
35:59and there's just multiple police cars, multiple police
36:05and that's when they read me my rights
36:08and said that I was being arrested for the murder of Carol and Stephen Baxter
36:13Eleanor, eh, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Carol and Stephen Baxter
36:19on or about the 7th to the 9th of April, 2023
36:22you do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence
36:24if you do not mention when questioned something that you let lie in court
36:28Eleanor's asleep, it's really important, OK?
36:32We have to do that on a formal basis
36:35All right, OK
36:37We were really mindful of the fact she was pregnant
36:38and we were mindful of the fact she'd also just lost her parents
36:42and I felt really sorry for her
36:44I did feel sorry for her
36:46but being a detective
36:48you have to see two sides of every situation
36:51I have been in situations where people can manipulate you
36:55and can switch on the tears
36:57so we were mindful of this
37:00but ultimately we were there to establish the truth
37:02Hey, thanks
37:03Hi Luke, I'm going to have to arrest you mate, all right?
37:06Um, and that's on suspicion of murder
37:08All right, as part of the police investigation you've been identified as being a suspect
37:10in relation to the deaths of Carol and Stephen Baxter
37:1127th April, 27th April, 2023, all right?
37:12OK
37:13We'll be taking you up to chapter custody, all right?
37:14Have you been arrested before?
37:15No
37:16Never been arrested, don't you?
37:17No
37:18Um, because I've never met you before
37:19and obviously because of the offence of the allegation
37:20I'm going to put you in handcuffs
37:21but they're going to be in the front of the stack, buddy, all right?
37:23Leave her in your pocket in a minute, mate
37:24Do you have anything upstairs that's going to keep what they've come out?
37:26No, it's in the front
37:27Some murders you deal with, you know, you've got a whole backstory
37:44you've got a whole world of evidence
37:46you know you're going to arrest somebody
37:48to be able to then remand them and take it to CPS
37:51But we weren't at that point thinking
37:54we had the full picture
37:57She'd sit there, please, like
37:59Yeah, that's fine
38:00Really? We didn't have a lot
38:03Does it always get put that way around?
38:06As in...
38:07Like, you know, when you see TV shows, people usually...
38:09Yeah, no, that's...
38:10When they do like that
38:11you're a little bit more limited to what you can do when it's that way
38:13Oh
38:14Yeah, when it's like that
38:15you've got a lot more freedom to punch and that sort of stuff
38:17Oh
38:18Normally, it's round the back
38:19They like it round the back, obviously
38:20but because you're calm and that sort of stuff
38:22we'll put them in the front, so...
38:23Yeah, if you have any questions or anything you want to ask us
38:27about the process, you're more than welcome
38:29Yeah, anything you can tell me
38:30because I've never had anything like this
38:32About, yeah
38:33Well, yeah
38:34So that's what my colleague says
38:35I'm in shock at the moment, more than
38:40What, Vic?
38:41Yeah, in there, buddy
38:46I'll take these off just with my hands in your pockets
38:47if I'm there, alright?
38:48Cool, yeah
38:49When we got to Chelmsford Police Station
38:52when we were in the holding cells
38:54I heard a voice
38:55and I was like
38:56I recognise that voice
38:57and I was like, Luke
38:58Luke, is that you?
38:59And it was like, yeah
39:00I was like, oh, gosh
39:01and I said to the police officers
39:03be nice to him, he's not this type of person
39:05you know, you've got to be gentle with him
39:06I see a little question
39:08like, there's a fire or something
39:09that the door was open
39:10or...
39:11Then where?
39:12Hit
39:13We'll come round and get you out
39:17Yeah, Luke
39:18It was very clear
39:20that the police knew something
39:21that we didn't
39:22because prior to Luke being there
39:24we could talk
39:25and, you know, they were talking back to us
39:27and as soon as he stepped foot in
39:30and we were conversing
39:32it was very, very different, you know
39:35there was like
39:36you stopped talking
39:37and you were going to get shut in the cell
39:38like, you know
39:39you are not to speak with him
39:40you are not to
39:41you know, it was very different
39:42the game really did change
39:44quite dramatically
39:51You are here
39:52on suspicion
39:53of committing an offence, okay?
39:56Our job is to investigate it
39:58and so
39:59we just have to, you know
40:00follow the evidence, alright?
40:02I knew
40:03that
40:04that
40:05Eleanor would be told in interview
40:07that her parents had died
40:08of a fentanyl overdose
40:10and I was keen to see
40:12how she would deal with that
40:13because
40:14up until that point
40:15she'd waited all this time
40:16to find out how her mum and dad died
40:18Alright, now I understand
40:19this is going to be difficult for you
40:21and we are going to be talking
40:23about a very difficult subject, okay?
40:25I had three two hour long interviews
40:37and I believe it was the first one
40:39that they told me that fentanyl was in the system
40:42I was just
40:44I was heartbroken
40:45to be honest
40:46it's one thing
40:47losing your mum and dad
40:50but then to find out
40:52they've been murdered
40:53and then arrested for murder
40:54whilst you're seven months pregnant
40:55is another
40:57is another
41:07Come on
41:08Okay, just take a moment
41:10I was just trying to keep calm
41:20and not let my body go into freak mode
41:23like it did when I found mum and dad
41:25you know
41:27I do have a child within me
41:29that I've got to protect
41:30and it's
41:31you know
41:32it was really hard
41:33and just
41:34and then not knowing
41:35and you know
41:36something so serious as murder
41:37there was thought
41:38you know
41:39am I going to get out?
41:42I was like
41:43surely they must have
41:44some form of evidence
41:45to put me
41:46at the scene of the crime
41:47I was just
41:48and I couldn't understand
41:49what it could be
41:51do you have to be another section?
41:59I don't think the bag was going to hurt me
42:00do it?
42:01No, that's fine
42:02no we aren't going to make it be surprised
42:03the people having their bags
42:04that's fine
42:05that's fine
42:06that's fine
42:07I remember it was late a few weeks ago
42:08I would say it's just stuff
42:09and people are being stalked through
42:10and it's working
42:11it's working
42:21so when Luke was brought into custody
42:27the officer searches his bag
42:29and finds
42:30a significant amount
42:32of pills
42:33and medication
42:38he had fentanyl on him
42:40he had
42:41four times the dose per capsule
42:43of promethacine on him
42:45he's asked to account briefly
42:49as to what they are
42:51he told us
42:52that they were his granddads
42:54and that he was trying
42:55he was bringing them in
42:56to hand them in
42:57to the doctors
42:58and dispose of them
42:59I'm sorry
43:01that's what?
43:06you know we're
43:07three months down the line
43:08from when we found
43:09Carol and Stephen
43:10but yet Luke DeWitt
43:11has got
43:12a bag full of fentanyl
43:14and fentanyl is not a drug
43:16that you can get
43:17very easily
43:18erm
43:19but yet he's got
43:20a hold all
43:21full of it
43:29so the time is erm
43:3119.37
43:32and I'm now going to arrest you
43:35or further arrest you
43:37for possession of a
43:38class A drug
43:39namely fentanyl
43:40I find out
43:47through my interviews
43:49that Luke had fentanyl on him
43:51at the time of the arrest
43:52but I just had no reason to believe
43:56Luke was actually involved
43:58I just didn't think
44:00you know anything
44:01you know anything
44:02I mean it's Luke
44:03why would you know
44:04why would Luke do anything bad
44:07it's just so unlike
44:08the Luke that I knew
44:09I just
44:10I don't know
44:11I just
44:12I just couldn't piece it together
44:13to be honest
44:14Eleanor had been in custody
44:21she'd been interviewed
44:22erm
44:23multiple occasions
44:24I was content
44:26at that point
44:27that there was
44:28absolutely no evidence
44:29to suggest that Eleanor
44:30was involved
44:31in the murder
44:32of her parents
44:33so she was bailed
44:36for the investigation
44:37to continue
44:48at that time
44:49I was just
44:50very confused
44:51it was only
44:53when I was released
44:55and then
44:56I realised that he wasn't
44:58erm
44:59I mean
45:00you're not held on remand
45:02without a reason
45:12What we don't know
45:14is
45:15who administered
45:16the fentanyl
45:17in what form
45:18did he do it
45:19on his own
45:23Does the name
45:24Dr Andrea Bowden
45:25mean anything to you?
45:26No comment
45:29Officers had been trying
45:30to be able to identify
45:31Dr Andrea
45:32but it was like
45:33she was a ghost
45:34and didn't exist
45:37It was very clear to me
45:38she was piecing together
45:40the last two years
45:41of her life
45:45Initially
45:46we thought the main motive
45:47was financial
45:49but the motive
45:50wasn't financial
45:51it was something else
45:53I felt like I was just
45:57kind of a chess piece
45:58in this game
45:59that I had no idea
46:00I was playing
46:01I was playing
46:02The only thing is
46:03if I was a400
46:04that is a
46:07type of
46:09I have to
46:11know
46:12and
46:13I have to
46:14and
46:15support
46:16the
46:17the
46:18the
46:19the
46:20the
46:21the
46:22the
46:23the
46:24the
46:25the
46:26the
46:27the
46:27Transcription by CastingWords