"The difference between submitting a tip to a police officer and subbending a tip to Crime Stoppers is anonymity." — Ashley Flowers
"It takes someone from the outside who's really just a fresh set of eyes. Right. And who's doing it because just out of the goodness of his heart, his job is not on the line here, he has nothing that helps him with this, he just has a desire to help this family and help this girl, and he did, and now Bill Carter is my hero." — Ashley Flowers
"The only thing that was taken from the home was the stereo system. So they believe that whoever would have murdered her for this had to have known it was there." — Ashley Flowers
This episode of Crime Junkie revisits the tragic 1989 murder of 16-year-old Amy Weidner in Indianapolis. The narrative begins with Amy's life as a studious high school student who became pregnant at 13, gave birth to her daughter Emily, and managed to maintain her academic and social life with family support. The focus shifts to the brutal discovery of Amy's body in her bedroom, the initial investigation, and the challenges faced by detectives due to limited forensic capabilities in 1989. The episode emphasizes the importance of forensic evidence, such as semen, hair, and a bloody palm print found at the scene, and the initial scrutiny of individuals close to Amy, including her brother and Emily's father, Tony Ambrecrombie.
The investigation remained cold for years, highlighting the difficulties faced by overwhelmed cold case units with limited resources. A significant breakthrough occurred in 2011 when Sergeant Bill Carter, a nuisance abatement officer with exceptional Facebook research skills, took on Amy's case as a personal project. Carter's meticulous work, including entering old case files into a digital database and re-interviewing witnesses, led him to Rodney Dank, a former neighbor and friend of Amy's brother. Dank's prior arrests for battery and electricity provided fingerprint records that, when compared to the palm print from the crime scene, revealed a match.
The episode details Dank's confession, stating the murder occurred during a robbery gone wrong, though the exact sequence of events, including the rape, remains a point of deep concern and lack of full comprehension for the hosts. It notes the emotional impact on Amy's family, who continued to reside in the family home, and honors Sergeant Carter's dedication in bringing a form of justice to the family. The hosts also touch upon the unusual circumstance of Rodney Dank's son committing a similar brutal murder at a comparable age. The episode concludes by reinforcing the value of community tips through services like Crime Stoppers and the ongoing efforts to give a voice to victims.