Terrifying & True | Mary Morris Murders: Two Houston Women, Four Days & an Unsolved Mystery
Two Houston-area women named Mary Morris were murdered four days apart in October 2000, creating a true-crime mystery built around coincidence, possible mistaken identity, and two families without answers.
Mary Lou Morris, a 48-year-old bank employee, disappeared on her way to work. Her burned vehicle and remains were found near her home, while her purse and wedding ring were missing. Investigators could establish little about how she was killed or why someone with no known enemies would be targeted.
Then Mary McGinnis Morris, a 39-year-old nurse practitioner, was found dead in her car after reporting that someone appeared to be following her. Her death raised questions about conflict at work, strain within her marriage, a missing wedding ring, a gun placed in the vehicle for protection, and a disturbing phone call recorded near the time of the attack.
Terrifying & True examines the popular “hitman killed the wrong Mary” theory while making clear that it has never been proved. Police have said the homicides may be unrelated, and suspicion directed at Mary McGinnis Morris’s husband or coworker did not lead to charges. The episode follows the phone-card mystery, the anonymous calls, and the gaps that keep both cases unresolved—two victims whose shared name may be the key, or only a haunting coincidence.
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On one unsuspecting day in Houston,
Texas, two women, both named Mary,
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are killed in very similar ways.
Could it be a bizarre coincidence or
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is something darker afoot Theories abound,
so let's dive deep into this mystery.
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What you were about to beat is
spur to you. Based on witness accounts,
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testimonies, and public record, this
is terrifying and true, a haunting
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00:00:55.039 --> 00:01:00.719
story that would confound authorities and captivate
true crime fans for years, unfolded against
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the spooky background of Houston, Texas
in the middle of October two thousand.
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This is the story of the Mary
Morris Murders, a series of events so
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peculiar and frightful that it's hard to
believe they're not the product of a dark,
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twisted novel. But alas, every
detail is true, and it remains
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one of the most fascinating and mysterious
double homicides in American history. This story
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is not an April Fool's joke,
even if we're publishing it on April Fool's
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Day. So get comfortable and make
sure you're subscribed as we dive into the
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Mary Morris murders. Right after these
quick words, a day like any other
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transformed into a chilling mystery in the
heart of Houston, Texas. Mary Lou
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Morris forty eight, a beloved loan
officer at Chase Bank, was the epitome
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of kindness and warmth. Her life
intertwined deeply with her husband, Jay's,
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and was a beacon of happiness in
the rushing stream of everyday existence. Their
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routine morning good bye exchanged on October
twelfth, two thousand, was filled with
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the usual affection, Yet fate had
a grim twist in store. As hours
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ticked by, the silence from Mary
Lou's end grew profoundly unsettling. Known for
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her prompt replies and warm conversations,
her absence from the other end of the
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line became a growing concern for Jay. His attempts to reach out to her
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were met only with the void,
a silent echo chamber with dusk painting Houston
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in shades of worries and whispers.
Jay's uneasy gut feeling turned into alarm.
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His call to her bon loss brought
a revelation that turned his fear into a
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stark reality. Mary Lou hadn't made
it to work that day, and no
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one knew her whereabouts. Faced with
the unnerving truth and a heart heavy with
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apprehension, Jay reported Mary Lou missing. Little could anyone have imagined that this
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was just the beginning of an enigma
destined to haunt Houston's memory, turning an
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ordinary day into a perplexing mystery that
would echo through time. Just as Jay's
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conversation with the police was unfolding,
a chilling event was taking place uncomfortably close
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to their home. A bystander,
nondescript and merely engrossed in his usual highway
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drive, stumbled upon a disconcerting sight. There, quietly tucked by the side
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of the road was a car ominously
emitting smoke, a mere stone's throw away
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from the cozy abode that Mary Lou
and Jay had shared, less than three
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miles away, to be exact.
In an uncanny coincidence, that very same
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morning, another observant individual had reported
a puff of smoke in the exact same
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area. The fire department, thinking
it was simply some controlled burn a heap
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of leaves or scrap being incinerated by
a homeowner, perhaps chose not to investigate.
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The scene that greeted the policeman was
a grim tableau of horror. There
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in the charred remains of the car. In the driver's seat was what used
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to be a human form, so
severely burned and drenched in gasolene that it
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was impossible to identify the person.
Amidst the shocking scene, a lone tooth
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was discovered. Upon examination, it
confirmed the form to be that of Mary
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Lou. Sadly, the extent of
damage by the fire obliterated any trace of
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what might have caused her untimely demise. Despite the hellish scene, there were
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items of value that remained untouched within
the car. Oddly enough, only two
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objects appeared to be missing. Mary
lose everyday companion, her purse, and
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something of sentimental value, her wedding
ring. Mary Lou's tragic end sent shockwaves
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through the hearts of everyone who had
the privilege of her acquaintance. She was,
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in their hearts, the most kind
person they knew, someone who showered
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generosity like every day was a celebration. Unable to comprehend this horrifying twist of
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fate, they were left questioning why
would anyone intend to harm such a kind
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hearted soul? The thought was inconceivably
puzzling. Just when the city of Houston
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thought it was reeling from a mystery
it couldn't unravel. A single phone call
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to the Houston Chronicle added an eerie
twist to the tale of Mary Lou's tragic
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ending. The voice on the other
end of the line dropped a chilling comment
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claiming the papers had mixed up the
story of Mary Morris. This cryptic message
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left more questions than answers swirling in
a cloud of confusion until another name surfaced,
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deepening the mystery that much more.
Three days after that unsettling call,
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the focus shifted to Mary McGinnis Morris, a thirty nine year old who shared
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more than just a city in a
last name with Mary Lou. Mary McGinnis
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was carving out her path in life, thriving in her career as a nurse
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practitioner and holding a significant position in
a major industrial corporation's health clinics. With
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her husband, Mike by her side
and a daughter who completed their family,
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her life in Houston seemed to paint
the picture of success and fulfillment. Mary
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McGinnis was known for her warm,
approachable demeanor. She had a knack for
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making connections with her colleagues, effortlessly
weaving friendships at her workplace. Despite the
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harmony, there was a note of
discord one individual with whom she did not
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see I to I. The juxtaposition
of these two Marys, their sudden tragic
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ends, and the cryptic phone call
wrap up into a haunting tale of coincidence
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and confusion, marking a chapter in
Houston's history that both captivates and confounds to
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this very day. In the days
leading up to the unimaginable tragedy, Mary
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McGinnis Morris, a dedicated nurse practitioner, found herself engulfed in an unsettling situation
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at her workplace. Among her new
team members, Dwayne Young stood out not
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for his skills or dedication, but
for the unease he sparked in Mary.
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Her instincts screamed caution. Something about
Dwayne didn't sit right with her, a
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feeling so intense that she confided in
her close friend Lorie Gemmel about her fears.
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Mary was convinced that Dwayne wasn't just
a source of discomfort, but a
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potential threat to her safety. The
tension escalated when Mary discovered her workplace violated,
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her personal belongings, disarrayed, her
pictures turned away as if to erase
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her presence and a chilling note that
read death. To her, it was
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more than an unsettling prank, it
was a declaration of malice, and Mary
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was certain Dwayne was behind it.
This incident pushed her to a decision.
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Driven by fear for her life,
She asked her husband, Mike, to
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teach her how to use a gun, a weapon she intended to keep in
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her car for personal protection. Complying
with her request, Mike placed a gun
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legally purchased in his name under the
driver's seat of her car, hoping it
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would never need to be used.
On the ill fated day of October sixteen,
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two thousand, Laurie visited Mary at
her clinic for a routine flu shot.
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Unaware it would be the last time
she'd see her friend. In a
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setting of normalcy, Mary shared her
plans for the day with Lourie, finishing
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work, running errands, and then
heading home to prepare dinner, a simple
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narrative for an ordinary day. However, later, at a drug store and
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unnerved, Mary phoned Laurie, her
voice tinged with panic. She mentioned feeling
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watched and harassed by the presence of
someone lurking nearby. Deciding againinst lingering.
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She aimed to quickly return to her
office, shut down her computer, and
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rush to the safety of her home, but Mary never made it home.
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Just twelve minutes after their conversation,
a horrifying emergency call was placed to the
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police, a call so profoundly disturbing
that its contents were sealed away from the
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public, capturing the desperate final moments
of Mary McGinnis as she was viciously attacked.
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Mary's life came to a tragic end
in her own car, a scene
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gruesomely staged to mimic a suicide.
Found beaten and with a fatal gunshot wound
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to her head, the grim reality
suggested a different tale. The weapon,
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previously hidden for protection under the driver's
seat, was now conspicuously placed on the
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passenger seat next to her, implicating
its use in the final act. It
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was confirmed as the gun Mike had
given her for safety turned into an instrument
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of her demise. The rumor mill
points to an error made by a hitman
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who was supposedly hired to kill one
but ended up killing them both. Mary
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lou, a woman with no known
conflicts, fell victim first, then Mary
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McGinnis, going through a troubled marriage
with her husband Mike was murdered. Mike
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was at a movie with their daughter
when his wife was killed. However,
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his refusal to take a polygraph test
and the fact that he stood to gain
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seven hundred thousand dollars from her life
insurance did raise eyebrows. It is important
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to mention that polygraph tests are often
inconsistent, inaccurate, and most importantly,
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inadmissible in court. Suspicion grew when
Mike made a four minute call to his
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wife post her panic call to the
police. He claimed the call went unanswered.
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Also, Mary mcg guinness's missing wedding
ring, found on Mike's daughter's finger,
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further supported the hit man theory.
Dwayne Young, Mary McGinnis's former coworker,
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who left his job in the midst
of these happenings, is also a
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person of interest in the case.
Though he denies any involvement, Whispers of
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his possible role in the tragic end
of the two Marys continued. Half a
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year had gone by since the dark
cloud of the murders had settled over Houston,
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when an unexpected twist stumbled into the
life of Jay Mary Low's grieving husband.
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Amid the morning and chaos, a
phone bill arrived an astonishing charge of
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two thousand dollars linked to Mary Lou's
phone card. This clue set the wheels
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of the investigation in motion, leading
the police to a sixteen year old girl
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in Galveston, Texas. This teenager
shared a curious story the phone card was
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a gift from her neighbor. The
authorities, pressing this neighbor for answers uncovered
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another layer of the mystery. She
claimed to have stumbled upon a purse in
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a store's parking lot weeks earlier.
Inside various items and the contentious phone card
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lay tucked amidst the belongings. Yet, when this purse was shown to Marry
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Lou's family, they met it with
puzzled stairs, unable to recognize it as
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hers. But the peculiar events didn't
halt at the doorstep of the mysterious phone
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card. Jay's phone rang three times, each call rapping him tighter in the
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enigma. On the line was a
voice inquiring about Mary Lou. With a
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heavy heart and steadied voice, Jay
directed the caller toward the Harris County Sheriff's
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Department. The caller's brief response,
oh, yeah right, preceded the abrupt
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end of the call. Despite efforts, the police's attempts to trace the mysterious
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caller hit a dead end, leaving
more questions than answers in their wake.
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The police believe the two sad incidents
where both women named Mary Morris died are
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not linked. But if that's true, then the mystery of who harmed Mary
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lou is a question still waiting for
an answer. If these stories are indeed
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twisted together in fate, then all
eyes rest on two men, Mike Morris
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and Dwayne Young. Mike, who
was married to one of the women,
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and Dwayne, who worked with her, are like two key pieces of a
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puzzle and a much bigger picture,
muddied by doubt and half clues. Their
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connections to Mary McGinnis's life have put
them in the spotlight, the kind that
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casts long dark shadows. These shadows
stretch far, covering the truth in darkness.
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Even though the police haven't crossed out
Mike or Dwayne's names from their list
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of people they're looking at, they
haven't found enough evidence to bring everything to
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light. The memory of what happened
stays tucked away with no solid answers to
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tell us how or why Mary lou
and Mary McGinnis's lives ended so tragically.
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The simple truth that lies at the
heart of it all, the unanswered questions
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about the fates of these two women
named Mary hangs heavy and unfortunately there's no
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end to the mystery. In Sight, terrifying and true. As narrated by
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00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:46.440
Enrique Kuto. It's executive produced by
Rob Fields and Mark Shields, produced by
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00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:50.480
Daniel Wilder, with the original theme
music by Ray Maddis. If you have
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00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:54.720
a story you'd like us to cover
on the program, send us an email
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at Weekly Spooky at gmail dot com. And if you want to support us
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in a very direct way, go
to Weeklyspooky dot com and click on Patreon.
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For as little as one dollar a
month, you can support us and
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allow us to keep the Spooky rolling
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to say a big thank you to
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And they are Johnny Nicks, John
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Thank you all so much, and
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