Elizabeth Ann Goins was reported missing by her husband on August 27, 1981. A week later the swollen and decaying body of this mother of two young boys was found dumped beside a path that lead to the bank of the Clinch River, not far from her home in Clinton, Tennessee.

The body held no clues. After an autopsy the cause and method of death could not be determined. The investigation was going nowhere, but the rumors were running rampant. Many within the town were convinced Don killed his wife after an argument the night she disappeared. Others felt her death was related to the drug world. Many women feared she was sexually assaulted and killed by an unknown predator living within the community.

The initial investigation stalled after leads dried up and the sheriff became preoccupied with his own illegal activity involving drug trafficking and a bonding company scam at the jail. The heroic actions of one of his deputies working undercover for the F.B.I. Eventually lead to the sheriff's arrest, conviction, removal from office, and a long prison term.

The newly appointed sheriff had faith in Detective Callo, and in 1984 assigned him as lead investigator in four unsolved murders left behind by the former administration.

Both realized how difficult this now nearly five year old case was going to be. Callo devoted all his time to the case and had developed his own prime suspect. However, he was shocked when an unexpected, detailed, confession from someone else threatened to derail his entire theory.

Now, faced with the task of not only proving who killed Elizabeth Ann Goins, he had to prove who didn't. His gut feeling compelled him to prove the confession was false. If he didn't, he felt the real killer would be getting away with murder.....