August 2009 - Posts
The most complete picture yet of what happened to Steve McNair, the former NFL quarterback - and hometown hero - found shot to death in July. Nine years ago, McNair led his team, the Tennessee Titans, to the Superbowl. But now, in candid conversations, insiders reveal what may have led him to a life in which he found far more danger off the field than he ever faced on it.
NBC's Lester Holt reports on "The Mysterious Death of a Titan" on Dateline Monday at 10 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. CT.
The latest on a puzzling disappearance - a young groom who vanished during a honeymoon cruise through the Mediterranean. One minute he was partying with some new friends, the next, he was gone. There were reports of loud noises in the couple's cabin. And - perhaps most frightening of all - blood found just below the groom's balcony. Four years have gone by, but his bride and his family still have no idea what happened. NBC's Dennis Murphy reports on a mystifying "Disappearance Before Dawn."
Also: The latest on one of the most dramatic of the investment scam stories that have rocked the country lately. Back in January, Marcus Schrenker, a high-flying financial adviser accused of wrongdoing - and a pilot - radioed air traffic controllers that his small plane was going down. At that moment, investigators say, he strapped on a parachute and put in motion a daring plan to fake his own death and hide his double life. NBC's Keith Morrison has a new interview with his wife in "Flying High at Cocktail Cove".
See it all on a two-hour Dateline Friday, starting at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT.
NBC News' Matt Lauer will take an unprecedented look at the emotional debate surrounding vaccines and the suggested link to autism on Sunday, August 30 at 7 p.m. ET with "Dose of Controversy." In the one-hour Dateline, Lauer speaks exclusively with Dr. Andrew Wakefield, whose 1998 medical study was the first in the world to suggest a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The British doctor has since influenced the lives and stirred the passions of millions of parents worldwide looking to solve the mystery of what causes the complex developmental disorder.
But Dr. Wakefield's theories have also raised serious questions from the media and the medical community. Lauer interviews investigative journalist Brian Deer who wrote a critical report for London's Sunday Times in 2004 detailing what he said were potential conflicts of interest that Dr. Wakefield had never revealed. Lauer also talks with Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and expert on vaccines who has spoken out on behalf of vaccine safety in the United States.
Now, Dr. Wakefield reacts to his harshest critics on the controversy that began over a decade ago.
Lauer also reports on Dr. Wakefield's most recent work in the United States and the medical community's continuing search for the cause of autism, including new studies from researchers working to understand the disorder that affects 1 in 150 American children.
It seemed at first like a straighforward crime of passion: A husband straying, a wife betrayed, a body found in their bedroom. But this story wasn't so simple. For one thing: though the wife was accused, the mistress called police to the scene. And in a final twist, was the motive for murder not passion at all, but something far more more cold-blooded and calculating?
NBC's Josh Mankiewicz reports on what really happened "In the Bedroom." Join us Monday at 10 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. CT for Dateline NBC.
It's the drug at the center of the Michael Jackson investigation -- the powerful anesthetic Propofol. It's also at the center of another deadly case, what experts are calling the first known case of murder using the drug. Detectives were baffled when a healthy young college student in Florida was suddenly found dead in her bed. It seemed to be a death by natural causes... until the medical examiner discovered one thing that would turn the case around: a tiny pinprick in her arm. Ultimately, it would take a determined detective, the FBI, and a chase around the world to unravel the mystery. NBC's Hoda Kotb reports on a case of "Obsession."
Also... the tale of a mother and wife, who was about to start a new life -- until someone decided to end it. Police had a strong suspect from the very beginning: her husband! But there was just one problem: They also had undeniable proof that he could not have commited the crime. NBC's Dennis Murphy brings us an intriguing case that took years to solve, and ended in a courtroom showdown pitting father against son: "Murder in the Family."
Join us Friday at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT for Dateline NBC.
It was a story that seemed to tell itself: the body of a woman, found in a creek below a slippery ledge in a place where hikers have fatal accidents all too often. She was a newlywed who'd just found love again after a painful divorce. A tragic accident, her family thought -- at first. But after her funeral, suspicions emerged: Was this really an accidental fall? Or could it have been something else?
Join us at 10 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. CT for Dateline NBC.
It sounds like a plot from the movies: A young woman goes undercover to help police in a secret drug sting -- unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. But this story was no movie,and there was no Hollywood ending. This young woman suddenly found herself alone, on a dead-end road, staring down the barrel of a gun. It was the last time anyone would see her alive. And now her heartbroken family is asking: Where were the police? NBC's Chris Hansen investigates "Deadly Dealing."
Also: Nearly 25 years ago, a smart, loving, little boy disappeared, his body found a couple of weeks later. Now the case is solved. But what took so long? As you'll see, it was plagued by missed opportunities, shaky witnesses, and an investigation that went nowhere. With all that, the truth might never have come out at all. But the moment you meet the boy's mother, you'll understand why it finally did. NBC's Hoda Kotb reports on what really happened "Down By the River."
Join us at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT for Dateline NBC.
It was the kind of headline some people needed to hear twice to make sure they'd heard it right: A mother and father - parents to 17 children, including 13 who were adopted - murdered in their home. Nine of those children - all with special needs - were in the house at the time. Within days police arrested a group of suspects, and established a possible motive. But there could be much more to this case then meets the eye.
NBC's Keith Morrison brings you the latest on this heart-breaking mystery at 10 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. CT on Dateline Monday.
It was forty years ago this coming week that several hundred thousand young people got together to make music - and ended up making history. You may think you know all there is to know about the Woodstock festival, but NBC's Ann Curry brings you the stories you haven't heard. Woodstock from the ground up, told through the eyes of those who lived it - in the crowd, behind the stage, or on it. We'll also have home movies, personal photographs, and rare film of the festival never before made public. It was three days of music - and more than a little madness - that rocked the world.
Watch "Back to Woodstock" at 7 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. CT on Dateline Sunday.
It's a puzzling case -- and an urgent one: A killer, filled with chilling contradictions. He strikes in public places, but disappears without a trace. He's deadly one moment, but strangely polite the next. And his targets? Mothers in their SUVs, out for a day of shopping at the mall. Only one of his victims has survived -- and now she may hold the key to his capture. You'll hear her tell a harrowing tale of kidnap and survival. NBC's Dennis Murphy reports on "Terror at the Mall."
Also: For nine years it was a mystery, the strange disappearance of a woman who was adored and admired. Worldly, lovely, wise, Rosemary Christiansen led a sophisticated life as a diplomat's wife, then left it all to start anew in America. A giant leap of faith she made for love. So when she vanished, her circle of friends wondered: Did she leave this new life, too? According to investigators, that's exactly what someone wanted them to think. NBC's Keith Morrison reports on the case of "Rosemary and the Motorcycle Man."
Join us Friday at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT for a two-hour Dateline NBC.
