911 caller says that his girlfriend's sister killed their mother | Forensic Files

[Music] Fairfax County Police and Fire how may I assist you yes have an emergency on July
14 2017 Carlos Gutierrez called police fearing that something in his girlfriend's house was dreadfully wrong
Carlos was in Dallas Texas at the time while his girlfriend Helen hargan was at her home in Fairfax County Virginia with
her mom Carlos told police that he and his girlfriend Helen had spoken earlier that morning but when he couldn't get
back in touch with her it worried him my girlfriend won't answer the phone and I
am thinking my girlfriend's wife is in danger okay sir what I need you to do then is
contact your local jurisdiction file a report with them and tell them that Fairfax County requires a teletype in
order to do a welfare check I feel really bad for Carlos because he's bounced around all over the place just
trying to get somebody to listen to the fact that he thinks his girlfriend's life is in danger
Carlos would later say he felt authorities were giving him the runaround that day
the right sir contact your local jurisdiction the call ended without a promise of help
then 15 minutes later a determined Carlos called back extending police and fire how many
he then revealed something stunning my girlfriend told me that I am Carlos explained that Helen said that
her sister Megan hargan had murdered their mother blue your girlfriend is sitting in a
house with a dead woman yes when police arrived at the home they found Pam dead inside the mud room
but they also discover Helen's body as you walk through the kitchen you encounter a mud room that connects the
kitchen to the garage in that mud room we discover Pamela Harkin how is she positioned on the ground she
was lying face down and she had a blanket laid over her like a quilt her cell phone is actually laying on top
of the quilt and there was a pool of blood coming from the area of her head onto the floor
what else do you find we go upstairs and then we encounter Helen hargan inside of the bathroom that's in her
bedroom she appeared to have been sitting on the toilet when she was shot she was fully closed she has some kind
of trauma to her head there's a rifle in between her legs she's got a tremendous amount of blood
in her mouth finding two deceased persons with one with a gun on their body might have been a murder suicide
suicide possibly what's Your Gut telling you as you take a look at these two bodies wait
you will make mistakes if you make assumptions before you actually do the work and so she would have had to have done
what to shoot herself in the head that way Magic she would have hadn't done magic it just
isn't possible

On July 14, 2017, Carlos Gutierrez called police fearing that something in his girlfriend's house was dreadfully wrong. When police do not immediately respond to his request for a welfare check, he makes a stunning revelation.

Editor's note: On Nov. 9, 2022, a judge overturned Megan Hargan’s double murder conviction, citing juror misconduct. A juror disobeyed the judge’s instruction not to do outside research and shared her findings with other jurors. Hargan’s retrial is scheduled for Sept. 5, 2023.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Carlos Gutierrez fears for girlfriend Helen Hargan, leading to the discovery of two bodies in a murder-suicide case.

Key points

A Disturbing Call. Carlos Gutierrez fears for his girlfriend's safety, leading to a shocking revelation.
A Gruesome Discovery. Police find two deceased individuals in a home, raising questions of murder-suicide.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

My girlfriend's life is in danger.

Carlos expressing his fear for Helen's safety.

0:33WatchOct 1, 2022

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