Forensic Files - Season 10, Episode 38 - High 'n Dry - Full Episode | Forensic Files

NARRATOR: In Land O'Lakes, Wisconsin, it's rare to hear the siren of an ambulance.
So the death of an otherwise healthy young woman was particularly troubling. To solve the mystery, a computer expert, a suicidologist,
and a forensic plumber worked together to find the answers. [theme music] NARRATOR: It was a crisp, clear day in Land O'Lakes, Wisconsin,
when Ken Johnson got the news that his 28-year-old daughter was dead. KEN JOHNSON: It's a beautiful day.
People were out, walking around, and enjoying this day. How can they do that? Our daughter has just died. DISPATCHER: 911.
What is your emergency? HUSBAND: I need an ambulance! I think my wife is dead. I found her in the toilet.
And she was-- she was face first in the toilet. DISPATCHER: OK. HUSBAND: Oh my god!
Oh my god! DISPATCHER: We've got them coming, sir. HUSBAND: Oh my god! NARRATOR: When paramedics arrived,
Genelle Plude was on the bathroom floor. Her husband, a trained EMT, was performing CPR.
But it was too late. She was declared dead a short time later. -I just remember at the point, screaming and all, you know,
and just saying we're going to be there in a bit. NARRATOR: The death appeared to be a suicide.
39 empty capsules of Fioricet were found in a bathroom trash basket. Fioricet is a barbiturate that had been prescribed
for Genell's migraine headaches. -What we had here were levels of Fioricet with Codeine in Genell's, uh, system.
And we-- I think they were calculated to be about 20 times the lethal level. NARRATOR: Apparently, Genell emptied the Fioricet
into a drink, so it would enter her system faster. But instead of killing her, the drug irritated her stomach.
She vomited in the toilet, then passed out and drowned in the toilet bowl. -The pathologist testified it was death by overdose,
Fioricet-assisted, with some potential drowning there. NARRATOR: Genell's mother-in-law was sleeping in the next room
and said she heard nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary. -And that the next thing she remembered after going to sleep
was Doug, waking her up, yelling and screaming that Genell was dead and she was in the bathroom.
NARRATOR: Investigators found evidence that Genell had been feeling despondent. She and her husband, Doug, were having
troubles making ends meet. They both had low-paying jobs and were deep in debt. DAVID DOBBS: It was 9, 10 years, and her life was going nowhere.
No children. They're financially strapped. They had poor motor vehicles, living under his mother's roof.
She wanted out. NARRATOR: And Genell started to question her sexual preferences and whether a traditional marriage was for her.
-Her sexual preference was something that would not have been well-accepted in that small town.
That coming out, telling people about it would have been more stressful in that situation as opposed
to a major city. -So for me to leave from all-- she was leading a heterosexual life, and she just
discovered or, or admitted that she's gay, then the next step means suicide? I mean, that never-- that, that just
never crossed my mind at all. That doesn't make sense. NARRATOR: Genell's spirits took another downturn
when she learned that her college roommate committed suicide. And before she did, left her this note.
WOMAN (VOICEOVER): "Sighing as I write you this last words, my love. Never will I be able to say how very sorry
I am that this deed that I'm about to commit, there is no other way than I am able to say
I never stopped my deep love for you." NARRATOR: And investigators discovered this email
that Genell sent to her friends just a few days before her death. WOMAN (VOICEOVER): "Just to let you all know,
I may be gone from this day forward. To all of you who are Doug's friends, please be there for him.
My love to all of you. Will miss you all very much. I never meant to cause this much hurt, but I have to do this."
NARRATOR: But Genell's family told investigators to look a little deeper because they
didn't believe the suicide theory. KEN JOHNSON: I said this was not right. And I only want to make sure that it was not
going to be swept under the rug and just called a suicide when, very likely, it may not have been.
NARRATOR: So investigators did just that and made some startling discoveries. Toxicology tests on Genell Plude found lethal levels
of the barbiturate Fioricet in her system. And the medical examiner found water in Genell's lungs,
consistent with drowning. But her lower esophagus was severely burned, possibly the result swallowing the Fioricet
without the protective capsules. It was clear that Genell Plude ingested a lethal dose
of a barbiturate, and then got sick to her stomach in the toilet. But whether she passed out and accidentally drowned
or whether there was foul play was impossible to tell from the autopsy. -People just wouldn't kill themselves
with this kind of caustic opening of pills and swallowing them with water as opposed
to taking the whole pill, which, it would not burn your throat. NARRATOR: In Genell's home, investigators found tissues
in the trash can, along with the empty Fioricet capsules. And Genell's fingerprint was on only one of the capsules.
AL MOUSTAKIS: None of that made sense to the detectives. It was unusual. And capsules have ridges built inside of them
to keep the capsule halves together. And to pull that apart takes some force. NARRATOR: There was no drug residue around the sink.
And Genell's fingerprints were not found on the toilet bowl. -There should have been a mess on top of that sink.
There should have been powder all over the place. -If someone was going to be sick and they're
going to be vomiting in the toilet bowl, wouldn't you think they'd have their hands around it
or their hands on it? But there were-- there-- there was nothing. And it-- like it had been wiped clean.
NARRATOR: However, Genell's palm prints were found on the floor, next to the bowl.
And her husband Doug's left palm print was found on the counter next to the toilet.
DAVID DOBBS: There was not a lot of talk about suicide at first. Or the other way, homicide, for that matter of fact, either.
There was a lot of "I don't know." But here we had a healthy young female who exercised.
And she was in good shape. She had no major medical problems. She shouldn't have been dead.
NARRATOR: Since Genell didn't own a significant amount of life insurance, money didn't appear to be a motive.
Hoping to learn more about Genell's state of mind, investigators confiscated the couple's computers
for a forensic analysis. -First step is to create a copy of that original hard drive.
And the reason behind doing that is so that you don't alter the original data on that drive.
And you want to keep the evidence in a pristine state. NARRATOR: They immediately discovered all sorts
of information on the hard drives. -When you visit a web page all that information is being
stored to your local hard drive, but to an examiner, it can be a treasure trove of information.
You can find out where they've been browsing for the last 10, 15, 20 days, and sometimes,
even beyond that. NARRATOR: The analysis revealed that the computer was the couple's main source of amusement.
-There was definitely evidence that they spent an enormous amount of time on the internet
and using a program called ICQ. NARRATOR: ICQ chat rooms are similar to chat rooms on other online services.
New forensic software, developed in Australia, enabled investigators to decipher
the instant messages stored on the hard drives. There was evidence that the couple occasionally
engaged in sexual relations with online partners. -And we were able to decipher all
this information that we couldn't before. And this is what you have which was, like, wow!
NARRATOR: The computer messages suggested that most of this activity was Doug's idea.
And that he also had an interest in bondage, discipline, and sadomasochism. DAVID DOBBS: It's real shocking.
And I don't think, from what I could see and what Genell wrote that she was happy with that type of lifestyle.
WOMAN (VOICEOVER): 'F' some chick that lives somewhere around here. Wants me to come.
But my heart lies elsewhere, and not with a guy." -He was pulling their marriage in a direction
that she did not feel was correct or morally right. NARRATOR: Genell's parents told investigators
Genell wanted a divorce. -She valued her body, her life. Just valued life in general.
So it was, like, so it just, it-- it did not make any sense that she committed suicide.
NARRATOR: Genell's computer also revealed she was planning a visit to a woman in Texas whom
she had met in an online chat room. This was inconsistent with someone planning a suicide.
-She was becoming what she wanted to be in life and was planning a future. All those are signs that somebody
has something to look forward to. There is no evidence of clinical depression, for instance.
Those are not signs that you would associate with somebody who wants to give up on life, and wants to take their life.
NARRATOR: And the analysis of the so-called "goodbye" email to her friends, when viewed in context
with other online messages, revealed Genell was speaking about leaving the marriage and moving out of the house,
not about ending her life. Investigators felt it was now time to look a little closer at Doug Plude's story.
-Yeah, very weird. Doug was a very weird guy. NARRATOR: 35-year-old Doug Plude was a factory worker
and part-time emergency medical technician. He and Genell had been married for eight years.
Doug described his marriage as a happy one. But Genell's family said that wasn't the case.
-He was stuck in a dead-end job. And-- and he seemed to be satisfied with that, and she was not.
She wanted to move on. She wanted to do better things. She wanted to go back to school again.
NARRATOR: And information on Genell's computer also disputed the happy marriage scenario.
HEATHER SCHAEFER: They had marital problems, off and on. And they'd, from my understanding,
tried the open marriage to try to save the marriage. And apparently, Genell had informed him
that it wasn't working and that she was sure that she was a lesbian and wanted to be with a woman.
KEN JOHNSON: She was going to ask Doug for divorce. She wanted to leave him. She was definitely concerned about getting on with her life,
going back to school. And she mentioned also that she didn't like the person that he was turning into.
NARRATOR: But Doug Plude continued to insist that he found his wife unconscious with her head
in the toilet. Investigators were skeptical. So they took the unusual step of calling
in a forensic plumbing engineer, Julius Ballanco. He says bathroom plumbing fixtures are designed
specifically to prevent accidental drownings, even if a person has passed out. -If a person dies or goes unconscious, passes out,
they're going to fall away from the toilet. They're not going to fall into the toilet.
Because if you look at the weight of the body and, you know, you study the-- the movement of it,
it's going to be away from the toilet. It will never be into the toilet. And we have many instances where that has occurred.
NARRATOR: Using a model the same size as Genell, Ballanco's tests showed that the width of an adult's shoulders
prevents them from submerging anything more than a portion of their head in the water.
-Well, you're head can go in the toilet. You can get nice and wet up on the top.
You can actually submerge your nose. But you can't submerge your mouth and nose at the same time.
It's basically impossible to do for an average adult. NARRATOR: But it was this autopsy photo taken a day
after Genell's death that really caught the attention of investigators. -And I immediately noticed, as soon as I looked at it,
there was a bruise on her neck. And I said to myself, right there, I said, oh my god.
That is the rim of the toilet bowl. -If you were sick and you were vomiting into the toilet,
you wouldn't be getting these bruises on your neck unless some type of pressure was applied.
NARRATOR: And inside the bruise was a small laceration that could not have come from the bowl.
AL MOUSTAKIS: There are no ridges on that surface. And I learned that toilet bowls and other pluming
fixtures are made of vitreous china. All the world supplies of vitreous china comes from the United States.
And it's very smooth and a very hard surface. NARRATOR: If the toilet bowl could not
have caused these cuts, where did they come from? Genell's family knew the answer immediately.
They said it looked like a chain Genell usually wore. But no one could find it anywhere in the house.
So investigators took a photograph of Genell wearing the chain and compared it to an autopsy photo of her neck injury.
AL MOUSTAKIS: Our crime lab did an overlay using transparencies. It showed that those breaks were consistent with the chain,
the chain links that she wore. NARRATOR: There was only one possible explanation
for the marks on Genell's neck. [coughing] NARRATOR: The necklace got caught between her neck and the toilet bowl.
DAVID DOBBS: It shouldn't have been there. Those are ruptures of capillaries under the skin,
indicating those occurred when the human was alive. And you don't get that from passing
out on the toilet on your own. No. It just doesn't work that way. NARRATOR: This discovery, along with Genell's palm prints
on the bathroom floor, and Doug's palm print on the sink counter painted a clear picture of Genell's last moments alive.
DAVID DOBBS: She was resisting. That's why there's no prints on the bowl or edges or anywhere.
They're down on the floor. And I believe Doug would be standing order her because his one palm print was on the edge of the lavatory,
just right next to the toilet, where he could apply pressure to the back of the head.
NARRATOR: Doug Plude was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He denied any involvement in Genell's death
until an emergency room nurse came forward with a most unusual story. The investigation into Genell Plude's death
eventually convinced prosecutors to file a first-degree murder charge against her husband, Doug.
Based on the forensic computer analysis, the plumbing expert, and the autopsy photos, prosecutors
believe Genell told her husband that she was planning to move out of their home and that she wanted a divorce.
The computer messages to friends show that Doug tried to talk her out of it. -He had wild dreams of exotic sex life.
And he needed his wife to be a partner in this. He needed this beautiful woman to be at his side
to show that, you know, she was his. And in losing it, he would be a loser. NARRATOR: Doug may also have known that Genell planned
to visit a woman in Texas whom she had met in an internet chat room. Prosecutors believe Doug was angry and decided
to kill Genell and make her death look like a suicide. Doug used tissues to remove the Fioricet from the capsules,
making sure he left no fingerprints behind. Then he put some of the barbiturate into Genell's drink.
Computer records indicate Genell logged off her computer around 2:00 AM. Later, while she was asleep and possibly unconscious,
investigators think Doug used his training as an EMT to force the remaining Fioricet into her stomach
with an intubation tube. Then all Doug had to do was to clean up the evidence and wait.
But there was a problem. The barbiturates didn't kill Genell. They made her sick to her stomach.
When Doug realized Genell wouldn't have the overdose of barbiturates in her system, he panicked and drowned her.
Genell's palm prints show she fought for her life. And Doug's palm print showed, he was there.
Genell's necklace was between her throat and the rim, causing the tiny lacerations found at the autopsy.
Doug removed the necklace before calling for the ambulance. Later in the hospital, just before Genell's body
was taken to the morgue, a nurse overheard Doug as he stood next to her body. NURSE (VOICEOVER): I heard, um, Mr. Plude saying to Genell--
and this is as exactly how this guy , his tone was. "I told you not to leave me!"
-The nurse had described it as a very chilling comment that she would never forget.
And when you hear something like that, it made it sound like, yes, this was a controlling person.
This was a domestic violence situation. And-- and, yes, he did kill her. NARRATOR: The jury deliberated for about eight hours.
JURY FOREMAN: We, the jury, find the defendant, Douglas J. Plude, guilty of first-degree intentional homicide.
-You never think that this is going to happen to you, that somebody you know would hurt your children.
That's the most amazing thing that always is in my head. How could he? NARRATOR: Doug Plude was sentenced to life in prison.
The forensic evidence, along with the forensic plumber, proved his story was a lie.
AL MOUSTAKIS: The injuries were there. You couldn't turn that around. It took control.
And it provided all the information that experts could look at, and draw conclusions that, uh,
ultimately led to his conviction. -You know, you cross the line and make a mistake in a particular case.
Undoubtedly, law enforcement is going to catch up to you at some point. -I doubt the case would have been
the same without the toilet bowl. I think they-- I think the jury really did have to see the toilet bowl and see somebody act that out.
-I was convinced this was murder. I tried as hard as I could to make this a suicide,
and I could not conclude that. [theme music]

When Genell Plude is found dead in her bathroom, the scene points to suicide. But a coroner's inquest and a unique application of forensic science gave investigators a different explanation for her death.

Forensic Files is the longest-running true crime series in television history. Evidence and interviews with experts help solve real crimes, disease outbreaks and accidents around the world.

Brief Summary

Genell Plude's suspicious death leads to her husband's murder conviction after forensic evidence reveals foul play.

Key points

Tragic Death in Land O'Lakes. The death of Genell Plude, a healthy young woman, raises questions of suicide or foul play.
Unraveling the Mystery. A forensic plumber and computer expert investigate the circumstances surrounding Genell's death.
The Shocking Discovery. Forensic evidence reveals inconsistencies in the suicide theory, leading to a murder charge.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

How can they do that? Our daughter has just died.

Ken Johnson reflecting on the day of his daughter's death.

1:07WatchJan 14, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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