Notebook: Finding a way to go on | Forensic Files

There will always be certain cases that resonate with those of us who cover and watch true crime. People always ask me,
"Whatever happened to this family or that particular family?" Because they remember those characters, those
families. They feel like they know them in some way. Well, this week's case is about that part of the story. It is a
murder mystery and an intriguing one at that. But it is also about what happens in the days and the years after someone
is violently and unexpectedly ripped from your life. How do you go on? Can you go on? This week you will meet three
extraordinary, completely remarkable women, a mother and two sisters of a young woman named Nancy Bishop who was
murdered more than two decades ago. Each of those women has had to find a way to
deal with the loss. And they have, but they're totally at odds. Except that these three women are not at odds with
each other. And that is what I found fascinating about this case. When producer Chris Okonnell came to me and
told me about it, the murder mystery part of it was interesting, but it was how these women have found a way to go
on. And as a person who is sometimes accused of having strong opinions, I could not imagine how you could sit down
with your family and not engage in a passionate debate about such strong and differing opinions. And yet, they have
found a way. And in the last few months, I have had to find a way. Little did I know when we started covering this case
that there would be a point in my life I'd sort of be faced with a similar situation. About a month into covering
this case, my family also suffered a horrible tragic loss. My brother-in-law was killed in a car accident. Doug had a
very full life. He was a father of four. He was a husband, a son, a brother. He was my husband's business partner, and
for 25 years, the two of them talked on the phone or saw each other every single
day at work. Somehow, the family has had to find a way to go on. And this is the
second time. He is the second sibling of theirs that was killed in a car crash. And yet, this family has found a way to
work together. Including my husband's mother, his siblings, all of their spouses, and all of our children. There
were 20 of us. Now, there are 19. In the last six months since his death, I have
witnessed at least 19 different ways of dealing with this loss, and I have not agreed with all of them. But the first
round of holidays and special events are upon us since his passing. And like those three women from this week's show
have done for more than two decades, my family too will sit down, hold hands, say a prayer of thanksgiving, probably
shed some tears, and hopefully we'll share some laughter, although I'm sure it will be bittersweet. And we'll have
to find a way to do that. Because even though we differ on how to handle things, what remains most important to
all of us is that the 19 stay together. For more than two decades covering crime, I have witnessed almost every
imaginable way of dealing with grief. Some of it seems normal. Some of it is different because it's not maybe what
you or I would do, including forgiving a murderer and in one case befriending one. I've learned in the last few months
from this family that we've spent so much time with as well as my own that grief is often tied to the depth of the
relationship and the kind of relationship that one has with the person who has been lost. It's very
challenging. Often what you said and what you did not have a chance to say before that person died ties into it.
Grief and how you handle it seems to be so closely tied to healing. Grief is often the expression of excruciating
personal loss, but healing, as I've discovered in the last few months, is also about how you honor the person who
has been lost. I'm Moren Maher. I hope that you'll join us this weekend. And the show is called Road to Redemption.

This week's "48 Hours" focuses on how family members of one murder victim have each found their own ways to heal - including forgiving the man who killed their loved one. For correspondent Maureen Maher, it struck a very personal chord. Watch "Road to Redemption," Saturday, Dec. 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Brief Summary

The episode covers Nancy Bishop's murder and her family's long-term grief journey, highlighting personal reflections on loss and healing.

Key points

Road to Redemption. A deep dive into grief and healing through the lens of a murder mystery.
Coping with Loss. A personal account of navigating grief after a tragic loss.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

How do you go on? Can you go on?

Reflecting on coping with loss.

0:29WatchDec 20, 2016

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