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it was January 16th 2008 the weather that night was icy cold sley it was one of the coldest nights
that year I will never be able to ever forget the details of that night they are burned into my mind forever and
ever that was the night that my daughter and granddaughter died Katie just loved riverlin with all
of her heart she was so proud of her she loved being a mother she was just a person that was so
full of life she's right here and she is not on the track her body is actually right
here beside the track her body was right here beside the track my name is Rick Alik and in 2008 I
was the case agent in charge of the overseeing the death of Katie major I've had several train incidents
but not one where I had a mother deceased and a child the baby was found over here in
this ponding area see it's all full of water and drowned in that area so is your opinion of what happened out here
that this essentially was a murder suicide that's my theory do you think your sister Katie
committed suicide absolutely not do you believe that your sister Katie murdered her daughter absolutely not she loved
her daughter with all her heart my name is rer be a Kickboxer for 10 years it just was really hard to get any
communication with the sheriff's department they didn't want to hear from me what they said happened back then is
absolutely not the truth it can't be my name is Jessica Sanders I'm a private investigator and I've been
investigating the death of Katie major she didn't step in front of that train if she had been there would have
been no open casket there would have been pieces everywhere it was ruled a suicide within
days I knew no way and I would fight with everything I had to prove that my mom was trying to get just ice for her
daughter and then here's where Katie called me mhm and my mom wasn't going to stop until somebody listened to her and
nobody did that's the last phone call on record they avoided me they absolutely avoided me they labeled her as crazy
because she wasn't giving up Katie was still alive I think that's really what it all was about it was easier to
dismiss her than to answer her what I'm holding here Vicki gave us it's dozens and dozens of pages of
emails that she said that she sent to you during that time then you didn't answer one of
these I don't recall Vicki had a lot of roadblocks but she didn't give up she's held true to
her word I remember I was just walking outside by myself and I just looked up and I said Katie and River I promise you
I will do whatever it takes to find the truth [Music]

A beautiful mom and her young daughter are found dead near train tracks under mysterious circumstances -- was is it a murder-suicide or a cold-blooded killing? Questions from "48 Hours" help get police to reopen the case. Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports Saturday, Aug. 3 at 10/9c on CBS.

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--- "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. For 27 seasons, "48 Hours" 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. Check local listings for "48 Hours" broadcast times.

Brief Summary

Family fights against the suicide ruling in the tragic deaths of Katie Major and her daughter River.

Key points

The Night of Tragedy. Rick Alik recalls the icy night when his daughter and granddaughter died.
Murder or Suicide?. Jessica Sanders challenges the ruling of suicide in Katie's case.
A Mother's Fight for Truth. Vicki's relentless pursuit of answers for her sister Katie.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I will never be able to ever forget the details of that night.

Reflecting on a tragic event.

0:27WatchFeb 27, 2019

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