Sneak peek: The Mother I Wish I Knew | Forensic Files

[music] Deborah Atrops was 30 years old. >> She was a young mother. >> I didn't get to have my mom growing up.
>> My old pumpkin. >> It was this mystery that has never been solved. >> Rihanna.
My name is Rihanna and I am referred to in the story as the baby Riri, >> the eight-month-old baby who lost her
mom. >> Yeah. >> Hi love. >> So you believe on November 29th, 1988, this was the last known location where
she probably came. >> Mhm. We believe that she drove alone on this very rural road and that was the
last drive that she took alive. [music] >> The car is found on December 1st. >> I knew she was strangled and she was
found in her trunk. There was just so much unknown. Who did this? Why did this happen?
>> We focused pretty early on on Robert >> Handsome >> like me. Bob Atrops was married to Debbie Atrops.
[music] They had been married for a year or so and they were struggling um having
issues in their relationship which caused them to [music] separate. >> We continued to conduct additional
interviews, follow up on various leads and then it went dead. It was a tragedy. There were times when
I wondered if we would ever make an arrest. Finally getting answers nearly 35 years
later [music] as prosecutors say now 68-year-old Robert Elmer Atrops is the person
responsible [music] for the November 1988 murder of his aranged wife Deborah Lee Atrops.
>> I was just in shock. I couldn't [music] believe it. They 1,000% got it wrong.
>> The mode of evidence is very very [music] strong. Debbie Atrops had a new romantic
relationship with a man named John Pearson. They worked together. [music] She was excited about it, but she was
very concerned about Robert Atrops finding out about her relationship with John Pearson. [music]
>> The husband is often the obvious suspect. However, Debbie Atrops had a complicated life and kept [music] a lot
of secrets. >> We view this as a case of actual innocence. There is more evidence that
suggests John Pearson was involved in Deborah Atrops's murder than there is Bob Atrops. They [music] thoroughly
interviewed John Pearson. Things were good between him and Debbie [music] Atrops. He had no motive to commit this
crime. John Pearson did have [music] motive to kill Debbrops. He said that in hindsight he thinks that Debbie Atrops
was only with him because she was looking for somebody to pay the bills for her. That's plenty [music] motive.
>> Hello, Rihanna. My dad did not do this. I know my dad. I know his heart. And I know that he'd
never be able to live with himself doing that.

ALL NEW: A daughter whose mother was murdered is convinced her father is innocent. "48 Hours" correspondent Natalie Morales reports Saturday, Jan. 24 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

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

The episode examines the 1988 murder of Deborah Atrops and the implications for her husband Robert and lover John Pearson.

Key points

The Tragic Mystery of Deborah Atrops. Deborah Atrops was murdered in 1988, leaving her family searching for answers for decades.
Arrest After 35 Years. Robert Elmer Atrops is arrested for the murder of his wife, nearly 35 years later.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I didn't get to have my mom growing up.

Rihanna reflects on her childhood without her mother.

0:11WatchJan 22, 2026

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