The Day My Mother Vanished | Full Episode + Post Mortem | Forensic Files

[Music] my mom's gone she's nowhere to be found where would she be she's gone and we need to find
her my name is Nikki Bates and my mom is Tammy Myers how old were you when your mother
disappeared I was only 7 years old it was just like a heavy weight just a feeling like you couldn't breathe she
would have called she would have found a way to call you got three little kids and they're missing their mom and what
do you say I don't remember exactly how I did it but I know it was one of the toughest things I ever
did I'm Ryan Myers and Tammy Myers was my wife even after we separated we remained
close my mom was the love of his life Tammy was loving and caring fun easygoing electric an overall great
person to be around your mother meets a man who would soon play a major role in all of your
lives who was that man William Greer my mom and my dad split up and she gets with him this man's Rich he has
money we we got to do all these fun things so immediately we just like were drawn to him until you know we realized
that our mom wasn't happy when they were together he was very abusive as a little
girl you remember seeing your mother in pain yes she was bleeding she was bruised she could barely walk did she
ever report any of this to police not that I know of what happened on December 19th 2006
in gre's home there was an argument that had ensued William Greer did not like the direction the conversation was going
retrieved a shotgun and shot Tammy he's definitely among the worst and the worst he's an evil murderer my
name is Cameron Welch I'm Josh Wright Leslie Raymond I was one of the US Marshals one of the US Marshals one of
the US Marshals hunting William Greer they find blood all over the house they find the bullet holes is William Greer
still at the house no he has fled nowhere to be found he's just SC to Georgia New Orleans Kentucky America's
Most Wanted by this time he's making the TV scene we introduce you a William Greer when he saw himself on TV he just
got up and left to move on to the next place our beloved Tammy americ Most Wanted they were the first ones to
interview US did it give you some hope it did they had a few leads but it died down and we didn't have anything else
for years where is she where's William at you kind of went on a mission didn't you I did what was that mission to not
only find William but to just keep my mom's name and her case alive she'd be a great Deputy US Marshal
you took the words out of my mouth she's tenacious yeah we love that the family wants somebody who's
going to push hard to do what needs to be done we will never stop Justice is coming
[Music] [Music] [Music] you always hear that time heals it'll get better it'll get easier that is not
true I think it's harder as an an adult without a mom than it was as a kid you have graduations that she misses she
missed my wedding she has eight grandchildren that she will never meet Nikki Meers Bates
lost her mother nearly two decades ago when she was just 7 years old but she says no amount of time will heal this
wound this is my family now a mother of three herself is still searching for her
mother and fighting to bring the man who killed her to Justice pretty much when I
became a teenager got my cell phone you know I read every article every news video I I seen it I read it Ryan even
when you talk about her today uh you get emotional about it why is that I still love you still love
her Ryan Meyers says he and Tammy were just teenagers when they first fell in love 20 when he asked her to marry him
the first year we were together we had a kid and then following year had another
kid a few years later we had Nikki Nikki says there wasn't much money to go around but there was always more than
enough love especially between mother and daughter she was very loving she was made to be a girl mom even though she
had two two boys she was very girly full alive fun energetic Ryan worked long hour hours as a window installer so
Tammy could be a full-time mom then fate dealt the Meers family a devastating blow my dad was working on
top of a three-story building he got electrocuted and fell off and hit the concrete I fell three floors broke my
back and legs and uh unfortunately the company I work for didn't have insurance how did
you pay for all this well I mean essentially Tammy had to work and and try to pay some of the bills while I was
down and she had no experience so she did what she thought was easiest and became a stripper am I to say that you
sure you say she became a female dancer how did your dad take all of this I don't think
he loved it I think he wanted her to find another job but she was like it's fine nothing's happening here I'm just
getting the money and so it was until Tammy met a big spender named William Greer he was as far as I know a regular
at the club he would threw a lot of money around where did he get his money he owned a vending machine company so
her and my dad split up and she gets with him sometime in 2006 Tammy moved about
an hour away to Spring Texas in this house with ker and two sons from his first marriage Nikki and her brothers
would spend the weekends there was he kind to you as far as I remember yes uh always giving us money trying to take us
on trips did your mom stop working as a stripper yes did you sense that that William gr was good for your mother when
I first met him yes but things would turn ugly over time says Nikki not long before her mother went missing Nikki
says there were clear signs of physical abuse which Tammy documented in these photos she stole his truck and came all
the way to Cleveland from Spring and she could barely get out of the car and she
was bleeding she was bruised Nikki says her mom tried to cover it up she told us
that it was a dirk bike accident but she had told my stepmother that he had hit her with numchucks what's numcha you see
Karate the um the wooden things you swing around he hit her with that yes Nikki says Greer came looking for
his truck and her mother my dad was like you need to get off my property and he was arguing saying well she stole my
truck and my dad's like I don't care you need to get off my property you know my
dad always says I wish I would have just shot him cuz your mom would still be [Music]
here Nikki says she has since learned that her mother had been warned about Greer's propensity for violence by
someone who knew him well his ex-wife she would tell my mom that you know you need to leave him he's dangerous sadly
it seems like Tammy may have been thinking about doing just that but ran out of time and is it true that the two
of you were were thinking about getting back together talking about getting back
together before she disappeared yes sir then as Christmas 2006 approached Tammy mysteriously vanished I had a Miss
call from her and I tried to call her bik and I didn't get a response I remember crying a lot um just
being devastated not only for me but seeing my dad the way that way was just devastating and that's when this case
took the first of many bizarre turns just 8 days before Tammy was reported missing Greer was arrested for public
intoxication can you tell me your full name William Joseph Greer this is Greer on dash cam video come here with me
confessing to two sheriff's deputies that he had shot Tammy gun just went off oh my God it's the worst thing I ever
did was were you aware that William Greer had been arrested by sheriff's deputies at that time no sir and in the
next strange twist Greer was released I was still lost to why when somebody sit there in admitted to something why you
would just turn them loose so easily [Music] back in 2006 Paul Lasco was a deputy for
the Liberty County Sheriff's Office in the early morning hours of December 22nd Lasco and his partner got a call about
suspicious activity on this road in Cleveland Texas there was a vehicle a truck in the ditch here and there was
nobody around it the truck was running the lights were on door was open the whole thing was captured on this dash
cam video Lasco says that at the time there was a fenced in field bordered by a large wooded area my partner went down
the driveway here next to the driveway was like a brush pile that was pulled up that's where laco's partner found the
missing driver a highly intoxicated William Greer William Joseph Greer it appeared that he had been using some
sort of drugs that's what he acts like he acts like he's on me he was also half naked he had a a button-up shirt on and
no pants no under he was naked from the waist down now you've seen a lot of things how strange was this this was
pretty strange where do you think your shoes are your your boots at all them things got too M and bog down cuz it's a
swamp out Greer's clothing was never recovered but much more alarming than his physical
state was what Greer freely said to two detectives it was an accident not I love
with all my heart he said that he accidentally shot Tammy uh in the chest and that he he
watched her die gun just went off I could believe what happened oh my God the worst thing I ever did
was Creer told them the shooting had taken place at his home in Spring about 40 Mi Southwest of Cleveland a different
County with a different Sheriff back then Sid Miller was a homicide detective in the Harris County
Sheriff's Office he would later learn that Harris County had been contacted by a Liberty County dispatcher and asked to
send two deputies to GRE home for a welfare check they peer through the window looked inside the house and they
didn't see anything that was out of the ordinary in their opinion our dispatch notified us that haris County went out
there and everything looked fine lasasco says they attempted to question Greer some more but by then he had sobered up
and stopped talking you confessed to killing her oh no I don't remember that part without probable cause that a
murder had occurred all GRE could be charged with was public intoxication so Lasco and his partner took him to the
Liberty County Jail where he was booked released on bond the next day and disappeared it's frustrating because we
had him and now he's he's gone Nikki says no one realized just how gone Greer was until days later when
Greer's sons from his first marriage returned from Christmas Vacation with their mother
and when their mom goes to drop them off they start freaking out we don't want to
go home the boys had been with their mother since the day Tammy Meers disappeared now 11 days later they were
telling their mother that the morning she picked them up they heard their father shoot Tammy Meyers their mother
took the boys straight down to the Sheriff's office for an interview that's when detective Miller got involved they
indicated that sometime in the morning of December the 19th between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. they heard Greer and Tammy
arguing one of them described hearing what sounded like Tammy running down the hallway and being thrown against the
wall he also described hearing a gunshot and he heard William Greer make the comment about are you dead are you still
alive at this point they obtained a search warrant and they go into his house when detective Miller arrived at
the house he discovered Greer's brother-in-law he was actually there cleaning out the house he told the
detectives he didn't know the house was a crime scene and what was he cleaning up he was taking property out of the
house uh we learned that he had taken some guns out of there at the direction of Mr
Greer still says Miller the house was clearly a crime scene there was so many bullet holes in this house throughout
this house I noticed that there was like blood smear uh on some of the walls I walked into the bedroom you know you had
a mattress soaked Blood on the side of the mattress there were bullet Hol in the bedroom and so what William Greer
had actually told those Liberty County deputies turned out to be true it turn yes you again one more thing you should
know about that night deputies found Tammy's cell phone on the front seat of Greer's truck they used it to call
Tammy's mother who Nikki says told deputies that Greer had been physically abusing her daughter the older I get the
more angry I get they they really failed not only her but just everyone in this situation Nikki says it still infuriates
her that on the night career confessed a search warrant would have made all the difference why didn't they seek a search
warrant to get into the house that evening I think at that particular time based on what Greer had told Liberty
County because of his intoxicated State they they couldn't verify substantiate whether that was credible information
Miller says that night there just wasn't enough probable cause for a search warrant and even after searching Greer's
home they still couldn't find Tammy we actually did a search of the house and we had cab dogs go out and and do a
search of the property and we didn't find anything detective Miller says they also
searched the woods where Greer had been arrested still even without Tammy's body
the Harris County District Attorney's Office felt they had enough to charge Greer with first-degree murder and on
March 16th 2007 nearly 3 months after Greer's drunken confession a grand jury voted to indict him there was just one
problem says former deputy US Marshall lesie Rayman he was in the Wind by the time they figured out a murder had
occurred with Greer was gone our beloved Tammy a daughter taken life shaken Nikki Bates was just 9 years
old when she and her brothers shared memories of their mother with the television show America's Most Wanted
reminds me of us spending time together Nikki hoped that viewers might recognize
the man who had allegedly killed her mother and then disappeared William Greer did it give you some hope it did
once we got him on America's Most Wanted we started getting tips detective Miller
says that after the first mention of Greer on the show he and his partner were finally beginning to learn about
the fugitives first few days on the run the day after Greer got out of jail he went to his sister's house and basically
said that he had done something bad and he wanted to change his life and he was leaving town so the sister had given him
some money for that purpose from there Greer had gone to Savannah Georgia to see his half brother Daniel Dobson so
detective Miller and his partner did the same he said that he hit her with the gun and it went off and I said well this
is a recording of Dobson being questioned he said she died in his arm he freaked out went out and buried her
and buried her to where nobody would find her that's the phrase he used where nobody would find her would find her
when he finally admitted what he did I did everything I could to get him off this property that day he had taken G to
a truck stop and just dropped him off there and he hadn't seen him since in July 2007 Greer had been on the run for
6 months when he got a job as a cook at this Deli in New Orleans working alongside this man John Morales he told
me that his name was Billy when I tried to ask him what his last name was he wouldn't tell me what his last name was
Morales says he and the man he knew as Billy got along so well they decided to room together and Billy began to open up
about his past Billy told me that he had kids he told me that he that he had an ex-wife and that his ex-wife wasn't
allowing him to see the kids and that and that's why he was traveling Morales says it wasn't long before his new
roommate began to drink heavily and became progressively stranger he would start crying and say that he didn't want
to wind up in hell even more disturbing says Morales were Greer's plans for the future he uh would say that he wanted to
live off grid that he wanted to um find another wife you know at some point and and have more kids then he would take
the downward spirro again say if I ever find out she's cheating on me I'll kill her then says Morales Greer began using
drugs the the men parted ways and Morales moved to Florida Weeks Later a friend from the deli called to say that
the man they knew as Billy had just been featured on America's Most Wanted Morales was one of five tipsters who
called police but by the time detectives arrived to investigate Greer was gone now this is definitely the the hat that
was in that photo Left Behind was his signature cowboy hat a possible taunt aimed at his pursu
ERS it would take two more months before there was another credible tip this time
from Georgetown Kentucky where Greer had found God he just came into a service one Sunday morning Connie Jackson
Osborne pastor of the Victory Tabernacle Church says she knew Greer as Billy Lesley he said he was new to the area
and was looking for handyman work he offered to help around the church he seemed very nice very personable he got
right in with different ones in the congregation participated Billy even asked to be
baptized but when he learned that his photograph would be taken for posterity Pastor Cony says he nearly backed out
but Greer changed his mind and allowed this photo to be taken of his baptism on August 26th
2007 one month later a member of the congregation would see the now baptized Billy on America's Most Wanted and if I
may quote uh one little passage from the Bible to you as a pastor even Satan disguises himself as an angel of Light
yes he does and it was funny when I found out he was wanted because he was living right across the street from the
police station hiding in plain sight but by the time investigator arrived Greer had taken off again he left in a hurry
his CD player is still turning this guy literally thought that he could victimize not only Tammy but everybody
else that he encountered while he was on the run and kind of just thumbing his nose in our face more than 3 years had
gone by with no credible leads when Cameron Welch a deputy Marshal with the southern district of Texas US Marshall
service joined the case Welch followed up old leads hoping for new information which one is gre's house dug deeper into
Greer's past and found yet another ex-wife who told detectives that Greer had abused her as well he was able to
convince these women that he was just a great guy and he would use him for everything that that he needed and then
he would move on to the next one wilch spent two years chasing down New Leads but Greer was nowhere to be found so
where do you go from there back to square one just keeping the pressure in 2012 Welch was assigned to
another case Deputy Marshall Lesley Raymond took over the now 5year long hunt for Greer and named it operation
catch a toe and why'd you name it that William Geer was missing a toe and how'd he lose that I think it was a bicycle on
accident when he was younger this is the famous missing toe famous missing toe wow the marshals believed that unique
feature would eventually tip people off to Greer's true identity if you have a murderer in your house and this murderer
is missing a toe they're going to easily put two and two together do you think Greer's missing
toe will help the US Marshals get their man chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X
[Music] in late 2012 when Deputy US Marshall lesie Raymond took over the hunt for
William Greer he studied the case and investigated New Leads with no luck this is the best information then in 2016
Raymond and his now associate investigator Deputy Josh Wright returned to the last place Greer had been seen I
just wanted to show you some pictures this time the TV show crime watch Daily was helping keep the heat on The
Fugitive we spent some time in Kentucky travel and interviewing people following
up leads I pretty much was sure that he was using the railways to move around hopping trains and the last good Solid
Source put him on a train going Southbound and I said This Guy's in Mexico Raymond asked to have the outlaw placed
on the US Marshall's 15 most wanted list which alerts law enforcement agencies worldwide to be on the lookout for Greer
a $25,000 reward was also offered for his arrest and money helps loosen lips and it wasn't long before that reward
and Raymond's instincts appeared to be paying off we obtained information from a
reliable source that William Greer had set up a new life South of the Border in Mexico the deputies would not tell us
who that reliable source was but someone in Mexico had called in a tip telling investigators that they knew where Greer
was hiding out we'd investigated hundreds of tips over the course of this fugitive investigation and so we knew
that it had to be verified but US Marshals don't have jurisdiction in Mexico so operation catcho was now in
the hands of Mexican authorities who checked out the tip while the Marshall's office was kept informed at every turn
Mexican police were now surveilling the man they all hoped was William Greer I can tell you I did not sleep Jos and I
were anxiously awaiting to find out what the results were oh yeah the next morning they got the confirmation they
hoped for the man spotted in Mexico was indeed William Greer now he had to be [Music]
captured Mexican authorities learned that Greer was living practically Off the Grid down this Dirt Road in the tiny
southern town of Taxco he had a wife and two young children people tell me he was
very reserved he was very nice very polite hardworking guy but very reserved Paulina Gomez a producer based in Mexico
City recently traveled to taxo for 48 hours and learned that Greer had most likely been in Mexico for about 6 to 7
years he met his new wife while living in the Mexican state of chapus by the time they moved to Taxco they had an
infant daughter and toddler son named William he's the biological father Yes of these two
kids by 2017 locals say Greer had been living in Taxco for about 3 years we called him El Gringo do you didn't know
his name no okay tilo Perez lived next door to the fugitive and says he was a good
neighbor he was calm he didn't mess with anyone we had learned that he had a carpentry company he was building
furniture and he employed a couple employees Greer had been a master of avoiding arrest but on the morning of
November 28th 2017 his days on the Run finally came to an end when Greer was taken by surprise by a swarm of
undercover police us martial service would like to announce the arrest of William
Joseph he completely denied that it was him I just wish I could have been there to see his face when they removed his
shoe they did remove shoe absolutely and what did they see a missing toe operation catch a toe correct had
finally succeeded that's right it was a good feeling and I wasn't crying he was crying we might to tear
up Nikki was 18 years old when she got the news that her mother's killer had finally been captured I just cried I
just remember crying cuz it was not expected it was just over an overwhelming [Music]
feeling Greer was promptly flown to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston where he was arrested on us
soil these were the handcuffs used on William Greer and how satisfying was that extremely satisfying lesie Raymond says
Greer actually recognized him from all the TV coverage he saw me and said hey I know who you are I'm your biggest fan he
was exactly how I imagined he'd be very arrogant very eager to tell us how he eluded us and that's really what we were
interested in as fugitive investigators we wanted to know how how did he get away for so long and how did to get to
Mexico the deputy Marshalls say they always suspected that Greer had been getting around on 18 wheelers and trains
reer confirmed that he did end up taking a train from Kentucky and he headed west
until he found another train heading south and that's how he ended up Crossing into
Mexico lean up against the there chest Raymond and Wright delivered Greer to the Sheriff's Office where Sid Miller
now a sergeant investigator attempted to interrogate him that's really why you're
here Miller tried to push Greer to tell him where he had buried Tammy and I was hoping be able to call the family
tonight and give some good news Greer suggested that he would cooperate get I'm not here to around but instead he
asked for an attorney and shut down the interview now whether you guys are willing to work with me or lot that's
get to be seen but I'm here to work with you guys but I need to talk to about with Greer Behind Bars it was now
up to the Harris County District Attorney's office to try the case I was like okay we're finally going to have
some closure but what ended up happening stunned just about everyone you were disappointed weren't you I'm greatly
disappointed [Music] it was now 2023 nearly 6 years since William Greer had been captured and now
the 58-year-old was still sitting in this jail awaiting trial Co and the legal process had slowed the proceedings
to a crawl painful says Nikki who longed for justice and finally locating her mother's missing remains recently around
the trial date I would have dreams that I was digging and I would just find her in the most random places Sid Miller was
prepared to testify at trial what's the strongest evidence you have against two children hearing what they heard both of
Greer's sons who believe they heard their father shoot and kill Tammy Meyers were on the witness list and while gre's
brother was now deceased the prosecution had that recording of what he told detectives back in 2007 he said that he
hit her with the gun and it went off and then of course there was Greer's dash cam confession oh my God the worst thing
I ever did was coupled with obviously the evidence that we found at the house the blood the
bullets seems like a strong case to me but Nikki says the prosecution was nervous worried that they were Miss ing
a critical piece of evidence Tammy's body only days before trial Nikki says she and her family were contacted by
assistant DA Stephanie Abner about a potential plea deal to avoid a trial she said would y'all consider man slaughter
if he tells you where she's at and I said you know what yes we will we just want to know where our mom's at we want
a resting place where we can go to where our children can go to so we took the deal because
they also made it seem like there was not another choice that he would probably walk free if we went to trial
as a condition of the deal Greer was now required to show detectives where he had
buried Tammy's body I had checked him out of the jail I had our warant te with us because he was such a Flight Risk
Nikki says when she heard where they all ended up she was crushed they were searching for her mother not far from
where Greer first Conn confessed to killing her and way too close to the home Nikki grew up in he walked up and
down the road and cuffs right next to my dad's house that went on for 3 Days says
Sid Miller nothing was found investigators then called off the search Greer still got his deal we were told he
will get his deal only if he tells us where he buried her I think it's bull crap and I think that he just once again
is getting off for murdering her the District Attorney's Office declined our requests for an interview but gave us
this statement We Believe Greer was acting in good faith and tried to lead law enforcement to her body so much time
has passed and the terrain has changed but we believe he tried on January 22nd 2024 Greer appeared in court for
sentencing it had been 17 years since Nikki laid ey on him you know everyone kept telling me he's not going to even
look at you he he'll be ashamed and he walked into court and he stared right at us you staring back yes you make eye
contact with him I was just trying to let him know like we are not giving up we're not backing down we are not scared
of him she trusted you we trusted you frustrated and angry Nikki gave a victim impact statement on behalf of her family
we had to look at the man who murdered her mom walk around our neighborhood trying to remember where he put her body
how do you not remember how was I not eating at you every day since I don't know what I was expecting maybe him to
talk back I don't know but I stopped and I said do you do you remember and he just stared at me you say you're a
changed man that you're a Christian and if that's the case you will continue to talk and help us try to find her you
want forgiveness that's what I need I need to know and I need to find her Greer's senten for killing Tammy Myers
and fleeing is 10 years do you have anything to say Sir as to why senton should not now be PR against you no with
time served he will be free in 3 years perhaps even sooner 10 years for taking someone's life away and then just
disposing of them like garbage that's not enough if you ask me he should be in jail forever Lesley Raymond now retired
says Greer better behave if he does anything I'll come back out of retirement I'll find him again are you
worried that and it could be as we are speaking now in as little as 3 years there may be more
victims I am concerned about that are you as well Cameron yes sir meanwhile the search for Tammy
continues without law enforcement morning and thank you for being here Texas equa search is a nonprofit
volunteer search and Recovery organization that offers their services to law enforcement and families for free
so everyone this is Nikki here this is Tammy daughter hi going make me cry can you have all
the volunteers out here I don't know any of them and they have kept me updated and just you know made me feel so loved
we ask you pray for the family I know they're looking for closure they prayed over us they have committed to helping a
daughter on a mission but being out here um so close to home and just possibly close to finding her is a little
overwhelming it won't be easy says K9 Handler Brenda Peak how large an area are you searching
today total about 4 Acres she says even highly trained dogs will have trouble detecting the scent of Bones buried
nearly two decades ago a lot of people won't take this task because it is it's a difficult one it's challenging okay so
these are the search areas on this day in February 2024 there were three kadab dogs with handlers
watch the barb wire and more than 30 volunteers covering the 4 acres and a spot that Nikki and her dad requested to
be searched can I show you something I think right here my dad works with the owner of the that goes all the way back
here it takes a lot to not let it consume me I try to focus on my kids and my husband but they will tell you I'm
very determined if I just have free time at home I'm on my computer looking at Maps looking at Old areas what they
looked like then and what they look like now that opening to that left it could be
it after searching for about 5 hours the team called it quits for the day but there was a glimmer of hope all three
canines had reacted to Something in the same area they think that it's possible that he drove into this area and that
maybe he buried her somewhere over here since there are all three dogs have picked up on this area but Texas equa
search didn't have the right tools to dig properly so they committed to trying again until then Nikki will be out
searching on her own do you believe she will one day be found I'm not sure I am trying to stay
hopeful but between weather and animals and if he's telling the truth or not that it's you know it could be hard I'm
hoping we can put us to rest and give Tammy a place get these kids some closure in their life somewhere they can
pay their respects my kids are young but they are fully aware of what's Happening they just want so badly for
her to be found I'm just trying to stay hopeful for myself but also for my children and
you know just keep looking cuz I don't want to give up [Music] a fertility doctor in his wife partners
in business and marriage until she's found dead after an alleged fall mother of twins a boy and a girl could a doctor
who gives women hope in life take a woman's life he was in many eyes a saint 48 hours Saturday on CDs and streaming
on Paramount [Music] plus I'm anarie green and welcome to postmortem this week I'm joined by
correspondent Peter vanent and producer Judy ryack to discuss their latest episode the day my mother vanished if
you haven't listened to this episode yet you know what you can do you can find it
just below this one in your podcast feed so this case was really unlike others this season because authorities didn't
have to figure out who killed Tammy Meyers they had to find the person who admits to killing her that person is
William Greer and it takes over a decade for authorities to find him to track him
down and arrest him that happens in 2017 when did 48 Hours learn about this case
this case came to us uh via Michelle sagona one of the development producers for this hour who actually used to work
on America's Most Wanted and interviewed um Nikki when she was eight years old 9
years old um so yeah so all the footage that we have in the show Michelle was there for that so she heard about
Greer's arrest and the plea deal and and brought it to us which made it a very personal uh story for us to work on this
is a case that um infuriates inspires uh the people that we met along the way here some of them are are just
remarkable characters but how this case turned out is just shocking to me and yeah and um to Judy and we're uh we're
still trying to deal with the aftermath of this because it's it's a very frustrating case well let's let's start
with Tammy's daughter Nikki she is such a pivotal character in this story what was it like interviewing her well she is
um one of the heroes in this story such an inspiring young woman try to imagine anyone listening to this go back when
you were 7 years old it's a few days before Christmas and your mother disappears vanishes off the face of the
Earth you never see or hear from her again and they were so close and Nikki was 9 years old when she was first
interviewed by America's Most Wanted and and she actually read a little poem and
she helped carry the show and inspire a nation to try to find the person responsible for taking her mother away
from her so interviewing her you you sense her enormous heart she's a gentle soul and you also sense the pain of all
of these years of all the things in her life she wasn't able to share with her mother cuz she was taken from them and
the hunt for justice is in her her DNA and such a part of her yeah and we noted that she didn't cry in the interview she
never got emotional that's how poised she is how accustomed she is to talking about the story telling the story trying
to get attention for her mother for the case I mean she is really really amazing
and you know I have to say I attribute that to her mother and her father her mom must have been amazing because
Nikki's so strong and her dad did such a good job of raising her alone it's it's
remarkable really what was so powerful for us was Nikki's dad Ryan Meyers now folks I'm going to do a little text in
here for you because he is a classic cowboy right he's got the look right out of a the old maror cigarette ads or
Clint Eastwood western he's got a way of talking that Texas Cowboy talk he starts
talking about Tammy the love of his life and he starts blubbering I'm sitting across from him
and uh I I'm almost tearing up he loved her so much and the tears that he sheds and throughout our hour um you see that
it just breaks your heart and it's that's that helps us get so invested in their stories because we so desperately
want this to have a happy ending yeah I just like this guy doesn't deserve all of this it's it's been it was it's been
such a tough road for him in so many ways he's so sweet too so sweet um okay let's get to the case um Tammy goes
missing on December 19th 2006 but on December 22nd 2006 authorities find a highly intoxicated half naked man on the
side of the road who was that and what was going on why did they end up out there we laugh cuz folks try to just
imagine this scenario a couple of uh uh deputies with a a rural uh Sheriff's dep
department they have a a call of a of a pickup truck that's gone off the road they get there there's no driver it's
pitch black they're looking around they got their flashlights out and then by George here comes a guy out of the
darkness wearing just a shirt uh no underwear pants anything and uh what a sight to see and he comes up and and
they have a dash cam on them and he says I'm sorry it was an accident the gun just went off and the officer what are
you talking about Tammy my wife and the gun went off and I accidentally shot her
in the chest and I watched her die now how are you taking all this in you're just out on patrol here's a guy
half naked and he's saying something absolutely what yeah and not just that he tells them where it happened I mean
he he tells them everything they need to know yeah right but I think what happened was because they were caught
between two Sheriff's offices two jurisdictions he fell through the cracks a little bit right but I mean to me it
was stunning that he was out the next day I mean I get it there's two different jurisdictions but even when I
was watching the dash cam you know he's he's intoxicated he's kind of in and out
it's not sort of a crystal clear statement but it's enough you would think to hold him just a little bit
longer right well remember after he sobered up a bit and they were asking now what did you say about what you did
to her well I didn't do that and then he he went quiet on them also they sent a couple of deputies over to the house the
other County to do a welfare check and they knocked on the door nobody answered they couldn't see anything as
they peered Through the Windows now they didn't go in I think if they had gone in
they would have seen blood and this would have a very different uh ending to it but the fact that they didn't he
according to the officers he was clearly intoxicated you know I think is this guy
just talking out of the side of his mouth is he just is this just the alcohol talking to us it's their County
it's our County and it just falls through the cracks and no one goes back to the site where his truck was no they
did they would eventually go back and look for Tammy there yeah they searched for Tammy's body there and remember in
in his truck they find Tammy's cell phone so I mean you have this link and and eventually uh they get a search
warrant and they go over and and go inside that house and and who do they find Judy uh cleaning up in there his
brother-in-law now I had a question about that as well because I mean what did he think he was doing there and even
if he didn't suspect anything once the cops show up you would think he would have started to ask himself well why did
why did he ask me to clean up his house I mean we don't really know right they didn't tell us much about that they
didn't charge him with anything um he claimed he didn't know that a crime had occurred so um who knows I mean we'll
never know how much the brother-in-law knew this is clearly a crime scene and it's a very odd part of this story that
is full of oddities right but like you point out he was never charged with anything at all but you know later once
authorities hear what Greer's Sons say they heard uh they were they decided they're going to charge him they're
going to charge William Greer with first-degree murder um the sons say that they hear him arguing with Tammy and and
did they hear a gunshots they heard there was arguing they heard they heard a shot and then it
later came came out that they also claim they could hear their father speaking to
Tammy and he says are you dead are you still alive right and and authorities considered what they heard including
this quote to be powerful evidence combined with a man who's confessing half naked out out in the dark but
confessing that he had shot Tammy and watched her die hello I think we got ourselves case here right even if we
don't have a body there's no body but there's everything but right I mean you've got you've got her blood in his
house you've got her phone in his car have him on dash cam saying that he shot her and watched her die and and then he
flees folks who what innocent guy flees and then he lies I mean it's it seems It's on a platter to me right yes yes
yeah I've seen a lot less in bodyless Trials yeah so as you guys say William Greer he's on the Run uh but thanks to
shows like America's Most Wanted crime watch Daily authorities always seem to have a pulse on him but he's still able
to get away I mean people watch these shows but he's still kind of popping up in different communities making friends
right and just kind of bopping along how was he able to do that that's true right
he was still bopping along people are watching across the country you know it's funny cuz we asked like was this a
good thing or a bad thing cuz every time he saw himself on television he would get up and take off right and the
Marshall said it's actually a good thing they want him to keep moving because eventually he'll make a mistake and
they'll catch him interesting and he's not using cards cuz he's got a bunch of cash from his business I guess right
probably probably and you know women would do things for him you know pay for things and yeah and in New Orleans when
he worked at a deli they paid him in cash so there wasn't a paper trail right and he rode a bicycle everywhere and he
was quite the charmer yep yeah it's quite remarkable how agile he was in being able to just pick up and go and then
ingratiate himself with someone else like that and just start another new life and also think of the casualties
that he left behind cuz these women many of them cared deeply some of them fell in love with him but once he got word he
was on America's Most Wanted the most recent addition of this case he's gone the US Marshals were involved in
this case and they were so invested in the case even one held on to the handcuffs that they used to arrest
William Greer it's a little trophy I guess what was it like interviewing them uh for me this was one of the great
Delights of of our show uh folks we love doing stories in Texas because everyone
seems to be a character actor down there and these US Marshals are right off of a
cowboy set they are plain talking straight talking they are absolutely driven they have a saying they told us
when we did the interview their saying is Justice is coming it's just like something Clint Eastwood would say right
wow I mean that's the nature of these guys is that that Texas tradition from the wild west days the Marshall was the
law of the County uh and these guys carry on that tradition with with dedication and they have enormous heart
I mean it I don't you think they're just they're they're special that's a good word for it yeah I don't know have you
ever done a story with the marshals before or is this your first because it's my it was my first and I was so
impressed with them I've done a marshall story in other states but this is the first time in Texas I was super
impressed with them they're and they're they're so helpful and and warm and inviting and you know they couldn't do
enough for us and uh yeah they're really special guys and and who else would come
up with operation catch to Leslie Raymond is such a character the guy with the big cowboy hat on such
a character but it was appropriate he's missing a toe that's a pretty distinctive feature uh after a bike
accident uh William Greer loses his toe um what' you make of the name I loved it yeah and ultimately they
do catch not the toe but everything else right because the toe is forever missing
but they but they caught everything else they catch William Greer he's started a
new life and I guess true to what you guys said about him as he was on the run you know he's found another lady and
he's heartbreakingly started another family um can we talk about the the fact that he had the nerve to to name his new
son William MH I mean it's just so stunning the whole thing is so stunning yeah so William Greer's sentence for
killing Tammy Meyers is just 10 years and with time served he'll be free in maybe 3 years perhaps even sooner why on
Earth was it was this sentence so short well that's the sentence for second degree manslaughter I mean they can't
they sort of have to go with the sentencing guidelines right so I don't think they had a choice the minute he
was sentenced he was up for parole they denied him and in two years he gets another bite at the Apple and then in 3
years he's out regardless no matter what right did you talk to the district attorney I mean is it clear why they
allowed Greer to plead down to a lesser charge second deegree manslaughter instead of first deegree murder and the
fact that they honored The Plea even though they never did find Tammy's body they sent us this statement which we
actually put in the show we believe Greer was acting in good faith and tried to lead law enforcement to her body so
much time has passed and the terrain has changed but we believe he tried we just
have that one statement from them that you know is it's a clear statement but it doesn't doesn't feel right Nikki and
her family continu to search for her mother Peter you were present for a search of Tammy's remains and you
actually participated in the prayer circle that they had there what was that like it was deeply emotional uh we all
felt a tie to Nikki we'd spent a lot of time with her and she's such a big-hearted person and has gone through
so much pain and when you see the volunteers out there you could understand how Nikki shed some tears for
the first time around us and also had all of this hope it it was inspiring and it was heartbreaking I was standing next
to Peter during that prayer circle and I could tell that he was getting a little
emotional so I whipped out my iPhone and got a shot of him I thought it was kind
of a nice moment it was powerful and we hope against hope that this circle can be closed for Nikki but it's going to be
very difficult and that was part of the emotion for us as journalists out there let's hope when EA search goes back out
there maybe they'll luck out maybe uh Nikki's dream will finally be realized wow um well of course another great hour
um Judy Peter thank you so much this has been another fantastic fascinating discussion thank you thanks always a
pleasure join us next Tuesday for another postmortem and watch 48 hours on Saturdays 10 9 Central on CBS and
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Hours Plus subscription on Apple podcast

7-year-old Nicki Bates begins a lifelong search to find her missing mother and bring her killer to justice. Watch "The Day My Mother Vanished" and then join "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant and producer Judy Rybak as they discuss the decades-long manhunt for William Greer, a man charged with killing his girlfriend Tammy Myers. Hear about what it was like interviewing U.S. Marshals and their clever name for their pursuit: Operation Catch A Toe.

00:00 The Day My Mother Vanished 41:07 Listen to a post-mortem on the episode

Listen to "Post Mortem" wherever you get your podcasts: https://apple.co/3VCBjw9

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

Nikki Bates seeks closure for her mother Tammy's murder by William Greer, who confessed but received a plea deal.

Key points

The Abusive Relationship. Tammy's relationship with William Greer turns abusive, leading to tragic consequences.
The Disappearance. Tammy mysteriously vanishes, leading to a frantic search by her family.
Nikki's Search for Justice. Nikki Bates, who lost her mother at a young age, vows to keep her case alive.
Greer's Confession. William Greer confesses to shooting Tammy, but is released shortly after.
America's Most Wanted. Nikki hopes for leads after her mother's case is featured on America's Most Wanted.
Greer Captured After Years on the Run. William Greer, a fugitive for years, is finally captured in Mexico after a long investigation.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

No amount of time will heal this wound.

4:55WatchDec 20, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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