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- Emilie morris was
a star high school athlete.

- Emilie was excited
about life.

- Cute kid,
great personality.

- And her coach
was james wilder.

- Wilder had a reputation of
being kinda the golden boy.

- He was like you'd see
a coach in movies,

Always enthusiastic.

- It seemed that emilie
and coach wilder

Had a normal student-coach
relationship,

But emilie kept
a terrible secret.

- I didn't,
in my wildest dreams,

Think that jim wilder
was sexually abusing emilie.

- She hid the truth
for years

Until she finally
found the courage

To break her silence.

- It was just like
this act of bravery

That I couldn't believe.

- In her fight for justice,

Emilie was able
to get coach wilder

To admit
his alleged crimes

While secretly
recording him.

- Emilie was determined
to face wilder in court,

But in a shocking
turn of events,

She mysteriously died.

- I said, "emilie,

What are you doin'
on the floor?"

I reached down.

She was cold.

- There was definitely
a huge question mark

Over the circumstances
of how emilie died.

- Upon her death,
justice goes unserved

When the case against
wilder is dismissed.

- It seemed too unjust
to just let it go.

- Oh, I was furious.

- Why was justice halted?

You have this
recorded confession.

Why wasn't this enough
to go forward with the case?

- Is it a coincidence
emilie died

Just days before an
important court appearance?

- I don't believe that
there was any other reason

For her
to die that day

Than her life to have been
taken against her will.

- I think there are people

Who would love
to have seen her die.

- She was fighting
for justice.

When she passed away,
it ended everything.

- He gets to go on
and live his life,

And emilie's dead,
and nobody cares.

♪♪

♪♪

- I'm loni coombs.

As a former
criminal prosecutor

For the los angeles county
district attorney's office,

The case of emilie morris
intrigues me.

I learned about
emilie's story

In an article
on buzzfeed news.

She was the victim
of alleged sexual abuse

In high school

And pressed charges
18 years later,

Then mysteriously died during
the criminal proceedings.

Upon her death,

The st. Louis county
prosecutor's office

Declined to continue
with her case.

Emilie's family
has now been fighting

For over five years
to try and find out--

Can the sex abuse case
be reopened,

And are there other
potential victims?

- Hi.
- Hi. How are you? I'm loni.

So, I've come to
kirkwood, missouri,

A small suburb
outside of st. Louis,

To find out what happened
to emilie morris

And to see if anything can
be done to reopen the case

That died with her.

First, I would just like
to know a little bit

About emilie
when she was growing up.

- She was funny, fast,
smart, accomplished.

So, she would decide
she wanted to learn
how to do something,

And she would
learn how to do it.

She was very much
a tomboy.

Children are supposed
to crawl first,

And she didn't wanna be
bothered with that.

It wasn't fast enough.

She walked when
she was ten months old,

But she also then
felt awkward.

She felt like
she was a nerd.

Even though she was
very accomplished,

And attractive,
and intelligent,

She felt like
she didn't fit in.

- She was not afraid
to fail.

Her key statement was,
"I didn't win this time,

"but I'll win next time."

She was quite
a young lady.

She was athletic.

That was her forte.

[cheers and applause]

- Emilie was
this older sister

That could do everything.

I mean, I think there are
a couple of photos of, like,

Me and my friend,
kelly,

Staring at emilie
in her, like, prom gown,

You know,
just looking gorgeous,

And we're just like,
"aww!"

I, like, looked up to her,
you know?

- She was very
intelligent.

She seemed to be
almost on the shy side,

But then you'd get
closer to emilie,

And you could see
what a spark plug she was

And how much of a taste
for life that she had.

- She was
a total goofball.

You would be having
a serious conversation.

Then she would just
either say somethin'

Or make some silly face,

And everyone
would just crack up.

- In high school, I always
saw her as the star athlete,

The cross-country star.

- The summer
prior to freshman year,

Emilie told me
with great enthusiasm

That she was going to
go out for cross country.

- She was just
very dedicated,

Very disciplined.

She ended up bein'
my number one runner.

- Nancy sachtleben coached
emilie her freshman

And sophomore years,

But then took
another job

And left her position at
lindbergh high school.

Coach wilder took over
as coach

For both the boys
and girls teams.

- Jim wilder didn't teach
at the high school.

He taught down at
sperreng middle school,

And he was a math teacher
down there.

Coach wilder
was a terrific guy.

- Wilder had a reputation
of being,

You know,
kinda the golden boy.

He was young.
He was a successful coach.

He really motivated
the kids.

- He was very much like
you'd see a coach in movies,

Always on,
always enthusiastic.

- His persona was such
that you trusted him.

He has the best interest
of these kids at heart,

And I believed it.

I did notice emilie
talking about jim wilder,

And she would phrase it
that she admired him

And that he did a lot
to motivate her running skills,

And I thought she maybe
had a crush on him,

And I would
play that down.

He's a married man.

Be careful your behavior
is appropriate

So that people don't
interpret it incorrectly.

- Emilie's devotion
to james wilder covered up

A horrible secret,

That he was allegedly
sexually abusing her

Throughout
her junior and senior year

Of high school.

- Emilie and I went to
high school together,

But we became very good
friends after college.

We had some very frank
conversations

About coach wilder.

She didn't recognize
that she had been a victim

Of sexual abuse
in high school.

- I think her first
sexual experience

Was with james wilder.

I'm pretty sure
it ruined her life.

- Emilie went to college
on a scholarship

And continued running
cross country.

After college, emilie
married an older man

And had two children.

For a short time,
she seemed happy

And loved being a mom,

But then her life
spiraled out of control,

And she began to struggle
with alcoholism.

- I think she became
an alcoholic

Trying to find a way to deal
with what happened to her

In high school.

- I think when you're
robbed of your innocence

At a young age,

It definitely plays a part
in your bad behavior

As an adult.

- Emilie's alcoholism
led to her marriage ending.

She lost custody
of her children

And began a string of
volatile relationships.

- She was constantly being
in abusive relationships,

Older man, younger girl.

- Every relationship
in her life,

Including her marriage,

Always had
a power differential.

Was this because
of an injury

Caused by the trauma
of child sexual abuse?

Quite possibly.

- Emilie started seeing
a therapist

In an attempt to
work through her issues.

- Her counselor had been
telling her for a long time

That she needed
to come forward.

That just never was something
that she felt strongly about

Until she heard about
our friend's daughter.

- In 2013, 18 years after
the alleged abuse started,

Emilie was with christi
and another friend

Playing in the backyard
on a trampoline.

- We were sitting there,

And one of our other
girlfriends from high school

Had a daughter that was now
in middle school.

Her daughter had gotten home
from soccer practice

That afternoon

And told her mother that
she didn't like the way

That coach wilder
had touched her

When he was stretching her out
at practice.

- She experienced, like,
muscle tightness,

And so his solution
was to massage her leg.

He must have
crossed the line

Of what's appropriate,
what's not appropriate

Enough that
this kid went home

And complained
to her parent.

- And emilie--
it made her very angry.

She was a mother,
as well,

And I think she was okay with
somebody doing this to her

But to hear it happening
to one of our daughters

Was not acceptable
to her.

- She realized
that her daughter

Might suffer
the same fate,

So that's when
she decided to go ahead

And try going
to the police.

- The first time
that I talked to emilie,

She was distraught.

She was obviously very
affected by the-the events

That she was trying
to relay to me.

It was very
difficult for her

To finally tell somebody
exactly what had happened

'cause this is a time
in her life

That she had kept quiet
for many years.

- Coming forward to say
that you were sexually abused

Is one of
the hardest things

That a survivor can do.

They know that
they're gonna be dealt

A great deal of resistance

Because
these horrible crimes,

More likely than not,
were perpetrated

By someone that
the greater community

Knew and loved.

- Emilie secretly
recorded wilder

Admitting to their
sexual relationship,

Which led to his arrest
by the st. Louis county

Police department
in August 2013.

- Jim wilder was arrested

And charged with
six counts of sodomy.

He was arrested
on school grounds.

- I was completely
shocked.

It did not fit
his personality at all.

He was very much
a family man.

- There were a lot of people
that were like,

"well, why is she
doing this now?"

We had our fair share
of wilder supporters

That were trashing
emilie's reputation.

- People had
villainized her,

Like she crossed
the line

Because of a reputation
that she had

Maybe of being a little
bit promiscuous.

- She felt that some of
the students that she knew

Saw her as-as a young lady
of ill repute, if you will,

And that bothered her
to-to no end.

- Everyone thought
she was the bad guy.

- She thought she was
the bad guy, too,

You know?
- Yeah.

- Where she was betraying
this man, you know?

- She was worried
about the effect

That it would have
on him.

- Yes.

- As opposed to the effect
that it had on her

All of those years.
- Mm-hmm. Correct.

- At any time,
did she tell you

That she was rethinking
actually following through

With the criminal case?
- No. She was discouraged

About the amount of time
it was taking.

- Mm-hmm.

- But her resolve
became stronger.

She became
more convinced

That it was
the right thing to do.

- The judicial process
doesn't move fast.

It's a very daunting task
for these victims.

They don't get
instantaneous justice.

- How long had the sex abuse
case been pending?

- A year and a half.
- Okay.

- Where it was just
about to plea bargain

Or go to trial.

- So, there was going
to be a decision.

Either it was
gonna settle,

Or it was going to
go to trial.

- Yeah.
It was supposed to happen

A week after she died.
- Wow.

Right before this critical
court appearance,

She's found dead.

- It was just another thing
that was odd.

- And I know this is
really difficult,

But can you tell me
about her death,

About what happened?

- Statutory sodomy
has a punishment range

Of one to seven years.

- For each count?
- For each count.

- That's looking at a
substantial amount of time.

- She said
she was afraid of him,

And she was afraid
of people close to him.

- I think somebody
killed her.

- There were people
who would love to have seen

Emilie dead.

♪♪

- Can you tell me
about her death,

About what happened,
how you found out?

The tragic story
of emilie morris

Brought me to
kirkwood, missouri.

In 2013,
emilie pressed charges

Against her high school
cross country coach,

James wilder, alleging
that he sexually abused her

18 years earlier
in high school,

But shortly before
a major court appearance

In the
fall of 2014

Where it would be decided
if wilder would plead guilty

Or the case
would proceed to trial,

Emilie was found dead
in her apartment.

[phone ringing]

[phone ringing]

For several days
in the fall of 2014,

Emilie's father,
richard morris,

Attempted to contact
his oldest daughter.

- I checked on her
all the time.

She needed something,
or food, or anything,

Whatever the need was,
I-I was there.

- When she didn't respond
to his messages,

Richard went
to her apartment.

- I got through the door.

I went in.

I knew somethin'
was wrong.

And she was laying on
the floor next to her bed.

And I said, "emilie,

"what are you doin'
on the floor?

"did you hurt yourself?"

I reached down,
and she was cold.

I don't know how long
it took for me

To realize that
she wasn't there anymore.

- He called me and said,
"she's dead."

I got there and went in,

And I kept hoping
that he was wrong.

I went in
and sat next to emilie

And-and playing
with her hair...

And that just slayed me.

And then people
started arriving.

There were
quite a few policemen.

- According to
the police report,

When the police arrived,

They searched the apartment
for any clues

Of how she died.

They saw no sign
of forced entry

But found her back door
unlocked

And slightly open.

Her purse was located
in the kitchen

With her wallet inside,
full of cash.

Her laptop sat
on the kitchen counter

With a credit card
right on top.

Emilie was face down
on the floor

In the master bedroom

Wrapped in
a white comforter.

Police found
two bottles of vodka,

And there was vomit
in the trash can.

- The police officers pointed
to the bottle of vodka

That was in the room.

They said that that
would've been enough

To have caused
conditions, possibly,

That something could have
happened by accident.

- Is that the explanation
they gave you,

That this was
an accidental death?

- Yeah.

They never said
that it was overdose.

I remember a detective
saying that, "you know what?

"she was probably
so out of it that,

"you know,
it wouldn't have been,

"you know,
a painful way to go."

- Emilie did struggle
tremendously with alcohol,

But when the call came in
that she had passed away,

It was at a very
unexpected time.

She was in one of
the best places

That I had ever seen her.

The trial was getting
ready to come up.

She was ready
to face it in court

And ready for justice
to be served.

- On the day
of emilie's death,

Police speculated

That she died
from alcohol poisoning,

But to her family,

Details of the scene
just didn't add up.

Some of the best evidence
that we do have

Is what you saw
when you went in there.

So, if you are able
to just go through

Those details with me,
that would be helpful.

- She was face down.

Trash can was there.

- Do you remember
if it was on her body

When you first got there?

- Yes.

- She had-had a kitchen
trash can, he told me,

'cause I didn't see it,

Pushed down
over her shoulders.

She had vomit
underneath her face

And up past her head,

And she was wrapped
in a white comforter

On the floor.

- We have the pictures
of her body.

The one thing
that was changed

That isn't reflected
in the pictures

Is the trash can.

- My dad, in that
kind of middle time

Where he was waiting
for people to come,

He took that trash can

And was tidying up
around the apartment.

- He tried
to clean up the place

Because he didn't
want people thinking

She was a slob.

- The ballwin police felt
like the scene was messed with

Or something 'cause they
didn't see the trash can.

They were
sort of inferring

That no one should have
touched anything

And because the scene
was messed with,

Nothing could have
been done anyway.

- We were in the room
when they wheeled her body out.

I mean, it's just--
it's so surreal.

- Emilie's autopsy revealed

That she died
from asphyxiation

Due to trash can lined
with plastic bag over head.

About two months later,

The police closed
the death investigation

Without determining
exactly how emilie died.

Emilie would not see
the justice

She desperately wanted in
her case against james wilder,

And her family
soon discovered

They wouldn't either.

- I was told by the
detective, detective cook,

At her funeral

That the charges against
jim would be dropped.

- I talked to them
at the funeral home

To pay my respects,

And they were
obviously distraught

When they found out the case
wasn't going forward.

- Since she wasn't there
to face him in court,

They didn't have enough
evidence, they said,

To go forward.

It seemed too harsh,
and too unjust,

And too awful
to just let it go.

- Oh, I was furious.

He gets to go on
and live his life,

And emilie's dead,

And apparently
nobody cares.

- I came to kirkwood to see
if emilie's sex abuse case

Could be reopened and,
if by telling her story,

New victims might
possibly come forward,

But talking to her family

Raised my suspicions
about her death.

The timing of emilie's death
is so questionable,

So close in time
to a major court date

For the sex abuse case
against james wilder.

Is her death somehow connected
to the sex abuse case?

Hi.
I'm loni coombs.

- Dennis cook--
nice to meet you.

- Sergeant dennis cook
was the lead detective

On emilie's
sex abuse case.

You met emilie morris
in, um, August of 2013,

I believe.
- Correct.

The first time that
I talked to, uh, emilie,

She, uh,
readily admitted to me

That she was in
a dark place in her life.

She told me that she had
been drinking heavily

For many, many years.

She told me that
she had been suffering

With depression

For the better part
of her adult life.

She went into- to details
about what the incident was

Specifically that led her
down that path.

- Was she able to tell you
events in her life

That you believed constituted
sexual assault?

- The incident that
she described to me

Was of a criminal nature.

I believe I was probably
one of the first individuals

That she disclosed, uh,
that time period of her life.

So, she had
a little bit of alcohol

Prior to us showing up.

- And how did you
respond to the fact

That she had been drinking?

- The fact that
she's drinking

Doesn't mean
that it's not credible.

To me, it-- more of a
byproduct of the pain

And of the abuse

That she was trying
to come to grips with.

- From the first time
you met her

Until the time
of her death,

Did you see a change
in her personality?

- Sure, 100%.

She was in a much better place
towards the end.

She told me that
her relationship

With her mom and dad
had improved.

Her attitude when I last
talked to her versus

When I first talked to her
was night and day.

- I don't believe that
she drank herself to death.

Once she filed
the complaint,

It was going pretty well.

- When was the last time
that you spoke to emilie?

- I spoke with her
a couple of weeks

Before she passed away.

Uh, she was preparing
a-a deposition for the trial.

- So, that would be
a situation, for example,

If she was dead or unavailable
at the time of trial,

That testimony
could be used.

- Yes.

- I need to find out if
emilie's deposition took place.

If it did, her sworn testimony
could have been enough

To keep the case open.

If emilie died before
the deposition was taken,

That means
no legal statement

Expressing her side
of the story

Could be presented
in court,

Another reason why her death
could be suspicious

And may not
have been accidental.

♪♪

- The tragic death
of emilie morris

In November 2014

Devastated her family
and friends.

- I remember just feeling,
like, in total shock.

It felt like I was
living in a nightmare.

- It broke my heart.
It really did.

I remembered emilie
as this cute kid,

Great personality, braces,

Just giggling,
so full of life.

To know that she longer was,
it was very sad.

- Shortly before
her death.

Emilie told
law enforcement

That she was preparing
for a deposition

In the sex abuse case

Against her high school
cross country coach,

James wilder.

- Once something gets to
the deposition phase,

That's the next step

Before it's either
gonna go to trial,

Or the, uh, suspect
is gonna make a plea.

- I reached out to the
prosecuting attorney's office

To find out whether
that deposition took place.

"there were no depositions
ever taken

"on the criminal case
prior to her death.

"the defense did plan
on taking her deposition,

"but they never had
any dates."

So, emilie dies before
giving sworn testimony.

The timing
seems strange to me.

But they still had
one key piece of evidence,

Wilder's confession
on tape.

- When emilie went to
the police, they told her,

"you know, we're gonna
put a wiretap on you,

"and you're gonna call
coach wilder."

They wanted her
just to talk about

When this happened to her,
how old she was.

- She obviously
wanted to perform well,

And it's a daunting task,

And it's somethin'
that she had never
been through before,

So she was nervous.

- She tried calling jim
wilder on the phone,

And he didn't want anything
to do with that.

- He immediately said,
"not on the phone."

He was very suspicious,
very paranoid

About talking about this
on the phone.

- So, then she
took it upon herself

To set up a date
with him to meet

Because she wanted
to talk about old times.

- She decided to do
whatever it took

To get him on tape to admit
what he had done to her

In high school.

- She wore a wire

And met him in the
galleria parking lot.

- It was just like
this act of bravery

That I couldn't believe.

I still can't believe
she did that.

They made it
into a joke,

But it was just
chilling to hear that.

- Yeah.

- I was just
like I--

- Yeah.

- I think that wilder knew
what he was doing was wrong

And by maintaining
a relationship,

He was ensuring
that she would not talk

And report him

Because why would
she report a friend?

- Right.

- She came back to
the house afterwards,

And she was a wreck.

She was going to destroy
the tape because she said,

"you know, I'm going
to ruin his life,"

And my comment was,
"he's ruined your life.

"do you want other kids
to suffer the same?"

- Emilie turned the
entire 87-minute recording

With james wilder
over to the police.

Based on his own words

And the statement
emilie gave to police,

We can piece together
the exact nature

Of the alleged
sexual abuse

Perpetrated by
james wilder.

Emilie began running
cross country

Her freshman year
at lindbergh high school

And started to develop
a relationship

With james wilder.

She referred to it as a
mentor-student relationship.

She said that they would talk
while they were running,

Or she would call him
at home,

And she would ask him
about advice about boys

That she was
interested in.

- Emilie told me how things
kind of started.

She did talk to me
about his marriage

And how frustrated he was
with his marriage.

His wife was pregnant
at the time,

And so he was
sexually frustrated.

This is all per emilie.

And she thought she could
be better for him.

- Based on emilie's statement
to the police,

Coach wilder may have been
preparing emilie

For the alleged sexual abuse
for two years.

- Predatory grooming
is how a child sexual abuser

Tricks the victim
into thinking

That the abuse is okay.

It creates what we call
a compliant victim.

- In the fall of
her junior year in 1995,

This relationship changed.

According to emilie's
statement to the police,

Coach wilder had
a cross country practice

At bohrer park,

A very large park,
about 16 acres.

Emilie said that she found
coach wilder behind a tree,

So she started talking
to him about a boy

Who wanted her to play
this game called chicken

Where the boy would put
his hand on her thigh,

And coach wilder said,
"well, shall we play?"

And he put his hand
on her thigh,

And then he stopped,
and emilie said, "chicken."

So, coach wilder
did it again.

He put his hand
on her thigh,

And he started
moving upward,

But this time
he didn't stop.

He got to her vagina,

And he left
his hand there,

Over her clothing,
on her vagina,

Until another runner
went by,

And he stopped.

- Kids think they're adults,
but, as a teacher,

You still are the one
in the position

That's here
to protect them.

If a girl is having
some thoughts like that,

It's up to that adult
to make sure

That those thoughts
aren't carried out.

- Emilie said that
after that practice,

He gave her a ride home,

And when they got home,
her parents weren't there,

So they went inside.

In the living room,

Coach wilder sat her down
on an ottoman.

He took her pants off,
he took her underwear off,

And then he performed
oral sex on her.

- Yeah.

And finally,
I felt--

- Child sexual abuse
has nothing to do with sex

And everything to do
with power,

And through
the sexual abuse,

They get instant
verification of their power.

- According to emilie's
statement to the police,

She told wilder
she wanted to stop.

That day, he did,

But that was not
the end

Of the alleged
sexual abuse.

- In her junior year of
high school,

She had qualified to go to
state with cross country.

That meant
a lot to her.

- She was the only girl
from the cross country team

To qualify.

Emilie stated that
over the next few weeks,

She would see wilder
on a daily basis, alone.

- This is clydesdale park.

From what the
police report said,

This is actually
where one of the incidents

Of sexual abuse occurred.

She was apparently
in a practice for state.

They came down
to this bathroom.

She and wilder went into
the male bathroom,

And she performed
oral sex on him.

He was bold enough
to kinda direct her here,

Out in public,
which is kind of creepy.

In this instance,

Somebody actually walked in
on them, um, a stranger.

They didn't say if it was
a student or not.

- Like, I would because-

Because-- I know.

- I recently watched
a diving video of emilie

When she was still
just a teenager.

[cheers and applause]

And the thing that
struck me the most

Was how unseductive
she was.

[laughing]

Her first sexual experience
was with james wilder.

It ruined her life.

He was a trusted
adult teacher,

And she was still a kid,

And that should not
have happened.

- By the fall of 1995,

James wilder had already
allegedly attempted

His first
sexual encounter

With then 16-year-old
emilie morris.

- He was one of
the bad apples.

He had this beautiful
looking apple

On the outside

But was rotten
to the core.

- Eighteen years later,

Emilie disclosed the details
of the first incident

To detectives

At the st. Louis county
police department.

- She didn't really have
a whole lotta people

That she had disclosed to.

She was keeping
this secret,

This deep, dark secret,
to herself for years.

According to
her statement to police,

Emilie and coach wilder traveled
to jefferson city, missouri

For a state cross-country
competition.

She described an incident
where she masturbated

Coach wilder inside
a movie theater

While another coach
sat nearby.

- Perpetrators love
to flaunt.

We see cases

Where children are
sexually molested

At the dining room table
in front of their parents,

And the parents
don't even know.

- Emilie's family obtained
the police report

And read in graphic detail
several specific incidents

Where coach wilder
allegedly abused emilie.

- She and jim wilder would
go to the wrestling room,

Which is up
a flight of stairs.

She would perform
oral sex on him.

There were several instances
where someone else

Would be coming up
the stairs.

Jim would have her hide
in one of the boxes

In which the wrestling
uniforms were kept

Until the person
was done doing

Whatever they were doing,
and then they would leave.

It's disgusting.

- She did talk to me
about a relationship

That she developed
with coach wilder.

What existed between them
was mostly oral sex.

I knew emilie wanted it.

I couldn't see the damage
it was doing to her.

- Everybody knew about it.

It was just one of those things
that you didn't talk about.

- I know there were some people
that raised the red flag.

- There was a student
that was on

The cross-country team
with emilie,

And he saw some things
in the forest,

And he told his parents,

And the parents went to
the administration.

- In March of 1996,

The principal of
lindbergh high school

Allegedly got
some information that

Perhaps there was
an inappropriate relationship

Between emilie
and coach wilder.

He called emilie in
and spoke with her,

And she denied
anything going on.

Then he called in coach wilder
and talked to him.

He also denied.

And so, then he talked
to emilie's parents.

- We received a message
on our answering machine

From mr. Skillman,
who was the principal

Of lindbergh high school
at that time,

Indicating that emilie
had been accused

Of having an affair
with a teacher.

I was outraged.

We went to
the high school.

Skillman said this was
a one-time accusation,

Possibly out of jealousy
because wilder was a top coach,

And emilie was
a top runner.

It was handled
very casually.

"we've looked into this,
and there's no problem."

And I think to make
our lives easier maybe,

We believed it,
and I wish we hadn't.

- I could've things
a little bit better.

I'll accept that,

But if lindbergh high school
would have done

What they needed to do,
it would not be as bad.

- Wilder was a very
successful coach.

I don't think they
wanted him out

Over an incident
like this,

And maybe people were
willing to say

We can look away
and-and let it go on.

- Lindbergh high school
is an amazing school.

There's an incentive to
not want to publicize

Those types of incidents

Where a student
and a teacher are involved

Because it's exposing
the school to risk

That they may not be
happy to adopt.

- Institutions protect
predators over kids

Because of liability.

They don't wanna be sued.

They don't want other victims
to come forward.

They wanna make
the problem go away.

- Emilie said that
throughout her junior year

And into her senior year,

They were performing
these sex acts

Approximately once a week.

By her senior year,
emilie's feelings

About james wilder
seemed to change.

- Predators convince
their victims that

What's happening
isn't abuse,

But the victims know
something is wrong.

For many victims, during
the course of the abuse,

You'll see huge
behavioral changes

Because a victim
is scared.

A victim has
nowhere to turn.

- Emilie, at that time,
was bordering on

Being frantic
all the time.

She began having trouble
with classes.

She was moody.

I knew something was wrong,
but I wasn't sure what.

- I remember thinking that,
like, high school seems

Really hard because
my sister cries,

Like, almost every day
before she goes.

- Senior year, she was
a different person.

You were more inclined
to see her walking

Around school depressed.

- In emilie's senior year
of cross-country,

She was on track to qualify
to go to state.

In order to do that,
she needed to run

In the sectional race.

She awoke that day
and professed not to feel well,

And I knew
how much it meant.

You know, if you don't qualify,
you don't go to state.

I drove her to the race,
and the whole way,

She didn't wanna do it,

And I kept trying
to find a way to,

Well, just, you know,
do the best you can.

She didn't qualify,

And she told me later,
later years,

That she blew
the race on purpose

Because she did not
want to have

To go out of town
with wilder.

- Emilie began to struggle
with her body image

And started to develop
an eating disorder.

- Wilder told her
that she was starting

To put on a few pounds.

She was eating
the whites of oranges,

And that's it,
and you could just see

How torn apart
on the inside she was.

- Emilie told me
about her struggles

With her eating disorder.

She was bulimic.

I can definitely pinpoint
her eating disorder

To a-a specific day,

And had that day
never occurred,

She would've never
had to deal with that.

- James wilder saw
a picture that emilie

Had taken
in their uniforms.

He commented that she
needed to get liposuction

Because she looked
too fat.

- I was very aware
of her bulimia.

You would, like, hear her
doing it downstairs

And felt powerless
to help

Or do anything
for her about it.

- In hindsight,
I can attribute that

To the sexual abuse,

But, at the time, I didn't,
in my wildest dreams,

Think that jim wilder
was abusing emilie.

Even to this day,
it astonishes me.

- Emilie recorded wilder
in July 2013,

18 years after
the first incident

In bohrer park.

The tape provided
enough evidence

For the st. Louis
prosecuting attorney

To charge james wilder
with six counts

Of statutory sodomy
in the second degree.

- Under missouri law,
statutory sodomy is

Oral sex, anal sex,

Or penetration by finger
or foreign object.

For a second degree charge,
the victim has to be

Under 17 years old,

And the offender
has to be 21 or older.

- But despite what appears to be
a confession by james wilder,

Emilie's case was
still dismissed

After her death.

Bob mcculloch was the
st. Louis prosecuting attorney

At the time of
emilie's case.

It was his office's decision
to dismiss the case

When emilie died.

In 2018, bob mcculloch
was voted out of office

And replaced by
the current st. Louis county

Prosecuting attorney,
wesley bell.

Jim wilder was charged with
six counts of statutory sodomy

In the second degree.
- Mm-hmm.

- Can you just tell us
the punishment for that?

- That has a punishment range
of one to seven years.

- For each count?
- For each count.

- So, that's looking at
a substantial amount of time.

- Absolutely.

- Do you know why
the case was dismissed?

- Yeah, my understanding
was that the case

Was going to be
hard to prove

Even with miss morris's
testimony.

There was
no forensic evidence.

There was
no dna evidence.

- But you have
this recorded confession

By the defendant.

Why wasn't this enough
to continue with the case?

- There was never
a direct admission

As to when these acts
may have happened

Because, keep in mind,
if they would've happened,

Say, the week before
or-or even the year before,

They would've
been legal acts.

- So, when they were
planning to go to trial

When she was still alive,

You'd have that recording,

And then you would
have her be able to testify

And put the timeframe to it.
- That would be correct.

- Despite what sounds
like a confession,

Wilder never says he was 29
and emilie only 16

When they alleged
sexual abuse started.

To prove their case,
prosecutors needed

Both wilder's taped confession
and emilie's statement,

And when she died,

Her testimony died
with her.

All hope of a conviction
against james wilder vanished.

- We have
this audio document.

To have that there
and then know logically that

This still can't go forward
is really difficult.

- If we prosecute a case
that we know we can't win--

- Mm-hmm.
- And we don't win,

We can't prosecute
that case again

In the event that new evidence
would come into play.

- But if we were able
to uncover anything else?

- If we find evidence
to support a charge

And thereby be able
to give a victim's family

Some semblance of justice,
we will do it.

- Unless someone comes
forward that witnessed

The alleged interactions
between coach wilder and emilie

Or someone that wilder
confessed to in more detail,

I don't think the sex abuse case
can be reopened.

It seems like the only way
to get justice for emilie

Is if another victim
comes forward,

But, as it turns out,
emilie was not the first person

With claims of sexual abuse
by james wilder.

♪
- in 2013, emilie morris
told police

About the alleged
sexual abuse in high school,

But she was actually
the second person

To come forward
with a claim

Of being sexually abused
by james wilder.

Jessica testa
is a former reporter

For buzzfeed news.

In March 2018,
she published an article

About emilie's case.

As part of her investigation,
jessica discovered

That james wilder
had been arrested in 2008

Under similar circumstances.

- In 2008, a girl at
lindbergh high school

Told school administration

That she had been
inappropriately touched

And had inappropriately
touched jim wilder.

He was arrested.

- Everybody supported
jim wilder

And maligned the person
that had come forward.

- Emilie, at the time,
kept the secret about

Her relationship with
james wilder to herself.

- When the 2008 victim
came forward,

Emilie was still
in support of jim wilder.

She maintained that
jim wilder was innocent.

- It's possible that she
just didn't wanna accept

That what happened
to her was abuse.

- For years, very few people
knew the details

Of the alleged incident in 2008
that involved james wilder,

But, recently,
that changed.

- In the course of
reporting the story,

Eventually, I was able
to read the 2008 report

From the girl
who had brought charges

Against jim wilder.

- Jessica shared
the police report

With me and
the morris family,

And the similarities
to emilie's case

Are astounding.

- So, this is-- it's titled
st. Louis county

Police department
investigative report.

"on 11-6-2008,
at approximately 10:30 a.M.,

Detective sergeant quinn
responded to south lindbergh

To school resource officer

"relative to the original
and criminal complaint

"of sexual assault
that occurred

"at lindbergh high school."

- In 2008,
at lindbergh school,

A 15-year-old female student

Went to her science teacher
with a friend

And asked,
"what should someone do

"if something is
happening to them

"that's inappropriate?"

The science teacher said,

"well, you should
tell somebody about it."

- If you're a schoolteacher,
and two kids come up to you

Asking you about being
inappropriately touched

By an adult, like,
that should set off

Serious alarm bells.

- The teacher says that as
these two girls walk away,

The 15-year-old turns
to her friend and says,

"I told him to get off me,

"and he said, 'this is
the way it's done.'"

- A few days later,
the science teacher

Got an email from
this student's grandparents.

The grandparents had
actually sent it

To all of the teachers
of this young girl.

- "me and grandma
are sending an email

"to all of teachers.

"ask if behavior has been
different in class lately."

- Huh.

- "she has been acting
very different at home,

"and we are trying to
figure out the problem,

"and she won't talk to us,

"so we are seeing
if maybe it has

"something to do
with school."

- This is a direct correlation
to the morris' family

And how they felt like
emilie had been changing.

- The science teacher
decides to write an email

To the school
guidance counselor

And says, "look, what do you
think I should do?"

That guidance counselor
forwards this email

To another counselor,

Who then forwards it
to the principal.

On November 4th of 2008,

The principal and
assistant principal

Of lindbergh high school
called this young girl in

To interview her.

- "tenth grade principal
interviewed the victim

"about the allegation of
inappropriate touchin'

"she indicated that during
the victim's eighth grade year,

"she would stay
after school,

"and wilder would
massage her knee."

- This 15-year-old girl
was able to give

Quite a few specific details
about coach wilder.

She talked about
conversations they had

Where he talked
about his marriage,

And his relationship
with his wife,

And his penis size.

- The girl tells
these principals that wilder

Has been massaging her knee
since the eighth grade.

They would do this
on a weekly basis,

And he told her
to keep it secret.

They exchanged
phone numbers.

- The young girl said,
"he would call me.

"I would call him.

"we had these conversations

"when he was at home
at nighttime."

He denied that.
He said he'd never called her,

And yet the investigator
actually pulled

The phone records,
and there were phone calls

Going back and forth
between the coach

And this young girl.

- The victim, she stated
that things slowed down

During ninth grade

Since wilder didn't want
the coaches to know anything.

- But that changed
in the fall of 2008.

There was one incident

Specifically in
the police report

That the 15-year-old
girl recalled.

She was at
her boyfriend's house,

And wilder called her

And then came
and picked her up

And brought her
back to the school.

They were up
in the wrestling office.

He was touching her.

- She tensed up
during a massage,

And wilder wanted her
to relax.

He stated,
"if you have an orgasm,

"your body will relax."

Then he started laughing
and said,

"oh, my god, I can't
believe I'm doing this."

- He said, "you can't
keep tensing up.

"the muscles will relapse."

And then he said,
"if you're not comfortable

"with this,
we can stop."

He locked the door

And put a box
in front of it.

She said, "I don't
wanna keep doing this.

"my muscles are too sore."

And so, then
wilder suggested

That they switch.

He laid on his back
and pulled his shorts down

With just his underwear on,

And then he guided her
to how to touch him

And brush up
against his penis.

And at that time,
she noticed that he was erect.

- I'm stunned.

The similarities
are glaring.

The verbiage is
almost identical.

The victim is even
younger than emilie was.

- Based on police reports,

There are a number
of similarities

Between the 2008 case
and emilie's case.

Both girls were students
at sperreng middle school

Where james wilder
was a teacher.

Both girls were runners.

James wilder gave
both these young girls

His phone number.

He'd given them advice,
be a mentor.

We also have
a wrestling room office

Being used on both girls.

And in both cases,
wilder appeared

To have befriended them
to such an extent

That they each
expressed concern

Over what would
happen to him

Once they came forward.

In 2008, this 15-year-old girl
gave police

Very specific details about
the alleged sexual abuse,

And she was able to give them
one key piece of information

That could possibly seal
the fate of james wilder.

- Her high school coach
had brought another man

To a hotel room,

And the three of them
engaged in sexual relation.

- Emilie messages friends
about other alleged victims.

At least nine other girls
have come forward.

- Emilie had a lotta
darkness in her life.

I don't think she was alone
when she died.

- In 2013, emilie morris
broke her silence

About allegedly being
sexually abused

By her high school
cross-country coach,

James wilder.

- Her family had felt
that emilie really wanted

A conclusion to that case.

She wanted jim to have
his license taken away.

She wanted him to be
on the sex offender registry.

- Upon her death,
the st. Louis county
prosecuting attorney

Dropped the sexual abuse case
against james wilder.

- The prosecuting attorney
didn't feel like

It would have been
a successful enough case,

And so-- at least that
was my understanding,

And so it didn't
go forward.

- Emilie knew that
the situation that she

Went through isn't
unique to her,

And I think emilie knew
that by coming forward,

Word would get out,
and word would spread,

And other victims
would possibly

Be inspired to
come forward, as well.

- But emilie was not
the first person

To come forward with a story
of alleged sexual abuse

Involving james wilder.

In the fall of 2008,
a 15-year-old girl

Told lindbergh high school
administrators

About an incident in
the school's wrestling room.

At the time that the school
reported this to the police,

They said they'd done

Their own internal
investigation of this report

And found the allegations
to be baseless.

Teachers, including wilder,
called the young girl troubled

And a difficult child.

She was accused
of making up lies.

The police asked
the administrators

If they'd made a report

To the missouri
children's division
of social services.

The school said they'd
not made the phone call

Because they'd been advised
by their legal counsel

To not do so.

- I'm stunned.

- So, like, how often is
lindbergh school district's

Legal counsel making
these decisions?

- Yeah.

- If you suspect
child abuse,

You are a manded reporter.
- You report it, yeah.

- You report it before--
you don't need to talk

To the school legal team.

You don't need to tell anyone
that you're reporting.

You can report
confidentially.

- That's right.

- Based on the 2008
police report

And statements made
by the morris family

About how the school
handled emilie's case,

Lindbergh high school
may have violated

Mandatory reporting laws
in both situations.

- Mandated reporting laws
outline individuals

That are required to report
a suspicion of abuse or neglect

To social services.

They're going to be anybody
involved in a school,

So teachers, principals,
even bus drivers.

- As a mandated reporter,
you're not responsible

For substantiating or doing
your own investigation.

- The police informed
the administrators

That a hotline call should
have been made immediately

Prior to any internal
investigation,

And this action
may have jeopardized

Any criminal
investigation.

The police are pointing our
right here that

Whatever they find
in this investigation

Might be compromised
because of the actions

Of the lindbergh high school.

- When institutions conduct
their internal investigations,

They're usually doing it
for liability purposes.

- Mm-hmm.
- And not focused

On the health
and safety of a child.

- On November 6th,

A week after the alleged
victim's grandmother

Sent the email
to her teacher,

The police finally
interviewed the girl.

The police asked
this young victim,

"did you ever touch
jim wilder's penis?

"uh, did he ever
touch your vagina?"

"and she said,
"yes, several times."

She gives them
full statements

Telling police the same thing
she told school administrators,

But this time
she gives the police

One additional detail.

- The girl saw
wilder's groin,

And she noticed that there
was a knot/bump

In the right groin area
about the size

Of a quarter or smaller
from an accident.

- She also said that
he was circumcised

And that he would wear
boxer briefs.

The police got a warrant
to be able to view

His private parts,

And they said
he was circumcised.

Apparently, he did
wear boxer briefs,

And while they didn't
see a bump

On the right side
of his groin,

They saw what they described
as a crescent shape swelling

On the right side
of his groin.

That sounds
awfully similar.

- When wilder is
interviewed

And when other teachers
are interviewed,

There is indication that
the girl is not reliable.

She has told
lies in the past,

Exaggerated stories.

Her friends even paint her
as kind of a drama queen,

But they also defend her.
They say, like,

"yes, in the past she has
told lies to get attention,

"but it's not like it
this time.

"you know, when she's
done that before,

"she's told everyone.

"with this wilder thing,
she's only told a few people,

"and she's asked them
to keep it quiet."

- I think he knew exactly
what he was doing.

When he targeted her,

He knew that
if she ever spoke up,

Who's gonna believe her?

She's a-a problem student
who has lied before.

That's what he
told the police.

Wilder also mentioned
the 2008 victim

In emilie's recording.

The st. Louis county
police department

Brought the results
of the investigation

To the prosecuting
attorney's office,

But, in February 2009,
prosecutors decided

Not to charge james wilder
with a crime.

- The then prosecuting
attorney of

St. Louis county,
bob mcculloch,

Said that there had not
been enough evidence

To move forward
with these charges,

And wilder returned
to school that spring.

My perception is that
she was really damaged

By the character assassination
that happened.

- Why didn't they
believe her?

That's what I
don't understand.

- I don't know.
I don't know.

- Like, what else
do you need to know?

- I don't know.
- Uh--

- Just like in
emilie's case,

It appears that
james wilder managed

To avoid prosecution
for alleged sexual abuse.

Why did the administrators
of lindbergh high school

Wait so long to call the police
and social services?

- Why do institutions
cover it up?

Because it's much easier
than doing the right thing.

Children are
a short-term problem.

In a high school, kids are
only there four years,

A middle school,
two or three years,

Elementary school
five or six years,

And if you get
the kid out,

And you can discredit
the kid, then you're fine.

- According to u.S. News,
lindbergh high school

Is ranked as one of
the ten best high schools

In the state
of missouri.

Its high rank may have
been a contributing factor

In how the school
handled both cases

Of alleged sexual abuse.

- This happens all the time
where you have students

That approach the school
with a claim of a--

Of a teacher having

An inappropriate relationship
with them,

And when you have
a program

That's known
for being so good,

There's a lot of pressure
on administrations

To make those problems
go away

And to brush them off
like they don't matter.

- I reached out to
school officials

Asking if they
would meet with me

To discuss
the investigation.

They declined,

But they did give jessica testa
a written statement

When she asked how
they handled the 2008 case.

- They said,
"we must make decisions

"based on the
information we have.

"in 2008, mr. Wilder
was found not guilty

"of the charges
made against him."

That is patently false
because those charges

Were never brought to
the point of a verdict.

"lindbergh schools
did not receive

"any other parent or
student complaints

"during mr. Wilder's time
with the district."

- Is the last statement
actually true?

Are emilie and
the 2008 victim

The only two girls
that came forward?

In the 2008 police report,

The young girl
tells police

About another
potential victim.

- Wilder told her
that he got away with

Another incident
involving a student

Because he had
a good attorney.

So, there is a third
victim, you know?

- Holy crap.

♪♪

- When emilie morris
heard about the allegations

Of sexual abuse against
james wilder in 2008,

She remained silent
because she didn't think

It was the same thing
as what happened to her.

- It's possible that
she just didn't wanna accept

That what happened
to her was abuse.

She still viewed this
as, like,

Her first relationship,
her first love.

- The police report
of the 2008 incident

Says that wilder told
that young girl

About a potential
third victim.

- When the 2008 victim
came forward,

It raised questions
as to,

Well, how many other victims
are out there?

- Joan reaches out to
the alleged victim

In the 2008 incident hoping
for more information.

- "my name is joan morris.

"I am emilie morris' mom.

"I wanted to tell you
how sorry I am

"that she chose
not to contact you

"when you brought forth
charges against james wilder.

"I'm so sorry for you,

"that people did not
believe you.

"emilie had
the same problem."

- A few hours later,
she responds.

..."I'm sorry she just
didn't get to see

"the justice she deserved."

Is it possible that
emilie knew the identity

Of the woman mentioned
in the police report?

And, if so, did she
reach out to her?

That information could
possibly be on her phone.

Emilie's family found
her phone next to her

When they found her
dead in her apartment,

But when they tried
to open it up

On the day of her death,

They made
a startling discovery.

- Her cell phone,
which had always been

The same password,
had a different password,

And we couldn't
get into it now.

I can't think of a reason she
would've bothered to change it.

She wasn't, like,
secretive about her phone.

It made me feel
really suspicious.

- It would be several months,

But emilie's family
was finally able

To open her phone.

In the days leading up
to her death,

Several friends
and family members

Reached out to her.

Here's her dad.

"hope you're feeling
better. Dad."

She writes back,
"love you, dad.

Thank you for your message."

If emilie was communicating
with other possible victims,

And if they're willing
to come forward now,

It might be enough to get
the case reevaluated.

Here's one exchange with
someone in August of 2013.

So, this would be
right about the time

That the case is getting filed
against wilder by emilie,

And she starts
talking about,

"this coach did a lot of things
to me when I was just 16,

"and it took me until now
to come forward.

"he's currently a pe teacher

"and the main girls' track
and cross-country coach."

And then whoever
this is responds,

"just a random question.
Is the coach at lindbergh?"

Emilie responds, "yes."

And then the person
says, "jim?"

And she says,
"yes, how did you know?"

"holy crap," and then
this person says,

"because the same
thing happened

"to one of my friends
with him."

This could be
another victim.

And then emilie says,
"so, was that the case

"that went to the news?"

And this person says,
"no."

I think she's referring
to the 2008 case there.

So, this person is talking
about a whole 'nother person

That we haven't even
talked about

Or heard about.

There's no reference
to who this person is.

The messages go on
to say,

"how did you find out about
this thing happening to her,

"if you don't
mind me asking?"

"she told me.

"there are probably
many others."

That message was
just the beginning.

That same month, emilie
messages several more friends

About other alleged victims.

- "I have six counts
against him,

"and since I've come out,

"four more girls
have come forward."

Here's one from
a different friend.

"emilie, I've heard of two

"to three other girls
coming out."

That one is from the woman

Whose daughter claimed to be
inappropriately touched

By coach wilder
at soccer practice in 2013.

- I think that really
brought things to a head for her

Because after she heard about
our friend's daughter

At soccer practice,

That's when she decided to
go to the police.

- And going back even further,

When the 2008 victim
came forward,

A friend of coach wilder's
messaged emilie,

"apparently, the new info that
might have caused the arrest

"is that another girl
came forward

"with allegations of her own."

This one is referencing

Another victim
coming forward in 2008

Other than the one
who gave a statement

To the police.

So, this could be the mysterious
other possible victim

Mentioned in
that police report,

Or it may be
someone else altogether.

Her phone
is just loaded with messages

About other alleged victims,

But, unfortunately,
she never mentions their names.

♪♪

- I think emilie
deserves some justice.

It would be ideal if another
victim would come forward

And then perhaps
some of this evidence

Would be admissible.

- I've had victims tell me that,

"if I don't think about it,
it never happened."

It's not uncommon for them
to want to push it away,

Never talk about it again,
never think about it again.

- Only one friend
emilie messaged

Agreed to speak with me
via skype.

She's asked to keep
her identity anonymous.

If that friend knows
the identities

Of other alleged victims,

I might be able to
use that information

To get the sex abuse case
reevaluated.

- Emilie and I were
really good friends.

We hung out all the time.

She had told me about
her relationship

With her high school coach,

And that really
weighed heavily on her.

I remember her telling me
that her high school coach

Had brought another man
to a hotel room,

And the three of them
engaged in sexual relation.

I do think that
she had said

That he was
also an educator.

- In August 2013, emilie
sent the following message.

"since this has happened,

"at least nine other girls
have come forward."

Did emilie ever tell you
the names of

Any of these nine victims
that she told you about?"

- I don't remember her ever
telling me any names.

I just remember them
being women that he coached

That were also underage.

- As I looked over the case,
I wasn't able to

Uncover the identity of
any of these alleged victims,

But emilie's friend
did disclose

One additional detail
that could possibly

Relate to her death.

When she would talk to you
about this relationship

With her high school
cross-country coach,

How did she characterize it
to you?

- She said she was
afraid of him,

And she was afraid of
people close to him,

And she was afraid
what would happen to her

If she did come out.

- Now, you've asked to
not be seen on camera.

Can you tell me why
you don't want to be seen?

- If there is
a murderer at loose,

Then I wanna
protect my identity.

I don't believe that
there was any other reason

For her to die that day

Than her life to have been taken
against her will.

- So, you think
she could've been murdered.

- I think that the probability
is definitely there

And something to look into.

- Was emilie morris murdered?

As it turns out, james wilder
was not the only person

She had conflict with
in the months

Leading up to her death.

♪♪

- Emilie had had a relationship
with a ballwin officer.

He was making advances,
and she wanted it to stop.

- She could have asphyxiated
on a trash bag

With someone else with her,

But I don't think that
that's possible by herself.

- Is it possible
to use a trash can

As a murder weapon?
- Yes.

♪♪

♪
♪♪

- At the time of
emilie morris' death in 2014,

She seemed to know
the identities of several women

Who had allegedly been
sexually abused

By cross-country coach
james wilder,

But she never got a chance
to disclose their names,

And that information,

Along with her own case
against coach wilder,

Died with her.

There are so many
unanswered questions

About how emilie died.

Did she pass out
from drinking too much

And suffocate
e inside the trash can

As the police
seem to believe,

Or was there someone
in her life

That could have
wanted her dead?

- I think there was
foul play in her death.

There were people who would
love to have seen emilie dead.

♪♪

- Her family and friends
initially believed

James wilder might somehow
be connected to her death.

- I know that
she didn't kill herself,

And I know that
wilder was facing...

Decades in prison.

- Police never found
any evidence

Connecting james wilder
to emilie's death,

But there were other people
that she had conflict with

In the last few months
of her life.

In July 2014,
four months before her death,

Emilie moved into
a new apartment in ballwin.

She began having a relationship
with one of her neighbors.

- Emilie had had a kind of
friendship maybe, like,

Crossing into a little bit of
a more romantic relationship

With a ballwin officer.

It sounded like
he was making advances

And, at a certain point,
and she wanted it to stop.

♪♪

- Emilie begins telling friends

That the officer's behavior
is frightening her.

♪♪

Then, in September 2014,
less than two months

Before emilie died,

There was a disturbing incident
between emilie

And this police officer.

When emilie
didn't return his calls,

The officer burst into
her apartment,

But she wasn't alone.

The police officer found
emilie with another man,

A married coach
from a local high school,

That she'd had an on again,
off again relationship with

For years.

- There, again,
she was having an affair

With a married man
who's a teacher and a coach.

It reads like a bad story.

- Emilie did not tell anyone
the specifics of what happened

When the police officer
walked in on them.

A short time later,
emilie tells a friend

That the wife of the coach,
who knew about the affair,

Had begun harassing her.

The last person to hear
anything from her

Was her mom on November 2nd.

Two days later,

She's found dead
in her apartment.

Because of the vodka bottles,
her position on the floor,

The vomit on
her clothing,

And the trash can
over her head,

Some people believed
she got drunk,

Threw up in the trash can,
passed out,

Suffocated to death
on the trash can bag.

And emilie did have
a history of alcoholism.

- Emilie would go and get
a entire bottle of vodka,

And it would not be
uncommon for her

To drink that
in one evening.

- With victims
of child sexual abuse,

We'll see chemical dependency
issues as self-medicating.

We see alcoholism,
drug addiction, depression,

And suicidal tendencies.

- Frequently,
she would drink so much

That she would pass out.

She'd be close to death.

- On one occasion,
years before her death,

Emilie's parents discovered her
on the bathroom floor

Unconscious,
barely breathing.

They rushed her
to the hospital.

When she recovered,
emilie later told friends

That the doctor said
her blood alcohol content

Was .550 percent,
significantly higher than

What would be considered
a lethal dose.

A blood alcohol level
of .40 percent and above

Is considered possible
death by alcohol poisoning.

♪♪

- I assumed that she had
been drinking,

But she was detoxing.
I knew that.

When emilie was detoxing,
her solution,

Because she would be nauseous,

Would be to
camp out on the floor.

She would have a blanket
on the floor.

She would have her phone
and then some small snack.

The autopsy was done.

The autopsy indicated,

No, emilie,
was not drunk when she died.

♪♪

- I remember them telling me
that the tox screen

Was gonna get back,

And her blood alcohol volume
was gonna be through the roof.

- Mm-hmm.

- And then we got it back,
and it wasn't.

She had about the amount of
two drinks in her system.

- In the toxicology report,

Emilie's blood alcohol
percentage is listed as .048,

Roughly half the
legal driving limit of .08.

♪♪

- From the very moment
we were talking with the police,

We were indicating
this just isn't right.

This doesn't make sense.

- What do you think
happened in her death?

How did she die?

- All I can say about
how emilie died,

Is what didn't happen.

She didn't commit suicide.

The circumstances
don't lend themselves

To a simple accident.

- She had a kitchen size
trash can over her head,

Past her shoulders.

Emilie was claustrophobic.

She would never
do that herself.

♪♪

- Andrea and I talked for hours
trying to figure out

A way this could've happened.

- And we did that with
the medical examiner, as well.

You know, we went in,
and he was trying to

Give explanations of
how she got in that position.

- Mm-hmm.

And how did he
explain that to you?

- He said he didn't know.

No one has ever been able to
give us a good answer,

Even, you know--

- Not only that.
They didn't try.

It isn't just that
you don't have an answer.

It's that the,

"well, there
wasn't any real evidence,"

Is basically
what we were told.

- Mm-hmm.

- It was so clear that they
weren't taking it seriously.

- Several months
after her death,

Emilie's family obtained
her autopsy report,

But that information created
more questions than answers.

- The death certificate,
a manner of death,

Which is traditionally,
you know,

Homicide or suicide,
is left essentially blank.

It's undetermined
in emilie's case.

You know,
they know how she died.

She died from asphyxiation
from the plastic trash bag

That was lining the trash can
where her body was found,

But there was no indication of
how she got into that trash can

In the first place.

- I think there are
enough things suspicious

About her death that
I have never felt comfortable

With the answers
I've been given.

- She could have asphyxiated
on a trash bag

With someone else with her,

But I don't think that
that's possible by herself.

I think somebody killed her.

Somebody in this world
knows what happened to emilie

On November 4, 2014.

♪♪

♪♪

- When emilie died, she was
wrapped up in this quilt.

It's never been washed.
It's never been touched.

We've been questioning
the manner in which she died,

So it might be important.

- At the time of emilie morris'
death in 2014,

Police seemed to believe
she overdosed on alcohol,

Passed out,

And suffocated to death
in a trash bag.

- They anticipated
a really, really high

Blood alcohol volume,
and that wasn't the case.

♪♪

- Is there anything else
in the toxicology report

That could help explain
how she died?

I asked dr. Frank sheridan

To review
emilie's toxicology report.

Dr. Sheridan is the former
chief medical examiner

For san bernardino county

And specializes in
forensic pathology.

♪♪

- She also had another thing
present in her tox results,

And that was a muscle relaxant,

And that can act in conjunction
with alcohol to cause, uh,

Some depression
of the nervous system,

But the level of that drug
was very low,

So I really don't think
it's significant.

They also did the alcohol level
on the vitreous,

Which is the fluids
in her eye.

That was a bit higher,
which would indicate that,

At an earlier time,
she probably had a higher level,

But even still,

It's not a
staggeringly high level.

You would generally expect
a person should be able to

Function reasonably well

In a situation where
they have to save themselves.

- Finding out that
emilie wasn't drunk

Gives credence to
my initial thought

That there was foul play.

We talked to the police

Indicating that
there were people

Who would have benefited
from emilie's death,

And we gave them names.

- Emilie's family
later told police

About several people emilie
had conflicts with,

James wilder,
the police officer

That burst into
her apartment uninvited,

The married high school coach
she was having an affair with,

And his wife,
who discovered the affair.

- And we came to find out that
they never talked with anyone.

They never really looked into
the possibility

That another person
had been there

Or might have been involved.

- Despite the family's
suspicions,

Police gathered
no forensic evidence

At the time of her death.

They didn't take
any fingerprints,

Gather any dna,

Or take any evidence
to be tested later.

Less than two months
after she died,

Police officially
closed the investigation

Into emilie's death.

- Emilie's sexual abuse case
was handled by

The st. Louis county
police department,

But her death case
was handled by

The ballwin police department,

And ballwin is kind of
a small city

Within this larger
st. Louis metro area.

- This could have been
an accident.

All I wanted to know was, like,

Please figure out
what happened.

I went by myself to
the ballwin police department.

For my own
documentation purposes,

I recorded it.

[coughing]

- Mm-hmm.

Well...

- Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

- Mm-hmm.

Right.

- Mm-hmm.

♪♪

- After andrea's meeting,
the ballwin police

Did speak with
some of the people

Suggested by the morris family,

But those interviews
were done

Over four years
after emilie's death

And did not reveal
any new evidence.

The ballwin police department

Did not reopen
the investigation.

I want to go over
the crime scene photos

With dr. Sheridan
to see if he might be able to

Provide any insight
that could be helpful

In understanding
exactly how emilie died.

So, to be able to
suffocate in this way

That's described from
a trash can,

I have a hard time
understanding how that ends up

Actually suffocating her
to the point where she-she dies.

- If the trash can
were such a size

That it fitted snugly over
the upper part of her torso,

Then essentially her head
is now inside the bottom

Of the trash can
with a very limited

Amount of air in there,
and it doesn't take long

To use up that
limited amount of air.

- We're not assuming
she was strangled.

- Strang-- yeah, strangulation

You can easily
diagnose that autopsy.

- Okay.

You know, the fact that
we don't have photographs

Of how that trash can
was actually found

Positioned on her body,

Does that make it
difficult for you to determine

Actually what happened here?

- Yes, it does.

I mean, it would be
of great help

To have a better understanding
of this trash can

In relation to her.

In other words,

How far down was it
on her chest, for example?

- Mm-hmm.

- Was it pinning her arms
to her side?

Was it a tight fit or loose?

These things could all be
potentially important

In trying to evaluate
whether we're dealing with

An accidental death
here or otherwise.

- So, is there a way
that a trash can

Could be used
as a murder weapon?

- Yes.
Mm-hmm.

If it was a homicide,

This can was placed
over her head

And probably held in place
for as long as it took

For her to go unconscious,

And then she'd be
just pushed down on the ground.

Depending on many factors,
there may not be

Any signs of struggle
or bruising on the body

In a situation like that.

- And the autopsy report shows

She didn't have
any signs of struggle

Or bruising
on her body.

- That-- that's correct.
Yeah.

- I still find it
hard to believe that

That can somehow end up
being so tight

That it could
suffocate anybody

Over their head like that.

Do you have
a trash can like that?

- We-we have one here,
actually.

- Okay.

- Which I think is
roughly the same as this.

- I'm gonna put this
on my head

And-and see if
it actually--

Well, okay.

The plastic went
right up against my face.

- There's a chance.
Uh-huh.

- I can see how a trash can
could be used in a homicide.

Is there a scenario where
this could be an accident?

♪♪

- She's feeling sick,
so she goes to vomit

Into the, uh, trash can.
- Okay.

- And then she falls.
- She falls into it.

- And goes head down into it.

- Is that likely?

- I would generally expect
that if it happened like that--

- Yeah.

- She should have been able to
do something about it.

- Yeah.

- But we know that she had,
in the past,

Had-had seizures, too.

- People who have been drinking
are prone to seizures.

I had seen her have one
about a year earlier.

- Seizures are on their own,
actually, can be lethal.

If you're having what's called
a grand mal seizure,

You're going to be unconscious,

And that obviously
makes it impossible

To escape from
the situation.

- The father said that
in the trash can

At the time
he pulled it off her head,

There was a rag
and a small amount of vomit

Inside the trash bag.
- Yes.

- Does that change anything?

- I don't think so.

No, but the vomit suggests
that she was already vomiting

Into the trash can.

- How long does it take for
someone to suffocate like that?

- A few minutes.
- A few minutes.

- Maybe three or four

But unconsciousness
long before that.

It wouldn't take very long
to go unconscious.

- Does this look like
a-a homicide or, um,

An accident?

- If it happened the way
we've been discussing here

For the last several minutes,

It is an accident.
Yes.

- Mm-hmm.

- But we don't know for sure

That that is the way
it happened,

So possibility
of homicide still remains.

- Dr. Sheridan has given me
several theories

About how emilie
could have died,

But that information
is too speculative

To be used in court.

Without new evidence,
her death case

Most likely
won't be reopened,

And unless
another victim comes forward,

The sex abuse case
against james wilder

Will also remain closed,

But emilie's family
has not given up hope.

- For as long as
I still feel like

There's something that I can do
that would make a difference,

I'm okay with pursuing this.

- The morris family
would soon discover

A shocking new detail
about james wilder.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

- Emilie put this scrapbook
together in her senior year,

And on this page
in particular shows, uh,

Jim wilder four times.

More than likely, I'm the one
that took all the pictures.

That even makes me angrier.

Here I am documenting
his infatuation

With my daughter,
and I didn't even realize it.

It's strange
to live with anger

Because it doesn't
do you any good.

I don't want this
to wreck my life.

And yet, on the other hand,
I feel bad for emilie.

I think emilie
deserved some justice.

- Five months after
emilie's death,

The morris family
discovered that

James wilder was still
on paid administrative leave.

- When emilie filed the charges
against jim wilder,

Wilder was put on
administrative leave

Following his arrest,

And as a term of
his administrative leave,

He was still
receiving a salary.

- We're looking at
almost two years

Of jim wilder being on
paid administrative leave.

The morris family
were able to get the tape

Of jim and emilie discussing
their inappropriate relationship

To the school board.

♪♪

♪♪

- And at that point,
the school board

Made the decision
to allow wilder to resign.

The only sort of punishment
was that he was no longer able

To apply to
any school

In the lindbergh
school district.

- Wilder being able to
withdraw the way he was,

I'm furious.

He kept his teaching license.

He was not a registered
sex offender.

- If jim wilder
had been found guilty

Of the charges
that emilie brought,

He would have had
his license taken away

By the missouri department
of education.

Because emilie died

Before the case
was able to go to trial,

And the charges
were simply dismissed,

He did keep his license.

♪♪

- Emilie did not get
the justice

She desperately wanted.

The case died with her,

And her family struggles to
move forward with their lives.

- Sometimes I think
"what is it that I didn't do

"that she couldn't
come to me

"and tell me?"

I'd have done anything.

- I felt like, um,
like I was so close

To a point
where we both were adults,

And there is
better understanding

Of what had happened
with her whole life,

And I just feel
so mad at myself

That I didn't see
what was actually going on.

[laughing]

- Emilie was a hero.

For her kids,
they need to look and say,

"my god, my mother
was so brave,

"because in spite
of her pain,

"she was able to stand up
and do the right thing."

♪♪

- Years after emilie's death,
the morris family decided

It was time to go public
with her story.

- In the middle of 2017,

Andrea morris wrote into
our tip line.

She wrote something like,

"are you interested
in covering the murder

"of a sex abuse victim?"

Bringing new awareness
to emilie's life

Became really valuable
in their minds.

- Jessica investigated
emilie's story

For a buzzfeed news article
she wrote in 2018

During the height of
the #metoo movement

And helped
change the perception

Of what constitutes
child sexual abuse.

- The #metoo movement
started in about 2017.

In my opinion,
I think that

If she would have
had this occur in 2017,

Her reputation
wouldn't have been

Taken into effect with this

As much as
what had happened to her.

- Within the #metoo movement,
we are now very aware of

The sort of consequences
that women can suffer

In the workplace,

But we haven't really
talked enough as a society

About the lifelong effects

On victims of child abuse.

Growing up,
every school had its rumor.

There was always, like,
one teacher and one girl,

And no one took it
really seriously.

Nobody stopped to think,
"this is abuse."

- When emilie told me
what was going on

Between her and wilder,
at the time,

I didn't think of it as abuse.

I was very wrong,
and I struggle with that

Because I feel as though
I should have known.

♪♪

- I came to kirkwood to learn
why emilie morris' case

Against james wilder
never went to trial.

Unfortunately,
so much of emilie's story

Remains a mystery.

It doesn't look like
either the sex abuse case

Or the death case
will be reopened,

But emilie's bravery

May inspire other women
to come forward.

- Many victims think
because I didn't say, "no,"

I thought that, somehow,
I wanted the abuse,

Or I deserved the abuse.

It shames a victim
into silence.

- Emilie ended that shame
when she broke her silence

And by telling her story,
emilie morris helped change

The public perception

Of what constitutes
child sexual abuse.

♪♪

- After the buzzfeed article
came out,

People who knew emilie

Had actually reached out
to our family

And said they were sorry
for their perception of emilie.

They apologized because
they believed wilder,

And now they don't.

- It had an unexpected effect
of exonerating emilie.

People realize,
now that they're adults,

Oh, that wasn't right.

That shouldn't
have been going on.

It made me feel a lot better
for her memory.

I hope she knew

That we loved
her dearly,

And we're trying
the best we could

To help her through this.

I want emilie's kids to know
that we never stopped trying...

And I think it's important
that they know that

We never stopped
believing in emilie

And trying to-to do the best.

♪♪

- For more information
on "the case died with her,"

Go to oxygen.Com.