Law enforcement interrogation is a real skill, but much of it has been questioned in recent years with instances of botched police investigations and false confessions.  When police have little forensic evidence, as is the case with many cold cases, witness interviews and suspect interrogations can be crucial in solving a case. But how far should detectives go for a confession?

The disappearance of Sheila and Katherine Lyon from a Maryland mall in March 1975 went unsolved until detectives in 2013 came across a six-page statement made by 18-year-old Lloyd Welch back in April of 1975.

At the time of the disappearances, Welch had contacted the police to say that he had witnessed the girls’ abduction.  Detectives in 1975 dismissed his elaborate story as an attempt to gain attention and play the hero.  Thirty-eight years later, new investigators thought that Lloyd could be an actual witness or even the man responsible for abducting the girls.

Join us at the quiet end for Secrets & Lies: Solving the Murders of Katherine and Sheila Lyon.  It took detectives multiple interviews to get a confession from Welch, pulling new details from him like teeth and calling him out on his recurring lies.  Today, we’ll review interviews to get a closer look into the mind of Lloyd Welch, the horrors of his dysfunctional extended family, and how the Lyon sisters fell victim to this sadistic pedophile.

Support the show and get ad-free and bonus TCB episodes

Read “The Last Stone” by Mark Bowden

Send comments or case suggestions