The 30-Year Secret – The Tracey Harris Murder - Encore
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[MUSIC PLAYING] I've thought about 1,000 times the what ifs. And that's kind of nauseating, that we were that close. In my time as district attorney, we have had some odd cases. This one was a complete roller coaster ride towards the end. As far as an emotional situation, this was by far the toughest one. Tracy Harris was a hardworking young mother that disappeared March 7, 1990. She was a very sweet friend, a very shy person. And people really liked her and respected her. Her daughter was a toddler of a four-year-old named Carolyn, who she had with Carl Harris. She had been married for several years. They had recently divorced, but had never really split. They still lived in the same home. They slept in the same bed. I did hear that Tracy was missing and was very concerned. Something had happened to her. Carl came by our house. She'd been missing for a couple days. He was genuinely concerned and he said, you know, I can see her leaving me, but she would never leave this baby. Her body was discovered about 150 yards further downstream. About seven days, she went missing. Based on the autopsy, the manner of death was homicide. Tracy was a kind and loving person who did not deserve what happened to her. Most people did think that Carl Harris had murdered Tracy. Prior to her going missing, there had been a confrontation or two concerning a girlfriend that Carl had. Carl Harris did have a reputation for being very violent, in particular towards Tracy Harris. There were several instances where the witnesses would say it didn't take anything for him to just go off on her. He was incredibly abusive to her. I never put my hands on Tracy and never. So all those people were lying? Yes ma'am, I love Tracy. She was the love of my life. I think from the very get-go, there was only one suspect in this case, Carl Harris. Everybody thought I killed her. Everywhere I turned, they, you know, you'd hear him whispering in the background. There was a man that killed Tracy. A lot of people were waiting for him to be arrested and then surprised when he never was. Ozark Police Department had created a cold case unit.
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A little girl grows up wondering who murdered her mother. Decades later, prosecutors learn a secret that answers the question. "48 Hours" correspondent Maureen Maher reports.