Ep 42. Good Cop/Bad Cop: The Heather Bogle Murder

On April 10, 2015, 28-year-old Heather Bogle headed to work at Whirlpool Corporation in Clyde, Ohio. But she never made it there - her body discovered dumped in the trunk of her car, parked at the Somerton Apartments complex. The murder investigation fell to investigators from the Sandusky County Sheriff's Office. It quickly became clear that Heather had been beaten and shot multiple times, but there was plenty about the case that made little sense. What could have motivated someone to kill Heather Bogle?

In "Good Cop/Bad Cop: The Heather Bogle Murder," the 42nd episode of 48 Hours' 32nd season, correspondent Richard Schlesinger takes an in-depth look at the investigation into Heather's death. He speaks with her family and friends, the detectives who led the case, and experts on interrogation, trying to unravel what really happened to this young mother.

Right from the start, the episode lays out the key figures in the case. There's Sheriff Kyle Overmyer, a controversial figure with a long history in the community. There's his lead detective, Sergeant Sean O'Connell, a hard-working cop with a good reputation. And there's Deputy Mark Ott, who Schlesinger describes as O'Connell's "bad cop" counterpart.

As the investigation progressed, Heather's loved ones began to feel more and more frustrated with the investigation's lack of progress. There were no witnesses to the crime, and the detectives seemed to be focused solely on Heather's personal life rather than pursuing any leads related to the actual murder. The autopsy results only muddied the waters further. Heather had a toxic level of prescription drugs in her system, leading some to speculate that she may have overdosed.

Schlesinger introduces us to Heather's mother, Renee, who has been tirelessly pushing for answers in her daughter's case. She tells how she felt that the detectives were trying to pin Heather's death on her ex-boyfriend, or on her own family for some unknown reason. Anger and frustration seep through the screen as Renee talks about the delays and missteps in the investigation.

The first break in the case comes when a detective in a neighboring county contacts Sandusky County with a tip: a man named Daniel Myers had been bragging about killing Heather Bogle. Myers was a coworker of Heather's at Whirlpool, and had reportedly been acting strangely since her death. Suddenly, the investigation had a clear suspect.

Myers is brought in for questioning, and it's here that viewers finally get to see the dynamic between the three detectives: Overmyer, O'Connell, and Ott. Schlesinger notes that Ott is "prone to losing his temper," while O'Connell is "more measured." Overmyer is largely absent from the interrogation; in fact, Schlesinger notes that he's not on camera much at all throughout the episode.

The detectives take turns questioning Myers, who eventually confesses to killing Heather Bogle. However, there's one big problem: the timeline of Myers' confession doesn't line up with the actual details of the murder. Schlesinger explores this discrepancy in depth, examining how the detectives may have inadvertently fed Myers information during the interrogation.

It's a fascinating look at the art of interrogation, and whether or not it's possible for detectives to extract a false confession. Schlesinger splices in insights from experts throughout the episode, delving into the difference between good cop/bad cop styles and how to avoid contamination of information.

Ultimately, the investigation into Heather Bogle's death reveals a web of secrets and lies in the small Ohio town. Viewers are left to question not just what really happened to Heather, but whether any of the detectives involved were playing their own version of "good cop/bad cop."