Ep 2. The Dark Staircase

The First 48 Presents: Homicide Squad Atlanta season 1 episode 2 is titled "The Dark Staircase." The episode follows the Atlanta Police Department's homicide squad as they investigate the murder of a young woman found dead at the bottom of a dark staircase in a downtown parking garage.

Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez are assigned to the case and start their investigation by trying to identify the victim. They soon discover that she is a young woman who was living in a halfway house for women with addiction issues. The detectives interview staff and residents at the halfway house, but no one seems to know much about the victim or who she might have been with before her death.

As the detectives continue their investigation, they discover that the victim had been seen leaving a bar with a man the night before her body was found. They track down the man and bring him in for questioning. He denies having anything to do with the victim's death but admits that he was with her at the bar. The detectives have no evidence to hold him and must release him.

With little evidence to go on, the detectives start to suspect that the victim's death may have been accidental. They bring in a medical examiner to examine the victim's body and determine that she had been heavily intoxicated at the time of her death. The medical examiner concludes that it is possible that she fell down the stairs accidentally and died as a result.

Just as the detectives are about to close the case as an accident, they receive a crucial piece of evidence. A security camera from the parking garage shows the victim walking with a man shortly before she died. The detectives are able to identify the man as someone who knew the victim from the halfway house. They bring him in for questioning and he admits to being with the victim the night of her death. He claims that he did not kill her but that she fell down the stairs while they were arguing.

The detectives are able to piece together what happened the night of the victim's death and arrest the man for involuntary manslaughter. The episode ends with the detectives reflecting on the case and the tragic circumstances that led to the victim's death.

Overall, "The Dark Staircase" is a compelling episode that showcases the hard work and dedication of the Atlanta Police Department's homicide squad. The episode highlights the difficult nature of their job and the toll that investigating these types of cases can take on the detectives involved.