Transcript of The After Show: The Barefoot Witness New

In the suburbs of DC, a woman fails to show up for work and is found brutally murdered.

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For the next 2 decades, the case remained unsolved until new technology allowed investigators to do what had once been impossible. A new series from ABC Audio in 2020, Blood and Water. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Hello, everybody. I'm Deborah Roberts, and it's so good to have you with us for our new episode of 2020: The After Show, where we take you behind the scenes and show you a little bit of a close-up look of our reporting. Today, we're going to take a different take on a story that I think still lingers for so many of us here. It certainly does for me. It begins with an image that we had in our piece for 2020 that is so hard to shake: a toddler wondering running around a Louisiana parking lot clutching a pillow, and she's pointing to her mom's car when she is finally discovered, and inside that car is a purse, keys, and a lot of blood. In fact, the little 3-year-old had blood on her feet, and the child became what we called for our episode the Barefoot Witness because sadly she was a witness to something that was pretty horrific. We would later discover as we were putting our piece together that the little girl's mom was a popular schoolteacher. Her name was Lintel Washington, and at that moment, she was missing. Police began a search to find her, and days later, sadly, she was found dead, dumped in a drainage ditch.

It was a heartbreaking story, one that I am still, I think, struggling to sort of piece together in my head how it could have happened. I spent time down in Louisiana in a sugarcane field where all of this played out tragically, and I met actually that little girl later on. This episode isn't just about how authorities solved the murder though, it's about how the truth can come from even the smallest of voices. And in this case, it did from a toddler. Well, here to talk about this story, which I think we are all still talking about, is my colleague and 2020 coordinating producer, Susan Welch. Hey Susan.

Hey Deborah.

Good to see you.

Good to see you too.

Well, you and I have done this before on the podcast, but it's always great when we get a chance to sort of debrief in person. And you're passionate about these stories that we cover. And this was one that grabbed your passion then from the very beginning.

Oh, it really did. And particularly because of that video that you're talking about, because I'm a mom, you're a mom. From the moment you see that video with this little girl running around and she is clutching a pillow, she's barefoot. I was clutching my chest, you know, holding my breath just because, you know, that there's nobody around. She's there by herself and something is definitely wrong.

Yeah, something bad had happened. And we knew that from the very beginning. Well, a kind stranger shows up and eventually calls 911, which is how this all unfolds. But as I said, there was blood in the car, no parent there. And the little girl says something about a Mr. Robbie. And that would be pivotal. But just the idea that she was able to talk about that. Tell me about your initial approach to this story, because on this podcast, we like to give people a sense of how these stories came together.

Yeah.

And you've got to contact family members to see if they'll talk about something that was just absolutely horrific and devastating in their lives. Then we have to tread lightly because there's a child involved. Give us a sense of how you approached this story once we knew we wanted to cover it.

Yeah, I think that one of the ways— we certainly knew we wanted to talk to the family and friends of Lindell because so many of them just sort of, you know, rallied around after we found out what happened and wanted to be there for her young daughter and just wanted to be there as family and friends. So we approached them and we really asked for them to share to share what they were going through, what the daughter was going through, how she was feeling and how she was coping at this point. Because by the time we did this story, she was 9 years old.

Yeah, yeah.

So, so many of them had just rallied around her to try and make sure she would be okay. And we wanted to make sure that we understood who Lintel was as well, to get a good sense of who she was, what kind of mom she was, what kind of teacher she was. And we found that she was so beloved, everyone really was willing to talk to us. And that's important.

Important, Susan. I want to talk about that. You got a delicate matter with the child here. So how hard was it for you to get the family to cooperate in the very beginning?

We found Lintel's best friend, Melissa Mason, and Melissa was intentional about making sure that the story got out and making sure that she and others would be able to represent Lintel because Lintel could no longer speak for herself.

Yeah.

And so once we started talking to Melissa, about her best friend. Melissa was able to help us find a few more friends and some colleagues, even a student of Lintell's, that said, of course we'll talk to you because we want the world to know who she was. Yeah.

And you're great at that too, giving— building that trust. So let's talk about the story. So there's a massive search. This little girl has been found. She's mentioned this name. Police are trying to figure what this means. There's a massive search for Lintell in the very beginning. In fact, we kind of retraced those steps for our program. We sent boats out to look at the area to give people a better sense of what this was all about.

This was indeed a massive area. This is the bayou in Louisiana. There's all, all sorts of elements that are there. You know, the muddy waters, the alligators. It's just a large swath of land in Iberville Parish down in Louisiana is where we were. This area was just massive. And it— but it was also one of the places that we wanted to show just how massive it was, that we got on a boat on the waterway, a waterway they called Whiskey Bay, to basically show us like, this is where— unfortunately, this is where bodies get dumped. So this is one of the first places we looked. But we were able to sort of capture that by being on the boat and showing all that they were able to do when they were first doing the search.

Yeah. And they did talk to us about that. So I went down there and I remember looking at that in those sugarcane fields. And we found the area where Lintell's body would eventually be found. And I got a chance to see this place, and it was clearly off the beaten path. It is not a place that you would ever expect that somebody would have been, you know, found, but she was. And police also made a very sad discovery, which is that she was pregnant. She was 5 months pregnant. And that was sort of factor into the investigation. Ronnie Aybair took me out there to show me this location, and he talked about how remote it was. Let's take a listen to some of our conversation. Well, this is certainly off the beaten path.

It is, really. As you see, all the cane they got, right?

Right.

And it's miles and miles of cane.

Right.

And I was assuming he had figured there's no way anybody will find his body.

Would anything have led you back here just searching?

Absolutely not. No, there's no reason to come back here. The only people that would come here would be the workers. Workers that raised this cane.

So you got the call, and where had they found a body?

Right up in this area right here, right? This, this is going to dead end right here. The canal runs this way. It also makes a left right here.

Okay.

And, uh, she was located right up in that area right there.

The worker had been checking out the fields and stumbled upon this area, right?

She was right here in this area right here. Like I say, you know, at that time they had some water in this ditch at that time, 'cause it was a watery grave. And absolutely no disregard for her, just dumped it, you know.

And there was no question in your mind she had been dumped there?

Absolutely, she was a transfer dump. Nothing on the scene showed that this was the actual, the area where she would have been shot at.

What was that like for this area? There had been this massive search, then they finally find this body. You don't always get to solve these cases. What was that like for you all?

Well, it's actually a great relief for us, for the family, because I can about imagine, you know, what I keep thinking about, that poor child, you know. I mean, her mom's gone, you know, and her family, you know, gives them closure, you know. Can't never bring Lynntale back. But at least they know, you know, they can give her a proper burial.

Investigators, Susan, would find a sandal that would match Lintell's sandal. So they would eventually be able to conclude that that was her body that they found. It was a really horrible scene. And he remembered the muddy conditions and trying to find it out there. And it was sort of perplexing when they talked about if somebody wanted to get rid of a body, this was a place to dump it. And I guess if they hadn't conducted this massive search, you know, she very well, her body could have just like been buried out there for a long time and unrecognizable.

Yeah, no, that's very true. I mean, because as you pointed out, this was a remote area. So I think what struck everyone is that clearly whoever did this did not want Lintel to be found. Mm-hmm. You know, I remember her friend Melissa once again saying, "We were so afraid if she was out there because she'd be eaten up by the alligators." It was just like that imagery of what would happen to her out in the elements. So they felt very strongly if they didn't find her soon, you wouldn't find her.

Yeah. Well, we're going to tell you more about how they found her and then ultimately Eventually I was able to talk to that little girl who was actually growing up, and I'm going to tell you more about that. We're going to sneak in a break, and when we come back, we'll talk more about the barefoot witness and what she told police and what she told me. So stay with us. No.

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We are back now with Susan Walsh, 2020 coordinating producer, who is helping me break down and sharing some of her thoughts about our 2020 episode called The barefoot witness. It is one that we have not forgotten about here around 20/20. Beloved teacher Lintell Washington was found shot to death after her young daughter was seen wandering along in a parking lot with blood on her feet. Police would eventually find her mother's body, sadly, in a field. The little girl, though, revealed some clues, repeatedly saying, as I said to Susan, "Mr. Robbie." And police were trying to piece that together. Who is Mr. Robbie? And let's talk about how that play. I mean, this 3-year-old kid is able to give a little bit of a, a major clue in this investigation.

Yeah, absolutely. She put Robert Marks right in the center of this case. The assistant principal—

Robert Marks, the assistant principal of the school where Lintell worked.

That's right. Because there was no DNA and, and, and there was no weapon. But once they spoke, uh, with the daughter, this little girl, they realized Oh, there is someone that we should be looking at. And she kept saying, Mr. Robbie. And eventually they found in talking to family and friends, there was only one person that she would call Mr. Robbie. And that's what led them to the assistant principal, Robbie Marks.

And it was a little tricky in the beginning because of course Marks is married, which we talk about in the program. He's having an affair with this teacher. It doesn't mean guilt. However, this teacher was pregnant. Suddenly she's killed. Police began to think about, connecting some dots here to this crime. So that kind of quickly took off. He's eventually arrested. And, you know, he's denied it along the way. He was later found guilty. But I mean, this was really a huge, huge scandal in this area.

This was because, again, you have the Teacher of the Year, but she's seen as having an affair with the assistant principal. And the other thing that we learned, again, from talking to family and friends, and that was in our piece, is that she really really didn't know the whole story.

She thought he was breaking up with his wife, and he was available and would possibly be involved in her life in a big way, right?

That's correct. And so she started looking at apartments with him.

She—

he knew, and she knew, that the baby she was carrying was his. And so she was looking to start a life and build a life with him, and he was going right along with it. He told her he was getting a divorce. She really thought all of that was true. And she thought, okay, now we get to start our life together. And it just wasn't that at all.

Susan, you and I had to look deeply, particularly I think as women sort of examining this case. And you and I have run into this a lot in the stories that we've covered, where there is a woman who is a very smart, sharp, put-together woman, as Lintel was. And her friends touched on this too. You know, it's a woman who you thought might have been able to sort of sniff out a guy who's not really all that he says he is. And you sort of wonder, and we had to delicately talk about how she could have gotten involved in this situation. Her friends were also a little frustrated by that.

Her friends were very much frustrated by that because they too saw her as, you know, this very, you know, astute woman.

Accomplished.

Yeah, accomplished. And, you know, they just thought she was a great woman in general and deserved love. And she kept looking for that love, but in all the wrong places, according to her friends. They just couldn't understand, how is she so unlucky in love? But here she is, you know, at the school with this assistant principal who she thought was very, you know, also very accomplished and thought, okay, we're getting along and that's the kind of person I should be with. And so, you know, she thought that this was something that could really happen.

And he did create this appearance of a guy who was really together. Well, as I said, he was arrested. He was eventually convicted, sentenced to life in prison without parole. Jurors saw that videotape of the little girl, the same tape that we had seen. And it helped convict Marks too, but it was powerful for them.

It was extremely powerful. So one, you have the video of her where she's roaming around by herself in the parking lot, and that's scary enough for people. But then she was interviewed by an advocacy worker, which was also taped and played for that jury. And we spoke with a couple of the jurors and they said to us that, wow, for a 3-year-old child to be so calm and collected, composed, assured of what she was saying, and so clearly articulate what happened to her mom, they just couldn't look the other way. They had to look at that and go, she knows what she's talking about. She knows what happened that day. And that's really what helped them determine that Robert Marks was the one.

Yeah, for her to be able to help resolve this case that involved her mom at such a young age. The family let us speak with the barefoot witness, this little girl. Don't go anywhere because I want to talk about that. We're going to take a break here, but when we come back, we're going to share updates on her family so don't go anywhere.

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Welcome back to 20/20: The After Show. I am here with Susan Welsh. Um, we are talking about the reporting that we did together on the story of Lintell Washington, a mother, a teacher, who was the Teacher of the Year and, uh, was found dead, sadly, murdered by the man who she thought loved her and was the father of her unborn child. Well, at the heart of this story was her little girl, girl who helped solve this case. And Susan, to be able to convince the family that we would handle it very gently, we would not use the little girl's name, she left an impression on me. How about you?

She did. She absolutely left an impression, I think, on all of us, because when we saw her and knowing everything that she had been through, it was just, you know, to see her sort of just being the typical child and living a normal life and not, you know, just wanting to talk to us and wanting to talk about her mom. And I will tell you, her friends wanted to talk to us, but they thought the biggest thing talk to her daughter, because if you talk to her daughter, you'll see what kind of person she was. You will see what she poured into that child, how great of a mother she was, and you'll see it when you talk to that daughter.

Yeah. And we did.

We did.

Yeah, we really did. Just about what her memories are of just her family and her mother. What about the family? What stuck with you about the family and Lynn Tells, you know, I guess in a way her legacy through her daughter, but also through her family? Yeah.

And through the family, I mean, I think that, you know, like I said, she was loved. Loved by all. They loved and cared about her so much that they really just wanted— one of the reasons they talked to us is because they just wanted her to be known as the wonderful person that she was and the legacy that she left, not only with her students but with her daughter as well. So I think the family and the friends who are like family to her really just, you know, feel very strongly that Lintel is a person you would love to be friends with, that you would love to know. And they wanted to get that across. And I think she really has left that legacy for people.

Well, they were concerned, too, that she would come across as that teacher who had the affair with the assistant principal and sort of a little bit of a sordid story that led to her death, as opposed to this bright shining light who poured so much into her daughter. What have you heard from her and how she is doing after this tragic event in her life?

The daughter is now living, you know, with a relative. She's thriving in school. She's like your typical 13-year-old girl who loves to make TikTok videos and dance around with her friends. So they hope that she will just stay safe and sound and kind of protect her a little bit from all that's out there about her mom until maybe she's a little older to understand all of it. But they also hope that she will see herself as the real hero in getting justice for her mom.

Yeah, which she did. I mean, she will always have to deal with probably this difficulty and this, you know, the sad, tragic event that happened in her life. But hopefully with the family and so forth, she's doing well. And anything new to talk about Robert Marks?

Well, we know that Robert Marks, he did appeal shortly after he was convicted. However, that was denied. So he is still serving life in prison.

Mm-hmm. Exactly. Okay. Well, I'm glad to hear that the little girl is doing really well and the family is doing well. And most important, you know, they're moving forward with their life with some kind of sense of shining a bright light on this woman who had a beautiful life.

Yes.

Great story, Susan, as always. Thank you. Okay, let's get ready for our next one.

Our next one.

Whatever we're going to be working on together, I know it's going to be a good one. Especially if it's with you. All right, Susan Walsh, good to have you. And we will not forget, as I said, this little child who's growing up without her mom, and we will stay in touch. And if there's anything new, we will make sure you all know about it. For now, I'm Deborah Roberts. Thank you so much for joining us on 20/20: The After Show. You can stream episodes like "The Barefoot Witness" and other 20/20 full episodes on Disney+ and Hulu. Thanks for being with us. Take care, everybody.

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