Dark Side Of The Mesa

Did Michael Blagg Murder His Wife And Daughter?

(CBS) 
Over the next few days, the community reached out to Michael. And Jennifer's mother was right by her son-in-law's side. Michael's appeals to find his wife and young daughter were heartbreaking, but investigators were beginning to have their doubts.

For one thing, the blood evidence was puzzling. DNA tests confirmed that Jennifer's blood was found on the bed, but strangely, nowhere else in the house. Even more striking was the one other place where her blood was found: the family van, parked in the garage.

Investigator Steve King began to meet with Michael on an informal basis. "He needed information about the case and I needed information about him and his life and his family," says King, who also began exploring Michael's claims of having a fairy-tale marriage.

In late November, Michael privately admitted to King that he was addicted to hardcore pornography, and that, when Jennifer found out, she became very upset. But then, Michael says, Jennifer decided to join him online.

"She told me, 'I don't want you to be doing this, but if you are going to be doing this, then we should be together with this,'" says Michael.

He says they used hardcore porn sites purely as an "educational" tool.

Three months after Jennifer and Abby disappeared, investigators brought Michael back for questioning, again with no lawyer present. Michael says they interrogated him for more than 10 hours.

By then, the FBI was involved in this case, and Michael's interview, unlike the first one, was not taped.

"They were telling me, 'We know you did it. You're the one,'" says Michael. "There were the people that I was trusting to find my wife and daughter, and to bring them home to me. [They were] putting their finger in my chest and saying, 'You're the one. I know you killed them. Just tell us.'"

The next morning, police found Michael lying in a tub, filled with water. Michael, who tried to slit his wrists, had a picture of Jennifer and Abby, and a Bible.

Investigators also found a suicide note in which Michael insisted he was not a murderer. But for some, Michael's suicide attempt was a clear sign of a guilty conscience.