Jet Skier's Wife Presses Search for His Body

It's been almost four months since David Hartley was allegedly murdered while jet skiing with his wife, Tiffany, last September. Today, with no body and few answers, Tiffany Hartley continues her search, but has yet to learn what really happened.

In an exclusive "Early Show" interview Wednesday, she said she's coming to realize a new reality in her life.

"After everything happened, being in the media right away, I think it just was so overwhelming," she said. "Now it's just kind of relaxed and now I'm kind of realizing that my new normal is without him."

But that doesn't mean she's giving up the hope that her husband's remains will be found.

"I stand strong in my faith," she said. "Until God tells me otherwise, that he's not going to be found, then I'm going to hold onto that hope. And without that hope, you know, I don't really have anything else to hold onto."

David and Tiffany Hartley were jet skiing Sept. 30 on Falcon Lake, which straddles the Texas-Mexico border. After crossing into Mexican waters, the couple was allegedly attacked by members of the notorious Zeta drug cartel. Tiffany made it back to U.S. shores, but her husband is believed to have been murdered, shot in the head by pirates.

Initially, Hartley's family was frustrated with the investigation, saying little had been done to locate his body and his killers. To this day, no one has been arrested.

Texas Rep. Ted Poe told CBS News, "When crimes occur -- especially near the border -- Mexican officials really have a poor track record of solving murders."

In October, Mexican authorities called off their search after a lead investigator was beheaded. In a newly-released statement to CBS News, they say the search for the killers continues, saying, "We remain committed to finding the person or persons responsible for Mr. Hartley's death."

But it's belived the cartels have murdered more than 30,000 people since 2006, and that their ruthless tactics have intimidated Mexican police, making it less likely Hartley's body will be found.

Texas state Rep. Dan Flynn said, "I'm confident that our law enforcement people have done everything they could possibly do, but I don't think it will be recovered."

This week, "Early Show" co-anchor Jeff Glor reported, Texas authorities told CBS News several suspects have been named, but because the crime occurred in Mexico they have to work with Mexican authorities.

Tiffany Hartley said that, in the U.S., David Hartley's case is "still a priority."

She addded, "But as for the Mexican side, we know the investigation probably is ongoing, but we don't know of anything. They don't really stay in contact with us."

Co-anchor Chris Wragge remarked, "Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said this is a U.S. citizen that was killed in international waters."

He asked, "Do you just want to kind of pick up the phone and say, 'Why can't we do more? Why, if the investigation is still ongoing, why are the Mexican authorities not helping more?"

"It's very frustrating," Hartley responded. "You know, if we could give a call to President Calderon, we would. We would be calling him and saying, 'Why isn't this important to you?' It seems to me like this would be more important to them to make sure that this is taken care of, and that David's found, and the investigation goes on. Because then it would make them, you know, have more of a heart for other citizens, not just of their own country."

Following the beheading of the lead investigator in the case, Tiffany Hartley said the search ended for her husband in Mexico.

"They feared for their lives, and with the cartel, you know, they don't have the option to be able to just go in like here in the U.S.," she said. "You can just go in and take care of the investigation and the search. And over there, they just fear for their lives. And they, you know, they have to."

Wragge noted there have been reports that threats have been made on Tiffany Hartley's life, and asked, "Are you ever concerned about your safety?"

"No. No. I don't fear for my safety," she replied. "And you know, it's just -- it's just one of those things that I think they want you to fear so that you're afraid of them. But, being in Colorado and now with my family, I don't have any fear that anybody's going to come after me."

When Tiffany Hartley was asked if she ever has second thoughts about their decision to go to Falcon Lake that day, she said, "No. Not at all. We've been to Falcon Lake before and we spent three, four hours there, and had a blast. It was nothing for us to go over there and enjoy a day. We went to Falcon Lake to enjoy the day on the main part of the lake. And we never really had that feeling that something was going to happen that day."