JODI LEE: Did this alarm you?
OFFICER BITTNER: Somewhat.
JODI LEE: Was your gun drawn?
OFFICER BITTNER: My hand was on my holster for a moment. But her hands went up. Almost as if she knew what I was going to say next. I slowly approached her and asked her to turn around. She complied and that’s when I noticed the blood.
JODI LEE: You saw blood right away?
OFFICER BITTNER: Yes. She was wearing a white dress, sort of a nightgown. And there was a very apparent spot on the lower area of the skirt.
JODI LEE: How big was this spot of blood?
OFFICER BITTNER: I’d say bigger than a quarter.
JODI LEE: Blood that was later matched to her sister, Isla.
OFFICER BITTNER: Correct. Forensics matched her DNA to that spot of blood on the dress.
JODI LEE: What happened next?
OFFICER BITTNER: I instructed Ms. Fin to sit down on the grass with her hands behind her head. She complied. I waited for backup, and she was taken into the squad car.
JODI LEE: Was she handcuffed?
OFFICER BITTNER: No, ma’am.
JODI LEE: Is that standard? Wouldn’t most people in that situation be handcuffed? Some are saying she has been given special treatment due to her celebrity.
OFFICER BITTNER: She had complied up until then and she didn’t show signs of posing a danger to herself or others. She was secured in the squad car.
JODI LEE: At this point, you have a backup officer. Sheriff Vandenberg has also arrived on scene. Did any of you try speaking to Marlow?
OFFICER BITTNER: My backup stayed in the squad car with her while Sheriff Vandenberg and I scoped out the premises. We checked the entire cabin and then the shed.
JODI LEE: Tell me what you saw in that shed.
OFFICER BITTNER: At first there was nothing notable. A few kayaks, camping and fishing equipment. There was water on various parts of the floorboards. I suspect it was because the water level was very high that summer. There were record rainfalls, flooding. Sheriff Vandenberg and I proceeded to inspect the inside. And that’s when I slipped.
JODI LEE: The headlines said you slipped in a pool of blood.
OFFICE BITTNER: Yes, it was a pool of liquid. But it was a mixture of blood and water.
JODI LEE: Would you say it was a lot of blood?
OFFICE BITTNER: I would not describe it to that extent. But we were immediately concerned and called for additional backup.
JODI LEE: Who talked to Marlow first following the shed inspection?
OFFICER BITTNER: That would be myself and Sheriff Vandenberg. We returned to the squad car, and she was very quiet. I would even describe her as catatonic. Sheriff Vandenberg tried asking her if she knew where she was. Who he was and if she remembered him. That woke her up and she started talking.
JODI LEE: Talking . . . about?
OFFICER BITTNER: The blood. She kept repeating how she found the blood.
[Roll package, footage of protestors]
JODI LEE: Marlow was immediately taken in for police questioning. She denied having anything to do with the disappearance of Isla, and at some point during her interrogation asked for attorney representation. Nearly a year has passed since then, and there have yet to be any charges made. The investigation is ongoing but many are calling for Marlow’s arrest.
Protestors line up almost daily outside her main residence in Brentwood, California. Although it’s reported that she’s residing elsewhere at an undisclosed location. Their voices demand that she be held accountable. Her status as a celebrity should not be a factor. But accountable for what, exactly?
I spoke with former Minnesota district attorney Shareef Meadows about this case for the legal angle.
[Secondary Studio, interview with Shareef Meadows]
JODI LEE: There was blood found in the shed matching Isla’s. Blood found on Marlow’s dress at the scene matching Isla’s. The suspicious 911 call. Her strange behavior before, during, and after questioning. Now everyone is asking why? Why hasn’t an arrest been made?
ATTORNEY MEADOWS: No body, no crime, Jodi. You’ve probably heard that saying. But there are some things to clarify about this—it’s not all-encompassing or entirely factual, legally. Without a body it is very difficult to make a case for murder. A grand jury is not likely to indict Marlow if there isn’t a body to show an actual homicide has occurred. Isla has not been declared legally dead in the state of Minnesota.
Now, have there been murder charges, even convictions, without a body? Sure. In this case, it remains to be seen if any further evidence could surface or if the DA’s office makes a move.
JODI LEE: But some are arguing that it doesn’t really take a detective to draw some conclusions here. Isla goes missing the exact same time her blood is found in the shed. The last person to see her alive is Marlow. Doesn’t that add up to a charge?
ATTORNEY MEADOWS: Listen. I understand the frustration of the public. A woman goes missing and they want answers. But we aren’t going to get our answers by arresting someone without proper evidence.
This is a highly publicized case. Beyond that, even. There is a national and even international interest as to the fate of Marlow and her sister. The prosecution is not going to be rash or take any of this lightly. If or when they go after her, they have to be sure.
[Studio]
