After a funeral home mortician discovered stab wounds to Nancy's back her body was taken to the Southeast Texas Forensic Center. There, board-certified forensic pathologist Dr. Patricia Moore performed Nancy Merck's autopsy. The critical findings were stab wounds to the back, sharp wounds to the neck, particularly the deep cuts to the carotid artery and jugular vein, and defensive wounds on her hands. Waller County Sheriff's department still insisted the horse did it.

Two Horse Slay is a 7 episode chilling tale that lays bare a Texas murder, unforgettable for its utter tragedy and series of seemingly implausible events spanning more than 20 years.

Investigate the crime scene photos and case documents by visiting: https://sleuthandsurgeon.com/two-horse-slay/

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Listener Note: This podcast contains descriptions of violence.

On May 28, 2004, a sunny Friday afternoon in Waller County, Texas, Nancy Merck came to the Morning View Ranch to groom her horse. Hours later she was dead on the stall floor - her throat slashed, her clothing cleanly cut and her horse "Whiskey" covered with blood. Law enforcement said the horse did it.

Two Horse Slay is a 7 episode chilling tale that lays bare a Texas murder, unforgettable for its utter tragedy and series of seemingly implausible events spanning more than 20 years.

Investigate the crime scene photos and case documents by visiting: https://sleuthandsurgeon.com/two-horse-slay/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view video interpretations, crime scene photos and related audio recordings

Listener Note: This podcast contains descriptions of violence.

On May 29, 2004 after Dr. Patricia Moore's completed autopsy declared Nancy Merck's death a homicide, Nancy Merck's family was visited by detectives from the Waller County Sheriff's Office. They were not told the results of the autopsy, or that Nancy had been murdered. The Texas Rangers were called in to review the "questionable death" case. The report by the Texas Rangers' lead investigator noted the autopsy result was a homicide but also stated "clothing and other evidence has been forwarded to the Texas Department of Public Safety Laboratory in Austin, to determine if the horse or other means caused Merck's death.

The autopsy's sexual assault kit sat untested at the Southeast Texas Forensic Center.

Two Horse Slay is a 6 episode chilling tale that lays bare a Texas murder, unforgettable for its utter tragedy and series of seemingly implausible events spanning more than 20 years.

Hosts TK Masters, corporate espionage operative and former detective, and Dr. M, neurosurgeon and attorney, apply their combined medical, legal, and investigative expertise to examine the most perplexing and thought-provoking criminal cases. Interviews with pathologists, law enforcement, and those closest to the victim will provide unique perspectives.

TK and Dr. M are unafraid to dig deeper and get as dirty as necessary to bring facts to light and tackle the questions you would raise. These are not just true crime cases – they are bold journeys into the heart of injustice.

Investigate the crime scene photos and case documents by visiting: https://sleuthandsurgeon.com/two-horse-slay/

The chilling 9-1-1 call came in on the morning of January 30, 2005, Eight months after the homicide at the Morning View Ranch. It was a crisp Sunday morning, at the Oaks of Kendalwood, a horse farm in Harris County when equestrian Deborah Gail Kay, was found dead in a pool of blood on her bedroom floor, her throat slashed, just like Nancy Merck.

A 16 year-old ranch hand Jose Fernando Bustos Diaz was taken into custody, blood on his feet and a bloody knife in a trash bag in his trailer.

Two Horse Slay is a 6 episode chilling tale that lays bare a Texas murder, unforgettable for its utter tragedy and series of seemingly implausible events spanning more than 20 years..

TK Masters, corporate espionage operative and former detective, and Dr. M, neurosurgeon and attorney, combine their skills to analyze the most complex and intriguing cases on this exciting new true crime podcast series.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content related to this case and investigate the evidence from this case by visiting sleuthandsurgeon.com

There was no trial for the brutal killing of Deborah Gail Kay, found in a pool of blood on her bedroom floor — stabbed in the chest, her throat slashed, and defensive wounds marking her final struggle. Sixteen-year-old ranch hand Jose Fernando Bustos Diaz confessed to the murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison at the Dolph Briscoe Unit in Frio County, Texas.

Meanwhile Waller County did not certify him as a juvenile or charge him with Nancy Merck's murder and evidence from Nancy's autopsy, including the sexual assault kit remained untested.

Allowed to work in the prison furniture factory Jose Fernando Bustos Diaz and another prisoner escaped on April 6, 2010, likely through ventilation ducts or a large ventilation fan in a wall and then cut a hole in the perimeter fence.

Two Horse Slay is a 6 episode chilling tale that lays bare a Texas murder, unforgettable for its utter tragedy and series of seemingly implausible events spanning more than 20 years.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content related to this case and investigate the evidence from this case by visiting sleuthandsurgeon.com

In 2015 — eleven years after her death — Nancy Merck's family finally learned the truth. The sexual assault kit collected by Dr. Moore at the autopsy was tested and matched to Jose Fernando Bustos Diaz, who had confessed to the 2005 murder of Deborah Gail Kay.

But justice remains elusive. Bustos Diaz escaped from a Texas prison in 2010 and is still a fugitive.

This story of justice delayed continues, as DNA evidence provides only part of the truth. TK and Dr. M revisit the evidence, and a Texas Ranger urges TK to stand down in her pursuit of answers about Nancy's death.

Two Horse Slay is a 6 episode chilling tale that lays bare a Texas murder, unforgettable for its utter tragedy and series of seemingly implausible events spanning more than 20 years.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content related to this case and investigate the evidence from this case by visiting sleuthandsurgeon.com

TK and Dr. M explore old and new questions that remain unanswered.

Board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Jaye Crowder forms a hypothesis based on evidence from the case and listening to Jose Fernando Bustos Diaz's confession.

On Sleuth and Surgeon, TK and Dr.M bring facts to light and tackle the questions you would raise.

These are not just true crime cases, they are bold journeys into the heart of injustice.

Two Horse Slay is a 6 episode chilling tale that lays bare a Texas murder, unforgettable for its utter tragedy and series of seemingly implausible events spanning more than 20 years.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content related to this case and investigate the evidence from this case by visiting sleuthandsurgeon.com