The Secret They Could Not Bury Rivers sat motionless as
Mark finished his account.
The confession explained much of what investigators had found.
The ropes. The concealed body. The pickup truck.
The location of the ravine.
And the connection between the Garrett brothers and Jaden’s belongings.
But one detail still troubled the detective. “The knife,” Rivers said.
Mark looked up. “What about it?” “Why did Liam take Jaden’s knife?”
Mark swallowed. “He liked it.” Rivers frowned.
“He kept something belonging to a man he’d just killed?”
Mark nodded. “He said it was a good knife.
He didn’t think anyone would ever know where it came from.”
Months later, Liam had pawned that knife for a small amount of cash.
A simple act of greed.
And the mistake that eventually led police to his door.
Rivers leaned back. “Do you understand what you did, Mark?”
Mark looked down. “I know.” “No,” Rivers said quietly.
“I don’t think you do.” He turned Jaden’s photograph faceup again.
“This man was twenty-four years old. He had a mother waiting for him.
He had a career ahead of him.
He went into those woods to study animals.” Mark began crying again.
“He wasn’t supposed to die.” Rivers shook his head.
“He wasn’t supposed to meet you.”
The detective ended the questioning after documenting Mark’s account.
It was no longer simply a story told by a frightened man.
It was a statement containing details that could be
compared with the physical evidence. And those details mattered.
The Arrest Before Sunrise The following morning, December 23,
2010, authorities arrived at the brothers’ trailer outside Redding.
The sky was still dark. Rain had fallen overnight.
The ground around the old sawmill was covered in mud.
Detectives approached carefully. Liam Garrett had access to firearms.
They knew he was familiar with the surrounding forest.
And they knew he might flee if given the opportunity.
Rivers stood near the entrance as officers announced themselves.
For several seconds, nothing happened. Then the door opened.
Liam appeared in a faded shirt. His expression barely changed.
“What is this?” “We need you to come with us,” Rivers said.
“For what?” “The murder of Jaden Glenn.”
Liam looked past the detective toward the police vehicles.
Then he asked: “Where’s Mark?” Rivers said nothing.
Liam’s jaw tightened. “That little liar.”
He was taken into custody without a struggle.
Investigators searched the trailer under a warrant.
Near a bed, they discovered a pair of worn boots.
One heel had an unusual scuff.
The tread pattern was consistent with the distinctive
impression photographed near the ravine. They also recovered a .
308-caliber rifle.
Its identification and examination became critical to the investigation.
Forensic testing identified blood traces on the rifle’s
stock that matched Jaden’s DNA profile. The weapon, the footwear,
the stolen knife, the vehicle,
and Mark’s confession formed the chain of evidence investigators had been missing.
