She contacted an attorney without telling Ethan.
Her plan was to file for divorce, seek protection, and fight for custody of their five-year-old son.
The Yosemite trip was supposed to give her room to think before she made the final move.
But days before she left, Vanessa believed Ethan discovered the hidden evidence.
The photographs.
The lawyer’s information.
Enough to understand what she was planning.
And enough, according to prosecutors, to understand what he stood to lose.
His marriage.
Custody.
Money.
Reputation.
Possibly his freedom.
Vanessa drove to Yosemite believing Ethan and their son remained at home.
She began her hike.
For hours, nothing happened.
Then, on August 13, she encountered the person she least expected to see on a remote trail.
Her husband.
Ethan had followed her.
