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The heartbreaking stories of Molly Jane Matheson and Megan Leigh Getrum have intertwined two families forever, united by the devastating realization that their shared tragedy might have been preventable.
As highlighted by Josh Mankiewicz on Oxygen’s Dateline: Unforgettable, “This is the dual heartbreak these families endure.”
What happened to Molly Matheson and Megan Getrum?
Back in 2017, Molly was a vibrant college student known for her outgoing nature and reliability, balancing her studies with a job at a lingerie shop in Fort Worth, Texas.
Concern arose when Molly failed to appear for work on April 10, prompting her boss to reach out to her mother, Tracy. Tracy’s worry quickly escalated into horror when she discovered her daughter lifeless in the shower of her apartment.
An autopsy revealed that Molly had died from strangulation. Detectives Matt Anderson and Kyle Sullivan suspected sexual assault, which was later confirmed during the investigation.
While examining the scene, the detectives observed that some laundry, including a bedsheet and men’s underwear, had been washed.
“We believed at that time that the killer was trying to cover his tracks,” Sullivan recounted, “by getting rid of the evidence through the washing machine.”
The washer’s electrical meter would eventually become a key piece in pinpointing when the killer was inside Molly’s apartment.
Then, just days later, on April 14, 36-year-old Megan, a computer coder who loved cats, photography and the outdoors, went for her usual after-work hike at a nature preserve in Plano, Texas. But, she never returned home.
Megan’s body was found April 19 in Lake Ray Hubbard, about 20 miles away. She had been strangled, suffered blunt force trauma to her head and had been sexually assaulted.
Searching for a suspect
Investigators began interviewing men in Molly’s life, with attention quickly moving to Reginald Kimbro, whose number was in Molly’s phone records. He had texted her around 10:30 p.m. on April 9, the night before her body was discovered.
Detectives learned that Reginald and Molly met while she was attending the University of Arkansas. Though they had dated and broken up, they stayed loosely in touch. And the night before she was found dead, they’d reconnected at her apartment.
In a recorded interview, Regniald—who agreed to give a sample of his DNA but denied a polygraph—denied having sex with her, but admitted, “we got to the point to where we were going to, but she was just like, ‘I don’t feel comfortable.’”
He said he left Molly’s apartment at 1:30 a.m on April 10, but surveillance showed driven out of the area at 2 a.m.
The detectives uncovered that Reginald had a disturbing criminal history. He had been accused of aggravated assaults in Plano and South Padre Island in 2012 and 2014, and later in Collin County. But time and again, Reginald evaded prosecution.
“In some cases, police were responsible for not going forward,” said Mankiewicz, “and in other cases prosecutors were responsible for not going forward.”
Despite their suspicions, detectives lacked enough evidence to arrest Reginald in Molly’s murder and he was released. Days later, Megan disappeared.
As Det. Aaron Benzick investigated Megan’s case, he uncovered a crucial detail: There was a curfew check at the nature reserve the night she vanished—and Reginald had been there that day.
Benzick soon learned that Reginald was already suspect in Molly’s murder. Investigators in both homicides began working together—and DNA evidence confirmed their fears.
Who killed Molly Matheson and Megan Getrum?
On April 27, Reginald was arrested. In March 2022, facing the death penalty, just before his trial, he accepted a plea deal. He admitted to murdering Molly and Megan as well as for four other sexual assaults.
He was sentenced to life without parole for the two murders plus another life sentence for the sexual assault of Katie Coats, 20 years for the sexual assault of Melissa Winton, and 20 years for two other Collin County cases.
For Megan’s mother, the sentencing brought some form of peace. “It did help to have Mr. Kimbro say he was guilty,” she said. “I’m content that he’ll spend the rest of his life in jail.”
Molly’s parents also found a small sense of justice. As her mom said, “His voice has been silenced.”
Dateline: Unforgettable airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Oxygen.
