Ep20 - Elizabeth DeCaro
On the evening of Friday March 6th, 1992, Melanie Enkleman was looking for her younger sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth DeCaro was supposed to meet her for dinner at 5, but she didn’t show. Repeated calls to her house phone were going unanswered and Melanie beginning to worry.
The normally bubbly and kind 28-year-old mother of 4 has been acting differently as of late. She had been more anxious and worried and the two sisters had had conversations about the state of Elizabeth’s marriage.
But, whether or not she was going through a hard time or not, it was not like Elizabeth to skip out on dinner plans and not answer her calls. Melanie and their coworker headed over to her house in St. Charles, Missouri. They arrived around 8pm and found the side door of the garage open and lights on. Fear gripped Melanie because she felt that something was not right. Bracing themselves, the two went inside and in the kitchen they found a gruesome scene.
Elizabeth was face down on the kitchen floor, shot to death lying in a pool of her own blood. Melanie called 911, hysterical at the sight, but she did manage to tell the police clearly and firmly that the person responsible and the person the police needed to look for was Elizabeth’s husband, Rick DeCaro.
It came out later that Rick showed signs of being an abusive and controlling husband. Recognizing the signs of domestic abuse is very important. Below are some links where you can read more about recognizing warning signs and what you can do to help yourself or others.
References and Further Reading
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/fysb/fv-centers
http://www.nrcdv.org/key-initiatives/
