It was an early afternoon in January 2023. Sarah Hartsfield called 911 from her home in Chambers County, Texas.
Sarah’s husband, Joe, a diabetic, was unresponsive in their bedroom. EMTs arrived and Joe was rushed to the hospital, unconscious, in a diabetic coma. Doctors and nurses gave him sugar water through an IV. But Joe did not respond.
One of the medical staff slipped away and made a phone call to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office.
Skyler Rocz, the young on-call detective -- just six weeks on the job -- was sent to investigate. She began by talking with Joe’s wife, Sarah. And what she heard just didn’t make sense.
But when she took her suspicions to direct supervisors, they told her to let it go. Not enough evidence.
Eleven days later, Sarah Hartsfield gave the go-ahead to take Joe off life support.
To Det. Rocz, this was now a potential case of murder. But in order to prove it, she’d need to take a look at Sarah’s past.
One rabbit hole led to another, and another.
And what she learned was, Sarah Hartsfield is a woman who many people believed had gotten away with everything.
Until, maybe, now…
To find out about Sarah’s past, watch the full episode “The Trouble with Sarah,” which is available on Peacock now.
You can also watch on the NBC app or listen to the full episode on our podcast.
Then watch as loved ones remember Joe Hartsfield as a kid at heart, who would do anything for his family.
Plus, watch family and friends remember Sarah’s one-time fiancé David Bragg as a reliable and fun-loving guy.
And, hear from Chambers County District Attorney Cheryl Lieck-Henry and Assistant District Attorney Mallory Vargas about working in their hometown.
Then listen to this week’s episode of Talking Dateline, in which Keith Morrison and Lester Holt take you behind the scenes of the episode.
