Hugh Harlin
Real Name: Hugh Harlin
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Morro Bay, California
Date: November 1, 1986
Bio
Occupation: Fisherman
Date Of Birth: July 31, 1935
Height: 5" 8"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Marital Status: Widowed
Characteristics: Gray hair and beard, blue eyes, missing thumb and forefinger on left hand
Case
Details: Hugh Harlin was a native of Morro Bay, California. He was self-employed as a fisherman and did his work when he saw fit, also volunteering to help neighbors out of personal fulfilment. Although regarded by the community as atypical and quirky, Hugh Harlin got along well with others and his foibles were viewed as living his own life the way he wanted and respecting others. Although Hugh seemed well-adjusted in a seacoast community like Morro Bay, his personal life had some problems. He was married to Dian Harlin, known among the town gossip as "the Dog Lady" as she loved her dogs more than people. Hugh and Dian where known locally to have a stormy marriage, with Dian squandering Hugh's meager income and doing things to intentionally enrage him. When Dian was found murdered on the beach after walking her dogs, Hugh was the chief suspect. The local police interrogated Hugh; attempting to get him to confess on the basis they knew of the rocky marriage and that Dian always pushed his buttons. Hugh's alibi seemed plausible until police revealed that Dian had died as a result of being asphixiated from a dog leash, to which Hugh abruptly revised his statement that her dogs found their way home and were without their leashes, whereas originally he stated the dogs found their way to his home and were wearing leashes. Although the change in story intensified the interrogation, eventually the police ruled him out as a suspect. Although investigators didn't believe he committed the murder, they felt that Hugh knew more about it than he claimed, and may have been concealing facts out of fear. Four years later in November 1986, Hugh was at work and needed to run home to get the right tools, which was his most recent sighting. Friends found his pickup truck deserted on the side of the road and his personal possessions left behind. Few people believe he vanished on his own, but several people believe he was harmed by the person who killed Dian.
Dian and Hugh Harlin
Suspects: No known suspects
Extra Notes: This segment originally ran on the April 6, 1994 episode.
Results: Unsolved
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