At Phoenix General Hospital, doctors confirmed Sophie’s parents had been breathing gas for hours. They were alive but in critical condition.
Meanwhile, investigators returned to the house.
The furnace itself showed no major malfunction.
Someone had tampered with it deliberately.
Whoever did it knew exactly what they were doing.
Later, in a quiet room at the police station, Ruiz sat across from Sophie.
She spoke with the simple honesty only children have.
“Daddy was really nervous yesterday,” she said. “He was yelling on the phone… he said he couldn’t pay anymore.”
“Did you hear the other person?” Ruiz asked.
Sophie nodded slowly.
“He said today was the deadline.”
The Security Cameras
Neighborhood cameras revealed something chilling.
At 11:46 p.m., a hooded man walked toward the house.
He limped slightly on his right leg.
Five minutes later, he left quickly.
He hadn’t wandered there by accident.
He knew exactly where he was going.
But the most important clue hadn’t been discovered yet.
And it wasn’t in the furnace.
What They Found Under Sophie’s Bed
Two days later, detectives returned to the house to collect more evidence.
While searching Sophie’s bedroom, Officer Ruiz noticed something under the bed.