Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - What happened to Kate Waring?

The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is all set to look into the brutal murder of Kate Waring, a socialite from Charleston, South Carolina. While the death of the 28-year-old was quite distressing to the Charleston community, what was even more shocking to them was the manner of her death and the fact that the perpetrators were her friends. The case dates back to 2009.

Titled Strangers on a Train, the upcoming episode of the show was originally the sixth episode of the third season. It will air on August 17, 2022, at 9 PM EST on Oxygen.

The synopsis for the episode reads:

"She was beautiful, trusting and troubled; the young woman from a prominent family was just turning it around and realizing her promise; then she vanished; when the police seemed unable to find her, her family hatched a plan to solve the mystery."

Read on for more details about Kate Waring's murder.

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Who was Kate Waring and how did she die?

The heir to a wealthy family in Charleston, South Carolina, Kate Waring was a 28-year-old high society girl who, surprisingly, did not behave like one. In fact, her entire family was known for their down-to-earth manner despite their massive wealth. Those who knew her described her as "extremely smart, caring, compassionate."

Kate loved to travel and returned to Charleston only to re-enroll in college. The promising woman's life changed forever on the night of June 12, 2009, when she allegedly went out to dinner with two of her friends, Ethan Mack and Heather Kamp, who were engaged at the time. Funnily enough, the couple met after Kate introduced them to each other.

On June 15, 2009, the Waring family reached out to the authorities claiming that their daughter had not returned home for days. During the time of her disappearance, Kate was housesitting for her parents, who were on a vacation. James Randolph, a former police investigator, told Oxygen:

"The Warings knew Kate didn’t go out of town because there were just too many things still at the house of her personal belongings. There was medication that was still in her room unused, her credit cards were not being used."

Waring told her parents that she was going out with Ethan Mack for dinner on the night of June 12. Mack knew the family well and was allegedly like a brother to Kate Waring.

Upon questioning, Mack told authorities that he, Kate, and his fiance, Heather Kamp, went out for dinner to celebrate Kamp's pregnancy. Mack allegedly dropped her off at 11 PM that night. However, in reality, things went very differently from this version.

After chasing dead ends for a while, the authorities discovered that Mack tried to cash a check of $4,500 that Kate Waring allegedly wrote for him. The signature turned out to be forged. Investigators began to survey Mack and Kamp’s home on James Island. They also discovered that Kamp had faked her entire identity and had an extensive criminal history.

After investigators narrowed down on Mack and Kamp, the latter contacted Charleston police and admitted that they had been stealing money from Waring. She said that Waring found out about it and threatened the couple multiple times. This allegedly enraged Mack, and he attacked Kate following an argument.

Police arrested the couple following Kamp's confession and charged them with obstruction of justice and forgery. Kamp also revealed the location of Kate Waring's dead body. Kamp allegedly also agreed to testify against Mack for a reduced sentence.

She revealed that Mack tricked Kate into stuffing herself into a suitcase and then went on to torture her with a stun gun. He later hit her with a wine bottle and drowned her in the bathtub. Kamp changed her story many times, leading authorities to rescind her plea deal.

Though the murder trial against Mack was a complicated one, he finally entered a plea deal in 2011 and was handed a 25-year prison sentence. Kamp was sentenced to 39 years in prison.

The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on August 17, 2022, will air at 9 PM EST on Oxygen.