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In the spring of 1985, Margaret Purk, 24, was happily married and expecting her first child. According to Margaret's family, she was overjoyed to become a mother. She resided with her husband, Scott Purk, in Akron, Ohio. But their lives were about to take a turn, and the truth would only come out after two decades.
On March 19, Scott found Margaret hanging in their apartment only a few days before the 24-year-old was scheduled to give birth to their baby and called 911. Although authorities rushed her to the hospital in hopes of saving the baby, neither could be saved. Margaret's death was initially ruled as suicide, given that Scott had the authorities convinced.
However, the truth eventually came out after a 2009 arson case that involved Scott Purk, who couldn't stop talking about his dead wife. Margaret's body was exhumed, and a second autopsy revealed that the marks on her body were inconsistent with that of a hanging death, thus ruling in a homicide by strangulation.
More than two decades later, Margaret Purk's body was exhumed after suspicions about a possible homicide surfaced
In March 2009, twenty-four years after Margaret Purk's alleged suicide, authorities received a distressed 911 call about a horrible home fire, but everyone managed to escape unharmed. It was a family of four consisting of Scott Purk, his wife, and their two kids.
Upon arriving at the crime scene, authorities noticed Scott's odd demeanor. Despite it being unrelated, he made a point of telling investigators about the death of his former wife and that she killed herself in 1985. Additionally, he mentioned his history of criminal behavior and that he was known as "The Ninja Burglar" at one point.
An investigator reopened the investigation into Margaret Purk's death based on a suspicion that arose while investigating the arson case. Something seemed off about Scott Purk's narrative, and authorities started re-examining pictures from the original autopsy when they realized that the marks on her neck were inconsistent with the hanging suicide theory.
In 2010, another fire broke out at a duplex in Stow, Ohio. This was reportedly similar to the one at Purk's house, and it was started intentionally. Detectives suspected Scott Purk started the fire to hinder their investigation. He was arrested in 2011 and pleaded guilty to both arson cases, receiving a 28-year sentence in prison.
That same year, Margaret Purk's remains were exhumed twenty-six years after her death, and a medical examiner found a bruise to the woman's back consistent with someone's knee. The ligature marks were confirmed to be from a belt, not a rope, and her death was officially ruled a homicide.
To disprove the suicide claim, detectives reenacted the theory, and it was confirmed that she was strangled with a belt and killed, most likely by her husband kneeling on her back, given that he was the only person present at the scene. He was already serving a lengthy sentence when he was tried and found guilty of the murder. Scott was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison.
Scott is currently serving time at the Pickaway Correctional Center in Ohio. To learn more about Margaret Purk's murder, tune in to Dateline: Unforgettable.
