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In March 1985, Margaret 'Meg' Purk, a 24-year-old pregnant Ohio woman, was murdered by her husband Scott Purk at their Akron, Ohio, home. Scott later staged the scene to make it look like suicide. Meg's death was initially ruled a suicide until her body was exhumed more than two decades after it was determined to be a homicide following a second autopsy.
Nearly 24 years later, Scott Purk was arrested after a 2009 investigation into an arson case in a Stow, Ohio home raised suspicions about his involvement in the murder of his pregnant wife Meg, particularly the marks around her neck that seemed inconsistent with suicide by hanging. He was tried in 2015 and found guilty of all charges.
Dateline: Unforgettable is slated to chronicle the shocking case of Margaret 'Meg' Purk in an upcoming episode this Tuesday, November 22. The episode, titled Secrets From the Grave, airs on Oxygen at 8:00 pm ET. Its synopsis reads:
"A man claims his wife died by suicide, but a suspicious house fire 24 years later raises doubts; Josh Mankiewicz remembers the suspect who could not stop talking."
Here's more to know about what exactly happened to Margaret Purk all those years ago and how an exhumation brought her killer to justice.
What was the truth behind Margaret 'Meg' Purk's alleged suicide?
On March 19, 1985, 24-year-old Margaret 'Meg' Purk, who was nine months pregnant at the time, allegedly committed suicide in her Timber Top apartment complex in Akron, Ohio, which she shared with her then-husband Scott Purk. The husband was the first to call 911, claiming that his wife attempted suicide and that he found her hanging from a rope inside the apartment.
Meg was barely clinging to life when the authorities rushed to the spot. Margaret was taken to a hospital in hopes that the baby could be saved, but the baby was stillborn. Scott constantly stated that after he found her hanging. he tried to save her and her cause of death was subsequently ruled to be suicide. Decades later, in 2011, the victim's body was exhumed after new suspicions emerged and a second autopsy ruled the cause of death as homicide by strangulation.
Margaret 'Meg' Purk's husband was found guilty of the homicide
Scott Purk, the husband who led investigators to believe his wife committed suicide, was ultimately found guilty of her murder. He became a suspect in the case in 2009, 24 years later, when investigators responded to a fire in his Stow, Ohio, residence in March of that year. Sources state that he brought up Meg's death in front of a police officer, which raised questions.
The culprit was arrested a year later in connection with two arson cases. Investigations revealed that he had set fire to his house in order to get his insurance money. Further investigation into Scott's background revealed his extensive criminal history.
A forensic pathologist examined Margaret's body in the original photographs from the alleged "suicide" scene and determined that the wounds around her neck weren't compatible with those of a hanging suicide. Additionally, when her body was exhumed, it was discovered that she had sustained injuries, including bruises on her neck which proved the suicide claim to be a farce.
Don't forget to watch Dateline: Unforgettable this Tuesday to find out more about this case.
