Dateline NBC: Who murdered Margaret "Meg" Purk?

Margaret "Meg" Purk, a pregnant Ohio resident alleged to have taken her life in March 1985, is the focus of the Dateline episode titled Secrets From the Grave. In a turn of events, the death was categorized as a homicide after her body was exhumed and reexamined in 2011.

Trigger warning: Mention of self-harm, murder, and suicide.

Margaret "Meg" Purk was strangled to death by her husband, Scott Purk, with a belt as he allegedly kneeled on her back, as per the Akron Beacon Journal. Meg was nine months pregnant at the time of her murder. Scott had staged the crime scene to look like an event of suicide.

Secrets From the Grave showcases the brutal murder of Margaret "Meg" Purk as it re-airs on June 2, 2024, at 10 pm EST. The official synopsis reads:

"A man calls 911 to report that his pregnant wife has died by suicide; the case is closed until a suspicious house fire 24 years later leads police to question what really happened that day."

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What happened to Margaret "Meg" Purk? Details explored

Margaret "Meg" Purk was allegedly found unresponsive by her husband, Scott Purk, when he called 911 on March 18, 1985. The first responders at the scene found the 24-year-old woman at the foot of the stairs at their Timber Top apartment in Akron. Meg was in full cardiac arrest and had a rope strung around her neck.

While the responders restored her pulse and rushed her to the nearby hospital, she passed away hours later and her child was delivered a stillborn. Scott told the police that Meg had been suffering from depression in the last month of her pregnancy and claimed that she had left behind a suicide note — one that was never recovered.

Scott Purk had been bathing when he allegedly noticed Meg walk past the bathroom. He allegedly discovered her hanging from the second-floor railing and had to use a steak knife to cut her down. He mentioned to the authorities that he had performed CPR on her while they were on their way.

Meg's family chose to reject the belief of self-harm and disclosed their reservations about Scott Purk's deceitful nature. The authorities reportedly also found a letter Margaret Purk wrote to her grandmother in New York excitedly talking about her pregnancy. She reportedly shared:

"Just think, any day now, you're going to be a great grandmother, and I'll be a mother. A mother!.. It's even hard for me to believe, but I'm looking forward to it - and so is Scott."

Margaret Purk's body was exhumed on September 21, 2011, and found to have suspicious marks consistent with ligature strangulation.

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Did Scott Purk murder Margaret "Meg" Purk?

Scott Purk, Margaret Purk's husband, was arrested for a string of burglaries he committed in the Akron area under the alias of Ninja Burglar in August 1985. Scott's arrest made for his extensive criminal record, including aggravated burglary and grand theft.

He reportedly fell under the police's radar with an arson in March 2009. He made suspicious comments about his first wife, Margaret Purk's death, which led to the reopening of her case. Another Stow house burnt down in March 2010, leading to the strengthening of the case.

Armed with circumstantial evidence and Meg's second autopsy report, Scott Purk was sentenced to 15 years to life for murder charges and 28 years for two arson charges in November 2015.

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The Dateline episode airing on Sunday showcases all the details of Margaret Purk's murder. Episode 49 of season 28 had originally aired on September 18, 2020.