Harold Henthorn took his wife Toni Henthorn for a surprise hike in the Rocky Mountains to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary. When she “had fallen” about 140 feet off a rock, Harold called 911 to report the accident but a rescue team couldn’t reach them in time to save Toni’s life.
[Harold Henthorn Put Pink X On Map Where Wife Toni Henthorn “Fell”]
It’s not rare for people to fall and die in the Rocky Mountains – it’s rugged terrain. What is unusual — prosecutors think — is that Harold Henthorn’s first wife, Lynn Henthorn, died in a freak accident 17 years earlier. While driving at night, Harold and Lynn stopped to fix a soft tire (not a flat tire). While Harold changed the tire, Lynn crawled under the car when the car fell and crushed her. The police ruled it an accident. But one detective investigating the death of Toni Henthorn noticed the similarities of the deaths. Both occurred in very remote locations in Colorado, both around their 12th wedding anniversaries, and in both cases Harold was the only witness. After finding a map of the park in Harold’s car with a pink x marking the spot where Henthorn’s second wife Toni had fallen, a jury found Harold Henthorn guilty of first-degree murder of Toni Henthorn. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (which first ruled first wife Lynn’s death an accident) is reopening the investigation of Lynn Henthorn’s death. 48 Hours will air the investigation led by its correspondent Peter Van Sant on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 9pm.
