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Cold Justice is returning to Oxygen after a months-long hiatus, re-examining the unsolved case of Natasha Atchley from South Texas in 1992. The Burning Mystery episode will air on the channel on February 25, 2023. The synopsis states:
"Kelly and Steve investigate the biggest unsolved cold case in East Texas -- the 1992 death of a popular teen whose charred remains were found in her car. Can they crack the case that's stumped detectives for decades?"
In May 1992, popular teen and former cheerleader Natasha Atchley's charred remains were found inside the trunk of her smoldering car on a rural dirt road in San Jacinto County. The scene was first discovered by a man and his grandson returning from a fishing trip.
Atchley attended an alcohol and drug-fuelled party in Shepherd the previous night. Detectives believe she was murdered sometime during the late night or early morning hours elsewhere and was set on fire on the dirt road. Although many theories have transpired about the events that may have occurred that night, the case remains unsolved to date.
Burning Mystery will air on Oxygen at 8.00 pm ET this Saturday.
Natasha Atchley killing: Five key facts to know about the decades-old unsolved case of the Texas teenager.
1) Atchley's burned car and remains were found in the morning hours of May 3, 1992
Natasha Atchley was last seen alive on May 2, 1992, while attending a friend's party in Shepherd, Texas. She was expected to be at her mother's house the following day and was thus reported missing when she failed to attend.
On the morning of May 3, around 10:00, a man and his grandson stumbled upon Atchley's smoldering hatchback car on a dirt road in rural San Jacinto County while returning from a fishing trip. Her badly charred remains were inside the hatchback trunk about a mile from where she had attended the previous night's party.
2) She had moved out of Livingston, Texas, during high school and was visiting at the time of the incident.
According to reports, Natasha Atchley grew up in Livingston, Texas, but moved to Odessa, West Texas, to live with her grandparents during her senior year of high school. She subsequently completed high school at Odessa Permian High School, enrolled at Blinn College, and started living in an apartment with roommates in College Station.
Atchley reportedly contacted her childhood friend Keisha Myers about two weeks before the murder to let her know she would visit Livingston. Myers told NBC Dateline,
"I didn’t get to speak to her. She spoke to my grandma and said she wanted to make sure I’d be here when she came to visit. She said she had something important to tell me. But I never found out what that was."
3) Authorities believe Natasha Atchley was at or near the place of the party.
According to retired San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Tom Branch, who worked on the case for about 12 years, Atchley was killed at or close to the party's location sometime during the night of May 2 or early morning hours of the following day. Later, she was driven about a mile to the dirt road in rural San Jacinto County, where the car was set on fire with her body still inside.
4) Test results revealed that an accelerant was used to set fire to Atchley's car.
According to test results, drip gas was the accelerant the perpetrator(s) used to set the vehicle on fire. Former Chief Deputy Tom Branch told Dateline that he suspects the murderer could have utilized nearby oil and gas wells to execute the crime.
According to NBC, Branch explained,
"Drip gas is something you can get out of the oil well, if you know what you’re doing. But not everyone does. I think it narrows down suspects somewhat."
He further spoke about Natasha Atchley's remains, saying,
"Her whole body fit in a shoebox."
5) Following a tip, detectives even made two arrests concerning the murder.
During the initial stages of the investigation, detectives arrested two people for aggravated assault following a witness' claims that he saw them beating up Natasha Atchley. But the individual later recalled their narrative.
Detectives stated that the party, which was described as one fuelled by alcohol and a range of drugs, further complicated the investigation. They issued search warrants at the houses of everyone who attended the party and examined all vehicles nearby. They also attempted to question potential witnesses from the party, but nobody was willing to talk.
Natasha Atchley's case remains unsolved nearly 25 years after her charred remains were found. Cold Justice to chronicle the case on Thursday, February 23, 2023 on Oxygen.
