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30-year-old Susan Woods was discovered dead in her bathroom on July 28, 1987. Her naked body was found in the bathtub with her head completely submerged in black water. Her hands were tied behind her back with a tank top. It was Susan's father who first called the authorities.
When police officers searched Susan's residence in Stephenville, Texas, they failed to find any signs of struggles. Investigators found a coke can, a bag of chips, and six cigarette butts lying on a table. This indicated that the 20/20 subject, Susan Woods, already knew the killer and invited them into the apartment.
Initially, all the suspicion was directed towards Susan's former husband, Michael Woods. A few months before the murder, Michael had left for Indiana after a fight with Susan. However, almost two decades after the murder, the investigation turned toward a completely unsuspected culprit.
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This week's 20/20 episode explores the story of Susan Woods. The episode, titled There Is a Monster in Me, was released on July 25, 2025.
What happened to the 20/20 subject, Susan Woods
As reported by the Texan News Service, it was Susan's father, Joe Atkins, who found his daughter in the bathroom and called the Stephenville Police. Reportedly, the 20/20 victim's naked body was seen draped over the bathtub, with her inside the water, while her hands were tied behind her.
Investigators reported that Susan Woods was first suffocated with a pillow, then strangled with an electric cord, and then drowned in the bathtub. Authorities found ligature marks across the victim's neck. Susan was hit on the head with massive force.
As reported by the Texan News Service, when Susan's friend Gloria Martin was questioned, she shared her suspicion of Susan's ex-husband, Michael Woods. It was revealed that a few months before the murder, Michael had fought with Susan Woods and driven off to Indiana in the couple's only car, carrying some of their belongings.
It was revealed that Michael had left explicit videotapes and notes throughout the house, blaming Susan for breaking their marriage. Reportedly, their marriage was struggling with financial issues.
Investigation behind the murder of Susan Woods
As reported by the Texan News Service, authorities from the Texas Police initially suspected Martin. They followed him to Indiana and retrieved his fingerprint. The samples were matched with the fingerprints found in Susan's bathtub.
However, the fingerprints did not match. After initial investigation, with no more concrete evidence found, the case was soon closed. It was only in 2005 that the inquiry into Susan Woods' murder was restarted.
Reportedly, one of Michael's friends named Barbara Gary emailed the Stephenville Police Department, questioning them about the case. This was mainly because Michael had shared with her his paranoia of constantly being under suspicion of his wife's murder.
As reported by Oxygen, in 2006, Lt. Don Miller from Stephenville Police started the investigation. He sent the six cigarette butts found at Susan Woods' crime scene for DNA analysis. Since forensic technology was in the initial stages in 1987, DNA analysis with new technology provided a new direction to the case.
Reportedly, when the results arrived, it provided the DNA sample of an unidentified male suspect. 20/20 suspect Michael Woods was asked to provide a DNA sample. Woods cooperated with the authorities, and his DNA sample did not match with the one found at the crime scene. He was eventually cleared of suspicion.
As reported by the Texan News Service, it was in 2006 when the Texas Department of Public Safety gained access to FBI databases. Eventually, authorities, including Lt. Don Miller, tracked down a man named Joseph Scott Hartley, who was arrested for armed robbery in Nevada in 1988.
It was also reported that in 1988, Joseph Hartley had r*ped a 16-year-old girl named Shannon Meyers-Barrientos in Stephenville. When Meyers was questioned, she revealed that Hatley was from a well-known family at that time, and the charges against him were dropped.
As reported by the Texan News Service, Meyers said that Hatley threatened her, saying he had killed before and is not afraid to kill her. Reportedly, it was on July 6, 2007, when Joseph Scott Hartley was brought in for interrogation. He cooperated with the officials and provided his DNA to the police.
Additionally, it was revealed that Hatley physically abused his wife, who was disabled. The following day, Joseph Hatley was arrested for domestic violence. When his DNA sample was tested, it matched with the DNA found at Susan Woods' crime scene.
As reported by Oxygen, Hatley took a plea deal and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Susan Woods. He was released in 2018 after spending 11 years behind bars. Joseph Hatley died due to cancer in 2021.
Check out our other articles to learn more details about other cases on 20/20.
