17-Hour Police Interrogation Leads to False Confession

By Muhammad Saleem

Thomas’s life turned into a nightmare when his father expressed his desire to go for a walk. His wish transformed into false accusations, intense police interrogation, and a struggle for mental stability. 

This is the story of how a small misunderstanding became an incredible nightmare for Thomas.

The Evening Before

One night, Thomas was sitting at home with his father and both were talking in a conducive environment. Suddenly, his father informed Thomas that he was going to take the dog out for a walk and would also get the mail while returning home.

Concern Arises

When an elderly person goes out at that age, children naturally worry. Thomas asked his father, “When will you be back?” To this, his father chuckled and said, “Son, I’ll be back soon.” However, after a while, the dog returned home, but there was no sign of his father. Concern arose in Thomas’s heart.

The Search Begins

Thomas thought, “What’s going on? Where did Dad go?” He anxiously waited for his father. A day passed, but there was still no sign of Dad. No news, no phone call. Thomas’s worry grew. Finally, he decided to seek help from the police.

Police Involvement

Thomas decided to seek the police assistance to trace his father, so he called the police and informed them that his father had gone for a walk with the dog yesterday and had not returned home so far. He said the dog had come back, but his father still hadn’t shown up. 

The police arrived at Thomas’s house shortly after. They began their investigation and expressed suspicion towards Thomas. The police started a long series of questions and searched the house.

Evidence Found

During the search of the house, they found some blood stains near the stairs. The police dog also indicated that something was amiss. In these circumstances, the police took Thomas with them to the police station. There, he faced even more pressure and continued interrogation.

Pressure to Confess

The police began to pressure Thomas to confess that he had killed his father. But Thomas repeatedly insisted that he had done nothing wrong. He had not harmed his father.

Ongoing Interrogation

The police were only interrogating Thomas and were not considering any other angles. They questioned him late into the night, and Thomas kept saying that he had done nothing wrong with his father; rather, his father was missing.

Medication Issues

It’s worth mentioning that Thomas is on medication for depression and anxiety. Many hours had ticked by with the police, and during this time Thomas hadn’t been able to pop his pills, which took a toll on his health.

A number of times, Thomas had requested the police officers to allow him to take his medicine, but the officers were under the impression that Thomas was playing games to avoid interrogation; therefore, they turned a deaf ear to his requests.

Accusations from Police

During the interrogation, while the policemen were shooting the breeze, one officer threw out the idea that perhaps it was the medication that forced Thomas to kill his father. 

The officers continued to press Thomas to admit that he had killed his father, but he (Thomas) kept sticking to his story that he had done nothing wrong with his father.

Coercive Tactics

The police used another tactic and bundled Thomas into a car, driving him around the bend to increase pressure on him to reveal where his father’s body was buried. 

During the interrogation, Thomas kept telling the officers that he hadn’t killed anyone. He begged for medicine to improve his health. But still, the police turned a blind eye to his repeated requests and took him back to the station.

Mental Breakdown

The police tactics had left Thomas in a state of confusion. His condition deteriorated due to lack of medication, and he was mentally breaking down. Yet still, officers were not willing to believe him.

Bringing in the Dog

Suddenly, the police decided they should bring in Thomas’s pet dog. When they brought in his dog, they said to Thomas, “Look at your dog! 

Don’t you see how deeply disturbed she is because she watched you kill your own dad?” 

Policemen told Thomas that because of what he did, the dog was mentally scarred and they have left no option but to put her down. 

The thought of having to euthanize his pet made Thomas feel even worse; however, he still denied all charges leveled against him by the police. 

17 Hours of Interrogation

After more than 17 hours of interrogation, the police could not crack him. But police officers didn’t give up the ghost as they decided to change their tactics. The officers told Thomas they had just found his father’s body covered in stab wounds.

False Confession

Without medication, Thomas was mentally exhausted from all the questioning and finally admitted that he couldn’t remember how he had killed his father. 

When Thomas confessed to killing his father, the officers were pleased; their hard work had paid off. After Thomas’s confession, the officers left the room; their job was done.

Desperate Measures

But the police officers didn’t know that Thomas had made another decision due to his worsening mental state. Without his medication, Thomas had made up his mind to take his own life at the police station. 

He untied his shoelaces, tied one end to the nearby desk, and tried to hang himself. But fate played a trick; his shoelace snapped, and he could not commit a suicide. 

Police Intervention

When police heard commotion from Thomas’s room, several officers rushed in. When they realized that Thomas had attempted suicide, they immediately decided he needed psychiatric treatment and should be sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Worst Day Ever

This was Thomas’s worst day ever. Although it had nothing to do with mental health issues initially, the police had ruined his peace of mind. The investigation initiated by the police turned into a nightmare for him.

A Significant Twist

He had spent over 30 hours in custody when another significant twist awaited him. Suddenly, there was a call from Thomas’s sister informing the police that their father was perfectly fine. All this distress turned out to be just a big misunderstanding.

What Really Happened?

Now let’s see what really happened with Dad: when Dad left home that night for a walk with the dog and got the mail; instead of just going for a walk as planned—he went over to visit his girlfriend! 

And when he got there, he decided why not fly over to visit his daughter who lives in Northern California? He went straight to the airport without telling anyone because he left his mobile phone at home!

Misunderstandings Unraveled

While interrogating Thomas about what happened during this time period when he reported that his dad was missing—police thought something terrible had happened when actually Dad was alive all along! As soon as police received that call from Thomas’s sister saying their father is alive—they should have immediately gone back and released him from psychiatric care! 

But you’ll be surprised to know that American authorities completely forgot about Thomas! He spent three more days crying in psychiatric care! 

Thomas was distressed not only because of his mental health issues but also because he believed both his dad and pet were dead! Police convinced him that they found evidence proving otherwise—that both were gone forever! 

However—both were alive! That is—his dad was alive and so was his pet! This whole situation stemmed from their desire for confession!

When reality finally hit home—the police finally released him from psychiatric care! Upon returning home—Thomas discovered both are safe! Afterward—he filed a lawsuit against the police department—and ultimately received about $900k as settlement!