‘True Crime Story: Citizen Detective’ Recap – ‘The Mays Family’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Still from ‘True Crime Story: Citizen Detective’ – ‘The Mays Family’ – Courtesy of Sundance TV.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘True Crime Story: Citizen Detective’.
​
We like to believe that if by chance we are wronged in this life by another human being, we can receive justice through the channels that are available to us. Where the police will investigate swiftly and promptly to make an arrest and where the courts will provide due process, so that person can face justice for their crimes and so we can be whole again. And we hold to that belief, because we have seen the judicial system in our country, do just that time and time again and give people everything they need to heal when crime finds its way into their lives. But while that provides us with a sense of safety and comfort, what’s unfortunate… is that sometimes the system fails its citizens. 

It could be because there was a mistake made in the arrest and investigation process or something awful happened in court that prompted the case to be thrown out, or the case wasn’t strong enough, prompting a jury to find the defendant ‘not guilty’ so they can walk free. Or perhaps… nothing comes forth, period, because the police have limited resources or believe they have bigger fish to fry. But regardless of the reason, not everyone gets justice in this nation and that leaves one to wonder… what then do people do when they know they’ve been wronged but cannot rely upon the system? Well for some, that means taking the whole matter into their own hands and finding a way to bring someone to justice, the right way, without the help of traditional channels, and believe it or not… these folks find success.

In fact, their stories are so fascinating and so unique that SundanceTV has complied several for their new series, True Crime: Citizen Detective, and for its series premiere, the show opted to showcase how one family overcame incredible adversity to bring justice forth for one of their own. For ‘The Mays Family’ was surprised when Christy Mays was found dead by her husband Jason, under circumstances that made little sense. For she was healthy and happy, just had a baby, and died out of the blue, of what was revealed to be a heroin overdose no less… and that too made little sense. For Christy was not known for using drugs, in the slightest, and well… that prompted her family to push for a criminal investigation since the circumstances were so incredibly suspicious and well… the police in their town… did nothing to assuage their concerns.

They simply saw it as a drug statistic and that pushed the family… to dig in on their own, and what they learned was awful. In that, Jason was in fact, a drug user and he often talked about ending the life of his wife to collect the insurance money he would be entitled to, and well… the family thought those clues would be enough to finally get him prosecuted. But even then, the case was of no concern. So, years later, with evidence in hand… the family decided the best way to handle this was to file a civil case. One that would force an admission from guilt from Jason or force the whole thing to a long-winded trial they were willing to sit through and shockingly… Jason agreed to finally fess up and admit he caused harm. Giving this family the peace, they needed, and justice for Cathy at last. All because… they took matters into their own hands. 

For the police really did disappoint in this story, and it was unfortunate to hear that there wasn’t an arrest until Jason put a confession to paper. But alas, that was the situation that the Mays family encountered, and they are proof positive that when patience comes into play and discipline and hard work are instilled into an endgame of earning justice… wonders can be accomplished. Granted that shouldn’t have to come into play, law enforcement should be the ones stepping in. But this was a fine reminder of how some people slip through the cracks of the system and how they are left with no choice but to burden themselves with the difficulty of an investigation. And truly, it will be interesting to see in the weeks to come what other good citizens ran into such failures and how they overcame them to find justice for the fallen and for themselves. Until next time.

---

Watch ‘True Crime Story: Citizen Detective’

Powered by JustWatch