He Said Wife Fell Off Cliff. She Actually Faked Her Death To Avoid Prison

Authorities quickly launched a massive search for Julie Wheeler, 44. For days, hundreds of volunteers, police, and professional rescuers trekked along the base of the New River where her husband said she'd fallen, aided by helicopters and rescue dogs.

Last May, Rodney Wheeler dialed 911 with a frantic plea for help: His wife had just plunged hundreds of feet over a steep cliff in a West Virginia national park. Authorities quickly launched a massive search for Julie Wheeler, 44. For days, hundreds of volunteers, police, and professional rescuers trekked along the base of the New River where her husband said she'd fallen, aided by helicopters and rescue dogs. But Julie Wheeler had never gone missing. Three days after she supposedly fell off a cliff, authorities found her hiding inside a closet in the couple's Beaver, W.Va. home. In fact, the couple had tried to elaborately fake her death to help her avoid federal sentencing in a health-care fraud scheme. They planned to eventually slip away and hide together.