Exclusive: Killing Fields star Randy Patrick previews season 3 of Discovery Channel’s hit series
By Cody Schultz
Ahead of the Season 3 premiere of Discovery Channel’s hit series Killing Fields, investigator Randy Patrick previews the season’s chilling case!
More from Hidden Remote
- The story of a French emperor: Here’s where Napoleon will stream after theaters
- It’s Thanksgiving Eve! Tune into the SNL Thanksgiving special to get into the spirit of the holiday
- Mamie’s plan is advanced on Thanksgiving (Young and the Restless Nov. 22 recap)
- ACOTAR on Hulu: Is A Court of Thorns and Roses based on a book?
- Final season, release date set for La Brea season 3: Everything we know so far
This January, Discovery Channel’s breakout true crime series Killing Fields returns with a new season that shifts its focus to a new investigative team and their efforts to find justice for yet another victim whose case went cold years ago.
In its third season, Killing Fields will transport viewers to Isle of Wight, a small and isolated farmland community in Virginia, where the Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office has decided to reopen the investigation into the 2004 murder of Carrie Singer, a 28-year-old woman found beaten to death and half-naked in a field whose case went cold due to the initial investigation’s inability to connect the crime to any DNA evidence or establish a motive for the crime.
Among the team working the case is original investigator Randy Patrick who worked the case back when it first opened and has been haunted by it ever since. With the help of the Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office team and cutting edge technology previously unavailable when the murder first occurred, Patrick looks to finally bring Carrie’s killer to justice so that he can bring closure to her family and put the case to bed.
Ahead of the Season 3 premiere, Hidden Remote caught up with Patrick to discuss the case at its heart of the season, what it has been like working with the Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office team while also getting our first hint at unearthed lead which has the ability to crack the case wide open.
Hidden Remote: As someone who has worked in law enforcement for many years, what was it about this particular case that stuck with you over the years and continued to drive your desire to close the case?
Randy Patrick: I’ve worked for a long time and seen many horrible, gruesome things. But Carrie was the first victim that I ever saw in such a state. She had 8-9 severe blows to her head with a hammer. Her face was completely beaten in, she was found naked and the elements took control in less than 24 hours. It was horrific. And you knew, it was a murder. Her body was in such a terrible state and different than the bodies you’d find from a drowning or another kind of death. I have that image in my head every day and it hasn’t gone away in 13 years. It’s been a work in progress to solve it with countless hours that have been tied up.
Hidden Remote: Given the murder unfolded in 2004, why reopen the case now and can you walk us through the process of how the case was reopened.
Patrick: The sheriff went to the Lieutenant. And he approached me about re-opening the case. Kris [Coughlin] was paired up with me to bring a fresh set of eyes to the case. Plus, we were paired together since the Lieutenant thought would work well together.
Hidden Remote: What can you tell us about the members of Wight County Sheriff’s Office assigned to work the case?
Patrick: It’s a small department with a small investigative unit. Everybody was hands on with this case. As small as we are, everybody was on board.
Hidden Remote: Have you found the presence of fresh eyes working the case has helped to provide new insight into the critical evidence from the crime scene?
Patrick: Yes, [Kris] had ideas that I didn’t think of. His way of thinking is not the way that I would see something at first. It gave me perspective on different ways to approach people and how to ask questions.
Hidden Remote: And how has the new technology – technology which was nonexistent when the murder first happened – helped to provide new leads in the case?
Patrick: Technology was certainly helpful in the case. For example, I had evidence that couldn’t be tested when the original case happened. They didn’t have the equipment they do now. I was able to take this same evidence and get it tested today and some of that gave us positive results with new leads. With that said, technology is great, but pounding the doors and being on the street is what got us so far. I started on this case with three giant binders – and a lot of different leads came from old-fashioned police work. The technology can help advance it.
Hidden Remote: Speaking of new leads, we also know that the new investigation unearths information about a second homicide committed around the same time as Carrie’s murder. Can you give us any clues as to how the connection between the two cases is discovered or will affect the direction of the case?
Patrick: There were two homicides in the same week. That is pretty unusual for a small county. They were similar in the beating, and over the years, they have been intertwined. You would get new conversation sand new leads. There were a lot of interactions between the two homicides through the past 13 years.
Next: Preview: Killing Fields returns with an exciting new season featuring a chilling new case
Don’t miss the Season 3 premiere of Killing Fields tonight, Jan. 4, at 9/8c on Discovery Channel.
Are you looking forward to tuning into this season of Killing Fields to watch the investigation into Carrie’s death unfold? Thoughts on shifting the focus to a new town and new investigation this season? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below and be sure to set your DVRs so you don’t miss a minute of the action.