The department relied entirely on the personal effects found on the body and a rushed dental comparison from the county coroner.”

“Were those dental records ever independently checked by an outside expert?” I pressed.

“No, they were never independently verified,” Miller confessed quietly.

The room seemed to sway beneath my feet, and Paige quickly wrapped her arm around my waist to steady me.

Austin looked down at the wooden floorboards, his voice choked with emotion.

“There was one glaring detail about that body that never made sense to me, Hannah,” Austin admitted softly.

“The coroner’s report noted an old healed fracture on the left wrist.