20/20 season 47 episode 19: A detailed case overview 

20/20 season 47 episode 19 documents the case of Dr. Toni Bertolet, a successful eye surgeon, who was pushed off a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park on September 29, 2012. She and her husband, Harold Henthorn, were on an anniversary hike when Toni fell almost 140 feet from the cliff to her death.

Investigators quickly sorted out the crime scene to be a case of homicide. The major suspicion came over Toni's husband, Harold. Upon interrogation, investigators found some disturbing secrets from Harold, which connected him to another mysterious death. 20/20 season 47 episode 19 chronicles the complete investigation that went behind finding the true culprit.

The episode titled Mountain of Lies will be released on ABC on February 28, 2025. Available for streaming on Hulu, the official synopsis of the episode reads,

"A mother plunges from a cliff in a fatal fall while hiking on her anniversary; for the first time, her daughter speaks out."

20/20 season 47 episode 19: What is the story of Toni Bertolet?

As per a CBS article published on June 9, 2018, Dr. Toni Bertolet was a prominent surgeon and doctor working in Jackson, Mississippi. As per Toni's brother Barry Bertolet, the couple found each other through Christian Matchmakers. Both of them were earlier married, and Harold's wife had died under mysterious circumstances.

As per CBS, when Harold was asked about the death of his first wife, he simply replied she died in a car accident. Harold described himself as an entrepreneur who worked as a fundraiser. 20/20 season 47 episode subjects Toni and Harold first met each other back in 1999 and went on to get married a year later. Toni soon moved in with Harold at his residence in Denver, Colorado.

In 2005, Toni gave birth to their baby daughter Haley. As per Harold's family friend, Daniel Jarvis, they looked like a happy couple together on the outside. However, as per 20/20 season 47 episode 19, the couple received tragic news when they discovered that Harold's arteries were gravely clogged. He was immediately rushed to surgery, where he survived.

However, in 2011, Toni encountered another tragic accident when a heavy wooden timber fell on her, missing her head by an inch. It ended up hitting Toni's back and fractured her vertebra. Along with this, things also changed in Toni and Harold's relationship.

As per Toni's family, Harold had changed into a very dominating husband and didn't even let her pick up the phone without his consent. Most of Toni's coworkers in the office were uncomfortable about Harold's controlling nature. As per Toni's office manager, Tammi Abbruscato, Toni was not able to schedule anything outside her daily routine and had to get permission from Harold first.

How was Toni Bertolet murdered?

Considering Harold's demeaning behavior, it was a surprise for Toni when he asked her for a surprise wedding anniversary at Rocky Mountain National Park on September 29, 2012. All of Toni's officer co-workers were equally surprised by Harold's sudden change of behavior.

The couple started their hiking, however, soon Barry Bertolet received a text message from Harold revealing that Toni is gravely injured. In the CBS article, Barry said:

"It says, 'Barry... Urgent. Toni is injured ... Critical, requested flight for life. ...And then, he texted me back saying that 'She's gone.' Being the big brother and supposed to take care of your sister. You can't do it. It's a bad feeling. ... I needed to be there for my sister and I couldn't," Barry told Van Sant.

Toni Bertolet fell from a cliff 140 feet above the ground and died from the injuries. As per Harold's story, during the hike, he noticed that Toni was falling behind. So he moved back in search of her but failed to track her. Then she started looking at the cliff edges and found herself down at the bottom.

However, over the next few days, Harold's story keeps changing multiple times. The friends and relatives initially consider this to be post-traumatic stress. However, suspicions began to rise around him when they noticed that Harold had neatly planned the funeral. As per CBS:

"Not even 48 hours after his wife has died, he has a video made ... he's got the songs picked out. He's already contacted the people that are gonna sing the songs. ... It's too well planned.

It became alarming for the family members when they discovered that Harold had cremated the body of Toni Bertlot against their wishes. As per 20/20 season 47 episode 19, when the law enforcement officers were investigating around the scene, they found major evidence inside Harold's jeep.

There was a map of Rocky Mountain National Park kept inside, where an X mark was drawn on the exact spot where Toni fell to her death. Toni's family members reported that Harold became very anxious upon discovering that the investigators had found the map in his vehicle.

As per CBS, Harold tried to explain that the map was taken to walk along a clear trail. Soon, the investigators began to receive many requests, asking for Toni's death to be investigated. The officers received an anonymous tip, which said that his first wife died in a freak accident as well.

As per CBS, investigative reporter Brian Maass began to look into both of the deaths and found a connection. He said:

"In both cases, the accidents are freakish or bizarre, extremely unusual. ...he tells lots of different stories. Both wives had a lot of insurance money on them ... he was the one who was gonna benefit from that," Maass added.

Harold Henthorn's first wife, Lynn, had died in a mysterious car accident

It was back on May 6, 1995, when Lynn Henthorn died in a mysterious car accident. As per 20/20 season 47 episode 19, Harold reported to the police officers that on the day Lynn died, the couple were out on a dinner and were driving across the highway in Sedalia. As per Harold, they got a flat tire and stopped by to change the tire.

As per his narration, he had dropped off the tire screws under the vehicle. Lynn went under the vehicle to bring it out, but Harold mistakenly removed the jack, and the jeep fell on her. However, like Toni's, Harold's stories on Lynn's death were inconsistent.

As per CBS, the Colorado state trooper didn't know about Lynn's accidental death for decades until it got connected to Toni's death. When the Douglas County Sheriff's Office reopened Lynn's case, they found that Harold had benefited by a sum of $645,000 from Lynn's life insurance.

It was in 2012 when the FBI started investigating the death of Toni Bertolet. They also found that Harold had made him the sole beneficiary of Toni's life insurance, which was worth millions. They soon found the pattern of murder, where the culprit forged the victims' signatures and received a major chunk of money out of their deaths.

As per 20/20 season 47 episode 19, in November 2014, Harold Henthorn was arrested by the authorities. He was charged with the first-degree murder of Toni Bertolet. In September 2015, his murder trial was presented before the jury. As per 20/20 season 47 episode 19, the Federal Court judge sentenced him to life in prison.

Check out our other articles to know more details about other cases in 20/20 season 47.

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