Dateline caught up with producer Michelle Madigan at her desk in Los Angeles to play ‘Fill in the Blank.’ For information on Friday's all-new episode, The Mansion on Ocean Boulevard, with Josh Mankiewicz, read Michelle's Q and A below.
Dateline: We know you’re producing this Friday’s Dateline. We have a few questions. How did you come across the case in this Friday’s report?
Michelle Madigan, Dateline Producer: I live in Southern California, so I heard about this case back in 2011. The story got quite a bit of media coverage, especially when the San Diego Sheriff’s Department announced its findings a couple months later. Almost eight years later, [I found] myself in a San Diego courtroom covering a wrongful death lawsuit. We don’t often cover civil cases at Dateline NBC. We’ve spent the year learning how the case ended up there.
Dateline: Without giving anything away, tell us a bit about the story.
Michelle: The story examines two deaths that occurred within one week in a beachfront mansion in Coronado, California. When the families don’t accept the findings of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, they decide to search for answers on their own.
Dateline: What was the most unusual location you filmed at for this episode?
Michelle: We filmed one interview in a beautiful model home. I wanted to move in!
Dateline: What is the one clue we should be on the lookout for?
Michelle: The message on the door has been interpreted in many ways. See what you think it means.
Dateline: What’s the best thing about working on a story with Josh Mankiewicz?
Michelle: Josh has strong ethics and integrity. And of course, an incredible assortment of pocket squares.