'Dateline' Preview: Police Follow 'Key' Evidence As They Investigate Katie Sepich's Murder

On Friday night, a new episode of NBC's "Dateline" will explore the story of the 2003 murder of Katie Sepich. Initially, the body of the college student was found in a deserted area. Following the discovery, law enforcement worked to unravel the truth about the identity of the woman and what had transpired prior to her death.

This Friday, host Josh Mankiewicz will take viewers inside the case on an all-new two-hour "Dateline."

On the morning of Aug. 31, 2003, a couple had gone out to the remote area to do some target shooting. While there, they discovered what would eventually be identified as Sepich's body. After calling 911 to report what they had seen, police arrived at the scene and found that the student's body had been partially burned.

According to Robert Jones, who had been a captain with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department at the time, the killer had "poured some kind of liquid on her" and then "lit it on fire." Ultimately, the killer's attempt at hiding the evidence proved to be unsuccessful. Other clues found at the scene also suggested that she had been murdered at a different location and transported to where she was eventually found.

Four hours after the body was located, the police department received a call stating that a college student had gone missing. After following up, law enforcement learned that she had not taken her car from a party she had gone to the night before. Additionally, they saw that she had also left behind her purse and keys.

Eventually, police would find signs of a struggle at her apartment, including her shoes outside the residence. This, they said, indicated that she fought her assumed attacker, but no one in the neighborhood had reported any type of disturbance.

Then, in November 2003, another 911 call regarding an intruder inside an apartment gave investigators new insight regarding what happened to Sepich. As stated by Mankiewicz, the women on this phone call "held the key to solving a murder."

This episode of "Dateline," called "The Woman Who Couldn't Scream," will air Friday at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.