NBC’s Dateline, presents the classic episode “Mystery on Tracy Road,” examining the decades-long quest of Brittany Stork to uncover the truth behind her mother’s mysterious death. The episode, airing on May 3, 2024, will focus on the culmination of Stork’s tireless investigation, leading to a dramatic courtroom decision.
In 1982, Dana Rosendale, Brittany Stork’s mother, succumbed to fatal head injuries sustained while returning home from a girls’ night out. Rosendale, a 19-year-old student and new mother, never made it back to her family, leaving behind an eight-month-old daughter, Brittany. The case went cold for decades until Stork, driven by a desire for answers, pushed for the investigation to be reopened.
In 2013, more than thirty years after Rosendale’s death, Stork’s determination led to the exhumation and re-examination of her mother’s remains. This crucial step revealed new evidence, indicating that Rosendale had been the victim of a homicide, suffering three blows to the head. The focus shifted to Russell Adkins, the erstwhile bouncer at the club Rosendale had visited on the night of her disappearance.
Adkins, who initially claimed to have found Rosendale unconscious on the street, later admitted that she had been a passenger in his car. He attributed her injuries to a fall caused by a faulty passenger door latch. However, inconsistencies in his story and the nature of Rosendale’s injuries led to his arrest and conviction in 2016. Adkins was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
While the conviction brought some closure, the Sixth District Court of Appeals overturned the decision in 2018, citing that Adkins had not received a fair trial. This development prompted Stork to continue her pursuit of justice for her mother. The Ohio Supreme Court later denied Adkins’ appeal, and his 2016 conviction stood.
“Mystery on Tracy Road” will not only examine the intricate details of the case but also feature the man at the center of it, Russell Adkins, as he shares his side of the story.
Dateline: Mystery on Tracy Road airs on NBC on May 3, 2024, at 1:00 PM.