Dateline: Secrets in the Ashes - Full timeline of Patricia Leigh Mills’ murder and reinvestigation

Secrets in the Ashes is a January 2026 episode on NBC's Dateline, which reinvestigated Patricia Leigh Mills’ murder.

The official synopsis for Secrets in the Ashes reads as follows:

''A house fire in South Texas kills Patricia Leigh Mills, while her young son miraculously escapes; her family becomes convinced that her widower was somehow involved, when he remarries less than three months after the fire.''

Born in 1972, Patricia Leigh Mills was known for her love and faith among her friends and family. Her life took a turn when she crossed paths with Delbert Andrew Mills, and the two tied the knot and welcomed their first son, John Michael Mills, in 1997. While the family was living a quiet life in their home at 127 South San Patricio Street in Goliad, Texas, trouble found their paradise in June 2003, when Patricia was found dead in her home, following a fire.

When the authorities couldn't find enough evidence, the case went cold until new testimonies revealed the actual killer in 2011.

Here is the complete timeline of the case covered in Secrets in the Ashes.

Dateline: Secrets in the Ashes- Here's a complete timeline of Patricia Leigh Mills’ murder

Patricia Leigh Mills was found dead on June 25, 2003

On the fateful day of June 25, Mildred Ingram, a person visiting a nearby store, saw smoke coming out of Mills' house. As the store manager contacted the fire department, L.N. Garcia, another man driving by the house, approached the scene and saw the couple's seven-year-old son escaping through the window.

As Secrets in the Ashes revealed, while officials extinguished the fire, Patricia Leigh Mills was found dead in her house. Initial investigation of the crime scene revealed that the fire was likely started in the living room and spread across the house. The authorities found no functioning smoke detectors and a Coleman lantern with its cap missing on the crime scene. However, the authorities could not find the exact cause of the fire. Patricia Leigh Mills' autopsy report revealed that she reportedly died due to carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation.

Secrets in the Ashes- Patricia Leigh Mills' case was reopened in 2011

Since the authorities could not determine the cause of the fire, the case went cold until officials reopened it in 2011. The authorities re-questioned Mildred and some of Patricia Leigh Mills's friends and family, which shed light on discrepancies in Delbert's account, making him a prime suspect in his wife's murder.

Key testimonies claimed that the house had two functioning smoke detectors and that Delbert had brought the lantern to save electricity (while he maintained that it was for decoratIon).

As Secrets in the Ashes revealed, Patricia's siblings Richard and Sharon claimed that Delbert was physically abusing their sister, threatening that she would leave his house only in a ''body bag.'' Additionally, the authorities found that Delbert was having an affair with a woman named Allison and even married her, just two months after his wife's death. However, the couple got divorced.

The 2011 re-investigation helped find Patricia Leigh Mills' killer

A still from the Dateline episode (Image via YouTube/Dateline NBC)

Additional witnesses and testimonies revealed that Delbert was allegedly involved in a fight with Mills on the day of her death and used to threaten her, both verbally and physically. The authorities also discovered that Delbert was the beneficiary of a $15,000 payout from Patricia’s life insurance policy, which was likely the biggest motive behind her death.

According to a court record, a witness claimed that Delbert bragged about killing his wife in the fire and making it look like an accident. He even claimed to have kept a lit cigarette after turning on the gas before leaving for work in June 2003.

Delbert was arrested in December 2011 and sentenced in January 2013

As Secrets in the Ashes revealed, Patricia Leigh Mills' 2003 cold case finally came to a conclusion when her husband, Delbert, was arrested for her murder in December 2011.

Two years later, Delbert's jury trial came to a satisfying conclusion when he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on January 17, 2013. Delbert is eligible for parole not before November 29, 2041.

Dateline: Secrets in the Ashes can be streamed on Peacock.