Shraman Mitra
When Heath Foley and his friend, Skylar, heard a loud crash on February 7, 2009, they thought it was the sound of breaking glass. However, days later, he realized that it was actually the sound of a shotgun blast that claimed his mother, Darlene “Dar” Foley‘s life. ‘Dateline: The Mystery at Heath Bar Farm’ chronicles the horrific murder and portrays how Heath’s life was turned upside down when the police arrested his father for murder.
Who is Heath Foley?
Heath Foley lived in Coldwater, Michigan, with his mother, Dar, and his father, Tom Foley. Apart from sharing an incredible bond with his parents, he was also a brilliant student, as his teachers mentioned that he had a lot of aspirations for the future. On top of it, Heath was quite popular among his friends, and reports mention that on the day of Dar’s murder, he and his friend, Skylar Wattie, were at the Foley home playing video games. Besides, readers would be surprised to know that Heath turned ten on the day of the tragedy, but instead of an enjoyable birthday party, his life was entirely changed by a heinous crime.
Heath later mentioned that he and Skylar were playing video games on February 7, 2009, when Tom Foley came into the room and asked them to play outside near the barn. At that time, Dar was in the bathroom, and the latter claimed he would do some household chores around the house before taking the boys to Heath’s birthday party. However, shortly after the boys stepped out, they heard a loud crash that sounded like glass breaking or a gunshot. Unbeknown to them, the sound was that of a shotgun, which the killer used to shoot Dar at point-blank range, murdering her on the spot.
Moments later, Tom discovered his wife’s unresponsive body and informed 911 before taking care of the kids. When the police began investigating Dar’s murder, they questioned Heath and Skylar, who mentioned that Tom was alone with the victim around the time they heard the loud crash. On the other hand, the police discovered that he had some financial troubles and would stand to benefit from his wife’s death as she had a substantial life insurance policy to her name. Thus, putting two and two together, the police arrested Tom before charging him with murder.
Heath Foley Leads a Life Away From Limelight
Once Tom was taken into custody, Heath was sent to live with some of his mother’s relatives. Interestingly, when looking back at the tragedy, he believed that his father was the only one who could have killed Dar since there was no one else at the house around the time of the murder. This belief made the young boy testify against Tom at his first trial, and the latter was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder.
Unexpectedly, before Tom could be sentenced, three witnesses came forward and claimed they had seen a white car near the Foley residence on the day of Dar’s death. They also claimed to have seen the killer and insisted it was not Tom Foley. Such information helped him get a second trial, and he was eventually acquitted of all charges in 2011. Following Tom’s acquittal, he regained custody of Heath, although their relationship was pretty shaky initially.
Yet, the former mentioned that he rarely spoke about the tragedy with his son, apart from confronting him about his beliefs in one instance. Nevertheless, it seems like the father and son have since mended their relationship and are pretty close. Moreover, a report mentioned that Heath, who was 19 in 2017, was attending college in Michigan then. Yet, with his preference for privacy and desire to keep his personal life under wraps, his current whereabouts remain unclear.
Read More: Dar Foley Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
