Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist

As day broke on Dec. 27, 1985, cries of horror cut through the early morning mist. Wildlife legend Dian Fossey was found dead in her cabin on an isolated mountainside in Rwanda, the victim of a brutal machete attack. The world-famous icon fought to save mountain gorillas from extinction but made dangerous enemies who may have taken her life.

After Dian Fossey’s favorite gorilla, Digit, is slaughtered and her health begins to fail, Sir David Attenborough travels to Rwanda to film the gorillas. The result is one of television’s most treasured experiences with animals in the wild. However, due to battles with the Rwandan government, Fossey is forced to return to the United States. During this period Fossey writes “Gorillas in the Mist” and becomes a global celebrity.

Researcher Wayne McGuire was found guilty of Dian Fossey’s murder after an unskilled investigation by the Rwandan police provided few clues to the mystery. McGuire fled the country before he could be arrested. At the murder trial a death sentence was passed on Wayne McGuire. He has lived with consequences of his conviction ever since. Did he really kill her or has he been the victim of a 32-year injustice? If not him, then who?

Her life left a legacy. Her death remains a mystery. Culled from over 40 hours of rare archival footage – and with Dian's journal entries read by Sigourney Weaver – this 3-part special seeks to answer the haunting mystery of Dian Fossey's murder, and celebrate her work saving a species.