Dangerous Liaisons

Rob Stafford Correspondent • Profile

If there's a lesson in the story you're about to hear...

Wayde Reuter: Nobody should ever have to go through this.

If there's a question that lingers...

Thad Reuter: Jealousy. It has to be jealousy.

It may boil down to this: do we ever really know the people we hold close? And if not, what will the consequences be?

Lori Reuter: It felt awful just not having her there.

At the center of this story...an attractive couple...Shaun Gayle, a famous ex-football player...Chicago Bears...smart and very charming. And Rhoni Reuter, a fitness fanatic...stunning, stylish and...very sweet. Her brothers, Wayde and Thad, adored her as did their wives, Lori and Anna.

Anna: From the minute you saw her, you felt happy just–just being with her.

Lori: Rhoni is the person that you see that you would want to be. She was everything. She would do anything for anybody.

Wayde Reuter: She was very caring, always thought of other people. She thought of her nieces or nephews, everybody, us, called us every night. That's just the way she was.

Even after Rhoni left their hometown of Potosi, Wisconsin, and moved 200 miles to Chicago, she stayed very close to her family, including her nieces and nephews.

Thad Reuter: Christmastime she always wanted to be there for the kids. She wanted to be Santa Claus, handing the presents out to the kids. Watch them open their presents. She just loved Christmas. She loved being with family. She loved going to the kids' events.

Anna: There was a warm tenderness that Rhoni brought everywhere she went.

She had a big heart, with plenty of room for many devoted friends, but perhaps at its center...Shaun Gayle.

The two had met in the late 80's in Platteville, Wisc., where Rhoni went to college and Shaun practiced football at a Chicago Bears training camp. Back then he was a member of the iconic '85 Bears team that won the super bowl. "Da Bears," as they became known, were lionized across the country...and Shaun was a part of all that.

Anna: For the most part, they were just together all the time. They talked every day on the phone. They took trips together.

They made it work...the adored pro athlete and the girl from a small town living in the big city... eventually juggling two jobs–one in the food industry and the other at Macy's...and then, in March 2007, after many years together, Rhoni became pregnant at age 41. She'd finally become a mother...truly a dream for her. She was elated...which was obvious when Wayde and Lori visited Rhoni in Chicago that September.

Wayde Reuter: That was the happiest I've ever seen my sister in my life. And she was just glowing.

Her family thought she might never be able to have children, so...the baby...a girl...was an unexpected gift...due that December. She'd already been named Skylar.

Lori Reuter: So to us, when she got pregnant, that was a miracle. Skylar was gonna be our little miracle baby.

And as far as they knew, Shaun was supportive of Rhoni during the pregnancy.

Thad Reuter: I did ask her once. I said, "How–how's Shaun taking it all? Are you guys going to the doctor together and stuff?" And she said, "Yeah, he comes to the doctor." He went to her ultrasounds and everything.

Rob Stafford, Dateline Correspondent: Engaged in the whole pregnancy.

Thad Reuter: Yeah.

Rhoni was a woman in love...but this was no conventional relationship. Though she'd been with Shaun for close to two decades...they never lived together...and it was unclear whether that would change...even after the baby arrived.

Rhoni’s Sister-in-law:  She talked about moving in with him to make it easier for the baby as far as handling the day care. But I don't know where they were at with that. That was the last I had heard.

Rob Stafford: Did she wanna get married?

Anna: Yes, she did.

Rob Stafford: Did he?

Anna: I don't know.

Anna would ask Rhoni how she could stay with a man so long and not live together or be married when she wanted that so much.

Anna: And we always came back to the same thing. She'd be like, "I just love him." I'd say, "What is it about him?" and she said, "I don't know what to tell you, Anna, I just love him."

How did the family feel about their relationship?

Wayde Reuter: I didn't know really that much about Shaun to tell you the truth. All's I know is she loved him to death. That was her soul mate. Her one person she wanted to be with the rest of her life.

In fact, Shaun rarely saw Rhoni's family over all those years.

Thad Reuter: All Rhoni ever really wanted was for Shaun to be a part of our family and to get to know us. She would have loved it if he would have embraced our family and just took the time to get to know us.

Wayde Reuter: It wasn't like she wanted him to come out and visit us every weekend or anything. Just the holidays. And he was invited to every holiday at our place.

Rob Stafford: Did he come?

Wayde Reuter: No.

Thad Reuter: No.

Rob Stafford: Did that bother you? Did that bother the family?

Wayde Reuter: Yes.

Thad Reuter: Yes, it bothered us.

Rob Stafford: And what did you make of it?

Thad Reuter: We just knew that Rhoni said Shaun was a private person and didn't want people bothering him.

Wayde Reuter: She'd say, "He's gone on Christmas.” He was gone. “He's over in Europe,” or whatever doing NFL Europe. She never really talked a lot about him.

Rather strange...for a woman who came from a home where family was so important. Just what was going on? So much more, really, than anyone knew,

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