EPISODE · Jan 28, 2026 · 24 MIN

Talking Dateline: Secrets in the Ashes

from Dateline NBC · host NBC News

Lester Holt talks with Andrea Canning about her episode, “Secrets in the Ashes.” When 31-year-old Texas mother Patricia Leigh Mills is found dead in a house fire, her family suspects her husband, Delbert, of setting the blaze that killed her, suspicions that only grow when he remarries less than two months after the death of his wife. Years later, after Delbert is convicted of Patricia Leigh’s murder, attention turns to his now ex-wife, Allison Salinas, who had moved to a new state, gotten remarried, and then tried to enlist her high school boyfriend to kill her husband. Andrea tells Lester about her prison interviews with Allison and Delbert, and they play a podcast-exclusive clip of Delbert describing his biggest regret. Plus, they answer your questions from social media. Have a question for Talking Dateline? DM us a video to @DatelineNBC or leave a voicemail at (212) 413-5252. Your question may be featured in an upcoming episode.Listen to the full episode “Secrets in the Ashes” on Apple: https://apple.co/4k1nVwNListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0RhpCOtSZeY5jS2EPUHxkb?si=8de6f7cea7b64e06 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.