Gary Dotson - Aftermath

Aftermath

In 1985 Crowell co-wrote a book about the incident called "Forgive Me" and gave Dotson more than $17,000 in proceeds from its sale, keeping nothing for herself except the taxes due on that payment. In return, Dotson promised not to sue her over her false accusation. Dotson used the money to finance the start of his post-prison life, including a trip to Las Vegas to marry Camille. In 1985, Dotson had planned to write his own book with New York author Jeannie Ralston. If written, the book was not published. By April 1989, Camille filed for separation. By fall of 1989, Dotson was working part-time as a construction worker in Illinois and was hoping to register for college classes to become a counselor.

After their 1989 divorce, Camille and their daughter moved to Las Vegas, near Camille's mother, Barbara Kritzalis. Camille's life rapidly became tragic, including work in the sex industry and heavy use of drugs. She spent time in jail, and married a man accused of murder. Her mother took over raising Ashley, born to Camille and Gary Dotson in 1987. Camille disappeared completely in May 1994, and as recently as October 2009, was still listed on a missing-persons website. In 2003, her mother told an interviewer, "She was never clean; even when she was in jail she'd get drugs. It's as if she was off in another world. Is she alive? Do I think I'll ever hear from her? Truthfully, no. But I want closure. I want answers." By 2003, Dotson and his daughter moved back to Illinois.

By the time Dotson was cleared in 1989, Cathleen Crowell Webb had four children and had permanently made her home in New Hampshire, where her husband then worked as a welder and ironworker. Crowell died of breast cancer on May 15, 2008, six years after diagnosis. She had been working part-time as a receptionist at a religious grammar school and as a helper at a local golf course. After her death, her husband David told the press how she felt about recanting:

Once she got saved and came to terms with what she had done to Gary's life, she made the decision to come forward. She had two young children, and she had no idea of how intense an experience it was going to be, but she fully expected to pay more of a price than she actually did. There was a good chance that she might have had to go to jail. She couldn't give Gary back his years, but at that point she did everything she could to make it right.

At the time of Crowell Webb's death in 2008, Dotson was reported to be "living quietly in the far south suburbs of Chicago" and "wanting to stay under the radar now, wanting to put this behind him."