TEMPLE, Texas — It's been a horrible month for the parents of Jenna Scott and Michael Swearingin. After the two friends disappeared on Jan. 4, their bodies were found 11 days later in a shallow grave in Oklahoma.
"I've been falling apart," Debbie Harrison, Swearingin's mother, said. "I've been exhausted because I can't sleep."
Cedric Marks was finally named as a murder suspect in the killings of Scott and Swearingin Sunday at a press conference in Conroe, but only after he escaped from a private prisoner transport van.
"It wasn't formal, I knew it in my gut and my heart I knew it was him," Harrison said. "I probably can't say on the air what I actually thought, but it was like, what else can go wrong."
When Jonathan Scott heard about the escape, he said he was worried about what Marks would do.
"He's not one to be underestimated," he said. "He's capable of almost anything."
Fortunately, Marks was recaptured after he led police on a 9-hour manhunt, then was booked into Bell County jail at around 11 p.m. Sunday night.
"The fact that they caught him as quickly as they did is critical," Scott said.
"It's just a relief to know that he is back here and charges have been filed," Harrison said.
Scott and Harrison both met with the Bell County District Attorney on Monday to find out what will happen next in their children's case.
Scott said the family is still grieving, but at least there is progress.
He also said after he spoke with the DA, he was looking forward to seeing justice served.
"It's going to move forward as a murder case like it should, and that we will seek justice at some point in the future for Jenna and Michael and for all we've been through," he said.
While nothing will replace what was taken from these parents, nothing will stop them from seeking justice.
"Michael and Jenna are not coming back and that nightmare is still there, but the people have really rallied around us and we are grateful for that," Harrison said. "We are in for the long haul."
Both parents said they were unable to tell Channel 6 yet the specifics of what they discussed with the DA.