The Big Tooth

<p>Originally Aired: February 15, 1953</p>

<p><strong>Dragnet #191, "The Big Tooth,"</strong> Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith are called to investigate the mysterious disappearance of an elderly woman. Ella Randall contacts the detectives with disturbing concerns about her mother, who has vanished without a trace. When Ella tried to reach her mother by phone, she discovered the number had been disconnected. Upon visiting the family home, she finds strangers living there who claim they've been renting it for a month. Ella's father tells her that her mother has gone on vacation to the old country to visit a sick sister, but Ella doesn't believe him. She knows her father's long history of cruel treatment toward her mother and can't imagine he would ever allow her to take such a trip.</p>

<p>The situation grows more suspicious when Ella's father produces a letter supposedly written by her mother, claiming she arrived safely and is having a wonderful time. However, Ella remains convinced something terrible has happened. She tells Friday and Smith about her father's decades of abuse and her mother's submissive nature, painting a picture of a woman who would never leave without contacting her children. Friday and Smith begin their investigation into what may be foul play.</p>