Natalie Morales has worked in news for more than 25 years, but she believes the story of Survivor alum Joe Hunter and his sister, Joanna, may be one of the most important true crime stories she’s ever covered.
Joe, 46, and Joanna’s story is now the subject of an upcoming episode of 48 Hours, titled “Joe Hunter’s Mission,” in which Morales, 53, is the lead correspondent.
“It really is an emotional one,” she tells Us Weekly exclusively. “I think probably one of the most important true crime stories, I think, I’ve ever done.”
Joanna died in 2011 at age 36 in her California home, and police ruled it a suicide. On the surface, there was every reason to. Her husband, Mark Lewis, claimed to find her body with no signs of a struggle and evidence that pointed to Joanna taking her own life.
But Joe and his family never believed that’s what happened. Lewis had a history of domestic violence and inconsistencies soon emerged that shed doubt on investigators’ findings. The case has since been re-examined several times but Joanna’s official cause of death has remained the same. Lewis, who denies killing her, has never faced charges related to the case.
“[Joe] just talked about feeling like he failed his sister, that he was [on Survivor] to be her voice,” Morales, 53, said. “He was competing for her, trying to do something to honor her memory, and really to raise attention and awareness to domestic violence survivors and what they go through.”
The Hunter family has done more than raise awareness, which is another reason why Morales grew so passionate about the story. Joe and his mother, Patricia, led the charge on helping pass Joanna’s Law in California, which Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law in 2024.
The law requires law enforcement to examine 10 factors in any suspicious death in which there is a history of domestic violence before closing the investigation. Factors include one partner wanting to end the relationship, the deceased being found by their partner and that partner being the last person to see them alive.
Joanna’s death checked all 10 boxes but was never investigated as a potential homicide.
“The responding officer took photos of the scene, bagged up the [alleged suicide] note and whatever else was found,” Morales explained. “But they didn’t swab for DNA at the time. They didn’t document the scene.”
That meant crucial evidence that could shed more light on Joanna’s death, including a rope that one doctor interviewed for 48 Hours believes to have been the murder weapon, is now gone.
“I had never heard of the term hidden homicides until reporting on this case,” Morales said. “The more I started investing in [this case], the more it raised awareness to me, of all the past stories that I’ve done where, you know, ‘was that looked into enough? Was the investigation handled the way it should have been?’”
“Joe Hunter’s Mission” not only dives into the case itself, but tells the story of Joanna’s relationship with Lewis, in which she alleged to have been physically abused multiple times, with Lewis pleading guilty to felony spousal abuse more than a decade before. She also tried to leave the relationship, but continually found herself drawn back in.
Lewis has not publicly addressed Joanna’s previous allegations of abuse and refused to speak to 48 Hours.
“So many people suffer in silence when it comes to domestic violence,” Morales said. “Too often, people are so scared or so afraid to speak about their experiences, afraid to leave, afraid to be judged.”
The “Joe Hunter’s Mission” of 48 Hours premieres on CBS Saturday, December 13 at 10 p.m. ET and will stream on Paramount+.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
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