Oklahoma woman discovers husband was a Canadian man who faked his death 37 years earlier in a barn fire

Deb Proctor was astatine enactment erstwhile her telephone rang from an chartless fig — a telephone that would shatter everything she thought she knew astir her husband.

An researcher delivered the devastating information to the Oklahoma woman: The antheral she knew arsenic Jeff Walton was really Ronald Stan, a Canadian antheral who disappeared 37 years earlier and was presumed dormant aft leaving down a woman and 2 children.

"After gathering my composure, I went to my contiguous enforcement and explained this bizarre telephone call," Proctor told Fox News Digital. "My colleagues were precise acrophobic that my beingness was successful danger, that possibly Jeff was successful witnesser protection, and I had conscionable blown it to immoderate alien who was not real, a alleged investigator."

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Deb Proctor, who was joined to Jeff Walton, besides known arsenic missing antheral Ronald Stan, is sharing her communicative connected ABC's "Betrayal: Secrets & Lies." (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

Proctor is coming guardant with her communicative successful the ABC existent transgression bid "Betrayal: Secrets & Lies." Inspired by the "Betrayal" podcast franchise, the bid explores however radical from crossed the state past scandalous confessions, fiscal ruin and acts of violence, among different hardships.

"Deb Proctor’s communicative is an unthinkable exploration of what happens erstwhile the idiosyncratic closest to you is surviving a treble life," Andrea Gunning, big of the "Betrayal" podcast, told Fox News Digital. "What stayed with maine the astir portion moving connected Deb’s communicative was not conscionable the standard of Jeff’s deception, but the profoundly quality process of Deb rebuilding her beingness aft the information was exposed."

It was 1998 erstwhile Proctor, a 41-year-old divorcee and parent of 2 sons, was acceptable to conscionable idiosyncratic new. She decided to articulation a dating site, wherever she came crossed Walton, an Ohio State postgraduate and erstwhile shot subordinate who traveled and played play — a passionateness of hers. She was intrigued.

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After a twelvemonth of talking, they decided to conscionable successful person. When Walton stepped disconnected the level and saw Proctor, helium asked, "You volition wed me, won’t you?"

Walton moved successful a fewer months later. They joined successful 2000.

"I felt similar this was a idiosyncratic that I loved precise much," Proctor said. "I could spot america traveling together, creating a beingness together. I felt hopeful astir the future."

Jeff Walton and Deb Proctor joined connected April 23, 2000. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

But a twelvemonth into their marriage, Walton was struggling to find work. That’s erstwhile helium told her for the archetypal clip that helium was a Vietnam War veteran. According to the podcast, Walton claimed that astatine property 18, helium served successful the Special Forces erstwhile helium was captured and held prisoner. For months, helium was tortured earlier yet escaping by pursuing a stream.

"[As a nurse] I had immoderate acquisition moving with Vietnam vets and PTSD," Proctor said. "It truly tugged astatine my heart. He had besides uprooted his life, fixed up his occupation arsenic a task manager astatine a ample concern operation company, fixed up everything conscionable to beryllium with me. He had fixed up everything for love."

Proctor’s seemingly happily ever aft was disrupted. Walton, who was unemployed, suffered a bosom onslaught requiring ongoing care. The mates struggled to screen his aesculapian expenses. Proctor, who had worked astatine the VA years earlier, tried to person her hubby to question assistance arsenic the bills piled up. But helium refused to get healthcare, insisting helium was dishonorably discharged and wouldn’t beryllium listed.

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"Betrayal: Secrets & Lies" airs Sundays astatine 10 p.m., with episodes streaming the adjacent time connected Disney+ and Hulu. (ABC News)

"I was dumbfounded," Proctor admitted. "That’s the biggest infinitesimal erstwhile I thought, ‘Something’s not close here.’ I couldn’t enactment my digit connected it. I conscionable kept insisting connected going to the VA truthful helium could get healthcare. We were going to spell broke. It was conscionable a 30-minute thrust to the nearest facility. But helium looked astatine maine strangely and said, ‘I’m not going. I was successful Special Forces. Because of what I witnessed and what I reported, my actions were amerciable and unethical. They won’t person maine listed anywhere.’"

"I kept saying to him, ‘You’ve served your country. There are records somewhere,’" Proctor continued. "But helium said, ‘I volition not get authorities healthcare.’ He got up and walked away."

Confused, Proctor considered hiring a backstage investigator. But aft realizing she couldn’t spend one, she enactment her feelings aside.

Despite Deb Proctor's happiness, her friends became suspicious of Jeff Walton, who appeared excessively bully to beryllium true. Despite claiming to emotion golf, helium struggled to play the game. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

Shortly aft Walton’s bosom attack, helium had a stroke. Then helium began exhibiting signs of dementia. The aesculapian bills continued mounting into the thousands. Proctor was his superior caretaker portion moving afloat clip arsenic a caregiver to marque ends meet. She began drinking to header with the stress. As Walton’s representation worsened, she was capable to spot him successful a funded outpatient attraction facility.

In 2014, Proctor received a telephone telephone from a detective successful Canada. Investigators were probing the acold lawsuit of Ronald Stan and were capable to way him down done societal media, according to the podcast.

In September 1977, a barn occurrence killed respective pigs. Stan, past 32, disappeared. Although quality remains were ne'er found, Stan was declared legally dormant successful 1986. However, the lawsuit was reopened successful 2014. Using modern investigative technology, the Ontario Provincial Police discovered that Stan was live and surviving successful a agrarian portion of the Cherokee Nation successful Oklahoma nether a caller name, "Jeff Walton." He aboriginal admitted the information to police.

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Jeff Walton, besides known arsenic Ronald Stan, had disappeared from Canada 37 years earlier erstwhile investigators discovered his identity. His erstwhile woman and children believed helium had died successful a fire. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

"I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve conscionable spilled my guts, and present I’m successful danger, he’s successful danger,’" Proctor said astir the telephone call. "I felt similar I was successful somebody’s movie. I thought, ‘Who americium I? Who was I joined to this full time?’ I was extracurricular of my consciousness."

Proctor instantly went to the Cherokee Nation Marshals Service. After an researcher made respective telephone calls, she confirmed that each item was true. Stan had faked his decease successful a fire, abandoning his woman and 2 children.

Proctor stayed with a person and instantly filed for divorce.

Jeff Walton took his sanction from his lad and the classical American TV amusement "The Waltons." (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

"I did emotion him," she admitted. "But it was each an illusion. He was not the antheral I thought I married. Nothing was real."

Proctor said that Walton, present identified arsenic Stan, made galore calls to her and repeatedly tried to substance her. She said that successful 1 voicemail, Stan told her, "If you privation to play hardball, past travel on." He besides tried contacting 1 of her sons and emailed respective of her friends and colleagues.

Jeff Walton, known arsenic Ronald Stan, was discovered by investigators successful a nursing home. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

"I had thing other to accidental to him," Proctor said. "But I was frightened. I retrieve walking retired of my location and into the woods, wherever determination was a worn-down pathway with a tiny seating area. I besides noticed tons of cigaret butts. I don’t know. I conscionable thought helium was coming backmost to harm us. What if helium was preparing to pain our location down due to the fact that I knew astir him burning down his spot successful Canada?"

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Deb Proctor and Jeff Walton are seen present enjoying Christmas together. She had nary thought of his past life. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

She besides wondered whether helium was readying different escape.

According to the podcast, the statute of limitations for arson had expired successful Canada. It besides noted that excessively overmuch clip had passed for Stan to look individuality fraud charges successful the U.S.

In the series, Proctor said that Stan ne'er apologized. The calls stopped, and she ne'er heard from him again. In 2019, Proctor said his lad reached retired to her to accidental that his begetter had died.

Deb Proctor met Jeff Walton connected a dating tract and rapidly fell for him. He near Kentucky to beryllium with her. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

Today, Proctor supports victims of home unit successful her community. She besides remarried a longtime person and chap play enthusiast.

"I ne'er intended to bash this again," she said with a laugh. "But the man I married, Richard, is perfectly the sweetest, kindest, astir loving idiosyncratic I’ve ever known successful my life. It’s a emotion that I’ve ne'er experienced before. It’s genuine."

If there’s 1 connection Proctor hopes audiences instrumentality away, it’s this: Don’t disregard that nagging feeling.

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Deb Proctor is seen present today. She has since remarried. (ABC News)

"Pathological liars, they’re a dime a dozen," she said. "They locomotion among us. Some radical autumn for them much than others, but it tin hap to immoderate 1 of us. If thing doesn’t consciousness right, excavation retired the truth."