The words of a 3-year-old child are not enough to convince investigators that an adult isn't telling the truth and a case goes unsolved.  However, one steadfast detective believes in her and spends years working the case alone.  As more evidence is brought to light and more alleged victims are found, the memories of the little girl prove to be true and a killer is brought to justice. NBC's Rob Stafford reports Friday at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT on Dateline NBC.

From Stories of Redemption to Candid Personal Reflection, Hear People in the Public Eye Say Things You've Never Heard Before About How Their Lives Changed in 2009

NBC saves the best dish for last this Thanksgiving with a look at the most fascinating, inspirational, heroic and notorious figures, and most-talked about stories of 2009. Taylor Swift, Nadya Suleman, Susan Boyle, Kobe Bryant, and Captain Chesley Sullenberger all speak out in new and revealing interviews with NBC's Matt Lauer in an hour-long primetime special airing at 9:00 p.m. ET. From candid reflections and stories of redemption to surprising talk about how fame has affected their personal lives, viewers will get to see people in the public eye saying things they've never heard before.

Below are excerpts from the special. If used, attribution must be given to: "NBC's People of the Year," airing on Thursday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m. ET.

Sullenberger  on "Rock star sex":

Childhood sweethearts re-unite as adults and find love again. After a failed marriage, she was back together with the man she'd loved since high school. Until the morning of a fateful Friday the 13th, when a single shot rang out in a parking garage. It would take a different kind of luck for investigators to solve the mystery.  NBC's Josh Mankiewicz reveals the answer to the Friday the 13th Mystery.at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT.