Abby Benton-Freestone, Jessica Fletcher's cousin, appears in It's a Dog's Life. She is portrayed by Lynn Redgrave. Jessica is visiting her cousin Abby at the Langley Estate in Greenville, Virginia, when the estate owner Denton Langley dies after a fall from his horse. Abby is suspicious, convinced that something went wrong with the horse that Langley's death was not an accident. Jessica agrees to stay with Abby for awhile longer, and to look into who may have killed Denton Langley. After Langley's will reveals that he left everything to his dog, Teddy, the family is determined to get their hands on the money by having the dog declared a murderer.