Original subtitles

We have an individual saying he has a woman in the trunk

of his car who he found walking on the side of the road

and was naked from the waist down.

I don't think he appreciates the connection Nadine and I have.

It's special.

It was absolutely unimaginably horrifying.

Whoever did that to her had to be stopped.

We have a witness who says he picked you up

on the side of the road.

Found this outside the building.

We have located evidence

and still we're not arresting anybody.

You can't let this happen to Nadine.

You gotta find her, OK?

- Sync and corrections by ByDem - - www.addic7ed.com -

In 2010, prostitution was illegal.

The Pretty Woman movie kind of made it to be

a little Hollywood, glamourous, role to play.

There's a fantasy that it's by choice,

but for most people that I've had experience with,

the reality is that there has been some type of physical or

sexual, emotional abuse and they turn to the sex trade

as a means of survival.

When I first started policing in Halifax,

I started as an investigator in the Sexual Assault Unit.

Years later, I became the Supervisor.

I just got a call from a woman who wants to report an assault.

Says she knows you.

- Who? - Nadine Taylor.

Nadine Taylor? What'd she say?

Not much. Just that she wants to talk, and she wants you there.

I can take you down if you like.

There was a fairly high level of mistrust

between sex trade workers and police.

For that reason, it's uncommon for a sex trade worker

to report sexualized violence.

It's just over here.

But the relationship with Nadine, fostered over the years,

was definitely beneficial to gain her trust.

You've been here before?

Yeah. I've known Nadine awhile.

She's been a sex worker since she dropped out of high school,

about 10 years ago.

That's a long time to be on the streets.

Did Nadine mention anything else in the call,

other than it was an assault?

No. Just that she wanted to talk to you.

- Hi. Detectives Hart, Jones. - Yeah.

We're here to see Nadine.

Come in.

Hey, Nadine. How you doing?

Not good.

Not good.

I had a bad date, Penny.

Real bad.

What happened?

- Who's that? - That's Jones.

She's new to the unit, but...

she's gonna help us figure out who did this to you.

But first you need to tell us what happened, OK?

I was working the South End.

I had a good night. I had a great night.

A couple of regulars. It was late.

I didn't need to do another job, I had good money.

But, you know how it is.

I should have just gone home.

Nadine, it's not your fault.

OK, it's not.

Just tell me what happened next.

We agreed on the price.

He didn't fuss or anything, just paid right up.

He was polite and all.

So what's one more, right?

I should've just gone home.

I should've trusted my gut and gone home!

OK.

My God, Nadine.

I'm so sorry, that must have been horrible.

I couldn't see anything, you know?

All I could hear was this rushing in my ears

like I was drowning.

And I thought... that was it,

I thought it was all over.

So how did you get away?

A rock.

Threw it at a window as hard as I could and made some noise.

I took off, he took off.

That's it.

His name was Jack. I don't know.

Probably fake, they all lie.

Did you get a good look at him?

Your average white guy, 50's.

Missing some teeth.

Blond.

Nadine had been brutally sexually assaulted

and there was no doubt this person would have killed her.

Some people, they don't see a sex trade worker

as a human being, as a mother, a sister, a daughter.

They objectify a person who is working in the sex trade.

They don't feel that it's abusive or a violation

because they've paid for a particular service.

And so, there's a sense that they're entitled to do

whatever they choose to do.

The violence that people inflict on sex trade workers,

the majority of people have no understanding

of that level of violence.

What's your take on the boyfriend?

Gene's her fianc�.

He seems genuinely concerned.

We knew we had a possible predator out there.

But we didn't have a lot to go on.

There was nothing in the system matching this guy.

Since Nadine was taken to the South End,

we thought maybe he lived in that area.

Hi, I just sent something over to you.

Um, make sure that you radio the guy's description

and the location out to all units, OK?

Maybe we'll get lucky.

Thanks.

Found this outside the building.

Could be what Jack used.

Anything else?

Tire marks, witnesses?

Nothing yet.

We needed to start trying to figure out exactly

what we have here.

We needed more information.

With cases like this, we often reach out to other people in the

sex trade community to find out if anybody else

has had an experience similar to this.

And we have the resource centre

for sex trade workers in Halifax.

We had a very good rapport with Stepping Stone.

Hey, Cassy, how are you?

Have you heard of a bad date, goes by the name Jack?

Sounds vaguely familiar.

What's he look like?

Uh, Blond. 50s. Missing a few teeth.

Yeah, I think...

You know Christine?

She's upstairs.

Ask her.

Hey, Christine?

Hey.

Do you know of a - a blond, violent john,

goes by the name Jack?

You here about Nadine?

The guy that messed with her?

Yeah. Do you know him?

Yeah, I'm the one who gave Nadine his name.

Guy cut off my hair.

Well, do you know where he lives?

No. Just had one date with him. That's it.

You didn't report it?

Weeks went by.

I left the department and moved over to homicide.

Hey, Nadine's boyfriend just called.

Nadine's gone missing.

Nadine's fianc� reported Nadine missing.

I was hoping she would be perfectly fine.

Realistically, the chances were slim, but it's possible.

She'd had a good night working.

We were going to have a little party, you know,

just the two of us.

And uh, she went out to make a phone call and never came back.

Who was she calling?

I don't know.

Did she have any bad dates that night?

Any complaints?

No, no weirdos, no nothing.

Just busy.

And what did you do when she didn't come back?

Just sat here.

Bored.

Then I heard a honking outside.

I went to the window to see what it was, but it was too dark,

I couldn't see anything.

So I figured she just went back on the job and...

left me hanging.

So you did nothing for three days?

Look, sometimes she splits, sometimes I split.

I figured she'd be gone a day or two and then she'd be back.

We'd forget the whole thing.

And you have no idea who might have picked her up?

Just there's this client, it's a regular.

Too regular.

Thinks he's her boyfriend or something.

You got a name?

Robert Turner.

I called him the next day and he said he hadn't seen her.

He might be lying, though.

We're not too friendly.

Do you remember what she was wearing when she left?

Yeah, she had those shoes,

those shoes she's always wearing.

Um, hang on.

They're her favourites.

You're gonna find her, right?

Tell her I'm sorry, OK?

That I didn't call right away.

Nadine and Gene both had

struggles and challenges in life.

Both of them had some addictions.

And yet, he cared for Nadine,

he was concerned for her well-being,

and he wanted to assist in any way he could

to try and find her.

Considering the level of his cooperation,

I believed he was genuinely trying to find Nadine.

Some plainclothes vice officers saw Nadine working that night.

Maybe she just ran off?

Maybe they had a lover's quarrel that Gene's not mentioning?

Hm, could be.

I'll bring Turner in, and then check Nadine's bank account

to see if there was any recent activity.

OK. And I'll talk to her mom.

I've met her a few times before.

Thanks, Hart.

Nadine didn't call me.

She always calls me.

She hasn't checked in in over a week.

Something's not right.

Has she told you about this client who hurt her? Jack?

Of course she did.

I'm her mother.

I'm just, I'm just trying to help find your daughter.

You wouldn't have to find her if cops protected girls like her.

We, we do what we can.

You know that, Donna. Come on, you know me.

But we need to know what's happening out there.

We need communication.

I know. I'm sorry.

It's just... you gotta find her, OK?

You got to.

Did Nadine's friends mention this blond guy?

I mean, they'd tell you before they told me, right?

I haven't heard anything.

What about Robert Turner?

Has she mentioned anything about him?

Robbie? That guy?

He's harmless.

You can't let this happen to Nadine.

Just... not her.

I'll, I'll come by soon, OK?

Thank you.

Nadine had many clients, but she did have one in particular

who had uh, a different kind of relationship with her.

So, when was the last time you saw Nadine?

About a month ago, I'd say.

And before that?

Uh, well.

Uh, let's just say I saw her pretty regularly.

Maybe a couple of times a week.

But you haven't seen her this month.

No, right.

I, uh...

I had a conversation with Gene.

Her fianc�.

If he says so.

Nadine's her own woman, I'll tell you that much.

So you and Gene don't really get along, I take it?

He's the jealous type.

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense,

considering the kind of work Nadine does.

But that doesn't stop him from trying to make a point

every once in a while.

Gene said that he doesn't have a problem with any other client.

Except for you.

Do you have any idea why that might be?

I don't think he appreciates the connection Nadine and I have.

It's special.

So where were you the night of the 28th?

Home.

Went to bed early.

Not much going on.

Can anyone corroborate that?

Look, I would never hurt Nadine.

I'm not like these other guys, OK?

It's not about sex with her.

It's something more.

Until Gene put a stop to it.

He tried, but it wasn't going to last.

The guy's holding her back.

He sits around all day, spending Nadine's money.

No wonder she left.

And if she did, do you have any idea where she might go?

No.

Three weeks had gone by, the trail was getting colder.

And then the most unusual thing happened.

Help!

Can somebody help me, please!

One evening, a call was received at our dispatch centre

from a male who identified himself as Steven Laffin.

Yes, hello, um, I-I-I need - I need help.

Um, I'm at the uh, the community office.

No. I-I don't know.

OK.

OK, j-just hurry, please.

OK.

I don't know what caused him to...

to make that phone call that night.

Hey!

Hey!

Hey.

Hey, listen, I-I - I need your help, OK?

All right, take it easy, slow down.

I found a woman by the side of the road.

She was all messed up, cut and bleeding,

and it looked like someone had beaten the hell out of her.

I-I tried to take her to a hospital, but she just lost it.

Where is she now?

She's, uh...

She, uh, she's in the trunk.

No-no-no don't...

- Open the trunk. - Look, I know that sounds crazy!

But, you need to listen to me, she needs help!

- Open it now! - OK, OK, OK!

Whoa, easy.

Keep your hands in view.

There's an individual saying he has a woman

in the trunk of his car.

Our officers responding are quite curious to see

who may be in the trunk of this car.

And then there's nobody in the trunk of the car.

Steven Elliott Laffin called the police, just like that.

I was hoping at that point that I would at least

find out something to help with finding Nadine.

- Hey. - Hey.

- Is this the guy? - Yup.

Laffin... thirty-five, married...

works construction...

reported a car accident not that long ago.

Did you talk to the wife?

Uh, she swears Laffin's a good guy.

But she wouldn't let us in the house.

I want everything on this guy. Everything.

OK.

As an investigator, I want to know why he was pulling into

a police station and making a phone call with a story

that a woman is in the trunk of his car.

What makes that person's brain tick in that moment?

Um...

It was um, a little after 10, I was driving home.

You don't normally see a lot of traffic on that road,

let alone somebody walking.

Right away, I could tell something was wrong.

Her clothes were all messed up, torn and ripped.

And I saw blood.

Even in the dark.

That's how - how bad it was.

I-I couldn't just leave her there, could I?

What if whoever had done this to her,

what if he was still out there?

So I - I told her I'd take her to the cops.

When I got her in the car, she said that um,

somebody had taken her, kept her locked up.

The more she talked about it, the worse she got.

And then she just went crazy.

She was crying, and screaming.

She bit me.

I-I almost crashed the car.

Then she she started hitting me and hitting herself.

I didn't know what to do.

What the hell is wrong with you?

She just went crazy.

I knew that I needed to get her to the hospital,

but I wasn't going to die trying.

So I just, I don't know, I just um...

I put her in the trunk.

This was very bizarre.

I didn't know what else to do.

I drove straight to the nearest police outpost and

when I tried to show the officer,

she must have gotten out while I was driving.

Can you describe her?

Um, well, her face was uh, pretty messed up.

It looked like somebody had hit... hurt her pretty badly.

Who would do that to somebody?

A woman just turned up at a farmhouse.

Said she was kidnapped and escaped from someone's trunk.

Get his statement in writing.

And no matter what you do, just keep him there

for as long as possible.

So, we're having a 911 call in a similar geographic area,

like within five kilometres of here,

about a woman who is naked from the waist down,

calling for an ambulance.

She has been assaulted and requires assistance.

She was a sex trade worker, but it wasn't Nadine.

Mary had thrown herself headfirst from a vehicle that

was travelling at a fairly high rate of speed.

She had a contusion on her chest,

laceration marks on her neck, and road rash on approximately

fifty percent of her body.

Whoever did that to her had to be stopped.

It could have been a sexual assault,

it could have been attempted homicide, we just didn't know.

It's still hazy.

I can't remember everything.

I was working.

A guy picked me up at the bus stop.

Drove me to a parking lot.

Took me to a dark corner.

And then what happened?

We got out of the car, he grabbed me and held me down,

and then he just...

he hit me.

Over and over.

He had a rock.

And then he got his hands around my throat.

I kept passing out and waking up and-and then I was in the trunk.

How'd you get out?

I saw the latch, so I opened it.

The car was going so fast.

But I just had to get out of there.

I knew if I stayed there uh, I'd be dead.

After you escaped... we have a witness who says

he picked you up on the side of the road.

Do you remember that?

No.

I mean, some of it's a blur, but I don't think so.

You're very brave, Mary.

I can't imagine what you've been through.

Trust me, I wasn't thinking straight enough to be brave.

I just, I don't know, it...

it was all instinct.

As soon as I got the tape off my mouth,

all I could do was scream.

What tape?

The guy had red duct tape.

I remember seeing it in the car before it all happened.

When I woke up in the trunk,

he'd taped my mouth, my wrists, my ankles...

Absolutely, unimaginably horrifying.

She felt that the only way for her to

have a chance of surviving was to throw herself

headfirst out of a moving vehicle.

She did not believe she would survive

if she stayed inside the car.

Steven Laffin made the assumption that

because she was a sex trade worker,

we would automatically take his word and not believe hers.

Her hands were bound, her feet were bound, her mouth was bound.

Clearly, that did not match up with a woman

walking on the side of the road, needing assistance.

Since Mary and Nadine have similar profiles,

we had to consider him a person of interest in both cases.

You forgot to mention that you taped her up.

Gagged her.

Did that slip your mind?

She was trying to claw my eyes out.

What do you expect me to do?

I had to tie her up.

Recognize her?

That's Nadine Taylor.

I have no idea who she is.

I'm trying to help here.

Where were you on the night of the 28th?

Uh, I don't know.

No, that was the night of my wife's bachelorette.

I was at home, watching TV.

But that doesn't mean that...

Charge him with kidnapping for Mary Smith.

And get forensics on his car.

Check and see if there are any traces of Nadine.

I believed in my heart that Steven Laffin was responsible

for Nadine's disappearance.

What I didn't know is, is it possible at this point

that Nadine may still be alive?

I was going to do whatever I had to

to make sure that we worked as quickly as we possibly could.

We've recovered DNA from the trunk.

Mary's?

Mostly. Some was Laffin's.

Any unknown DNA?

As far as we can tell, Nadine Taylor never was in this car.

OK, thanks.

Yeah.

And we had quite a few people who were very much convinced

at that time that Steven Laffin was the person responsible

for Nadine Taylor's disappearance.

However, Steven Laffin's car tested negative

for Nadine's DNA.

There could be somebody else responsible.

All right.

We need to reset.

Where are we?

Gene was the last person to see her alive.

Took him three days to call it in, though.

Could be she cut and run from a bad relationship

and left him behind.

Or maybe she tried to and he didn't like that.

Jack's a dead lead.

We need to keep looking for him, sending out emails and flyers.

But we know he exists, and we know he's violent.

Maybe he came back for her?

Hm. Robert Turner. A regular client.

Acts like he and Nadine have something special.

Could be he wasn't happy when he found out

she didn't feel the same way.

It's not a lot to go on.

Mm mm. And then there's Laffin.

We know he likes to hurt women.

Take them, tie them up, keep them for who knows how long.

Didn't Laffin say his wife's bachelorette was on the night

of the 28th, the night Nadien disappeared?

Yeah.

Well, my guess is he's not the type of guy

who wants to be home alone.

We need to track his movements.

What about his cell?

Maybe he called someone.

We could see which towers he pinged.

Maybe get a location on him that night.

Hey. Have the Laffin records come in yet?

Just the call logs.

Show me the night of the 28th.

What's this number here?

His wife.

What about this one, at 11:23 PM?

Don't know.

Another cell.

Is that a number he's called before?

Doesn't look like it.

Short call.

Worth checking out.

Can you get me a name and address on that number?

We discovered that a phone call was made

from Steven Laffin's phone to Nadine's drug dealer.

Police. Open up.

It's not a bust, I just want to talk.

Do you know a Steven Laffin?

Come on. I don't want to take this down to the station.

I don't know any Steve's.

OK, what about Nadine Taylor?

When was the last time you saw her?

Look, what's this about?

It's a homicide investigation.

OK, look, I got nothing to do

- with whatever she's done or gonna do. - I know! Listen. Listen.

I just need to find out where she went, and who she was with.

And it's a conversation I'd rather have here

instead of down at the station. You know what I mean?

All right, look, I saw her three weeks ago.

All right? She called me and she came by.

Alone?

Someone drove her.

- Who was driving? - I don't know.

What kind of car?

It was a silver SUV.

An SUV? Are you sure?

It wasn't a sedan, four-door?

Yeah, I'm sure.

It was a silver SUV.

Look, I remember, the damn thing looked brand new.

There's not a lot of cars like that around here, you know.

Look, that's all I know.

We're good?

Yeah, we're good.

So there's no record of Laffin in an SUV?

In his file there was something about him

being in a car accident.

What was the date on that?

Bingo!

Steven Laffin had been involved in a motor vehicle accident,

he destroyed his own vehicle and therefore had a rental vehicle,

which was around the time that Nadine Taylor had gone missing.

Laffin, Laffin... yeah. An SUV. Brand new.

A silver SUV?

Uh... yup. Silver.

Can we see it?

I'm afraid it's rented out.

Well, we need it back.

Now.

If we could find something in the rental,

that would give us enough evidence to get a search warrant

to search Laffin's house.

What is it?

Blood.

A lot of it.

We found a substantial amount of blood DNA evidence

in the back of the SUV.

It turned out to be Nadine's.

That was enough to write a search warrant to let us into

Steven Laffin's house.

Do you have any idea how long this is going to take?

I can't believe this is happening.

Well, we want to be thorough.

We just need to figure out what happened.

He's a good man.

Whatever you think Steven did, it's, it's just a mistake.

It's just a mistake. It has to be.

Please, it has to be.

Hart?

The amount of blood in the back of the vehicle

wouldn't conclusively mean that that person was deceased.

Perhaps Nadine had survived whatever violent situation she

had encountered, and perhaps she was somewhere in need of help.

There's quite a bit of blood...

all over.

Most of it looks like it's been wiped up.

No-no-no, that's that's just Steven's blood.

From the robbery.

What?

Steven didn't tell you?

What happened?

Well, he-he he was in the driveway and a couple of guys

walked up, they wanted the keys to the car,

so they hit him on the head, and then he ran back inside.

When I got home, I helped him clean it up.

Why didn't you call the police?

We had our wedding coming up, people visiting the next day.

We just we just wanted to clean and move on.

When was this?

Um, the night...

the night of my bachelorette.

The twenty, the 28th.

The night Nadine Taylor disappeared.

Wait outside, please, Joanna.

I don't think she believed his robbery story.

I also don't believe that she had any idea

of what was going on.

Can I see?

I asked the blood spatter expert if the victim could be alive,

and he said absolutely not.

I'm sorry.

At that moment, I knew Nadine was dead.

Now we would be searching for Nadine's remains,

and not for Nadine as a living person.

Sources confirm to CBC that police

have found shoes that don't belong to Laffin's wife.

Forensic investigators had been inside the bungalow

Everyone, including police and neighbours

have more questions than answers about what evidence

may be found as police don sterile suits

so that any potential clues are not contaminated.

Investigators have been doing a detailed search

inside the house.

Police say their investigation is a work in progress,

and they'll be here as long as it takes

to find out what they want to know.

The DNA analysis confirmed that it was Nadine's blood

in that basement.

Nadine died a horrific death.

- We got him. - I know.

As soon as he heard about the warrant, he confessed.

Self-defence? Is this a joke?

She was high, she was going crazy in my basement.

- Yeah. No. - She grabbed a hammer...

Please! Please.

You've tried this lie on us before.

Doesn't it matter to you?

What you're doing to these women?

To their families?

What about your wife, does she matter?

I would definitely call Steven Laffin a liar.

Even when he's confessing, he's still lying at that point.

As if anybodis going to believe this story.

36-year-old Steven Laffin

had to face a judge.

His first court appearance on a charge of murdering

Nadine Taylor, a 29-year-old Halifax woman.

Taylor's family cried and glared at the man...

There was still lots of blood left everywhere.

Uh, there was uh, blood on the murder weapons,

blood all over the floor.

Um, it was a clear brutal homicide.

There may never be true peace

for the family of Nadine Taylor.

But with her killer's guilty plea, they're closer to justice.

Taylor was 29 years old.

Steven Laffin must serve at least 13 years in prison

before he can even begin applying for parole.

The guilty plea to second degree murder

comes with an automatic life sentence.

Now all that's left for the court to decide...

Both the judge and Crown question whether a parole board

would even consider releasing him at that time.

Mr. Laffin, what do you have to say about the charges...

Are you sorry?

What do you have to say for yourself?

Laffin pled guilty.

Second degree murder.

Over there.

As part of his plea agreement, he had to tell Crown prosecutors

where he put Nadine's remains.

To lose a child by violent means and then to not be able to have

closure by giving them a proper burial, it would be horrible.

I told Nadine's mom when we found Nadine's remains.

I went to see her.

That's not a call that you make over the phone.

Nadine laughed, she cried,

she had goals and dreams like everybody else.

She didn't get up in the morning and hope that she would be

addicted to drugs and be working in the sex trade.

You could see it in her eyes.

You could see the...

zest for life in her eyes.

He beat her, hit her with an axe.

He banged her head off the concrete floor

until such time that she stopped moving.

He then wrapped her in a sheet and took her out

and put her in the back of the rental SUV.

And he got married the following day.

And then went on a honeymoon.

- Sync and corrections by ByDem - - www.addic7ed.com -