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(Diane Fanning)
Here's a crime that hasn't
been solved for decades.
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It's there, it's constant,
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00:00:19,370 --> 00:00:23,160
it's part of
your fabric of life.
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Does that compel
more violent acts to occur?
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(Mark Reinig)
Since Ken's death,
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we've had a lot of tragedies
in the town
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that is unusual
for a rural American town.
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(Fanning)
Skidmore is so haunted
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00:00:41,890 --> 00:00:44,970
that it permeates their culture
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and makes violence
more likely.
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(male reporter) Since 2001,
folks here in Skidmore
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have lived with a big question
on their minds:
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00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:56,780
What happened
to one of their own?
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(James Klino)
Branson went to the shed
to return some jumper cables,
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and, at that point,
was not seen from thereafter.
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(Marty Small)
Branson, you know, he had
a lot of potential in life.
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Growin' up, I used
to go over to his house.
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(Reinig) It's just one of those
things we sit there and go,
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"Why is this happening?"
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(Ben Espey) Branson was
no innocent young kid
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that somebody just walked up
and shot they didn't even know.
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Branson was totally involved
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with fixin' and makin'
methamphetamine.
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00:01:20,550 --> 00:01:22,850
We know exactly
what's happened.
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We know who was involved.
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And I can tell you right now,
they were from Skidmore.
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(Steve Booher)
Nobody saw anything,
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00:01:28,890 --> 00:01:30,770
nobody overheard anything,
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but make no mistake about this,
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just like in the murder
of Ken Rex McElroy,
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00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,240
somebody knows.
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00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,110
(♪)
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(Kirby Goslee)
Being a farmer is
so many, many things.
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00:02:48,060 --> 00:02:51,230
It's changing
so very, very fast.
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But the root part
of being a farmer, for me,
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it's a great sense
of satisfaction
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00:03:00,650 --> 00:03:03,490
that you've weathered
the elements,
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00:03:03,530 --> 00:03:06,320
you've got rid of the weeds,
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00:03:06,370 --> 00:03:08,330
you get to work outside,
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00:03:08,370 --> 00:03:11,250
you're close to nature and God.
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That's just basic life
on this earth.
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I enjoyed it growing up
and I enjoyed it as a man.
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(Espey) I graduated
out of high school in 1971,
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and I always thought then
I'd kind like to be
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00:03:31,390 --> 00:03:34,520
in law enforcement and maybe
be a highway patrolman.
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They drove nice cars,
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dressed nice
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and they was well respected.
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I loved doin' my job.
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But if somebody called--
and I didn't care
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what time
of day or night it was--
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if they wanted me to come
and protect them from somebody,
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that's what I was there for.
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(David Baird)
When I became prosecutor,
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I didn't want to be prosecutor.
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I was the newest and youngest
attorney in town,
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00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,010
and they contacted me
and said,
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00:04:04,050 --> 00:04:06,130
"Would you serve
as prosecutor?"
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00:04:06,180 --> 00:04:08,510
So I went and got
sage advice from my father,
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00:04:08,550 --> 00:04:11,810
who had lived here a long time,
and said, "What do you think?"
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And his quote was,
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"Go ahead and take it.
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00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,520
"It'll be good experience
for a couple years.
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"And besides, nothing
ever exciting ever happens
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in Nodaway County anyway."
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(Goslee) I let my daughter
have our home place
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to raise her two boys.
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You know,
that's my gift to her.
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And my grandsons.
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That's the thing to do,
you pass it on.
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(Small) As a kid,
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00:04:40,580 --> 00:04:42,460
I knew
I was gonna be a soldier.
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I knew that it more important
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00:04:45,300 --> 00:04:46,880
to take care of the people
around me,
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because that's the way
I was raised.
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Shakespeare said,
"All the world's a stage.
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All I am is a player."
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You have
to understand your role.
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And we all pick our own roles.
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Well, in some cases, you get
thrown into your role,
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and you get stuck.
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00:05:01,690 --> 00:05:03,480
Branson was a good kid.
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00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:05,610
He was one
of those people that,
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00:05:05,650 --> 00:05:07,820
if he'd have made
different decisions in life,
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00:05:07,860 --> 00:05:10,360
he could've done
a lot of great things.
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00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,200
(Fanning) Branson was
kind of a shy boy.
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00:05:16,250 --> 00:05:18,870
Blue eyes, blonde hair,
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00:05:18,910 --> 00:05:21,330
and he had that baby face
that made him look
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00:05:21,380 --> 00:05:23,920
a lot younger than his years.
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00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:26,460
His parents got divorced
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00:05:26,510 --> 00:05:28,840
when he was a small kid.
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(Klino) He liked snakes,
reptiles and things.
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00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,600
And he liked
his artifact collection.
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00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,470
(Small) I tried to spend time
with him as much as I could.
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00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,390
As we get older,
you start to drift apart.
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00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:42,020
And it's truly unfortunate,
'cause I do think
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he's a great kid.
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00:05:44,020 --> 00:05:45,900
It's about life choices.
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But ultimately,
he made the choice
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and go do what he was gonna do,
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and it came back to haunt him.
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I think the family
still has a hard time
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coming to terms with that.
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And it's horrible that
they had to go through
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what they went through.
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00:05:59,410 --> 00:06:02,420
You live with the fear
that the worst has happened,
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00:06:02,460 --> 00:06:04,840
but you pray for the best.
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00:06:07,210 --> 00:06:09,170
(Small) The big part of
gettin' through
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hard things in life is hope.
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We've heard about hope.
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Some people's hope is religion
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and faith.
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00:06:20,390 --> 00:06:22,230
Some people's hope is love.
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If there's no hope,
at the end,
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then what's there to live for?
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It was a little more
than eight years ago
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when Branson Perry vanished
from his hometown
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in western Nodaway County,
and this weekend, authorities
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00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,950
honed in on a farm
in that area, hoping to uncover
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00:06:37,990 --> 00:06:40,370
clues as to what happened
to Branson.
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00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,210
There's one true story
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00:06:47,250 --> 00:06:49,250
to Branson Perry's case.
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00:06:50,260 --> 00:06:51,720
(male reporter)
In 2001,
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00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:53,260
Perry, who was 20,
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00:06:53,300 --> 00:06:55,180
vanished from outside his home.
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00:06:55,220 --> 00:06:57,300
Signs from across the area
are giving the message out
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00:06:57,350 --> 00:06:59,890
about this missing man,
but still, there have been
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00:06:59,930 --> 00:07:02,600
no signs of Branson himself.
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00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:06,860
(Espey) Branson Perry's case
led us into the drug scene.
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00:07:06,900 --> 00:07:09,270
(Booher) During a time
of his disappearance,
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00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,570
there was an active drug culture
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00:07:11,610 --> 00:07:14,360
in rural northwest Missouri.
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00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,160
(Britt Small)
At that time, when you hear
of a house blowing up,
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00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,120
very frequently,
it was a meth lab explosion.
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00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:23,290
They do happen.
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00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:25,920
(Leona Hayes) Ben Espey,
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00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:27,710
he was a pretty good sheriff
to have been trusted.
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00:07:27,750 --> 00:07:29,290
Pretty good.
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00:07:30,630 --> 00:07:33,590
Back then, Skidmore
was full of drugs,
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00:07:33,630 --> 00:07:37,010
and he was thinnin' 'em out
in this town pretty good.
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00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,390
(Espey) We developed
drug enforcement agencies,
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00:07:41,430 --> 00:07:43,310
that that's all they did.
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00:07:43,350 --> 00:07:47,440
Their whole job was to go out
and find these young kids,
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00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:50,520
follow them, film them,
and we would bust their labs
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00:07:50,570 --> 00:07:51,980
where they was makin' it.
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00:07:53,820 --> 00:07:57,200
Several people were taken,
put on a polygraph,
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00:07:57,240 --> 00:07:59,450
and asked questions about,
"Were you there?"
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00:07:59,490 --> 00:08:01,450
"What do you know?"
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00:08:01,490 --> 00:08:03,660
Then we started
puttin' things together.
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00:08:05,500 --> 00:08:07,710
Branson was totally involved
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00:08:07,750 --> 00:08:09,790
with fixin' and makin'
methamphetamine.
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00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:11,840
Part of Branson's job
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00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:13,420
was to supply the ingredients
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00:08:13,460 --> 00:08:15,510
to make the drugs.
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00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:24,680
Branson somehow had gotten in
some kind of trouble
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00:08:24,730 --> 00:08:26,730
with an officer,
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00:08:26,770 --> 00:08:29,150
and, I think,
what happened is that
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00:08:29,190 --> 00:08:33,110
the kingpin of several
different people that would meet
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00:08:33,150 --> 00:08:36,030
thought that Branson
would talk.
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00:08:36,070 --> 00:08:38,490
(♪)
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I can tell you right now,
there was nine people
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00:08:42,950 --> 00:08:44,910
involved in that case.
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00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,290
And we knew,
all of us knew,
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00:08:48,330 --> 00:08:51,710
who the nine players were
that were involved in it,
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00:08:51,750 --> 00:08:54,170
who the person was
that pulled the trigger.
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00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:02,800
(male reporter)
Investigators say
a tip came into them
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00:09:02,850 --> 00:09:06,560
about two weeks ago that
Branson could be buried here
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00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,560
in Quintmet.
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00:09:11,150 --> 00:09:13,230
(male officer)
The information that
we received in this case
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00:09:13,270 --> 00:09:14,690
we felt was very credible
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00:09:14,730 --> 00:09:17,070
and that we certainly needed
to act on it.
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00:09:18,740 --> 00:09:22,280
(Espey) Two of the people
involved showed us on a map
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00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,620
where they thought
that they'd buried Branson.
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00:09:27,830 --> 00:09:30,750
Both people
were interrogated separately,
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00:09:30,790 --> 00:09:34,170
both people showed us
the same place on the map.
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00:09:34,210 --> 00:09:36,090
(male reporter)
They combed these empty fields
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00:09:36,130 --> 00:09:38,420
and the area near
these old grain beds.
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00:09:38,470 --> 00:09:40,760
A canine unit
from North Carolina
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00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:42,470
even joined this search.
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00:09:42,510 --> 00:09:43,890
We turned the dogs loose
and we cover
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00:09:43,930 --> 00:09:47,100
about a two-mile area.
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00:09:47,140 --> 00:09:50,390
(Klino) These dogs kept hittin'
this one spot pretty hard.
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00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,440
So they took the dogs
a mile away,
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00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,190
and walked 'em back
towards there,
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00:09:55,230 --> 00:09:56,980
and they hit the spot again.
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00:09:57,940 --> 00:09:59,860
(Espey) Nine of the ten dogs
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00:09:59,900 --> 00:10:03,030
hit on exactly the same place.
189
00:10:03,070 --> 00:10:04,740
(male reporter)
Clues to what happened to him
190
00:10:04,780 --> 00:10:06,830
my still lie beneath this dirt.
191
00:10:06,870 --> 00:10:09,290
We found some items that
we feel has substantiated
192
00:10:09,330 --> 00:10:10,750
the information
that was given to us.
193
00:10:10,790 --> 00:10:13,830
So we feel
that we're on the right track.
194
00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,420
(Espey) When they was diggin'
right where the dogs hit,
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00:10:16,460 --> 00:10:18,760
the earth underneath the ground
196
00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:20,130
was different.
197
00:10:20,970 --> 00:10:22,590
So what that told me is,
198
00:10:22,630 --> 00:10:26,260
the body probably
had been buried there,
199
00:10:26,300 --> 00:10:27,970
but it had been removed.
200
00:10:29,770 --> 00:10:32,310
We have a case,
we don't have a body.
201
00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:36,820
I suspect that's when
the heat got on
202
00:10:36,860 --> 00:10:38,570
and law enforcement
got a little too close,
203
00:10:38,610 --> 00:10:41,700
I think they dug the body up
and put it somewhere else.
204
00:10:44,660 --> 00:10:47,120
Ultimately, at the end,
205
00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:51,120
our investigation
led us to that house
206
00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:52,790
where Branson Perry was shot.
207
00:10:54,460 --> 00:10:56,630
(Klino) Unfortunately,
the house burned
208
00:10:56,670 --> 00:10:59,050
before the investigation got
209
00:10:59,090 --> 00:11:01,340
to see if there was
any evidence in the home.
210
00:11:03,220 --> 00:11:05,050
No evidence was found.
211
00:11:07,260 --> 00:11:10,720
The disappearance of Branson
is like the bully case--
212
00:11:10,770 --> 00:11:13,180
there's a lot more out there
that is known
213
00:11:13,230 --> 00:11:16,190
that people
are not talking about.
214
00:11:16,230 --> 00:11:19,230
They're a small town,
they're all close knit.
215
00:11:19,270 --> 00:11:20,940
They don't want
to open their mouths.
216
00:11:20,980 --> 00:11:22,740
They're afraid
of retaliation.
217
00:11:22,780 --> 00:11:25,280
(Becky Klino) People say that
they're afraid
218
00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,370
to mention something
219
00:11:27,410 --> 00:11:29,990
because they're afraid
for their own safety.
220
00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:33,870
And I don't understand,
because how could they be
221
00:11:33,910 --> 00:11:36,630
so afraid
of something that is causing
222
00:11:36,670 --> 00:11:38,590
somebody else so much pain?
223
00:11:40,250 --> 00:11:42,590
(Hayes) A lot of people
in town wouldn't talk
224
00:11:42,630 --> 00:11:44,840
because, in this town,
225
00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,050
you'll get killed
for tellin' the truth.
226
00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:56,560
Nearly 10 years ago,
Branson Perry disappeared
227
00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,310
from his Skidmore home.
228
00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:00,650
Law enforcement says leads
are more valuable
229
00:12:00,690 --> 00:12:04,190
than ever in the case
and tips continue to come in.
230
00:12:06,820 --> 00:12:08,660
(Randy Strong) We are still
working the disappearance
231
00:12:08,700 --> 00:12:10,330
of Branson Perry.
232
00:12:10,370 --> 00:12:12,370
That case, I have open.
233
00:12:12,410 --> 00:12:15,830
We are actively pursuing
that case.
234
00:12:17,420 --> 00:12:19,130
There is an underbelly
of people
235
00:12:19,170 --> 00:12:21,960
that live there that they're
involved in the drug culture.
236
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,380
We believed him to be
a homicide victim at this time,
237
00:12:25,420 --> 00:12:28,680
but his body
has yet to be recovered.
238
00:12:30,010 --> 00:12:32,310
(Hayes)
They'll never find the boy.
239
00:12:32,350 --> 00:12:34,930
To me, I think that's
the closure of that one,
240
00:12:34,980 --> 00:12:37,390
because the FBI has come in
and everything
241
00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,440
and they couldn't find nothing.
242
00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:44,530
(Marty Small)
Now, his body was never found.
243
00:12:44,570 --> 00:12:48,030
I mean, there's been no
official report of his death.
244
00:12:48,070 --> 00:12:51,570
What they speculate happened
is the body had been cut up,
245
00:12:51,620 --> 00:12:55,450
and then dispersed
in a body of water.
246
00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:58,870
The way law enforcement
finds things now
247
00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:00,460
is you find big chunks,
you find a whole arm,
248
00:13:00,500 --> 00:13:02,250
you find a whole body.
249
00:13:02,290 --> 00:13:04,050
Little tiny pieces of things
that are chopped up
250
00:13:04,090 --> 00:13:06,010
are really difficult to find.
251
00:13:06,050 --> 00:13:08,470
So they didn't have any of
the normal physical evidence
252
00:13:08,510 --> 00:13:10,720
of the murder.
253
00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:13,430
(female reporter)
So far, all tips
have led to dead ends,
254
00:13:13,470 --> 00:13:15,310
but the case remains active,
255
00:13:15,350 --> 00:13:16,810
as those involved hope
256
00:13:16,850 --> 00:13:18,440
for what
they've been waiting for
257
00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:20,060
since he first went missing
258
00:13:20,100 --> 00:13:21,940
in April 2001.
259
00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,030
Those close to the case
are pushing forward,
260
00:13:26,070 --> 00:13:28,740
still determined
to find answers.
261
00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:32,450
(Espey) The sheriff
and the chief of police
262
00:13:32,490 --> 00:13:34,740
and the highway patrol,
we don't file charges,
we can't.
263
00:13:34,780 --> 00:13:36,750
It's up
to the prosecuting attorney
264
00:13:36,790 --> 00:13:38,910
to file a charge on a case.
265
00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:41,000
And that's the reason
that Branson Perry
266
00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:42,670
is still pending.
267
00:13:44,540 --> 00:13:48,510
Back then, prosecuting attorney
was David Baird.
268
00:13:48,550 --> 00:13:52,680
Obviously, David decided
that he didn't have enough.
269
00:13:54,510 --> 00:13:56,220
(Baird) My focus has never been,
270
00:13:56,260 --> 00:13:57,850
"Gosh, I wish I had this,"
271
00:13:57,890 --> 00:13:59,560
or "Boy, wouldn't it be great
to have that,"
272
00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:01,810
because that's
not what reality is.
273
00:14:03,150 --> 00:14:04,650
The role of prosecutor is
274
00:14:04,690 --> 00:14:06,570
that we are not
to file charges until
275
00:14:06,610 --> 00:14:08,650
we are convinced
beyond a reasonable doubt
276
00:14:08,690 --> 00:14:11,780
that a particular individual
committed a particular crime.
277
00:14:13,110 --> 00:14:14,660
(Baird)
Before we file charges,
278
00:14:14,700 --> 00:14:16,580
we want to make sure
we have that evidence.
279
00:14:16,620 --> 00:14:18,870
We do not simply take someone
to trial for the purpose
280
00:14:18,910 --> 00:14:21,370
of taking someone to trial
to get the case over with.
281
00:14:22,370 --> 00:14:24,040
(Espey) Everything is there.
282
00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:26,960
Because when I left,
everything was there.
283
00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,970
That's the deal: the prosecutor
is kind of like God.
284
00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:34,260
He has enough to file.
285
00:14:34,300 --> 00:14:37,220
But if he decides
he's not gonna file,
286
00:14:37,260 --> 00:14:39,470
then it never goes
in front of a judge.
287
00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,440
When you're the sheriff
of the county, you feel like
288
00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,900
whatever crimes are committed,
you carry 'em with you.
289
00:14:47,940 --> 00:14:50,150
And you never get rid of 'em.
290
00:14:50,190 --> 00:14:52,860
(Tom Carneal) It's a terrible
thing for the family,
291
00:14:52,900 --> 00:14:56,700
when you never know for sure--
it's like, "Is he coming home?"
292
00:15:09,340 --> 00:15:13,050
(Reinig) The signs are fading
and starting to fall in.
293
00:15:14,300 --> 00:15:15,550
It's just kind of the ruminants
294
00:15:15,590 --> 00:15:18,510
and the memorial to a child
295
00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,220
that disappeared.
296
00:15:21,270 --> 00:15:24,520
(male reporter)
This Skidmore cemetery
backs up to the Stinnett home.
297
00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,270
Family members say
they can't bear the thought
298
00:15:27,310 --> 00:15:29,190
of preparing
for yet another funeral.
299
00:15:29,230 --> 00:15:32,190
I asked my mom, I said, "Why
are we burying our children
300
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:34,820
instead of our parents?"
301
00:15:34,860 --> 00:15:37,450
Our plots are all full
of our children.
302
00:15:38,450 --> 00:15:39,990
(Reinig)
Needless to say,
303
00:15:40,030 --> 00:15:42,370
Bob and Becky
had a hard time.
304
00:15:43,910 --> 00:15:46,540
And Bob eventually
moved out of town.
305
00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:55,260
When he passed away,
306
00:15:55,300 --> 00:15:57,590
I think that he died
of a broken heart.
307
00:16:02,270 --> 00:16:06,480
In your heart, where
do you think Branson is?
308
00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:08,730
I have
to keep believin' he's alive.
309
00:16:08,770 --> 00:16:11,270
I can't go the other side yet.
310
00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,150
I can't go that way.
I can't give up hope.
311
00:16:16,610 --> 00:16:19,320
She prayed to God
every day for answers.
312
00:16:20,910 --> 00:16:23,660
Like any mother would want to do
for their own child.
313
00:16:25,330 --> 00:16:27,000
She went through hell
314
00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:28,670
trying to find answers.
315
00:16:29,750 --> 00:16:31,210
(Espey) When I got to the point
316
00:16:31,250 --> 00:16:32,960
that the charges
did not get filed,
317
00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:34,840
but we knew who did it,
318
00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,470
Branson Perry's mother
was dying of cancer.
319
00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:40,260
But before Branson's mother
320
00:16:40,300 --> 00:16:41,600
went to her grave,
321
00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:43,180
I had a meeting and told her
322
00:16:43,220 --> 00:16:46,230
exactly what I knew
and what we feel
323
00:16:46,270 --> 00:16:49,850
99.9% sure
that happened to her son.
324
00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,610
(Fanning)
When Branson's mother died,
325
00:16:55,650 --> 00:16:58,030
her obituary said
326
00:16:58,070 --> 00:16:59,910
that she was preceded in death
327
00:16:59,950 --> 00:17:01,820
by her son Branson.
328
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,080
Obviously, she accepted
329
00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:08,670
the fact that he was gone.
330
00:17:12,460 --> 00:17:16,340
(Booher) The question that
haunts Skidmore to this day is,
331
00:17:16,380 --> 00:17:19,090
"Why all this violence?"
332
00:17:19,130 --> 00:17:22,010
And "Why isn't
anybody talking?"
333
00:17:23,470 --> 00:17:25,140
(Fanning)
Wendy Gillenwater,
334
00:17:25,180 --> 00:17:27,390
who was brutally murdered,
335
00:17:27,430 --> 00:17:31,150
Branson Perry disappeared
and is presumed dead,
336
00:17:31,190 --> 00:17:34,650
and the murder
of Ken Rex McElroy...
337
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,320
(Booher)
That's a bad legacy for a town.
338
00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:43,570
And then you have probably
the most horrific case
339
00:17:43,620 --> 00:17:45,700
in the town's history,
340
00:17:45,740 --> 00:17:48,330
Bobbie Jo Stinnett.
341
00:17:48,370 --> 00:17:51,170
And it is literally repugnant
342
00:17:51,210 --> 00:17:55,000
to think of what happened
to that woman.
343
00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:57,260
And the person that did this.
344
00:17:59,380 --> 00:18:02,430
This is something
a normal person can't do.
345
00:18:11,980 --> 00:18:14,480
a very,
very horrible thing happened.
346
00:18:15,940 --> 00:18:19,400
Part of a line
of amazingly horrible events
347
00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:20,740
that have happened
in this town,
348
00:18:20,780 --> 00:18:22,780
particularly after
349
00:18:22,820 --> 00:18:26,200
the killing of Ken Rex McElroy,
350
00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:27,830
Wendy,
351
00:18:27,870 --> 00:18:30,460
Branson.
352
00:18:30,500 --> 00:18:34,250
We had a couple other incidents
where there was
353
00:18:34,290 --> 00:18:37,090
supposed suicides--
354
00:18:37,130 --> 00:18:40,210
a young boy was found hung...
355
00:18:42,550 --> 00:18:45,140
another was swimming
underneath the bridge,
356
00:18:45,180 --> 00:18:46,550
and he drowned.
357
00:18:49,390 --> 00:18:52,480
And I came to the end
of my rope, as it were.
358
00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,980
And so, I found Christ.
359
00:18:57,020 --> 00:18:58,440
I had a prayer partner.
360
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,650
And he lived
two blocks away from me.
361
00:19:01,690 --> 00:19:06,280
And we would go out
every morning that we could,
362
00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:08,490
and we'd walk through the town
and we'd pray.
363
00:19:08,530 --> 00:19:11,580
We'd pray over the streets,
we'd pray over the houses.
364
00:19:11,620 --> 00:19:14,670
We'd pray for the people
who lived in the houses.
365
00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:18,800
And one day,
as I was praying,
366
00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:20,630
I heard an audible voice,
367
00:19:20,670 --> 00:19:22,590
and it was not
the voice of God.
368
00:19:22,630 --> 00:19:26,550
And the voice said,
"I am stealing the children
369
00:19:26,590 --> 00:19:28,850
from under your noses."
370
00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:34,520
And I looked up,
371
00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:36,560
and from under my nose,
372
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,690
was Branson Perry's house,
373
00:19:39,730 --> 00:19:43,030
and then across the street
374
00:19:43,070 --> 00:19:45,280
was Bobbie Jo Stinnett's house.
375
00:19:47,870 --> 00:19:49,740
(Fanning)
Bobbie Jo Stinnett
376
00:19:49,780 --> 00:19:52,040
was brutally murdered
377
00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:53,750
in her own home
378
00:19:53,790 --> 00:19:56,120
right there in Skidmore.
379
00:20:00,420 --> 00:20:02,380
(Marty Small)
I remember being in college
380
00:20:02,420 --> 00:20:04,220
in 2004,
381
00:20:04,260 --> 00:20:06,970
sitting in class,
382
00:20:07,010 --> 00:20:09,180
I got a text message
383
00:20:09,220 --> 00:20:12,060
that there had been
another murder in Skidmore.
384
00:20:13,430 --> 00:20:16,100
Bobbie Jo, she was
a really nice girl.
385
00:20:16,140 --> 00:20:18,810
There was not a mean bone
in her body.
386
00:20:18,860 --> 00:20:21,650
She had been
in my little sister's class
387
00:20:21,690 --> 00:20:25,110
in junior high,
and that was crazy.
388
00:20:25,150 --> 00:20:26,570
I remember the name comes
across, I'm like,
389
00:20:26,610 --> 00:20:28,490
"Holy crap, I know her."
390
00:20:28,530 --> 00:20:31,280
You know,
I can't believe that happened,
391
00:20:31,330 --> 00:20:33,290
yet it didn't surprise me.
392
00:20:40,290 --> 00:20:42,420
(phone line ringing)
393
00:20:48,180 --> 00:20:50,390
(Espey) I was
in the sheriff's department
394
00:20:50,430 --> 00:20:53,600
when the 911 call came in.
395
00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:54,970
(phone line ringing)
396
00:20:55,020 --> 00:20:57,390
I could hear the conversation
397
00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:59,560
from the person
on the other end of the line,
398
00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:02,110
which was Bobbi Jo Stinnett's
mother.
399
00:21:04,190 --> 00:21:06,650
She said, "I need
somebody here right now.
400
00:21:06,690 --> 00:21:09,780
My daughter's stomach
has exploded."
401
00:21:10,780 --> 00:21:13,370
(police siren blaring)
402
00:21:21,290 --> 00:21:24,460
(Reinig) It was a sight
that probably a county sheriff
403
00:21:24,500 --> 00:21:28,220
in rural northwest Missouri
was not used to seeing.
404
00:21:31,300 --> 00:21:33,760
(Espey) When I got there,
I walked through the house,
405
00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:35,640
and get to the room
406
00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,060
where Bobbie Joe Stinnett is.
407
00:21:38,100 --> 00:21:41,020
I could tell,
as I walked through the door,
408
00:21:41,060 --> 00:21:43,770
that there was probably
no life there.
409
00:21:43,810 --> 00:21:45,610
(camera shutter clicking)
410
00:21:45,650 --> 00:21:48,490
Bobbie Jo was laying flat
on her back, face up.
411
00:21:49,650 --> 00:21:51,360
Becky, the mother,
412
00:21:51,410 --> 00:21:53,240
looked at me and says,
"I don't know--
413
00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,790
"I've never done CPR. I don't
know that I'm doing it right.
414
00:21:55,830 --> 00:21:58,330
Can you help?"
I continued CPR
415
00:21:58,370 --> 00:22:02,500
until the ambulance
personnel walked in with a cot.
416
00:22:02,540 --> 00:22:05,670
(Booher) From the bedroom
to the kitchen,
417
00:22:05,710 --> 00:22:08,670
it was a horrific crime scene.
418
00:22:13,890 --> 00:22:15,600
(Britt Small)
There was so much blood,
419
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,060
I mean, it just--
It made me sick.
420
00:22:18,100 --> 00:22:20,810
And the reason I knew
what all happened there
421
00:22:20,850 --> 00:22:25,230
was because my chiropractor
was the coroner at the time.
422
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,690
(Booher) I was actually
here in the news room.
423
00:22:29,740 --> 00:22:33,570
We had gotten calls
from people around the area,
424
00:22:33,610 --> 00:22:35,280
saying, "Hey, looks like
425
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,040
there's something big
goin' on in Skidmore."
426
00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:41,370
And of course, we thought,
"What, again?"
427
00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:44,580
(people chattering)
428
00:22:44,630 --> 00:22:46,960
Okay, here's modulation
mic check for KXCV Radio.
429
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,840
KXCV Maryville,
KRNW Chillicothe.
430
00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:51,720
Mic check modulation.
431
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:53,550
And, uh,
we don't have anything yet.
432
00:22:58,850 --> 00:23:00,430
(Espey)
There's been several crimes
433
00:23:00,470 --> 00:23:03,390
in Skidmore
over the past several years.
434
00:23:06,610 --> 00:23:08,400
But the Bobbie Jo Stinnett case
435
00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,240
was probably the biggest case
that I had in my career.
436
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:13,700
Okay, we're gonna be real brief.
437
00:23:13,740 --> 00:23:15,110
Is everybody ready?
438
00:23:16,870 --> 00:23:18,910
This conference
won't last very long.
439
00:23:20,370 --> 00:23:23,000
There was a lot of manpower
put into this.
440
00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:24,750
There was a lot of hard
investigative work.
441
00:23:24,790 --> 00:23:26,380
Right now,
there's investigators
442
00:23:26,420 --> 00:23:27,670
doing questioning.
443
00:23:27,710 --> 00:23:29,460
(male reporter 1)
444
00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:32,470
There's two people being
questioned at this time.
445
00:23:32,510 --> 00:23:35,760
And, uh, I think that's
where we'll leave it.
446
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:39,510
(male reporter 1)
447
00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:40,770
They're still
in the process of doing
448
00:23:40,810 --> 00:23:42,430
an investigation on that.
449
00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:44,600
(male reporter 2)
450
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,650
We're in the process
of doing that right now.
451
00:23:50,230 --> 00:23:52,690
(Espey) As they loaded
Bobbie Jo onto the stretcher
452
00:23:52,740 --> 00:23:55,030
and took her out
to the ambulance,
453
00:23:55,070 --> 00:23:56,950
I could see that
her stomach was cut
454
00:23:56,990 --> 00:23:58,450
from side to side.
455
00:23:59,870 --> 00:24:01,290
I then went back into the house
456
00:24:01,330 --> 00:24:03,330
and asked Becky,
the mother, I said,
457
00:24:03,370 --> 00:24:05,120
"Is Bobbie Jo pregnant?"
458
00:24:08,500 --> 00:24:13,670
"Yes, she was within a month
of delivering a new child."
459
00:24:14,670 --> 00:24:16,220
So we had a baby that was cut
460
00:24:16,260 --> 00:24:17,930
out of her mother,
461
00:24:17,970 --> 00:24:20,050
and the baby's gone.
462
00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:22,810
(male reporter)
When police entered this house
463
00:24:22,850 --> 00:24:24,810
in tiny Skidmore, Missouri,
464
00:24:24,850 --> 00:24:27,440
they discovered the slain body
of pregnant mother-to-be,
465
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,060
Bobbie Jo Stinnett.
466
00:24:29,110 --> 00:24:31,270
Her murder was made
all the more horrifying
467
00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:33,820
by what police did not find:
468
00:24:33,860 --> 00:24:36,400
a pregnant woman
attacked in her home,
469
00:24:36,450 --> 00:24:40,830
the baby she was carrying,
cut from her womb and gone.
470
00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,130
and I cried a lot that night
471
00:24:53,170 --> 00:24:55,260
and I prayed a lot that night.
472
00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,010
Makes me shiver yet today.
473
00:25:00,050 --> 00:25:02,720
The cruelest, meanest
474
00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,850
that I had ever seen in my life.
475
00:25:05,890 --> 00:25:09,810
And I was raised rough
in the country, and everything,
476
00:25:09,850 --> 00:25:12,400
and never seen
anything like that.
477
00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:14,230
It as just horrible.
478
00:25:17,030 --> 00:25:19,660
Bobbie Jo was the niece
of my daughters.
479
00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,030
And Bobbie Jo
and Zeb got married
480
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:26,870
and was doin' real good.
481
00:25:26,910 --> 00:25:29,000
They were raising dogs
together.
482
00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:34,250
And I never knew of Bobbie Jo
and Zeb ever had any problems.
483
00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:36,710
The mother, Becky, worked
at the filling station,
484
00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,180
and Bobbie Jo would come down
and pick her mother up
485
00:25:39,220 --> 00:25:40,630
and take her down home.
486
00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:42,430
Well, that very day,
487
00:25:42,470 --> 00:25:44,560
Becky knew that there
must have been something wrong,
488
00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:46,850
because Bobbie Jo
hadn't got down there.
489
00:25:46,890 --> 00:25:51,690
And so, that's when her mother
went up there,
490
00:25:51,730 --> 00:25:53,770
and that's when the mother
had found out
491
00:25:53,810 --> 00:25:56,190
they'd cut
Bobbie Jo's baby out of her.
492
00:25:59,450 --> 00:26:02,280
(Brett Small)
She was a good friend
of my daughters.
493
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:04,740
And she used to come out here,
ride her pony out here,
494
00:26:04,780 --> 00:26:08,200
and sit right here at the table
and eat with the family.
495
00:26:09,620 --> 00:26:11,580
(Goslee)
I knew Bobbie Jo real well.
496
00:26:11,620 --> 00:26:13,250
I knew her folks.
497
00:26:14,420 --> 00:26:16,420
Young cowgirl.
498
00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:21,550
She wouldn't hurt a fly.
499
00:26:23,260 --> 00:26:25,930
It's a real, real, real tragedy
500
00:26:25,970 --> 00:26:27,810
of what happened to her.
501
00:26:32,390 --> 00:26:35,190
(male officer) The sheriff, when
he started the investigation,
502
00:26:35,230 --> 00:26:38,150
right away, he activated
the major case squad,
503
00:26:38,190 --> 00:26:40,610
which brought in other
law enforcement agencies,
504
00:26:40,650 --> 00:26:43,700
such as the highway patrol,
the FBI,
505
00:26:43,740 --> 00:26:45,450
different sheriffs,
police departments
506
00:26:45,490 --> 00:26:47,620
in northwest Missouri.
507
00:26:47,660 --> 00:26:50,830
Essentially, half the town
was blocked off
508
00:26:50,870 --> 00:26:53,000
because of the crime scene.
509
00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:54,710
(Fanning)
They wanted every little
510
00:26:54,750 --> 00:26:57,090
tiny piece of trace evidence
511
00:26:57,130 --> 00:26:59,630
they could find
that would nail down
512
00:26:59,670 --> 00:27:02,090
who came into this home.
513
00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:06,390
(Booher)
The first thing they did
514
00:27:06,430 --> 00:27:09,060
was take blood samples
of everything.
515
00:27:09,100 --> 00:27:10,720
(camera shutter clicking)
516
00:27:10,770 --> 00:27:13,140
There was a trail of blood
517
00:27:13,190 --> 00:27:16,940
where her murderer
had dragged her body
518
00:27:16,980 --> 00:27:19,230
down a hallway;
519
00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:22,320
a bloody knife laying
on the counter
520
00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:26,120
that was used to cut the baby
out of Bobbie Jo's womb.
521
00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:32,120
(Fanning) Forensic scientists
took up a piece of floor
522
00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:35,120
where she breathed
her last breath
523
00:27:35,170 --> 00:27:37,420
to see what evidence
they could find.
524
00:27:39,500 --> 00:27:41,960
(Booher) They don't want
to disturb the body.
525
00:27:42,010 --> 00:27:45,130
They want the body
to remain as it was
526
00:27:45,180 --> 00:27:46,970
when she died.
527
00:27:47,010 --> 00:27:49,720
So they just cut
the whole floor up--
528
00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,140
they pry it up,
they lift it up
529
00:27:52,180 --> 00:27:54,060
and they take it
out of the house.
530
00:27:56,230 --> 00:28:00,230
(Strong) At the time, I was
a detective here in Maryville.
531
00:28:00,270 --> 00:28:04,110
And shortly after Sheriff Espey
and his deputies arrived there,
532
00:28:04,150 --> 00:28:06,160
I got a phone call.
533
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,990
The body was being taken
to St. Francis Hospital.
534
00:28:09,030 --> 00:28:10,830
I was told to go down there
535
00:28:10,870 --> 00:28:13,040
and document the body--
photograph the body
536
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:14,370
and look for evidence.
537
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,630
There were ligature marks
around her neck,
538
00:28:19,670 --> 00:28:22,380
where I could see a pattern--
539
00:28:22,420 --> 00:28:25,510
she was strangled at least
twice, if not, three times.
540
00:28:25,550 --> 00:28:27,510
I could see
the distinct bruising
541
00:28:27,550 --> 00:28:30,100
and the marks of the rope
around her neck.
542
00:28:30,140 --> 00:28:31,680
She was barefoot.
543
00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:33,310
I noticed that
on the top of her feet
544
00:28:33,350 --> 00:28:35,020
there was no blood.
545
00:28:35,060 --> 00:28:36,770
Her feet had been flat in blood
546
00:28:36,810 --> 00:28:39,310
and that blood had come up
between her toes,
547
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,900
which told me that
once she had been cut,
548
00:28:42,940 --> 00:28:46,030
and cut severely, that she was
not dead yet for a little bit,
549
00:28:46,070 --> 00:28:48,450
that she was able
to get up and stand.
550
00:28:48,490 --> 00:28:50,530
I believe that her attacker
551
00:28:50,570 --> 00:28:53,370
started cutting on her,
blood spilled out
552
00:28:53,410 --> 00:28:56,080
and that Bobbie Jo continued
to fight for her life,
553
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:57,580
or her baby's life.
554
00:29:19,310 --> 00:29:22,940
People live in an area
like Skidmore, Missouri
555
00:29:22,980 --> 00:29:25,570
because, basically,
they want a quiet life.
556
00:29:27,950 --> 00:29:30,740
Then when
Bobbie Jo Stinnett died,
557
00:29:30,780 --> 00:29:35,120
all their old misbehaviors
were brought out.
558
00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:39,000
Everybody was focused on
what was wrong with Skidmore.
559
00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:41,170
(male reporter 1)
Bobbie Jo Stinnett was
found strangled,
560
00:29:41,210 --> 00:29:44,880
lying in a pool of blood
inside this Skidmore home.
561
00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:47,460
(male reporter 2)
Keep in mind, Skidmore
was already no stranger
562
00:29:47,510 --> 00:29:50,840
to the media, and this case
put them on the map again.
563
00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:52,590
All these reporters
564
00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:54,810
and all these journalists
were comin' into town,
565
00:29:54,850 --> 00:29:57,430
and they were dredging
all this stuff up again.
566
00:29:57,470 --> 00:30:00,730
This was something
so unusual that it captured
567
00:30:00,770 --> 00:30:03,610
the attention of media outlets
all over the world.
568
00:30:03,650 --> 00:30:05,730
A baby born of violence,
569
00:30:05,770 --> 00:30:07,440
ripped from the womb
and her mother...
570
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:09,950
Fetal abduction
in the nation's heartland.
571
00:30:09,990 --> 00:30:12,950
(female reporter)
The vicious crime has shaken
this tight knit small town.
572
00:30:12,990 --> 00:30:15,370
I just can't understand
why anybody
573
00:30:15,410 --> 00:30:17,540
would do a trick like that.
574
00:30:30,170 --> 00:30:31,840
-(woman) Sheriff--
-(man) What time you talkin',
like later on tonight?
575
00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:33,720
Yes, later on tonight,
I would anticipate.
576
00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:35,850
I don't have
a specific time, okay?
577
00:30:35,890 --> 00:30:37,430
(female reporter)
578
00:30:44,810 --> 00:30:47,860
Nobody here,
nobody here could ever perceive
579
00:30:47,900 --> 00:30:49,940
this ever taking place,
580
00:30:49,990 --> 00:30:53,030
to have a fetus taken out
of someone's womb.
581
00:30:54,660 --> 00:30:56,200
It's unconceivable.
582
00:30:57,370 --> 00:30:58,740
And I'm a grandparent,
583
00:30:58,790 --> 00:31:01,000
and I had a grandson born
584
00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,710
six days prior to this incident.
585
00:31:05,630 --> 00:31:08,880
And then for me to think that
now I'm workin' a case here
586
00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:11,050
where someone's taken a baby
out of a mother...
587
00:31:12,970 --> 00:31:15,800
The grandparents, the family,
588
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:18,430
nobody was gonna be able
to see this baby.
589
00:31:18,470 --> 00:31:20,720
I know you guys,
you really want a lot of stuff.
590
00:31:20,770 --> 00:31:23,020
We're in the middle
of this investigation.
591
00:31:23,060 --> 00:31:24,650
We're not in the back of it.
592
00:31:24,690 --> 00:31:26,400
What I can't do
and we can't afford to do
593
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,400
is let anything slip from here
that can jeopardize
594
00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:31,150
the murder case.
And you're gonna want--
595
00:31:31,190 --> 00:31:33,360
If it's your grandkid,
you're gonna want this person
596
00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:34,610
behind bars as well as we are.
597
00:31:34,660 --> 00:31:36,990
(male reporter)
598
00:31:38,530 --> 00:31:40,410
We're really not gonna
comment on that right now.
599
00:31:40,450 --> 00:31:42,040
If you stick around
for a little while,
600
00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:43,210
we may have some more
information about the case
601
00:31:43,250 --> 00:31:44,870
in general. Thank you very much.
602
00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:48,250
-(reporters clamoring)
-(Lanza) Get it right here.
603
00:31:55,050 --> 00:31:58,760
(Booher) Law enforcement
was under enormous pressure
604
00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:00,890
to solve this case,
605
00:32:00,930 --> 00:32:02,930
and do it damn quick.
606
00:32:02,980 --> 00:32:05,140
(female reporter)
Officials ask if
you know anything,
607
00:32:05,190 --> 00:32:06,850
to come forward.
608
00:32:06,900 --> 00:32:08,360
(Espey) Don't assume
that we already know,
609
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:09,770
'cause we may not.
610
00:32:09,820 --> 00:32:11,940
And that may be the one piece
611
00:32:11,980 --> 00:32:13,360
of the puzzle
that we might need.
612
00:32:15,150 --> 00:32:17,030
(Hayes) It was
December the 16th,
613
00:32:17,070 --> 00:32:19,490
around 3:30...
614
00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:24,120
my son and I
rolled up in the yard,
615
00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:25,960
and here come this red car,
616
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,000
just abarrelin'.
617
00:32:32,170 --> 00:32:36,090
I seen a woman in the back seat
doing something.
618
00:32:36,130 --> 00:32:39,430
And the little one
that was doing the driving,
619
00:32:39,470 --> 00:32:41,640
her hands were small.
620
00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:44,350
So we run around
the truck to see,
621
00:32:44,390 --> 00:32:46,350
and the vehicle went south.
622
00:32:49,100 --> 00:32:51,900
And I thought, "Should I call
the sheriff to see?
623
00:32:51,940 --> 00:32:54,570
Maybe it would
give him a lead."
624
00:32:54,610 --> 00:32:56,740
I did go ahead and call.
625
00:32:56,780 --> 00:32:59,950
I called the sheriff
to tell the FBI
626
00:32:59,990 --> 00:33:01,910
what I seen.
627
00:33:01,950 --> 00:33:04,200
(male reporter) Early on,
investigators got a lead--
628
00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:07,750
an anonymous phone call
about a red car.
629
00:33:07,790 --> 00:33:10,920
(Booher) The day that
Bobbie Jo Stinnett was killed
630
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:15,670
was different from Ken Rex
and Branson Perry's case.
631
00:33:17,300 --> 00:33:18,840
I don't know if it was because
632
00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,550
there was an infant involved,
633
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:27,020
but Nodaway County
asked for help that day.
634
00:33:27,060 --> 00:33:31,150
Townspeople responded that day.
635
00:33:31,190 --> 00:33:34,730
Tonight, the authorities
are still looking for
636
00:33:34,780 --> 00:33:37,530
the red car-- they believe
the red car was used
637
00:33:37,570 --> 00:33:39,280
to take the baby away.
638
00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:41,570
(male reporter)
The FBI, highway patrol,
639
00:33:41,620 --> 00:33:43,530
the sheriff,
had nothing but red
640
00:33:43,580 --> 00:33:46,330
as the color of
the getaway car. That was it.
641
00:33:46,370 --> 00:33:49,080
Remember, they didn't know
if they would find a baby,
642
00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:51,670
if the baby would be alive
or healthy,
643
00:33:51,710 --> 00:33:54,040
or how to even tell
if it's the right baby.
644
00:33:54,090 --> 00:33:57,340
Because this baby
had not gone full term,
645
00:33:57,380 --> 00:34:01,010
but he's probably alive
out there somewhere.
646
00:34:01,050 --> 00:34:05,220
(Fanning) And so the time factor
is even more critical.
647
00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:08,850
(Espey) The mother
was eight months pregnant,
648
00:34:08,890 --> 00:34:12,270
so we're lookin' at
a one-month premature baby.
649
00:34:12,310 --> 00:34:14,480
From what it looks like
to us is, there was,
650
00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,190
the evidence would show
that the baby
651
00:34:16,230 --> 00:34:19,070
was probably wrapped up
and taken out of the home.
652
00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:24,780
(Reinig) The sheriff immediately
called for an amber alert,
653
00:34:24,830 --> 00:34:26,700
for the child that was missing.
654
00:34:26,740 --> 00:34:29,250
And apparently,
the state refused.
655
00:34:29,290 --> 00:34:31,120
We didn't have enough criteria
to meet it,
656
00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:33,540
which would be
like hair color, eye color,
657
00:34:33,580 --> 00:34:35,500
skin complexion, size, weight.
658
00:34:37,050 --> 00:34:38,050
(Espey)
The amber alert is a system
659
00:34:38,090 --> 00:34:39,880
here in the United States.
660
00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:41,260
Law enforcement started this up,
661
00:34:41,300 --> 00:34:42,880
and it's meant to help
find a child
662
00:34:42,930 --> 00:34:44,640
that's in distress
663
00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:45,930
or somebody's kidnapped.
664
00:34:45,970 --> 00:34:47,680
(beeping)
665
00:34:47,720 --> 00:34:49,640
There's a description
of the child,
666
00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:52,810
description of the vehicle
you're looking for.
667
00:34:52,850 --> 00:34:56,860
It goes out on all
the law enforcement networks,
668
00:34:56,900 --> 00:34:59,150
on all the television,
all the radio,
669
00:34:59,190 --> 00:35:01,490
right now
on all the cell phones.
670
00:35:04,950 --> 00:35:07,620
(Fanning)
But there was a problem.
671
00:35:07,660 --> 00:35:09,870
He could not describe the baby.
672
00:35:09,910 --> 00:35:11,620
The baby hadn't been born.
673
00:35:11,660 --> 00:35:13,120
(male reporter)
Sheriff Ben Espey had
674
00:35:13,170 --> 00:35:15,540
a brutal crime to solve,
and fast.
675
00:35:15,580 --> 00:35:19,050
But how could he request
an amber alert for a child
676
00:35:19,090 --> 00:35:21,800
that had technically
never been born?
677
00:35:23,180 --> 00:35:25,470
(Fanning) No one
could describe the baby,
678
00:35:25,510 --> 00:35:28,180
but the person
who just abducted the baby.
679
00:35:49,030 --> 00:35:51,540
And they've been in the process
of tearin' this down
680
00:35:51,580 --> 00:35:53,040
ever since the murder, but...
681
00:35:54,290 --> 00:35:56,710
uh, it's a real slow process.
682
00:35:59,590 --> 00:36:01,250
Sad, sad deal.
683
00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:07,390
My stepdaughter lived here
684
00:36:07,430 --> 00:36:10,100
with her two boys
for a couple years...
685
00:36:11,310 --> 00:36:13,770
prior to what happened
to Bobbie Jo.
686
00:36:13,810 --> 00:36:16,230
I used to come up here
all the time.
687
00:36:16,270 --> 00:36:18,400
(knocks on wood frame)
688
00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:21,070
Living room
and a spare bedroom.
689
00:36:21,110 --> 00:36:23,440
Bathroom right there.
690
00:36:24,950 --> 00:36:26,610
Little kitchen area.
691
00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:31,540
I don't know
the gruesome details.
692
00:36:31,580 --> 00:36:34,160
I wouldn't talk about 'em
if I did.
693
00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,830
But you take a young woman
694
00:36:37,870 --> 00:36:39,210
gettin' ready to have a baby,
695
00:36:39,250 --> 00:36:41,170
and somebody murdered her?
696
00:36:41,210 --> 00:36:43,920
I mean, it can't get
any worse than that.
697
00:36:45,050 --> 00:36:47,130
Can't get any worse than that.
698
00:36:50,140 --> 00:36:51,680
Probably the saddest thing
699
00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:53,560
that's ever happened
in this town.
700
00:37:01,060 --> 00:37:03,320
(Fanning) We have long heard
the phrase that
701
00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:07,780
"The sins of the father
are visited upon their sons."
702
00:37:09,450 --> 00:37:11,620
One generation stood
in the street
703
00:37:11,660 --> 00:37:14,910
and shot down Ken McElroy
704
00:37:14,950 --> 00:37:16,710
and ended his life.
705
00:37:19,210 --> 00:37:22,290
With a small town like Skidmore,
706
00:37:22,340 --> 00:37:25,130
these violent crimes
leave a mark
707
00:37:25,170 --> 00:37:27,260
on the whole town.
708
00:37:27,300 --> 00:37:29,260
It's almost biblical,
709
00:37:29,300 --> 00:37:33,100
that one act of violence
710
00:37:33,140 --> 00:37:35,270
seemed to have bred
711
00:37:35,310 --> 00:37:38,770
three acts of violence
in the next generation.
712
00:37:40,770 --> 00:37:43,820
(male reporter 1)
Bobby Jo Stinnett would
never see her child born.
713
00:37:43,860 --> 00:37:45,900
The 23-year-old pregnant woman
714
00:37:45,940 --> 00:37:47,820
was strangled
in their small town home--
715
00:37:47,860 --> 00:37:51,200
her womb cut
and her unborn baby kidnapped.
716
00:37:51,240 --> 00:37:52,990
The medics told us
at the hospital that
717
00:37:53,030 --> 00:37:54,870
this baby is
probably still alive
718
00:37:54,910 --> 00:37:56,580
and is gonna need
medical attention.
719
00:37:59,460 --> 00:38:02,500
(male reporter 2)
The sheriff's first
amber alert request was denied,
720
00:38:02,540 --> 00:38:04,790
because this child
had not been born yet.
721
00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:07,300
(Espey) Well, they wouldn't
give me the amber alert.
722
00:38:07,340 --> 00:38:09,970
The said you gotta have
the baby's height, weight,
723
00:38:10,010 --> 00:38:12,180
eye color, hair color.
724
00:38:12,220 --> 00:38:13,680
Well, we didn't have
any of that.
725
00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:15,470
The only thing I really had was
726
00:38:15,510 --> 00:38:18,350
the fact that we had a baby
that was a month premature
727
00:38:18,390 --> 00:38:20,020
that had been taken.
728
00:38:20,060 --> 00:38:22,480
And to me,
that should be enough.
729
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:24,110
(male reporter 3)
Espey would not be deterred.
730
00:38:24,150 --> 00:38:26,270
He made some calls,
pushed his case,
731
00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:28,030
He even lobbied his congressman
732
00:38:28,070 --> 00:38:29,950
to make sure the word got out.
733
00:38:31,240 --> 00:38:32,450
(Espey) So here's what we got.
734
00:38:32,490 --> 00:38:33,950
We've got a baby
that was cut out,
735
00:38:33,990 --> 00:38:36,700
we've got a murder--
the mother's dead--
736
00:38:36,740 --> 00:38:38,500
and I need the amber alert.
737
00:38:38,540 --> 00:38:40,960
Within two hours,
the highway patrol
738
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:42,790
called me and said,
"All right, Sheriff,
you got what you wanted."
739
00:38:42,830 --> 00:38:44,420
Well, I didn't like
that attitude.
740
00:38:44,460 --> 00:38:46,800
But I got it.
I got what I wanted.
741
00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:48,630
(male reporter 4)
After a day long nightmare,
742
00:38:48,670 --> 00:38:50,260
police sounded an amber alert,
743
00:38:50,300 --> 00:38:51,840
triggering a dragnet
in Missouri
744
00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:53,340
and nearby states.
745
00:38:53,390 --> 00:38:54,840
(Espey over radio)
Keep an eye out for
746
00:38:54,890 --> 00:38:56,220
an infant with possible
health issues,
747
00:38:56,260 --> 00:38:57,930
a newly cut umbilical cord
748
00:38:57,970 --> 00:39:00,060
and bloody clothing.
749
00:39:00,100 --> 00:39:03,270
(Fanning) It was all over
national television.
750
00:39:03,310 --> 00:39:06,190
Where is this baby?
751
00:39:11,070 --> 00:39:13,110
We're back here live.
Now, they are just going to go
752
00:39:13,150 --> 00:39:14,700
with a press conference--
they're going to give an update.
753
00:39:14,740 --> 00:39:16,490
Here is the latest
from the investigators...
754
00:39:16,530 --> 00:39:18,580
-...in this case.
-(Espey)...involved in the case.
755
00:39:19,870 --> 00:39:21,750
(Espey) When this
amber alert come out,
756
00:39:21,790 --> 00:39:23,540
we took an anonymous tip
that come
757
00:39:23,580 --> 00:39:25,330
from several states away
from here...
758
00:39:26,750 --> 00:39:28,750
(Fanning) Meanwhile,
they're taking
759
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:31,460
lots of calls from people
760
00:39:31,510 --> 00:39:34,300
who are noticing odd things.
761
00:39:34,340 --> 00:39:37,760
But the real trigger
to find out what was going on
762
00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:40,100
was in Bobbie Jo's computer.
763
00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:45,900
(male reporter)
A fellow dog breeder
from North Carolina
764
00:39:45,940 --> 00:39:48,570
led FBI agents
to Stinnett's website.
765
00:39:48,610 --> 00:39:50,780
Investigators
searched her computer,
766
00:39:50,820 --> 00:39:52,360
discovering a vital clue.
767
00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:54,650
(man) Bobbie Jo ran
a website
768
00:39:54,700 --> 00:39:56,910
where she sold
rat terrier dogs.
769
00:39:56,950 --> 00:39:58,620
(mouse clicks)
770
00:39:58,660 --> 00:39:59,910
They took that computer in,
771
00:39:59,950 --> 00:40:01,700
they started analyzing it,
772
00:40:01,750 --> 00:40:04,120
and they found this chat group
773
00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:06,830
of rat terrier breeders...
774
00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:08,130
(mouse clicks)
775
00:40:08,170 --> 00:40:09,670
(Booher) At the time,
776
00:40:09,710 --> 00:40:12,010
we didn't think
it was important.
777
00:40:12,050 --> 00:40:13,840
(Strong) Anybody
getting on the website
778
00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:15,380
could look at that
and see that she was pregnant.
779
00:40:15,430 --> 00:40:17,010
(mouse clicks)
780
00:40:17,050 --> 00:40:18,850
She documented
her pregnancy on that.
781
00:40:18,890 --> 00:40:20,890
She showed
different stages of that,
782
00:40:20,930 --> 00:40:23,060
and she talked about
how excited she was--
783
00:40:23,100 --> 00:40:25,390
this was gonna be
her and Zeb's first child.
784
00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:26,650
(mouse clicks)
785
00:40:26,690 --> 00:40:28,610
Her address is on the website,
786
00:40:28,650 --> 00:40:30,770
so anybody could get on there
and find out where she lived.
787
00:40:30,820 --> 00:40:32,940
The day before the murder,
788
00:40:32,980 --> 00:40:34,940
a woman gets online,
789
00:40:34,990 --> 00:40:36,450
and introduces herself
790
00:40:36,490 --> 00:40:38,200
as Darlene Fischer.
791
00:40:38,240 --> 00:40:41,030
She says she wants to buy a dog
792
00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:42,240
from Bobbie Jo Stinnett
793
00:40:42,290 --> 00:40:44,250
in Skidmore, Missouri.
794
00:40:44,290 --> 00:40:46,620
Bobbie Jo was
795
00:40:46,670 --> 00:40:48,170
making arrangements
796
00:40:48,210 --> 00:40:50,040
to meet with someone,
797
00:40:50,090 --> 00:40:51,420
and it was supposed to happen
798
00:40:51,460 --> 00:40:53,550
that day.
799
00:40:53,590 --> 00:40:55,380
So they wanted to find
800
00:40:55,420 --> 00:40:56,930
this person--
find out if that person
801
00:40:56,970 --> 00:40:58,260
had come to the house
802
00:40:58,300 --> 00:41:00,260
to look at the puppies.
803
00:41:02,850 --> 00:41:04,890
She was Darlene Fischer
804
00:41:04,930 --> 00:41:07,060
from Fairfax, Missouri.
805
00:41:09,770 --> 00:41:11,940
They flooded Fairfax
806
00:41:11,980 --> 00:41:14,900
with tons of cops,
trying to find Darlene Fischer.
807
00:41:14,940 --> 00:41:17,240
(police siren blaring
in distance)
808
00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:18,820
(thunder crashes)
809
00:41:18,860 --> 00:41:20,780
But it was all a ruse.
810
00:41:22,370 --> 00:41:25,450
The FBI then, very quickl,
was able to track
811
00:41:25,500 --> 00:41:27,750
this Darlene Fischer's
domain name
812
00:41:27,790 --> 00:41:29,290
back to Melvern, Kansas.
813
00:41:29,330 --> 00:41:32,130
(♪)
814
00:41:32,170 --> 00:41:33,880
(Espey) So that's when I sent
815
00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:35,380
Randy Strong and Don Fritz
816
00:41:35,420 --> 00:41:37,760
to Melvern, Kansas
817
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:39,010
to try to figure out
818
00:41:39,050 --> 00:41:41,720
who Darlene Fischer was.
819
00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:42,890
(thunder crashes)
820
00:41:42,930 --> 00:41:44,390
And at the same time,
821
00:41:44,430 --> 00:41:46,180
a woman from Melvern
822
00:41:46,220 --> 00:41:48,600
was calling in and saying,
823
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:52,020
"There was this woman walking
around with a newborn baby."
824
00:41:52,900 --> 00:41:54,150
Lisa Montgomery.
825
00:41:54,190 --> 00:41:56,740
(♪)
826
00:41:56,780 --> 00:41:59,030
Lisa Montgomery is incapable
827
00:41:59,070 --> 00:42:00,780
of having a newborn baby.
828
00:42:00,820 --> 00:42:03,120
She had a tubal ligation
years ago.
829
00:42:04,870 --> 00:42:06,620
(female reporter)
That woman, Darlene Fischer,
830
00:42:06,660 --> 00:42:09,290
turns out to be
Lisa Montgomery.
831
00:42:09,330 --> 00:42:12,000
(Fanning)
Everything was closing in.
832
00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:14,040
That baby had to be located
833
00:42:14,090 --> 00:42:16,210
as fast as they could.
834
00:42:16,250 --> 00:42:19,670
There are all sorts of things
that could go wrong.
835
00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:21,380
This child is in danger.
836
00:42:21,430 --> 00:42:23,390
(♪)
836
00:42:24,305 --> 00:43:24,167
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