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City Confidential Season 9 Episode 1
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00:00As far as the city of Anchorage and what this case did to it, I think it opened a lot of
00:14people's eyes that maybe we're not the innocent little city that we thought we were.
00:21If you have a female kidnapped, 90% of the time they are dead within 24 hours.
00:27A flicker of light remains in Anchorage's town square.
00:32This could have been anybody's daughter. And that's the thing I think that really gripped everybody.
00:37For the first time, I felt like we had lost a little bit of control of the investigation.
00:44Bad things can happen on a terrible scale. And it did.
00:49Where did she go? This is not real. Like, this is not real. There's no way this can be real.
01:04From the pulsating streets of big cities to Main Street USA, no neighborhood is safe from the
01:10unthinkable. These are the stories of innocence lost, of communities changed forever.
01:17This is City Confidential.
01:30Anchorage, Alaska. America's last frontier.
01:33A city on the edge of the frigid northern Pacific, surrounded by untamed wilderness.
01:42The town was first named Anchor Point in 1778, when British explorer James Cook landed here.
01:50More than a century later, the city was incorporated, and its official name was changed to Anchorage.
01:56By the time Alaska became America's 49th state in 1959, the city's population was 37,000.
02:10Alaska celebrates the long-awaited grant of statehood with enthusiasm worthy of gold rush days.
02:16There isn't a dog sled in sight. Alaska stands on the threshold of a dynamic new era.
02:21And that number exploded in the 1970s, after the announcement of two massive construction projects.
02:30The 414-mile Dalton Highway, and the 800-mile-long Trans-Alaskan Oil Pipeline.
02:38Suddenly, tens of thousands of workers flooded the city, hoping to earn a good living.
02:43Anchorage definitely has a reputation as a sort of Wild West, boomtown kind of place,
02:51because you had people moving up from all different parts of the country,
02:56and there was a lot of drinking going on, and bars popping up everywhere, and prostitution,
03:02and the kind of things that happened when the gold rush happened.
03:05A little bit rough and tumble.
03:06Today, nearly 300,000 people call Anchorage home,
03:16from young, business-minded professionals and families,
03:19to farmers, fishermen, and tradespeople.
03:23It kind of looks like any Midwestern city.
03:26It has a lot of strip malls. It's fairly flat.
03:29The difference is you look up to the horizon, and you see the beautiful Chugach Mountain Range.
03:34I mean, you can see that we're in a city, but not too far away. It's pretty wild.
03:42And, you know, there's, you know, one main road that goes north to south,
03:47and if you want to get to any of the smaller places, you have to fly in a plane.
03:54And with long, dark, icy winters that come with living near the top of the world,
03:59the people here pride themselves on being a rugged breed,
04:03self-sufficient, hardy, and adventurous.
04:08But in a place known for attracting those with a pioneering spirit,
04:12there was a time when a monster looking for a dark corner to hide in
04:20found a home here.
04:22Around noon on a cold February day,
04:38Anchorage police get a frantic call from the owner of a local drive-thru coffee stand.
04:44She says one of her employees,
04:4618-year-old Samantha Koenig, is missing,
04:48and she's frightened for Samantha's safety.
04:53We have a lot of missing people reported almost daily.
04:56Most of those people are, within 24 hours, they're found,
05:00and it wasn't anything criminal at all.
05:03It was, you know, just miscommunication.
05:05But the coffee hut owner says that's not the case this time.
05:10Her morning employees showed up at work,
05:12and the money that was supposed to be left in the cash register was missing.
05:16Samantha was responsible for closing up the night before,
05:21and when she called her home,
05:23Samantha's father said she hadn't come home all night.
05:29Anchorage PD responds to the coffee stand.
05:31Coffee kiosks are essentially a 10 by 16 shed that's usually in a parking lot,
05:43attached to an electrical pole,
05:45and they have drive-thru windows, basically, on both sides.
05:49And you drive up to either side and order your coffee,
05:52and you can drive off.
05:54There was absolutely no sign of any foul play that took place.
05:58Nothing seemed ransacked.
06:02Nothing seemed turned over or damaged that I recall.
06:07Police learned Samantha Koenig was a model employee.
06:11The 18-year-old worked part-time,
06:14and because the nights are usually slower,
06:16she closed the coffee hut by herself at 8 p.m.
06:19This particular kiosk is on one of the major roads through Anchorage
06:26that run east-west through Anchorage,
06:29and it's mostly, I would say, industrial part of the city
06:33where there's car dealerships,
06:36there's Home Depots, there's restaurants, there's a Lowe's,
06:39but a main road where there'll be lots of traffic
06:42going in both directions all day long.
06:45It's generally a safe place to live and to shop.
06:51But when cops see the coffee hut CCTV footage,
06:56Samantha's job appears to be anything but safe.
06:58What they saw was that Samantha was preparing to close the store.
07:09There was very little traffic.
07:12It looked like she was doing some cleaning
07:14when someone, right before the closing time,
07:17right before 8 p.m.,
07:19someone approached the coffee hut from the north side
07:24and placed an order.
07:30And Samantha started to prepare coffee.
07:33It was nothing unusual.
07:34It just looked like a routine purchase.
07:39As she's handing that coffee to that customer
07:42who's still standing outside,
07:44she suddenly steps back,
07:48lifts her hands up,
07:49and there is fear on her face.
07:56You could see that she's absolutely terrified.
08:00Samantha did the kind of universal
08:01don't hurt me or like a hold up sign.
08:05She had her hands up in the air.
08:07And so from that, we made, I think,
08:09a reasonable assumption
08:10that somebody was pointing a weapon at her
08:12or telling her something to do something.
08:15Then she walks towards the other end of the coffee hut
08:20and she turns the lights off.
08:23And then the video becomes really dark and grainy.
08:28And then we can see him
08:29basically jumping through the window
08:32like a cat, you know,
08:34really quickly, skillfully,
08:37one move quickly.
08:39It was really difficult to see
08:40who that person was.
08:41It would appear that the person
08:42was wearing a mask,
08:44glasses.
08:46The person looks like they
08:48restrained Samantha's hands
08:51behind her back.
08:52However, they let her put her coat on.
08:56You can see that she has something
08:57getting out of her mouth.
09:00Napkins or, you know,
09:01some type of a gag.
09:07And that was clearly visible.
09:09There's actually cameras on the outside
09:13of the coffee kiosk as well
09:15so that we're able to see
09:17Samantha being escorted away
09:19by an individual
09:21through the parking lot.
09:24And then the camera loses sight
09:26of Samantha and her abductor
09:28as they walk out of frame.
09:29We look at the circumstances.
09:37We look at, you know,
09:39all the facts.
09:40And in this case,
09:41the facts were disturbing.
09:45And what no one realizes yet,
09:47the masked man on the tape
09:49just might be the wildest animal
09:51that Anchorage has ever seen.
09:53In Anchorage, Alaska,
10:05investigators are scrambling
10:06to make sense of what happened
10:07to 18-year-old Samantha Koenig
10:09after she was escorted
10:11out of a local coffee hut
10:13by a masked man.
10:16Her father, James Koenig,
10:18and her boyfriend,
10:19Dwayne Tortolani Jr.,
10:21are in the parking lot
10:22anxiously awaiting answers
10:24after worrying about
10:25Samantha's whereabouts
10:27all night.
10:29They were both mistakenly
10:31believed that in Alaska
10:33someone has to be missing
10:35for 24 hours
10:36before making a report.
10:38I don't know if it's from TV
10:39or how that happens.
10:42It all depends on the circumstances,
10:43but you can report
10:45someone missing right away.
10:47They tell police
10:48they knew things were off
10:50last night
10:50when Dwayne arrived
10:51at the coffee hut
10:52to pick up Samantha
10:53after her shift.
10:56Samantha wasn't there.
10:58The coffee hut was dark.
11:01He tried to call her
11:02and there was no one
11:05answering the phone.
11:07Then, around 11.30 p.m.,
11:10Dwayne's phone pinged.
11:11I got a text message
11:14from Samantha saying,
11:16tell my dad
11:16I'm going to be staying
11:17with friends for a few days.
11:19He told us
11:20he didn't understand
11:21the text message.
11:22He said that they
11:22weren't in a big fight
11:24where he had done
11:25something really bad,
11:26that she would have
11:26been mad at him.
11:27He tried to text her again
11:31and then after some time
11:33he got an answer
11:35which only said
11:36F-U with capital letters.
11:39So, both he and the dad
11:43looked at the message
11:44and they said,
11:44no, this is not the language
11:46that Samantha uses.
11:48This is not something
11:51that she would write.
11:51So, cops wonder
11:54if Samantha didn't
11:55write the messages,
11:56who did?
11:58That's when they come up
11:59with a terrifying theory.
12:01Maybe her abductor
12:02is using her phone
12:03to send messages
12:03and buy getaway time.
12:06Investigators immediately
12:07ping Samantha's cell.
12:10It's been turned off.
12:11It's last known location
12:13just outside the coffee hut.
12:15Police canvass the area
12:17hoping to find
12:18additional security
12:19camera footage.
12:21Meanwhile,
12:23news of Samantha's
12:25disappearance
12:25storms through the city
12:27like an arctic blast
12:28that chills locals
12:29to the bone.
12:31Samantha is one of their own.
12:37She was born
12:38and raised in Anchorage.
12:39Her parents split up
12:40when she was two
12:41and she lived with
12:42her father James
12:43full time after that.
12:47She is very tough,
12:49very strong,
12:50emotionally,
12:51physically,
12:51physically,
12:52mentally.
12:53She was very smart.
12:56She had a one-of-a-kind laugh.
13:00It was very high-pitched,
13:02very loud,
13:04and very contagious.
13:06You can hear it
13:07down the street
13:09and around the corner.
13:10You can hear it
13:10across a banquet hall.
13:13You can hear it
13:14out of nowhere.
13:15And Samantha was a worker.
13:22After graduating high school,
13:24she picked up three jobs,
13:26but her favorite
13:27was being a barista
13:28at a coffee hut.
13:30It's a coveted job
13:31for Anchorage kids
13:32her age.
13:33This could have been
13:35anybody's daughter.
13:36And that's the thing
13:37I think that really
13:38gripped everybody.
13:40She kind of became
13:41their daughter, too.
13:42Alaska's angel
13:43is kind of what
13:44she was called.
13:49Candle's flame
13:49is a beautiful thing,
13:51yet it's also vulnerable,
13:52easily extinguished.
13:53But when one flame
13:55becomes many,
13:56that glow
13:57can burn
13:58through the night.
14:02She's going to be fine.
14:03She's a strong,
14:04resilient kid,
14:05and she'll bounce
14:06back from this.
14:07I just don't know
14:08how to thank all of you.
14:12I felt like
14:13my whole world stopped
14:15and it just dropped.
14:18So just nothing
14:20mattered at that time,
14:22except where is
14:24Samantha?
14:28Where did she go?
14:31While the town
14:32holds out hope
14:33that Samantha
14:34will be home soon,
14:37cops zeroing in
14:38on CCTV footage
14:40from surrounding
14:41store cameras
14:41get lucky.
14:44There's no sign
14:45of Samantha,
14:46but there is a clue
14:48to literally
14:50drive the investigation
14:52forward.
14:5836 hours after
15:0418-year-old
15:05Samantha Koenig
15:06was kidnapped,
15:08cops reviewing
15:08store security footage
15:09from the neighborhood
15:10get a good look
15:12at where her abductor
15:13took her
15:13after leaving
15:14the coffee hut.
15:16She is seen
15:17on the other
15:19side of the road.
15:21She's escorted
15:22to the passenger
15:23side of a truck
15:25and it appears
15:27as though
15:28the person
15:29who is escorting
15:29her opens
15:31the door,
15:31puts her inside
15:32the truck
15:32and then he gets
15:33in the driver's seat
15:34and the truck
15:36drives away.
15:38We were able
15:39to determine
15:40that the suspect
15:41vehicle was
15:42a white
15:44Chevrolet truck
15:45approximately
15:46from 1999
15:48I think to 2004
15:49was the general
15:50five years
15:51of what we thought
15:53the year
15:53of the vehicle
15:54was.
15:55Nothing specific
15:56about it,
15:57no writing
15:57on the side,
15:58nothing that
15:59would make it
15:59stand out.
16:02And in Alaska
16:03trucks are as
16:04common as
16:05snow flurries.
16:06Anchorage alone
16:07has more than
16:08700 registered
16:09white Chevy
16:10pickups.
16:11We dedicated
16:13our traffic unit.
16:14They did nothing
16:15but checking
16:17on white Chevrolet
16:18trucks,
16:18contacting the owners,
16:19taking photos
16:20and comparing them
16:21to what we had
16:23and that
16:24didn't take us
16:26anywhere.
16:27We were also
16:29running background
16:29checks on owners
16:31of white Chevy trucks
16:32to see if there
16:33were any of these
16:34owners and somebody
16:35that had done
16:35crimes similar to this.
16:39We didn't find
16:40anything like that
16:41but that all that
16:42work was done.
16:43I don't know
16:46if my daughter's
16:47being fed,
16:48taken care of,
16:49if she's still alive,
16:50if she's getting
16:50any sleep.
16:52Standing in the spot
16:53where his daughter
16:54was last seen,
16:55James Koenig made
16:56an emotional plea.
16:57Just please help
16:58find my daughter.
16:59A lot of people
17:03just felt
17:04this is someone
17:05from our community
17:06and when something
17:08bad happens
17:09in Alaska
17:11and in Anchorage,
17:13people will rally
17:14around and try
17:14to help
17:15their community
17:16members.
17:18There were volunteers
17:19from all over
17:20the area
17:21who created
17:22search parties
17:23and were searching
17:24throughout outlying
17:25areas,
17:26throughout neighborhoods.
17:27there were people
17:28going from street
17:30corner to street
17:31corner,
17:32you know,
17:32stapling up
17:33missing posters
17:35with her picture
17:36on it.
17:37On street pole lights,
17:40on stop signs,
17:42any side of town,
17:44you see her face.
17:47You know,
17:48missing girl,
17:49Samantha Koenig,
17:51you saw it everywhere.
17:54It was so hard
17:55for me because
17:56everyone in Anchorage
17:59knew that
18:00that was my friend.
18:03That was my friend.
18:10Suddenly across the city,
18:12collection buckets
18:13can be found
18:14for donations
18:15in case the kidnapper
18:16demands cash
18:17in exchange
18:17for Samantha.
18:19In just a few days,
18:21the pot grows
18:22to more than $40,000.
18:23and people try
18:26to help
18:26James Koenig
18:27while he tries
18:28to hang on.
18:30Somebody donated him
18:31a motorhome
18:32and he camped outside.
18:34He wanted to watch
18:35the coffee hut,
18:37protect his
18:38daughter's coworkers.
18:41He just,
18:41he felt compelled
18:42to be there
18:43and he was
18:45a tough,
18:46tough-ass dad
18:48for everybody
18:49to see,
18:50but he was
18:51a broken man.
18:52He wanted
18:53his daughter home.
18:56You know,
18:56I got to keep
18:57my spirits up
18:57and know
19:01that my heart
19:01still feels her
19:02and she's okay
19:03and she'll be here.
19:08A week goes by.
19:10Still no trace
19:11of Samantha
19:11or the kidnapper's truck.
19:13And when the results
19:18from the forensic search
19:19of the coffee hut
19:19come in,
19:21they're a dead end too.
19:23The case begins
19:23to stall
19:24and cops fear
19:25time is running out.
19:28We were putting
19:29a lot of pressure
19:30on ourselves
19:31and a lot of resources
19:33into finding her.
19:35She occurred to vanish
19:36in thin air
19:37for three weeks.
19:39We heard nothing.
19:39And as the fear
19:44grows in Anchorage
19:45that Samantha Koenig
19:47may never come home,
19:48the residents
19:49known for their
19:50rugged exteriors
19:51show the world
19:52their exceptionally
19:53big hearts
19:54by pumping more money
19:55into the reward fund
19:56that grows
19:57to more than
19:58$70,000.
20:00They join James Koenig
20:02and Samantha's boyfriend
20:03Dwayne Tortolani Jr.
20:05as they continue
20:06scouring Anchorage
20:07every day
20:07looking for any sign
20:09of the missing
20:1018-year-old.
20:12I've never seen
20:14such a strong community
20:16come together
20:17for a girl
20:20they didn't even know.
20:23The days crawl by
20:25like a long Alaskan winter.
20:28Then, three weeks
20:29after Samantha
20:30was taken away
20:31by a masked man,
20:33everything changes.
20:35Three weeks
20:47after Samantha Koenig
20:48was kidnapped,
20:49a group of searchers
20:50led by her father,
20:51James,
20:52and her boyfriend,
20:53Dwayne Tortolani Jr.,
20:55and another frustrating day
20:56at a local diner.
20:59Dwayne is a couple
21:00tables away
21:01and he just turns
21:02sheet white.
21:03he got a text
21:05and the text
21:07came from
21:08Samantha's phone
21:08saying that
21:12there was a
21:13ransom letter
21:15at a dog park.
21:17I never seen
21:19a group of people
21:20leave a room
21:21so fast in my life.
21:23Everybody took off
21:24different cars
21:25and we all headed
21:26over to the dog park.
21:27On the way,
21:30they call Anchorage PD
21:31to let them know
21:32about the text.
21:34Cops mobilize
21:34immediately,
21:35but the volunteer
21:36searchers get there
21:37first.
21:44And one of the girls
21:45says,
21:46I think something's
21:46over here.
21:47She's looking
21:53at a bulletin board.
21:56And I go over
21:56to the bulletin board
21:57and write underneath
21:59a picture
21:59of a missing dog.
22:01There was a plastic bag
22:03with a Polaroid in it.
22:04So what's all
22:07going on
22:08or what do you know?
22:08We got a text
22:09from my daughter's phone
22:10to her boyfriend's phone.
22:12It said,
22:14Connor Park,
22:17the Albert pick,
22:18ain't she's pretty.
22:19Okay.
22:20Well,
22:20there's a missing dog
22:22named Albert
22:23on the bottom right corner,
22:24a Ziploc bag
22:25with a typed letter inside.
22:27Okay.
22:28And has anybody
22:29touched that letter?
22:30No.
22:31Just make sure
22:32no one goes near
22:33that letter.
22:34The cops rushed
22:38the letter
22:38back to the station.
22:40It's from the kidnapper.
22:41He's left
22:42no forensic trace
22:43on the evidence.
22:44But there is a photo
22:45of Samantha
22:46with a dated newspaper
22:47behind her.
22:50The picture
22:51was horrifying.
22:52The photo
22:52showed a naked female.
22:55And she was being held.
22:59Somebody's hand
23:00was holding her
23:02from the back.
23:05That hand
23:05had a glove,
23:07like a blue
23:08latex glove.
23:10The kidnapper says
23:12Samantha's alive,
23:13but if his demands
23:14aren't met,
23:15she won't be
23:16for long.
23:19The kidnapper
23:20demands $30,000
23:21be deposited
23:22into the bank account
23:23Samantha shares
23:24with her boyfriend,
23:25Dwayne.
23:25He says he'll
23:27withdraw the cash
23:28over the following
23:28months
23:29using the ATM card
23:31she gave him.
23:32Once he's drained
23:33the account,
23:34he'll let everyone
23:35know where to find her.
23:37We felt like
23:38we would have
23:39a much better chance
23:39of catching
23:40whoever it is
23:41if they actually
23:43used the car.
23:45So the best
23:46avenue for us
23:47investigatively
23:48is to put money
23:49in the account
23:49and hope
23:50that we can
23:51catch them
23:52using it.
23:54James Koenig agrees
23:55and police
23:56jump into action.
23:58They contact
23:59Samantha's bank
24:00and ask them
24:01to notify them
24:01as soon as the
24:02kidnapper withdraws
24:03any cash.
24:04But there's a problem.
24:06The bank says
24:07technology only
24:08works so fast
24:09and they won't know
24:10which ATM
24:11was used
24:12for several minutes.
24:13so we knew
24:15that it's not
24:16going to be
24:17like 10 seconds
24:18or 15 seconds.
24:19It's going to be
24:20a few minutes
24:20and a few minutes
24:21is enough time
24:23for someone
24:24to travel
24:25a few miles
24:26if they are
24:26in the car.
24:28It's alarming news
24:30but it's the most
24:31hope cops have had
24:32since this case began
24:33so they mobilize
24:35a rapid response team.
24:38Then
24:38they wait.
24:43And that night
24:47just before midnight
24:48the card was used
24:50at one bank
24:51and then
24:51while we were all
24:52swarming
24:52the first place
24:54that it was used
24:55the card was used
24:56at another bank
24:56in Anchorage
24:57which was a completely
24:57different site
24:59of Anchorage.
25:00What he did was
25:01use it 10 minutes
25:02before midnight
25:03and then use it
25:0410 minutes
25:04after midnight
25:05so that he could get
25:05two days worth
25:06of maximum withdraws
25:08in a short period
25:09of time.
25:11The kidnapper
25:12doesn't get caught
25:13but he doesn't
25:15get away
25:15without a trace
25:16either.
25:18We were able
25:18to get videos
25:19and photos
25:20and we saw
25:21that it was
25:22a person
25:22wearing dark clothes
25:24what looked like
25:25a gray hoodie
25:27and on top of that
25:30he had a jacket
25:31and we could see
25:35that the suspect
25:35was wearing a mask
25:37the suspect
25:38was wearing sunglasses.
25:39knowing he'll most
25:42likely go back
25:43for more money
25:43as soon as he can
25:44police get ready
25:46by widening
25:47their net.
25:49And so
25:49we changed
25:50our tactic
25:50to using
25:51APD
25:53Anchorage Police Department
25:54officers
25:54state troopers
25:55FBI
25:57DEA
25:58any law enforcement
25:59officer
25:59that we could get
26:00to stage
26:02surveillance
26:02at every
26:03available
26:04ATM machine
26:06that was open
26:06to the public
26:07at night.
26:10The hours
26:11tick by
26:12there's no sign
26:15of the kidnapper.
26:23Finally
26:24seven days later
26:26there's another hit.
26:29Then I remember
26:29being told
26:30over the radio
26:31by our commanders
26:31that the ATM card
26:33had been used
26:34that night
26:35but it was
26:36in Wilcox, Arizona.
26:41Thousands
26:42and thousands
26:42of miles away
26:44and that comes
26:45as a big surprise
26:46big shock to us.
26:48What's happening
26:49is the suspect
26:49now in Arizona
26:50where is Samantha?
26:53For the first time
26:55I felt like
26:55we had lost
26:56a little bit
26:57of control
26:57of the investigation.
27:00Cops quickly
27:01pulled the CCTV
27:02footage from
27:03the Arizona bank.
27:04The suspect
27:06is wearing
27:07white sneakers
27:09blue jeans
27:11grey sweatshirt
27:12and some kind
27:13of mask
27:14over his face.
27:16But cops
27:17really luck out
27:18when they see
27:19the suspected
27:19kidnapper
27:20get into
27:21a 2012
27:21white Ford Focus
27:23and drive away.
27:28Cops put out
27:30an APB.
27:31The next day
27:32the debit card
27:33is used again
27:34this time
27:35in Lordsburg,
27:36New Mexico.
27:38On that ATM's video
27:39looks like
27:40the same perp
27:41in white sneakers
27:41and in the background
27:43the white Ford Focus.
27:45Several hours later
27:46the card
27:47is used again
27:48in Shepherd, Texas.
27:49We could see
27:52that there was
27:52like a route
27:53all these withdrawals
27:55were made
27:55along Highway I-10
27:57which leads
27:58basically
27:58from California
27:59to Texas.
28:03They put out
28:04word
28:04that the kidnapper
28:05is traveling east
28:06along the 10
28:07and law enforcement
28:08should be ready
28:09for them.
28:10They are.
28:11on March 13th
28:16the kidnapper
28:17drives right
28:18onto the radar
28:19of Texas Highway Patrol.
28:27Six weeks
28:28after Samantha Koenig
28:29disappears
28:30Texas Highway Patrol
28:32zeros in
28:33on a rental car
28:33matching the description
28:35of the one
28:35her kidnapper
28:36is driving.
28:36The officer
28:39was driving
28:40through parking lots
28:41of hotels
28:42motels
28:42in Lovkin
28:43along the highway
28:44along I-10
28:44and he finds
28:46a white Ford Focus.
28:50Before long
28:51a man emerges
28:51from a room
28:52and heads
28:52for the car.
28:54By law
28:55police can't stop
28:56and search him
28:57without a reason
28:57so the officer
28:59follows him
29:00just waiting
29:01for him
29:02to slip up.
29:03He broke the law
29:05by speeding
29:05three miles an hour
29:06over the speed limit
29:07and that trooper
29:10pulled over
29:11the white Ford Focus
29:13in Lovkin, Texas.
29:16Hey, dog.
29:17Good.
29:19Recently stopped
29:20just kind of down there
29:21looking around.
29:22Where you from?
29:23I'm from Lackham.
29:26Let's get you.
29:28You're holding me
29:29that better?
29:30Through the window
29:31of the car
29:32and you could see
29:33that there are
29:34that there is
29:35like a roll
29:36of dollar bills.
29:40You could see
29:41that there are
29:41white sneakers
29:42sticking out
29:43from underneath
29:44the driver's seat.
29:47The cop requests
29:48backup immediately.
29:51Is there a reason
29:52I have a
29:53you told me?
29:54Well, I was going
29:54to tell you that
29:55but we're investigating
29:57you.
29:59Okay.
30:00They arrest
30:05the driver
30:0634-year-old
30:08Israel Keyes.
30:10Then they search
30:11his rental car.
30:12They found
30:14Samantha's cell phone
30:16with the battery
30:17removed.
30:18They found
30:19the gray hoodie,
30:21the gloves,
30:22the glasses.
30:24They also found
30:24a gun in the car.
30:27They search
30:27his wallet
30:28and in the wallet
30:28they find
30:29the ATM card
30:32that belongs
30:33to Samantha's boyfriend.
30:36Now there's no doubt
30:37this is our guy.
30:38This is the person
30:39we've been looking for.
30:40That's our suspect.
30:41On Tuesday,
30:47March 13, 2012,
30:50an arrest was made
30:51in Lufkin, Texas.
30:53A person of interest,
30:54Israel Keyes,
30:55was taken into custody
30:57on charges related
30:58to the disappearance
30:59of Samantha Koenig.
31:01The whereabouts
31:02of Samantha Koenig
31:04are still unknown
31:05at this time.
31:07Some people
31:07may have had
31:08hope that
31:10Samantha Koenig
31:11would turn up
31:11now that they
31:12had this person
31:13in custody,
31:14but it was looking
31:15more and more
31:16like something bad
31:18had happened to her
31:19and that there was
31:19foul play involved.
31:21The community
31:22wanted to know more
31:23and it just kind of
31:24kept ratcheting up
31:25like day after day
31:26after day,
31:27this tension.
31:28It's one of those
31:28weird things
31:29where you didn't
31:30want to think the worst,
31:31but every step of the way
31:32it just kept getting
31:33worse and worse.
31:33police learned that
31:39Israel Keyes
31:40grew up in
31:40Washington state,
31:42enlisted in the military
31:43and then moved to
31:44Anchorage in 2007
31:46and began doing
31:47carpentry work.
31:49On the surface,
31:50Israel Keyes
31:51seemed like many people
31:52who come to Alaska
31:53kind of for a fresh
31:54start, you know.
31:56There's lots of people
31:57like that up here.
31:58He sort of fit right in.
31:59He runs his own business
32:01kind of construction,
32:03repairs, handyman.
32:05He had a lot of
32:07upper-end clientele,
32:10I would say.
32:11I know that he had
32:11Keyes to a district
32:13attorney's house
32:14here in Anchorage.
32:14He did a lot of work
32:15for the lawyers
32:17in Anchorage.
32:20Keyes has a clean record
32:22and lives in a quiet
32:23middle-class neighborhood
32:24in Anchorage
32:25with his girlfriend
32:26and his 10-year-old daughter.
32:29We sent officers
32:31to the residence.
32:32They go there
32:33and what they see
32:35is a white Chevrolet
32:36pickup truck
32:37in the driveway.
32:39A white Chevy pickup,
32:42just like the truck
32:43seen on the CCTV tape
32:45taking Samantha
32:45away from the coffee hut.
32:48Only this one
32:48has a tool rack attached.
32:50When police get
32:51a real close look,
32:53they realize
32:54it's removable.
32:55We look at our history
32:57of the investigation
33:00and we saw that
33:01in the first days,
33:04we had officers
33:05looking at that truck
33:06and they looked
33:08at the toolboxes
33:09and they thought
33:10that they were
33:10permanently attached
33:12and so they eliminated
33:14that truck.
33:18And when they asked
33:19Keyes' girlfriend
33:20if he had anything
33:21to do with
33:22Samantha Koenig's
33:23abduction,
33:23the case that everyone
33:24in Anchorage
33:25has heard about,
33:26she tells them
33:27there's no way
33:28he was involved.
33:30But cops wonder
33:31how well she really
33:32knows her boyfriend.
33:35Investigators sit down
33:36with Keyes.
33:37First question,
33:39where's Samantha?
33:41Keyes doesn't miss a beat.
33:43He tells them
33:43he not only kidnapped her,
33:45he killed her.
33:46Eight weeks after
33:56Samantha Koenig
33:57disappeared,
33:59Israel Keyes,
34:00the man caught
34:01using her boyfriend's
34:02ATM card,
34:03tells police
34:04the 18-year-old
34:05is not coming home.
34:07He asked for
34:08a laptop computer
34:09and said that he
34:10would show us
34:11on the computer
34:12where she was.
34:13We got him
34:14the laptop computer,
34:15he asked us
34:16to pull up
34:17Matanuska Lake
34:18on the computer,
34:20which is a small pond
34:21outside of Anchorage,
34:22about 40 miles,
34:23and he put the cursor
34:25on an area
34:27on the lake
34:27and said that he
34:28had disposed
34:29of Samantha there.
34:30It was a shock
34:36and sadness
34:36because until that
34:39point there was
34:40still a glimmer
34:40of hope.
34:42Maybe, you know,
34:44he's using
34:44the debit card
34:45but maybe somebody
34:46else is holding her.
34:51While investigators
34:52send a recovery team
34:53to the lake,
34:54they ask Keyes
34:55if they can record
34:56his confession.
34:58He agrees.
35:00He starts by saying
35:11he staked out
35:11the coffee hut
35:12two days
35:13before the attack.
35:15Did you have
35:16a specific person
35:17in mind?
35:18Did you know?
35:19I had that location
35:21in mind
35:21just because of
35:22where it was
35:24and the fact
35:26that they were
35:27open late.
35:28It looked like
35:29there was only one
35:30person working there
35:30and there weren't
35:31a lot of cars
35:32around so
35:33I didn't really
35:35know for sure
35:36that I was going
35:36to do anything.
35:37I thought maybe
35:38I might just
35:40rob that place.
35:44Honestly,
35:45it was
35:46kind of like
35:48a spur-of-the-moment
35:49thing
35:50the way it happened.
35:50and when I robbed
35:54her,
35:56she was
35:57very cooperative
35:59and
36:00I don't know,
36:01I just
36:02even,
36:04I guess
36:04you could say
36:05against my
36:06judgment,
36:07I just kept
36:08going with it
36:09even though
36:10I had already
36:11told myself
36:11and I wasn't
36:12going to do
36:12anything more
36:13than rob him
36:14and tie him up.
36:14But there was
36:17something about
36:18her,
36:18like the way
36:19she reacted
36:19that kind of
36:21made me want
36:24to just keep
36:24going with it.
36:26Plus,
36:26I had my
36:27police scanner
36:28in my ear
36:28and it seemed
36:30like there was
36:30something going
36:31on on the east
36:31side,
36:32so I knew
36:33most of the police
36:34would be over
36:34there and I
36:35thought I could
36:36just walk her
36:37right down the
36:38street and I had
36:41never done
36:41anything
36:41that brazen
36:44before and I
36:44thought,
36:45yeah,
36:46it was just
36:46another really
36:47real adrenaline
36:48rush.
36:51Using his
36:52white Chevy
36:52truck,
36:54Keys drives
36:54Samantha to
36:55his house.
36:57Then he waits.
36:59And then
37:00finally there's
37:01a point when
37:01everything is
37:03quiet on the
37:03street and
37:04he takes
37:04Samantha from
37:05the car
37:06to the shed.
37:08He actually
37:11puts a rope
37:13around her
37:14neck and
37:15screws it to
37:16the wall of
37:17the shed
37:18so she's
37:20basically like
37:20tied to
37:22the wall of
37:23the shed.
37:25For hours,
37:27Keys assaults
37:28Samantha.
37:29Then he kills
37:30her, hides
37:31her in a
37:31cabinet, locks
37:32up the shed
37:33and goes inside
37:34his house to
37:35join his
37:35family and
37:36get a good
37:37night's sleep.
37:38He woke
37:40up, he took
37:41a shower, he
37:41woke up his
37:42daughter and
37:44they drove to
37:44the airport and
37:46he went on a
37:48family vacation
37:49with his
37:50girlfriend.
37:51He said that
37:51he didn't want
37:52to be in
37:52Anchorage while
37:53there was a
37:55person missing.
37:57When Keys got
37:58back, he tried
37:59to cash in on
38:00the sizable
38:00reward fund by
38:02creating the
38:02ransom note and
38:03using Samantha's
38:04remains for the
38:05proof of life
38:06picture.
38:08I know it
38:08took me all
38:09night to do
38:11it, doing the
38:12makeup and
38:13trying to figure
38:15out how I was
38:16going to position
38:17things, trying to
38:20make it look like
38:21she was still
38:22alive.
38:23Did you need
38:23money at this
38:24time?
38:24I'm sorry.
38:25No.
38:27Why you took
38:27this time?
38:29Because I was
38:30bored with my
38:31work.
38:37Today, Koenig's
38:38body was pulled
38:39from the ice.
38:41Police say they
38:42believe she died
38:42within hours of her
38:43kidnapping the evening
38:44of February 1st and
38:45they believe her
38:46killer acted alone.
38:47It's been confirmed
38:50now.
38:51It's official.
38:53You know, this is
38:54her and she has
38:56been found.
38:57And I just, like,
38:59I felt sick again.
39:06Like, I can't, I
39:09can't believe this is
39:10real.
39:11Like, Tisha, this
39:12is, this is, this
39:13is a nightmare.
39:14This is not real.
39:15Like, this is not
39:16real.
39:17There's no way this
39:18can be real.
39:24It was shock.
39:25It was very, very
39:26sad.
39:27It was very hard to
39:30fathom that we'd just
39:32spent two months
39:33trying to bring her
39:34home.
39:34And this was the
39:35outcome the entire
39:36time.
39:39Talk about that.
39:41I'm sorry.
40:00As the months
40:01pass, lawyers prepare
40:03for trial and Keyes
40:04never stops chirping
40:05from behind bars.
40:07He tells cops Samantha
40:09was his last victim,
40:11but not his first.
40:13He says he killed at
40:15least 10 others during
40:16work trips to the
40:17lower 48.
40:19But before
40:20investigators can get
40:21solid details, Keyes
40:23shuts up forever when
40:25he takes his own life
40:26in his jail cell.
40:27Somehow he got a hold of
40:33a razor in the shower
40:35and hid it and then
40:38used that to kill
40:39himself.
40:40He took the coward's
40:41way out.
40:43He most definitely did.
40:46He wanted to end it
40:48because he didn't want
40:49to put up with it no
40:50more and he didn't want
40:51to hide or he didn't
40:53want to answer.
40:53I would have liked for
40:56him to have gotten
40:56the death penalty,
40:57but he is right where
40:58he needs to be.
41:01He's fine dead.
41:02We are not upset by
41:03that.
41:04We would have liked for
41:05him to stand trial and
41:07admit what he did and
41:08own up to it.
41:09But him dead is just as
41:11fine, too.
41:18As far as the city of
41:19Anchorage and what this
41:20case did to it, I think
41:22it opened a lot of
41:23people's eyes that maybe
41:24we're not the innocent
41:27little city that we
41:28thought we were.
41:29Bad things can happen on
41:32a terrible scale.
41:34And it did.
41:34But Samantha's death
41:40showed the residents
41:41something else, too.
41:43That in the land of the
41:44midnight sun, people
41:45living on the edge of
41:47the wild frontier can
41:48truly rely on each other
41:49even in the darkest
41:51times.
41:54And before they said
41:56their goodbyes to
41:56Samantha, they gathered
41:58one more time to release
42:00300 balloons in her
42:02favorite color.
42:03green.
42:07That was cool, watching
42:09everybody come and join
42:11and just celebrate her.
42:13They didn't know her.
42:15They didn't know Jane.
42:16Some of them didn't know
42:17anybody.
42:18But they just came to
42:19support and be there and
42:21just show their love for
42:24Samantha.
42:24Samantha.
42:33Sheesh.
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