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[insects chirping]
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[tense music playing]
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[overlapping voices] My name
is Karen Kummerer.
4
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I've been kidnapped.
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- I've been abducted.
- And I have been kidnapped.
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I have been kidnapped.
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[woman 1] Kidnapping cases in the FBI
usually do not end well.
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The statistics will show
most victims do not survive
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after a certain amount of time.
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[engine revving]
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[woman 2] She was scared.
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It was terror on her face.
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"Somebody please help me."
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On a case like this,
time is not our friend.
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[woman 3] I was scared for her.
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[voice breaking] I was scared for her.
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[music intensifies, fades]
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[music glitching]
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[music stops]
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[waves crashing]
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[seagulls squawking]
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[mellow music playing]
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[woman 4] In 2006, I had just separated
from my husband of 17 years.
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And I was starting to date again.
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I was a finance director
for Bert Fish Medical Center.
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I owned my own house.
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I just bought a brand-new 2006 GT Mustang.
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I was feeling very independent.
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And I was feeling really good.
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[dramatic sting]
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[woman 5] Karen is my aunt
on my mother's side.
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We have been really close
ever since I was little.
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{\an8}Karen's personality is very independent,
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fun, goofy.
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She will speak her mind…
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[chuckles]
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…when she has something to say.
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I was living with her in 2006.
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I was 18.
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Karen and I were having
a great time together.
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I think it helped having me around
after she had gotten a divorce.
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Kind of had a shoulder to lean on
in those rough days.
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She had been in a marriage for so long,
and now she's single.
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Single and dating.
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[pensive music playing]
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[Karen] One night, my sister and I
went out to the Ocean Deck.
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It was just a good place to meet people.
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[indistinct conversation]
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Scott approached me and asked me to dance.
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He was very beefy,
and he had blond hair, blue eyes.
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He told me
he was starting to be a personal trainer.
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And I found that very interesting
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because I was also into working out
at the time.
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[ambient sounds]
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When I met Scott,
I felt a little bit of a spark.
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{\an8}I called her the next morning to find out,
"How you doing?"
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{\an8}She said, "Oh, it went great.
I really like him."
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I met him the end of January,
and Valentine's Day was a real eye-opener.
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He gave me flowers. He gave me weights.
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He spent a lot of money on me, actually.
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We used to go dancing together
at some of the clubs in Daytona Beach.
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We would go out to dinner together.
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I really enjoyed Scott.
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[Brenna] Karen was, like, head over heels.
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She was like,
"Oh, there's this guy. He's handsome."
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They looked good together.
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They were having fun, and they laughed,
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and I think Karen had missed that
for so long from her marriage before,
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so I think she was really happy
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when she started to get
that feeling again.
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[music fades]
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[leaves rustling]
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[Karen] I worked with a woman
that was into tarot cards and crystals.
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She had this tarot card reader
in Connecticut
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that you could have the tarot card read
over the phone.
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So she gave me the number.
She says, "Karen, you want to try it?"
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I was really curious about it.
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[menacing music playing]
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So that's what I did.
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She was reading my cards.
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{\an8}All of a sudden, she said,
"You've met this person."
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{\an8}"He's crazy, and you need to get the heck
out of there as soon as possible."
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I'm like, "Oh, well, she doesn't know."
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[dramatic sting]
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"Hell, how would she know?"
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Little did I know,
she was actually very truthful.
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[dramatic sting]
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[unsettling music playing]
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[Brenna] I noticed that Scott
started to be around, like, all the time.
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Like, he just kind of started,
like, leaving stuff there,
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and the next thing I know,
he was there all the time.
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[Karen] He actually lived
with his mom and dad.
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They were right down the road from me.
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I was not really looking
for a committed relationship.
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Maybe a dating-type relationship,
but nothing more than that.
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And then one day I came home,
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and… all of a sudden
Scott had moved into my house.
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And he goes, "Yeah, I moved in."
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And when I said,
"Well, maybe you need to leave,"
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that's when he said, "Well, I've been
getting mail here for almost a month
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that you didn't realize."
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Because he would check my mailbox
for his mail
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before I'd get home from work.
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I was not really happy about it,
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but I didn't really think
how important it was
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that he had been getting the mail there
and whatnot at that time.
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[Brenna] Scott started to become
more possessive.
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Like, if I wanted to go to the store
with Karen or go shopping together,
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it was like, "No,
you guys don't need to be doing that."
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He scrutinized everything she did.
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Karen came out wearing something that,
like, he didn't like.
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He would tell her, like,
"You need to go change."
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"People are gonna think you're trash."
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Karen definitely changed
after Scott moved in.
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[Lisa] My boyfriend and I,
we went over for dinner one night.
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And I was putting something in the fridge,
and that's when I saw the syringes.
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And that's when my ex looked over at me,
and he goes, "Why are there steroids?"
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"Do you know that's illegal?"
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There was no prescription for those.
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And that's when I went in,
and I pulled Karen aside,
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and I said, "What's that?
Why do you have those in the fridge?"
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And that's when she told me
that Scott used them for working out.
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And I'm like, "Karen, that's not good."
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I said, "Working out and doing that,
roid rage is a really bad thing."
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So, um, that's kind of threw red flags up.
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[Karen] March of 2006,
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Scott and I had been dating
a couple months.
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Scott would say, "Well, why doesn't Brenna
go out and find a place of her own?"
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"She's old enough to go
and live with her friends or whatever."
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[Brenna] I definitely got the feeling
that Scott did not like me.
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I think I was an obstacle in his way
of the control that he had with Karen.
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Karen and I were at such a good place
before she met Scott.
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And then all of a sudden,
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he's living there,
and you're asking me to move out.
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It wasn't her talking.
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[music intensifies, fades]
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[Karen] When Scott
suggested Brenna move out,
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that's when
the real domestic violence started.
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[barks weakly]
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[whimpering]
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He would hold me down
and scream at me all night.
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[inaudible]
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He was a very big person.
He weighed about 220 pounds.
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[menacing music playing]
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I would have my phone,
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and he would rip it out of my hand
and break it,
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so I couldn't call the police.
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[voice breaking] I could not
get away from him.
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[music fades]
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[rustling]
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[waves crashing]
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[Brenna] If I ever spoke to Karen
after I moved out,
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it was usually when she was at work,
155
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because that's the only time
I really could talk to her.
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I'm like, "What's going on?"
Like, "Tell me what's going on."
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"No, I can't talk about it."
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"I can't talk about it.
I can't talk about it."
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Had I known how bad it was going to be,
I would have never left.
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[Lisa] Karen really withdrew,
and I didn't see her that much.
161
00:09:05,836 --> 00:09:09,257
Didn't want to go out anymore.
Was always doing something with Scott.
162
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Scott was able to control Karen
163
00:09:12,635 --> 00:09:15,012
because of her lack of self-confidence
at the time.
164
00:09:15,846 --> 00:09:19,767
Coming out of that divorce
was demoralizing.
165
00:09:20,601 --> 00:09:25,982
I myself had been a victim
of domestic abuse in the past,
166
00:09:26,065 --> 00:09:28,025
so I knew the signs.
167
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Everybody handles these situations
differently, but the fear paralyzed her.
168
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[music intensifies]
169
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[Karen] Scott told me
because he moved in with me,
170
00:09:40,079 --> 00:09:43,583
I could evict him,
but it had to go through the courts.
171
00:09:44,333 --> 00:09:48,087
I thought, you know, how can this be
happening to me, to be honest with you.
172
00:09:51,132 --> 00:09:54,510
I was embarrassed that I managed
to get myself in this kind of relationship
173
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because, you know, here I was
independent, financially successful.
174
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Then I realized that
I was in over my head at that point.
175
00:10:03,561 --> 00:10:07,690
I started to fear for my safety,
but I also had had enough.
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00:10:08,190 --> 00:10:10,901
I was gonna try to do anything
to get him out of there,
177
00:10:11,485 --> 00:10:13,362
even if I had to get an eviction notice.
178
00:10:13,446 --> 00:10:15,448
[dramatic sting]
179
00:10:18,659 --> 00:10:20,161
[indistinct shouting]
180
00:10:20,244 --> 00:10:25,291
The tipping point for me was when
he held me down all night screaming at me.
181
00:10:25,791 --> 00:10:28,628
Um, he was just screaming
and screaming and screaming.
182
00:10:29,754 --> 00:10:34,425
So that morning, after he let me up,
I got dressed and I went to work.
183
00:10:36,093 --> 00:10:39,388
In the meantime, he had started calling me
on my cell phone.
184
00:10:39,472 --> 00:10:41,515
[cell phone ringing]
185
00:10:41,599 --> 00:10:44,977
And as I walked into the office that day,
I had him on speakerphone.
186
00:10:46,062 --> 00:10:48,814
I said to one of my co-workers,
"You need to hear this."
187
00:10:49,649 --> 00:10:52,777
He was yelling, "If you don't come back,
I'm gonna kill you."
188
00:10:53,736 --> 00:10:58,324
{\an8}At that point, I had witnesses.
I said, "You need to leave."
189
00:10:59,075 --> 00:11:02,828
And a friend of mine from work
took me back home.
190
00:11:05,081 --> 00:11:06,791
Got my dog. I got some stuff.
191
00:11:07,792 --> 00:11:09,460
He pulled up behind the car.
192
00:11:10,461 --> 00:11:11,837
My friend was a big woman.
193
00:11:11,921 --> 00:11:15,174
She got out, and she said to him,
she goes, "You need to leave."
194
00:11:15,257 --> 00:11:16,425
[dog whimpers]
195
00:11:16,509 --> 00:11:18,719
I get in the car with Rocky
and some clothes.
196
00:11:20,513 --> 00:11:24,058
I stayed at her apartment for the weekend
until he moved out.
197
00:11:25,351 --> 00:11:28,354
[music intensifies, fades]
198
00:11:31,148 --> 00:11:35,403
After Scott left, he still thought
he had possession of me.
199
00:11:36,904 --> 00:11:40,282
He would threaten to kill my dog
if I didn't spend time with him.
200
00:11:40,908 --> 00:11:44,286
And he parked his car right behind my car,
so I couldn't get out.
201
00:11:45,287 --> 00:11:46,497
[Rocky barking]
202
00:11:46,580 --> 00:11:48,791
[menacing music playing]
203
00:11:48,874 --> 00:11:50,710
It progressively got worse.
204
00:11:51,961 --> 00:11:53,337
He started stalking.
205
00:11:54,338 --> 00:11:56,716
I didn't feel safe anymore by myself.
206
00:11:57,925 --> 00:12:00,010
So in the beginning of October,
207
00:12:00,094 --> 00:12:04,098
I asked Brenna to move in with me again
for my safety.
208
00:12:06,058 --> 00:12:09,645
I turned 19 in October of 2006,
209
00:12:10,521 --> 00:12:13,524
and I started living with Karen again.
210
00:12:15,109 --> 00:12:18,988
I didn't like when Brenna really
moved back in with Karen.
211
00:12:20,030 --> 00:12:24,785
Brenna, being a kid,
thought she could protect Karen,
212
00:12:25,745 --> 00:12:27,371
which, like, no.
213
00:12:28,164 --> 00:12:28,998
You're a kid.
214
00:12:29,081 --> 00:12:31,834
[menacing music continues]
215
00:12:31,917 --> 00:12:34,712
[Karen] One day, Brenna was at the house,
216
00:12:34,795 --> 00:12:36,172
and my nieces were over,
217
00:12:36,255 --> 00:12:38,340
and they were sitting in the living room.
218
00:12:38,424 --> 00:12:41,093
Scott just came in,
opened the door like he owned the place.
219
00:12:41,177 --> 00:12:42,052
[door opens]
220
00:12:43,053 --> 00:12:44,972
Said "shh" to the nieces.
221
00:12:45,723 --> 00:12:47,016
He walked by them.
222
00:12:47,558 --> 00:12:49,018
He came into my bedroom.
223
00:12:49,101 --> 00:12:52,104
- [Rocky whimpering]
- I screamed, "Brenna, he's here."
224
00:12:52,188 --> 00:12:54,648
And I heard Karen telling him,
"You need to leave."
225
00:12:54,732 --> 00:12:57,359
"You need to get out of my house.
I don't want you here."
226
00:12:57,443 --> 00:12:59,445
"I told you I'm done with this."
227
00:12:59,528 --> 00:13:01,530
And he's not listening to Karen.
228
00:13:03,115 --> 00:13:06,243
Brenna comes running out of the room.
I said, "Call the police."
229
00:13:06,327 --> 00:13:07,953
She was dialing on her phone
230
00:13:08,454 --> 00:13:10,956
when he runs out,
he gets in his car and takes off.
231
00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:12,041
[door slams shut]
232
00:13:16,504 --> 00:13:18,798
[Brenna] I wanted Karen
to call the police,
233
00:13:18,881 --> 00:13:22,802
but I also understood
that Karen was very scared.
234
00:13:24,762 --> 00:13:31,143
Like, I remember her telling me, like,
"You don't understand. Like, he's crazy."
235
00:13:31,227 --> 00:13:34,271
Like, "He will kill me
if I do the wrong thing."
236
00:13:34,355 --> 00:13:36,816
[line ringing]
237
00:13:36,899 --> 00:13:37,817
[voicemail beeps]
238
00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:40,528
[Karen] He left 27 voicemails
on my phone that day.
239
00:13:41,403 --> 00:13:44,698
"Where are you?
How come you're not answering your phone?"
240
00:13:44,782 --> 00:13:46,784
It was all the time like this.
241
00:13:46,867 --> 00:13:48,536
[suspenseful music playing]
242
00:13:48,619 --> 00:13:52,748
[Karen] Monday, November 13th,
I get in my car,
243
00:13:53,833 --> 00:13:55,292
I was going to work.
244
00:13:57,253 --> 00:13:59,088
I got to the stop sign,
245
00:13:59,171 --> 00:14:01,215
and I looked one way.
246
00:14:02,174 --> 00:14:05,761
And then all of a sudden,
my front passenger door was yanked open.
247
00:14:07,221 --> 00:14:11,016
[Brenna] He was in a bush waiting for her
248
00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:13,602
because she takes the same way
to work every day.
249
00:14:14,353 --> 00:14:16,021
Scott jumped out of the bushes.
250
00:14:16,105 --> 00:14:18,899
- [car opens]
- Unlocked the car from the key fob.
251
00:14:19,692 --> 00:14:22,361
Jumped in the car, had a knife,
252
00:14:22,444 --> 00:14:23,612
told her, "Drive."
253
00:14:23,696 --> 00:14:25,364
[car engine roaring]
254
00:14:25,447 --> 00:14:27,575
[Karen] He was screaming like a crazy man.
255
00:14:27,658 --> 00:14:29,994
He said, "I'm gonna cut you right here."
256
00:14:30,077 --> 00:14:31,120
"You can't hide."
257
00:14:31,203 --> 00:14:35,249
"I've got your social security number,
and I need to see you."
258
00:14:37,084 --> 00:14:41,380
It was the first time that Scott
had ever held a knife or a weapon to me.
259
00:14:41,463 --> 00:14:43,424
[car engine roaring]
260
00:14:43,507 --> 00:14:45,634
And my actions before,
261
00:14:45,718 --> 00:14:50,848
when Scott got into an explosive attitude
or a violent situation,
262
00:14:50,931 --> 00:14:55,561
was if I stayed calm and submissive,
it would make the situation better.
263
00:14:57,271 --> 00:14:59,356
I finally calmed him down enough
264
00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,276
by saying,
"Okay, well, I will still see you."
265
00:15:02,860 --> 00:15:04,778
"I promise I'll see you tonight."
266
00:15:05,279 --> 00:15:09,325
He allowed me to drop him off
where his Jeep was parked down my street.
267
00:15:10,326 --> 00:15:11,702
I told a friend of mine.
268
00:15:11,785 --> 00:15:15,247
{\an8}Then she said, "I'll meet you
at the Daytona Beach Police Department."
269
00:15:15,748 --> 00:15:19,168
{\an8}We filed for an emergency
restraining order.
270
00:15:19,919 --> 00:15:22,922
They said, "Once it's reviewed,
we will serve it tonight."
271
00:15:23,005 --> 00:15:26,675
[music continues]
272
00:15:26,759 --> 00:15:29,345
In the meantime, Lisa brought me home.
273
00:15:30,596 --> 00:15:31,972
I left my car at work.
274
00:15:32,932 --> 00:15:35,392
I didn't want Scott to know
I was even at my house
275
00:15:35,476 --> 00:15:38,854
in case he was served with
a temporary restraining order that night.
276
00:15:39,688 --> 00:15:41,857
Brenna and I spent the night in the dark.
277
00:15:41,941 --> 00:15:44,777
We did not want anybody to know
we were there.
278
00:15:44,860 --> 00:15:47,446
We were afraid he was gonna come in
and kill both of us.
279
00:15:47,529 --> 00:15:49,949
[music intensifies]
280
00:15:50,032 --> 00:15:52,993
[Brenna] I remember her just being,
like, terrified.
281
00:15:53,077 --> 00:15:54,078
[pensive music playing]
282
00:15:54,662 --> 00:15:57,206
Like, "How did he get my key fob?"
283
00:15:58,415 --> 00:16:01,418
Because that's the only way
he could have gotten in the car.
284
00:16:03,712 --> 00:16:09,802
She's like, "This man is capable of doing
so many more things than what we thought."
285
00:16:11,762 --> 00:16:14,473
[Karen] I had changed
my phone number immediately.
286
00:16:14,556 --> 00:16:18,519
And then the next day,
I also had my car rekeyed.
287
00:16:19,311 --> 00:16:21,563
I did not have them change the trunk.
288
00:16:22,439 --> 00:16:25,776
Between myself and the dealership,
we didn't think that was necessary.
289
00:16:25,859 --> 00:16:26,860
[alarm beeping]
290
00:16:28,487 --> 00:16:31,115
[unsettling music playing]
291
00:16:31,198 --> 00:16:32,449
Monday morning,
292
00:16:32,533 --> 00:16:33,909
[door creaks]
293
00:16:33,993 --> 00:16:34,910
I went to work.
294
00:16:34,994 --> 00:16:36,870
[door creaks shut]
295
00:16:36,954 --> 00:16:40,749
[unsettling music playing]
296
00:16:42,167 --> 00:16:48,340
I get probably 150 feet down my road,
and the trunk ajar light comes on.
297
00:16:48,424 --> 00:16:49,842
[trunk ajar alarm beeping]
298
00:16:49,925 --> 00:16:52,177
I probably left it open from shopping.
299
00:16:52,886 --> 00:16:54,054
Didn't shut it tight.
300
00:16:56,098 --> 00:16:57,391
Get out of the car.
301
00:16:57,474 --> 00:16:59,476
[beeping continues]
302
00:17:00,102 --> 00:17:01,353
I went to shut it.
303
00:17:02,646 --> 00:17:03,480
And…
304
00:17:03,564 --> 00:17:05,566
[dramatic sting]
305
00:17:06,150 --> 00:17:09,236
Scott jumps out of the trunk
dressed in black.
306
00:17:10,237 --> 00:17:11,822
[dramatic sting]
307
00:17:11,905 --> 00:17:14,867
Grabs me, puts the knife to my throat.
I started screaming.
308
00:17:14,950 --> 00:17:17,161
He goes, "If you do that again,
I'm gonna cut you here."
309
00:17:18,203 --> 00:17:20,330
Throws me into the passenger seat.
310
00:17:22,666 --> 00:17:23,751
[car door slams shut]
311
00:17:23,834 --> 00:17:26,128
- Takes off in the car.
- [tires screeching]
312
00:17:29,006 --> 00:17:31,341
Brings me to where his Jeep was parked.
313
00:17:33,010 --> 00:17:36,555
He goes, "If you're gonna behave yourself,
you can sit up front."
314
00:17:36,638 --> 00:17:39,892
We get into his Jeep, and he takes off.
315
00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:43,062
[dramatic music playing]
316
00:17:44,646 --> 00:17:46,023
His comment to me was,
317
00:17:46,106 --> 00:17:49,568
"You're making me do this 'cause you
got a restraining order. It's your fault."
318
00:17:50,986 --> 00:17:56,325
He had gloves in the center console,
and I said, "What are those for?"
319
00:17:56,909 --> 00:17:59,495
He said, "So I don't get blood
on my hands."
320
00:17:59,578 --> 00:18:01,163
[music continues]
321
00:18:03,624 --> 00:18:06,126
I said to him,
"What are you doing with me?"
322
00:18:08,128 --> 00:18:10,756
And he goes, "I'm just driving."
323
00:18:12,049 --> 00:18:14,968
And then he says,
"You better call in sick to work."
324
00:18:15,803 --> 00:18:17,930
And that's when I called in sick to work.
325
00:18:19,598 --> 00:18:20,599
[line ringing]
326
00:18:20,682 --> 00:18:22,810
I think I was in a state of shock.
327
00:18:22,893 --> 00:18:24,895
[car engine roaring]
328
00:18:27,523 --> 00:18:30,234
[Brenna] I remember
I needed to call her for something,
329
00:18:30,317 --> 00:18:31,318
[line ringing]
330
00:18:31,401 --> 00:18:32,736
and she didn't answer.
331
00:18:34,196 --> 00:18:35,864
- So I call again.
- [line ringing]
332
00:18:35,948 --> 00:18:37,908
{\an8}No answer. I'm like, "Okay."
333
00:18:37,991 --> 00:18:40,202
{\an8}Now I'm starting to get
a little concerned.
334
00:18:40,702 --> 00:18:44,206
Because at this point,
Karen and I had an understanding,
335
00:18:44,289 --> 00:18:46,083
if one of us calls each other,
336
00:18:46,166 --> 00:18:49,211
you know, try to get back to each other
as soon as possible.
337
00:18:51,046 --> 00:18:52,923
[Karen] When Brenna tried calling me,
338
00:18:53,006 --> 00:18:55,425
I said to him,
"Well, I'm gonna have to answer it."
339
00:18:56,426 --> 00:18:59,388
And he said, "You need to tell this story
that I'm gonna commit suicide,
340
00:18:59,471 --> 00:19:01,181
and you're trying to get me to stop."
341
00:19:01,265 --> 00:19:02,808
[line ringing]
342
00:19:02,891 --> 00:19:05,602
So when I talked to Brenna,
I said, "I'm with Scott,
343
00:19:05,686 --> 00:19:07,729
and he's threatening to commit suicide."
344
00:19:09,022 --> 00:19:12,192
[Brenna] She's telling me on the phone,
"Don't call the police."
345
00:19:12,276 --> 00:19:15,195
And in my mind, I'm like,
he's, like, sitting right next to her.
346
00:19:15,279 --> 00:19:17,823
I know he is,
because I can hear in her voice.
347
00:19:18,991 --> 00:19:21,160
And I said to her,
348
00:19:21,243 --> 00:19:24,204
I said,
"If you want me to call the police,
349
00:19:24,288 --> 00:19:26,748
say 'don't call the police' again."
350
00:19:28,667 --> 00:19:31,837
And then she said,
"Brenna, don't call the police."
351
00:19:33,255 --> 00:19:35,007
That's when I called the police.
352
00:19:36,008 --> 00:19:40,345
{\an8}And I told them, "I believe
my Aunt Karen's been abducted."
353
00:19:40,929 --> 00:19:44,516
[music intensifies, fades]
354
00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:48,312
[man] There's going to be nothing else
of a higher priority
355
00:19:48,395 --> 00:19:50,731
than working a kidnapping.
356
00:19:50,814 --> 00:19:53,442
So it's pretty much gonna be
all hands on deck.
357
00:19:53,525 --> 00:19:58,530
{\an8}Let's do our best to locate the victim
before this turns into a homicide.
358
00:19:59,948 --> 00:20:02,784
{\an8}I was a detective
at the Daytona Beach Police Department
359
00:20:02,868 --> 00:20:04,953
{\an8}in the Criminal Investigations Division.
360
00:20:06,163 --> 00:20:08,749
[indistinct radio chatter]
361
00:20:08,832 --> 00:20:11,919
We put out a BOLO, you know,
to be on the lookout.
362
00:20:13,086 --> 00:20:17,758
We gave the description of Scott,
of Karen, description of his vehicle.
363
00:20:18,258 --> 00:20:20,761
We let them know
there is a warrant for his arrest,
364
00:20:20,844 --> 00:20:23,639
so if you come into contact with him,
hold on to him,
365
00:20:23,722 --> 00:20:25,515
and that Karen Kummerer is a victim.
366
00:20:27,351 --> 00:20:30,395
Now what we're trying to do
is find a trail.
367
00:20:30,938 --> 00:20:33,106
What direction? Where are they going?
368
00:20:34,191 --> 00:20:38,403
We flagged Karen and Scott's credit cards
and bank cards,
369
00:20:38,904 --> 00:20:42,115
which means let us know
if there's any activity on those cards,
370
00:20:42,199 --> 00:20:45,369
and they'll let you know
where it happened.
371
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:49,873
Now we're standing.
We're waiting for activity.
372
00:20:50,374 --> 00:20:52,376
[music fades]
373
00:20:53,335 --> 00:20:57,339
{\an8}One thing you have to keep in mind
as we're sitting here today,
374
00:20:57,422 --> 00:21:02,803
{\an8}in 2006, the technology that we had
is not what the technology is today.
375
00:21:02,886 --> 00:21:04,012
[sirens wailing]
376
00:21:04,096 --> 00:21:07,140
In today's world, you know every move.
377
00:21:07,224 --> 00:21:09,184
There's videos. There's surveillance.
378
00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:13,146
There's red light cameras.
There's cameras in every crosswalk.
379
00:21:14,064 --> 00:21:16,316
That wasn't the situation in 2006.
380
00:21:19,194 --> 00:21:21,029
[Brenna] I was scared, for sure.
381
00:21:21,613 --> 00:21:26,910
I don't know where she is at this point,
and then I'm wondering if Karen's alive.
382
00:21:26,994 --> 00:21:28,495
[dramatic sting]
383
00:21:29,997 --> 00:21:32,791
[Karen] When Scott took me,
I don't think he had a plan.
384
00:21:33,667 --> 00:21:37,713
I just think he thought he could take me
anywhere and no one would do anything.
385
00:21:37,796 --> 00:21:39,548
[tense music playing]
386
00:21:39,631 --> 00:21:43,260
{\an8}The first night we stayed
at the Sunrise Inn in St. Augustine.
387
00:21:45,595 --> 00:21:47,639
I had to wait out in the car.
388
00:21:48,140 --> 00:21:49,975
I no longer had my cell phone.
389
00:21:50,058 --> 00:21:51,810
He took the keys with him.
390
00:21:51,893 --> 00:21:55,480
He kept an eye on the car
the whole time while he was checking in.
391
00:21:55,564 --> 00:21:56,982
[coin clinking]
392
00:21:57,065 --> 00:21:58,150
[keypad beeping]
393
00:21:58,233 --> 00:22:02,988
He called his mother and he told her
we were on vacation together.
394
00:22:03,071 --> 00:22:05,115
[music continues]
395
00:22:05,198 --> 00:22:06,408
When we got in the room,
396
00:22:08,535 --> 00:22:10,078
he gave me sleeping pills.
397
00:22:11,913 --> 00:22:14,833
Um… I was forced to have sex with him.
398
00:22:17,252 --> 00:22:21,965
I knew that complacency and submission
was the way I was going to try to survive.
399
00:22:23,508 --> 00:22:27,721
So if I thought about yelling
or screaming or whatever, he had a knife.
400
00:22:27,804 --> 00:22:30,140
If someone didn't act quick enough,
I was dead.
401
00:22:30,891 --> 00:22:33,810
I was trying to survive
the way I thought I could.
402
00:22:35,604 --> 00:22:37,606
[dramatic sting]
403
00:22:41,276 --> 00:22:43,612
The next day, Scott didn't have any money,
404
00:22:43,695 --> 00:22:46,323
so he wanted to stop at a bank
405
00:22:46,406 --> 00:22:49,201
so I could take some money
out of my checking account.
406
00:22:50,494 --> 00:22:52,746
We stopped at a Wachovia Bank.
407
00:22:52,829 --> 00:22:55,999
He had me withdraw by check $500.
408
00:22:56,958 --> 00:22:59,961
He was right there beside me
with a knife in his pocket.
409
00:23:00,462 --> 00:23:02,005
I didn't think I had a choice.
410
00:23:02,506 --> 00:23:05,801
Even if I said, "Hey, he's kidnapped me,"
what do you think's gonna happen to me?
411
00:23:05,884 --> 00:23:07,719
He's gonna slit my throat
right then and there.
412
00:23:07,803 --> 00:23:09,429
Banks have security people,
413
00:23:09,513 --> 00:23:10,347
I realize that,
414
00:23:10,430 --> 00:23:12,557
but by the time someone's going to react,
415
00:23:12,641 --> 00:23:13,934
I'm going to be dead.
416
00:23:14,017 --> 00:23:16,019
[music intensifies, fades]
417
00:23:16,812 --> 00:23:21,191
We receive a notification
that Karen had withdrew $500
418
00:23:21,274 --> 00:23:22,859
from a bank in St. Augustine.
419
00:23:23,819 --> 00:23:28,824
Once we got the hit on the bank account,
now we know that they're northbound.
420
00:23:29,574 --> 00:23:31,618
Law enforcement responded to the bank,
421
00:23:31,701 --> 00:23:35,872
where they learned
that it was Scott and Karen together.
422
00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:40,585
[Janet] In reviewing the tape,
it looked like she was terrified.
423
00:23:41,169 --> 00:23:42,754
Scott has a violent history,
424
00:23:42,838 --> 00:23:46,508
and we had also come across the fact
that he had been using drugs.
425
00:23:46,591 --> 00:23:48,301
So now he has money in his pocket.
426
00:23:48,385 --> 00:23:51,012
Now we're really concerned.
Okay, which way did he go?
427
00:23:52,597 --> 00:23:55,642
So we're going through his history,
looking through his paperwork,
428
00:23:55,725 --> 00:23:58,520
see who he knows, who can we contact,
429
00:23:58,603 --> 00:24:00,605
who could tell us something about him.
430
00:24:03,900 --> 00:24:07,779
[woman] My brother was a Daytona Beach
police officer.
431
00:24:09,239 --> 00:24:13,410
And he called me up one day,
out of the blue, and said,
432
00:24:13,493 --> 00:24:15,537
"You're not gonna believe this."
433
00:24:16,246 --> 00:24:18,665
"Scott Freeman kidnapped a woman."
434
00:24:19,166 --> 00:24:20,375
[dramatic sting]
435
00:24:25,380 --> 00:24:27,591
Early 1990s,
436
00:24:27,674 --> 00:24:31,803
my girlfriend had worked
at a bowling alley that had a bar
437
00:24:31,887 --> 00:24:33,513
that everyone would go to,
438
00:24:33,597 --> 00:24:36,183
and that's where I met Scott Freeman.
439
00:24:39,811 --> 00:24:43,648
My first impression was he was handsome.
440
00:24:43,732 --> 00:24:45,984
He said he was a firefighter.
441
00:24:47,402 --> 00:24:49,154
I thought he had good potential.
442
00:24:50,447 --> 00:24:55,076
I feel like Scott love-bombed me.
443
00:24:56,244 --> 00:25:00,665
Now, mind you, I was a young girl of 22.
444
00:25:01,208 --> 00:25:03,877
He was six years older.
445
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,630
Scott came on really strong,
446
00:25:07,339 --> 00:25:10,133
and was crazy about me.
447
00:25:10,217 --> 00:25:12,302
[enigmatic music playing]
448
00:25:12,385 --> 00:25:17,140
Scott was very charming,
and we did begin seeing each other.
449
00:25:19,100 --> 00:25:24,648
When I first met Scott,
he was a Ocala firefighter.
450
00:25:25,899 --> 00:25:27,609
But that did not last long.
451
00:25:28,610 --> 00:25:31,571
Soon after we started dating,
452
00:25:31,655 --> 00:25:36,076
Scott told me he got fired
from the fire department.
453
00:25:36,618 --> 00:25:40,330
Scott had still lived at home
with his mother and father.
454
00:25:41,206 --> 00:25:43,667
And it became apparent to me
455
00:25:43,750 --> 00:25:48,713
that Scott's mother paid for everything
456
00:25:49,673 --> 00:25:54,219
because Scott did not have a job
for a long time.
457
00:25:55,637 --> 00:26:00,809
Scott definitely had control
over me emotionally,
458
00:26:00,892 --> 00:26:04,813
and he liked me to wear certain things,
459
00:26:04,896 --> 00:26:07,440
did not like me to wear certain things.
460
00:26:07,524 --> 00:26:10,610
He was very controlling and manipulative.
461
00:26:10,694 --> 00:26:12,112
[waves crashing]
462
00:26:12,195 --> 00:26:13,446
[seagulls calling]
463
00:26:13,530 --> 00:26:16,032
My father had passed away,
464
00:26:16,116 --> 00:26:19,202
and I had gone to a medium,
465
00:26:19,703 --> 00:26:23,206
hoping I would hear something from my dad.
466
00:26:24,499 --> 00:26:26,501
The woman had tarot cards,
467
00:26:27,210 --> 00:26:31,590
{\an8}and the first card she turned over
was a devil card.
468
00:26:32,465 --> 00:26:33,883
{\an8}And she told me,
469
00:26:33,967 --> 00:26:37,929
"I see a very disturbed person
around you."
470
00:26:39,097 --> 00:26:42,058
This person is on drugs,
471
00:26:42,142 --> 00:26:44,477
and she sees jail.
472
00:26:44,561 --> 00:26:46,563
[ominous music playing]
473
00:26:47,856 --> 00:26:50,275
Scott would have these bouts
474
00:26:50,358 --> 00:26:55,572
where he would disappear for days on end
with no explanation.
475
00:26:56,781 --> 00:27:01,119
I definitely know that Scott
was addicted to crack cocaine,
476
00:27:01,953 --> 00:27:07,542
and that would contribute
to his binges and disappearances.
477
00:27:09,336 --> 00:27:10,295
[pensive music playing]
478
00:27:10,378 --> 00:27:12,964
Two years into the relationship,
479
00:27:13,465 --> 00:27:17,218
a friend of his and his girlfriend
had come down
480
00:27:17,302 --> 00:27:20,055
from North Carolina to visit.
481
00:27:20,138 --> 00:27:22,140
[indistinct chatter]
482
00:27:22,724 --> 00:27:26,936
And the four of us went out
for the night to the clubs,
483
00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:30,398
and drinking and having a good time.
484
00:27:32,150 --> 00:27:36,488
And then upon coming back to the house
that evening,
485
00:27:36,571 --> 00:27:39,199
we were talking about ordering pizza.
486
00:27:39,783 --> 00:27:42,702
And Scott just freaked out,
487
00:27:42,786 --> 00:27:46,873
and pinned me against the wall
with his hands around my neck.
488
00:27:47,999 --> 00:27:50,126
I was so scared.
489
00:27:50,210 --> 00:27:53,963
I was like, "What the heck got into him?"
490
00:27:54,047 --> 00:27:55,340
[sirens wailing]
491
00:27:55,423 --> 00:27:56,841
The police came.
492
00:27:57,467 --> 00:27:59,260
And at that point,
493
00:27:59,344 --> 00:28:03,515
I said I did not want to press charges.
494
00:28:04,933 --> 00:28:07,769
Being the young girl I was,
495
00:28:07,852 --> 00:28:14,442
I said, "Well, he didn't mean it,
and he drank too much," and made excuses.
496
00:28:15,694 --> 00:28:22,033
My head was saying,
"No, get out. This is not good."
497
00:28:22,117 --> 00:28:27,038
But my 20-something-year-old heart
was saying, "But I love him."
498
00:28:28,748 --> 00:28:30,750
[dramatic sting]
499
00:28:34,087 --> 00:28:35,797
I had come home from work,
500
00:28:36,423 --> 00:28:39,384
and Scott was there, intoxicated,
501
00:28:40,176 --> 00:28:42,929
and wanted me to go out with him to a bar.
502
00:28:44,305 --> 00:28:46,599
And I said, "No, you're drunk."
503
00:28:47,809 --> 00:28:51,563
His behavior was erratic.
504
00:28:51,646 --> 00:28:54,357
He was filled with rage.
505
00:28:54,441 --> 00:28:58,236
I got suspicious of what was going on
and what he was doing.
506
00:28:58,319 --> 00:28:59,487
[door creaks]
507
00:28:59,571 --> 00:29:05,410
So I went in the closet, and I started
looking through duffel bags and whatnot,
508
00:29:06,286 --> 00:29:10,373
and I had picked up a box
that you would keep checks in.
509
00:29:10,957 --> 00:29:12,584
When I picked it up, it rattled.
510
00:29:12,667 --> 00:29:13,960
[rattling]
511
00:29:14,043 --> 00:29:17,630
So I opened it, and they were syringes.
512
00:29:19,007 --> 00:29:20,508
And I thought, "Oh boy."
513
00:29:21,426 --> 00:29:23,428
He was shooting up steroids,
514
00:29:23,511 --> 00:29:28,183
and that was leading
to his crazy, erratic behavior.
515
00:29:29,350 --> 00:29:33,229
I approached him about
what I found in the closet,
516
00:29:33,897 --> 00:29:37,442
and that's when he got really pissed.
517
00:29:37,525 --> 00:29:39,277
[perilous music playing]
518
00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:44,991
Scott smacked me in the face
and attempted to take all my stuff,
519
00:29:45,658 --> 00:29:49,788
and he put his hands around my neck
and had me up against the wall
520
00:29:50,371 --> 00:29:52,123
and tried to choke me.
521
00:29:53,124 --> 00:29:54,542
I was so scared.
522
00:29:54,626 --> 00:29:56,044
[music continues]
523
00:29:56,127 --> 00:29:57,128
[sirens wailing]
524
00:29:57,212 --> 00:30:01,633
The police came, and they had asked me
if everything was okay,
525
00:30:01,716 --> 00:30:05,136
and then with that,
Scott had come down the hall just,
526
00:30:06,054 --> 00:30:08,097
"What the F are you doing here?"
527
00:30:08,181 --> 00:30:11,434
And "Get the F out of here.
Everything's fine."
528
00:30:12,227 --> 00:30:14,771
Just really, really being belligerent.
529
00:30:16,022 --> 00:30:18,149
And he resisted arrest,
530
00:30:18,775 --> 00:30:23,446
and it took pepper spray
to finally get him handcuffed.
531
00:30:23,530 --> 00:30:24,823
[handcuffs clinking]
532
00:30:26,741 --> 00:30:28,785
That was my breaking point,
533
00:30:28,868 --> 00:30:33,248
and I knew I couldn't stay
in a situation like that.
534
00:30:35,083 --> 00:30:37,085
[dramatic music playing]
535
00:30:40,338 --> 00:30:43,132
{\an8}As soon as my brother got wind of Scott,
536
00:30:43,216 --> 00:30:47,929
{\an8}he called me, and he was freaking out,
like, "You're not going to believe this."
537
00:30:48,012 --> 00:30:50,598
{\an8}"Scott kidnapped a woman."
538
00:30:50,682 --> 00:30:55,019
I seriously thought,
"Holy shit, that could have been me."
539
00:30:55,812 --> 00:30:58,481
And he said, "He's on the run.
They're heading north."
540
00:30:58,565 --> 00:31:01,317
"Do you have any ideas
where he might be heading?"
541
00:31:01,401 --> 00:31:03,778
And I said, "Yeah."
542
00:31:04,779 --> 00:31:10,285
My brother asked
if I would meet with Detective Hawkins,
543
00:31:11,286 --> 00:31:12,704
and I agreed to it.
544
00:31:14,038 --> 00:31:20,420
I shared with Janet Hawkins
places that I had been to with Scott
545
00:31:20,503 --> 00:31:23,006
that maybe I thought
he would bring Karen back to.
546
00:31:24,716 --> 00:31:30,096
I know Scott had a very good friend
that lived up in North Carolina,
547
00:31:30,179 --> 00:31:33,224
and I thought, "Well, for sure,
he's probably going to go there."
548
00:31:34,475 --> 00:31:38,354
And then it was on the TV
and in the newspaper.
549
00:31:39,439 --> 00:31:41,065
I was scared for her.
550
00:31:42,567 --> 00:31:45,111
I was. I was scared for her.
551
00:31:50,366 --> 00:31:53,703
[Karen] We left St. Augustine,
and we're driving north,
552
00:31:54,454 --> 00:31:57,707
and we stayed at the Days Inn
in North Carolina.
553
00:31:59,292 --> 00:32:01,794
It was the same situation
as in St. Augustine.
554
00:32:03,171 --> 00:32:04,255
He gave me pills.
555
00:32:05,465 --> 00:32:07,467
[music intensifies]
556
00:32:10,303 --> 00:32:11,679
[dramatic sting]
557
00:32:11,763 --> 00:32:13,389
He kept the knife with him.
558
00:32:19,145 --> 00:32:20,897
[suspenseful music playing]
559
00:32:20,980 --> 00:32:24,192
When I got up the next morning,
we were getting ready to leave,
560
00:32:24,275 --> 00:32:26,611
and I looked down and I saw the notepad.
561
00:32:28,071 --> 00:32:30,490
I grabbed it and stuffed it in my pocket.
562
00:32:31,324 --> 00:32:32,867
I don't know why I did that.
563
00:32:32,951 --> 00:32:36,371
I don't know. I have no idea why I did it.
To this day, I don't know.
564
00:32:41,417 --> 00:32:44,045
From Charlotte, we went to Bryson City.
565
00:32:44,587 --> 00:32:45,588
We stopped to eat.
566
00:32:49,342 --> 00:32:52,011
[woman] I worked at the Bar-B-Que Wagon
in Bryson City
567
00:32:52,095 --> 00:32:54,722
as a head chef for 11 years.
568
00:32:54,806 --> 00:32:58,226
[chuckles] It was a typical day
at the Bar-B-Que Wagon.
569
00:32:58,726 --> 00:33:00,436
Me being the main cook,
570
00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,648
{\an8}I had a little break after the lunch rush,
571
00:33:03,731 --> 00:33:06,901
{\an8}and so I walked outside out the back door,
572
00:33:06,985 --> 00:33:09,278
which is against the parking lot,
573
00:33:09,362 --> 00:33:11,030
to take me a quick smoke break.
574
00:33:12,031 --> 00:33:18,329
And, um, that's where I was
when I saw a vehicle pull in.
575
00:33:19,163 --> 00:33:21,749
[dramatic music playing]
576
00:33:21,833 --> 00:33:25,044
It was a dark black Jeep.
577
00:33:26,462 --> 00:33:29,382
There was a lady
who got out the passenger side
578
00:33:30,258 --> 00:33:32,510
and just kind of stood there.
579
00:33:32,593 --> 00:33:35,763
And so, you know,
I gave her a friendly smile,
580
00:33:35,847 --> 00:33:40,184
and, well, she didn't give me
a friendly smile back.
581
00:33:41,352 --> 00:33:44,897
And honestly, I thought,
"What's wrong with her?"
582
00:33:46,232 --> 00:33:50,903
She had this,
I don't know, this blank look.
583
00:33:51,904 --> 00:33:54,741
The gentleman got out
and took her by the arm.
584
00:33:56,701 --> 00:33:58,453
They went in the front door,
585
00:33:58,536 --> 00:34:01,414
and I just went back to work,
just like I normally would.
586
00:34:06,878 --> 00:34:08,838
{\an8}[Karen] I went in to use the bathroom.
587
00:34:09,839 --> 00:34:12,759
I looked in my purse,
and I took the pen.
588
00:34:12,842 --> 00:34:14,844
I wrote out the note, and it said,
589
00:34:15,511 --> 00:34:18,097
"My name is Karen Kummerer.
I've been abducted."
590
00:34:18,598 --> 00:34:21,601
Um, "Please call the Daytona Beach
Police Department."
591
00:34:21,684 --> 00:34:24,187
"This is not a joke, and please be quiet."
592
00:34:26,064 --> 00:34:28,274
I was hoping that
no one would say anything
593
00:34:28,357 --> 00:34:30,359
while we were in there eating.
594
00:34:32,195 --> 00:34:34,822
I was afraid that I was gonna die
if he found out.
595
00:34:37,533 --> 00:34:41,287
We left the barbecue place,
we stopped at a gas station,
596
00:34:41,370 --> 00:34:43,372
and I went in to use the bathroom.
597
00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:46,125
I was terrified at this point.
598
00:34:46,709 --> 00:34:50,421
'Cause he would stand outside
the bathroom door while I was in there.
599
00:34:50,922 --> 00:34:54,759
And he would make sure
that no one else was coming or going.
600
00:34:56,886 --> 00:34:58,304
But I left another note.
601
00:35:00,348 --> 00:35:02,350
[suspenseful music playing]
602
00:35:05,061 --> 00:35:08,481
[Dana] I don't know.
It must have been 20 minutes or so,
603
00:35:09,065 --> 00:35:10,858
and I needed to go to the restroom.
604
00:35:11,776 --> 00:35:15,738
When I turned around to flush the toilet,
605
00:35:15,822 --> 00:35:17,907
there was something sticking out.
606
00:35:19,367 --> 00:35:22,328
It wasn't supposed to be there,
so I was going to clean it up.
607
00:35:25,039 --> 00:35:27,083
The moment I touched that paper,
608
00:35:28,251 --> 00:35:32,547
I had chills… immediately go all over me.
609
00:35:33,047 --> 00:35:34,966
And I started reading it,
610
00:35:35,049 --> 00:35:40,096
and knew at that moment
exactly who wrote that note.
611
00:35:41,472 --> 00:35:44,058
I went straight out of that bathroom
612
00:35:44,142 --> 00:35:47,103
and straight, as fast as I could,
to that phone.
613
00:35:48,312 --> 00:35:49,981
And I called 911.
614
00:35:52,191 --> 00:35:54,443
They asked if they were still there.
615
00:35:55,278 --> 00:35:57,780
But I told the police
that they were already gone.
616
00:35:58,281 --> 00:36:01,993
When I think back
to when they pulled into the parking lot,
617
00:36:02,076 --> 00:36:03,286
[dramatic whoosh]
618
00:36:03,369 --> 00:36:07,290
I realized she wasn't being a,
you know, "B."
619
00:36:07,790 --> 00:36:09,792
She was scared.
620
00:36:10,459 --> 00:36:12,587
She was terrified.
621
00:36:12,670 --> 00:36:15,381
It was terror on her face.
622
00:36:16,674 --> 00:36:19,802
Like, "Somebody please help me."
623
00:36:20,595 --> 00:36:23,598
[suspenseful music playing]
624
00:36:25,433 --> 00:36:28,895
[Janet] We received a call
that a note had been found
625
00:36:28,978 --> 00:36:31,814
{\an8}that was left by Karen
in a restaurant in North Carolina.
626
00:36:31,898 --> 00:36:35,735
At this point,
we're elated because Karen is still alive,
627
00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,488
and she has enough presence of mind
to leave us a note.
628
00:36:40,072 --> 00:36:41,991
"This is where I am. Here's a breadcrumb."
629
00:36:43,409 --> 00:36:46,787
[Brenna] When we got that first note,
I was relieved.
630
00:36:46,871 --> 00:36:49,707
She's still alive,
so there's some hope there.
631
00:36:50,791 --> 00:36:53,336
[Jakari] Once this note was found
in North Carolina,
632
00:36:53,419 --> 00:36:56,839
we now realized that
he's crossed several state lines,
633
00:36:56,923 --> 00:36:58,633
{\an8}which is way out of our jurisdiction,
634
00:36:58,716 --> 00:37:01,177
{\an8}so we needed to bring in the FBI.
635
00:37:03,262 --> 00:37:06,933
[woman] Kidnapping cases in the FBI
usually do not end well.
636
00:37:07,683 --> 00:37:11,896
{\an8}The statistics will show
most victims do not survive
637
00:37:11,979 --> 00:37:13,773
{\an8}after a certain amount of time.
638
00:37:15,107 --> 00:37:20,321
I thought that Karen's decision
to leave behind notes
639
00:37:20,404 --> 00:37:22,865
was extremely smart.
640
00:37:22,949 --> 00:37:26,369
I don't know that a lot of people
would have thought of that
641
00:37:26,452 --> 00:37:32,124
because you are so instilled
with a fear of being harmed
642
00:37:32,208 --> 00:37:36,254
that you would not do anything
to jeopardize taking another breath.
643
00:37:37,046 --> 00:37:40,174
She figured out at some point that,
"I've got to do something."
644
00:37:40,258 --> 00:37:42,009
"They're never gonna find me."
645
00:37:43,469 --> 00:37:46,973
I believe that Scott Freeman
was a very dangerous individual,
646
00:37:47,473 --> 00:37:49,392
and that he was a ticking time bomb.
647
00:37:52,061 --> 00:37:54,689
[Karen] The hotels we were staying at
did not require an ID,
648
00:37:54,772 --> 00:37:56,399
and they only took cash,
649
00:37:56,482 --> 00:37:59,735
because, of course, he didn't want
to show an ID at that point.
650
00:38:02,113 --> 00:38:04,365
Multiple times
during this whole experience,
651
00:38:04,448 --> 00:38:07,410
I told Scott, I said,
"Just let me out here."
652
00:38:07,493 --> 00:38:09,537
"Just leave me on the side of the road."
653
00:38:10,413 --> 00:38:11,956
"Just let me go."
654
00:38:12,039 --> 00:38:13,541
And he refused to do that.
655
00:38:14,583 --> 00:38:16,585
[dramatic sting]
656
00:38:20,923 --> 00:38:23,551
On Friday, we left Pigeon Forge.
657
00:38:24,969 --> 00:38:26,721
We went to Trenton, Georgia,
658
00:38:26,804 --> 00:38:29,265
where I left another note
in a gas station.
659
00:38:29,849 --> 00:38:31,684
The same note as before.
660
00:38:31,767 --> 00:38:34,145
"My name is Karen Kummerer.
I've been kidnapped."
661
00:38:34,228 --> 00:38:36,105
"Please call Daytona Beach
Police Department."
662
00:38:36,188 --> 00:38:37,481
"This is not a joke."
663
00:38:40,401 --> 00:38:44,030
So after that, we continued on 100 miles
to Snead, Alabama,
664
00:38:44,113 --> 00:38:46,657
where I left another note
in a gas station.
665
00:38:48,534 --> 00:38:49,952
We stayed at a hotel
666
00:38:50,036 --> 00:38:52,580
which was right across the street
from a Wachovia bank,
667
00:38:52,663 --> 00:38:54,999
and at this point,
we were getting low on cash.
668
00:38:55,082 --> 00:38:57,960
And I said, "Why don't we go over
and take cash out of the bank?"
669
00:38:58,044 --> 00:39:00,171
And he got really upset.
670
00:39:01,756 --> 00:39:03,257
[door slams shut]
671
00:39:03,341 --> 00:39:05,509
He took the knife. He slammed it down.
672
00:39:05,593 --> 00:39:06,677
[loud thud]
673
00:39:06,761 --> 00:39:10,473
Then he said,
"Don't forget I always have this."
674
00:39:13,851 --> 00:39:18,981
{\an8}[Jakari] Getting the notes
was confirmation that she's still alive,
675
00:39:19,732 --> 00:39:21,359
but it was a little frustrating
676
00:39:21,442 --> 00:39:26,364
because it seems like we were
still consistently one step behind.
677
00:39:26,447 --> 00:39:28,157
Time is not our friend.
678
00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:32,203
So the more time passes,
the more concerned we are
679
00:39:32,286 --> 00:39:35,748
that we're not gonna find Karen
in time to save her life.
680
00:39:35,831 --> 00:39:38,584
[buzzing softly]
681
00:39:40,294 --> 00:39:43,798
At this point in time, I did not know
that they were seeing the notes.
682
00:39:43,881 --> 00:39:46,175
When we were in a hotel room,
I tried to make sure
683
00:39:46,258 --> 00:39:50,054
the TV didn't turn on to the news
because I was afraid it'd be on the news,
684
00:39:50,137 --> 00:39:52,390
and I was afraid of what he'd do
at that point.
685
00:39:52,473 --> 00:39:54,475
[dramatic sting]
686
00:39:59,146 --> 00:40:04,777
On Monday, we drove from New Albany,
Mississippi, to Greenville, Mississippi.
687
00:40:04,860 --> 00:40:06,278
Cash was getting very low.
688
00:40:07,488 --> 00:40:09,657
We stopped at a gas station,
689
00:40:09,740 --> 00:40:11,867
and as we got ready to leave,
690
00:40:11,951 --> 00:40:14,620
he said, "I got to make a phone call."
691
00:40:16,831 --> 00:40:20,292
He went to the back of the car,
and I could hear him yelling.
692
00:40:20,876 --> 00:40:23,003
Couldn't understand what he was saying.
693
00:40:23,087 --> 00:40:25,297
I wasn't sure who he was talking to.
694
00:40:27,258 --> 00:40:28,801
He was really angry.
695
00:40:28,884 --> 00:40:29,885
[car approaching]
696
00:40:29,969 --> 00:40:32,346
{\an8}[suspenseful music playing]
697
00:40:32,430 --> 00:40:36,851
{\an8}[Jackie] Law enforcement was monitoring
Scott's parents' phone,
698
00:40:37,435 --> 00:40:40,479
{\an8}and they were able to intercept
a phone call
699
00:40:41,147 --> 00:40:44,316
{\an8}from Scott to his mom demanding money.
700
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:46,402
[phone ringing]
701
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:02,334
[dramatic music playing]
702
00:41:02,418 --> 00:41:05,588
[Jackie] The way Scott
was speaking to his mother,
703
00:41:05,671 --> 00:41:07,548
it was more than just angry.
704
00:41:08,924 --> 00:41:10,968
The vitriol was palpable.
705
00:41:11,051 --> 00:41:13,137
It was awful.
706
00:41:33,324 --> 00:41:34,158
When he called,
707
00:41:34,241 --> 00:41:37,661
he was on there long enough
for the FBI to get a trace on the call
708
00:41:37,745 --> 00:41:39,914
to pinpoint where he was calling from.
709
00:41:40,539 --> 00:41:43,209
He's in Greenville, Mississippi.
710
00:41:44,043 --> 00:41:46,462
We knew that
we had to get the money in the bank.
711
00:41:49,548 --> 00:41:50,883
[Karen] We went to an ATM.
712
00:41:50,966 --> 00:41:52,885
[ATM keypad beeping]
713
00:41:52,968 --> 00:41:54,803
We got the $150.
714
00:41:56,096 --> 00:42:00,684
He attempts to withdraw the money.
Law enforcement's monitoring it.
715
00:42:01,602 --> 00:42:06,232
They immediately send the FBI
and local law enforcement
716
00:42:06,315 --> 00:42:09,026
to the location of the ATM.
717
00:42:09,109 --> 00:42:11,111
[sirens wailing]
718
00:42:12,947 --> 00:42:14,448
[Karen] We left the ATM.
719
00:42:15,783 --> 00:42:17,910
He went to a neighborhood
and bought crack.
720
00:42:19,787 --> 00:42:22,373
- [horn hoking]
- Then we took off down the highway.
721
00:42:22,456 --> 00:42:24,416
[music intensifies]
722
00:42:25,876 --> 00:42:27,002
[music fades]
723
00:42:27,086 --> 00:42:31,507
{\an8}I had driven home for lunch,
which I sometimes did,
724
00:42:31,590 --> 00:42:37,263
{\an8}and was sitting at the kitchen table
eating a sandwich when my phone rang.
725
00:42:38,514 --> 00:42:40,224
And it was my supervisor.
726
00:42:40,307 --> 00:42:43,477
He asked that I stop whatever I was doing
727
00:42:44,186 --> 00:42:46,313
and to immediately get on the road
728
00:42:46,397 --> 00:42:50,276
and head towards a small town
called Leland, Mississippi.
729
00:42:50,359 --> 00:42:52,361
[intriguing music playing]
730
00:42:54,572 --> 00:42:57,950
I am on the telephone
with Mississippi Highway Patrol,
731
00:42:58,033 --> 00:43:00,869
Washington County Sheriff's Office,
732
00:43:00,953 --> 00:43:03,038
Cleveland PD as well.
733
00:43:03,706 --> 00:43:07,209
And within five minutes
of being on Highway 61,
734
00:43:07,293 --> 00:43:09,253
I knew the description of the vehicle.
735
00:43:10,379 --> 00:43:13,299
I knew exactly what Karen looked like.
736
00:43:13,382 --> 00:43:16,093
I knew exactly
what Scott Freeman looked like.
737
00:43:16,802 --> 00:43:18,887
And literally two minutes later,
738
00:43:19,555 --> 00:43:23,267
I recognize a vehicle
that matches the description,
739
00:43:23,767 --> 00:43:25,311
and I slowly catch up.
740
00:43:28,147 --> 00:43:30,691
It was obvious to me
that it was Karen in the vehicle.
741
00:43:30,774 --> 00:43:33,027
I'll never forget the look on her face.
742
00:43:33,611 --> 00:43:34,820
I could see fear.
743
00:43:34,903 --> 00:43:38,073
She didn't look my way.
She was staring dead ahead.
744
00:43:38,157 --> 00:43:39,658
And there was no talking.
745
00:43:40,284 --> 00:43:43,454
And Mr. Freeman
was also staring dead ahead.
746
00:43:44,038 --> 00:43:49,001
At that point, my supervisor had contacted
Mississippi Highway Patrol,
747
00:43:49,084 --> 00:43:51,754
and there were several units in the area.
748
00:43:53,464 --> 00:43:56,508
[Karen] We're on the highway,
and all of a sudden he goes,
749
00:43:56,592 --> 00:43:59,720
"They're following us."
I said, "What are you talking about?"
750
00:44:00,554 --> 00:44:03,557
[police sirens wailing]
751
00:44:05,893 --> 00:44:08,812
I looked up, and it seemed like
a million police were following us.
752
00:44:08,896 --> 00:44:10,314
The lights were going.
753
00:44:10,397 --> 00:44:11,899
And he started yelling.
754
00:44:11,982 --> 00:44:13,734
He said, "Give me a minute.
Give me a minute."
755
00:44:14,318 --> 00:44:16,487
We were going really fast.
I was screaming.
756
00:44:18,238 --> 00:44:21,867
And he went off the exit to the highway.
757
00:44:21,950 --> 00:44:23,452
[tires screeching]
758
00:44:23,535 --> 00:44:26,413
[Anne] As soon as Mr. Freeman saw
the highway unit,
759
00:44:26,497 --> 00:44:29,333
he knew that they knew who he was.
760
00:44:31,126 --> 00:44:32,503
[Jackie] She knew he had the knife.
761
00:44:32,586 --> 00:44:36,382
She believed at any point,
he could reach over and just take her out.
762
00:44:37,591 --> 00:44:39,343
She was so close to being saved,
763
00:44:39,426 --> 00:44:43,097
but probably in the most danger
that she'd been in through the whole trip.
764
00:44:44,682 --> 00:44:46,225
[tires screeching]
765
00:44:46,308 --> 00:44:48,686
[Karen] Then all of a sudden,
they boxed us in.
766
00:44:49,687 --> 00:44:53,524
Like, 25 police officers got out
of their cruisers and held guns.
767
00:44:53,607 --> 00:44:56,652
I was like, "Oh my God, oh my God,
I'm going to die."
768
00:44:56,735 --> 00:45:01,198
And then they just grabbed him out
of the truck and threw him on the ground.
769
00:45:01,281 --> 00:45:02,241
[loud thud]
770
00:45:04,243 --> 00:45:07,996
And then a beautiful deputy came
and grabbed me.
771
00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:10,082
[somber music playing]
772
00:45:17,214 --> 00:45:20,718
And I said to him, "Do you have a gun?"
773
00:45:20,801 --> 00:45:23,095
He said, "Yes." I said, "Don't let me go."
774
00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:25,806
[siren blaring]
775
00:45:25,889 --> 00:45:28,600
- He brought me over to the EMS.
- [indistinct radio chatter]
776
00:45:28,684 --> 00:45:33,480
And they took my blood pressure.
It was at 250 over 150.
777
00:45:33,564 --> 00:45:35,524
And I would not go to the hospital.
778
00:45:35,607 --> 00:45:38,777
I said, "I'm not leaving.
He's got a gun. I'm staying with him."
779
00:45:39,737 --> 00:45:42,448
And so then what he did was
he calmed me down.
780
00:45:42,990 --> 00:45:46,827
He brought me to Anne LaHaye's truck,
the FBI agent, and he put me in there.
781
00:45:46,910 --> 00:45:49,413
He goes, "You're gonna be safe here."
And that's how it ended.
782
00:45:50,956 --> 00:45:56,336
[Brenna] I remember I got a phone call.
The FBI called and said, "We got Karen."
783
00:45:56,837 --> 00:45:58,839
"We have her, and Scott's in custody."
784
00:45:58,922 --> 00:46:04,219
And I was just like, "Thank God."
It was, like, a surreal feeling.
785
00:46:06,013 --> 00:46:09,141
When they got him, you know,
everybody was so excited.
786
00:46:09,224 --> 00:46:10,684
It was, like, a relief.
787
00:46:11,727 --> 00:46:13,771
So much so, it was very emotional.
788
00:46:13,854 --> 00:46:15,481
There were tears shed.
789
00:46:16,857 --> 00:46:20,986
Law enforcement searched Scott's Jeep
after he was in custody.
790
00:46:21,570 --> 00:46:25,365
They found a switchblade knife
in the open position
791
00:46:25,449 --> 00:46:27,743
that was in the driver's side door pocket.
792
00:46:28,494 --> 00:46:31,997
They found rope. They found blankets.
793
00:46:32,080 --> 00:46:37,211
They found a can
used to smoke crack cocaine.
794
00:46:38,253 --> 00:46:42,716
That really gave an indication
to law enforcement
795
00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:46,178
that Scott, and Scott alone, planned this.
796
00:46:48,597 --> 00:46:52,726
Once he was arrested,
my captain and lieutenant decided that
797
00:46:52,810 --> 00:46:55,103
because she had been traumatized so much,
798
00:46:55,187 --> 00:46:57,564
they made a decision
to not put her on the airplane,
799
00:46:57,648 --> 00:47:02,027
but for myself and Jakari to drive up
to pick her up and bring her back.
800
00:47:03,987 --> 00:47:06,532
Karen appeared to be worn out and tired,
801
00:47:06,615 --> 00:47:10,619
so we just made her comfortable
and drove her back to Daytona.
802
00:47:10,702 --> 00:47:12,037
[birds chirping]
803
00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:15,582
[Brenna] The first moment I saw Karen,
I gave her, like, the biggest hug.
804
00:47:15,666 --> 00:47:17,668
I'm like, I didn't want to let her go.
805
00:47:18,293 --> 00:47:21,755
It's definitely, uh, an emotional moment.
806
00:47:22,256 --> 00:47:24,258
[pensive music playing]
807
00:47:45,362 --> 00:47:47,072
[Brenna] Karen was traumatized.
808
00:47:48,574 --> 00:47:50,117
Everything scared her.
809
00:47:50,826 --> 00:47:52,995
Like, she would hear a sound,
it scared her.
810
00:47:53,787 --> 00:47:56,540
You know,
you couldn't talk really loud around her.
811
00:47:56,623 --> 00:47:59,334
She wanted people around her all the time.
812
00:48:00,669 --> 00:48:02,838
[Lisa] Karen's had to put up with a lot.
813
00:48:02,921 --> 00:48:05,674
{\an8}Why didn't she fight back? She couldn't.
She was paralyzed.
814
00:48:05,757 --> 00:48:06,925
{\an8}That's what the fear did.
815
00:48:08,051 --> 00:48:09,970
And people don't realize that.
816
00:48:11,096 --> 00:48:16,310
For what Karen's been through,
I admire how strong she is as a person.
817
00:48:18,437 --> 00:48:19,688
[Karen] When I was dating Scott,
818
00:48:19,771 --> 00:48:23,066
and some of the signs
that he was exhibiting at the time,
819
00:48:23,650 --> 00:48:27,654
I was not aware of them being signs
of potential domestic violence.
820
00:48:28,822 --> 00:48:30,574
It was not as prevalent back then,
821
00:48:30,657 --> 00:48:34,286
as well as discussed and open,
as it is currently.
822
00:48:36,830 --> 00:48:39,082
Since that time, I've done work on myself.
823
00:48:39,166 --> 00:48:41,710
So it became quite clear
824
00:48:41,793 --> 00:48:46,173
that this was a situation that was gonna
become violent in the very beginning,
825
00:48:46,256 --> 00:48:48,926
and I just did not even see
the warning signs.
826
00:48:53,221 --> 00:48:54,556
I'm doing great today.
827
00:48:56,433 --> 00:48:57,851
I'm very blessed.
828
00:48:57,935 --> 00:49:00,395
Um, I approach life a lot differently.
829
00:49:01,855 --> 00:49:04,441
I feel so lucky to be alive,
you have no idea.
830
00:49:04,524 --> 00:49:07,277
I tell everybody,
I said, "Life's too short." [chuckles]
831
00:49:08,946 --> 00:49:10,948
[birds chirping]
832
00:49:12,699 --> 00:49:14,201
[music fades]
833
00:49:14,284 --> 00:49:18,288
[unsettling music playing]
834
00:50:36,616 --> 00:50:38,160
[music fades]