1
00:00:08,925 --> 00:00:11,720
[pensive music playing]
2
00:00:14,597 --> 00:00:17,642
So you want me to start from
when he put me in the trunk of the car?
3
00:00:18,393 --> 00:00:20,437
[crickets chirping]
4
00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:29,863
[car door slams]
5
00:00:30,572 --> 00:00:31,572
[engine starts]
6
00:00:32,574 --> 00:00:33,742
[tires screeching]
7
00:00:35,076 --> 00:00:37,078
[thrilling music playing]
8
00:00:40,707 --> 00:00:43,668
With the trunk shut,
I'm completely in the dark.
9
00:00:44,377 --> 00:00:47,756
I have these tight,
blacked-out swim goggles on.
10
00:00:47,839 --> 00:00:48,839
[breathing heavily]
11
00:00:48,882 --> 00:00:53,094
My hands are tied behind my back,
and I'm drugged.
12
00:00:54,679 --> 00:00:59,726
{an8}I start to hyperventilate.
I'm trying not to panic.
13
00:00:59,809 --> 00:01:01,186
[breathing heavily]
14
00:01:01,269 --> 00:01:04,522
Are they going to rape me? Torture me?
15
00:01:05,356 --> 00:01:07,317
I'm absolutely terrified.
16
00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:08,610
[thrilling music continues]
17
00:01:08,693 --> 00:01:10,487
[dog barking in distance]
18
00:01:11,071 --> 00:01:13,531
He opens the trunk,
and he grabs my shoulder and says,
19
00:01:13,615 --> 00:01:14,815
"Do not speak. Do not scream."
20
00:01:14,866 --> 00:01:16,826
"You're gonna make this
a lot harder on yourself."
21
00:01:16,868 --> 00:01:17,869
[train horn sounding]
22
00:01:17,952 --> 00:01:20,288
He puts me in the trunk of this new car.
23
00:01:20,371 --> 00:01:22,582
[breathing heavily]
24
00:01:22,665 --> 00:01:24,145
- [car door closes]
- [engine revving]
25
00:01:26,002 --> 00:01:31,382
It was this deep rev of an engine
that reminded me of a Mustang.
26
00:01:31,466 --> 00:01:32,717
[engine revving]
27
00:01:32,801 --> 00:01:35,929
- [breathing heavily]
- I'm imagining that we're on a freeway.
28
00:01:36,763 --> 00:01:38,139
I'm trying to pay attention,
29
00:01:39,849 --> 00:01:42,143
counting the corners and the turns.
30
00:01:43,144 --> 00:01:46,147
But the effects of the sedatives
are really starting to kick in.
31
00:01:47,732 --> 00:01:50,026
[man on radio]
It's another beautiful morning...
32
00:01:50,110 --> 00:01:53,822
[Denise] And I can just picture,
you know, people commuting to work.
33
00:01:53,905 --> 00:01:55,625
[man] ...travel coming up right after this.
34
00:01:55,657 --> 00:01:58,701
I mean, the last thing
that I think anyone would imagine
35
00:01:58,785 --> 00:02:01,162
is that that car that just drove by has...
36
00:02:01,246 --> 00:02:04,791
has got a woman
blindfolded and stuffed in the back.
37
00:02:04,874 --> 00:02:06,876
[thrilling music continues]
38
00:02:14,801 --> 00:02:16,302
[music fades]
39
00:02:18,972 --> 00:02:20,974
[dramatic music plays]
40
00:02:22,892 --> 00:02:25,395
[breathing heavily]
41
00:02:27,438 --> 00:02:28,773
[car engine turns off]
42
00:02:28,857 --> 00:02:29,899
[car door opens]
43
00:02:31,401 --> 00:02:32,401
[trunk opens]
44
00:02:33,653 --> 00:02:35,864
Even though I'm still wearing the goggles,
45
00:02:36,865 --> 00:02:39,200
I can tell we're in broad daylight.
46
00:02:40,535 --> 00:02:43,705
And I'm wondering
where the hell could we be now
47
00:02:43,788 --> 00:02:45,874
where no one... no one could see this?
48
00:02:45,957 --> 00:02:47,500
[birds cawing, chirping]
49
00:02:48,293 --> 00:02:50,336
I can smell pine trees.
50
00:02:52,964 --> 00:02:54,382
It's quiet.
51
00:02:55,383 --> 00:02:59,679
I'm picturing
a remote lot of land in the woods.
52
00:03:00,972 --> 00:03:02,891
But then he just grabs my feet
53
00:03:02,974 --> 00:03:06,394
and just drags me from light to dark.
54
00:03:06,477 --> 00:03:08,438
[suspenseful music playing]
55
00:03:08,980 --> 00:03:10,690
[footsteps treading]
56
00:03:10,773 --> 00:03:13,902
It feels like I'm lying
on a cold concrete floor.
57
00:03:13,985 --> 00:03:15,195
[door creaks open]
58
00:03:15,278 --> 00:03:18,281
He tells me,
"I have to finish getting ready."
59
00:03:20,074 --> 00:03:21,701
And I'm just thinking,
60
00:03:23,453 --> 00:03:24,662
"Ready for what?"
61
00:03:24,746 --> 00:03:26,748
[scrubbing]
62
00:03:28,041 --> 00:03:29,876
And so I could hear him scrubbing.
63
00:03:30,418 --> 00:03:31,294
[duct tape ripping]
64
00:03:31,377 --> 00:03:33,463
I can hear what sounds like duct tape,
65
00:03:34,255 --> 00:03:39,969
and every horror film I've seen
just kind of flashes in my mind.
66
00:03:42,430 --> 00:03:46,643
And so I'm terrified that that's how
it's gonna end for me and that's what...
67
00:03:47,602 --> 00:03:48,645
[exhales]
68
00:03:50,104 --> 00:03:53,399
That's what my last moments
on this Earth are gonna be like.
69
00:03:55,610 --> 00:03:57,612
[breathing heavily]
70
00:03:58,571 --> 00:04:00,657
He guides me into this house.
71
00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:07,330
I think I felt carpet initially,
and then tile under my feet.
72
00:04:10,375 --> 00:04:15,630
I'm just shaking with fear
and holding my breath.
73
00:04:15,713 --> 00:04:17,715
[suspenseful music continues]
74
00:04:19,259 --> 00:04:21,094
He moves me to a bed.
75
00:04:22,595 --> 00:04:24,973
And I feel him sit down next to me.
76
00:04:26,391 --> 00:04:27,600
And he says,
77
00:04:29,185 --> 00:04:30,853
"This wasn't meant for you."
78
00:04:33,231 --> 00:04:35,984
"This was meant for Aaron's ex, Andrea."
79
00:04:38,069 --> 00:04:40,238
And I think, "What the fuck?"
80
00:04:41,948 --> 00:04:43,283
"This is about her?"
81
00:04:45,118 --> 00:04:46,202
[breathing heavily]
82
00:04:46,286 --> 00:04:48,121
And he goes on to tell me
83
00:04:48,204 --> 00:04:51,624
that he's part
of this black market company
84
00:04:51,708 --> 00:04:53,835
that kidnap people for money.
85
00:04:53,918 --> 00:04:55,878
[continues breathing heavily]
86
00:04:55,962 --> 00:04:59,632
He tells me that Aaron's been given
instructions of what to do.
87
00:04:59,716 --> 00:05:03,594
"The plan is to release you in 48 hours."
88
00:05:05,722 --> 00:05:08,808
As much as I want to believe
he really will release me,
89
00:05:08,891 --> 00:05:13,896
the reality is that I'm isolated.
I'm alone. I'm drugged.
90
00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,525
Next time he comes in, that could be it.
91
00:05:19,819 --> 00:05:22,947
And that's the final thought
I have before I pass out.
92
00:05:23,656 --> 00:05:25,116
[music ends abruptly]
93
00:05:25,199 --> 00:05:27,201
[birds chirping]
94
00:05:28,703 --> 00:05:32,332
I know I've been asleep
for a few hours because...
95
00:05:33,082 --> 00:05:35,752
when I wake up, even though
I'm still wearing the goggles,
96
00:05:35,835 --> 00:05:38,671
I can tell that the...
the light has shifted.
97
00:05:38,755 --> 00:05:40,882
[pop music playing]
98
00:05:40,965 --> 00:05:43,676
It sounds like he's in the next room,
the wall behind.
99
00:05:45,595 --> 00:05:50,058
And I notice that there's, like,
French pop music that's playing.
100
00:05:50,141 --> 00:05:52,268
[French pop song playing]
101
00:05:55,146 --> 00:05:59,859
The weirdest part about the music
he was playing was that I liked it.
102
00:06:00,818 --> 00:06:03,946
There's something that normalizes him.
103
00:06:05,573 --> 00:06:08,659
He takes me on
these routine bathroom breaks...
104
00:06:08,743 --> 00:06:09,619
[knocking]
105
00:06:09,702 --> 00:06:12,205
...where he guides my hand,
106
00:06:12,288 --> 00:06:19,128
and he tells me things like
how he's struggled with insomnia and PTSD,
107
00:06:19,212 --> 00:06:20,963
that he was in the military.
108
00:06:21,047 --> 00:06:23,966
He just seemed human
and thoughtful and polite.
109
00:06:24,050 --> 00:06:26,552
[French pop song continues]
110
00:06:26,636 --> 00:06:28,638
And so as this first day goes on,
111
00:06:28,721 --> 00:06:31,557
I'm thinking maybe
I just need to stay calm
112
00:06:31,641 --> 00:06:35,561
and that I'll be released
and that this... this will all be over.
113
00:06:35,645 --> 00:06:37,814
[pop song continues]
114
00:06:39,649 --> 00:06:41,192
[song stops]
115
00:06:41,275 --> 00:06:43,277
[footsteps approaching]
116
00:06:46,739 --> 00:06:47,907
[knocking on door]
117
00:06:49,325 --> 00:06:50,952
- But then...
- [door unlocks, opens]
118
00:06:52,578 --> 00:06:53,579
There's this...
119
00:06:55,039 --> 00:06:56,874
[clicks tongue]...heaviness...
120
00:06:57,417 --> 00:06:59,669
[footsteps treading]
121
00:07:00,837 --> 00:07:02,755
...and hesitation in his steps.
122
00:07:03,673 --> 00:07:04,841
And he says,
123
00:07:06,634 --> 00:07:07,969
"We have a problem."
124
00:07:08,761 --> 00:07:09,761
[brooding music playing]
125
00:07:09,804 --> 00:07:13,224
"We don't have any collateral
126
00:07:13,307 --> 00:07:18,396
to ensure that you won't speak
to the police."
127
00:07:19,188 --> 00:07:21,566
"So one of us
is gonna have to have sex with you."
128
00:07:21,649 --> 00:07:23,651
[breathing heavily]
129
00:07:24,444 --> 00:07:26,070
"And it's gonna be recorded."
130
00:07:27,989 --> 00:07:31,826
"And that way, if we think
that you're going to speak to police,
131
00:07:31,909 --> 00:07:34,370
that we can release it on the internet."
132
00:07:35,913 --> 00:07:36,913
[beeps]
133
00:07:38,958 --> 00:07:42,086
And I just feel like
I've been punched in the face.
134
00:07:42,170 --> 00:07:43,170
[beeps]
135
00:07:43,921 --> 00:07:46,466
Almost just pulled out of myself.
136
00:07:48,634 --> 00:07:49,886
And then he says,
137
00:07:50,470 --> 00:07:53,431
"It's actually me who's going to have
to have sex with you."
138
00:07:56,517 --> 00:07:58,478
"I want you to know I'm gonna be gentle."
139
00:07:58,561 --> 00:08:00,104
[inhales deeply]
140
00:08:02,732 --> 00:08:06,152
And then he just climbs on top of me and...
141
00:08:08,321 --> 00:08:09,739
[inhales deeply]
142
00:08:10,406 --> 00:08:12,783
Starts kissing me and... [exhales]
143
00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:19,123
You know, every instinct I have
in that moment is to kick and scream and...
144
00:08:20,291 --> 00:08:23,920
do anything to push him off me
and protect myself
145
00:08:24,003 --> 00:08:25,671
or say what I want to say.
146
00:08:27,757 --> 00:08:28,757
[exhales]
147
00:08:29,383 --> 00:08:31,761
But I know
it's just gonna make things worse.
148
00:08:32,512 --> 00:08:35,765
It could make things more violent,
and I just want
149
00:08:37,350 --> 00:08:40,019
it to end and be done and...
150
00:08:41,270 --> 00:08:43,397
just move on to the next...
151
00:08:44,649 --> 00:08:47,068
Just move on to the next thing, you know.
152
00:08:49,779 --> 00:08:51,489
When you hear people describe,
153
00:08:52,782 --> 00:08:55,618
uh, an out-of-body experience,
154
00:08:55,701 --> 00:08:57,328
I think it's hard to know
155
00:08:58,454 --> 00:09:01,123
until you really experience it. Uh...
156
00:09:02,375 --> 00:09:05,878
You know, like,
completely detached from myself,
157
00:09:05,962 --> 00:09:10,174
just watching this all happen and it just...
158
00:09:11,968 --> 00:09:16,639
[sighs]...just my heart breaks
for that woman.
159
00:09:18,307 --> 00:09:19,433
You know, it's...
160
00:09:21,102 --> 00:09:23,980
I want to help her, but I can't.
161
00:09:24,063 --> 00:09:27,066
[somber music playing]
162
00:09:29,485 --> 00:09:31,487
[whimpers, sniffles]
163
00:09:36,367 --> 00:09:40,496
When he's finished
and he takes me into the bathroom,
164
00:09:40,580 --> 00:09:42,748
and this time when he leaves,
165
00:09:42,832 --> 00:09:45,835
he tells me that from now on,
166
00:09:45,918 --> 00:09:51,465
I'm allowed to take the goggles off
when he's not in the room with me and...
167
00:09:52,633 --> 00:09:57,054
it just feels like he's conditioning me.
168
00:09:57,930 --> 00:10:01,142
These are rewards
because I was a good girl.
169
00:10:03,185 --> 00:10:04,185
And I...
170
00:10:05,730 --> 00:10:09,400
pull those suctioned goggles
off of my eyes
171
00:10:09,483 --> 00:10:11,736
for the first time in over half a day.
172
00:10:13,321 --> 00:10:16,490
Then I look in the mirror
and I'm just so detached.
173
00:10:16,574 --> 00:10:17,658
Like, I don't...
174
00:10:19,577 --> 00:10:23,122
I don't know who that is in front of me.
You know, I just see...
175
00:10:24,373 --> 00:10:25,373
[sniffles]
176
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,002
[shower running]
177
00:10:29,503 --> 00:10:32,173
But I take a shower,
and I just kind of curl up
178
00:10:33,716 --> 00:10:36,135
in a ball with the water beating over me.
179
00:10:37,345 --> 00:10:38,971
The water's just going down
180
00:10:39,055 --> 00:10:41,807
and just feels like
every little bit of hope
181
00:10:42,767 --> 00:10:44,268
is going down with it.
182
00:10:53,235 --> 00:10:54,820
[upbeat pop music playing]
183
00:11:02,244 --> 00:11:04,705
[vacuum whirring]
184
00:11:04,789 --> 00:11:06,040
The next morning,
185
00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,211
I hear him in the next room cleaning.
186
00:11:10,294 --> 00:11:12,296
[pop music continues playing]
187
00:11:13,381 --> 00:11:14,882
During the home invasion,
188
00:11:14,965 --> 00:11:18,761
he said it was just a robbery,
and it ended up being a kidnapping.
189
00:11:18,844 --> 00:11:22,098
When I got to the house,
he says he's not going to dehumanize me,
190
00:11:22,932 --> 00:11:24,684
but then he still raped me.
191
00:11:24,767 --> 00:11:28,813
So how can I possibly trust
that he's not gonna kill me?
192
00:11:28,896 --> 00:11:32,024
You know, you hear about things like this
on the news,
193
00:11:32,775 --> 00:11:35,152
and it never turns out well.
194
00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,323
But now that I don't have the goggles on,
195
00:11:39,407 --> 00:11:41,325
I try to figure out a way to escape.
196
00:11:42,243 --> 00:11:45,913
But the windows have been barricaded,
and the door is locked up.
197
00:11:46,872 --> 00:11:50,751
I scan the room
and just see what... what options I have
198
00:11:50,835 --> 00:11:53,337
as far as a weapon, and...
199
00:11:53,421 --> 00:11:55,423
[pop music continues faintly]
200
00:11:56,757 --> 00:11:58,801
There's nothing I can use.
201
00:11:58,884 --> 00:12:00,886
[pop music continues playing]
202
00:12:02,596 --> 00:12:03,596
[knock on door]
203
00:12:04,974 --> 00:12:08,227
Then he comes in and tells me
204
00:12:09,145 --> 00:12:11,689
we've lost contact with Aaron.
205
00:12:12,982 --> 00:12:14,608
[Aaron laughs]
206
00:12:14,692 --> 00:12:16,819
[tense music playing]
207
00:12:16,902 --> 00:12:19,405
[Denise] My fear just spikes,
208
00:12:19,488 --> 00:12:26,245
and I am just terrified
that something bad happened to him.
209
00:12:27,204 --> 00:12:29,915
He says, "My associates are on their way."
210
00:12:30,666 --> 00:12:33,878
"I have to give you another dose
of the sedative. It's protocol."
211
00:12:34,587 --> 00:12:37,715
"When they do come,
it's best if you don't engage with them
212
00:12:37,798 --> 00:12:40,384
and just pretend to be asleep."
213
00:12:41,093 --> 00:12:42,511
"They're not as nice as me."
214
00:12:44,388 --> 00:12:45,598
[car approaching]
215
00:12:45,681 --> 00:12:48,434
I hear a car approaching the house.
216
00:12:48,517 --> 00:12:50,269
[car engine whirring]
217
00:12:51,687 --> 00:12:56,650
I don't know how big the organization is.
I don't know who's involved or why.
218
00:12:57,318 --> 00:12:59,320
[indistinct chatter]
219
00:13:02,573 --> 00:13:04,200
I hear them talking.
220
00:13:06,952 --> 00:13:08,871
And it does feel strained.
221
00:13:10,039 --> 00:13:12,041
Heated, almost. [exhales]
222
00:13:12,124 --> 00:13:13,959
- [footsteps approaching]
- [door unlocks]
223
00:13:14,043 --> 00:13:15,211
[ominous music plays]
224
00:13:17,922 --> 00:13:19,924
[footsteps treading]
225
00:13:21,175 --> 00:13:24,595
I'm terrified. I'm shivering.
226
00:13:24,678 --> 00:13:26,138
[footsteps treading]
227
00:13:27,264 --> 00:13:28,390
[door opens]
228
00:13:31,227 --> 00:13:32,227
[door closes]
229
00:13:32,269 --> 00:13:34,230
- [footsteps crunching gravel]
- [sighs]
230
00:13:34,313 --> 00:13:36,565
- [car door opens, closes]
- [Denise breathes deeply]
231
00:13:36,649 --> 00:13:37,650
[car engine starts]
232
00:13:37,733 --> 00:13:38,943
[car pulling away]
233
00:13:41,362 --> 00:13:43,405
[door opens, closes]
234
00:13:43,489 --> 00:13:45,866
[Denise] And then he comes in and he says,
235
00:13:46,575 --> 00:13:51,038
"It's been decided. We're going to need
to record a proof of life."
236
00:13:51,121 --> 00:13:52,957
[pensive music playing]
237
00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,962
"What we're gonna do
is have you say your name."
238
00:13:59,630 --> 00:14:02,299
- And I say, "I am Denise Huskins."
- [recording plays] ...Huskins.
239
00:14:03,133 --> 00:14:07,429
- I'm kidnapped. Otherwise, I'm fine.
- "I'm kidnapped. Otherwise, I'm fine."
240
00:14:08,597 --> 00:14:09,515
[inhales deeply]
241
00:14:09,598 --> 00:14:12,560
"And then you'll need to give
a current event."
242
00:14:12,643 --> 00:14:16,689
[over recording] Earlier today there was
a plane crash in the Alps.
243
00:14:17,731 --> 00:14:21,277
The sedatives that he gave me
were just really strong,
244
00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:23,654
and I'm having the hardest time just...
245
00:14:24,905 --> 00:14:26,490
holding myself upright.
246
00:14:26,574 --> 00:14:30,661
[over recording]
My first concert was Blink 182.
247
00:14:31,287 --> 00:14:37,585
But I'm hopeful that this is
some strange task or procedure or...
248
00:14:38,377 --> 00:14:41,171
a... a ransom that he's asking of Aaron,
249
00:14:41,255 --> 00:14:45,676
and that as soon as that's complete,
then this all can just be over.
250
00:14:45,759 --> 00:14:47,761
[pensive music playing]
251
00:14:48,804 --> 00:14:49,722
[camera beeps]
252
00:14:49,805 --> 00:14:51,515
But when he finished recording,
253
00:14:53,017 --> 00:14:56,270
he tells me
that his associates have another demand.
254
00:14:58,522 --> 00:15:02,568
He says the footage from yesterday
isn't good enough.
255
00:15:04,069 --> 00:15:05,069
[clicks tongue]
256
00:15:05,905 --> 00:15:09,033
"We'll have to record
us having sex again."
257
00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:14,580
"This time, it needs to look consensual."
258
00:15:15,289 --> 00:15:18,208
"It needs to look like
259
00:15:20,002 --> 00:15:23,505
we're in a relationship,
that we've been having an affair."
260
00:15:25,466 --> 00:15:26,466
[sighs]
261
00:15:26,884 --> 00:15:30,596
I'm trying to figure out
exactly what that means,
262
00:15:30,679 --> 00:15:32,139
but it does seem like...
263
00:15:34,141 --> 00:15:40,564
this time I'm no longer gonna be able
just to be detached and separate from it.
264
00:15:40,648 --> 00:15:45,235
That this time I'm gonna have
to be present and perform,
265
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,405
and I just don't know how...
266
00:15:50,991 --> 00:15:54,119
how the hell I'm gonna do it. Just...
267
00:15:54,203 --> 00:15:56,205
[pensive music continues]
268
00:15:58,582 --> 00:16:04,755
He leaves. And I pull up the blindfold,
and I see two full glasses of wine
269
00:16:04,838 --> 00:16:07,549
and a couple of small bottles of booze.
270
00:16:09,259 --> 00:16:11,679
What the fuck does he think this is?
271
00:16:12,262 --> 00:16:13,305
A date?
272
00:16:15,849 --> 00:16:20,312
I chug the bottles of booze
and one glass of wine.
273
00:16:20,396 --> 00:16:21,230
[knock on door]
274
00:16:21,313 --> 00:16:23,607
And he knocks,
and I put the blindfold back on,
275
00:16:23,691 --> 00:16:25,901
and he kind of makes a joke like,
276
00:16:25,985 --> 00:16:29,071
"Oh. You started without me."
277
00:16:31,156 --> 00:16:32,825
Yeah, I started without you.
278
00:16:32,908 --> 00:16:34,535
I'm gonna do whatever I can
279
00:16:35,703 --> 00:16:36,912
to numb myself
280
00:16:36,996 --> 00:16:39,206
and just get this fucking over with.
281
00:16:39,832 --> 00:16:42,501
[footsteps treading]
282
00:16:42,584 --> 00:16:47,131
He tells me he's figured out
that if he just tapes my eyes shut,
283
00:16:47,214 --> 00:16:49,299
I'll just look like my eyes are closed.
284
00:16:50,551 --> 00:16:54,555
I just... I tell myself,
"You're not gonna break me."
285
00:16:56,557 --> 00:16:58,642
"You're not gonna see me crumble
286
00:17:00,519 --> 00:17:01,520
and cower."
287
00:17:02,062 --> 00:17:05,774
"So yeah.
Let's just fucking get this over with."
288
00:17:06,442 --> 00:17:09,820
[music intensifies and fades]
289
00:17:19,580 --> 00:17:23,083
{an8}["L'amour Fou" by Léo Ferré playing]
290
00:17:47,357 --> 00:17:48,484
[knock on door]
291
00:17:50,235 --> 00:17:52,071
A knock wakes me up in the night.
292
00:17:52,154 --> 00:17:53,322
[door opens]
293
00:17:53,405 --> 00:17:55,407
["L'amour Fou" continues playing]
294
00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,912
And then he says,
"I want to show you something."
295
00:17:59,995 --> 00:18:01,580
And...
296
00:18:01,663 --> 00:18:03,040
[breathes deeply]
297
00:18:03,624 --> 00:18:06,877
I lift up the goggles just enough to see...
298
00:18:07,961 --> 00:18:11,298
If she sees this, I want her to know that
299
00:18:12,508 --> 00:18:15,302
the family is... is there.
300
00:18:16,053 --> 00:18:17,053
We're...
301
00:18:18,514 --> 00:18:20,057
We love her.
302
00:18:20,140 --> 00:18:21,934
And we're not giving up.
303
00:18:22,017 --> 00:18:26,480
Sh... She's my hero.
I mean, she's my little girl.
304
00:18:26,563 --> 00:18:28,941
[breathing shakily]
305
00:18:29,024 --> 00:18:30,025
[somber music playing]
306
00:18:30,109 --> 00:18:32,069
That's the first time I really...
307
00:18:34,071 --> 00:18:35,489
really break down.
308
00:18:39,576 --> 00:18:41,370
He puts his hand on my back
309
00:18:42,538 --> 00:18:43,831
to console me.
310
00:18:46,458 --> 00:18:48,961
And says, "It must feel real now."
311
00:18:52,673 --> 00:18:54,091
And I just keep sobbing.
312
00:18:56,802 --> 00:18:58,762
In some ways,
it feels like this whole thing
313
00:18:58,846 --> 00:19:01,098
is a long game of trying to break me.
314
00:19:02,432 --> 00:19:04,184
And I just think, "Fuck you."
315
00:19:05,686 --> 00:19:08,438
- [pensive music playing]
- [footsteps treading]
316
00:19:09,398 --> 00:19:11,233
But that's when he tells me...
317
00:19:12,609 --> 00:19:13,609
it's time...
318
00:19:17,114 --> 00:19:18,115
to go home.
319
00:19:19,074 --> 00:19:21,160
[thrilling music playing]
320
00:19:23,787 --> 00:19:25,581
He places me in the car,
321
00:19:26,081 --> 00:19:28,584
gives me the dose of the sedative.
322
00:19:28,667 --> 00:19:31,837
He says, "I'm not gonna be able
to drop you off in the Bay Area."
323
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,000
"There's just too many police
looking for you there."
324
00:19:35,215 --> 00:19:37,968
"So, I'm taking you directly
to your family
325
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:39,761
in Huntington Beach."
326
00:19:40,971 --> 00:19:42,723
[engine revving]
327
00:19:46,226 --> 00:19:48,228
[car approaching]
328
00:19:54,693 --> 00:19:56,987
The next thing I know,
he's shaking me awake.
329
00:19:57,738 --> 00:19:59,323
I'm sitting in the front seat,
330
00:19:59,406 --> 00:20:02,117
my eyes are taped shut,
and I'm wearing sunglasses.
331
00:20:02,868 --> 00:20:05,120
I could just peek out through the tape
332
00:20:05,204 --> 00:20:08,999
and see the white...
the exterior of the car.
333
00:20:12,502 --> 00:20:13,712
He says to me,
334
00:20:13,795 --> 00:20:16,256
[sighs] "Because Aaron went to the police,
335
00:20:16,340 --> 00:20:18,383
you will have to speak to them
at some point."
336
00:20:19,176 --> 00:20:20,177
[inhales deeply]
337
00:20:20,260 --> 00:20:23,472
"But there are two things
that you cannot say to them."
338
00:20:23,555 --> 00:20:26,808
"One is that any one of us
was in the military."
339
00:20:27,768 --> 00:20:33,607
"And the second, and even more important,
is you cannot say that we had sex."
340
00:20:36,193 --> 00:20:37,861
"We will always be watching you."
341
00:20:39,571 --> 00:20:42,532
"So if we find out that you said anything,
342
00:20:42,616 --> 00:20:46,078
it's not just you,
but it's your family we can come after."
343
00:20:47,496 --> 00:20:48,538
[car door opens]
344
00:20:50,624 --> 00:20:52,417
- [car door closes]
- He helps me out.
345
00:20:54,336 --> 00:20:55,420
[sighs]
346
00:20:55,504 --> 00:20:59,758
And he tells me to count to ten
when I hear the car start to drive off.
347
00:20:59,841 --> 00:21:01,843
[car engine starts, revs]
348
00:21:04,221 --> 00:21:05,764
[car pulling away]
349
00:21:05,847 --> 00:21:07,099
[Denise breathing deeply]
350
00:21:08,475 --> 00:21:09,977
And I count slowly.
351
00:21:12,396 --> 00:21:17,192
And I take a few breaths to make sure
that he's definitely gone.
352
00:21:17,276 --> 00:21:19,361
[hopeful music playing]
353
00:21:20,404 --> 00:21:24,449
I feel it's finally safe
to peel the tape off of my eyes.
354
00:21:25,117 --> 00:21:27,119
[hopeful music continues]
355
00:21:31,081 --> 00:21:34,876
For the first time in 48 hours,
I'm no longer in captivity.
356
00:21:37,629 --> 00:21:39,673
And as I start to walk
357
00:21:39,756 --> 00:21:42,467
between these two apartment buildings,
I notice this...
358
00:21:44,970 --> 00:21:48,598
bush full of blooms
of purple morning glories.
359
00:21:48,724 --> 00:21:50,726
[birds chirping]
360
00:21:53,770 --> 00:21:56,106
And it all feels too surreal to even...
361
00:22:00,485 --> 00:22:01,737
know how to take in.
362
00:22:01,820 --> 00:22:03,822
[hopeful music continues]
363
00:22:05,991 --> 00:22:07,659
And then I look to my right.
364
00:22:09,786 --> 00:22:11,455
I see the sign Utica.
365
00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,375
It's a street that I've walked down
366
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:19,087
hundreds of times in my life.
367
00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:21,673
[dog barking in distance]
368
00:22:22,424 --> 00:22:23,967
[speaking indistinctly]
369
00:22:24,051 --> 00:22:27,387
[Denise] I have a flood of memories
of my childhood.
370
00:22:32,100 --> 00:22:33,100
I'm home.
371
00:22:33,769 --> 00:22:35,187
[breathing shakily]
372
00:22:36,938 --> 00:22:38,190
[music fades]
373
00:22:38,815 --> 00:22:40,275
[birds chirping]
374
00:22:44,321 --> 00:22:46,323
[gentle music playing]
375
00:22:50,952 --> 00:22:52,037
[line ringing]
376
00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:54,080
[operator] Emergency.
377
00:22:54,122 --> 00:22:58,794
[Mike on phone] I just got a... a message
on my phone from her. It's definitely her.
378
00:22:59,795 --> 00:23:01,671
[Denise] So I get to my dad's house.
379
00:23:03,340 --> 00:23:04,633
He's not home.
380
00:23:06,009 --> 00:23:08,887
And a neighbor says,
381
00:23:09,638 --> 00:23:13,392
"Oh my God. Are you okay?
What can I do? How can I help?"
382
00:23:14,810 --> 00:23:16,728
So I go inside to her apartment.
383
00:23:18,021 --> 00:23:19,481
Officers walk in.
384
00:23:20,232 --> 00:23:24,778
I look over and I notice that one of them
is holding a recording device.
385
00:23:24,861 --> 00:23:26,589
- [helicopter hovering]
- [indistinct chatter]
386
00:23:26,613 --> 00:23:28,490
I'm hearing helicopters.
387
00:23:29,699 --> 00:23:31,910
The media is collecting outside.
388
00:23:33,286 --> 00:23:36,581
[officer] We're here.
Everybody's gonna take care of you.
389
00:23:36,665 --> 00:23:39,668
Obviously, we're gonna have
to ask you a whole bunch of questions.
390
00:23:39,751 --> 00:23:43,004
[Denise] Do I have to talk right now?
'Cause I'm really scared.
391
00:23:43,839 --> 00:23:48,468
I'm worried, but I tell them
about the home invasion,
392
00:23:48,552 --> 00:23:50,929
the days in captivity, the group.
393
00:23:51,972 --> 00:23:53,223
And then he asked me...
394
00:23:53,306 --> 00:23:56,146
[officer] Were you sexually assaulted
or anything like that during this?
395
00:23:56,768 --> 00:23:58,186
I don't want to lie,
396
00:23:58,270 --> 00:24:01,106
but I also feel like
there's a gun pointing at me,
397
00:24:01,189 --> 00:24:04,067
and there's a gun
pointing at my family and I can't...
398
00:24:04,151 --> 00:24:08,780
I wouldn't be able to live with myself
to know that I did something
399
00:24:08,864 --> 00:24:11,283
that would cause them to be killed.
400
00:24:11,366 --> 00:24:12,409
And I immediately say...
401
00:24:12,492 --> 00:24:13,493
[over recording] No.
402
00:24:13,577 --> 00:24:16,288
[officer] They didn't touch you
or do anything against your will?
403
00:24:16,371 --> 00:24:17,414
[Denise] No.
404
00:24:17,497 --> 00:24:20,268
[officer] Do you think there's a chance
this could happen again to you?
405
00:24:20,292 --> 00:24:21,751
[Denise] Yeah, if...
406
00:24:23,503 --> 00:24:25,338
if I talk too much, yeah.
407
00:24:26,423 --> 00:24:28,675
- [helicopter hovering]
- [police siren wailing]
408
00:24:28,758 --> 00:24:33,430
The detective says that he has
a Vallejo detective on the phone,
409
00:24:33,513 --> 00:24:38,101
and they're offering you
a proffer agreement,
410
00:24:38,185 --> 00:24:42,355
and he's like
"Well, it's basically, like, immunity."
411
00:24:43,398 --> 00:24:44,900
My initial response is...
412
00:24:44,983 --> 00:24:45,983
[exhales sharply]
413
00:24:46,026 --> 00:24:47,777
"Immunity from what?"
414
00:24:47,861 --> 00:24:49,905
- [reporters clamoring]
- [cameras clicking]
415
00:24:49,988 --> 00:24:52,616
I just felt really lost and confused.
416
00:24:52,699 --> 00:24:54,451
I feel like I need guidance.
417
00:24:55,410 --> 00:25:00,290
I realized that I needed an attorney
to help me figure out what to do.
418
00:25:00,373 --> 00:25:02,375
[pensive music playing]
419
00:25:03,376 --> 00:25:05,754
I get a hold of Doug Rappaport.
420
00:25:05,837 --> 00:25:08,256
He's a lawyer based out of San Francisco.
421
00:25:08,924 --> 00:25:13,512
{an8}She said, "I'm down here.
The police think that I'm a suspect."
422
00:25:14,304 --> 00:25:17,641
[Denise] He tells me, "You've already
given a statement to them."
423
00:25:17,724 --> 00:25:19,601
"You shouldn't give them more statements,
424
00:25:19,684 --> 00:25:22,187
'cause if you make
any contradicting statements,
425
00:25:22,270 --> 00:25:23,730
they will use that against you."
426
00:25:23,813 --> 00:25:25,273
She said, "Okay."
427
00:25:25,357 --> 00:25:29,361
"Um, I'm going to follow
your directions. What are they?"
428
00:25:30,237 --> 00:25:33,031
He's like, "Look, you just need
to get up here as soon as possible."
429
00:25:33,114 --> 00:25:36,785
"Get on the next plane if you can.
The clock is ticking."
430
00:25:36,868 --> 00:25:37,953
[cameras clicking]
431
00:25:38,036 --> 00:25:41,081
[reporter] Who kidnapped her?
Was there a ransom paid?
432
00:25:41,164 --> 00:25:43,583
And why exactly did any of this happen?
433
00:25:43,667 --> 00:25:46,211
{an8}We are still waiting
for some of those answers as well.
434
00:25:47,170 --> 00:25:50,840
[Denise] And as we're driving off,
someone's taking pictures,
435
00:25:50,924 --> 00:25:55,637
and that's when it really hits me
how public this is.
436
00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:01,810
I, in no way,
was prepared for the media storm.
437
00:26:01,893 --> 00:26:06,523
[Kenny] Ms. Huskins has plundered
valuable resources away from our community
438
00:26:06,606 --> 00:26:09,651
while instilling fear
amongst our community members.
439
00:26:09,734 --> 00:26:11,712
{an8}[reporter 2] When Denise Huskins
turned up this morning,
440
00:26:11,736 --> 00:26:14,406
{an8}she initially agreed
to talk to investigators.
441
00:26:14,489 --> 00:26:18,243
{an8}But when it came time to get back up
to Vallejo, she clammed up.
442
00:26:18,326 --> 00:26:20,429
{an8}[newsreader] According to police,
Huskins hired an attorney
443
00:26:20,453 --> 00:26:22,831
{an8}and is hiding out
in an undisclosed location.
444
00:26:25,041 --> 00:26:28,003
{an8}[Aaron] The media just keeps perpetuating
this story.
445
00:26:28,712 --> 00:26:31,881
{an8}And any channel I turn to,
anywhere I look, it says,
446
00:26:31,965 --> 00:26:33,466
{an8}"Denise is a hoaxer."
447
00:26:33,550 --> 00:26:38,054
{an8}Police now wondering,
is Huskins a real-life Gone Girl?
448
00:26:39,347 --> 00:26:41,308
[Aaron] But it doesn't make any sense.
449
00:26:42,142 --> 00:26:44,394
Denise is the most honest person
I've ever met.
450
00:26:44,477 --> 00:26:46,229
[contemplative music playing]
451
00:26:46,313 --> 00:26:47,856
I don't know where she is.
452
00:26:48,481 --> 00:26:50,400
I don't know what she's going through.
453
00:26:51,401 --> 00:26:52,777
I just want to see her.
454
00:26:56,489 --> 00:26:59,242
[Doug] That night,
Denise gets to my offices.
455
00:26:59,326 --> 00:27:03,121
[Denise] He's all business.
He asked me to sit down in front of him.
456
00:27:03,204 --> 00:27:05,665
I tell Denise,
"While you were flying up here,
457
00:27:05,749 --> 00:27:09,294
the Vallejo police department
has basically thrown you under the bus."
458
00:27:09,878 --> 00:27:13,006
If we feel that there is
sufficient evidence to move forward,
459
00:27:13,089 --> 00:27:15,300
we will be requesting criminal charges.
460
00:27:15,383 --> 00:27:16,801
[dramatic music playing]
461
00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:20,221
[Denise] First, I'm a little stunned.
462
00:27:21,222 --> 00:27:24,559
For the last 48 hours,
I had been living moment to moment
463
00:27:24,643 --> 00:27:28,063
trying to survive.
464
00:27:28,146 --> 00:27:31,733
The last fucking thing
that you're thinking about
465
00:27:31,816 --> 00:27:33,526
is if I do survive,
466
00:27:34,277 --> 00:27:37,697
I really got to make sure
that all of this is believable.
467
00:27:39,115 --> 00:27:40,283
[pensive music playing]
468
00:27:40,367 --> 00:27:41,910
I tell Doug everything.
469
00:27:41,993 --> 00:27:45,330
The kidnapping,
the home invasion, the rapes.
470
00:27:45,914 --> 00:27:49,042
We've gone over the story
three, four times.
471
00:27:49,125 --> 00:27:52,212
And I say to Denise,
"I absolutely believe you."
472
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:56,841
"But if we're going to catch
the perpetrator of this crime,
473
00:27:57,425 --> 00:27:59,511
we need to get you to a SART exam."
474
00:28:00,679 --> 00:28:02,389
"That's a sexual assault exam
475
00:28:02,472 --> 00:28:05,475
where the Vallejo police
will collect forensic evidence."
476
00:28:05,975 --> 00:28:09,312
It's really essential
that we do it as soon as possible.
477
00:28:10,397 --> 00:28:13,191
I tell him that I'm terrified
to speak to the police
478
00:28:13,274 --> 00:28:14,943
about the sexual assaults
479
00:28:15,026 --> 00:28:18,571
because of the threats that were made
against me and my family.
480
00:28:19,406 --> 00:28:20,824
And he says,
481
00:28:20,907 --> 00:28:23,910
"Don't let the kidnappers
have power over you."
482
00:28:23,993 --> 00:28:26,079
"That's what people like this do."
483
00:28:26,162 --> 00:28:29,499
"They wanna have power and control
over someone for their life."
484
00:28:29,582 --> 00:28:32,001
And I say, "Okay, I'll do it."
485
00:28:33,128 --> 00:28:34,003
[line ringing]
486
00:28:34,087 --> 00:28:36,464
[Doug] And so I called
the Vallejo Police Department.
487
00:28:36,548 --> 00:28:37,882
[line continues ringing]
488
00:28:37,966 --> 00:28:41,511
And I said, "We need to get
a sexual assault exam ASAP."
489
00:28:42,220 --> 00:28:43,888
And his response to me was,
490
00:28:43,972 --> 00:28:47,183
"We want her to come in
and give us a statement,
491
00:28:47,267 --> 00:28:49,352
and then we'll give her that exam."
492
00:28:51,438 --> 00:28:53,314
It just all seemed so...
493
00:28:54,899 --> 00:28:56,985
backwards and so...
494
00:28:58,236 --> 00:28:59,529
demeaning.
495
00:29:00,780 --> 00:29:02,907
But I want them to catch these guys.
496
00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:05,160
So I just say, "Okay."
497
00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:09,956
"I'll speak to them,
and I'll tell them everything."
498
00:29:10,039 --> 00:29:12,083
{an8}[dramatic music playing]
499
00:29:12,167 --> 00:29:15,712
{an8}[reporter] New information on
a strange story involving a Vallejo woman.
500
00:29:15,795 --> 00:29:17,672
{an8}Denise Huskins, the alleged victim,
501
00:29:17,756 --> 00:29:20,675
{an8}is inside Vallejo Police Headquarters
as we speak.
502
00:29:21,176 --> 00:29:23,470
{an8}Thursday morning we learn
that Denise has showed up
503
00:29:23,553 --> 00:29:25,388
{an8}at Vallejo police with her lawyer.
504
00:29:26,431 --> 00:29:30,810
Maybe she's going to confess.
Maybe she's going to be arrested.
505
00:29:30,894 --> 00:29:32,771
We're just waiting to see
where the story goes.
506
00:29:35,482 --> 00:29:40,028
We're taken into
what seems like an interrogation room.
507
00:29:40,820 --> 00:29:43,156
I'm gonna need one more chair.
508
00:29:43,239 --> 00:29:44,115
One more?
509
00:29:44,199 --> 00:29:46,117
[Denise] There's an FBI agent with us.
510
00:29:46,201 --> 00:29:49,704
He introduces himself
as Special Agent David Sesma.
511
00:29:49,788 --> 00:29:51,915
{an8}- This is David Sesma.
- [David] Hi. I'm with the FBI.
512
00:29:51,998 --> 00:29:53,758
{an8}- Doug Rappaport.
- [David] Nice to meet you.
513
00:29:54,834 --> 00:29:58,129
{an8}[Denise] And this officer sits down
in front of me,
514
00:29:58,213 --> 00:30:01,966
{an8}and he introduces himself
as Detective Mustard.
515
00:30:02,050 --> 00:30:05,011
Our goal when this thing started
was to see you come home safe.
516
00:30:05,094 --> 00:30:09,182
And, um, I'm glad
that you survived, um, this incident,
517
00:30:09,265 --> 00:30:12,560
and, ultimately,
what we're chasing is the truth.
518
00:30:12,644 --> 00:30:17,106
[Denise] They just held a press conference
last night saying that I'm lying.
519
00:30:17,190 --> 00:30:21,611
And so, I'm immediately
just kind of on guard.
520
00:30:21,694 --> 00:30:23,196
But at the same time...
521
00:30:23,279 --> 00:30:26,533
[breathes deeply]
...I know that I desperately...
522
00:30:28,868 --> 00:30:30,912
want to show them the truth.
523
00:30:30,995 --> 00:30:33,081
And show them that they can believe me.
524
00:30:33,164 --> 00:30:37,544
[Mustard] I'd like you, um, to start...
525
00:30:37,627 --> 00:30:43,967
So he starts off by asking me questions
about me and Aaron and our relationship.
526
00:30:44,968 --> 00:30:46,845
He... [sighs]
527
00:30:46,928 --> 00:30:50,598
...asks me to go through
each detail of the home invasion.
528
00:30:51,307 --> 00:30:55,687
I woke up to a flashing light,
kind of like a strobe light.
529
00:30:55,770 --> 00:30:58,398
There's the red laser pointer,
530
00:30:58,481 --> 00:31:02,569
and the recording was this calm music.
531
00:31:02,652 --> 00:31:06,281
I tell them that the man
who held me captive is lean,
532
00:31:06,364 --> 00:31:10,827
and that I think he's tall,
maybe... maybe six foot.
533
00:31:10,910 --> 00:31:15,874
He was a war vet.
He has PTSD. He has insomnia.
534
00:31:16,374 --> 00:31:18,710
You know,
there's somewhat of a physical description
535
00:31:18,793 --> 00:31:21,045
that they can at least begin to go by.
536
00:31:21,629 --> 00:31:24,090
I remember going right and then left.
537
00:31:24,173 --> 00:31:28,511
I tried to give them every possible detail
of where I was located,
538
00:31:28,595 --> 00:31:30,138
how long the drives were.
539
00:31:31,097 --> 00:31:34,350
Surely they're right now checking
all the surveillance footage
540
00:31:34,434 --> 00:31:38,897
of the surrounding area
to find this person.
541
00:31:40,690 --> 00:31:41,733
[exhales]
542
00:31:41,816 --> 00:31:44,903
And we start to go through
the details of the rapes.
543
00:31:46,070 --> 00:31:50,909
He says that,
"I am to videotape having sex with you."
544
00:31:53,703 --> 00:31:57,916
"And this videotape is to prevent you
from going to the police."
545
00:31:59,083 --> 00:32:05,757
I go through one disgusting,
humiliating detail after the other
546
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:09,010
and pull myself back into that place
547
00:32:09,093 --> 00:32:12,931
that I was trying so desperately
to detach from at the time.
548
00:32:13,014 --> 00:32:14,014
[exhales]
549
00:32:14,682 --> 00:32:15,683
Um...
550
00:32:16,267 --> 00:32:20,396
I'm sitting with my head in my hands,
as if I'm still blindfolded,
551
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:24,067
and I'm trying to give him
every... everything I've got.
552
00:32:24,817 --> 00:32:26,736
He said we had to do it again.
553
00:32:27,946 --> 00:32:31,741
It had to be believable,
like we were a couple.
554
00:32:31,824 --> 00:32:33,534
And I played along
555
00:32:34,035 --> 00:32:35,912
'cause I didn't know what else to do.
556
00:32:35,995 --> 00:32:37,413
And I didn't want to do it again.
557
00:32:37,497 --> 00:32:38,497
[sobs softly]
558
00:32:41,709 --> 00:32:43,086
[sobbing]
559
00:32:43,169 --> 00:32:45,505
[Doug] She's holding up.
She's doing her duty.
560
00:32:45,588 --> 00:32:47,882
She's doing the right thing
561
00:32:48,466 --> 00:32:51,803
despite how incredibly difficult this is.
562
00:32:53,137 --> 00:32:55,390
And they seemingly are believing her.
563
00:32:56,599 --> 00:32:59,894
Until they start asking her
questions like...
564
00:32:59,978 --> 00:33:02,355
Have you ever been
in the trunk of that car before?
565
00:33:02,438 --> 00:33:04,148
Uh, n... no.
566
00:33:04,232 --> 00:33:07,151
"Did you fight back?
Why didn't you fight back?"
567
00:33:07,235 --> 00:33:09,654
"Did you scream? Why didn't you scream?"
568
00:33:09,737 --> 00:33:14,909
- [David] Did you make any noise?
- Uh, no. I was woken from a dead sleep.
569
00:33:14,993 --> 00:33:16,202
And I realize
570
00:33:17,578 --> 00:33:20,540
they're... they're looking at her
like she's a piece of trash.
571
00:33:22,917 --> 00:33:23,918
Like she's a criminal.
572
00:33:28,798 --> 00:33:30,925
Let's take a few minutes, all right?
573
00:33:31,009 --> 00:33:33,011
- [door creaks open]
- [Mustard clears throat]
574
00:33:34,971 --> 00:33:38,224
[Doug] All right, just hang in there,
okay? You're doing great.
575
00:33:39,934 --> 00:33:42,270
[woman] I get a call from Doug Rappaport,
576
00:33:42,353 --> 00:33:48,359
{an8}and he tells me
that Denise and Aaron should not talk
577
00:33:48,443 --> 00:33:51,988
until the interrogations are over,
578
00:33:52,780 --> 00:33:55,158
but we share some information.
579
00:33:56,701 --> 00:34:01,539
Amy tells me everything Denise is telling
the police matches what I told them.
580
00:34:02,331 --> 00:34:03,624
So this is good news.
581
00:34:07,170 --> 00:34:08,212
And then...
582
00:34:10,882 --> 00:34:12,300
She says that, uh...
583
00:34:14,260 --> 00:34:16,429
Denise is going to go to the hospital for...
584
00:34:18,139 --> 00:34:19,599
a sexual assault exam.
585
00:34:23,978 --> 00:34:25,813
Uh, because she had been raped.
586
00:34:31,486 --> 00:34:33,529
[breathing heavily]
587
00:34:33,613 --> 00:34:34,613
Fuck.
588
00:34:35,698 --> 00:34:37,700
[brooding music playing]
589
00:34:38,367 --> 00:34:42,038
[Denise] I'm taken into a treatment room
for the SART exam.
590
00:34:44,207 --> 00:34:47,460
They note that there's these
little micro lesions inside my cervix
591
00:34:47,543 --> 00:34:51,089
that indicate that there was
sexual intercourse in the last two days.
592
00:34:52,507 --> 00:34:58,262
Now, there's actual physical evidence
to prove that this really happened.
593
00:34:59,305 --> 00:35:03,684
Surely they'll see
that I'm telling the truth.
594
00:35:05,770 --> 00:35:09,774
[Doug] The next day, we are escorted
into another interrogation room.
595
00:35:10,441 --> 00:35:12,860
There... There's no compassion whatsoever.
596
00:35:12,944 --> 00:35:14,862
They are... They are all business.
597
00:35:16,030 --> 00:35:19,075
And I'm thinking to myself
that something is wrong.
598
00:35:19,158 --> 00:35:21,160
{an8}[brooding music continues]
599
00:35:23,371 --> 00:35:26,332
{an8}[Denise] The FBI agent, David Sesma, says...
600
00:35:28,042 --> 00:35:29,042
[smacks lips]
601
00:35:29,085 --> 00:35:31,712
"You know, there's a lot
of inconsistencies with your story."
602
00:35:31,796 --> 00:35:32,796
[inhales deeply]
603
00:35:33,214 --> 00:35:36,384
"Is there anything
that you want to change?"
604
00:35:36,467 --> 00:35:38,636
[tense music playing]
605
00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:39,929
"I want you to know
606
00:35:40,012 --> 00:35:44,183
that it's a federal crime
to lie to a federal agent."
607
00:35:45,434 --> 00:35:47,687
And I'm just sitting there, like...
608
00:35:48,688 --> 00:35:49,688
[exhales sharply]
609
00:35:51,190 --> 00:35:53,901
Like a bomb went off,
and my ears are ringing,
610
00:35:53,985 --> 00:35:56,028
and I'm just kind of in shell shock.
611
00:35:56,863 --> 00:35:58,781
I didn't just make all this stuff up.
612
00:35:58,865 --> 00:36:01,701
The nurses said
there's actual physical evidence
613
00:36:01,784 --> 00:36:04,871
corroborating what I had
just told the police.
614
00:36:06,289 --> 00:36:08,416
[Doug] And so I pull them aside and say,
615
00:36:08,499 --> 00:36:11,794
"There has not been one discrepancy
in her story."
616
00:36:11,878 --> 00:36:14,463
"How can you possibly believe
she's lying?"
617
00:36:16,007 --> 00:36:17,258
And he says to me...
618
00:36:19,302 --> 00:36:21,262
"Haven't you seen the movie Gone Girl?"
619
00:36:21,345 --> 00:36:23,848
[dramatic music plays]
620
00:36:23,931 --> 00:36:28,227
How could this person
who's charged with investigating crime
621
00:36:28,311 --> 00:36:30,313
think that this is like
a Ben Affleck movie?
622
00:36:30,396 --> 00:36:32,398
That's Hollywood. This is real life.
623
00:36:34,275 --> 00:36:36,736
He is so sure that he is right.
624
00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:39,697
It's called confirmation bias.
625
00:36:42,992 --> 00:36:47,705
Do they really think
all of this is an act, this whole thing?
626
00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:52,460
And why? What do I have to gain?
627
00:36:52,543 --> 00:36:53,669
What...
628
00:36:53,753 --> 00:36:54,754
[spluttering]
629
00:36:56,214 --> 00:36:57,465
What's the point?
630
00:36:59,217 --> 00:37:00,635
[Doug] What Denise is facing
631
00:37:00,718 --> 00:37:04,847
is prosecution for lying
to a federal law enforcement officer.
632
00:37:04,931 --> 00:37:08,184
She's looking at being sentenced
somewhere between
633
00:37:08,267 --> 00:37:11,687
a year and 18 months in federal prison.
634
00:37:11,771 --> 00:37:16,275
She is facing a lifetime
of not being believed,
635
00:37:16,359 --> 00:37:18,277
of betraying people's trust.
636
00:37:19,737 --> 00:37:22,406
Her life is basically destroyed.
637
00:37:23,282 --> 00:37:26,869
Those two days of captivity,
all I wanted was to return to my life.
638
00:37:26,953 --> 00:37:32,124
All that got me through it
was the thought of my future.
639
00:37:33,459 --> 00:37:35,294
And now that's all taken away.
640
00:37:42,176 --> 00:37:43,594
[music intensifies, ends]
641
00:37:44,929 --> 00:37:46,931
[seagulls cawing]
642
00:37:47,765 --> 00:37:50,184
[Aaron] After Denise is back
with her family,
643
00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:53,271
she says she wants to see me.
644
00:37:53,354 --> 00:37:54,981
[gentle music playing]
645
00:37:56,691 --> 00:37:58,776
So I tell her
I'll be there as soon as I can.
646
00:38:00,736 --> 00:38:01,821
[sighs]
647
00:38:02,488 --> 00:38:05,908
You know, for days in captivity,
what grounded me was...
648
00:38:05,992 --> 00:38:07,827
was the thought of reuniting with him.
649
00:38:09,996 --> 00:38:15,334
Even though I knew that Aaron had been
trying to pursue things with his ex,
650
00:38:16,419 --> 00:38:20,548
the night of the home invasion,
he told me that he loved me
651
00:38:20,631 --> 00:38:24,135
and that he really wanted to try
to work things out with me.
652
00:38:24,802 --> 00:38:28,222
He told me about the work
that he was doing in therapy,
653
00:38:28,306 --> 00:38:33,436
and it did feel like
the ghost of... of his relationship
654
00:38:33,519 --> 00:38:36,188
and of his ex was finally lifted.
655
00:38:36,272 --> 00:38:39,483
We could finally start fresh.
656
00:38:39,567 --> 00:38:41,569
[gentle music continues]
657
00:38:46,949 --> 00:38:49,076
But after everything I've been through...
658
00:38:51,662 --> 00:38:54,790
[sighs] I'm afraid
that he'll see me differently.
659
00:38:56,709 --> 00:38:58,794
And then she opens the door... [sighs]
660
00:39:02,798 --> 00:39:04,467
And then Denise just... [exhales]
661
00:39:05,509 --> 00:39:09,221
...starts crying and crying saying,
"I didn't want to."
662
00:39:10,681 --> 00:39:13,059
[inhales sharply]
She said, "I didn't want to."
663
00:39:14,769 --> 00:39:17,188
[clicks tongue] "They made me do it.
They made me do it."
664
00:39:18,522 --> 00:39:21,150
I just hold her.
I'm like, "I know. I know they did."
665
00:39:21,734 --> 00:39:23,110
I tell him, you know, "I..."
666
00:39:23,194 --> 00:39:25,196
[breathes deeply]
667
00:39:26,197 --> 00:39:28,699
"I don't want something like this...
668
00:39:28,783 --> 00:39:30,701
[breathes deeply]
669
00:39:30,785 --> 00:39:34,622
...to be a reason why you stay with me
if you don't really want to be with me."
670
00:39:35,331 --> 00:39:37,500
And he kind of reassures me,
671
00:39:37,583 --> 00:39:40,503
"No, no, no.
Like, I love you. I... I absolutely..."
672
00:39:40,586 --> 00:39:41,712
[breathes deeply]
673
00:39:41,796 --> 00:39:42,880
"I wanna be with you."
674
00:39:42,963 --> 00:39:44,006
[inhales deeply]
675
00:39:44,090 --> 00:39:47,551
So then I tell Denise
I'm gonna do everything I can. I'll...
676
00:39:50,096 --> 00:39:51,972
I'll support us. [exhales]
677
00:39:53,682 --> 00:39:55,393
I'll take care of her if she lets me.
678
00:39:57,853 --> 00:39:59,021
[smacks lips]
679
00:39:59,105 --> 00:40:00,648
I never want to leave her.
680
00:40:01,482 --> 00:40:03,484
[gentle music playing]
681
00:40:04,902 --> 00:40:05,903
But I'm afraid.
682
00:40:09,073 --> 00:40:11,534
Because I know the kidnappers
are still out there.
683
00:40:13,577 --> 00:40:15,329
The police aren't looking for them.
684
00:40:16,705 --> 00:40:18,624
And maybe they'll want to come back.
685
00:40:20,751 --> 00:40:22,545
There's no one protecting us.
686
00:40:23,462 --> 00:40:25,047
[contemplative music playing]
687
00:40:25,131 --> 00:40:27,133
[birds chirping]
688
00:40:34,765 --> 00:40:37,393
[Henry] As far as the media is concerned,
this story is done.
689
00:40:39,186 --> 00:40:40,688
Seems like case closed.
690
00:40:40,771 --> 00:40:43,858
Now, the only question is,
are the couple going to be charged?
691
00:40:43,941 --> 00:40:46,861
[menacing music playing]
692
00:40:46,944 --> 00:40:49,280
But then I get an email notification.
693
00:40:51,449 --> 00:40:52,867
No idea who it's from.
694
00:40:55,119 --> 00:40:57,329
[menacing music continues]
695
00:41:01,667 --> 00:41:04,707
Is this a confession? They're actually
telling me that they kidnapped Denise?
696
00:41:06,380 --> 00:41:09,425
They talked about
breaking and entering on Mare Island.
697
00:41:10,509 --> 00:41:14,889
There's photos of what looks like
a gun with a flashlight duct taped to it.
698
00:41:15,681 --> 00:41:18,309
Here is Denise's apparent kidnapper,
699
00:41:18,392 --> 00:41:20,811
angry that she's being branded a liar,
700
00:41:20,895 --> 00:41:24,982
essentially confessing to the crime
and saying, "You need to believe Denise."
701
00:41:26,817 --> 00:41:28,819
It's just stranger and stranger.
702
00:41:29,612 --> 00:41:32,907
So I send these emails to Vallejo police
asking them, "Hey, what should I do?"
703
00:41:37,369 --> 00:41:39,788
Never heard back from them. Black hole.
704
00:41:40,789 --> 00:41:42,666
[Doug] I get a call from Amy.
705
00:41:42,750 --> 00:41:46,295
She's just received emails
from the kidnapper
706
00:41:46,378 --> 00:41:48,506
that went to the San Francisco Chronicle.
707
00:41:48,589 --> 00:41:50,216
[pensive music playing]
708
00:41:50,299 --> 00:41:53,511
In the email,
there's a mention of a Mustang.
709
00:41:54,303 --> 00:41:57,973
Denise said she was put into a trunk
that resembled a Mustang.
710
00:41:59,683 --> 00:42:04,063
There were photographs that resembled
the description that Denise gave
711
00:42:04,146 --> 00:42:06,232
of the location where she was held.
712
00:42:08,442 --> 00:42:12,905
But I'm running up against law enforcement
with such tunnel vision.
713
00:42:12,988 --> 00:42:16,867
They couldn't see anything
except that narrow tunnel
714
00:42:16,951 --> 00:42:19,912
that led from them to Denise behind bars.
715
00:42:21,288 --> 00:42:24,041
[Denise] What will it take for the police
716
00:42:24,124 --> 00:42:28,712
to finally take this seriously
and investigate it?
717
00:42:28,796 --> 00:42:30,798
[email chiming]
718
00:42:34,677 --> 00:42:36,971
[Doug] I'm getting
email after email after email.
719
00:42:37,054 --> 00:42:38,639
[chiming]
720
00:42:38,722 --> 00:42:40,933
And I'm hearing nothing
from Vallejo police.
721
00:42:41,433 --> 00:42:43,233
I'm thinking,
"What in tarnation is going on?"
722
00:42:43,936 --> 00:42:45,271
[chiming]
723
00:42:46,063 --> 00:42:49,400
Then one final email, they say,
724
00:42:49,483 --> 00:42:53,696
"We are three acquaintances,
two of which are college grads."
725
00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,240
They're almost trying
to identify themselves
726
00:42:56,323 --> 00:43:00,786
to prove to me and others that,
"We did what we did."
727
00:43:02,746 --> 00:43:04,957
Then finally they say,
728
00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:08,419
"If Denise and Aaron
don't get an apology from Vallejo police,
729
00:43:09,169 --> 00:43:11,171
we're going to do it again."
730
00:43:13,173 --> 00:43:16,969
And I'm thinking, "Gosh,
could there really be a gang of kidnappers
731
00:43:17,052 --> 00:43:19,346
operating around Northern California?"
732
00:43:20,889 --> 00:43:22,766
"Did we all get this wrong?"
733
00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:26,145
[suspenseful music playing]
734
00:43:26,228 --> 00:43:28,230
[crickets chirping]
735
00:43:37,948 --> 00:43:39,408
{an8}[operator] County emergency?
736
00:43:39,908 --> 00:43:43,996
[woman] We have a break-in
at North Terracina Drive in Dublin.
737
00:43:44,622 --> 00:43:46,332
They are out there right now.
738
00:43:46,999 --> 00:43:48,959
My husband is fighting with them.
739
00:43:50,502 --> 00:43:52,046
They have our daughter.
740
00:43:54,923 --> 00:43:56,925
[thrilling music playing]
741
00:44:34,338 --> 00:44:35,631
{an8}[music ends]