Original subtitles

("Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who playing)

NARRATOR: CSI: Miami,

NARRATOR: CSI: Miami,

the global television phenomenon.

In this series, we'll explore crime

In this series, we'll explore crime

through an entirely new lens.

DISPATCHER: Marlene Warren was just shot.

NARRATOR: The investigations on this program are true.

NARRATOR: The investigations on this program are true.

Ride along with the real CSI experts.

Ride along with the real CSI experts.

VINCE WEINER: This was most brutal homicide in over 25 years.

CRUX CONCEPTION: Forensic science,

it was the key witness.

it was the key witness.

NARRATOR: Talk to the real suspects.

I didn't kill anybody, dude.

NARRATOR: Hear from the real victims.

NARRATOR: Hear from the real victims.

I couldn't believe it. I'm in a state of shock.

NARRATOR: And ultimately, solve the case

through the use of forensic science.

We still have a homicide suspect somewhere out there.

This is...

WOMAN: A murderer.

This is...

WOMAN: A murderer.

REPORTER: A disturbing story has come in...

(overlapping voices)

♪ ♪

NEWS ANCHOR: It's the question on everyone's mind in Palm Beach Gardens:

NEWS ANCHOR: It's the question on everyone's mind in Palm Beach Gardens:

why was a well-off businessman in his early 70s shot dead?

why was a well-off businessman in his early 70s shot dead?

NEWS ANCHOR 2: Police said the body was found near the golf course

of the BallenIsles Country Club.

Right now, though, that's all they've said

about the circumstances as to what happened here.

about the circumstances as to what happened here.

There's been no word on suspects.

No arrests have been made.

RICK MORETTI: My name's Rick Moretti.

I'm a retired detective

with the City of Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.

with the City of Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.

On January 25th, 2018,

On January 25th, 2018,

I got notified around 7:00

that we had a deceased individual, elderly male,

in the middle of the field in the 5600 block of PGA Boulevard.

in the middle of the field in the 5600 block of PGA Boulevard.

I was already on my way into work at that time,

I was already on my way into work at that time,

so I head to the crime scene.

The road patrol officer was

The road patrol officer was

already on scene at that time, keeping the crime scene secured.

The person who discovered the body was Mr. Burgess.

The person who discovered the body was Mr. Burgess.

He was out walking his dog.

He had flagged down a passing bicyclist

and had that individual call 911.

and had that individual call 911.

The guy that's over here with the white gentleman...

OFFICER: Uh-huh.

...that's over there, talking, he found him.

...that's over there, talking, he found him.

Okay.

They're always...

Did he stop you?

Yeah, he stopped me.

Okay.

'Cause he doesn't have a phone.

Oh, okay.

Oh, okay.

He was absolutely adamant

that the person wasn't there earlier.

5:30, there was nobody here.

5:30, there was nobody here.

OFFICER 2: Okay.

Brought him back at 7:00,

and that's when I found...

Okay.

MORETTI: Mr. Burgess came back out to the field

a couple of hours later,

and his dogs immediately alerted

and ran toward the decedent.

Based on Mr. Burgess's statements

that he was there around 5:00

that he was there around 5:00

and there absolutely was no body there,

and then he went back for a second walk

of his dogs at 7:00 a.m. and there was a body there,

of his dogs at 7:00 a.m. and there was a body there,

now we have a two-hour window.

Now it's our job to figure out what happened

during that two hours.

during that two hours.

OFFICER: Don't go nowhere. I need names.

OFFICER 2: Does it look like he was shot or something?

Yeah, right in the heart.

Ugh. Horrible.

Ugh. Horrible.

Small caliber, with a little hole.

Yeah.

MORETTI: Based on the location where this occurred,

MORETTI: Based on the location where this occurred,

you've got the roadway, you've got the grass,

you've got the sidewalk, you've got the palmettos.

you've got the sidewalk, you've got the palmettos.

Then you've got the open field, so we need to search that field,

hands and knees.

OFFICER: All right, Tom, you need help?

OFFICER: All right, Tom, you need help?

MORETTI: We need to check the drains along PGA.

We're checking dumpsters.

We're checking dumpsters.

We're checking everything that we can

to see if we might have a clue.

The decedent was laying

The decedent was laying

on the ground with his head to the west.

There was what appeared to be

a single gunshot wound to the chest

a single gunshot wound to the chest

with pooling blood around that area.

CONCEPTION: My name is Crux Conception,

I am a criminologist, criminal profiler

I am a criminologist, criminal profiler

and retired homicide detective.

Located at the crime scene was a cell phone...

Located at the crime scene was a cell phone...

...an empty binder clip...

...and silver scissors.

To see a binder clip and a pair of scissors

To see a binder clip and a pair of scissors

at a crime scene,

it doesn't add up.

It's a lot of question marks.

It's a lot of question marks.

HEIDI SIEVERS: My name is Heidi Sievers,

and I am a forensic investigator with a law enforcement agency

for approximately five years.

for approximately five years.

I love being able to take what is essentially

a mystery and a puzzle

a mystery and a puzzle

and find small tidbits of evidence

and piece them all together

to come to one final conclusion.

to come to one final conclusion.

In this case, one thing that did catch my attention

was the scissors.

I would be very curious as to know if that was something

I would be very curious as to know if that was something

that he normally carried with him.

CONCEPTION: The cell phone,

the scissors and the binder clip

the scissors and the binder clip

are submitted to a crime scene analysis

for possible fingerprints or DNA collection.

for possible fingerprints or DNA collection.

The phone is also submitted for data analysis,

The phone is also submitted for data analysis,

to extract digital evidence

or digital data

furthering the investigation.

What we are not seeing at the crime scene

is a gun, and we don't see any gunshot casings.

is a gun, and we don't see any gunshot casings.

So we have the homicide

with no weapon.

We got to identify who this individual is.

The scene belongs to us, but the body belongs

to the medical examiner till they arrive.

to the medical examiner till they arrive.

The medical examiner arrives,

and hopefully, he has identification on him.

and hopefully, he has identification on him.

SIEVERS: The medical examiner's office

was able to recover a wallet from the decedent's pocket

and could identify him as 71-year-old

and could identify him as 71-year-old

Alan J. Abrahamson.

GEORGE BLACKSTONE: Alan Abrahamson is my pal.

There aren't that many people

that you have that kind of connection with

that you have that kind of connection with

where you have the same sense of humor

and you're throwing jokes back and forth,

laughing a lot.

laughing a lot.

Alan was 71,

but he had the enthusiasm and vitality

but he had the enthusiasm and vitality

of a 45-year-old.

This is a guy who always had a smile on his face,

This is a guy who always had a smile on his face,

always had a positive thing to say

and loving life.

and loving life.

When I got the call from the police department,

When I got the call from the police department,

they were asking if, did I know if he had any known enemies?

they were asking if, did I know if he had any known enemies?

I had just spoken to him, like, two days prior.

What was the motive? Who could have possibly

What was the motive? Who could have possibly

murdered this guy?

LEE TORMOS: I am an associate medical examiner

LEE TORMOS: I am an associate medical examiner

at the Palm Beach County medical examiner office.

When we examine the body on the outside,

When we examine the body on the outside,

we look for any signs of struggle,

trauma, abrasions, contusions, broken fingernails.

trauma, abrasions, contusions, broken fingernails.

And from the analysis of the shirt,

we could plainly see that there was a lot

we could plainly see that there was a lot

of gunpowder residue where the projectile had gone through.

There was a little bit of searing

on the fabric itself,

and that indicates a very close, or contact, gunshot wound.

and that indicates a very close, or contact, gunshot wound.

It is probably a robbery,

It is probably a robbery,

because the binder clip.

I've personally been using a binder clip

for my money for, for a long time.

for my money for, for a long time.

So with it being open like that on the ground,

So with it being open like that on the ground,

no money on his person,

it appeared to be a robbery gone... bad.

it appeared to be a robbery gone... bad.

CONCEPTION: First theory for the investigative unit

would be...

Alan is walking in the early morning,

and somebody approaches him,

and somebody approaches him,

and he's held at gunpoint.

Stick him up for all that he has.

Stick him up for all that he has.

He takes the money out of the binder clip.

He takes the money out of the binder clip.

Then he's shot in the chest.

The reason for the shooting

would be because of resistance

or because he identified the perpetrator,

or because he identified the perpetrator,

and flees the scene.

Some of the questions that come to mind are,

Some of the questions that come to mind are,

how would the suspect have carried out a robbery

without being seen by bystanders right next to a busy road?

without being seen by bystanders right next to a busy road?

And what evidence would be surrounding

the crime scene to coincide with that person?

The field where the body was found was very well-maintained.

There didn't seem to be any footprints around the body,

There didn't seem to be any footprints around the body,

very little evidence that a perpetrator

would have been on foot.

Despite the lack of a definitive footprint,

Despite the lack of a definitive footprint,

that doesn't necessarily rule out

that someone else wasn't there.

So detectives have to look for more clues.

So detectives have to look for more clues.

At this point in time, detectives go back to the body.

TORMOS: The gunshot entered

TORMOS: The gunshot entered

the left side of the chest.

It went through the lung,

it went through the heart,

it went through the heart,

and the bullet lodged under the skin

on the right side of the back.

We recovered a deformed mushroom projectile

We recovered a deformed mushroom projectile

from the subcutaneous tissues on the right side of the back.

from the subcutaneous tissues on the right side of the back.

It was a full copper projectile, which is very unusual.

MORETTI: It's a very rare type of bullet.

MORETTI: It's a very rare type of bullet.

You have to special-order it.

It's just one you can't buy off the shelves

at a... at a gun store.

at a... at a gun store.

CONCEPTION: Hollow-point is more dangerous.

That's a law enforcement, uh,

type issue projectile.

type issue projectile.

We use hollow-points.

A regular projectile, the kind that you use

for target practice, can go through anything.

for target practice, can go through anything.

You can shoot me, and it can go

through the wall and hit somebody else.

Hollow-points are made to stop inside.

Once they hit that human flesh, they're made to stop and expand.

Once they hit that human flesh, they're made to stop and expand.

TORMOS: He did not have any signs

TORMOS: He did not have any signs

that he tried to defend himself in any way.

No wounds at all in his body other than

the gunshot wound.

the gunshot wound.

Cause of death: gunshot wound to chest,

manner of death: homicide.

manner of death: homicide.

Pretty routine for a forensic pathologist.

MORETTI: There's no signs of a struggle.

That doesn't mean nothing didn't happen.

That doesn't mean nothing didn't happen.

It just means there was no struggle.

We have a gunshot-deceased victim.

We have a gunshot-deceased victim.

We have no weapon at the scene,

no casing being found at the scene.

no casing being found at the scene.

So we're still back at square one.

MORETTI: We have what appears to be a homicide

with no weapon at the scene.

It's basically an "all hands on deck" because

It's basically an "all hands on deck" because

the first moments are critical.

You got a lot of search warrants that need to be written.

You have subpoenas that have to be written.

You have subpoenas that have to be written.

And we still have the evidence at the scene

that we have to examine.

But we have the driver's license that matched the victim,

But we have the driver's license that matched the victim,

and he did reside within BallenIsles,

which is the community adjacent to the field.

which is the community adjacent to the field.

Right now, we're approaching

the community of BallenIsles.

And this is the PGA Boulevard entrance,

And this is the PGA Boulevard entrance,

which is a little bit east of the turnpike off PGA.

The community of BallenIsles is a high-end, gated community.

The community of BallenIsles is a high-end, gated community.

Golf courses, tennis courts,

clubhouse, restaurant, the whole nine.

clubhouse, restaurant, the whole nine.

Very nice community, very high-end.

There's a couple entrances in.

They've got a guard shack at each entrance,

They've got a guard shack at each entrance,

and they have their own security.

So we put in a request in with the director of security

from BallenIsles to obtain all surveillance footage

from BallenIsles to obtain all surveillance footage

on Thursday, January 25, 2018,

from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

We've got that two-hour window.

At 5:53 in the morning, there is video surveillance

At 5:53 in the morning, there is video surveillance

of Mr. Abrahamson exiting BallenIsles.

There is a sidewalk, but then there's also a guard arm

There is a sidewalk, but then there's also a guard arm

where the cars would go.

But Mr. Abrahamson deviated

from the sidewalk, walked into camera view,

from the sidewalk, walked into camera view,

walked around the guard arm.

CONCEPTION: You can see the victim

CONCEPTION: You can see the victim

walking out of the gated community,

and looks like he has something in his left hand.

MORETTI: He's carrying what appears to be a manila folder,

MORETTI: He's carrying what appears to be a manila folder,

or something like that.

Can't make it out what it is.

CONCEPTION: That's odd because

it doesn't seem to match anything that was

it doesn't seem to match anything that was

identified at the crime scene.

And... we lose sight of him.

And... we lose sight of him.

MORETTI: And then we're listening to the videos.

We're listening for screams,

We're listening for screams,

tires screeching, strange voices.

Anything that would be indicative

of what happened to Mr. Abrahamson at that scene.

of what happened to Mr. Abrahamson at that scene.

And we hear nothing... until around 6:30.

And we hear nothing... until around 6:30.

(gunshot)

(gunshot)

Where we clearly can hear an audible gunshot.

We've got 37 minutes of unaccounted-for time.

We've got 37 minutes of unaccounted-for time.

CONCEPTION: What happened in the time gap?

What was going on?

I personally walked from the guard arm

I personally walked from the guard arm

to the location where he was found.

And it took me four minutes and three seconds

walking a normal pace.

walking a normal pace.

Not rushing, not large strides.

I'm not very tall.

We need to find out

what happened during that 37-minute gap.

Who was in that area at that time?

Who was in that area at that time?

Did anybody see anything unusual?

We need to check any suspicious persons reports in the area.

We need to check any suspicious persons reports in the area.

We're checking any witnesses.

OFFICER: Do you take this path all the time?

OFFICER: Do you take this path all the time?

No, this is my first time.

I'm going to an eye doctor appointment.

I was on the sidewalk,

but I heard and thought I saw people further back.

but I heard and thought I saw people further back.

But nothing, really,

that led us to anywhere.

So we need to find out a little bit more about the individual.

So we need to find out a little bit more about the individual.

When you have a victim with a name,

When you have a victim with a name,

you have a history, you have family members,

you have friends, and now you have victimology.

you have friends, and now you have victimology.

And victimology is the start of any homicide investigation.

And victimology is the start of any homicide investigation.

A victimology would entail finding out anything

you can about the victim.

you can about the victim.

Where they come from, if they had a criminal history.

Anything that can lead to information pertaining to

Anything that can lead to information pertaining to

potential associates

who can give more information.

MORETTI: Did Alan have any children? Is he married?

MORETTI: Did Alan have any children? Is he married?

Was this his second marriage? Third marriage?

CONCEPTION: You have to really get into who a person was

in case they had a hidden life,

in case they had a hidden life,

something that wasn't obvious on the surface.

SIEVERS: A number of Alan's friends were interviewed

SIEVERS: A number of Alan's friends were interviewed

in hopes that they would be able

to provide some type of supplemental information

to provide some type of supplemental information

for the investigation.

Victor, how you doing?

Good to see you.

Okay.

Okay.

We learned that he had a tee time scheduled later that day.

Sure.

He had dinner plans the following day, all set.

He had dinner plans the following day, all set.

Yep. Yeah.

Yep. Yeah.

Happy, life of the party.

You know, center of the attention.

You know, center of the attention.

Sure.

From all accounts, a devoted husband,

From all accounts, a devoted husband,

had three stepchildren.

And he also had a prior marriage,

which he had two biological children.

which he had two biological children.

Loved his children, loved his grandchildren.

Who would want to kill this individual?

Who would want to take this man's life?

Who would want to take this man's life?

MORETTI: Through the course of the investigation, we're gonna

subpoena or get search warrants for his bank records,

subpoena or get search warrants for his bank records,

financial records.

Trying to get copies of will,

any medical records, or anything like that.

any medical records, or anything like that.

We learned that from the beginning of 2017,

We learned that from the beginning of 2017,

Mr. Abrahamson depleted his retirement savings account

to the tune of just under $300,000.

to the tune of just under $300,000.

They were different withdrawals, different amount:

30,000,

30,000,

40,000, 25,000.

In addition, we learned

that he did have a high-dollar life insurance policy.

that he did have a high-dollar life insurance policy.

SIEVERS: So in a case where you have a decedent that has a large sum

of money in a life insurance policy,

of money in a life insurance policy,

we as investigators

always want to take a look at

who that beneficiary would be.

who that beneficiary would be.

We need to follow the money.

So who would gain the most from his passing?

So who would gain the most from his passing?

When you see a life insurance policy that large,

When you see a life insurance policy that large,

family members are usually the beneficiary,

and that becomes the key focus of the investigation.

and that becomes the key focus of the investigation.

We don't have anybody at this point,

so we need to talk to everybody.

Anybody is basically going to be a person of interest

until we can eliminate them.

MORETTI: Rachel Abrahamson, Alan's biological daughter

MORETTI: Rachel Abrahamson, Alan's biological daughter

of his first marriage,

came down to the police department. We sat down

and had a formal interview.

and had a formal interview.

According to Rachel, her relationship with her father

was estranged for several years.

MORETTI: After speaking with Rachel,

she has a different version of her father

than the people that he's been around

than the people that he's been around

daily for the last ten years.

By her own admission, she's had minimal contact with him.

By her own admission, she's had minimal contact with him.

Investigators also interview Alan's biological son, Daniel.

Investigators also interview Alan's biological son, Daniel.

Okay. (clears throat)

Okay. (clears throat)

Daniel and Alan's relationship

was superficial and surface-level.

One thing that Daniel did bring up

One thing that Daniel did bring up

to investigators is the question of who has to gain

from Alan's passing?

As a homicide detective, it's always important to look

As a homicide detective, it's always important to look

at the spouse because they're the closest to them.

They know their habits.

They know their habits.

MORETTI: You know, we're looking at with kid gloves

because she had just lost her husband.

So you've got to be respectful in every way.

So you've got to be respectful in every way.

During the interview with Alan's current wife Linda,

it is discovered that Alan just came back from Boston,

it is discovered that Alan just came back from Boston,

where he has stepchildren with Linda,

and her daughter was having a child.

So the wife went up there to help her daughter,

So the wife went up there to help her daughter,

and Mr. Abrahamson went with her.

After about a week of being up there in Boston,

After about a week of being up there in Boston,

it was cold, he was bored.

He had, you know, things to do down here.

CONCEPTION: It's unusual

CONCEPTION: It's unusual

that he left his wife in Boston

and was killed when he got home.

Maybe there was something involving his family.

Maybe there was something involving his family.

Somebody knew that he was

coming back to Palm Beach Gardens.

Maybe he was set up,

possibly murder for hire.

SIEVERS: If the murder-for-hire theory were to play out,

somebody would have been waiting for him.

somebody would have been waiting for him.

He then would have been shot.

And then, to make it seem like a robbery,

the money would have been taken out of the money clip.

the money would have been taken out of the money clip.

MORETTI: Anybody close to Mr. Abrahamson

MORETTI: Anybody close to Mr. Abrahamson

is a person of interest.

But we can never establish any type of motive

with the friends and family

with the friends and family

that would want to do harm

to Mr. Abrahamson.

So we need to follow the evidence

to figure out what caused his death.

to figure out what caused his death.

CONCEPTION: The analysis comes back

from the items collected.

from the items collected.

TORMOS: And there was no evidence of

any other DNA,

uh, from another individual.

uh, from another individual.

CONCEPTION: No third-party prints

or DNA from

or DNA from

the cell phone, from the scissors

or the binder clip.

We don't have a suspect in this case.

We don't have a suspect in this case.

We've still got a lot of work to do.

We've still got a lot of work to do.

SIEVERS: I'm a certified bloodstain pattern analyst,

and I have been

and I have been

studying and analyzing bloodstains

for the past eight years.

Upon reviewing

these crime scene photographs, the first thing that

initially stuck out to me was a very unique

initially stuck out to me was a very unique

linear pattern on

the exterior of Alan's sweatshirt.

the exterior of Alan's sweatshirt.

TORMOS: There is a very thin line

towards the shoulder area of the shirt.

towards the shoulder area of the shirt.

There is a limited amount of blood

where the projectile had gone through the shirt.

As he is laying on his back,

and there's no exit wound

to the back, he is not bleeding a lot

to the back, he is not bleeding a lot

out of the chest wound

because it's against gravity.

He would not bleed upward.

He would not bleed upward.

SIEVERS: So, what makes this pattern unique

is it suggests

that something bearing blood

that something bearing blood

came in contact and moved across the top of the sweatshirt.

So the blood from the wound site on his chest

So the blood from the wound site on his chest

did not saturate through to the top of that

did not saturate through to the top of that

sweatshirt. It was another intermediate item

bearing blood that was transferred on top of the shirt.

bearing blood that was transferred on top of the shirt.

What could have created a transfer and swipe pattern

What could have created a transfer and swipe pattern

across this piece of clothing?

MORETTI: We did not know.

But when you work a case, you got to go where

But when you work a case, you got to go where

the evidence takes you.

It was extremely lucky that

It was extremely lucky that

his cell phone was next to him.

I'm the senior crime analyst

for the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.

for the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.

An extraction on a cell phone can pull basic information.

Call logs, text messages,

Call logs, text messages,

emails, things that are saved to the phone.

emails, things that are saved to the phone.

You can learn almost anything about a person

once you can get their cell phone.

SIEVERS: They are, essentially,

digging into your digital footprint:

digging into your digital footprint:

what you search, what you visit

and any type of activity from your electronic devices,

and any type of activity from your electronic devices,

so it can really provide

information to investigators.

Once the extraction was completed,

I started manually going through it.

The first thing I went to was Maps.

The first thing I went to was Maps.

The user has the options turned on to

track their location.

track their location.

It provides a nice timeline

with a map and locations of

everywhere that person's been.

everywhere that person's been.

MORETTI: Crime analyst Machado

gave us his movements from the time he

arrived back in Palm Beach County

arrived back in Palm Beach County

until the time that he was found deceased

on the morning of the 25th.

on the morning of the 25th.

It provided us with a lot of information

throughout that week,

throughout that week,

different places that Alan went

where detectives could go follow up for

any surveillance video,

any surveillance video,

receipts from anything he bought

to try and figure out what he was doing during that week.

MORETTI: We've got him going to Starbucks.

MORETTI: We've got him going to Starbucks.

We've got him going to a car repair place.

He's going to withdraw money.

He's going to withdraw money.

We've got him going to

a couple other locations

that made no sense to us.

that made no sense to us.

MACHADO: Mr. Abrahamson's timeline

indicated that he went to

indicated that he went to

a couple of different gas suppliers.

MORETTI: They sell propane, helium,

CO2, things of that nature.

CO2, things of that nature.

From the cyber forensic analysis report,

From the cyber forensic analysis report,

investigators were also able to determine that

Alan visited the site of his death

Alan visited the site of his death

for an hour the night before,

approximately 12 hours before his death,

from the hours of 6:30 to 7:30.

from the hours of 6:30 to 7:30.

MACHADO: It wasn't somewhere

that he hung out regularly.

MORETTI: What was he doing

for one hour the night before

in the exact location

where he would be found dead

where he would be found dead

the next morning?

♪ ♪

CONCEPTION: On Wednesday evening,

Mr. Abrahamson appeared to be

Mr. Abrahamson appeared to be

in the exact location

where he was found dead 12 hours later.

And he is in that field for over an hour.

And he is in that field for over an hour.

As far as anyone knew,

he wasn't a regular in that field,

so it was just odd.

MACHADO: After the Google Maps timeline,

I went through his Gmail

and I found an order for

and I found an order for

a weather balloon

placed on Christmas Day.

Weather balloons are very large balloons

Weather balloons are very large balloons

that can carry items

up to very high altitudes to be used

up to very high altitudes to be used

by people who want to take

aerial live-action photography.

We didn't know why he would have any interest

We didn't know why he would have any interest

or need to use a weather balloon.

That in itself normally wouldn't be an indicator

of anything suspicious.

But in this case, when we have nothing,

But in this case, when we have nothing,

we're going to follow this weather balloon

and see where it takes us.

I found a second order for another weather balloon.

I found a second order for another weather balloon.

So he had ordered

two weather balloons within a few months.

two weather balloons within a few months.

It was discovered that

he did purchase two helium tanks.

He paid for them with cash. We got the receipts for that.

He paid for them with cash. We got the receipts for that.

So, now we have weather balloons

and gas tanks.

and gas tanks.

WOMAN: Ready?

MORETTI: So, we do a search of his house.

MORETTI: So, we do a search of his house.

In the garage, we find an empty box

from High Altitude Science from the weather balloon.

from High Altitude Science from the weather balloon.

His wife had no idea that he'd even purchased that.

MACHADO: He had emails with

MACHADO: He had emails with

the place where he purchased the weather balloons

and he was asking very specific questions

and he was asking very specific questions

that were very odd.

He wanted to know burst altitude,

he wanted to know how much helium

he wanted to know how much helium

he could fit in a certain size balloon.

He wanted to know

how much of a payload the balloon could carry

how much of a payload the balloon could carry

and how much helium it could hold.

We have weather balloons,

we have emails,

we have interviews with family, we have interviews

we have interviews with family, we have interviews

with associates, friends.

We've been out on PGA Boulevard

talking to drivers coming by.

talking to drivers coming by.

We've been out to the scene,

we've crawled the scene looking for casings,

and we have nothing.

and we have nothing.

BLACKSTONE: Everybody was shocked

that they had not a hint.

that they had not a hint.

There wasn't even a clue

they would...

murder him.

murder him.

He had called me, talking about the business.

He had called me, talking about the business.

He was a sales representative for my lighting company,

and he was doing this just because

he's a sales guy

and he wanted to stay in the game,

and he wanted to stay in the game,

be vital.

And what a sadness that he left behind.

And what a sadness that he left behind.

What a horrible thing to have happened.

What a horrible thing to have happened.

I still haven't, you know...

gotten over it.

gotten over it.

MACHADO: I was home one night,

MACHADO: I was home one night,

and my son

was asking Google silly questions.

Google Assistant is a search engine.

It's based on voice commands.

You know, you're sitting on your couch

and say, you know, "Where's the nearest restaurant

and say, you know, "Where's the nearest restaurant

that sells whatever?"

MACHADO: And I discovered that my son

and his silly questions,

they were actually being recorded in his voice

they were actually being recorded in his voice

on the phone,

and I could play them back.

And it brought me to an activity page

And it brought me to an activity page

in the phone where I could search

and I could type in anything.

and I could type in anything.

MORETTI: This information,

that's stored in there,

stored for a long time.

stored for a long time.

CONCEPTION: Technology is great,

especially in law enforcement,

but it's always changing.

but it's always changing.

And using voice commands such as Google Voice

wasn't as common until recently.

wasn't as common until recently.

It was a new technology back then,

and investigators weren't even aware that

they had the capability to extract that data

they had the capability to extract that data

from Alan's cell phone.

MACHADO: At that time, that was the first time

MACHADO: At that time, that was the first time

I had seen that feature.

So that was my first introduction to,

So that was my first introduction to,

hey, you may not get anything out of an extraction

because they live in the clouds.

You have to manually search for it

You have to manually search for it

or get a search warrant

for that cloud service.

And I thought,

"I need to check Alan's phone

to see if anything is on his phone."

to see if anything is on his phone."

I went into work

and got the phone back out of evidence

and got the phone back out of evidence

and went right to that same spot on his phone

and discovered it was enabled.

And I started searching different keywords

And I started searching different keywords

that had come up in the investigation.

Helium, balloon.

Helium, balloon.

MORETTI: A plethora

of searches

came forth.

came forth.

MACHADO: And we made

a huge discovery.

♪ ♪

MORETTI: About 30 days after the initial

MORETTI: About 30 days after the initial

start of the investigation, our crime analyst

Colleen Machado discovers

critical searches on Alan's phone.

critical searches on Alan's phone.

MACHADO: Between searches, he had typed in searches

MACHADO: Between searches, he had typed in searches

he recorded in his own voice.

It opened up

It opened up

a vast amount of information

going back a decade.

going back a decade.

MORETTI: Mr. Abrahamson's own voice...

...from 2009 to 2018.

MORETTI: Ten years of data.

CONCEPTION: It's highly likely that...

CONCEPTION: It's highly likely that...

Alan Abrahamson killed himself.

MACHADO: The searches in his phone,

MACHADO: The searches in his phone,

specifically about suicide, went back to 2009.

MORETTI: He had been planning

MORETTI: He had been planning

to do this for over ten years.

That kind of really settled it in for us

that what happened to Mr. Abrahamson was suicide.

I thought, "This is it.

We know why this happened."

And I looked over at Detective Moretti,

and I said, "We've got it."

and I said, "We've got it."

That was the linchpin that tied everything together.

MACHADO: We knew at that point

MACHADO: We knew at that point

that we're gonna be able to prove this.

We solved it.

Now I just had to present the case

Now I just had to present the case

to the state attorney's office,

and then I had to present the case

to the medical examiner's office.

TORMOS: I almost never go to the scene of a homicide,

and this was one case

and this was one case

where I definitely wanted to.

So...

I went with the investigators

I went with the investigators

because I wanted to see the field for myself

and look at the distances and whether there was

and look at the distances and whether there was

any intervening shrubbery which could have caught

any intervening shrubbery which could have caught

the weather balloon, given where he was found.

And I was able to convince myself that, yes,

And I was able to convince myself that, yes,

a weather balloon could be released from this open field,

a weather balloon could be released from this open field,

and it would not have caught in the surrounding trees.

It would have flown up.

It would have flown up.

I spoke to the state attorney and said,

I spoke to the state attorney and said,

"I ruled this a homicide.

"And here Detective Moretti

"is bringing this theory that this is a suicide.

"is bringing this theory that this is a suicide.

And you know what?"

"It all makes sense."

"It all makes sense."

"Look at this evidence."

"It fully explains the findings at the scene.

"It fully explains the findings at the scene.

"And I am going to change this

from a homicide to a suicide."

from a homicide to a suicide."

And he was in complete agreement.

The evidence speaks for itself.

The evidence speaks for itself.

MORETTI: On January 24th, Wednesday...

MORETTI: On January 24th, Wednesday...

...that night, Mr. Abrahamson

drove his vehicle to the exact spot

drove his vehicle to the exact spot

where he was located the next morning.

We believe he was hiding

We believe he was hiding

the tanks somewhere in the field there.

Then, the next morning, we got him

Then, the next morning, we got him

exiting the BallenIsles carrying something in his hand.

These weather balloons, they expand to be very big,

These weather balloons, they expand to be very big,

but they are carryable.

And then Mr. Abrahamson walked to the field,

and then he would inflate the balloon,

tie it off, get rid of the helium tanks,

tie it off, get rid of the helium tanks,

attach the gun to the weather balloon.

He probably attached some type of bag around

He probably attached some type of bag around

the ejection port, which would catch the casing.

Take out your binder clip with no money in it,

so it looks like a robbery,

so it looks like a robbery,

use the scissors that were there,

and then pull the trigger.

And then the balloon took off with the gun.

Based on the linear bloodstain that is found

Based on the linear bloodstain that is found

going upwards from the saturation stain

surrounding the entrance wound,

it is plausible

it is plausible

that the string hanging from the balloon

and from the gun was able to come in contact

with that saturation stain

with that saturation stain

and then transfer that blood from the string

while moving across

while moving across

the top of Alan's shirt.

The trash collection

The trash collection

was on the morning of when

Mr. Abrahamson was found.

The trash bins were empty

when we were there.

TORMOS: And it is likely that he placed

the helium tanks in the trash collection device,

the helium tanks in the trash collection device,

which would have been collected right around the time

that police had cordoned off the scene.

that police had cordoned off the scene.

MORETTI: Our theory is that

he chose that time because it was still dark at that point.

he chose that time because it was still dark at that point.

In order to see the weather balloon,

In order to see the weather balloon,

you almost have to catch it as it's happening,

because it's gonna be quick.

Well, I found a weather balloon tracker online,

Well, I found a weather balloon tracker online,

and we put in the date

that this occurred.

And we put in the actual weather for that day--

And we put in the actual weather for that day--

wind speed, wind gust speed--

and it actually mapped out

and it actually mapped out

where the balloon was gonna go.

It went west

and then made a turn

and then made a turn

and went back out

over the Atlantic

and burst, possibly,

and burst, possibly,

just north of Grand Bahama Island.

MORETTI: So we do a little bit

of research on it, and lo and behold,

of research on it, and lo and behold,

there's a CSI episode that happened.

CSI: Las Vegas.

They have a scene like this,

except in this case,

except in this case,

they had, like, the big red balloons

filled with helium and...

then tied the gun to the thing.

then tied the gun to the thing.

He shot and killed himself.

The balloons traveled, they popped.

The gun was found quite a ways from where this person was.

The gun was found quite a ways from where this person was.

And this was initially considered a homicide.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

TORMOS: This could have been

the perfect suicide

the perfect suicide

if not for the phone.

if not for the phone.

MORETTI: The phone was the key

to unlocking everything,

from his movements to his purchases.

from his movements to his purchases.

The digital analysis blew this case wide open.

Well, after their nearly six-month-long investigation,

Well, after their nearly six-month-long investigation,

Palm Beach Gardens Police releasing this report

exclusively to CBS 12 News tonight.

exclusively to CBS 12 News tonight.

It is the case of 72-year-old Alan Abrahamson.

His body found in the field behind me.

His body found in the field behind me.

Now, tonight, police concluding that he took his own life

and it was not murder.

MORETTI: We would have never established a suspect

MORETTI: We would have never established a suspect

and this case probably would be an unsolved to this day

if we didn't have the digital forensics of the cell phone.

if we didn't have the digital forensics of the cell phone.

CONCEPTION: 24 years of homicide investigations,

ten years a hostage negotiator

ten years a hostage negotiator

and a crisis intervention officer.

Never seen or heard of any case like this before.

TORMOS: One of the main questions we ask is why?

Why would he do this?

He had a beautiful life, beautiful family.

He had a beautiful life, beautiful family.

He lived in a very nice community,

had lots of friends.

He was always described as someone

He was always described as someone

who people gravitated to.

SIEVERS: It is somewhat of a stigma of men,

SIEVERS: It is somewhat of a stigma of men,

especially in the cases I've worked,

of men with suicide where

they are suffering alone

they are suffering alone

and don't express those feelings to others.

And that's why their close relatives,

friends, and the people that know them best would still

friends, and the people that know them best would still

describe them as positive, upbeat and happy,

where in the meanwhile, they're suffering internally.

where in the meanwhile, they're suffering internally.

The truth is, we will probably never know

exactly why he did it.

("The Reason" by Geographer playing)

("The Reason" by Geographer playing)

♪ Who have I deceived... ♪

♪ Who have I deceived... ♪

BLACKSTONE: I enjoyed every second

I spent with Alan.

I miss him.

I miss Alan. He was a friend.

I miss Alan. He was a friend.

He was a good friend.

I think when you're touched

I think when you're touched

by a suicide

from somebody that you had a good relationship with,

from somebody that you had a good relationship with,

it makes you appreciate

the fact that life is short.

the fact that life is short.

♪ The reason's going in and out... ♪

SIEVERS: For people out there who also

SIEVERS: For people out there who also

might be suffering in silence

or can resonate with possibly how Alan was feeling

in the years, months and days leading up to his death,

in the years, months and days leading up to his death,

there's no reason to suffer in silence.

There are resources out there for you,

and there are people out there

and there are people out there

who want to help you.

♪ Perfect sound ♪

♪ Perfect sound ♪

♪ But the reason's with me now. ♪

♪ But the reason's with me now. ♪

Captioning sponsored by CBS

Captioning sponsored by CBS

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org