[suspenseful tones]
I'm John Walsh,
and I've dedicated my entire life
to locking up the worst criminals.
JOHN: Since 1988, we've caught 1,191 fugitives.
We're tracking down one of the most
ruthless gangs of lawbreakers we've ever gone after.
Including several of the FBI's most wanted.
And we've reunited dozens
of missing children with their families.
But the job continues, and this time,
my son Callahan joins the fight.
With your help,
we're going to put more low life criminals behind bars,
including these that you'll see tonight.
JOHN: First, we need your help to find the man police believe
is behind a double murder and police shootout.
[Officer] Shots fired!
JOHN: Burning down the family farm
before disappearing into the Wisconsin woods.
Then, it was one of the biggest gold heists in U.S. history.
And even more monumental was how anyone could have pulled it off.
And finally, a 14-year-old boy is wanted
for a deadly shooting spree at a Texas convenience store.
And the teen's accomplice was none other than his own father.
America's Most Wanted is the original true crime series.
You can run, but you can't hide.
-Hello everyone, I'm John Walsh. -I'm Callahan Walsh.
And this is America's Most Wanted.
We are back again tonight with a lineup of dangerous fugitives
that we really need your help to find.
The AMW Catch Counter is currently at 1,191 catches
because of your tips, and I know that tonight,
with your help, we can get that number even higher.
Now, as always, we have our team of investigators,
local and state police, and the FBI
all standing by for your information about these cases.
Please, send us your tips,
and don't forget, you can remain anonymous.
Let's make the world a much smaller place
for these scumbags. So, let's get right to it.
A horrifying double murder and police shootout
rocks a quiet Wisconsin farm town,
and the man suspected to be behind it all
disappears without a trace.
Authorities now desperately need your help to find him.
[daunting tone]
♪ Happy birthday dear Daddy ♪
My parents were Jim and Nedra Lemke.
They were high school sweethearts
and had been together ever since then.
They had five kids.
I am the second oldest.
I have a brother, Joe.
There's myself, my sister, Amanda,
and a brother, Jacob and Josh.
Both of my parents were very involved in the community
their entire lives, very involved in the church.
Very involved in their kids' lives.
They worked with a youth group,
taking in a lot of foster kids to the home.
As much as my parents were known for helping people,
my uncle, Kevin, my mom's brother,
was the black sheep of the family.
As the son-in-law of Jim and Nedra Lemke,
I am married to their daughter, Amanda.
My wife, Amanda, does obviously still struggle
with talking about the past and trying to make sense
of what happened and why it happened.
I would see Kevin every Christmas Eve
over at the family farm property.
Kevin was just kind of that tough guy persona,
hunting and fishing,
and he'd talk about pickup trucks and guns and drinking.
He had troubles with the law and drugs and alcohol.
He was that uncle that you didn't talk to
because you felt uncertain around him.
JOSH: He was always a very intimidating personality for me.
He had an intense persona about him.
His parents, my grandparents, lived on a family farm.
There's about 40 acres of farmable land
and horses, pigs, a couple cows.
Just your rural Wisconsin farmer.
Kevin, as the oldest son,
was always the executor of the will.
As my grandfather got older,
my mom was the one taking him to all their doctor's appointments.
She was the primary caregiver
managing their health and managing the farm.
JEN: Due to all of the support
my mother had given to my grandfather over the years,
my grandfather decided to
make my mother the executor over my uncle.
JOSH: As my grandfather got closer to death,
the conversations between
my mother and Kevin became more heated.
He had thought that farm was going to be his.
In June 2020, my grandfather Verdal passed.
When my grandfather passed, my dad asked me
if I would be carrying a gun at the funeral.
Being a former Green Beret,
I spent eight years in the Army Special Forces.
He knows I have guns. So I asked him why.
My dad, for a quote, said,
"Because Kevin's going to be there,
and I'm not sure how he's going to act."
So, I agreed to do that.
Definitely a gigantic red flag
of kind of where the tension in the relationship was.
[suspenseful music]
Four days after Verdal's funeral,
Nedra reaches out to her brother Kevin
about some rather routine chores
she wanted to do at their parents' farm.
Jim and Nedra arrive at the farm later that evening,
but something seems off.
They notice several broken windows.
At 5:48 p.m., they call 911
to report a potential burglary.
DISPATCHER: Jefferson County 911.
NEDRA: Hi there.
I'm taking care of my parents' house
and there's windows broken out and windows open.
DISPATCHER: Please don't go in
because we don't know if someone's still in there.
NEDRA: All right.
BOBBY: That would be the last phone call she ever made.
What the couple don't realize is Nedra's brother,
Kevin Anderson, is stationed inside the farmhouse
at the second-story window,
armed with a hunting rifle.
[gunshot]
BOBBY: He fires two fatal shots.
The first one hitting Nedra in the abdomen.
-And then a second shot... -[gunshot]
...hitting Jim.
[siren]
Twelve minutes after Nedra's 911 call,
a Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy arrives in response.
He notices the bodies of Nedra and Jim.
Recognizing there may be an active shooter.
He seeks cover behind his vehicle.
OFFICER: 595.
BOBBY: Just as the deputy is radioing for backup...
[gunshot]
OFFICER: Shots fired at the residence!
Shots fired!
BOBBY: Not knowing the shooter's line of sight,
the deputy makes a run across the property away from the home.
[scuffling and grunting]
OFFICER: 595, upper window.
BOBBY: The deputy seeks cover
in a nearby ditch with tall grass.
OFFICER: 595, I have a female laying down next to the vehicle.
One male in the back.
BOBBY: Minutes pass while the deputy waits in the ditch.
Once he sees backup arriving,
he radios that he's making his way towards them.
OFFICER: 581, coming to you.
BOBBY: While the deputy was seeking cover,
police believe Kevin Anderson
intentionally lit his parents' house on fire.
Most likely as a diversion.
After the home burned, officers descend on the property
and discover Nedra and Jim's deceased bodies.
Law enforcement search the property
and find no signs of Kevin Anderson.
Later, forensics inspected the remnants of the home
and found no evidence of the shooter's remains
or the hunting rifle.
A manhunt was led
through the surrounding rural farm areas,
which includes dense woods and marshland.
They were unsuccessful in locating the suspect.
It's believed he escaped to another state
or has fled to the Wisconsin wilderness.
[tense melody fades out]
All right, now we've got a lot to unpack in this case.
Later, we're going to talk to Jim and Nedra Lemke's children
about this horrible murder.
But right now, the focus is on where Kevin Anderson could be.
Authorities believe Anderson has likely fled Jefferson County,
but based on the fact he's an avid outdoorsman,
it's highly likely that he's somewhere in the woods.
JOHN: How far is Sumner to Canada?
CALLAHAN: It's about an hour west of Milwaukee
and about 500 miles south of the Canadian border.
But the northern parts of Wisconsin
and the surrounding states are heavily wooded
and can be pretty remote,
making them perfect hiding places for Anderson.
Reminds me of Ted Kaczynski, you know, the Unabomber
that hid in the woods for so many years.
Well, if you're a hunter or outdoorsman
in the north woods of Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan,
please keep a lookout for this creep.
CALLAHAN: Kevin Anderson is now 65 years old
with brown hair and blue eyes.
He's six feet tall and when last seen weighed 200 pounds.
If you see Anderson, do not approach him.
He's considered armed and very dangerous.
Call or go to our website,
866-AMW-TIPS
or amwtips.com.
JOHN: Coming up next, we'll learn even more
about this story when we return.
We talk to two of Jim and Nedra's children
and hear what they have to say about their uncle,
the man police say allegedly killed their parents.
Plus, in North Carolina, one of the biggest gold heists
in the history of the country baffles authorities.
Can you send the tip that will close this case for good?
And later on, a gang of thieves break into
a Southern California pet store,
stealing $100,000 worth of French bulldogs.
Now we need your help to find these guys.
And remember, you can make a difference.
♪♪♪♪♪
[tense music]
Welcome back. As we just saw
in the summer of 2020, police in Sumner, Wisconsin
responded to a call of a potential burglary
at the Anderson family farm.
And when an officer arrived, he was immediately met
by the sight of Nedra and Jim Lemke's bodies
and an onslaught of gunfire.
While the officer ran for cover,
Kevin Anderson allegedly set the house on fire and fled,
and he hasn't been seen since.
Let's hear about the charges Kevin Anderson is facing
and what Nedra and Jim's children have to say about it.
[clicking] [tense music]
OFFICER: Shots fired at the residence! Shots fired!
[scuffling footsteps]
[rising tones]
Jefferson County Assistant District Attorney
filed charges against Kevin Anderson,
including two counts of first degree intentional homicide.
JOSH: I was contacted by my oldest brother, Joe.
And Joe goes, uh...
He just says they're gone. [clears throat]
[melancholy music]
He just said it three times in a row.
And he was like, "the farmhouse is gone.
And they're gone."
It's been three and a half years now since this all happened
and I mean, I still pretty much think about it every day.
And I know it weighs on my wife
and I know it weighs on my boys, too.
We don't know where he is.
We don't know if he has any interest in us or in our lives.
Or if he is alive, is he keeping tabs on us?
We have no idea.
And that's just really why I really want Kevin to be found.
So I can let my guard down and enjoy my family.
JEN: When I think about that they're gone,
I'm sad about the way they died.
The needless pain.
I miss my mother's hugs.
You can't get that back.
♪♪♪♪♪
Absolutely heartbreaking story for all involved.
And Jim and Nedra's children, Josh and Jen, are here tonight.
Thank you for having the courage to come here.
-Thanks. -After a tragic loss like this,
how are you both coping?
I think there's a lot of anticipation
because he hasn't been found.
-It's frustrating. -It's frustrating, yeah.
I'd like to see it resolved.
You need justice.
What do you miss most about your parents?
Their presence, that's an easy one for me,
because right before they passed, I got engaged,
so they weren't at the wedding.
And you don't have a dad to talk to
about the first purchase of your house,
or a mom to talk to about your first kid.
I waited my whole life to be a grandparent.
-It's a special job. -Yeah.
I think my dad was my biggest validator.
Now there's a big gap
with a massive unknown out there.
What about you, Jen?
Just the family dynamic of being able to see them.
I can't call them and ask them questions anymore.
What would it do for your family if we caught Kevin?
None of the family feels very safe.
We all have some type of safety protection or measures
and it just kind of sits in the back of my mind.
I don't want him out there to hurt somebody else.
I would like resolution and justice for my parents,
and I'd like to make sure that he's taken care of and put away.
Off those streets because he's a loose cannon, isn't he?
-He's dangerous. -Oh, for sure.
It's so sad you have to look
over your shoulder for that creep,
but I hope our audience is going to help you
tonight and catch this dirtbag.
-I appreciate it. -We appreciated it.
-Thank you for being here. -God bless.
Kevin Anderson is 65 years old and 6' tall.
with brown hair and blue eyes.
When he was last seen, he weighed 200 pounds.
He's an avid outdoorsman and hunter
and was very familiar with the wooded areas
that surrounded the family farm.
If you're camping or hunting and you see this guy
or have any information about this case, don't hesitate.
Call us at 866-AMW-TIPS
or go to amwtips.com.
JOHN: Coming up next, an extremely elaborate
gold heist in North Carolina,
but authorities were stumped.
Who were they and how did they do it?
We'll learn all about this intriguing case when we return.
And later on, 14-year-old Abel Acosta
walked into a Texas gas station and allegedly opened fire,
killing three other teenagers. Well, he's on the run
and we need your tips to find this punk.
Now all night we'll need your help with these local crimes
happening all across the country,
crimes that could be happening in your town.
Just after 1:00 AM at the Top Dog Pet Store
in Gardena, California, last November.
Shocking surveillance shows the gang breaking in
and heading for the prized pets.
And while alarms sound and the dogs bark,
these suspects drag the dogs' cages
straight to their getaway vehicle,
an unmarked white Chevy cargo van
with California plates 8T18982
that was waiting in the parking lot.
The burglars managed to steal 12 of the purebred dogs,
including puppies worth almost $100,000.
Look at these dirtbags
flinging these innocent dogs into the van.
And they stole $2,000 in cash from the register.
And all of it happened in under 5 minutes.
If you know anything about these dog-nappers,
no tip is too small.
Call us or go to our website right now.
866-AMW-TIPS
or amwtips.com.
♪♪♪♪♪
[tense music]
Welcome back to America's Most Wanted.
This next case comes from North Carolina,
where a big rig carrying almost $5 million in gold
was ambushed on a remote stretch of I-95.
By the time the authorities arrived at the scene,
the gold bars were gone,
and the only thing that remained were a whole lot of questions.
Let's see how they pulled it off.
♪♪♪♪♪
In my years as a sheriff, this is definitely
one of the most bizarre cases that has ever occurred.
Armed guards being robbed, the gold is taken.
It was something that you would think would come out of a movie.
March 5th, 2015.
Motorists are driving along Route 95
in Wilson County, North Carolina.
Route 95 is a major north-south freeway
that runs along the east coast of the U.S.
from Miami all the way to northern Maine.
JUSTIN: A semi-truck was traveling down the interstate
with a few security guards, the driver, and the passenger.
They worked for an armored carrier company,
and they were transporting this gold and silver
from a refinery down here in South Florida,
and they were heading up to Massachusetts
to deliver the gold.
Then the business would take the gold and melt it down
and make jewelry or coins. This is pretty common.
[engine hissing]
The driver and the passenger, they smelled a strong odor
which got to them to where they felt like they needed to vomit.
The driver then pulled the truck over
to the right shoulder of the road.
[coughing]
JUSTIN: By the time they made it out of the truck,
it was too late.
Presumably, they were setting up these construction cones
to make it as though this was just a normal
semi-truck broke down on the side of the road,
and a repair van had just pulled up and was going to repair it.
♪♪♪♪♪
They take over six barrels of gold and silver
and place it inside the minivan.
The subjects who robbed the truck
took a total of ten gold bars,
talking about 275 pounds of gold,
as well as some silver coins
worth $4.5 million to $5 million.
♪♪♪♪♪
People start calling in some very bizarre sights
along the side of the freeway.
When the sheriff's office
and law enforcement showed up out there,
they find these two uniformed security guards zip-tied,
and they tell this elaborate story
of how they were robbed
on the side of the highway of gold bars.
It was the fourth-largest gold heist in the country.
The story just didn't make sense,
and the only plausible answer at the time was
this has got to be an inside job.
[tense music]
We're combing through all the driver
and the passenger's phone records, bank records.
I mean, we were really trying to flush out this possibility
that this was an inside job.
Two security guards agreed to take a polygraph
to clear their name,
and both of them passed with flying colors.
They had nothing to do with the robbery at all.
It leaves you with this dead-end conclusion of, you know,
how would anyone even know what was on this truck?
The two security guards weren't involved,
so it really just made it challenging to find out
who really is behind this operation?
♪♪♪♪♪
Wow, what a heist.
You've got a big rig transporting
an extremely large amount of gold.
Now, Cal, wouldn't they use an armored car, safer, smaller?
I mean, you'd think so, but an armored car
is going to get a lot of attention.
But there are so many big rigs out there,
it'd be a lot easier for them to blend in.
The other advantage is that a big rig can go
for over 2,000 miles without refueling.
When you're transporting such an expensive amount of goods,
every time you make a stop,
it's an opportunity that you could get robbed.
Just last year at the Toronto Pearson International Airport,
a cargo container with 17.2 million in gold
and cash was stolen from a warehouse,
and that case still remains unsolved.
It's crazy, but in 2024, gold heists are still happening.
It sounds like something out of the Wild West.
It's definitely less common these days.
JOHN: Now, authorities had no idea
who was behind the big rig heist or how they did it.
We'll find out more about who authorities say
was behind this record-breaking heist.
And we'll talk to a reformed jewel thief
to get his take on the case.
Then later, we continue our look at robberies of every variety,
like these creeps who cops say
followed a man and his son home from the bank,
and this serial bank robber in Arizona.
But right now we're looking back at a Florida bank robber
and jail escapee that we busted way back in 1988,
Mark Austin Goodman.
Right after last week's program, Mark Austin Goodman,
wanted for at least 10 bank robberies in Oklahoma,
was found in jail under an alias.
He was busted by fellow inmates, but while in handcuffs,
he escaped, his seventh escape from custody.
Goodman has been a fugitive since March 4th
when he walked out of the Pinellas County Jail in Florida.
He actually convinced an officer he was scheduled for release.
At 4:06 Monday afternoon, 18 hours after his escape,
Goodman was arrested by Jupiter Police
and finally admitted his true identity.
45 minutes later,
he was returned to the custody
of the United States Marshals.
Now, with your help, we'll catch even more of these dirtbags.
Stay with us. We'll be right back.
[tense music]
Welcome back to America's Most Wanted.
Police say that an elaborate ambush of a truck
carrying almost 5 million in gold was successful,
but who were the thieves and how did they do it?
Let's find out.
[tense music]
KEVIN: The FBI Evidence Response Team
was assigned to conduct a search of that truck.
When we examined the interior of the vehicle,
we noticed that there was a hole in the floor of the cab
and the hole was probably about half an inch in diameter.
And from that hole,
we could see that it led to a larger box.
Tucked in very discreetly,
we found a fire extinguisher that appeared to be modified.
We also found an electronic control unit
and there was also a GPS tracker.
What we suspect happened,
they were able to remotely activate the fire extinguisher
and cause that odor to occur within the cab
of the truck, and force them to pull over.
So, 10 months later, in January 2016,
we got a call from a woman who had told us
that she was in a relationship with a man
that bragged that he had robbed a truck up in North Carolina
and got an incredible amount of gold.
She even saw the gold herself and the money and the guns.
The woman identified the man
as a guy by the name of Alberto Perez.
Immediately we start learning who is Alberto Perez?
We start digging into his financials,
to his phone records.
The cell towers that his phone used,
we were able to trace his whereabouts from South Florida
heading up to North Carolina,
right where the robbery occurred,
and then turning around and then appearing
back down in South Florida after the robbery.
And we were able to come up with another name, Roberto Cabrera.
A fourth grade education,
but was able to come up with this elaborate plan
and build these elaborate tools.
BERT: They had Cabrera, they had Perez,
but they still had one more suspect to identify.
When we were talking to Roberto Cabrera
and debriefing him about the robbery,
he finally gave us the name of Pedro Santamaria.
♪
JUSTIN: Who is Pedro Santamaria?
He was like a ghost.
The addresses he had came back to nothing.
He had over 50 aliases.
He'd been arrested countless times.
So with the fingerprints, we're able to start tying
all these aliases and all these different names
of individuals who committed crimes and we find out
that it's all been committed by the same person.
We don't know what he did with all the gold.
They split the gold up into thirds.
Three and a third gold bars, you're talking about
1.5 to $1.75 million worth of gold.
And Alberto Perez and Roberto Cabrera
both cooperated with us
and ultimately were convicted and sentenced.
Pedro Santamaria is the only one in this case
that still hasn't been held accountable
for what he did that day.
Pedro had actually been spotted in Mexico back in 2019.
We weren't able to get our hands on him at the time.
I'm fairly confident that he's still in
the Mexico-Texas border area.
CALVIN: We definitely got to get this guy
to bring him to justice
because what he'd done to these victims
is not something that should be allowed.
Plus, this guy has a million dollars in gold
which he shouldn't have in his possession.
[music cresendoes and ends]
Now we're joined by someone
who has completely reformed themselves
and knows firsthand how these types of heists work.
Former jewelry store robber
and now criminal educator, Brian Sobolewski.
Brian, thank you for being with us.
Thanks for having me.
You actually served three years in prison or the crimes
-that you committed. -Correct.
But now you've turned your life around
and you actually educate the public and even law enforcement
on how these types of criminals operate.
I was convicted of armed robbery,
I was convicted of larceny,
and I was convicted of conspiracy.
How long did you do that for?
We robbed 22 stores over five years.
We probably did about three a year.
-So mostly jewelry stores? -All jewelry stores.
-All jewelry stores? -Yeah.
How are you helping law enforcement now?
At first it was almost by mistake
because anytime somebody did a robbery that was like ours,
I would get questioned.
So they would sit me down and say,
"Here's the job, how would you guys do it?"
And they tried to be tough with me,
but after a while they realized they didn't have to.
I was happy to help them out if they needed it.
Now authorities say these guys got away with more than
$5 million in gold and silver.
How do you think they were able to pull this off?
-I mean, that's a lot of gold. -Yeah.
Planning, planning, planning.
It's planning. It's a dry run.
It's going over it again and again and again,
and it's having people that know this industry.
-Now, somebody has a gold bar. -BRIAN: Mm-hmm.
Can you melt it down and will jewelers buy it from you?
I've never seen a gold bar
and all the gold that I've seen, they're very distinctive.
You can't go into a jewelry store and, "Hey,
can you show me the gold bars?"
Once you have it melted down and turn it into jewelry--
But you gotta know how to do that.
You have to, yeah,
and you have to have a tight circle of people that you trust.
-And who do you learn that from? -That's a good question.
You either do it by trial and error
and then end up doing some time.
I used to call prison "Prison University"
because if you're not in there to reform yourself
you're going to learn how to do your crime
and the mistakes that you made
and probably go out and do it again.
Now, in this case, two out of the three suspects were caught.
They obviously made some mistakes.
How do you think Santamaria has been able
to avoid law enforcement for this long?
He's smart, he has a very tight-knit group of people.
If he has multiple identities-- I can make up a name right now
and ask you to call me that name, but I need a license.
That's very difficult to do.
And you don't trust multiple people to do that.
If you could say something to the suspect we're looking for,
Santamaria, what would you say to him?
Oh, boy, you're in a heap of trouble.
And as you look forward down the road,
you're looking at them breathing down your neck.
And that circle gets tighter because of this show.
And I'll tell you, I was on the run for a year.
-I hated it. -It is tough.
I didn't drive my car once out of the front windshield.
I was looking in the back windshield the whole time.
It's miserable. It took years off my life.
But let me ask you,
did you ever think you'd be on America's Most Wanted?
-You're on it. -No, absolutely--
well, I was so excited because I started watching it in prison.
The inmates get quiet, they sit--
mostly because they want to see if they know anybody on there.
America's Most Wanted was the number one show in prison.
You're a legend in prison.
I'm honored you called me a dirtbag.
So, I'm honored to be here.
Well, we're glad you're here
and that you've turned your life around
and you're doing something very, very positive.
I appreciate that.
So, we need to catch this guy tonight.
-But thanks for the help. -You're welcome.
Keep up the good work.
-Thanks, John. -JOHN: All right.
Pedro Santamaria is a black Hispanic male
who was 5'7" and when last seen was bald and weighed 180 pounds.
He's now 61 years old
with brown eyes and may have black hair.
He has a noticeable scar on his left forearm.
He used up to 50 different aliases in the past,
so he might be going by a different name.
His prior arrests include robbery and aggravated assault.
If you see Pedro Santamaria, do not approach him.
He is considered armed and very dangerous.
Call us or go to our website immediately.
JOHN: Up next, 14-year-old Abel Acosta
allegedly opened fire in a Texas convenience store
firing 20 rounds in nine seconds
and taking the lives of three innocent teenagers.
But first, did this crime happen in your community?
Disturbing footage out of Arizona tonight.
A serial bank robber, often dressed in scrubs,
who held up three banks in four months.
Starting on August 12th at approximately 10:45 AM.,
Watch Dr. Dirtbag leave Chase Bank
at 1821 East Guadalupe Road
after handing the teller a note
stating that he was armed with a gun.
He does it again on October 6th
around 9:55 AM at the U.S. Bank
located on 1 North McDonald in Mesa, Arizona.
And again, November 3rd around 9:00 AM,
when he returns to that Chase Bank in Tempe.
This time, he verbally demands the cash box
apparently holding here what I guess you'd call a handgun.
Then, impatient, climbs over the counter to get it himself.
He's described as a black male, aged 25 to 30 years old,
5'10 to 6'0 feet tall, weighing around 220 pounds.
Take notice of the tattoos on his arms
and the earring in his right ear.
Look familiar?
If you have any information on this creep,
call us or go to our website 866-AMW-TIPS
or at amwtips.com.
[tense music]
Welcome back to America's Most Wanted.
I want to use this program to not only find fugitives,
but to find the many, many missing children
that are out there and get them home
to their families where they belong.
So, have you seen Andrew Escobar?
He's been missing since last June 25th.
Andrew is 11 years old with brown hair and brown eyes.
He's 4'11 and last known to weigh around 95 pounds.
He likes to play chess and rock climb.
While Andrew was last seen in Rio Rancho, New Mexico,
family tells us he may now be in northern Colorado,
specifically the Evans and Greeley area.
So, if you've seen Andrew, please call us right now.
866-AMW-TIPS or go to amwtips.com.
Let's find this little boy. Cal, back to you.
In 2021, 14-year-old Abel Acosta walked into
a Garland convenience store and opened fire.
Within seconds, three were dead, one was injured,
and with the help of his father, Acosta was gone.
Authorities now need your help to locate and apprehend
this alleged murder to put him behind bars where he belongs.
We're going to talk with Yunely Lopez,
the mother of one of the murdered teenagers
in that convenience store.
With so many young people involved,
we know that this content is sensitive,
so please note, this footage could be upsetting for some.
[suspenseful melody]
JOHN: It's the day after Christmas 2021,
in Garland, Texas, a town just outside Dallas,
and unfortunately for that community,
any sense of holiday cheer is about to disappear.
Police say that's when the actions of a 14-year-old,
Abel Acosta, and his father, Richard Acosta Jr.,
destroyed the lives of three local families forever.
On December 26, 2021, two friends,
17-year-old Rafael Garcia and 16-year-old Ivan Noyola,
seen here on surveillance video,
are shopping at a local Texaco gas station,
not knowing that they're being targeted.
Authorities believe that Rafael and Ivan
had previously gotten into an argument with another teenager
named Abel Acosta.
The argument was possibly over a necklace.
Cops say Abel's father helped his son
track down Rafael and Ivan
by driving him to the convenience store that night,
even going so far as to walk inside
to possibly see where Rafael and Ivan were.
Watch as the 14-year-old suspected murderer
leaves his father's truck
and creeps into position with his gun drawn.
Then, in a matter of seconds, the teenage murder suspect
unleashes a deadly barrage of gunfire.
Abel Acosta runs to his father's getaway vehicle,
and they both flee the scene.
Both Rafael and Ivan tragically died that night,
and so did another boy who had never met any of the teenagers,
a 14-year-old named Xavier Gonzalez,
seen here on his phone.
Xavier had simply gone to the store that night
to pick up some food for his family.
He went for the tacos and never came back.
Me and my family, it's not the same no more.
We don't have him here, and it's not fair.
JOHN: The next day, Abel Acosta's
accused getaway driver, his own father,
Richard Acosta Jr., turned himself in
and was eventually convicted on capital murder charges
for his part in the killing of three teenage boys.
Abel Acosta's family members helped him get away.
They're not cooperating with us.
This investigation will not sleep
until we actually get that person off the street.
JOHN: And now Xavier's family are hoping for that one tip
that will bring them justice.
Somebody's helping him out there.
It's not fair how they took my son's life away.
He was a really smart little kid.
He always had a smile. Always.
Three teenage boys lost their lives that night
one of them, 14-year-old Xavier Gonzalez,
had never even met Abel Acosta.
His mother, Yuneli Lopez, is here with us tonight.
Yuneli, thank you for joining us.
-Thank you very much. -It really breaks my heart
-to see such a pointless murder. -Thank you.
Now, Xavier was just 14 years old,
the youngest of the three that were murdered that day.
Tell us about your son.
He was a good student.
He would help me out a lot with my daughters.
He would help my husband a lot working.
And everything you would ask him, he would do it.
He would help out.
-Sounds like a good kid. -Yes, he was.
This occurred just the day after Christmas.
What have the holidays been like since his passing?
They've been awful holidays for us.
It's not the same no more at all.
Our Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's,
birthdays, it's not the same no more.
It's just that he was the one that would keep us all happy,
laughing, joking around.
Now, take us back to when you found out
what had happened that day.
He wanted some tacos from the corner.
Tried to call him, he wouldn't pick up.
He was always picking up on the first call.
That's where I kind of got concerned.
When we got there, I took off running to the gas station.
They didn't let me go into the gas station at all.
And that's when I turned around and I saw my sister
and I went over there to her and I asked her, "Xavier?"
"He's gone." And I was like, no, it's not true.
She was like, "yeah, he's gone."
And I was like, "no, it's not true."
And they were asking me what kind of clothes he had
and that's when they told me
that it was him there. That he passed away.
He's your angel now, you know that.
I didn't want to make you cry,
but I wanted you to come here and give you some hope.
That's what this show is about. Hope.
You know, I was going to ask you
what you would say to somebody that knows where this creep is.
To please turn him in.
Don't stay quiet. Stop hiding him.
We'll find that bad guy.
Thank you very much for everything that you have done,
-and I hope they do get him. -JOHN: God bless.
-Thank you very much. -Thank you, Yuneli.
Be on the lookout for Abel Acosta.
The crime happened in Garland, Texas,
where some of his family still resides.
Authorities believe there may also be a family ranch
near Llano de Bustos, Veracruz, Mexico.
The Acosta family may have other ties
to Acapulco and Juarez, Mexico.
Abel Acosta is now 16 years old.
He's a Hispanic male with brown eyes and brown hair.
When last seen, he was 5'5" and weighed 125 pounds.
Now let's find this guy.
If you've seen Abel Acosta or have any information
about this case, whether you're in the U.S.
or across the border in Mexico,
contact us right now at 866-AMW-TIPS
or go to amwtips.com.
I've said it a million times, you can run, but you can't hide.
Now, when we come back,
we're going to review all of the cases
and the dangerous fugitives that you saw tonight.
But first, can you help us solve this crime alert?
[knocking in melody]
JOHN: You're about to watch disturbing footage
of a home burglary in Tacoma near 33rd and Mason.
Even more disturbing, the suspects left the scene
only 15 minutes before the homeowners returned.
[knocking in melody]
The female burglar approaches the front door
and knocks to see if anyone is home,
while her partner is casing the side and back of the home.
After being inside for over 30 minutes,
cameras captured her partner leaving the residence
with multiple bags of stolen goods.
He loads the stolen items into the getaway truck,
a 2021 or newer gray Toyota Tacoma,
which included jewelry,
personal documents, including a birth certificate,
and a debit card that they used
for $1,000 at Dick's Sporting Goods.
If you've seen these suspects in the Tacoma area,
don't hesitate and contact us right now.
Send your tips to 866-AMW-TIPS
or at amwtips.com.
♪♪♪♪♪
JOHN: Terrifying home footage that no one ever wants to see.
Three men following a Texas man and his stepson
home from a bank in an attempted jugging crime
near Dallas last September.
Now watch as the man pulls into his driveway around 1:00 PM
and the suspects block his car with their SUV.
These jerks jump out, handguns drawn,
and swarm the victim's vehicle,
attempting to open the doors while pounding on the windows,
-demanding that he give it up. -MAN: Give it up!
JOHN: Unbelievably, one of the suspects tries
to break the driver's side window with his elbow,
but the victim has another plan and hits the gas
with the suspect still holding on to his doors,
forcing these losers to let go
and retreat to their vehicle empty-handed.
Jugging possibly originated from the slang term jug,
which means a large sum of money.
It's an increasingly popular crime
where criminals follow their victims
as they leave a bank or ATM after withdrawing cash,
and it's happening more and more.
Here's another shocking video of a jugging that took place
in Plant City, Florida, also last September.
This cell phone video taken by a witness
shows a man climbing out of a pickup that he broke into
to grab the manila envelope that you can see him holding here,
containing the victim's cash.
Police say the suspect may have followed the female victim
who was making the withdrawal from the Bank of America.
He was seen leaving the area in a silver Honda Pilot
with the Florida tag B5DNZF.
If you know anything about these incidents or these suspects,
please contact us right now. 866-AMW-TIPS
or amwtips.com.
Remember, you're our partner in this,
so if you have any tips, big or small,
about the cases you saw tonight, please contact us immediately.
Kevin Anderson is 65 years old, brown hair and blue eyes.
He's 6' tall, and his last known weight was around 200 pounds.
Anderson is an avid outdoorsman
and may be living off the grid in a wooded area
in the northern Midwest.
If you see him, do not approach him.
He's considered armed and very dangerous.
Pedro Santamaria is 5'7", with brown eyes,
and at the time he was last seen,
was bald and weighed 180 pounds.
He's a black Hispanic male who is 61 years old
and may have black hair.
He also has a scar on his left forearm.
He's originally from Cuba, so there's some speculation
that he has returned to his home country.
There is a reward of $10,000 for information
that leads to his arrest.
Abel Acosta is a 16-year-old Hispanic male
with brown eyes and brown hair.
When last seen, he was 5'5", and weighed about 125 pounds.
His last known location was Garland, Texas.
If you live in Texas or in Mexico,
we gotta get this alleged murderer
off the streets as soon as possible.
CALLAHAN: If you see any of these fugitives in public,
do not approach them.
Contact us at 866-AMW-TIPS or amwtips.com.
JOHN: Coming up next week on America's Most Wanted.
A Texas woman survives a savage knife attack...
DISPATCHER: 911.
JOHN: ...With the help of a quick-thinking 911 operator.
OFFICER: I've got blood all over me.
JOHN: Now police need your help
to find the monster responsible.
-I'm Callahan Walsh. -And I'm John Walsh.
Thank you for watching, and remember,
you can make a difference.
Good job.
[humming]