1 00:00:01,467 --> 00:00:06,343 [narrator] Pepita Redhair disappeared on March 24, 2020. 2 00:00:06,367 --> 00:00:09,166 This is where my mom dropped off Pepita. 3 00:00:10,667 --> 00:00:12,000 [Anita] Yes, Mom, I love you. 4 00:00:12,767 --> 00:00:14,400 Take care of yourself. 5 00:00:14,467 --> 00:00:19,967 [crying] It was the last time I see my daughter alive. 6 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,266 [narrator] Her family is desperate for answers. 7 00:00:26,867 --> 00:00:28,400 [Shelda] Where could she go? 8 00:00:28,467 --> 00:00:30,800 What happened to her? 9 00:00:30,867 --> 00:00:32,747 Who did she go with if she did go with somebody? 10 00:00:34,667 --> 00:00:36,100 I yelled at the gate, 11 00:00:36,166 --> 00:00:38,843 "Pita, I'm here. It's Shelda. Come out." 12 00:00:38,867 --> 00:00:40,443 And nothing. 13 00:00:40,467 --> 00:00:43,076 - The dogs are barking. - [dogs barking] 14 00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:45,943 Someone looks through the window. They close it. 15 00:00:45,967 --> 00:00:48,443 That's what scared me a lot. 16 00:00:48,467 --> 00:00:52,800 [Anita] All of a sudden, I felt that something bad happened to her. 17 00:00:53,667 --> 00:00:55,700 I could feel it in my gut. 18 00:00:55,767 --> 00:00:57,443 [narrator] This episode of Disappeared... 19 00:00:57,467 --> 00:01:00,367 retraces Pepita's last known steps. 20 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:04,367 Human trafficking does happen in Albuquerque. 21 00:01:05,700 --> 00:01:08,743 [Raul] We're less than 500 miles from the border. 22 00:01:08,767 --> 00:01:11,943 We're at the intersection of two interstate highway systems. 23 00:01:11,967 --> 00:01:16,300 We have cartels engaged in moving human beings. 24 00:01:16,367 --> 00:01:20,400 That's what made me afraid of, you know, what if? 25 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:22,300 I'm not giving up. 26 00:01:23,767 --> 00:01:26,976 We're gonna find you one way or the other. 27 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,066 If we have to wait forever, then we will. 28 00:01:31,300 --> 00:01:33,600 [narrator] The more people who know Pepita's story, 29 00:01:33,667 --> 00:01:36,443 the greater the chance of bringing her home. 30 00:01:36,467 --> 00:01:40,142 Share on social media. Get the word out. 31 00:01:40,166 --> 00:01:42,242 Help find her. 32 00:01:42,266 --> 00:01:44,767 {\an8}Have you seen Pepita Redhair? 33 00:01:56,467 --> 00:01:59,643 [Anita] I am Pepita Redhair's mother. 34 00:01:59,667 --> 00:02:01,587 Pepita, my daughter, she's a loving, kind person. 35 00:02:03,567 --> 00:02:07,343 {\an8}She always texts me maybe three times a day. 36 00:02:07,367 --> 00:02:12,166 Even though she was living in her boyfriend's house south of Albuquerque, 37 00:02:13,767 --> 00:02:15,607 she would always message me, "Good night, Mom." 38 00:02:21,367 --> 00:02:24,843 The last time I seen my daughter was Tuesday morning, 39 00:02:24,867 --> 00:02:27,200 March 24th, 2020. 40 00:02:29,567 --> 00:02:31,000 {\an8}Pepita came home for a visit. 41 00:02:32,367 --> 00:02:34,900 She was living in Albuquerque, 42 00:02:34,967 --> 00:02:38,467 but she still liked to come home, spend a day with us. 43 00:02:42,700 --> 00:02:48,166 Pepita was five-years-old when we moved into Crownpoint, New Mexico, 44 00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:50,400 and that's where she was raised. 45 00:02:52,266 --> 00:02:55,600 {\an8}My name is Shelda Livingston. I am Pepita Redhair's sister. 46 00:02:57,567 --> 00:03:00,500 Crownpoint is on a small Navajo reservation. 47 00:03:00,567 --> 00:03:01,567 There's a lot of poverty. 48 00:03:02,467 --> 00:03:05,000 Not a lot of job options there in Crownpoint. 49 00:03:05,066 --> 00:03:08,242 And Pepita was an adventurous person. 50 00:03:08,266 --> 00:03:10,743 She's always doing different things. 51 00:03:10,767 --> 00:03:12,266 She never sat still. 52 00:03:13,300 --> 00:03:15,743 She liked to go skateboarding a lot. 53 00:03:15,767 --> 00:03:18,543 She said it was an adrenaline rush for her. 54 00:03:18,567 --> 00:03:24,000 She always talked about how she wanted to make a name for herself. 55 00:03:24,066 --> 00:03:27,943 Pepita was determined to leave home and get a career. 56 00:03:27,967 --> 00:03:31,000 After high school, she moved to Albuquerque. 57 00:03:38,100 --> 00:03:41,800 In the year of 2016, Pepita met Nick, 58 00:03:41,867 --> 00:03:44,000 and they started a relationship. 59 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,142 They would hug each other constantly, 60 00:03:47,166 --> 00:03:49,367 or they would tell each other, "I love you." 61 00:03:51,367 --> 00:03:55,142 Pepita moved into Nick's parents' home in Albuquerque 62 00:03:55,166 --> 00:03:58,300 about five or six months after they started dating. 63 00:04:00,867 --> 00:04:03,307 Prior to Nick, Pepita did date a gentleman, and he was Mexican, 64 00:04:05,667 --> 00:04:08,142 and they did, you know, share different cultures, 65 00:04:08,166 --> 00:04:09,843 and she did learn a lot from him. 66 00:04:09,867 --> 00:04:12,443 Um, however, with Nick, 67 00:04:12,467 --> 00:04:16,367 um, I'm pretty sure they talked about the traditions of Navajo. 68 00:04:20,266 --> 00:04:23,076 Early on in the relationship, Pepita called me 69 00:04:23,100 --> 00:04:27,266 and questioned me about a Navajo wedding and how the ceremony goes. 70 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,976 Questions about what to do, how to do it, 71 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:32,843 what needs to be done? 72 00:04:32,867 --> 00:04:36,400 I figured, well, she really is happy with this guy. 73 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:39,343 They're thinking about marriage. 74 00:04:39,367 --> 00:04:41,367 This could be a good thing for her. 75 00:04:42,967 --> 00:04:44,743 He did tell her, you know, 76 00:04:44,767 --> 00:04:48,400 "I'm gonna work, and you know, provide all this for you, 77 00:04:48,467 --> 00:04:49,843 we're gonna get our own home." 78 00:04:49,867 --> 00:04:51,242 You know, a lot of promises. 79 00:04:51,266 --> 00:04:53,700 So I believe that, you know, 80 00:04:53,767 --> 00:04:58,042 that was the one that she wants to spend the rest of her life with. 81 00:04:58,066 --> 00:04:59,500 She was happy. 82 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,400 [Anita] On March 25th of 2020, 83 00:05:04,467 --> 00:05:07,400 I didn't receive no text from Pepita. 84 00:05:07,467 --> 00:05:12,076 And I did text her. I said, "Are you okay? Please call me. 85 00:05:12,100 --> 00:05:14,266 Let me know everything's fine." 86 00:05:14,867 --> 00:05:16,400 There's nothing all day. 87 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:23,643 On Friday the 27th, it's been two days. 88 00:05:23,667 --> 00:05:26,900 I did text her again, "Sweetie, where are you? Please call me." 89 00:05:26,967 --> 00:05:30,743 There's no texts, no Facebook Messenger, 90 00:05:30,767 --> 00:05:31,767 no phone calls from her. 91 00:05:33,266 --> 00:05:37,443 I called her boyfriend Nick and I ask him, 92 00:05:37,467 --> 00:05:42,867 "Nick, please call me or, um, text me where Pepita is." 93 00:05:44,266 --> 00:05:46,266 And he goes, "I don't know. She left." 94 00:05:50,767 --> 00:05:54,400 Us Native American are very close. 95 00:05:54,467 --> 00:05:58,800 She wouldn't be gone that long without her texting me, contacting me, 96 00:05:58,867 --> 00:06:01,000 contacting her sister, her brother, her nieces. 97 00:06:02,867 --> 00:06:05,900 And I love my children deep from my heart. 98 00:06:06,867 --> 00:06:09,166 And I knew something is wrong. 99 00:06:11,367 --> 00:06:12,910 [phone ringing] 100 00:06:12,934 --> 00:06:16,643 [Shelda] And my mom, Anita, did call me about my sister Pepita, 101 00:06:16,667 --> 00:06:19,743 and she was like, "Hey, Shelda, this is happening. 102 00:06:19,767 --> 00:06:21,643 I, I can't reach your sister." 103 00:06:21,667 --> 00:06:23,000 And that's when I found out. 104 00:06:25,300 --> 00:06:27,643 I just thinking all kinds of things. 105 00:06:27,667 --> 00:06:29,042 "Where would she go? 106 00:06:29,066 --> 00:06:31,000 What happened to her?" 107 00:06:31,467 --> 00:06:34,976 Just all kinds of questions go through your mind. 108 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:39,867 All of a sudden, I felt that something bad happened to her. 109 00:06:40,567 --> 00:06:42,200 I could feel it in my gut. 110 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:49,643 [phone ringing] 111 00:06:49,667 --> 00:06:51,843 [Anita] So right away, I jump on the phone. 112 00:06:51,867 --> 00:06:55,000 I call Albuquerque Bernalillo Police Department. 113 00:06:57,066 --> 00:06:58,643 That's when I talked to detective. 114 00:06:58,667 --> 00:07:01,000 I said, "I want to find my daughter." [sniffles] 115 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,943 [Shelda] And one of the officers told her, "Pepita's an adult. 116 00:07:07,967 --> 00:07:10,443 She has a right to be missing. 117 00:07:10,467 --> 00:07:12,600 Maybe she's just at a friend's house. 118 00:07:12,667 --> 00:07:15,100 She'll pop up in a week or two, so don't worry." 119 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,467 We decided we're not gonna wait. 120 00:07:22,266 --> 00:07:24,467 We decided to look for her. 121 00:07:26,100 --> 00:07:28,166 Central and San Pedro is right here. 122 00:07:28,767 --> 00:07:30,266 This is where we looked. 123 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:33,600 We started from where she hung out, 124 00:07:33,667 --> 00:07:36,543 where we knew she knew a lot of people. 125 00:07:36,567 --> 00:07:37,967 That's where we started from. 126 00:07:39,266 --> 00:07:41,142 She did ride the bus a lot, 127 00:07:41,166 --> 00:07:43,843 so we started hitting the bus stop. 128 00:07:43,867 --> 00:07:46,943 We also put flyers there for her. 129 00:07:46,967 --> 00:07:50,000 Making the flyers was difficult because money-wise, 130 00:07:50,066 --> 00:07:51,543 my mom was a single parent. 131 00:07:51,567 --> 00:07:53,076 She paid all the bills on her own. 132 00:07:53,100 --> 00:07:55,242 I am also a single mother of three. 133 00:07:55,266 --> 00:07:58,500 But we did have family members donate money 134 00:07:58,567 --> 00:08:01,000 to help doing the flyers and getting more copies. 135 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,300 So, majority of the times we're posting it on the doors, 136 00:08:10,367 --> 00:08:12,500 or putting it into people's mailboxes 137 00:08:12,567 --> 00:08:14,667 in the neighborhood around Nick's home. 138 00:08:17,467 --> 00:08:20,300 I would talk to those people, and hand out flyers, 139 00:08:20,367 --> 00:08:23,343 and let them know, "My sister's still missing." 140 00:08:23,367 --> 00:08:27,843 A lot of them would say, "Oh, yeah, I remember her. She's very friendly." 141 00:08:27,867 --> 00:08:31,000 And they would always tell me, "No, we haven't seen her. 142 00:08:31,867 --> 00:08:33,500 Is she really missing?" 143 00:08:33,567 --> 00:08:36,300 A lot of them from the beginning were in disbelief 144 00:08:36,367 --> 00:08:39,000 because she's always around. 145 00:08:41,166 --> 00:08:44,667 {\an8}My name is Shaun Griswold. I'm a reporter with Source New Mexico. 146 00:08:45,867 --> 00:08:49,743 The timing for Pepita's disappearance was unfortunate. 147 00:08:49,767 --> 00:08:52,643 She went missing on March 24th, 2020, 148 00:08:52,667 --> 00:08:57,800 and shortly after, the COVID pandemic shut down almost the entire world. 149 00:08:57,867 --> 00:09:01,000 {\an8}My name is Darlene Gomez, and I am Pepita Redhair's family's advocate. 150 00:09:04,667 --> 00:09:10,343 When I first met Anita King, she was very defeated. 151 00:09:10,367 --> 00:09:14,400 Some of the problems that the Albuquerque Police Department was facing 152 00:09:14,467 --> 00:09:16,142 is that it was COVID. 153 00:09:16,166 --> 00:09:19,843 They stopped all face-to-face investigations. 154 00:09:19,867 --> 00:09:25,900 They had a lot of police officers who were out sick. 155 00:09:25,967 --> 00:09:28,200 [Shelda] They just kept telling us the same thing. 156 00:09:28,266 --> 00:09:30,076 "Because of the pandemic, we can't do anything. 157 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:32,780 We're shutting down, and she'll come up in a week or two," was the... 158 00:09:34,567 --> 00:09:37,000 That was their only answer to us. 159 00:09:44,266 --> 00:09:45,700 [phone ringing] 160 00:09:45,767 --> 00:09:47,300 [Shelda] My mom was persistent. 161 00:09:47,367 --> 00:09:49,843 She kept calling the officers and saying, 162 00:09:49,867 --> 00:09:53,343 "I know something happened. Can you please do something?" 163 00:09:53,367 --> 00:09:57,643 But they just kept telling my mom, "You have to wait." 164 00:09:57,667 --> 00:10:01,000 [Shaun] Police operations were, were essentially halted because of COVID. 165 00:10:01,767 --> 00:10:05,142 But the family also feels as if the follow up was still not there 166 00:10:05,166 --> 00:10:08,000 and that police don't care about Pepita. 167 00:10:08,066 --> 00:10:10,967 The family alleges that there's racism with the department. 168 00:10:12,567 --> 00:10:15,976 Racial discrimination in the Albuquerque Police Department is a fact. 169 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:17,843 We have a federal Department of Justice 170 00:10:17,867 --> 00:10:21,800 that reviews the police's relationship with communities of color 171 00:10:21,867 --> 00:10:26,142 and has shown there's a systemic problem going back decades, 172 00:10:26,166 --> 00:10:28,200 and I've definitely experienced it myself. 173 00:10:31,066 --> 00:10:33,142 Pepita is Navajo, and I'm Pueblo, 174 00:10:33,166 --> 00:10:35,000 so yeah, we're both Native American, 175 00:10:35,066 --> 00:10:38,000 and so it's personal for me. 176 00:10:38,066 --> 00:10:42,142 [Darlene] I do believe because Pepita was Native American 177 00:10:42,166 --> 00:10:46,500 that that really impacted how Albuquerque Police Department 178 00:10:46,567 --> 00:10:48,543 probably looked at her case. 179 00:10:48,567 --> 00:10:52,400 If it was a white woman, and her parents said, 180 00:10:52,467 --> 00:10:55,800 "She is gone. This is not like her." 181 00:10:55,867 --> 00:10:59,300 Do I think some more resources would have been put into place? 182 00:10:59,367 --> 00:11:01,000 Most definitely. 183 00:11:03,900 --> 00:11:05,743 I was so frustrated. 184 00:11:05,767 --> 00:11:07,743 I was upset. I was mad. 185 00:11:07,767 --> 00:11:10,343 [Shaun] When Pepita's family members realized 186 00:11:10,367 --> 00:11:12,976 that the Albuquerque Police were not offering much help, 187 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,943 Anita then tried to go to the Navajo Nation police. 188 00:11:16,967 --> 00:11:18,443 But the issue there, of course, 189 00:11:18,467 --> 00:11:21,042 is that Pepita's case happened in Albuquerque. 190 00:11:21,066 --> 00:11:24,266 Jurisdictionally, the Navajo Nation police can't do anything about it. 191 00:11:26,166 --> 00:11:28,300 The Albuquerque Police Department is responsible 192 00:11:28,367 --> 00:11:30,943 for the investigation of her disappearance, 193 00:11:30,967 --> 00:11:33,847 and they're the only police agency that should be investigating this case. 194 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,543 [Shelda] I started calling the news station to come and help us. 195 00:11:42,567 --> 00:11:44,543 I did reach out to them to ask them, 196 00:11:44,567 --> 00:11:47,543 "Hey, can you put up her picture on your show 197 00:11:47,567 --> 00:11:49,100 so we can put the word out there?" 198 00:11:49,166 --> 00:11:51,042 And they're like, "Well, we're sorry, 199 00:11:51,066 --> 00:11:52,900 we can't help you at this time." 200 00:11:54,500 --> 00:11:56,300 I was livid. 201 00:11:56,367 --> 00:11:58,700 I said, "You guys do it for other people. 202 00:11:58,767 --> 00:12:00,343 You guys did it for so-and-so, 203 00:12:00,367 --> 00:12:02,142 and now you say you can't do it for my sister?" 204 00:12:02,166 --> 00:12:06,600 I said, "It's only five seconds of your time I'm asking for." 205 00:12:06,667 --> 00:12:09,743 [Shaun] Maybe they just didn't wanna do a missing persons story that day 206 00:12:09,767 --> 00:12:13,443 because everything was dominated by COVID coverage, 207 00:12:13,467 --> 00:12:17,100 or they deemed Pepita's case as not newsworthy. 208 00:12:17,166 --> 00:12:20,643 Cases involving missing native women, or murdered native women, 209 00:12:20,667 --> 00:12:22,743 don't get any attention. 210 00:12:22,767 --> 00:12:24,843 How many people know Native Americans? 211 00:12:24,867 --> 00:12:27,643 How many people have ever met a Navajo in person? 212 00:12:27,667 --> 00:12:30,343 How many people have a judgement and bias against somebody 213 00:12:30,367 --> 00:12:31,727 that they think is other than them? 214 00:12:33,066 --> 00:12:36,867 That's when we realized, "Okay, we have to do this on our own." 215 00:12:41,266 --> 00:12:43,800 When we didn't hear from her, 216 00:12:43,867 --> 00:12:46,943 at that point I thought maybe she's still in Nick's house. 217 00:12:46,967 --> 00:12:48,367 Maybe he's holding her in there. 218 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,066 So, I drove to Nick's house. 219 00:12:58,266 --> 00:12:59,867 This is Nick's house. 220 00:13:01,967 --> 00:13:03,266 It's gonna be right here. 221 00:13:05,700 --> 00:13:10,600 So this is where my mom dropped off Pepita on March 24, 2020. 222 00:13:13,467 --> 00:13:16,843 I remember I yelled at the gate, "Pita, I'm here. 223 00:13:16,867 --> 00:13:18,600 It's Shelda. Come out." 224 00:13:18,667 --> 00:13:21,843 You know, "Nick, if you're in there, come out and talk to me. 225 00:13:21,867 --> 00:13:23,100 Where's Pita? 226 00:13:24,100 --> 00:13:25,943 Pita, you know, we're here. 227 00:13:25,967 --> 00:13:27,400 I'm here trying to look for you. 228 00:13:27,467 --> 00:13:28,600 Where are you?" 229 00:13:29,300 --> 00:13:30,343 And nothing. 230 00:13:30,367 --> 00:13:31,927 - The dogs are barking. - [dogs barking] 231 00:13:33,967 --> 00:13:36,200 Someone looks through the window. They close it. 232 00:13:37,066 --> 00:13:38,667 That's what scared me a lot. 233 00:13:39,767 --> 00:13:41,467 Nobody comes out. 234 00:13:47,166 --> 00:13:51,400 [Anita] My daughter Pepita, her boyfriend Nick is Native American. 235 00:13:51,467 --> 00:13:55,800 {\an8}The first time I met him I said, "Please take care of my daughter." 236 00:13:55,867 --> 00:13:58,000 {\an8}She's a loving, kind person. 237 00:13:58,066 --> 00:14:03,900 {\an8}I was happy with Pepita dating Nick because I saw them, 238 00:14:03,967 --> 00:14:05,767 you know, be an affectionate couple. 239 00:14:06,667 --> 00:14:09,000 Pepita was very happy with Nick. 240 00:14:09,066 --> 00:14:11,076 She was always calling and saying, 241 00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:12,643 "Hey, this is what we're gonna do. 242 00:14:12,667 --> 00:14:15,142 We're going to go watch a movie." 243 00:14:15,166 --> 00:14:16,686 She was always outgoing and optimistic. 244 00:14:18,266 --> 00:14:20,643 Her willingness to do anything for him. 245 00:14:20,667 --> 00:14:22,142 Always being there. 246 00:14:22,166 --> 00:14:26,867 That's the whole of her personality that drew Nick in. 247 00:14:30,467 --> 00:14:35,343 [Anita] But then one day, Pepita told me that Nick hit her. 248 00:14:35,367 --> 00:14:39,643 She said Nick just got out of control with his drinking. 249 00:14:39,667 --> 00:14:44,843 Pepita told me that she was in an abusive relationship. 250 00:14:44,867 --> 00:14:47,747 [Shelda] I told her, "You know, you can't be with somebody that does this. 251 00:14:48,367 --> 00:14:50,843 Once they do it, they'll always do it again." 252 00:14:50,867 --> 00:14:53,700 I tried to, you know, encourage my daughter 253 00:14:53,767 --> 00:14:57,700 to, you know, stay home, just move back. 254 00:14:57,767 --> 00:15:00,743 But she said, "Mom, there's nothing here. 255 00:15:00,767 --> 00:15:02,843 I want to go back and be with Nick." 256 00:15:02,867 --> 00:15:04,533 She said, "I love him." 257 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:11,800 {\an8}Native American women, on average, have the highest rates of domestic violence. 258 00:15:11,867 --> 00:15:14,943 One in two Native American women will face 259 00:15:14,967 --> 00:15:16,727 some type of violent situation in their life, 260 00:15:17,567 --> 00:15:19,843 whether that's a domestic violence situation, 261 00:15:19,867 --> 00:15:24,242 whether they're assaulted, whether they're kidnapped, or they're murdered. 262 00:15:24,266 --> 00:15:26,367 And so it's present in our community. 263 00:15:34,967 --> 00:15:39,042 [Shelda] On the day of my mom dropping Pepita back off at Nick's home, 264 00:15:39,066 --> 00:15:40,643 Pepita reassured my mom. 265 00:15:40,667 --> 00:15:46,000 She goes, "Mom, I love you. Take care of yourself. Drive home safe." 266 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:52,400 That was the last time I seen my daughter alive. 267 00:15:54,800 --> 00:16:00,042 [Shaun] Because of all of the issues that were leading up to Pepita's disappearance, 268 00:16:00,066 --> 00:16:02,343 this is why the family has this idea 269 00:16:02,367 --> 00:16:05,600 that Nick had a role to play in her disappearance. 270 00:16:05,667 --> 00:16:08,343 All they know is that Pepita's missing, 271 00:16:08,367 --> 00:16:10,767 and to their knowledge, he was the last person that saw her. 272 00:16:13,700 --> 00:16:16,100 [Darlene] To my knowledge today, Nick has never been convicted 273 00:16:17,367 --> 00:16:20,343 of any type of violent crime. 274 00:16:20,367 --> 00:16:25,343 {\an8}And because I don't have a complete file for Nick, 275 00:16:25,367 --> 00:16:30,300 {\an8}then I can't tell you if there was any allegations of domestic violence. 276 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,976 But what I can tell you is there was numerous calls 277 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:39,443 about domestic violence to the home, 278 00:16:39,467 --> 00:16:44,042 and that Nick's family members lived there as well. 279 00:16:44,066 --> 00:16:46,000 On 02/06/2020, there was a domestic disturbance. 280 00:16:49,667 --> 00:16:53,500 12/24/2015, domestic disturbance. 281 00:16:54,867 --> 00:16:57,743 I know that she was hospitalized a few times, 282 00:16:57,767 --> 00:17:00,066 looking back at medical records. 283 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,543 [Shelda] From the beginning of my sister Pepita being missing, 284 00:17:04,567 --> 00:17:06,700 even during the pandemic, 285 00:17:06,767 --> 00:17:11,000 I believe that Nick should have been questioned thoroughly. 286 00:17:11,066 --> 00:17:15,743 An investigation should have opened at least, and a walk through the home, 287 00:17:15,767 --> 00:17:16,767 checking the home. 288 00:17:17,867 --> 00:17:20,867 Look for anything out of the ordinary. 289 00:17:22,467 --> 00:17:26,000 [Shaun] The police had told me that Nick was interviewed once. 290 00:17:26,066 --> 00:17:27,443 And I think it's safe to say at this moment 291 00:17:27,467 --> 00:17:30,600 that Nick is not a suspect in this case. 292 00:17:30,667 --> 00:17:32,743 There hasn't been an adequate response at all from police 293 00:17:32,767 --> 00:17:34,543 as to why Nick is not a suspect, 294 00:17:34,567 --> 00:17:37,200 other than that he's not a suspect. 295 00:17:37,266 --> 00:17:39,743 Plain and simple, that's all they say. 296 00:17:39,767 --> 00:17:42,242 [Darlene] The position of the Albuquerque Police Department 297 00:17:42,266 --> 00:17:46,000 that they do not believe Nick is involved in any type of foul play, 298 00:17:47,767 --> 00:17:50,242 and that they have done everything possible 299 00:17:50,266 --> 00:17:52,443 to properly investigate this case, 300 00:17:52,467 --> 00:17:55,967 so they're going to continue to leave it as a missing person case. 301 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,300 [Shaun] The family, they're very desperate to find anything, 302 00:18:09,367 --> 00:18:13,100 so they've organized a foot search near Pepita's home. 303 00:18:14,367 --> 00:18:16,127 This is where we started our footwork search. 304 00:18:19,700 --> 00:18:23,743 The West Mesa area in Albuquerque, it is desert, 305 00:18:23,767 --> 00:18:27,066 just sand, and there's hills that go up and down. 306 00:18:28,266 --> 00:18:33,743 There's a lot of bushes, rocks, holes, caves, ditches. 307 00:18:33,767 --> 00:18:38,443 If you were to try to hide a body, that would be a perfect place, 308 00:18:38,467 --> 00:18:40,367 because it's in a remote area. 309 00:18:41,767 --> 00:18:45,100 {\an8}We did also ask the police, "Can we get cadaver dogs?" 310 00:18:45,166 --> 00:18:47,806 And they told us that people do dump big items of trash in the mesa. 311 00:18:52,100 --> 00:18:56,643 When we were doing our search, when we seen trash bags, we kind of opened them, 312 00:18:56,667 --> 00:19:00,843 and of course we used rubber gloves, and we used sticks to move things around. 313 00:19:00,867 --> 00:19:03,543 Let's see if we find anything. 314 00:19:03,567 --> 00:19:05,767 And that's kind of what we worked with. 315 00:19:21,900 --> 00:19:24,976 It's really hard to even think about it, 316 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:31,643 but it's something that we need to think about. 317 00:19:31,667 --> 00:19:35,266 Worst case scenario, she could be anywhere in this area. 318 00:19:39,500 --> 00:19:43,142 It's very heartbreaking not knowing what happened, 319 00:19:43,166 --> 00:19:46,166 and it's heartbreaking for me knowing we weren't there to help her, you know? 320 00:19:55,900 --> 00:20:00,976 [Shaun] On April 19, 2020, nearly a month after Pepita goes missing, 321 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:05,000 her boyfriend Nick files a missing persons report with police in Albuquerque. 322 00:20:05,066 --> 00:20:09,042 So, the documents that I do have in my hand 323 00:20:09,066 --> 00:20:13,900 are the original missing persons report that was filed by Nick 324 00:20:13,967 --> 00:20:16,000 to the Albuquerque Police Department. 325 00:20:17,467 --> 00:20:20,500 What Nicholas said was Pepita and him had an argument 326 00:20:20,567 --> 00:20:22,066 and she left on foot. 327 00:20:23,367 --> 00:20:27,300 Nicholas said that he had received a text message, 328 00:20:27,367 --> 00:20:34,200 and that that text said that she was with a gentleman by the name of Laramy. 329 00:20:34,266 --> 00:20:38,242 I asked police, "Was there any effort to find this Laramy person?" 330 00:20:38,266 --> 00:20:42,000 Or if they contacted, or if they know, or have located Laramy, 331 00:20:42,066 --> 00:20:44,142 and I got no response to that. 332 00:20:44,166 --> 00:20:46,000 Other than that he's not a suspect. 333 00:20:47,867 --> 00:20:50,643 It's very strange. 334 00:20:50,667 --> 00:20:54,843 There's a lot of issues here that police have yet to quite respond to, 335 00:20:54,867 --> 00:20:57,242 and ultimately, you just wonder, 336 00:20:57,266 --> 00:20:58,743 do they think they dropped the ball? 337 00:20:58,767 --> 00:21:02,200 Like, are they able to consider that perhaps they messed this case up? 338 00:21:02,266 --> 00:21:04,266 I don't think they would ever publicly admit it. 339 00:21:05,667 --> 00:21:07,443 [Anita] I didn't know the guy. 340 00:21:07,467 --> 00:21:10,000 It's the first time I heard about Laramy. 341 00:21:11,166 --> 00:21:13,266 I think Nick is lying. 342 00:21:14,767 --> 00:21:16,527 [Shelda] I told my mom, "Put it on Facebook." 343 00:21:17,467 --> 00:21:20,300 Say, "Hey, this is the last person that Nick claims 344 00:21:20,367 --> 00:21:22,443 Pepita was with at the time. 345 00:21:22,467 --> 00:21:24,443 Does anybody know Laramy?" 346 00:21:24,467 --> 00:21:27,767 Put 'em on Facebook and let it go. See what happens with it. 347 00:21:29,467 --> 00:21:32,443 [Anita] I had hopes. I had a good feeling 348 00:21:32,467 --> 00:21:36,242 that he was going to give the information of what happened. 349 00:21:36,266 --> 00:21:40,166 You know, "Oh, wow, it's gonna work this time. They're gonna find her." 350 00:21:49,300 --> 00:21:51,600 [Shelda] Laramy did get ahold of my mom. 351 00:21:51,667 --> 00:21:54,743 He basically told my mom, "I did know Pepita, 352 00:21:54,767 --> 00:21:56,343 {\an8}but I'm not with your daughter, 353 00:21:56,367 --> 00:21:57,743 {\an8}and I don't know where she is." 354 00:21:57,767 --> 00:22:03,000 {\an8}The last time he saw Pepita was March 10, 2020 on his birthday 355 00:22:03,066 --> 00:22:07,600 because Pepita bought him a cupcake and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. 356 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,543 He said she was with Nick. 357 00:22:12,567 --> 00:22:15,847 Nick started getting upset with Pita that she did buy a birthday cupcake for Laramy. 358 00:22:19,100 --> 00:22:20,333 So they started arguing. 359 00:22:21,500 --> 00:22:25,000 Laramy stated that he did see Nick strike Pepita. 360 00:22:27,667 --> 00:22:31,367 Laramy said he just left because he didn't want to cause any more problems. 361 00:22:32,300 --> 00:22:34,600 That was the last time he saw Pepita. 362 00:22:39,567 --> 00:22:43,800 [Darlene] After talking to the Albuquerque Police Department detectives 363 00:22:43,867 --> 00:22:44,867 working on this case, 364 00:22:45,367 --> 00:22:50,800 {\an8}it's my understanding that contact had not been made with Laramy. 365 00:22:50,867 --> 00:22:53,400 It's my belief that they did not look 366 00:22:53,467 --> 00:22:57,500 into Laramy's Facebook account, cell phone records. 367 00:22:57,567 --> 00:23:02,700 So I don't believe that they were able to determine if she was indeed with Laramy. 368 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,843 What I believe is that during that period of time, 369 00:23:08,867 --> 00:23:12,076 Pepita's family was not contacted at all, 370 00:23:12,100 --> 00:23:15,260 and there does not appear like there was any movement as far as getting warrants, 371 00:23:17,767 --> 00:23:21,500 and that the initial detective was getting ready to retire, 372 00:23:21,567 --> 00:23:27,500 so I believe that the case sat basically unlooked-at. 373 00:23:27,567 --> 00:23:31,700 I was so livid with everything that was going on with the officers. 374 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:37,200 It would have been nice if they would have got a statement from Laramy. 375 00:23:38,100 --> 00:23:41,343 Unfortunately, Laramy's deceased now. 376 00:23:41,367 --> 00:23:44,000 So it's a little late to ask him questions. 377 00:23:45,367 --> 00:23:47,976 The things they could have done from the beginning, 378 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,600 the evidence they could have found, 379 00:23:51,767 --> 00:23:52,800 {\an8}it's gone. 380 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:55,800 Very bad. 381 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:58,000 Very bad. 382 00:23:59,567 --> 00:24:03,100 We still haven't found any answers, any leads. 383 00:24:05,166 --> 00:24:08,166 And that got me mad, and it got me sad. 384 00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:11,667 [sniffles] 385 00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:18,800 On May 20, my mom did get a phone call 386 00:24:18,867 --> 00:24:22,242 from a young female stating that she did see Pepita. 387 00:24:22,266 --> 00:24:27,767 All the girl told us was, "Hey, Pepita is here at City Park." 388 00:24:28,767 --> 00:24:30,967 Click. That's all we had to go with. 389 00:24:36,100 --> 00:24:38,443 I dropped everything I was doing and I left, 390 00:24:38,467 --> 00:24:44,000 and I didn't bother, you know, like, following the speed limit or anything. 391 00:24:44,567 --> 00:24:47,743 I just said, "Okay, let's go. We gotta find her. 392 00:24:47,767 --> 00:24:49,527 Let's hurry and get there as fast as we can." 393 00:24:50,900 --> 00:24:53,500 It was an adrenaline rush. 394 00:24:53,567 --> 00:24:57,643 I was excited, I was like, "Maybe she is at the park. Maybe they did find her. 395 00:24:57,667 --> 00:25:01,300 Or, God forbid, maybe somebody left her there." 396 00:25:01,367 --> 00:25:04,142 I did not know what we were getting into. 397 00:25:04,166 --> 00:25:08,100 Our hope was just, "It is her. It's her. Let's go get her." 398 00:25:10,367 --> 00:25:14,000 We drove to the first place we thought City Park was. 399 00:25:15,567 --> 00:25:17,643 I look around the park. 400 00:25:17,667 --> 00:25:21,667 There was a couple drinking and she had her back turned. 401 00:25:22,567 --> 00:25:24,500 I ran to her. "Pita!" 402 00:25:24,567 --> 00:25:26,367 I started yelling her name from a distance. 403 00:25:27,500 --> 00:25:30,100 But there was no response. 404 00:25:30,166 --> 00:25:33,867 So I approached them, and clearly it was not Pita. 405 00:25:35,300 --> 00:25:37,142 I had a flyer, so I showed them, 406 00:25:37,166 --> 00:25:39,500 and they were like, "No, we don't know who she is. 407 00:25:39,567 --> 00:25:41,976 We don't know her. I'm sorry." 408 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,000 So I look through the rest of the park. 409 00:25:44,767 --> 00:25:45,976 No sign of her. 410 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,200 She's not here. 411 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,166 So, then I started thinking, 412 00:25:50,266 --> 00:25:52,743 "Go back on the Google and look for city parks. 413 00:25:52,767 --> 00:25:54,467 See if we're missing anything out." 414 00:25:55,900 --> 00:26:02,100 So, when I Googled "city park" on Google Maps, it was kind of odd. 415 00:26:02,166 --> 00:26:06,843 The icon on the map, it showed a spot in the middle of a hotel 416 00:26:06,867 --> 00:26:08,700 that said "City Park." 417 00:26:08,767 --> 00:26:11,066 But that's not what the hotel was called. 418 00:26:12,767 --> 00:26:14,127 I said, "What the [bleep] is this?" 419 00:26:14,567 --> 00:26:17,700 I said, "Well, screw it. Let's just go over there." 420 00:26:25,100 --> 00:26:30,343 I pulled in here, and if you look to the left when you first drive in, 421 00:26:30,367 --> 00:26:31,743 there's a tree right there. 422 00:26:31,767 --> 00:26:35,343 There was a young gentleman on a bicycle on his walkie-talkie 423 00:26:35,367 --> 00:26:38,000 watching everyone coming in. 424 00:26:38,066 --> 00:26:44,000 Very odd for someone to be watching the entrance of a hotel. 425 00:26:44,266 --> 00:26:47,743 The other one was over here by the trash dump. 426 00:26:47,767 --> 00:26:51,543 He was sitting there on his bicycle with the walkie-talkie. 427 00:26:51,567 --> 00:26:54,443 The third gentleman was standing right here by the tree 428 00:26:54,467 --> 00:26:57,300 with his bike also, and he also had a walkie-talkie. 429 00:26:58,100 --> 00:26:59,600 And I was like, "That's weird." 430 00:26:59,667 --> 00:27:03,900 Three guys around the motel, sitting there, just watching us. 431 00:27:03,967 --> 00:27:05,867 And they're watching everything that we did. 432 00:27:08,667 --> 00:27:12,076 And we continued to drive through here. 433 00:27:12,100 --> 00:27:14,000 We didn't see anyone outside at the time. 434 00:27:15,266 --> 00:27:16,667 There's no sign of her. 435 00:27:17,367 --> 00:27:19,076 Pita's not there. 436 00:27:19,100 --> 00:27:23,743 But there was vans lined up all the way right here. 437 00:27:23,767 --> 00:27:26,743 All the way up to maybe like right here. 438 00:27:26,767 --> 00:27:30,343 Different license plates throughout the States. 439 00:27:30,367 --> 00:27:33,242 And the vans were with dark-tinted windows. 440 00:27:33,266 --> 00:27:34,667 No logos on the vans. 441 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:42,667 I'm scared. I didn't feel comfortable being there. 442 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,467 The vibe that you get from that place is not good. 443 00:27:47,100 --> 00:27:50,000 And we just left. 444 00:27:50,066 --> 00:27:56,500 What scared me a lot was that I know that human trafficking does happen in Albuquerque. 445 00:27:56,567 --> 00:28:00,967 That's what made me afraid of, you know, "What if?" 446 00:28:03,567 --> 00:28:07,700 {\an8}My name is Raul Torrez. I'm the Bernalillo County district attorney. 447 00:28:07,767 --> 00:28:11,142 My office has been involved in the recovery of people 448 00:28:11,166 --> 00:28:13,066 who've been the victims of human trafficking. 449 00:28:14,100 --> 00:28:16,843 We're less than 500 miles from the border, 450 00:28:16,867 --> 00:28:20,200 we're at the intersection of two Interstate Highway Systems, 451 00:28:20,266 --> 00:28:23,076 and we have cartels, who we know are engaged 452 00:28:23,100 --> 00:28:25,976 not only in smuggling firearms and narcotics, 453 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,300 but also engaged in moving human beings, 454 00:28:28,367 --> 00:28:32,976 trading them and using them, oftentimes in the sex trade, 455 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:38,166 or for basically indentured service to other people. 456 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,843 [Shaun] Pepita could very well be a victim of human trafficking. 457 00:28:43,867 --> 00:28:44,867 {\an8}We ultimately don't know. 458 00:28:45,567 --> 00:28:48,443 {\an8}When there's so little information that's come out of this case, 459 00:28:48,467 --> 00:28:50,567 {\an8}you start to speculate on every scenario. 460 00:28:52,100 --> 00:28:55,367 {\an8}I just prayed for her, that she's safe. 461 00:28:56,967 --> 00:29:00,543 [Shelda] It's heartbreaking to know that she's still out there. 462 00:29:00,567 --> 00:29:02,543 We don't know what shape she's in. 463 00:29:02,567 --> 00:29:04,400 We don't know if she's okay. 464 00:29:04,467 --> 00:29:06,242 We're looking for answers. 465 00:29:06,266 --> 00:29:08,100 And we won't give up on her. 466 00:29:08,900 --> 00:29:10,567 We just want her home. 467 00:29:12,467 --> 00:29:16,242 {\an8}[narrator] Pepita Redhair was last seen on March 24, 2020. 468 00:29:16,266 --> 00:29:18,843 {\an8}If you have any information, please contact 469 00:29:18,867 --> 00:29:25,266 {\an8}Bernalillo County District Attorney's office at 505-222-1101. 470 00:29:32,767 --> 00:29:36,743 [Shaun] At the end of May, Pepita had been missing for more than two months, 471 00:29:36,767 --> 00:29:38,743 {\an8}and the family was able to contact Nick 472 00:29:38,767 --> 00:29:41,007 {\an8}and arrange a time to pick up her belongings at the house. 473 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,700 [Shelda] I do have Pepita's clothes here. 474 00:29:46,767 --> 00:29:49,543 {\an8}This is the set of clothes that Pepita was wearing 475 00:29:49,567 --> 00:29:53,042 {\an8}over the weekend, the weekend before she went missing. 476 00:29:53,066 --> 00:29:56,843 [Shaun] The family had an idea that by putting her belongings in a plastic bag, 477 00:29:56,867 --> 00:30:00,400 maybe this could be used as evidence or could be turned over to police. 478 00:30:00,467 --> 00:30:02,343 This is just an assumption that they made, 479 00:30:02,367 --> 00:30:06,343 and it's not quite sure if that's ever gonna happen or ever did happen. 480 00:30:06,367 --> 00:30:07,543 [Shelda] And there's a T-shirt, 481 00:30:07,567 --> 00:30:10,467 a black T-shirt in here, and a black pair of jeans. 482 00:30:11,467 --> 00:30:13,700 This bag of clothes of Pepita... 483 00:30:19,900 --> 00:30:22,700 just makes you wonder where she is. 484 00:30:25,300 --> 00:30:27,567 Where are you? Come home. 485 00:30:28,166 --> 00:30:29,543 What happened to you? 486 00:30:29,567 --> 00:30:33,567 All the questions when you, when I pick up this bag. 487 00:30:37,300 --> 00:30:39,767 The questions you wanna ask. 488 00:30:46,100 --> 00:30:47,600 We just want closure. 489 00:30:49,100 --> 00:30:50,333 We want her home. 490 00:30:57,767 --> 00:31:00,843 I did take my sister's clothes to the medicine man 491 00:31:00,867 --> 00:31:03,743 to do a Navajo ceremony. 492 00:31:03,767 --> 00:31:06,367 What they do is they do a fire, 493 00:31:09,367 --> 00:31:11,000 and then from the fire, the, 494 00:31:11,567 --> 00:31:14,443 it's called tiid, it turns into ash. 495 00:31:14,467 --> 00:31:18,142 Before it turns into ash, the medicine man removes it, 496 00:31:18,166 --> 00:31:19,843 and they use that smoke 497 00:31:19,867 --> 00:31:23,367 to see the scene of a loved one. 498 00:31:27,667 --> 00:31:31,943 Through singing and the chanting, and then the smoke going up, 499 00:31:31,967 --> 00:31:36,743 they have the ability to find out if she's still on Earth or if she's not on Earth, 500 00:31:36,767 --> 00:31:38,166 and where she could be. 501 00:31:40,867 --> 00:31:42,427 He did tell us that she is still living. 502 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,100 But she's being held against her will. 503 00:31:49,100 --> 00:31:52,643 That she's in a dark room is all he saw, 504 00:31:52,667 --> 00:31:54,266 and all she does is write. 505 00:31:55,066 --> 00:31:57,100 I don't know what I felt, I just... 506 00:31:59,767 --> 00:32:01,543 There's just no words for it. 507 00:32:01,567 --> 00:32:04,967 How, how you feel when you get information like that. 508 00:32:06,467 --> 00:32:08,667 He did give us hope that she is alive. 509 00:32:14,900 --> 00:32:16,843 And then soon after that, 510 00:32:16,867 --> 00:32:20,843 we did get another phone call of another sighting of Pepita 511 00:32:20,867 --> 00:32:24,843 outside of a supermarket on Juan Tabo Boulevard. 512 00:32:24,867 --> 00:32:26,867 I was like, "Oh, my God, I hope it's her." 513 00:32:35,100 --> 00:32:36,900 So I left work. 514 00:32:36,967 --> 00:32:40,843 I like totally dropped doing what I was doing, went over there, 515 00:32:40,867 --> 00:32:43,027 and there was a young lady that was crossing the street 516 00:32:43,967 --> 00:32:46,367 away from the supermarket. 517 00:32:47,166 --> 00:32:48,967 It looked like her from a distance. 518 00:32:50,100 --> 00:32:52,300 That's where she was crossing, was right here. 519 00:32:52,967 --> 00:32:53,976 And I chased her. 520 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:57,242 I saw her coming and I was driving, 521 00:32:57,266 --> 00:33:01,100 and I turned around, but she walked a little bit faster. 522 00:33:01,166 --> 00:33:04,100 I parked at the Rodeway Inn and I ran after her. 523 00:33:05,266 --> 00:33:07,076 And I said, "Pepita!" 524 00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:09,200 I was like, "Hey, stop," you know. 525 00:33:09,266 --> 00:33:11,066 And she finally stopped and she turned around, 526 00:33:12,166 --> 00:33:16,943 and oh, my God, the spit image of her. 527 00:33:16,967 --> 00:33:19,743 Was, I was actually looking at her. 528 00:33:19,767 --> 00:33:22,667 It is a spit image of her face, 529 00:33:23,467 --> 00:33:25,743 however she's taller, 530 00:33:25,767 --> 00:33:29,000 and she has no moles and her hair was longer. 531 00:33:30,467 --> 00:33:33,700 I was like, "Oh, my God, you look like my sister." 532 00:33:33,767 --> 00:33:36,076 She was, "I know, people's been telling me that." 533 00:33:36,100 --> 00:33:39,543 And she said people did approach her a couple of times already, 534 00:33:39,567 --> 00:33:41,687 and told her, "Pepita, your family's looking for you." 535 00:33:42,166 --> 00:33:43,543 Pepita, go home." 536 00:33:43,567 --> 00:33:46,042 And she told them, "I'm not Pepita." 537 00:33:46,066 --> 00:33:48,343 That's when I know, I said, "Oh, my God," I said, 538 00:33:48,367 --> 00:33:51,300 "you're the one that people's been calling us about, 539 00:33:51,367 --> 00:33:53,242 that you are Pepita." 540 00:33:53,266 --> 00:33:54,300 [phone rings] 541 00:33:56,100 --> 00:33:58,100 I called my mom and told her, 542 00:33:58,166 --> 00:34:01,200 "I found that person that they were talking about. 543 00:34:01,266 --> 00:34:04,367 That girl is well aware of Pepita being missing, 544 00:34:05,467 --> 00:34:07,500 and they think they mistake her of her. 545 00:34:08,500 --> 00:34:10,367 But, Mom, it's not her. 546 00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:13,767 It's not her." And she broke down. [sniffles] 547 00:34:17,266 --> 00:34:18,643 It's frustrating 548 00:34:18,667 --> 00:34:21,343 when we did get these leads 549 00:34:21,367 --> 00:34:25,042 and stopping and going and rushing over there, 550 00:34:25,066 --> 00:34:27,166 and not finding anything is... 551 00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:29,200 discouraging. 552 00:34:30,166 --> 00:34:31,400 Very discouraging. 553 00:34:33,667 --> 00:34:35,867 We kind of gave up a little bit. 554 00:34:37,767 --> 00:34:40,700 [Shaun] Pepita has now been missing for about a year and a half 555 00:34:40,767 --> 00:34:41,927 with no coverage on local TV. 556 00:34:43,166 --> 00:34:46,242 And on September 11th, 2021, 557 00:34:46,266 --> 00:34:48,567 a major case of a missing person breaks. 558 00:34:49,767 --> 00:34:52,042 Young white woman named Gabby Petito 559 00:34:52,066 --> 00:34:55,900 was reported missing and makes national news. 560 00:34:55,967 --> 00:34:59,000 You couldn't go anywhere without catching an update on the case. 561 00:34:59,066 --> 00:35:02,343 [Evan] Gabrielle's 5'5", 110 pounds. 562 00:35:02,367 --> 00:35:03,743 Her YouTube video... 563 00:35:03,767 --> 00:35:08,400 I think our plan for today is to just hang out. 564 00:35:08,467 --> 00:35:11,000 [Evan] ...showcases life on the road. 565 00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:15,543 I remember watching Gabby Petito's story on the news. 566 00:35:15,567 --> 00:35:19,042 {\an8}The FBI is involved in this search as are police in New York, 567 00:35:19,066 --> 00:35:21,900 {\an8}which just shows how wide ranging and far reaching 568 00:35:21,967 --> 00:35:24,343 {\an8}this investigation is. 569 00:35:24,367 --> 00:35:28,643 I was upset because she got a lot of immediate attention 570 00:35:28,667 --> 00:35:31,343 to get assistance to help finding her. 571 00:35:31,367 --> 00:35:34,467 Plus the fact that she's white and she's on TikTok. 572 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,400 That's what really upset me. 573 00:35:37,467 --> 00:35:41,000 How did it get so big in the media 574 00:35:41,266 --> 00:35:45,600 versus Pepita here, my sister, why? 575 00:35:45,667 --> 00:35:48,443 You know, that was my question, was, "Why?" 576 00:35:48,467 --> 00:35:51,142 Why couldn't you guys help us when we asked? 577 00:35:51,166 --> 00:35:53,943 [Shaun] What they saw in the Gabby Petito case, 578 00:35:53,967 --> 00:35:56,900 was nice white woman goes missing, 579 00:35:56,967 --> 00:36:00,142 and the system, the mechanisms of media and law enforcement 580 00:36:00,166 --> 00:36:01,443 were moving quickly 581 00:36:01,467 --> 00:36:03,400 in a way that they had been trying to get going. 582 00:36:03,467 --> 00:36:07,076 So a little sense of outrage in how quickly it happened for somebody else 583 00:36:07,100 --> 00:36:08,166 who's different than them. 584 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:11,880 What caught my attention too was like the names. 585 00:36:13,667 --> 00:36:17,700 Gabby, her last name was almost similar as Pepita's. 586 00:36:19,100 --> 00:36:21,400 I thought, "That's a sign." 587 00:36:21,467 --> 00:36:23,100 We're not gonna give up. 588 00:36:23,166 --> 00:36:25,943 I'm going to go back out there with my mom, 589 00:36:25,967 --> 00:36:27,500 and say, "Hey, 590 00:36:27,567 --> 00:36:29,500 Pepita's story needs to be heard." 591 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:45,443 {\an8}On October 3rd, 2021, 592 00:36:45,467 --> 00:36:48,142 {\an8}we did a rally to get assistance 593 00:36:48,166 --> 00:36:50,667 {\an8}to help find my sister Pepita Redhair. 594 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:53,843 {\an8}Part of the things that I did for her were 595 00:36:53,867 --> 00:36:57,142 {\an8}getting guest speakers, getting donations for food, 596 00:36:57,166 --> 00:36:58,867 doing press releases. 597 00:37:01,867 --> 00:37:04,743 {\an8}I wanted to give other family members, 598 00:37:04,767 --> 00:37:06,047 {\an8}other who had missing loved ones 599 00:37:07,367 --> 00:37:09,667 {\an8}the opportunity to also speak. 600 00:37:10,867 --> 00:37:14,142 {\an8}And so we had just this tremendous turn out 601 00:37:14,166 --> 00:37:17,000 {\an8}of families that had never been able to have a voice. 602 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:24,400 We had balloons with everybody's names, 603 00:37:25,667 --> 00:37:27,400 and we took a moment of silence. 604 00:37:28,900 --> 00:37:31,367 It was very emotional for these families. 605 00:37:33,266 --> 00:37:35,000 But it also gave them hope 606 00:37:35,367 --> 00:37:36,900 that they were not alone. 607 00:37:39,367 --> 00:37:43,042 {\an8}[Raul] We owe it to one another to do everything that we can, 608 00:37:43,066 --> 00:37:45,743 to make sure that these women come home. 609 00:37:45,767 --> 00:37:49,643 One of the really fabulous things that occurred 610 00:37:49,667 --> 00:37:53,867 is that District Attorney Raul Torrez agreed to take this case. 611 00:37:55,266 --> 00:37:57,643 [Raul] We met with Pepita Redhair's family 612 00:37:57,667 --> 00:37:58,767 and they shared with us 613 00:37:59,567 --> 00:38:01,242 {\an8}their frustration with the fact 614 00:38:01,266 --> 00:38:05,000 {\an8}that the epidemic of violence against native women, 615 00:38:05,367 --> 00:38:08,400 {\an8}the alarming rate at which they disappear 616 00:38:08,467 --> 00:38:10,743 largely gets ignored. 617 00:38:10,767 --> 00:38:14,643 In 2017, it was reported that there were 5,700 missing 618 00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:17,242 and murdered indigenous woman nationwide. 619 00:38:17,266 --> 00:38:20,843 Over a five-year period, just in the state of New Mexico, 620 00:38:20,867 --> 00:38:26,900 there were over 660 reported missing and murdered indigenous women. 621 00:38:26,967 --> 00:38:31,600 There is the idea that not everyone in this country is getting equal justice. 622 00:38:32,667 --> 00:38:34,543 We need to be in a position 623 00:38:34,567 --> 00:38:36,007 where we value all of these families. 624 00:38:38,066 --> 00:38:41,800 It doesn't matter what you look like or where you come from, 625 00:38:41,867 --> 00:38:43,443 we care about you 626 00:38:43,467 --> 00:38:46,967 and we're going to go to every length that we can to recover your loved one. 627 00:38:48,300 --> 00:38:52,800 We've assigned two investigators to work on Pepita's case. 628 00:38:52,867 --> 00:38:54,343 [Darlene] The district attorney's office 629 00:38:54,367 --> 00:38:57,743 and I also believe the Albuquerque Police Department's 630 00:38:57,767 --> 00:39:01,976 able to get warrants for electronic media. 631 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:05,000 They were able to get warrants for telephones. 632 00:39:05,467 --> 00:39:08,000 They were able to look at truck stops, 633 00:39:08,066 --> 00:39:11,643 and some other places Pepita frequented. 634 00:39:11,667 --> 00:39:14,600 They were able to talk with the FBI. 635 00:39:14,667 --> 00:39:18,300 They also were able to get DNA swabs 636 00:39:18,367 --> 00:39:24,643 they were used to try to help identify the DNA makeup of Pepita. 637 00:39:24,667 --> 00:39:29,066 They went to the morgue to see if anyone matched that description. 638 00:39:30,500 --> 00:39:34,843 And then they were able also to look at some of the evidence 639 00:39:34,867 --> 00:39:36,387 that was brought in by Pepita's family. 640 00:39:37,467 --> 00:39:39,367 They were able to take statements. 641 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:45,800 [Shelda] What I would like to see is a thorough search of Nick's home. 642 00:39:45,867 --> 00:39:49,500 And I would like a search to be done on the West Mesa area. 643 00:39:52,367 --> 00:39:55,300 A year and a half is a very long gap 644 00:39:55,367 --> 00:40:00,142 for us in terms of the timeline that we usually like to engage in. 645 00:40:00,166 --> 00:40:01,800 We remain optimistic, 646 00:40:01,867 --> 00:40:04,967 but at this point I don't have any clear answers about what happened to her. 647 00:40:08,667 --> 00:40:13,900 [Darlene] I am extremely proud that Anita King is able to tell her story today. 648 00:40:13,967 --> 00:40:16,900 Because this has not happened 649 00:40:16,967 --> 00:40:20,943 hardly in any murdered missing indigenous women cases, 650 00:40:20,967 --> 00:40:23,343 but does it stop here? No. 651 00:40:23,367 --> 00:40:25,543 We're going to continue to find answers, 652 00:40:25,567 --> 00:40:27,367 and find justice for Pepita. 653 00:40:29,100 --> 00:40:31,066 [Anita] I miss my daughter, Pepita. 654 00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:33,976 {\an8}I miss her smile. 655 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,440 {\an8}She's always in my heart and my mind. 656 00:40:36,967 --> 00:40:39,443 I'm not gonna stop, I'm gonna keep going. 657 00:40:39,467 --> 00:40:42,042 I'm going to keep talking to medias. 658 00:40:42,066 --> 00:40:44,242 I'mma put her name out there. 659 00:40:44,266 --> 00:40:46,343 Put her picture out there. 660 00:40:46,367 --> 00:40:49,343 If you've heard something, if you've seen something, 661 00:40:49,367 --> 00:40:50,900 please say something. 662 00:40:51,900 --> 00:40:53,467 I want my daughter home. 663 00:40:57,266 --> 00:40:59,643 [Shelda] When I'm in town, I'll drive by, 664 00:40:59,667 --> 00:41:02,400 and I'll look, I'll look around the area. 665 00:41:02,467 --> 00:41:03,743 I'll look at the bus stops 666 00:41:03,767 --> 00:41:05,000 and I'll still hand out fliers 667 00:41:06,667 --> 00:41:08,200 to people that are outside. 668 00:41:08,266 --> 00:41:10,367 I'll let them know that she's still missing. 669 00:41:11,567 --> 00:41:14,042 It's sad to come back this way. 670 00:41:14,066 --> 00:41:16,500 Because all you want is answers. 671 00:41:16,567 --> 00:41:18,500 And we still go home empty handed. 672 00:41:21,667 --> 00:41:23,166 [Shelda] I just wait every day. 673 00:41:25,166 --> 00:41:28,600 I just talk to her when I'm cooking, when I'm cleaning. 674 00:41:30,066 --> 00:41:31,843 {\an8}You know, Pita, where are you? 675 00:41:31,867 --> 00:41:33,500 {\an8}Show me where you're at. 676 00:41:33,567 --> 00:41:34,867 {\an8}At least call me. 677 00:41:37,367 --> 00:41:38,867 {\an8}I tell her, I'm not giving up. 678 00:41:39,767 --> 00:41:41,743 {\an8}I'm gonna make sure 679 00:41:41,767 --> 00:41:45,000 {\an8}one way or the other, you come home or we find out. 680 00:41:45,767 --> 00:41:47,100 {\an8}We're gonna find you, 681 00:41:47,867 --> 00:41:49,300 {\an8}one way or the other. 682 00:41:49,367 --> 00:41:50,867 {\an8}If we have to wait forever, 683 00:41:51,667 --> 00:41:52,667 {\an8}then we will.