1 00:00:02,300 --> 00:00:06,142 [narrator] Kirsten Brueggeman disappeared on January 2, 2021. 2 00:00:06,166 --> 00:00:09,042 [Lisa] I woke up at midnight, look at my phone. 3 00:00:09,066 --> 00:00:11,743 I text Kirsten, "Are you okay?" 4 00:00:11,767 --> 00:00:15,943 Her phone was turned off and she didn't show up to work. 5 00:00:15,967 --> 00:00:20,076 {\an8}- [dispatcher speaking on phone] - [Lisa speaking on phone] 6 00:00:20,100 --> 00:00:23,343 [narrator] Her family is desperate for answers. 7 00:00:23,367 --> 00:00:26,900 [Rex] So we decided to go out and find our daughter ourselves. 8 00:00:26,967 --> 00:00:30,242 Nothing else matters until we get this solved. 9 00:00:30,266 --> 00:00:31,386 We began walking along here. 10 00:00:32,667 --> 00:00:35,142 I remember that sickening feeling that, 11 00:00:35,166 --> 00:00:41,976 "What am I going to do if I look down and I see my daughter?" 12 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:47,800 [narrator] This episode of Disappeared retraces Kirsten's last known steps. 13 00:00:47,867 --> 00:00:49,900 [Nicole] The video, it showed Kirsten 14 00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:53,600 having a verbal argument out in the parking lot. 15 00:00:53,667 --> 00:00:57,943 And right there, she's gone. She's not seen again. 16 00:00:57,967 --> 00:01:01,000 [Lisa] Watching that video was very difficult. 17 00:01:01,166 --> 00:01:04,700 Where is she? Where did she go? 18 00:01:04,767 --> 00:01:08,142 I'm afraid. I'm very afraid. 19 00:01:08,166 --> 00:01:10,643 [narrator] The more people who know Kirsten's story, 20 00:01:10,667 --> 00:01:13,600 the greater the chance of bringing her home. 21 00:01:13,667 --> 00:01:17,100 Share on social media. Get the word out. 22 00:01:17,166 --> 00:01:19,600 Help find her. 23 00:01:19,667 --> 00:01:21,700 {\an8}Have you seen Kirsten Brueggeman? 24 00:01:38,300 --> 00:01:40,200 [Lisa] I'm Lisa Brueggeman. 25 00:01:40,266 --> 00:01:42,976 Kirsten Brueggeman is my daughter. 26 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,843 Kirsten is our only daughter. 27 00:01:45,867 --> 00:01:49,343 It's January 1, 2021. 28 00:01:49,367 --> 00:01:53,242 Kirsten is working a shift at a pizza restaurant. 29 00:01:53,266 --> 00:01:56,343 {\an8}I told her, "I'll pick you up tonight." 30 00:01:56,367 --> 00:01:59,867 {\an8}I said, "Just let me know about when." Because she was closing. 31 00:02:01,567 --> 00:02:04,042 {\an8}She came back with a text that said, 32 00:02:04,066 --> 00:02:07,543 {\an8}"I'm going to meet some friends." 33 00:02:07,567 --> 00:02:11,843 {\an8}So I texted back and said, "Be careful, you know, be good." 34 00:02:11,867 --> 00:02:13,667 And she said, "I will." 35 00:02:16,967 --> 00:02:20,242 I woke up around midnight, 36 00:02:20,266 --> 00:02:22,200 look at my phone. 37 00:02:22,266 --> 00:02:25,042 See there's nothing there from Kirsten. 38 00:02:25,066 --> 00:02:29,743 I text her, "Are you okay?" I get no response. 39 00:02:29,767 --> 00:02:31,000 I call her. 40 00:02:31,767 --> 00:02:34,900 Her phone goes 41 00:02:34,967 --> 00:02:37,600 directly to voicemail. 42 00:02:37,667 --> 00:02:42,343 I'm laying in bed, but I'm certainly not sleeping. 43 00:02:42,367 --> 00:02:46,543 I continue probably about every ten minutes 44 00:02:46,567 --> 00:02:49,800 to call Kirsten, with no response. 45 00:02:51,567 --> 00:02:54,242 At this point, I'm worried. 46 00:02:54,266 --> 00:02:58,500 I just know something is wrong. Call it mother's intuition. 47 00:02:58,567 --> 00:03:01,000 I know something bad is happening. 48 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,800 Kirsten will be 28 in just a couple of weeks. 49 00:03:11,867 --> 00:03:15,142 She had always been very intelligent, 50 00:03:15,166 --> 00:03:18,800 but she just kind of lost her way, I think, in high school. 51 00:03:21,066 --> 00:03:23,443 Had issues with grades, 52 00:03:23,467 --> 00:03:26,166 but she still graduated with honors. 53 00:03:28,467 --> 00:03:31,000 Kirsten's lived with us for the last year. 54 00:03:31,467 --> 00:03:36,700 She didn't have a car. I had to be taking her back and forth to work. 55 00:03:37,867 --> 00:03:39,667 {\an8}[Kirsten speaking] 56 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,100 [Lisa] She is a force. 57 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,300 {\an8}Can be stubborn, 58 00:03:53,367 --> 00:03:56,743 and I think I can say that from the very beginning, 59 00:03:56,767 --> 00:04:01,000 because when I went into labor with her, she was actually sitting. 60 00:04:01,767 --> 00:04:05,567 She didn't want to come out, and so I had to have a C-section. 61 00:04:06,900 --> 00:04:09,900 She's not an angel, but she's our angel. 62 00:04:14,467 --> 00:04:18,467 {\an8}[Rex] I'm Rex Brueggeman, I'm Kirsten Brueggeman's father. 63 00:04:19,767 --> 00:04:22,266 She was just an ordinary American girl. 64 00:04:23,867 --> 00:04:26,343 She loved to have fun. 65 00:04:26,367 --> 00:04:30,567 Kirsten is a very loving person that enjoyed life. 66 00:04:34,166 --> 00:04:37,343 [Lisa] I did work for the Marion County Probation Department. 67 00:04:37,367 --> 00:04:43,042 Rex was working for the Justice Department through Marion County. 68 00:04:43,066 --> 00:04:46,000 He then later joined Probation. 69 00:04:46,066 --> 00:04:49,567 We were married while we were both at the Probation Department. 70 00:04:50,867 --> 00:04:53,867 We live in Indiana, 71 00:04:54,767 --> 00:04:57,543 in a suburb called Lawrence. 72 00:04:57,567 --> 00:05:01,000 It's a little incorporated town. 73 00:05:02,500 --> 00:05:04,943 It does have some issues, 74 00:05:04,967 --> 00:05:09,266 but the schools have a good reputation and it's a good place. 75 00:05:13,567 --> 00:05:18,443 [Lisa] Saturday morning, Kirsten is still not home. Her phone is still off. 76 00:05:18,467 --> 00:05:20,943 I decide to contact Eddie. 77 00:05:20,967 --> 00:05:26,242 Kirsten is very secretive about her friends and who she's with. 78 00:05:26,266 --> 00:05:31,000 So we did not know many of her actual friends other than Eddie. 79 00:05:33,266 --> 00:05:37,242 {\an8}[Eddie] I'm Eddie, Kirsten Brueggeman's ex-boyfriend, 80 00:05:37,266 --> 00:05:40,367 and I was with Kirsten Brueggeman the night she disappeared. 81 00:05:43,867 --> 00:05:46,643 Kirsten and I dated for about ten years off and on. 82 00:05:46,667 --> 00:05:48,943 We weren't together anymore. We were just friends. 83 00:05:48,967 --> 00:05:50,600 But we kind of have, like, still... 84 00:05:50,667 --> 00:05:53,343 like once a week, we'd, like, go do something. 85 00:05:53,367 --> 00:05:57,100 That night, Kirsten calls me. She says, "Hey, it's New Year's. 86 00:05:57,166 --> 00:05:59,142 Let's go out and do something." 87 00:05:59,166 --> 00:06:01,486 I get off of work around, I want to say, ten o'clock, 10:30, 88 00:06:03,066 --> 00:06:07,000 and my plan was to actually meet Kirsten and some friends at a bar. 89 00:06:10,166 --> 00:06:15,100 [Lisa] I message Eddie to ask if he knows where Kirsten is. 90 00:06:15,166 --> 00:06:20,000 And I responded, "No. I expected her to be home." 91 00:06:20,066 --> 00:06:22,900 So her mother says, "Well, she's not here." 92 00:06:24,700 --> 00:06:29,343 [Lisa] He messages back that he was with her the night before 93 00:06:29,367 --> 00:06:31,287 with some friends at a bar that previous evening, 94 00:06:35,367 --> 00:06:40,667 and she took off and he didn't know where she had gone. 95 00:06:44,567 --> 00:06:48,976 I tell him that her phone is off and I can't reach her 96 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:50,843 and that I'm really getting scared. 97 00:06:50,867 --> 00:06:54,142 I didn't quite understand what had happened, 98 00:06:54,166 --> 00:06:58,042 but I kind of figured that maybe they had an argument 99 00:06:58,066 --> 00:07:01,000 and Kirsten went her way and they went their way. 100 00:07:03,467 --> 00:07:07,743 But what I couldn't understand is why Kirsten didn't contact us 101 00:07:07,767 --> 00:07:11,400 to come get her, or why even Eddie didn't call us. 102 00:07:17,266 --> 00:07:19,643 [Eddie] I immediately went out and started, like, 103 00:07:19,667 --> 00:07:23,166 retracing anywhere and everywhere I thought she would be. 104 00:07:25,900 --> 00:07:29,166 Everything from dumpster areas 105 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:31,000 to weird alleys, 106 00:07:33,066 --> 00:07:35,843 and then asking anyone and everyone if they had seen her, 107 00:07:35,867 --> 00:07:38,100 seen anything, heard anything. 108 00:07:39,467 --> 00:07:43,543 [Lisa] So about an hour later, around 11:40 a.m., 109 00:07:43,567 --> 00:07:49,367 he messages back and says that he looked around and he could not find her. 110 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,242 I was almost sick to my stomach. 111 00:07:55,266 --> 00:07:58,066 Something bad has... has really happened. 112 00:08:00,467 --> 00:08:02,267 [Rex] My wife said, "Kirsten's still not home. 113 00:08:02,967 --> 00:08:05,800 I'm having a bad feeling about this." 114 00:08:05,867 --> 00:08:10,142 And I tell her, "Maybe she shut her phone off. Maybe she misplaced her phone. 115 00:08:10,166 --> 00:08:11,543 Maybe the battery went dead. 116 00:08:11,567 --> 00:08:13,266 You know, just give it a little more time." 117 00:08:15,667 --> 00:08:20,643 [Lisa] At about 3:30, I called the pizza restaurant where she worked 118 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:25,000 because I knew that she was scheduled to work that afternoon. 119 00:08:26,867 --> 00:08:29,443 I talked with the owner-manager, 120 00:08:29,467 --> 00:08:31,000 who said Kirsten had not shown up 121 00:08:32,767 --> 00:08:35,543 nor had there been any contact from her. 122 00:08:35,567 --> 00:08:37,743 [Rex] Kirsten very rarely missed work 123 00:08:37,767 --> 00:08:39,467 unless she had a very good reason. 124 00:08:41,367 --> 00:08:42,443 Okay. 125 00:08:42,467 --> 00:08:46,643 [Lisa] Kirsten has a dog, Tifa. 126 00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:49,643 She is the sweetest dog. 127 00:08:49,667 --> 00:08:51,567 Kirsten just loved her. 128 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:57,076 [Rex] Kirsten always loved animals. 129 00:08:57,100 --> 00:08:58,943 That's one of the things that makes me believe 130 00:08:58,967 --> 00:09:01,000 that she did not disappear 131 00:09:01,867 --> 00:09:05,643 or go missing voluntarily. 132 00:09:05,667 --> 00:09:07,867 She never would have left her dog. 133 00:09:08,767 --> 00:09:11,142 {\an8}[dispatcher speaking on phone] 134 00:09:11,166 --> 00:09:14,200 {\an8}[Lisa speaking on phone] 135 00:09:17,467 --> 00:09:21,142 [Lisa] It was about 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, January 3, 136 00:09:21,166 --> 00:09:25,142 when I called the Indianapolis Metro Police Department 137 00:09:25,166 --> 00:09:28,000 to make a missing persons report. 138 00:09:28,066 --> 00:09:30,242 {\an8}[dispatcher speaking on phone] 139 00:09:30,266 --> 00:09:32,466 {\an8}-[Lisa speaking on phone] -[dispatcher on phone] Mmm-hmm. 140 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,443 {\an8}[Lisa speaking on phone] 141 00:09:35,467 --> 00:09:40,700 I think calling the police and making that report 142 00:09:40,767 --> 00:09:43,100 made it extremely real. 143 00:09:45,567 --> 00:09:49,242 It just seemed surrealistic to me that my wife 144 00:09:49,266 --> 00:09:51,343 is actually on the phone calling the police 145 00:09:51,367 --> 00:09:55,076 to report our daughter missing. 146 00:09:55,100 --> 00:09:56,976 The feeling in the pit of your stomach 147 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,242 when you know something's happened to one of your children 148 00:09:59,266 --> 00:10:01,626 and you don't know what, and there's nothing that you can do, 149 00:10:03,767 --> 00:10:07,066 that helpless feeling, it... it made me sick, you know? 150 00:10:08,967 --> 00:10:11,076 {\an8}[dispatcher speaking on phone] 151 00:10:11,100 --> 00:10:13,000 {\an8}[Lisa speaking on phone] 152 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,543 [Lisa] The police took all that information 153 00:10:25,567 --> 00:10:27,800 and indicated it would be assigned 154 00:10:27,867 --> 00:10:30,743 to a detective the following day on Monday. 155 00:10:30,767 --> 00:10:32,847 And that just... it seemed like the longest wait ever. 156 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,843 [Rex] So we decided to go out and find our daughter ourselves. 157 00:10:39,867 --> 00:10:43,000 Nothing else matters until we get this solved. 158 00:10:49,567 --> 00:10:53,700 [Lisa] On Monday, January 4, Rex and I decide to drive over 159 00:10:53,767 --> 00:10:57,200 to the bar where she was last seen 160 00:10:57,266 --> 00:10:59,767 and look around the surrounding area. 161 00:11:02,300 --> 00:11:05,142 [Rex] You know, we began walking along here 162 00:11:05,166 --> 00:11:10,076 just trying to see if there was anything at all that would be a clue 163 00:11:10,100 --> 00:11:12,242 to what happened to her, 164 00:11:12,266 --> 00:11:15,242 to see if we could find something that belonged to her 165 00:11:15,266 --> 00:11:17,667 or her clothing. 166 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:23,300 This is the mattress I found when we were walking that day, 167 00:11:23,367 --> 00:11:26,643 and I had this fear that I was going to find 168 00:11:26,667 --> 00:11:28,800 something under there I didn't want to see, 169 00:11:28,867 --> 00:11:31,307 but I picked it up, fortunately, there was nothing under there. 170 00:11:35,767 --> 00:11:38,443 That's when one thing in particular caught my eye, 171 00:11:38,467 --> 00:11:40,467 and that was like a drainage ditch. 172 00:11:42,166 --> 00:11:46,743 This is a rather lengthy stretch of drainage ditch. 173 00:11:46,767 --> 00:11:51,443 So we had a little bit of area to cover, and at one point we split. 174 00:11:51,467 --> 00:11:53,643 I was over there on the north side 175 00:11:53,667 --> 00:11:55,543 and Lisa was over here on the south side 176 00:11:55,567 --> 00:11:59,100 and we're walking along, looking down into the water. 177 00:12:00,867 --> 00:12:03,067 And immediately I remember thinking, "Oh, God, you know, 178 00:12:04,166 --> 00:12:07,543 if somebody did something terrible to her, 179 00:12:07,567 --> 00:12:10,142 that would probably, to me anyway, 180 00:12:10,166 --> 00:12:12,867 would be a logical place to ditch a body." 181 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,976 This is basically what I did back then. 182 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,976 I just picked up stuff and moved it, turning things over. 183 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:27,567 I had a stick and I was poking around, looking in the water. 184 00:12:29,467 --> 00:12:31,000 There was a really eerie feeling. 185 00:12:33,567 --> 00:12:35,142 I was scared. 186 00:12:35,166 --> 00:12:38,667 I was afraid that I was going to find something I didn't want to see. 187 00:12:39,767 --> 00:12:41,643 I was hoping I could find something, and yet 188 00:12:41,667 --> 00:12:43,343 I didn't want to find something. 189 00:12:43,367 --> 00:12:46,042 I remember that sickening feeling that, 190 00:12:46,066 --> 00:12:51,066 "What am I going to do if I look down and I see my daughter?" 191 00:12:59,867 --> 00:13:03,142 So on Monday, January 4, my wife and I, 192 00:13:03,166 --> 00:13:07,100 we spent quite a bit of time searching that drainage ditch. 193 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:12,076 [Lisa] We were hoping for any kind of clues 194 00:13:12,100 --> 00:13:15,967 as to what happened to our daughter, Kirsten. 195 00:13:17,767 --> 00:13:20,242 [Rex] I'm worried that she actually could have, 196 00:13:20,266 --> 00:13:23,643 {\an8}you know, either fallen into it, that or some... 197 00:13:23,667 --> 00:13:25,627 {\an8}she could have met with, someone that did her harm 198 00:13:26,266 --> 00:13:28,600 and, you know, left her there. 199 00:13:28,667 --> 00:13:31,100 Just thinking about that, it made me sick. 200 00:13:32,166 --> 00:13:35,667 [Lisa] But we did not find anything. 201 00:13:37,166 --> 00:13:41,000 {\an8}It was frustrating and disappointing. 202 00:13:43,467 --> 00:13:48,242 After we had looked around the drainage ditch, 203 00:13:48,266 --> 00:13:51,100 Rex and I were heading to the car 204 00:13:51,166 --> 00:13:54,000 and I see somebody on a bicycle coming our way. 205 00:13:57,266 --> 00:14:01,700 As the bicycle gets closer, I realize it's Eddie. 206 00:14:05,166 --> 00:14:08,166 He says he's there to look for Kirsten. 207 00:14:09,867 --> 00:14:12,400 I was upset. 208 00:14:12,467 --> 00:14:18,000 I wondered if Eddie had anything to do with Kirsten's disappearance. 209 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,000 So I'm talking to Eddie, and I want to know more details 210 00:14:24,266 --> 00:14:27,700 as to what actually happened that evening. 211 00:14:27,767 --> 00:14:30,467 So he kind of laid it out for me. 212 00:14:31,767 --> 00:14:35,500 They were all in the bar and they were drinking. 213 00:14:35,567 --> 00:14:36,976 I believe they were fighting. 214 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,743 And he was getting a little perturbed. 215 00:14:39,767 --> 00:14:44,500 They offered to take her home, but she did not want any part of that. 216 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,300 I am upset that he left her there. 217 00:14:51,367 --> 00:14:54,007 Kirsten and Eddie have been together off and on for about ten years. 218 00:14:56,467 --> 00:15:00,242 Their relationship, I think, has always been 219 00:15:00,266 --> 00:15:02,042 a little tumultuous. 220 00:15:02,066 --> 00:15:06,443 They seem to get along well and do things together, 221 00:15:06,467 --> 00:15:10,643 but then something will happen and one of them blows up 222 00:15:10,667 --> 00:15:15,343 at the other and then it's off to the races again. 223 00:15:15,367 --> 00:15:18,400 {\an8}I try to tell them that I thought that 224 00:15:18,467 --> 00:15:21,042 {\an8}their relationship had been worn out, 225 00:15:21,066 --> 00:15:24,000 {\an8}but Kirsten believed she really loved Eddie 226 00:15:24,867 --> 00:15:27,166 and she just wasn't going to let go. 227 00:15:29,100 --> 00:15:32,100 [Eddie] Kirsten's mum was more emotional than Rex was. 228 00:15:32,166 --> 00:15:34,943 Rex was just more or less stern. 229 00:15:34,967 --> 00:15:37,242 {\an8}At this point, I'm not really concerned about 230 00:15:37,266 --> 00:15:39,900 {\an8}how they're looking at me. 231 00:15:39,967 --> 00:15:42,743 I just kind of went into just frantic mode. 232 00:15:42,767 --> 00:15:46,600 I'm like, "Where's Kirsten? Let's just find Kirsten." 233 00:15:46,667 --> 00:15:48,367 I love her dearly. 234 00:15:49,667 --> 00:15:51,943 The only hope we could hold on to 235 00:15:51,967 --> 00:15:54,000 was that the police could get this solved. 236 00:15:58,667 --> 00:16:01,543 {\an8}[Nicole] I'm Detective Nicole Bockting with IMPD Missing Persons Unit, 237 00:16:01,567 --> 00:16:04,667 {\an8}and I was assigned to investigate the Kirsten Brueggeman case. 238 00:16:06,667 --> 00:16:09,142 When I first read Kirsten's report, 239 00:16:09,166 --> 00:16:12,500 I immediately felt that there was something wrong. 240 00:16:12,567 --> 00:16:16,242 Her phone was turned off. That was a big red flag. 241 00:16:16,266 --> 00:16:19,867 But even more so, it was the fact that she didn't show up to work. 242 00:16:21,367 --> 00:16:23,800 Learning that Kirsten would never leave her dog behind 243 00:16:23,867 --> 00:16:25,987 leads me to believe that she did not leave on purpose. 244 00:16:30,166 --> 00:16:33,443 I learned that Kirsten was with four other people that night 245 00:16:33,467 --> 00:16:35,567 and I was able to track down who they were. 246 00:16:36,867 --> 00:16:40,443 Kirsten and Eddie and her friends, they were all drinking 247 00:16:40,467 --> 00:16:42,300 and she had a little too much to drink. 248 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:48,976 [Lisa] Kirsten did have an issue with alcohol. 249 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:53,000 Both her dad and I, we were concerned about her drinking. 250 00:16:53,066 --> 00:16:54,546 We talked with her numerous times, uh, 251 00:16:57,100 --> 00:16:59,242 but she would just say, "I don't want to talk about it," 252 00:16:59,266 --> 00:17:00,700 and she'd walk out. 253 00:17:00,767 --> 00:17:05,000 And that was always frustrating for her dad and I. 254 00:17:05,066 --> 00:17:07,200 {\an8}She got angry quickly. 255 00:17:07,266 --> 00:17:10,200 {\an8}She would almost explode. 256 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,843 It was particularly hard for me because, 257 00:17:14,867 --> 00:17:17,700 um, I am a recovered alcoholic 258 00:17:17,767 --> 00:17:20,242 and to see my daughter go through 259 00:17:20,266 --> 00:17:23,900 the same struggles that I had. 260 00:17:23,967 --> 00:17:26,207 I told her, "You've seen what alcohol did to your father. 261 00:17:29,066 --> 00:17:31,543 You know, why would you want to take that chance 262 00:17:31,567 --> 00:17:34,843 and, you know, suffer through all that?" 263 00:17:34,867 --> 00:17:38,200 But her usual response was, "Dad, just because everybody drinks, 264 00:17:38,266 --> 00:17:40,242 it doesn't make 'em an alcoholic." 265 00:17:40,266 --> 00:17:44,467 She just would not admit that she had any kind of a problem. 266 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:49,042 Well, finally, we seek professional advice 267 00:17:49,066 --> 00:17:52,343 and get her in to see a psychiatrist. 268 00:17:52,367 --> 00:17:54,767 That did help, but ultimately, she did not want to go anymore. 269 00:18:02,467 --> 00:18:05,800 But just before she disappeared, 270 00:18:05,867 --> 00:18:09,443 she seemed to be putting her life back together again. 271 00:18:09,467 --> 00:18:13,367 We were really hopeful that things were going to get a little bit better. 272 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:19,643 [Eddie] I don't know why Kirsten was drinking that night, 273 00:18:19,667 --> 00:18:21,033 but she got drunk. 274 00:18:21,066 --> 00:18:24,000 So we were like, "Hey, we gotta get you home and everything. 275 00:18:25,367 --> 00:18:29,242 Hey, can I get you an Uber? Let me call your mom or whatever." 276 00:18:29,266 --> 00:18:34,300 The bar was closing anyhow, so they left around 12:15. 277 00:18:36,467 --> 00:18:39,443 So out in the parking lot, for some reason, 278 00:18:39,467 --> 00:18:42,743 Kirsten became angry and at one point 279 00:18:42,767 --> 00:18:44,467 a verbal argument ensues. 280 00:18:45,467 --> 00:18:48,976 All four friends drove off, 281 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:51,500 leaving Kirsten in the parking lot. 282 00:18:53,467 --> 00:18:55,142 [Eddie] I assumed, "Hey, maybe she got an Uber 283 00:18:55,166 --> 00:18:57,242 or maybe she finally called her mom." 284 00:18:57,266 --> 00:18:59,500 But she never made it home. 285 00:19:02,467 --> 00:19:04,300 [Nicole] The first thing I wonder is, 286 00:19:04,367 --> 00:19:06,500 "Are there any cameras in the area?" 287 00:19:06,567 --> 00:19:10,100 And just went down the line and started calling them, asking for a possible video. 288 00:19:12,100 --> 00:19:15,042 And I got three videos. 289 00:19:15,066 --> 00:19:17,743 The first video, I was extremely excited to view the video, 290 00:19:17,767 --> 00:19:20,667 because I wanted to know what happened to Kirsten. 291 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:29,843 The video, it showed Kirsten having a verbal argument out in the parking lot 292 00:19:29,867 --> 00:19:33,800 and then the car driving away. 293 00:19:33,867 --> 00:19:37,543 The video confirmed everything that was told to me by the four people, 294 00:19:37,567 --> 00:19:38,800 and it was determined that 295 00:19:38,867 --> 00:19:40,867 none of them were a person of interest. 296 00:19:42,166 --> 00:19:44,543 Viewing the video, I found that there weren't any cars 297 00:19:44,567 --> 00:19:46,543 in the parking lot that she got into. 298 00:19:46,567 --> 00:19:49,843 She didn't meet with anybody. She didn't walk off with anybody. 299 00:19:49,867 --> 00:19:52,467 It just shows her walking off. 300 00:19:57,066 --> 00:19:59,700 After Kirsten leaves the bar, the second video 301 00:19:59,767 --> 00:20:03,900 shows Kirsten walking on Shortridge around 12:40 a.m. 302 00:20:06,367 --> 00:20:10,867 The last video is of Kirsten walking in the YMCA parking lot. 303 00:20:12,266 --> 00:20:16,400 And here's Kirsten right now, she's walking along the sidewalk 304 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,343 and she'll go into this niche, 305 00:20:21,367 --> 00:20:24,000 follow this fence line right through here. 306 00:20:24,367 --> 00:20:27,543 If you notice right here, it says 1:59. 307 00:20:27,567 --> 00:20:29,767 So we know at 1:59, Kirsten is still alive. 308 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,543 Once Kirsten rounds this corner, 309 00:20:32,567 --> 00:20:34,700 this particular camera does not pick her up. 310 00:20:34,767 --> 00:20:38,400 Another camera, however, picks her up right here at this corner. 311 00:20:38,467 --> 00:20:40,843 She's walking along the fence line. 312 00:20:40,867 --> 00:20:45,467 She picks up something off the ground and she continues to walk. 313 00:20:46,867 --> 00:20:49,643 Right here, it says 2:00 a.m. 314 00:20:49,667 --> 00:20:51,976 And as we watch the video, she continues to walk 315 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,040 and she continues to stay along with the fence line. 316 00:20:56,066 --> 00:21:00,600 What's problematic about the video is that there's a glitch. 317 00:21:00,667 --> 00:21:04,100 There's going to be a jump in time here shortly 318 00:21:04,166 --> 00:21:06,976 where it shows that the camera is not working. 319 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:11,166 Right here you see it's 2:00 a.m. and now it's 2:30 a.m. 320 00:21:12,500 --> 00:21:17,242 And right there, she's gone. She's not seen again. 321 00:21:17,266 --> 00:21:19,142 It's a very big disappointment. 322 00:21:19,166 --> 00:21:23,042 This time jump from 2:00 to 2:30 a.m. concerns me 323 00:21:23,066 --> 00:21:25,626 because we don't know what happened, we don't know where she went. 324 00:21:26,467 --> 00:21:29,142 No one could figure out why, but for some reason, 325 00:21:29,166 --> 00:21:31,400 the camera just cut out for that half hour. 326 00:21:31,467 --> 00:21:34,443 It was just an unfortunate glitch. 327 00:21:34,467 --> 00:21:37,543 Did she leave the parking lot on foot this direction? 328 00:21:37,567 --> 00:21:40,743 Did a car come in, pick her up and take her back out? 329 00:21:40,767 --> 00:21:42,066 I just don't know. 330 00:21:45,100 --> 00:21:49,200 [Lisa] Detective Bockting asked us to review the video 331 00:21:49,266 --> 00:21:51,266 to see if that was Kirsten. 332 00:21:52,467 --> 00:21:54,000 [Rex] There is no doubt it was Kirsten 333 00:21:54,667 --> 00:21:57,042 just by the way she was walking, 334 00:21:57,066 --> 00:22:00,343 plus the white backpack that she was carrying, 335 00:22:00,367 --> 00:22:02,643 that stood out like a sore thumb. 336 00:22:02,667 --> 00:22:07,042 [Lisa] Watching that video was very difficult. 337 00:22:07,066 --> 00:22:11,142 You know, I'm wondering, "That's the last we're going to see her." 338 00:22:11,166 --> 00:22:16,443 All I can do is wonder, "Where is she? Where did she go?" 339 00:22:16,467 --> 00:22:18,667 I'm afraid. I'm very afraid. 340 00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:35,200 [Nicole] The area that Kirsten went missing in, 341 00:22:35,266 --> 00:22:38,400 which is in the 800 block of Shortridge, 342 00:22:38,467 --> 00:22:41,400 is a high violent crime area. 343 00:22:41,467 --> 00:22:44,142 {\an8}Within a week or two after her missing, 344 00:22:44,166 --> 00:22:47,142 {\an8}there was a rape, a homicide. 345 00:22:47,166 --> 00:22:49,767 {\an8}And the homicide involved a bank robber. 346 00:22:51,266 --> 00:22:52,743 [Rex] If she was trying to get home, 347 00:22:52,767 --> 00:22:55,443 she should have been going the other direction. 348 00:22:55,467 --> 00:22:56,747 {\an8}But maybe she's totally mixed up 349 00:22:57,567 --> 00:23:00,800 {\an8}and thinks she's going to the apartment complex 350 00:23:00,867 --> 00:23:02,800 {\an8}where Eddie was living with his mom, 351 00:23:02,867 --> 00:23:05,643 which is a couple of blocks north of there, 352 00:23:05,667 --> 00:23:07,567 but we may never know. 353 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:10,976 {\an8}There's three different buildings 354 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,200 {\an8}in between my apartment and the Y. 355 00:23:15,266 --> 00:23:16,543 If Kirsten was coming to see me, 356 00:23:16,567 --> 00:23:18,400 she would be going the wrong way. 357 00:23:19,700 --> 00:23:22,300 But anything is possible. She could have just been lost. 358 00:23:25,767 --> 00:23:27,242 [Nicole] I decided to go to the location 359 00:23:27,266 --> 00:23:29,667 where Kirsten was last seen on the cameras. 360 00:23:30,667 --> 00:23:33,843 {\an8}This yellow pole is to where she got, 361 00:23:33,867 --> 00:23:36,843 {\an8}and then she makes a left-hand turn here 362 00:23:36,867 --> 00:23:38,600 {\an8}and she goes out of view of the camera 363 00:23:38,667 --> 00:23:41,200 {\an8}for a short time period, enough time period for her 364 00:23:41,266 --> 00:23:45,543 {\an8}to get down to where this big black pole is. 365 00:23:45,567 --> 00:23:49,242 Because over here, we now have another camera. 366 00:23:49,266 --> 00:23:53,900 This other camera shows the east end of the Abbey apartment complex. 367 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,100 So she comes back into view. 368 00:23:59,166 --> 00:24:02,743 She's still walking along the same line and she continues this way. 369 00:24:02,767 --> 00:24:05,300 She just continues around over there. 370 00:24:07,367 --> 00:24:11,343 Now she's going to be walking southbound towards the apartment complex. 371 00:24:11,367 --> 00:24:16,600 She makes this turn right here, and that's it. 372 00:24:16,667 --> 00:24:22,242 With the camera shorting out, we can't see if she ever walks out of the parking lot 373 00:24:22,266 --> 00:24:25,543 and we can't see if a car drives into the parking lot 374 00:24:25,567 --> 00:24:26,567 and she gets into a car, 375 00:24:27,066 --> 00:24:30,242 and we can't see if she ever climbs over the fence. 376 00:24:30,266 --> 00:24:31,667 I mean, she vanished. 377 00:24:35,100 --> 00:24:37,967 I noticed that there's a lot of activity at the Abbey apartments. 378 00:24:39,700 --> 00:24:42,543 So we wanted to knock on doors over there. 379 00:24:42,567 --> 00:24:46,943 So we've got a group of us together, the Missing Person Unit, 380 00:24:46,967 --> 00:24:49,567 and we started knocking on doors and talking to people. 381 00:24:51,300 --> 00:24:53,142 {\an8}We have Kirsten's poster with us. 382 00:24:53,166 --> 00:24:56,000 {\an8}We show the poster to the people. 383 00:24:56,166 --> 00:24:59,266 Hopefully, maybe somebody there might have seen something. 384 00:25:00,767 --> 00:25:02,600 But due to the high crime area, 385 00:25:02,667 --> 00:25:05,400 somebody in the Abbey apartment complex may know something, 386 00:25:05,467 --> 00:25:07,142 but they're just too scared to come forward 387 00:25:07,166 --> 00:25:09,066 and tell the police about what they know. 388 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:13,600 A couple of weeks into the investigation, 389 00:25:13,667 --> 00:25:15,242 I sit down with Kirsten's parents 390 00:25:15,266 --> 00:25:17,567 to update them on the investigation. 391 00:25:18,967 --> 00:25:22,300 [Rex] As I'm sitting in Detective Bockting's office, 392 00:25:22,367 --> 00:25:26,000 I'm thinking now that, you know, something bad has happened. 393 00:25:26,066 --> 00:25:31,400 You know, she has met with foul play, but we had no proof. 394 00:25:31,467 --> 00:25:34,743 [Lisa] I'm even more scared as time goes on. 395 00:25:34,767 --> 00:25:39,343 {\an8}This is not going to have a good ending, 396 00:25:39,367 --> 00:25:43,443 {\an8}but I have a lot of good friends and family who keep saying, 397 00:25:43,467 --> 00:25:46,667 "Try to keep the hope up," and so I am. 398 00:25:48,700 --> 00:25:51,643 My good friend, who also works within 399 00:25:51,667 --> 00:25:54,042 the law enforcement community, 400 00:25:54,066 --> 00:25:56,000 had arranged for there to be a search. 401 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,142 On Saturday, January 16, around the area 402 00:26:03,166 --> 00:26:08,266 where Kirsten went missing, there was a... a grid search conducted. 403 00:26:08,900 --> 00:26:11,300 Rex and I are there. 404 00:26:11,367 --> 00:26:15,843 It was difficult watching people go out. 405 00:26:15,867 --> 00:26:19,000 It was difficult watching them come back, 406 00:26:19,066 --> 00:26:21,900 especially because there... 407 00:26:21,967 --> 00:26:25,066 there was nothing that was actually found. 408 00:26:28,867 --> 00:26:31,242 I do want to find an answer. 409 00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:32,900 I... 410 00:26:34,867 --> 00:26:36,767 am also afraid of that answer. 411 00:26:38,667 --> 00:26:41,300 [Nicole] We want closure for the family. 412 00:26:41,367 --> 00:26:46,343 We all care deeply because we put ourselves in their position. 413 00:26:46,367 --> 00:26:50,900 And it's just heartbreaking when your head is pounding up against the wall 414 00:26:50,967 --> 00:26:52,600 and you're not getting anywhere. 415 00:26:54,367 --> 00:26:56,167 At this point, our leads, they're running out. 416 00:26:58,367 --> 00:27:00,500 We've done everything that we could do. 417 00:27:01,667 --> 00:27:03,643 We used our mounted unit 418 00:27:03,667 --> 00:27:06,800 and drone to search for Kirsten. 419 00:27:06,867 --> 00:27:09,042 We went and canvased the area. 420 00:27:09,066 --> 00:27:13,700 {\an8}We put her face on social media. We put her in the news. 421 00:27:13,767 --> 00:27:16,400 {\an8}We put her face on billboards on the interstate. 422 00:27:17,667 --> 00:27:20,142 There's not much left for us to do 423 00:27:20,166 --> 00:27:22,843 other than to wait for somebody to call and say, 424 00:27:22,867 --> 00:27:26,000 "Hey, I saw her here, I saw her there." 425 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,600 Every day seems like the last one 426 00:27:31,667 --> 00:27:33,343 because nothing is happening 427 00:27:33,367 --> 00:27:36,076 as far as finding our daughter. 428 00:27:36,100 --> 00:27:39,400 [Lisa] If there is someone out there that knows something, 429 00:27:39,467 --> 00:27:45,076 please put yourself in her dad's and my shoes. 430 00:27:45,100 --> 00:27:47,800 This has been agony for us. 431 00:27:47,867 --> 00:27:51,200 We just want to know what happened. 432 00:27:55,867 --> 00:27:59,543 {\an8}[narrator] Kirsten Brueggeman was last seen January 2, 2021. 433 00:27:59,567 --> 00:28:02,142 {\an8}If you have any information, please contact 434 00:28:02,166 --> 00:28:03,800 {\an8}IMPD Missing Persons Unit 435 00:28:03,867 --> 00:28:08,266 {\an8}at 317-327-6160. 436 00:28:14,767 --> 00:28:16,242 [birds chirping] 437 00:28:16,266 --> 00:28:21,100 {\an8}It's been about six weeks since Kirsten was missing, 438 00:28:21,166 --> 00:28:24,443 and I saw a posting 439 00:28:24,467 --> 00:28:25,467 on a Facebook site 440 00:28:27,066 --> 00:28:31,600 that an unidentified female had been found. 441 00:28:31,667 --> 00:28:34,443 The general description fit Kirsten. 442 00:28:34,467 --> 00:28:39,700 {\an8}The same weight, approximately 114, 115 pounds. 443 00:28:39,767 --> 00:28:45,700 The height was within an inch or two of Kirsten and hair color was the same. 444 00:28:45,767 --> 00:28:48,242 And my wife and I had kind of convinced ourselves 445 00:28:48,266 --> 00:28:50,343 that this body that was found, 446 00:28:50,367 --> 00:28:53,343 which had not been identified, was our daughter. 447 00:28:53,367 --> 00:28:55,000 We were almost at the point of grieving. 448 00:28:56,467 --> 00:28:58,700 But the one thing that was stood out 449 00:28:58,767 --> 00:29:02,100 {\an8}was that this body had a tattoo 450 00:29:02,166 --> 00:29:05,800 {\an8}of a spider on her arm. 451 00:29:05,867 --> 00:29:10,343 {\an8}Kirsten did not have a tattoo that I was aware of, 452 00:29:10,367 --> 00:29:16,042 but because the description so closely fit her, 453 00:29:16,066 --> 00:29:18,443 I contacted Detective Bockting 454 00:29:18,467 --> 00:29:24,300 and the coroner's office to ask more about this. 455 00:29:24,367 --> 00:29:27,287 [Rex] And then the weeks we were waiting to hear from the coroner's office, 456 00:29:27,667 --> 00:29:30,567 that was a pretty trying time. 457 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,600 In one respect, we wanted it to be her so we could have some closure. 458 00:29:35,667 --> 00:29:39,142 But on the other hand, we didn't want it to be her 459 00:29:39,166 --> 00:29:42,343 so that we'd still have hope that she was still alive. 460 00:29:42,367 --> 00:29:46,443 [Nicole] When DNA is returned, it's confirmed that it was not Kirsten. 461 00:29:46,467 --> 00:29:48,767 {\an8}So there is still hope that she is still alive. 462 00:29:50,066 --> 00:29:53,500 I'm happy at the time, 463 00:29:53,567 --> 00:29:55,767 but then I'm also feeling like we're back to square one. 464 00:30:02,166 --> 00:30:05,800 In March of 2021, I bring up the... 465 00:30:05,867 --> 00:30:10,242 the possibility of a private investigator to Rex. 466 00:30:10,266 --> 00:30:13,042 By hiring a private investigator, 467 00:30:13,066 --> 00:30:15,343 we'll have somebody who can... 468 00:30:15,367 --> 00:30:19,000 can devote the whole time to her case. 469 00:30:19,066 --> 00:30:20,843 [Nicole] When Lisa and Rex told me, 470 00:30:20,867 --> 00:30:23,142 I was extremely happy, because for me, 471 00:30:23,166 --> 00:30:25,606 I don't care who solves the case, I just want her to come home. 472 00:30:30,166 --> 00:30:33,100 My name is Crystal. I am a private investigator. 473 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:44,000 {\an8}The Brueggeman family contacted me early March of 2021 474 00:30:44,066 --> 00:30:45,743 to help find Kirsten. 475 00:30:45,767 --> 00:30:49,543 I've been in law enforcement for approximately 11 years. 476 00:30:49,567 --> 00:30:54,076 My specialty is missing persons and criminal investigations. 477 00:30:54,100 --> 00:30:56,220 I have about a 90% success rate in finding individuals. 478 00:30:58,967 --> 00:31:01,843 So when I first met with Lisa and Rex Brueggeman, 479 00:31:01,867 --> 00:31:05,600 they were definitely desperate for answers 480 00:31:05,667 --> 00:31:09,343 and they just wanted to know what happened to Kirsten. 481 00:31:09,367 --> 00:31:12,943 My first few days were actually spent just canvasing the area, 482 00:31:12,967 --> 00:31:18,042 talking to people that would have offered insight as to what happened. 483 00:31:18,066 --> 00:31:21,142 I had to actually backtrack and look at surveillance video 484 00:31:21,166 --> 00:31:23,467 from the night she went missing. 485 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:27,843 What I did notice is there's a fence line 486 00:31:27,867 --> 00:31:32,443 that encloses the YMCA lot off 487 00:31:32,467 --> 00:31:37,200 and then there is an apartment community on the south end of the YMCA. 488 00:31:37,266 --> 00:31:39,467 That's the Abbey Meadow Apartments. 489 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:45,543 The next thing is, is that, you know, 490 00:31:45,567 --> 00:31:47,976 an understanding that there are four different angles 491 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:49,543 on these surveillance videos. 492 00:31:49,567 --> 00:31:54,643 It's just running through them numerous times for weeks on end, 493 00:31:54,667 --> 00:31:56,187 just to see if there's any new evidence 494 00:31:56,667 --> 00:32:01,500 that we can uncover that we had not seen before. 495 00:32:01,567 --> 00:32:05,643 And then one thing that I did observe was a... 496 00:32:05,667 --> 00:32:09,142 an SUV and about 2:38, 497 00:32:09,166 --> 00:32:14,300 you see it come out of the Abbey Meadow Apartments. 498 00:32:14,367 --> 00:32:17,667 It proceeds north on Shortridge. 499 00:32:18,867 --> 00:32:21,543 And then approximately 3:15 a.m., 500 00:32:21,567 --> 00:32:25,000 you see the same SUV traveling north on Shortridge 501 00:32:28,166 --> 00:32:31,976 and then proceeds back down Shortridge. 502 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:36,867 The behavior of that vehicle was definitely suspicious. 503 00:32:39,066 --> 00:32:43,867 At that point, I'm thinking that this person may have picked her up. 504 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,843 Something could have happened. 505 00:32:47,867 --> 00:32:49,976 We actually did continue surveillance to see 506 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,042 if that vehicle had any association to the Abbey Apartments 507 00:32:53,066 --> 00:32:54,643 and if they lived there. 508 00:32:54,667 --> 00:32:57,627 But we didn't see the vehicle show up at the Abbey Meadows Apartments again. 509 00:32:59,166 --> 00:33:02,000 The picture of the SUV is out to the public 510 00:33:02,066 --> 00:33:05,643 in addition to fliers of Kirsten's story, 511 00:33:05,667 --> 00:33:07,500 and we're hoping to get answers. 512 00:33:10,100 --> 00:33:14,000 Once Crystal began with her investigation, 513 00:33:14,066 --> 00:33:17,743 she was able to get to obtain a couple of videos 514 00:33:17,767 --> 00:33:22,643 that showed this car, we believed was an SUV, 515 00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:25,000 that had left the Abbey Apartments, 516 00:33:26,667 --> 00:33:31,142 seem to be just driving around, would stop and start. 517 00:33:31,166 --> 00:33:34,543 You could see the brake lights come on and go off. 518 00:33:34,567 --> 00:33:40,200 The thought was perhaps that that SUV was somehow involved 519 00:33:40,266 --> 00:33:42,100 with Kirsten's disappearance. 520 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:45,743 [Nicole] So this could be a very big break. 521 00:33:45,767 --> 00:33:49,543 I need to find out who owns this vehicle, who was driving the vehicle. 522 00:33:49,567 --> 00:33:52,166 This means that we could have a suspect. 523 00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:01,242 About two weeks later, there's nothing. No leads. 524 00:34:01,266 --> 00:34:04,300 There was nothing useful revealed. 525 00:34:04,367 --> 00:34:06,643 But we are partners with the FBI, 526 00:34:06,667 --> 00:34:09,400 and they knew that Kirsten had went missing. 527 00:34:09,467 --> 00:34:13,100 The FBI agents saw the video that we retrieved from the business 528 00:34:13,166 --> 00:34:16,443 across from the Abbey apartment complex 529 00:34:16,467 --> 00:34:20,567 and was able to say, "I know who owns that vehicle." 530 00:34:23,767 --> 00:34:25,807 I found out that it was actually linked to a homicide 531 00:34:26,066 --> 00:34:28,600 that had occurred over in that apartment complex. 532 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:36,400 Working with the FBI, I was able to identify the SUV. 533 00:34:36,467 --> 00:34:39,443 Crime lab was called to do testing on the vehicle, 534 00:34:39,467 --> 00:34:41,543 and they were able to eliminate totally 535 00:34:41,567 --> 00:34:43,900 that Kirsten was inside that vehicle. 536 00:34:48,567 --> 00:34:53,467 [Crystal] September of 2021, the case was, in fact, getting pretty cold. 537 00:34:54,867 --> 00:34:56,707 So we talked about hosting a vigil for Kirsten. 538 00:34:58,567 --> 00:35:03,042 There had been no leads at this point in Kirsten's disappearance. 539 00:35:03,066 --> 00:35:07,843 It was frustrating and disappointing. 540 00:35:07,867 --> 00:35:13,142 We held a vigil for Kirsten on Saturday, September 18. 541 00:35:13,166 --> 00:35:18,943 We were hoping to draw a lot of people from the neighborhood 542 00:35:18,967 --> 00:35:22,100 who would possibly come forward with some information. 543 00:35:22,166 --> 00:35:25,000 The private investigator contacted us and said that 544 00:35:25,867 --> 00:35:29,543 possibly we can get some media attention, 545 00:35:29,567 --> 00:35:33,142 get her name out there some more. 546 00:35:33,166 --> 00:35:36,142 That meant a great deal to Lisa and I. 547 00:35:36,166 --> 00:35:40,667 It really buoyed our, uh, emotions. 548 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:44,343 [Crystal] So we did get quite a few leads 549 00:35:44,367 --> 00:35:48,100 that came immediately after we hosted the vigil. 550 00:35:48,166 --> 00:35:51,843 But those were all exhausted and didn't lead anywhere. 551 00:35:51,867 --> 00:35:54,343 [Rex] At this time, no one has come forward, 552 00:35:54,367 --> 00:35:56,407 and that's what's been very discouraging about this. 553 00:35:57,367 --> 00:35:59,900 It's nothing. 554 00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:04,800 For my wife and I, it's been a roller coaster of emotions. 555 00:36:06,266 --> 00:36:12,142 One of the biggest fears is that we may never know what happened to her. 556 00:36:12,166 --> 00:36:15,242 [Nicole] It were to the point where now we have to sit and wait 557 00:36:15,266 --> 00:36:19,000 for somebody to come to us and tell us, "Hey, we saw something." 558 00:36:28,467 --> 00:36:30,443 [telephone ringing] 559 00:36:30,467 --> 00:36:34,543 [Crystal] March of 2022, a lead came in out of Franklin, Indiana, 560 00:36:34,567 --> 00:36:37,500 at a bar, and, uh, 561 00:36:37,567 --> 00:36:40,100 the patron actually called local law enforcement 562 00:36:40,166 --> 00:36:43,242 and just advised that they believed that 563 00:36:43,266 --> 00:36:47,443 a female in the bar that was accompanied by a male 564 00:36:47,467 --> 00:36:50,300 was possibly Kirsten. 565 00:36:50,367 --> 00:36:52,400 I'm thinking "This... this is great. 566 00:36:52,467 --> 00:36:54,500 Finally, we've got a break in the case." 567 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:08,500 {\an8}Through a series of efforts and phone calls, 568 00:37:08,567 --> 00:37:12,100 we got a hold of the video 569 00:37:12,166 --> 00:37:13,843 and we watched that video. 570 00:37:13,867 --> 00:37:15,767 And it does look like her. 571 00:37:21,900 --> 00:37:25,400 It was a good quality video, although you couldn't 572 00:37:25,467 --> 00:37:29,000 really get a good direct on look at her. 573 00:37:31,567 --> 00:37:34,000 [Lisa] And as we were watching, 574 00:37:34,066 --> 00:37:35,900 I had to keep telling myself, 575 00:37:35,967 --> 00:37:37,500 {\an8}"Does this really look like her 576 00:37:37,567 --> 00:37:42,567 {\an8}or am I wanting it so much that I'm thinking it looks like her?" 577 00:37:44,467 --> 00:37:47,976 But then we noticed something on the video 578 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,142 that looked a little odd. 579 00:37:50,166 --> 00:37:53,943 This woman is acting rather strange in this video. 580 00:37:53,967 --> 00:37:55,643 Just kind of bent over. 581 00:37:55,667 --> 00:37:58,000 Her affect is very weird. 582 00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:01,800 She's not showing any emotion. 583 00:38:01,867 --> 00:38:05,900 When she walks, it's like she's almost like a robot. 584 00:38:05,967 --> 00:38:09,500 So that part of it I was alarmed by. 585 00:38:09,567 --> 00:38:14,943 My initial thought is, "If this is her, she's been brainwashed," 586 00:38:14,967 --> 00:38:18,743 because the way this woman was in the video 587 00:38:18,767 --> 00:38:21,867 was not Kirsten, was not her personality. 588 00:38:37,166 --> 00:38:41,343 [Crystal] I believe that someone knows something. 589 00:38:41,367 --> 00:38:44,543 {\an8}I feel very hopeful that we can find out what happened to Kirsten 590 00:38:44,567 --> 00:38:47,767 {\an8}and find some answers for the family. 591 00:38:51,700 --> 00:38:55,743 [Rex] I believe that someone saw something 592 00:38:55,767 --> 00:38:59,000 that evening or early morning when Kirsten went missing. 593 00:39:00,367 --> 00:39:04,100 I just can't believe that no one saw anything. 594 00:39:05,767 --> 00:39:08,843 There were points in time 595 00:39:08,867 --> 00:39:11,843 during all of this 596 00:39:11,867 --> 00:39:16,300 where I wondered if Eddie had anything to do 597 00:39:16,367 --> 00:39:18,100 with Kirsten's disappearance. 598 00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:24,400 They had a volatile relationship. 599 00:39:24,467 --> 00:39:29,000 However, I do not think that Eddie had anything to do with it. 600 00:39:30,266 --> 00:39:33,242 [Rex] This thought that Eddie might be responsible just popped into my head, 601 00:39:33,266 --> 00:39:37,300 I guess, because of their on-again, off-again relationship, 602 00:39:37,367 --> 00:39:39,400 all the problems that they had had. 603 00:39:39,467 --> 00:39:41,843 It was just a thought, a passing thought. 604 00:39:41,867 --> 00:39:45,543 I am 99.9% sure 605 00:39:45,567 --> 00:39:48,967 he had nothing to do with Kirsten's disappearance. 606 00:39:52,367 --> 00:39:54,266 [birds chirping] 607 00:39:57,467 --> 00:39:59,667 {\an8}My relationship with Kirsten, it was a good relationship 608 00:40:01,467 --> 00:40:04,543 and I have good memories, I have sad ones. 609 00:40:04,567 --> 00:40:08,567 With her being gone, I don't know how to feel anymore. 610 00:40:10,100 --> 00:40:14,142 And I've went through every range of emotion about this, 611 00:40:14,166 --> 00:40:16,867 but now I'm emotionally numb about it. 612 00:40:19,066 --> 00:40:21,142 You can only do so much to take care of people 613 00:40:21,166 --> 00:40:23,600 and some things aren't within your control. 614 00:40:32,266 --> 00:40:33,343 Oh, I know. 615 00:40:33,367 --> 00:40:36,266 Keeping my hope up has been difficult. 616 00:40:37,767 --> 00:40:39,443 Both Rex and I have... 617 00:40:39,467 --> 00:40:44,443 I mean, we've just been existing for this year-plus now. 618 00:40:44,467 --> 00:40:47,100 We've had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 619 00:40:50,100 --> 00:40:54,242 [Rex] When this happened, it just felt like the life was sucked out of me. 620 00:40:54,266 --> 00:40:55,967 Things just stopped. 621 00:40:58,166 --> 00:40:59,166 I've lost loved ones. 622 00:40:59,266 --> 00:41:02,900 Everyone has lost loved ones, family, friends. 623 00:41:02,967 --> 00:41:05,242 But when someone's gone missing and you think 624 00:41:05,266 --> 00:41:07,643 something terrible has happened, 625 00:41:07,667 --> 00:41:12,300 um, you don't know what to do with your grief, mourning. 626 00:41:12,367 --> 00:41:15,943 I mean, am I grieving or mourning for nothing? 627 00:41:15,967 --> 00:41:17,667 Is she out there? 628 00:41:18,367 --> 00:41:20,800 It's a different kind of pain. 629 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:25,600 I don't know how people that have had missing 630 00:41:25,667 --> 00:41:29,000 {\an8}loved ones for years and years go on. 631 00:41:31,266 --> 00:41:32,343 {\an8}I really don't. 632 00:41:32,367 --> 00:41:36,467 {\an8}I just hope I can get that strength to do it. 633 00:41:38,567 --> 00:41:40,700 {\an8}You know, I would just say to anyone that may know 634 00:41:40,767 --> 00:41:43,800 {\an8}something about our daughter's disappearance 635 00:41:43,867 --> 00:41:46,142 {\an8}to please come forward. 636 00:41:46,166 --> 00:41:49,100 {\an8}That's the only plea I can make. 637 00:41:49,166 --> 00:41:54,166 {\an8}And for God's sake, please come forward and give us some information.