.
- Entrance and exits are all secure,
monitored 24/7 by a doorman.
We've got shared laundry on the third floor,
water's always included.
And fridge is in-unit. - Mm, and the neighbors?
- In this particular unit? - Yeah.
Are they cool or they the type of people that host book club
and adopt little rat dogs?
- [chuckles] Not sure I can tell you that.
- Well, I'm police. It's legal.
- Mm, is it, though?
- They got rat dogs?
- No. You're good.
This is it.
Here we go.
So that's the only shared wall.
Appliances are all up-to-date.
AC and heat are central in unit.
- When is it available?
- Now.
- Now as in I need to apply, sign a paper, and wait,
or now as in I can give you cash and move in tonight?
- Don't you need time at your last place?
- Lease is done. It was short-term.
- You don't need to pack?
- I have all my stuff with me.
I can pay you first, last, security deposit in cash
if I can move in tonight.
Run my credit. I'm good for the rest.
[Billie Eilish's "When The Party's Over"]
♪ ♪
- ♪ Don't you know ♪
♪ I'm no good for you? ♪
♪ I've learned to lose you ♪
♪ Can't afford to ♪
♪ Tore my shirt to stop you bleedin' ♪
- [sighs]
- ♪ But nothin' ever ♪
♪ Stops you leavin' ♪
♪ Quiet when I'm coming home and I'm on my own ♪
♪ ♪
♪ I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that ♪
[phone buzzing]
♪ I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that ♪
[phone buzzing]
- Hey, what's up?
You got something new for me?
- Hi.
No. I don't. Nothing on your sister.
But I wanted to see, um, what are you doing right now?
- Nothing. I'm working. Why?
- I was just--
I was hoping you could do me a favor.
- You OK? - Yes, it's not me.
I'm-- I'm sorry I'm calling.
It's one of the families from the organization just--
can you come now?
- Yeah, I'm on my way.
Send me the address.
[soft suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Hey, what's going on?
- Thank you for coming.
I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do.
- It's fine.
Am I here as police?
- [sighs] I don't know. I came here an hour ago.
I got a call from one of my families.
A son was worried about his mom.
She's been having a hard time.
But then I got here, and she said that--
[distant clattering]
- Is that her house?
- God. - Sarah?
- Yes, that's her house.
I told her I called you and she got mad.
I said you would come unofficially, but then--
[clattering] - Who is that?
[indistinct shouting]
Do you see what you're doing?
[shouting, dish shatters]
- Police!
[overlapping shouting]
Police!
- No, I told you, Grady, they can't be here!
- Mom! - Hey!
- Stop shouting!
- Hey, what is going on? - Get out!
- Mom, just put it down!
What the hell are you gonna do with that?
- Get out! - No, no, no. Stay back.
- She's my friend, Jemma. - I'm here to help.
- She has a missing sister. She works with me.
- I just want to help. - You have to get out.
- Please.
- He--he--he said no police.
He said no police! - Ma'am.
- I shouldn't have told you anything!
[overlapping shouting] - Mom!
[vase shatters] - Hey! Hey! Hey!
- Mom, calm down!
- All right, all right.
You're OK, you're OK. - Please!
- Mom! You're acting insane!
We're gonna put you in a 24-hour hold!
- No one is going to do that. - No!
- They'll hold you again!
- No one is gonna do that, all right?
You need to take a breath, too.
Everyone just needs to calm down.
- [panting] - All right?
OK.
Sarah, clean up the glass, please.
- Yeah, yeah.
- [whimpering and sobbing]
- Hey.
You're OK. Just take a deep breath.
- You can't be here. - Take a breath.
I'm just here to help, all right?
- You can't be here.
[sobbing] Oh, my God.
You--you're gonna get him killed.
- OK.
Jemma, can you-- can you please explain to me
what you're talking about?
- [sobbing] No.
- What?
- Jemma says her son came to see her tonight.
He's been missing 18 years.
- No, no.
.
- And you believe this man was your son?
- He was.
- OK. Grady, you were here?
- No. No, I don't live here anymore.
I just came to drop off some groceries.
- OK, so you didn't see this man?
- It was Ben.
Call him by his name.
- No, I didn't see him.
- Well, that's because he doesn't believe Ben was here.
He thinks I'm crazy.
- [scoffs] - I made it all up.
- OK, Ben came to your porch?
He's 25 now?
What exactly did he say to you, Jemma?
- That he needed help.
That he was still with the man who took him
and he only had a few minutes
because the man would notice that he was gone.
And that is why he had to leave quick.
- And he didn't want to call police?
- No, he couldn't.
This man has other children he took.
He will kill them.
My son is trying to save them, so, no, he can't just leave.
He--he needed cash. He needs time.
- OK.
- Oh, don't do that.
No, don't--don't say OK like you understand.
[scoffing] You think I'm making this up.
- I don't.
- He was here.
He has been here before.
- What?
What do you mean before?
- He's been here three times.
He is trying to get away.
It's Ben.
He knows the song I sang him every night,
that I called him Bubbie,
that he was taken by the slide at the playground.
It's my boy.
He's come back and you need to help him.
Please, it is my boy.
- And any other cameras you have near 3551 Winthrop.
Thanks.
[sighs]
- What are you doing back here?
- A favor. Just working some footage.
- What kind of favor?
[mouse clicking]
- A woman believes her son came home tonight
after 18 years missing.
She doesn't seem well. It's--
There was someone at her house tonight.
[soft suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- Found something?
♪ ♪
- [sighs]
[mouse clicking]
Take a look at this.
♪ ♪
- He drove there?
- Yeah.
- Track his vehicle. Find out where he came from.
♪ ♪
- That's it. Same temp tags as your footage.
I did a walk-by.
Van's parked out front of 2213.
And house is owned by an LLC.
System says that it's been sitting there empty
for six months.
- It could fit.
Jemma says that Ben told her
that he's still living with his abductor,
that he could only leave for short periods,
that there were kids there.
- Shades are drawn.
Some kind of light is on, so someone's home.
- But we don't have a warrant. We gotta knock.
♪ ♪
[knock at door]
- Chicago Police. Open up.
Chicago Police.
We can't leave the property until we speak to someone.
- What's going on?
- Hi, sir.
Chicago Police.
I'm Officer Imani. This is Sergeant Voight.
Can you step outside?
- Why?
- We just want to talk. Just right over here.
- Um--
No, there must be some kind of mistake.
Sorry. I don't know why you're here.
- Just want to have a conversation,
clear a few things up.
Can you come out? - No.
No, I can't.
[tense music]
- We're--we're here to help you, OK?
♪ ♪
- You need to go. - We can't.
I need you to step outside, please.
Hey! Hey, we're here to help!
♪ ♪
- Torres, crashing.
- [grunts]
Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, you're OK.
- [gasping] - You're OK.
You're OK. - No.
- Just calm down. - [gasps]
- Hey, is there anyone else here?
- No, no, no, no. - We're here to help, OK?
- No.
- Is there anyone else here? - No.
- Is that why you're scared? Is someone else here?
- House is clear, Torres. - We're not gonna hurt you.
- Come on in. - We're here to help.
Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. - No.
I don't need your help!
- Calm down. - Hey, hey, hey!
- Calm down.
- Imani, what were Ben's descriptors
on his missing persons report?
- What? - What were his descriptors?
- He had a birthmark on his left collarbone.
- [groans]
♪ ♪
- You're not Ben.
You're not Ben.
Hey!
- [groans] - Who the hell are you?
Huh? - [whimpering]
.
- You exploited a mother's grief
for a couple thousand in cash so you could get high.
The least you could do is give me your real name.
I'm not asking for your damn firstborn.
I'm asking for your name.
- Bro, the longer you sit in silence,
the worse it's gonna be for you.
You say nothing,
we're gonna assume you had knowledge of the kidnapping
'cause you were involved.
- The slide, the song, the name his mother called him,
Bubbie, how did you know all of that?
- All right, fine, have it your way.
We now assume you were
an active participant in that kidnapping.
We'll treat you as such. Give me your hand.
The other one.
[handcuffs click]
- He would have been young when Ben Kurtwright was abducted.
- Not that young.
We don't even know his real age.
He definitely doesn't look 25.
I mean, he's lying about that, too.
- Still no match on his prints?
- I ran him through national. He's not in the system.
Still waiting for his DNA results, but...
- Wh--
he drove that van to Jemma's house.
We can at least track that.
- We seized that. The temp tags were fictitious.
VIN came back hot, stolen from Lawndale.
- What about where you located him?
- I'm running the LLC who owns that place.
All employees, but...
- [sighs]
I mean, the place was sitting empty.
He could have walked past it,
drove past it, and decided to hang there
and screw with a grieving woman's head.
- Yeah.
- Look, we're gonna find his name.
It's just a matter of time.
- [sighs]
- But right now, you gotta-- - Yeah, I--
gotta go tell this woman her son didn't come home.
Yeah.
[knock at door]
[phone buzzes]
- Hey.
- Can I come in?
- Yeah.
Hey, Mom?
- Did you find him? Is he OK?
- No, Jemma, I didn't find your son.
I did find the man who came here last night,
but that man is not Ben.
- [sighs]
No, no, you don't understand.
- No, I--
I do.
I found the man who visited you last night.
We tested his DNA. It's not a match for Ben's.
It's not him.
- No.
- We believe he was here for cash.
- No.
[sobs]
[retches] - Oh.
- No.
Not you.
[somber music]
♪ ♪
- [sighs]
♪ ♪
- How did he know?
I told you what he said.
He--the song, my name for him, the slide.
We never released any of that to the public.
I never said any of that on air, not once.
- I know.
- That man knows my Ben.
- We believe he has knowledge of your son's abduction.
- He's got more than knowledge.
He came to me.
- Well, yeah, because he--
- For cash. No, I know.
I understand, honey. But I--I--
he chose me.
He could have chosen anyone to con, but he came to me.
Something must have led him here.
[sighs] He must know where my boy is.
I-it's still a lead.
[sighs]
I can help.
I know that man, whoever he is, I have--
I have talked with him, I have cried with him.
I can convince him to help. Has he helped yet?
- No, uh, not yet.
He's--he's not talking.
- Then I have to help.
I can convince him to tell us where my boy is.
Please. Please, I can.
Let me try.
♪ ♪
You have wrinkles.
You--
[sighs]
That's why you didn't want to come in the house.
Why you had to stay on the porch in the dark.
It's OK.
I understand.
You must have been so...
desperate.
You must have needed money so badly
to trick me like that.
And it's OK.
I forgive you.
- [chuckles softly]
- But please,
if you can help my boy, you must.
You must do the right thing now.
[tense music]
And tell me where my Ben is.
♪ ♪
I know you know.
There must be a part of you that--that--
that wanted to tell me,
to help him, that led you to me.
So please, tell me.
[banging on table] Please.
I know you know where he is.
He must have told you all of those things.
You know how much he misses me.
[sobbing] He needs to come home!
He needs his mother!
- I will tell you what I know!
- [gasps]
- But only for a deal.
And only if you get this woman the hell out of here.
♪ ♪
.
- His real name's Tillman Brandt.
He's actually 35.
He's got no priors, but man, this--
this guy reads like a con man.
He's city to city, state to state
collecting small payouts scamming people.
- When the hell did he get to Chicago?
- Three months ago.
He wanted a payout and he knew how to find one.
- I remembered something happened
with my brother, Eddie.
Did some digging, found that woman.
- Your brother?
- Mm-hmm.
He is not a good man.
- OK. How so?
- [sighs] - Listen.
You want something,
you're gonna have to speak more freely.
- He likes boys.
Young ones. Always has.
Liked to... make friends with them,
pretend like they were his buddies.
You know what that really means, though, yeah?
- Was Ben Kurtwright one of those boys?
- Yeah, so Tillman claims that
when he used to visit his brother's apartment,
sometimes there'd be young boys there,
one of them being Ben Kurtwright.
I got an apartment listed here for Eddie Brandt
that fits the timeline.
- So Tillman Brandt actually went to that apartment
18 years ago and sees Ben Kurtwright being held?
- Well, it ain't like Eddie told me
he was holding the damn kid.
- No? What did you think your 30-year-old brother
was doing with a 7-year-old?
You couldn't piece that together?
- That ain't nice.
- No, none of this is nice. - Officer.
- What did Eddie tell you?
- Eddie said Ben was his friend.
I did ask.
I asked Eddie.
Said, um--
said that boy, he don't seem good.
Don't seem good in his head. And did you hurt him?
And Eddie said no. Said Ben was slow.
- Ben was injured?
- Think his head was.
Yeah.
[tense music]
- That's when Ben told me about his ma.
Said, um--
said he wanted to go home.
Said he was just at the slide.
He didn't understand what had happened.
- And you never reported any of that?
- I'm telling you now, ain't I?
- Does he know where they are now?
- No, doesn't sound like he has any idea.
Said he saw Ben Kurtwright that one time
and never talked to his brother again about it.
- Eddie's last known address was over a decade ago.
We got nothing current.
We got nothing on social media, no utilities.
- No phone.
- No real property, no registered vehicle.
Social security number's flat.
No work history in his name. Guy's non-existent.
- You gotta know how to find him.
- How many times I gotta tell you I don't know?
- You know the thing about deals is
you gotta give something to get something.
- Well, I've given you everything.
- Well, it means nothing if we can't find Eddie or Ben.
♪ ♪
- I could tell you how to find him.
- Then why the hell aren't you telling?
- He likes the internet.
Certain sites.
I know which ones he likes. I know how to reach him.
♪ ♪
- The site Tillman provided
is on the dark web and is only accessible for Tor browsers.
- Looks like it's common for the sale of child pornography
and private forums.
They're being used to solicit underage sex.
- Is Eddie's username on there?
- Yeah, frequently. But--
- IP addresses aren't traceable?
- No, only for Tor exits.
- If we're gonna find him, we gonna have to bait him out.
Use Tillman to bait his brother to meet him somewhere.
- Tillman insists his brother won't fall for a random meet.
And...
Tillman would have to pretend he needed cash
and offer Eddie something he would pay for.
- Offer him what?
- I don't get it.
If you know this Eddie, you think he abducted my brother
and my brother could still be with him, why are you here?
- Can we step outside to talk, please?
- No.
I can't miss work. I told you that.
Why aren't you grabbing this Eddie?
- We don't know where he is.
We want to lure him out.
But the best bet to do that
is a ruse of solicitation for sex with a minor.
- Wait, are you kidding me?
- I wish we had a better option.
- You're here asking me to be bait?
- CPD doesn't have any officers that fit the bill
that are available right now.
- [scoffs] - It'd simply be a meet.
We would have eyes on you the entire time.
I mean, you're 18. You can say yes or no.
- Then no.
No, I'm not going to meet with a pedophile.
- Grady, if this man has your brother, then--
- Really?
That's what you want to go with?
- I'm just asking you to think it through.
- I know who you are.
You work with Sarah. You have a missing sister.
You're a part of all of this delusion.
You saw my mother that night.
You saw her when you brought her into your district
to talk to the man who was conning her.
Does she look like a healthy woman to you?
- This is a-- - No, she doesn't.
But that's not what's important, is it?
- This is a real lead.
- They're all real leads.
All of this is real to her. This is her entire existence.
- I get it.
- You don't.
I'm only here because one night,
my mom got drunk and begged my dad for a new baby
because the pain hurt too much.
That is why I'm here.
Do you know how screwed up and unhealthy that is?
[somber music]
I'm not feeding into this anymore.
♪ ♪
- Imani.
- It's because you never knew your brother.
- [scoffs] What?
- That's why you get to say that,
why you don't understand.
You want to pretend you know me?
Well, I knew my sister.
I only got six years with her, but I knew her.
I knew her sleeping next to me,
how her hair would take up the whole damn house,
her chasing behind me on her lanky-ass legs.
I knew her, always right there over my shoulder.
And she still is.
You know, half the time,
I think if I turn around fast enough, if--
if the light's just right...
I'll see her there.
♪ ♪
I get that you want to take the pain away from your mom.
That's not a thing.
Your brother will always be there
right over her shoulder until she finds him.
If you want to help her, help her find him.
.
[indistinct chatter]
- Heading into position.
- I see you.
I got eyes on the front with tact officers.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- Cams are good.
♪ ♪
- Moving up top to get better eyes.
Kev, you see me?
- I got you. You good.
[PA chimes]
- Can I have your attention, please.
The artist show will be starting in five minutes.
Please make your way to the theater.
[PA announcements continue]
♪ ♪
I got him.
2 o'clock, black jacket, blue jeans.
He's coming from the west side. He must have been here already.
♪ ♪
He's with a kid.
- What do you mean, a kid? He's got a kid with him?
- I don't know. I think he came with him.
He's young. 13, maybe.
- Come on. We're coming in.
♪ ♪
- I'm burnt.
They made me. They're moving.
♪ ♪
Move, move.
Get out of my way. Get out of my way, please.
♪ ♪
Get out the way. Move.
Sorry.
♪ ♪
I don't have eyes. Repeat, I still don't have eyes.
They could have gone upstairs or downstairs.
Does anyone have them?
- I don't have eyes.
- Imani, get to Grady. Get him outside.
I got the second floor. Torres, where are you?
- I'm inside in the lobby now.
I don't have eyes.
- Take the west end exhibits. Go now.
- Copy you.
♪ ♪
- What's going on? - He had a kid.
- What are you doing? - I--come with me now.
Come on.
♪ ♪
[train horn blares] - All aboard!
[train horn toots]
♪ ♪
- CPIC's running the street cams nearby for us,
but that's a lot of footage.
- CTA is forwarding everything they have.
If they got on the L after they left, those cameras got 'em.
- Clearly, this man is not stupid.
I mean, he planned ahead.
- Yo, so I helped.
I'm still getting my deal, right?
- There's nothing current on the feed.
Security's running all the footage back now.
I had my gun hidden, my badge.
I don't know how the hell he made me.
If that kid is his current victim,
he tipped off his captor.
- He could be being groomed, possible Stockholm.
- Yo, officers! I got a good still.
- This kid's young. - Yeah.
This is the best I got. It's when they were arriving.
I lose them in the crowd after that.
- Did you run the footage outside?
- Mm-hmm.
- You got 'em entering on foot, from a vehicle?
- No, nothing.
The other images I have of them are all interior.
They both have their heads down.
- I got him.
Kid's in our system.
Charlie Crews, 13 years old. - Thanks for your help.
- Multiple juvie priors. - Can you send me that footage?
- Listed as a habitual runaway.
Last reported missing from a group home six months ago.
- He's a street kid. That's how he made you.
- That's probably how Eddie met him.
- Look, we can use this. We can track him.
- I got nothing on traffic cams
or PODs outside the museum.
- Kid doesn't have a cell phone,
but he does have social media.
I got Snapchat, finsta, and Discord accounts
registered to his name.
- He's probably using public computers to access.
- Uh-huh.
- Hey, what about the L?
- They never get on it.
- OK, so Charlie posts pretty regular,
so he has some type of access to computer or a phone.
Wait. OK, I'm starting to get it.
OK, he used public Wi-Fi recently
to access most of these accounts.
I got four hits at libraries,
a computer café,
a junior high in Lawndale.
Here we go. Private IP.
- What? Where?
- At a house in South Lawndale.
It was rented out by a--
son of a bitch-- Eddie Tillman.
- That's him. It's an alias.
He's using his damn brother's name.
He's got to be there now.
He--he knows police were at the museum.
He's probably getting ready to flee.
- Start cracking off a warrant.
Get a state's attorney on board.
.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
[clattering on TV]
[cartoon sound effects]
♪ ♪
- [grunts]
[muffled shouting]
♪ ♪
[door clicks]
♪ ♪
[tense music]
- Police!
[gunfire]
♪ ♪
- Imani, you good?
Imani?
- I'm fine.
- 5021,
shots fired by offender and police, offender down.
I need a crime lab rolled to 651 West Beaumont.
- Is the house clear?
- Charlie's in custody. Place is clear.
- [sighs]
[somber music]
♪ ♪
- All documents,
especially documents referring to children.
We're looking for a previous victim named Ben Kurtwright.
Simple evidentiary search, and then Forensics comes in,
they process the rest, so the less you can touch, the better.
Hark, hit the front.
Kotarec, hit the back. - OK.
- Stay locked in.
If you find anything, call out. - Copy.
♪ ♪
[police radio chatter]
♪ ♪
- Anything?
- Yeah, he admitted to some touching and kissing.
He's a little embarrassed.
He's starting to understand now.
He said he met him at the library.
That--that he was nice and became his friend.
- Grooming? - Yeah.
Did you get anything on Ben at the house?
- No.
- What would he have...
- This is Officer Imani. She was there at the museum.
- How you doing?
I was hoping you could help me with something.
Do you remember ever seeing a man named Ben Kurtwright?
He would have been 25 years old now.
- Why would I have seen him?
- With Eddie.
Maybe he lived with Eddie. Maybe you saw him come over.
- I don't think so.
- This is him when he went missing.
This is what he might've looked like now.
It's a reproduction, so it's not perfect.
- No. I never saw him.
But...
I heard about him, I think.
- What--what do you mean?
[somber music]
- I don't know if it was this Ben.
- It's OK.
Just tell us what you heard.
♪ ♪
- He...
Eddie gets it. He said he got it.
How I went to juvie, how my family...
♪ ♪
Eddie'd say he was the same.
Said he'd done something bad in his life.
Said it caused his friend, Ben, to die.
But I didn't know he meant a little boy.
I didn't know. - No, no, we know that.
We know.
- [sighs]
- Charlie, did Eddie ever say how Ben died or when he died?
- [sighs]
♪ ♪
- This is Eddie Brandt.
He was shot and killed by police last night
when we executed a warrant.
We believe Eddie Brandt was responsible
for abducting your son Ben 18 years ago.
- Eddie worked about a mile from the playground
where Ben was abducted.
We believe Eddie was driving home that day.
We don't think the abduction was planned.
Eddie just--
he saw Ben, and he took him.
- Eddie Brandt was a serial pedophile.
We have evidence he injured Ben in the assault.
He hurt his head.
Eddie took Ben back to his apartment,
where we know he was alive for a few hours,
he was seen, and then we believe Ben died.
- Either from his injuries,
or Eddie killed him that night.
- The next day, Eddie rented a boat
at a dock on Lake Michigan.
We have DNR records from that day
of a complaint that was filed.
A witness reported seeing a man on Lake Michigan
dumping something into deep water.
DNR responded, pulled over the vessel in question,
found no evidence of the dumping,
but still wrote a citation,
and that citation was to Eddie Brandt.
- Look, the boat was destroyed years ago.
We have no DNA, but...
all evidence indicates
Eddie Brandt disposed of Ben's body in Lake Michigan
the day after his disappearance.
- [sighs]
But you didn't find a body?
- No.
- We don't think we will. I'm sorry.
[somber music]
But the evidence is conclusive enough--
- How can it be without a body?
- Mom.
- N-no.
You--
you don't have him.
You--you-- you didn't find him.
There--there's no way for you to be sure
that that's my Ben on that boat.
It--uh--uh--
I mean, you--you can't know.
- We believe the evidence is conclusive.
- No.
I mean, he could have escaped.
I mean, he could still be out there.
I...
He could. [scoffs]
I--no, I--this-- I'm sorry, this,
this is-- it's not enough.
[stammers] I don't believe this.
I don't-- I won't believe this.
I don't--I won't. [sighs]
No.
[somber music]
No.
♪ ♪
- [clears throat]
I must seem like that.
- Like what?
- Delusional.
We've been looking for Shari over 20 years.
My parents died looking.
They believed her disappearance was linked to sex trafficking.
There were pictures, sightings.
- Confirmed?
- No.
No, all unconfirmed.
But we chased every single one of them.
Followed them across the country.
Moved 12 times in eight years.
I hated it.
I left, but then they both died,
and I was the only one left to keep searching.
- Was there a sighting in Chicago?
- Yeah.
That's why I came here.
I must seem like that.
[engine turns over]
[sighs]
[gulps]
[soft music]
♪ ♪
[keyboard clacking]
♪ ♪
[wolf howls]