1 00:00:07,108 --> 00:00:08,707 [Brittney] My dad adored my mom 2 00:00:08,709 --> 00:00:11,710 and just thought she was the most beautiful creature ever alive. 3 00:00:11,712 --> 00:00:14,046 [Brittney's father speaking] 4 00:00:15,216 --> 00:00:18,317 They made a beautiful life, we had great memories. 5 00:00:21,922 --> 00:00:23,455 [Joyce] Through those early years 6 00:00:23,524 --> 00:00:25,524 they did everything as a family, 7 00:00:25,526 --> 00:00:27,359 they had a lot of good times together. 8 00:00:27,461 --> 00:00:30,729 [laughs] 9 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:35,300 [Joann speaking] 10 00:00:35,302 --> 00:00:37,202 I never dreamt that this would have happened 11 00:00:37,204 --> 00:00:38,203 to either one of us. 12 00:00:41,542 --> 00:00:44,309 The day she called me, she sounded afraid. 13 00:00:45,813 --> 00:00:49,014 His first words to me is, "Where is she?" 14 00:00:50,918 --> 00:00:54,253 [Brittney] There's some things that aren't adding up, to me. 15 00:00:55,723 --> 00:00:56,889 We just didn't know, 16 00:00:56,891 --> 00:00:59,224 we had no clue what we were dealing with. 17 00:00:59,226 --> 00:01:03,162 [theme music playing] 18 00:01:15,609 --> 00:01:19,445 [narrator] Christmas eve, 1985, in Las Vegas. 19 00:01:23,417 --> 00:01:25,551 33-year-old Tom Albanese 20 00:01:25,619 --> 00:01:28,120 and his wife 29-year-old Joann 21 00:01:28,122 --> 00:01:29,955 entertain guests at their home. 22 00:01:38,666 --> 00:01:40,399 [narrator] Their friend, John Deming, 23 00:01:40,401 --> 00:01:42,301 films the action. 24 00:01:42,303 --> 00:01:45,304 He's here tonight with his wife Joyce. 25 00:01:45,306 --> 00:01:46,839 [Joyce] One of my favorite memories 26 00:01:46,907 --> 00:01:49,808 shortly before I moved to Texas, 27 00:01:49,810 --> 00:01:53,412 we had a Christmas eve at Tom and Joann's home. 28 00:01:55,116 --> 00:01:56,815 We always got together for holidays, 29 00:01:56,817 --> 00:01:58,350 every holiday we could. 30 00:01:59,753 --> 00:02:03,422 My husband had very recently gotten a new video camera 31 00:02:03,424 --> 00:02:05,524 and he was so excited. 32 00:02:06,060 --> 00:02:07,726 [Tom speaking] 33 00:02:07,728 --> 00:02:08,527 [John speaking] 34 00:02:08,529 --> 00:02:09,261 [Tom speaking] 35 00:02:09,330 --> 00:02:10,028 [John speaking] 36 00:02:10,030 --> 00:02:11,196 [Tom speaking] 37 00:02:11,265 --> 00:02:12,764 [Joyce] This was just one of the first years 38 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:14,500 that we had video cameras 39 00:02:14,502 --> 00:02:17,503 that we could actually have film of each other. 40 00:02:18,606 --> 00:02:20,205 [kid speaking] 41 00:02:20,207 --> 00:02:21,607 [narrator] The two couples' daughters 42 00:02:21,609 --> 00:02:23,208 enjoyed the festivities. 43 00:02:24,111 --> 00:02:25,444 [Joyce] My daughter was Andrea, 44 00:02:25,513 --> 00:02:28,247 the blonde, she was four years old. 45 00:02:29,049 --> 00:02:30,616 The dark haired girl is Amber, 46 00:02:30,618 --> 00:02:33,519 Joann's oldest, she was six 47 00:02:33,521 --> 00:02:35,621 [woman 1 speaking] 48 00:02:37,525 --> 00:02:39,958 [woman 2 speaking] 49 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,395 [kid speaking] 50 00:02:43,397 --> 00:02:46,832 [Joyce] Amber was very energetic and very strong-willed. 51 00:02:48,235 --> 00:02:51,803 She was just like a big sister to Andrea 52 00:02:51,805 --> 00:02:53,939 and they played so well together, 53 00:02:55,209 --> 00:02:56,408 we were just family. 54 00:02:56,410 --> 00:02:58,610 [woman 2 speaking] 55 00:02:59,313 --> 00:03:01,713 [woman 1 speaking] 56 00:03:07,154 --> 00:03:12,624 I met Joann when we were about ten years old 57 00:03:12,626 --> 00:03:14,426 in elementary school. 58 00:03:15,629 --> 00:03:19,031 Her family traveled extensively through Europe 59 00:03:19,033 --> 00:03:23,402 with her father's career in the United States Army 60 00:03:23,404 --> 00:03:27,506 and then he was relocated to the United States, 61 00:03:27,508 --> 00:03:29,908 when Joann was a very young girl. 62 00:03:31,812 --> 00:03:34,146 I first met Joann when her family 63 00:03:34,215 --> 00:03:35,814 relocated to Las Vegas. 64 00:03:37,451 --> 00:03:40,252 I took and instant liking to Joann 65 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,755 because she was not from the neighborhood 66 00:03:43,824 --> 00:03:46,325 and I just found her life fascinating 67 00:03:46,327 --> 00:03:48,827 because she had traveled. 68 00:03:50,130 --> 00:03:51,530 People thought we were sisters 69 00:03:51,532 --> 00:03:53,498 because we were both tall and thin 70 00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:55,934 and had naturally curly hair 71 00:03:55,936 --> 00:03:58,737 and we did everything together. 72 00:03:58,806 --> 00:04:01,306 Somehow that connection, that buddy connection, 73 00:04:01,308 --> 00:04:04,009 that the school gave us in 1966, 74 00:04:04,011 --> 00:04:05,310 was a lasting one. 75 00:04:07,548 --> 00:04:10,616 Tom and Joann met when they were very young, 76 00:04:10,618 --> 00:04:15,053 I believe Joann was probably 14 or 15. 77 00:04:15,055 --> 00:04:17,456 Tom was four years older. 78 00:04:18,826 --> 00:04:21,460 [Theresa] Joann was a strikingly beautiful girl 79 00:04:22,529 --> 00:04:25,597 she just had a smile that was contagious 80 00:04:25,599 --> 00:04:28,100 and always wanted to make people happy. 81 00:04:29,236 --> 00:04:31,436 I think all the guys in high school 82 00:04:31,505 --> 00:04:32,637 had a crush on her. 83 00:04:33,607 --> 00:04:35,607 Tom couldn't believe that she said "yes". 84 00:04:36,710 --> 00:04:38,343 When they first got married 85 00:04:38,412 --> 00:04:40,812 he was just starting in the food industry, 86 00:04:40,814 --> 00:04:42,514 you know, getting his feet wet. 87 00:04:43,751 --> 00:04:46,051 [Joyce] He really built his career 88 00:04:46,053 --> 00:04:49,221 in servicing restaurants 89 00:04:49,223 --> 00:04:53,925 and casinos and really was driven in that. 90 00:04:55,829 --> 00:04:59,598 Joann grew to love Tom and grew to respect Tom 91 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,302 because she admired the ambition that he had 92 00:05:03,304 --> 00:05:07,506 and the drive that he had to work hard, 93 00:05:07,508 --> 00:05:09,941 be a successful businessman 94 00:05:10,043 --> 00:05:13,945 be a good provider for a family 95 00:05:14,047 --> 00:05:16,214 that she wanted to have. 96 00:05:18,018 --> 00:05:21,253 [Theresa] Tom would put lon hours in, visiting clients, 97 00:05:21,355 --> 00:05:24,723 making sure their needs were provided 98 00:05:24,725 --> 00:05:28,527 and he drove a lot, so I remember that, 99 00:05:28,529 --> 00:05:32,030 but he wanted to make a better life for himself 100 00:05:32,032 --> 00:05:33,532 and his family. 101 00:05:34,601 --> 00:05:36,735 [narrator] On Christmas eve 1985, 102 00:05:36,837 --> 00:05:38,203 Joann shows the camera 103 00:05:38,205 --> 00:05:40,105 that she's expecting a new arrival. 104 00:05:40,107 --> 00:05:42,307 [laughter and indistinct chatter] 105 00:05:46,347 --> 00:05:48,347 [Joyce speaking] 106 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:54,953 [Joyce] Joann was sitting, you couldn't tell she was 107 00:05:55,022 --> 00:05:57,556 pregnant at the time, but then she finally stood u 108 00:05:57,657 --> 00:06:00,959 and showed us that she had a little one there too. 109 00:06:02,329 --> 00:06:05,464 She was a glowing pregnant mom, 110 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:08,400 she was very, very excited 111 00:06:08,402 --> 00:06:11,236 to know that she was going to have another child, 112 00:06:11,305 --> 00:06:13,605 not only for she and Tom, 113 00:06:13,607 --> 00:06:15,707 but for Amber to have a sibling. 114 00:06:17,745 --> 00:06:22,414 [narrator] Joann gives birt to Brittney in January, 1986 115 00:06:22,416 --> 00:06:25,317 I think she was overjoyed that she was not going 116 00:06:25,319 --> 00:06:26,752 to have to have a boy. 117 00:06:27,955 --> 00:06:29,921 She said, "I don't know what to do with a boy, 118 00:06:29,923 --> 00:06:32,524 I've always had girls around me." 119 00:06:33,761 --> 00:06:35,527 From the time Brittney was born, 120 00:06:35,529 --> 00:06:39,231 Amber was the big sister and Amber was gonna help 121 00:06:39,233 --> 00:06:40,499 with everything with Brittne 122 00:06:40,501 --> 00:06:42,901 and she was at that time very much so, 123 00:06:42,903 --> 00:06:46,938 a help and a little dotter on her little baby sister. 124 00:06:48,242 --> 00:06:52,043 [Brittney] My sister Amber, she was a nice older sister 125 00:06:52,145 --> 00:06:54,813 but also, the fact that I was younger, 126 00:06:54,815 --> 00:06:56,248 picked on me, 127 00:06:56,316 --> 00:06:57,849 did everything that an older sibling 128 00:06:57,918 --> 00:06:59,718 would do to a younger one, 129 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:01,720 but at the same time was super loving. 130 00:07:03,023 --> 00:07:04,823 I was the perfect baby, 131 00:07:05,426 --> 00:07:08,727 I had big cheeks, 132 00:07:08,729 --> 00:07:10,529 big curly hair, 133 00:07:10,531 --> 00:07:12,697 just like my mom's, 134 00:07:12,699 --> 00:07:14,332 but I was the best baby, 135 00:07:14,434 --> 00:07:19,304 I slept through the night, never cried, I was a saint. 136 00:07:19,306 --> 00:07:21,339 Everyone called me the little angel, 137 00:07:21,408 --> 00:07:24,843 so that's been my nickname for so many years, 138 00:07:25,946 --> 00:07:27,512 because I was an angel. 139 00:07:27,514 --> 00:07:29,047 [laughs] 140 00:07:33,620 --> 00:07:39,458 In July, 1988, there was a family reunion in New Jersey 141 00:07:39,526 --> 00:07:41,860 where my parents and myself and my sister 142 00:07:41,929 --> 00:07:45,530 had come and met all of my dad's side of the family. 143 00:07:46,233 --> 00:07:47,732 [Tom speaking] 144 00:07:48,535 --> 00:07:49,835 [woman speaking] 145 00:07:51,305 --> 00:07:52,537 [Brittney] We drove through the night to get 146 00:07:52,606 --> 00:07:54,105 to New Jersey 147 00:07:54,107 --> 00:07:57,008 and when we had arrived, our entire family was there 148 00:07:57,010 --> 00:07:59,511 to meet and greet us. 149 00:07:59,513 --> 00:08:03,949 I was two-and-a-half and my sister was nine-and-a-half. 150 00:08:09,623 --> 00:08:11,723 There I am, coming down the slide. 151 00:08:16,763 --> 00:08:18,630 My sister's on the swing. 152 00:08:20,934 --> 00:08:23,602 My parents recorded our entire life, 153 00:08:23,604 --> 00:08:25,837 they recorded special events, 154 00:08:25,939 --> 00:08:28,340 our trips, anything you can think of. 155 00:08:40,254 --> 00:08:41,820 [Tom speaking] 156 00:08:41,822 --> 00:08:43,154 [girl speaking] 157 00:08:44,825 --> 00:08:47,158 Even to this day I have a camera 158 00:08:47,227 --> 00:08:49,261 and do the same with my family. 159 00:08:49,329 --> 00:08:51,329 [Tom speaking] 160 00:08:56,904 --> 00:09:00,138 [Brittney] My mom could hang out and be one of the boys 161 00:09:00,206 --> 00:09:03,708 or she could hang out with the girls and talk shop 162 00:09:03,710 --> 00:09:06,611 She was able to fit in, wherever she was. 163 00:09:09,316 --> 00:09:11,716 [man 1 speaking] 164 00:09:11,718 --> 00:09:13,518 [man 1 speaking] 165 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,388 [Brittney] Oh, these are the boys playing horseshoes 166 00:09:16,390 --> 00:09:19,991 the Jersey boys versus the Vegas boys, 167 00:09:19,993 --> 00:09:22,861 well, my dad, he's the only Las Vegan there. 168 00:09:26,567 --> 00:09:29,334 There's my mommy, sitting there watching the boys. 169 00:09:33,740 --> 00:09:38,843 [laughing and screaming] 170 00:09:39,346 --> 00:09:41,513 [Joann speaking] 171 00:09:42,716 --> 00:09:44,849 [Brittney] Oh my God, she's so goofy! 172 00:09:44,951 --> 00:09:46,952 She's so excited too. 173 00:09:49,022 --> 00:09:50,455 [Tom speaking] 174 00:09:50,557 --> 00:09:53,291 [Brittney] My dad was the most proud husband, 175 00:09:53,293 --> 00:09:55,427 proud father, 176 00:09:55,429 --> 00:09:58,730 he was honored and blessed to have her 177 00:09:58,732 --> 00:10:02,601 and then have two daughters that remind him of her. 178 00:10:03,937 --> 00:10:06,037 Looking back and just seeing how perfect 179 00:10:06,039 --> 00:10:08,340 our life was at one time, 180 00:10:08,441 --> 00:10:10,842 we had no idea what was gonna happen. 181 00:10:15,415 --> 00:10:17,515 [narrator] It's October, 198 182 00:10:17,517 --> 00:10:19,951 32-year-old Joann Albanese 183 00:10:19,953 --> 00:10:22,220 and her 36-year-old husband, Tom, 184 00:10:22,222 --> 00:10:24,022 are flying to Honolulu. 185 00:10:26,159 --> 00:10:28,627 [Joann speaking] 186 00:10:31,999 --> 00:10:33,865 [Brittney] My parents traveled a lot 187 00:10:33,867 --> 00:10:36,134 for my dad's work. 188 00:10:36,236 --> 00:10:39,270 My mom really loved traveling with my father, 189 00:10:39,272 --> 00:10:42,607 they would explore and see tons of different places. 190 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:49,314 She looks definitely like she had a few drinks 191 00:10:49,316 --> 00:10:51,216 to start off her vacation. 192 00:10:55,222 --> 00:10:56,254 [laughs] 193 00:10:56,256 --> 00:10:57,889 Those red nails. 194 00:10:58,425 --> 00:11:00,058 She was so glamorous. 195 00:11:11,805 --> 00:11:13,104 [indistinct] 196 00:11:13,106 --> 00:11:16,107 That's probably from my dad, he's so handsome. 197 00:11:16,710 --> 00:11:20,045 [Joann speaking] 198 00:11:29,056 --> 00:11:29,921 [Joann speaking] 199 00:11:34,528 --> 00:11:37,228 They loved being silly together. 200 00:11:37,230 --> 00:11:39,264 [Joann speaking] 201 00:12:04,624 --> 00:12:08,560 When Joann did travel abroad and in the United States, 202 00:12:08,628 --> 00:12:12,230 she always wanted to be on the top of the world. 203 00:12:12,232 --> 00:12:13,631 If she was on a cruise ship 204 00:12:13,667 --> 00:12:15,400 she wanted to be on the top of the boat, 205 00:12:15,402 --> 00:12:16,901 if she was in an airplane, 206 00:12:16,903 --> 00:12:18,670 she wanted to be in first class. 207 00:12:20,540 --> 00:12:22,407 [Brittney] Any events that my parents went to, 208 00:12:22,409 --> 00:12:25,210 my mom was my dad's right hand woman. 209 00:12:26,279 --> 00:12:28,513 [Joyce] Joann always made a great appearance, 210 00:12:28,515 --> 00:12:31,449 made great presence wherever she was, 211 00:12:31,551 --> 00:12:33,318 she always had a smile on her face 212 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,621 and could greet people and could talk very comfortably 213 00:12:36,723 --> 00:12:41,626 in any situation that you put her in with other strangers, 214 00:12:41,628 --> 00:12:44,696 I don't believe many people were strangers to her. 215 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,774 I believe that that enabled Tom to feel 216 00:12:55,776 --> 00:12:58,743 more comfortable to have a wife with him 217 00:12:58,745 --> 00:13:01,112 on his business excursions, 218 00:13:01,114 --> 00:13:03,815 that he was a husband and a father 219 00:13:03,817 --> 00:13:07,519 and had an attractive, fun wife to be with. 220 00:13:08,355 --> 00:13:10,355 [Tom speaking] 221 00:13:16,530 --> 00:13:17,962 [narrator] But behind the smiles, 222 00:13:17,964 --> 00:13:21,399 Joann is struggling with Tom's focus on work. 223 00:13:21,401 --> 00:13:24,602 [Joyce] Joann felt a lot of times like Tom's busines 224 00:13:24,604 --> 00:13:27,539 took precedence over time with his girls 225 00:13:27,607 --> 00:13:30,809 as they were young, time with her mother, 226 00:13:30,910 --> 00:13:33,044 time with her family. 227 00:13:33,113 --> 00:13:35,113 [Joann speaking] 228 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:45,023 Tom was still very focused on providing a good life for her, 229 00:13:45,025 --> 00:13:47,959 which she appreciated in many ways, 230 00:13:47,961 --> 00:13:52,197 but he also was driven to please clients 231 00:13:52,199 --> 00:13:53,832 and please customers 232 00:13:53,900 --> 00:13:57,969 and please the business connections he had. 233 00:14:03,043 --> 00:14:05,510 [Brittney] We lived in The Lakes in Las Vegas, 234 00:14:06,446 --> 00:14:09,047 every street had a cul-de-sac on it 235 00:14:09,115 --> 00:14:12,417 and it was for the elite of the elite. 236 00:14:12,419 --> 00:14:14,052 Everyone wanted to live in The Lakes. 237 00:14:15,622 --> 00:14:17,989 We had a pool in our backyard, 238 00:14:17,991 --> 00:14:20,291 we'd probably be out there every single day 239 00:14:20,293 --> 00:14:22,227 if our parents let us. 240 00:14:22,229 --> 00:14:24,829 My mom and dad always loved entertaining. 241 00:14:25,332 --> 00:14:27,332 [Joann speaking] 242 00:14:34,341 --> 00:14:36,107 [Brittney] They would have everybody come over, 243 00:14:36,109 --> 00:14:38,343 all of our guests felt special, 244 00:14:38,444 --> 00:14:40,578 everyone was welcomed, 245 00:14:40,580 --> 00:14:43,114 any events we had that weren't at our home, 246 00:14:43,116 --> 00:14:45,416 they would plan and coordinate. 247 00:14:45,418 --> 00:14:47,051 They kept everybody together. 248 00:14:47,988 --> 00:14:48,987 [Joann speaking] 249 00:14:48,989 --> 00:14:49,954 [Tom speaking] 250 00:14:53,093 --> 00:14:54,726 [narrator] Joann is a great host, 251 00:14:54,728 --> 00:14:58,129 but she longs for success outside of the home. 252 00:14:58,131 --> 00:15:00,598 [Brittney] My mom wanted more from her life 253 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,602 than just being a part-time working stay-at-home mom. 254 00:15:04,604 --> 00:15:06,938 She wanted dreams and ambitions as well, 255 00:15:06,940 --> 00:15:10,041 and being able to be on the sideline for my dad, 256 00:15:10,109 --> 00:15:14,178 I could definitely see her wanting more from herself, 257 00:15:14,180 --> 00:15:15,947 not because my dad wasn't providing 258 00:15:15,949 --> 00:15:17,515 and giving her everything, 259 00:15:17,517 --> 00:15:20,418 it's because being a strong-willed woman, 260 00:15:20,420 --> 00:15:22,720 you want to be able to say, "I did this." 261 00:15:25,358 --> 00:15:28,793 [Tom speaking] 262 00:15:29,596 --> 00:15:32,330 [Joann speaking] 263 00:15:36,703 --> 00:15:40,305 In March, 1991, we went to meet my grandpa Earl 264 00:15:40,307 --> 00:15:45,143 and his wife Fran to go on one of our many RV trips 265 00:15:45,211 --> 00:15:47,779 which always ended in a good fishing trip. 266 00:15:48,348 --> 00:15:50,114 [Tom speaking] 267 00:15:52,619 --> 00:15:54,686 [Brittney] My parents did have some few disputes 268 00:15:54,688 --> 00:15:57,322 that we were accustomed to, 269 00:15:57,324 --> 00:15:59,057 whether my dad working long hours, 270 00:15:59,125 --> 00:16:00,792 my mom wanting to work more. 271 00:16:04,965 --> 00:16:07,732 [Brittney] But any issues they had in their lives, 272 00:16:07,767 --> 00:16:11,202 anything that was there was definitely hidden from me. 273 00:16:12,305 --> 00:16:14,305 They made a beautiful life, 274 00:16:14,307 --> 00:16:17,709 at the same time, they both had their own paths. 275 00:16:18,979 --> 00:16:21,312 [Joyce] I think being marrie so young and being 276 00:16:21,314 --> 00:16:25,216 in the infatuation of a successful businessman 277 00:16:25,218 --> 00:16:28,720 and those things wasn't so intriguing anymore to Joann. 278 00:16:29,522 --> 00:16:30,722 [Joann speaking] 279 00:16:30,724 --> 00:16:32,423 [man speaking] 280 00:16:32,425 --> 00:16:33,524 [kid speaking] 281 00:16:33,526 --> 00:16:35,059 [Joann speaking] 282 00:16:35,695 --> 00:16:39,197 [man speaking] 283 00:16:39,199 --> 00:16:40,598 [Joyce] I called Joann and I said, 284 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:42,700 "Just wanted to let you kno for planning purposes 285 00:16:42,769 --> 00:16:44,402 that we're coming for Christmas this year 286 00:16:44,404 --> 00:16:46,237 and be there a week or so 287 00:16:46,339 --> 00:16:47,505 and wanted to plan a ski trip," 288 00:16:47,507 --> 00:16:49,440 and she said, "Oh, I'm not sure about that." 289 00:16:50,543 --> 00:16:53,244 She said, "Tom doesn't know yet, 290 00:16:53,313 --> 00:16:56,214 but I'm serving him with divorce papers tomorrow." 291 00:16:57,150 --> 00:16:59,684 I did not realize 292 00:16:59,686 --> 00:17:02,887 quite how far apart Tom and Joann had grown 293 00:17:04,157 --> 00:17:06,357 and I said, "Do you know what you're giving up?" 294 00:17:06,459 --> 00:17:09,327 and she said, "Joyce, I do, I really do," 295 00:17:09,329 --> 00:17:12,163 she said, "I can't do this anymore, 296 00:17:12,232 --> 00:17:15,700 I can't be Tom's wife, 297 00:17:15,802 --> 00:17:17,335 I have to be myself." 298 00:17:23,443 --> 00:17:25,209 [Brittney] By December, 1991 299 00:17:25,211 --> 00:17:27,712 my parents' divorce was finalized. 300 00:17:28,915 --> 00:17:30,114 All of a sudden, dad's living 301 00:17:30,116 --> 00:17:32,483 in an apartment about five minutes down the street 302 00:17:32,485 --> 00:17:33,651 from our house 303 00:17:33,653 --> 00:17:35,720 and on the weekends we're going with dad 304 00:17:35,822 --> 00:17:37,922 and during the week we're with mom. 305 00:17:39,225 --> 00:17:40,992 [Joyce] Soon after Joann was divorced, 306 00:17:40,994 --> 00:17:45,530 she started working at the MGM Grand Hotel as a front office person. 307 00:17:47,233 --> 00:17:49,600 I think Joann was excited about starting her job 308 00:17:49,602 --> 00:17:52,503 at the MGM because it's like one of the biggest resorts 309 00:17:52,505 --> 00:17:54,238 here in Las Vegas, first of all, 310 00:17:54,307 --> 00:17:56,040 and very prestigious 311 00:17:56,042 --> 00:17:59,510 and she was just very excited about it. 312 00:17:59,512 --> 00:18:02,413 [Brittney] My mom was reall taking her own decisions 313 00:18:02,415 --> 00:18:05,583 and making all the options that she wanted for her lif 314 00:18:05,585 --> 00:18:08,719 and was still being a mom at the same time. 315 00:18:08,821 --> 00:18:12,957 She was going to the gym, she started working out a lo 316 00:18:14,394 --> 00:18:17,528 [narrator] By the start of 1992, Joann is single 317 00:18:17,530 --> 00:18:20,531 and ready to dip her toes into the dating pool. 318 00:18:21,668 --> 00:18:24,202 Joann had a very attractive figure, 319 00:18:24,204 --> 00:18:28,005 she kept herself very well, she wore nice clothes, 320 00:18:28,007 --> 00:18:32,510 she did her hair nice always she took very good care 321 00:18:32,512 --> 00:18:34,779 and pride of her personal appearance. 322 00:18:35,882 --> 00:18:37,548 She was starting to date a little bit 323 00:18:37,650 --> 00:18:40,218 and had a couple of minor relationships. 324 00:18:41,721 --> 00:18:43,254 The girls were a little bit older, 325 00:18:43,322 --> 00:18:46,057 Tom was very good about taking care of the gir 326 00:18:46,059 --> 00:18:48,426 on his weekends to have them 327 00:18:50,430 --> 00:18:51,829 [Brittney] March, 1995, 328 00:18:51,931 --> 00:18:54,632 my mom had met a gentleman named John Edwards. 329 00:18:56,102 --> 00:18:58,102 [narrator] John is 45 years old 330 00:18:58,104 --> 00:19:01,005 and works as a personal trainer at a local gym. 331 00:19:02,942 --> 00:19:04,809 [Joyce] John was a good match for Joann, 332 00:19:05,712 --> 00:19:08,112 I think he had a very calm nature, 333 00:19:09,415 --> 00:19:12,517 he being a bodybuilder and a charming man, 334 00:19:12,519 --> 00:19:15,820 I think the relationship got off to a very good start. 335 00:19:18,324 --> 00:19:23,127 She was more excited and seemed happier 336 00:19:23,129 --> 00:19:26,631 than I had seen her in many, many years. 337 00:19:26,633 --> 00:19:30,101 She was excited to start something new in her life. 338 00:19:31,504 --> 00:19:34,338 Very early on Joann wanted me to meet him 339 00:19:34,407 --> 00:19:37,408 and being long distance, 340 00:19:37,410 --> 00:19:39,210 the best thing was a phone call 341 00:19:39,212 --> 00:19:41,345 and he got on the phone and he was very charming 342 00:19:41,447 --> 00:19:44,515 and told me that he had fel like he already knew me wel 343 00:19:44,517 --> 00:19:48,286 because of the stories that he and Joann had shared 344 00:19:48,288 --> 00:19:50,121 He made me feel like we could pick up 345 00:19:50,123 --> 00:19:52,823 where we had left off with Tom and Joann. 346 00:19:55,161 --> 00:19:57,295 I think one of the most important things 347 00:19:57,297 --> 00:20:00,231 that Joann had in her life was to find someone 348 00:20:00,233 --> 00:20:04,869 that fit in her family and right away, John, 349 00:20:04,871 --> 00:20:09,307 took a liking to her girls and them to him. 350 00:20:09,309 --> 00:20:11,209 They did many, many things together, 351 00:20:11,211 --> 00:20:15,513 he was apparently a very good tennis player. 352 00:20:15,515 --> 00:20:19,217 [Brittney] He was super athletic, super into fitness, 353 00:20:19,219 --> 00:20:22,019 he actually would teach me how to play tennis 354 00:20:22,021 --> 00:20:23,220 when I was really young. 355 00:20:25,358 --> 00:20:28,359 [Joyce] I think he presented himself very well 356 00:20:28,428 --> 00:20:29,894 to Amber and Brittney 357 00:20:29,896 --> 00:20:34,031 to be the perfect man in their life. 358 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,008 [Joyce] There was a dinner party with Joann's friend 359 00:20:44,010 --> 00:20:46,310 and her husband. 360 00:20:46,312 --> 00:20:49,347 She and John went out to dinner with them one evening 361 00:20:49,415 --> 00:20:51,682 and her friend and Joann had both 362 00:20:51,684 --> 00:20:53,818 used John as a personal trainer, 363 00:20:53,886 --> 00:20:55,319 and her friend had mentione 364 00:20:55,321 --> 00:20:58,189 that she was feeling chubby or looking chubby 365 00:20:58,191 --> 00:21:00,524 or something and apparently John 366 00:21:00,526 --> 00:21:04,829 had a very adverse reaction to her comment. 367 00:21:05,832 --> 00:21:07,498 He took it very personally 368 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:09,500 that he was her personal trainer 369 00:21:09,502 --> 00:21:13,204 and that he was the best and she should be the best 370 00:21:13,206 --> 00:21:15,706 because she had the best. 371 00:21:15,708 --> 00:21:18,342 Joann saw an angry side and that was a side 372 00:21:18,444 --> 00:21:20,211 that he had not presented to her 373 00:21:20,213 --> 00:21:24,115 or to anyone she knew in that way beforehand 374 00:21:24,117 --> 00:21:26,751 and that made Joann aware that he wasn't 375 00:21:26,753 --> 00:21:28,819 quite the kind, gentle man 376 00:21:28,888 --> 00:21:31,789 that she had been first attracted to. 377 00:21:39,132 --> 00:21:41,332 [Theresa] I was dropping my niece off 378 00:21:41,434 --> 00:21:42,967 from spending the day with her, 379 00:21:42,969 --> 00:21:47,505 me and my mom, we were driving up to their home, 380 00:21:47,507 --> 00:21:50,408 and Brittney looked at the window and she said, 381 00:21:50,410 --> 00:21:54,111 "Oh, there's my mom's boyfriend, John," 382 00:21:54,113 --> 00:21:57,682 and I just said, "Oh," not thinking anything of it 383 00:21:57,684 --> 00:22:00,718 and we continued our drive up to her home 384 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,088 and we pulled in the driveway 385 00:22:04,090 --> 00:22:07,224 and my sister-in-law was standing in the garage, 386 00:22:08,895 --> 00:22:10,961 it was a nice warm day in Las Vegas 387 00:22:10,963 --> 00:22:12,530 so the kids were out playing 388 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:15,399 We hung around a little bit 389 00:22:17,136 --> 00:22:19,203 About ten minutes later, 390 00:22:19,205 --> 00:22:22,106 John pulls up on his ten-speed 391 00:22:22,108 --> 00:22:26,310 and before he even parked it he was yelling at Joann 392 00:22:26,312 --> 00:22:28,713 'cause she hadn't answered the phone, 393 00:22:28,814 --> 00:22:32,550 wondering why she hadn't answered the phone 394 00:22:32,651 --> 00:22:37,955 and just being very, very obnoxious towards her, 395 00:22:37,957 --> 00:22:40,691 not even noticing there was two people 396 00:22:40,693 --> 00:22:43,327 standing there listening to this, 397 00:22:43,329 --> 00:22:47,031 not to mention her two daughters and the neighbors. 398 00:22:48,434 --> 00:22:50,768 So, we left 399 00:22:50,770 --> 00:22:53,437 and we were talking in the car on the way home 400 00:22:53,506 --> 00:22:56,807 and we both said the same thing, 401 00:22:56,876 --> 00:22:58,676 "I don't like him," at the same time. 402 00:23:03,983 --> 00:23:07,451 [Joyce] Joann called me one day when he was not ther 403 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:08,886 and she said, "Joyce, I thin 404 00:23:08,888 --> 00:23:11,088 I'm going to have him move in with me," 405 00:23:12,125 --> 00:23:15,226 she said, "It'll give us more time together, 406 00:23:15,228 --> 00:23:17,161 it'll give him more time with the girls," 407 00:23:17,964 --> 00:23:19,563 it seemed to me like 408 00:23:19,665 --> 00:23:21,766 things must have been going well again, 409 00:23:21,768 --> 00:23:25,870 that maybe he had backed of a touch of his control, 410 00:23:25,872 --> 00:23:28,406 of his anger side. 411 00:23:29,442 --> 00:23:30,975 I told Joann 412 00:23:31,677 --> 00:23:33,077 that 413 00:23:33,079 --> 00:23:37,014 I was uncomfortable with that decision. 414 00:23:37,016 --> 00:23:39,950 I said, "Joann, you've got to really think hard 415 00:23:39,952 --> 00:23:43,254 and long about this before you move him in, 416 00:23:44,223 --> 00:23:46,490 it's all going so fast, 417 00:23:46,492 --> 00:23:49,326 you don't really know anything about him," 418 00:23:49,328 --> 00:23:50,828 and I said, "It... 419 00:23:51,931 --> 00:23:54,064 doesn't sit very well with me, 420 00:23:54,066 --> 00:23:56,400 that he's moved so quickly, 421 00:23:57,703 --> 00:24:00,204 you've got young girls!" 422 00:24:00,206 --> 00:24:04,208 I said, "And I know he seem like this kind gentle man 423 00:24:04,210 --> 00:24:06,210 and they like him a lot," but I said, 424 00:24:06,212 --> 00:24:09,447 "There are some things that aren't adding up to me." 425 00:24:10,817 --> 00:24:12,550 [Brittney] Shortly after tha he decided to move 426 00:24:12,651 --> 00:24:15,486 into our home in The Lakes with us. 427 00:24:15,554 --> 00:24:17,822 After John moved into our home, 428 00:24:17,824 --> 00:24:20,090 my mom was kind of different 429 00:24:20,092 --> 00:24:23,194 from my mom being a bubbly personality 430 00:24:23,196 --> 00:24:25,963 to not necessarily being able to be that way. 431 00:24:29,869 --> 00:24:32,870 Friday, August 18th, 1995, 432 00:24:32,872 --> 00:24:36,207 I was laying on the couch watching cartoons, 433 00:24:36,209 --> 00:24:38,309 mom had gone upstairs to get dressed 434 00:24:38,311 --> 00:24:40,211 and ready for work, 435 00:24:40,213 --> 00:24:42,813 it was our dad's weekend to pick us up, 436 00:24:42,915 --> 00:24:45,149 my sister Amber and I 437 00:24:45,218 --> 00:24:48,919 were going to our dad's house for his weekend. 438 00:24:48,921 --> 00:24:52,556 When she came down, she said "Bye, Brittney, love you, 439 00:24:52,658 --> 00:24:54,692 come give me a hug," and I didn't 440 00:24:54,694 --> 00:24:56,727 because I was laying on the couch, 441 00:24:56,829 --> 00:24:58,996 and she left for work. 442 00:24:58,998 --> 00:25:00,898 It was the last time I saw her. 443 00:25:08,674 --> 00:25:11,075 [Brittney] My dad had dropped us off, my sister and I, 444 00:25:11,077 --> 00:25:14,745 to our home in The Lakes, at about six o'clock, 445 00:25:14,813 --> 00:25:18,749 we had gone in like we had every other Sunday, 446 00:25:18,751 --> 00:25:21,785 except for this Sunday, our mom was not there. 447 00:25:23,222 --> 00:25:25,389 My sister did not worry 448 00:25:25,391 --> 00:25:26,457 and she said, 449 00:25:26,525 --> 00:25:29,126 "Oh, she probably just ran to the store," 450 00:25:29,128 --> 00:25:31,128 but everything was a bit different 451 00:25:31,230 --> 00:25:34,031 and felt a little bit odd. 452 00:25:34,033 --> 00:25:37,301 We go into her room and her room was in shambles, 453 00:25:37,303 --> 00:25:39,069 her bed wasn't made, 454 00:25:39,071 --> 00:25:42,239 her Nivea lotion cap was off 455 00:25:42,341 --> 00:25:43,941 her bathroom was a mess, 456 00:25:43,943 --> 00:25:45,709 pillows missing 457 00:25:45,811 --> 00:25:48,112 and she was a neat clean freak. 458 00:25:49,782 --> 00:25:52,116 There was jewelry on my mom's dresser 459 00:25:52,217 --> 00:25:54,418 that she wore every single day, 460 00:25:54,420 --> 00:25:55,953 that she did not have on. 461 00:25:57,089 --> 00:25:59,723 All this, was just like really out of characte 462 00:25:59,825 --> 00:26:00,958 for my mom. 463 00:26:02,528 --> 00:26:05,029 My sister, being the oldest was able to notice 464 00:26:05,031 --> 00:26:08,132 her wallet's here, her purse is here. 465 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,435 We had run downstairs to see if her car is here, 466 00:26:11,537 --> 00:26:13,170 her car wasn't here, 467 00:26:13,172 --> 00:26:15,539 but her purse was, so then it became a point 468 00:26:15,608 --> 00:26:17,708 where, "Well, where's mom?" 469 00:26:21,113 --> 00:26:24,415 Then Amber got involved and we started calling everybody, 470 00:26:24,417 --> 00:26:28,018 if anybody has heard from he she maybe went into work, 471 00:26:28,020 --> 00:26:30,254 maybe she needed to do something at the travel agent, 472 00:26:30,356 --> 00:26:31,922 something, she wouldn't just leave us. 473 00:26:32,959 --> 00:26:34,725 [phone rings] 474 00:26:35,795 --> 00:26:37,227 [Joyce] My telephone rang 475 00:26:37,930 --> 00:26:39,964 and it was Tom Albanese 476 00:26:40,700 --> 00:26:42,399 and he didn't say, "Hello." 477 00:26:43,869 --> 00:26:47,504 His first words to me is, "Where is she," 478 00:26:48,774 --> 00:26:52,209 and I said, "What are you talking about," 479 00:26:53,613 --> 00:26:56,614 and he said, "Joann's missing, 480 00:26:58,117 --> 00:27:02,620 and if anyone knows where she is, you do," 481 00:27:03,889 --> 00:27:05,956 and I said, "You're right, 482 00:27:07,026 --> 00:27:08,359 but I don't." 483 00:27:09,328 --> 00:27:12,429 I can tell you something's wrong, 484 00:27:12,431 --> 00:27:15,532 she would never leave her girls 485 00:27:15,634 --> 00:27:17,768 of her own free will. 486 00:27:21,607 --> 00:27:25,209 But I knew that on a Saturday evening, 487 00:27:25,211 --> 00:27:28,178 the 19th of August, 488 00:27:28,180 --> 00:27:32,349 she had told her mother that she and John were going out to dinner 489 00:27:32,451 --> 00:27:35,119 and she was going to let John know 490 00:27:35,220 --> 00:27:37,388 that she was no longer interested 491 00:27:37,390 --> 00:27:39,423 in a relationship with him. 492 00:27:43,262 --> 00:27:45,129 [Glenn] On the night Joann disappeared, 493 00:27:45,230 --> 00:27:46,897 the girls searched the home 494 00:27:46,899 --> 00:27:49,099 and when they went into the garage, 495 00:27:49,168 --> 00:27:53,404 the girls found that Joann's gold Honda was missing. 496 00:27:54,807 --> 00:27:56,874 They also noticed that John Edward's 497 00:27:56,876 --> 00:27:58,609 small pickup truck, 498 00:27:58,711 --> 00:28:00,878 was still parked on the street. 499 00:28:02,415 --> 00:28:05,849 Las Vegas police then ran a record's check 500 00:28:05,851 --> 00:28:07,551 on John's pickup truck 501 00:28:07,653 --> 00:28:10,087 and quickly found out it was registered to no one, 502 00:28:10,089 --> 00:28:12,056 which was very unusual, 503 00:28:12,058 --> 00:28:13,824 you usually can trace a vehicle 504 00:28:13,826 --> 00:28:15,693 and in this case they couldn't. 505 00:28:16,962 --> 00:28:19,229 At this point, Las Vegas Police knows 506 00:28:19,231 --> 00:28:20,698 something is really wrong. 507 00:28:25,438 --> 00:28:28,305 [Abbi] Joann Albanese is now dubbed 508 00:28:28,307 --> 00:28:31,108 by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police 509 00:28:31,110 --> 00:28:32,810 as an endangered person. 510 00:28:34,513 --> 00:28:37,314 By Wednesday, August 23rd, 511 00:28:37,316 --> 00:28:40,818 police were able to obtain a search warrant 512 00:28:40,919 --> 00:28:44,321 for the residence of John Edwards. 513 00:28:45,991 --> 00:28:49,727 They found that he had rented a room 514 00:28:49,729 --> 00:28:51,929 from somebody within a house 515 00:28:51,931 --> 00:28:53,831 it didn't really look lived in, 516 00:28:53,899 --> 00:28:56,500 there wasn't a lot of items 517 00:28:56,502 --> 00:28:59,236 or personal belongings of John, 518 00:28:59,338 --> 00:29:01,939 but what was of interest 519 00:29:01,941 --> 00:29:04,675 was two different wallets 520 00:29:04,677 --> 00:29:07,044 that had been duct-taped shut. 521 00:29:08,214 --> 00:29:11,348 One of them had identification belonging 522 00:29:11,450 --> 00:29:16,053 to a person by the name of "John Patrick Addis," 523 00:29:16,055 --> 00:29:19,056 and the other one had identification 524 00:29:19,058 --> 00:29:22,059 of an individual by the name of "John Stone." 525 00:29:23,529 --> 00:29:26,330 Obviously, this drew more red flags 526 00:29:26,332 --> 00:29:29,399 for the police, he had multiple IDs 527 00:29:29,401 --> 00:29:31,969 with his photograph on it with different names. 528 00:29:33,806 --> 00:29:38,208 When the police ran it through the national databank, 529 00:29:38,210 --> 00:29:40,611 they learned that John Patrick Addis 530 00:29:40,712 --> 00:29:43,247 is a convicted felon from Alaska. 531 00:29:45,518 --> 00:29:47,985 [Glenn] When Las Vegas Polic looked into his background, 532 00:29:47,987 --> 00:29:50,020 they learned than John Patrick Addis 533 00:29:50,022 --> 00:29:53,791 and his first wife were in a very contentious divorce 534 00:29:53,793 --> 00:29:56,627 over the custody of their four kids. 535 00:29:57,730 --> 00:30:00,063 There was a very troubling crime 536 00:30:00,065 --> 00:30:02,533 that emerged out of this divorce, 537 00:30:02,601 --> 00:30:04,768 specifically, John Addis 538 00:30:04,770 --> 00:30:08,338 had kidnapped his own kids 539 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,208 and disappeared with them for nine months. 540 00:30:13,078 --> 00:30:15,245 What is shocking now to the police 541 00:30:15,314 --> 00:30:17,181 is once they started delving into 542 00:30:17,183 --> 00:30:19,817 who is John Patrick Addis, 543 00:30:19,819 --> 00:30:22,452 he's not just an ex-felon, 544 00:30:22,521 --> 00:30:26,723 he's actually a former police officer 545 00:30:26,725 --> 00:30:30,227 he actually taught crime scene investigation, 546 00:30:30,229 --> 00:30:32,529 which is of huge concern, 547 00:30:32,531 --> 00:30:35,432 because there wasn't an obvious crime scene 548 00:30:35,534 --> 00:30:37,234 with Joann Albanese, 549 00:30:37,302 --> 00:30:39,102 so the fact that this is an individual 550 00:30:39,171 --> 00:30:41,972 that taught crime scene investigation, 551 00:30:41,974 --> 00:30:43,707 this is somebody that definitely knows 552 00:30:43,809 --> 00:30:45,409 what they're doing. 553 00:30:46,445 --> 00:30:48,812 To have a police officer 554 00:30:48,814 --> 00:30:51,815 who ends up becoming a convicted felon, 555 00:30:51,884 --> 00:30:53,817 who's able to morph himself 556 00:30:53,819 --> 00:30:57,521 into so many different identities, 557 00:30:57,523 --> 00:31:00,424 it's just like nothing I've ever seen. 558 00:31:01,694 --> 00:31:04,194 [Glenn] Las Vegas Police at this point realized 559 00:31:04,196 --> 00:31:07,731 that they had an accomplishe criminal on their hands. 560 00:31:07,799 --> 00:31:10,701 He was a criminal who was simply capable of anything. 561 00:31:13,205 --> 00:31:16,173 [Abbi] On August 23rd, 1995 562 00:31:16,175 --> 00:31:19,509 three days after Joann was reported missing, 563 00:31:19,511 --> 00:31:24,081 the Yavapai County Sheriff' Office in Arizona, 564 00:31:24,083 --> 00:31:25,782 finds a Honda 565 00:31:25,784 --> 00:31:28,118 located in a very remote area of the desert, 566 00:31:28,187 --> 00:31:29,820 called "Little Hells Canyon." 567 00:31:31,190 --> 00:31:33,624 Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, 568 00:31:33,626 --> 00:31:35,292 look over the vehicle, 569 00:31:35,294 --> 00:31:38,962 there is no signs of Joann or John, 570 00:31:40,032 --> 00:31:41,498 there's no blood spattered 571 00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:46,036 or any evidence of traumatic injury. 572 00:31:46,038 --> 00:31:50,007 [Glenn] Joann's car was foun about three hours north of the Mexican border, 573 00:31:50,009 --> 00:31:52,042 and the detectives had thoug 574 00:31:52,044 --> 00:31:53,944 that there was a very strong possibility 575 00:31:53,946 --> 00:31:56,313 that John Patrick Addis had fled to Mexico. 576 00:31:57,716 --> 00:32:00,050 [Brittney] When our mom's vehicle was recovered 577 00:32:00,052 --> 00:32:01,818 we had a sense of hope, 578 00:32:01,820 --> 00:32:04,521 because there was no remains found, no body found, 579 00:32:04,523 --> 00:32:05,522 no blood. 580 00:32:05,524 --> 00:32:08,058 We knew mom was still alive 581 00:32:08,060 --> 00:32:11,528 they found her car, now we just need to find mom 582 00:32:12,831 --> 00:32:14,531 After the discovery of the vehicle, 583 00:32:14,533 --> 00:32:17,301 there was a lot of hope in Las Vegas that Joann 584 00:32:17,303 --> 00:32:19,169 would be found alive. 585 00:32:19,171 --> 00:32:21,204 But, we couldn't find any evidence to work with 586 00:32:21,206 --> 00:32:23,507 one way or the other. 587 00:32:23,509 --> 00:32:26,410 As the weeks and months passed, 588 00:32:26,412 --> 00:32:28,912 the leads dried up and there was very little 589 00:32:28,914 --> 00:32:30,714 to work with and... 590 00:32:31,917 --> 00:32:33,250 there was no sign of Joann. 591 00:32:37,423 --> 00:32:39,022 [Brittney] Everything just kept going 592 00:32:39,024 --> 00:32:40,791 while mom was still missing 593 00:32:40,793 --> 00:32:43,694 We just kept struggling and getting through each da 594 00:32:43,696 --> 00:32:45,963 and just looking forward to the next day 595 00:32:45,965 --> 00:32:48,231 because maybe the next day mom will show up. 596 00:32:50,102 --> 00:32:52,302 [Theresa] After Joann went missing, 597 00:32:52,304 --> 00:32:55,672 all the holidays were hard, every day was hard. 598 00:32:55,674 --> 00:33:00,210 And on one holiday, it was Thanksgiving, 599 00:33:00,212 --> 00:33:03,113 I was putting Brittney to bed and rubbing her back 600 00:33:03,182 --> 00:33:04,948 like her mom used to, 601 00:33:04,950 --> 00:33:08,218 and she said, "Aunt Terry, 602 00:33:08,220 --> 00:33:10,687 when's my mom coming home? 603 00:33:10,689 --> 00:33:12,723 She's already missed Halloween, 604 00:33:12,791 --> 00:33:15,058 she's missed Thanksgiving, 605 00:33:15,060 --> 00:33:18,228 maybe Christmas and our birthdays," 606 00:33:18,230 --> 00:33:19,963 and I really couldn't answer her, 607 00:33:19,965 --> 00:33:23,066 because I didn't have an answer. 608 00:33:23,068 --> 00:33:26,069 So I just continued rubbing her back and we were chatting 609 00:33:26,071 --> 00:33:29,106 and I said, "She'll be home soon, Brittney." 610 00:33:31,510 --> 00:33:34,878 [Glenn] In March of 1997, a national television show, 611 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:38,315 did a segment on the Joanne Albanese case 612 00:33:38,317 --> 00:33:40,050 asking the public for any leads 613 00:33:40,052 --> 00:33:43,020 that they could generate on what happened to Joann 614 00:33:43,022 --> 00:33:46,023 and where was John Patrick Addis. 615 00:33:46,025 --> 00:33:48,191 This was a national television show that got 616 00:33:48,193 --> 00:33:50,494 a lot of exposure, lot of viewership 617 00:33:50,496 --> 00:33:53,830 and it developed a very promising lead. 618 00:33:53,899 --> 00:33:57,334 After the show aired, a tipster said 619 00:33:57,403 --> 00:33:59,503 that they saw a man, 620 00:33:59,505 --> 00:34:02,105 looking just like John Patrick Addis, 621 00:34:02,107 --> 00:34:04,674 at a gym in Guadalajara, Mexico. 622 00:34:05,778 --> 00:34:07,811 He was using an alias, 623 00:34:07,913 --> 00:34:10,614 it was "John Charles Stone Peterson." 624 00:34:12,317 --> 00:34:15,218 Someone close to the case then calls the gym, 625 00:34:15,220 --> 00:34:17,521 and it tips off John Patrick Addis, 626 00:34:17,523 --> 00:34:19,723 and just like in every case before, 627 00:34:19,792 --> 00:34:21,525 he disappears, 628 00:34:21,527 --> 00:34:23,393 within a matter of hours he's gone, 629 00:34:23,395 --> 00:34:25,228 and they have no trace of him. 630 00:34:26,231 --> 00:34:29,032 It would be years, before people figured out 631 00:34:29,034 --> 00:34:30,667 what really happened to Joann. 632 00:34:38,410 --> 00:34:41,545 [Abbi] October 1998, 633 00:34:41,646 --> 00:34:46,817 I was notified by Yavapai County Sherriff's Departmen 634 00:34:46,819 --> 00:34:49,886 that a hunter had come acros 635 00:34:49,888 --> 00:34:52,355 what appeared to be human remains 636 00:34:52,457 --> 00:34:56,893 and it was in the area of Little Hells Canyon, 637 00:34:56,895 --> 00:35:00,197 not far from where they had ultimately recovered 638 00:35:00,199 --> 00:35:03,266 Joann's car, three years before. 639 00:35:06,171 --> 00:35:07,704 [narrator] Dental records confirmed 640 00:35:07,772 --> 00:35:11,308 that the bones are those of Joann Albanese. 641 00:35:12,611 --> 00:35:14,411 [Joyce] I can't remember every emotion 642 00:35:14,413 --> 00:35:16,012 that went through my body. 643 00:35:18,283 --> 00:35:22,619 Did not know it really is true, it's really over, 644 00:35:22,621 --> 00:35:27,891 she's really gone forever from me and her girls. 645 00:35:29,895 --> 00:35:33,363 [Brittney] I just completel felt broken and at a loss 646 00:35:33,465 --> 00:35:36,199 that I didn't get to say goodbye 647 00:35:36,268 --> 00:35:38,101 when I had the chance to say goodbye, 648 00:35:38,103 --> 00:35:40,203 I just didn't get off the couch. 649 00:35:41,807 --> 00:35:43,807 Now my mom's gone 650 00:35:43,876 --> 00:35:47,043 and this is my life, I'm not going back 651 00:35:47,045 --> 00:35:49,112 to my old life, 652 00:35:49,214 --> 00:35:53,517 I'm just here, this person in this home, 653 00:35:53,519 --> 00:35:58,321 without any answers or any questions or anything 654 00:35:58,323 --> 00:36:01,291 and furthermore, the guy is still missing. 655 00:36:04,796 --> 00:36:06,997 [Abbi] December 1998, 656 00:36:06,999 --> 00:36:10,934 John Addis was listed as one of the top ten 657 00:36:10,936 --> 00:36:13,436 most wanted figures in America. 658 00:36:15,207 --> 00:36:17,607 [Glenn] America's Most Wanted, during this timeframe, 659 00:36:17,676 --> 00:36:19,809 was one of the biggest shows in America, 660 00:36:19,911 --> 00:36:21,511 everyone watched it Saturday night. 661 00:36:21,513 --> 00:36:23,213 [TV host] John Addis is a bodybuilder 662 00:36:23,282 --> 00:36:26,316 who looks much younger than his 49 years. 663 00:36:26,318 --> 00:36:27,784 [Glenn] John Patrick Addis 664 00:36:27,786 --> 00:36:30,420 was on America's Most Wantd a lot, 665 00:36:30,422 --> 00:36:33,456 so this became a very high-profile case. 666 00:36:33,525 --> 00:36:35,125 [TV host] If you've seen John Addis, 667 00:36:35,227 --> 00:36:39,229 please, be careful and call 1-800-CRIME-TV. 668 00:36:39,231 --> 00:36:42,899 There were over 500 tips from all over 669 00:36:42,901 --> 00:36:46,903 regarding possible sighting of John Addis, 670 00:36:46,905 --> 00:36:50,607 but none of them were really good tips at all, 671 00:36:50,709 --> 00:36:53,043 and so the case really went cold, 672 00:36:53,045 --> 00:36:54,911 went cold for a couple of years. 673 00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:03,053 Hundreds of miles away from Guadalajara, 674 00:37:03,055 --> 00:37:06,289 Mexican authorities found the body of a woman 675 00:37:06,291 --> 00:37:08,925 and two children in an apartment. 676 00:37:10,162 --> 00:37:12,529 Local authorities entered the apartment 677 00:37:12,531 --> 00:37:15,865 because neighbors of the woman and her kids, 678 00:37:15,867 --> 00:37:18,001 had not seen the family for weeks. 679 00:37:19,071 --> 00:37:20,870 They also noticed a strange smell 680 00:37:20,872 --> 00:37:22,405 coming from the apartment. 681 00:37:24,209 --> 00:37:26,543 An autopsy showed that all three of the victims 682 00:37:26,611 --> 00:37:28,945 died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 683 00:37:30,782 --> 00:37:33,116 The woman was subsequently identified 684 00:37:33,118 --> 00:37:36,219 as "Laura Peterson Padilla. 685 00:37:37,789 --> 00:37:39,723 The Police were able to confirm 686 00:37:39,824 --> 00:37:45,228 that Laura Padilla's husband is John Charles Peterson. 687 00:37:46,798 --> 00:37:50,267 He was the last person seen with these three people 688 00:37:50,269 --> 00:37:53,169 and John Charles Peterson was a common alias 689 00:37:53,171 --> 00:37:55,205 used by John Patrick Addis. 690 00:37:59,911 --> 00:38:02,178 [Abbi] The police in that region, 691 00:38:02,180 --> 00:38:05,181 now that they found this woman and two children 692 00:38:05,183 --> 00:38:09,819 began a massive manhunt in that part of Mexico, 693 00:38:09,821 --> 00:38:12,422 looking for John Peterson. 694 00:38:14,693 --> 00:38:17,727 A couple of weeks later, a body of a man 695 00:38:17,729 --> 00:38:21,231 is found in a hotel room in Guatemala City. 696 00:38:22,534 --> 00:38:25,302 The FBI came and investigate 697 00:38:25,304 --> 00:38:29,205 and it was the FBI that ran his fingerprints 698 00:38:29,207 --> 00:38:31,975 and that's how the confirmation was made, 699 00:38:31,977 --> 00:38:34,311 through the FBI, that this individual 700 00:38:34,313 --> 00:38:35,779 in this hotel room 701 00:38:35,781 --> 00:38:38,114 was in fact John Patrick Addis, 702 00:38:38,116 --> 00:38:41,518 AKA John Charles Stone, 703 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:46,723 AKA John Edwards, all one and the same. 704 00:38:46,825 --> 00:38:52,562 Cause of death was listed as a heart attack, but my recollection, 705 00:38:52,597 --> 00:38:55,365 is that law enforcement and others, 706 00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:58,101 believe that it was some type of suicide. 707 00:38:58,103 --> 00:39:00,904 I know it was very hard for myself and detectives 708 00:39:00,906 --> 00:39:02,706 to believe, 709 00:39:02,708 --> 00:39:04,107 we couldn't believe he was dead, 710 00:39:04,175 --> 00:39:07,344 let alone a suicide. 711 00:39:07,412 --> 00:39:11,681 We were hoping that this person would be brought to justice, 712 00:39:11,683 --> 00:39:14,317 but we never had the opportunity to prosecute him. 713 00:39:17,122 --> 00:39:18,922 [narrator] Las Vegas law enforcement 714 00:39:18,924 --> 00:39:20,824 pieced together how John Addis 715 00:39:20,826 --> 00:39:23,059 could have murdered Joann Albanese. 716 00:39:23,995 --> 00:39:26,196 [Abbi] The evidence reflected that 717 00:39:26,198 --> 00:39:29,032 John was a controlling, manipulative man. 718 00:39:29,968 --> 00:39:32,435 Saturday evening, August 19th, 719 00:39:32,504 --> 00:39:34,404 Joann had called her mother 720 00:39:34,406 --> 00:39:36,973 and told her that she was gonna break up with John. 721 00:39:38,410 --> 00:39:41,044 It was pretty well known that Joann was the type 722 00:39:41,046 --> 00:39:44,180 that wouldn't take certain things from a man 723 00:39:44,182 --> 00:39:45,615 or anybody else, 724 00:39:45,617 --> 00:39:50,987 and we believe that John became frustrated, 725 00:39:52,190 --> 00:39:54,724 you know, the ultimate act of control is murder, 726 00:39:54,726 --> 00:39:57,927 that he strangled Joann in the home 727 00:39:57,929 --> 00:40:00,730 and took her body into the car 728 00:40:00,799 --> 00:40:05,802 and went to Arizona to Little Hells Canyon. 729 00:40:05,804 --> 00:40:09,939 He dumped the body there, 'cause he was very familiar 730 00:40:09,941 --> 00:40:12,442 with the fact that animals 731 00:40:12,544 --> 00:40:16,179 would devour the bones and the flesh very quickly, 732 00:40:16,181 --> 00:40:20,083 and he was able to walk out of Little Hells Canyon, 733 00:40:21,420 --> 00:40:25,288 he made his way to Mexico, ultimately, 734 00:40:25,290 --> 00:40:27,791 and that's when things began there, 735 00:40:27,793 --> 00:40:32,362 such as working at a fitness center in Mexico, 736 00:40:32,431 --> 00:40:34,931 befriending Laura Padilla. 737 00:40:37,769 --> 00:40:39,502 [narrator] It's possible that John Addis 738 00:40:39,504 --> 00:40:41,104 is also responsible 739 00:40:41,106 --> 00:40:45,208 for the death of his wife and children, in Mexico. 740 00:40:45,277 --> 00:40:48,445 [Glenn] The working theory was that Laura Padilla 741 00:40:48,546 --> 00:40:50,213 had had enough 742 00:40:50,215 --> 00:40:52,882 and if John Patrick Addis doesn't want you to get away 743 00:40:52,884 --> 00:40:54,684 you're not getting away. 744 00:40:54,686 --> 00:40:56,319 Then he leaves it all behind, 745 00:40:56,321 --> 00:40:57,987 and makes it look like an accident. 746 00:41:00,058 --> 00:41:02,792 Could this case have been prosecuted in a court of law 747 00:41:03,395 --> 00:41:05,094 Who knows? 748 00:41:05,096 --> 00:41:07,030 But when you know what you know 749 00:41:07,032 --> 00:41:08,698 about John Patrick Addis 750 00:41:08,700 --> 00:41:10,099 and his track record 751 00:41:10,101 --> 00:41:13,303 and his history of deception and destruction 752 00:41:13,305 --> 00:41:15,171 you put it all together and you have just 753 00:41:15,173 --> 00:41:17,774 this culmination of a monster. 754 00:41:22,047 --> 00:41:26,049 There's not a birthday that passes where I don't think about her 755 00:41:26,051 --> 00:41:27,517 and make a little prayer to her. 756 00:41:29,354 --> 00:41:31,988 And I'm like, I talk to her like she's there. 757 00:41:33,358 --> 00:41:36,793 I'll cry and I'll sit and I'll think, 758 00:41:36,795 --> 00:41:38,561 "Mom, am I doing right? 759 00:41:38,630 --> 00:41:40,530 Like, tell me I'm doing right, like am I even 760 00:41:40,532 --> 00:41:43,199 a percentage of what a mom you were to me?" 761 00:41:46,404 --> 00:41:48,404 [Joann speaking] 762 00:41:49,541 --> 00:41:51,007 I miss her so much. 763 00:41:53,144 --> 00:41:55,345 [Joyce] I know life goes on, we grieve. 764 00:41:56,081 --> 00:41:57,413 Grieve for those we love, 765 00:41:57,516 --> 00:42:00,016 we grieve for the ones left behind, 766 00:42:00,018 --> 00:42:04,287 but we also rejoice in the life that she had here 767 00:42:04,289 --> 00:42:06,923 and, although it was short at 39, 768 00:42:07,626 --> 00:42:09,959 it was pretty much joy. 769 00:42:09,961 --> 00:42:13,496 [laughing and screaming] 770 00:42:13,498 --> 00:42:16,966 [Joyce] She enjoyed life, she had a good life. 771 00:42:18,103 --> 00:42:19,802 She was able to be 772 00:42:19,804 --> 00:42:22,272 the daughter that her mother adored, 773 00:42:22,274 --> 00:42:24,941 she was able to be my best friend 774 00:42:24,943 --> 00:42:27,076 and she was able to be a wonderful mother 775 00:42:27,078 --> 00:42:28,678 to those girls.