1 00:00:07,107 --> 00:00:07,574 - I'm Craig Melvin, 2 00:00:08,475 --> 00:00:11,211 and this is "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered." 3 00:00:11,244 --> 00:00:14,214 She was young, worked hard, 4 00:00:14,247 --> 00:00:16,149 and loved adventure. 5 00:00:16,182 --> 00:00:18,818 One moment, she had her whole life in front of her. 6 00:00:18,852 --> 00:00:21,187 The next-- - It's a gun. 7 00:00:21,221 --> 00:00:22,589 - Yeah. - At your neck. 8 00:00:22,622 --> 00:00:24,791 - Abducted by strangers. 9 00:00:24,824 --> 00:00:26,926 - He said, "Don't move. "Don't scream." 10 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,329 - This U.S. citizen, taken deep 11 00:00:29,362 --> 00:00:31,998 into the wilderness, chained to a tree, 12 00:00:32,032 --> 00:00:35,001 told there might be worse in store. 13 00:00:35,035 --> 00:00:38,004 Her family, out of their mind with worry. 14 00:00:38,038 --> 00:00:39,339 - I-I couldn't believe it. 15 00:00:39,372 --> 00:00:42,409 - The American Embassy leaping into action. 16 00:00:42,442 --> 00:00:44,511 - This is gonna be a long process. 17 00:00:44,544 --> 00:00:45,879 It's not gonna be solved overnight. 18 00:00:45,912 --> 00:00:49,149 - But could she do anything to save herself? 19 00:00:49,182 --> 00:00:50,984 With a surprising tool, 20 00:00:51,017 --> 00:00:53,887 she set in motion a daring plan. 21 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,389 - So you would unlock the lock while nobody was guarding you? 22 00:00:56,423 --> 00:00:59,392 - Then one night in the darkness... 23 00:00:59,426 --> 00:01:01,061 - And, like, I start seeing some flashlights. 24 00:01:01,061 --> 00:01:06,066 - ...was the nightmare over or about to start all over again? 25 00:01:06,066 --> 00:01:14,074 ** 26 00:01:14,107 --> 00:01:17,610 Hello, and welcome to "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered." 27 00:01:17,644 --> 00:01:20,480 All of us have a survival instinct 28 00:01:20,513 --> 00:01:22,449 that kicks in when we need it most, 29 00:01:22,482 --> 00:01:24,317 in a life or death situation. 30 00:01:24,351 --> 00:01:27,087 That was the case for one young American 31 00:01:27,087 --> 00:01:30,090 abducted in a remote corner of Ecuador. 32 00:01:30,090 --> 00:01:32,158 As investigators raced to save her, 33 00:01:32,192 --> 00:01:35,128 she was plotting to save herself. 34 00:01:35,161 --> 00:01:36,930 Her plan would take courage 35 00:01:36,963 --> 00:01:41,134 and something secret hidden in her bag. 36 00:01:41,167 --> 00:01:43,136 Here's Kate Snow with... 37 00:01:52,112 --> 00:01:56,549 - A young woman held captive in the South American jungle, 38 00:01:56,583 --> 00:02:01,254 chained to a tree, hundreds of miles from her family. 39 00:02:01,287 --> 00:02:03,156 - She's such a good woman, and-- 40 00:02:03,189 --> 00:02:05,792 [sighs] You feel really angry. 41 00:02:05,825 --> 00:02:08,795 You're like-- You don't know what to do. 42 00:02:13,333 --> 00:02:16,169 - Kidnappers had targeted her for a reason. 43 00:02:16,202 --> 00:02:19,939 They thought an American family would pay up. 44 00:02:19,973 --> 00:02:22,108 How big an alarm bell goes off 45 00:02:22,142 --> 00:02:24,811 when an American is being held hostage? 46 00:02:24,844 --> 00:02:26,346 - The U.S. Government starts moving 47 00:02:26,379 --> 00:02:28,448 when an American is held hostage. 48 00:02:28,481 --> 00:02:30,483 - She was only 24, 49 00:02:30,517 --> 00:02:33,319 but Elisa Levy lived to tell about an ordeal 50 00:02:33,353 --> 00:02:35,955 worse than most of us could ever imagine-- 51 00:02:35,989 --> 00:02:40,093 weeks of isolation, pain, and fear. 52 00:02:40,093 --> 00:02:41,661 - I didn't want to die. 53 00:02:41,695 --> 00:02:44,698 I-I really want to try to do something about it. 54 00:02:44,731 --> 00:02:47,600 - This is a story of strength, 55 00:02:47,634 --> 00:02:50,103 stamina, and survival, 56 00:02:50,103 --> 00:02:53,473 how one young woman rose to a harrowing challenge. 57 00:02:53,506 --> 00:02:56,109 Elisa used every ounce of determination 58 00:02:56,109 --> 00:02:58,011 and creativity she had. 59 00:02:58,111 --> 00:03:01,481 She was willing to do anything, everything she could, 60 00:03:01,514 --> 00:03:05,652 to keep her family and herself alive. 61 00:03:07,954 --> 00:03:09,089 In a sense, 62 00:03:09,122 --> 00:03:11,858 Elisa Levy comes from two different worlds. 63 00:03:16,730 --> 00:03:19,099 Her father, James Levy, is an American, 64 00:03:19,132 --> 00:03:20,900 born and raised on Long Island, 65 00:03:20,934 --> 00:03:22,902 just a few miles from New York City. 66 00:03:22,936 --> 00:03:27,273 Her mother, Alicia Ortiz, was an Ecuadorian school teacher. 67 00:03:27,307 --> 00:03:28,608 The two fell in love 68 00:03:28,641 --> 00:03:31,845 when James was a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1980s, 69 00:03:31,878 --> 00:03:33,446 and they married soon after. 70 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:37,484 - I had no idea that I would marry a Gringo. 71 00:03:37,517 --> 00:03:38,718 - Their four children 72 00:03:38,752 --> 00:03:41,588 are all dual citizens of the U.S. and Ecuador. 73 00:03:41,621 --> 00:03:43,723 - I had always thought that it would be better 74 00:03:43,757 --> 00:03:45,291 to bring the kids to the States 75 00:03:45,325 --> 00:03:46,559 and bring 'em up in the States. 76 00:03:46,593 --> 00:03:50,997 - But this American dad found his family adored 77 00:03:51,097 --> 00:03:54,367 the rural, peaceful life in South America. 78 00:03:54,401 --> 00:03:56,836 James and his wife built a home 79 00:03:56,870 --> 00:03:59,105 in the clearing of the Ecuadorian jungle, 80 00:03:59,105 --> 00:04:01,207 just over the border from Colombia. 81 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:03,877 They started an environmental group, Altropico, 82 00:04:03,910 --> 00:04:06,913 to protect the endangered rain forest all around them. 83 00:04:06,946 --> 00:04:09,049 Elisa, their eldest daughter, 84 00:04:09,082 --> 00:04:11,718 loved her life in the wilderness. 85 00:04:11,751 --> 00:04:13,286 - Tell me about Elisa. 86 00:04:13,319 --> 00:04:16,356 - A beautiful, strong, young woman. Very intelligent. 87 00:04:16,389 --> 00:04:19,693 - Elisa's little brother and sister, Eddie and Murriah. 88 00:04:19,726 --> 00:04:22,495 - Since we were little, she was always, like, taking care of us. 89 00:04:22,529 --> 00:04:24,464 - She was protective. - Yeah. - Yeah. 90 00:04:24,497 --> 00:04:26,866 - Elisa had a strong, adventurous streak, 91 00:04:26,900 --> 00:04:29,369 always ready to find a new species of bird, 92 00:04:29,402 --> 00:04:31,171 explore a new patch of land. 93 00:04:31,204 --> 00:04:33,606 Her mother admired Elisa's spirit, 94 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,309 but kept a watchful eye. 95 00:04:36,343 --> 00:04:39,479 - Children are a mother's life. - Yeah, you always want 96 00:04:39,512 --> 00:04:40,880 to protect your little girl, right? 97 00:04:40,914 --> 00:04:43,350 - That's what mothers do. - Si. 98 00:04:43,383 --> 00:04:47,087 - Still, her mother was eager for Elisa to see the world, 99 00:04:47,087 --> 00:04:48,621 especially America. 100 00:04:48,655 --> 00:04:51,691 As a teenager, Elisa lived with family on Long Island, 101 00:04:51,725 --> 00:04:54,828 worked at Applebee's and Dunkin' Donuts. 102 00:04:54,861 --> 00:04:56,930 When she returned to Ecuador, 103 00:04:56,963 --> 00:04:58,798 she enrolled in Catholic University, 104 00:04:58,832 --> 00:05:00,633 in the capital city Quito, 105 00:05:00,667 --> 00:05:04,504 where she studied botany and biology, 106 00:05:04,537 --> 00:05:09,843 and this became her passion, the school bicycle club. 107 00:05:09,876 --> 00:05:13,413 She organized weekly races in the narrow streets of Quito, 108 00:05:13,446 --> 00:05:17,283 took long bike trips through the countryside. 109 00:05:17,317 --> 00:05:20,120 Elisa's other passion was Altropico, 110 00:05:20,153 --> 00:05:22,856 the environmental foundation started by her dad. 111 00:05:22,889 --> 00:05:25,058 After college, she volunteered there, 112 00:05:25,091 --> 00:05:26,860 taking school kids into the jungle, 113 00:05:26,893 --> 00:05:28,328 teaching them to identify 114 00:05:28,361 --> 00:05:31,164 Ecuador's hundreds of species of birds. 115 00:05:31,197 --> 00:05:34,267 Elisa's volunteer work with Altropico 116 00:05:34,300 --> 00:05:36,936 took her from Quito to the place where she grew up, 117 00:05:36,970 --> 00:05:39,739 the north of Ecuador, near the Colombia border. 118 00:05:39,773 --> 00:05:41,341 The area's lush forests 119 00:05:41,374 --> 00:05:44,911 are home to a wide variety of tropical plants and birds, 120 00:05:44,944 --> 00:05:48,348 but they can also be a habitat for criminals. 121 00:05:48,381 --> 00:05:51,217 [gunfire] 122 00:05:51,251 --> 00:05:53,520 [explosions] 123 00:05:53,553 --> 00:05:56,356 - Unfortunately, there is some serious crime issues here. 124 00:05:56,389 --> 00:05:58,591 - Fernando Matus, born and raised in the Bronx, 125 00:05:58,625 --> 00:06:00,727 works for the U.S. State Department. 126 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,230 At the time, he was the Regional Security Officer in Ecuador, 127 00:06:04,264 --> 00:06:07,334 the top American law enforcement agent in the country. 128 00:06:07,367 --> 00:06:09,536 - The northern border is a-- 129 00:06:09,569 --> 00:06:12,038 an area that has a lot of security challenges. 130 00:06:12,038 --> 00:06:14,941 - Outlaw paramilitary organizations in Colombia 131 00:06:15,041 --> 00:06:17,344 traffic in drugs and contraband 132 00:06:17,377 --> 00:06:19,179 and often use rural villages 133 00:06:19,212 --> 00:06:22,115 on the Ecuador side of the border to refuel. 134 00:06:22,148 --> 00:06:26,052 In 2009, the best-known group was called the FARC, 135 00:06:26,052 --> 00:06:28,888 the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. 136 00:06:28,922 --> 00:06:32,058 They held French politician Ingrid Betancourt hostage 137 00:06:32,058 --> 00:06:34,294 in the jungle for six years. 138 00:06:34,327 --> 00:06:36,429 But when you grow up somewhere, 139 00:06:36,463 --> 00:06:39,566 you don't necessarily see it the way outsiders do. 140 00:06:39,599 --> 00:06:40,900 - The area where you were working 141 00:06:40,934 --> 00:06:43,069 has maybe a bad reputation... - Yeah. 142 00:06:43,103 --> 00:06:45,071 - ...for being dangerous, but you never felt 143 00:06:45,071 --> 00:06:47,507 in any danger. - Not at all. No. 144 00:06:47,540 --> 00:06:49,943 - That's why Elisa wasn't suspicious 145 00:06:49,976 --> 00:06:52,812 when a man from her hometown area called one day 146 00:06:52,846 --> 00:06:56,182 saying he was an official who wanted to start a bird project 147 00:06:56,216 --> 00:06:58,785 in another town near the Colombia border. 148 00:06:58,818 --> 00:07:00,687 - Do you remember how you felt about that phone call? 149 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,857 Was it odd? Was it normal? - No, it was normal. 150 00:07:03,890 --> 00:07:05,792 - She told him she'd be in the area soon, 151 00:07:05,825 --> 00:07:07,093 and she'd meet up with him 152 00:07:07,127 --> 00:07:09,529 if he sent a driver to pick her up. 153 00:07:09,562 --> 00:07:12,832 Saturday, October 17, 2009. 154 00:07:12,866 --> 00:07:14,768 One of Elisa's brothers dropped her off 155 00:07:14,801 --> 00:07:17,037 with the driver of an Isuzu Trooper, 156 00:07:17,037 --> 00:07:19,139 who was supposed to take her to the meeting. 157 00:07:19,172 --> 00:07:21,541 - You pull up with your brother. - Mm-hmm. 158 00:07:21,574 --> 00:07:23,376 - You see the blue Trooper. - Mm-hmm. 159 00:07:23,410 --> 00:07:26,746 - You get out and get right in? - Yeah. 160 00:07:26,780 --> 00:07:30,483 - Still, as she drove off, she had her brother write down 161 00:07:30,517 --> 00:07:34,054 the Trooper's license plate number just in case. 162 00:07:34,087 --> 00:07:36,256 At first, things seemed fine. 163 00:07:36,289 --> 00:07:38,058 The driver was calm and friendly, 164 00:07:38,091 --> 00:07:40,060 but about an hour into the trip, 165 00:07:40,060 --> 00:07:43,730 he picked up two strangers who said they needed a ride, 166 00:07:43,763 --> 00:07:46,132 but that's not what they wanted. 167 00:07:48,068 --> 00:07:49,202 - He just points me with something here, 168 00:07:49,235 --> 00:07:50,804 and says, "Don't move. Don't scream. 169 00:07:50,837 --> 00:07:52,639 "Shut up. Don't do anything." - It's a gun. 170 00:07:52,672 --> 00:07:54,074 - Yeah. - At your neck? 171 00:07:54,107 --> 00:07:57,077 - Yeah. 172 00:07:57,077 --> 00:08:00,013 - Who had abducted Elisa and why? 173 00:08:00,046 --> 00:08:03,016 Elisa's family receives a chilling phone call. 174 00:08:09,289 --> 00:08:12,492 Her parents wonder what they can possibly do 175 00:08:12,525 --> 00:08:14,160 to bring her home 176 00:08:26,538 --> 00:08:28,507 - Saturday, October 17, 2009. 177 00:08:29,375 --> 00:08:32,244 Elisa Levy, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen, 178 00:08:32,277 --> 00:08:33,946 was in the back of an S.U.V, 179 00:08:34,046 --> 00:08:37,049 hurtling down dirt roads in remote Ecuador 180 00:08:37,049 --> 00:08:38,817 with a gun to her neck. 181 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,491 But her family back in Quito didn't know a thing about it. 182 00:08:45,524 --> 00:08:46,925 The last they'd heard from her, 183 00:08:46,959 --> 00:08:49,795 she was off to a meeting about tropical birds. 184 00:08:49,828 --> 00:08:53,065 When she didn't return to the city as scheduled or call, 185 00:08:53,098 --> 00:08:54,900 they started to worry. 186 00:08:54,933 --> 00:08:57,936 - We thought it was an accident or something like that happened. 187 00:08:57,970 --> 00:08:59,705 - Or a mud slide. She couldn't get out of the town. 188 00:08:59,738 --> 00:09:01,440 - A mud slide? - Yeah, it's very common 189 00:09:01,473 --> 00:09:02,841 in the rural areas here. - Yeah. Right. 190 00:09:02,875 --> 00:09:04,209 - You know, you don't think the worst. 191 00:09:04,243 --> 00:09:07,012 - Elisa's father, James, was in San Francisco 192 00:09:07,012 --> 00:09:08,847 at an environmental conference. 193 00:09:08,881 --> 00:09:10,683 The family didn't want to worry him, 194 00:09:10,716 --> 00:09:14,453 but after two days, they sent a panicked email. 195 00:09:14,486 --> 00:09:15,688 - Would Elisa ever do that? 196 00:09:15,721 --> 00:09:17,289 Would she go away for two days without calling? 197 00:09:17,322 --> 00:09:19,892 - No. Never. - His first thought-- 198 00:09:19,925 --> 00:09:23,128 That border region where Altropico does its work, 199 00:09:23,162 --> 00:09:25,864 where his daughter was headed for that meeting. 200 00:09:25,898 --> 00:09:28,367 - The area that we work in is kind of complicated. 201 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:30,502 There's all kinds of things going on there. 202 00:09:30,536 --> 00:09:32,171 - Complicated? - Yeah. 203 00:09:32,204 --> 00:09:35,841 - On Monday, October 19, two days after Elisa disappeared, 204 00:09:35,874 --> 00:09:39,111 her mom got a phone call from a stranger. 205 00:09:39,144 --> 00:09:42,081 - He told me, "Don't worry. Elisa is okay. 206 00:09:42,114 --> 00:09:43,882 "We have her in Colombia." 207 00:09:43,916 --> 00:09:47,286 The caller told her in no uncertain terms 208 00:09:47,319 --> 00:09:49,788 Elisa had been kidnapped. 209 00:09:49,822 --> 00:09:52,858 - I said, "Why are you doing this to us?" 210 00:09:52,891 --> 00:09:55,861 And the line cut. - What-what is going 211 00:09:55,894 --> 00:09:57,229 through your head then? 212 00:09:57,262 --> 00:10:00,032 - It made me feel horrible, 213 00:10:00,065 --> 00:10:02,134 and I threw the phone against the wall. 214 00:10:02,167 --> 00:10:04,670 - I just said, "What?" I-I couldn't believe it, 215 00:10:04,703 --> 00:10:09,008 because, you know, it's not something that usually happens. 216 00:10:09,041 --> 00:10:11,043 - Had you ever worried about her much? 217 00:10:11,076 --> 00:10:13,746 Or was she so independent and adventurous 218 00:10:13,779 --> 00:10:16,615 that you sort of thought, well, Elisa can take care of herself? 219 00:10:16,648 --> 00:10:19,485 - I think that's one of the big mistakes I made, you know? 220 00:10:19,518 --> 00:10:22,788 That, uh, to work in this area that's such a complicated area 221 00:10:22,821 --> 00:10:25,791 for so many years and doing positive work 222 00:10:25,824 --> 00:10:27,226 with so many different communities 223 00:10:27,259 --> 00:10:28,894 on both sides of the border that-- 224 00:10:28,927 --> 00:10:31,130 that everyone's, like, on our side. 225 00:10:31,163 --> 00:10:35,067 It was kind of an innocent, stupid way to look at things. 226 00:10:35,100 --> 00:10:38,470 - Elisa's father got on the next plane back to Ecuador. 227 00:10:38,504 --> 00:10:40,539 It was time to take action. 228 00:10:40,572 --> 00:10:44,877 - My first reaction was to try to deal with this on our own. 229 00:10:44,910 --> 00:10:47,513 - The biggest question the family faced now 230 00:10:47,546 --> 00:10:50,516 was one that wouldn't even occur to most Americans. 231 00:10:50,549 --> 00:10:53,385 Did it make sense to call in law enforcement? 232 00:10:53,419 --> 00:10:56,221 In Ecuador, many people don't trust the police. 233 00:10:56,255 --> 00:10:58,891 Even with a crime as serious as kidnapping, 234 00:10:58,924 --> 00:11:02,127 some Ecuadorians try to solve the problems themselves, 235 00:11:02,161 --> 00:11:04,763 but there is another option. 236 00:11:04,797 --> 00:11:08,133 The Ecuadorian police have an elite anti-kidnapping unit 237 00:11:08,167 --> 00:11:09,535 known as UNASE. 238 00:11:09,568 --> 00:11:12,871 100 special agents trained to track kidnappers, 239 00:11:12,905 --> 00:11:15,174 help families through the harrowing process 240 00:11:15,207 --> 00:11:18,610 of negotiating a ransom, and also whenever possible, 241 00:11:18,644 --> 00:11:20,379 launch rescue raids. 242 00:11:20,412 --> 00:11:22,681 - We realized that we couldn't do it by ourselves. 243 00:11:22,715 --> 00:11:23,916 I mean, we need help. 244 00:11:23,949 --> 00:11:28,620 - With no other good choices, the Levys called Unase. 245 00:11:28,654 --> 00:11:30,422 [speaking Spanish] 246 00:11:30,456 --> 00:11:31,724 - Call me Pepe. 247 00:11:31,757 --> 00:11:33,992 - Pepe, that's the pseudonym he goes by, 248 00:11:34,093 --> 00:11:37,529 was the top Unase agent assigned to Elisa's case. 249 00:11:37,563 --> 00:11:39,231 He asked us to hide his identity 250 00:11:39,264 --> 00:11:41,233 because he works undercover. 251 00:11:41,266 --> 00:11:42,935 [speaking Spanish] 252 00:11:42,968 --> 00:11:45,304 - We have 40 or 45 kidnappings annually, 253 00:11:45,337 --> 00:11:47,339 but we've got it under control. 254 00:11:47,373 --> 00:11:49,608 - 40 to 45 a year? 255 00:11:49,641 --> 00:11:51,143 - Yes. 256 00:11:51,176 --> 00:11:52,511 - But this case was different. 257 00:11:52,544 --> 00:11:54,480 The victim was a US citizen. 258 00:11:54,513 --> 00:11:57,583 Pepe advised the Levys to contact the American Embassy 259 00:11:57,616 --> 00:11:58,617 in Quito. 260 00:11:58,650 --> 00:12:01,053 When James made the call, he was put through 261 00:12:01,053 --> 00:12:05,824 to the top US security official in Ecuador, Fernando Matus. 262 00:12:05,858 --> 00:12:07,459 How big an alarm bell goes off 263 00:12:07,493 --> 00:12:09,661 when an American is being held hostage? 264 00:12:09,695 --> 00:12:12,064 - The US government starts moving 265 00:12:12,064 --> 00:12:13,866 when an American is held hostage, definitely. 266 00:12:13,899 --> 00:12:14,867 - Quickly. - Yeah. 267 00:12:14,900 --> 00:12:16,402 - Yeah. 268 00:12:16,435 --> 00:12:18,837 It's not unheard of for Americans to be kidnapped 269 00:12:18,871 --> 00:12:21,807 in Ecuador, but usually they're quick jobs. 270 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,376 A tourist in a taxi held for a few hours, 271 00:12:24,410 --> 00:12:27,079 forced to withdraw cash from ATMs. 272 00:12:27,079 --> 00:12:29,782 This case seemed far worse. 273 00:12:29,815 --> 00:12:32,184 - God forbid that this is somehow associated 274 00:12:32,217 --> 00:12:35,421 with the FARC up in Colombia. 275 00:12:35,454 --> 00:12:37,556 And the victim was going to be taken into a jungle 276 00:12:37,589 --> 00:12:39,391 and spend five years in there. 277 00:12:39,425 --> 00:12:41,860 - Like Betancourt. - Exactly. 278 00:12:41,894 --> 00:12:43,495 - Wednesday morning, October 21st, 279 00:12:43,529 --> 00:12:45,964 four days into Elisa's kidnapping, 280 00:12:45,998 --> 00:12:49,835 agents of the state department, the FBI, and Unase 281 00:12:49,868 --> 00:12:51,437 arrived at the Levy home. 282 00:12:51,470 --> 00:12:53,972 - So we had to get them prepared mentally that, look, 283 00:12:54,006 --> 00:12:56,108 this is gonna be a long process. 284 00:12:56,108 --> 00:12:57,943 It's not gonna be solved overnight. 285 00:12:57,976 --> 00:12:59,111 - The authorities told the Levys 286 00:12:59,111 --> 00:13:00,946 they would send out investigators to try 287 00:13:01,046 --> 00:13:03,082 and track down Elisa's captors, 288 00:13:03,115 --> 00:13:05,918 but the most crucial work in solving an abduction 289 00:13:05,951 --> 00:13:09,254 is communicating with the kidnappers themselves. 290 00:13:09,288 --> 00:13:12,191 The ringleader had left a phone number with Elisa's mom. 291 00:13:12,224 --> 00:13:14,760 Who would make that call? 292 00:13:14,793 --> 00:13:17,096 The agents decided James Levy, 293 00:13:17,129 --> 00:13:19,331 who now goes by his Spanish name, Jaime, 294 00:13:19,365 --> 00:13:22,534 had the temperament to take on the delicate task. 295 00:13:22,568 --> 00:13:24,536 - Jaime seemed to be able to handle it. 296 00:13:24,570 --> 00:13:26,538 - It's an incredibly difficult thing to do, 297 00:13:26,572 --> 00:13:29,074 to talk to the kidnappers of your own child. 298 00:13:29,108 --> 00:13:29,975 - Definitely. 299 00:13:30,075 --> 00:13:31,744 - But the US and Ecuadorian agents 300 00:13:31,777 --> 00:13:33,145 were prepared to help. 301 00:13:33,178 --> 00:13:35,080 They brought sample scripts, telling Jaime 302 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:37,649 what he might expect his daughter's captors to say 303 00:13:37,683 --> 00:13:39,752 and what he should say in return. 304 00:13:39,785 --> 00:13:42,087 After a coaching session, he made the call, 305 00:13:42,087 --> 00:13:43,956 recorded by Unase. 306 00:13:53,966 --> 00:13:55,134 - Si. 307 00:14:20,559 --> 00:14:23,495 - The call lasted four and a half minutes, 308 00:14:23,529 --> 00:14:25,297 the longest four and a half minutes 309 00:14:25,330 --> 00:14:27,066 of Jaime Levy's life. 310 00:14:29,568 --> 00:14:31,904 Were they angry with you? Were they polite with you? 311 00:14:31,937 --> 00:14:33,238 What were they like on the phone? 312 00:14:33,272 --> 00:14:35,074 - Tough, angry. 313 00:14:35,107 --> 00:14:36,709 Threatening. 314 00:14:45,884 --> 00:14:47,286 - To keep himself from breaking down, 315 00:14:47,319 --> 00:14:50,389 Jaime avoided eye contact with his wife. 316 00:14:50,422 --> 00:14:52,524 - I had to ask Alicia to go out of the room. 317 00:14:52,558 --> 00:14:54,660 It was difficult. 318 00:14:56,695 --> 00:14:58,230 Very difficult. You can imagine. 319 00:15:00,366 --> 00:15:02,634 - So you didn't cry, did you? 320 00:15:04,203 --> 00:15:07,373 Not during the phone call. - No, not during the phone call. 321 00:15:07,406 --> 00:15:10,242 - But that evening, when the agents filed 322 00:15:10,275 --> 00:15:13,112 out of the house, Jaime Levy sat in his study 323 00:15:13,145 --> 00:15:15,948 with a bottle of whiskey and wept. 324 00:15:20,252 --> 00:15:23,389 - While the kidnappers seemed to toy with Elisa's family, 325 00:15:23,422 --> 00:15:26,392 they are not playing games with their hostage. 326 00:15:28,093 --> 00:15:29,061 - The guards were saying, like, 327 00:15:29,061 --> 00:15:29,862 "Don't you ever think of screaming, 328 00:15:29,895 --> 00:15:30,963 "'cause we'll kill you." 329 00:15:38,138 --> 00:15:43,943 ** 330 00:15:44,944 --> 00:15:47,814 - Four days had passed, and Elisa Levy's family 331 00:15:47,847 --> 00:15:50,850 in Quito was working feverishly for her release, 332 00:15:50,884 --> 00:15:53,153 bringing in law enforcement agents 333 00:15:53,186 --> 00:15:55,855 and opening phone negotiations with the kidnappers. 334 00:15:55,889 --> 00:16:00,727 Less than 200 miles away, but many worlds apart, 335 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,663 Elisa was in a remote corner of Ecuador. 336 00:16:03,697 --> 00:16:06,833 She couldn't know her family was fighting to free her. 337 00:16:06,866 --> 00:16:09,135 She only knew that the past four days 338 00:16:09,169 --> 00:16:11,705 had been the most painful, disorienting, 339 00:16:11,738 --> 00:16:14,741 terrifying, of her life. 340 00:16:14,774 --> 00:16:17,677 When those strangers had first jumped in the SUV, 341 00:16:17,711 --> 00:16:19,913 put a gun to her neck, she wasn't even sure 342 00:16:19,946 --> 00:16:21,414 what was real. 343 00:16:21,448 --> 00:16:23,049 - I just didn't know what was going on. 344 00:16:23,049 --> 00:16:25,852 I was-- I was thinking I-- I don't know, like, 345 00:16:25,885 --> 00:16:27,220 we have a car accident and I hit my head 346 00:16:27,253 --> 00:16:29,356 and I'm dreaming or something, or... 347 00:16:29,389 --> 00:16:31,091 - You're dreaming. - Yeah. 348 00:16:31,124 --> 00:16:33,860 - But it was a nightmare Elisa couldn't escape. 349 00:16:33,893 --> 00:16:36,062 The man with the gun spoke to her directly. 350 00:16:36,062 --> 00:16:39,099 - He said, like, "Don't move. Don't scream. 351 00:16:39,132 --> 00:16:41,434 "If you help, nothing's gonna happen to you." 352 00:16:41,468 --> 00:16:44,471 - Elisa didn't say a word or move a muscle. 353 00:16:44,504 --> 00:16:46,940 Two men pushed her into the well of the vehicle 354 00:16:46,973 --> 00:16:48,842 and threw a blanket over her head. 355 00:16:48,875 --> 00:16:50,810 - They put handcuffs, and put me-- 356 00:16:50,844 --> 00:16:52,846 something in the mouth, and put me in the-- 357 00:16:52,879 --> 00:16:53,880 - Something in your mouth. - Yeah. 358 00:16:53,913 --> 00:16:56,316 - Like a gag? - Yeah, something like that. 359 00:16:56,349 --> 00:16:58,251 - Elisa was driven for more than an hour 360 00:16:58,284 --> 00:17:00,453 along bumpy, rural roads. 361 00:17:00,487 --> 00:17:02,655 Then the Trooper came to a sudden stop. 362 00:17:02,689 --> 00:17:04,124 The door opened. 363 00:17:04,157 --> 00:17:05,625 She heard someone approaching. 364 00:17:05,658 --> 00:17:08,361 - This guy that touches my knee and says, 365 00:17:08,395 --> 00:17:10,363 "If you collaborate, everything's going to be fine. 366 00:17:10,397 --> 00:17:12,365 "Behave and come with us." 367 00:17:12,399 --> 00:17:15,068 Elisa realized she recognized his voice. 368 00:17:15,101 --> 00:17:17,270 It was the same man who had been calling 369 00:17:17,303 --> 00:17:20,040 to arrange a meeting with her about the bird project. 370 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,076 - There was something really messed up going on. 371 00:17:23,109 --> 00:17:25,378 - Her captors dragged her from the vehicle. 372 00:17:25,412 --> 00:17:27,447 It dawned on her they were taking her 373 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:30,550 somewhere isolated, more dangerous. 374 00:17:30,583 --> 00:17:31,718 - We start walking through some woods, 375 00:17:31,751 --> 00:17:33,453 and the guys were talking, like, "Yeah, be quiet." 376 00:17:33,486 --> 00:17:34,754 [indistinct whispering] 377 00:17:34,788 --> 00:17:36,523 You know, like, whispering, and saying like, 378 00:17:36,556 --> 00:17:37,824 "Don't you ever think of screaming, 379 00:17:37,857 --> 00:17:39,059 "because we'll kill you." 380 00:17:39,092 --> 00:17:41,061 - From her first moments in captivity, 381 00:17:41,061 --> 00:17:44,431 Elisa was determined to stay calm and alert. 382 00:17:44,464 --> 00:17:48,134 She knew one wrong move could cost her, her life. 383 00:17:48,168 --> 00:17:50,070 Did you think about screaming? 384 00:17:50,070 --> 00:17:52,972 - No, no, because, you know-- no, I didn't. 385 00:17:53,073 --> 00:17:55,575 That would have been a stupid thing at that time. 386 00:17:55,608 --> 00:17:57,877 - When the kidnappers finally removed the blanket 387 00:17:57,911 --> 00:18:00,480 from Elisa's head, she saw they were heavily armed 388 00:18:00,513 --> 00:18:02,148 and wearing ski masks. 389 00:18:02,182 --> 00:18:03,783 They claimed they were guerillas 390 00:18:03,817 --> 00:18:05,285 from a paramilitary group. 391 00:18:05,318 --> 00:18:09,089 And Elisa's ordeal was about to get even worse. 392 00:18:09,122 --> 00:18:12,225 Her captors told her she wasn't the only one in danger. 393 00:18:12,258 --> 00:18:15,228 They threatened her parents and siblings back in Quito. 394 00:18:15,261 --> 00:18:17,230 - We have a lot of people around your house, 395 00:18:17,263 --> 00:18:19,165 so if you try to escape or something, 396 00:18:19,199 --> 00:18:22,502 it's gonna be just, you know, don't even think about it. 397 00:18:22,535 --> 00:18:23,770 - They convinced you that they had people 398 00:18:23,803 --> 00:18:25,205 all around your family as well. 399 00:18:25,238 --> 00:18:27,073 - Yeah, I mean, and I didn't even want to think 400 00:18:27,107 --> 00:18:29,776 if it was true or false. - You can't take that chance. 401 00:18:29,809 --> 00:18:30,944 - No. Exactly. 402 00:18:31,044 --> 00:18:34,047 - The strangers asked Elisa if she had a GPS chip 403 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:35,148 under her skin. 404 00:18:35,181 --> 00:18:37,717 That may sound odd, but in Latin America, 405 00:18:37,751 --> 00:18:40,720 the ultra rich sometimes implant tracking devices 406 00:18:40,754 --> 00:18:42,555 so they can find family members 407 00:18:42,589 --> 00:18:44,391 in the event of a kidnapping. 408 00:18:44,424 --> 00:18:45,925 - I mean, what-- who do you think I am? 409 00:18:45,959 --> 00:18:47,193 It's not like I'm a millionaire. 410 00:18:47,227 --> 00:18:49,529 - When they asked that, did you-- did it occur to you 411 00:18:49,562 --> 00:18:51,064 that maybe they thought you had a lot of money? 412 00:18:51,064 --> 00:18:52,565 - Yeah, and I told them, like, I don't know what you think, 413 00:18:52,599 --> 00:18:55,068 but we don't have a lot of money. 414 00:18:55,068 --> 00:18:56,703 - But the kidnappers weren't convinced. 415 00:18:56,736 --> 00:18:59,539 They told Elisa they were sure she had money. 416 00:18:59,572 --> 00:19:01,541 After all, she was a US citizen 417 00:19:01,574 --> 00:19:03,243 with an American father. 418 00:19:03,276 --> 00:19:05,111 - He said, "No, we've-- we've been tracking your family 419 00:19:05,145 --> 00:19:07,480 "for twelve years and we know everything. 420 00:19:07,514 --> 00:19:09,516 "We can do all your activities and everything." 421 00:19:09,549 --> 00:19:12,085 - One of the armed men ordered her to send a message 422 00:19:12,118 --> 00:19:13,386 to her parents. 423 00:19:13,420 --> 00:19:15,722 She made a quick recording into the stranger's cell phone, 424 00:19:15,755 --> 00:19:18,825 repeating the words he told her to say. 425 00:19:18,858 --> 00:19:20,460 - Just say, "Mom and Dad, I'm fine. 426 00:19:20,493 --> 00:19:22,829 "Just do whatever they say, and don't-- 427 00:19:22,862 --> 00:19:24,264 "Don't talk to the police." 428 00:19:24,297 --> 00:19:26,166 I didn't want them to worry about it. 429 00:19:26,199 --> 00:19:31,104 Just try to, you know, somehow, to let them know 430 00:19:31,137 --> 00:19:32,872 that I was fine. 431 00:19:32,906 --> 00:19:35,108 - You're not fine. - Yeah, but, 432 00:19:35,141 --> 00:19:37,077 you know, if I would be crying in the message, 433 00:19:37,110 --> 00:19:39,045 my mom would just break down, 434 00:19:39,079 --> 00:19:42,215 so I was trying to sound that I was fine. 435 00:19:42,248 --> 00:19:44,551 - The kidnappers rifled through Elisa's backpack. 436 00:19:44,584 --> 00:19:47,420 They took her cell phone, her watch, her iPod, 437 00:19:47,454 --> 00:19:49,356 but they left her with a change of clothes 438 00:19:49,389 --> 00:19:51,491 and some books, and something else 439 00:19:51,524 --> 00:19:53,827 that she'd remember much later. 440 00:19:53,860 --> 00:19:57,464 A few loose hairpins down at the bottom of her bag. 441 00:19:57,497 --> 00:20:01,101 She spent that first night in a tiny makeshift tent, 442 00:20:01,134 --> 00:20:03,470 handcuffed to a tree and watched over 443 00:20:03,503 --> 00:20:05,271 by two guards with guns. 444 00:20:05,305 --> 00:20:07,707 Elisa knew she had to stay centered, 445 00:20:07,741 --> 00:20:09,376 keep from breaking down. 446 00:20:09,409 --> 00:20:12,212 She focused her mind on her hometown. 447 00:20:12,245 --> 00:20:14,948 - Thinking about my childhood, thinking about my family, 448 00:20:14,981 --> 00:20:16,616 all the nice things I have done, 449 00:20:16,649 --> 00:20:18,752 I was just all the time trying to remember things like that. 450 00:20:18,785 --> 00:20:20,720 - To keep yourself positive. - Yeah. 451 00:20:20,754 --> 00:20:23,189 And then when these people came to talk to me, 452 00:20:23,223 --> 00:20:24,491 I was like-- 453 00:20:24,524 --> 00:20:26,292 You know, back to the reality. 454 00:20:26,326 --> 00:20:28,928 - Reality hit hard the next morning. 455 00:20:28,962 --> 00:20:30,697 Sunday, October 18th. 456 00:20:30,730 --> 00:20:33,366 - They put me, a chain on my feet. 457 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:34,501 - They put a chain around your legs. 458 00:20:34,534 --> 00:20:35,802 - Yeah. - Around your ankles? 459 00:20:35,835 --> 00:20:38,972 - My ankles, yes. - And what was that chained to? 460 00:20:39,005 --> 00:20:41,841 - To a tree that was right by the door of the tent. 461 00:20:41,875 --> 00:20:45,478 - Alone, chained to a tree, Elisa Levy didn't know 462 00:20:45,512 --> 00:20:47,947 if anyone even realized she was missing 463 00:20:47,981 --> 00:20:50,350 or if her family had been harmed. 464 00:20:50,383 --> 00:20:55,488 She had no idea what would come next. 465 00:20:55,522 --> 00:20:56,956 - Did you think you would survive? 466 00:20:56,990 --> 00:20:59,225 - I didn't want to thought about that. 467 00:21:03,663 --> 00:21:06,833 - The frantic father negotiates for his daughter's life. 468 00:21:19,179 --> 00:21:22,749 ** 469 00:21:23,750 --> 00:21:26,152 - Welcome back to "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered." 470 00:21:26,186 --> 00:21:27,654 I'm Craig Melvin. 471 00:21:27,687 --> 00:21:30,090 Elisa Levy was being held captive 472 00:21:30,090 --> 00:21:33,626 by mysterious men at a secret location, 473 00:21:33,660 --> 00:21:35,895 and her situation had the potential 474 00:21:35,929 --> 00:21:38,131 to turn deadly at any second. 475 00:21:38,164 --> 00:21:40,300 Meanwhile, her family was anxiously awaiting 476 00:21:40,333 --> 00:21:42,435 the kidnapper's ransom demands. 477 00:21:42,469 --> 00:21:46,339 Soon, Elisa's parents would risk everything 478 00:21:46,373 --> 00:21:48,441 to save their daughter's life. 479 00:21:48,475 --> 00:21:51,611 Back to Kate Snow with "Kidnapped." 480 00:21:51,644 --> 00:21:54,547 - Jaime Levy, an American living in Ecuador, 481 00:21:54,581 --> 00:21:57,250 was negotiating for his daughter's release. 482 00:22:03,256 --> 00:22:05,759 His little girl was somewhere out in the jungle, 483 00:22:05,792 --> 00:22:08,194 kidnapped by dangerous criminals. 484 00:22:08,228 --> 00:22:10,663 Jaime was feeling betrayed by the country 485 00:22:10,697 --> 00:22:13,099 where he made his home. 486 00:22:13,133 --> 00:22:14,501 Did you ever in the back of your mind, 487 00:22:14,534 --> 00:22:18,571 did you ever think about kidnapping as a possibility? 488 00:22:18,605 --> 00:22:20,073 - I'd thought about it a little bit, 489 00:22:20,073 --> 00:22:21,875 but we don't make any money. 490 00:22:21,908 --> 00:22:23,610 But t-that's the impression people have 491 00:22:23,643 --> 00:22:26,246 if you're an American, a gringo, 492 00:22:26,279 --> 00:22:28,348 you're probably a millionaire. 493 00:22:28,381 --> 00:22:30,750 - Less than a week into Elisa's captivity, 494 00:22:30,784 --> 00:22:33,486 in a phone call recorded by law enforcement agents, 495 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,856 the kidnappers' ringleader put a price on her life. 496 00:22:42,996 --> 00:22:45,965 One million U.S. dollars. 497 00:22:45,999 --> 00:22:48,601 That's a lot of money. - Mm-hmm. 498 00:22:48,635 --> 00:22:53,473 - Possible for this family? - Not possible, not possible. 499 00:22:53,506 --> 00:22:56,209 - Following instructions from the law enforcement experts, 500 00:22:56,242 --> 00:22:57,444 Jaime told the ringleader 501 00:22:57,477 --> 00:23:00,046 he wouldn't consider paying the ransom 502 00:23:00,046 --> 00:23:02,916 until he knew for sure that Elisa was alive. 503 00:23:02,949 --> 00:23:05,752 Kidnapping experts call it proof of life. 504 00:23:05,785 --> 00:23:07,487 Even though Elisa's captors forced her 505 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:09,422 to record a message early on, 506 00:23:09,456 --> 00:23:12,292 they had never actually sent it to her family. 507 00:23:12,325 --> 00:23:16,529 No pictures, no talking to Elisa? 508 00:23:16,563 --> 00:23:17,764 - No. 509 00:23:17,797 --> 00:23:19,733 - So Jaime asked the ringleader questions 510 00:23:19,766 --> 00:23:21,768 only his daughter could answer, 511 00:23:21,801 --> 00:23:25,171 the name of her grandmother and her godfather. 512 00:23:25,205 --> 00:23:28,208 And when you got the right answers back on the line, 513 00:23:28,241 --> 00:23:29,976 what was that feeling? 514 00:23:30,076 --> 00:23:32,379 - At least we knew she was alive. 515 00:23:42,188 --> 00:23:43,423 - The Levys knew they needed 516 00:23:43,456 --> 00:23:45,892 to come up with cash for the kidnappers. 517 00:23:45,925 --> 00:23:49,562 How much money were you prepared to send them? 518 00:23:49,596 --> 00:23:52,098 - The only thing we really have is this house, 519 00:23:52,132 --> 00:23:56,536 so the bank offered us an $80,000 loan on the house. 520 00:23:56,569 --> 00:24:00,573 - $80,000 is less than 10% of the $1 million 521 00:24:00,607 --> 00:24:02,108 the kidnappers wanted. 522 00:24:02,142 --> 00:24:04,511 In desperation, Jaime called his family 523 00:24:04,544 --> 00:24:05,879 back in New York. 524 00:24:05,912 --> 00:24:10,183 - My brother was going to cash in his retirement plan, 525 00:24:10,216 --> 00:24:12,519 and my other sister was going to do that also. 526 00:24:12,552 --> 00:24:14,087 - They were willing to do that for you? 527 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:16,222 - Yeah. 528 00:24:16,256 --> 00:24:18,425 And we were gonna sell the house and pay them back. 529 00:24:18,458 --> 00:24:21,061 - I guess you would do whatever you had to do at that point. 530 00:24:21,061 --> 00:24:24,864 - Of course. Of course, everything. 531 00:24:24,898 --> 00:24:26,366 - Jaime would talk to the ringleader 532 00:24:26,399 --> 00:24:29,402 every day or two, negotiating the ransom. 533 00:24:29,436 --> 00:24:31,571 Jaime offered $80,000. 534 00:24:31,604 --> 00:24:33,440 The ringleader said it had to be closer 535 00:24:33,473 --> 00:24:35,408 to that million dollar mark. 536 00:24:35,442 --> 00:24:36,976 Jaime said he couldn't possibly raise 537 00:24:37,077 --> 00:24:39,579 more than $150,000. 538 00:24:39,612 --> 00:24:41,214 Basically they were haggling 539 00:24:41,247 --> 00:24:43,750 over the price of his daughter's life. 540 00:24:43,783 --> 00:24:46,119 Making the negotiations even more tense, 541 00:24:46,152 --> 00:24:48,254 again and again the ringleader issued 542 00:24:48,288 --> 00:24:51,691 a dire warning, don't call the police. 543 00:25:06,406 --> 00:25:07,941 - It was a lie, of course. 544 00:25:08,041 --> 00:25:10,176 Even as he spoke, Jaime was surrounded 545 00:25:10,210 --> 00:25:13,046 by an FBI agent, a State Department official, 546 00:25:13,079 --> 00:25:15,115 and a top operative of UNASE, 547 00:25:15,148 --> 00:25:18,051 the Ecuadorian anti-kidnapping police. 548 00:25:20,453 --> 00:25:22,355 - In reality, law enforcement agents 549 00:25:22,389 --> 00:25:24,891 were on the hunt for Elisa's kidnappers, 550 00:25:24,924 --> 00:25:27,293 identifying and surveilling known criminals 551 00:25:27,327 --> 00:25:29,963 in the area who could be suspects. 552 00:25:30,063 --> 00:25:31,498 - We were able to undertake 553 00:25:31,531 --> 00:25:34,067 basic intelligence operations, 554 00:25:34,067 --> 00:25:36,569 stake-outs, and investigations. 555 00:25:36,603 --> 00:25:38,505 - But in a kidnapping investigation, 556 00:25:38,538 --> 00:25:42,442 Pepe told us, time is never on his side. 557 00:25:42,475 --> 00:25:43,977 Communications from the ringleader 558 00:25:44,077 --> 00:25:46,579 were getting shorter, sharper. 559 00:25:46,613 --> 00:25:47,781 Things turned a little bit. 560 00:25:47,814 --> 00:25:50,817 The kidnappers started getting anxious. 561 00:25:50,850 --> 00:25:53,086 - You could tell that they weren't getting 562 00:25:53,086 --> 00:25:54,587 the results that they wanted. 563 00:25:54,621 --> 00:25:57,991 - The tension inside the Levy home was palpable. 564 00:25:58,091 --> 00:25:59,793 So was the pain. 565 00:25:59,826 --> 00:26:02,829 Little sister Maria found an old stuffed animal of Elisa's 566 00:26:02,862 --> 00:26:05,498 in the room they used to share as kids. 567 00:26:05,532 --> 00:26:08,134 - I used to talk to my sister when I was-- 568 00:26:08,168 --> 00:26:09,369 When I was going to sleep, 569 00:26:09,402 --> 00:26:12,439 I used to hug a teddy bear that was hers. 570 00:26:12,472 --> 00:26:13,907 - Do you think she could hear you? 571 00:26:13,940 --> 00:26:16,776 - I don't know. It's like, energy is so powerful. 572 00:26:16,810 --> 00:26:20,046 Maybe it's like, when you are connected 573 00:26:20,046 --> 00:26:21,348 and you feel it so much. 574 00:26:21,381 --> 00:26:24,184 I mean, I used to close my eyes and imagine her. 575 00:26:24,217 --> 00:26:27,687 And we all said, "she's fine, she's fine." 576 00:26:27,721 --> 00:26:30,156 - The whole family was doing all they could 577 00:26:30,190 --> 00:26:32,892 to send positive energy to Elisa. 578 00:26:32,926 --> 00:26:36,062 What would you say? 579 00:26:36,096 --> 00:26:37,630 - That we love her very much, 580 00:26:37,664 --> 00:26:39,933 that her family was thinking about her. 581 00:26:39,966 --> 00:26:44,237 She is a strong woman who can handle a situation like this. 582 00:26:44,270 --> 00:26:46,973 - Of course, the Levy family had no idea 583 00:26:47,073 --> 00:26:50,744 what Elisa had been through over the past four days 584 00:26:50,777 --> 00:26:53,213 or what she had yet to endure. 585 00:26:56,082 --> 00:26:58,752 - Elisa's kidnappers up the ante. 586 00:26:58,785 --> 00:27:01,855 - This guy said, "we might cut a finger off," so... 587 00:27:01,888 --> 00:27:03,723 - "Cut your finger off"? - Yeah. 588 00:27:10,263 --> 00:27:15,035 ** 589 00:27:15,502 --> 00:27:17,937 - October 31st, 2009, 590 00:27:18,038 --> 00:27:20,373 two weeks into Elisa Levy's captivity, 591 00:27:20,407 --> 00:27:22,342 the 24-year-old U.S. citizen 592 00:27:22,375 --> 00:27:25,879 was still chained to a tree in the Ecuadorian jungle. 593 00:27:25,912 --> 00:27:29,149 Exhausted, unable to move more than a few feet, 594 00:27:29,182 --> 00:27:31,584 her body aching from the confinement, 595 00:27:31,618 --> 00:27:33,787 she was struggling to remain strong. 596 00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:37,524 But fighting off her fears was growing more difficult. 597 00:27:40,827 --> 00:27:42,362 From the moment she disappeared, 598 00:27:42,395 --> 00:27:46,399 her family back in Quito were sending mental messages of hope. 599 00:27:46,433 --> 00:27:48,868 And as she sat alone for hours on end, 600 00:27:48,902 --> 00:27:53,206 Elisa almost felt she could hear her mother's voice. 601 00:27:53,239 --> 00:27:55,175 - I don't know if it's-- if it was me, 602 00:27:55,208 --> 00:27:56,743 or because I was desperate or whatever, 603 00:27:56,776 --> 00:27:59,746 but I really could talk to her, especially at night. 604 00:27:59,779 --> 00:28:03,483 And I felt a lot of, like, energy, you know? 605 00:28:03,516 --> 00:28:05,285 - Coming back at you. - Yeah, like, a lot. 606 00:28:05,318 --> 00:28:09,022 - Did you hear your mother? What did she say? 607 00:28:09,022 --> 00:28:13,593 - "I miss you." Yeah. 608 00:28:13,626 --> 00:28:16,062 - She drew comfort from those imagined whispers 609 00:28:16,096 --> 00:28:17,464 in the dark at night, 610 00:28:17,497 --> 00:28:19,933 and although she'd never been very religious, 611 00:28:20,033 --> 00:28:21,534 she started to pray. 612 00:28:21,568 --> 00:28:22,836 - I would pray every night, 613 00:28:22,869 --> 00:28:24,904 you know, the couple things I know. 614 00:28:24,938 --> 00:28:27,640 I felt people pray with me. 615 00:28:27,674 --> 00:28:29,175 I don't know how to explain it, 616 00:28:29,209 --> 00:28:32,445 but I just wasn't able to feel sad anymore. 617 00:28:32,479 --> 00:28:35,382 Like, uh, whew, 618 00:28:35,415 --> 00:28:40,387 I was just like, you know, like, calm. 619 00:28:40,420 --> 00:28:42,155 - The two guards watching over her 620 00:28:42,188 --> 00:28:44,724 were the only human contact she had. 621 00:28:44,758 --> 00:28:46,126 Their boss, the ringleader, 622 00:28:46,159 --> 00:28:48,094 came and went from a ramshackle hut 623 00:28:48,128 --> 00:28:50,063 about 50 yards from her tent, 624 00:28:50,063 --> 00:28:51,931 but Elisa never saw him. 625 00:28:51,965 --> 00:28:53,466 She came to think of her guards 626 00:28:53,500 --> 00:28:56,536 as the good guy who would bring her rice and beans, 627 00:28:56,569 --> 00:29:00,540 reassure her she'd soon be released, 628 00:29:00,573 --> 00:29:01,841 and the bad guy 629 00:29:01,875 --> 00:29:03,643 who often threatened to kill her 630 00:29:03,677 --> 00:29:05,779 or her family back home. 631 00:29:05,812 --> 00:29:07,580 But she never learned their names. 632 00:29:07,614 --> 00:29:12,852 She was determined not to become overly attached to her captors. 633 00:29:12,886 --> 00:29:14,688 She'd been fiercely independent 634 00:29:14,721 --> 00:29:16,122 and comfortable in the wilderness 635 00:29:16,156 --> 00:29:18,291 from the time she was a little girl. 636 00:29:18,324 --> 00:29:22,362 Now she used those qualities to keep her mind occupied. 637 00:29:24,264 --> 00:29:26,566 She gazed up into the trees for hours, 638 00:29:26,599 --> 00:29:30,036 trying to identify birds by their songs and their colors. 639 00:29:30,036 --> 00:29:32,672 - It actually was a really nice forest, 640 00:29:32,706 --> 00:29:35,208 you know, with a lot of birds and things to see. 641 00:29:35,241 --> 00:29:36,109 - In the daylight, 642 00:29:36,142 --> 00:29:37,777 the one novel she brought with her 643 00:29:37,811 --> 00:29:40,847 was always open, a Colombian love story. 644 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,249 - I read that book, like, I guess 12 times or even more. 645 00:29:43,283 --> 00:29:46,586 - Over and over again. - Yeah. 646 00:29:46,619 --> 00:29:48,888 - But then night would come again. 647 00:29:48,922 --> 00:29:51,624 The chains around her ankles made it impossible to sleep 648 00:29:51,658 --> 00:29:54,060 for more than an hour or two at a time, 649 00:29:54,060 --> 00:29:55,628 and every noise in the trees 650 00:29:55,662 --> 00:30:00,333 seemed like it could signal a new danger. 651 00:30:00,367 --> 00:30:01,501 Lying awake, 652 00:30:01,534 --> 00:30:05,405 she'd imagine herself soaring on her bicycle. 653 00:30:05,438 --> 00:30:07,874 And she would dream about a big bike trip 654 00:30:07,907 --> 00:30:10,744 she was organizing to raise money for conservation 655 00:30:10,777 --> 00:30:12,579 in just a couple of months. 656 00:30:12,612 --> 00:30:15,949 - I didn't want to miss the-- you know, this bike trip 657 00:30:15,982 --> 00:30:17,951 across South America that we were planning. 658 00:30:17,984 --> 00:30:21,921 'Cause that's what I want to do. 659 00:30:21,955 --> 00:30:23,590 - She cried alone. 660 00:30:23,623 --> 00:30:26,226 Not once did she let her captors see that. 661 00:30:26,259 --> 00:30:27,927 She didn't want to show weakness, 662 00:30:27,961 --> 00:30:31,297 especially to the guard she called the bad guy. 663 00:30:31,331 --> 00:30:34,834 He treated her roughly and issued dark threats. 664 00:30:34,868 --> 00:30:38,705 - "We might just sell you to a different group." 665 00:30:38,738 --> 00:30:40,540 - A bigger group. - Yeah. 666 00:30:40,573 --> 00:30:42,008 - A more scary group. - Yeah. 667 00:30:42,042 --> 00:30:46,112 I had no idea they did that with people, but... 668 00:30:46,146 --> 00:30:48,148 - Elisa understood his warning. 669 00:30:48,181 --> 00:30:51,117 Her current captors could sell her to the FARC, 670 00:30:51,151 --> 00:30:52,886 an even more brutal guerilla group 671 00:30:52,919 --> 00:30:57,023 with an expertise in holding hostages. 672 00:30:57,057 --> 00:30:58,825 It took extraordinary willpower, 673 00:30:58,858 --> 00:31:02,595 but Elisa forced herself to push aside her fears. 674 00:31:02,629 --> 00:31:03,963 - I'm all by myself, you know? 675 00:31:04,064 --> 00:31:05,965 I get sad when I start thinking about this 676 00:31:06,066 --> 00:31:07,600 all over again. 677 00:31:07,634 --> 00:31:09,669 It's gonna be-- it's not gonna be good for me, 678 00:31:09,703 --> 00:31:13,073 so I better not-- I better be positive, or... 679 00:31:13,073 --> 00:31:14,974 - Elisa was making a conscious effort 680 00:31:15,075 --> 00:31:17,944 to cultivate the guard she called the good guy. 681 00:31:17,977 --> 00:31:19,346 It was starting to work. 682 00:31:19,379 --> 00:31:21,414 Her spoke to her more often at mealtime. 683 00:31:21,448 --> 00:31:23,350 He even brought her yarn. 684 00:31:23,383 --> 00:31:25,285 - So I started doing a scarf. 685 00:31:25,318 --> 00:31:26,586 - Wait, you had knitting needles with you? 686 00:31:26,619 --> 00:31:28,688 - No, he brought knitting needles. 687 00:31:28,722 --> 00:31:30,156 - Did you ever think of using those knitting needles 688 00:31:30,190 --> 00:31:31,257 for anything else? 689 00:31:31,291 --> 00:31:33,927 - I was really afraid of-- like, from the beginning, 690 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,496 I just had that idea if I did something, 691 00:31:36,529 --> 00:31:38,431 my family could, you know, be hurt, 692 00:31:38,465 --> 00:31:42,802 so I didn't even thought about that. 693 00:31:42,836 --> 00:31:45,372 - The needles would be no match against guns, 694 00:31:45,405 --> 00:31:47,574 but Elisa thought of a way to use them. 695 00:31:47,607 --> 00:31:50,810 She knitted four scarves for the good guard, 696 00:31:50,844 --> 00:31:54,147 and in exchange she asked him for information. 697 00:31:54,180 --> 00:31:55,949 He gave her a key nugget. 698 00:31:55,982 --> 00:31:58,451 Her parents were alive, he told her, 699 00:31:58,485 --> 00:32:01,054 and negotiating her release. 700 00:32:01,087 --> 00:32:03,456 - He was like, "they're talking. Everything's gonna be fine. 701 00:32:03,490 --> 00:32:06,760 Just calm down." 702 00:32:06,793 --> 00:32:09,162 - But the guard she calls the bad guy 703 00:32:09,195 --> 00:32:11,231 was escalating his threats. 704 00:32:11,264 --> 00:32:12,799 - This guy said, "we might cut you-- 705 00:32:12,832 --> 00:32:14,401 a finger off, so--" to pressure-- 706 00:32:14,434 --> 00:32:16,636 - Cut your finger off? - Yes. 707 00:32:19,439 --> 00:32:20,874 - Of course, Elisa didn't know 708 00:32:20,907 --> 00:32:23,576 about the U.S. and Ecuadorian agencies 709 00:32:23,610 --> 00:32:25,445 on the hunt for her captors. 710 00:32:25,478 --> 00:32:28,448 Now the Colombian government had joined the effort, too. 711 00:32:28,481 --> 00:32:30,083 - The law enforcement authorities in Colombia 712 00:32:30,083 --> 00:32:32,752 who focus on anti-kidnapping matters 713 00:32:32,786 --> 00:32:34,688 worked closely with the Ecuadorian national police, 714 00:32:34,721 --> 00:32:35,622 the UNASE. 715 00:32:35,655 --> 00:32:37,791 - Zeroing in and... - Exactly. 716 00:32:37,824 --> 00:32:38,958 - Encircling the net. 717 00:32:38,992 --> 00:32:41,327 - If anybody has experience in kidnapping matters, 718 00:32:41,361 --> 00:32:42,996 it's the Colombian authorities. 719 00:32:43,096 --> 00:32:45,098 - Some of the specifics are classified, 720 00:32:45,131 --> 00:32:48,101 but the Colombians provided high tech equipment 721 00:32:48,101 --> 00:32:49,936 to help the team track the location 722 00:32:49,969 --> 00:32:52,105 of the ringleader's cell phones. 723 00:32:52,105 --> 00:32:53,006 There was no way to know 724 00:32:53,106 --> 00:32:55,241 if he was in the same place as Elisa, 725 00:32:55,275 --> 00:32:59,412 but the kidnappers were leaving behind other clues, too. 726 00:32:59,446 --> 00:33:01,081 - We like to say there's no such thing 727 00:33:01,114 --> 00:33:02,782 as the perfect crime. 728 00:33:02,816 --> 00:33:04,951 They always leave a trace. 729 00:33:05,051 --> 00:33:06,920 - And it was Elisa herself 730 00:33:06,953 --> 00:33:08,855 who gave them their best clue. 731 00:33:08,888 --> 00:33:11,825 Remember, when she first climbed into that Isuzu Trooper, 732 00:33:11,858 --> 00:33:12,959 she'd asked one of her brothers 733 00:33:13,059 --> 00:33:15,362 to make note of the license plate number. 734 00:33:15,395 --> 00:33:17,797 Investigators checked the number against video 735 00:33:17,831 --> 00:33:19,799 of vehicles passing through toll plazas 736 00:33:19,833 --> 00:33:21,501 all over Ecuador. 737 00:33:21,534 --> 00:33:23,536 The kidnapper's Trooper was recorded 738 00:33:23,570 --> 00:33:25,638 passing through several toll booths 739 00:33:25,672 --> 00:33:27,741 and heading to the Colombia border. 740 00:33:30,343 --> 00:33:33,346 But 18 days into her captivity, 741 00:33:33,380 --> 00:33:36,816 out in her makeshift tent in a remote patch of forest, 742 00:33:36,850 --> 00:33:39,152 Elisa Levy wasn't sitting around 743 00:33:39,185 --> 00:33:40,954 waiting to be rescued. 744 00:33:40,987 --> 00:33:42,522 - I didn't wanna die. 745 00:33:42,555 --> 00:33:44,424 Uh, I didn't wanna keep thinking 746 00:33:44,457 --> 00:33:47,560 that my family is thinking that I'm dead. 747 00:33:47,594 --> 00:33:50,096 I really wanted to try to do something about it. 748 00:33:50,130 --> 00:33:51,765 - There were stretches of time 749 00:33:51,798 --> 00:33:54,634 when the two armed guards would wander off. 750 00:33:54,668 --> 00:33:57,504 The only thing holding Elisa in the kidnappers' encampment 751 00:33:57,537 --> 00:34:00,807 was that chain binding her ankles to a tree. 752 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:03,143 - And the chain, I assume, has a big lock on it. 753 00:34:03,176 --> 00:34:05,078 - Actually, it had, like, a small lock. 754 00:34:05,111 --> 00:34:07,947 - The knitting needles were too large to pick that lock. 755 00:34:08,048 --> 00:34:09,783 Was there another way? 756 00:34:09,816 --> 00:34:11,851 She'd thought about it 100 times, 757 00:34:11,885 --> 00:34:15,488 but now desperation sparked creativity. 758 00:34:15,522 --> 00:34:18,191 - Remember, her captors had taken her electronics, 759 00:34:18,224 --> 00:34:21,327 but not her backpack and those bobby pins 760 00:34:21,361 --> 00:34:23,797 mixed in with loose change at the bottom. 761 00:34:23,830 --> 00:34:25,832 She reached in and pulled out two, 762 00:34:25,865 --> 00:34:28,768 and bent them into tools. 763 00:34:28,802 --> 00:34:30,070 Over the next three days, 764 00:34:30,070 --> 00:34:31,771 whenever the guards were out of sight, 765 00:34:31,805 --> 00:34:34,607 she'd maneuver the pins in the lock's keyhole. 766 00:34:34,641 --> 00:34:36,676 She tried again and again. 767 00:34:36,710 --> 00:34:39,112 Finally, the lock popped open. 768 00:34:39,145 --> 00:34:41,081 But Elisa stayed cautious. 769 00:34:41,081 --> 00:34:43,950 The bad guy seemed brutal enough to shoot 770 00:34:43,983 --> 00:34:45,452 if she tried to escape. 771 00:34:45,485 --> 00:34:47,854 - So what I did was I would try 772 00:34:47,887 --> 00:34:49,923 and climb the trees that were nearby 773 00:34:49,956 --> 00:34:51,791 and try to see where I was. 774 00:34:51,825 --> 00:34:53,393 - So you would unlock the lock, 775 00:34:53,426 --> 00:34:55,228 climb up in the trees and try to see where you were? 776 00:34:55,261 --> 00:34:56,463 - Yeah. - All while nobody was 777 00:34:56,496 --> 00:34:58,631 right close guarding you. - Right, yeah. 778 00:34:58,665 --> 00:35:00,934 - And then go back, sit down, and put the lock back on? 779 00:35:01,034 --> 00:35:03,169 - Yeah. - That's pretty brave. 780 00:35:03,203 --> 00:35:05,805 - Yeah, I was really afraid that they may see me. 781 00:35:05,839 --> 00:35:08,608 - With each climb, Elisa grew more bold. 782 00:35:08,641 --> 00:35:10,110 Soon, she would have to decide 783 00:35:10,143 --> 00:35:12,345 whether to run from her kidnappers. 784 00:35:12,379 --> 00:35:14,114 She closed her eyes tight, 785 00:35:14,147 --> 00:35:16,383 praying for guidance from her mother, 786 00:35:16,416 --> 00:35:18,051 miles away in Quito. 787 00:35:18,084 --> 00:35:20,053 - I-- you know, I heard this-- 788 00:35:20,053 --> 00:35:24,257 Or I had this communication, I don't know, like, with my mom. 789 00:35:24,290 --> 00:35:25,692 - You heard your mother's voice? 790 00:35:25,725 --> 00:35:28,194 - Yeah, well, I believe it was my mother's voice. 791 00:35:28,228 --> 00:35:29,429 - And what did she say? 792 00:35:29,462 --> 00:35:32,432 - Don't, like, risk yourself. Don't-don't try and escape. 793 00:35:32,465 --> 00:35:34,467 Just wait a couple more days. 794 00:35:34,501 --> 00:35:36,703 - But Elisa could also read the signals 795 00:35:36,736 --> 00:35:40,607 she was getting from her guards, both spoken and silent. 796 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:42,876 She was running out of time. 797 00:35:44,511 --> 00:35:45,745 - Coming up... 798 00:35:45,779 --> 00:35:49,082 Suddenly, movement in the deep darkness of the jungle. 799 00:35:49,082 --> 00:35:51,618 - And I start seeing some, like, like flashlights. 800 00:35:51,651 --> 00:35:55,955 - But who was it? Rescuers or more danger? 801 00:36:09,735 --> 00:36:10,903 - Friday, November 6th, 802 00:36:11,804 --> 00:36:14,239 it had been 20 days since the Levy family 803 00:36:14,273 --> 00:36:17,476 had seen or spoken to 24-year-old Elisa. 804 00:36:17,509 --> 00:36:19,545 20 brutal days. 805 00:36:21,380 --> 00:36:25,084 - I mean, I can't do anything. Just have to wait and wait. 806 00:36:25,117 --> 00:36:28,854 - And how was your mom through all this? 807 00:36:28,887 --> 00:36:31,690 - It was, like, really hard. 808 00:36:31,724 --> 00:36:33,192 I mean, the police people told us 809 00:36:33,225 --> 00:36:35,160 you have to be the support for your mother. 810 00:36:35,194 --> 00:36:37,563 She's really suffering. 811 00:36:37,596 --> 00:36:39,832 - She's a good mom, she's a protective mom. 812 00:36:42,835 --> 00:36:44,670 - It's true. 813 00:36:46,839 --> 00:36:49,475 - Saturday, November 7th, 2009, 814 00:36:49,508 --> 00:36:52,111 Elisa awoke suddenly in the dead of night. 815 00:36:52,144 --> 00:36:54,513 She heard rustling in the forest. 816 00:36:54,546 --> 00:36:57,449 - And I start seeing some like, like, flashlights? 817 00:36:57,483 --> 00:36:59,885 - In the beams of light slicing through the trees, 818 00:36:59,918 --> 00:37:02,154 Elisa could only make out silhouettes. 819 00:37:02,187 --> 00:37:04,289 There were many of them moving briskly 820 00:37:04,323 --> 00:37:06,425 and carrying military-style weapons. 821 00:37:06,458 --> 00:37:08,660 It occurred to Elisa in an instant 822 00:37:08,694 --> 00:37:11,330 these were FARC rebels. 823 00:37:11,363 --> 00:37:12,865 - It just went through my mind, like, really fast, 824 00:37:12,898 --> 00:37:15,567 that I'll be years in Colombia with this group. 825 00:37:15,601 --> 00:37:17,703 - The lights and shadows kept advancing 826 00:37:17,736 --> 00:37:19,838 toward Elisa's flimsy tent. 827 00:37:19,872 --> 00:37:21,040 - You think you're in trouble. 828 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:22,341 - Yeah, I was sure about that, 829 00:37:22,374 --> 00:37:25,644 you know, that this was like a-a terrorist group 830 00:37:25,678 --> 00:37:28,347 that was gonna take me to the middle of nowhere for years. 831 00:37:29,548 --> 00:37:33,752 - And then, one of the armed men burst inside the tent. 832 00:37:33,786 --> 00:37:35,154 - He goes around and holds me, 833 00:37:35,187 --> 00:37:36,755 and he say, "It's okay, it's okay. 834 00:37:36,789 --> 00:37:38,090 "You're gonna be fine." I was like, "No, please. 835 00:37:38,123 --> 00:37:39,391 "Just don't take me." 836 00:37:39,425 --> 00:37:41,427 And he's-he's saying, "We're-we're from the police 837 00:37:41,460 --> 00:37:43,195 "We're from the police. We're rescuing you." 838 00:37:43,228 --> 00:37:44,763 - Did you believe him? 839 00:37:44,797 --> 00:37:46,131 - I-I was trying to, you know. 840 00:37:46,165 --> 00:37:48,067 I was just hoping it wasn't a dream. 841 00:37:48,100 --> 00:37:49,935 'Cause I had thought I might be dreaming. 842 00:37:51,637 --> 00:37:53,138 - We covered Elisa with a blanket 843 00:37:53,172 --> 00:37:54,707 and put ourselves on top of her, 844 00:37:54,740 --> 00:37:57,276 so she could not be harmed again. 845 00:37:57,309 --> 00:38:00,479 - The man cradling Elisa in a bulletproof blanket 846 00:38:00,512 --> 00:38:02,781 was Pepe, the undercover agent 847 00:38:02,815 --> 00:38:06,151 from the Ecuadorian Anti-Kidnapping Police, UNASE. 848 00:38:06,185 --> 00:38:08,387 - He said, "It's okay, Elisa." 849 00:38:08,420 --> 00:38:10,489 "I've been with Jaime, Elisa." 850 00:38:10,522 --> 00:38:14,793 And when I just heard my parent's name, I was... 851 00:38:14,827 --> 00:38:16,695 I was happy. [chuckling] 852 00:38:18,163 --> 00:38:19,732 - She began to hug me, 853 00:38:19,765 --> 00:38:21,600 and we told her what we always say 854 00:38:21,633 --> 00:38:24,370 to those we've rescued. 855 00:38:24,403 --> 00:38:27,139 Welcome to liberty. 856 00:38:27,172 --> 00:38:29,408 - Alicia got the phone call. 857 00:38:29,441 --> 00:38:31,710 I remember I was still in bed. 858 00:38:31,744 --> 00:38:34,813 And she started screaming and everyone jumped up. 859 00:38:37,383 --> 00:38:39,518 - We all screamed and clapped. 860 00:38:39,551 --> 00:38:43,222 It was the best moment of my life. 861 00:38:43,255 --> 00:38:45,491 - You feel you could just breathe again. 862 00:38:45,524 --> 00:38:48,660 - She was safe, but was she really all right? 863 00:38:48,694 --> 00:38:52,064 They would have to wait hours to find out. 864 00:38:52,097 --> 00:38:55,300 The rescuers whisked Elisa back here to Quito. 865 00:38:55,334 --> 00:38:57,436 She was desperate to see her family. 866 00:38:57,469 --> 00:38:59,672 She hadn't even talked to them by phone. 867 00:38:59,705 --> 00:39:02,174 But UNASE officials had a different idea. 868 00:39:02,207 --> 00:39:04,543 They wanted to publicize their victory, 869 00:39:04,576 --> 00:39:06,912 so that other families of kidnap victims 870 00:39:07,012 --> 00:39:09,448 might feel more comfortable calling the police. 871 00:39:09,481 --> 00:39:12,418 They wanted to televise the Levy family reunion 872 00:39:12,451 --> 00:39:14,720 live on camera. 873 00:39:14,753 --> 00:39:17,056 Elisa was taken to UNASE headquarters 874 00:39:17,089 --> 00:39:19,591 to wait for a 1:00 PM press conference. 875 00:39:19,625 --> 00:39:21,493 Officials would announce her rescue, 876 00:39:21,527 --> 00:39:25,931 then finally allow her to see her parents, brother and sister. 877 00:39:26,031 --> 00:39:30,035 - I-I can remember, like, every single minute of the waiting. 878 00:39:30,035 --> 00:39:32,838 It was, like, a long, long, long, long time. 879 00:39:32,871 --> 00:39:35,207 Even I could say that that was even longer 880 00:39:35,240 --> 00:39:38,577 than the three weeks I was away. 881 00:39:38,610 --> 00:39:41,280 - After a brief press conference, 882 00:39:41,313 --> 00:39:44,416 the Levy's walked through the crush of cameras 883 00:39:44,450 --> 00:39:46,485 and into Elisa's arms. 884 00:39:53,192 --> 00:39:55,861 - It was a good feeling. 885 00:39:55,894 --> 00:39:59,531 To know that our daughter was safe. 886 00:39:59,565 --> 00:40:03,402 - I mean, ah, it was-- it was the best thing ever, 887 00:40:03,435 --> 00:40:07,006 just, you know, being able to see them. 888 00:40:07,039 --> 00:40:10,242 Um, and also, you know, to feel that they-- 889 00:40:10,275 --> 00:40:12,878 now that they're fine, that they know I'm fine. 890 00:40:12,911 --> 00:40:15,514 It was all I needed. It's all I wanted, 891 00:40:15,547 --> 00:40:17,383 just to be with family. 892 00:40:17,416 --> 00:40:20,719 - In the end, her captors had been common criminals, 893 00:40:20,753 --> 00:40:22,721 not guerilla fighters at all. 894 00:40:22,755 --> 00:40:25,524 Elisa's testimony helped convict the ringleader 895 00:40:25,557 --> 00:40:27,893 and the guard she called "the good guy," 896 00:40:27,926 --> 00:40:30,796 but the bad guy is still at large. 897 00:40:30,829 --> 00:40:32,731 When we last spoke, Elisa told us 898 00:40:32,765 --> 00:40:35,734 that since her kidnapping, she has thought of the U.S. 899 00:40:35,768 --> 00:40:39,505 and South American agents who saved her everyday. 900 00:40:39,538 --> 00:40:40,739 But she's tried to put 901 00:40:40,773 --> 00:40:43,809 those terrifying 21 days behind her. 902 00:40:43,842 --> 00:40:47,012 Still, she agreed to come with me to a reconstruction 903 00:40:47,046 --> 00:40:48,847 of the place she was held, 904 00:40:48,881 --> 00:40:52,951 created for us by the UNASE agents who rescued her. 905 00:40:52,985 --> 00:40:54,987 - Is it-- what does it feel like to look at this now? 906 00:40:55,020 --> 00:40:56,021 - Weird. 907 00:40:56,055 --> 00:40:57,423 - Weird? - Yeah. 908 00:40:57,456 --> 00:41:00,225 - Elisa still remembers every detail. 909 00:41:00,259 --> 00:41:01,927 - Your leg was chained, right? 910 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,096 Your ankle was-- both ankles or just one? 911 00:41:04,129 --> 00:41:06,065 - At the beginning, both, and then just one. 912 00:41:06,065 --> 00:41:08,100 - What about going to the bathroom? 913 00:41:08,133 --> 00:41:10,602 - I had to go as far as the chain would let me go. 914 00:41:10,636 --> 00:41:11,670 - They wouldn't let you off the chain 915 00:41:11,704 --> 00:41:13,272 to go to the bathroom? - No. 916 00:41:13,305 --> 00:41:14,440 - When you look back now 917 00:41:14,473 --> 00:41:15,808 and, as you stand here looking at this, 918 00:41:15,841 --> 00:41:17,743 can you believe that you did 21 days 919 00:41:17,776 --> 00:41:19,611 in something like that? 920 00:41:19,645 --> 00:41:23,115 - Well, I-I think I haven't really 921 00:41:23,148 --> 00:41:25,084 assimilated all this yet, you know? 922 00:41:25,084 --> 00:41:26,418 The place itself, the view from there, 923 00:41:26,452 --> 00:41:28,420 was a really nice forest. 924 00:41:28,454 --> 00:41:30,089 And yes, some people might not like to be 925 00:41:30,089 --> 00:41:31,223 in a forest for 21 days, 926 00:41:31,256 --> 00:41:34,259 but I'd rather be there than in a small dark room. 927 00:41:34,293 --> 00:41:36,161 - You're a very positive thinker. 928 00:41:36,195 --> 00:41:38,230 - Well, my mind sort of just work like that 929 00:41:38,263 --> 00:41:40,532 to go through all that. - To keep you 930 00:41:40,566 --> 00:41:41,800 alive and sane. - Yeah. 931 00:41:41,834 --> 00:41:44,136 - Yeah. - Yeah. 932 00:41:44,169 --> 00:41:46,505 - During those days chained to a tree, 933 00:41:46,538 --> 00:41:49,174 Elisa found strength dreaming of the freedom 934 00:41:49,208 --> 00:41:52,411 she'd feel soaring on her bicycle. 935 00:41:52,444 --> 00:41:54,380 And it may sound hard to believe, 936 00:41:54,413 --> 00:41:57,116 but just eight weeks after coming home, 937 00:41:57,116 --> 00:41:59,418 she left for that long-planned bike trip 938 00:41:59,451 --> 00:42:00,786 through South America. 939 00:42:00,819 --> 00:42:02,187 [cheering] 940 00:42:02,221 --> 00:42:06,058 A 4,000 mile journey covered by the local press. 941 00:42:06,058 --> 00:42:08,060 - I mean, it's been one of the greatest thing in my life, 942 00:42:08,093 --> 00:42:09,061 the bike trip. 943 00:42:09,061 --> 00:42:10,562 And it, yeah, after all that happened, 944 00:42:10,596 --> 00:42:12,631 it was like a healing thing. 945 00:42:13,699 --> 00:42:15,834 - She was, like, trying to retake her life, 946 00:42:15,868 --> 00:42:17,569 not like sitting on her bed to cry 947 00:42:17,603 --> 00:42:18,837 or stuff like that. 948 00:42:18,871 --> 00:42:20,472 - She helped us to get through it. 949 00:42:20,506 --> 00:42:21,540 - To get through it. - Yeah. 950 00:42:21,573 --> 00:42:22,775 - She-she helped you to get through it. 951 00:42:22,808 --> 00:42:24,343 - Yeah. - She did. 952 00:42:24,376 --> 00:42:26,378 She was the support of all of us. 953 00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:31,417 - I'm happy being alive and happy being with my family. 954 00:42:31,450 --> 00:42:32,751 I'm really happy, you know, 955 00:42:32,785 --> 00:42:34,887 being able to have a second chance. 956 00:42:36,088 --> 00:42:37,356 I'm fine after all what happened 957 00:42:37,389 --> 00:42:39,458 because I'm fine. 958 00:42:41,093 --> 00:42:44,229 - That's all for this edition of "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered". 959 00:42:44,263 --> 00:42:45,164 I'm Craig Melvin. Thank you for watching.