1 00:00:04,295 --> 00:00:07,298 ALLISON: Back in the '80s the Sunset Strip was a scene. 2 00:00:11,302 --> 00:00:13,680 NARRATOR: But beyond the bright lights of Hollywood 3 00:00:13,722 --> 00:00:17,308 a predator lurks in the shadows. 4 00:00:17,350 --> 00:00:19,352 DET. BALL: He would go down preying on 5 00:00:19,394 --> 00:00:23,398 potential victims in the area of the Sunset Strip. 6 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:25,483 ROSALIND: He said, "Listen, bitch, 7 00:00:25,525 --> 00:00:27,193 you better shut the [BLEEP] up 8 00:00:27,235 --> 00:00:29,154 because I'm gonna make you walk these streets 9 00:00:29,195 --> 00:00:31,656 like a whore." 10 00:00:31,698 --> 00:00:33,783 NARRATOR: And when an adventurous 18-year-old 11 00:00:33,825 --> 00:00:36,286 goes missing after a night on the town. 12 00:00:36,327 --> 00:00:38,413 ANTHONY: We could hear the music 13 00:00:38,455 --> 00:00:42,167 blasting from the club, and then she was gone, 14 00:00:42,208 --> 00:00:45,628 she was literally nowhere to be seen. 15 00:00:45,670 --> 00:00:47,589 NARRATOR: A city is terrorized. 16 00:00:47,630 --> 00:00:49,674 DET. BALL: There was a serial killer 17 00:00:49,716 --> 00:00:51,801 working around Los Angeles, 18 00:00:51,843 --> 00:00:53,762 extremely violent deaths. 19 00:00:53,803 --> 00:00:55,680 NARRATOR: Until a discovery 20 00:00:55,722 --> 00:00:58,433 buried deep in the woods of the Hollywood Hills 21 00:00:58,475 --> 00:01:01,644 sends the investigation in a frightening direction. 22 00:01:01,686 --> 00:01:03,855 DET. BALL: It was quite obvious that somebody 23 00:01:03,897 --> 00:01:05,398 was held against their will. 24 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,609 ALLISON: I mean, we all were terrified. 25 00:01:11,279 --> 00:01:14,240 [***] 26 00:01:19,788 --> 00:01:22,916 NARRATOR: Above the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, 27 00:01:22,957 --> 00:01:26,503 twisting canyon roads lead to posh hillside homes 28 00:01:26,544 --> 00:01:29,923 offering panoramic views of the city. 29 00:01:29,964 --> 00:01:31,383 DET. BALL: The Hollywood Hills area, 30 00:01:31,424 --> 00:01:33,718 very upper luxury housing, 31 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,304 multimillion dollar residences. 32 00:01:36,346 --> 00:01:40,225 These exclusive residential areas are wooded 33 00:01:40,266 --> 00:01:42,310 and the wildlife is extensive. 34 00:01:42,352 --> 00:01:44,938 NARRATOR: The scenic ridge also hides a tangle 35 00:01:44,979 --> 00:01:48,233 of rugged hiking trails where locals and visitors 36 00:01:48,274 --> 00:01:51,361 go to escape the hustle of the big city. 37 00:01:51,403 --> 00:01:53,154 ALLISON: It's very, very good to hike up there. 38 00:01:53,196 --> 00:01:55,490 It's not just houses and roads. 39 00:01:55,532 --> 00:01:58,326 There are camps up there. 40 00:01:59,869 --> 00:02:02,706 NARRATOR: In early December 1986, 41 00:02:02,747 --> 00:02:06,376 a young vagabond newly arrived in Los Angeles 42 00:02:06,418 --> 00:02:09,254 is hiking a wooded canyon. 43 00:02:09,295 --> 00:02:11,423 ROSALIND: And he was following some kind of 44 00:02:11,464 --> 00:02:13,883 animal path in the woods. 45 00:02:16,511 --> 00:02:18,179 NARRATOR: With the sun beginning to set along 46 00:02:18,221 --> 00:02:20,223 the secluded trail, 47 00:02:20,265 --> 00:02:23,184 he stops to set up camp in the clearing. 48 00:02:23,226 --> 00:02:27,480 When the hiker tries to sink a tent peg into the ground 49 00:02:27,522 --> 00:02:30,525 he finds something horrifying. 50 00:02:30,567 --> 00:02:34,863 Tangled with branches and dirty leaves, 51 00:02:34,904 --> 00:02:37,741 he found what had to be... 52 00:02:39,242 --> 00:02:40,702 unfathomable, 53 00:02:41,953 --> 00:02:44,998 a skull and bones. 54 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,584 NARRATOR: The terrified hiker races off the hillside 55 00:02:47,625 --> 00:02:50,503 to find a phone and call police 56 00:02:50,545 --> 00:02:53,590 who quickly dispatched officers to the location. 57 00:02:56,384 --> 00:02:58,845 DET. BALL: This particular location was situated 58 00:02:58,887 --> 00:03:01,890 in a very rough, remote, wooded area. 59 00:03:02,932 --> 00:03:04,851 It was steep 60 00:03:04,893 --> 00:03:06,686 but halfway up the mountain 61 00:03:06,728 --> 00:03:09,731 was when we discovered a campsite location. 62 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,612 It was a flat area that was overgrown, 63 00:03:15,653 --> 00:03:17,447 had some trees around it. 64 00:03:18,740 --> 00:03:21,284 It looked abandoned 65 00:03:21,326 --> 00:03:23,912 but there was evidence somebody had been there in the past. 66 00:03:28,041 --> 00:03:31,628 We start to reveal skeletal remains 67 00:03:31,670 --> 00:03:34,464 that were partially buried in addition to being covered up. 68 00:03:37,967 --> 00:03:40,762 The physical evidence that we had found included 69 00:03:40,804 --> 00:03:42,514 a pair of handcuffs 70 00:03:42,555 --> 00:03:45,725 that were hanging from a tree limb, 71 00:03:45,767 --> 00:03:48,395 and also a rope that had been attached 72 00:03:48,436 --> 00:03:50,730 to the skeletal remains, 73 00:03:50,772 --> 00:03:54,818 and wrapped around the base of the tree. 74 00:03:54,859 --> 00:03:57,654 It was quite obvious that it was a scenario 75 00:03:57,696 --> 00:03:59,531 where somebody may have been held 76 00:03:59,572 --> 00:04:01,032 against their will. 77 00:04:01,074 --> 00:04:02,909 NARRATOR: The condition of the remains 78 00:04:02,951 --> 00:04:05,286 indicates the body has been buried in the woods 79 00:04:05,328 --> 00:04:07,747 possibly for years. 80 00:04:07,789 --> 00:04:10,458 DET. BALL: There was nothing really to go on 81 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:12,377 as far as identification. 82 00:04:12,419 --> 00:04:15,588 We didn't even know the gender of the victim. 83 00:04:15,630 --> 00:04:17,757 We need to know what happened, 84 00:04:17,799 --> 00:04:20,760 who is the person buried in a shallow grave 85 00:04:20,802 --> 00:04:23,763 in a wooded area above Hollywood. 86 00:04:29,644 --> 00:04:34,399 [***] 87 00:04:34,441 --> 00:04:38,028 ALLISON: Back in the '80s the Sunset Strip was a scene. 88 00:04:38,069 --> 00:04:39,904 What do kids do on a Friday night? 89 00:04:39,946 --> 00:04:41,781 They go to the Strip. 90 00:04:41,823 --> 00:04:43,825 ROSALIND: There was all kinds of people, 91 00:04:43,867 --> 00:04:46,828 celebrities, partiers, groupies, 92 00:04:46,870 --> 00:04:50,790 it was just a big party up and down the Strip. 93 00:04:50,832 --> 00:04:54,461 AIMEE: Everyone had long hair, lots of hairspray. 94 00:04:54,502 --> 00:04:57,422 The guys would even wear spandex pants. 95 00:04:57,464 --> 00:04:59,674 NARRATOR: The Sunset Strip is the heart 96 00:04:59,716 --> 00:05:01,968 of West Hollywood, the cooler cousin 97 00:05:02,010 --> 00:05:05,472 to its neighbor, luxurious Beverly Hills. 98 00:05:05,513 --> 00:05:08,391 In the 1980s the Strip is legendary 99 00:05:08,433 --> 00:05:09,976 for its rock and roll music scene 100 00:05:10,018 --> 00:05:11,936 wherein any number of clubs 101 00:05:11,978 --> 00:05:15,023 you can hear the hottest bands in the country. 102 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,569 * 103 00:05:19,611 --> 00:05:21,488 ANTHONY: The main three clubs on the Sunset Strip 104 00:05:21,529 --> 00:05:22,614 was the Roxy, 105 00:05:22,655 --> 00:05:24,449 the Whisky a Go Go, 106 00:05:24,491 --> 00:05:26,117 and the Rainbow. 107 00:05:26,159 --> 00:05:28,078 ALLISON: This is pre-cell phone, 108 00:05:28,119 --> 00:05:30,705 you have to call your friends on the phones and say meet me 109 00:05:30,747 --> 00:05:31,998 in front of the Whisky a Go Go 110 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:33,667 or meet me in front of the Rainbow, 111 00:05:33,708 --> 00:05:35,710 and we'll cruise, we'll go up and down the street 112 00:05:35,752 --> 00:05:38,380 and see all the characters, and all the musicians. 113 00:05:40,924 --> 00:05:42,759 [***] 114 00:05:42,801 --> 00:05:44,844 NARRATOR: One of LA's fun loving residents 115 00:05:44,886 --> 00:05:47,931 is 18-year-old Lisa Mather, 116 00:05:47,972 --> 00:05:51,476 beautiful, young, with a bubbly personality. 117 00:05:51,518 --> 00:05:54,854 She's the quintessential California girl. 118 00:05:54,896 --> 00:05:57,065 ROSALIND: She was very outgoing, 119 00:05:57,107 --> 00:05:59,943 very loving, and trusting, 120 00:05:59,984 --> 00:06:01,945 and playful at heart, 121 00:06:01,986 --> 00:06:04,531 and she was very popular. 122 00:06:04,572 --> 00:06:06,866 NARRATOR: A recent high school grad, 123 00:06:06,908 --> 00:06:09,577 Lisa lives at home with her mom, stepdad, and brother 124 00:06:09,619 --> 00:06:13,164 in the seaside community of Marina del Rey. 125 00:06:15,750 --> 00:06:18,503 On weekends Lisa and her best friend Aimee 126 00:06:18,545 --> 00:06:20,213 often head to the Sunset Strip 127 00:06:20,255 --> 00:06:22,590 to see their favorite bands. 128 00:06:22,632 --> 00:06:26,469 AIMEE: Lisa was a people person and was a free-spirit. 129 00:06:26,511 --> 00:06:30,765 ROSALIND: Aimee and Lisa were friends forever, 130 00:06:30,807 --> 00:06:32,600 you know, they were just tight. 131 00:06:32,642 --> 00:06:35,645 AIMEE: We did feel like when we were together 132 00:06:35,687 --> 00:06:37,897 we could just conquer the world. 133 00:06:37,939 --> 00:06:40,025 [***] 134 00:06:40,066 --> 00:06:42,610 NARRATOR: On Saturday night, January 11th, 135 00:06:42,652 --> 00:06:45,488 Lisa and Aimee are ready to party. 136 00:06:45,530 --> 00:06:47,574 ANTHONY: I got a call from Aimee, she said, 137 00:06:47,615 --> 00:06:49,701 "Hey, it's Saturday night, let's go out, 138 00:06:49,743 --> 00:06:51,202 um, I'm here with Lisa." 139 00:06:51,244 --> 00:06:52,954 [***] 140 00:06:52,996 --> 00:06:54,664 ANTHONY: "Can you come pick us up?" 141 00:06:54,706 --> 00:06:56,082 I go "Where do you wanna go?" 142 00:06:56,124 --> 00:06:58,460 "Well, of course, the Sunset Strip." 143 00:07:00,295 --> 00:07:02,630 NARRATOR: But underage with no ID, 144 00:07:02,672 --> 00:07:06,468 there's no way they're getting into any of the clubs. 145 00:07:06,509 --> 00:07:09,137 So we were stuck listening to the music 146 00:07:09,179 --> 00:07:11,473 outside on the sidewalk. 147 00:07:13,516 --> 00:07:17,020 AIMEE: That night there was a construction site 148 00:07:17,062 --> 00:07:19,272 right next to the Rainbow. 149 00:07:19,314 --> 00:07:21,649 And there was a flatbed truck. 150 00:07:21,691 --> 00:07:24,152 ANTHONY: So it's basically the size of a dance floor. 151 00:07:24,194 --> 00:07:27,197 And I remember that we could hear the music 152 00:07:27,238 --> 00:07:29,783 blasting from the club. 153 00:07:31,284 --> 00:07:35,080 AIMEE: I was up on the truck dancing. 154 00:07:35,121 --> 00:07:38,041 And when I was up there I remember seeing Lisa 155 00:07:38,083 --> 00:07:39,751 talking to somebody. 156 00:07:39,793 --> 00:07:42,629 [***] 157 00:07:42,671 --> 00:07:44,923 AIMEE: And he had long dark hair, 158 00:07:44,964 --> 00:07:47,133 and he was thin, and he was smiling. 159 00:07:50,220 --> 00:07:53,807 ROSALIND: And then Aimee looked away. 160 00:07:53,848 --> 00:07:56,851 And then when she looked again she didn't see Lisa. 161 00:08:01,564 --> 00:08:03,608 NARRATOR: A few minutes later with music blaring 162 00:08:03,650 --> 00:08:05,068 and the crowd jumping, 163 00:08:05,110 --> 00:08:07,237 police break up the sidewalk party 164 00:08:07,278 --> 00:08:10,573 and order the kids off the truck. 165 00:08:10,615 --> 00:08:14,077 Aimee jumps to the ground and finds their friend Anthony. 166 00:08:17,247 --> 00:08:19,958 AIMEE: A little while had passed 167 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,002 and we both looked at each other, 168 00:08:22,043 --> 00:08:23,837 and said "Where's Lisa?" 169 00:08:25,213 --> 00:08:28,049 ANTHONY: And Lisa was gone. 170 00:08:28,091 --> 00:08:32,178 She was literally nowhere to be seen. 171 00:08:32,220 --> 00:08:35,849 AIMEE: I thought maybe she just left with this guy 172 00:08:35,890 --> 00:08:40,270 that she was talking to, but it didn't feel right. 173 00:08:40,311 --> 00:08:43,606 Normally, Lisa wouldn't do that. 174 00:08:45,817 --> 00:08:47,736 NARRATOR: Aimee and Anthony pushed their way 175 00:08:47,777 --> 00:08:51,156 through the crowd desperate for any sign of Lisa. 176 00:08:51,197 --> 00:08:53,658 ANTHONY: We must've searched for over an hour, 177 00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:55,869 going up and down the Sunset Strip, 178 00:08:55,910 --> 00:08:57,245 inside some of the clubs. 179 00:08:58,955 --> 00:09:00,040 But she was gone. 180 00:09:03,168 --> 00:09:05,170 There were no cell phones back then, 181 00:09:05,211 --> 00:09:06,713 and we had no way to contact her, 182 00:09:06,755 --> 00:09:08,631 and she had no way to contact us. 183 00:09:08,673 --> 00:09:12,218 So Aimee wanted to go home and wait by the phone 184 00:09:12,260 --> 00:09:14,596 to see if she would get a phone call 185 00:09:14,637 --> 00:09:16,598 but Lisa never called. 186 00:09:18,308 --> 00:09:20,226 [***] 187 00:09:20,268 --> 00:09:21,770 NARRATOR: The next morning 188 00:09:21,811 --> 00:09:24,731 Aimee is overwhelmed with dread. 189 00:09:24,773 --> 00:09:28,401 AIMEE: When your friend is not with you, and 190 00:09:28,443 --> 00:09:32,906 you don't know, and she didn't call my house, 191 00:09:32,947 --> 00:09:36,868 it's just that sense of what's happening, 192 00:09:36,910 --> 00:09:39,079 like, where is Lisa? 193 00:09:40,121 --> 00:09:41,790 Is she okay? 194 00:09:43,958 --> 00:09:46,044 ANTHONY: It was horrible. 195 00:09:46,086 --> 00:09:47,754 Her mother called me. 196 00:09:47,796 --> 00:09:50,924 She kept on asking me, "Well, where did she go? 197 00:09:50,965 --> 00:09:52,967 Who do you think she went with?" 198 00:09:53,009 --> 00:09:56,805 And I was completely, like, no words. 199 00:09:59,724 --> 00:10:01,893 NARRATOR: Beside herself with worry 200 00:10:01,935 --> 00:10:03,728 Lisa's mom calls the police 201 00:10:03,770 --> 00:10:07,065 and files a missing person's report. 202 00:10:07,107 --> 00:10:08,942 ALLISON: When Lisa disappeared the police 203 00:10:08,983 --> 00:10:10,694 they just thought she ran away, 204 00:10:10,735 --> 00:10:12,153 or she went out with some guy, 205 00:10:12,195 --> 00:10:14,656 it's Sunset Strip, you know. 206 00:10:14,698 --> 00:10:17,117 She probably ran off with some guy that she likes, 207 00:10:17,158 --> 00:10:19,285 she'll be back in a week or who knows 208 00:10:19,327 --> 00:10:23,164 but I don't think they took it very seriously. 209 00:10:23,206 --> 00:10:26,793 NARRATOR: As more days passed with no sign of Lisa, 210 00:10:26,835 --> 00:10:31,047 investigators acknowledged this case might be different. 211 00:10:31,089 --> 00:10:33,299 DET. BALL: Lisa left a note for her parents 212 00:10:33,341 --> 00:10:36,970 where she was going and what her intentions were that night. 213 00:10:37,012 --> 00:10:42,142 So it didn't fit when she didn't come home and had no contact. 214 00:10:42,183 --> 00:10:44,811 NARRATOR: When the police talked to Aimee, 215 00:10:44,853 --> 00:10:46,938 she describes the man talking to Lisa 216 00:10:46,980 --> 00:10:50,316 as tall, skinny, with long rocker hair, 217 00:10:50,358 --> 00:10:53,236 a description that matches pretty much every guy 218 00:10:53,278 --> 00:10:57,073 out on the Strip on a Saturday in the '80s. 219 00:10:57,115 --> 00:10:59,993 But when Lisa's sister Ross hears about the man 220 00:11:00,035 --> 00:11:02,287 something jogs her memory. 221 00:11:02,328 --> 00:11:06,332 ROSALIND: I recalled this time a little while back 222 00:11:06,374 --> 00:11:08,877 when we had gone to a party, 223 00:11:08,918 --> 00:11:11,379 and there was a really mean guy there. 224 00:11:11,421 --> 00:11:15,008 And he eventually ended up taking my sister and Aimee 225 00:11:15,050 --> 00:11:17,260 away and leaving me alone. 226 00:11:17,302 --> 00:11:20,221 So he was obviously one of the people 227 00:11:20,263 --> 00:11:22,849 I definitely thought could have been involved 228 00:11:22,891 --> 00:11:26,728 because it seemed like he tried to kidnap Lisa before. 229 00:11:30,899 --> 00:11:32,317 ALLISON: The authorities got a tip 230 00:11:32,359 --> 00:11:34,486 that there was a girl in Las Vegas 231 00:11:34,527 --> 00:11:37,822 who was being held in a hotel room 232 00:11:37,864 --> 00:11:40,283 and forced to be prostitute. 233 00:11:40,325 --> 00:11:43,953 ROSALIND: This guy is sitting in this big wicker chair 234 00:11:43,995 --> 00:11:47,123 and there are naked bodies all around and sleeping, 235 00:11:47,165 --> 00:11:49,042 and doing whatever. 236 00:11:49,084 --> 00:11:51,461 DET. BALL: He was asking for Lisa, and he said he had 237 00:11:51,503 --> 00:11:56,007 her phone number and her name written on a matchbook 238 00:12:04,891 --> 00:12:05,308 [***] 239 00:12:08,937 --> 00:12:10,897 NARRATOR: After 18-year-old Lisa Mather 240 00:12:10,939 --> 00:12:14,859 vanishes on Hollywood Sunset Strip 241 00:12:14,901 --> 00:12:17,028 her sister thinks she might know something about 242 00:12:17,070 --> 00:12:20,365 the mysterious man with whom Lisa was last seen. 243 00:12:24,369 --> 00:12:27,539 Just a few weeks earlier Lisa, Ross, and Aimee 244 00:12:27,580 --> 00:12:30,041 had been to a Sunset Strip after party 245 00:12:30,083 --> 00:12:32,168 up in the Hollywood Hills. 246 00:12:32,210 --> 00:12:34,295 ROSALIND: There was a huge big party going on, 247 00:12:34,337 --> 00:12:36,089 and when it was time to leave 248 00:12:36,131 --> 00:12:39,175 I found out that my purse had been stolen. 249 00:12:39,217 --> 00:12:43,471 So I didn't have the keys to my car. 250 00:12:43,513 --> 00:12:45,223 NARRATOR: Ross asked someone for a ride 251 00:12:45,265 --> 00:12:47,183 to go find a locksmith, 252 00:12:47,225 --> 00:12:50,979 and she, Lisa, and Aimee pile into the stranger's car. 253 00:12:53,023 --> 00:12:55,150 But as soon as they pull away 254 00:12:55,191 --> 00:12:57,610 Ross knows something isn't right. 255 00:12:57,652 --> 00:13:00,655 ROSALIND: He went flying down the mountain, 256 00:13:00,697 --> 00:13:03,366 and he was driving so recklessly, 257 00:13:03,408 --> 00:13:07,078 and I said something to him, and he said 258 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,289 "Listen, bitch, you better shut the [BLEEP] up 259 00:13:09,330 --> 00:13:12,542 because I am gonna make you walk these streets like a whore." 260 00:13:12,584 --> 00:13:15,879 He said, "I have other business to do right now." 261 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:17,964 And we went to this other house. 262 00:13:19,591 --> 00:13:21,926 NARRATOR: The man orders the terrified girls 263 00:13:21,968 --> 00:13:23,595 out of the car where they're met 264 00:13:23,636 --> 00:13:25,513 with a bizarre scene. 265 00:13:25,555 --> 00:13:29,184 ROSALIND: This guy is sitting in this big wicker chair 266 00:13:29,225 --> 00:13:32,437 and there are naked bodies all around, and sleeping, 267 00:13:32,479 --> 00:13:34,397 and doing whatever. 268 00:13:34,439 --> 00:13:36,149 NARRATOR: The man who drove them to the house 269 00:13:36,191 --> 00:13:38,943 disappears inside for a few minutes. 270 00:13:38,985 --> 00:13:42,364 ROSALIND: And Lisa and I and Aimee were just waiting, 271 00:13:42,405 --> 00:13:44,657 and then he came back and he said to me 272 00:13:44,699 --> 00:13:46,951 "Let's go but I'm just taking you." 273 00:13:46,993 --> 00:13:49,412 NARRATOR: Not knowing what else to do 274 00:13:49,454 --> 00:13:51,456 Ross leaves Lisa and Aimee at the house 275 00:13:51,498 --> 00:13:53,416 and accepts the ride and as soon as 276 00:13:53,458 --> 00:13:55,293 she's dropped off on a street corner, 277 00:13:55,335 --> 00:13:57,003 she calls the police. 278 00:13:57,045 --> 00:13:58,421 ROSALIND: I said "Some guy 279 00:13:58,463 --> 00:14:00,548 has my sister and her friend, 280 00:14:00,590 --> 00:14:02,717 and I believe that they're being held now 281 00:14:02,759 --> 00:14:05,053 against their will, they've just been kidnapped 282 00:14:05,095 --> 00:14:07,972 as far as I'm concerned." 283 00:14:08,014 --> 00:14:10,642 NARRATOR: Patrol officers rushed to Ross's location 284 00:14:10,684 --> 00:14:13,937 and she directs them to the house in the hills. 285 00:14:13,978 --> 00:14:16,398 AIMEE: So we're sitting there trying to be cool, 286 00:14:16,439 --> 00:14:18,983 and there's a knock on the door. 287 00:14:19,025 --> 00:14:22,570 And it's the police, and they have rifles. 288 00:14:22,612 --> 00:14:26,116 And they have everyone put their hands up. 289 00:14:26,157 --> 00:14:30,078 Then they say, "Okay. Who is Aimee and Lisa?" 290 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:34,082 And we're just, like, "Here." Kind of embarrassed. 291 00:14:36,209 --> 00:14:38,503 ROSALIND: They were like, "You just killed our chances of 292 00:14:38,545 --> 00:14:41,297 ever getting invited to a party again." 293 00:14:41,339 --> 00:14:43,049 I'm like, "Yeah, but I don't know 294 00:14:43,091 --> 00:14:44,259 what was gonna happen to you." 295 00:14:44,300 --> 00:14:45,719 NARRATOR: When the beat cops 296 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:47,303 questioned the owners of the house, 297 00:14:47,345 --> 00:14:49,097 they find nothing illegal 298 00:14:49,139 --> 00:14:50,974 has actually taken place, 299 00:14:51,016 --> 00:14:53,977 and take the three girls back to Ross's car. 300 00:14:58,231 --> 00:15:01,067 With Lisa now missing for more than a week, 301 00:15:01,109 --> 00:15:04,487 Ross wonders if someone from their terrifying experience 302 00:15:04,529 --> 00:15:08,533 at the house party might be behind Lisa's disappearance. 303 00:15:08,575 --> 00:15:11,036 ROSALIND: It was very creepy, and I don't think 304 00:15:11,077 --> 00:15:13,705 it was that far removed 305 00:15:13,747 --> 00:15:16,708 from the time that she went missing. 306 00:15:16,750 --> 00:15:19,252 NARRATOR: Ross tells her story to the police, 307 00:15:19,294 --> 00:15:22,005 but with her concern for her sister growing, 308 00:15:22,047 --> 00:15:24,132 she doesn't wanna wait until they have a chance 309 00:15:24,174 --> 00:15:25,800 to check it out. 310 00:15:25,842 --> 00:15:28,345 ROSALIND: I went by myself to all of those houses 311 00:15:28,386 --> 00:15:30,388 that I had been with them at, 312 00:15:30,430 --> 00:15:32,682 and tried to talk to anybody that would talk to me 313 00:15:32,724 --> 00:15:35,393 about this, and if they remembered my sister, 314 00:15:35,435 --> 00:15:37,479 if they remembered what happened, 315 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,189 and nobody said anything, 316 00:15:39,230 --> 00:15:41,816 nobody gave me any clue that they knew anything. 317 00:15:41,858 --> 00:15:43,526 Nobody knew his name. 318 00:15:43,568 --> 00:15:45,570 And that was that. 319 00:15:45,612 --> 00:15:47,530 NARRATOR: When the police follow up, 320 00:15:47,572 --> 00:15:50,116 they don't find any connection between the after party 321 00:15:50,158 --> 00:15:53,703 and Lisa's disappearance either. 322 00:15:53,745 --> 00:15:56,664 Meanwhile, Lisa's mother tries to help the police 323 00:15:56,706 --> 00:15:58,792 drum up leads. 324 00:15:58,833 --> 00:16:01,628 ROSALIND: My mom put up a lot of missing persons flyers, 325 00:16:01,670 --> 00:16:03,505 trying to do her best to-- 326 00:16:03,546 --> 00:16:06,341 to keep, uh, it alive. 327 00:16:06,383 --> 00:16:08,176 ANTHONY: They were posting flyers 328 00:16:08,218 --> 00:16:11,221 all over the Sunset Strip and Hollywood area, 329 00:16:11,262 --> 00:16:14,265 um, "Missing: Lisa, have you seen her?" 330 00:16:14,307 --> 00:16:17,227 DET. BALL: She was dedicating her entire life 331 00:16:17,268 --> 00:16:19,187 to finding her daughter. 332 00:16:19,229 --> 00:16:25,443 AIMEE: We are feeling worried and we were feeling lost. 333 00:16:25,485 --> 00:16:28,321 NARRATOR: But just as despair starts to set in, 334 00:16:28,363 --> 00:16:31,116 a glimmer of hope appears. 335 00:16:31,157 --> 00:16:34,703 The authorities got a tip that there was a girl in Las Vegas 336 00:16:34,744 --> 00:16:38,164 who was being held in a hotel room 337 00:16:38,206 --> 00:16:39,791 and forced to be a prostitute. 338 00:16:39,833 --> 00:16:41,501 DET. BALL: And she was matching 339 00:16:41,543 --> 00:16:43,712 the physical description of Lisa. 340 00:16:43,753 --> 00:16:46,172 NARRATOR: Investigators quickly head to Vegas 341 00:16:46,214 --> 00:16:48,091 to follow-up on the tip. 342 00:16:48,133 --> 00:16:50,552 DET. BALL: Their follow-up investigation included, uh, 343 00:16:50,593 --> 00:16:53,179 identifying that particular individual, 344 00:16:53,221 --> 00:16:56,391 as a 15-year-old runaway from Wyoming, 345 00:16:56,433 --> 00:16:59,394 and had nothing to do with Lisa, didn't know her, 346 00:16:59,436 --> 00:17:02,605 and hadn't seen her in that capacity at all. 347 00:17:04,315 --> 00:17:05,900 NARRATOR: The tip is a bust, 348 00:17:05,942 --> 00:17:08,403 leaving both Lisa's family and the police 349 00:17:08,445 --> 00:17:10,447 again wondering where she is, 350 00:17:10,488 --> 00:17:12,741 and if she's okay. 351 00:17:12,782 --> 00:17:16,161 ROSALIND: My mother broke down a lot, 352 00:17:16,202 --> 00:17:19,122 and she was distraught, 353 00:17:19,164 --> 00:17:21,124 and she just didn't know where to turn. 354 00:17:24,419 --> 00:17:25,920 ALLISON: You're hoping your daughter's alive, 355 00:17:25,962 --> 00:17:28,214 you're hoping someone's gonna come forward. 356 00:17:29,632 --> 00:17:31,885 NARRATOR: Then... 357 00:17:31,926 --> 00:17:34,637 almost a month after Lisa's disappearance, 358 00:17:34,679 --> 00:17:36,681 her mother gets an odd phone call 359 00:17:36,723 --> 00:17:38,683 that offers new hope. 360 00:17:38,725 --> 00:17:40,352 ALLISON: Betty got a phone call, 361 00:17:40,393 --> 00:17:43,271 and this man's voice asked, "Is Lisa there?" 362 00:17:43,313 --> 00:17:45,315 Now, I'm sure her heart dropped, 363 00:17:45,357 --> 00:17:47,442 "Does this person know that my daughter's missing, 364 00:17:47,484 --> 00:17:50,236 or is this person in on it?" 365 00:17:50,278 --> 00:17:51,654 And then he hung up. 366 00:17:51,696 --> 00:17:54,616 [***] 367 00:17:54,657 --> 00:17:57,827 NARRATOR: Still shaken from the strange caller, 368 00:17:57,869 --> 00:18:00,288 Betty is startled when moments later, 369 00:18:00,330 --> 00:18:01,956 the phone rings again. 370 00:18:01,998 --> 00:18:03,958 DET. BALL: He was asking for Lisa, 371 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,461 and he said he had her phone number, 372 00:18:06,503 --> 00:18:10,298 uh, and her name written on a matchbook 373 00:18:20,850 --> 00:18:21,267 [***] 374 00:18:24,896 --> 00:18:27,357 NARRATOR: Several weeks after Lisa Mather vanishes 375 00:18:27,399 --> 00:18:30,443 from the Sunset Strip, a man calls her mother, 376 00:18:30,485 --> 00:18:32,696 claiming to have found a matchbook in his van 377 00:18:32,737 --> 00:18:36,032 with Lisa's name and number written on it. 378 00:18:36,074 --> 00:18:38,284 ROSALIND: He said his van was stolen 379 00:18:38,326 --> 00:18:41,830 from somewhere around Sunset, 380 00:18:41,871 --> 00:18:46,835 right around the same time that my sister went missing. 381 00:18:46,876 --> 00:18:49,421 NARRATOR: Investigators quickly locate the van owner 382 00:18:49,462 --> 00:18:51,715 and bring him in for questioning. 383 00:18:51,756 --> 00:18:53,591 DET. BALL: During the follow-up investigation, 384 00:18:53,633 --> 00:18:56,386 it turned out that the van had actually been stolen 385 00:18:56,428 --> 00:18:58,555 in a, uh, location very close to 386 00:18:58,596 --> 00:19:01,433 where Lisa Mather had been last seen. 387 00:19:03,435 --> 00:19:05,437 NARRATOR: A few weeks later, the man says 388 00:19:05,478 --> 00:19:07,731 he recovered his stolen van. 389 00:19:07,772 --> 00:19:11,401 ALLISON: He said he had found a matchbook 390 00:19:11,443 --> 00:19:14,821 with her name on it in his van. 391 00:19:14,863 --> 00:19:17,407 DET. BALL: And he was interested in 392 00:19:17,449 --> 00:19:21,077 finding the information about who stole his van. 393 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:23,788 NARRATOR: While they search for confirmation of his story, 394 00:19:23,830 --> 00:19:26,708 investigators take his van in for processing, 395 00:19:26,750 --> 00:19:30,295 hoping there might be something in it that can lead to Lisa. 396 00:19:30,337 --> 00:19:33,089 ALLISON: They ended up searching this van, tore it apart. 397 00:19:33,131 --> 00:19:36,468 There was no blood, there was no trace of her. 398 00:19:36,509 --> 00:19:38,636 There was nothing there. 399 00:19:40,638 --> 00:19:42,307 NARRATOR: When detectives get the records 400 00:19:42,349 --> 00:19:46,102 of all recent auto theft reports, 401 00:19:46,144 --> 00:19:49,731 it confirms the van owner's story. 402 00:19:49,773 --> 00:19:50,982 DET. BALL: The detectives found that 403 00:19:51,024 --> 00:19:52,942 he did have an alibi for where he was 404 00:19:52,984 --> 00:19:56,363 during the missing time periods of Lisa. 405 00:19:56,404 --> 00:19:58,490 NARRATOR: But the detectives still wanna know 406 00:19:58,531 --> 00:20:00,325 why was Lisa's name and number 407 00:20:00,367 --> 00:20:03,870 in that matchbook inside that van? 408 00:20:03,912 --> 00:20:06,664 ANTHONY: Maybe as she was giving out the number, 409 00:20:06,706 --> 00:20:09,709 she got thrown in the van, 410 00:20:09,751 --> 00:20:12,337 and that's why she didn't tell she was leaving. 411 00:20:12,379 --> 00:20:14,005 NARRATOR: It's the closest thing 412 00:20:14,047 --> 00:20:17,050 police have to a clue at the moment. 413 00:20:17,092 --> 00:20:18,718 This is at least a lead. 414 00:20:19,928 --> 00:20:22,430 The matchbook had a logo. 415 00:20:22,472 --> 00:20:23,932 But no address. 416 00:20:23,973 --> 00:20:25,892 NARRATOR: Without a business name, 417 00:20:25,934 --> 00:20:30,105 investigators don't even know where to begin looking. 418 00:20:30,146 --> 00:20:33,566 The matchbook could have come from anywhere. 419 00:20:33,608 --> 00:20:35,985 Then, a stroke of luck 420 00:20:36,027 --> 00:20:38,488 solves the mystery for them. 421 00:20:38,530 --> 00:20:40,490 DET. BALL: The way that the detectives 422 00:20:40,532 --> 00:20:42,951 ultimately discovered the source of the matchbook 423 00:20:42,992 --> 00:20:45,161 was through happenstance. 424 00:20:45,203 --> 00:20:46,830 Lisa Mather's stepfather 425 00:20:46,871 --> 00:20:48,998 was driving down a street, 426 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,127 saw the logo matching the logo on the matchbook, 427 00:20:52,168 --> 00:20:53,920 and identified the location. 428 00:20:53,962 --> 00:20:56,798 It was a restaurant in the Marina del Rey area. 429 00:20:59,718 --> 00:21:03,179 NARRATOR: It's located just a few miles from Lisa's home. 430 00:21:03,221 --> 00:21:05,432 Detectives head to the restaurant, 431 00:21:05,473 --> 00:21:07,809 hoping someone there might have seen Lisa 432 00:21:07,851 --> 00:21:09,477 or the man she was last seen with 433 00:21:09,519 --> 00:21:10,979 on the Sunset Strip. 434 00:21:11,021 --> 00:21:12,647 DET. BALL: They did an extensive follow-up 435 00:21:12,689 --> 00:21:14,733 at the restaurant, uh, attempting 436 00:21:14,774 --> 00:21:16,651 to identify any further witnesses 437 00:21:16,693 --> 00:21:19,154 who may have seen or had contact with Lisa. 438 00:21:19,195 --> 00:21:21,072 They've shown a picture of Lisa around, 439 00:21:21,114 --> 00:21:25,160 but nothing, dead end. 440 00:21:25,201 --> 00:21:28,663 [***] 441 00:21:28,705 --> 00:21:30,915 NARRATOR: For Lisa's family and friends, 442 00:21:30,957 --> 00:21:32,917 news of another dead end lead 443 00:21:32,959 --> 00:21:35,628 is hard to bear. 444 00:21:35,670 --> 00:21:37,714 It was destroying my mother. 445 00:21:37,756 --> 00:21:40,884 I mean, she could hardly talk about it, 446 00:21:40,925 --> 00:21:43,219 even to me. 447 00:21:43,261 --> 00:21:46,556 And I tried to encourage her to just hang on, 448 00:21:46,598 --> 00:21:50,477 and it was just very, very, very, very hard for my mom. 449 00:21:50,518 --> 00:21:51,895 Very hard. 450 00:21:55,857 --> 00:21:58,735 NARRATOR: Days soon turn into weeks, 451 00:21:58,777 --> 00:22:01,821 then months with still no word from Lisa. 452 00:22:03,782 --> 00:22:05,950 Anytime an unidentified teenage girl 453 00:22:05,992 --> 00:22:07,660 turns up in the morgue, 454 00:22:07,702 --> 00:22:10,914 Lisa's family holds their breath. 455 00:22:10,955 --> 00:22:12,540 DET. BALL: The missing person's detectives 456 00:22:12,582 --> 00:22:14,125 would follow up on 457 00:22:14,167 --> 00:22:16,086 any reported missing 458 00:22:16,127 --> 00:22:19,506 or, uh, located Jane Does 459 00:22:19,547 --> 00:22:22,175 to see if there's a possible match. 460 00:22:22,217 --> 00:22:23,760 I can only imagine being Lisa's mother, 461 00:22:23,802 --> 00:22:25,470 not knowing when there was a Jane Doe, 462 00:22:25,512 --> 00:22:27,555 is this gonna be it? 463 00:22:27,597 --> 00:22:29,599 Could this be my daughter? 464 00:22:29,641 --> 00:22:31,976 That had to be the most terrifying part of all. 465 00:22:32,018 --> 00:22:34,229 ROSALIND: My mom went to 466 00:22:34,270 --> 00:22:36,690 different kinds of spiritualists 467 00:22:36,731 --> 00:22:39,192 and psychics, and-- 468 00:22:39,234 --> 00:22:41,111 and all kinds of things 469 00:22:41,152 --> 00:22:43,113 to try to get some information. 470 00:22:43,154 --> 00:22:46,783 She was just grasping after any straw that she could, 471 00:22:46,825 --> 00:22:49,619 looking for any kind of help. 472 00:22:49,661 --> 00:22:52,956 NARRATOR: But that help simply doesn't come. 473 00:22:52,997 --> 00:22:55,125 It was a very frustrating situation 474 00:22:55,166 --> 00:22:57,877 for both the victims and the detectives. 475 00:22:57,919 --> 00:22:59,546 There were a lot of dead ends. 476 00:22:59,587 --> 00:23:01,589 You can only take it so far, 477 00:23:01,631 --> 00:23:03,049 and you need a break in the case. 478 00:23:06,094 --> 00:23:09,806 NARRATOR: As the spring and summer of 1985 passed, 479 00:23:09,848 --> 00:23:13,643 a frightening new possibility presents itself. 480 00:23:13,685 --> 00:23:16,021 [***] 481 00:23:16,062 --> 00:23:17,981 DET. BALL: Richard Ramirez was a very active, 482 00:23:18,023 --> 00:23:20,984 uh, serial killer in the city of Los Angeles, 483 00:23:21,026 --> 00:23:23,737 uh, striking fear and terror 484 00:23:23,778 --> 00:23:26,698 in the hearts of every Los Angeleno. 485 00:23:26,740 --> 00:23:28,199 NARRATOR: Known as the Night Stalker, 486 00:23:28,241 --> 00:23:29,909 Ramirez was responsible 487 00:23:29,951 --> 00:23:34,831 for at least 13 murders and multiple rapes. 488 00:23:34,873 --> 00:23:38,043 He was finally arrested in August 1985, 489 00:23:38,084 --> 00:23:40,253 seven months after Lisa vanished. 490 00:23:40,295 --> 00:23:41,796 Yeah. Big deal. 491 00:23:41,838 --> 00:23:43,631 Death always went with the territory. 492 00:23:43,673 --> 00:23:46,134 NARRATOR: When his terror spree ends, 493 00:23:46,176 --> 00:23:48,720 investigators are forced to consider 494 00:23:48,762 --> 00:23:50,305 whether beautiful young Lisa 495 00:23:50,347 --> 00:23:53,850 could have been one of his first victims. 496 00:23:53,892 --> 00:23:55,185 ALLISON: Nobody knew what happened to her, 497 00:23:55,226 --> 00:23:57,103 just that she had disappeared. 498 00:23:57,145 --> 00:23:59,564 Could it be Richard Ramirez? 499 00:24:03,068 --> 00:24:06,738 DET. BALL: He would go down, preying on potential victims. 500 00:24:06,780 --> 00:24:10,658 He would entice them to join him at houses of celebrities. 501 00:24:10,700 --> 00:24:13,370 He was one of those people that you would see and wonder, 502 00:24:22,921 --> 00:24:23,338 [***] 503 00:24:26,424 --> 00:24:28,218 NARRATOR: Seven months after Lisa Mather's 504 00:24:28,259 --> 00:24:31,888 mysterious disappearance in Los Angeles, 505 00:24:31,930 --> 00:24:34,140 detectives are looking for possible connections 506 00:24:34,182 --> 00:24:36,976 to notorious serial killer, Richard Ramirez, 507 00:24:37,018 --> 00:24:39,104 known as the Night Stalker, 508 00:24:39,145 --> 00:24:42,065 who has just been apprehended. 509 00:24:43,817 --> 00:24:45,694 It was a big news, the Night Stalker case. 510 00:24:45,735 --> 00:24:47,362 But that was, you know, months after 511 00:24:47,404 --> 00:24:48,697 Lisa had disappeared. 512 00:24:50,490 --> 00:24:52,659 There was not anyone in the city of Los Angeles 513 00:24:52,701 --> 00:24:55,203 that was not terrified, including myself. 514 00:24:55,245 --> 00:24:57,664 There hadn't been a serial killer, 515 00:24:57,706 --> 00:25:00,041 uh, working around Los Angeles in quite some time 516 00:25:00,083 --> 00:25:04,713 in that fashion, extremely violent deaths. 517 00:25:04,754 --> 00:25:07,007 NARRATOR: Now the question on everyone's mind, 518 00:25:07,048 --> 00:25:10,301 was Lisa an early victim of the Night Stalker? 519 00:25:12,220 --> 00:25:14,014 ALLISON: I grew up with Ramirez, 520 00:25:14,055 --> 00:25:15,807 thinking that he was gonna come through my window, 521 00:25:15,849 --> 00:25:17,267 and for Lisa's mother, 522 00:25:17,308 --> 00:25:20,228 when you hear Richard Ramirez is running around, 523 00:25:21,855 --> 00:25:23,690 wouldn't that go through your mind? 524 00:25:23,732 --> 00:25:25,775 I mean, we all were terrified. 525 00:25:25,817 --> 00:25:27,736 NARRATOR: The detectives compare everything 526 00:25:27,777 --> 00:25:29,988 they've learned about Lisa Mather's disappearance 527 00:25:30,030 --> 00:25:33,158 with the facts emerging about the Night Stalker. 528 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:37,454 DET. BALL: His MO is, he would enter the residences 529 00:25:37,495 --> 00:25:40,165 during the evening as a hot proud burglar at times 530 00:25:40,206 --> 00:25:41,875 and confront the victims, 531 00:25:41,916 --> 00:25:45,754 and kill the victims inside their own homes. 532 00:25:45,795 --> 00:25:48,465 NARRATOR: But Richard Ramirez didn't abduct any of his victims 533 00:25:48,506 --> 00:25:51,259 off the street, and police can find nothing 534 00:25:51,301 --> 00:25:55,847 to indicate he was ever active around the Sunset Strip area. 535 00:25:55,889 --> 00:25:58,016 DET. BALL: We didn't believe Richard Ramirez 536 00:25:58,058 --> 00:26:00,769 was a primary avenue to pursue 537 00:26:00,810 --> 00:26:02,729 in Lisa Mather's case. 538 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,069 NARRATOR: With no sign of Lisa, dead or alive, 539 00:26:09,110 --> 00:26:12,906 her family is left waiting for answers once again. 540 00:26:14,366 --> 00:26:17,077 It was hard. It was just so, so hard. 541 00:26:17,118 --> 00:26:19,204 We just never stopped looking, 542 00:26:19,245 --> 00:26:21,039 you know, we never stopped believing, 543 00:26:21,081 --> 00:26:22,374 we never stopped praying, 544 00:26:22,415 --> 00:26:25,418 we never stopped trying to find her. 545 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:33,426 [***] 546 00:26:33,468 --> 00:26:35,929 NARRATOR: Then, in December of 1986, 547 00:26:35,970 --> 00:26:38,390 a man hiking in the peaceful hills 548 00:26:38,431 --> 00:26:40,433 above the wild Sunset Strip 549 00:26:40,475 --> 00:26:42,811 makes a terrifying discovery. 550 00:26:42,852 --> 00:26:45,772 [***] 551 00:26:47,941 --> 00:26:50,235 ROSALIND: He found a skeleton 552 00:26:50,276 --> 00:26:52,987 and you wanna semi-believe 553 00:26:53,029 --> 00:26:55,990 that maybe that's your loved one. 554 00:26:56,032 --> 00:26:57,909 I mean, you hope it's not, 555 00:26:57,951 --> 00:27:00,245 but you still, in a way, hope it is, 556 00:27:00,286 --> 00:27:03,873 to at least to find her. 557 00:27:03,915 --> 00:27:06,167 DET. BALL: When we conducted the preliminary investigation 558 00:27:06,209 --> 00:27:08,503 of the scene, 559 00:27:08,545 --> 00:27:10,422 there was evidence of a tent, 560 00:27:10,463 --> 00:27:12,173 there was evidence that 561 00:27:12,215 --> 00:27:16,011 somebody had been living there in the past. 562 00:27:16,052 --> 00:27:20,223 We had found a pair of handcuffs hanging from a tree limb. 563 00:27:22,142 --> 00:27:25,061 And a rope tied to the tree. 564 00:27:28,940 --> 00:27:31,067 We started to find fabric fibers. 565 00:27:31,109 --> 00:27:35,030 We started to find hair fibers. 566 00:27:35,071 --> 00:27:38,950 NARRATOR: In 1986, DNA testing is in its infancy, 567 00:27:38,992 --> 00:27:42,037 but with the degraded condition of the crime scene, 568 00:27:42,078 --> 00:27:44,456 finding useful samples or even fingerprints 569 00:27:44,497 --> 00:27:46,291 is unlikely. 570 00:27:46,332 --> 00:27:48,209 DET. BALL: These were very difficult cases, 571 00:27:48,251 --> 00:27:50,086 um, when you're dealing with skeletal remains. 572 00:27:50,128 --> 00:27:52,547 You don't have the luxury of the obvious pieces 573 00:27:52,589 --> 00:27:57,177 of evidence being found at a "normal crime scene." 574 00:27:57,218 --> 00:28:00,263 There was nothing, really, to go on, 575 00:28:00,305 --> 00:28:02,390 as far as identification, et cetera. 576 00:28:02,432 --> 00:28:04,642 So we had to rely on the services 577 00:28:04,684 --> 00:28:06,311 of the coroner's office 578 00:28:06,353 --> 00:28:10,190 to start identifying our victim. 579 00:28:10,231 --> 00:28:12,192 NARRATOR: When they compared dental records, 580 00:28:12,233 --> 00:28:15,195 investigators get a definitive match. 581 00:28:15,236 --> 00:28:18,114 DET. BALL: The coroner's report in their findings 582 00:28:18,156 --> 00:28:21,034 identified the victim to be Lisa Mather. 583 00:28:23,703 --> 00:28:27,290 NARRATOR: Almost two years after Lisa disappeared, 584 00:28:27,332 --> 00:28:30,502 her family receives the news they've been dreading. 585 00:28:30,543 --> 00:28:35,090 All this time, Lisa has been high above the Sunset Strip 586 00:28:35,131 --> 00:28:37,926 buried in the woods. 587 00:28:37,967 --> 00:28:41,554 ROSALIND: It was the worst outcome we could hope for. 588 00:28:41,596 --> 00:28:46,518 And all of us were grieving in our own way. 589 00:28:46,559 --> 00:28:49,020 Not really understanding anything, 590 00:28:49,062 --> 00:28:50,897 you know, really what happened. 591 00:28:52,941 --> 00:28:57,112 AIMEE: I really was afraid to hear the details. 592 00:28:58,947 --> 00:29:03,243 And the horrors of what she experienced. 593 00:29:10,083 --> 00:29:12,085 DET. BALL: The coroner's office was unable to determine 594 00:29:12,127 --> 00:29:14,462 the method of death. 595 00:29:14,504 --> 00:29:17,257 Through further examination of the bones, 596 00:29:17,298 --> 00:29:20,552 there was no further evidence that led towards 597 00:29:20,593 --> 00:29:23,430 any specific weapon being involved either. 598 00:29:26,516 --> 00:29:28,560 NARRATOR: Even without a cause of death, 599 00:29:28,601 --> 00:29:30,353 homicide investigators searched 600 00:29:30,395 --> 00:29:32,313 for any similar crimes in the area 601 00:29:32,355 --> 00:29:35,025 across the stretch of two years. 602 00:29:35,066 --> 00:29:38,528 It's slow, painstaking work. 603 00:29:38,570 --> 00:29:40,280 DET. BALL: The computer systems were not that 604 00:29:40,321 --> 00:29:42,991 of today's law enforcement. 605 00:29:43,033 --> 00:29:45,618 It was much different in that day. 606 00:29:45,660 --> 00:29:48,747 We had a stroke of luck with this particular case 607 00:29:48,788 --> 00:29:52,125 involving fellow detectives at North Hollywood. 608 00:29:52,167 --> 00:29:55,170 And when we had discovered the remains of a female 609 00:29:55,211 --> 00:29:58,715 found on the hillside and the location, 610 00:29:58,757 --> 00:30:01,217 the detective in charge of the rape detail 611 00:30:01,259 --> 00:30:03,720 at North Hollywood... 612 00:30:03,762 --> 00:30:07,349 notified us that they had a serial rapist 613 00:30:07,390 --> 00:30:10,477 in that specific location, in the Coldwater Canyon 614 00:30:10,518 --> 00:30:13,563 that had been captured and arrested, 615 00:30:13,605 --> 00:30:14,689 uh, and prosecuted. 616 00:30:14,731 --> 00:30:16,608 [***] 617 00:30:16,649 --> 00:30:18,360 ANTHONY: When they talked to the rape victims, 618 00:30:18,401 --> 00:30:21,654 they found out that it was the same exact location 619 00:30:21,696 --> 00:30:25,533 where they were raped and where they found Lisa's remains. 620 00:30:34,668 --> 00:30:35,085 [***] 621 00:30:38,296 --> 00:30:40,423 NARRATOR: Police in Los Angeles have identified 622 00:30:40,465 --> 00:30:42,217 a potential suspect in the murder 623 00:30:42,258 --> 00:30:44,719 of teenager Lisa Mather, 624 00:30:44,761 --> 00:30:46,846 whose remains were found buried in the woods 625 00:30:46,888 --> 00:30:49,516 in the Hollywood Hills. 626 00:30:49,557 --> 00:30:51,142 They've learned that a man who was a fixture 627 00:30:51,184 --> 00:30:52,811 on the Sunset Strip 628 00:30:52,852 --> 00:30:57,107 is a rapist convicted of two violent attacks. 629 00:31:01,444 --> 00:31:03,822 DET. BALL: Edmund Matthews called himself "The Count" 630 00:31:03,863 --> 00:31:05,699 and he would dress up in a black cape 631 00:31:05,740 --> 00:31:08,576 and oftentimes wear a hat, um, 632 00:31:08,618 --> 00:31:11,621 and considered himself somebody, 633 00:31:11,663 --> 00:31:15,625 uh, that wasn't average or normal. 634 00:31:15,667 --> 00:31:18,169 ALLISON: The Count was one of those people 635 00:31:18,211 --> 00:31:21,464 that you would see and wonder is he a good guy or a bad guy? 636 00:31:21,506 --> 00:31:25,385 They sort of blend into this menagerie of characters, 637 00:31:25,427 --> 00:31:27,762 you know, in Los Angeles. 638 00:31:27,804 --> 00:31:31,224 ANTHONY: What I heard was he had a way with words 639 00:31:31,266 --> 00:31:35,395 and he was very, um, flamboyant, 640 00:31:35,437 --> 00:31:38,148 um, he was a charmer. 641 00:31:38,189 --> 00:31:40,191 He would tell women that he was a rocker 642 00:31:40,233 --> 00:31:42,152 and that he knew a lot of people. 643 00:31:42,193 --> 00:31:44,320 He knew Nancy Sinatra, 644 00:31:44,362 --> 00:31:46,322 he knew a lot of celebrities. 645 00:31:51,244 --> 00:31:52,579 DET. BALL: Matthews met the girls 646 00:31:52,620 --> 00:31:54,539 in the area of the Sunset Strip. 647 00:31:54,581 --> 00:31:56,624 He would go down preying 648 00:31:56,666 --> 00:31:58,293 on potential victims. 649 00:31:58,335 --> 00:32:00,462 He would entice them to join him 650 00:32:00,503 --> 00:32:03,298 at the houses of celebrities and have some fun. 651 00:32:03,340 --> 00:32:05,633 And that would lure them into the area 652 00:32:05,675 --> 00:32:09,220 until it was too late for them to turn back. 653 00:32:09,262 --> 00:32:11,348 NARRATOR: Police learned the area he lured them to 654 00:32:11,389 --> 00:32:13,141 is the same location 655 00:32:13,183 --> 00:32:16,269 where the hiker discovered Lisa's remains. 656 00:32:16,311 --> 00:32:17,562 DET. BALL: One of the rape victims 657 00:32:17,604 --> 00:32:19,356 in October of 1984 658 00:32:19,397 --> 00:32:21,524 met the suspect on the Sunset Strip 659 00:32:21,566 --> 00:32:24,361 with the intention of, um, 660 00:32:24,402 --> 00:32:27,822 going to an after-hours party at a celebrity's home. 661 00:32:30,742 --> 00:32:32,452 Once she realized that 662 00:32:32,494 --> 00:32:34,621 she had been taken to a remote area, 663 00:32:34,662 --> 00:32:37,582 she struggled but was overcome by the suspect 664 00:32:37,624 --> 00:32:40,418 who had taken her to the campsite area. 665 00:32:40,460 --> 00:32:43,546 Ultimately handcuffed her and sexually assault her. 666 00:32:48,385 --> 00:32:50,804 NARRATOR: The second attack occurred two months later 667 00:32:50,845 --> 00:32:52,514 in December 1984, 668 00:32:52,555 --> 00:32:55,684 just two weeks before Lisa vanished. 669 00:32:55,725 --> 00:32:58,687 DET. BALL: The second rape victim had also met Matthews 670 00:32:58,728 --> 00:33:00,188 in the Sunset Strip area 671 00:33:00,230 --> 00:33:02,941 near the Rainbow Club. 672 00:33:02,982 --> 00:33:06,945 And ultimately was taken to the campsite with Matthews 673 00:33:06,986 --> 00:33:11,199 becoming extremely violent and forcing rape upon her. 674 00:33:15,453 --> 00:33:18,873 At this time, Matthews also produced a machete 675 00:33:18,915 --> 00:33:23,503 and threatened to dismember the victim at that rape. 676 00:33:23,545 --> 00:33:26,840 So the incidents of the rapes 677 00:33:26,881 --> 00:33:28,842 seemed to have increased in violence. 678 00:33:28,883 --> 00:33:33,304 [***] 679 00:33:33,346 --> 00:33:34,931 NARRATOR: Both of the rape victims were allowed 680 00:33:34,973 --> 00:33:36,975 to walk away after the attacks, 681 00:33:37,017 --> 00:33:39,728 and reported them to the police. 682 00:33:39,769 --> 00:33:42,272 They each described the same rapist 683 00:33:42,313 --> 00:33:46,234 and the same remote location in the woods. 684 00:33:46,276 --> 00:33:49,529 Police began hunting for him near the site of the incidents. 685 00:33:50,572 --> 00:33:52,699 And soon spotted him. 686 00:33:52,741 --> 00:33:55,326 DET. BALL: January 28th, 1985, 687 00:33:55,368 --> 00:33:58,872 Edmund Matthews he was arrested for the rapes 688 00:33:58,913 --> 00:34:02,000 in Coldwater Canyon above Hollywood. 689 00:34:02,042 --> 00:34:05,545 That was approximately 16 days after Lisa Mather 690 00:34:05,587 --> 00:34:07,881 had been reported missing. 691 00:34:07,922 --> 00:34:10,258 NARRATOR: Now nearly two years later, 692 00:34:10,300 --> 00:34:12,969 detectives take a closer look at his arrest. 693 00:34:13,011 --> 00:34:15,305 When they hear the details, 694 00:34:15,347 --> 00:34:17,557 Lisa's family is heartbroken to realize 695 00:34:17,599 --> 00:34:20,685 what a missed opportunity it was. 696 00:34:22,729 --> 00:34:25,565 They found him coming down the hill 697 00:34:25,607 --> 00:34:27,359 in Coldwater Canyon 698 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:31,321 with a lantern and a shovel. 699 00:34:31,363 --> 00:34:33,073 And they arrested him. 700 00:34:33,114 --> 00:34:35,450 I don't know what they thought when they saw him 701 00:34:35,492 --> 00:34:37,744 coming down the hill, but for some reason, 702 00:34:37,786 --> 00:34:41,581 they did not go back up to the place 703 00:34:41,623 --> 00:34:44,793 where the ladies had been raped. 704 00:34:44,834 --> 00:34:46,336 NARRATOR: Had the officers searched 705 00:34:46,378 --> 00:34:47,712 Edmund Matthews' campsite 706 00:34:47,754 --> 00:34:50,423 after arresting him in 1985, 707 00:34:50,465 --> 00:34:53,426 they would've found Lisa's freshly-buried body 708 00:34:53,468 --> 00:34:57,555 and prevented almost two years of anguished uncertainty. 709 00:34:57,597 --> 00:34:59,099 DET. BALL: These were uniformed officers 710 00:34:59,140 --> 00:35:01,851 that were looking for a specific suspect. 711 00:35:01,893 --> 00:35:03,937 And once they found their suspect, 712 00:35:03,978 --> 00:35:05,939 their interest became that of arresting 713 00:35:05,980 --> 00:35:08,692 the person wanted for those rapes. 714 00:35:08,733 --> 00:35:11,444 They didn't know there'd been a recent murder. 715 00:35:11,486 --> 00:35:14,447 There's no indication of what this guy was doing with a shovel 716 00:35:14,489 --> 00:35:17,409 and/or a lantern at the time of his arrest, 717 00:35:17,450 --> 00:35:20,120 even though later it's pretty obvious 718 00:35:20,161 --> 00:35:21,788 he was just leaving the scene 719 00:35:21,830 --> 00:35:23,832 where Lisa Mather was buried. 720 00:35:23,873 --> 00:35:27,335 Of course, putting the pieces together years later, 721 00:35:27,377 --> 00:35:29,087 it's pretty unnerving realizing 722 00:35:29,129 --> 00:35:31,965 what had happened at that time. 723 00:35:34,050 --> 00:35:36,594 [***] 724 00:35:36,636 --> 00:35:38,972 NARRATOR: Now homicide detectives need to prove 725 00:35:39,014 --> 00:35:41,683 that Edmund Matthews was there on the Sunset Strip 726 00:35:41,725 --> 00:35:43,977 the night Lisa vanished. 727 00:35:44,019 --> 00:35:45,812 There were photographs shown to 728 00:35:45,854 --> 00:35:49,649 Lisa Mather's friends, Anthony and Aimee. 729 00:35:49,691 --> 00:35:52,527 AIMEE: I remember the person she was looking at, 730 00:35:52,569 --> 00:35:55,989 she was looking up, and he had long, dark hair, 731 00:35:56,031 --> 00:35:58,491 and was thin. 732 00:35:58,533 --> 00:36:01,828 ANTHONY: They showed me six mug shots. 733 00:36:01,870 --> 00:36:03,747 Even though it had been a few years, 734 00:36:03,788 --> 00:36:07,917 I was able to pick him out at a, uh, on the photograph. 735 00:36:07,959 --> 00:36:10,378 DET. BALL: They were able to identify Edmund Matthews 736 00:36:10,420 --> 00:36:13,131 as matching the description 737 00:36:13,173 --> 00:36:16,051 of the suspect that was talking to Lisa. 738 00:36:18,053 --> 00:36:21,639 At that time, Edmund Matthews became a prime suspect 739 00:36:21,681 --> 00:36:24,893 for the murder of Lisa Mather. 740 00:36:24,934 --> 00:36:27,687 NARRATOR: But there's no forensic proof he killed her. 741 00:36:27,729 --> 00:36:30,899 All detectives have is circumstantial evidence. 742 00:36:30,940 --> 00:36:33,735 They realized their only shot at a conviction 743 00:36:33,777 --> 00:36:36,488 is to get a confession. 744 00:36:36,529 --> 00:36:38,573 Detectives head to the California prison 745 00:36:38,615 --> 00:36:40,617 where The Count is serving out 746 00:36:40,658 --> 00:36:42,911 his 10-year sentence for rape. 747 00:36:45,747 --> 00:36:47,624 DET. BALL: We advised him of his rights 748 00:36:47,665 --> 00:36:49,167 and he was very quiet. 749 00:36:50,752 --> 00:36:52,837 He was not arrogant whatsoever. 750 00:36:52,879 --> 00:36:56,091 He said he didn't recall any woman 751 00:36:56,132 --> 00:37:00,095 that he had known by the name of Lisa Mather. 752 00:37:00,136 --> 00:37:03,473 It wasn't until we actually showed him a picture 753 00:37:03,515 --> 00:37:05,100 of Lisa. 754 00:37:05,141 --> 00:37:08,103 He was turning his head away from the picture, 755 00:37:08,144 --> 00:37:09,896 not wanting to take a look at it. 756 00:37:12,607 --> 00:37:14,025 That was when he started 757 00:37:14,067 --> 00:37:17,654 to discuss the case with us at all. 758 00:37:17,696 --> 00:37:21,491 He admitted picking Lisa Mather up off of the Strip, 759 00:37:21,533 --> 00:37:25,078 uh, in front of the Whisky a Go Go area. 760 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:27,706 NARRATOR: He claims Lisa went with him willingly, 761 00:37:27,747 --> 00:37:30,041 eager for a night of fun. 762 00:37:30,083 --> 00:37:33,878 But what he says next stuns detectives. 763 00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:35,672 DET. BALL: He broke down. 764 00:37:35,714 --> 00:37:38,758 He said he'd thought he had killed somebody. 765 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:40,176 And it was an accident. 766 00:37:50,812 --> 00:37:51,229 [***] 767 00:37:54,816 --> 00:37:56,901 NARRATOR: Homicide detectives investigating the murder 768 00:37:56,943 --> 00:37:58,862 of 18-year-old Lisa Mather 769 00:37:58,903 --> 00:38:02,866 pressed their prime suspect, Edmund Matthews, 770 00:38:02,907 --> 00:38:07,829 for details about the night Lisa went missing. 771 00:38:07,871 --> 00:38:10,707 DET. BALL: He said there was a school very close by 772 00:38:10,749 --> 00:38:14,669 that they went swimming together in the pool of the school. 773 00:38:14,711 --> 00:38:18,923 And that they had some consensual sex at that location. 774 00:38:18,965 --> 00:38:21,092 And then he said that he had taken her 775 00:38:21,134 --> 00:38:22,927 up to his location 776 00:38:22,969 --> 00:38:25,055 at the campsite on the hillside. 777 00:38:27,390 --> 00:38:29,642 When they got to that location, 778 00:38:29,684 --> 00:38:32,854 he continued sexual activity with Lisa 779 00:38:32,896 --> 00:38:35,023 and supplied specifics of, 780 00:38:35,065 --> 00:38:37,108 uh, some things that they had actually done. 781 00:38:39,069 --> 00:38:44,032 Matthews said that it was a consensual activity 782 00:38:44,074 --> 00:38:46,368 of both her being tied to a tree 783 00:38:46,409 --> 00:38:48,870 and engaging in sexual intercourse with her 784 00:38:48,912 --> 00:38:49,996 at that time. 785 00:38:52,082 --> 00:38:55,251 Matthews stated that when he tied Lisa to the tree, 786 00:38:55,293 --> 00:38:58,004 she had slipped, lost her balance, 787 00:38:58,046 --> 00:39:00,006 and had fallen down, 788 00:39:00,048 --> 00:39:01,966 and that the rope had gone around her neck. 789 00:39:02,008 --> 00:39:03,218 He didn't know what to do 790 00:39:03,259 --> 00:39:04,928 and he tried to untie her 791 00:39:04,969 --> 00:39:07,889 and was unable to untie her. 792 00:39:07,931 --> 00:39:09,891 He said, "I'd been drinking too much." 793 00:39:09,933 --> 00:39:12,686 And he said that her death 794 00:39:12,727 --> 00:39:14,270 was an accidental death. 795 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:19,067 [***] 796 00:39:19,109 --> 00:39:20,610 NARRATOR: He tells the investigators 797 00:39:20,652 --> 00:39:23,071 that he panicked and fled. 798 00:39:24,989 --> 00:39:28,326 DET. BALL: At some point, he returned to the scene, 799 00:39:28,368 --> 00:39:30,912 then he partially buried the body, 800 00:39:30,954 --> 00:39:36,209 but still was unable to untie the rope from the tree. 801 00:39:36,251 --> 00:39:38,169 NARRATOR: It was just a short time later 802 00:39:38,211 --> 00:39:40,380 that police officers spotted him coming down a road 803 00:39:40,422 --> 00:39:42,090 in Coldwater Canyon 804 00:39:42,132 --> 00:39:44,092 with a lantern and shovel in hand, 805 00:39:44,134 --> 00:39:47,303 and arrested him for the rapes of two other women. 806 00:39:52,809 --> 00:39:54,394 DET. BALL: From talking with Betty Mather 807 00:39:54,436 --> 00:39:58,356 and from talking to the additional rape victims, 808 00:39:58,398 --> 00:40:00,942 there's no indication whatsoever 809 00:40:00,984 --> 00:40:03,278 that Lisa would've accompanied him 810 00:40:03,319 --> 00:40:06,114 voluntarily up to that crime scene. 811 00:40:06,156 --> 00:40:08,116 Things just didn't fit. 812 00:40:09,284 --> 00:40:10,952 When he described the manner 813 00:40:10,994 --> 00:40:12,787 in which he tied her to the tree, 814 00:40:12,829 --> 00:40:15,707 it didn't fit with what we had found. 815 00:40:15,749 --> 00:40:18,126 The rope was tied at the very base of the tree. 816 00:40:18,168 --> 00:40:21,254 It's impossible for her to have been standing. 817 00:40:23,006 --> 00:40:25,175 What the physical evidence showed 818 00:40:25,216 --> 00:40:26,801 was that Lisa was most likely 819 00:40:26,843 --> 00:40:28,261 laying on her back 820 00:40:28,303 --> 00:40:29,971 and she had been tied at the neck 821 00:40:30,013 --> 00:40:31,389 to the base of the tree. 822 00:40:33,224 --> 00:40:35,435 From the evidence, it's more likely that there was 823 00:40:35,477 --> 00:40:38,688 a strangulation involved. 824 00:40:38,730 --> 00:40:41,483 ROSALIND: He roped her up, tied her to a tree, 825 00:40:41,524 --> 00:40:43,193 did terrible things to her. 826 00:40:44,361 --> 00:40:46,196 She tried to get away, 827 00:40:47,864 --> 00:40:49,032 and she was murdered. 828 00:40:51,409 --> 00:40:54,037 ANTHONY: She probably did put up a fight and that's why 829 00:40:54,079 --> 00:40:56,206 she didn't survive like the other two women. 830 00:41:01,795 --> 00:41:03,922 DET. BALL: On December 9th, 1986, 831 00:41:03,963 --> 00:41:06,007 Edmund Matthews was indicted 832 00:41:06,049 --> 00:41:08,843 for the crime of Lisa Mather's death. 833 00:41:08,885 --> 00:41:12,055 Just two years shy of her reported missing. 834 00:41:18,853 --> 00:41:20,730 NARRATOR: When the trial finally gets underway 835 00:41:20,772 --> 00:41:22,857 in January 1991, 836 00:41:22,899 --> 00:41:24,943 Edmund Matthews sticks to the story 837 00:41:24,984 --> 00:41:28,321 that Lisa Mather's death was an unfortunate accident. 838 00:41:33,284 --> 00:41:36,079 After a 38-day trial, 839 00:41:36,121 --> 00:41:37,914 it doesn't take long for jurors 840 00:41:37,956 --> 00:41:40,333 to come to their own conclusion. 841 00:41:40,375 --> 00:41:43,336 DET. BALL: Valentine's Day, 1991. 842 00:41:43,378 --> 00:41:45,922 The jury came back, um, with the conviction 843 00:41:45,964 --> 00:41:47,841 of first degree murder 844 00:41:47,882 --> 00:41:50,010 including special circumstances 845 00:41:50,051 --> 00:41:51,928 for the murder of Lisa Mather. 846 00:41:55,932 --> 00:41:57,892 NARRATOR: Though justice is served, 847 00:41:57,934 --> 00:42:00,061 for Lisa's friends and family, 848 00:42:00,103 --> 00:42:04,024 the pain of her loss has taken a heavy toll. 849 00:42:04,065 --> 00:42:06,985 ROSALIND: My mom never came to peace about it. 850 00:42:08,153 --> 00:42:11,531 She died of a broken heart. 851 00:42:11,573 --> 00:42:14,492 It was just too much to lose your baby. 852 00:42:17,287 --> 00:42:20,540 NARRATOR: As time passes, Lisa's loved ones do their best 853 00:42:20,582 --> 00:42:24,252 to hold onto their precious memories of her. 854 00:42:24,294 --> 00:42:26,379 ANTHONY: She was a beautiful girl. 855 00:42:26,421 --> 00:42:29,341 She had her whole life ahead of her. 856 00:42:31,426 --> 00:42:34,554 AIMEE: The years, uh, I did know her, were 857 00:42:34,596 --> 00:42:38,516 the most amazing life-changing years. 858 00:42:38,558 --> 00:42:42,562 And still affect me in who I am today. 859 00:42:44,230 --> 00:42:46,816 But I wish I could just go back and, like, 860 00:42:46,858 --> 00:42:51,237 hold her hand that night and say, 861 00:42:51,279 --> 00:42:55,992 "We're sticking together and we're not separating." 862 00:42:58,161 --> 00:43:00,121 He took away a beautiful girl 863 00:43:00,163 --> 00:43:04,084 who could've had anything in life. 864 00:43:04,125 --> 00:43:05,835 She was so bright. 865 00:43:07,379 --> 00:43:09,130 Her life counted 866 00:43:09,172 --> 00:43:12,217 and she wasn't given the opportunity to live. 867 00:43:12,258 --> 00:43:16,262 And to see what a difference she would've made in this world. 868 00:43:18,181 --> 00:43:20,433 She would've made a difference. 869 00:43:27,649 --> 00:43:30,860 [***]