1 00:00:08,842 --> 00:00:11,077 [Faith] Julie Gonzalez is a young mother 2 00:00:11,111 --> 00:00:14,180 determined to give her daughter the best life possible. 3 00:00:14,714 --> 00:00:18,018 - She loved that baby, oh my goodness. 4 00:00:18,051 --> 00:00:19,486 - Julie was very much a tiger mother. 5 00:00:19,519 --> 00:00:22,522 She would make sure Layla had everything she needed. 6 00:00:22,555 --> 00:00:23,623 [Faith] But in an instant. 7 00:00:23,656 --> 00:00:26,526 - We tried calling her, sending her text messages, 8 00:00:26,559 --> 00:00:27,560 no response. 9 00:00:27,594 --> 00:00:28,795 [Faith] She's gone. 10 00:00:28,828 --> 00:00:31,398 - I ran up and down the aisles, nothing. 11 00:00:31,431 --> 00:00:33,066 She wasn't there. 12 00:00:33,099 --> 00:00:35,969 [Faith] Until a series of bizarre texts appeared. 13 00:00:36,002 --> 00:00:38,071 - I met a man named James, 14 00:00:38,104 --> 00:00:40,440 and I'm going to live with him in Colorado. 15 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:42,208 [Faith] A family's desperate search 16 00:00:42,242 --> 00:00:44,210 captures national attention. 17 00:00:44,244 --> 00:00:47,814 - Do you know anything about Julie's disappearance? 18 00:00:48,214 --> 00:00:50,850 [Faith] And question swirl around the man in her life. 19 00:00:50,884 --> 00:00:53,987 - She was supposed to go to George's that morning. 20 00:00:54,020 --> 00:00:56,222 - I asked Julie, "Are you seeing Aaron?" 21 00:01:00,060 --> 00:01:01,561 [Faith] Did Julie run away 22 00:01:01,594 --> 00:01:02,529 or was she caught? 23 00:01:02,562 --> 00:01:05,298 - Julie would never leave Layla like that. 24 00:01:05,331 --> 00:01:07,600 [Faith] In a killer relationship. 25 00:01:07,634 --> 00:01:08,501 - Where is she? 26 00:01:08,535 --> 00:01:09,536 Oh my God. 27 00:01:09,936 --> 00:01:22,282 [dramatic music] 28 00:01:22,315 --> 00:01:24,517 [gentle music] 29 00:01:24,551 --> 00:01:27,887 - Have you ever lost a child 30 00:01:27,921 --> 00:01:31,725 in a crowd, in a store, 31 00:01:31,758 --> 00:01:33,460 somewhere in a busy area? 32 00:01:34,394 --> 00:01:36,563 You lose them for a minute and you get that panic... 33 00:01:37,664 --> 00:01:41,334 that anxiety, that- that heart attack feeling. 34 00:01:42,602 --> 00:01:43,903 In our family, 35 00:01:43,937 --> 00:01:46,706 that's been the feeling for the past 13 years. 36 00:01:48,808 --> 00:01:50,477 - I'm living with a broken heart. 37 00:01:53,713 --> 00:01:55,115 Part of me is missing. 38 00:01:56,816 --> 00:01:58,351 And... 39 00:01:59,753 --> 00:02:02,322 people have died of broken hearts. 40 00:02:02,355 --> 00:02:05,959 [ominous music] 41 00:02:06,059 --> 00:02:08,962 - It's a scenario none of us wanna think about. 42 00:02:09,062 --> 00:02:11,364 What happens when a member of your family, 43 00:02:11,398 --> 00:02:13,199 a piece of your heart and soul, 44 00:02:13,233 --> 00:02:14,934 suddenly goes missing? 45 00:02:14,968 --> 00:02:16,670 What do you do? 46 00:02:16,703 --> 00:02:18,438 What can you do? 47 00:02:18,471 --> 00:02:21,808 For the family of 21-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez 48 00:02:21,841 --> 00:02:23,309 of Central Texas, 49 00:02:23,343 --> 00:02:25,945 it's more than just a hypothetical situation, 50 00:02:25,979 --> 00:02:27,647 it's a reality. 51 00:02:28,148 --> 00:02:31,251 And when one part of their tight-knit clan disappears, 52 00:02:31,284 --> 00:02:33,486 the Gonzalez family comes together 53 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,756 and never waivers in their quest for answers, 54 00:02:36,790 --> 00:02:37,957 and eventually, 55 00:02:37,991 --> 00:02:38,892 justice. 56 00:02:38,925 --> 00:02:46,966 [dramatic music] 57 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,602 - Julie was born in 1988 58 00:02:49,636 --> 00:02:51,971 in Dripping Springs, Texas. 59 00:02:52,005 --> 00:02:55,508 I was 19 years old, just out of high school. 60 00:02:56,209 --> 00:02:59,512 To be a young mom, I loved it. 61 00:02:59,546 --> 00:03:00,647 I loved it. 62 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,248 [upbeat music] 63 00:03:02,282 --> 00:03:04,284 I was about 15 at the time. 64 00:03:04,317 --> 00:03:05,952 And I was still in high school, 65 00:03:06,052 --> 00:03:09,155 so I became Julie's babysitter after school 66 00:03:09,189 --> 00:03:11,057 because Sandra would go to work at night. 67 00:03:11,925 --> 00:03:13,727 - I was a single parent. 68 00:03:15,161 --> 00:03:17,764 Julie's dad was not in the picture. 69 00:03:17,797 --> 00:03:19,232 - He was absent all her life, 70 00:03:19,265 --> 00:03:22,068 so she grew up in our family, 71 00:03:22,068 --> 00:03:24,971 with my parents, with my brothers and sisters. 72 00:03:25,071 --> 00:03:26,306 We were all very close. 73 00:03:26,339 --> 00:03:27,173 - Hi. 74 00:03:27,207 --> 00:03:28,375 [Family Member] How are you? 75 00:03:28,408 --> 00:03:29,175 Fine. 76 00:03:29,209 --> 00:03:30,310 [Family Member] What's your name? 77 00:03:30,343 --> 00:03:31,177 - Julie. 78 00:03:31,211 --> 00:03:32,545 [Family Member] And how old are you? 79 00:03:32,579 --> 00:03:33,113 - Five. 80 00:03:33,146 --> 00:03:34,447 [Family Member] Five? 81 00:03:34,481 --> 00:03:35,548 - Mm-hmm. 82 00:03:35,582 --> 00:03:37,350 [upbeat music] 83 00:03:37,384 --> 00:03:40,587 - In '91, my parents started a general store. 84 00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:43,223 It's called Bert n' Ernie's General Store. 85 00:03:43,256 --> 00:03:45,959 - Between all of us, we ran that little place. 86 00:03:45,992 --> 00:03:48,261 We were very, very busy. 87 00:03:48,294 --> 00:03:49,929 - Julie worked there on the weekends 88 00:03:49,963 --> 00:03:51,631 alongside everyone else. 89 00:03:51,664 --> 00:03:55,702 - And the community saw her growing up there. 90 00:03:55,735 --> 00:04:00,473 [upbeat music] 91 00:04:03,276 --> 00:04:06,046 - At Bert n' Ernie's, one of my father's employees, 92 00:04:06,079 --> 00:04:07,914 his name was Aaron. 93 00:04:07,947 --> 00:04:10,617 - Aaron was a go-getter. 94 00:04:10,650 --> 00:04:12,052 He liked to work. 95 00:04:12,085 --> 00:04:13,920 And he knew that if he wanted something, 96 00:04:13,953 --> 00:04:15,588 he had to work for it. 97 00:04:17,057 --> 00:04:20,427 - Aaron was 23 at the time, Julie was 16. 98 00:04:20,460 --> 00:04:24,764 I started to notice Aaron and Julie giggling 99 00:04:24,798 --> 00:04:27,400 and eyeing each other. 100 00:04:27,434 --> 00:04:31,638 Then I found notes that she would write to him. 101 00:04:31,671 --> 00:04:34,207 So I asked Julie, 102 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,743 "Are you seeing Aaron?" 103 00:04:37,377 --> 00:04:39,512 And she answered me, "Yes." 104 00:04:39,546 --> 00:04:42,282 [ominous music] 105 00:04:42,315 --> 00:04:46,619 Of course it's not right that Aaron date a 16-year-old. 106 00:04:46,653 --> 00:04:48,922 And I let him know 107 00:04:48,955 --> 00:04:50,223 it has to stop. 108 00:04:50,256 --> 00:04:52,359 [ominous music] 109 00:04:52,392 --> 00:04:55,128 - I mean, I loved them both, 110 00:04:55,161 --> 00:04:57,864 but I had to let Aaron go. 111 00:05:00,033 --> 00:05:02,936 - Aaron was her sweetheart, 112 00:05:03,036 --> 00:05:05,939 her first love. 113 00:05:06,039 --> 00:05:07,440 She was hurt. 114 00:05:07,474 --> 00:05:09,242 She was really hurt. 115 00:05:09,275 --> 00:05:11,444 Julie hated me for that. 116 00:05:14,614 --> 00:05:17,317 - First love versus tough love, 117 00:05:17,350 --> 00:05:20,620 it's a powder keg of emotion for a 16-year-old. 118 00:05:20,653 --> 00:05:24,691 We can only guess at how truly heartbroken Julie is. 119 00:05:24,724 --> 00:05:28,762 But time, as some say, heals all wounds. 120 00:05:28,795 --> 00:05:31,598 And one year later, now happily single 121 00:05:31,631 --> 00:05:34,467 and determined to live life her way, 122 00:05:34,501 --> 00:05:38,872 the spirited teenager makes a huge decision. 123 00:05:38,905 --> 00:05:41,074 - The way she said it was, 124 00:05:41,074 --> 00:05:44,144 "Mom, I want to move out." 125 00:05:44,177 --> 00:05:45,578 She said, "I wanna live in Austin 126 00:05:45,612 --> 00:05:47,814 and I wanna go live with my Aunt Dora." 127 00:05:49,716 --> 00:05:51,551 It was very hard. 128 00:05:52,185 --> 00:05:54,921 But it wasn't about me. 129 00:05:56,656 --> 00:05:57,891 It was about her. 130 00:05:59,292 --> 00:06:01,761 She wanted to grow up. 131 00:06:03,096 --> 00:06:05,699 [melancholy music] 132 00:06:05,732 --> 00:06:08,068 - So it was decided that Julie would come to Austin 133 00:06:08,101 --> 00:06:09,769 to live with me. 134 00:06:10,870 --> 00:06:15,675 [upbeat music] 135 00:06:15,709 --> 00:06:18,545 - When she moved from the country to the city, 136 00:06:18,578 --> 00:06:21,114 it was two different worlds. 137 00:06:21,147 --> 00:06:23,049 [Faith] Julie moves 20 miles away 138 00:06:23,083 --> 00:06:25,885 to attend Crockett High School in Austin. 139 00:06:25,919 --> 00:06:29,356 She hits the ground running, excelling academically 140 00:06:29,389 --> 00:06:32,125 and making friends everywhere she goes. 141 00:06:32,158 --> 00:06:36,329 And in the fall of 2006, romance blossoms. 142 00:06:36,363 --> 00:06:38,331 - I found out that she was going out 143 00:06:38,365 --> 00:06:41,701 with a fellow by the name of George De La Cruz. 144 00:06:42,369 --> 00:06:44,504 - When I met George, he was shy. 145 00:06:44,537 --> 00:06:46,840 He kind of hid behind Julie. 146 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,376 But Julie said, "Don't let him fool you. 147 00:06:49,409 --> 00:06:51,077 He might not look like a lot, 148 00:06:51,077 --> 00:06:53,446 but he is a very intelligent person." 149 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,716 I don't think George ever had a girlfriend before Julie. 150 00:06:56,750 --> 00:06:59,219 But by the time Julie and George graduated from high school, 151 00:06:59,252 --> 00:07:00,887 they were boyfriend and girlfriend. 152 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:02,288 It was official. 153 00:07:05,258 --> 00:07:07,594 [Faith] After graduating in 2007, 154 00:07:07,627 --> 00:07:09,162 Julie receives a scholarship 155 00:07:09,195 --> 00:07:12,465 from St. Edwards University in South Austin. 156 00:07:12,499 --> 00:07:14,234 And George and Julie move together 157 00:07:14,267 --> 00:07:16,503 to an apartment near the university. 158 00:07:17,904 --> 00:07:20,240 - Things were kind of rushed in their relationship. 159 00:07:20,273 --> 00:07:23,243 It was just like boom, prom, boom, graduation, 160 00:07:23,276 --> 00:07:24,577 boom, moving out. 161 00:07:24,611 --> 00:07:26,246 It was just one step right after the other. 162 00:07:26,279 --> 00:07:28,581 There was no, like, "Oh, let's think about it. 163 00:07:28,615 --> 00:07:30,750 Let's, you know, let's weigh it out." 164 00:07:31,685 --> 00:07:33,887 - She was in her first year at St. Edwards, 165 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:34,921 and she had to take a break 166 00:07:34,954 --> 00:07:38,491 because something was about to change her life. 167 00:07:41,494 --> 00:07:43,663 - George and Julie came to me. 168 00:07:43,697 --> 00:07:48,234 And Julie looked at me and said, "Mom, I'm pregnant." 169 00:07:48,268 --> 00:07:50,403 And I started crying. 170 00:07:50,437 --> 00:07:52,272 She's 18 years old. 171 00:07:52,305 --> 00:07:54,708 She's a college student, and she's pregnant. 172 00:07:54,741 --> 00:07:57,277 And she thought I would be mad. 173 00:07:57,310 --> 00:08:02,082 And I said, "No, I'm not mad at you. 174 00:08:02,115 --> 00:08:04,751 I'm happy, 175 00:08:04,784 --> 00:08:08,254 because my daughter is going to have a baby." 176 00:08:08,288 --> 00:08:11,291 [upbeat music] 177 00:08:11,324 --> 00:08:15,862 On September 27th of 2007, Layla was born. 178 00:08:16,730 --> 00:08:19,099 She was gorgeous, she was beautiful, 179 00:08:19,132 --> 00:08:20,433 beautiful. 180 00:08:20,834 --> 00:08:22,535 - Julie was very much a tiger mother. 181 00:08:22,569 --> 00:08:25,638 She would make sure Layla had everything she needed. 182 00:08:26,306 --> 00:08:30,310 - She loved that baby, oh my goodness. 183 00:08:30,343 --> 00:08:32,779 Oh my goodness, she loved that baby. 184 00:08:33,813 --> 00:08:35,915 - She stopped going to St. Edwards 185 00:08:35,949 --> 00:08:37,684 because she knew she was another mouth feed, 186 00:08:37,717 --> 00:08:40,320 that her and George were gonna have someone else to support. 187 00:08:40,353 --> 00:08:43,056 So she became a pharmacy technician. 188 00:08:44,791 --> 00:08:48,895 - But at the time, George had lost his job. 189 00:08:48,928 --> 00:08:52,966 [ominous music] 190 00:08:53,066 --> 00:08:57,237 - Julie would come home and find the house a mess, 191 00:08:57,270 --> 00:09:00,073 find Layla with a dirty diaper, 192 00:09:00,106 --> 00:09:01,441 you know, hungry. 193 00:09:02,042 --> 00:09:05,278 George was playing video games all day long. 194 00:09:05,311 --> 00:09:07,547 And so Julie slowly found out 195 00:09:07,580 --> 00:09:09,816 that she couldn't depend on him. 196 00:09:09,849 --> 00:09:14,454 But Julie turned a blind eye at George's behavior. 197 00:09:16,756 --> 00:09:20,560 [Faith] In the spring of 2009, with Layla nearly two, 198 00:09:20,593 --> 00:09:23,129 Julie and George secretly tied the knot. 199 00:09:24,330 --> 00:09:28,034 - They just went down to the courthouse and got married. 200 00:09:28,034 --> 00:09:31,037 Both of our families found out after the fact. 201 00:09:31,037 --> 00:09:32,605 Nobody knew. 202 00:09:32,639 --> 00:09:34,841 - I was in shock. 203 00:09:34,874 --> 00:09:36,543 I didn't understand the need to 204 00:09:36,576 --> 00:09:39,045 and I didn't understand the why. 205 00:09:39,579 --> 00:09:43,750 But her explanation was that she wanted Layla 206 00:09:43,783 --> 00:09:46,286 to grow up with two parents because she did not. 207 00:09:46,886 --> 00:09:51,057 I would always hope that George would step up as a man, 208 00:09:51,057 --> 00:09:52,058 as a father, 209 00:09:52,092 --> 00:09:53,059 as a husband. 210 00:09:53,093 --> 00:09:55,428 [ominous music] 211 00:09:55,462 --> 00:09:56,730 He never did. 212 00:09:58,198 --> 00:10:00,667 Julie and George were only married six months 213 00:10:00,700 --> 00:10:02,669 when Julie came to me and said, 214 00:10:02,702 --> 00:10:04,404 "I don't wanna be married anymore, I wanna get a divorce." 215 00:10:04,437 --> 00:10:06,806 [baby crying] 216 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,075 She saw that he wasn't going to change. 217 00:10:09,109 --> 00:10:12,379 So why be in this marriage that is going nowhere? 218 00:10:12,412 --> 00:10:16,116 [dramatic music] 219 00:10:16,149 --> 00:10:19,953 At this point, Julie went to go live with her grandparents. 220 00:10:19,986 --> 00:10:23,423 [dramatic music] 221 00:10:23,456 --> 00:10:25,859 - We all know how hard a breakup can be, 222 00:10:25,892 --> 00:10:28,361 especially if one half of the relationship 223 00:10:28,395 --> 00:10:30,163 isn't ready to let go. 224 00:10:30,196 --> 00:10:31,464 For months on end, 225 00:10:31,498 --> 00:10:34,401 George refuses to sign the divorce papers 226 00:10:34,434 --> 00:10:36,369 despite Julie's wishes. 227 00:10:36,403 --> 00:10:38,672 And since they share custody of Layla, 228 00:10:38,705 --> 00:10:42,075 Julie has to delicately balance co-parenting with George 229 00:10:42,108 --> 00:10:44,010 while trying to move on. 230 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:51,985 - And then at one of her lowest points in her life, 231 00:10:52,018 --> 00:10:53,720 she sees a familiar face. 232 00:10:54,988 --> 00:10:58,458 Julie came home, and she says, "I ran into Aaron." 233 00:10:58,491 --> 00:11:00,460 She says, "I forgot what I was buying 234 00:11:00,493 --> 00:11:02,095 'cause we were talking for about an hour, 235 00:11:02,128 --> 00:11:05,932 and I didn't walk out of there with anything." [laughs] 236 00:11:06,966 --> 00:11:10,470 - Julie and Aaron started to see each other again 237 00:11:10,503 --> 00:11:14,240 in November of 2009. 238 00:11:14,274 --> 00:11:16,176 And she was finally 21. 239 00:11:16,209 --> 00:11:17,344 He was 28, 240 00:11:17,377 --> 00:11:18,778 so there was no reason 241 00:11:18,812 --> 00:11:20,814 why they shouldn't be together. 242 00:11:20,847 --> 00:11:23,183 And the only thing that was keeping them apart 243 00:11:23,216 --> 00:11:25,085 was her marriage to George. 244 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:31,091 And then March 25th of 2010, was a Thursday night, 245 00:11:31,091 --> 00:11:32,926 I spoke to Julie. 246 00:11:32,959 --> 00:11:36,896 She was with Aaron at Aaron's apartment. 247 00:11:36,930 --> 00:11:38,365 She was spending the night there 248 00:11:38,398 --> 00:11:39,532 because the next morning, 249 00:11:39,566 --> 00:11:42,302 she was going to pick up Layla from George. 250 00:11:42,335 --> 00:11:44,904 [melancholy music] 251 00:11:44,938 --> 00:11:46,740 - Fridays were her days off. 252 00:11:46,773 --> 00:11:48,708 So she would call me on Fridays 253 00:11:48,742 --> 00:11:52,278 to tell me about her day or what was going on. 254 00:11:52,312 --> 00:11:56,316 But this Friday, there was no call, 255 00:11:56,349 --> 00:11:57,417 no text, no nothing 256 00:11:57,450 --> 00:11:58,518 from Julie. 257 00:11:58,551 --> 00:12:00,720 [ominous music] 258 00:12:00,754 --> 00:12:06,092 - It was unlike Julie to not speak to any family members. 259 00:12:07,794 --> 00:12:10,497 We are constantly communicating. 260 00:12:10,530 --> 00:12:12,432 [phone ringing] 261 00:12:12,465 --> 00:12:14,434 So I tried calling her all Friday. 262 00:12:14,467 --> 00:12:16,536 [phone ringing] 263 00:12:16,569 --> 00:12:17,671 There was no answer. 264 00:12:17,704 --> 00:12:19,472 [suspenseful music] 265 00:12:19,506 --> 00:12:22,208 For me not to hear from my daughter 266 00:12:22,242 --> 00:12:23,877 is scary. 267 00:12:24,444 --> 00:12:26,346 By the next morning, 268 00:12:26,379 --> 00:12:29,683 we still hadn't heard from her. 269 00:12:29,716 --> 00:12:32,218 So I knew something was wrong. 270 00:12:32,252 --> 00:12:35,522 [ominous music] 271 00:12:35,555 --> 00:12:36,956 - I was like, okay, look, let's go all hit 272 00:12:36,990 --> 00:12:39,659 all the places Julie would frequently visit. 273 00:12:48,835 --> 00:12:51,871 - I reached out to anybody that could help us find Julie, 274 00:12:51,905 --> 00:12:53,773 anybody, and we didn't give up. 275 00:12:54,341 --> 00:12:58,645 But George never lifted a finger to help us find Julie. 276 00:13:03,850 --> 00:13:06,553 [ominous music] 277 00:13:06,586 --> 00:13:07,821 - It's now been over 24 hours 278 00:13:07,854 --> 00:13:12,759 since anyone saw or spoke to 21-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez. 279 00:13:12,792 --> 00:13:15,295 And for a family that speaks every day, 280 00:13:15,328 --> 00:13:17,063 multiple times a day, 281 00:13:17,063 --> 00:13:19,799 that length of time is more than abnormal. 282 00:13:19,833 --> 00:13:21,167 It's reason to panic. 283 00:13:21,201 --> 00:13:23,570 Her family reaches out to the last person 284 00:13:23,603 --> 00:13:27,741 who supposedly saw her, her new boyfriend, Aaron. 285 00:13:28,108 --> 00:13:28,875 [phone ringing] 286 00:13:28,908 --> 00:13:30,510 - We tried calling her, 287 00:13:30,543 --> 00:13:32,746 sending her text messages, 288 00:13:32,779 --> 00:13:34,714 and there was no response. 289 00:13:34,748 --> 00:13:36,182 [phone ringing] 290 00:13:36,216 --> 00:13:38,718 - So I called Aaron, and then he said, 291 00:13:38,752 --> 00:13:40,420 "She broke up with me." 292 00:13:41,321 --> 00:13:42,122 What? 293 00:13:42,155 --> 00:13:43,123 What are you talking about, Aaron? 294 00:13:43,156 --> 00:13:45,358 He goes, "Julie broke up with me yesterday." 295 00:13:47,127 --> 00:13:50,096 She sent me a text 296 00:13:50,096 --> 00:13:52,232 saying that she had to get away. 297 00:13:54,100 --> 00:13:56,269 - And Samantha, Julie's younger sister, 298 00:13:56,302 --> 00:13:58,371 is getting text messages from Julie's phone 299 00:13:58,405 --> 00:13:59,606 saying that she was okay. 300 00:13:59,639 --> 00:14:02,509 The text messages were misspelled words 301 00:14:02,542 --> 00:14:03,610 or short words 302 00:14:03,643 --> 00:14:04,644 or slang, 303 00:14:04,678 --> 00:14:07,580 and Julie never sent text messages like that. 304 00:14:07,614 --> 00:14:09,449 [ominous music] 305 00:14:09,482 --> 00:14:11,351 - And then there's the MySpace post. 306 00:14:11,384 --> 00:14:14,120 I met a man named James 307 00:14:14,154 --> 00:14:16,723 and I'm going to live with him in Colorado. 308 00:14:17,457 --> 00:14:20,193 We were puzzled, we were stunned, we didn't understand. 309 00:14:20,226 --> 00:14:23,663 But we also knew that she would never leave Layla like that. 310 00:14:23,697 --> 00:14:25,765 She would never walk away from her. 311 00:14:25,799 --> 00:14:32,105 [ominous music] 312 00:14:32,138 --> 00:14:33,073 Aaron shows up. 313 00:14:33,106 --> 00:14:35,642 He walks up with these papers, and he says, 314 00:14:35,675 --> 00:14:37,310 "I'm super lost now." 315 00:14:37,344 --> 00:14:38,912 I said, "What do you mean?" 316 00:14:38,945 --> 00:14:41,681 He said, "When I got home from work on Friday, 317 00:14:42,349 --> 00:14:44,784 I found this letter on my pillow from Julie. 318 00:14:44,818 --> 00:14:47,854 She's just talking about how much she loves me, 319 00:14:47,887 --> 00:14:50,156 she's ready to get married." 320 00:14:50,190 --> 00:14:51,558 He said, "And then I get those texts 321 00:14:51,591 --> 00:14:53,093 that she breaks up with me." 322 00:14:53,993 --> 00:14:56,863 Julie would not do that to Aaron, would not. 323 00:14:57,597 --> 00:14:58,698 - They were in love. 324 00:14:58,732 --> 00:15:01,267 There was no reason for Julie to break up with him. 325 00:15:01,301 --> 00:15:04,571 - One of the texts that supposedly Julie sent says, 326 00:15:04,604 --> 00:15:06,606 "I [bleep] up really bad. 327 00:15:06,639 --> 00:15:07,807 I'm leaving." 328 00:15:07,841 --> 00:15:09,676 Julie using foul language? 329 00:15:09,709 --> 00:15:10,844 No, no, no. 330 00:15:10,877 --> 00:15:12,045 No, it wasn't Julie. 331 00:15:13,246 --> 00:15:15,448 - I was like, okay, look, let's go all hit all the places 332 00:15:15,482 --> 00:15:17,050 Julie would frequently visit. 333 00:15:17,050 --> 00:15:19,052 So we all split up. 334 00:15:19,052 --> 00:15:19,919 Nothing. 335 00:15:19,953 --> 00:15:21,121 [phone beeping] 336 00:15:29,963 --> 00:15:31,831 - We're having a full blown panic attack. 337 00:15:31,865 --> 00:15:35,268 [sirens blaring] 338 00:15:35,301 --> 00:15:38,705 - Roughly 48 hours after she was last heard from, 339 00:15:38,738 --> 00:15:41,074 officers from the Austin Police Department 340 00:15:41,074 --> 00:15:43,076 arrive at Dora's home. 341 00:15:43,076 --> 00:15:46,713 And what happens next surprises everyone in the room. 342 00:15:46,746 --> 00:15:48,481 [knocking] 343 00:15:48,515 --> 00:15:51,151 [ominous music] 344 00:15:51,184 --> 00:15:53,520 - When they show up, they ask, "Who are we looking for?" 345 00:15:53,553 --> 00:15:55,288 I tell him, "Julie Gonzalez." 346 00:15:55,321 --> 00:15:57,691 And as we're talking to them, another patrolman states, 347 00:15:57,724 --> 00:16:00,460 "Yes, I got a report on her earlier." 348 00:16:00,493 --> 00:16:02,462 We told him George's name. 349 00:16:02,495 --> 00:16:03,463 He said, "Wait a minute. 350 00:16:03,496 --> 00:16:06,032 A gentleman by the name of George De La Cruz 351 00:16:06,066 --> 00:16:10,337 just reported his wife as abandoning their child." 352 00:16:12,038 --> 00:16:14,040 An abandonment report. 353 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:15,108 And we said, "What are you talking about?" 354 00:16:15,141 --> 00:16:18,078 And now we're in freak mode, now we're freaking out. 355 00:16:19,245 --> 00:16:22,749 - APD's response was, "Well, she's an adult. 356 00:16:22,782 --> 00:16:23,750 She can leave. 357 00:16:23,783 --> 00:16:25,852 She can go wherever she wants to." 358 00:16:27,954 --> 00:16:29,656 - The police said the only thing that we can do 359 00:16:29,689 --> 00:16:33,326 is wait to see if Julie shows up. 360 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,162 [dramatic music] 361 00:16:36,196 --> 00:16:37,797 - I just didn't know who to look at 362 00:16:37,831 --> 00:16:39,366 or where to turn at this point. 363 00:16:39,399 --> 00:16:40,500 Sandra's a mess. 364 00:16:40,533 --> 00:16:42,168 Everybody's a mess. 365 00:16:42,202 --> 00:16:43,903 I had to go to work early in the morning, 366 00:16:43,937 --> 00:16:45,071 but I didn't. 367 00:16:45,071 --> 00:16:48,208 Instead, I drove the route that she would've driven. 368 00:16:48,241 --> 00:16:52,779 And as I'm driving by a Walgreens that we live by 369 00:16:52,812 --> 00:16:55,081 but not the one she worked at, 370 00:16:55,081 --> 00:16:56,783 I turned to look into the parking lot 371 00:16:56,816 --> 00:16:58,918 because there were no cars there but one. 372 00:16:58,952 --> 00:17:00,120 [ominous music] 373 00:17:00,153 --> 00:17:01,654 So it kind of caught my eye. 374 00:17:02,689 --> 00:17:04,224 And it was Julie's car. 375 00:17:06,326 --> 00:17:07,260 So I run inside. 376 00:17:08,228 --> 00:17:12,032 And I ran up and down the aisles, 377 00:17:12,032 --> 00:17:13,033 hoping to catch her, 378 00:17:13,033 --> 00:17:14,934 hoping to catch her looking at some snacks 379 00:17:15,035 --> 00:17:17,604 or something. [sobs] 380 00:17:19,339 --> 00:17:20,407 And nothing. 381 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,108 She wasn't there. 382 00:17:22,142 --> 00:17:24,744 So I go to the clerk and ask the clerk, 383 00:17:24,778 --> 00:17:27,681 "Have you seen this girl?" [sobs] 384 00:17:28,048 --> 00:17:33,687 [melancholy music] 385 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,056 He said, "No." 386 00:17:37,857 --> 00:17:40,827 I called Sandra. 387 00:17:40,860 --> 00:17:41,861 She said, "I'll be right there." 388 00:17:43,096 --> 00:17:46,733 - Julie would never leave her car abandoned at that store. 389 00:17:46,766 --> 00:17:48,301 Something's really wrong. 390 00:17:49,135 --> 00:17:51,471 So we called the police. 391 00:17:51,871 --> 00:17:53,606 [suspenseful music] 392 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,843 [police radio chatter] 393 00:17:56,876 --> 00:17:58,144 - Around nine o'clock in the morning, 394 00:17:58,178 --> 00:17:59,846 I saw the call come in. 395 00:17:59,879 --> 00:18:01,014 When I first met the family, 396 00:18:01,014 --> 00:18:05,585 I could tell that they were panicked to find Julie. 397 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:09,689 - I asked the police, "Please go talk to George 398 00:18:09,723 --> 00:18:11,691 because he was the last person that saw her." 399 00:18:12,892 --> 00:18:17,097 If he reported Julie as abandoning Layla, 400 00:18:17,130 --> 00:18:18,498 then he must know something. 401 00:18:19,366 --> 00:18:21,267 - George lived right around the corner. 402 00:18:21,301 --> 00:18:25,505 So we went over to George's house to speak with him. 403 00:18:32,879 --> 00:18:35,482 - George said Julie was acting weird 404 00:18:35,515 --> 00:18:39,052 and asked him to keep their daughter Layla for the weekend 405 00:18:39,085 --> 00:18:40,787 because she had something to do. 406 00:18:40,820 --> 00:18:42,055 And he didn't know what that was. 407 00:18:42,055 --> 00:18:43,890 [ominous music] 408 00:18:43,923 --> 00:18:46,526 George invited me to search his house. 409 00:18:46,559 --> 00:18:48,261 We went inside. 410 00:18:48,294 --> 00:18:50,797 He's leading me from room to room, 411 00:18:50,830 --> 00:18:56,436 and just, I don't see anything that stands out as suspicious. 412 00:19:02,709 --> 00:19:06,112 - So at this point, we don't have evidence of a crime at all. 413 00:19:06,146 --> 00:19:07,714 There was nothing more to do. 414 00:19:08,915 --> 00:19:11,284 [Faith] APD is in a difficult position. 415 00:19:11,317 --> 00:19:13,053 Julie is one of several people 416 00:19:13,086 --> 00:19:15,455 reported missing that weekend. 417 00:19:15,488 --> 00:19:18,925 Their challenge is working with limited information to go on 418 00:19:19,025 --> 00:19:19,926 while being responsive 419 00:19:20,026 --> 00:19:22,796 to Julie's increasingly worried family. 420 00:19:23,663 --> 00:19:25,031 - The police said, well, maybe she'll show up 421 00:19:25,031 --> 00:19:26,633 and pick up her vehicle. 422 00:19:26,666 --> 00:19:28,935 So Sandra parked on one side and I parked on the other, 423 00:19:29,035 --> 00:19:31,671 and we slept there 424 00:19:31,705 --> 00:19:32,772 till the next morning. 425 00:19:32,806 --> 00:19:33,940 And still nothing. 426 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:36,943 Julie didn't show up to get her car. 427 00:19:37,043 --> 00:19:39,245 We're all worried and we're all afraid. 428 00:19:39,279 --> 00:19:41,748 - If one of us hurts, we all hurt. 429 00:19:41,781 --> 00:19:43,950 And to us, one of us was missing, 430 00:19:44,050 --> 00:19:45,785 and we needed to find her. 431 00:19:51,957 --> 00:19:54,059 [ominous music] 432 00:19:54,093 --> 00:19:56,362 - By Sunday afternoon, March 28th, 433 00:19:56,395 --> 00:19:59,565 no one has seen or spoken to Julie Ann Gonzalez 434 00:19:59,598 --> 00:20:01,367 for more than 48 hours, 435 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:05,070 but all eyes are on the men in her life. 436 00:20:05,104 --> 00:20:07,573 Her estranged husband, George De La Cruz, 437 00:20:07,606 --> 00:20:09,942 filed a police report stating that Julie 438 00:20:09,975 --> 00:20:12,444 abandoned their two-year-old daughter Layla. 439 00:20:12,478 --> 00:20:14,947 Her current boyfriend, Aaron Breaux, 440 00:20:14,980 --> 00:20:17,316 claims he received a breakup text from Julie 441 00:20:17,349 --> 00:20:19,385 on the day she went missing. 442 00:20:19,418 --> 00:20:23,522 And there's also a third man, James, with no last name. 443 00:20:23,555 --> 00:20:27,092 On the day she disappeared, Julie wrote a cryptic message 444 00:20:27,126 --> 00:20:29,228 on one of her social media accounts 445 00:20:29,261 --> 00:20:33,332 stating she had run away to Colorado to be with James. 446 00:20:33,365 --> 00:20:36,769 Well, law enforcement believes she did just that. 447 00:20:36,802 --> 00:20:38,570 [ominous music] 448 00:20:38,604 --> 00:20:40,606 - At this point, the police are still not believing 449 00:20:40,639 --> 00:20:44,576 my family that there's something wrong, that she's missing. 450 00:20:45,010 --> 00:20:46,912 - And we're all worried, and we're all afraid, 451 00:20:46,945 --> 00:20:48,847 and what do we do? 452 00:20:48,881 --> 00:20:50,315 [sharp exhale] 453 00:20:50,983 --> 00:20:53,218 - We start thinking, how can we get her story out? 454 00:20:53,252 --> 00:20:54,787 How can we get her face out? 455 00:20:54,820 --> 00:20:57,122 [ominous music] 456 00:20:57,156 --> 00:20:59,958 - So I said, "We need to plaster her face 457 00:21:00,059 --> 00:21:01,193 throughout the city." 458 00:21:03,462 --> 00:21:05,798 - My brother takes out his laptop, and he says, 459 00:21:05,831 --> 00:21:07,232 "I'm gonna make a poster." 460 00:21:08,067 --> 00:21:09,368 - I started sending emails 461 00:21:09,401 --> 00:21:12,805 to all the news networks here in Austin. 462 00:21:12,838 --> 00:21:15,074 Hey, my niece is missing. 463 00:21:15,074 --> 00:21:16,075 We don't know what to do. 464 00:21:16,075 --> 00:21:17,609 The police aren't helping us out. 465 00:21:18,677 --> 00:21:21,347 We're like, hey, you know, let's put some heat 466 00:21:21,380 --> 00:21:24,416 up to Austin PD, like, why aren't they doing anything? 467 00:21:25,517 --> 00:21:28,654 - Twenty-one-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez was last seen 468 00:21:28,687 --> 00:21:29,555 here on Friday. 469 00:21:29,588 --> 00:21:32,091 Her car, as you can see, is still parked 470 00:21:32,091 --> 00:21:35,194 in the South Austin Walgreens parking lot. 471 00:21:35,227 --> 00:21:37,730 - It really started off by Fox 7 472 00:21:37,763 --> 00:21:39,832 and it got the ball rolling. 473 00:21:39,865 --> 00:21:43,702 - We had hundreds of people come out and help us out, 474 00:21:43,736 --> 00:21:45,437 passing out posters. 475 00:21:45,471 --> 00:21:48,640 - I reached out to anybody that could help us find Julie, 476 00:21:48,674 --> 00:21:50,175 anybody, 477 00:21:50,209 --> 00:21:51,410 and we didn't give up. 478 00:21:52,745 --> 00:21:55,014 [Faith] With growing community support in the search for Julie, 479 00:21:55,114 --> 00:21:57,016 her family continues to focus 480 00:21:57,116 --> 00:22:00,352 on the two known men in Julie's life. 481 00:22:00,386 --> 00:22:03,055 - Aaron, oh yeah, he was a potential suspect, 482 00:22:03,055 --> 00:22:04,523 but he was wanting to be there. 483 00:22:04,556 --> 00:22:06,759 He was there trying to help find Julie. 484 00:22:08,427 --> 00:22:12,931 - But George never lifted a finger to help us find Julie. 485 00:22:12,965 --> 00:22:14,066 Never. 486 00:22:14,066 --> 00:22:16,368 - Pardon my French, but I said, 487 00:22:16,402 --> 00:22:17,970 "Where's that mother [bleep] George. 488 00:22:18,070 --> 00:22:20,739 [dramatic music] 489 00:22:20,773 --> 00:22:23,375 [Faith] The family's persistence pays off. 490 00:22:23,409 --> 00:22:27,413 On April 6th, 11 days after Julie's disappearance, 491 00:22:27,446 --> 00:22:31,083 George De La Cruz is finally brought in to Austin PD 492 00:22:31,116 --> 00:22:32,451 for questioning. 493 00:22:36,755 --> 00:22:39,758 - George was interviewed by a missing persons detective, 494 00:22:39,792 --> 00:22:40,826 Jim Scott. 495 00:23:06,618 --> 00:23:09,121 - George's reaction to it was a little nervous, 496 00:23:09,154 --> 00:23:10,456 I gotta admit, 497 00:23:10,489 --> 00:23:12,925 but I think I would be nervous too 498 00:23:12,958 --> 00:23:14,426 if Detective Scott hit me 499 00:23:14,460 --> 00:23:16,562 with that question all of a sudden. 500 00:23:16,595 --> 00:23:18,864 It didn't raise any red flags for me. 501 00:23:25,738 --> 00:23:28,440 [Faith] Austin's Missing Persons Unit investigates 502 00:23:28,474 --> 00:23:30,075 but makes little progress. 503 00:23:30,976 --> 00:23:34,747 [dramatic music] 504 00:23:34,780 --> 00:23:37,783 Days turn into weeks without any sign of Julie. 505 00:23:37,816 --> 00:23:40,119 For the Soto family, it's excruciating. 506 00:23:40,152 --> 00:23:41,320 And with a case like this, 507 00:23:41,353 --> 00:23:43,522 I try to put myself in their shoes. 508 00:23:43,555 --> 00:23:45,391 I ask questions that any mother would ask 509 00:23:45,424 --> 00:23:47,092 about their missing daughter. 510 00:23:47,092 --> 00:23:48,660 Is she safe? 511 00:23:48,694 --> 00:23:49,862 Is she hungry? 512 00:23:49,895 --> 00:23:52,097 Is she calling out for help? 513 00:23:52,097 --> 00:23:53,799 And worst of all, 514 00:23:53,832 --> 00:23:55,801 is she alive? 515 00:23:56,669 --> 00:23:59,505 [gentle music] 516 00:23:59,538 --> 00:24:02,307 - It's a lot of hurt were in our hearts 517 00:24:02,341 --> 00:24:05,044 because we would get up in the morning, 518 00:24:05,044 --> 00:24:07,913 and we knew, and she's missing, she's not there. 519 00:24:09,848 --> 00:24:12,685 - Layla was surrounded by family, always by family. 520 00:24:12,718 --> 00:24:14,053 She didn't have to go to daycare. 521 00:24:14,053 --> 00:24:17,489 She was always taken care of by a family member, 522 00:24:17,523 --> 00:24:19,792 be it our family or George's family. 523 00:24:22,394 --> 00:24:24,963 [Faith] In early May, a little over a month 524 00:24:25,064 --> 00:24:27,166 after Julie was last seen, 525 00:24:27,199 --> 00:24:28,767 the family's media campaign 526 00:24:28,801 --> 00:24:31,437 catches the attention of someone big. 527 00:24:31,470 --> 00:24:32,571 [phone ringing] 528 00:24:32,604 --> 00:24:36,342 - One day I get a phone call from the "Dr. Phil" show. 529 00:24:36,709 --> 00:24:40,446 And they tell me that they saw me on TV. 530 00:24:40,779 --> 00:24:42,481 - They said Dr. Phil offered for George 531 00:24:42,514 --> 00:24:44,216 to take a lie detector test, 532 00:24:44,249 --> 00:24:45,651 and George accepted. 533 00:24:45,684 --> 00:24:47,753 - He said that he had nothing to hide. 534 00:24:49,088 --> 00:24:50,456 [Faith] This could be the break 535 00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:52,358 they have been waiting for. 536 00:24:52,391 --> 00:24:53,692 [Announcer] Today on "Dr. Phil." 537 00:24:53,726 --> 00:24:55,227 - When I found out that Dr. Phil 538 00:24:55,260 --> 00:24:56,762 wanted to cover her story, 539 00:24:56,795 --> 00:24:59,531 I knew that everyone's gonna know. 540 00:24:59,565 --> 00:25:01,700 The whole world's gonna know. 541 00:25:01,734 --> 00:25:06,038 - George, do you know anything about Julie's disappearance? 542 00:25:06,071 --> 00:25:07,206 - No, I don't. 543 00:25:07,239 --> 00:25:08,874 - Are you willing to take a polygraph? 544 00:25:08,907 --> 00:25:10,209 - Yeah. 545 00:25:10,242 --> 00:25:11,944 - It was like, okay, this is it. 546 00:25:12,044 --> 00:25:13,846 [suspenseful music] 547 00:25:13,879 --> 00:25:15,614 - What we're gonna test you on today, George, 548 00:25:15,647 --> 00:25:17,082 is whether you're telling the truth 549 00:25:17,116 --> 00:25:19,885 about not being involved in Julie's disappearance. 550 00:25:19,918 --> 00:25:23,055 - He went backstage to take a polygraph. 551 00:25:23,088 --> 00:25:24,757 And then they asked us, 552 00:25:24,790 --> 00:25:26,225 "Can you guys come back tomorrow?" 553 00:25:26,258 --> 00:25:27,259 And we're like, what? 554 00:25:28,694 --> 00:25:32,197 So me and Sandra had to go back to the hotel room 555 00:25:32,231 --> 00:25:34,400 and then to come back the following day 556 00:25:34,433 --> 00:25:36,068 and to find the results. 557 00:25:36,835 --> 00:25:37,636 [sighs] 558 00:25:37,670 --> 00:25:39,271 I don't think I slept that night. 559 00:25:39,304 --> 00:25:41,106 I'm pretty sure Sandra didn't sleep. 560 00:25:41,707 --> 00:25:44,243 - All I wanted to know was if Julie was alive. 561 00:25:44,276 --> 00:25:45,477 That's all I wanted to know. 562 00:25:45,511 --> 00:25:47,980 [suspenseful music] 563 00:25:53,153 --> 00:25:54,754 - It's been over aon 564 00:25:54,788 --> 00:25:57,791 since 21-year-old mother Julie Ann Gonzalez 565 00:25:57,824 --> 00:26:02,429 was last seen by her estranged husband George De La Cruz. 566 00:26:02,462 --> 00:26:04,698 And Julie's family is on a mission 567 00:26:04,731 --> 00:26:07,334 to publicize her disappearance. 568 00:26:07,367 --> 00:26:10,103 Now they're back on the "Dr. Phil" show, 569 00:26:10,136 --> 00:26:13,440 anxiously waiting for the results of a lie detector test 570 00:26:13,473 --> 00:26:15,275 George was given the day before. 571 00:26:17,277 --> 00:26:19,245 - When we came on the next day, 572 00:26:19,279 --> 00:26:22,048 it was very awkward because it's just me, and Sandra, 573 00:26:22,048 --> 00:26:23,650 and Dr. Phil, 574 00:26:23,683 --> 00:26:26,319 and then the guy who administered the test. 575 00:26:26,353 --> 00:26:29,255 George and his mom weren't there. 576 00:26:30,690 --> 00:26:33,960 - And I'm gonna tell you what the results are right now. 577 00:26:34,060 --> 00:26:35,628 He was asked, "Are you responsible for 578 00:26:35,662 --> 00:26:38,064 Julie's disappearance?" 579 00:26:38,064 --> 00:26:39,566 He answered, "No." 580 00:26:39,599 --> 00:26:42,102 He was asked, "Did you cause Julie's disappearance 581 00:26:42,135 --> 00:26:43,570 during the month of March?" 582 00:26:43,603 --> 00:26:46,072 He answered "No." 583 00:26:46,506 --> 00:26:48,775 Those were not truthful answers. 584 00:26:49,809 --> 00:26:52,145 He failed the polygraph test. 585 00:26:53,380 --> 00:26:54,848 And, um. 586 00:26:54,881 --> 00:26:55,682 - We knew it. 587 00:26:55,715 --> 00:26:57,083 [Margarita] We knew it. 588 00:26:57,083 --> 00:26:59,085 [Dr. Phil] This was not a close call. 589 00:26:59,085 --> 00:27:01,021 - This was not a close call at all. 590 00:27:01,054 --> 00:27:04,057 - He failed it, and his mother was in disbelief. 591 00:27:04,090 --> 00:27:05,492 She couldn't believe it. 592 00:27:05,525 --> 00:27:06,659 - What you did? 593 00:27:06,693 --> 00:27:07,694 - I didn't do nothing. 594 00:27:07,727 --> 00:27:08,628 I didn't do anything. 595 00:27:08,661 --> 00:27:10,363 I just felt that I should've stopped her. 596 00:27:10,397 --> 00:27:11,364 - Do you know where is she? 597 00:27:11,398 --> 00:27:12,365 - No. 598 00:27:12,399 --> 00:27:13,299 - Where is she? 599 00:27:13,333 --> 00:27:14,734 - I don't know. 600 00:27:14,768 --> 00:27:16,736 - Please tell the truth, mijo. 601 00:27:16,770 --> 00:27:18,304 [speaking Spanish] 602 00:27:19,706 --> 00:27:21,808 - Forty-nine days after Julie disappeared, 603 00:27:21,841 --> 00:27:27,380 the Runaway Mom episode of "Dr. Phil" aired, 604 00:27:27,414 --> 00:27:29,783 and Julie's story was on there. 605 00:27:30,417 --> 00:27:35,288 I think that definitely gave the investigation a kickstart. 606 00:27:36,756 --> 00:27:40,093 - After the "Dr. Phil" show, there was a big meeting 607 00:27:40,126 --> 00:27:43,096 with Missing Persons, and the upper chain of command 608 00:27:43,129 --> 00:27:46,599 decided that since there was no word from Julie, 609 00:27:46,633 --> 00:27:51,604 there was just nothing to show that she was anywhere. 610 00:27:52,372 --> 00:27:55,408 That's when the case transitioned 611 00:27:55,442 --> 00:28:00,413 from missing person to potential homicide. 612 00:28:00,447 --> 00:28:04,684 [dramatic music] 613 00:28:04,718 --> 00:28:07,187 [Faith] George is looking more and more like a suspect, 614 00:28:07,220 --> 00:28:09,889 and detectives definitely wanna speak to him. 615 00:28:09,923 --> 00:28:13,026 But George lawyers up and refuses to talk. 616 00:28:13,026 --> 00:28:15,028 With no evidence to detain him, 617 00:28:15,028 --> 00:28:17,931 investigators remain undeterred. 618 00:28:18,031 --> 00:28:20,300 There are plenty of other avenues to go down 619 00:28:20,333 --> 00:28:23,803 in the quest to find out what happened to Julie. 620 00:28:24,437 --> 00:28:26,239 - You have to start systematically 621 00:28:26,272 --> 00:28:27,407 eliminating people 622 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:31,745 before we can focus in one direction around one person. 623 00:28:32,746 --> 00:28:36,616 We consider that this person, James, did exist. 624 00:28:36,649 --> 00:28:38,651 And although no one knew him, 625 00:28:38,685 --> 00:28:42,389 he was certainly someone that she may have left with. 626 00:28:43,323 --> 00:28:47,193 - Detective Sanchez and APD's Digital Forensics Unit 627 00:28:47,227 --> 00:28:50,463 serve up a warrant for Julie and George's phone records 628 00:28:50,497 --> 00:28:53,466 and also look into her social media accounts. 629 00:28:53,500 --> 00:28:57,504 They need to determine if this mysterious man named James 630 00:28:57,537 --> 00:28:59,439 actually exists. 631 00:28:59,472 --> 00:29:00,807 In the meantime, 632 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,476 there's the other obvious person of interest, 633 00:29:03,510 --> 00:29:06,780 Julie's current boyfriend, Aaron. 634 00:29:06,813 --> 00:29:08,782 - We knew that she had spent the night with Aaron 635 00:29:08,815 --> 00:29:11,618 and that she had left his apartment that morning 636 00:29:11,651 --> 00:29:15,355 on her way to George's house to pick up Layla. 637 00:29:16,856 --> 00:29:19,159 And we needed to follow up on his whereabouts. 638 00:29:19,192 --> 00:29:21,861 [suspenseful music] 639 00:29:21,895 --> 00:29:24,898 Aaron absolutely had to be ruled out. 640 00:29:50,790 --> 00:29:52,859 [dramatic music] 641 00:29:52,892 --> 00:29:56,196 - Aaron's response to the text messages was surprise, 642 00:29:56,229 --> 00:29:59,065 it was anger, 643 00:29:59,065 --> 00:30:00,367 confusion 644 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,135 because she left. 645 00:30:13,747 --> 00:30:15,415 - That just didn't make sense. 646 00:30:15,448 --> 00:30:18,151 That's kind of something you wanna save for later. 647 00:30:18,184 --> 00:30:21,755 You know, obviously that was a red flag for me. 648 00:30:34,901 --> 00:30:37,003 - Aaron already lost Julie once 649 00:30:37,037 --> 00:30:38,905 when she was just 16 years old 650 00:30:38,938 --> 00:30:41,074 and working at the family market. 651 00:30:41,107 --> 00:30:44,144 Could it be that he was so afraid to lose her again 652 00:30:44,177 --> 00:30:47,147 that he took matters into his own hands? 653 00:30:47,947 --> 00:30:49,582 - He just left her. 654 00:30:49,616 --> 00:30:50,583 And then a few hours later, 655 00:30:50,617 --> 00:30:53,420 she's sending these text messages to his phone 656 00:30:53,453 --> 00:30:54,754 saying that she's leaving 657 00:30:54,788 --> 00:30:57,290 and the relationship was a mistake. 658 00:30:57,991 --> 00:31:00,160 Could Aaron have been involved? 659 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:02,128 Absolutely. 660 00:31:03,463 --> 00:31:06,466 - They found someone had used Julie's debit card 661 00:31:06,499 --> 00:31:08,134 at a local Walmart store. 662 00:31:09,069 --> 00:31:10,970 - That's something very important 663 00:31:11,071 --> 00:31:13,473 that he left out in his initial interview. 664 00:31:14,140 --> 00:31:16,376 - We proved he was sending text messages 665 00:31:16,409 --> 00:31:17,811 from Julie's phone. 666 00:31:24,651 --> 00:31:29,456 - After Julie Ann Gonzalez 667 00:31:29,489 --> 00:31:33,326 her new boyfriend Aaron claims he received several texts 668 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,429 from her phone ending their relationship. 669 00:31:36,463 --> 00:31:40,800 But he tells detectives he deleted the supposed text. 670 00:31:40,834 --> 00:31:42,669 It's a setback for sure, 671 00:31:42,702 --> 00:31:44,871 but investigators also wanna know 672 00:31:44,904 --> 00:31:47,574 about the morning Julie was last seen. 673 00:31:47,607 --> 00:31:50,110 She woke up in Aaron's apartment. 674 00:31:50,110 --> 00:31:51,644 Did something happen there 675 00:31:51,678 --> 00:31:54,114 that investigators don't know about? 676 00:32:25,712 --> 00:32:27,447 [Faith] It was later that day when Aaron 677 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:28,882 found that love letter, 678 00:32:28,915 --> 00:32:30,650 supposedly from Julie, 679 00:32:30,684 --> 00:32:32,085 on his bed. 680 00:32:36,856 --> 00:32:39,592 - The letter that Julie wrote clearly showed 681 00:32:39,626 --> 00:32:41,895 that they were deeply in love, 682 00:32:41,928 --> 00:32:43,997 but he could have written it himself too. 683 00:32:44,097 --> 00:32:46,399 You know, how do we know? 684 00:32:46,433 --> 00:32:48,101 You know, we're always skeptical, 685 00:32:49,102 --> 00:32:50,637 so we need to prove it. 686 00:32:50,670 --> 00:32:52,472 What other writing samples of Julie 687 00:32:52,505 --> 00:32:55,141 can we compare this to- to determine that? 688 00:32:56,309 --> 00:33:00,480 So we acquired other writing samples from her family 689 00:33:00,513 --> 00:33:03,049 to make sure that the handwriting was similar, 690 00:33:03,049 --> 00:33:04,451 and everything checked out. 691 00:33:06,052 --> 00:33:08,655 [Faith] With Aaron removed from the suspect list, 692 00:33:08,688 --> 00:33:09,923 the detective gets a call 693 00:33:09,956 --> 00:33:13,059 from APD's Digital Forensics Unit. 694 00:33:13,059 --> 00:33:14,194 They've been trying to track down 695 00:33:14,227 --> 00:33:16,730 the mysterious James in Colorado 696 00:33:16,763 --> 00:33:19,332 who Julie supposedly posted about. 697 00:33:19,366 --> 00:33:21,101 - That information never led anywhere. 698 00:33:21,134 --> 00:33:23,470 It was not credible information. 699 00:33:23,503 --> 00:33:26,106 [ominous music] 700 00:33:26,139 --> 00:33:28,475 - Detective Sanchez and his team put their focus 701 00:33:28,508 --> 00:33:31,578 back on George and decide to revisit 702 00:33:31,611 --> 00:33:33,713 the missing person's case file 703 00:33:33,747 --> 00:33:35,482 to see if anything was overlooked. 704 00:33:37,150 --> 00:33:40,186 - He'd found that someone had used Julie's debit card 705 00:33:40,220 --> 00:33:42,322 at a local Walmart store. 706 00:33:43,123 --> 00:33:45,125 - So detectives went to the local Walmart 707 00:33:45,158 --> 00:33:46,459 to see if they could get video 708 00:33:46,493 --> 00:33:51,097 of the purchase being conducted by Julie 709 00:33:51,097 --> 00:33:52,732 with her debit card. 710 00:33:54,334 --> 00:33:57,671 - Detectives discovered that it was in fact George 711 00:33:57,704 --> 00:33:59,706 using Julie's debit card. 712 00:34:00,540 --> 00:34:03,276 Soon thereafter, detectives applied for a search warrant 713 00:34:03,309 --> 00:34:07,047 to search George's residence and cell phone. 714 00:34:10,116 --> 00:34:11,584 Detectives found receipts. 715 00:34:11,618 --> 00:34:14,287 They found the items that George had purchased 716 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:17,424 at the Walmart with Julie's debit card. 717 00:34:17,457 --> 00:34:19,893 They also collected George's Xbox. 718 00:34:20,527 --> 00:34:22,629 - George's explanation about the debit card 719 00:34:22,662 --> 00:34:27,167 was that Julie returned and left the debit card 720 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:30,070 in the mailbox for him to use 721 00:34:30,070 --> 00:34:32,372 to purchase Layla what she needed. 722 00:34:32,405 --> 00:34:35,075 That's something very important 723 00:34:35,108 --> 00:34:37,777 that he left out in his initial interviews. 724 00:34:37,811 --> 00:34:40,747 [dramatic music] 725 00:34:40,780 --> 00:34:42,415 - George using Julie's debit card 726 00:34:42,449 --> 00:34:45,418 right after she went missing seems damning. 727 00:34:45,452 --> 00:34:49,189 But is it enough evidence to prove he killed her? 728 00:34:49,222 --> 00:34:52,292 As of now, there's no body and no proof 729 00:34:52,325 --> 00:34:54,828 that a crime has even been committed. 730 00:34:54,861 --> 00:34:59,399 APD knows they need more evidence to build their case. 731 00:34:59,432 --> 00:35:00,500 And in June, 732 00:35:00,533 --> 00:35:01,568 after waiting months 733 00:35:01,601 --> 00:35:04,237 for both Julie and Georgia's cell phone records, 734 00:35:04,270 --> 00:35:06,606 Sanchez finally gets them. 735 00:35:06,639 --> 00:35:09,309 They're not necessarily a smoking gun, 736 00:35:09,342 --> 00:35:11,478 but they offer critical data. 737 00:35:11,511 --> 00:35:14,647 [dramatic music] 738 00:35:14,681 --> 00:35:17,283 - Collecting all the digital data from George's phone 739 00:35:17,317 --> 00:35:20,687 was going to require expert analysis. 740 00:35:21,388 --> 00:35:24,224 The Xbox was also important because it's a digital device 741 00:35:24,257 --> 00:35:28,762 and it also has data that can be analyzed. 742 00:35:29,763 --> 00:35:31,231 - An Xbox is a computer. 743 00:35:31,264 --> 00:35:32,632 Not only is it used for games, 744 00:35:32,665 --> 00:35:35,268 but we can place phone calls, we can send texts, 745 00:35:35,301 --> 00:35:37,404 we can search the internet. 746 00:35:37,437 --> 00:35:41,274 Doing the forensics on the Xbox, that is exhaustive, 747 00:35:41,307 --> 00:35:44,210 it's very time consuming. 748 00:35:46,212 --> 00:35:47,347 [Faith] Months pass, 749 00:35:47,380 --> 00:35:49,549 and then sadly, years. 750 00:35:49,916 --> 00:35:51,751 Julie's daughter Layla grows up 751 00:35:51,785 --> 00:35:55,522 without knowing the warm embrace of her beloved mother. 752 00:35:55,555 --> 00:35:59,893 And Julie's family agonizes over the lack of answers, 753 00:35:59,926 --> 00:36:01,394 the lack of closure, 754 00:36:01,428 --> 00:36:04,264 and the struggle to hold on to hope. 755 00:36:05,131 --> 00:36:08,435 - The posters, they would slowly disappear, 756 00:36:08,468 --> 00:36:10,437 but then we would replace them. 757 00:36:11,071 --> 00:36:13,340 [sobbing] 758 00:36:13,373 --> 00:36:16,242 [Faith] In 2013, the detectives analyzing 759 00:36:16,276 --> 00:36:19,145 the digital data from George's Xbox 760 00:36:19,179 --> 00:36:22,182 finally feel they've uncovered a distinct pattern, 761 00:36:22,215 --> 00:36:24,217 an incriminating pattern. 762 00:36:26,152 --> 00:36:27,921 - George was an excessive gamer. 763 00:36:27,954 --> 00:36:33,493 Oftentimes he would be gaming up to almost 18 hours a day. 764 00:36:34,361 --> 00:36:36,162 The day Julie goes missing, 765 00:36:36,196 --> 00:36:39,499 there's over 20 hours in between gaming sessions... 766 00:36:42,469 --> 00:36:45,672 which never occurred on any other day 767 00:36:45,705 --> 00:36:46,673 prior to that. 768 00:36:46,706 --> 00:36:49,109 [ominous music] 769 00:36:49,142 --> 00:36:51,277 One of the other things that really stood out 770 00:36:51,311 --> 00:36:52,946 is after Julie goes missing, 771 00:36:52,979 --> 00:36:55,882 he takes his Xbox to North Austin, 772 00:36:55,915 --> 00:36:57,350 to his friend's house. 773 00:36:58,418 --> 00:36:59,586 But at the same time, 774 00:36:59,619 --> 00:37:03,390 Julie's phone connects to a tower covering the vicinity 775 00:37:03,423 --> 00:37:05,325 of that apartment complex. 776 00:37:05,692 --> 00:37:07,460 - That information became important 777 00:37:07,494 --> 00:37:10,830 because when it appeared that Julie was posting comments 778 00:37:10,864 --> 00:37:12,532 on her MySpace account, 779 00:37:12,565 --> 00:37:16,503 the IP address that was being used was the exact same one. 780 00:37:17,737 --> 00:37:20,273 - Therefore, on the weekend that the family 781 00:37:20,306 --> 00:37:23,209 was frantically looking for Julie, 782 00:37:23,243 --> 00:37:25,578 Julie's phone 783 00:37:25,612 --> 00:37:27,147 and George's Xbox 784 00:37:27,180 --> 00:37:28,848 are in North Austin. 785 00:37:30,216 --> 00:37:32,619 [Faith] And there's something else. 786 00:37:32,652 --> 00:37:34,954 Investigators have always wondered 787 00:37:35,055 --> 00:37:39,192 who sent Aaron the alleged breakup text from Julie Ann. 788 00:37:39,225 --> 00:37:41,227 Now, they have their answer. 789 00:37:42,662 --> 00:37:44,531 - If you look at Julie's call activity 790 00:37:44,564 --> 00:37:46,232 on the call detail records, 791 00:37:46,266 --> 00:37:49,402 her device is at the Walmart, 792 00:37:49,436 --> 00:37:52,572 and George is on video at the Walmart, 793 00:37:52,605 --> 00:37:54,741 and you can see the cellular activity 794 00:37:54,774 --> 00:37:57,177 connecting to that antenna that covers that Walmart 795 00:37:57,210 --> 00:37:59,612 exactly during the text activity 796 00:37:59,646 --> 00:38:02,882 between Julie's device and Aaron. 797 00:38:02,916 --> 00:38:05,452 [dramatic music] 798 00:38:05,485 --> 00:38:08,488 - So, at that point in time, 799 00:38:08,521 --> 00:38:10,357 we proved it was George in fact 800 00:38:10,390 --> 00:38:13,727 who was sending text messages from Julie's phone. 801 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:17,397 [suspenseful music] 802 00:38:20,733 --> 00:38:25,871 [suspenseful music] 803 00:38:25,904 --> 00:38:28,374 - Three long years after the disappearance 804 00:38:28,407 --> 00:38:31,276 and presumed murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez, 805 00:38:31,310 --> 00:38:34,246 the Austin Police Department is ready to announce 806 00:38:34,279 --> 00:38:36,715 a huge break in the case. 807 00:38:36,749 --> 00:38:38,717 Though they haven't found Julie's body, 808 00:38:38,751 --> 00:38:41,720 their forensic analysis of bank records, 809 00:38:41,754 --> 00:38:43,222 surveillance footage, 810 00:38:43,255 --> 00:38:47,626 and a well-used Xbox all point to one person, 811 00:38:47,659 --> 00:38:49,361 George De La Cruz. 812 00:39:11,450 --> 00:39:14,753 - At the same time as APD arrest George, 813 00:39:14,787 --> 00:39:17,423 Detective Sanchez makes a difficult call 814 00:39:17,456 --> 00:39:21,860 to a family still holding on to the last threads of hope. 815 00:39:22,928 --> 00:39:26,365 - Detective Sanchez told the whole family there, 816 00:39:26,398 --> 00:39:28,901 and says, "Your granddaughter is dead." 817 00:39:28,934 --> 00:39:31,737 [somber music] 818 00:39:31,770 --> 00:39:34,573 And there's no words to describe the feeling 819 00:39:34,606 --> 00:39:37,943 that you get after they tell you your granddaughter's dead. 820 00:39:38,043 --> 00:39:41,280 And there isn't, 821 00:39:41,313 --> 00:39:43,382 I mean, that's-that's... 822 00:39:44,216 --> 00:39:45,317 devastating. 823 00:39:45,351 --> 00:39:46,952 It's devastating. 824 00:39:47,052 --> 00:39:50,055 - We can't give in to this pain. 825 00:39:50,856 --> 00:39:54,193 I can't give in to 826 00:39:54,226 --> 00:39:55,861 this broken heart 827 00:39:55,894 --> 00:39:57,663 that could just destroy me. 828 00:39:57,696 --> 00:39:59,064 I can't do that. 829 00:39:59,064 --> 00:40:02,801 [somber music] 830 00:40:03,635 --> 00:40:07,573 [Faith] In the fall of 2013, prosecutors in Travis County 831 00:40:07,606 --> 00:40:10,042 prepared to try George De La Cruz 832 00:40:10,075 --> 00:40:12,678 for the murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez. 833 00:40:12,711 --> 00:40:14,980 But they fear that getting him convicted 834 00:40:15,014 --> 00:40:18,417 will be as challenging as getting him arrested. 835 00:40:18,851 --> 00:40:20,886 - The fact that we did not have a body 836 00:40:20,919 --> 00:40:24,423 was going to be something incredibly difficult for us 837 00:40:24,456 --> 00:40:27,993 to be able to show that Julie was in fact dead. 838 00:40:29,395 --> 00:40:32,531 - You have to understand that all the evidence we had, 839 00:40:32,564 --> 00:40:34,199 it was all circumstantial. 840 00:40:35,100 --> 00:40:38,070 [Faith] It takes two years to prepare their case. 841 00:40:38,103 --> 00:40:40,673 But in the spring of 2015, 842 00:40:40,706 --> 00:40:42,908 with George in jail awaiting trial, 843 00:40:42,941 --> 00:40:46,045 the prosecution feels they finally established 844 00:40:46,078 --> 00:40:48,414 a clear motive for murder. 845 00:40:49,048 --> 00:40:52,751 - Detectives found a digital image of Julie and Aaron 846 00:40:52,785 --> 00:40:55,854 at the Austin Zoo on George's cell phone. 847 00:40:55,888 --> 00:40:57,222 [ominous music] 848 00:40:57,256 --> 00:41:00,059 We believe that once George found out 849 00:41:00,059 --> 00:41:02,561 that Julie was slipping away from his fingers, 850 00:41:02,594 --> 00:41:04,229 that she was leaving him for good, 851 00:41:04,263 --> 00:41:06,498 that she was moving on with another man, 852 00:41:06,532 --> 00:41:08,100 that he couldn't take it. 853 00:41:08,133 --> 00:41:09,968 And I think at that point in time, 854 00:41:10,069 --> 00:41:12,738 he was not gonna let Julie move on without him. 855 00:41:14,740 --> 00:41:16,608 The trial lasted about a week. 856 00:41:16,642 --> 00:41:20,379 And once the state rested its case, 857 00:41:20,412 --> 00:41:21,880 the jury went back to deliberate, 858 00:41:21,914 --> 00:41:23,749 and they deliberated for about six hours 859 00:41:23,782 --> 00:41:26,285 before returning a verdict of guilty. 860 00:41:26,318 --> 00:41:29,121 [ominous music] 861 00:41:29,154 --> 00:41:30,489 [Faith] Though George De La Cruz 862 00:41:30,522 --> 00:41:33,092 is sentenced to life in prison, 863 00:41:33,092 --> 00:41:34,760 it's his daughter Layla 864 00:41:34,793 --> 00:41:37,363 who will endure the greatest consequences, 865 00:41:37,396 --> 00:41:39,798 a lifetime without her mother. 866 00:41:40,432 --> 00:41:44,403 - What kind of life is Layla gonna have now? 867 00:41:44,436 --> 00:41:46,171 Her mom's not here, 868 00:41:46,205 --> 00:41:48,974 and now her father's gonna be taken away. 869 00:41:50,109 --> 00:41:51,643 This poor little girl. 870 00:41:54,613 --> 00:41:56,915 [Faith] A civil suit is filed after the trial 871 00:41:56,949 --> 00:42:00,786 and resolves the status of young Layla's living situation. 872 00:42:00,819 --> 00:42:04,690 Julie and George's family will split custody 50/50. 873 00:42:05,924 --> 00:42:09,228 - We lost a bright light out of our family. 874 00:42:09,828 --> 00:42:13,365 This situation just brought darkness to us, 875 00:42:13,399 --> 00:42:14,900 and she was the light. 876 00:42:16,368 --> 00:42:18,637 - To this day, George De La Cruz 877 00:42:18,671 --> 00:42:21,774 still won't admit to playing a role in Julie's murder 878 00:42:21,807 --> 00:42:25,644 or sharing what he may know about the location of her body. 879 00:42:25,678 --> 00:42:29,314 And while George will spend the rest of his days in prison, 880 00:42:29,348 --> 00:42:31,684 it's Julie's family who find themselves 881 00:42:31,717 --> 00:42:34,119 in emotional purgatory. 882 00:42:34,153 --> 00:42:35,788 Without a body to lay to rest, 883 00:42:35,821 --> 00:42:38,457 they are unable to chart a path to healing 884 00:42:38,490 --> 00:42:40,893 through this cruel tragedy. 885 00:42:40,926 --> 00:42:45,397 - The Lord took an angel home, that's what it was, you know? 886 00:42:45,431 --> 00:42:47,199 Took a beautiful person. 887 00:42:47,232 --> 00:42:49,301 Beautiful. 888 00:42:49,335 --> 00:42:53,972 There's not many like her in this world. 889 00:42:54,006 --> 00:42:57,009 [somber music] 890 00:42:57,109 --> 00:42:59,211 - When Julie was born, 891 00:42:59,244 --> 00:43:01,714 I looked into her little eyes 892 00:43:01,747 --> 00:43:04,583 and I knew that she was going 893 00:43:04,616 --> 00:43:07,586 to leave her mark in this world. 894 00:43:07,619 --> 00:43:11,390 When I talk to God, I say, "Is this it? 895 00:43:11,423 --> 00:43:12,624 Is this it? 896 00:43:12,658 --> 00:43:15,427 Is this her legacy, 897 00:43:15,461 --> 00:43:16,762 to help others, 898 00:43:16,795 --> 00:43:21,100 that her story will help other families 899 00:43:21,133 --> 00:43:23,502 to not give up?" 900 00:43:24,069 --> 00:43:26,939 - Julie Gonzalez worked tirelessly to provide 901 00:43:26,972 --> 00:43:29,675 her daughter with the same kind of tender, 902 00:43:29,708 --> 00:43:33,245 supportive upbringing she herself was blessed to have. 903 00:43:33,278 --> 00:43:36,815 Sadly, the family Julie tried to build with George 904 00:43:36,849 --> 00:43:39,752 was dismantled in one cruel act. 905 00:43:39,785 --> 00:43:42,087 And the life she so fearlessly lived 906 00:43:42,121 --> 00:43:45,858 was cut short by a killer relationship.