1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,003 ♪ 2 00:00:03,003 --> 00:00:05,964 NARRATOR: 2013. Brooklyn, New York. 3 00:00:05,964 --> 00:00:08,175 ♪ 4 00:00:08,175 --> 00:00:12,721 Fourteen-year-old Shaniesha Forbes is given her first real taste of freedom, 5 00:00:13,972 --> 00:00:14,932 a cell phone. 6 00:00:14,932 --> 00:00:18,810 - The phone was a form of keeping track and to ensure her safety. 7 00:00:19,728 --> 00:00:22,022 NARRATOR: Which is why everyone is shocked 8 00:00:22,022 --> 00:00:25,400 when Shaniesha vanishes without a trace. 9 00:00:26,068 --> 00:00:30,614 - I was messaging her through Facebook and getting no response. 10 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:32,950 SANDRA PRICE: My baby is out there. 11 00:00:32,950 --> 00:00:35,661 She's only 14 and she's not home. 12 00:00:36,954 --> 00:00:39,414 NARRATOR: Then, the unthinkable... 13 00:00:39,414 --> 00:00:41,291 ♪ 14 00:00:41,291 --> 00:00:45,003 ...she's found dead under mysterious circumstances. 15 00:00:45,838 --> 00:00:47,840 - She had no bullet wounds, she had no stab wounds. 16 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,551 She had no defensive wounds on her hands or anything like that. 17 00:00:51,426 --> 00:00:53,512 NARRATOR: Who would wanna hurt Shaniesha? 18 00:00:54,179 --> 00:00:56,932 - Anyone technically could have been a suspect. 19 00:00:56,932 --> 00:00:58,851 ♪ 20 00:00:58,851 --> 00:01:01,603 NARRATOR: But what no one knows is that her phone, 21 00:01:01,603 --> 00:01:04,231 which helped her find a little bit of freedom, 22 00:01:04,231 --> 00:01:06,441 will also help catch her killer. 23 00:01:07,234 --> 00:01:09,444 - That phone ultimately solved her murder. 24 00:01:09,444 --> 00:01:14,658 ♪ 25 00:01:14,658 --> 00:01:16,910 ♪ theme music playing ♪ 26 00:01:16,910 --> 00:01:18,036 MAN 1: She solved her own murder 27 00:01:18,036 --> 00:01:18,871 from beyond the grave. 28 00:01:18,871 --> 00:01:20,914 MAN 2: The fitness app on the phone, 29 00:01:20,914 --> 00:01:22,875 it was overwhelming evidence. 30 00:01:22,875 --> 00:01:25,669 ♪ I've been haunted by the visions ♪ 31 00:01:25,669 --> 00:01:28,589 ♪ That I've seen with my own eyes ♪ 32 00:01:29,089 --> 00:01:32,009 ♪ And the only way to find you ♪ 33 00:01:32,551 --> 00:01:36,096 ♪ Is to go beneath the lies ♪ 34 00:01:36,096 --> 00:01:38,265 ♪ 35 00:01:38,265 --> 00:01:40,809 MAN: She did help catch this killer. 36 00:01:40,809 --> 00:01:42,519 ♪ 37 00:01:42,519 --> 00:01:44,229 ♪ 38 00:01:44,229 --> 00:01:47,691 NARRATOR: On the first Sunday of January 2013... 39 00:01:47,691 --> 00:01:50,527 [siren wailing] 40 00:01:50,527 --> 00:01:53,488 ...investigators are called to a gruesome scene 41 00:01:53,488 --> 00:01:54,865 in Brooklyn, New York. 42 00:01:55,657 --> 00:01:57,201 - A, B common marker. Take one. 43 00:01:57,201 --> 00:01:59,494 ♪ 44 00:01:59,494 --> 00:02:01,788 DETECTIVE JAMES NORMILE: My name's retired Detective James Normile. 45 00:02:02,497 --> 00:02:03,916 This is a basic time line. 46 00:02:03,916 --> 00:02:05,334 ♪ 47 00:02:05,334 --> 00:02:08,378 On January 6, 2013, a dead body was discovered 48 00:02:08,378 --> 00:02:10,214 by someone walking on Gerritsen Beach. 49 00:02:10,214 --> 00:02:12,174 ♪ 50 00:02:12,174 --> 00:02:14,259 [siren wailing] 51 00:02:14,927 --> 00:02:18,180 NARRATOR: The victim is a very young African-American girl 52 00:02:18,180 --> 00:02:19,806 concealed in garbage bags. 53 00:02:19,806 --> 00:02:21,767 ♪ 54 00:02:21,767 --> 00:02:24,061 Her identity is a mystery. 55 00:02:24,061 --> 00:02:25,896 [helicopter blades whirring] 56 00:02:25,896 --> 00:02:28,690 ♪ 57 00:02:28,690 --> 00:02:29,983 DETECTIVE NORMILE: Detective Luis Sanchez 58 00:02:29,983 --> 00:02:31,068 from the 63rd Precinct 59 00:02:31,068 --> 00:02:32,486 was assigned to the investigation, 60 00:02:33,028 --> 00:02:35,322 and I was assigned to the case as well. 61 00:02:35,322 --> 00:02:37,533 ♪ 62 00:02:37,533 --> 00:02:38,992 She was partially clothed. 63 00:02:38,992 --> 00:02:41,620 She had some burn marks on her face, 64 00:02:41,620 --> 00:02:43,956 her hands, her breasts, her vagina. 65 00:02:43,956 --> 00:02:45,749 ♪ 66 00:02:45,749 --> 00:02:47,501 NARRATOR: Investigators find the remnants 67 00:02:47,501 --> 00:02:48,794 of a beach party, 68 00:02:49,378 --> 00:02:52,256 an extinguished fire and empty beer cans. 69 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:54,716 Could this be connected to the body? 70 00:02:54,716 --> 00:02:57,010 ♪ 71 00:02:57,010 --> 00:02:57,970 DETECTIVE NORMILE: She had no bullet wounds, 72 00:02:57,970 --> 00:02:59,221 she had no stab wounds. 73 00:02:59,221 --> 00:03:01,682 She had no defensive wounds on her hands or anything like that. 74 00:03:01,682 --> 00:03:04,810 So we were wondering, was it some sort of an accident 75 00:03:04,810 --> 00:03:06,353 or something that went bad 76 00:03:06,353 --> 00:03:08,188 that was never reported to the police out of fear 77 00:03:08,605 --> 00:03:10,148 'cause teenagers don't wanna get in trouble. 78 00:03:10,148 --> 00:03:11,483 ♪ 79 00:03:11,483 --> 00:03:12,568 NARRATOR: Maybe the young girl 80 00:03:12,568 --> 00:03:14,152 had one too many beers... 81 00:03:14,152 --> 00:03:16,154 ♪ 82 00:03:16,154 --> 00:03:17,614 ...she fell into the fire... 83 00:03:17,614 --> 00:03:19,783 ♪ 84 00:03:19,783 --> 00:03:21,159 ...and sought relief in the water. 85 00:03:21,159 --> 00:03:24,288 ♪ 86 00:03:24,288 --> 00:03:25,831 DETECTIVE NORMILE: In terms of evidence, 87 00:03:25,831 --> 00:03:28,625 We were involved in checking cans for fingerprints and stuff. 88 00:03:29,418 --> 00:03:31,670 They had located a receipt from a liquor store. 89 00:03:32,462 --> 00:03:35,340 Fairly new. Didn't appear to be laying out there long. 90 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:38,635 NARRATOR: Nearby detectives also find 91 00:03:38,635 --> 00:03:41,263 a pair of Uggs, a type of boot. 92 00:03:41,263 --> 00:03:44,933 - At the time there was a number of missing cases in New York City 93 00:03:45,642 --> 00:03:48,061 that fell under the same height, weight, build. 94 00:03:49,229 --> 00:03:50,814 NARRATOR: But investigators don't know 95 00:03:50,814 --> 00:03:52,524 who this young girl is yet. 96 00:03:52,524 --> 00:03:55,944 [tape rewinding] 97 00:03:55,944 --> 00:03:57,654 ♪ 98 00:03:57,654 --> 00:03:59,698 ♪ 99 00:03:59,698 --> 00:04:02,868 Two days earlier, Brooklyn teenager Shaniesha Forbes 100 00:04:02,868 --> 00:04:04,661 hops on a bus to her high school. 101 00:04:05,495 --> 00:04:08,582 She can't wait to show off her brand-new cell phone. 102 00:04:09,583 --> 00:04:11,668 And Shaniesha's mother Sandra Price 103 00:04:12,294 --> 00:04:14,713 knows just how much that phone meant to her. 104 00:04:15,756 --> 00:04:17,549 SANDRA PRICE: When Shaniesha got her iPhone, 105 00:04:17,549 --> 00:04:19,259 she was very excited. 106 00:04:19,968 --> 00:04:22,596 She was screaming and jumping around. 107 00:04:22,596 --> 00:04:25,766 ♪ It feels so good, like you said ♪ 108 00:04:25,766 --> 00:04:27,851 ♪ 109 00:04:27,851 --> 00:04:29,645 - KERRI-ANN THOMAS: I'm Kerri-Ann T. Thomas. 110 00:04:29,645 --> 00:04:30,896 Shaniesha is my cousin. 111 00:04:31,522 --> 00:04:34,983 She got that phone for Christmas as a tracking device. 112 00:04:34,983 --> 00:04:38,654 The phone was a form of keeping track and to ensure her safety. 113 00:04:38,654 --> 00:04:40,864 ♪ 114 00:04:40,864 --> 00:04:43,784 SANDRA: On January 4th, 2013, 115 00:04:44,576 --> 00:04:46,828 on her way to school, 116 00:04:46,828 --> 00:04:47,913 I texted her, 117 00:04:47,913 --> 00:04:49,623 "Are you on the bus now?" 118 00:04:50,374 --> 00:04:53,001 She would say, "Yes, I'm on the bus." 119 00:04:54,127 --> 00:04:56,380 NARRATOR: It's the last text Shaniesha's mother 120 00:04:56,380 --> 00:04:58,257 will ever receive from her daughter. 121 00:04:58,257 --> 00:04:59,675 ♪ 122 00:04:59,675 --> 00:05:03,345 That evening, Shaniesha doesn't come home from school. 123 00:05:03,345 --> 00:05:04,471 [line rings] 124 00:05:05,305 --> 00:05:10,269 - We all tried to call her and we didn't hear anything. 125 00:05:11,019 --> 00:05:12,479 We didn't get a response. 126 00:05:12,980 --> 00:05:14,439 [keypad clacking] 127 00:05:14,439 --> 00:05:15,691 KERRI-ANN: At the time, 128 00:05:15,691 --> 00:05:17,609 I'm thinking she's at a friend's house. 129 00:05:17,609 --> 00:05:20,237 She is gonna show up. 130 00:05:20,737 --> 00:05:22,114 NARRATOR: But when Shaniesha's mom 131 00:05:22,114 --> 00:05:23,198 contacts her school, 132 00:05:23,657 --> 00:05:25,868 she's given some disturbing news. 133 00:05:27,244 --> 00:05:29,621 Her daughter didn't attend classes that day. 134 00:05:29,621 --> 00:05:31,957 ♪ 135 00:05:31,957 --> 00:05:34,960 - So that's when we started getting real worried. 136 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:36,920 ♪ 137 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,840 Seven o'clock at night I called her uncle 138 00:05:40,424 --> 00:05:44,595 and he said, "Call 9-1-1," which I did. 139 00:05:44,595 --> 00:05:46,930 [line rings] 140 00:05:46,930 --> 00:05:49,099 I told them that my baby's out there... 141 00:05:49,099 --> 00:05:50,559 [siren wailing] 142 00:05:50,559 --> 00:05:52,186 ...and I told them her age. 143 00:05:52,186 --> 00:05:55,230 She's only 14 and she's not home. 144 00:05:55,230 --> 00:05:57,149 And that's when they told me they don't go out 145 00:05:57,149 --> 00:06:00,736 and look for anyone until after 24 hours. 146 00:06:00,736 --> 00:06:03,864 ♪ 147 00:06:03,864 --> 00:06:05,824 ♪ 148 00:06:05,824 --> 00:06:07,784 DETECTIVE NORMILE: "On January 4th, 2013, 149 00:06:07,784 --> 00:06:10,662 "Shaniesha Forbes' mother Sandra Price calls 9-1-1, 150 00:06:10,662 --> 00:06:12,998 "but is told that she must wait 24 hours before a report 151 00:06:12,998 --> 00:06:14,958 can be filed for a missing person." 152 00:06:14,958 --> 00:06:18,128 ♪ 153 00:06:18,128 --> 00:06:20,422 KERRI-ANN: A 14-year-old girl 154 00:06:20,422 --> 00:06:21,965 did not show up to school, 155 00:06:21,965 --> 00:06:23,217 did not show up at home, 156 00:06:23,842 --> 00:06:28,096 and law enforcement is telling the family that they have to wait to report it. 157 00:06:28,514 --> 00:06:30,390 ♪ 158 00:06:30,390 --> 00:06:32,267 DETECTIVE NORMILE: A lot of missing person cases 159 00:06:32,267 --> 00:06:34,269 are also teenagers that are missing. 160 00:06:35,187 --> 00:06:38,065 Most of them get cleared up by themselves within a day or two. 161 00:06:38,649 --> 00:06:42,027 Some involve knocking on a couple of doors and find out 162 00:06:42,027 --> 00:06:43,820 that someone's son or daughter is now staying with a friend 163 00:06:43,820 --> 00:06:45,739 'cause they just chose not to go home. 164 00:06:45,739 --> 00:06:47,032 ♪ 165 00:06:47,032 --> 00:06:48,575 NARRATOR: Is it possible that Shaniesha 166 00:06:48,575 --> 00:06:51,537 decided to take off without telling her mother? 167 00:06:52,162 --> 00:06:54,498 Her loved ones don't believe it. 168 00:06:55,207 --> 00:06:57,084 That's not the girl they know. 169 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:02,339 ♪ 170 00:07:02,339 --> 00:07:03,882 SANDRA: She's very trustworthy. 171 00:07:03,882 --> 00:07:05,717 Very, very trustworthy. 172 00:07:06,969 --> 00:07:08,762 We were very close. 173 00:07:08,762 --> 00:07:10,764 ♪ 174 00:07:10,764 --> 00:07:13,225 - She loved her mom. 175 00:07:13,225 --> 00:07:15,978 ♪ Pick up your feet, child ♪ 176 00:07:15,978 --> 00:07:18,272 NARRATOR: That night, Shaniesha's family 177 00:07:18,272 --> 00:07:19,773 desperately search for her. 178 00:07:20,315 --> 00:07:22,985 ♪ World knows no peace, child ♪ 179 00:07:22,985 --> 00:07:24,486 SANDRA: I was with my oldest daughter 180 00:07:24,486 --> 00:07:26,572 driving around in the area. 181 00:07:26,572 --> 00:07:28,907 ♪ 182 00:07:28,907 --> 00:07:31,660 I don't wanna think the worse. 183 00:07:32,119 --> 00:07:34,997 So I was just looking for her... 184 00:07:35,455 --> 00:07:37,040 ♪ 185 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:38,542 ...hoping that I will see her. 186 00:07:38,542 --> 00:07:42,296 ♪ 187 00:07:42,296 --> 00:07:43,964 ♪ 188 00:07:43,964 --> 00:07:45,215 NARRATOR: The next morning, 189 00:07:45,799 --> 00:07:47,759 the family continues their hunt. 190 00:07:47,759 --> 00:07:50,262 ♪ 191 00:07:50,262 --> 00:07:55,893 Until finally, 24 hours after Shaniesha's mom reports her missing, 192 00:07:55,893 --> 00:07:57,144 the police get involved. 193 00:07:57,144 --> 00:07:58,645 ♪ 194 00:07:58,645 --> 00:08:00,147 DETECTIVE NORMILE: Detective Callow was assigned 195 00:08:00,147 --> 00:08:01,648 to the missing person investigation 196 00:08:02,232 --> 00:08:03,984 and began to speak to the family. 197 00:08:04,735 --> 00:08:07,404 He had gotten Shaniesha's phone number, very important, 198 00:08:07,404 --> 00:08:10,073 and he submitted the paperwork, subpoenas and such, 199 00:08:10,073 --> 00:08:11,742 to her cell phone provider 200 00:08:11,742 --> 00:08:13,744 to start getting us her call detail records 201 00:08:13,744 --> 00:08:17,206 so we could see who she spoke with or who she was texting. 202 00:08:17,206 --> 00:08:18,749 ♪ 203 00:08:18,749 --> 00:08:21,668 Unfortunately, phone records don't come very quick. 204 00:08:21,668 --> 00:08:23,629 ♪ 205 00:08:23,629 --> 00:08:25,422 NARRATOR: And in a case like this, 206 00:08:25,422 --> 00:08:27,466 without Shaniesha's phone records, 207 00:08:27,466 --> 00:08:29,551 detectives don't have much to go on. 208 00:08:29,551 --> 00:08:35,349 ♪ 209 00:08:35,349 --> 00:08:37,309 [siren wailing] 210 00:08:37,309 --> 00:08:39,811 ♪ 211 00:08:39,811 --> 00:08:42,022 SANDRA: Police started looking around... 212 00:08:42,022 --> 00:08:43,815 [indistinct radio chatter] 213 00:08:43,815 --> 00:08:46,360 ...going by Shaniesha friends' houses... 214 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,779 ♪ 215 00:08:48,779 --> 00:08:51,490 ...searching on social media 216 00:08:51,490 --> 00:08:54,660 to see who she last contacted. 217 00:08:54,660 --> 00:08:57,579 ♪ 218 00:08:57,579 --> 00:08:58,914 NARRATOR: When she Shaniesha's sisters 219 00:08:58,914 --> 00:09:00,332 check her Facebook page, 220 00:09:01,291 --> 00:09:03,210 they make an important discovery. 221 00:09:03,210 --> 00:09:06,296 ♪ 222 00:09:06,296 --> 00:09:09,883 On the morning she disappeared, Shaniesha had posted 223 00:09:09,883 --> 00:09:13,679 that she was meeting an unnamed male friend for a movie. 224 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:15,806 ♪ 225 00:09:15,806 --> 00:09:17,140 KERRI-ANN: That meant that she went 226 00:09:17,140 --> 00:09:19,393 to the movie theaters the day that she went missing, 227 00:09:19,393 --> 00:09:21,228 at least based off of the Facebook posts. 228 00:09:21,228 --> 00:09:22,354 ♪ 229 00:09:22,354 --> 00:09:25,315 NARRATOR: Shaniesha had 1,200 Facebook friends. 230 00:09:25,315 --> 00:09:26,567 ♪ 231 00:09:26,567 --> 00:09:29,319 Was this mysterious "him" one of them? 232 00:09:29,319 --> 00:09:33,657 ♪ 233 00:09:33,657 --> 00:09:36,952 The investigation into Shaniesha's disappearance continues 234 00:09:36,952 --> 00:09:39,705 until Monday, January 7th, 235 00:09:40,455 --> 00:09:42,457 three days after she first goes missing. 236 00:09:42,457 --> 00:09:44,168 ♪ 237 00:09:44,168 --> 00:09:47,296 When detectives show up at Sandra Price's front door... 238 00:09:48,589 --> 00:09:49,548 DETECTIVE NORMILE: There was a number of 239 00:09:49,548 --> 00:09:51,341 missing cases in Brooklyn 240 00:09:51,925 --> 00:09:53,010 and one in Queens, 241 00:09:53,010 --> 00:09:54,845 so it potentially could have been them. 242 00:09:55,304 --> 00:09:57,306 We went and spoke to those families as well. 243 00:09:57,931 --> 00:10:00,017 But just based on some of the clothing, 244 00:10:00,017 --> 00:10:02,060 we believe that it was Shaniesha Forbes. 245 00:10:02,060 --> 00:10:04,813 ♪ 246 00:10:04,813 --> 00:10:08,066 ♪ 247 00:10:08,066 --> 00:10:11,904 SANDRA: Officer Sanchez and Officer Normile 248 00:10:12,613 --> 00:10:15,741 came with photos of, 249 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:20,579 they said a young lady that was found 250 00:10:20,579 --> 00:10:24,208 and if we can identify to see if 251 00:10:24,208 --> 00:10:29,004 that's my baby or not. 252 00:10:29,004 --> 00:10:31,673 ♪ 253 00:10:31,673 --> 00:10:34,009 And my daughter screamed out 254 00:10:35,010 --> 00:10:36,762 and she started crying. 255 00:10:36,762 --> 00:10:40,933 She break down and I was in shock 256 00:10:40,933 --> 00:10:42,643 when I look at her picture. 257 00:10:42,643 --> 00:10:44,311 ♪ 258 00:10:44,311 --> 00:10:47,731 ♪ Many places ♪ 259 00:10:48,273 --> 00:10:52,611 ♪ Many things we like to run from ♪ 260 00:10:53,445 --> 00:10:55,405 ♪ We want to run ♪ 261 00:10:55,405 --> 00:10:56,782 SHAY FORBES: We knew it was her. 262 00:10:56,782 --> 00:11:00,577 Even though it was, you know, she was disfigured. 263 00:11:00,577 --> 00:11:02,412 ♪ 264 00:11:02,412 --> 00:11:05,749 KERRI-ANN: She borrowed her mom's Ugg boots 265 00:11:05,749 --> 00:11:07,209 to wear to school that day, 266 00:11:07,209 --> 00:11:10,045 and it was those Ugg boots that was found... 267 00:11:10,045 --> 00:11:11,505 [siren wailing] 268 00:11:12,422 --> 00:11:13,465 ...on the beach. 269 00:11:13,465 --> 00:11:14,842 ♪ 270 00:11:14,842 --> 00:11:18,220 You know when you're a little girl and you, like, put on your mom's shoes? 271 00:11:18,220 --> 00:11:20,472 She did that as a little girl and, um, 272 00:11:20,472 --> 00:11:23,475 and she did that her last day on this Earth as well. 273 00:11:23,475 --> 00:11:26,103 ♪ 274 00:11:26,103 --> 00:11:27,563 SHAY: We were definitely in shock 275 00:11:27,563 --> 00:11:29,106 and just wondering, like, 276 00:11:29,106 --> 00:11:34,403 who would do such a terrible thing to a 14-year-old? 277 00:11:34,403 --> 00:11:36,196 Just-- It's horrible. 278 00:11:36,196 --> 00:11:38,490 ♪ 279 00:11:38,490 --> 00:11:40,117 NARRATOR: A 14-year-old 280 00:11:40,117 --> 00:11:42,828 transfixed by her brand-new cell phone 281 00:11:43,328 --> 00:11:45,706 and her most prized possession 282 00:11:46,456 --> 00:11:48,333 was tracking her every move 283 00:11:48,917 --> 00:11:50,544 the day she was murdered. 284 00:11:50,544 --> 00:11:55,007 ♪ 285 00:11:57,509 --> 00:12:00,888 ♪ Many places ♪ 286 00:12:01,722 --> 00:12:05,851 ♪ Many things we like to run from ♪ 287 00:12:06,810 --> 00:12:09,813 ♪ We want to run ♪ 288 00:12:10,355 --> 00:12:12,357 NARRATOR: Family members just identified 289 00:12:12,357 --> 00:12:15,694 the burned body found on Brooklyn's Gerritsen Beach 290 00:12:15,694 --> 00:12:19,364 as missing 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes. 291 00:12:19,364 --> 00:12:21,992 ♪ 292 00:12:21,992 --> 00:12:24,411 - My sisters and my mother, 293 00:12:24,411 --> 00:12:28,040 we were all extremely traumatized. 294 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:30,667 ♪ 295 00:12:30,667 --> 00:12:31,877 KERRI-ANN: She's 14. 296 00:12:31,877 --> 00:12:34,254 [voice breaking] She's a child, she's a baby. 297 00:12:34,254 --> 00:12:35,797 I just-- I couldn't believe it. 298 00:12:35,797 --> 00:12:38,133 I was so sure she was gonna come back home. 299 00:12:38,133 --> 00:12:42,679 ♪ 300 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:46,308 - At that time it was like the world was coming close to an end. 301 00:12:46,850 --> 00:12:48,435 I was, like, shut down. 302 00:12:48,435 --> 00:12:51,271 ♪ 303 00:12:51,271 --> 00:12:53,565 - It's tough to tell anyone that a loved one is dead, 304 00:12:53,565 --> 00:12:54,483 let alone a child. 305 00:12:54,483 --> 00:12:55,943 ♪ 306 00:12:55,943 --> 00:12:58,862 NARRATOR: Especially this child. 307 00:12:58,862 --> 00:13:00,197 ♪ 308 00:13:00,197 --> 00:13:01,823 [laughter echoes] 309 00:13:02,491 --> 00:13:04,284 SANDRA: She's a very loving person, 310 00:13:04,284 --> 00:13:07,287 very caring and very funny most of the time. 311 00:13:07,287 --> 00:13:09,039 ♪ 312 00:13:09,039 --> 00:13:10,374 KERRI-ANN: Shaniesha loved to dance. 313 00:13:10,791 --> 00:13:13,085 She was really good at it. 314 00:13:13,085 --> 00:13:14,461 She would make videos. 315 00:13:14,461 --> 00:13:18,340 Practicing dance moves from the different music videos that was out. 316 00:13:18,841 --> 00:13:22,302 She literally would, like, light up a room. 317 00:13:22,302 --> 00:13:26,306 ♪ 318 00:13:26,306 --> 00:13:27,599 NARRATOR: As the family grapples 319 00:13:27,599 --> 00:13:29,560 with their unspeakable loss, 320 00:13:30,185 --> 00:13:32,312 investigators search for clues. 321 00:13:33,146 --> 00:13:34,523 But there's a problem. 322 00:13:34,523 --> 00:13:35,941 ♪ 323 00:13:35,941 --> 00:13:40,153 During the autopsy, the medical examiner has a difficult time 324 00:13:40,153 --> 00:13:42,239 determining the cause of death. 325 00:13:42,239 --> 00:13:43,365 - She had no water in her lungs, 326 00:13:43,365 --> 00:13:45,868 nothing to indicate that she was a victim of a drowning. 327 00:13:45,868 --> 00:13:46,994 ♪ 328 00:13:46,994 --> 00:13:48,745 And she had burns on her face, 329 00:13:49,246 --> 00:13:51,248 hands, breasts and vagina. 330 00:13:51,248 --> 00:13:55,419 ♪ 331 00:13:55,419 --> 00:13:59,006 We come to find the burns themselves are all appear to be postmortem. 332 00:13:59,715 --> 00:14:02,926 If someone dies in the fire, there's indications inside your system. 333 00:14:02,926 --> 00:14:05,470 She had none of that. So we knew she wasn't in a fire. 334 00:14:05,470 --> 00:14:06,763 ♪ 335 00:14:06,763 --> 00:14:08,640 At that point, we started looking at it 336 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:11,852 as more of a homicide as opposed to maybe a tragedy. 337 00:14:11,852 --> 00:14:13,562 ♪ 338 00:14:13,562 --> 00:14:16,565 NARRATOR: But it will take a battery of time-consuming tests 339 00:14:16,565 --> 00:14:17,649 for the medical examiner 340 00:14:17,649 --> 00:14:20,569 to officially rule the death a homicide. 341 00:14:21,111 --> 00:14:23,989 ♪ 342 00:14:23,989 --> 00:14:25,699 [indistinct radio chatter] 343 00:14:26,241 --> 00:14:29,661 In the meantime, investigators have questions. 344 00:14:29,661 --> 00:14:31,121 ♪ 345 00:14:31,121 --> 00:14:33,582 Why was her body burned after she died? 346 00:14:33,582 --> 00:14:35,459 ♪ 347 00:14:35,459 --> 00:14:37,169 Was it to conceal her identity? 348 00:14:37,586 --> 00:14:38,837 ♪ 349 00:14:38,837 --> 00:14:41,465 And where was Shaniesha the day she went missing? 350 00:14:41,465 --> 00:14:45,928 ♪ 351 00:14:45,928 --> 00:14:47,971 NEWSCASTER: Her body was found in Gerritsen Beach, 352 00:14:47,971 --> 00:14:49,473 four miles from her home. 353 00:14:49,473 --> 00:14:53,018 She was found naked, burned and partially buried in sand. 354 00:14:53,018 --> 00:14:54,520 ♪ 355 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,563 NARRATOR: While they wait for Shaniesha's phone records... 356 00:14:56,563 --> 00:14:58,482 ♪ 357 00:14:58,482 --> 00:15:01,068 ...Investigators Normile and Sanchez 358 00:15:01,068 --> 00:15:04,279 focus on who she might have been with the day she vanished. 359 00:15:04,279 --> 00:15:05,405 ♪ 360 00:15:05,405 --> 00:15:08,367 Was it the "him" she mentioned in her Facebook post? 361 00:15:08,367 --> 00:15:13,705 ♪ 362 00:15:13,705 --> 00:15:16,959 ♪ 363 00:15:16,959 --> 00:15:18,710 DETECTIVE NORMILE: She was very active in social media. 364 00:15:18,710 --> 00:15:22,923 So we began to go through that, piecemeal, looking at it. 365 00:15:23,465 --> 00:15:25,300 You gotta put a name to a face and go out 366 00:15:25,300 --> 00:15:26,844 and find them to interview them. 367 00:15:26,844 --> 00:15:27,719 ♪ 368 00:15:27,719 --> 00:15:30,639 NARRATOR: With Shaniesha's 1,200 Facebook friends, 369 00:15:31,515 --> 00:15:33,934 it's a tedious and lengthy process. 370 00:15:34,810 --> 00:15:38,063 ♪ I'll follow your lead ♪ 371 00:15:38,063 --> 00:15:41,233 ♪ I'll follow you down, down, down ♪ 372 00:15:44,903 --> 00:15:48,824 And the family feels that investigators aren't moving fast enough. 373 00:15:48,824 --> 00:15:50,742 [siren wailing] 374 00:15:51,618 --> 00:15:54,288 SHAY: We weren't receiving a lot of information 375 00:15:54,288 --> 00:15:55,914 from the police officers, 376 00:15:55,914 --> 00:15:59,918 so we decided to see if we can find something. 377 00:15:59,918 --> 00:16:01,503 [keyboard keys clacking] 378 00:16:01,503 --> 00:16:03,380 ♪ 379 00:16:03,380 --> 00:16:05,299 NARRATOR: They begin with Shaniesha's Facebook post 380 00:16:05,883 --> 00:16:07,384 about going to the movies. 381 00:16:08,594 --> 00:16:10,095 KERRI-ANN: The movie theater that Shaniesha goes to 382 00:16:10,095 --> 00:16:11,138 is near her high school. 383 00:16:12,222 --> 00:16:13,265 SANDRA: We went there. 384 00:16:13,265 --> 00:16:18,061 We try to get the guy that's in charge of the cameras... 385 00:16:18,061 --> 00:16:19,438 ♪ 386 00:16:19,438 --> 00:16:23,275 ...to show us an image if she was there or not. 387 00:16:23,275 --> 00:16:27,905 ♪ 388 00:16:27,905 --> 00:16:29,907 ♪ 389 00:16:29,907 --> 00:16:32,367 NARRATOR: Unfortunately, they're too late. 390 00:16:32,951 --> 00:16:36,580 After seven days, the tapes are erased. 391 00:16:37,247 --> 00:16:38,999 - [voice breaking] They said, "If you came yesterday, 392 00:16:38,999 --> 00:16:41,710 you would have saw the footage from the date that you're asking for." 393 00:16:42,461 --> 00:16:45,172 And we're like, "Did the cops come?" 394 00:16:45,172 --> 00:16:47,216 ♪ 395 00:16:47,216 --> 00:16:48,550 And they said that they never came. 396 00:16:48,550 --> 00:16:51,553 ♪ 397 00:16:51,553 --> 00:16:54,014 It was like a no-brainer to go there. 398 00:16:55,140 --> 00:16:57,684 We were very frustrated because we were a day late 399 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:00,687 from being able to see who she was with. 400 00:17:00,687 --> 00:17:04,399 ♪ 401 00:17:04,399 --> 00:17:06,318 - Someone has to go to jail for this. 402 00:17:06,318 --> 00:17:08,070 Someone out there knows what happened. 403 00:17:08,070 --> 00:17:10,697 They knew that she was going to that movie theater with some guy. 404 00:17:10,697 --> 00:17:13,492 ♪ 405 00:17:13,492 --> 00:17:15,577 ♪ 406 00:17:15,577 --> 00:17:17,996 KERRI-ANN: We immediately put up flyers. 407 00:17:17,996 --> 00:17:19,540 ♪ 408 00:17:19,540 --> 00:17:20,707 Thousands of flyers. 409 00:17:20,707 --> 00:17:23,502 ♪ 410 00:17:23,502 --> 00:17:25,295 We got the community to come out. 411 00:17:26,171 --> 00:17:29,174 We lit candles, there were posters. 412 00:17:29,174 --> 00:17:30,259 ♪ 413 00:17:30,259 --> 00:17:33,762 I immediately called connections in media. 414 00:17:33,762 --> 00:17:36,890 The goal was to push this story out 415 00:17:36,890 --> 00:17:39,476 so that we can gather as much information as possible. 416 00:17:39,476 --> 00:17:40,435 ♪ 417 00:17:40,435 --> 00:17:42,813 Every single person that lived in New York 418 00:17:43,605 --> 00:17:46,525 was going to know her name, Shaniesha Forbes. 419 00:17:46,525 --> 00:17:48,819 ♪ 420 00:17:48,819 --> 00:17:50,487 DETECTIVE NORMILE: In an investigation like this 421 00:17:50,487 --> 00:17:52,948 or in any case, there's a lot of bases that have to be covered. 422 00:17:52,948 --> 00:17:54,199 It was pretty laborious. 423 00:17:54,199 --> 00:17:55,576 ♪ 424 00:17:55,576 --> 00:17:57,286 NARRATOR: Investigators follow up 425 00:17:57,286 --> 00:17:58,745 on a piece of evidence 426 00:17:58,745 --> 00:18:00,414 found near Shaniesha's body. 427 00:18:01,123 --> 00:18:03,458 The receipt from the liquor store. 428 00:18:03,458 --> 00:18:04,710 ♪ 429 00:18:04,710 --> 00:18:06,503 It's dated January 5th, 430 00:18:07,087 --> 00:18:09,673 the day before Shaniesha's body is found. 431 00:18:10,883 --> 00:18:12,301 DETECTIVE NORMILE: We went to a liquor store 432 00:18:12,301 --> 00:18:13,510 that the receipt was from. 433 00:18:14,553 --> 00:18:16,305 The manager provided some video of a person 434 00:18:16,305 --> 00:18:17,848 that was in there buying liquor. 435 00:18:18,515 --> 00:18:20,350 Didn't know the gentleman, but the liquor store 436 00:18:20,350 --> 00:18:22,311 provided us with the actual full credit card number. 437 00:18:22,311 --> 00:18:25,522 And we went on to subpoena the records for that credit card. 438 00:18:26,690 --> 00:18:27,858 NARRATOR: The man is described 439 00:18:27,858 --> 00:18:31,486 as Indian or Middle Eastern, in his 30s. 440 00:18:31,486 --> 00:18:32,946 ♪ 441 00:18:32,946 --> 00:18:34,865 Could this be Shaniesha's killer? 442 00:18:34,865 --> 00:18:36,825 ♪ 443 00:18:36,825 --> 00:18:38,660 ♪ 444 00:18:38,660 --> 00:18:42,539 Investigators are also trying to locate possible witnesses 445 00:18:43,081 --> 00:18:46,919 or suspects from among Shaniesha's Facebook friends. 446 00:18:47,419 --> 00:18:50,881 - There was teenagers, teenage boys that we talked to. 447 00:18:50,881 --> 00:18:52,883 [ringing] 448 00:18:52,883 --> 00:18:54,551 In terms of volume, it was a lot of work. 449 00:18:54,551 --> 00:18:55,511 ♪ 450 00:18:55,511 --> 00:18:58,305 A lot of these kids didn't realize that she was deceased. 451 00:18:58,305 --> 00:18:59,598 ♪ 452 00:18:59,598 --> 00:19:01,350 NARRATOR: In a sea of interviews, 453 00:19:01,892 --> 00:19:05,020 detectives eventually track down Jonathan Ho, 454 00:19:05,938 --> 00:19:09,858 and he actually knows something that could be important. 455 00:19:09,858 --> 00:19:11,235 ♪ 456 00:19:11,235 --> 00:19:12,653 JONATHAN HO: My name is Jonathan Ho, 457 00:19:12,653 --> 00:19:14,696 and I was a friend of Shaniesha Forbes. 458 00:19:14,696 --> 00:19:16,532 ♪ 459 00:19:16,532 --> 00:19:18,450 Detectives came to my place. 460 00:19:18,450 --> 00:19:22,246 They started asking questions because I know Shaniesha Forbes, 461 00:19:22,246 --> 00:19:23,789 and she had just passed. 462 00:19:24,581 --> 00:19:27,501 She had so much genuine personality 463 00:19:27,501 --> 00:19:29,378 that I clicked with her. 464 00:19:29,378 --> 00:19:31,505 ♪ 465 00:19:31,505 --> 00:19:35,634 I just remember her telling me that she was bullied a couple times. 466 00:19:35,634 --> 00:19:38,262 ♪ 467 00:19:38,262 --> 00:19:40,055 DETECTIVE NORMILE: During the course of the investigation, 468 00:19:40,055 --> 00:19:43,392 we became aware that Shaniesha Forbes was a victim of bullying, 469 00:19:43,392 --> 00:19:46,353 in person and through social media and the Internet. 470 00:19:47,062 --> 00:19:51,066 - I told them she did tell me that someone wanted to come beat her up 471 00:19:52,192 --> 00:19:54,236 for no apparent reason. 472 00:19:54,236 --> 00:19:55,070 ♪ 473 00:19:55,070 --> 00:19:55,904 [chimes] 474 00:19:56,989 --> 00:19:59,867 ♪ Who decides ♪ 475 00:19:59,867 --> 00:20:02,494 ♪ Who holds the knife ♪ 476 00:20:02,494 --> 00:20:06,164 - Her classmates and people on social media were mocking her 477 00:20:07,124 --> 00:20:08,667 because she looked different. 478 00:20:08,667 --> 00:20:11,753 She wore her hair different, she wore her clothing different. 479 00:20:11,753 --> 00:20:14,548 And for whatever reason, this bothered certain people 480 00:20:15,299 --> 00:20:17,217 and at some point they were threatening her. 481 00:20:18,260 --> 00:20:20,387 NARRATOR: Shaniesha's family is aware 482 00:20:20,387 --> 00:20:21,847 of the torment she endured. 483 00:20:21,847 --> 00:20:23,056 ♪ 484 00:20:25,267 --> 00:20:29,897 And it was cursing her out and threaten her. 485 00:20:29,897 --> 00:20:31,481 They have knives, they have sticks. 486 00:20:31,481 --> 00:20:36,695 ♪ 487 00:20:36,695 --> 00:20:38,614 ♪ 488 00:20:40,866 --> 00:20:44,411 ...by arranging with the school to pick her up... 489 00:20:44,411 --> 00:20:45,954 ♪ 490 00:20:45,954 --> 00:20:47,998 ...before dismissal time 491 00:20:47,998 --> 00:20:51,168 so nobody could really jump her, hurt her. 492 00:20:52,002 --> 00:20:54,087 And this was an everyday thing. 493 00:20:54,713 --> 00:20:56,089 NARRATOR: But on the day she went missing, 494 00:20:56,757 --> 00:20:59,134 Shaniesha never did make it to school. 495 00:20:59,718 --> 00:21:03,138 Is it possible that the bullying got so extreme 496 00:21:03,597 --> 00:21:05,390 that it escalated to murder? 497 00:21:06,183 --> 00:21:07,809 - When I found out that Shaniesha died, 498 00:21:07,809 --> 00:21:11,104 in all honesty, I thought she was bullied 499 00:21:11,563 --> 00:21:13,607 and someone actually killed her off. 500 00:21:13,607 --> 00:21:15,609 ♪ 501 00:21:15,609 --> 00:21:18,070 NARRATOR: Then Jonathan provides police 502 00:21:18,070 --> 00:21:20,280 with another piece of the puzzle. 503 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,407 Something that takes the investigation 504 00:21:23,033 --> 00:21:24,618 in a whole new direction. 505 00:21:24,618 --> 00:21:29,248 ♪ 506 00:21:29,248 --> 00:21:32,626 - I saw her a couple days before she passed. 507 00:21:32,626 --> 00:21:35,128 ♪ 508 00:21:35,128 --> 00:21:37,464 Shaniesha and I were having a conversation, 509 00:21:37,923 --> 00:21:38,841 and then 510 00:21:40,175 --> 00:21:42,928 Shaniesha told me that she thought she was pregnant. 511 00:21:42,928 --> 00:21:44,930 ♪ 512 00:21:44,930 --> 00:21:47,641 Shaniesha's reaction was that she was kinda scared. 513 00:21:47,641 --> 00:21:48,767 ♪ 514 00:21:48,767 --> 00:21:49,852 She was nervous, 515 00:21:50,519 --> 00:21:52,229 but she wanted to keep the child. 516 00:21:52,229 --> 00:21:53,647 ♪ 517 00:21:53,647 --> 00:21:55,148 NARRATOR: Does this have anything to do 518 00:21:55,148 --> 00:21:56,400 with Shaniesha's death? 519 00:21:57,442 --> 00:22:00,529 There's one thing that could help answer every question. 520 00:22:01,738 --> 00:22:03,657 Shaniesha's phone records. 521 00:22:03,657 --> 00:22:07,035 ♪ 522 00:22:11,206 --> 00:22:16,086 ♪ 523 00:22:16,086 --> 00:22:17,754 In a stunning revelation, 524 00:22:17,754 --> 00:22:21,967 detectives learned that 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes 525 00:22:21,967 --> 00:22:23,677 believed she was pregnant. 526 00:22:23,677 --> 00:22:25,596 ♪ 527 00:22:25,596 --> 00:22:27,556 With this new piece of information, 528 00:22:28,056 --> 00:22:31,101 Investigators check back with the medical examiner. 529 00:22:31,101 --> 00:22:32,561 ♪ 530 00:22:32,561 --> 00:22:35,147 ♪ Searching for a bloodline ♪ 531 00:22:35,147 --> 00:22:37,566 ♪ Bloodline, bloodline ♪ 532 00:22:37,566 --> 00:22:38,567 ♪ 533 00:22:38,567 --> 00:22:39,651 DETECTIVE NORMILE: The medical examiner 534 00:22:39,651 --> 00:22:40,861 was extremely thorough. 535 00:22:40,861 --> 00:22:43,030 We knew that Shaniesha was not pregnant. 536 00:22:43,030 --> 00:22:45,199 That was determined immediately at the autopsy. 537 00:22:46,033 --> 00:22:47,951 NARRATOR: Still, if Shaniesha thought 538 00:22:47,951 --> 00:22:49,077 she was pregnant, 539 00:22:50,495 --> 00:22:51,663 who was the father? 540 00:22:51,663 --> 00:22:53,874 ♪ Bloodline, bloodline ♪ 541 00:22:54,625 --> 00:22:56,293 And what about the bullying? 542 00:22:56,293 --> 00:22:57,503 ♪ 543 00:22:57,503 --> 00:23:00,547 Normile and Sanchez turn their attention back 544 00:23:00,547 --> 00:23:02,257 to Shaniesha's Facebook page 545 00:23:02,257 --> 00:23:04,384 and to her classmates. 546 00:23:05,010 --> 00:23:08,180 - Their explanation was they were teenagers being teenagers. 547 00:23:08,180 --> 00:23:10,599 ♪ 548 00:23:10,599 --> 00:23:13,602 It's easy to bully someone through the Internet or over a phone. 549 00:23:13,602 --> 00:23:16,188 ♪ 550 00:23:16,188 --> 00:23:19,066 Everyone just chimes in because there's no ramifications to it. 551 00:23:19,858 --> 00:23:22,194 So we were coming up with nothing substantial 552 00:23:22,194 --> 00:23:25,739 in terms of anyone interviewed raising the hair on the back of your neck, 553 00:23:25,739 --> 00:23:27,157 that, "You know what? Something's wrong here." 554 00:23:27,157 --> 00:23:29,701 ♪ 555 00:23:29,701 --> 00:23:31,286 ♪ 556 00:23:31,286 --> 00:23:33,622 NARRATOR: A week after finding Shaniesha's body, 557 00:23:34,790 --> 00:23:37,668 investigators receive her phone records. 558 00:23:37,668 --> 00:23:39,962 ♪ 559 00:23:39,962 --> 00:23:41,755 DETECTIVE NORMILE: We start going through the vast phone records 560 00:23:41,755 --> 00:23:44,132 to try to establish a time line when her phone stopped 561 00:23:44,132 --> 00:23:45,843 and who she was speaking with. 562 00:23:45,843 --> 00:23:47,094 ♪ 563 00:23:47,094 --> 00:23:48,303 NARRATOR: They focus on the morning 564 00:23:48,303 --> 00:23:49,972 Shaniesha vanished. 565 00:23:50,556 --> 00:23:52,599 Friday, January 4th. 566 00:23:53,684 --> 00:23:54,685 KERRI-ANN: We found out that 567 00:23:54,685 --> 00:23:56,186 when Shaniesha took the bus, 568 00:23:56,186 --> 00:23:59,606 her phone came on the cell phone towers 569 00:24:00,190 --> 00:24:03,569 and it's giving you a time line that she's headed towards Flatbush. 570 00:24:04,152 --> 00:24:05,779 NARRATOR: Flatbush, Brooklyn 571 00:24:05,779 --> 00:24:08,240 is in the opposite direction of Shaniesha's school. 572 00:24:08,907 --> 00:24:10,075 Where was she going? 573 00:24:11,076 --> 00:24:13,287 DETECTIVE NORMILE: Around ten or eleven o'clock in the morning, 574 00:24:13,287 --> 00:24:15,581 her phone stopped making outgoing phone calls. 575 00:24:15,581 --> 00:24:17,708 Texts were coming in and calls were coming in. 576 00:24:17,708 --> 00:24:19,418 But at that point, there was no more calls going out. 577 00:24:20,210 --> 00:24:24,131 So we knew somewhere around Friday morning she was killed in Flatbush. 578 00:24:24,131 --> 00:24:26,967 [line ringing] 579 00:24:26,967 --> 00:24:28,969 NARRATOR: One of the calls Shaniesha made 580 00:24:28,969 --> 00:24:32,556 in the days before her murder may be significant. 581 00:24:32,556 --> 00:24:34,558 [ringing] 582 00:24:35,517 --> 00:24:37,519 - There's a phone call on her phone records 583 00:24:37,519 --> 00:24:39,021 where you can see she called a number 584 00:24:39,021 --> 00:24:41,023 that was basically a pregnancy testing place. 585 00:24:41,023 --> 00:24:42,524 It was a medical office. 586 00:24:43,275 --> 00:24:45,194 NARRATOR: The medical office has no record 587 00:24:45,194 --> 00:24:47,321 of Shaniesha having an appointment, 588 00:24:47,321 --> 00:24:50,240 but her call seems to confirm 589 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,368 that she at least suspected she might be pregnant. 590 00:24:53,368 --> 00:24:54,745 ♪ 591 00:24:54,745 --> 00:24:56,997 Normile and Sanchez also key in 592 00:24:56,997 --> 00:24:59,416 on a number Shaniesha called the morning she disappeared. 593 00:24:59,416 --> 00:25:00,959 ♪ 594 00:25:00,959 --> 00:25:03,545 It's traced to a teenage boy 595 00:25:03,545 --> 00:25:05,547 in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. 596 00:25:06,590 --> 00:25:08,800 So, they pay him a visit. 597 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,010 ♪ 598 00:25:10,010 --> 00:25:13,096 DETECTIVE NORMILE: He said on the morning of January 4th, 2013 599 00:25:13,096 --> 00:25:14,848 he had stayed home from school that day 600 00:25:14,848 --> 00:25:17,392 with the intent of going to meet her on a date. 601 00:25:17,392 --> 00:25:18,769 ♪ 602 00:25:18,769 --> 00:25:20,020 NARRATOR: Is this the person 603 00:25:20,020 --> 00:25:21,897 Shaniesha posted about on Facebook? 604 00:25:21,897 --> 00:25:23,315 ♪ 605 00:25:23,315 --> 00:25:24,650 DETECTIVE NORMILE: He did not hear from her. 606 00:25:24,650 --> 00:25:26,944 And then when she finally contacted him that morning, 607 00:25:26,944 --> 00:25:29,071 he was like, "Oh, I thought we were gonna get together," 608 00:25:29,071 --> 00:25:31,281 and she was giggling about her answers. 609 00:25:31,281 --> 00:25:33,116 And he felt like someone else was in the background. 610 00:25:33,116 --> 00:25:34,117 "I just had that feeling." 611 00:25:34,868 --> 00:25:36,745 So he says, "Listen, I'm done with this," 612 00:25:36,745 --> 00:25:38,247 and he hung up on her. 613 00:25:38,247 --> 00:25:42,042 ♪ 614 00:25:42,459 --> 00:25:44,253 Kinda like maybe a spurned boyfriend. 615 00:25:44,253 --> 00:25:46,797 He deleted her from the phone and deleted her from Facebook. 616 00:25:46,797 --> 00:25:50,551 ♪ 617 00:25:50,551 --> 00:25:52,845 NARRATOR: The boy claims they didn't have plans 618 00:25:52,845 --> 00:25:54,763 to go to the movies that day, 619 00:25:54,763 --> 00:25:57,724 but investigators still need to figure out 620 00:25:57,724 --> 00:26:00,435 where he was the morning Shaniesha went missing. 621 00:26:01,311 --> 00:26:02,980 - Of course, there's a potential it could have been him. 622 00:26:02,980 --> 00:26:04,940 ♪ 623 00:26:04,940 --> 00:26:06,608 NARRATOR: While they run a background check, 624 00:26:07,693 --> 00:26:09,945 detectives follow up on another lead. 625 00:26:10,654 --> 00:26:12,739 They finally get the credit card information 626 00:26:12,739 --> 00:26:16,535 for the liquor store receipt found near Shaniesha's body. 627 00:26:17,911 --> 00:26:20,664 That's how they're able to identify the man 628 00:26:20,664 --> 00:26:22,583 in the grainy surveillance video. 629 00:26:23,250 --> 00:26:24,585 DETECTIVE NORMILE: The gentleman who had that receipt 630 00:26:24,585 --> 00:26:26,587 was with some friends prior in the day. 631 00:26:26,587 --> 00:26:28,630 and they were looking to hang out and drink and smoke weed. 632 00:26:28,630 --> 00:26:31,258 ♪ 633 00:26:31,258 --> 00:26:32,968 NARRATOR: The man and his friends 634 00:26:32,968 --> 00:26:34,761 ended up at Gerritsen Beach. 635 00:26:35,304 --> 00:26:37,097 DETECTIVE NORMILE: He said they were just sitting in the car 636 00:26:37,890 --> 00:26:40,017 and the receipt fell out of the car and they had left. 637 00:26:40,017 --> 00:26:42,811 ♪ 638 00:26:42,811 --> 00:26:44,146 So there is no indications at that point 639 00:26:44,146 --> 00:26:46,106 that they were involved in this, 640 00:26:46,106 --> 00:26:47,566 although they weren't ruled out. 641 00:26:48,066 --> 00:26:49,610 ♪ 642 00:26:49,610 --> 00:26:50,903 NARRATOR: What about the teenage boy 643 00:26:50,903 --> 00:26:52,571 from Crown Heights? 644 00:26:53,447 --> 00:26:55,490 DETECTIVE NORMILE: We followed up on stuff in his life, 645 00:26:55,490 --> 00:26:57,201 his building had surveillance cameras 646 00:26:57,201 --> 00:26:58,535 and we were able to rule him out. 647 00:26:59,244 --> 00:27:02,122 But it gave us now the feeling that when he spoke to her, 648 00:27:02,122 --> 00:27:03,290 she was with someone. 649 00:27:03,916 --> 00:27:06,251 There's the big question mark. Who was she with that morning? 650 00:27:06,251 --> 00:27:10,005 ♪ 651 00:27:10,005 --> 00:27:11,131 ♪ 652 00:27:11,131 --> 00:27:13,634 ♪ Far from home ♪ 653 00:27:13,634 --> 00:27:16,345 NARRATOR: It's a question with no answer. 654 00:27:17,137 --> 00:27:19,139 Despite their efforts, 655 00:27:19,139 --> 00:27:22,017 there appears to be little movement in the investigation. 656 00:27:23,060 --> 00:27:24,603 There's no cause of death. 657 00:27:25,145 --> 00:27:26,813 No prime suspect. 658 00:27:27,564 --> 00:27:30,317 - [voice breaking] It was just weeks passing by, 659 00:27:30,317 --> 00:27:33,237 weeks passing by and still nothing. 660 00:27:33,695 --> 00:27:37,157 Like... everyone asking you, 661 00:27:37,157 --> 00:27:39,910 "Do y'all know anything? Do you know anything?" 662 00:27:39,910 --> 00:27:41,703 And it's like, "No." 663 00:27:41,703 --> 00:27:43,872 ♪ 664 00:27:43,872 --> 00:27:45,082 DETECTIVE NORMILE: When you deal with the family, 665 00:27:45,082 --> 00:27:48,377 sometimes they become unhappy with you because 666 00:27:48,919 --> 00:27:50,337 there's stuff you don't want them to know, 667 00:27:50,337 --> 00:27:51,296 out of decency. 668 00:27:51,839 --> 00:27:54,007 And there's a possibility it could be a family member, 669 00:27:54,007 --> 00:27:55,551 so you hold a lot of stuff back. 670 00:27:55,551 --> 00:27:58,136 [ringing] 671 00:27:58,136 --> 00:27:59,638 KERRI-ANN: He said, "There is things that's happening 672 00:27:59,638 --> 00:28:01,431 "I cannot tell you, 673 00:28:02,057 --> 00:28:05,227 "but know that we are on top of it. 674 00:28:05,227 --> 00:28:07,479 Like, I just can't tell you." 675 00:28:07,479 --> 00:28:12,359 And like I'm now faced in a position where I have to trust law enforcement, 676 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:15,988 that time and time again has shown up historically 677 00:28:16,488 --> 00:28:18,699 to have disappointed the African-American community. 678 00:28:19,324 --> 00:28:21,577 ♪ 679 00:28:21,577 --> 00:28:24,162 NARRATOR: Finally, on May 2nd, 680 00:28:24,162 --> 00:28:26,039 four months after the murder, 681 00:28:26,790 --> 00:28:30,127 the medical examiner comes forward with the news 682 00:28:30,127 --> 00:28:33,672 everyone is waiting for... and dreading. 683 00:28:34,214 --> 00:28:37,050 - It took some time to come to an official homicide ruling 684 00:28:37,050 --> 00:28:38,802 by the King's County Medical Examiner's Office. 685 00:28:38,802 --> 00:28:39,845 ♪ 686 00:28:39,845 --> 00:28:43,307 Unlike TV, where you'll see something will happen within a day, 687 00:28:43,307 --> 00:28:44,766 toxicology has to be done. 688 00:28:45,434 --> 00:28:47,186 There was a lot of testing done on Shaniesha 689 00:28:47,186 --> 00:28:49,813 to come to the final determination of the cause of death, 690 00:28:50,314 --> 00:28:53,025 which, in his case was homicidal asphyxia. 691 00:28:53,025 --> 00:28:55,694 ♪ 692 00:28:55,694 --> 00:28:57,571 When someone in an act of violence 693 00:28:57,571 --> 00:28:59,781 manually smothers or strangles someone. 694 00:28:59,781 --> 00:29:01,283 ♪ 695 00:29:01,283 --> 00:29:02,451 NEWSCASTER: This latest discovery 696 00:29:02,451 --> 00:29:04,661 is shocking to the teen's family. 697 00:29:04,661 --> 00:29:08,624 They wanna know who could be so cruel to suffocate a 14-year-old girl? 698 00:29:08,624 --> 00:29:10,292 ♪ 699 00:29:10,292 --> 00:29:12,169 DETECTIVE NORMILE: Smothering someone, that's personal. 700 00:29:12,794 --> 00:29:16,381 It takes a lot of strength and a lot of disregard for a human 701 00:29:16,381 --> 00:29:19,259 to be able to hold something over someone's face till they die. 702 00:29:19,259 --> 00:29:21,428 ♪ 703 00:29:21,428 --> 00:29:22,596 Rage, yes. 704 00:29:23,514 --> 00:29:24,431 A lot of rage with that. 705 00:29:24,431 --> 00:29:26,934 ♪ 706 00:29:26,934 --> 00:29:32,022 - When we found out that Shaniesha was suffocated, 707 00:29:32,022 --> 00:29:33,857 we're like, "It's someone that knows her." 708 00:29:33,857 --> 00:29:38,153 ♪ 709 00:29:38,153 --> 00:29:40,572 DETECTIVE NORMILE: We subpoenaed dozens of numbers 710 00:29:40,572 --> 00:29:41,698 for this investigation. 711 00:29:41,698 --> 00:29:44,451 ♪ 712 00:29:44,451 --> 00:29:46,286 We would take those numbers and we'd go through police reports, 713 00:29:46,286 --> 00:29:47,955 any prior contacts, 714 00:29:48,413 --> 00:29:51,291 Internet databases, to try to put names to faces. 715 00:29:51,291 --> 00:29:52,876 ♪ 716 00:29:52,876 --> 00:29:56,505 What led us to the suspect at first was the phone records. 717 00:29:56,505 --> 00:29:59,466 ♪ 718 00:29:59,466 --> 00:30:00,968 The phone that he was using 719 00:30:01,552 --> 00:30:04,054 was in contact with Shaniesha multiple times 720 00:30:04,054 --> 00:30:07,182 and they all stopped on the morning of January 4th. 721 00:30:07,891 --> 00:30:10,686 ♪ 722 00:30:10,686 --> 00:30:13,772 NARRATOR: Then, ten days after the medical examiner 723 00:30:13,772 --> 00:30:15,023 releases her report, 724 00:30:15,691 --> 00:30:19,570 Shaniesha's family members receive a cryptic message 725 00:30:19,570 --> 00:30:21,905 from lead investigator Sanchez. 726 00:30:21,905 --> 00:30:23,949 ♪ 727 00:30:23,949 --> 00:30:28,453 - He said, "If you can leave work, leave now and head to the house, 728 00:30:28,453 --> 00:30:29,830 I'm gonna meet you guys there." 729 00:30:29,830 --> 00:30:33,458 ♪ 730 00:30:33,458 --> 00:30:34,668 NARRATOR: What they're about to learn... 731 00:30:34,668 --> 00:30:37,087 ♪ 732 00:30:37,087 --> 00:30:38,422 ...is horrific. 733 00:30:38,422 --> 00:30:42,176 ♪ 734 00:30:44,595 --> 00:30:47,556 ♪ 735 00:30:47,556 --> 00:30:50,893 More than four months after the body of Shaniesha Forbes 736 00:30:50,893 --> 00:30:52,728 washed up on a Brooklyn beach, 737 00:30:53,562 --> 00:30:57,191 NYPD detectives finally have news for her family, 738 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:00,861 and the news is shocking. 739 00:31:00,861 --> 00:31:04,865 ♪ Healthy hearts hit the grounds ♪ 740 00:31:04,865 --> 00:31:08,744 KERRI-ANN: Sanchez met us there and he sat us down. 741 00:31:08,744 --> 00:31:10,746 ♪ I never saw you till now ♪ 742 00:31:10,746 --> 00:31:12,331 He shared, "We found him." 743 00:31:12,331 --> 00:31:14,249 ♪ 744 00:31:14,249 --> 00:31:16,793 It was a lot... to process. 745 00:31:16,793 --> 00:31:17,711 Um-- 746 00:31:17,711 --> 00:31:18,629 ♪ 747 00:31:18,629 --> 00:31:19,880 ♪ 748 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:24,092 ♪ I never saw you till now ♪ 749 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:25,969 ♪ 750 00:31:25,969 --> 00:31:28,555 NARRATOR: The detectives explain to the family 751 00:31:28,555 --> 00:31:30,516 how they identified the suspect. 752 00:31:30,516 --> 00:31:33,185 ♪ 753 00:31:33,185 --> 00:31:34,144 KERRI-ANN: They walked us through 754 00:31:34,144 --> 00:31:37,105 the time line of events, 755 00:31:38,106 --> 00:31:42,194 and one of the driving factors was her cell phone. 756 00:31:42,819 --> 00:31:46,198 NARRATOR: The cell phone that Shaniesha treasured. 757 00:31:46,198 --> 00:31:49,743 - We found that between December 26th, 2012, 758 00:31:49,743 --> 00:31:51,912 and January 4th, 2013, 759 00:31:51,912 --> 00:31:54,998 Shaniesha Forbes had exchanged numerous texts and calls 760 00:31:54,998 --> 00:31:58,001 with a number which was a MetroPCS phone. 761 00:31:58,001 --> 00:31:59,920 ♪ 762 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:01,588 KERRI-ANN: And she's texting that number 763 00:32:01,588 --> 00:32:03,048 constantly over and over again. 764 00:32:03,048 --> 00:32:06,927 That number was the last number to be in contact with Shaniesha. 765 00:32:06,927 --> 00:32:09,763 ♪ 766 00:32:09,763 --> 00:32:12,015 DETECTIVE NORMILE: I believe 100 and something text messages, 767 00:32:12,015 --> 00:32:13,600 multiple phone calls. 768 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:17,229 And they all stopped on the morning of January 4th. 769 00:32:17,229 --> 00:32:23,110 ♪ 770 00:32:23,110 --> 00:32:24,570 NARRATOR: Investigators suspect 771 00:32:24,570 --> 00:32:25,779 the calls and texts stopped 772 00:32:26,989 --> 00:32:29,825 because Shaniesha was already dead. 773 00:32:29,825 --> 00:32:32,286 ♪ 774 00:32:32,286 --> 00:32:34,580 - We were able to determine from the records 775 00:32:34,580 --> 00:32:37,374 that that phone was paid for by a credit card. 776 00:32:37,374 --> 00:32:42,129 ♪ 777 00:32:42,129 --> 00:32:45,299 That led us to out in Long Island further out east 778 00:32:45,299 --> 00:32:48,385 to the sister of a gentleman identified as Christian Ferdinand. 779 00:32:48,385 --> 00:32:50,679 ♪ 780 00:32:50,679 --> 00:32:54,558 ♪ 781 00:32:55,100 --> 00:32:59,521 She said that she paid his phone bill and that he was a student 782 00:32:59,521 --> 00:33:02,524 and kind of a work school program up in Maine. 783 00:33:02,524 --> 00:33:03,859 ♪ 784 00:33:03,859 --> 00:33:05,527 We said, "Listen, could you have him give us a call, 785 00:33:05,527 --> 00:33:07,321 we'd like to speak to him about this girl." 786 00:33:07,321 --> 00:33:08,697 And she said, "No problem." 787 00:33:08,697 --> 00:33:12,492 ♪ 788 00:33:12,951 --> 00:33:14,077 He never called us back. 789 00:33:14,077 --> 00:33:17,372 ♪ 790 00:33:17,372 --> 00:33:19,666 So we began to research Christian Ferdinand. 791 00:33:19,666 --> 00:33:20,918 [line rings] 792 00:33:20,918 --> 00:33:22,211 NARRATOR: It's quickly revealed 793 00:33:22,211 --> 00:33:24,004 that Christian Ferdinand 794 00:33:24,004 --> 00:33:25,964 has roots in the Flatbush area. 795 00:33:27,007 --> 00:33:31,220 - Christian Ferdinand went to the same high school that I went to 796 00:33:31,220 --> 00:33:36,558 and I had no idea he had any connection with my sister. 797 00:33:36,558 --> 00:33:38,268 ♪ 798 00:33:38,268 --> 00:33:41,146 NARRATOR: Normile asks the state troopers in Maine 799 00:33:41,146 --> 00:33:44,816 to obtain attendance records from Christian's work program. 800 00:33:44,816 --> 00:33:46,568 DETECTIVE NORMILE: It was discovered that he had been away 801 00:33:46,568 --> 00:33:49,780 from the facility from December 21st to January 8th 802 00:33:49,780 --> 00:33:50,989 due to Christmas break, 803 00:33:51,490 --> 00:33:54,284 which put him perfectly within the time frame for the murder. 804 00:33:54,284 --> 00:33:57,579 ♪ 805 00:33:57,579 --> 00:33:59,623 NARRATOR: Detectives can also prove 806 00:33:59,623 --> 00:34:03,252 Shaniesha and Ferdinand were in the same neighborhood 807 00:34:03,252 --> 00:34:04,711 the morning she was killed. 808 00:34:05,420 --> 00:34:07,881 - We had served the phone providers with a court order, 809 00:34:07,881 --> 00:34:09,842 giving us cell site locations. 810 00:34:09,842 --> 00:34:11,718 So basically, as you're moving with your phone, 811 00:34:11,718 --> 00:34:13,470 all those cell towers you see in every neighborhood, 812 00:34:13,470 --> 00:34:15,389 your phone's bouncing from tower to tower. 813 00:34:15,389 --> 00:34:19,893 ♪ 814 00:34:19,893 --> 00:34:22,771 The further you go, it's gonna switch to the next tower. 815 00:34:22,771 --> 00:34:23,897 ♪ 816 00:34:23,897 --> 00:34:27,985 KERRI-ANN: That last ping and the cell phone tower 817 00:34:27,985 --> 00:34:30,571 that it pinged off of was... 818 00:34:30,571 --> 00:34:33,740 ♪ 819 00:34:33,740 --> 00:34:34,616 ...in Flatbush. 820 00:34:34,616 --> 00:34:37,452 ♪ 821 00:34:37,452 --> 00:34:40,372 - So we were able actually to follow Shaniesha Forbes' phone 822 00:34:41,707 --> 00:34:42,749 to the area... 823 00:34:42,749 --> 00:34:44,459 ♪ 824 00:34:44,459 --> 00:34:47,254 ...of where we learned Christian Ferdinand was staying 825 00:34:48,005 --> 00:34:49,923 and we were able to place his phone there, too. 826 00:34:49,923 --> 00:34:51,633 ♪ 827 00:34:51,633 --> 00:34:54,052 KERRI-ANN: That was his cousin. 828 00:34:54,052 --> 00:34:56,180 That was her house in Flatbush, 829 00:34:56,180 --> 00:34:58,599 where he would stay whenever he would come to Brooklyn. 830 00:34:59,349 --> 00:35:01,143 NARRATOR: Ferdinand's cousin's house 831 00:35:01,143 --> 00:35:03,812 is just two and a half miles 832 00:35:03,812 --> 00:35:05,647 from where Shaniesha's body was found. 833 00:35:05,647 --> 00:35:10,360 ♪ 834 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:13,280 With this intel, on May 13th, 835 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:15,324 detectives travel to Northern Maine 836 00:35:16,450 --> 00:35:17,951 to question Ferdinand. 837 00:35:17,951 --> 00:35:20,204 ♪ 838 00:35:20,204 --> 00:35:21,914 DETECTIVE NORMILE: When we first saw Christian, 839 00:35:21,914 --> 00:35:25,167 he was, just kinda seemed easygoing. 840 00:35:25,167 --> 00:35:27,503 ♪ 841 00:35:27,503 --> 00:35:28,587 Kinda lanky, 842 00:35:30,214 --> 00:35:31,840 laid back, calm, 843 00:35:32,466 --> 00:35:34,718 didn't get nervous when he first saw us. 844 00:35:35,802 --> 00:35:38,263 Detective Sanchez asked if he was hungry or thirsty. 845 00:35:38,263 --> 00:35:40,265 ♪ 846 00:35:40,265 --> 00:35:41,767 He asked for something to drink. 847 00:35:41,767 --> 00:35:44,228 ♪ 848 00:35:44,228 --> 00:35:46,230 Detective Sanchez bought him a bottle of Coke... 849 00:35:46,230 --> 00:35:48,148 ♪ 850 00:35:48,148 --> 00:35:52,236 ...and we told him that we were there investigating a missing persons case. 851 00:35:52,236 --> 00:35:56,615 ♪ 852 00:35:56,615 --> 00:35:58,825 ♪ 853 00:35:58,825 --> 00:36:00,452 And we mentioned Shaniesha Forbes. 854 00:36:00,452 --> 00:36:01,912 He said he didn't know who that was. 855 00:36:01,912 --> 00:36:05,207 ♪ 856 00:36:05,207 --> 00:36:07,334 NARRATOR: They show Ferdinand a memorial card 857 00:36:07,334 --> 00:36:10,462 from Shaniesha's funeral featuring her photo. 858 00:36:10,462 --> 00:36:12,005 DETECTIVE NORMILE: And he goes, "Oh, I know her. 859 00:36:12,548 --> 00:36:13,799 "Yeah, I met her once or twice, 860 00:36:13,799 --> 00:36:14,967 but I didn't really know her like that." 861 00:36:14,967 --> 00:36:16,760 ♪ 862 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:19,471 At that point, we knew based on the phone records 863 00:36:19,471 --> 00:36:20,514 that not to be true. 864 00:36:21,056 --> 00:36:23,016 Now we knew this was gonna become an interrogation. 865 00:36:23,559 --> 00:36:25,602 So we read him his Miranda rights 866 00:36:25,602 --> 00:36:27,187 and he agreed to speak with us further. 867 00:36:27,187 --> 00:36:31,233 ♪ 868 00:36:31,233 --> 00:36:33,151 NARRATOR: Ferdinand claims that he met up 869 00:36:33,151 --> 00:36:35,863 with Shaniesha once or twice in a Brooklyn park. 870 00:36:35,863 --> 00:36:39,408 ♪ 871 00:36:39,408 --> 00:36:40,492 But that's all. 872 00:36:40,492 --> 00:36:44,162 ♪ 873 00:36:44,162 --> 00:36:47,416 - And then we started to go at him with some of the facts that we had. 874 00:36:48,417 --> 00:36:49,585 "Well, did you ever call her?" "No." 875 00:36:49,585 --> 00:36:51,378 "Well, that's not true. 876 00:36:51,378 --> 00:36:54,339 "You called her a bunch of times. You texted her a bunch of times. 877 00:36:54,339 --> 00:36:56,341 ♪ 878 00:36:56,341 --> 00:36:58,260 "I could put your phones within a block of each other, 879 00:36:59,052 --> 00:36:59,970 and then her phone stops." 880 00:36:59,970 --> 00:37:02,723 ♪ 881 00:37:02,723 --> 00:37:04,349 And he just kinda put his head down and... 882 00:37:04,349 --> 00:37:07,352 ♪ 883 00:37:07,352 --> 00:37:09,354 ...he looked at Detective Sanchez and myself and he says, 884 00:37:09,354 --> 00:37:10,314 "You know what? 885 00:37:10,314 --> 00:37:12,691 ♪ 886 00:37:12,691 --> 00:37:13,817 "You guys have been pretty good to me. 887 00:37:13,817 --> 00:37:15,861 You bought me a soda, so I'm gonna tell you what happened." 888 00:37:15,861 --> 00:37:19,489 ♪ 889 00:37:19,489 --> 00:37:21,074 And then he started to go into what happened 890 00:37:21,074 --> 00:37:23,035 to Shaniesha Forbes and what led to her death. 891 00:37:23,035 --> 00:37:27,456 ♪ 892 00:37:27,456 --> 00:37:32,503 ♪ 893 00:37:32,503 --> 00:37:36,131 - Christian Ferdinand described exactly what he did. 894 00:37:36,131 --> 00:37:39,885 ♪ 895 00:37:41,261 --> 00:37:42,346 It's disgusting. 896 00:37:42,346 --> 00:37:44,556 ♪ 897 00:37:46,558 --> 00:37:49,478 ♪ 898 00:37:49,478 --> 00:37:52,481 NARRATOR: For the family of 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes, 899 00:37:53,190 --> 00:37:55,317 there is some measure of relief 900 00:37:55,317 --> 00:37:58,362 knowing the police have a suspect in her murder. 901 00:37:58,362 --> 00:38:00,989 ♪ 902 00:38:00,989 --> 00:38:03,200 But the details of how and why 903 00:38:03,951 --> 00:38:07,579 20-year-old Christian Ferdinand took Shaniesha's life... 904 00:38:07,579 --> 00:38:10,874 ♪ 905 00:38:10,874 --> 00:38:12,167 ...they're devastating. 906 00:38:12,835 --> 00:38:15,379 ♪ 907 00:38:15,379 --> 00:38:16,964 DETECTIVE NORMILE: In his confession, Ferdinand stated, 908 00:38:17,506 --> 00:38:20,467 "Yeah, I knew her and I met her over social media," 909 00:38:20,467 --> 00:38:21,593 and they had a sexual relationship. 910 00:38:21,593 --> 00:38:23,178 ♪ 911 00:38:23,178 --> 00:38:24,847 KERRI-ANN: We heard in his confession 912 00:38:24,847 --> 00:38:28,433 that Shaniesha told him she was 16. 913 00:38:29,434 --> 00:38:30,853 You met her on Facebook. 914 00:38:31,603 --> 00:38:33,689 Her Facebook has her accurate birthday. 915 00:38:33,689 --> 00:38:36,650 ♪ 916 00:38:36,650 --> 00:38:39,319 You knew she was 14. You knew she was a child. 917 00:38:39,945 --> 00:38:42,823 And even if you thought otherwise, it's still nasty. 918 00:38:42,823 --> 00:38:45,492 ♪ 919 00:38:45,492 --> 00:38:47,327 [voice breaking] It is rape. 920 00:38:47,995 --> 00:38:49,079 It is rape. 921 00:38:50,289 --> 00:38:51,290 It's rape. 922 00:38:51,290 --> 00:38:55,335 ♪ 923 00:38:55,335 --> 00:38:56,712 [clicks tongue] 924 00:38:56,712 --> 00:39:02,259 ♪ 925 00:39:02,259 --> 00:39:03,343 DETECTIVE NORMILE: Ferdinand claimed 926 00:39:03,343 --> 00:39:05,554 that on January 4th, 2013, 927 00:39:06,972 --> 00:39:09,183 he met Shaniesha at his cousin's house in Brooklyn, 928 00:39:10,392 --> 00:39:12,686 where the two apparently got into an altercation. 929 00:39:13,437 --> 00:39:16,356 Shaniesha believed she was pregnant and told him, 930 00:39:16,356 --> 00:39:17,316 "You're gonna be the dad 931 00:39:17,316 --> 00:39:19,818 and we're gonna kinda live happily ever after." 932 00:39:20,777 --> 00:39:23,488 And he told her, "No, get rid of that shit." 933 00:39:23,488 --> 00:39:24,573 That's how he referred to it. 934 00:39:25,115 --> 00:39:26,658 "Get rid of that shit." 935 00:39:26,658 --> 00:39:28,744 And she said, "No, I'm not gonna get rid of it." 936 00:39:28,744 --> 00:39:30,454 ♪ 937 00:39:30,454 --> 00:39:31,705 He became enraged 938 00:39:32,164 --> 00:39:34,249 and he took one of the pillows from the couch... 939 00:39:34,249 --> 00:39:35,375 [screams] 940 00:39:35,375 --> 00:39:36,543 ♪ 941 00:39:36,543 --> 00:39:38,295 ...and he placed it over her head and he began to smother her... 942 00:39:38,295 --> 00:39:42,299 ♪ 943 00:39:43,008 --> 00:39:44,176 ...till she stopped moving. 944 00:39:44,176 --> 00:39:48,680 ♪ 945 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:50,390 - That's why he did it. 946 00:39:50,390 --> 00:39:52,851 Because he didn't want a child. 947 00:39:52,851 --> 00:39:55,354 ♪ 948 00:39:55,354 --> 00:39:57,356 - We did tell him that she wasn't pregnant. 949 00:39:58,315 --> 00:40:00,567 And he goes, "Oh, well, she told me she was." 950 00:40:00,567 --> 00:40:03,070 ♪ 951 00:40:03,070 --> 00:40:06,406 ♪ 952 00:40:06,406 --> 00:40:09,993 He made the decision to put her in a suitcase. 953 00:40:09,993 --> 00:40:14,206 ♪ 954 00:40:14,206 --> 00:40:19,002 ♪ 955 00:40:19,002 --> 00:40:20,420 He called a cab. 956 00:40:20,420 --> 00:40:22,631 He had the cab take him down to the end of Gerritsen Beach. 957 00:40:22,631 --> 00:40:25,592 ♪ 958 00:40:25,592 --> 00:40:26,969 He had dragged her into the beach. 959 00:40:26,969 --> 00:40:30,681 ♪ 960 00:40:30,681 --> 00:40:33,600 He used body spray and a lighter as a makeshift torch to burn her 961 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:35,602 to get rid of any potential DNA. 962 00:40:36,019 --> 00:40:41,608 ♪ 963 00:40:42,651 --> 00:40:43,485 He's an animal. 964 00:40:43,485 --> 00:40:47,322 ♪ 965 00:40:47,322 --> 00:40:51,159 ♪ 966 00:40:51,159 --> 00:40:54,746 KERRI-ANN: He was hoping, based off his confession... 967 00:40:54,746 --> 00:40:56,623 ♪ 968 00:40:56,623 --> 00:41:00,711 ...placing her in the ocean, that she would drift off. 969 00:41:00,711 --> 00:41:03,505 ♪ 970 00:41:04,131 --> 00:41:05,757 And she came back. 971 00:41:05,757 --> 00:41:09,511 ♪ You may think you're strong ♪ 972 00:41:09,511 --> 00:41:12,222 Body burned, naked. 973 00:41:12,222 --> 00:41:13,807 Her mom's Ugg boots. 974 00:41:14,892 --> 00:41:18,145 ♪ You won't know the truth ♪ 975 00:41:18,145 --> 00:41:20,314 ♪ Until the end ♪ 976 00:41:21,023 --> 00:41:24,359 ♪ Go ♪ 977 00:41:24,359 --> 00:41:28,572 ♪ 978 00:41:28,572 --> 00:41:29,781 NARRATOR: Ferdinand writes out 979 00:41:29,781 --> 00:41:31,700 his confession in longhand. 980 00:41:32,242 --> 00:41:35,871 Then he's arrested for the murder of Shaniesha Forbes. 981 00:41:35,871 --> 00:41:37,372 ♪ 982 00:41:37,748 --> 00:41:38,790 NEWSCASTER: Law enforcement sources say 983 00:41:38,790 --> 00:41:42,085 Ferdinand confessed to a brutal crime. 984 00:41:42,085 --> 00:41:43,086 - You feel grateful. 985 00:41:43,086 --> 00:41:46,465 You're just glad that someone is going to be held responsible 986 00:41:46,465 --> 00:41:48,967 for this horrible act. 987 00:41:48,967 --> 00:41:50,761 - Put him away for life. 988 00:41:51,929 --> 00:41:54,389 [voice breaking] That's-- That's what I think he deserves. 989 00:41:54,932 --> 00:41:58,602 He did it to my daughter, but he also did it to me. 990 00:41:58,602 --> 00:41:59,978 It's like you take a part of me. 991 00:41:59,978 --> 00:42:04,107 ♪ 992 00:42:04,107 --> 00:42:06,276 ♪ 993 00:42:06,276 --> 00:42:07,986 NARRATOR: Before he goes on trial, 994 00:42:08,529 --> 00:42:12,032 Ferdinand is housed in New York's Rikers Island jail. 995 00:42:12,032 --> 00:42:16,828 ♪ 996 00:42:16,828 --> 00:42:18,247 Authorities soon learn 997 00:42:19,581 --> 00:42:24,002 that Christian Ferdinand lied about one key detail in his confession. 998 00:42:24,002 --> 00:42:25,921 ♪ 999 00:42:25,921 --> 00:42:28,632 He did not completely act alone. 1000 00:42:28,632 --> 00:42:30,801 ♪ 1001 00:42:30,801 --> 00:42:32,636 [horn blowing] 1002 00:42:35,264 --> 00:42:37,432 DETECTIVE NORMILE: We became aware of a gentleman 1003 00:42:37,432 --> 00:42:39,810 that provided information from Rikers Island, 1004 00:42:41,144 --> 00:42:42,145 Christian's cell mate. 1005 00:42:42,688 --> 00:42:45,482 He told me that Christian and his friend Luis, 1006 00:42:45,482 --> 00:42:48,569 he called Luis, and Luis' family has a restaurant, 1007 00:42:48,569 --> 00:42:50,195 and they have a van for the restaurant. 1008 00:42:50,821 --> 00:42:53,240 And Luis helped them get rid of the body. 1009 00:42:53,240 --> 00:42:56,785 ♪ 1010 00:42:57,661 --> 00:42:59,413 We were able to identify Luis 1011 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:01,290 as Luis Manon. 1012 00:43:01,290 --> 00:43:04,001 ♪ 1013 00:43:04,626 --> 00:43:06,170 NARRATOR: Investigators bring in 1014 00:43:06,170 --> 00:43:08,297 the 23-year-old for questioning. 1015 00:43:09,923 --> 00:43:12,009 DETECTIVE NORMILE: Manon denied assisting the killer... 1016 00:43:12,009 --> 00:43:13,677 ♪ 1017 00:43:13,677 --> 00:43:15,637 ...but we told him the experts matched his fingerprints 1018 00:43:15,637 --> 00:43:17,514 to the garbage bags used to cover Forbes. 1019 00:43:17,514 --> 00:43:19,266 ♪ 1020 00:43:19,266 --> 00:43:21,935 Luis then informed us that, yes, 1021 00:43:21,935 --> 00:43:24,229 Christian asked if he could help him with the van, 1022 00:43:24,229 --> 00:43:27,858 and then Christian Ferdinand elaborated how he had killed someone. 1023 00:43:27,858 --> 00:43:30,819 ♪ 1024 00:43:30,819 --> 00:43:32,696 - They put her in a garbage bag first 1025 00:43:33,864 --> 00:43:36,450 and then they fold her up in the suitcase... 1026 00:43:36,450 --> 00:43:40,370 ♪ 1027 00:43:40,370 --> 00:43:41,955 ...and they bring her down the stairs. 1028 00:43:41,955 --> 00:43:43,290 ♪ 1029 00:43:43,290 --> 00:43:45,918 Luis, you are dragging her down steps. 1030 00:43:45,918 --> 00:43:47,586 ♪ 1031 00:43:47,586 --> 00:43:48,921 Every single step... 1032 00:43:48,921 --> 00:43:50,380 ♪ 1033 00:43:50,380 --> 00:43:51,256 ...you could have said... 1034 00:43:51,256 --> 00:43:52,633 ♪ 1035 00:43:52,633 --> 00:43:54,801 "...No, I will not help you do this." 1036 00:43:54,801 --> 00:44:00,432 ♪ 1037 00:44:00,432 --> 00:44:02,142 ♪ 1038 00:44:02,142 --> 00:44:04,228 NARRATOR: Manon then drove the van 1039 00:44:04,228 --> 00:44:05,437 to Gerritsen Beach... 1040 00:44:05,437 --> 00:44:09,274 ♪ 1041 00:44:09,274 --> 00:44:12,819 ♪ 1042 00:44:12,819 --> 00:44:14,821 ...where he and Ferdinand burned the body... 1043 00:44:15,322 --> 00:44:17,324 ♪ 1044 00:44:17,324 --> 00:44:18,992 ...and tossed it in the tide. 1045 00:44:19,868 --> 00:44:21,245 ♪ 1046 00:44:21,245 --> 00:44:22,871 KERRI-ANN: Let's be clear. 1047 00:44:22,871 --> 00:44:24,623 They are both monsters. 1048 00:44:24,623 --> 00:44:25,791 ♪ 1049 00:44:25,791 --> 00:44:28,168 You have one that committed the murder, 1050 00:44:29,002 --> 00:44:33,549 and then you had one that helped dispose of Shaniesha's body. 1051 00:44:33,549 --> 00:44:35,676 ♪ 1052 00:44:35,676 --> 00:44:37,886 That's, for us, that's killing her twice. 1053 00:44:37,886 --> 00:44:38,971 ♪ 1054 00:44:38,971 --> 00:44:40,597 He's a monster as well. 1055 00:44:40,597 --> 00:44:44,393 ♪ 1056 00:44:44,393 --> 00:44:48,272 ♪ 1057 00:44:48,272 --> 00:44:50,399 NARRATOR: Luis Manon makes a plea deal 1058 00:44:50,399 --> 00:44:52,150 in exchange for his testimony. 1059 00:44:52,150 --> 00:44:53,735 ♪ 1060 00:44:53,735 --> 00:44:56,071 In November of 2014, 1061 00:44:56,071 --> 00:44:58,824 nearly two years after Shaniesha's death, 1062 00:44:59,366 --> 00:45:01,577 Christian Ferdinand goes on trial. 1063 00:45:01,577 --> 00:45:03,996 - Ferdinand's attorney told the judge today 1064 00:45:03,996 --> 00:45:07,666 that he didn't do it, but again, prosecutors say he confessed. 1065 00:45:07,666 --> 00:45:08,750 ♪ 1066 00:45:08,750 --> 00:45:11,128 NARRATOR: It takes the jury only one hour 1067 00:45:11,128 --> 00:45:14,631 to find Ferdinand guilty of second-degree murder 1068 00:45:14,631 --> 00:45:16,216 and tampering with evidence. 1069 00:45:16,675 --> 00:45:19,970 He's sentenced to 29 years to life in prison 1070 00:45:19,970 --> 00:45:23,098 and will be eligible for parole in 2039. 1071 00:45:24,224 --> 00:45:28,228 - Christian Ferdinand deserved more time than what he got. 1072 00:45:28,228 --> 00:45:32,232 ♪ 1073 00:45:32,232 --> 00:45:36,737 - He should never be able to walk the streets ever again. 1074 00:45:36,737 --> 00:45:38,572 ♪ 1075 00:45:38,572 --> 00:45:41,241 NARRATOR: Because he testified against Ferdinand, 1076 00:45:41,241 --> 00:45:45,204 Luis Manon receives a sentence of three months. 1077 00:45:45,829 --> 00:45:47,247 KERRI-ANN: Three months? 1078 00:45:47,247 --> 00:45:48,498 That's insane. 1079 00:45:48,498 --> 00:45:50,083 That's insane. 1080 00:45:51,210 --> 00:45:52,503 That's summer school. 1081 00:45:52,503 --> 00:45:56,089 ♪ 1082 00:45:56,089 --> 00:45:57,633 NARRATOR: It's a hard pill to swallow 1083 00:45:57,633 --> 00:45:59,468 for family and friends. 1084 00:46:00,052 --> 00:46:03,639 But had it not been for Shaniesha's cell phone, 1085 00:46:03,639 --> 00:46:06,808 her murder may have never been solved. 1086 00:46:06,808 --> 00:46:12,731 ♪ 1087 00:46:12,731 --> 00:46:17,361 ♪ 1088 00:46:17,361 --> 00:46:21,031 ♪ 1089 00:46:21,031 --> 00:46:22,824 ♪ 1090 00:46:22,824 --> 00:46:24,493 KERRI-ANN: God works in mysterious ways. 1091 00:46:24,493 --> 00:46:27,120 ♪ 1092 00:46:27,120 --> 00:46:32,626 Shaniesha wanted that iPhone so badly, 1093 00:46:32,626 --> 00:46:34,962 and it was ultimately the thing 1094 00:46:34,962 --> 00:46:38,632 that allowed us to find out 1095 00:46:39,675 --> 00:46:42,094 how she... was murdered. 1096 00:46:42,094 --> 00:46:43,637 ♪ 1097 00:46:43,637 --> 00:46:45,639 NARRATOR: And it was what helped detectives 1098 00:46:45,639 --> 00:46:47,599 close a hard case. 1099 00:46:48,100 --> 00:46:49,518 ♪ 1100 00:46:49,518 --> 00:46:50,769 DETECTIVE NORMILE: Myself and Detective Sanchez 1101 00:46:51,228 --> 00:46:52,729 received an award for the work 1102 00:46:52,729 --> 00:46:54,898 we put into Shaniesha Forbes' investigation. 1103 00:46:54,898 --> 00:46:56,275 ♪ 1104 00:46:56,275 --> 00:46:57,985 [voice breaking] It gives your kids a chance to see, uh-- 1105 00:46:57,985 --> 00:47:00,362 ♪ 1106 00:47:00,362 --> 00:47:03,073 It lets them see why you weren't home all the time. 1107 00:47:03,073 --> 00:47:06,368 ♪ 1108 00:47:06,368 --> 00:47:08,203 ♪ 1109 00:47:08,203 --> 00:47:09,204 You gotta give me a minute. 1110 00:47:09,204 --> 00:47:14,793 ♪ 1111 00:47:14,793 --> 00:47:17,087 ♪ 1112 00:47:17,087 --> 00:47:18,463 You can't save the world. 1113 00:47:19,006 --> 00:47:21,633 But I did my best to keep my little part safe. 1114 00:47:21,633 --> 00:47:26,930 ♪ 1115 00:47:26,930 --> 00:47:29,600 ♪ 1116 00:47:29,600 --> 00:47:30,642 ♪ 1117 00:47:30,642 --> 00:47:34,104 ♪ Sing a song before the weary ♪ 1118 00:47:34,104 --> 00:47:37,191 SHAY: What I miss most is her personality. 1119 00:47:37,191 --> 00:47:38,901 She was really funny, 1120 00:47:39,776 --> 00:47:43,280 but she was also really sweet. 1121 00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:45,449 ♪ 1122 00:47:45,449 --> 00:47:48,744 KERRI-ANN: Shaniesha mattered, her body mattered, 1123 00:47:49,369 --> 00:47:51,580 she mattered to so many in the community. 1124 00:47:51,580 --> 00:47:57,127 ♪ So they never walk alone ♪ 1125 00:47:57,127 --> 00:48:01,131 SANDRA: I wanted to remember her as a good person. 1126 00:48:01,131 --> 00:48:04,343 A loving sister 1127 00:48:04,343 --> 00:48:07,930 and daughter and granddaughter. 1128 00:48:08,847 --> 00:48:11,058 I miss her beautiful smile. 1129 00:48:11,058 --> 00:48:12,643 ♪ 1130 00:48:12,643 --> 00:48:16,438 ♪ Sing a song for the helpless ♪ 1131 00:48:17,356 --> 00:48:19,107 ♪ So that they ♪ 1132 00:48:19,107 --> 00:48:23,654 ♪ May walk in the night ♪ 1133 00:48:23,654 --> 00:48:24,821 ♪ 1134 00:48:24,821 --> 00:48:28,325 ♪ I don't know where my head is lately ♪ 1135 00:48:28,325 --> 00:48:30,827 ♪ Have I lost my mind? ♪ 1136 00:48:30,827 --> 00:48:36,333 ♪ 1137 00:48:36,333 --> 00:48:38,544 ♪ 1138 00:48:38,544 --> 00:48:41,880 ♪ But I know that I have a secret ♪ 1139 00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:44,591 ♪ And it's only mine ♪ 1140 00:48:44,591 --> 00:48:48,387 ♪ 1141 00:48:48,387 --> 00:48:52,224 ♪ 1142 00:48:52,224 --> 00:48:55,644 ♪ And the only way to find me ♪ 1143 00:48:55,644 --> 00:48:59,648 ♪ Is to go beneath the lies ♪ 1144 00:48:59,648 --> 00:49:02,651 ♪