1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,503 ♪ 2 00:00:02,503 --> 00:00:03,754 [mobile keyboard clacking] 3 00:00:03,754 --> 00:00:04,838 NARRATOR: Sarah Butler, 4 00:00:06,590 --> 00:00:08,467 she's on fire! 5 00:00:10,969 --> 00:00:13,805 - She's the first member of her family to go to college. 6 00:00:14,389 --> 00:00:18,227 NARRATOR: An inspiration to anyone lucky enough to meet her. 7 00:00:20,687 --> 00:00:23,607 - Dancing and performing herself, became her community. 8 00:00:26,735 --> 00:00:28,779 NARRATOR: But when she turns up dead... 9 00:00:29,279 --> 00:00:32,156 REPORTER: The young woman disappeared right before Thanksgiving. 10 00:00:32,156 --> 00:00:35,577 Her body discovered on Thursday night in the Eagle Rock Reservation 11 00:00:35,577 --> 00:00:37,204 in West Orange, New Jersey. 12 00:00:38,413 --> 00:00:42,543 NARRATOR: ...a trail of digital breadcrumbs left by multiple women 13 00:00:44,461 --> 00:00:47,756 suggests this case is much bigger 14 00:00:47,756 --> 00:00:50,259 than just Sarah Butler. 15 00:00:51,844 --> 00:00:54,847 WOMAN: One of our friends had his telephone number. 16 00:00:54,847 --> 00:00:56,056 This is his telephone number. 17 00:00:56,056 --> 00:00:56,807 [phone vibrating] 18 00:00:56,807 --> 00:00:59,434 NARRATOR: This is the story of a hero... 19 00:00:59,434 --> 00:01:01,812 - A fourth woman, we're told, managed to escape 20 00:01:01,812 --> 00:01:04,523 after allegedly being attacked by that suspect as well. 21 00:01:06,441 --> 00:01:11,280 NARRATOR: ...who uncovers a horrific threat stalking the streets of North Jersey. 22 00:01:12,072 --> 00:01:13,156 - I know he just raped me. 23 00:01:14,157 --> 00:01:16,410 I know he has handcuffs. I know he had duct tape. 24 00:01:19,997 --> 00:01:21,748 Now, what's the next thing? 25 00:01:23,166 --> 00:01:24,626 This guy wanna kill me. 26 00:01:27,421 --> 00:01:29,548 ♪ eerie music playing ♪ 27 00:01:29,548 --> 00:01:31,925 MAN 1: She solved her own murder from beyond the grave. 28 00:01:31,925 --> 00:01:35,762 MAN 2: The fitness app on the phone, it was overwhelming evidence. 29 00:01:35,762 --> 00:01:41,768 ♪ I've been haunted by the visions that I've seen with my own eyes ♪ 30 00:01:41,768 --> 00:01:44,771 ♪ And the only way to find you ♪ 31 00:01:44,771 --> 00:01:48,859 ♪ Is to open up the lies ♪ 32 00:01:50,986 --> 00:01:53,363 MAN 3: She did help catch this killer. 33 00:01:57,034 --> 00:01:59,912 NARRATOR: In the shadow of the Manhattan skyline 34 00:02:01,580 --> 00:02:03,290 is Newark, New Jersey. 35 00:02:05,250 --> 00:02:08,462 ♪ 36 00:02:09,546 --> 00:02:13,133 It's here, on November 22nd, 2016, 37 00:02:14,218 --> 00:02:18,180 that the disappearance of 19-year-old Sarah Butler 38 00:02:18,180 --> 00:02:22,434 sparks the fear that something isn't right in northern New Jersey. 39 00:02:29,733 --> 00:02:32,027 MAN: Maag interview, take one. 40 00:02:32,861 --> 00:02:34,571 CHRISTOPHER MAAG: I'm Christopher Maag. 41 00:02:34,571 --> 00:02:38,242 I'm a columnist for The Record newspaper in New Jersey and USA TODAY. 42 00:02:40,702 --> 00:02:43,997 Sarah Butler is a 19-year-old college student. 43 00:02:43,997 --> 00:02:46,917 She grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. 44 00:02:50,838 --> 00:02:53,757 But she went away to college, 45 00:02:53,757 --> 00:02:57,261 not very far, at New Jersey City University. 46 00:02:57,261 --> 00:02:59,054 It was only... 10 miles. 47 00:03:01,014 --> 00:03:05,435 NARRATOR: Like most kids her age, Sarah does everything online. 48 00:03:05,435 --> 00:03:07,938 So she joins a dating app called Tagged. 49 00:03:07,938 --> 00:03:09,940 ♪ 50 00:03:11,233 --> 00:03:13,277 On November 22nd, 51 00:03:13,277 --> 00:03:16,446 while back home for Thanksgiving break, she makes a connection. 52 00:03:19,491 --> 00:03:23,871 Excited, she takes her mom's minivan to go on a date. 53 00:03:26,373 --> 00:03:28,876 - She's expected home with the van 54 00:03:30,002 --> 00:03:31,920 at 08:00 p.m. that evening. 55 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:36,466 By 08:05 p.m. that night, on November 22nd, 56 00:03:36,466 --> 00:03:38,343 Sarah's mother is worried. 57 00:03:38,343 --> 00:03:39,469 Sarah's very punctual. 58 00:03:39,469 --> 00:03:41,680 This is not like her to not show up. 59 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,308 [clock ticking] 60 00:03:44,308 --> 00:03:46,310 Especially since Sarah is driving her mother's car. 61 00:03:47,728 --> 00:03:52,024 NARRATOR: Sarah's sisters and parents text and call... 62 00:03:53,066 --> 00:03:54,693 [line ringing] 63 00:03:54,693 --> 00:03:56,403 ...but they get nothing back. 64 00:03:58,488 --> 00:04:01,325 ♪ uneasy music playing ♪ 65 00:04:01,325 --> 00:04:02,534 CHRISTOPHER: That next morning, 66 00:04:02,534 --> 00:04:05,078 uh, Sarah's mother goes to Montclair Police 67 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:06,955 and reports her daughter missing. 68 00:04:07,956 --> 00:04:09,917 NARRATOR: The police hear Sarah's mother out, 69 00:04:09,917 --> 00:04:13,253 but in their eyes, there isn't a lot to be done. 70 00:04:14,213 --> 00:04:16,840 CHRISTOPHER: Montclair police don't have any evidence of a crime. 71 00:04:17,716 --> 00:04:19,760 Sarah Butler is barely an adult, 72 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:21,011 but she is 19, 73 00:04:21,011 --> 00:04:23,263 and all they know is that she's missing. 74 00:04:23,263 --> 00:04:25,974 NARRATOR: But that's not good enough for the Butler family. 75 00:04:27,059 --> 00:04:28,477 Sarah doesn't disappear, 76 00:04:29,311 --> 00:04:32,356 it's not who she is or how she was raised. 77 00:04:33,815 --> 00:04:36,818 ♪ 78 00:04:38,070 --> 00:04:41,156 - Sarah Butler grew up not poor, exactly, 79 00:04:41,156 --> 00:04:43,784 but not as affluent as most people think of as Montclair. 80 00:04:49,248 --> 00:04:50,832 She was really into dance. 81 00:04:50,832 --> 00:04:53,877 There was a dance school around the corner from her home. 82 00:04:53,877 --> 00:04:57,297 Dancing and performing herself became her community. 83 00:04:57,297 --> 00:05:01,009 She's the first member of her family to go to college 84 00:05:01,009 --> 00:05:02,636 and she struggles. 85 00:05:02,636 --> 00:05:04,888 She doesn't meet a whole lot of friends in college. 86 00:05:04,888 --> 00:05:06,765 She's also having some money trouble. 87 00:05:06,765 --> 00:05:09,059 And just paying for college is a struggle for her and her family. 88 00:05:11,019 --> 00:05:12,271 NARRATOR: But Sarah sticks it out. 89 00:05:12,980 --> 00:05:14,815 College is important to the Butlers. 90 00:05:15,858 --> 00:05:19,236 Even if school's a struggle, the future is bright. 91 00:05:19,236 --> 00:05:23,574 So there's no good reason for Sarah Butler to go missing. 92 00:05:23,574 --> 00:05:25,409 [indistinct radio chatter] 93 00:05:25,409 --> 00:05:28,996 Sarah's friends and family start investigating on their own, 94 00:05:29,746 --> 00:05:31,540 and they find nothing... 95 00:05:34,251 --> 00:05:37,379 until three days after her disappearance. 96 00:05:39,256 --> 00:05:45,053 CHRISTOPHER: November 25th, a friend of Sarah's sister spots the family's minivan. 97 00:05:50,767 --> 00:05:55,105 [siren wailing] [indistinct radio chatter] 98 00:05:55,105 --> 00:05:58,859 Sarah' sister and some friends arrive 99 00:06:00,194 --> 00:06:01,570 after the police are already there. 100 00:06:03,113 --> 00:06:05,240 And police are searching the van. 101 00:06:08,368 --> 00:06:13,040 Sarah's sister and friends notice the same red hair that Sarah was wearing 102 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:14,333 the night that she went out. 103 00:06:15,501 --> 00:06:17,961 That's a very important piece of evidence. 104 00:06:25,719 --> 00:06:30,599 So the parking lot where the van was found is searched by police and a cadaver dog. 105 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:32,601 They don't find anything. 106 00:06:36,855 --> 00:06:40,234 NARRATOR: The abandoned van and hair proved to police 107 00:06:40,234 --> 00:06:42,653 that something likely did happen to Sarah. 108 00:06:44,196 --> 00:06:46,782 As law enforcement dust the car for fingerprints 109 00:06:46,782 --> 00:06:50,160 and scours what they now believe is a crime scene, 110 00:06:51,411 --> 00:06:54,373 one of Sarah's sisters has an idea. 111 00:06:54,373 --> 00:06:57,292 CHRISTOPHER: Sarah's sister and friends know all of her passwords 112 00:06:57,292 --> 00:06:58,836 to all of her accounts. 113 00:06:58,836 --> 00:07:02,089 So they get into her Facebook, they get into Tagged 114 00:07:02,089 --> 00:07:04,633 and begin to look for clues. 115 00:07:06,009 --> 00:07:10,013 NARRATOR: It doesn't take long for them to find a suspect of their own: 116 00:07:10,013 --> 00:07:14,560 a man Sarah went to meet on the day she went missing. 117 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,520 CHRISTOPHER: A man reaches out to her there, 118 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:18,313 his username is LilYachtRock. 119 00:07:20,816 --> 00:07:24,111 After a very short preliminary hello, 120 00:07:24,111 --> 00:07:25,445 LilYachtRock writes, 121 00:07:26,446 --> 00:07:27,865 "Sex for money?" 122 00:07:27,865 --> 00:07:31,618 And Sarah Butler is taken aback. She says, "Wow." 123 00:07:33,579 --> 00:07:36,248 Then she says, "How much money?" 124 00:07:36,248 --> 00:07:38,667 And they negotiate a little, 125 00:07:38,667 --> 00:07:41,128 and a price is agreed upon. $500. 126 00:07:41,128 --> 00:07:44,882 And she says, "You're not a serial killer, right? lmao." 127 00:07:49,094 --> 00:07:50,345 NARRATOR: Sarah is cautious, 128 00:07:51,388 --> 00:07:53,307 but college is expensive 129 00:07:53,307 --> 00:07:54,766 and she needs the cash. 130 00:07:56,059 --> 00:07:58,270 So she gives LilYachtRock her number 131 00:07:58,270 --> 00:07:59,688 and agrees to meet up. 132 00:07:59,688 --> 00:08:03,775 ♪ 133 00:08:05,277 --> 00:08:07,738 CHRISTOPHER: Three days later, on November 23rd, 134 00:08:07,738 --> 00:08:10,741 ♪ 135 00:08:11,783 --> 00:08:17,789 LilYachtRock instructs her to pick him up at a gigantic house in Orange, New Jersey. 136 00:08:20,083 --> 00:08:21,084 NARRATOR: And that's it. 137 00:08:22,211 --> 00:08:26,131 After that, all of Sarah's communication stops. 138 00:08:26,131 --> 00:08:28,383 This guy must know something. 139 00:08:29,384 --> 00:08:31,845 So Sarah's sister and friends make a plan. 140 00:08:33,305 --> 00:08:36,099 They're gonna catfish LilYachtRock. 141 00:08:36,099 --> 00:08:38,685 ♪ dramatic music playing ♪ 142 00:08:38,685 --> 00:08:43,232 CHRISTOPHER: They decide to make a fake profile on Tagged for a woman. 143 00:08:45,651 --> 00:08:49,238 They know that LilYachtRock is offering a fair deal of money to meet, 144 00:08:49,238 --> 00:08:52,366 so they're trying to create this character 145 00:08:53,909 --> 00:08:56,662 that fits the type of person he's looking for. 146 00:08:58,664 --> 00:09:00,082 NARRATOR: The trap is set. 147 00:09:01,333 --> 00:09:04,837 So the women go to law enforcement to share what they found 148 00:09:06,129 --> 00:09:07,422 and what they've done. 149 00:09:08,465 --> 00:09:12,553 CHRISTOPHER: The women are inside Montclair Police headquarters... 150 00:09:12,553 --> 00:09:15,013 [phone chimes] ...when they first get his response. 151 00:09:16,431 --> 00:09:17,516 They freak out. 152 00:09:19,476 --> 00:09:20,811 This is crazy. 153 00:09:21,770 --> 00:09:24,481 This is the guy that Sarah Butler went on a date with 154 00:09:24,481 --> 00:09:25,858 the last time she was seen. 155 00:09:25,858 --> 00:09:27,526 And he's right there. 156 00:09:27,526 --> 00:09:28,902 He says, "Sex for money? 157 00:09:29,903 --> 00:09:30,904 Wanna meet?" 158 00:09:32,906 --> 00:09:35,075 NARRATOR: The detectives love the hustle. 159 00:09:35,075 --> 00:09:38,328 Now everyone works together on a response. 160 00:09:38,328 --> 00:09:41,999 - He is using the same aggressive approach 161 00:09:41,999 --> 00:09:43,292 that he used with Sarah Butler. 162 00:09:43,292 --> 00:09:44,918 "Let's meet quickly. Let's meet now." 163 00:09:50,841 --> 00:09:53,010 They agree to meet him at a local Panera Bread... 164 00:09:54,219 --> 00:09:58,015 [indistinct radio chatter] 165 00:09:58,015 --> 00:10:00,434 ...but two Montclair police officers go instead... 166 00:10:02,603 --> 00:10:04,730 [indistinct radio chatter] 167 00:10:04,730 --> 00:10:06,773 ...and they do, in fact, meet LilYachtRock. 168 00:10:08,442 --> 00:10:10,611 [indistinct radio chatter] 169 00:10:10,611 --> 00:10:14,239 NARRATOR: LilYachtRock is a 19-year-old New Jersey native. 170 00:10:14,823 --> 00:10:15,866 Good looking. 171 00:10:15,866 --> 00:10:16,867 Charming. 172 00:10:16,867 --> 00:10:17,784 Smooth. 173 00:10:18,535 --> 00:10:21,788 - Montclair Police ask, "Can we look inside your car? 174 00:10:21,788 --> 00:10:22,915 Can we look inside your trunk?" 175 00:10:22,915 --> 00:10:23,916 He says, "Sure." 176 00:10:24,958 --> 00:10:27,961 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 177 00:10:32,424 --> 00:10:36,261 And they don't see anything suspicious. 178 00:10:36,261 --> 00:10:40,891 The police officers ask him to go to the police headquarters with them. 179 00:10:42,309 --> 00:10:44,311 [indistinct radio chatter] 180 00:10:45,312 --> 00:10:48,440 ♪ 181 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,360 And the officers ask some questions. 182 00:10:55,113 --> 00:10:58,325 ♪ suspenseful music playing ♪ 183 00:10:58,325 --> 00:11:01,328 NARRATOR: He admits to meeting Sarah on the night in question, 184 00:11:03,914 --> 00:11:06,750 but says she dropped him off and he never saw her again. 185 00:11:08,460 --> 00:11:10,963 CHRISTOPHER: They've got a person who seems eager to help. 186 00:11:10,963 --> 00:11:12,756 He's not acting suspicious. 187 00:11:12,756 --> 00:11:15,425 He doesn't seem defensive in any way. 188 00:11:18,095 --> 00:11:19,096 So they let him go. 189 00:11:22,474 --> 00:11:24,101 NARRATOR: It's back to square one. 190 00:11:25,352 --> 00:11:27,187 A 19-year-old woman is missing, 191 00:11:28,355 --> 00:11:30,858 and the Montclair police are out of suspects. 192 00:11:32,192 --> 00:11:36,280 But one week earlier, in Elizabeth, New Jersey... 193 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:40,784 ♪ 194 00:11:40,784 --> 00:11:43,871 [siren wailing] 195 00:11:43,871 --> 00:11:45,163 OFFICER: 196 00:11:49,585 --> 00:11:51,545 NARRATOR: Without even knowing it, 197 00:11:51,545 --> 00:11:53,589 police have already met a victim 198 00:11:53,589 --> 00:11:57,259 of the man responsible for Sarah's disappearance 199 00:11:57,259 --> 00:12:01,722 while investigating a brutal attack that happened just 13 miles away. 200 00:12:03,891 --> 00:12:05,517 MAN: Taylor interview, take one. 201 00:12:06,935 --> 00:12:08,854 TIFFANY TAYLOR: My name is Tiffany Taylor. 202 00:12:09,479 --> 00:12:12,107 ♪ unsettling music playing ♪ 203 00:12:13,567 --> 00:12:18,655 November 15, 2016, all I remember is waking up, 204 00:12:19,781 --> 00:12:21,825 in the back seat of a car, 205 00:12:21,825 --> 00:12:23,619 to him raping me. 206 00:12:25,204 --> 00:12:30,042 NARRATOR: What Tiffany experiences is so horrifying and so brutal, 207 00:12:30,042 --> 00:12:33,045 it will not only change her life forever, 208 00:12:34,004 --> 00:12:38,217 it will also shine a light on the case of Sarah Butler. 209 00:12:46,099 --> 00:12:49,728 ♪ 210 00:12:50,479 --> 00:12:56,485 ♪ Sea of fire ♪ 211 00:12:58,362 --> 00:13:00,739 NARRATOR: Seven days before Sarah Butler disappeared, 212 00:13:02,157 --> 00:13:06,870 33-year-old Tiffany Taylor's connection to this story begins. 213 00:13:06,870 --> 00:13:10,666 And the similarities to Sarah's disappearance are chilling. 214 00:13:14,086 --> 00:13:17,589 - So on November 15th, 2016, 215 00:13:17,589 --> 00:13:19,925 Tiffany Taylor is staying at the Ritz Motel 216 00:13:19,925 --> 00:13:21,134 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. 217 00:13:22,344 --> 00:13:28,308 ♪ Burning still ♪ 218 00:13:28,308 --> 00:13:32,104 TIFFANY: I had got pregnant with my second child. 219 00:13:36,149 --> 00:13:38,694 I had got kicked out of my apartment. 220 00:13:38,694 --> 00:13:42,489 I really didn't have anybody to turn to. 221 00:13:43,699 --> 00:13:46,368 So I needed money bad around that time 222 00:13:46,368 --> 00:13:50,289 because I had to pay for this room I had to keep up with 223 00:13:51,039 --> 00:13:52,666 to keep a roof over my head. 224 00:13:52,666 --> 00:13:57,379 I was meeting people and taking their money 225 00:13:57,379 --> 00:13:59,339 and doing whatever came to mind. 226 00:14:00,048 --> 00:14:01,925 Whatever came to my-- my mind. 227 00:14:05,596 --> 00:14:09,516 AUTOMATED VOICE: 500 feet slight right toward New Jersey for 39 West. 228 00:14:09,516 --> 00:14:11,810 - This area is just like-- 229 00:14:11,810 --> 00:14:13,979 It just bring a lot of memories back. 230 00:14:18,233 --> 00:14:20,110 I'm having flashbacks in my head. 231 00:14:20,110 --> 00:14:22,112 [sirens wailing] 232 00:14:24,823 --> 00:14:30,704 My friend, she was telling me that one of her friends had needed a ride. 233 00:14:31,830 --> 00:14:36,001 If I would give him a ride, he would give me some gas money. 234 00:14:36,877 --> 00:14:39,171 She gave me his phone number. 235 00:14:39,171 --> 00:14:41,548 I started texting him. 236 00:14:41,548 --> 00:14:44,218 I text him the address to where I was. 237 00:14:45,469 --> 00:14:46,637 He came. 238 00:14:50,891 --> 00:14:52,434 I remember, um... 239 00:14:53,352 --> 00:14:55,062 he was standing right there. 240 00:14:57,856 --> 00:15:01,735 I got in the car and he followed and got in the passenger side. 241 00:15:03,362 --> 00:15:05,572 And that's when I pulled off. 242 00:15:05,572 --> 00:15:08,784 He was a tall guy, kinda slim, 243 00:15:10,911 --> 00:15:13,872 and he had on like a ski mask 244 00:15:16,124 --> 00:15:17,960 that fully covered his face. 245 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:20,754 And... he had on gloves. 246 00:15:20,754 --> 00:15:22,798 I didn't think it was strange 247 00:15:22,798 --> 00:15:27,803 because everybody in Newark and Jersey City area, 248 00:15:28,470 --> 00:15:31,807 all the guys, they wear ski masks and gloves 249 00:15:31,807 --> 00:15:33,642 when it starts getting cold. 250 00:15:37,187 --> 00:15:39,773 What I did was I turned down this way 251 00:15:40,941 --> 00:15:42,985 'cause he said he had to use the bathroom. 252 00:15:44,695 --> 00:15:48,490 And I pulled over right here. 253 00:15:48,490 --> 00:15:51,326 I remember him asking me for a cigarette. 254 00:15:51,326 --> 00:15:53,328 He was really quiet. 255 00:15:53,328 --> 00:15:55,330 I parked the car. 256 00:15:55,330 --> 00:15:56,999 I gave him a cigarette. 257 00:15:56,999 --> 00:15:59,960 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 258 00:16:03,213 --> 00:16:07,843 And everything just went kinda black at that point. 259 00:16:11,722 --> 00:16:15,350 All I remember is waking up in the backseat of the car 260 00:16:16,518 --> 00:16:18,687 to him raping me 261 00:16:18,687 --> 00:16:20,856 and choking me out at the same time. 262 00:16:22,399 --> 00:16:26,987 I remember turning around and trying to scratch him in the face. 263 00:16:28,989 --> 00:16:31,408 And he then handcuffed me, 264 00:16:31,408 --> 00:16:32,910 my arms behind my back. 265 00:16:35,621 --> 00:16:38,457 Then I saw him reach and grab again. 266 00:16:38,457 --> 00:16:40,751 And this time, he was grabbing duct tape. 267 00:16:42,252 --> 00:16:44,463 That's when I said to myself, 268 00:16:44,463 --> 00:16:48,091 "Wow, this is not just stopping at rape. 269 00:16:49,384 --> 00:16:51,178 This guy wanna kill me." 270 00:16:53,722 --> 00:16:54,723 NARRATOR: Raped. 271 00:16:56,934 --> 00:16:58,143 Strangled. 272 00:17:00,729 --> 00:17:01,730 But alive. 273 00:17:02,481 --> 00:17:04,983 And Tiffany has a lot to live for. 274 00:17:06,735 --> 00:17:11,114 - At that point, it was like prey trying to get away 275 00:17:11,114 --> 00:17:14,201 from an animal trying to eat them. 276 00:17:14,201 --> 00:17:15,827 I had to get outta that situation. 277 00:17:15,827 --> 00:17:18,789 I was pregnant, and I really wanted my baby. 278 00:17:18,789 --> 00:17:21,792 ♪ 279 00:17:23,627 --> 00:17:25,379 I was gonna put up a fight 280 00:17:25,379 --> 00:17:26,380 to the end. 281 00:17:28,215 --> 00:17:30,634 If he was gonna kill me, he had to die too. 282 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:36,557 I was not-- I wasn't beat. 283 00:17:41,186 --> 00:17:42,187 Nope. 284 00:17:45,816 --> 00:17:49,278 With me crying and all that, the duct tape started lifting 285 00:17:49,278 --> 00:17:52,155 so I was able to speak more clearly. 286 00:17:52,155 --> 00:17:56,159 And I told him, "You know, I left my phone in a room 287 00:17:56,159 --> 00:17:59,746 "with all the texts going back and forth. 288 00:17:59,746 --> 00:18:01,790 Everything is on that phone." 289 00:18:01,790 --> 00:18:06,628 I said, "When the police find my phone, 290 00:18:06,628 --> 00:18:10,549 they're gonna pick up on it quick and they're gonna find you." 291 00:18:12,843 --> 00:18:14,303 So he started panicking, 292 00:18:14,303 --> 00:18:18,932 like, "Oh, no. Oh, no. I really need you to get that phone. 293 00:18:18,932 --> 00:18:20,851 I really need you to get that phone." 294 00:18:24,688 --> 00:18:28,567 The ride from where the rape happened 295 00:18:28,567 --> 00:18:31,445 and going back to the Ritz, 296 00:18:31,445 --> 00:18:35,115 it seemed like it took an hour. 297 00:18:35,115 --> 00:18:37,326 And it's, literally, right there. 298 00:18:40,287 --> 00:18:44,583 He got me out of the car and pulled my pants and stuff back up. 299 00:18:47,753 --> 00:18:50,839 I went up the stairs and he followed behind me. 300 00:18:52,466 --> 00:18:54,801 And I opened the door really fast. 301 00:18:54,801 --> 00:18:56,553 I darted in the room, 302 00:18:56,553 --> 00:18:58,889 and I slammed the door on him. 303 00:19:01,725 --> 00:19:06,313 I just remember him screaming, "Come back out, come back out. You lied!" 304 00:19:06,313 --> 00:19:08,440 And then I opened up the curtain, 305 00:19:12,486 --> 00:19:15,072 and I showed him that I was out of one cuff. 306 00:19:15,072 --> 00:19:16,490 I'm really flexible. 307 00:19:16,490 --> 00:19:19,451 So, like, it's really easy for me to get out of cuffs. 308 00:19:20,911 --> 00:19:22,287 And I kinda gave him that look, 309 00:19:22,287 --> 00:19:24,623 like, "Do you really think I'm coming back out. Look." 310 00:19:25,874 --> 00:19:27,251 And he ran off. 311 00:19:28,961 --> 00:19:31,964 ♪ 312 00:19:34,007 --> 00:19:36,677 - Officers with the Elizabeth Police show up. 313 00:19:36,677 --> 00:19:38,637 [sirens wailing] 314 00:20:12,921 --> 00:20:16,842 NARRATOR: Tiffany tells the officers that she knows this guy. 315 00:20:16,842 --> 00:20:18,927 She met him through a friend. 316 00:20:18,927 --> 00:20:23,599 She gives police his name, address, email, Facebook. 317 00:20:24,808 --> 00:20:27,895 She knows practically everything about him. 318 00:20:27,895 --> 00:20:30,230 But they're only focused on one thing. 319 00:20:31,565 --> 00:20:33,275 CHRISTOPHER: They accuse her of prostitution. 320 00:20:33,275 --> 00:20:35,903 They threaten her with arrest. 321 00:20:37,112 --> 00:20:40,782 And because they're hostile, she knows that they don't believe her. 322 00:20:43,702 --> 00:20:45,579 - I made it so easy for them. 323 00:20:47,539 --> 00:20:51,376 They let this guy just walk away. 324 00:20:51,376 --> 00:20:53,921 They let him just walk away, literally. 325 00:20:56,089 --> 00:20:57,758 Nobody believes me. 326 00:20:59,468 --> 00:21:01,011 CHRISTOPHER: As far as we could find, 327 00:21:01,678 --> 00:21:03,514 no evidence was introduced to suggest 328 00:21:03,514 --> 00:21:07,768 that the Elizabeth Police Department attempted to investigate 329 00:21:07,768 --> 00:21:09,353 the assault against Tiffany Taylor. 330 00:21:11,063 --> 00:21:13,732 NARRATOR: And without filing a report of any kind, 331 00:21:15,234 --> 00:21:18,195 her attacker walks free. 332 00:21:18,195 --> 00:21:22,324 - Seven days after Tiffany Taylor was raped and attacked 333 00:21:22,324 --> 00:21:23,492 and very nearly killed, 334 00:21:24,243 --> 00:21:25,577 Sarah Butler goes missing. 335 00:21:26,495 --> 00:21:28,288 NARRATOR: Sarah is missing. 336 00:21:28,288 --> 00:21:30,707 Tiffany is savagely attacked. 337 00:21:31,291 --> 00:21:33,710 But investigators would eventually find 338 00:21:33,710 --> 00:21:37,381 that they're not the only women trapped in this story. 339 00:21:39,091 --> 00:21:39,883 No. 340 00:21:40,425 --> 00:21:41,510 Far from it. 341 00:21:48,225 --> 00:21:53,647 ♪ I'm standing helpless by my window tonight ♪ 342 00:21:54,314 --> 00:21:59,570 ♪ Stars are shining but I can't feel the light... ♪ 343 00:22:00,279 --> 00:22:02,573 NARRATOR: Near the end of 2016, 344 00:22:02,573 --> 00:22:05,492 a chilling pattern emerges in northeast Jersey. 345 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:08,620 But no one sees it yet. 346 00:22:09,997 --> 00:22:13,292 Sarah Butler goes missing on November 22nd. 347 00:22:14,251 --> 00:22:15,377 November 15th, 348 00:22:16,295 --> 00:22:19,548 Tiffany Taylor survives an unspeakable attack. 349 00:22:20,883 --> 00:22:24,970 ♪ But you all know the truth... ♪ 350 00:22:24,970 --> 00:22:26,638 NARRATOR: But the further you look back, 351 00:22:27,556 --> 00:22:28,599 the worse it gets. 352 00:22:30,225 --> 00:22:35,898 ♪ I'm gone ♪ 353 00:22:35,898 --> 00:22:40,777 ♪ 354 00:22:40,777 --> 00:22:45,532 NARRATOR: October 22nd, South Newark, New Jersey. 355 00:22:45,532 --> 00:22:47,743 - On October 22nd, 2016, 356 00:22:48,577 --> 00:22:51,872 33-year-old Joanne Brown, known as London, 357 00:22:51,872 --> 00:22:54,791 was outside a Popeyes restaurant in Newark... 358 00:22:56,543 --> 00:22:58,670 WOMAN: Welcome to Popeyes. May I take your order? 359 00:23:00,297 --> 00:23:03,258 - ...when a man arrived at about 01:00 p.m. 360 00:23:05,093 --> 00:23:07,930 NARRATOR: And Joanne Brown caught that man's eye. 361 00:23:10,682 --> 00:23:14,811 A memory that still haunts her friends to this day. 362 00:23:14,811 --> 00:23:16,939 MAN: A, B common mark. 363 00:23:19,608 --> 00:23:22,069 ASHLEY BATTLE: How you doing? My name is Ashley Battle. 364 00:23:22,069 --> 00:23:23,237 Me and Joanne, 365 00:23:24,154 --> 00:23:26,365 we will forever be family. 366 00:23:27,533 --> 00:23:29,535 She always just had a heart of gold. 367 00:23:29,535 --> 00:23:31,662 And she had us, Nesha and me. 368 00:23:33,205 --> 00:23:35,290 FARNESHA HILL: My first name is Farnesha. 369 00:23:35,290 --> 00:23:37,251 I met Joanne Brown 370 00:23:37,251 --> 00:23:42,714 in maybe, um, 2010, 2011. 371 00:23:42,714 --> 00:23:44,800 She also went by London. 372 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,470 She was very pretty, pretty hair, very humble, 373 00:23:49,137 --> 00:23:50,848 bubbly personality. 374 00:23:51,890 --> 00:23:53,892 ASHLEY: This is my favorite photo of her, 375 00:23:53,892 --> 00:23:56,979 'cause she's just so vibrant, so happy. 376 00:23:56,979 --> 00:23:59,273 You see the beautiful smile on her. 377 00:23:59,273 --> 00:24:01,149 You see the character on her face. 378 00:24:03,527 --> 00:24:06,321 Living with her foster family, she got molested a lot 379 00:24:06,321 --> 00:24:10,868 by her foster brothers, foster cousins, foster uncles, aunts. 380 00:24:10,868 --> 00:24:13,245 She was literally hurt her whole, entire life. 381 00:24:14,496 --> 00:24:16,790 ♪ 382 00:24:18,417 --> 00:24:21,211 FARNESHA: She just wanted love and family, 383 00:24:21,211 --> 00:24:25,090 that was all she was looking for, I believe, for a long time. 384 00:24:25,090 --> 00:24:27,801 ♪ Damn, this is a good life ♪ 385 00:24:27,801 --> 00:24:30,012 ♪ I wish I could've froze it then... ♪ 386 00:24:30,762 --> 00:24:33,098 ASHLEY: Her biggest dream was to be a model and a mother. 387 00:24:34,349 --> 00:24:35,642 Any time you see her, 388 00:24:35,642 --> 00:24:37,394 you'd have thought she was walking down a runway. 389 00:24:39,813 --> 00:24:42,232 She's just trying to make money to survive. 390 00:24:42,232 --> 00:24:44,484 Some people don't have other options. 391 00:24:46,028 --> 00:24:50,240 NARRATOR: So on Saturday afternoon, October 22nd, 392 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:55,204 when a good-looking, smooth guy in a BMW rolls up looking for a date, 393 00:24:58,415 --> 00:25:00,459 Joanne is game. 394 00:25:00,459 --> 00:25:03,253 ♪ 395 00:25:03,253 --> 00:25:05,422 But when she gets into this guy's car, 396 00:25:07,007 --> 00:25:10,052 one of the women in the group asks to use Joanne's phone 397 00:25:10,052 --> 00:25:11,386 to make an urgent call. 398 00:25:13,889 --> 00:25:15,224 - So Joanne handed off her phone 399 00:25:16,391 --> 00:25:19,353 and didn't have it as they drove. 400 00:25:19,353 --> 00:25:21,939 NARRATOR: Joanne departs with the client. 401 00:25:24,233 --> 00:25:26,109 But just a few minutes later, 402 00:25:27,361 --> 00:25:29,821 probably realizing she doesn't have her cell, 403 00:25:31,615 --> 00:25:33,659 Joanne borrows his phone. 404 00:25:37,871 --> 00:25:39,414 She calls her friend Amina, 405 00:25:43,168 --> 00:25:45,087 and tells her she's safe. 406 00:25:47,756 --> 00:25:51,260 Two and a half hours later, Amina gets another call... 407 00:25:51,260 --> 00:25:52,469 [phone ringing] 408 00:25:52,970 --> 00:25:56,723 ...from the same number Joanne called from earlier that afternoon. 409 00:25:57,975 --> 00:25:59,184 - Amina picks up 410 00:26:00,269 --> 00:26:01,270 and says... 411 00:26:01,270 --> 00:26:02,771 AMINA: Hello? 412 00:26:02,771 --> 00:26:05,190 - And there's silence on the other end of the line. 413 00:26:07,317 --> 00:26:08,318 AMINA: Hello? 414 00:26:10,529 --> 00:26:13,407 - And then the call ends. 415 00:26:14,658 --> 00:26:16,743 NARRATOR: Amina doesn't get it. 416 00:26:16,743 --> 00:26:19,705 Is Joanne calling her? Is she okay? 417 00:26:20,706 --> 00:26:23,667 If she's safe, why doesn't she say something? 418 00:26:24,751 --> 00:26:25,752 Anything? 419 00:26:27,546 --> 00:26:31,049 - Amina called several times after that, and no one picked up. 420 00:26:33,051 --> 00:26:36,263 NARRATOR: When Joanne doesn't reappear later that evening, 421 00:26:36,263 --> 00:26:40,601 Amina recognizes the importance of having this guy's cell phone number. 422 00:26:41,185 --> 00:26:46,440 - The next day, Amina went to Newark Police to report Joanne missing. 423 00:26:47,691 --> 00:26:50,694 NARRATOR: But law enforcement doesn't take immediate action. 424 00:26:51,612 --> 00:26:53,447 Coincidentally... 425 00:26:53,447 --> 00:26:56,241 [siren wailing] 426 00:26:56,241 --> 00:26:57,826 ...it's the same number 427 00:26:57,826 --> 00:27:02,831 that Tiffany Taylor tries to give police 24 days later. 428 00:27:02,831 --> 00:27:03,832 OFFICER: And he just ran away? 429 00:27:03,832 --> 00:27:04,833 TIFFANY: He ran away. 430 00:27:07,127 --> 00:27:08,295 FARNESHA: We went to the precinct, 431 00:27:08,295 --> 00:27:10,547 I'm like, um, "I wanna report a missing person." 432 00:27:13,967 --> 00:27:16,595 The first thing they said, "Well, was she a streetwalker?" 433 00:27:18,472 --> 00:27:19,473 So. 434 00:27:20,224 --> 00:27:21,600 ASHLEY: Everybody deserves help. 435 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:23,185 And they did not help that girl. 436 00:27:25,979 --> 00:27:27,648 Police don't care about women like that. 437 00:27:27,648 --> 00:27:30,442 They feel like women like that put their self in a predicament. 438 00:27:35,405 --> 00:27:37,866 NARRATOR: Joanne's friends feel ignored by police, 439 00:27:37,866 --> 00:27:40,160 so they do their own sleuthing. 440 00:27:41,078 --> 00:27:42,454 ASHLEY: We called every hospital 441 00:27:42,454 --> 00:27:44,790 to see if she even checked herself in a psych ward. 442 00:27:47,584 --> 00:27:50,254 Then called every jail that she can possibly go to. 443 00:27:50,796 --> 00:27:51,797 Nothing. 444 00:27:52,714 --> 00:27:54,800 ♪ Are you afraid ♪ 445 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,136 ♪ Or are you taking a leap of faith? ♪ 446 00:27:58,136 --> 00:27:59,888 NARRATOR: Weeks go by. 447 00:27:59,888 --> 00:28:01,557 - I was scared and worried. 448 00:28:01,557 --> 00:28:04,518 NARRATOR: Joanne is gone without a trace. 449 00:28:05,352 --> 00:28:06,895 Her friends fear the worst. 450 00:28:06,895 --> 00:28:10,023 ♪ I'm not one to judge ♪ 451 00:28:10,023 --> 00:28:13,569 ♪ But I'm not one to sit and wait... ♪ 452 00:28:13,569 --> 00:28:16,405 But there's no concrete evidence of a crime 453 00:28:16,405 --> 00:28:20,033 unless you look back two months earlier. 454 00:28:21,827 --> 00:28:24,997 ♪ 455 00:28:27,666 --> 00:28:30,252 Just two miles from where Joanne went missing, 456 00:28:30,752 --> 00:28:34,173 when another woman gets into the same silver BMW... 457 00:28:34,173 --> 00:28:36,175 FIREFIGHTER: [over radio] All right, we have a possible body. 458 00:28:36,175 --> 00:28:39,261 NARRATOR: ...and is never seen alive again. 459 00:28:43,557 --> 00:28:46,560 ♪ 460 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:53,483 ♪ 461 00:28:55,068 --> 00:28:58,488 NARRATOR: August 31st, 2016, northeast New Jersey. 462 00:29:00,157 --> 00:29:03,410 The first woman in a string of disappearances 463 00:29:03,410 --> 00:29:04,411 goes missing. 464 00:29:04,411 --> 00:29:08,457 ♪ 465 00:29:08,457 --> 00:29:12,377 A beautiful 19-year-old named Robin West. 466 00:29:12,377 --> 00:29:17,216 ♪ 467 00:29:18,509 --> 00:29:19,968 MAN: West interview, take one. 468 00:29:23,013 --> 00:29:24,681 REV. LEROY WEST: Reverend Leroy West. 469 00:29:24,681 --> 00:29:27,935 I am associate pastor for Bible Fellowship Church of God, 470 00:29:27,935 --> 00:29:30,187 uh, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 471 00:29:33,065 --> 00:29:38,237 Robin was born September 5th of 1996. 472 00:29:38,237 --> 00:29:42,449 Very energetic, full of life. 473 00:29:44,785 --> 00:29:47,746 The biggest thing that we had in common was music. 474 00:29:49,706 --> 00:29:50,958 That's what brought us together. 475 00:29:52,376 --> 00:29:53,460 She was a free spirit. 476 00:29:55,170 --> 00:29:57,756 If she decided to do something, 477 00:29:57,756 --> 00:29:59,758 that's what she was going do, you know? 478 00:29:59,758 --> 00:30:01,552 And you couldn't sway her either way. 479 00:30:04,263 --> 00:30:06,431 NARRATOR: By the time Robin is 19, 480 00:30:06,431 --> 00:30:10,185 that independent spirit finds itself wanting more. 481 00:30:10,853 --> 00:30:15,691 So Robin and her best friend, Breneisha, have a risky side hustle in Philadelphia 482 00:30:15,691 --> 00:30:16,942 where they've grown up. 483 00:30:16,942 --> 00:30:21,321 - Breneisha and Robin began working as sex workers, 484 00:30:21,321 --> 00:30:23,490 and they would pair up to keep each other safe. 485 00:30:25,659 --> 00:30:30,038 They would meet clients online through websites 486 00:30:30,038 --> 00:30:34,168 and then meet the clients at hotel rooms around the Philadelphia area. 487 00:30:36,128 --> 00:30:39,882 - Our children do things that we may not like all the time. 488 00:30:39,882 --> 00:30:42,384 They go astray. It doesn't mean we don't love you. 489 00:30:45,220 --> 00:30:47,764 ♪ 490 00:30:49,308 --> 00:30:51,268 NARRATOR: In the fall of 2016, 491 00:30:52,019 --> 00:30:54,980 with Robin's 20th birthday on the horizon, 492 00:30:54,980 --> 00:30:59,067 she and Breneisha decide to head up the turnpike to North Jersey 493 00:30:59,067 --> 00:31:00,277 to celebrate. 494 00:31:00,277 --> 00:31:03,322 ♪ 495 00:31:04,239 --> 00:31:06,867 - She and Breneisha stayed at a motel 496 00:31:06,867 --> 00:31:10,579 in Union Township in New Jersey for a few nights, 497 00:31:10,579 --> 00:31:12,539 but they ran out of money. 498 00:31:13,665 --> 00:31:15,626 NARRATOR: Out of cash to party and hang out, 499 00:31:15,626 --> 00:31:16,710 they have an idea. 500 00:31:18,837 --> 00:31:20,214 CHRISTOPHER: On August 31st, 501 00:31:20,214 --> 00:31:22,841 Robin West arrived on Nye Avenue in Newark 502 00:31:22,841 --> 00:31:25,844 for her first night as a sex worker on the street. 503 00:31:25,844 --> 00:31:29,515 And so, at about 11:00 p.m., 504 00:31:29,515 --> 00:31:33,560 one of the first cars to arrive was a silver BMW, 505 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:38,941 driven by a man whom Breneisha described as young, good looking, and charming. 506 00:31:40,025 --> 00:31:41,109 Robin got into the car. 507 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:48,116 NARRATOR: Robin and Breneisha have known each other since they were 14 years old. 508 00:31:48,116 --> 00:31:50,619 They've always been there for each other. 509 00:31:50,619 --> 00:31:54,623 And so, Breneisha does what any good friend would do, 510 00:31:54,623 --> 00:31:55,749 just in case. 511 00:31:57,543 --> 00:32:00,712 - Breneisha says, "Take care of my sister. I love her." 512 00:32:00,712 --> 00:32:03,382 And as part of this interaction... 513 00:32:03,382 --> 00:32:04,383 [phone camera clicks] 514 00:32:05,551 --> 00:32:09,555 ...Breneisha takes a picture of the BMW's license plate with her phone. 515 00:32:09,555 --> 00:32:12,391 And the man and Robin drive off. 516 00:32:12,391 --> 00:32:15,727 ♪ 517 00:32:23,318 --> 00:32:24,820 NARRATOR: Three hours later... 518 00:32:24,820 --> 00:32:26,822 [siren wailing] 519 00:32:26,822 --> 00:32:28,198 ...at 02:00 in the morning, 520 00:32:29,157 --> 00:32:32,327 seven miles from where Breneisha sees Robin off, 521 00:32:34,121 --> 00:32:35,789 there's a house on fire. 522 00:32:44,006 --> 00:32:45,340 CHRISTOPHER: It was a large fire. 523 00:32:45,340 --> 00:32:46,216 DISPATCHER: [over radio] 524 00:32:52,890 --> 00:32:56,268 - It became a five-alarm fire with all the appearances of arson. 525 00:32:56,268 --> 00:32:58,270 [sirens wailing] 526 00:32:58,270 --> 00:33:01,273 Firefighters from five different cities showed up to put it out. 527 00:33:02,482 --> 00:33:03,942 FIREFIGHTER: [over radio] 528 00:33:08,906 --> 00:33:11,533 NARRATOR: The body is burned beyond recognition. 529 00:33:12,743 --> 00:33:15,787 And with arson declared as the cause of the fire, 530 00:33:15,787 --> 00:33:19,249 the crime is now a homicide investigation. 531 00:33:19,249 --> 00:33:22,961 ♪ 532 00:33:30,969 --> 00:33:34,389 By 06:00 a.m., Breneisha hasn't heard from Robin. 533 00:33:34,389 --> 00:33:36,642 No texts. No calls. 534 00:33:38,227 --> 00:33:40,062 CHRISTOPHER: When Breneisha didn't hear from Robin, 535 00:33:41,313 --> 00:33:44,650 she went to the Newark Police 16th precinct 536 00:33:44,650 --> 00:33:46,735 to report Robin missing. 537 00:33:46,735 --> 00:33:52,032 She gave a description of the man who was last seen with Robin, 538 00:33:52,032 --> 00:33:54,660 and she gave the police his license plate. 539 00:33:56,912 --> 00:34:00,415 NARRATOR: Law enforcement in Newark listens to Breneisha's story 540 00:34:00,415 --> 00:34:01,959 and her concerns. 541 00:34:01,959 --> 00:34:05,045 But, technically, Robin is just missing. 542 00:34:06,255 --> 00:34:09,091 So investigators choose not to run the plate 543 00:34:09,508 --> 00:34:11,552 and give Robin time to show up. 544 00:34:11,552 --> 00:34:14,555 ♪ 545 00:34:17,266 --> 00:34:21,228 LEROY: We were texting her because it was close to her birthday, 546 00:34:21,228 --> 00:34:22,938 and we weren't getting any response. 547 00:34:23,647 --> 00:34:27,276 Her and I were close enough, to where, if I text her or call her, 548 00:34:27,276 --> 00:34:28,318 she would get back to me. 549 00:34:29,736 --> 00:34:32,531 Still not hearing from her or knowing where she was at, 550 00:34:32,531 --> 00:34:34,700 you know, it-- it became a real issue. 551 00:34:39,788 --> 00:34:42,124 ♪ 552 00:34:42,124 --> 00:34:46,420 NARRATOR: Then on September 13th, a father's worst nightmare. 553 00:34:48,088 --> 00:34:51,049 Two weeks after that five-alarm house fire, 554 00:34:51,049 --> 00:34:54,386 the body found in the flames is finally identified. 555 00:34:56,221 --> 00:34:57,431 It's Robin West. 556 00:35:04,855 --> 00:35:06,523 LEROY: I screamed 557 00:35:06,523 --> 00:35:09,234 and then, like, slid to the floor. 558 00:35:12,738 --> 00:35:13,822 She was strangled. 559 00:35:15,574 --> 00:35:18,160 Someone dumped her body in an abandoned house 560 00:35:20,078 --> 00:35:21,580 and then lit her on fire. 561 00:35:27,586 --> 00:35:29,379 She didn't deserve to die like this. 562 00:35:31,340 --> 00:35:33,967 NARRATOR: Police don't know who's responsible, 563 00:35:33,967 --> 00:35:35,886 but there's an answer. 564 00:35:35,886 --> 00:35:38,805 It's with the woman that started this story. 565 00:35:38,805 --> 00:35:40,807 ♪ 566 00:35:41,767 --> 00:35:42,768 Sarah Butler, 567 00:35:44,269 --> 00:35:46,855 the college kid from Montclair who loved to dance. 568 00:35:48,232 --> 00:35:51,109 She went missing on November 22nd 569 00:35:51,109 --> 00:35:53,904 after meeting a handsome young guy from the internet. 570 00:35:55,822 --> 00:35:58,283 After 12 long days of searching, 571 00:35:58,283 --> 00:36:01,745 the Butler family is desperate for news of Sarah's whereabouts. 572 00:36:03,163 --> 00:36:06,750 Finally, the police secure Sarah's cell phone records. 573 00:36:08,210 --> 00:36:12,673 The detectives race to the last location Sarah Butler's phone pinged, 574 00:36:12,673 --> 00:36:13,882 a local park 575 00:36:13,882 --> 00:36:15,592 called Eagle Rock Reservation. 576 00:36:18,345 --> 00:36:20,180 CHRISTOPHER: They walked across the property there 577 00:36:20,180 --> 00:36:23,684 and hidden partially behind a trailer, 578 00:36:23,684 --> 00:36:25,811 beside a gravel parking lot, 579 00:36:28,146 --> 00:36:29,273 there's a body. 580 00:36:30,941 --> 00:36:33,777 NARRATOR: It's the body of Sarah Butler. 581 00:36:33,777 --> 00:36:36,530 She's been strangled like Robin West. 582 00:36:37,364 --> 00:36:42,077 Strangled with her own sweat pants tied around her neck. 583 00:36:43,412 --> 00:36:45,205 ♪ 584 00:36:45,205 --> 00:36:48,792 - Maurice and Christine, there has been a steady stream of friends and family 585 00:36:48,792 --> 00:36:50,460 here at the home of Sarah Butler. 586 00:36:50,460 --> 00:36:53,380 The young woman disappeared right before Thanksgiving. 587 00:36:53,380 --> 00:36:56,842 Her body discovered on Thursday night in the Eagle Rock Reservation 588 00:36:56,842 --> 00:36:58,468 in West Orange, New Jersey. 589 00:37:00,429 --> 00:37:04,391 NARRATOR: The coroner finds DNA lodged under her fingernails. 590 00:37:05,058 --> 00:37:08,687 It's clear that Sarah struggled with her killer. 591 00:37:08,687 --> 00:37:10,022 But whose DNA is it? 592 00:37:11,857 --> 00:37:17,029 Could it be the last guy she met with the night she went missing, LilYachtRock? 593 00:37:17,029 --> 00:37:19,698 The guy police talked to... and let go. 594 00:37:21,325 --> 00:37:25,204 - LilYachtRock, who turns out to be Khalil Wheeler-Weaver. 595 00:37:25,954 --> 00:37:29,041 NARRATOR: Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, 596 00:37:29,708 --> 00:37:32,377 the 19-year-old New Jersey native, 597 00:37:33,754 --> 00:37:37,216 doesn't look like the kind of guy who could hurt anyone, 598 00:37:37,216 --> 00:37:40,928 but he was the last person to see Sarah Butler alive, 599 00:37:41,970 --> 00:37:44,473 and he drives a silver BMW, 600 00:37:45,516 --> 00:37:49,353 just like the BMW Robin West and Joanne Brown got into. 601 00:37:52,773 --> 00:37:55,859 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 602 00:37:55,859 --> 00:37:56,860 CHRISTOPHER: December 4th, 603 00:37:57,945 --> 00:38:02,199 police execute a search warrant on Wheeler-Weaver's house. 604 00:38:02,199 --> 00:38:05,452 They find two cell phones in his bedroom. 605 00:38:05,452 --> 00:38:08,747 NARRATOR: They also ask for his DNA. 606 00:38:08,747 --> 00:38:09,998 CHRISTOPHER: Evidence was found 607 00:38:09,998 --> 00:38:14,837 that she had skin that matched, uh, Wheeler-Weaver's DNA 608 00:38:14,837 --> 00:38:16,004 under her fingernails. 609 00:38:17,339 --> 00:38:19,132 ♪ 610 00:38:19,132 --> 00:38:22,219 MAN: I couldn't help her. It's the most hardest part. 611 00:38:22,219 --> 00:38:23,846 I loved her, she knew that. 612 00:38:23,846 --> 00:38:25,806 And I would do anything for my baby. 613 00:38:27,224 --> 00:38:30,686 - Rest in peace, Sarah, and you will truly be missed. 614 00:38:31,270 --> 00:38:32,980 ALL: Sarah. 615 00:38:37,526 --> 00:38:39,736 ♪ 616 00:38:40,487 --> 00:38:43,031 NARRATOR: On December 4th, 2016, 617 00:38:44,449 --> 00:38:47,661 Wheeler-Weaver is arrested for the murder of Sarah Butler. 618 00:38:49,997 --> 00:38:53,667 The next day, in an abandoned house in East Orange, 619 00:38:53,667 --> 00:38:56,920 contractors discover the body of Joanne Brown. 620 00:38:58,338 --> 00:38:59,923 It's the same abandoned house 621 00:38:59,923 --> 00:39:02,634 where Sarah Butler met Khalil Wheeler-Weaver 622 00:39:02,634 --> 00:39:04,678 the day she was murdered. 623 00:39:04,678 --> 00:39:06,388 And just like Sarah, 624 00:39:06,388 --> 00:39:09,349 Joanne has been strangled and wrapped in duct tape. 625 00:39:11,268 --> 00:39:13,228 ♪ somber music playing ♪ 626 00:39:14,396 --> 00:39:17,649 Joanne's friends, Farnesha and Ashley, 627 00:39:17,649 --> 00:39:20,736 finally get the call they've been dreading. 628 00:39:20,736 --> 00:39:22,738 ♪ 629 00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:26,200 FARNESHA: We went to the detective's office 630 00:39:27,618 --> 00:39:29,453 and I just heard Ashley screaming. 631 00:39:32,164 --> 00:39:34,124 - I had to identify her body through a picture, 632 00:39:34,124 --> 00:39:36,502 and it made me sick to my stomach. 633 00:39:38,378 --> 00:39:40,380 ♪ 634 00:39:45,469 --> 00:39:47,888 That guy strangled her with her own jacket. 635 00:39:49,181 --> 00:39:50,974 He burnt her up with cigarettes. 636 00:39:52,518 --> 00:39:54,520 He just tortured her for hours. 637 00:39:59,650 --> 00:40:03,779 NARRATOR: Investigators don't know who tortured and killed Joanne, 638 00:40:04,363 --> 00:40:05,781 but they will. 639 00:40:05,781 --> 00:40:09,826 The night Wheeler-Weaver is arrested for Sarah Butler's murder, 640 00:40:09,826 --> 00:40:13,914 a man watching the local news starts putting the puzzle together. 641 00:40:13,914 --> 00:40:16,375 REPORTER: [on TV] Authorities are waiting for autopsy results 642 00:40:16,375 --> 00:40:19,169 before they pursue a lead that they already have. 643 00:40:19,169 --> 00:40:21,296 [phone vibrating] 644 00:40:21,296 --> 00:40:25,425 TIFFANY: And I get this call from my brother, saying, 645 00:40:25,425 --> 00:40:30,347 "Tiffany, they got him. They got him, Tiffany." 646 00:40:30,347 --> 00:40:32,266 REPORTER: Some new information tonight now, 647 00:40:32,266 --> 00:40:34,852 in the death of a college student from Montclair. 648 00:40:34,852 --> 00:40:38,730 Police say they have arrested a suspect in the murder of Sarah Butler. 649 00:40:40,399 --> 00:40:42,568 - He forwarded me the-- the link. 650 00:40:42,568 --> 00:40:45,279 I saw it and I looked and I said, "Yeah, that's him. 651 00:40:45,279 --> 00:40:46,780 "They got him. 652 00:40:46,780 --> 00:40:48,282 They got him." 653 00:40:48,282 --> 00:40:51,827 REPORTER: Police believe 20-year-old Khalil Wheeler-Weaver of East Orange 654 00:40:51,827 --> 00:40:54,079 strangled Sarah Butler. 655 00:40:56,915 --> 00:41:00,669 - I feel as though her life could have been saved 656 00:41:02,212 --> 00:41:06,049 if only the police would have believed me. 657 00:41:06,049 --> 00:41:08,886 ♪ 658 00:41:08,886 --> 00:41:09,970 OFFICER: And he just ran away? 659 00:41:09,970 --> 00:41:11,054 TIFFANY: He ran away. 660 00:41:12,389 --> 00:41:16,435 I knew I had to do something because I didn't get away for nothing. 661 00:41:18,395 --> 00:41:21,398 So I started to open my mouth. 662 00:41:26,278 --> 00:41:30,199 REPORTER: Victor Butler holds his wife as she wipes away tears, 663 00:41:30,199 --> 00:41:34,745 watching 20-year-old Khalil Wheeler-Weaver face charges in their daughter's murder. 664 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:40,751 NARRATOR: Across 84 days, in 2016, 665 00:41:40,751 --> 00:41:45,672 Sarah Butler, Robin West, and Joanne Brown are murdered. 666 00:41:46,256 --> 00:41:49,134 Tiffany Taylor barely escapes with her life. 667 00:41:50,969 --> 00:41:53,931 ♪ Might not see the light again ♪ 668 00:41:55,057 --> 00:41:57,643 ♪ But I won't stop trying... ♪ 669 00:41:57,643 --> 00:41:59,686 - I knew I had to do something. 670 00:41:59,686 --> 00:42:04,691 So I started going to that court and letting them know who I am. 671 00:42:05,025 --> 00:42:06,610 NARRATOR: Tiffany tells the prosecutor, 672 00:42:07,194 --> 00:42:11,698 "Khalil Wheeler-Weaver did this to me too." 673 00:42:12,282 --> 00:42:17,704 - Tiffany Taylor was able to establish the common modus operandi 674 00:42:17,704 --> 00:42:19,206 through each of these cases. 675 00:42:20,999 --> 00:42:23,710 He wraps their mouth in duct tape, 676 00:42:24,628 --> 00:42:25,546 he rapes them, 677 00:42:25,546 --> 00:42:27,381 he strangles them. 678 00:42:27,381 --> 00:42:30,717 It's a very specific way of attacking someone. 679 00:42:31,301 --> 00:42:37,099 And so, police realize that Joanne Brown and Robin West fit the model. 680 00:42:39,351 --> 00:42:41,895 NARRATOR: After Tiffany establishes a pattern, 681 00:42:41,895 --> 00:42:45,941 investigators dig into recent unsolved murders in the area 682 00:42:47,901 --> 00:42:51,864 and find the evidence collected by the women in this story, 683 00:42:51,864 --> 00:42:55,075 evidence that was largely ignored at the time. 684 00:42:55,075 --> 00:42:57,870 - One of our friends had his telephone number. 685 00:42:57,870 --> 00:42:59,413 This is his telephone number. 686 00:43:01,373 --> 00:43:04,459 CHRISTOPHER: Robin's friend took a picture of Khalil's license plate. 687 00:43:06,211 --> 00:43:07,713 - They already knew his name. 688 00:43:07,713 --> 00:43:09,131 I gave them everything, 689 00:43:10,465 --> 00:43:11,466 but... 690 00:43:12,509 --> 00:43:13,677 he walked away. 691 00:43:15,429 --> 00:43:18,557 - I never, in a million years, think 692 00:43:19,808 --> 00:43:24,104 that I would be... involved with a serial killer. 693 00:43:24,104 --> 00:43:25,981 That's scary. 694 00:43:27,566 --> 00:43:30,360 CHRISTOPHER: Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, born and raised in New Jersey, 695 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:34,031 he was viewed as an outsider, 696 00:43:34,031 --> 00:43:35,157 bit of a nerd. 697 00:43:36,241 --> 00:43:38,535 He came from a good family. 698 00:43:39,703 --> 00:43:44,416 NARRATOR: But no one could've imagined the darkness lurking within. 699 00:43:45,375 --> 00:43:48,712 TIFFANY: I feel like there was a monster inside of him 700 00:43:48,712 --> 00:43:52,257 because I saw that other personality too. 701 00:43:52,257 --> 00:43:54,801 The-- The quiet guy. 702 00:43:54,801 --> 00:43:55,802 The kid. 703 00:43:56,970 --> 00:43:58,222 What happened 704 00:43:59,348 --> 00:44:00,557 to that kid? 705 00:44:03,393 --> 00:44:05,729 NARRATOR: But justice takes time. 706 00:44:05,729 --> 00:44:07,773 There's a lot of evidence to sort through. 707 00:44:10,067 --> 00:44:11,276 Three murders, 708 00:44:13,070 --> 00:44:14,112 one attempted murder. 709 00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:18,867 It's three years till the trial. 710 00:44:18,867 --> 00:44:23,580 Finally, in September 2019, it happens. 711 00:44:25,082 --> 00:44:28,335 CHRISTOPHER: He was facing three counts of murder, one of attempted murder, 712 00:44:28,335 --> 00:44:31,713 rape, arson, and desecration of human remains. 713 00:44:31,713 --> 00:44:35,050 The evidence going into the trial is very damning. 714 00:44:40,931 --> 00:44:42,975 TIFFANY: I had to testify against him. 715 00:44:44,893 --> 00:44:47,020 The first time that I saw him 716 00:44:48,397 --> 00:44:50,107 in court, 717 00:44:51,441 --> 00:44:53,819 I remember I jumped out of my skin 718 00:44:55,404 --> 00:44:57,906 and I-- I felt like I couldn't breathe. 719 00:44:57,906 --> 00:45:01,159 ♪ 720 00:45:04,162 --> 00:45:05,664 But that scaredness went 721 00:45:06,874 --> 00:45:08,166 to madness. 722 00:45:08,166 --> 00:45:10,043 I wasn't gonna let him get away 723 00:45:11,628 --> 00:45:13,380 with what he did to me. 724 00:45:17,509 --> 00:45:18,594 He had to go. 725 00:45:21,889 --> 00:45:26,435 NARRATOR: Investigators have plenty of evidence on the women's phones, 726 00:45:26,435 --> 00:45:29,688 but they've got Khalil Wheeler-Weaver's phone too, 727 00:45:29,688 --> 00:45:31,857 and it connects every dot. 728 00:45:34,526 --> 00:45:36,528 ♪ 729 00:45:38,363 --> 00:45:42,367 CHRISTOPHER: He tracked and found women using his phone. 730 00:45:42,367 --> 00:45:46,079 He plotted ways to kill them using his phone. 731 00:45:46,079 --> 00:45:47,623 Everything was with his phone. 732 00:45:47,623 --> 00:45:49,583 And what's interesting about this case 733 00:45:50,167 --> 00:45:53,545 is how these women used his tools against him. 734 00:45:55,172 --> 00:45:58,634 NARRATOR: It's like he turned his own phone on himself 735 00:45:58,634 --> 00:46:00,677 and pulled the trigger. 736 00:46:00,677 --> 00:46:02,012 - The murders that he committed, 737 00:46:02,012 --> 00:46:04,097 his cell phone put him at every location. 738 00:46:07,976 --> 00:46:08,977 He never cracked. 739 00:46:10,187 --> 00:46:12,773 No facial expression, no remorse, 740 00:46:12,773 --> 00:46:13,774 no nothing. 741 00:46:14,942 --> 00:46:18,070 But when you have a mountain of evidence 742 00:46:18,070 --> 00:46:22,741 that's pointing in your direction, you know, you can't deny that. 743 00:46:23,325 --> 00:46:25,702 I mean, when they brought the cartons of evidence, 744 00:46:25,702 --> 00:46:28,121 there was-- It was so high. [laughs] 745 00:46:28,121 --> 00:46:31,667 You know, there were so many boxes of stuff against him. 746 00:46:31,667 --> 00:46:32,668 You know, 747 00:46:33,585 --> 00:46:36,004 how can you sit there and say it-- it wasn't you? 748 00:46:38,131 --> 00:46:42,094 NARRATOR: That mountain of evidence takes three months to present at trial. 749 00:46:45,806 --> 00:46:51,353 But it only takes the jury two hours to determine Wheeler-Weaver's guilt. 750 00:46:51,353 --> 00:46:54,064 WOMAN: As to count one, what is your verdict? 751 00:46:54,064 --> 00:46:55,065 JURY MEMBER: Guilty. 752 00:46:55,065 --> 00:46:56,567 WOMAN: Count two? JURY MEMBER: Guilty. 753 00:46:56,567 --> 00:46:57,568 WOMAN: Count three? 754 00:46:57,568 --> 00:47:00,779 NARRATOR: Guilty... on all 11 counts. 755 00:47:00,779 --> 00:47:03,782 ♪ somber music playing ♪ 756 00:47:03,782 --> 00:47:08,036 - I didn't feel like I had the power until sentencing day. 757 00:47:09,621 --> 00:47:13,917 ♪ 758 00:47:13,917 --> 00:47:19,631 I tried everything I could do to make sure that the people heard me 759 00:47:19,631 --> 00:47:22,926 and that he was gonna be locked up. 760 00:47:23,802 --> 00:47:27,472 Him saying that he still didn't do it 761 00:47:27,472 --> 00:47:32,728 makes me feel like he has no type of remorse about it at all. 762 00:47:32,728 --> 00:47:35,272 On sentencing day 763 00:47:35,272 --> 00:47:37,399 is when I felt the power. 764 00:47:38,066 --> 00:47:39,276 Yeah. 765 00:47:39,276 --> 00:47:41,320 That's when I felt it. 766 00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:44,323 ♪ 767 00:47:47,034 --> 00:47:52,539 - 25-year-old Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, now sentenced to 160 years in prison. 768 00:47:55,501 --> 00:47:57,878 - The purpose of this sentence, again, 769 00:47:57,878 --> 00:48:03,717 is that... this defendant never walk among society again. 770 00:48:04,635 --> 00:48:07,638 ♪ 771 00:48:16,438 --> 00:48:20,067 REPORTER: Khalil Wheeler-Weaver accused of strangling this teenager to death. 772 00:48:20,567 --> 00:48:24,988 Mawa Doumbia vanished in 2016 after she left her home in Newark. 773 00:48:24,988 --> 00:48:29,076 Police say digital evidence connected her death to Mr. Wheeler-Weaver. 774 00:48:29,076 --> 00:48:31,995 ♪ uneasy music playing ♪ 775 00:48:32,663 --> 00:48:35,499 ASHLEY: There's a lot of Black girls that have been missing. 776 00:48:35,499 --> 00:48:37,417 There's a lot of sex workers that have been going missing. 777 00:48:37,417 --> 00:48:38,669 Have he been doing this? 778 00:48:38,669 --> 00:48:42,756 Because don't nobody just wake up today and just wanna just kidnap four people. 779 00:48:43,715 --> 00:48:45,467 He could've done this to many other girls, 780 00:48:45,467 --> 00:48:47,135 and this is all y'all know about. 781 00:48:49,221 --> 00:48:53,600 NARRATOR: The possibility that there are even more women who lost their lives 782 00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:55,394 is haunting. 783 00:48:55,394 --> 00:48:57,855 But the actions of these four young women 784 00:48:58,522 --> 00:48:59,606 and their friends 785 00:49:00,607 --> 00:49:01,608 caught a killer. 786 00:49:06,196 --> 00:49:07,781 CHRISTOPHER: It's absolutely true 787 00:49:07,781 --> 00:49:13,328 that the women who were victims of Wheeler-Weaver 788 00:49:14,037 --> 00:49:18,458 and women who put themselves in the path of becoming his next victim 789 00:49:18,458 --> 00:49:20,127 stopped him. 790 00:49:20,127 --> 00:49:22,379 Without their intervention, 791 00:49:22,379 --> 00:49:25,924 it seems likely that he would've murdered many more women. 792 00:49:27,968 --> 00:49:30,971 ♪ somber music playing ♪ 793 00:49:33,432 --> 00:49:35,392 - This is all I have right here. 794 00:49:36,476 --> 00:49:38,395 Her ashes are inside this cross. 795 00:49:40,898 --> 00:49:44,109 She died in 2016. I have not taken this off yet. 796 00:49:50,199 --> 00:49:53,660 I want people to know how much she was loved. 797 00:49:53,660 --> 00:49:57,956 ♪ You know I miss you already ♪ 798 00:50:03,128 --> 00:50:06,465 ♪ I don't know where my head is lately ♪ 799 00:50:06,465 --> 00:50:08,967 ♪ Have I lost my mind? ♪ 800 00:50:16,558 --> 00:50:20,103 ♪ But I know that I have a secret ♪ 801 00:50:20,103 --> 00:50:22,648 ♪ And it's only mine ♪ 802 00:50:30,239 --> 00:50:33,617 ♪ And the only way to find me ♪ 803 00:50:33,617 --> 00:50:37,829 ♪ Is to open up the lies ♪