1 00:00:00,750 --> 00:00:02,335 (tense music) 2 00:00:06,089 --> 00:00:07,799 - [Narrator] A woman is found murdered 3 00:00:07,799 --> 00:00:09,467 along a Minnesota highway 4 00:00:09,467 --> 00:00:11,928 near the small town of Blue Earth. 5 00:00:11,928 --> 00:00:16,057 Her identity is unknown and investigators dub her Jane Doe. 6 00:00:16,057 --> 00:00:19,227 Due to a lack of evidence and no proper ID, 7 00:00:19,227 --> 00:00:21,062 detectives have a difficult time 8 00:00:21,062 --> 00:00:23,440 coming up with a list of suspects, 9 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:28,028 Jane Doe is buried in an unmarked grave and awaits justice. 10 00:00:28,987 --> 00:00:32,991 But years go by and the case remains unsolved. 11 00:00:33,908 --> 00:00:35,702 - You gotta put your heart into it. 12 00:00:35,702 --> 00:00:36,870 You always gotta have your mind on it 13 00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:38,662 and it doesn't matter what you're doing. 14 00:00:38,662 --> 00:00:40,832 You take that call at 3:00 in the morning. 15 00:00:40,832 --> 00:00:43,793 - [Narrator] And even after detectives finally get a break 16 00:00:43,793 --> 00:00:44,918 in the case, 17 00:00:44,918 --> 00:00:47,172 the victim's identity remains a mystery 18 00:00:47,172 --> 00:00:50,425 until a local resident finally takes an interest 19 00:00:50,425 --> 00:00:51,676 in the case. 20 00:00:51,676 --> 00:00:54,054 - How long would you look for your child? 21 00:00:54,054 --> 00:00:55,180 Forever. 22 00:00:55,180 --> 00:00:56,681 - [Narrator] And makes it her mission 23 00:00:56,681 --> 00:00:58,850 to discover the identity of the young woman 24 00:00:58,850 --> 00:01:02,103 in the hopes of bringing closure to the victim's family. 25 00:01:03,229 --> 00:01:05,231 (tense music) 26 00:01:05,231 --> 00:01:08,818 - The unsolved ones, we have to stand up. 27 00:01:08,818 --> 00:01:13,031 - And approach these cases in a way outside the box. 28 00:01:13,031 --> 00:01:14,407 - Let the world know is 29 00:01:14,407 --> 00:01:16,242 those out there that did commit a murder, 30 00:01:16,242 --> 00:01:18,203 you know, there are people that are coming after you. 31 00:01:18,203 --> 00:01:19,828 - There's just a lotta good people trying 32 00:01:19,828 --> 00:01:21,790 to do the right thing. 33 00:01:21,790 --> 00:01:23,041 - Because it's something 34 00:01:23,041 --> 00:01:24,918 that you have to be passionate about. 35 00:01:24,918 --> 00:01:27,879 - Solve this, bring some peace to the family at least. 36 00:01:27,879 --> 00:01:29,172 Just doing my job. 37 00:01:29,172 --> 00:01:32,550 (tense music continues) 38 00:01:35,887 --> 00:01:38,807 (gentle music) 39 00:01:38,807 --> 00:01:41,768 - [Narrator] The town of Blue Earth was first surveyed 40 00:01:41,768 --> 00:01:45,313 in 1856 and took its name from the Blue Earth River, 41 00:01:45,313 --> 00:01:46,856 which surrounds it. 42 00:01:46,856 --> 00:01:49,484 The river was given the Dakota name Mankato, 43 00:01:49,484 --> 00:01:51,319 meaning blue earth 44 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:54,114 for the blackish-blue clay found in the river banks. 45 00:01:55,281 --> 00:01:58,159 Interstate 90 is centered on Blue Earth, 46 00:01:58,159 --> 00:02:01,579 bringing a steady flow of traffic and transients. 47 00:02:02,413 --> 00:02:03,957 (tense music) 48 00:02:03,957 --> 00:02:05,875 May 30th, 1980. 49 00:02:05,875 --> 00:02:09,129 A scorching hot day in Faribault County. 50 00:02:09,129 --> 00:02:12,006 A local farmer makes his way down the I-90 51 00:02:12,006 --> 00:02:14,342 when something catches his attention. 52 00:02:14,342 --> 00:02:16,970 He approaches and is immediately struck 53 00:02:16,970 --> 00:02:18,388 by the stench of decay. 54 00:02:18,388 --> 00:02:22,142 (tense music continues) 55 00:02:22,142 --> 00:02:24,978 - Anybody that's been in the water for days, 56 00:02:24,978 --> 00:02:26,062 let alone weeks. 57 00:02:26,062 --> 00:02:27,522 You know, it looks different. 58 00:02:27,522 --> 00:02:28,982 You know, you lose your hair. 59 00:02:28,982 --> 00:02:30,567 The bodies just don't look the same. 60 00:02:30,567 --> 00:02:32,401 They almost look like a mannequin. 61 00:02:32,401 --> 00:02:33,945 - [Narrator] But the farmer sees enough 62 00:02:33,945 --> 00:02:35,905 to know it's a human body. 63 00:02:35,905 --> 00:02:38,199 He rushes home to call 911. 64 00:02:38,199 --> 00:02:41,619 (tense music continues) 65 00:02:44,163 --> 00:02:46,583 The discovery of a body outside the small town 66 00:02:46,583 --> 00:02:48,293 of Blue Earth, Minnesota 67 00:02:48,293 --> 00:02:51,171 will send shockwaves through this quiet community 68 00:02:51,171 --> 00:02:53,756 that will echo for decades. 69 00:02:53,756 --> 00:02:55,008 - This town is a lot smaller 70 00:02:55,008 --> 00:02:56,550 and actually like where we're sitting now, 71 00:02:56,550 --> 00:02:59,012 this sheriff's office, it was farmland. 72 00:02:59,012 --> 00:03:01,264 She was actually discovered not that far from here, 73 00:03:01,264 --> 00:03:03,516 a few miles away from where this location is. 74 00:03:03,516 --> 00:03:06,936 Interstate 90 was still here, but the town was much smaller, 75 00:03:06,936 --> 00:03:10,190 not as much business, probably more industry downtown. 76 00:03:11,482 --> 00:03:14,068 But out here was undeveloped at that time. 77 00:03:14,068 --> 00:03:16,529 (tense music continues) 78 00:03:16,529 --> 00:03:19,699 - [Narrator] Detectives Roger Fletcher and Jerry Kabe 79 00:03:19,699 --> 00:03:21,075 are first on the scene. 80 00:03:21,075 --> 00:03:23,870 (tense music continues) 81 00:03:23,870 --> 00:03:26,706 - A quick examination of the body reveals 82 00:03:26,706 --> 00:03:28,583 there is a shoelace wrapped around the neck, 83 00:03:28,583 --> 00:03:30,543 as well as ligature marks. 84 00:03:30,543 --> 00:03:33,338 This is a clear indication to detectives 85 00:03:33,338 --> 00:03:35,215 that this individual was murdered. 86 00:03:36,549 --> 00:03:39,010 - [Narrator] Detectives branch out and comb the area. 87 00:03:39,010 --> 00:03:41,638 - This individual was very likely killed elsewhere 88 00:03:41,638 --> 00:03:43,598 and dumped in this location. 89 00:03:44,724 --> 00:03:46,601 - Body that's been in the water and heat 90 00:03:46,601 --> 00:03:48,937 for any length of time is going 91 00:03:48,937 --> 00:03:52,815 to experience some rapid decomposition. 92 00:03:52,815 --> 00:03:55,443 One detail the detectives noticed right away 93 00:03:55,443 --> 00:03:59,155 that's highly unordinary is the victim's missing 94 00:03:59,155 --> 00:04:01,324 all their fingernails. 95 00:04:01,324 --> 00:04:04,118 Fingernail decomposition takes years, 96 00:04:04,118 --> 00:04:06,037 which tells the detectives 97 00:04:06,037 --> 00:04:08,665 the victim's fingernails were removed. 98 00:04:09,666 --> 00:04:11,417 - [Narrator] In a county with a crime rate 99 00:04:11,417 --> 00:04:14,921 as low as Faribault, a scene like this is incredibly rare. 100 00:04:14,921 --> 00:04:18,299 However, detectives of training for such a scenario 101 00:04:18,299 --> 00:04:20,426 and are careful to document the body 102 00:04:20,426 --> 00:04:21,928 and the surrounding area. 103 00:04:23,012 --> 00:04:25,223 - Speaking to some of the officers, you know, 104 00:04:25,223 --> 00:04:27,100 it's something they'd never seen either 105 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:28,976 to talk about DNA or to collect things for the future 106 00:04:28,976 --> 00:04:31,104 is just things they've heard of and talked about, 107 00:04:31,104 --> 00:04:33,648 how to preserve the body that have been in water 108 00:04:33,648 --> 00:04:35,108 to get for an autopsy. 109 00:04:35,108 --> 00:04:37,777 It's memorable to them there, remember yet to the state. 110 00:04:40,654 --> 00:04:42,240 - [Narrator] The body is carefully removed 111 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,618 from the scene and transported for autopsy. 112 00:04:45,618 --> 00:04:48,579 (tense music continues) 113 00:04:48,579 --> 00:04:49,998 - Due to the deterioration, 114 00:04:49,998 --> 00:04:53,626 the sex of the victim is initially unclear. 115 00:04:53,626 --> 00:04:56,629 The autopsy, however, reveals that it is a woman 116 00:04:56,629 --> 00:05:00,133 between the ages of 20 to 35. 117 00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:04,637 Callouses on her feet indicate that she moved around a lot, 118 00:05:04,637 --> 00:05:06,431 possibly a drifter. 119 00:05:06,431 --> 00:05:11,894 The autopsy further reveals that she was raped and tortured. 120 00:05:13,146 --> 00:05:14,814 Her fingernails were removed bilaterally, 121 00:05:14,814 --> 00:05:18,109 meaning that they were removed while she was still alive. 122 00:05:18,109 --> 00:05:22,529 The cause of death is determined as asphyxiation 123 00:05:22,529 --> 00:05:26,701 likely caused by the shoelace found wrapped around her neck. 124 00:05:28,911 --> 00:05:30,538 - [Narrator] Authorities are able 125 00:05:30,538 --> 00:05:32,623 to recover a single fingerprint from the victim, 126 00:05:33,499 --> 00:05:35,418 as well as their dental records. 127 00:05:35,418 --> 00:05:38,796 They run these through a database to check for matches. 128 00:05:38,796 --> 00:05:41,257 Due to the level of deterioration, 129 00:05:41,257 --> 00:05:44,469 authorities can't say for sure when the victim was killed, 130 00:05:44,469 --> 00:05:46,262 but put the estimated time of death 131 00:05:46,262 --> 00:05:51,517 between May 23rd and May 27th, 1980. 132 00:05:52,726 --> 00:05:54,354 - The database returns no matches 133 00:05:54,354 --> 00:05:57,482 for either the fingerprint or the dental record. 134 00:05:58,358 --> 00:06:00,234 - [Narrator] With the identity 135 00:06:00,234 --> 00:06:04,238 of the victim a total mystery, authorities dub her Jane Doe. 136 00:06:04,238 --> 00:06:06,949 - Authorities have turned to a sketch artist 137 00:06:06,949 --> 00:06:09,327 in hopes they can render a likeness 138 00:06:09,327 --> 00:06:12,288 of what the victim may have looked like. 139 00:06:12,288 --> 00:06:14,332 - Without an identification of the victim, 140 00:06:14,332 --> 00:06:17,919 it's hard to narrow down the field of possible suspects 141 00:06:17,919 --> 00:06:19,837 since, in most murder cases, 142 00:06:19,837 --> 00:06:22,339 the victim is usually known to the killer. 143 00:06:22,339 --> 00:06:25,093 - [Narrator] Detectives' number one priority right now 144 00:06:25,093 --> 00:06:27,595 is learning the identity of their Jane Doe. 145 00:06:28,846 --> 00:06:31,557 Detectives send out a do-you-know-this-person flyer 146 00:06:31,557 --> 00:06:32,934 with a composite sketch 147 00:06:32,934 --> 00:06:36,396 to other law enforcement agencies nationwide. 148 00:06:37,897 --> 00:06:41,109 Weeks go by and thousands of copies of the flyer 149 00:06:41,109 --> 00:06:43,653 have been distributed across the country. 150 00:06:43,653 --> 00:06:45,904 Investigators have searched through both local 151 00:06:45,904 --> 00:06:47,782 and national databases, 152 00:06:47,782 --> 00:06:49,867 trying to find any missing persons 153 00:06:49,867 --> 00:06:51,869 that would match Jane Doe. 154 00:06:51,869 --> 00:06:53,955 So far they have had no luck 155 00:06:53,955 --> 00:06:58,334 and decide to bury her unnamed in a Blue Earth cemetery. 156 00:06:58,334 --> 00:07:01,587 - Detectives know they're burying the evidence with the body 157 00:07:01,587 --> 00:07:03,047 and they have hit a brick wall 158 00:07:03,047 --> 00:07:05,716 in not only identifying Jane Doe, 159 00:07:05,716 --> 00:07:07,760 but also finding who killed her. 160 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:09,428 (tense music continues) 161 00:07:09,428 --> 00:07:10,888 - [Narrator] It's absolutely gutting 162 00:07:10,888 --> 00:07:12,515 knowing that this is someone's daughter 163 00:07:12,515 --> 00:07:16,644 and somewhere out there a family is wondering where she is. 164 00:07:16,644 --> 00:07:17,687 - The families want closure. 165 00:07:17,687 --> 00:07:18,980 I understand. 166 00:07:18,980 --> 00:07:20,731 I'd want closure if it was my family. 167 00:07:20,731 --> 00:07:23,192 And something like this, you know, 168 00:07:23,192 --> 00:07:25,111 law enforcement's gonna give it their best effort 169 00:07:25,111 --> 00:07:27,405 because they care, that's their job. 170 00:07:28,781 --> 00:07:30,575 - [Narrator] Two weeks after Jane Doe is discovered, 171 00:07:30,575 --> 00:07:33,828 a couple of local boys make a disturbing discovery 172 00:07:33,828 --> 00:07:35,455 while playing down by the river. 173 00:07:37,832 --> 00:07:39,333 - You just didn't have murders 174 00:07:39,333 --> 00:07:42,211 in small town Faribault County, Blue Earth, Minnesota. 175 00:07:42,211 --> 00:07:45,047 Especially being a young child, it's a bigger deal. 176 00:07:45,047 --> 00:07:47,425 But I can remember all the squad cars around, 177 00:07:47,425 --> 00:07:49,927 guys around and just seeing news articles on it 178 00:07:49,927 --> 00:07:51,554 or reading their news articles 179 00:07:51,554 --> 00:07:53,306 and seeing the TV articles on it. 180 00:07:53,306 --> 00:07:56,976 (tense music continues) 181 00:08:00,104 --> 00:08:02,190 - [Narrator] The Jane Doe case was heavily 182 00:08:02,190 --> 00:08:03,774 in the news at the time. 183 00:08:03,774 --> 00:08:06,611 So when those boys discovered a bloody bra, 184 00:08:06,611 --> 00:08:09,113 they knew to immediately contact police. 185 00:08:09,113 --> 00:08:12,492 (tense music continues) 186 00:08:18,748 --> 00:08:21,292 Investigators collect the bra as evidence 187 00:08:21,292 --> 00:08:24,837 and thoroughly comb the area for any other clues. 188 00:08:26,047 --> 00:08:27,965 - They find some other items of clothes, 189 00:08:27,965 --> 00:08:29,967 but the big discovery comes 190 00:08:29,967 --> 00:08:31,969 when they find a Texas driver's license. 191 00:08:31,969 --> 00:08:34,639 (tense music continues) 192 00:08:34,639 --> 00:08:36,766 It's almost impossible to imagine 193 00:08:36,766 --> 00:08:38,934 that this is just a coincidence. 194 00:08:40,895 --> 00:08:44,106 Hopes run high that they've identified their Jane Doe. 195 00:08:45,191 --> 00:08:46,817 - [Narrator] The name on the driver's license, 196 00:08:46,817 --> 00:08:48,945 Fidencia de Paredes. 197 00:08:48,945 --> 00:08:50,279 Detectives followed this up 198 00:08:50,279 --> 00:08:52,990 to confirm that such a person exists 199 00:08:52,990 --> 00:08:55,159 and that she's in fact missing. 200 00:08:55,159 --> 00:08:57,912 But an inquiry into the driver's license reveals 201 00:08:57,912 --> 00:08:59,997 that there is no such person. 202 00:08:59,997 --> 00:09:01,999 The license is a fake. 203 00:09:01,999 --> 00:09:05,002 - Not only that, the blood on the clothing is tested 204 00:09:05,002 --> 00:09:09,006 and revealed that it is animal and not human blood. 205 00:09:10,216 --> 00:09:12,885 - Of the thousands of women murdered every year in the U.S., 206 00:09:12,885 --> 00:09:14,220 many remain Jane Does, 207 00:09:14,220 --> 00:09:18,182 sometimes for years, sometimes for decades. 208 00:09:18,182 --> 00:09:19,934 - [Narrator] With no leads in the case, 209 00:09:19,934 --> 00:09:23,187 detectives wonder how long the woman in the unmarked grave 210 00:09:23,187 --> 00:09:24,855 will remain Jane Doe 211 00:09:24,855 --> 00:09:26,065 and whether they'll ever be able 212 00:09:26,065 --> 00:09:28,234 to bring closure to her family. 213 00:09:28,985 --> 00:09:32,029 (dramatic music) 214 00:09:34,030 --> 00:09:36,576 (tense music) 215 00:09:41,205 --> 00:09:44,958 A woman is found murdered along a Minnesota highway, 216 00:09:44,958 --> 00:09:47,086 her identity a mystery. 217 00:09:48,337 --> 00:09:51,131 A single fingerprint and a dental record 218 00:09:51,131 --> 00:09:53,134 are all investigators have, 219 00:09:53,134 --> 00:09:55,136 but no matches come up in the database 220 00:09:55,136 --> 00:09:57,304 and her investigators get no closer 221 00:09:57,304 --> 00:09:59,056 to discovering the identities 222 00:09:59,056 --> 00:10:01,434 of either the killer or the victim. 223 00:10:01,434 --> 00:10:03,769 Finally, investigators bury the body 224 00:10:03,769 --> 00:10:08,024 of the woman they've dubbed Jane Doe in an unmarked grave. 225 00:10:08,024 --> 00:10:09,442 And when at last they believe 226 00:10:09,442 --> 00:10:11,402 they may have a lead in the case, 227 00:10:11,402 --> 00:10:14,238 their hopes are quickly dashed when they learn the evidence 228 00:10:14,238 --> 00:10:16,532 is not connected to their Jane Doe. 229 00:10:16,532 --> 00:10:18,993 (tense music continues) 230 00:10:18,993 --> 00:10:22,246 It's been over three years since the discovery of Jane Doe. 231 00:10:22,246 --> 00:10:25,875 And while investigators hesitate to label this a cold case, 232 00:10:25,875 --> 00:10:28,711 there have been no further developments in that time. 233 00:10:30,338 --> 00:10:33,506 - But for detectives eager to identify the victim 234 00:10:33,506 --> 00:10:35,343 and bring closure to her family, 235 00:10:35,343 --> 00:10:37,553 they're about to receive a glimmer of hope. 236 00:10:37,553 --> 00:10:39,096 (tense music continues) 237 00:10:39,096 --> 00:10:40,848 - [Narrator] In the summer of 1983, 238 00:10:40,848 --> 00:10:44,059 a man named Henry Lee Lucas is arrested 239 00:10:44,059 --> 00:10:46,102 on charges of unlawful possession 240 00:10:46,102 --> 00:10:49,065 of a firearm by Texas Rangers. 241 00:10:49,065 --> 00:10:50,316 - While in custody, 242 00:10:50,316 --> 00:10:52,902 Lucas freely admits that he killed two women, 243 00:10:52,902 --> 00:10:54,820 one being his former employer 244 00:10:54,820 --> 00:10:59,116 and the other a young woman he claims was his girlfriend. 245 00:11:00,326 --> 00:11:01,994 - [Narrator] Lucas takes officials 246 00:11:01,994 --> 00:11:03,537 to the burial site of both women, 247 00:11:03,537 --> 00:11:06,582 thereby corroborating his claims. 248 00:11:07,917 --> 00:11:10,419 - Lucas has now established his credibility. 249 00:11:10,419 --> 00:11:12,254 He goes on to tell authorities 250 00:11:12,254 --> 00:11:14,006 that he went on a murder spree 251 00:11:14,006 --> 00:11:18,386 and killed approximately 600 women across the United States. 252 00:11:19,470 --> 00:11:22,264 He claims he left many of them in the same state 253 00:11:22,264 --> 00:11:24,684 as this Jane Doe was found. 254 00:11:26,184 --> 00:11:27,311 - [Narrator] News of Henry Lee Lucas 255 00:11:27,311 --> 00:11:29,980 and his alleged crimes reach detectives 256 00:11:29,980 --> 00:11:31,649 in Faribault County. 257 00:11:32,482 --> 00:11:35,403 Lucas alleges to picking up female hitchhikers, 258 00:11:35,403 --> 00:11:37,488 killing them, and dumping their bodies 259 00:11:37,488 --> 00:11:39,573 along the side of the road. 260 00:11:39,573 --> 00:11:42,159 - Detectives note striking similarities 261 00:11:42,159 --> 00:11:43,828 in Lucas's MO and the style 262 00:11:43,828 --> 00:11:47,415 in which their Jane Doe was killed and discarded. 263 00:11:47,415 --> 00:11:51,127 They contact officials in Texas to set up an interview 264 00:11:51,127 --> 00:11:52,712 with the incarcerated killer. 265 00:11:54,255 --> 00:11:55,840 - [Narrator] Authorities in Texas arrange 266 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,677 for Faribault County detectives to interview Lucas. 267 00:12:01,011 --> 00:12:04,348 - By all accounts, Lucas is very cooperative. 268 00:12:06,684 --> 00:12:09,352 Detectives believe that if he's responsible 269 00:12:09,352 --> 00:12:12,732 for their Jane Doe, he will readily admit to it. 270 00:12:14,066 --> 00:12:15,609 - [Narrator] Faribault County detectives 271 00:12:15,609 --> 00:12:17,278 finally have the opportunity 272 00:12:17,278 --> 00:12:20,197 to sit down and interview Henry Lee Lucas. 273 00:12:20,197 --> 00:12:21,741 (tense music continues) 274 00:12:21,741 --> 00:12:23,659 - The interview is promising. 275 00:12:23,659 --> 00:12:25,327 This is the moment of truth. 276 00:12:25,327 --> 00:12:27,747 They can tie this case up right here. 277 00:12:30,583 --> 00:12:34,170 - [Narrator] Lucas, as promised, is being cooperative. 278 00:12:34,170 --> 00:12:37,339 He recalls being in the Blue Earth, Minnesota area 279 00:12:37,339 --> 00:12:38,716 and that he picked up a hitchhiker 280 00:12:38,716 --> 00:12:42,761 on the I-90 roughly three years ago. 281 00:12:44,346 --> 00:12:48,392 So far, Lucas' account matches the Jane Doe crime. 282 00:12:48,392 --> 00:12:51,352 For the investigators, things are looking good. 283 00:12:53,230 --> 00:12:55,107 - When detectives question Lucas 284 00:12:55,107 --> 00:12:57,067 on the method he used to kill her, 285 00:12:57,067 --> 00:13:00,029 he responds that he stabbed her to death. 286 00:13:01,405 --> 00:13:03,282 Because the method of execution differs, 287 00:13:03,282 --> 00:13:06,785 detectives must admit that Lucas is not their man. 288 00:13:08,412 --> 00:13:11,749 - [Narrator] Unfortunately, they've hit another dead end. 289 00:13:13,208 --> 00:13:15,336 (tense music) 290 00:13:15,336 --> 00:13:17,671 Later it is learned that the taskforce created 291 00:13:17,671 --> 00:13:19,756 to look into Lucas's alleged murders 292 00:13:19,756 --> 00:13:22,718 and confessions is compromised. 293 00:13:22,718 --> 00:13:24,553 His confessions are tarnished 294 00:13:24,553 --> 00:13:26,472 when it's discovered that he had been given access 295 00:13:26,472 --> 00:13:28,307 to the information on the files 296 00:13:28,307 --> 00:13:31,184 of cases he was confessing to. 297 00:13:31,184 --> 00:13:33,646 - There are indications in the interview tapes 298 00:13:33,646 --> 00:13:35,981 that show Lucas read the reactions 299 00:13:35,981 --> 00:13:37,357 of those interviewing him 300 00:13:37,357 --> 00:13:40,277 and then altered his story to fit the murder. 301 00:13:40,277 --> 00:13:44,490 Therefore, Faribault detectives eliminate him as a suspect. 302 00:13:45,616 --> 00:13:47,535 - [Narrator] Though the case goes cold, 303 00:13:47,535 --> 00:13:50,830 it is never out of mind for Faribault County detectives. 304 00:13:50,830 --> 00:13:52,706 (melancholy music) 305 00:13:52,706 --> 00:13:54,500 - You gotta put your heart into it, 306 00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:56,877 you always gotta have your mind on it. 307 00:13:56,877 --> 00:13:59,213 And it doesn't matter what you're doing, 308 00:13:59,213 --> 00:14:01,298 you take that call at 3:00 in the morning 309 00:14:01,298 --> 00:14:03,843 to get the tip that may solve that case. 310 00:14:05,553 --> 00:14:07,513 - [Narrator] In the summer of 1989, 311 00:14:07,513 --> 00:14:10,140 nine years after the murder of Jane Doe 312 00:14:10,140 --> 00:14:11,517 detectives get a phone call 313 00:14:11,517 --> 00:14:14,061 from a sheriff in Smith County, Texas. 314 00:14:15,479 --> 00:14:17,857 It's a call that could blow the case wide open. 315 00:14:18,857 --> 00:14:21,443 - The sheriff informs detectives 316 00:14:21,443 --> 00:14:24,196 that they've apprehended a man on child abuse charges 317 00:14:24,196 --> 00:14:27,783 and that, while in custody, the man gave a confession. 318 00:14:27,783 --> 00:14:30,244 He also discloses that years earlier 319 00:14:30,244 --> 00:14:33,706 he picked up a hitchhiker on I-90 and murdered her. 320 00:14:33,706 --> 00:14:36,417 Furthermore, he claims to have strangled her, 321 00:14:36,417 --> 00:14:41,881 but the big bombshell is that this man, Robert Leroy Nelson, 322 00:14:43,257 --> 00:14:45,384 is a former Minnesota State Highway Patrol officer. 323 00:14:45,384 --> 00:14:46,719 - They knew who he was. 324 00:14:46,719 --> 00:14:48,721 I don't believe they had ever suspected him. 325 00:14:48,721 --> 00:14:50,598 I know there's some issues in some ongoing things 326 00:14:50,598 --> 00:14:52,474 that they maybe would've assumed, 327 00:14:52,474 --> 00:14:54,476 but they didn't have any ties to him and this Jane Doe. 328 00:14:54,476 --> 00:14:56,395 And I know investigators from this office 329 00:14:56,395 --> 00:14:58,314 went down and had done an interview. 330 00:14:58,314 --> 00:15:00,900 (tense music) 331 00:15:03,652 --> 00:15:05,487 - [Narrator] Before investigators can be sure 332 00:15:05,487 --> 00:15:08,616 that Nelson is responsible for their Jane Doe's murder, 333 00:15:08,616 --> 00:15:10,993 they need to conduct a thorough interview. 334 00:15:13,871 --> 00:15:17,625 - Nelson's able to provide a lot of detail. 335 00:15:17,625 --> 00:15:20,544 He describes picking up the young female hitchhiker 336 00:15:20,544 --> 00:15:23,047 after his shift and offering her a ride. 337 00:15:23,047 --> 00:15:26,383 (tense music continues) 338 00:15:27,509 --> 00:15:30,012 Instead, he takes her somewhere remote, 339 00:15:31,805 --> 00:15:33,933 forces her to have sex with him, 340 00:15:34,892 --> 00:15:37,186 strangles her with a string from her jacket, 341 00:15:39,647 --> 00:15:43,442 and dumps her naked body in a ditch along the I-90. 342 00:15:43,442 --> 00:15:46,528 The big revelation comes when he describes the method 343 00:15:46,528 --> 00:15:49,823 by which he tortures her before killing her. 344 00:15:50,783 --> 00:15:55,454 - Officials purposefully withhold details of the torture. 345 00:15:55,454 --> 00:15:57,581 So only those close to the case 346 00:15:57,581 --> 00:16:00,584 or the real murderer would know them. 347 00:16:00,584 --> 00:16:02,086 - And he was able to provide details 348 00:16:02,086 --> 00:16:03,796 that would've never been released to anybody else, 349 00:16:03,796 --> 00:16:06,090 including the State Patrol officer. 350 00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:07,841 - [Narrator] When Nelson describes 351 00:16:07,841 --> 00:16:10,135 how he removed the victim's fingernails with pliers, 352 00:16:10,135 --> 00:16:12,888 detectives know for certain that he's the killer. 353 00:16:12,888 --> 00:16:15,683 But when they press him on the identity of Jane Doe, 354 00:16:15,683 --> 00:16:16,809 he's unable to help. 355 00:16:16,809 --> 00:16:18,519 He doesn't know who she is. 356 00:16:19,770 --> 00:16:21,647 It's disturbing for detectives to learn 357 00:16:21,647 --> 00:16:24,608 that one of their own brutally killed this young woman. 358 00:16:24,608 --> 00:16:26,652 It raises several questions. 359 00:16:26,652 --> 00:16:29,697 How was he able to operate for years and go undetected? 360 00:16:29,697 --> 00:16:32,241 How many other violations might he have committed 361 00:16:32,241 --> 00:16:33,951 in that time? 362 00:16:33,951 --> 00:16:36,787 And how did investigators overlook him as a suspect? 363 00:16:36,787 --> 00:16:39,581 (tense music continues) 364 00:16:39,581 --> 00:16:41,792 But the biggest question of all 365 00:16:41,792 --> 00:16:47,006 that still needs to be answered is, who is Jane Doe? 366 00:16:48,132 --> 00:16:51,010 (dramatic music) 367 00:16:53,387 --> 00:16:56,015 (tense music) 368 00:16:58,183 --> 00:17:00,519 (tense music) 369 00:17:00,519 --> 00:17:02,479 In the summer of 1983, 370 00:17:02,479 --> 00:17:04,148 Minnesota investigators learn 371 00:17:04,148 --> 00:17:08,652 of a serial killer caught in Texas named Henry Lee Lucas. 372 00:17:09,862 --> 00:17:12,948 They're hopeful that he may also be responsible 373 00:17:12,948 --> 00:17:15,034 for the murder of their Jane Doe. 374 00:17:15,868 --> 00:17:17,786 But after interviewing Lucas, 375 00:17:17,786 --> 00:17:19,788 they realized that his story doesn't align 376 00:17:19,788 --> 00:17:21,915 with the manner in which she was killed. 377 00:17:21,915 --> 00:17:25,044 Their investigation once again stalls out. 378 00:17:25,586 --> 00:17:26,879 (tense music) 379 00:17:26,879 --> 00:17:28,130 But in the summer of 1989, 380 00:17:28,130 --> 00:17:30,632 detectives get a call from a Texas sheriff 381 00:17:30,632 --> 00:17:34,303 informing them that a former Minnesota Highway Patrolman 382 00:17:34,303 --> 00:17:36,055 has confessed to the crime. 383 00:17:36,513 --> 00:17:39,433 (tense music continues) 384 00:17:39,433 --> 00:17:41,935 Detectives interview Robert Nelson 385 00:17:41,935 --> 00:17:43,436 and confirm that he's responsible 386 00:17:43,436 --> 00:17:46,273 for torturing and murdering Jane Doe. 387 00:17:46,273 --> 00:17:49,068 But Nelson isn't able to provide any information 388 00:17:49,068 --> 00:17:50,234 on her identity. 389 00:17:50,234 --> 00:17:53,530 The question remains, who is Jane Doe? 390 00:17:54,865 --> 00:17:56,784 Detectives are still coming to grips with the fact 391 00:17:56,784 --> 00:17:59,703 that their killer was under their noses the whole time. 392 00:17:59,703 --> 00:18:01,872 But one officer, Jerry Anderson, 393 00:18:01,872 --> 00:18:04,666 recalls an exchange he has with Nelson 394 00:18:04,666 --> 00:18:06,292 that, at the time, meant nothing 395 00:18:06,292 --> 00:18:08,921 but now carries a significant weight. 396 00:18:08,921 --> 00:18:10,631 - Jerry Anderson, who was a road deputy, 397 00:18:10,631 --> 00:18:12,883 but acting as an investigator through that, 398 00:18:12,883 --> 00:18:15,302 had told me once I was assigned this case 399 00:18:15,302 --> 00:18:19,138 that one night in the records room in the old building, 400 00:18:19,138 --> 00:18:21,350 Robert Nelson had passed by him and said, 401 00:18:21,350 --> 00:18:23,852 "Jerry, I can solve this case for you." 402 00:18:23,852 --> 00:18:25,395 And Jerry said, "Oh yeah?" 403 00:18:25,395 --> 00:18:26,146 "I did it." 404 00:18:27,272 --> 00:18:28,523 And Jerry goes, "Yeah, whatever Bob." 405 00:18:28,523 --> 00:18:29,566 "No, I did it." 406 00:18:29,566 --> 00:18:30,984 "Yeah, whatever," and walked on. 407 00:18:30,984 --> 00:18:32,444 And I always thought to myself 408 00:18:32,444 --> 00:18:34,780 after Deputy Jerry Anderson told me that story, 409 00:18:34,780 --> 00:18:37,074 that was a way for Robert Nelson to get it off his chest 410 00:18:37,074 --> 00:18:40,202 and say, "Well, I confessed, I can move on now. 411 00:18:40,202 --> 00:18:41,203 I told somebody." 412 00:18:42,329 --> 00:18:43,664 - [Narrator] With virtually no evidence 413 00:18:43,664 --> 00:18:45,415 in the case and a former officer 414 00:18:45,415 --> 00:18:47,501 with access to the investigation, 415 00:18:47,501 --> 00:18:48,710 detectives are certain 416 00:18:48,710 --> 00:18:50,879 that if it wasn't for Nelson's confession, 417 00:18:50,879 --> 00:18:53,840 they likely would never have solved the crime. 418 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,802 But Detective Adams doesn't believe the confession 419 00:18:56,802 --> 00:19:01,807 is an act of altruism, but rather a bargaining tactic. 420 00:19:01,807 --> 00:19:03,517 - In my heart, I believe he confessed 421 00:19:03,517 --> 00:19:05,519 'cause he wanted to serve his time in Minnesota 422 00:19:05,519 --> 00:19:07,646 opposed to a Texas prison. 423 00:19:07,646 --> 00:19:08,730 - [Narrator] Nelson pleads guilty 424 00:19:08,730 --> 00:19:10,648 to first-degree manslaughter 425 00:19:10,648 --> 00:19:12,776 and for his cooperation and confession, 426 00:19:12,776 --> 00:19:16,155 he's sentenced to only 16 years to be served 427 00:19:16,155 --> 00:19:19,992 on top of his sentence in Texas for child abuse. 428 00:19:19,992 --> 00:19:21,577 And his attempt at getting transferred 429 00:19:21,577 --> 00:19:23,704 to a Minnesota prison fails. 430 00:19:23,704 --> 00:19:27,124 He serves both sentences down in Texas. 431 00:19:28,625 --> 00:19:30,252 - The community probably figures 432 00:19:30,252 --> 00:19:32,212 for the most part, the general public, 433 00:19:32,212 --> 00:19:34,298 that you should get a lot stiffer sentence 434 00:19:34,298 --> 00:19:36,049 than what you get at the end of the day. 435 00:19:36,049 --> 00:19:37,968 You know, we have a court system and a judicial system 436 00:19:37,968 --> 00:19:40,220 in place and that is what it is. 437 00:19:40,220 --> 00:19:41,346 We can't go around it. 438 00:19:43,307 --> 00:19:44,600 (melancholy music) 439 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:46,935 - [Narrator] It is 26 years since the murder 440 00:19:46,935 --> 00:19:49,897 and the victim's identity remains a question. 441 00:19:49,897 --> 00:19:51,982 This is when Detective Scott Adams 442 00:19:51,982 --> 00:19:53,817 becomes involved with the case. 443 00:19:54,943 --> 00:19:57,404 - I got in law enforcement in 1994. 444 00:19:57,404 --> 00:20:00,157 And then in 2006, the sheriff 445 00:20:00,157 --> 00:20:02,326 at the Faribault County Sheriff's Office at that time, 446 00:20:02,326 --> 00:20:04,953 Scott Campbell, assigned the case to me. 447 00:20:04,953 --> 00:20:07,497 And again, I'd kinda stayed up on it my whole life. 448 00:20:07,497 --> 00:20:09,082 Read articles. 449 00:20:09,082 --> 00:20:11,084 You know, little things would pop up every so many years. 450 00:20:11,084 --> 00:20:12,377 And I would read up on it 451 00:20:12,377 --> 00:20:14,463 in the local newspaper and the news. 452 00:20:14,463 --> 00:20:18,133 And it was almost an honor to be assigned that case in 2006 453 00:20:18,133 --> 00:20:22,429 because I had a great deal of care for it from day one, 454 00:20:22,429 --> 00:20:23,680 watching as a young child 455 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:26,099 and now being newly assigned investigator 456 00:20:26,099 --> 00:20:27,351 in getting this case. 457 00:20:28,810 --> 00:20:30,354 - [Narrator] But Detective Adams isn't the only one 458 00:20:30,354 --> 00:20:31,813 interested in solving the mystery 459 00:20:31,813 --> 00:20:34,358 of Blue Earth, Minnesota's Jane Doe. 460 00:20:35,442 --> 00:20:38,695 In 2002, four years before Detective Adams 461 00:20:38,695 --> 00:20:40,321 takes over the case, 462 00:20:40,321 --> 00:20:43,992 Blue Earth resident, Deb Anderson, learns from a friend 463 00:20:43,992 --> 00:20:47,412 about the unidentified woman buried in the cemetery. 464 00:20:48,830 --> 00:20:51,833 Hoping to learn more about her, she goes online, 465 00:20:51,833 --> 00:20:53,585 but is disappointed to find 466 00:20:53,585 --> 00:20:56,380 that there isn't much information about Jane Doe. 467 00:20:57,839 --> 00:20:59,258 - I went out there on crutches 468 00:20:59,258 --> 00:21:01,885 to see her stone at the cemetery. 469 00:21:01,885 --> 00:21:05,097 But I just kept thinking who, you know, 470 00:21:06,265 --> 00:21:09,434 how long would you look for your child? 471 00:21:09,434 --> 00:21:10,602 Forever. 472 00:21:10,602 --> 00:21:11,353 I would. 473 00:21:13,689 --> 00:21:15,398 - [Narrator] Deb Anderson resolves 474 00:21:15,398 --> 00:21:19,778 to bring awareness to the case and help identify Jane Doe. 475 00:21:21,405 --> 00:21:23,031 Deb goes to Blue Earth Police 476 00:21:23,031 --> 00:21:25,575 to inquire about the status of the case. 477 00:21:25,575 --> 00:21:27,244 (tense music continues) 478 00:21:27,244 --> 00:21:30,163 - They didn't have a fingerprint database back then either. 479 00:21:30,163 --> 00:21:33,417 And so I was like, has anybody run this lately? 480 00:21:33,417 --> 00:21:35,127 Like, no. 481 00:21:36,628 --> 00:21:39,047 None of my business basically what I was told 482 00:21:39,047 --> 00:21:41,340 and they just treated me so poorly that it made me mad. 483 00:21:41,340 --> 00:21:44,386 Had they given me the answers probably right up front, 484 00:21:44,386 --> 00:21:47,180 I would've went away and probably never done it. 485 00:21:48,724 --> 00:21:50,225 But then they just, 486 00:21:50,225 --> 00:21:51,852 I just wasn't gonna quit. 487 00:21:51,852 --> 00:21:53,436 Not for a whole lot of reasons, 488 00:21:53,436 --> 00:21:58,734 but that was very much part of my drive 489 00:21:59,484 --> 00:22:00,902 just to prove 'em wrong. 490 00:22:00,902 --> 00:22:02,446 (tense music continues) 491 00:22:02,446 --> 00:22:04,196 - I'd honestly got to the point 492 00:22:04,196 --> 00:22:06,616 where I don't know if we'll ever find a name for Jane Doe. 493 00:22:06,616 --> 00:22:08,952 That doesn't mean we quit caring at any time 494 00:22:08,952 --> 00:22:10,787 and we still put as much work into it. 495 00:22:10,787 --> 00:22:13,999 I kept that Rubbermaid case file tote right next to my desk 496 00:22:13,999 --> 00:22:15,500 in my office every day. 497 00:22:15,500 --> 00:22:17,252 I'd look at it when I walk in. 498 00:22:18,378 --> 00:22:19,921 Even though it was in a Rubbermaid tote, 499 00:22:19,921 --> 00:22:22,007 I could get to whatever form, whatever match. 500 00:22:22,007 --> 00:22:23,800 We kind of just, 501 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:24,926 we'll keep working leads 502 00:22:24,926 --> 00:22:26,928 and didn't know if we'd ever get an answer. 503 00:22:28,513 --> 00:22:31,391 (tense music) 504 00:22:31,391 --> 00:22:32,809 - [Narrator] Over the years, 505 00:22:32,809 --> 00:22:34,811 Deb pursues any and every lead she can 506 00:22:34,811 --> 00:22:37,564 to try and identify the murdered woman. 507 00:22:37,564 --> 00:22:40,317 It takes over a large part of her life. 508 00:22:40,317 --> 00:22:43,945 - At one point there was a retired deputy here 509 00:22:43,945 --> 00:22:46,823 who had worked the case back in the 80s. 510 00:22:46,823 --> 00:22:49,409 And he firmly believed that it was 511 00:22:49,409 --> 00:22:53,538 this missing woman named Jacqueline Lerman. 512 00:22:53,538 --> 00:22:56,958 And they had pursued the possibility of it 513 00:22:56,958 --> 00:22:59,795 when he was back in the 80s. 514 00:22:59,795 --> 00:23:01,004 But DNA wasn't a thing. 515 00:23:01,004 --> 00:23:03,965 And the dental records, 516 00:23:03,965 --> 00:23:07,594 somebody determined the dental records weren't a match, 517 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,138 but there was not any real good documentation 518 00:23:11,138 --> 00:23:12,516 one way or the other. 519 00:23:12,516 --> 00:23:13,892 Things had been lost. 520 00:23:13,892 --> 00:23:15,727 The case file was nowhere to be found. 521 00:23:15,727 --> 00:23:18,146 So I thought, well, I'm gonna go down that road again 522 00:23:18,146 --> 00:23:20,648 and see what I can find. 523 00:23:20,648 --> 00:23:21,858 Her last name was Lerman. 524 00:23:21,858 --> 00:23:23,443 She was from New York. 525 00:23:23,443 --> 00:23:25,195 And she had gone missing and everything lined up, 526 00:23:25,195 --> 00:23:30,157 dates, coloring, everything that we had lined up. 527 00:23:30,157 --> 00:23:32,536 Police departments won't tell me anything 528 00:23:32,536 --> 00:23:36,415 about a missing person 'cause I'm not law enforcement. 529 00:23:36,415 --> 00:23:38,750 So the only way I could find out was 530 00:23:38,750 --> 00:23:41,837 to find the family of this Jacqueline Lerman 531 00:23:41,837 --> 00:23:44,756 who had gone missing in '79. 532 00:23:44,756 --> 00:23:47,342 And I didn't have any idea 533 00:23:47,342 --> 00:23:51,972 that there's thousands and thousands of Lermans in New York. 534 00:23:51,972 --> 00:23:57,436 So I printed lists of Lermans, just Lerman phone numbers. 535 00:23:58,603 --> 00:23:59,896 Lists and lists and lists of 'em. 536 00:23:59,896 --> 00:24:00,981 And I just started at the top 537 00:24:00,981 --> 00:24:04,484 and started calling 'em, each one. 538 00:24:05,986 --> 00:24:09,948 In my drive to work or whatever day, whatever. 539 00:24:09,948 --> 00:24:12,032 When I didn't have anything else to do, I'd call. 540 00:24:12,032 --> 00:24:15,494 And I probably made 100 calls, I don't know. 541 00:24:15,494 --> 00:24:18,373 One day it was a Sunday and I was here. 542 00:24:18,373 --> 00:24:21,542 I was sitting on the floor and I called this woman 543 00:24:21,542 --> 00:24:24,004 and she answered and I went through my spiel at, 544 00:24:24,004 --> 00:24:26,673 you know, and she says, "No, I don't know. 545 00:24:26,673 --> 00:24:28,508 No, I don't know anybody by that name." 546 00:24:28,508 --> 00:24:30,010 And I didn't think anything of it. 547 00:24:30,010 --> 00:24:31,845 Went on, called some more people, whatever. 548 00:24:31,845 --> 00:24:35,182 And about half hour later my phone rang 549 00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:38,602 and it was this woman again. 550 00:24:38,602 --> 00:24:41,480 And she goes, "Yeah, you the one 551 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,357 that called me about Jacqueline Lerman?" 552 00:24:44,357 --> 00:24:45,901 I said, "Yes." 553 00:24:45,901 --> 00:24:50,030 And she said, "Did you mean Jackie..." 554 00:24:50,030 --> 00:24:53,200 And she had some other last name. 555 00:24:54,493 --> 00:24:56,203 - [Narrator] Deb is put in touch with the woman's brother, 556 00:24:56,203 --> 00:24:58,538 a producer of a popular TV show. 557 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:02,542 - And he says, "But before we go into this, 558 00:25:02,542 --> 00:25:05,045 I wanna tell you something just so you know 559 00:25:05,045 --> 00:25:07,297 where I'm coming from, whatever." 560 00:25:07,297 --> 00:25:09,007 And he says, 561 00:25:09,007 --> 00:25:11,927 "I'm the executive producer of 'America's Most Wanted.'" 562 00:25:11,927 --> 00:25:13,637 And I said, "Yeah, you are." 563 00:25:13,637 --> 00:25:16,890 Now I'm thinking like, okay, somebody's having some fun. 564 00:25:18,475 --> 00:25:20,018 I was kind of, 565 00:25:20,018 --> 00:25:21,645 I actually got kind of snippy with him 566 00:25:21,645 --> 00:25:24,814 and said, "Yeah, yeah, or whatever. This is not a joke." 567 00:25:24,814 --> 00:25:25,898 - [Narrator] However, the caller is able 568 00:25:25,898 --> 00:25:28,109 to convince Deb of his identity. 569 00:25:29,236 --> 00:25:30,820 And given his position, 570 00:25:30,820 --> 00:25:33,156 he's able to get some traction on the case. 571 00:25:34,741 --> 00:25:38,286 - He pulled a few strings, so to speak, maybe, 572 00:25:38,286 --> 00:25:43,542 and did manage to get the sheriff's department at the time, 573 00:25:44,542 --> 00:25:46,336 which not the current ones, 574 00:25:46,336 --> 00:25:50,549 but the ones before that to send some hair samples 575 00:25:51,465 --> 00:25:56,346 to the FBI for testing. 576 00:25:57,763 --> 00:25:59,474 - [Narrator] After over two decades 577 00:25:59,474 --> 00:26:03,520 is the mystery of who Jane Doe is and where she comes from 578 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:05,355 about to be solved? 579 00:26:05,355 --> 00:26:08,400 (dramatic music) 580 00:26:10,609 --> 00:26:13,029 (tense music) 581 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,867 (tense music) 582 00:26:17,867 --> 00:26:20,704 Robert Nelson pleads guilty to manslaughter 583 00:26:20,704 --> 00:26:23,205 and is sentenced to 16 years to be served 584 00:26:23,205 --> 00:26:26,626 on top of his current sentence in a Texas prison. 585 00:26:27,544 --> 00:26:29,754 26 years after the murder, 586 00:26:29,754 --> 00:26:33,215 Detective Scott Adams is assigned to the case. 587 00:26:33,215 --> 00:26:35,302 He's hopeful he can identify the victim 588 00:26:35,302 --> 00:26:38,221 and finally bring her family some peace. 589 00:26:38,221 --> 00:26:40,390 But Detective Adams is not alone. 590 00:26:40,390 --> 00:26:43,059 Local Blue Earth resident, Deb Anderson, 591 00:26:43,059 --> 00:26:44,936 takes an interest in the case 592 00:26:44,936 --> 00:26:48,148 and makes it her mission to identify Jane Doe. 593 00:26:48,148 --> 00:26:50,191 Deb follows every possible lead 594 00:26:50,191 --> 00:26:53,028 until finally the name Jacqueline Lerman 595 00:26:53,028 --> 00:26:54,946 comes across her desk. 596 00:26:54,946 --> 00:26:57,240 She's hopeful that a DNA test 597 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,159 will finally determine the identity 598 00:26:59,159 --> 00:27:02,203 of the young woman killed 2 1/2 decades ago. 599 00:27:03,288 --> 00:27:06,082 The hair sample is sent off for testing, 600 00:27:06,082 --> 00:27:08,292 but it comes back negative. 601 00:27:08,292 --> 00:27:10,670 Jacqueline Lerman is not Jane Doe. 602 00:27:10,670 --> 00:27:15,133 (tense music continues) 603 00:27:15,133 --> 00:27:16,343 - I found out that, 604 00:27:16,343 --> 00:27:18,386 at the time when they said they did that 605 00:27:18,386 --> 00:27:21,348 and he said they did that and all and it wasn't a match, 606 00:27:21,348 --> 00:27:22,515 it wasn't her. 607 00:27:22,515 --> 00:27:26,645 We were like, I jokingly said to my husband, 608 00:27:28,897 --> 00:27:30,940 "You don't suppose one of those clowns clipped 609 00:27:30,940 --> 00:27:33,777 their own pubic hairs and sent them up there, do you?" 610 00:27:35,362 --> 00:27:38,907 And we laughed because it was so stupid. 611 00:27:38,907 --> 00:27:40,325 Who would do that? 612 00:27:40,325 --> 00:27:42,994 Well, years later I find out that that DNA 613 00:27:42,994 --> 00:27:45,288 that had been sent to the FBI 614 00:27:45,288 --> 00:27:48,124 to be compared with the Lerman's DNA 615 00:27:48,124 --> 00:27:51,461 was a man's pubic hairs. 616 00:27:52,921 --> 00:27:54,381 I don't know where they came up with it, 617 00:27:54,381 --> 00:27:57,175 but it wasn't hers and it wasn't ever gonna match 618 00:27:57,175 --> 00:27:59,219 'cause it wasn't even a female's. 619 00:28:03,013 --> 00:28:05,100 - Given that Nelson may have had access 620 00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:06,976 to the evidence in this case, 621 00:28:06,976 --> 00:28:09,270 it's possible that he may have tampered with it 622 00:28:09,270 --> 00:28:10,605 and planted a hair. 623 00:28:10,605 --> 00:28:12,440 Unfortunately, there was never an answer 624 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,902 as to where the hair came from and how the mix up occurred. 625 00:28:17,487 --> 00:28:20,323 - Deb is certain the best way of identifying Jane Doe is 626 00:28:20,323 --> 00:28:22,826 through DNA, which, as a science, 627 00:28:22,826 --> 00:28:27,330 has come a long way since 1980 when she was murdered. 628 00:28:28,415 --> 00:28:31,542 - [Narrator] Deb learns of the national database for DNA. 629 00:28:32,419 --> 00:28:34,129 She's convinced that this may be the only way 630 00:28:34,129 --> 00:28:36,715 to positively identify Jane Doe. 631 00:28:37,757 --> 00:28:39,259 But the issue is 632 00:28:39,259 --> 00:28:41,594 that Jane Doe is buried six feet underground 633 00:28:41,594 --> 00:28:45,390 and police don't have any of her DNA on file. 634 00:28:45,390 --> 00:28:47,350 In order to obtain a sample, 635 00:28:47,350 --> 00:28:50,478 they'll need to dig her up, an expensive procedure. 636 00:28:50,478 --> 00:28:52,063 (tense music continues) 637 00:28:52,063 --> 00:28:53,606 - You know, we have a $5 million budget here, 638 00:28:53,606 --> 00:28:56,776 but that's pre-planned for general expenses 639 00:28:56,776 --> 00:28:58,820 you have every day, every year. 640 00:28:58,820 --> 00:29:00,321 We have to run a building, 641 00:29:00,321 --> 00:29:02,157 we have to run a jail, a dispatch center, 642 00:29:02,157 --> 00:29:04,159 you know, and just all of a sudden come up with 30,000, 643 00:29:04,159 --> 00:29:06,369 especially in 2006. 644 00:29:06,369 --> 00:29:09,247 It's just tough to find that kinda money. 645 00:29:09,247 --> 00:29:10,540 And who's gonna do this work 646 00:29:10,540 --> 00:29:12,542 and who's gonna do that work, lining it up. 647 00:29:12,542 --> 00:29:15,378 - However, Detective Adams agrees with Deb 648 00:29:15,378 --> 00:29:18,131 that the best method of identifying the body 649 00:29:18,131 --> 00:29:20,049 is going to be through DNA. 650 00:29:21,342 --> 00:29:24,179 - DNA is always changing, always evolving. 651 00:29:24,179 --> 00:29:25,847 We use it in our everyday process now. 652 00:29:25,847 --> 00:29:28,308 You know, cigarette butts, pop cans, 653 00:29:28,308 --> 00:29:30,268 you know, in Faribault County, 654 00:29:30,268 --> 00:29:32,687 you know, we're on average homicide every four years, 655 00:29:32,687 --> 00:29:35,064 so it's not like we're using it for homicides, 656 00:29:35,064 --> 00:29:38,318 but we're using it in burglaries, thefts, robberies. 657 00:29:38,318 --> 00:29:40,737 And it's amazing how fast we're getting results 658 00:29:40,737 --> 00:29:41,780 and convicting people. 659 00:29:41,780 --> 00:29:43,364 (tense music continues) 660 00:29:43,364 --> 00:29:44,824 - [Narrator] But without the police budget 661 00:29:44,824 --> 00:29:46,409 to exhume the body, 662 00:29:46,409 --> 00:29:48,828 Deb is going to have to find another way. 663 00:29:48,828 --> 00:29:51,664 She decides to engage friends, family, 664 00:29:51,664 --> 00:29:54,918 and the community to see if she can't help raise the money. 665 00:29:56,419 --> 00:29:59,172 - The big ticket item that was holding it all back 666 00:29:59,172 --> 00:30:01,841 was the exhumation, the cost of the exhumation. 667 00:30:01,841 --> 00:30:05,178 (tense music continues) 668 00:30:05,178 --> 00:30:06,805 My husband pours concrete 669 00:30:06,805 --> 00:30:08,473 or he used to pour concrete for a living 670 00:30:08,473 --> 00:30:10,642 and he was friends with the GNS Drainage, 671 00:30:10,642 --> 00:30:14,479 which Gary Sunken was very gracious 672 00:30:14,479 --> 00:30:16,856 and he was the one that buried her. 673 00:30:18,274 --> 00:30:21,194 Well, now he runs an excavating business 674 00:30:21,194 --> 00:30:24,155 and he very much believed 675 00:30:24,155 --> 00:30:28,660 in doing whatever we could do to find her family, 676 00:30:28,660 --> 00:30:32,831 find her identity, and he offered to dig her up for free. 677 00:30:33,832 --> 00:30:38,127 And I had repeatedly told former county 678 00:30:38,127 --> 00:30:41,130 and sheriff's department, but they weren't interested. 679 00:30:42,841 --> 00:30:44,509 So there was a website 680 00:30:44,509 --> 00:30:46,594 for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions up in Minneapolis, 681 00:30:46,594 --> 00:30:50,098 has a website that I had spent years trying 682 00:30:50,098 --> 00:30:51,933 to get her listed on. 683 00:30:54,519 --> 00:30:59,315 I called up there and this woman answered and she said, 684 00:30:59,315 --> 00:31:01,317 "Oh yes, yes, I know the case. 685 00:31:01,317 --> 00:31:02,861 And we'd love, 686 00:31:02,861 --> 00:31:04,612 and I'll make sure it gets back on the website. 687 00:31:04,612 --> 00:31:06,030 I'd love to do something about all of these. 688 00:31:06,030 --> 00:31:07,615 We just don't have the money." 689 00:31:07,615 --> 00:31:09,742 I said, "You don't need any money for this." 690 00:31:09,742 --> 00:31:11,327 And she said, "Why not?" 691 00:31:11,327 --> 00:31:12,871 And I said, "Because I'm friends with the guy 692 00:31:12,871 --> 00:31:14,372 that buried her and he's volunteered his equipment, 693 00:31:14,372 --> 00:31:16,958 his time, his people, and everything. 694 00:31:16,958 --> 00:31:19,878 He will dig her up and not charge you." 695 00:31:21,379 --> 00:31:25,675 And that's what started the ball rolling. 696 00:31:25,675 --> 00:31:30,597 - [Narrator] On August 12th, 2014, the body is exhumed. 697 00:31:30,597 --> 00:31:35,059 The $10,000 cost is covered by a local construction company 698 00:31:35,059 --> 00:31:36,311 and a funeral home. 699 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:40,273 - When they did agree to finally exhume her, 700 00:31:40,273 --> 00:31:42,567 I told my daughter, I said... 701 00:31:42,567 --> 00:31:45,069 I was open with her about what had happened, 702 00:31:45,069 --> 00:31:46,654 and I said, 703 00:31:46,654 --> 00:31:48,489 "You're welcome to come to the cemetery if you want to 704 00:31:48,489 --> 00:31:52,285 for the exhumation, or you don't have to. 705 00:31:52,285 --> 00:31:53,828 It's up to you." 706 00:31:53,828 --> 00:31:55,622 But I thought it was important that, 707 00:31:55,622 --> 00:31:57,415 ever since she was born, 708 00:31:57,415 --> 00:31:59,918 it was important for her to know that we have an obligation 709 00:31:59,918 --> 00:32:01,586 to do this for other people 710 00:32:01,586 --> 00:32:04,380 if we would ever expect it done for us. 711 00:32:04,380 --> 00:32:07,508 And that I was gonna live up to that because I'm human, 712 00:32:07,508 --> 00:32:10,470 because people are not disposable, 713 00:32:10,470 --> 00:32:15,016 because if anybody matters, if anything matters, 714 00:32:15,016 --> 00:32:17,435 she matters too just as much. 715 00:32:17,435 --> 00:32:20,438 And we have to give it every effort that we can. 716 00:32:20,438 --> 00:32:22,440 So my daughter said yes, she would go. 717 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:27,070 And I gotta tell you, it was actually very surreal. 718 00:32:27,070 --> 00:32:30,573 Like I just couldn't believe it was happening. 719 00:32:30,573 --> 00:32:31,741 Just so surreal. 720 00:32:31,741 --> 00:32:35,787 And then they got the concrete vault out 721 00:32:35,787 --> 00:32:39,582 and then they took her out of that. 722 00:32:39,582 --> 00:32:42,502 And she was in what appeared to be, 723 00:32:42,502 --> 00:32:47,590 originally had been like a plastic body bag. 724 00:32:47,590 --> 00:32:50,969 There was not an actual casket. 725 00:32:52,261 --> 00:32:54,305 The plastic was real brittle 726 00:32:54,305 --> 00:32:56,057 and it was cracking and breaking 727 00:32:56,057 --> 00:32:59,185 as they tried to lift her to the, 728 00:32:59,185 --> 00:33:01,270 put her on a, like a gurney thing. 729 00:33:02,230 --> 00:33:05,650 And they laid her down 730 00:33:05,650 --> 00:33:09,696 and you have all these ideas of what it's gonna be like 731 00:33:09,696 --> 00:33:12,573 and how you're gonna feel and you... 732 00:33:12,573 --> 00:33:14,117 And then she's in front of you 733 00:33:14,117 --> 00:33:16,244 and we still don't know her name. 734 00:33:16,244 --> 00:33:17,662 How is that possible to me? 735 00:33:17,662 --> 00:33:21,374 Like my brain doesn't wanna accept that. 736 00:33:22,750 --> 00:33:27,338 You're just praying to God that it does some good, 737 00:33:28,881 --> 00:33:31,342 that it all was worth, you know, that something comes of it. 738 00:33:33,052 --> 00:33:36,139 - [Narrator] Now Deb must wait as a DNA sample is taken 739 00:33:36,139 --> 00:33:40,184 from the body and added to the national DNA registry. 740 00:33:40,184 --> 00:33:42,061 Hopefully somewhere out there 741 00:33:42,061 --> 00:33:46,190 the family of this Jane Doe have also submitted their DNA 742 00:33:46,190 --> 00:33:47,358 to the registry. 743 00:33:48,735 --> 00:33:50,862 It's the only way now that she can be identified 744 00:33:50,862 --> 00:33:53,406 and her family can finally have closure. 745 00:33:55,408 --> 00:33:58,202 (dramatic music) 746 00:34:00,538 --> 00:34:03,041 (tense music) 747 00:34:05,460 --> 00:34:07,587 (tense music) 748 00:34:07,587 --> 00:34:09,338 Deb learns that Jacqueline Lerman 749 00:34:09,338 --> 00:34:12,383 is not the Blue Earth, Minnesota Jane Doe. 750 00:34:12,383 --> 00:34:13,760 Not only that, 751 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:15,928 but it's discovered that the hairs recovered 752 00:34:15,928 --> 00:34:17,680 from the body are male. 753 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:20,266 Someone has tampered with the evidence in the case. 754 00:34:20,266 --> 00:34:23,770 It appears the only way to properly identify Jane Doe 755 00:34:23,770 --> 00:34:26,939 is to exhume her body for a new DNA sample. 756 00:34:26,939 --> 00:34:29,650 But as Detective Adams explains to Deb, 757 00:34:29,650 --> 00:34:33,404 the procedure is expensive and unaffordable at this time. 758 00:34:33,404 --> 00:34:35,614 But Deb isn't about to let a price tag stand 759 00:34:35,614 --> 00:34:37,492 in the way of her mission. 760 00:34:37,492 --> 00:34:39,577 She petitions local businesses 761 00:34:39,577 --> 00:34:41,996 and arranges for the costs to be covered. 762 00:34:41,996 --> 00:34:46,125 The body is exhumed on August 12th, 2014, 763 00:34:46,125 --> 00:34:47,752 34 years after the murder. 764 00:34:47,752 --> 00:34:51,255 - We exhumed her and shipped her immediately 765 00:34:51,255 --> 00:34:52,799 to the Mayo Hospital. 766 00:34:52,799 --> 00:34:56,094 They basically reconstructed the body, got a fresh DNA. 767 00:34:57,469 --> 00:34:59,222 - [Narrator] In addition to the single fingerprint 768 00:34:59,222 --> 00:35:00,806 and dental records, 769 00:35:00,806 --> 00:35:03,101 a new facial reconstruction is also created 770 00:35:03,101 --> 00:35:06,354 by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 771 00:35:06,354 --> 00:35:08,022 from an MRI scan. 772 00:35:08,022 --> 00:35:11,943 The Smithsonian Institute also performs isotope testing 773 00:35:11,943 --> 00:35:13,986 on a tooth to identify the regions 774 00:35:13,986 --> 00:35:17,239 where the victim may have lived before her death. 775 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:18,783 The results from this testing 776 00:35:18,783 --> 00:35:22,536 also indicate she's between 17 to 23 years old, 777 00:35:22,536 --> 00:35:25,790 not 20 to 35 as previously reported. 778 00:35:27,917 --> 00:35:30,128 She's also determined to be white 779 00:35:30,128 --> 00:35:32,880 with a possible African admixture. 780 00:35:33,881 --> 00:35:35,383 - When they exhumed her body, 781 00:35:35,383 --> 00:35:38,219 this friend of mine had given me a bottle of champagne 782 00:35:38,219 --> 00:35:40,096 as a, you know, congratulations, 783 00:35:40,096 --> 00:35:42,431 you finally got her exhumed. 784 00:35:42,431 --> 00:35:43,724 I said thank you. 785 00:35:43,724 --> 00:35:45,476 And I said, "We're gonna put this away 786 00:35:45,476 --> 00:35:48,187 and we aren't gonna open it until we have a name." 787 00:35:49,814 --> 00:35:52,275 So I tucked it up on the cupboard 788 00:35:52,275 --> 00:35:54,235 and didn't think about it again. 789 00:35:55,361 --> 00:35:56,946 - So I can remember just like it was yesterday. 790 00:35:56,946 --> 00:35:58,489 You know, my office is right next door 791 00:35:58,489 --> 00:36:00,032 to where we're sitting in here 792 00:36:00,032 --> 00:36:03,411 and I was walking down the hall and my cell phone rang. 793 00:36:03,411 --> 00:36:05,329 And it said Minnesota BCA on my caller ID. 794 00:36:05,329 --> 00:36:07,290 I picked it up and it was one of the agents said, 795 00:36:07,290 --> 00:36:08,958 "We have a match." 796 00:36:08,958 --> 00:36:11,460 And it was just, I mean it was like you won the lottery. 797 00:36:11,460 --> 00:36:13,087 And I remember looking out my office door 798 00:36:13,087 --> 00:36:14,714 and the sheriff was down the hall 799 00:36:14,714 --> 00:36:16,340 and I told him to come to my office. 800 00:36:16,340 --> 00:36:18,217 And part of it was we wanna kinda keep it under wraps 801 00:36:18,217 --> 00:36:20,803 to get a plan together, make sure the family was notified. 802 00:36:20,803 --> 00:36:23,264 We didn't want it blown all over the media here 803 00:36:23,264 --> 00:36:25,141 until the family was properly notified. 804 00:36:25,141 --> 00:36:26,642 But it was pretty exciting then 805 00:36:26,642 --> 00:36:29,478 to keep all that in until we could release it. 806 00:36:29,478 --> 00:36:31,189 (awe-inspiring music) 807 00:36:31,189 --> 00:36:32,690 - [Narrator] After all these years, 808 00:36:32,690 --> 00:36:35,193 Jane Doe finally has a name, 809 00:36:35,193 --> 00:36:36,527 Michelle Busha. 810 00:36:38,279 --> 00:36:41,364 Michelle grows up in Alexandria, Louisiana, 811 00:36:41,364 --> 00:36:44,535 but Michelle wanted more than the small-town life. 812 00:36:44,535 --> 00:36:46,245 Michelle runs away numerous times 813 00:36:46,245 --> 00:36:49,498 and once makes it as far as Burlington, Colorado. 814 00:36:49,498 --> 00:36:50,958 She's picked up by police 815 00:36:50,958 --> 00:36:52,877 and given the option of going to jail 816 00:36:52,877 --> 00:36:55,421 or going to live with her biological father. 817 00:36:57,340 --> 00:36:59,342 Michelle opts to live with her dad 818 00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:02,637 and they drive the thousand miles to Bay City, Texas. 819 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:07,016 But Michelle and her dad butt heads. 820 00:37:07,016 --> 00:37:08,392 (tense music) 821 00:37:08,392 --> 00:37:11,103 And in 1978 they have a blowout fight, 822 00:37:11,103 --> 00:37:13,272 that ends with Michelle running away from home 823 00:37:13,272 --> 00:37:14,482 for the last time. 824 00:37:20,321 --> 00:37:24,075 There is no word from Michelle for almost two years. 825 00:37:24,075 --> 00:37:27,078 However, Don realizes that he can track her whereabouts 826 00:37:27,078 --> 00:37:30,665 when he notices long distance calls on his phone bill 827 00:37:30,665 --> 00:37:33,125 that have been charged to his number. 828 00:37:33,125 --> 00:37:35,753 Every month, his phone bill contains a few 829 00:37:35,753 --> 00:37:37,755 of these long-distance charges. 830 00:37:39,047 --> 00:37:43,344 Don Busha Sr. recalls hoping that one day she will show up, 831 00:37:43,344 --> 00:37:45,554 call, or surface somewhere. 832 00:37:50,226 --> 00:37:53,187 Don recalls feeling like a failure as a parent 833 00:37:53,187 --> 00:37:56,357 and waking up in the middle of the night crying. 834 00:37:56,357 --> 00:37:57,692 Then, over time, 835 00:37:57,692 --> 00:38:00,820 Don notices there are no longer any long distance charges 836 00:38:00,820 --> 00:38:02,780 on his phone bill. 837 00:38:02,780 --> 00:38:04,282 On May 9th, 1980, 838 00:38:05,616 --> 00:38:07,994 the family files a missing person report for Michelle. 839 00:38:09,786 --> 00:38:13,498 During all that time, Don Busha Sr. doesn't give up hope 840 00:38:13,498 --> 00:38:14,917 that his daughter is alive. 841 00:38:14,917 --> 00:38:17,295 He maintains the same address and phone number 842 00:38:17,295 --> 00:38:19,755 in case she ever wants to get ahold of him. 843 00:38:19,755 --> 00:38:21,799 (tense music continues) 844 00:38:21,799 --> 00:38:23,968 - I think I made the call to the Texas authorities, 845 00:38:23,968 --> 00:38:25,511 talked to investigator 846 00:38:25,511 --> 00:38:27,680 and the sheriff called back to make sure I was 847 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:28,931 who I was supposed to be. 848 00:38:28,931 --> 00:38:30,391 And they made the notification down there. 849 00:38:30,391 --> 00:38:32,226 And then after that, we spoke to the family. 850 00:38:32,226 --> 00:38:35,062 I still have their numbers in my phone to this day. 851 00:38:35,062 --> 00:38:37,440 - [Narrator] After decades of holding onto hope, 852 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:40,401 Don gets the phone call that every parent dreads. 853 00:38:40,401 --> 00:38:43,070 He's informed that a DNA match has been found 854 00:38:43,070 --> 00:38:46,364 and that his beloved daughter, Michelle, is dead. 855 00:38:46,364 --> 00:38:48,784 Meanwhile, Deb Anderson has heard no update 856 00:38:48,784 --> 00:38:51,911 as to whether officials have found a DNA match. 857 00:38:51,911 --> 00:38:56,292 - So my phone rang and I picked it up and I said, 858 00:38:56,292 --> 00:38:57,960 "This is Deb, can I help you?" 859 00:38:57,960 --> 00:38:59,754 And she goes, "Is this Deb Anderson?" 860 00:38:59,754 --> 00:39:01,839 And I said, "Yes, it is." 861 00:39:01,839 --> 00:39:03,299 And she said, 862 00:39:03,299 --> 00:39:04,925 "Is this the woman that's been taking care 863 00:39:04,925 --> 00:39:06,969 of my sister for all these years?" 864 00:39:08,219 --> 00:39:13,559 And I was speechless, absolutely speechless. 865 00:39:14,977 --> 00:39:18,022 And I think I just started crying. 866 00:39:19,231 --> 00:39:21,108 And I said, "Are they sure? Are they sure?" 867 00:39:21,108 --> 00:39:23,861 Because there had been so many, you know, 868 00:39:23,861 --> 00:39:25,071 oh, this is gonna be it. 869 00:39:25,071 --> 00:39:26,489 This is gonna be it. 870 00:39:26,489 --> 00:39:30,368 And so many of those that then, no, it's not. 871 00:39:31,535 --> 00:39:33,996 And she said, "Yes, they're sure." 872 00:39:35,122 --> 00:39:37,792 And it was her sister, it was Marla Busha. 873 00:39:40,628 --> 00:39:42,254 - [Narrator] Deb hangs up 874 00:39:42,254 --> 00:39:44,590 and immediately calls her husband to come get her from work. 875 00:39:44,590 --> 00:39:47,134 (bright music) 876 00:39:47,134 --> 00:39:49,969 - And we drove home in silence pretty much the whole way. 877 00:39:49,969 --> 00:39:54,183 And as we got to town, he looked over at me, he goes, 878 00:39:54,183 --> 00:39:55,726 "I gotta tell you, 879 00:39:55,726 --> 00:39:58,604 I thought you were crazy like everybody else. 880 00:39:58,604 --> 00:40:01,774 I never thought ever that this would happen, ever." 881 00:40:01,774 --> 00:40:03,943 And he goes, "But you were right." 882 00:40:03,943 --> 00:40:07,363 So then we got home and I ran in here 883 00:40:07,363 --> 00:40:08,823 and I got that. 884 00:40:08,823 --> 00:40:10,366 It was like nine o'clock in the morning by then. 885 00:40:10,366 --> 00:40:11,992 And I grabbed that bottle of champagne 886 00:40:11,992 --> 00:40:13,994 and I went over to my friend's house 887 00:40:13,994 --> 00:40:16,080 'cause I knew she had the day off. 888 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:18,748 And I walked in the door with it and I said, 889 00:40:18,748 --> 00:40:20,084 "Shall we open it?" 890 00:40:20,084 --> 00:40:22,002 And she kinda looked at me like, what? 891 00:40:22,002 --> 00:40:23,754 I go, "Well, you know, this is the one you gave me." 892 00:40:23,754 --> 00:40:25,506 And she goes, "Yeah." 893 00:40:25,506 --> 00:40:27,049 And then you could see her, 894 00:40:27,049 --> 00:40:30,136 like she knew that why I was standing there with it, 895 00:40:30,136 --> 00:40:31,178 'cause we had a name. 896 00:40:31,178 --> 00:40:33,097 We finally had a name. 897 00:40:33,097 --> 00:40:36,434 And I popped it and we each had a glass and. 898 00:40:37,977 --> 00:40:39,937 - [Narrator] Michelle's body is cremated 899 00:40:39,937 --> 00:40:42,440 and the ashes are sent to her family. 900 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:44,024 Don recalls having mixed feelings 901 00:40:44,024 --> 00:40:45,860 about finally having closure. 902 00:40:46,819 --> 00:40:48,320 He sometimes wonders 903 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:51,114 if it wouldn't have been better off not knowing. 904 00:40:52,032 --> 00:40:53,534 In spite of that, 905 00:40:53,534 --> 00:40:55,244 he applauds the work that Deb Anderson did 906 00:40:55,244 --> 00:40:57,288 in helping to identify Michelle. 907 00:40:58,914 --> 00:41:00,458 "Deb Anderson is an angel. 908 00:41:00,458 --> 00:41:03,794 She's a prime example that persistence pays off. 909 00:41:03,794 --> 00:41:05,880 There's always good people in this world. 910 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:08,841 Those people that did those things for an unknown stranger 911 00:41:08,841 --> 00:41:10,759 are the salt of the earth." 912 00:41:10,759 --> 00:41:12,469 Don Busha Sr. 913 00:41:14,889 --> 00:41:18,559 This is a case that investigators worked tirelessly on, 914 00:41:18,559 --> 00:41:21,437 but acknowledge that they owe a huge debt of gratitude 915 00:41:21,437 --> 00:41:24,356 to Deb Anderson for helping finally solve it. 916 00:41:25,940 --> 00:41:27,902 - I often refer to her as basically 917 00:41:27,902 --> 00:41:29,069 like the lead investigator on it. 918 00:41:29,069 --> 00:41:30,988 You know, she and I would talk a lot, 919 00:41:30,988 --> 00:41:32,031 she'd come up with different ideas. 920 00:41:32,031 --> 00:41:33,824 She'd message me, you know. 921 00:41:33,824 --> 00:41:35,701 We just can't thank her enough for what she did 922 00:41:35,701 --> 00:41:37,244 through this whole case. 923 00:41:37,244 --> 00:41:39,038 And I know the Busha family feels the same way. 924 00:41:39,038 --> 00:41:40,623 (bright music continues) 925 00:41:40,623 --> 00:41:41,998 - I do think I did the right thing, 926 00:41:41,998 --> 00:41:43,209 but it's a double-edged sword. 927 00:41:43,209 --> 00:41:44,960 It's not a pleasant thing. 928 00:41:45,794 --> 00:41:47,505 It's not... 929 00:41:47,505 --> 00:41:51,967 It does maybe give families closure or give her a name, 930 00:41:54,053 --> 00:41:58,181 but it also, in this case, 931 00:41:58,181 --> 00:42:03,521 it exposes, you know, some of the worst fears, I'm sure. 932 00:42:04,355 --> 00:42:05,356 It would be mine anyway. 933 00:42:05,356 --> 00:42:07,525 And nobody wants to hear 934 00:42:09,109 --> 00:42:11,820 these horrible things that happened to their child. 935 00:42:11,820 --> 00:42:14,364 I think I still would've done the same thing, 936 00:42:15,533 --> 00:42:20,538 but I would've been much more mindful of what it 937 00:42:21,997 --> 00:42:26,043 means to people or how it might affect them. 938 00:42:26,043 --> 00:42:29,547 (bright music continues) 939 00:42:34,843 --> 00:42:37,555 (tense music) 940 00:42:56,282 --> 00:42:58,576 (tense music continues)