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My mom worked at Two Rector Street
as a cleaning lady.
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Her hours were from 5:00 p.m.
to 11:00 p.m.
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00:00:57,474 --> 00:01:01,102
On July 7th, around 10:30 p.m.,
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I get a phone call from her coworker Rosa
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asking to see if my mom was home.
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I said, "What do you mean?
My mom is not home."
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"Isn't she at work?
She's supposed to be at work."
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She's like, "No."
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They were supposed to take lunch
around 7:00 p.m.
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So she was curious that her phone was off.
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It was going straight to voicemail
at that time.
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I called my aunts, my uncles.
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We actually agreed to rush to her job
to see if we were able to find her.
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During the day, I was working
in Two Rector as a security guard.
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So I went to the floor
that she was working on.
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And I'm screaming her name
throughout the building, the hallways,
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and the back of the basement.
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I'm trying to listen for anything.
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Maybe she was hurt.
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Maybe she was somewhere
she can't be heard.
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People saw her
coming in the building obviously,
22
00:02:01,704 --> 00:02:03,122
but we do not see her leave.
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We spoke to the security guard
that was there at the moment,
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and he said that he didn't see
my mom coming out the building.
25
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So then we started calling the police.
26
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She was nowhere to be found.
27
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Every single case
takes a piece out of your soul.
28
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You cannot do this job
unless you really care.
29
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You want to find out the truth.
30
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That's what detectives do.
31
00:02:40,285 --> 00:02:42,662
I've always liked
the peek behind the curtain.
32
00:02:42,662 --> 00:02:44,455
What really happened?
33
00:02:44,998 --> 00:02:48,668
It's so important for a family
to know who murdered their relative.
34
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That's my job.
35
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In New York City, the NYPD...
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this is it.
37
00:03:13,818 --> 00:03:16,196
When I'm driving
into work every day,
38
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and I'm heading into the city,
39
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you see the whole skyline,
40
00:03:19,616 --> 00:03:22,535
and I would always say to myself,
41
00:03:23,036 --> 00:03:29,626
like, "Wow. I'm in... Homicide detective
in NYPD in New York City."
42
00:03:31,711 --> 00:03:35,924
I grew up in a tough area
in South Jamaica, Queens.
43
00:03:36,424 --> 00:03:37,759
There was drugs.
44
00:03:37,759 --> 00:03:40,637
There was prostitution. There was gangs.
45
00:03:41,262 --> 00:03:44,224
And it was a decision
that I ultimately had to make
46
00:03:44,224 --> 00:03:48,102
that I chose education over the streets
47
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and became a cop.
48
00:03:56,778 --> 00:04:02,408
July 8th, 2009, we arrive at work
at eight o'clock in the morning.
49
00:04:02,408 --> 00:04:06,287
The phones are ringing like crazy.
We're getting calls from the 1st Precinct.
50
00:04:06,287 --> 00:04:08,456
We're getting calls from One Police Plaza.
51
00:04:08,456 --> 00:04:11,793
We're getting calls
from the chief of detectives' office.
52
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Everybody's talking about
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a missing cleaning woman
in the financial district.
54
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I think the public is kinda consumed
55
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with what takes place
with the stock market hours in that area.
56
00:04:27,976 --> 00:04:31,145
Like, what goes on,
and then the fast pace,
57
00:04:31,145 --> 00:04:34,482
and the great wealth that's transferred,
and things like that.
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That's the kind of sexy part of it,
but you have workers behind the scenes.
59
00:04:39,070 --> 00:04:43,908
After the white-collar crowd went home,
there's people that clean.
60
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There's people that mop,
there's people that do repairs,
61
00:04:47,245 --> 00:04:49,330
people that have families,
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00:04:49,330 --> 00:04:53,042
that are working very hard
to earn a living.
63
00:04:54,002 --> 00:04:56,838
Detectives responded
to Two Rector Street.
64
00:04:56,838 --> 00:05:00,675
We don't have any information
at the very beginning.
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All we know is that we have
somebody who did not return home.
66
00:05:08,641 --> 00:05:12,520
Outside the building, one of the bosses
gathers everybody up
67
00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,523
and gives us a brief synopsis
of what's going on.
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So we find out that the woman missing
is a woman named Eridania.
69
00:05:22,822 --> 00:05:24,741
Forty-six years old.
70
00:05:25,450 --> 00:05:28,286
She worked from 5:00 to 11:00.
71
00:05:28,286 --> 00:05:32,248
And at some point during her shift,
she vanished.
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One of the things
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that stood out to me
when I got to the building
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00:05:39,797 --> 00:05:43,217
was that this lady's family was down here
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00:05:43,801 --> 00:05:48,973
within hours of her
just not being reachable.
76
00:05:50,516 --> 00:05:56,189
You don't see that a lot in New York City.
You can tell they were close-knit.
77
00:05:57,315 --> 00:05:59,776
My sister, she has 17 years over me.
78
00:06:00,359 --> 00:06:03,696
She always came through
and helped out taking care of me.
79
00:06:04,572 --> 00:06:07,408
She was a great sister and a great mother.
80
00:06:08,242 --> 00:06:10,828
She would never leave the family.
It's impossible.
81
00:06:13,456 --> 00:06:15,708
Her family contended
that after she was done,
82
00:06:15,708 --> 00:06:17,293
she would go right home.
83
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So it was, like,
very out of the ordinary for her
84
00:06:19,879 --> 00:06:22,924
to leave work without notifying somebody,
85
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particularly her coworker.
86
00:06:25,176 --> 00:06:27,470
So these raised red flags to everyone.
87
00:06:29,597 --> 00:06:33,351
It was very unlike her
just to disappear like that.
88
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Not answering her phone calls.
89
00:06:38,314 --> 00:06:40,233
I was very worried.
90
00:06:42,527 --> 00:06:47,490
I was working there for a year and a half,
and my sister, approximately six months.
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00:06:48,407 --> 00:06:50,201
I know the building very well.
92
00:06:50,201 --> 00:06:54,789
That evening when she went missing,
we was, like, combing the whole building,
93
00:06:54,789 --> 00:06:56,374
floor by floor.
94
00:06:56,874 --> 00:06:58,501
I even went back to the basement
95
00:06:59,669 --> 00:07:01,003
and... and looked up.
96
00:07:01,629 --> 00:07:03,047
I screamed her name...
97
00:07:05,216 --> 00:07:06,884
but it was so quiet.
98
00:07:16,310 --> 00:07:19,355
The location
of where she went missing
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00:07:19,355 --> 00:07:22,859
is in the heart of the financial district.
100
00:07:22,859 --> 00:07:26,070
So naturally, the police department
takes that very seriously.
101
00:07:26,070 --> 00:07:28,948
Any case in Manhattan South,
102
00:07:28,948 --> 00:07:31,534
anything south of 59th Street,
103
00:07:31,534 --> 00:07:34,203
always seems to be amplified.
104
00:07:34,829 --> 00:07:38,124
I knew for sure this thing
was gonna get a lot of media attention.
105
00:07:38,124 --> 00:07:42,211
{\an8}Her coworkers say that she always
has dinner with them during their shift,
106
00:07:42,211 --> 00:07:44,922
{\an8}but the last time they saw her
was around eight o'clock,
107
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{\an8}and she hasn't been seen since.
108
00:07:47,675 --> 00:07:50,261
Basically,
you have to do a search of every floor,
109
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and the building needed to be evacuated.
110
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So everybody, all personnel,
111
00:07:54,682 --> 00:07:58,769
the suits, cleaning personnel,
elevator operators,
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00:07:58,769 --> 00:08:01,981
anybody that was in there
needed to be out of that building
113
00:08:01,981 --> 00:08:04,066
at the time that this search
was conducted.
114
00:08:04,066 --> 00:08:06,611
{\an8}There could be a dead body
in the building, and we don't know.
115
00:08:06,611 --> 00:08:08,154
{\an8}It's a little scary.
116
00:08:08,154 --> 00:08:12,366
One of the things
that made the location, Two Rector Street,
117
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so unique for a missing person case
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00:08:17,455 --> 00:08:22,501
was the fact that it is like
a self-contained environment.
119
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So there are only certain ways out,
certain ways in,
120
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and everything else is just up.
121
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It's definitely a daunting task
to search that building
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for anyone or anything,
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because it goes up 26 floors.
124
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It was an all-hands-on-deck.
125
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Detectives were brought in
from other commands to help.
126
00:08:47,109 --> 00:08:49,987
Not just the homicide squad
and 1st Precinct detective squad.
127
00:08:49,987 --> 00:08:53,074
There were detectives
from Midtown South, Midtown North.
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Everybody is involved.
129
00:08:55,243 --> 00:08:58,454
But on top of that,
you have helicopters in the air.
130
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This was a comprehensive sweep
of the entire building, top to bottom,
131
00:09:04,961 --> 00:09:06,379
every nook and cranny.
132
00:09:06,379 --> 00:09:12,426
When they went into her locker,
we found her purse was still there.
133
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I had a mom and four sisters.
134
00:09:16,681 --> 00:09:19,016
And they don't go anywhere
without that purse.
135
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Basically a... an appendage.
136
00:09:22,228 --> 00:09:25,231
So it definitely
set off bells and whistles.
137
00:09:27,233 --> 00:09:30,111
And then
her pushcart and hair clip
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00:09:30,111 --> 00:09:32,488
were found on the eighth floor.
139
00:09:34,198 --> 00:09:37,243
What was the purpose
of it being on the floor?
140
00:09:37,243 --> 00:09:39,829
Uh, you know, was there a struggle?
141
00:09:39,829 --> 00:09:43,624
Maybe it's some kind of
a sexual assault type of thing,
142
00:09:43,624 --> 00:09:45,626
and the person is holding her hostage.
143
00:09:47,795 --> 00:09:49,422
We need to speak to people.
144
00:09:49,422 --> 00:09:53,801
We need to know employees of the building
who work for the building itself.
145
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Who was there during Eridania's shift?
146
00:09:58,389 --> 00:10:00,558
The people working
in the building at the time,
147
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I would categorize them all as witnesses,
148
00:10:05,104 --> 00:10:07,648
or people of interest, if you will.
149
00:10:08,566 --> 00:10:10,943
There's a lot of different things
playing in our mind,
150
00:10:10,943 --> 00:10:13,654
but we do know
that time is of the essence.
151
00:10:13,654 --> 00:10:17,700
The longer it takes us to find her,
the less likely she'll be alive.
152
00:10:22,788 --> 00:10:25,916
We knew
that if she left the building,
153
00:10:25,916 --> 00:10:30,254
she would be captured by one of
the many videos at one of the entrances.
154
00:10:31,505 --> 00:10:35,635
There are 32 cameras
that were in this building.
155
00:10:35,635 --> 00:10:39,221
So 32 cameras at eight hours a clip
that you want to review,
156
00:10:39,221 --> 00:10:43,559
that you want to look at,
is a really tedious act to do.
157
00:10:44,894 --> 00:10:47,480
So we sent in our best guy.
158
00:10:49,398 --> 00:10:52,401
Brian MacLeod, known as the "Video God."
159
00:10:53,194 --> 00:10:55,154
He's a fantastic detective.
160
00:10:55,154 --> 00:11:00,034
Brian's... a very quirky fella.
161
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It's an important job.
162
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Not everybody can do it,
and deal with what we deal with.
163
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This... I'm gonna squash that fly.
164
00:11:12,004 --> 00:11:13,005
Brian's intense.
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00:11:13,005 --> 00:11:16,759
When he gets focused,
he liked to put his headphones in,
166
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and he'd listen to heavy metal music.
167
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Headbanger?
168
00:11:21,931 --> 00:11:24,850
Well, when I was younger,
I had a mullet, so...
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00:11:27,061 --> 00:11:30,314
I always had my heavy metal music
going at work all day.
170
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He just has
the patience and the diligence
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00:11:35,569 --> 00:11:39,615
to just stay there
and... and stare at a screen for hours.
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00:11:40,741 --> 00:11:42,993
We knew that if she left the building,
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he was gonna find her or anything else
that may have looked suspicious.
174
00:11:48,541 --> 00:11:50,126
You don't wanna miss something.
175
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All you need's that one frame.
You're gonna miss something.
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I got it.
177
00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:03,305
It's boring.
178
00:12:03,305 --> 00:12:05,099
It's time-consuming.
179
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It strains on your eyes.
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But I just had the patience for it.
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Eridania is seen getting onto an elevator
182
00:12:16,694 --> 00:12:19,405
to go to the upper floors
to start her shift.
183
00:12:20,156 --> 00:12:24,535
Think it was roughly, uh, 5:12 p.m.
184
00:12:25,035 --> 00:12:27,788
But she's not seen again.
She's not seen again on camera.
185
00:12:27,788 --> 00:12:31,083
She's not seen getting off the elevator
at any other time,
186
00:12:31,083 --> 00:12:33,544
and she's not seen leaving that building.
187
00:12:35,921 --> 00:12:37,089
Where is she?
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In order to understand her better,
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00:12:43,971 --> 00:12:47,558
you do a complete background,
find out about relationships,
190
00:12:47,558 --> 00:12:50,102
whether they had financial troubles,
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00:12:50,102 --> 00:12:53,272
everything you can
about the, uh... the victim.
192
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{\an8}We found out from the family that Eridania
was from the Dominican Republic.
193
00:13:00,029 --> 00:13:02,907
{\an8}My mother was born in Santo Domingo
194
00:13:03,699 --> 00:13:07,244
and came to the United States in 1973.
195
00:13:08,037 --> 00:13:12,124
She married my father, Jeronimo Figueroa,
196
00:13:12,791 --> 00:13:15,085
and she had three kids.
197
00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:21,175
She actually stopped going to school
to basically take care of us.
198
00:13:23,093 --> 00:13:24,929
She was a matriarch herself.
199
00:13:24,929 --> 00:13:28,307
Her cooking, it was unbeatable.
200
00:13:28,933 --> 00:13:33,187
I always looked forward to it on
Thanksgiving, New Year's, and Christmas.
201
00:13:33,979 --> 00:13:37,358
It didn't matter what it was,
she always wanted the family together.
202
00:13:38,984 --> 00:13:41,612
This brought back memories of my mom.
203
00:13:41,612 --> 00:13:45,783
She was an immigrant herself from Panama
204
00:13:45,783 --> 00:13:49,161
and found little jobs
until she got her feet planted
205
00:13:49,161 --> 00:13:53,833
to provide for the family and make sure
that we had everything we need.
206
00:13:55,209 --> 00:13:58,587
I can imagine
something happening to my mother
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00:13:58,587 --> 00:14:01,257
and how I would have to deal with that.
208
00:14:01,257 --> 00:14:03,634
It just made the case very personal.
209
00:14:05,594 --> 00:14:07,346
I wasn't thinking right.
210
00:14:08,430 --> 00:14:11,183
I was depressed at that moment.
I was panicking.
211
00:14:11,183 --> 00:14:15,187
I was just praying to God
that my mom will walk in any minute.
212
00:14:20,109 --> 00:14:23,529
With Eridania, we found out
that she was divorced
213
00:14:23,529 --> 00:14:26,740
and later reconnected with her ex-husband.
214
00:14:27,867 --> 00:14:29,827
So we talked to her family.
215
00:14:30,953 --> 00:14:34,331
He was not down at... at Two Rector Street.
216
00:14:34,331 --> 00:14:37,501
So in the back of my head,
I was thinking, "Why isn't he here
217
00:14:37,501 --> 00:14:40,921
if the daughters are all here,
the brother is here?"
218
00:14:40,921 --> 00:14:43,215
He is our very first suspect,
219
00:14:43,799 --> 00:14:47,428
and we need to interview him,
find out what he knows.
220
00:14:49,471 --> 00:14:54,894
Besides the husband,
the family said several days earlier
221
00:14:54,894 --> 00:14:57,062
that Eridania was
222
00:14:57,062 --> 00:15:02,610
what she thought was being stalked
by someone that worked in the building.
223
00:15:04,737 --> 00:15:07,239
My sister said
she had a couple of bad vibes.
224
00:15:07,239 --> 00:15:09,283
She mentioned one guy looking at her
225
00:15:09,992 --> 00:15:13,454
when she was taking the elevator
to the floors to clean.
226
00:15:14,163 --> 00:15:18,792
{\an8}The news reporter
came into the house to interview us.
227
00:15:18,792 --> 00:15:22,338
Her kids say her mom
was nervous about a man
228
00:15:22,338 --> 00:15:25,883
{\an8}who worked also
in that Rector Street office building
229
00:15:25,883 --> 00:15:28,218
{\an8}and who she believed was stalking her.
230
00:15:28,218 --> 00:15:31,347
{\an8}He would look at her weird,
and she was nervous.
231
00:15:31,347 --> 00:15:34,141
{\an8}So while she was cleaning,
he used to stare at her.
232
00:15:34,141 --> 00:15:37,853
{\an8}She said that someone
was making her scared, following her.
233
00:15:39,146 --> 00:15:41,190
The person did it two times,
234
00:15:41,815 --> 00:15:44,693
but Eridania's daughter had told us
235
00:15:44,693 --> 00:15:47,988
that a couple of days
prior to her being missing,
236
00:15:47,988 --> 00:15:50,240
he tried to speak to her again.
237
00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,911
Obviously, the family
is very scared about the situation.
238
00:15:53,911 --> 00:15:58,123
She was very upset and worried
about the situation
239
00:15:58,123 --> 00:15:59,750
that she mentioned it to her family.
240
00:15:59,750 --> 00:16:02,836
I told her give me a chance
to try to get her another job.
241
00:16:02,836 --> 00:16:04,505
And she's like, "Okay."
242
00:16:04,505 --> 00:16:07,675
If it doesn't work in a week,
she was gonna leave.
243
00:16:10,803 --> 00:16:15,099
It was something she was willing to quit
her job about because she felt unsafe.
244
00:16:15,099 --> 00:16:18,060
And the fact
that it happened multiple times...
245
00:16:18,644 --> 00:16:21,188
Would he assault her, take her,
abduct her?
246
00:16:21,939 --> 00:16:24,066
How far is this guy willing to go?
247
00:16:24,066 --> 00:16:28,195
Knowing that the stalker
knows the layout of the building,
248
00:16:28,195 --> 00:16:30,864
and the exits
and entrances of the building.
249
00:16:30,864 --> 00:16:33,742
It's somebody that was there daily
250
00:16:33,742 --> 00:16:37,037
and knew where people went at what times,
251
00:16:37,037 --> 00:16:39,998
what time the building shut down,
what time it opened up,
252
00:16:39,998 --> 00:16:42,376
who was where, when.
253
00:16:43,585 --> 00:16:45,003
It became very important
254
00:16:45,003 --> 00:16:47,881
to identify this person
as soon as possible.
255
00:16:49,466 --> 00:16:51,218
While we're looking
for that guy,
256
00:16:51,218 --> 00:16:54,471
detectives were dispatched
to interview Eridania's husband
257
00:16:54,471 --> 00:16:57,599
and verify his whereabouts.
258
00:16:59,268 --> 00:17:03,897
His story was that he was working
that evening until about eight o'clock,
259
00:17:03,897 --> 00:17:06,775
at which time he went home
to their apartment.
260
00:17:06,775 --> 00:17:11,238
He was the only one that stayed home
to see if she was to come home.
261
00:17:12,239 --> 00:17:16,410
The detectives were able to verify
his whereabouts and, uh, put it to bed.
262
00:17:17,327 --> 00:17:19,163
At this time, we were confident
263
00:17:19,163 --> 00:17:23,876
that he had nothing to do with
the disappearance of Eridania.
264
00:17:26,003 --> 00:17:29,590
Meanwhile,
we were able to contact the stalker.
265
00:17:30,090 --> 00:17:33,635
We brought him upstairs to the squad,
put him in the interview room.
266
00:17:33,635 --> 00:17:37,973
He claimed that he was
playing ping-pong with friends
267
00:17:37,973 --> 00:17:40,601
that evening when Eridania was at work.
268
00:17:40,601 --> 00:17:45,230
And all those people that he claimed
participated in that event,
269
00:17:45,230 --> 00:17:49,693
that were with him, were interviewed too,
thoroughly and in detail.
270
00:17:49,693 --> 00:17:54,031
And they were able to rule him out
as any particular person of interest.
271
00:17:59,745 --> 00:18:01,914
Now we needed
to really step up our efforts
272
00:18:01,914 --> 00:18:03,749
and try and locate Eridania,
273
00:18:03,749 --> 00:18:06,251
meticulously, with K9 units.
274
00:18:06,752 --> 00:18:09,755
Everybody knows
that when they bring in K9,
275
00:18:09,755 --> 00:18:11,799
if there's something there,
they're gonna find it.
276
00:18:12,382 --> 00:18:15,552
The K9 dogs,
as they came through the 14th floor,
277
00:18:15,552 --> 00:18:18,680
they had two hits in the utility room,
278
00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:23,268
which houses the air conditioning system
and the heating system for the unit.
279
00:18:24,603 --> 00:18:26,396
They had
emergency service personnel,
280
00:18:26,396 --> 00:18:30,359
everybody that you can imagine,
focusing now on that floor.
281
00:18:31,276 --> 00:18:34,696
We were just waiting for the notification
that they found something,
282
00:18:34,696 --> 00:18:36,198
something that we could use,
283
00:18:36,198 --> 00:18:39,326
something that would tell us more
than what we already had.
284
00:18:40,869 --> 00:18:44,081
It was a false hit with the K9 unit.
285
00:18:46,917 --> 00:18:48,252
It's very frustrating.
286
00:18:48,252 --> 00:18:51,922
And you feel for the family
because you know that they're just...
287
00:18:51,922 --> 00:18:55,342
You know, every day that goes by,
every hour that goes by,
288
00:18:55,342 --> 00:18:57,845
their hope is shrinking too, you know?
289
00:19:00,889 --> 00:19:03,267
For every second
that was passing, every minute,
290
00:19:03,851 --> 00:19:07,479
the family is just getting,
like, overwhelmed.
291
00:19:07,479 --> 00:19:11,066
Everybody's scared. Nobody's eating.
292
00:19:12,693 --> 00:19:13,527
Like...
293
00:19:14,111 --> 00:19:15,654
Everybody fears the worst.
294
00:19:23,745 --> 00:19:27,791
There were so many cameras.
Hundreds of hours' worth of this video.
295
00:19:28,458 --> 00:19:30,002
I've spent hours at work
296
00:19:30,002 --> 00:19:33,630
watching that video surveillance
over and over and over.
297
00:19:33,630 --> 00:19:37,259
Make absolutely sure
that nothing was being missed.
298
00:19:37,259 --> 00:19:40,512
I'm lookin' for evidence,
anything that's suspicious.
299
00:19:41,096 --> 00:19:44,766
And the only individual that was, um...
300
00:19:44,766 --> 00:19:48,312
his behavior was a little off,
was the maintenance guy.
301
00:19:51,607 --> 00:19:55,861
You see him workin' the freight elevator.
Then you see him in the basement.
302
00:19:56,445 --> 00:19:59,239
You see him walking
to his maintenance room,
303
00:19:59,239 --> 00:20:01,909
which is also like his locker area.
304
00:20:02,409 --> 00:20:06,163
Followed every single camera
that he was pictured on
305
00:20:06,163 --> 00:20:08,040
while he was in that building.
306
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:12,711
And he... he disappeared
for quite a few minutes.
307
00:20:13,837 --> 00:20:16,924
It may have been like 45 minutes or so.
308
00:20:16,924 --> 00:20:19,801
And then all of a sudden,
a little after 8:00,
309
00:20:19,801 --> 00:20:21,845
he's spotted in the basement.
310
00:20:22,638 --> 00:20:25,974
But he's not caught on camera
comin' from the elevators
311
00:20:25,974 --> 00:20:29,019
either in the basement or in the lobby.
312
00:20:29,019 --> 00:20:31,939
The only way he could have gotten there
was from the stairwell.
313
00:20:35,776 --> 00:20:40,322
His behavior on camera was like,
"Hmm, what is going on here?"
314
00:20:40,906 --> 00:20:44,159
We're very suspicious of what is up.
315
00:20:44,159 --> 00:20:46,787
Now we felt it necessary to get him in.
316
00:20:46,787 --> 00:20:52,000
He was definitely now a person of interest
with regard to Eridania's whereabouts.
317
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,044
That person was Joseph Pabon.
318
00:20:55,504 --> 00:20:59,174
{\an8}I called him,
and he said okay, he would talk to us.
319
00:20:59,174 --> 00:21:02,177
So what I wanted to do was
go back to the precinct
320
00:21:02,177 --> 00:21:04,513
so we can get into
a more controlled environment.
321
00:21:09,393 --> 00:21:11,561
Now, when Joseph Pabon came in,
322
00:21:11,561 --> 00:21:14,564
he had said
he was working the freight elevator,
323
00:21:14,564 --> 00:21:16,900
and he was taking the cleaning ladies,
324
00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:20,737
dropping them off at the floors
that they were scheduled to clean at.
325
00:21:20,737 --> 00:21:24,866
{\an8}He explained that
he dropped her off on the 8th floor...
326
00:21:27,411 --> 00:21:31,039
which is where they found
her cart and hair clip.
327
00:21:31,540 --> 00:21:33,500
And that was the last time he saw her.
328
00:21:37,504 --> 00:21:38,338
It was July.
329
00:21:38,338 --> 00:21:42,384
You know, you could sweat in an igloo.
It was so hot.
330
00:21:42,384 --> 00:21:45,595
I have to wear a suit
because I'm a New York City detective.
331
00:21:45,595 --> 00:21:51,810
{\an8}If I could have a pair of flip-flops on
and a bathing suit and, you know...
332
00:21:51,810 --> 00:21:52,728
I'm all-in.
333
00:21:53,562 --> 00:21:55,313
But he was wearing a...
334
00:21:55,313 --> 00:21:59,151
Like a thermal long-sleeve shirt
and a T-shirt over it.
335
00:21:59,151 --> 00:22:03,447
And I'm thinkin', you know,
"This... This kid's out of his mind."
336
00:22:03,447 --> 00:22:06,950
"He's dressed for a snowball fight,
and it's July."
337
00:22:06,950 --> 00:22:10,871
And that just kept bothering me
the whole time I was talking to him.
338
00:22:10,871 --> 00:22:14,374
Then I said, "Take your shirt off."
We made him take his shirt off.
339
00:22:17,336 --> 00:22:19,254
He had scratches
on the back of his shoulders,
340
00:22:19,254 --> 00:22:21,423
his neck, other parts of his torso.
341
00:22:21,423 --> 00:22:24,468
And I asked him,
"How can you explain them?"
342
00:22:24,468 --> 00:22:29,056
And he said that, on the Tuesday evening
that Eridania was reported missing,
343
00:22:29,056 --> 00:22:32,309
he was charged
with operating the freight elevator
344
00:22:32,309 --> 00:22:34,811
to take this construction crew
up and down.
345
00:22:35,312 --> 00:22:40,567
He claimed that he was helping them off
with these carts with rebar and framing.
346
00:22:40,567 --> 00:22:45,322
So, I'm like, "You're a 32BJ guy.
You're a union guy, right?"
347
00:22:45,322 --> 00:22:46,490
He's like, "Yeah."
348
00:22:46,490 --> 00:22:49,826
And my knowledge is,
coming from a family that...
349
00:22:49,826 --> 00:22:52,037
Union family, people in different unions,
350
00:22:52,037 --> 00:22:57,459
I know if you're tasked with a job
and you do another job, you're in trouble.
351
00:22:57,459 --> 00:23:02,422
You don't touch anything other than
that elevator lever or pressing a button.
352
00:23:03,006 --> 00:23:06,718
I was like, "And you helped these guys
on and off with carts?"
353
00:23:06,718 --> 00:23:11,306
So, to me, that was unfathomable.
I didn't believe that at all for a second.
354
00:23:13,475 --> 00:23:15,477
I tried to implore to him,
355
00:23:15,477 --> 00:23:18,647
"If you did something with her,
or she's somewhere in the building,
356
00:23:18,647 --> 00:23:21,066
let us know where. We'll go get her."
357
00:23:21,066 --> 00:23:24,194
"And maybe we could
bring her back to her family."
358
00:23:24,986 --> 00:23:29,408
And he just maintained
that he didn't do anything.
359
00:23:30,408 --> 00:23:34,246
We interviewed him
a good 14 hours at that point.
360
00:23:34,246 --> 00:23:38,375
We asked him,
"Do you mind giving your DNA?"
361
00:23:40,168 --> 00:23:42,796
And he was okay with giving his DNA.
362
00:23:42,796 --> 00:23:44,214
He swabbed himself.
363
00:23:44,923 --> 00:23:49,386
He was not admitting to any kind of
criminal activity or anything like that.
364
00:23:49,386 --> 00:23:52,222
So we were forced to let him go.
365
00:23:57,561 --> 00:23:59,646
We don't have a body
to charge him,
366
00:23:59,646 --> 00:24:04,276
but I made it known to my supervisors
that we believe that
367
00:24:04,276 --> 00:24:07,988
this guy right now
is the number one person of interest.
368
00:24:09,406 --> 00:24:13,201
And at that time,
we started following Joseph Pabon
369
00:24:13,201 --> 00:24:15,537
and watching his whereabouts
370
00:24:15,537 --> 00:24:18,665
because, possibly,
he could have her somewhere.
371
00:24:18,665 --> 00:24:21,126
He could have her at his house.
372
00:24:21,126 --> 00:24:25,088
He could have her, uh,
at another building or another site.
373
00:24:26,506 --> 00:24:29,801
We put a couple of detectives on him
to follow him around
374
00:24:29,801 --> 00:24:33,513
and just to keep up with his whereabouts.
375
00:24:34,055 --> 00:24:38,852
We wanted to provide
24-hour surveillance on Pabon.
376
00:24:38,852 --> 00:24:40,645
So we set up different shifts.
377
00:24:40,645 --> 00:24:43,982
If he made a right, I made a right.
He made a left, I made a left.
378
00:24:43,982 --> 00:24:47,444
When he went into a diner,
if he stayed in there too long,
379
00:24:47,444 --> 00:24:50,489
we sent someone in
to make sure he was still there,
380
00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:54,117
and we weren't trying to be inconspicuous.
381
00:24:54,117 --> 00:24:57,829
We had no problem with him knowing
that we were following him.
382
00:24:57,829 --> 00:25:01,458
It was like cat-and-mouse game,
us against him.
383
00:25:01,458 --> 00:25:02,959
We weren't gonna lose this.
384
00:25:06,713 --> 00:25:09,341
We've been looking for her
for a couple days now.
385
00:25:09,341 --> 00:25:11,301
We can't find her on the video.
386
00:25:11,301 --> 00:25:14,054
We can't find her
actually leaving the building.
387
00:25:15,347 --> 00:25:17,766
We'd looked
at every nook and cranny of the building
388
00:25:17,766 --> 00:25:20,852
from top to bottom, and couldn't find her.
389
00:25:21,394 --> 00:25:24,773
It's like...
It's just not making sense at this point.
390
00:25:25,815 --> 00:25:29,319
So now, not only did we feel deflated,
391
00:25:29,319 --> 00:25:33,698
but that also made our jobs
a whole lot more difficult.
392
00:25:33,698 --> 00:25:38,078
That means that instead of just
Two Rector Street being the place
393
00:25:38,078 --> 00:25:41,373
where all of the investigation
was gonna take place,
394
00:25:41,373 --> 00:25:43,250
it now became New York City.
395
00:25:44,543 --> 00:25:47,295
It just became even bigger.
396
00:25:47,295 --> 00:25:51,841
That means more resources
and a wider-scale investigation.
397
00:25:51,841 --> 00:25:53,802
Because she could be anywhere.
398
00:25:55,428 --> 00:25:59,349
We decided to expand the video canvass,
or surveillance canvass.
399
00:26:00,141 --> 00:26:03,603
Do we see her
going up Trinity Street?
400
00:26:04,104 --> 00:26:06,314
Do we see her walking up Greenwich Street?
401
00:26:06,314 --> 00:26:09,484
Do we see her walking
down Rector Street, east or west?
402
00:26:09,484 --> 00:26:12,279
But that wasn't fruitful.
403
00:26:12,279 --> 00:26:14,948
That didn't... We didn't see her.
404
00:26:17,742 --> 00:26:20,870
"How come I can't find them?
What am I missin'?"
405
00:26:21,371 --> 00:26:23,123
"What are we missin' as a collective?"
406
00:26:23,123 --> 00:26:25,667
Because there's so many of us
workin' this case.
407
00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,171
During the search,
a bit north of Rector Street was a store,
408
00:26:30,171 --> 00:26:36,261
{\an8}and we found video of Joseph Pabon
from Tuesday when Eridania went missing.
409
00:26:36,261 --> 00:26:38,346
We were able to get
the receipt from the vendor
410
00:26:38,346 --> 00:26:43,685
that Joseph Pabon had purchased alcohol
inside that establishment.
411
00:26:44,644 --> 00:26:48,607
Possibly Eridania
stumbled upon him drinking.
412
00:26:49,691 --> 00:26:55,071
Maybe a verbal dispute ensued,
and he made it physical.
413
00:26:56,156 --> 00:26:58,033
I like to call it an "oh shit" moment.
414
00:26:58,033 --> 00:27:01,786
Like, "Now I gotta cover this up."
So it's reactive.
415
00:27:02,454 --> 00:27:05,290
But we didn't have probable cause
to arrest him.
416
00:27:05,290 --> 00:27:07,167
We still don't have a body.
417
00:27:07,167 --> 00:27:10,003
We still don't have an actual crime.
418
00:27:10,003 --> 00:27:13,340
We're gonna just continue following him
like... like we have been.
419
00:27:23,683 --> 00:27:28,396
We are now looking at areas
where a body could be dumped,
420
00:27:28,396 --> 00:27:31,107
rather than where a person
could run off to.
421
00:27:31,107 --> 00:27:36,738
We thought that maybe she was put
into one of the trash containers.
422
00:27:36,738 --> 00:27:40,075
And they are taken away
by a private sanitation company.
423
00:27:42,577 --> 00:27:44,621
We sent detectives out to Pennsylvania
424
00:27:44,621 --> 00:27:48,166
to sift through the area
in which they dumped all their trash.
425
00:27:54,130 --> 00:27:56,466
The family's been through
every emotion this week.
426
00:27:56,466 --> 00:28:00,345
{\an8}An exhaustive search ensued earlier
when police scoured a landfill
427
00:28:00,345 --> 00:28:03,306
{\an8}in Pennsylvania where garbage
is dumped from the building.
428
00:28:03,306 --> 00:28:04,724
{\an8}I couldn't believe it.
429
00:28:05,517 --> 00:28:07,060
My mom was not garbage.
430
00:28:09,187 --> 00:28:12,899
I was just thinking,
"Oh my God, can my mom be there?"
431
00:28:15,193 --> 00:28:16,319
Horrible...
432
00:28:17,946 --> 00:28:20,031
if someone can do that to her.
433
00:28:21,658 --> 00:28:24,619
At the end of the day,
there was no Eridania Rodriguez,
434
00:28:24,619 --> 00:28:26,496
and there was no more evidence
435
00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,458
that we could use
to try and find Eridania Rodriguez.
436
00:28:30,458 --> 00:28:35,422
Since they said nobody was found there,
I had a little bit of hope again.
437
00:28:36,214 --> 00:28:38,758
Forty-six-year-old Eridania Rodriguez
has not been seen.
438
00:28:38,758 --> 00:28:41,219
Police now believe she is likely dead.
439
00:28:41,219 --> 00:28:45,014
Right now, the family is going through it.
We're waiting for answers.
440
00:28:45,014 --> 00:28:48,143
It turned into a big story.
And when you have a big story,
441
00:28:48,143 --> 00:28:53,398
and you got the press askin',
you know, the police department,
442
00:28:53,398 --> 00:28:54,941
"What's going on here?"
443
00:28:54,941 --> 00:28:58,820
There was a lot of frustration.
Like, "Where the fuck is she?"
444
00:29:00,321 --> 00:29:01,740
The pressure was on.
445
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,951
So many resources were put on this case
446
00:29:04,951 --> 00:29:08,663
that it could not be sustained
at that level.
447
00:29:08,663 --> 00:29:11,374
Other detectives
had to get back to their cases.
448
00:29:11,374 --> 00:29:13,543
Cops have to patrol the streets.
449
00:29:13,543 --> 00:29:17,755
The department was gonna
start pulling resources away from this
450
00:29:17,755 --> 00:29:19,591
to go to other things.
451
00:29:20,300 --> 00:29:22,552
Not only aren't we solving the case,
452
00:29:22,552 --> 00:29:25,722
but it doesn't look good for NYPD.
453
00:29:29,184 --> 00:29:32,645
Now we start getting
a little bit of heat from our bosses.
454
00:29:33,146 --> 00:29:35,148
We're like, "Shit," you know?
455
00:29:35,774 --> 00:29:38,943
Chief Matarazzo, who was
the chief of detectives of Manhattan,
456
00:29:38,943 --> 00:29:40,445
had us all in a meeting.
457
00:29:40,445 --> 00:29:43,406
And at one point,
Chief Matarazzo turned to me and goes,
458
00:29:43,406 --> 00:29:47,160
"Hey, John.
Well, you know, what's going on?"
459
00:29:47,702 --> 00:29:50,455
You know, "What do you think?
Where is she?"
460
00:29:51,122 --> 00:29:54,667
I just turned to him and said,
"She's gotta be still in the building."
461
00:29:58,421 --> 00:30:01,591
He goes, "Let's get
another canvass on that building."
462
00:30:06,596 --> 00:30:10,475
Here we go again, searchin' this building.
She did not leave this building.
463
00:30:11,059 --> 00:30:14,479
"Get in there.
Find out where the hell she went."
464
00:30:14,479 --> 00:30:18,483
And they called in ten sergeants
and 100 officers
465
00:30:19,067 --> 00:30:22,570
to search every nook and cranny
of that building,
466
00:30:23,238 --> 00:30:24,364
floor by floor.
467
00:30:25,406 --> 00:30:26,991
We were all invested.
468
00:30:26,991 --> 00:30:31,621
We spent so much time with the family,
with the... the whole case.
469
00:30:31,621 --> 00:30:34,374
So we all wanted it
to be a positive outcome.
470
00:30:36,751 --> 00:30:39,128
Unfortunately, that's not what happened.
471
00:30:39,754 --> 00:30:42,966
I got a phone call
from a detective in the 9th Precinct.
472
00:30:42,966 --> 00:30:46,594
He said, "John, I'm on the 12th floor.
I just got off the elevator."
473
00:30:49,055 --> 00:30:50,849
"You're gonna wanna come up here."
474
00:30:51,474 --> 00:30:54,936
Floor number 12
was under construction.
475
00:30:54,936 --> 00:30:59,732
Bare-bone walls, you know, just concrete.
No Sheetrock, no furniture.
476
00:31:01,484 --> 00:31:03,152
When I got off the elevator,
477
00:31:04,153 --> 00:31:06,447
the smell on the floor
is the smell of death.
478
00:31:07,574 --> 00:31:10,910
And the detective was like,
"Take a look inside."
479
00:31:12,203 --> 00:31:14,289
And I can see, um,
480
00:31:14,998 --> 00:31:18,585
some blood and residue
481
00:31:18,585 --> 00:31:20,587
coming from the air conditioning duct.
482
00:31:21,838 --> 00:31:24,215
We had ESU and Crime Scene come.
483
00:31:24,716 --> 00:31:27,302
And we opened up
the air-conditioning duct,
484
00:31:28,052 --> 00:31:29,220
and she was inside.
485
00:31:32,849 --> 00:31:35,059
Now you know you for sure have a homicide.
486
00:31:36,644 --> 00:31:37,896
The original search,
487
00:31:37,896 --> 00:31:41,274
those dogs weren't making up
the scent they were getting.
488
00:31:41,941 --> 00:31:44,277
The air was passing and rising.
489
00:31:44,861 --> 00:31:47,405
On the second search,
that air duct was shut off,
490
00:31:47,405 --> 00:31:52,285
and the air stayed stagnant where Eridania
was found on the 12th floor.
491
00:31:52,285 --> 00:31:54,704
Unfortunately, there was decomposition,
492
00:31:55,204 --> 00:31:59,709
which made
physical identification, uh... impossible.
493
00:32:00,710 --> 00:32:04,672
But we can make assumptions at that point
that it was Eridania.
494
00:32:06,174 --> 00:32:11,638
She was bound, hogtied,
hands behind her back, mouth duct-taped.
495
00:32:11,638 --> 00:32:14,140
The duct tape,
I remember, wasn't typical duct tape.
496
00:32:14,140 --> 00:32:17,310
It was almost like a caution tape.
Yellow and black.
497
00:32:17,310 --> 00:32:22,523
Oddly enough, Eridania had a crucifix
that she wore around her neck,
498
00:32:22,523 --> 00:32:25,109
and it was in her mouth.
499
00:32:25,109 --> 00:32:27,028
There was a lot of people theorizing
500
00:32:27,028 --> 00:32:31,074
that it might have been
some sort of a ritualistic intent.
501
00:32:31,783 --> 00:32:34,619
When you think about
doing that to a person, and...
502
00:32:35,495 --> 00:32:38,581
Man. He put her
in the air conditioning duct.
503
00:32:38,581 --> 00:32:42,126
Like, you know, who would even think
to go to that extreme?
504
00:32:42,126 --> 00:32:43,753
"That's how I'm gonna hide her."
505
00:32:46,464 --> 00:32:49,467
{\an8}Medical examiner's office
was just here to remove the body.
506
00:32:49,467 --> 00:32:51,594
{\an8}Police have been here all day.
507
00:32:51,594 --> 00:32:54,555
{\an8}We're waiting to hear
who they found in the building.
508
00:32:54,555 --> 00:33:00,103
{\an8}A lot of us still hope it's not her, but...
I have a bad feeling.
509
00:33:17,286 --> 00:33:18,788
My mom was found.
510
00:33:22,583 --> 00:33:25,378
She was found in an air conditioning vent,
511
00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:27,463
tied up...
512
00:33:28,297 --> 00:33:29,632
like an animal.
513
00:33:30,550 --> 00:33:34,554
I'm, like,
banging on the kitchen table,
514
00:33:35,096 --> 00:33:37,557
and my brothers try to hold me down.
515
00:33:41,394 --> 00:33:45,898
It was just nonstop of crying.
516
00:33:47,525 --> 00:33:49,402
How can a person do this to a person...
517
00:33:49,402 --> 00:33:55,658
...that all she has done
is always be there for a person?
518
00:33:57,034 --> 00:33:59,370
She was so kind, so loving.
519
00:33:59,370 --> 00:34:01,873
Always bringing joy to everybody.
520
00:34:02,623 --> 00:34:04,834
What did she do to deserve this?
521
00:34:07,086 --> 00:34:08,963
I could imagine her screaming.
522
00:34:10,423 --> 00:34:12,592
Trying to scream for help,
523
00:34:12,592 --> 00:34:15,803
but in that building,
you could scream all you want,
524
00:34:15,803 --> 00:34:17,138
they won't hear you.
525
00:34:18,931 --> 00:34:24,562
I said, "We are absolutely
gonna get justice for your mother."
526
00:34:25,646 --> 00:34:29,984
"Because Eridania didn't deserve
what happened here."
527
00:34:41,496 --> 00:34:44,415
I was tasked
with attending the autopsy.
528
00:34:45,792 --> 00:34:50,254
I knew that whatever was found there
was definitely gonna help the case.
529
00:34:50,254 --> 00:34:54,175
Cause of death to start with
and then forensic information.
530
00:34:55,176 --> 00:34:56,803
Sexual assault was ruled out.
531
00:34:58,054 --> 00:35:01,724
There were no signs of blunt trauma.
No stabbing. No gunshot wounds.
532
00:35:01,724 --> 00:35:03,476
No skull fractures.
533
00:35:03,476 --> 00:35:07,438
Her hyoid bone was intact.
534
00:35:07,438 --> 00:35:10,525
It wasn't done
with a ligature or anything like that.
535
00:35:10,525 --> 00:35:14,570
Because of the constricted nature
that Eridania was in,
536
00:35:14,570 --> 00:35:15,863
being bound,
537
00:35:15,863 --> 00:35:19,784
her head was kinda pushed forward,
and her neck was down.
538
00:35:19,784 --> 00:35:24,288
She was duct taped,
so she couldn't get a lot of air.
539
00:35:24,288 --> 00:35:28,292
So it was deemed homicidal asphyxiation
was the cause of death.
540
00:35:30,002 --> 00:35:33,005
She was probably alive
when somebody taped her up,
541
00:35:33,005 --> 00:35:34,382
lifted her up off the floor,
542
00:35:34,382 --> 00:35:37,301
put her in the air conditioning duct,
and sealed it back up.
543
00:35:45,893 --> 00:35:46,769
I...
544
00:35:46,769 --> 00:35:48,020
Yeah, it just...
545
00:35:48,855 --> 00:35:53,192
Yeah, like, my heart sunk
because when I was in that basement,
546
00:35:53,192 --> 00:35:56,863
and I looked up, I looked at that vent,
547
00:35:57,405 --> 00:36:00,408
and I screamed her name,
and I'm trying to listen to her.
548
00:36:01,284 --> 00:36:04,620
And obviously,
if she was still alive, she couldn't...
549
00:36:05,705 --> 00:36:08,207
scream back, or say my name,
550
00:36:08,207 --> 00:36:10,626
or scream for help, because...
551
00:36:11,252 --> 00:36:14,672
the tape was...
the caution tape was covering her mouth.
552
00:36:19,677 --> 00:36:23,723
People say, "It's
not your fault. Don't think that way."
553
00:36:26,934 --> 00:36:29,645
But put yourself in my position.
554
00:36:30,396 --> 00:36:32,773
When it was the last time
I spoke to my sister,
555
00:36:33,649 --> 00:36:35,693
she felt, like, a weird vibe.
556
00:36:37,153 --> 00:36:42,200
And I told her give me a few days
to get her another job somewhere else.
557
00:36:43,075 --> 00:36:44,452
And then this happens.
558
00:36:49,582 --> 00:36:52,585
I guess I dropped the ball
on that one too.
559
00:36:53,336 --> 00:36:55,087
Not letting her quit
560
00:36:56,380 --> 00:36:59,467
and not combing
that vacant spot on the 12th floor.
561
00:37:00,593 --> 00:37:01,928
Fortunately for us,
562
00:37:01,928 --> 00:37:04,221
we still had
a person of interest remaining.
563
00:37:04,221 --> 00:37:06,641
Joseph Pabon didn't have an alibi.
564
00:37:06,641 --> 00:37:09,435
He actually was
in Two Rector Street working
565
00:37:09,435 --> 00:37:11,062
when Eridania was working.
566
00:37:11,062 --> 00:37:13,439
Joseph Pabon was the only person
567
00:37:13,439 --> 00:37:16,776
that had scratches on his body
that weren't properly explained.
568
00:37:20,988 --> 00:37:23,783
During an autopsy,
they take DNA swabs.
569
00:37:24,492 --> 00:37:26,535
They take fingernail clippings
570
00:37:26,535 --> 00:37:30,498
to see if there's any DNA
that doesn't belong to the victim.
571
00:37:30,498 --> 00:37:33,334
The only problem with that is... uh...
572
00:37:33,334 --> 00:37:36,212
It's not like a COVID test
you get back in 15 minutes.
573
00:37:36,796 --> 00:37:40,341
We had to wait for those results,
and we were hopeful
574
00:37:40,341 --> 00:37:44,428
that we were gonna get back
a connection between Joseph Pabon
575
00:37:44,428 --> 00:37:47,932
and the DNA samples
that were taken from Eridania.
576
00:37:54,689 --> 00:37:57,817
As we dug deeper on Joseph Pabon,
577
00:37:57,817 --> 00:38:03,489
we found several cases
of domestic violence against women.
578
00:38:03,489 --> 00:38:06,867
In one case, after an altercation
with his ex-girlfriend,
579
00:38:06,867 --> 00:38:10,955
he took a bowling ball
and smashed out the windows of her car.
580
00:38:10,955 --> 00:38:13,416
That kind of made us feel even stronger
581
00:38:13,416 --> 00:38:17,712
that it's possible that this guy
had some kind of breakdown or issue
582
00:38:17,712 --> 00:38:20,798
where he completely lost it with Eridania.
583
00:38:21,841 --> 00:38:25,636
We already initiated
a tail on him after we interviewed him
584
00:38:25,636 --> 00:38:28,931
to make sure that we knew
where he was at all times.
585
00:38:28,931 --> 00:38:32,643
Now we're definitely staying on him
until we get the DNA back
586
00:38:32,643 --> 00:38:36,480
that shows us
beyond a reasonable doubt that that's him.
587
00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,108
It would have been a major disaster
588
00:38:39,108 --> 00:38:40,776
if we had lost him,
589
00:38:40,776 --> 00:38:43,529
and the DNA came back,
and we didn't have him.
590
00:38:43,529 --> 00:38:47,658
Here we have a guy
who possibly committed this heinous act.
591
00:38:48,159 --> 00:38:51,662
Tied up this woman, asphyxiated her.
592
00:38:52,163 --> 00:38:56,459
And yet he's living his normal life
as if he did nothing.
593
00:38:56,459 --> 00:39:01,213
But another thing that was also concerning
was that, you know,
594
00:39:01,213 --> 00:39:08,054
if he's had a domestic violence history,
maybe he might attack his new girlfriend.
595
00:39:25,029 --> 00:39:30,868
On July 17th, I receive a call
that the DNA came back.
596
00:39:30,868 --> 00:39:36,582
And it's... it's looking like
two-billion-to-one that it's Joseph Pabon.
597
00:39:38,542 --> 00:39:40,252
When we got the arrest warrant,
598
00:39:40,252 --> 00:39:43,839
I made a phone call
to Al Titus and told him,
599
00:39:44,590 --> 00:39:46,842
"It's a go. Time to arrest him."
600
00:39:48,010 --> 00:39:49,720
He lived in Staten Island.
601
00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:53,849
He pulled off the main street
and went into one of the backstreets.
602
00:39:53,849 --> 00:39:55,142
We surrounded him.
603
00:39:56,894 --> 00:39:58,854
Came out with our guns out
604
00:40:00,022 --> 00:40:02,316
and told him to stop the car.
605
00:40:03,776 --> 00:40:07,488
When we finally pull out Pabon
and arrest him,
606
00:40:07,488 --> 00:40:09,782
his girlfriend was in the car too.
607
00:40:10,658 --> 00:40:13,702
She may not have realized it
at the moment,
608
00:40:13,702 --> 00:40:17,206
but at some point,
I'm sure she realized, like,
609
00:40:17,206 --> 00:40:20,417
"Wow, I was living with a killer."
You know?
610
00:40:20,417 --> 00:40:23,838
We possibly saved her
from being the next victim.
611
00:40:24,672 --> 00:40:29,093
It was a great conclusion
to a long, drawn-out case
612
00:40:29,093 --> 00:40:32,346
that allowed us to get the guy,
which was good,
613
00:40:32,346 --> 00:40:34,265
to get Pabon off the street.
614
00:40:36,392 --> 00:40:38,060
When we finally got the news
615
00:40:38,060 --> 00:40:41,397
saying they arrested Joseph Pabon
on murder charges,
616
00:40:41,397 --> 00:40:45,151
and everybody's screaming with happiness
and crying,
617
00:40:46,193 --> 00:40:47,194
I was just...
618
00:40:47,194 --> 00:40:48,612
I was happy, but...
619
00:40:51,532 --> 00:40:55,494
When we got off the phone
with the investigator,
620
00:40:55,494 --> 00:40:57,580
we was asking questions.
621
00:40:57,580 --> 00:41:02,376
Like, "Why would he do
something like this?"
622
00:41:04,795 --> 00:41:07,214
I've been working with this guy
for a year and a half.
623
00:41:07,214 --> 00:41:09,383
Always conversed.
He always said good morning to me.
624
00:41:09,383 --> 00:41:14,263
He always talked to me at the front desk,
always did his job.
625
00:41:14,847 --> 00:41:16,807
I had never had a problem with him.
626
00:41:16,807 --> 00:41:18,559
I never did anything to him
627
00:41:19,185 --> 00:41:23,564
for him to, like,
do any harm to my sister.
628
00:41:26,317 --> 00:41:29,445
I didn't think he was my enemy.
He was my coworker.
629
00:41:33,532 --> 00:41:34,658
He's brought back,
630
00:41:35,868 --> 00:41:39,038
placed in a cell
in the 1st Precinct detective squad.
631
00:41:39,538 --> 00:41:41,207
Everybody's fuckin' psyched.
632
00:41:41,207 --> 00:41:44,126
I was chomping at the bit.
I wanted another crack at him.
633
00:41:44,126 --> 00:41:46,545
I wanted him to admit what he did.
634
00:41:48,255 --> 00:41:50,049
It was personal at that point to me.
635
00:41:50,049 --> 00:41:53,302
Unfortunately,
he invoked his right to counsel,
636
00:41:53,302 --> 00:41:54,720
and we never got a crack.
637
00:41:55,846 --> 00:41:59,517
But at the trial,
Joseph Pabon was convicted
638
00:42:01,477 --> 00:42:03,979
and sentenced to 25 years to life.
639
00:42:04,939 --> 00:42:06,232
And, uh...
640
00:42:07,107 --> 00:42:10,361
that's a fate he definitely deserves.
641
00:42:12,279 --> 00:42:14,823
When they mentioned
that he was guilty,
642
00:42:16,367 --> 00:42:18,035
I just broke down.
643
00:42:23,082 --> 00:42:24,333
We all broke down.
644
00:42:27,253 --> 00:42:28,712
He wasn't sorry.
645
00:42:29,213 --> 00:42:31,924
He was laughing while looking at us.
646
00:42:32,841 --> 00:42:34,468
That really broke my heart.
647
00:42:35,135 --> 00:42:37,972
It took every... every strength from...
648
00:42:38,514 --> 00:42:43,852
every little bit of me in my gut
not to rush straight to him.
649
00:42:44,853 --> 00:42:49,149
I just wanted to punch him,
like, in the back of his head.
650
00:42:49,149 --> 00:42:51,402
I wanted to, like, choke him out.
651
00:42:56,323 --> 00:43:00,452
Pabon never answered
the question why he did this.
652
00:43:01,954 --> 00:43:05,165
To this day,
we're still waiting for that answer.
653
00:43:05,916 --> 00:43:09,253
What was the purpose?
Did my mom did anything to him?
654
00:43:10,296 --> 00:43:13,591
Did she say anything that made him upset?
655
00:43:17,803 --> 00:43:18,637
Why?
656
00:43:21,890 --> 00:43:24,018
I just think he snapped.
657
00:43:24,768 --> 00:43:28,272
I think he had a moment of anger.
658
00:43:28,772 --> 00:43:34,403
Like he had
in the other prior issues with women.
659
00:43:37,239 --> 00:43:40,326
She fought for her life.
I know she did.
660
00:43:40,826 --> 00:43:45,998
During her last moments,
I know she was very scared.
661
00:43:46,749 --> 00:43:48,667
But she's gone.
662
00:43:49,877 --> 00:43:51,211
She's not coming back.
663
00:43:53,130 --> 00:43:54,548
My life hasn't moved on.
664
00:43:55,424 --> 00:43:58,344
I have it in the pit of my stomach.
665
00:43:58,344 --> 00:44:02,931
Like, I still, to this day,
don't get what happened.
666
00:44:03,641 --> 00:44:07,102
Like, he altered the family,
like... like, forever.
667
00:44:09,897 --> 00:44:16,904
Investigating this case,
and seeing them, and their grief, and...
668
00:44:17,946 --> 00:44:21,909
all the work we put into this
to eventually find the guy who did it...
669
00:44:21,909 --> 00:44:23,869
You know, it'll stay...
670
00:44:23,869 --> 00:44:26,038
That'll stay with me forever.
671
00:44:32,586 --> 00:44:37,091
I remember growing up thinking of NYPD
672
00:44:37,091 --> 00:44:40,594
as the biggest gang in New York City.
673
00:44:41,095 --> 00:44:44,473
But after working with them
for so many years,
674
00:44:44,473 --> 00:44:47,726
I realized that it's more of a family.
675
00:44:49,311 --> 00:44:54,650
There's not enough understanding
of what the police do.
676
00:44:56,151 --> 00:44:59,321
They're not this occupying force.
677
00:44:59,321 --> 00:45:02,866
And the community
are not these bunch of savages
678
00:45:02,866 --> 00:45:05,452
that we have to go attack.
679
00:45:07,830 --> 00:45:10,040
So a couple of years after the trial,
680
00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:16,588
I retired with the goal of doing my best
to bring the two entities together.
681
00:45:19,383 --> 00:45:24,012
I went from Detective Titus
to Doctor Titus,
682
00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:27,641
teaching at John Jay
College of Criminal Justice...
683
00:45:27,641 --> 00:45:30,394
An arrest is removing someone's freedom.
684
00:45:30,394 --> 00:45:32,688
...working with future law enforcement.
685
00:45:32,688 --> 00:45:34,732
Hear all of the facts and the evidence,
686
00:45:34,732 --> 00:45:39,069
and then determine
whether or not an individual is guilty,
687
00:45:39,069 --> 00:45:43,407
not just based on their looks
or some kind of stereotypical bias that...
688
00:45:43,407 --> 00:45:47,327
My goal is to get you to understand
689
00:45:47,327 --> 00:45:50,289
that there's
a lot of different perspectives.
690
00:45:50,289 --> 00:45:53,375
Some are like yours.
Some are very different from yours.
691
00:45:53,375 --> 00:45:57,671
And when you go into law enforcement,
you have to acknowledge that.
692
00:45:57,671 --> 00:46:01,967
You can't treat them differently
because they're from a different place.
693
00:46:01,967 --> 00:46:05,679
So the students can understand
this is the world they're going out into.
694
00:46:05,679 --> 00:46:08,140
And that's what's important to me.
695
00:46:08,140 --> 00:46:10,642
Work for the common good of everyone,
696
00:46:10,642 --> 00:46:13,562
to make the world
a better and safer place.
697
00:46:28,577 --> 00:46:30,871
I think survival guilt
from September 11th
698
00:46:30,871 --> 00:46:34,208
is what motivates me
to go to the Middle East.
699
00:46:34,917 --> 00:46:37,377
I was a contractor with the Marine Corps.
700
00:46:37,377 --> 00:46:39,338
And my last tour in Afghanistan,
701
00:46:39,338 --> 00:46:43,842
I got a call telling me that they were
gonna reopen the Howard Pilmar case.
702
00:46:47,387 --> 00:46:49,807
He was murdered in the office.
703
00:46:49,807 --> 00:46:53,018
I knew no one that would want him dead,
704
00:46:53,018 --> 00:46:55,604
that would want him murdered like that.
705
00:46:56,146 --> 00:47:00,317
There's very few cases that I continue
to think about because they're unsolved,
706
00:47:00,317 --> 00:47:03,695
but the Pilmar case,
I'd still be thinking about years later.
707
00:47:04,196 --> 00:47:05,531
We were almost there.
708
00:47:06,824 --> 00:47:09,409
I think every detective has a case
709
00:47:09,409 --> 00:47:12,120
that has eluded them
for some reason or another,
710
00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:15,958
and it becomes
the Moby-Dick of their careers.
711
00:47:16,583 --> 00:47:19,920
Howard was slaughtered.
He was slaughtered like a pig in a pen,
712
00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:21,463
like an animal.