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[suspenseful music playing]
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[narrator] A young woman
embarks on what should be
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the trip of a lifetime.
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Of course I was concerned
about her hitchhiking.
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I knew that she was not
the best judge of character.
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Nobody knew
we wouldn't see her again.
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Life on the road
promises freedom.
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[Iris] She said she felt like
she was accepted to be herself.
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But there's a darker edge too.
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[Rob]
We have incredibly
low rates of violence,
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but, like, there are
other things like stabbings.
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[Mark]
I can certainly understand
giving someone a ride,
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but to then take them
to their house.
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[Rob]
You know, some people have
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anger management problems.
Right?
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She's on an unpredictable
journey.
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There's something wrong.
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People aren't who they seem.
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Everybody has a different idea
of what
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the Rainbow Gathering is.
[laughing]
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Why are there so many people
missing from this event?
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[Mark] Something unthinkable
and unfathomable had happened.
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Who's the last person
that heard from Amber?
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And safety and danger blur
with every passing mile.
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This is one of the most brutal
cases that I've ever witnessed.
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[waves breaking softly]
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[audience cheering]
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Amber Robinson struts across
her high-school stage in 2018,
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clutching her diploma
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like it's a one-way
ticket to freedom.
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It's that feeling
everyone knows at that age --
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invincibility.
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And Amber?
Her first big move?
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A solo cross-country trip
to California, 3,000 miles away
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to visit her mother and sister.
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Amber was very interested
in seeing Iris,
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her older sister, and her mother
after she turned 18.
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She talked a lot about
going to meet up with them,
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traveling a bit with them.
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She hadn't seen my mom since
she'd been put in foster care.
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Nothing but the open road,
a little bit of optimism,
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and the sense that life
is just getting started.
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Or so she thought.
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[Iris]
When Amber and I were kids,
our lives were very chaotic.
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I think they were --
had like nine different schools
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that they had been in over like
a 10-year period of their time.
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My dad was...
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addicted to pretty
much everything.
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He was just addicted
to being high, you know?
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He was always trying
to bully Amber to try to drink
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and smoke weed with him.
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Yeah, it was definitely
like my dad was
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like extremely abusive
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in like all the ways
that a person can be abusive,
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including sexually abusive
to me specifically.
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The dad was arrested for...
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they called it
indecency with the child,
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but in our state,
we called it child molestation.
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[Iris] Yeah, he ended up
going to prison for that,
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and he's no longer in prison,
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but I don't communicate
with him.
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[Amy] The children
were living with Mom,
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and Mom struggled
with addiction.
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They were very
bonded with their mother,
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but she wasn't able
to care for them
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in a way that
the state deemed as safe,
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and so, they were all removed
from their mother's care.
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Amber and her older sister,
Iris, spend the next
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five years lost in a
revolving door of foster homes,
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each one a mix of temporary
affection and neglect.
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Foster care was, uh...
a very --
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that was scarier to me
than any of the other things
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that I went through, even, um,
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the sexual abuse
that I endured from my dad.
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I knew what to expect from him,
but when I went to foster care,
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I had no idea, like,
what was going to happen,
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and I'd never had to been, like,
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separated from Amber.
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In 2017, Amber is living
in a group home for teens
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when she meets
Amy Elliott-Villegas.
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Amy makes a choice that will
ripple through Amber's life
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in ways no one
could've seen coming.
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[Amy] In the group home,
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I rarely saw an occasion
where I thought
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that I could adopt
one of the girls.
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But Amber is one
that I remember clearly
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watching her
tie her shoes one day,
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and just thinking about
how precious she was
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and thinking
"I could take her into my home."
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She was expressing,
she's like, "I'm so happy.
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"You know, I get
to get out of here,
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"get to get out
of the foster care system,
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and I get to go live
with Miss Amy."
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So, she was very excited
about it.
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[Amy] When Amber came to us
at the group home, she was 15,
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and then I had her until
almost before her 18th birthday.
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While Amber's settling
into life at home with Amy,
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Iris slips into adulthood
with little fanfare.
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At 18, finally free
from the state,
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she's determined to live
a nomadic existence
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on her terms.
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So I had just like actively
chosen to become homeless
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because I had aged out
of foster care
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and there was
just a lot of things
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that occur in foster care
that made me
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just even more distressful
about society.
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And, you know, eventually
I just started being like...
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man, like everything that I'm,
like, working towards, like,
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going to college -- just
kind of realizing that, like,
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there's other choices.
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You know, you only get one life
so you might as well actually do
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whatever would genuinely
make you happy.
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Despite the miles between them,
Amber and Iris remain close.
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Their lives play out
through Facebook messages,
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daily check-ins that keep
their connection alive.
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Yeah, we were extremely open
with each other
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and extremely close.
Keeping each other up
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till 4 o'clock
in the morning,
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talking to each other
all night long.
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[Stephen] Amber looked up
to her big sister.
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She was like a role model.
She saw the things that
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her big sister, Iris, was doing
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and how happy she was
and how free she was.
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[Iris] Nashville, Tennessee
was, like, there was,
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like, a massive, like,
homeless encampment there,
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and it was, like, easy to be
homeless there and stuff.
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And so that's when I actually
discovered the culture
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around travelers,
train hoppers, you know, people,
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van lifers,
and everything like that.
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I met other people
who actively, like, wanted
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to be homeless, and they told me
about the Rainbow Gathering.
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[all] Om.
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[rhythmic drumming]
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The Rainbow Gathering
is basically a big camping trip,
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you know, involving people
who all have the same
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collective idea
that we're all one
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and that we're all connected.
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[conch shell humming steadily]
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[all] Om.
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In 1972, the first
Rainbow Gathering
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was held in Colorado.
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[rhythmic drums
and cymbals playing]
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After this meeting,
we want to gather
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with spirits
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to share
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the body,
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the mind,
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soul,
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divine.
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I have been going
to Rainbow Gatherings
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since 1980, almost every year
ever since all over the country.
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A lot of the early Rainbows
were returning Vietnam vets
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mixed with peace activists.
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Everybody has
a different idea of what
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the Rainbow Gathering is.
[laughing]
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They all blend at
the Rainbow Gathering.
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Everything happens
and nothing happens.
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[Rob]
They get together all these
diverse countercultural groups,
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everything from bikers,
hobos, you know,
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Rainbows, conservative people,
like whatever, right?
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-[man] Loving you.
-Loving you.
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-Loving you.
-You got a belly button?
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-[woman] Can I see it?
-[woman #2] Yeah.
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Yeah?
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Guess what?
You're welcome here.
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The invitation's to everyone.
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Feels very magical
for me to, like,
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for lack of a better words,
describe, like, discovering,
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like, the culture, um,
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and all of the, like,
just amazing people
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and all their skills,
how talented they were.
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Like, magic is real.
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And so I go
and I dance around this fire,
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and there's a woman
who shows up all of a sudden.
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She's dressed in animal pelts
she, like, has this massive horn
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and she blows it
and then starts singing.
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[inhales deeply]
[exhales]
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♪ Oooh, oooh, oooh ♪
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[Iris rhythmically vocalizes]
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I help people heal their trauma
and work through, like,
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repressed emotions
by using their voice.
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I first discovered the ability
within myself to sing like that
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at a Rainbow Gathering, um,
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when I was 18.
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[suspenseful music playing]
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Before college starts
in the fall,
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Amber decides to follow
in her big sister's footsteps.
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She wants to get a feel
for her life on the road.
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Her destination?
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California, where their mother
is now living.
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Amber did talk about her mom
quite often.
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I remember when Amber got
her learner's permit,
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she started driving,
and immediately she said,
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"I wish my mom
could see me now."
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Amber, you know, hadn't seen
my mom in a long time,
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you know, since we got
put in foster care
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and everything like that.
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[Amy] And she heard
that her mom was clean,
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and so she was hopeful
but also skeptical, I guess.
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She just wanted everything
to be OK.
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When Amber's friends and family
hear about her plan
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to swing by the annual rainbow
family gathering
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on her way out west,
no one is surprised.
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It's classic Amber,
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chasing after
her sister's shadow.
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But maybe more than that,
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she's looking
for something else,
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a place to feel
like she belongs.
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[Rob] I think it's really common
to get a lot of young people,
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you know, just graduated
high school.
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They come to a gathering
where people hug you
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and take care of you
and are, you know, supportive.
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[man #2]
It took me a lot of pain
to rid things out of my body
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that I was attached to,
that I'd grown accustomed to
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and gotten into habits with.
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But now, through the love,
I mean, here,
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people surround me
with enough love
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and knowledge to heal myself.
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And nowhere else on this face
of the universe have I gone
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and found that for free
and with love
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and with such a high energy
happening around it
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that my whole total being
gets healed.
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[Amy]
I was concerned about
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the drug use
at the Rainbow Festivals,
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but I felt Amber had a really
strong foundation
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in her decisions
about drugs and alcohol.
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It really wasn't her thing.
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Everyone who cares about Amber
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says they support
her independence.
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But when she casually
drops the news
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that she's planning
to hitchhike,
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there's a moment,
a collective anxious pause.
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So, of course, I was concerned
about her talking
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about potentially hitchhiking.
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Any parent, I think,
would be concerned.
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I used to do a lot
of hitchhiking back in the '70s.
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[chortles]
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But I think over time,
it's not quite as safe
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as it used to be.
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[Iris]
Typically with hitchhiking,
it's really best to have
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a really keen intuition
and stuff,
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which is why I never
really suggest it for Amber.
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I knew that she was not
the best judge of character.
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I think that she was willing
to trust and forgive everybody.
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She's extremely innocent.
246
00:12:43,567 --> 00:12:48,000
On June 19th, Amber Robinson
sets off on her journey,
247
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,467
full of bold determination.
248
00:12:50,634 --> 00:12:51,867
[Kalyn] She really
didn't pack a whole lot.
249
00:12:52,033 --> 00:12:54,800
She had, like, a backpack
with, like, the essentials.
250
00:12:54,967 --> 00:12:56,600
[Kalyn] She had her ukulele.
251
00:12:56,767 --> 00:12:59,300
Very, very minimal,
to be honest.
252
00:12:59,467 --> 00:13:05,166
I gave her one last hug
and sent her on her way,
253
00:13:05,333 --> 00:13:09,367
like it was nothing, like
it was just any other day, um,
254
00:13:09,367 --> 00:13:11,300
because it was at the time.
255
00:13:13,767 --> 00:13:16,500
[Stephen] That was between her
and God what was gonna happen.
256
00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:19,667
Nobody knew
we wouldn't see her again.
257
00:13:19,667 --> 00:13:21,166
[dramatic chord strike]
258
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,900
[suspenseful music playing]
259
00:13:27,900 --> 00:13:29,200
Amber Robinson,
260
00:13:29,367 --> 00:13:32,066
fresh off celebrating
her 18th birthday,
261
00:13:32,233 --> 00:13:34,867
is headed to the annual
Rainbow Family Gathering
262
00:13:34,867 --> 00:13:36,100
in rural Georgia.
263
00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:41,000
She's almost made it,
with a quick detour in Atlanta,
264
00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,667
where she's hoping
to finally meet 20-year-old
265
00:13:43,834 --> 00:13:47,100
Joseph Capstraw,
a Facebook friend
266
00:13:47,100 --> 00:13:49,600
who feels like
he could be more.
267
00:13:49,767 --> 00:13:52,166
Amber was very involved
on social media,
268
00:13:52,333 --> 00:13:55,266
and Joseph and Amber
first connected online.
269
00:13:56,367 --> 00:13:58,667
[cellphone trilling]
270
00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:02,467
It almost feels like fate.
271
00:14:03,367 --> 00:14:05,667
Joseph just happens to be
passing through Atlanta
272
00:14:05,667 --> 00:14:08,200
at the same time as Amber.
273
00:14:08,367 --> 00:14:10,300
She's never
actually met him before,
274
00:14:10,467 --> 00:14:12,567
but when he agrees
to meet up in person,
275
00:14:12,734 --> 00:14:13,900
she's thrilled.
276
00:14:14,066 --> 00:14:17,166
They click instantly,
and soon enough,
277
00:14:17,166 --> 00:14:19,700
they're making plans
to trek the 80 miles together
278
00:14:19,867 --> 00:14:21,567
to the Rainbow Family Gathering
279
00:14:21,734 --> 00:14:25,100
in the Chattahoochee-Oconee
National Forest.
280
00:14:25,266 --> 00:14:27,533
[Amy] I know her well enough
to know that...
281
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,266
she always needs
someone with her.
282
00:14:32,433 --> 00:14:35,367
To hear that she was
with Joseph Capstraw,
283
00:14:35,367 --> 00:14:38,900
I just felt like
they would be safe together.
284
00:14:39,066 --> 00:14:41,667
I was upset because I was like,
"You met him online,
285
00:14:41,667 --> 00:14:43,200
you don't really know him"
and stuff, you know.
286
00:14:43,367 --> 00:14:45,467
And she's like, "Yeah,
well, you know, I need somebody
287
00:14:45,467 --> 00:14:48,634
to protect me."
He made her feel safer.
288
00:14:51,100 --> 00:14:53,266
[Mark] He was approximately
6-foot-three,
289
00:14:54,767 --> 00:14:59,367
about 190, had what I would call
an athletic build,
290
00:14:59,533 --> 00:15:02,266
probably what some folks
might call handsome young man.
291
00:15:02,266 --> 00:15:05,967
Joseph always carried himself
politely, very deferential.
292
00:15:07,100 --> 00:15:10,166
Joseph never seemed to stay
anywhere too long,
293
00:15:10,333 --> 00:15:13,867
seemed very transient,
going to different festivals.
294
00:15:14,033 --> 00:15:17,166
[Iris]
The first time Amber
ever told me about him,
295
00:15:17,333 --> 00:15:20,066
she was referring to him
by the name "Shaggy,"
296
00:15:20,233 --> 00:15:22,000
which immediately
I already didn't like that
297
00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,000
'cause all the travelers
that I've met
298
00:15:24,166 --> 00:15:25,967
that call themselves "Shaggy"
299
00:15:26,133 --> 00:15:28,367
are usually like
really gross dudes.
300
00:15:28,533 --> 00:15:32,100
It's a weird archetype thing
that I witnessed on the road.
301
00:15:32,100 --> 00:15:35,567
[Amy] She began to call him
on social media her "road dog,"
302
00:15:35,567 --> 00:15:37,000
which is like...
303
00:15:37,867 --> 00:15:41,367
my understanding is like
a person who travels with you
304
00:15:41,533 --> 00:15:44,000
when you're hitchhiking
and going different places.
305
00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,100
[Mark]
Joseph was an abused child.
306
00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,467
He was food-deprived, abused,
307
00:15:52,467 --> 00:15:54,867
in and out of foster care.
308
00:15:55,033 --> 00:15:59,767
In fact, he and Amber were
kindred spirits in that sense.
309
00:15:59,934 --> 00:16:03,967
[Amy] I think that the idea
of the trauma bond
310
00:16:04,133 --> 00:16:07,767
between Joseph and Amber
is real.
311
00:16:07,934 --> 00:16:09,967
She cared about people deeply,
312
00:16:10,133 --> 00:16:13,767
and she would have opened up
to someone who had been through
313
00:16:13,934 --> 00:16:15,000
the same things as her.
314
00:16:16,066 --> 00:16:17,266
[Iris] He just looked to me
like somebody
315
00:16:17,433 --> 00:16:19,000
who does drugs, you know?
316
00:16:19,166 --> 00:16:21,100
So that kind of sketched me out.
317
00:16:21,266 --> 00:16:23,667
She was like,
"Oh, no, that's not the case.
318
00:16:23,834 --> 00:16:26,266
"He's so awesome
when he plays guitar
319
00:16:26,433 --> 00:16:28,000
and he's this and that."
320
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,567
[Kalyn]
I remember messaging with Amber.
321
00:16:30,567 --> 00:16:33,467
I was like, "OK, I'm glad
you at least found someone
322
00:16:33,467 --> 00:16:35,200
to travel with."
323
00:16:35,367 --> 00:16:36,500
I was like, "I miss you."
324
00:16:36,500 --> 00:16:40,700
And she was like, "I love you."
Like, "Miss you too."
325
00:16:40,867 --> 00:16:42,800
[acoustic guitar playing]
326
00:16:44,367 --> 00:16:46,400
Joseph and Amber
show up at the gathering
327
00:16:46,567 --> 00:16:50,100
a full six days
before the official start.
328
00:16:50,266 --> 00:16:53,667
The early crowd
calls this prelude Seed Camp,
329
00:16:53,667 --> 00:16:56,767
a week where they spread out
across hundreds of acres,
330
00:16:56,767 --> 00:17:01,166
slowly transforming the land
into their version of paradise,
331
00:17:01,166 --> 00:17:04,300
setting the stage
for whatever comes next.
332
00:17:04,467 --> 00:17:07,000
[Rob] And so Seed Camp
basically is that week or so
333
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:08,266
before the gathering.
334
00:17:08,433 --> 00:17:10,266
We only gather national
forest land.
335
00:17:10,266 --> 00:17:13,700
Our taxpayer money has bought
these public lands, right?
336
00:17:13,867 --> 00:17:15,767
And it's written
into our Constitution, right?
337
00:17:15,767 --> 00:17:17,700
The right for peaceful assembly
338
00:17:17,867 --> 00:17:19,500
is written
into the Constitution.
339
00:17:21,967 --> 00:17:23,000
The biggest problem is there's
340
00:17:23,166 --> 00:17:25,567
a lot of pregathering
propaganda
341
00:17:25,567 --> 00:17:27,700
put out by federal
law enforcement agencies.
342
00:17:27,867 --> 00:17:30,266
So a lot of times
they get their locals
343
00:17:30,433 --> 00:17:32,900
really freaked out.
Bad.
344
00:17:33,066 --> 00:17:35,300
Like, just as Seed Camp
is kicking in.
345
00:17:37,767 --> 00:17:41,166
When I first went,
I was very overwhelmed
346
00:17:41,166 --> 00:17:43,867
because I didn't know
a lot of their, like, rules.
347
00:17:44,033 --> 00:17:46,567
Like, I remember there was
one point where I wanted to pee,
348
00:17:46,567 --> 00:17:49,000
and, you know, I'm, like,
in the woods already,
349
00:17:49,166 --> 00:17:50,600
so I'm just, like, I'm just
trying to pee, and they're like,
350
00:17:50,767 --> 00:17:52,867
"No, you can't pee right here."
And I'm like, "Oh, OK.
All right."
351
00:17:52,867 --> 00:17:54,266
Like, I don't know where
any of this were.
352
00:17:54,266 --> 00:17:55,667
Like, I just felt really
socially anxious.
353
00:17:55,667 --> 00:17:56,667
And I was like,
354
00:17:56,834 --> 00:17:58,367
"What in the world
is going on here?"
355
00:18:00,667 --> 00:18:03,166
There's really nobody in charge
and so what makes --
356
00:18:03,166 --> 00:18:04,867
it's a self-organizing event.
357
00:18:05,033 --> 00:18:07,266
And like our kitchen
is completely self-funded,
358
00:18:07,266 --> 00:18:09,667
we pass a hat around
and then that money
359
00:18:09,667 --> 00:18:12,100
goes into people that will
drive out of the gathering
360
00:18:12,100 --> 00:18:14,800
every day, buy food.
361
00:18:14,967 --> 00:18:16,166
[man]
What you got cooking?
362
00:18:16,333 --> 00:18:18,500
[man #2] We got cooking
here millet with oatmeal
363
00:18:18,667 --> 00:18:23,100
and we're gonna put bananas
and raisins and honey in it.
364
00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:24,667
That's pretty good, yeah.
365
00:18:24,834 --> 00:18:26,467
[man]
Sounds great, this is breakfast?
366
00:18:26,634 --> 00:18:28,266
[man #2] Yeah this is gonna
be breakfast a little late,
367
00:18:28,433 --> 00:18:29,667
but it's coming together.
368
00:18:29,834 --> 00:18:31,266
This is the first time
I've been here.
369
00:18:31,266 --> 00:18:33,200
They're two hours
late today, though.
370
00:18:33,367 --> 00:18:36,300
I was out there doing tai chi,
and they said, "If somebody
371
00:18:36,467 --> 00:18:39,867
"doesn't come do
some kitchen help,
372
00:18:39,867 --> 00:18:42,567
there's not gonna be
any breakfast," so...
373
00:18:43,900 --> 00:18:46,767
doing it.
-Food's really good.
374
00:18:46,934 --> 00:18:48,066
Yeah, they put a lot
of love into it.
375
00:18:48,233 --> 00:18:50,100
I've been working in the kitchen
every now and then.
376
00:18:50,100 --> 00:18:51,567
It's really nice.
377
00:18:51,567 --> 00:18:53,600
[Rob] A good kitchen
at a Rainbow Gathering
378
00:18:53,767 --> 00:18:56,200
can easily feed 1,500 people,
379
00:18:56,367 --> 00:19:00,367
and there'll be about
30 people working in the kitchen
380
00:19:00,367 --> 00:19:02,166
at any given moment,
day and night.
381
00:19:03,266 --> 00:19:06,100
Six days after Amber and Joseph
settle in,
382
00:19:06,100 --> 00:19:08,100
the annual
Rainbow Family Gathering
383
00:19:08,100 --> 00:19:09,667
kicks off on July 1st.
384
00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:12,867
It's everything you'd expect.
385
00:19:13,033 --> 00:19:15,867
5,000 people pouring in,
the energy,
386
00:19:15,867 --> 00:19:19,266
a mix of chaotic joy
and free-spirited optimism.
387
00:19:19,266 --> 00:19:22,367
[rhythmic drumming]
388
00:19:22,367 --> 00:19:24,467
Freedom!
389
00:19:24,467 --> 00:19:29,567
[drumming continues]
390
00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:37,300
[drumming fades]
391
00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:39,500
[fire crackles]
392
00:19:43,100 --> 00:19:46,100
[Iris] She told me
that she loved the gathering
393
00:19:46,266 --> 00:19:49,000
because people were kind.
394
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,467
She said she felt like
she was accepted to be herself.
395
00:19:52,500 --> 00:19:54,100
And she's like,
"Everybody's saying they love me
396
00:19:54,266 --> 00:19:56,100
and saying welcome home.
It's so cool."
397
00:19:58,166 --> 00:20:01,800
[Amy] I had a lot of concerns
for Amber because Amber quickly,
398
00:20:01,967 --> 00:20:05,667
quickly saw what was good
in people.
399
00:20:05,667 --> 00:20:08,867
She would notice red flags
and take action
400
00:20:09,033 --> 00:20:11,667
on those red flags too late.
401
00:20:11,667 --> 00:20:14,200
[Rob] We have incredibly
low rates of violence.
402
00:20:14,367 --> 00:20:17,166
It's a really
kind of a peaceful focus.
403
00:20:18,100 --> 00:20:20,166
But you know, some people have
anger management problems.
404
00:20:20,166 --> 00:20:21,867
Right?
405
00:20:21,867 --> 00:20:25,367
Despite Amber's newfound calm
and sense of belonging,
406
00:20:25,533 --> 00:20:28,800
the 2018 Rainbow Gathering
grabs headlines
407
00:20:28,967 --> 00:20:30,600
for all the wrong reasons.
408
00:20:30,767 --> 00:20:33,166
Today we posted this story
on our Facebook page
409
00:20:33,333 --> 00:20:35,867
about another missing man
from the Rainbow Gathering
410
00:20:35,867 --> 00:20:37,200
up in Lumpkin County.
411
00:20:37,367 --> 00:20:39,767
And we had a lot of comments
like this one asking
412
00:20:39,934 --> 00:20:42,767
"Why are there so many people
missing from this event?"
413
00:20:44,567 --> 00:20:49,066
Suddenly, Utopia doesn't feel
quite so peaceful anymore.
414
00:20:49,233 --> 00:20:51,166
We were all talking,
figuring out, like,
415
00:20:51,333 --> 00:20:53,467
"Hey, we haven't heard
from Amber in a few days."
416
00:20:53,634 --> 00:20:54,700
Like, "Hey, have you heard
from Amber?"
417
00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:57,600
Like, who's the last person
that heard from Amber?
418
00:20:57,767 --> 00:20:59,567
I text her, and I'm like,
"Bro, you know,
419
00:20:59,734 --> 00:21:01,266
"you can't just disappear.
420
00:21:01,266 --> 00:21:03,400
You gotta let someone
know you're OK."
421
00:21:04,767 --> 00:21:08,166
[Iris] I was telling her, I'm
like, "No, I don't trust Shaggy.
422
00:21:08,333 --> 00:21:09,567
You literally just met him."
423
00:21:10,867 --> 00:21:11,967
All I did was worry.
424
00:21:12,133 --> 00:21:13,166
[suspenseful chord strike]
425
00:21:17,166 --> 00:21:19,700
[suspenseful music playing]
426
00:21:19,867 --> 00:21:22,767
Amber Robinson has
taken an unexpected detour
427
00:21:22,767 --> 00:21:25,967
on her cross-country trip
to California, heading to
428
00:21:26,133 --> 00:21:29,700
the Rainbow Family Gathering,
a counterculture festival deep
429
00:21:29,867 --> 00:21:32,166
in the Chattahoochee-Oconee
National Forest.
430
00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,600
But now, her friends
are starting to worry.
431
00:21:36,767 --> 00:21:38,166
It's been nearly a week,
432
00:21:38,166 --> 00:21:40,266
and no one's heard
a word from her.
433
00:21:41,467 --> 00:21:43,400
Well, I messaged her
a few times.
434
00:21:43,567 --> 00:21:44,967
I bugged her.
I was like, you know
435
00:21:45,133 --> 00:21:46,967
"You gotta let me know
what you're up to."
436
00:21:47,133 --> 00:21:50,700
And I'm just already, like,
freaking out.
437
00:21:54,367 --> 00:21:56,567
[Amy] When Amber wanted to go to
the Rainbow Festival, I was
438
00:21:56,567 --> 00:22:00,600
concerned about the behaviors
of other people there.
439
00:22:00,767 --> 00:22:03,867
Amy's concerns aren't
exactly unfounded.
440
00:22:04,033 --> 00:22:06,967
Beneath all the peace signs
and good vibes,
441
00:22:07,133 --> 00:22:08,567
something unsettling
is brewing.
442
00:22:10,367 --> 00:22:12,667
C.J. Elliott,
along with another man,
443
00:22:12,834 --> 00:22:15,367
vanished into thin air.
444
00:22:15,367 --> 00:22:16,700
[Alice Elliot] He is my world.
445
00:22:16,867 --> 00:22:18,467
I just want to know
that he's OK.
446
00:22:18,467 --> 00:22:20,700
[reporter] Alice Elliott
has spent the past six days
447
00:22:20,867 --> 00:22:23,967
searching the forest.
-I want my son back.
448
00:22:24,133 --> 00:22:26,767
Every minute that goes by,
I'm more concerned with this.
449
00:22:31,166 --> 00:22:33,300
This isn't the first time
darkness has found its way
450
00:22:33,467 --> 00:22:34,634
to the Rainbow Gathering.
451
00:22:36,467 --> 00:22:40,100
Back in 1980, two women
were shot and killed while
452
00:22:40,266 --> 00:22:42,367
hitchhiking to the festival
in West Virginia.
453
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:48,166
[Rob]
The two women who got shot,
it affected us very heavily.
454
00:22:48,333 --> 00:22:52,100
But there are other occasional
things like stabbings.
455
00:22:52,100 --> 00:22:56,767
In 2014, Leilani Novak-Garcia
stabbed a man during
456
00:22:56,934 --> 00:23:00,266
a gathering in Utah's
Uinta National Forest.
457
00:23:01,567 --> 00:23:05,567
Then came 2015, when things
took another deadly turn
458
00:23:05,734 --> 00:23:08,000
with a fatal shooting
at a Florida event.
459
00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:14,000
No one can say for sure
what Amber knew or didn't know
460
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:15,867
about the darker side
of the festival.
461
00:23:17,066 --> 00:23:19,200
What we do know is this --
462
00:23:19,367 --> 00:23:22,066
for reasons no one
can quite pin down,
463
00:23:22,233 --> 00:23:25,367
Amber and Joseph Capstraw,
the guy she showed up with,
464
00:23:25,533 --> 00:23:26,533
make a quiet exit
465
00:23:26,533 --> 00:23:29,000
before the Rainbow Gathering
even finishes.
466
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,166
I texted her again,
sent her a little smiley face,
467
00:23:33,166 --> 00:23:37,667
you know, "Thinking about you."
Like, "Let me know something."
468
00:23:37,834 --> 00:23:39,667
And she still
didn't text me back.
469
00:23:39,667 --> 00:23:43,967
For another 24
and some odd hours,
470
00:23:44,133 --> 00:23:47,567
she texted me the next day.
She told me that she was safe.
471
00:23:53,767 --> 00:23:57,000
Amber's friends and family
can't shake the worry.
472
00:23:57,166 --> 00:23:59,000
She's hitchhiking
across the country
473
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,600
with a man she barely knows.
474
00:24:01,767 --> 00:24:03,367
But hearing from her
gives some comfort.
475
00:24:04,867 --> 00:24:08,200
Still, they're left in the dark
about what's next,
476
00:24:08,367 --> 00:24:09,867
and that uncertainty lingers.
477
00:24:11,367 --> 00:24:13,600
[Kalyn]
She said, "We left Rainbow
to head to Cali."
478
00:24:13,767 --> 00:24:15,467
And then she
was going to Nashville,
479
00:24:15,467 --> 00:24:17,667
which never
really made sense to me.
480
00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,600
[Iris] She told me that he
wanted to go to Nashville.
481
00:24:21,767 --> 00:24:23,367
I do remember her telling me
482
00:24:23,367 --> 00:24:25,567
that she doesn't want
to leave him all alone,
483
00:24:25,567 --> 00:24:28,300
you know,
that he doesn't have a family
484
00:24:28,467 --> 00:24:30,400
and, like, he has nobody
that cares about him.
485
00:24:30,567 --> 00:24:32,367
And, you know,
she cares about him.
486
00:24:32,533 --> 00:24:36,000
And, you know, I remember
just being, like,
487
00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:37,900
frustrated, you know, like,
488
00:24:38,066 --> 00:24:40,000
just do whatever is good
for you.
489
00:24:43,767 --> 00:24:45,266
[dramatic chord strike]
490
00:24:49,166 --> 00:24:55,000
[Kalyn]
I didn't hear from her again
until after she was in Nashville
491
00:24:56,367 --> 00:25:02,166
and I said, "Don't put yourself
in a bad situation.
492
00:25:06,367 --> 00:25:07,934
Just be safe."
493
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,800
[Iris]
Amber was definitely nervous.
494
00:25:13,967 --> 00:25:15,900
She's really upset because she's
like, "We don't have any food,
495
00:25:16,066 --> 00:25:17,667
what are we supposed to do?"
And I'm like, "For one you could
496
00:25:17,834 --> 00:25:19,867
have food at the gathering, why
did you leave the gathering?"
497
00:25:20,033 --> 00:25:23,266
I'm like, "OK whatever",
I'm like really upset and then
498
00:25:23,266 --> 00:25:27,300
I'm telling her, like, "OK, set
up with your ukulele and play
499
00:25:27,467 --> 00:25:31,967
and busk," you know, which is
just a term for playing music
500
00:25:32,133 --> 00:25:33,367
or performing to make money.
501
00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:38,266
[Kalyn] She said, "Homeless
people are everywhere.
502
00:25:38,266 --> 00:25:41,567
There's no way we can make
money by playing our music."
503
00:25:42,500 --> 00:25:44,000
She said,
"I'm stuck here in the city
504
00:25:44,166 --> 00:25:45,367
"sleeping on the ground
505
00:25:45,533 --> 00:25:46,967
because there's no place
to camp."
506
00:25:47,867 --> 00:25:50,166
[Iris] She's like,
"Please try to get me money
for a bus ticket."
507
00:25:50,166 --> 00:25:51,667
And I'm like, "I don't have
any money."
508
00:25:52,667 --> 00:25:54,467
And then, yeah, the next day,
509
00:25:54,634 --> 00:25:57,266
you know, she messages me
saying, "OK, no,
510
00:25:57,266 --> 00:25:58,600
we're just both,"
like, "me and him,
511
00:25:58,767 --> 00:26:00,200
me and Shaggy are hitchhiking,"
512
00:26:00,367 --> 00:26:01,367
you know, "to Kentucky."
513
00:26:02,266 --> 00:26:04,200
And I'm like, "OK."
514
00:26:04,367 --> 00:26:06,700
What no one's telling Amber
is that they all harbor
515
00:26:06,867 --> 00:26:08,467
serious doubts
about the stranger
516
00:26:08,634 --> 00:26:10,266
she's traveling with.
517
00:26:10,433 --> 00:26:12,467
This laid-back peace
and love routine?
518
00:26:13,367 --> 00:26:15,166
It all seems
too good to be true.
519
00:26:16,100 --> 00:26:17,867
The question is --
520
00:26:18,033 --> 00:26:21,400
who is the man Amber is
traveling with really?
521
00:26:21,567 --> 00:26:23,266
Joseph had an incident
522
00:26:23,266 --> 00:26:27,000
in Florida, where he was
involved in an altercation
523
00:26:27,166 --> 00:26:28,367
with another man.
524
00:26:29,367 --> 00:26:31,200
He was charged
with attempted murder.
525
00:26:36,700 --> 00:26:37,800
[Mark]
But ultimately,
526
00:26:37,967 --> 00:26:40,967
it turned out that
that case was dismissed
527
00:26:41,133 --> 00:26:43,000
because there were
multiple witnesses
528
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:46,500
that stated that Joseph
had been himself assaulted first
529
00:26:46,667 --> 00:26:49,367
and was in the act
of defending himself.
530
00:26:57,567 --> 00:27:01,000
[Jeff] Joseph and Amber were
hitchhiking on Dixie Highway,
531
00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,266
which is a road
that you can take
532
00:27:04,266 --> 00:27:07,767
from Nashville to Louisville.
533
00:27:09,567 --> 00:27:12,767
[Mark] They were given a ride
by Jacob Barnes.
534
00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:18,767
Jacob Barnes
took them in his car
535
00:27:18,767 --> 00:27:21,467
to his house in Elizabethtown.
536
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,066
[Jeff] And the next day
they were gonna be taken
537
00:27:26,233 --> 00:27:27,867
to Interstate 65.
538
00:27:28,033 --> 00:27:29,767
Or they could continue
their trip
539
00:27:29,934 --> 00:27:32,300
to wherever they were going.
540
00:27:34,300 --> 00:27:38,166
Jacob Barnes might seem like
a Good Samaritan to Amber,
541
00:27:38,166 --> 00:27:40,400
but there's a darker side
to the stranger
542
00:27:40,567 --> 00:27:42,467
offering them a ride.
543
00:27:42,467 --> 00:27:45,767
His past is littered
with drug-related offenses,
544
00:27:45,934 --> 00:27:47,667
a trail of trouble
with the law.
545
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,900
What does he really want
with this young couple?
546
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,266
[Mark]
I can certainly understand
somebody giving someone a ride.
547
00:27:57,433 --> 00:27:59,300
We've all -- I've been there.
548
00:28:00,467 --> 00:28:02,567
But to then take them
to their house.
549
00:28:04,367 --> 00:28:06,367
And that's when I felt like...
550
00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:08,800
there's something wrong.
551
00:28:10,367 --> 00:28:13,000
I'm just like, that is not
where you should be at all.
552
00:28:13,166 --> 00:28:15,867
And I felt really sick to
my stomach and, like, worried.
553
00:28:16,033 --> 00:28:17,900
Like, you need
to get out of there.
554
00:28:19,166 --> 00:28:21,266
[suspenseful music playing]
555
00:28:25,967 --> 00:28:28,100
Amber Robinson
and Joseph Capstraw
556
00:28:28,266 --> 00:28:30,266
didn't think twice
about accepting a ride
557
00:28:30,266 --> 00:28:33,100
from a stranger
on an empty Kentucky highway.
558
00:28:34,567 --> 00:28:38,266
They had no idea,
of course, just how quickly
559
00:28:38,266 --> 00:28:41,100
things were about
to spiral out of control.
560
00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,166
Joseph had gone
to a neighbor's house,
561
00:28:48,333 --> 00:28:53,000
feverishly looking
and banging on doors,
562
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,967
screaming, yelling,
"I need help."
563
00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:59,867
[Jeff] Police in Elizabethtown
564
00:29:00,767 --> 00:29:03,200
responded to a call
from a neighbor.
565
00:29:03,367 --> 00:29:04,567
[sirens wailing]
566
00:29:04,567 --> 00:29:05,667
When they got there,
567
00:29:07,467 --> 00:29:09,900
they found Joseph
covered in blood.
568
00:29:10,066 --> 00:29:12,266
[sirens wailing]
569
00:29:12,433 --> 00:29:14,900
[dramatic chord strike]
570
00:29:17,367 --> 00:29:20,367
Not long after settling in
at Jacob Barnes' place,
571
00:29:20,367 --> 00:29:23,367
Amber and Joseph finally
let their guard down.
572
00:29:23,533 --> 00:29:24,767
It's a relief, really.
573
00:29:24,767 --> 00:29:27,300
A desperately needed pause
after hitchhiking nearly
574
00:29:27,467 --> 00:29:29,567
130 miles from Nashville.
575
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,166
Jacob invites
a couple of friends over,
576
00:29:34,166 --> 00:29:36,800
eager to introduce them
to the so-called travelers.
577
00:29:38,467 --> 00:29:42,467
They were playing music.
They were drinking alcohol.
578
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:45,567
[Iris] You know, she's like,
"These people,"
579
00:29:45,734 --> 00:29:47,100
you know,
"they seem really nice.
580
00:29:47,266 --> 00:29:48,300
They're just smoking weed
with us."
581
00:29:48,467 --> 00:29:49,667
You know, "They seem so cool."
582
00:29:51,266 --> 00:29:53,100
Eventually, she ends up
messaging me again, though,
583
00:29:53,100 --> 00:29:55,400
saying that they were
doing hard drugs.
584
00:29:59,066 --> 00:30:00,500
[Stephen] She doesn't like
to be around hard drugs.
585
00:30:01,367 --> 00:30:05,467
Amber has seen how drugs
can change people.
586
00:30:05,467 --> 00:30:07,100
She's seen how drugs can...
587
00:30:08,266 --> 00:30:09,600
tear families apart.
588
00:30:12,066 --> 00:30:15,000
She just remembered, like,
all the times of growing up
589
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:16,600
around drugs,
specifically with my dad,
590
00:30:16,767 --> 00:30:19,567
trying to pressure her
to do drugs.
591
00:30:19,734 --> 00:30:24,667
And, like, selling our toys,
like, literally trading
592
00:30:24,834 --> 00:30:26,500
our things for drugs.
593
00:30:28,166 --> 00:30:29,867
And so that was,
like, a very deep,
594
00:30:29,867 --> 00:30:33,600
like, you know, vicious wound
for her to just be like,
595
00:30:33,767 --> 00:30:36,367
"The man in my life who I'm like
wanting to protect me is now
596
00:30:36,533 --> 00:30:39,300
"over here doing drugs and like
trying to get me to do them
597
00:30:39,467 --> 00:30:40,533
when I don't want to."
598
00:30:40,533 --> 00:30:43,266
So it's like literally
a direct reminder of my dad
599
00:30:43,266 --> 00:30:44,500
trying to pressure her
to do drugs
600
00:30:44,667 --> 00:30:46,700
and her witnessing him
doing it to me.
601
00:30:46,867 --> 00:30:48,300
[cellphone trilling]
602
00:30:48,467 --> 00:30:50,467
She said, "They're paranoid
because I'm not doing it
603
00:30:50,467 --> 00:30:51,500
and they're mad at me,"
you know,
604
00:30:51,667 --> 00:30:52,533
I'm like,
"That sounds awful."
605
00:30:52,533 --> 00:30:55,066
Like, "You need
to get out of there."
606
00:30:55,233 --> 00:30:57,500
But she was very anxious,
obviously, and scared.
607
00:30:57,667 --> 00:30:58,767
She's still just asking me,
608
00:30:58,934 --> 00:31:00,166
like, "Please
try to get me money
609
00:31:00,166 --> 00:31:03,000
for a bus ticket
now from here in Kentucky."
610
00:31:03,166 --> 00:31:05,567
At this point,
my mind was really --
611
00:31:05,734 --> 00:31:06,700
"I'm gonna have
to ask somebody
612
00:31:06,867 --> 00:31:08,767
to give me money
to get her a bus ticket."
613
00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:14,300
[sobbing]
The last thing she --
she had said to me was
614
00:31:15,367 --> 00:31:17,166
she just wanted to --
she wanted to leave,
615
00:31:17,166 --> 00:31:19,300
and I never heard
from her again.
616
00:31:21,700 --> 00:31:23,300
[Amy] I have known Amber.
617
00:31:23,467 --> 00:31:25,767
When something goes wrong
in a situation,
618
00:31:25,767 --> 00:31:29,166
she gets out of the situation.
She was ready to leave.
619
00:31:29,166 --> 00:31:32,800
All her stuff was packed up
by the door.
620
00:31:32,967 --> 00:31:34,667
She was ready
to get out of there.
621
00:31:34,667 --> 00:31:36,867
But Amber would never leave.
622
00:31:38,367 --> 00:31:42,300
On July 7th,
police answer a 911 call
623
00:31:42,467 --> 00:31:44,767
that leads them straight
to Jacob Barnes' front door.
624
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,500
The scene tells its own story.
625
00:31:48,667 --> 00:31:51,800
The room was covered in blood.
Joseph was covered in blood.
626
00:31:53,867 --> 00:31:57,767
Ms. Robinson had been
beaten to a pulp.
627
00:31:59,567 --> 00:32:03,767
[exhales deeply]
Amber was beaten so badly
that she couldn't be identified.
628
00:32:09,667 --> 00:32:12,367
The police, they said that...
629
00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:14,867
[sniffles]
630
00:32:15,033 --> 00:32:20,100
there was a -- a body of a girl
631
00:32:21,300 --> 00:32:24,567
they had, and they thought
that she was Amber.
632
00:32:24,567 --> 00:32:27,200
And that because I was
the last person to see her,
633
00:32:27,367 --> 00:32:28,667
they asked me to describe her.
634
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:31,700
Her face, her hair,
635
00:32:33,166 --> 00:32:34,400
her nose piercing.
636
00:32:35,867 --> 00:32:40,700
[Amy] I had taken Amber
to the dentist sometime in 2017.
637
00:32:40,867 --> 00:32:42,800
Those dental records
from that appointment
638
00:32:42,967 --> 00:32:46,767
are what allowed
the police to finally, um...
639
00:32:46,934 --> 00:32:49,867
determine it was Amber Robinson
that they had.
640
00:32:54,367 --> 00:32:56,000
[reporter]
The teen was from Florida,
641
00:32:56,166 --> 00:32:59,467
with only grandparents
and a sister in other states,
642
00:32:59,634 --> 00:33:01,066
given the bad news.
643
00:33:01,233 --> 00:33:05,300
This is one of the most brutal
cases that I've ever witnessed.
644
00:33:07,767 --> 00:33:10,467
These cases always take
a little bit of your heart
645
00:33:10,634 --> 00:33:11,567
and your soul out of you.
646
00:33:13,100 --> 00:33:16,100
But I think
the real question was,
647
00:33:16,100 --> 00:33:19,767
who killed Ms. Robinson and why?
648
00:33:19,767 --> 00:33:21,900
[dramatic chord strike]
649
00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:28,500
[birds chirping]
650
00:33:30,667 --> 00:33:33,700
18-year-old Amber Robinson
is dead.
651
00:33:36,100 --> 00:33:38,400
The story behind
the gruesome scene
652
00:33:38,567 --> 00:33:40,100
is anything but simple.
653
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,600
Now the police are questioning
everyone who was
654
00:33:44,767 --> 00:33:48,300
at Jacob Barnes' house that
night, including the one person
655
00:33:48,467 --> 00:33:52,266
who should've been looking out
for her, Joseph Capstraw,
656
00:33:52,266 --> 00:33:54,467
the man she'd been
traveling with.
657
00:33:54,634 --> 00:33:56,867
When Elizabethtown police
arrived at the crime scene,
658
00:33:56,867 --> 00:34:01,100
he was outside,
frantic, covered in blood.
659
00:34:01,100 --> 00:34:04,367
Not long after police arrived,
they talked to Joseph
660
00:34:04,367 --> 00:34:07,100
and took him down
to the police station
661
00:34:07,266 --> 00:34:08,533
for questioning.
662
00:34:08,533 --> 00:34:12,867
Visibly shaken, Joseph recounts
the events to investigators,
663
00:34:13,033 --> 00:34:15,700
unraveling a story no one
is prepared to hear.
664
00:34:19,700 --> 00:34:21,567
[Mark] It was about 1 AM,
665
00:34:22,467 --> 00:34:24,467
when everything kicked off.
666
00:34:24,467 --> 00:34:26,467
[rain pattering]
667
00:34:26,467 --> 00:34:29,467
[Jeff]
He said they were playing music,
they were singing,
668
00:34:29,467 --> 00:34:31,567
and then Jacob
669
00:34:31,567 --> 00:34:35,567
and another person decided to go
to Louisville on a drug run.
670
00:34:36,567 --> 00:34:40,266
And that left Amber and Joseph
at the home by themselves.
671
00:34:42,266 --> 00:34:45,000
[Mark]
At some point, Amber became...
672
00:34:46,467 --> 00:34:49,166
for lack of a better term,
disillusioned, disappointed
673
00:34:49,333 --> 00:34:53,467
that they had gone
to purchase illegal narcotics.
674
00:34:53,634 --> 00:34:55,900
They were going
to pick up drugs,
675
00:34:56,066 --> 00:34:58,667
and that infuriated her.
676
00:34:59,667 --> 00:35:03,000
[Mark]
Joseph became upset with that.
677
00:35:03,166 --> 00:35:05,567
Joseph thought that she was
unfairly judging these folks
678
00:35:05,734 --> 00:35:08,500
who had given them a chance to,
I'm going to use the term,
679
00:35:08,667 --> 00:35:10,000
"crash at their place."
680
00:35:12,266 --> 00:35:15,667
And from there, it appeared
that an argument ensued.
681
00:35:17,700 --> 00:35:20,266
[Jeff] She and Joseph
got into an altercation.
682
00:35:20,433 --> 00:35:22,767
Joseph was yelling
and screaming.
683
00:35:22,934 --> 00:35:25,667
He said she attacked him
with a knife,
684
00:35:25,667 --> 00:35:29,100
and he ended up having
some cuts on his arm.
685
00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:33,600
One thing led to another,
and Amber was -- was killed.
686
00:35:36,066 --> 00:35:39,000
She was beaten to death
by the hands of Joseph Capstraw.
687
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,567
He said he was defending himself
in the altercation.
688
00:35:46,734 --> 00:35:50,867
[Amy]
He said it was self-defense,
but forensic experts said
689
00:35:51,033 --> 00:35:53,867
the wounds on his arm couldn't
have possibly come from Amber.
690
00:35:54,900 --> 00:35:59,266
[Jeff]
That was the only defense,
that he was attacked by Amber,
691
00:35:59,433 --> 00:36:03,867
when, in fact, the cuts
on his arm were self-induced.
692
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:06,467
He cut himself.
693
00:36:07,900 --> 00:36:09,800
[Amy] The medical
examiner's office said
694
00:36:09,967 --> 00:36:13,300
he also stomped on her face
and her skull with his feet.
695
00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,200
Just brutal.
696
00:36:18,367 --> 00:36:21,767
That was not
an act of self-defense.
697
00:36:21,934 --> 00:36:23,100
It was monstrous.
698
00:36:23,266 --> 00:36:25,600
[suspenseful music
swells and ends]
699
00:36:28,066 --> 00:36:32,567
It was just a brutal attack by
a gentleman who was 6'3",
700
00:36:32,567 --> 00:36:37,767
190 pounds, on a young lady
who was 5'3", and 90 pounds.
701
00:36:37,934 --> 00:36:39,667
And he...
702
00:36:39,834 --> 00:36:41,567
beat her relentlessly
with his hands.
703
00:36:42,767 --> 00:36:47,033
I'll never be able to understand
a lot of the whys.
704
00:36:49,500 --> 00:36:52,266
[Andrew] There's a friend
of ours, friend of the family.
705
00:36:52,266 --> 00:36:53,800
Her name is Linda.
706
00:36:53,967 --> 00:36:55,567
She's been a part
of the kids' lives
707
00:36:55,567 --> 00:36:57,700
ever since they were born.
708
00:36:57,867 --> 00:37:00,700
I was at home,
and Linda gives me a call.
709
00:37:00,867 --> 00:37:02,867
[melancholic music playing]
710
00:37:04,767 --> 00:37:07,367
She just basically
ripped the bandage off
711
00:37:07,533 --> 00:37:10,000
to start with and said,
"Amber's been murdered."
712
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:17,767
[Iris] I mean, I was just
in denial at first.
713
00:37:17,934 --> 00:37:19,467
I was like...
714
00:37:19,467 --> 00:37:21,500
"No, that can't be true,"
you know?
715
00:37:21,667 --> 00:37:24,166
And I was just like,
"That literally can't be true."
716
00:37:24,333 --> 00:37:25,967
I didn't...
717
00:37:26,133 --> 00:37:28,000
want to believe
that it was real.
718
00:37:28,166 --> 00:37:31,467
I hate that she's not here
experiencing
719
00:37:31,634 --> 00:37:33,600
the rest of her life
with the rest of us.
720
00:37:34,767 --> 00:37:37,100
[Amy] You know,
I couldn't wrap my mind around
721
00:37:37,100 --> 00:37:39,166
Amber being harmed.
722
00:37:39,333 --> 00:37:41,166
And I...
723
00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:44,467
screamed.
724
00:37:44,634 --> 00:37:47,900
Just one of the most
gut-wrenching screams.
725
00:37:48,066 --> 00:37:51,100
I've never felt
so much pain at the thought
726
00:37:51,266 --> 00:37:53,500
that she had been murdered.
727
00:37:57,367 --> 00:38:00,667
[Jeff] Joseph was indicted.
He was charged with the murder.
728
00:38:01,567 --> 00:38:03,400
He pled not guilty
to the charges.
729
00:38:04,667 --> 00:38:07,066
Fast-forward
almost a year and a half
730
00:38:07,233 --> 00:38:09,400
to February 2020.
731
00:38:09,567 --> 00:38:12,567
Joseph Capstraw
is finally on trial.
732
00:38:12,567 --> 00:38:17,000
When he steps up to the stand,
his story shifts.
733
00:38:17,166 --> 00:38:20,000
It's a twist of words,
just enough to make it seem
734
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,800
like he didn't mean
for any of it to happen.
735
00:38:22,967 --> 00:38:25,600
[Mark] Joseph testified
that he loved Amber,
736
00:38:25,767 --> 00:38:27,767
thought the world of Amber,
737
00:38:27,767 --> 00:38:30,600
didn't remember any of this.
He blacked out.
738
00:38:31,867 --> 00:38:37,500
And when he came to immediately
realize that something
739
00:38:37,667 --> 00:38:40,100
terrible, terrible, unthinkable
740
00:38:40,100 --> 00:38:42,166
and unfathomable had happened.
741
00:38:43,767 --> 00:38:46,266
[Amy]
I didn't believe him at all.
742
00:38:46,433 --> 00:38:48,100
I can't imagine someone
caring for her
743
00:38:48,266 --> 00:38:49,266
and doing what he did.
744
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:53,166
[Mark] The jury,
after hearing the evidence,
745
00:38:53,166 --> 00:38:55,367
after deliberating,
746
00:38:55,367 --> 00:38:57,867
they found Joseph
guilty of murder.
747
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:07,166
There were no winners
or losers on this case.
748
00:39:07,333 --> 00:39:08,467
Everybody lost.
749
00:39:09,967 --> 00:39:11,533
Everybody lost.
750
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:15,967
Amber Robinson has justice,
751
00:39:16,133 --> 00:39:20,900
but -- but that doesn't make
her family any more whole.
752
00:39:21,066 --> 00:39:22,300
I just...
753
00:39:24,767 --> 00:39:26,100
think we all
could've done better
754
00:39:26,100 --> 00:39:27,467
by these young people.
755
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:32,100
Joseph Capstraw's sentenced
to 50 years in prison.
756
00:39:34,100 --> 00:39:38,667
Just to think that the person
that she'd entrusted herself to,
757
00:39:38,834 --> 00:39:40,400
I think was so evil,
758
00:39:41,900 --> 00:39:44,367
really makes -- makes me sad.
759
00:39:44,533 --> 00:39:46,600
But despite her decisions
760
00:39:47,767 --> 00:39:50,900
to hitchhike or to be
with Joseph Capstraw
761
00:39:51,066 --> 00:39:53,000
or to go
to the Rainbow Festival,
762
00:39:53,166 --> 00:39:57,066
there is nothing
that Amber did or chose to do
763
00:39:57,233 --> 00:39:58,767
that...
764
00:39:58,934 --> 00:40:01,567
deserves to be murdered.
765
00:40:05,567 --> 00:40:08,166
[Rob]
These things upset us a lot,
especially as peaceful people.
766
00:40:08,166 --> 00:40:10,900
We hope that we have
an influence on people
767
00:40:11,066 --> 00:40:12,100
that when they leave
the gathering,
768
00:40:12,100 --> 00:40:14,467
they don't have
that urge for acts of violence,
769
00:40:14,634 --> 00:40:16,900
but, you know, some people,
that's their natural...
770
00:40:17,066 --> 00:40:20,600
state of being, I hate to say.
It's a shame.
771
00:40:20,767 --> 00:40:22,900
We hope that those people
can learn from Gatherings.
772
00:40:24,367 --> 00:40:28,567
If I would've known
everything that I know now,
773
00:40:28,734 --> 00:40:30,200
I mean...
774
00:40:30,367 --> 00:40:32,867
I would have just tried harder
to buy Amber a bus ticket.
775
00:40:33,767 --> 00:40:36,467
If I could change reality,
like, that's what I would do.
776
00:40:37,667 --> 00:40:39,467
[Kalyn] She was
777
00:40:39,467 --> 00:40:45,100
truly a remarkable soul
in this world, and it is a shame
778
00:40:45,100 --> 00:40:46,467
that she is not here.
779
00:40:47,667 --> 00:40:50,000
Her physical body
is no longer here,
780
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:53,166
but she is not a victim
to this dude.
781
00:40:53,166 --> 00:40:56,266
She's magical and empowered
and beautiful, and I wish
782
00:40:56,266 --> 00:40:57,700
that I would have told her that.
783
00:40:58,867 --> 00:41:01,600
This is an excerpt from a letter
that Amber had written
784
00:41:01,767 --> 00:41:06,300
that was never mailed, saying,
"Trust me, I want to be happy
785
00:41:06,467 --> 00:41:08,900
"I want to be something
and have kids
786
00:41:09,066 --> 00:41:12,066
"and make their childhood better
than mine has been.
787
00:41:12,233 --> 00:41:13,767
"And that will happen.
788
00:41:13,934 --> 00:41:16,266
Life can be so great
if you let it be."