1 00:00:08,908 --> 00:00:11,611 [insects chirping] 2 00:00:12,545 --> 00:00:14,180 - Terri's Consignment 3 00:00:14,214 --> 00:00:15,415 Furniture has expanded again. 4 00:00:15,448 --> 00:00:17,150 TERRI BOWERSOCK: It really was 5 00:00:17,183 --> 00:00:20,453 the all-American success story from $2,000 to $36 million 6 00:00:20,487 --> 00:00:21,888 in about 10 years. 7 00:00:21,921 --> 00:00:24,057 - From one warehouse in 1979 8 00:00:24,090 --> 00:00:26,893 to six adjoining warehouse showrooms, 9 00:00:26,926 --> 00:00:28,161 filled with furniture-- 10 00:00:28,194 --> 00:00:30,163 - She says, "Your mother's missing 11 00:00:30,196 --> 00:00:32,198 and possibly kidnapped." 12 00:00:32,232 --> 00:00:34,434 MARY ANN MORGAN: I am a psychic detective 13 00:00:34,467 --> 00:00:35,669 for law enforcement. 14 00:00:35,702 --> 00:00:37,437 [clock ticking] 15 00:00:37,470 --> 00:00:40,507 I said, "I can see this blue. 16 00:00:40,540 --> 00:00:41,541 There's blue everywhere." 17 00:00:41,574 --> 00:00:44,344 [dramatic music] 18 00:00:45,679 --> 00:00:47,280 TRENT LUCKOW: Picture that's 19 00:00:47,313 --> 00:00:51,685 emerging is there's a dire financial issue that's 20 00:00:51,718 --> 00:00:53,286 going on inside the house. 21 00:00:53,319 --> 00:00:54,721 [clock ticking] 22 00:00:56,289 --> 00:00:57,691 [plastic rustling] 23 00:01:06,466 --> 00:01:08,535 FABIAN PACHECO: What were you doing out there 24 00:01:08,568 --> 00:01:10,103 for two hours in the desert? 25 00:01:15,508 --> 00:01:18,078 - Where the hell is that woman's body? 26 00:01:28,488 --> 00:01:30,090 - Thanks, mom. 27 00:01:31,591 --> 00:01:34,527 [eerie music] 28 00:01:39,632 --> 00:01:41,267 NARRATOR: In the Sonoran Desert, 29 00:01:41,301 --> 00:01:45,338 east of Casa Grande, Arizona, sagebrush and towering 30 00:01:45,372 --> 00:01:48,441 saguaro cacti dot the remote landscape. 31 00:01:48,475 --> 00:01:50,110 [wind whistling] 32 00:01:50,143 --> 00:01:51,811 JANA BOMMERSBACH: All around it is just 33 00:01:51,845 --> 00:01:53,980 a brown, brown, brown desert. 34 00:01:54,014 --> 00:01:56,383 It is rough, scrubby bushes. 35 00:01:56,416 --> 00:01:58,385 There's no flowers. 36 00:01:58,418 --> 00:02:01,621 Nothing is going on except there's lots of saguaro cactus. 37 00:02:04,724 --> 00:02:07,394 NARRATOR: In early January 2006, 38 00:02:07,427 --> 00:02:09,396 miles from the nearest rest stop, 39 00:02:09,429 --> 00:02:12,599 a family parks at an abandoned motel 40 00:02:12,632 --> 00:02:15,301 and sets out to do some rock and fossil hunting. 41 00:02:17,404 --> 00:02:19,372 JANA BOMMERSBACH: They're looking around. 42 00:02:19,406 --> 00:02:20,707 And they're finding some turquoise, 43 00:02:20,740 --> 00:02:23,076 maybe a piece of alabaster. 44 00:02:23,076 --> 00:02:25,512 And all of a sudden, the son comes running up and says, 45 00:02:25,545 --> 00:02:26,713 "we've got to get out of here. 46 00:02:26,746 --> 00:02:28,181 We got to get out of here." 47 00:02:28,214 --> 00:02:31,351 He's obviously afraid. 48 00:02:31,384 --> 00:02:35,555 The mother starts wandering up a little bit 49 00:02:35,588 --> 00:02:41,494 and then sees a skull sticking out of the earth 50 00:02:41,528 --> 00:02:44,764 with a little tuft of blonde hair, 51 00:02:44,798 --> 00:02:47,834 and goes, "Oh, my god, that's a body." 52 00:02:47,867 --> 00:02:49,235 [phone ringing] 53 00:02:50,503 --> 00:02:51,738 NARRATOR: The family calls the authorities 54 00:02:51,771 --> 00:02:55,742 to report the grisly find. 55 00:02:55,775 --> 00:02:58,511 TRENT LUCKOW: A group of forensic investigators, 56 00:02:58,545 --> 00:03:01,614 along with detectives from Tempe Police Department, all 57 00:03:01,648 --> 00:03:04,417 responded out there and proceeded 58 00:03:04,451 --> 00:03:07,754 to do a body recovery. 59 00:03:07,787 --> 00:03:10,323 FABIAN PACHECO: The crime scene technicians continued 60 00:03:10,357 --> 00:03:12,492 to process their crime scene. 61 00:03:12,525 --> 00:03:18,064 They're removing these boulders and uncovering a black tarp 62 00:03:18,098 --> 00:03:21,668 underneath it, which contained the mummified 63 00:03:21,701 --> 00:03:24,437 remains of the victim. 64 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,543 The shallow grave was approximately a foot and a 65 00:03:30,577 --> 00:03:31,644 half deep. 66 00:03:34,848 --> 00:03:37,751 Whoever buried this body in the shallow grave 67 00:03:37,784 --> 00:03:41,287 would have definitely needed a pickaxe and a shovel 68 00:03:41,321 --> 00:03:44,624 to dig through this soil. 69 00:03:44,657 --> 00:03:46,292 TRENT LUCKOW: I think the person 70 00:03:46,326 --> 00:03:48,695 who placed these buried remains there 71 00:03:48,728 --> 00:03:53,767 intended all along to have them never be discovered. 72 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,569 There's a high likelihood that a crime occurred. 73 00:03:56,603 --> 00:03:57,971 (OFF) FABIAN PACHECO: Big question 74 00:03:58,004 --> 00:04:00,940 on everybody's mind is who is this person buried 75 00:04:01,041 --> 00:04:02,776 in the backyard of this motel. 76 00:04:02,809 --> 00:04:05,779 [suspenseful music] 77 00:04:21,561 --> 00:04:24,130 JANA BOMMERSBACH: Tempe, Arizona has always 78 00:04:24,164 --> 00:04:26,566 been a place of newcomers. 79 00:04:26,599 --> 00:04:28,401 And with newcomers come new ideas. 80 00:04:28,435 --> 00:04:29,936 There's a lot of business startups here. 81 00:04:29,969 --> 00:04:34,474 There's a lot of new ideas happening. 82 00:04:34,507 --> 00:04:36,142 TERRI BOWERSOCK: Back in 1979, 83 00:04:36,176 --> 00:04:41,448 in Tempe, I got the idea for a consignment furniture store. 84 00:04:41,481 --> 00:04:44,417 And so I borrowed $2,000 from my grandmother 85 00:04:44,451 --> 00:04:48,588 and just basically opened the store. 86 00:04:48,621 --> 00:04:53,426 My mother had gotten a divorce 15 years before. 87 00:04:53,460 --> 00:04:56,396 And we started Terri's Consign and Design Furnishings. 88 00:04:56,429 --> 00:04:58,932 And it took off from the get-go. 89 00:04:58,965 --> 00:05:00,400 It really did. 90 00:05:00,433 --> 00:05:01,634 - Thanks to you 91 00:05:01,668 --> 00:05:04,537 and Mom, Terri's Consignment Furniture has expanded again. 92 00:05:04,571 --> 00:05:06,773 - This beautiful Bernhardt sofa. 93 00:05:06,806 --> 00:05:08,875 And you save $1,400. 94 00:05:08,908 --> 00:05:11,177 TERRI BOWERSOCK: Thanks, Mom. 95 00:05:11,211 --> 00:05:14,481 - Terri became a local celebrity. 96 00:05:14,514 --> 00:05:16,883 TERRI BOWERSOCK: It really was the all-American success 97 00:05:16,916 --> 00:05:19,853 story from $2,000 to $36 million in about 98 00:05:19,886 --> 00:05:22,589 10 years, and lots of fun. 99 00:05:25,325 --> 00:05:26,826 We'd go everywhere and be recognized. 100 00:05:26,860 --> 00:05:29,195 And people would always look at me-- 101 00:05:29,229 --> 00:05:31,064 aren't you that girl? 102 00:05:31,064 --> 00:05:34,701 You and your mother, you own a business together. 103 00:05:34,734 --> 00:05:40,073 At that time in her life, my mother really came alive. 104 00:05:40,106 --> 00:05:44,210 It was fun to watch her be so happy. 105 00:05:44,244 --> 00:05:46,413 NARRATOR: With all the success from the store, 106 00:05:46,446 --> 00:05:51,317 Loretta moves into a larger home but soon starts to feel lonely. 107 00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:55,221 Hoping to meet a friend, she decides to rent a room. 108 00:05:55,255 --> 00:05:57,323 JANA BOMMERSBACH: So Terri tells her, 109 00:05:57,357 --> 00:05:58,892 if you don't like living by yourself, why 110 00:05:58,925 --> 00:06:00,193 don't you get a renter. 111 00:06:00,226 --> 00:06:01,461 You've got the other side of the house. 112 00:06:01,494 --> 00:06:02,796 Why don't you rent that out? 113 00:06:02,829 --> 00:06:04,464 TERRI BOWERSOCK: My mom put an ad 114 00:06:04,497 --> 00:06:06,499 in the paper for somebody. 115 00:06:06,533 --> 00:06:11,871 And a man that had just come back from Scotland 116 00:06:11,905 --> 00:06:15,241 came and answered the ad. 117 00:06:15,275 --> 00:06:16,609 (OFF) JANA BOMMERSBACH: Up drives 118 00:06:16,643 --> 00:06:17,877 this guy on a motorcycle. 119 00:06:17,911 --> 00:06:19,045 He's good-looking. 120 00:06:19,045 --> 00:06:20,647 He's tall. 121 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:22,415 He looks suave. 122 00:06:22,449 --> 00:06:25,085 They start talking. 123 00:06:25,118 --> 00:06:27,520 TERRI BOWERSOCK: He was handsome with blue eyes 124 00:06:27,554 --> 00:06:29,956 and talked kind of with a English accent. 125 00:06:30,056 --> 00:06:31,658 "I am Taw." 126 00:06:31,691 --> 00:06:35,495 And they met and talked about renting out a room. 127 00:06:35,528 --> 00:06:37,897 JANA BOMMERSBACH: He said, you know, I'm from Scotland. 128 00:06:37,931 --> 00:06:40,400 And I've been working in Saudi Arabia for Bechtel. 129 00:06:40,433 --> 00:06:41,801 And I'm an inventor. 130 00:06:41,835 --> 00:06:44,637 I've got several inventions going on. 131 00:06:44,671 --> 00:06:47,073 TERRI BOWERSOCK: By the time they came over to meet me 132 00:06:47,107 --> 00:06:49,642 at my house, I thought, I don't think this 133 00:06:49,676 --> 00:06:51,478 is just a roommate situation. 134 00:06:51,511 --> 00:06:54,981 She was kind of beaming from ear to ear. 135 00:06:55,081 --> 00:06:56,649 He actually moved in. 136 00:06:56,683 --> 00:06:59,619 It seems like it was only about a week or two weeks. 137 00:06:59,652 --> 00:07:01,654 But my mom was happy. 138 00:07:01,688 --> 00:07:03,123 And she was excited. 139 00:07:03,156 --> 00:07:04,824 NARRATOR: Though Loretta had hoped 140 00:07:04,858 --> 00:07:07,560 for a friendly roommate, she unexpectedly 141 00:07:07,594 --> 00:07:09,029 found a romantic companion. 142 00:07:09,062 --> 00:07:10,697 - She immediately 143 00:07:10,730 --> 00:07:13,066 was attracted to this guy. 144 00:07:13,099 --> 00:07:14,768 So they become a couple. 145 00:07:14,801 --> 00:07:16,670 And they're a damn good-looking couple. 146 00:07:16,703 --> 00:07:17,570 She's 50. 147 00:07:17,604 --> 00:07:18,304 He's 48. 148 00:07:18,338 --> 00:07:19,172 They're both fit. 149 00:07:19,205 --> 00:07:20,774 They both look great. 150 00:07:20,807 --> 00:07:22,642 I mean, when they walk down the street together, 151 00:07:22,676 --> 00:07:23,810 people turn and look at them. 152 00:07:23,843 --> 00:07:26,312 [gentle music] 153 00:07:26,346 --> 00:07:28,848 [train rumbling] 154 00:07:30,183 --> 00:07:31,851 TERRI BOWERSOCK: My mother and I both were so 155 00:07:31,885 --> 00:07:35,422 excited about all of his ideas. 156 00:07:35,455 --> 00:07:39,693 We'd have dinners together and laugh and had a good time. 157 00:07:39,726 --> 00:07:43,463 Christmas together-- you know, holidays. 158 00:07:43,496 --> 00:07:46,132 NARRATOR: By 2004, the fashionable, successful 159 00:07:46,166 --> 00:07:51,338 couple, now in their late 60s, has been together 17 years. 160 00:07:51,371 --> 00:07:53,640 JANA BOMMERSBACH: They were the perfect couple-- 161 00:07:53,673 --> 00:07:54,741 made for each other. 162 00:07:57,077 --> 00:07:58,745 NARRATOR: And Terri's consignment 163 00:07:58,778 --> 00:08:01,881 stores are thriving too. 164 00:08:01,915 --> 00:08:03,583 TERRI BOWERSOCK: So after about 15 165 00:08:03,616 --> 00:08:05,885 years being in the business, I said, 166 00:08:05,919 --> 00:08:08,021 "We're going to franchise." 167 00:08:08,054 --> 00:08:11,558 Very soon, we went from five stores in the Phoenix area 168 00:08:11,591 --> 00:08:17,130 to San Diego and Sacramento and Denver, Atlanta, Texas. 169 00:08:17,163 --> 00:08:20,100 By then, I'd bought out my mother 170 00:08:20,133 --> 00:08:23,069 so she could put time into building 171 00:08:23,103 --> 00:08:25,038 the relationship with Taw. 172 00:08:27,607 --> 00:08:29,542 NARRATOR: In late December that year, 173 00:08:29,576 --> 00:08:31,578 Taw is headed to Tucson for a meeting 174 00:08:31,611 --> 00:08:34,114 about an upcoming project. 175 00:08:34,147 --> 00:08:38,585 Loretta decides to tag along and do some Christmas shopping. 176 00:08:38,618 --> 00:08:40,720 TERRI BOWERSOCK: Taw called and said your mom 177 00:08:40,754 --> 00:08:42,922 and I are going down to Tucson. 178 00:08:42,956 --> 00:08:44,391 JANA BOMMERSBACH: He says, "I 179 00:08:44,424 --> 00:08:46,059 have a conference there with some people 180 00:08:46,059 --> 00:08:47,794 about one of my inventions." 181 00:08:47,827 --> 00:08:50,163 NARRATOR: The couple makes the almost two-hour drive 182 00:08:50,196 --> 00:08:51,965 from Tempe to Tucson. 183 00:08:52,065 --> 00:08:54,401 Taw drops Loretta off at a local mall 184 00:08:54,434 --> 00:08:56,603 and then heads to his meeting. 185 00:08:56,636 --> 00:08:59,406 When he returns to pick her up two hours later, 186 00:08:59,439 --> 00:09:02,008 she's nowhere to be found. 187 00:09:02,008 --> 00:09:04,244 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I think we got a call about 4:30. 188 00:09:04,277 --> 00:09:05,245 [phone rings] 189 00:09:07,180 --> 00:09:11,151 I got on the phone and Taw says, "Your mother's missing. 190 00:09:11,184 --> 00:09:12,686 She was shopping at Dillard's. 191 00:09:12,719 --> 00:09:14,421 And I came back to get her and she's missing." 192 00:09:14,454 --> 00:09:17,123 I said, "Oh, Taw, just go back in, look around, 193 00:09:17,157 --> 00:09:19,859 check the front counter." 194 00:09:19,893 --> 00:09:21,561 I said, "I can't do anything right now. 195 00:09:21,594 --> 00:09:23,763 I'm in a meeting, so call me later." 196 00:09:23,797 --> 00:09:26,833 Hung up the phone. 197 00:09:26,866 --> 00:09:30,603 I think about 40 minutes later [phone rings] he calls again. 198 00:09:30,637 --> 00:09:34,274 And he says, "Your mother's still missing. 199 00:09:34,307 --> 00:09:37,844 Something's happened, I think." 200 00:09:37,877 --> 00:09:39,913 JANA BOMMERSBACH: Terri puts down the phone 201 00:09:39,946 --> 00:09:41,815 and she runs to her Porsche. 202 00:09:41,848 --> 00:09:45,051 It's a two-hour drive between Phoenix and Tucson. 203 00:09:45,051 --> 00:09:48,121 She makes it an hour and 10 minutes. 204 00:09:48,154 --> 00:09:49,856 NARRATOR: Mall security confirms 205 00:09:49,889 --> 00:09:53,059 that there have been no medical emergencies on the premises. 206 00:09:53,059 --> 00:09:57,797 At 5:44 PM, Taw calls 911 to report Loretta missing. 207 00:10:10,844 --> 00:10:13,179 FABIAN PACHECO: Terri Bowersock arrives at the scene, 208 00:10:13,213 --> 00:10:16,049 and she was very distraught. 209 00:10:16,082 --> 00:10:19,853 By this time, there were many police officers at the mall. 210 00:10:19,886 --> 00:10:22,222 [police siren whoops] 211 00:10:22,255 --> 00:10:26,026 It's a strong possibility that a person like Loretta-- 212 00:10:26,059 --> 00:10:29,896 very well-dressed, looks affluent, elderly, 213 00:10:29,929 --> 00:10:32,265 and not paying attention to her surroundings-- 214 00:10:32,298 --> 00:10:38,772 may have appeared as a target to steal her purse, rob her. 215 00:10:38,805 --> 00:10:42,042 When we spoke with Terri, she indicated 216 00:10:42,075 --> 00:10:45,011 to detectives that Loretta is a well-known person 217 00:10:45,045 --> 00:10:48,248 in the Phoenix area with their business and their commercials 218 00:10:48,281 --> 00:10:51,751 and felt that her mother may have been kidnapped. 219 00:10:54,754 --> 00:10:56,056 TRENT LUCKOW: Terri thought 220 00:10:56,089 --> 00:10:59,626 she's in the limelight-- locally, anyways-- 221 00:10:59,659 --> 00:11:00,927 worth some money. 222 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:02,662 (OFF) FABIAN PACHECO: Now this is 223 00:11:02,696 --> 00:11:09,703 a situation of a missing person to possibly an abduction. 224 00:11:09,736 --> 00:11:11,971 [phone ringing] 225 00:11:12,072 --> 00:11:14,674 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I was taking every call that came in. 226 00:11:14,708 --> 00:11:16,076 JANA BOMMERSBACH: The psychics 227 00:11:16,076 --> 00:11:17,911 come out of the woodwork. 228 00:11:17,944 --> 00:11:19,412 MARY ANN MORGAN: I said, "You're 229 00:11:19,446 --> 00:11:22,916 going to find out that your mother received a letter. 230 00:11:22,949 --> 00:11:25,085 The house is in foreclosure." 231 00:11:34,194 --> 00:11:35,862 NARRATOR: 69-year-old Loretta 232 00:11:35,895 --> 00:11:40,100 Bowersock has disappeared from a Tucson shopping mall. 233 00:11:40,133 --> 00:11:43,536 As a prominent businesswoman who has achieved notable success, 234 00:11:43,570 --> 00:11:45,872 investigators have reason to believe 235 00:11:45,905 --> 00:11:48,875 the local celebrity may have been the target of kidnappers. 236 00:11:48,908 --> 00:11:51,444 [suspenseful music] 237 00:11:52,812 --> 00:11:54,014 TRENT LUCKOW: In mall parking lots, 238 00:11:54,114 --> 00:11:57,017 you could hide in plain sight visibly. 239 00:11:57,117 --> 00:11:59,152 Anybody's vulnerable. 240 00:11:59,185 --> 00:12:01,454 FABIAN PACHECO: It's important to locate Loretta 241 00:12:01,488 --> 00:12:04,057 quickly because Loretta was described 242 00:12:04,090 --> 00:12:07,060 as a 69-year-old elderly person. 243 00:12:07,093 --> 00:12:08,795 We don't know if she's in danger. 244 00:12:11,231 --> 00:12:12,932 So in the first few hours, it's very 245 00:12:12,966 --> 00:12:15,068 important to apply all the resources 246 00:12:15,068 --> 00:12:16,770 available to this search. 247 00:12:19,439 --> 00:12:22,909 In these types of investigations into missing persons, 248 00:12:22,942 --> 00:12:25,545 it's not uncommon for the last person 249 00:12:25,578 --> 00:12:29,783 to see the victim to become the primary person of interest. 250 00:12:29,816 --> 00:12:33,420 But Taw Benderly was very concerned, distraught, 251 00:12:33,453 --> 00:12:38,091 and expressed genuine concern for her disappearance. 252 00:12:38,091 --> 00:12:40,427 He described as coming to Tucson for a 253 00:12:40,460 --> 00:12:42,762 business meeting/mini-vacation. 254 00:12:42,796 --> 00:12:44,197 He was going to meet with some folks 255 00:12:44,230 --> 00:12:45,899 here at the University of Arizona 256 00:12:45,932 --> 00:12:49,936 where he was going to present a solar panel invention. 257 00:12:49,969 --> 00:12:51,971 Following that, him and Loretta were 258 00:12:52,005 --> 00:12:53,540 going to go to Portales, New Mexico, 259 00:12:53,573 --> 00:12:55,875 where they were going to dig for geodes. 260 00:12:59,546 --> 00:13:04,050 At that time, neither Taw or Terri were suspects 261 00:13:04,050 --> 00:13:07,287 in Loretta's disappearance. 262 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,389 TRENT LUCKOW: Taw had told Tucson detectives 263 00:13:09,422 --> 00:13:12,258 that after he had dropped Loretta off, 264 00:13:12,292 --> 00:13:16,162 he had observed a white van driving the mall parking lot 265 00:13:16,196 --> 00:13:20,133 and, to him, was acting suspicious. 266 00:13:20,166 --> 00:13:22,202 TERRI BOWERSOCK: He goes, "When I was leaving 267 00:13:22,235 --> 00:13:25,872 the Dillard's store, there was a white van that came 268 00:13:25,905 --> 00:13:27,474 in and went around the circle. 269 00:13:27,507 --> 00:13:33,613 And I saw this door open up, then it shut, and by the time 270 00:13:33,646 --> 00:13:37,283 I got back around to it, they had taken off. 271 00:13:37,317 --> 00:13:39,953 FABIAN PACHECO: Detectives press Taw with a little bit 272 00:13:39,986 --> 00:13:41,287 more information. 273 00:13:41,321 --> 00:13:44,958 He believes he may have seen that same vehicle 274 00:13:44,991 --> 00:13:49,496 hours earlier in Casa Grande and possibly following him. 275 00:13:49,529 --> 00:13:52,298 This information changes the dynamics. 276 00:13:52,332 --> 00:13:55,635 A vehicle may have been following Taw and Loretta. 277 00:13:55,669 --> 00:13:58,672 And now persons associated with this suspicious vehicle 278 00:13:58,705 --> 00:14:00,540 may have kidnapped Loretta. 279 00:14:00,573 --> 00:14:04,277 It changes our approach. 280 00:14:04,310 --> 00:14:09,049 This description that was given now of a white van 281 00:14:09,049 --> 00:14:11,217 went out as a BOLO-- 282 00:14:11,251 --> 00:14:12,385 Be On The Lookout-- 283 00:14:12,419 --> 00:14:14,187 and attempt to locate this vehicle. 284 00:14:19,059 --> 00:14:24,397 Patrol, including K-9 officers, bicycle patrol, and the air 285 00:14:24,431 --> 00:14:28,234 support unit-- the helicopter-- conducted a search both inside 286 00:14:28,268 --> 00:14:31,638 and outside the Park Place Mall and the surrounding 287 00:14:31,671 --> 00:14:34,074 area with no success. 288 00:14:38,545 --> 00:14:42,515 There's dozens of video cameras within the mall itself. 289 00:14:42,549 --> 00:14:45,352 And then also, within the Dillard's department store, 290 00:14:45,385 --> 00:14:48,088 there's dozens of cameras, different angles, 291 00:14:48,088 --> 00:14:51,524 covering entrances and exits. 292 00:14:51,558 --> 00:14:55,395 Those were all checked by police officers and detectives. 293 00:14:58,398 --> 00:15:01,134 So far, there is no sign of Loretta 294 00:15:01,167 --> 00:15:04,237 from any of the video surveillance that we obtained. 295 00:15:04,270 --> 00:15:09,509 There was video surveillance on the parking lot area. 296 00:15:09,542 --> 00:15:12,645 But it appeared that Taw's car was in an area 297 00:15:12,679 --> 00:15:16,182 where the video surveillance didn't capture his vehicle. 298 00:15:16,216 --> 00:15:20,053 NARRATOR: There is no sign of Loretta inside the mall. 299 00:15:20,086 --> 00:15:23,690 It's as if she has simply vanished. 300 00:15:23,723 --> 00:15:25,425 (OFF) TERRI BOWERSOCK: I remember, 301 00:15:25,458 --> 00:15:29,562 at the end of that first day, I would say I was in shock. 302 00:15:29,596 --> 00:15:31,364 NARRATOR: Terri checks herself 303 00:15:31,398 --> 00:15:34,434 into the same Tucson hotel where her mother and Taw are staying. 304 00:15:37,070 --> 00:15:39,139 TERRI BOWERSOCK: That night, I got on the phone 305 00:15:39,172 --> 00:15:43,543 with every media person I knew. 306 00:15:43,576 --> 00:15:45,078 I had media. 307 00:15:45,078 --> 00:15:46,413 I had newspaper. 308 00:15:46,446 --> 00:15:51,217 I had stories in Phoenix, stories up in Tucson. 309 00:15:51,251 --> 00:15:54,220 FABIAN PACHECO: Terri was trying to make the 10:00 PM 310 00:15:54,254 --> 00:15:58,291 cutoff for news so that her mother's photograph could be 311 00:15:58,324 --> 00:16:00,460 shown on the news and hopefully somebody 312 00:16:00,493 --> 00:16:03,630 with information on where she might be would come forward. 313 00:16:06,132 --> 00:16:07,634 JANA BOMMERSBACH: The media start 314 00:16:07,667 --> 00:16:11,204 asking questions about the white van, 315 00:16:11,237 --> 00:16:12,806 wanting to know what's going on. 316 00:16:12,839 --> 00:16:15,642 All we know is that Loretta Bowersock is 317 00:16:15,675 --> 00:16:17,110 not where she's supposed to be. 318 00:16:19,612 --> 00:16:21,448 There's a thousand white vans in Arizona. 319 00:16:21,481 --> 00:16:23,450 And every one of them was a suspect. 320 00:16:28,488 --> 00:16:30,657 FABIAN PACHECO: There's a lot of tips coming in, 321 00:16:30,690 --> 00:16:35,061 both to Tucson and to Tempe, people reporting sightings 322 00:16:35,061 --> 00:16:38,598 of Loretta, as well as people calling in tips 323 00:16:38,631 --> 00:16:41,067 on sightings of white vans. 324 00:16:43,603 --> 00:16:45,071 NARRATOR: There is one call 325 00:16:45,105 --> 00:16:46,539 that is particularly alarming. 326 00:16:58,318 --> 00:17:00,020 (OFF) 911 OPERATOR (ON PHONE): Uh-huh. 327 00:17:01,688 --> 00:17:03,390 (OFF) 911 OPERATOR (ON PHONE): Uh-huh. 328 00:17:24,244 --> 00:17:27,213 [suspenseful music] 329 00:17:37,089 --> 00:17:38,490 JANA BOMMERSBACH: It has become 330 00:17:38,524 --> 00:17:41,126 apparent to both the police and to Terri 331 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:43,429 that this kidnapping may be a real thing. 332 00:17:43,462 --> 00:17:46,265 I mean, my god, Taw, he never saw her actually 333 00:17:46,298 --> 00:17:48,200 go into the store, right? 334 00:17:48,233 --> 00:17:50,402 And the police are taking it seriously. 335 00:17:50,436 --> 00:17:55,274 And you damn well know that Terri is taking it seriously. 336 00:17:55,307 --> 00:17:56,709 NARRATOR: It's been 24 hours 337 00:17:56,742 --> 00:17:59,211 since 69-year-old Loretta Bowersock 338 00:17:59,244 --> 00:18:03,282 was last seen outside a Tucson shopping center. 339 00:18:03,315 --> 00:18:04,750 TERRI BOWERSOCK: They said there 340 00:18:04,783 --> 00:18:08,253 had been a really weird white van that was going 341 00:18:08,287 --> 00:18:10,589 around the hotel that day. 342 00:18:10,622 --> 00:18:14,159 So there was a white van that possibly kidnapped 343 00:18:14,193 --> 00:18:16,462 my mother at the mall. 344 00:18:16,495 --> 00:18:19,665 And now they see the van at the hotel. 345 00:18:19,698 --> 00:18:21,900 I couldn't believe it. 346 00:18:21,934 --> 00:18:27,139 And then I found a picture of my mom and made up flyers. 347 00:18:27,172 --> 00:18:32,845 So I headed out that morning, and I hung flyers everywhere. 348 00:18:32,878 --> 00:18:34,780 I just really wanted to find my mother 349 00:18:34,813 --> 00:18:36,782 and know that she was OK. 350 00:18:36,815 --> 00:18:38,183 That's all I cared about. 351 00:18:41,253 --> 00:18:44,890 TRENT LUCKOW: It became a local front-page story. 352 00:18:44,923 --> 00:18:48,293 It was broadcast on the various news broadcasts 353 00:18:48,327 --> 00:18:51,397 and in the paper, online websites 354 00:18:51,430 --> 00:18:53,565 for news organizations. 355 00:18:53,599 --> 00:18:56,135 FABIAN PACHECO: If Loretta was a kidnapping victim, 356 00:18:56,168 --> 00:18:59,505 then the process is eventually somebody 357 00:18:59,538 --> 00:19:02,508 would make contact just to indicate they have Loretta 358 00:19:02,541 --> 00:19:06,612 to begin ransom demands. 359 00:19:06,645 --> 00:19:09,281 Both Taw and Terri were told to keep 360 00:19:09,314 --> 00:19:11,850 their phones charged and handy. 361 00:19:11,884 --> 00:19:13,452 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I was taking 362 00:19:13,485 --> 00:19:17,489 every call that came in because one of them 363 00:19:17,523 --> 00:19:19,324 could have known something. 364 00:19:19,358 --> 00:19:21,493 And my goal was to find my mother. 365 00:19:21,527 --> 00:19:24,296 That's it. 366 00:19:24,329 --> 00:19:26,765 NARRATOR: But the ransom request doesn't come. 367 00:19:26,799 --> 00:19:29,768 The kidnapping theory soon loses traction. 368 00:19:29,802 --> 00:19:32,604 Investigators believe more answers could lie 369 00:19:32,638 --> 00:19:35,808 at the couple's home in Tempe. 370 00:19:35,841 --> 00:19:38,510 FABIAN PACHECO: We asked detectives in Tempe to go 371 00:19:38,544 --> 00:19:42,314 to Loretta's and Taw's house. 372 00:19:42,348 --> 00:19:45,317 TRENT LUCKOW: From Tucson, Taw was asked if it would be OK 373 00:19:45,351 --> 00:19:48,253 if we searched the Tempe home. 374 00:19:48,287 --> 00:19:52,658 And he said it was OK, provided his consent to search it. 375 00:19:56,161 --> 00:19:58,163 FABIAN PACHECO: House was pretty well-kept, 376 00:19:58,197 --> 00:20:00,499 nothing in disarray. 377 00:20:00,532 --> 00:20:02,334 The detectives went through the mailbox, 378 00:20:02,368 --> 00:20:08,474 and they found foreclosure paperwork in the mailbox. 379 00:20:08,507 --> 00:20:12,578 Loretta's house was being foreclosed upon. 380 00:20:12,611 --> 00:20:15,614 Maybe this wasn't a kidnapping at all. 381 00:20:17,816 --> 00:20:19,685 NARRATOR: Believing Loretta's finances 382 00:20:19,718 --> 00:20:22,287 could be a factor in her disappearance, 383 00:20:22,321 --> 00:20:25,491 for now, investigators choose to keep the information 384 00:20:25,524 --> 00:20:26,692 from Terri and Taw. 385 00:20:29,461 --> 00:20:30,829 TERRI BOWERSOCK: The detectives 386 00:20:30,863 --> 00:20:34,266 asked about if maybe Taw had ever been abusive 387 00:20:34,299 --> 00:20:35,668 or anything like that. 388 00:20:35,701 --> 00:20:37,803 And I said, you know, 17 years, they've had their ups 389 00:20:37,836 --> 00:20:40,873 and downs, but I don't think it's 390 00:20:40,906 --> 00:20:43,742 been any different than other couples. 391 00:20:43,776 --> 00:20:46,945 So I don't really feel like they have a problem. 392 00:20:51,417 --> 00:20:53,385 NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Terri's plea to the 393 00:20:53,419 --> 00:20:55,521 public yields a flood of calls. 394 00:20:55,554 --> 00:20:56,989 [phone ringing] 395 00:20:57,022 --> 00:21:01,493 JANA BOMMERSBACH: The psychics swoop in on Terri. 396 00:21:01,527 --> 00:21:03,062 They come out of the woodwork. 397 00:21:03,062 --> 00:21:05,964 They've got theory after theory. 398 00:21:06,065 --> 00:21:08,534 TERRI BOWERSOCK: It did get to be a little bit crazy. 399 00:21:08,567 --> 00:21:12,938 But I had to really learn how to stay calm, not react 400 00:21:12,971 --> 00:21:13,972 [phone ringing] 401 00:21:16,942 --> 00:21:20,646 I got a call from a psychic, very, well, famous 402 00:21:20,679 --> 00:21:21,980 psychic calling. 403 00:21:22,081 --> 00:21:25,684 Her name is Mary Ann and wants to talk to you. 404 00:21:25,718 --> 00:21:28,320 She had many big cases I had heard about. 405 00:21:28,354 --> 00:21:29,822 I thought, well, that's interesting. 406 00:21:32,424 --> 00:21:34,326 MARY ANN MORGAN: I'm a psychic detective 407 00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:37,563 for law enforcement. 408 00:21:37,596 --> 00:21:39,565 I work with law enforcement on every level, 409 00:21:39,598 --> 00:21:41,934 from county sheriffs all the way up 410 00:21:41,967 --> 00:21:44,770 to international law enforcement, 411 00:21:44,803 --> 00:21:46,739 and have for quite a while. 412 00:21:46,772 --> 00:21:52,778 When I look at a case, I can go into a room 413 00:21:52,811 --> 00:21:56,982 and see everything about that room, a detail, 414 00:21:57,016 --> 00:22:02,821 like a newspaper, very unique gifts that I have from God, 415 00:22:02,855 --> 00:22:04,923 I believe. 416 00:22:04,957 --> 00:22:06,058 [phone rings] 417 00:22:06,091 --> 00:22:07,526 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I gave her a call. 418 00:22:07,559 --> 00:22:09,061 And she introduced herself. 419 00:22:09,061 --> 00:22:12,631 And she said there's something going on with the house. 420 00:22:12,664 --> 00:22:14,099 (OFF) MARY ANN MORGAN: I said, you're 421 00:22:14,133 --> 00:22:18,337 going to find out that your mother received a letter 422 00:22:18,370 --> 00:22:21,473 from a man at the door. 423 00:22:21,507 --> 00:22:24,376 I said, Terri, the house is in foreclosure. 424 00:22:24,410 --> 00:22:26,712 - And I said, that would never happen. 425 00:22:26,745 --> 00:22:28,914 My mother would-- this wouldn't happen. 426 00:22:32,451 --> 00:22:34,420 I said, well, thank you. 427 00:22:34,453 --> 00:22:35,821 I'll just talk to you another time. 428 00:22:38,657 --> 00:22:40,092 FABIAN PACHECO: Terri calls me 429 00:22:40,092 --> 00:22:41,894 and tells me about her conversation 430 00:22:41,927 --> 00:22:43,462 with Mary Ann Morgan. 431 00:22:43,495 --> 00:22:47,933 And that information was not shared with anyone. 432 00:22:47,966 --> 00:22:49,735 It wasn't shared with the media. 433 00:22:49,768 --> 00:22:54,740 Nobody knew about that outside of our law enforcement circles. 434 00:22:54,773 --> 00:22:57,843 So I was a little bit awestruck. 435 00:22:57,876 --> 00:23:02,047 And basically, I confirmed to Terri, yes, in fact, 436 00:23:02,081 --> 00:23:04,450 your mother's home was under foreclosure. 437 00:23:07,786 --> 00:23:09,822 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I would say I was in shock. 438 00:23:09,855 --> 00:23:11,757 My mom would make sure-- 439 00:23:11,790 --> 00:23:14,626 that's her house-- and make that payment. 440 00:23:14,660 --> 00:23:19,465 But I don't know that I knew all of their business. 441 00:23:19,498 --> 00:23:20,966 TRENT LUCKOW: The picture that's 442 00:23:21,066 --> 00:23:26,538 emerging is that there's a dire financial issue that's 443 00:23:26,572 --> 00:23:27,740 going on inside the house. 444 00:23:27,773 --> 00:23:31,577 In the garage, we found a number of boxes that contained 445 00:23:31,610 --> 00:23:38,717 stuffed-away utility bills, home mortgage bills, late notices, 446 00:23:38,751 --> 00:23:41,920 foreclosure notices. 447 00:23:41,954 --> 00:23:43,722 They're all addressed to Loretta. 448 00:23:48,193 --> 00:23:50,095 JANA BOMMERSBACH: This is not adding up. 449 00:23:50,129 --> 00:23:51,530 Something's very wrong here. 450 00:23:51,563 --> 00:23:53,599 Something is really, really wrong here. 451 00:24:01,474 --> 00:24:04,444 [suspenseful music] 452 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:08,648 NARRATOR: Loretta Bowersock 453 00:24:08,682 --> 00:24:11,551 vanished while on a holiday shopping trip to Tucson, 454 00:24:11,584 --> 00:24:14,921 Arizona two days ago. 455 00:24:14,954 --> 00:24:17,457 An initial search of the Tempe home Loretta shares 456 00:24:17,490 --> 00:24:20,060 with boyfriend Taw Benderly reveals 457 00:24:20,060 --> 00:24:23,129 troubling financial concerns. 458 00:24:23,163 --> 00:24:25,699 TRENT LUCKOW: What we found out in the following days 459 00:24:25,732 --> 00:24:28,501 is that the financial situation concerning the house 460 00:24:28,535 --> 00:24:31,604 foreclosure only went deeper. 461 00:24:33,139 --> 00:24:35,241 TERRI BOWERSOCK: There was about eight credit 462 00:24:35,275 --> 00:24:37,744 cards with about $40,000 on each credit 463 00:24:37,777 --> 00:24:41,081 card in my mother's name. 464 00:24:41,114 --> 00:24:42,782 I think there was a lot of things 465 00:24:42,816 --> 00:24:44,884 that my mom didn't tell me because she was too ashamed. 466 00:24:48,154 --> 00:24:49,856 NARRATOR: With questions mounting, 467 00:24:49,889 --> 00:24:53,293 investigators ask Taw for permission to search his car, 468 00:24:53,326 --> 00:24:55,562 still parked at the hotel in Tucson. 469 00:24:58,098 --> 00:25:00,066 FABIAN PACHECO: He had a pickax and a shovel 470 00:25:00,100 --> 00:25:02,235 still in his car. 471 00:25:02,268 --> 00:25:07,273 His car had a lot of brush in the undercarriage of it. 472 00:25:07,307 --> 00:25:09,142 NARRATOR: The dirty tools are alarming. 473 00:25:09,175 --> 00:25:11,678 But they mean nothing on their own. 474 00:25:11,711 --> 00:25:14,681 Investigators turn to Taw's cell phone for clues. 475 00:25:17,083 --> 00:25:19,052 FABIAN PACHECO: We had his phone number. 476 00:25:19,052 --> 00:25:22,222 And so we began the process of checking 477 00:25:22,255 --> 00:25:27,727 with cell phone providers to find where that phone had been. 478 00:25:27,761 --> 00:25:30,730 According to Taw Benderly, they left their home in Tempe 479 00:25:30,764 --> 00:25:34,067 at about 10:10 in the morning. 480 00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:37,604 They're driving eastbound on the Interstate 10. 481 00:25:37,637 --> 00:25:42,676 He said they arrived in the Casa Grande outlet area right 482 00:25:42,709 --> 00:25:45,845 around 11:30. 483 00:25:45,879 --> 00:25:49,082 They continue their journey, arriving at their hotel 484 00:25:49,082 --> 00:25:51,084 at about 12:30 PM. 485 00:25:55,221 --> 00:25:58,358 Cell phone towers in the Casa Grande area, 486 00:25:58,391 --> 00:26:01,027 they were picking up Taw's cell phone, 487 00:26:01,061 --> 00:26:04,364 indicated that he spent much longer amount of time 488 00:26:04,397 --> 00:26:05,865 in and around that area. 489 00:26:10,170 --> 00:26:13,039 He said he arrived in Tucson at 12:30 PM 490 00:26:13,073 --> 00:26:16,209 but the hotel registration, which 491 00:26:16,242 --> 00:26:19,145 the timestamp was accurate, showed 492 00:26:19,179 --> 00:26:20,947 that he arrived at 2:38 PM. 493 00:26:23,750 --> 00:26:28,888 So this is not matching up at all with what Taw is reporting 494 00:26:28,922 --> 00:26:30,757 in terms of his timeline. 495 00:26:30,790 --> 00:26:34,728 What were you doing out there for two hours in a desert? 496 00:26:34,761 --> 00:26:37,230 NARRATOR: Though he claims he dropped Loretta at the mall 497 00:26:37,263 --> 00:26:40,333 and headed to a business meeting at the University of Arizona, 498 00:26:40,367 --> 00:26:42,869 cell phone records failed to track 499 00:26:42,902 --> 00:26:44,704 the journey to the campus. 500 00:26:44,738 --> 00:26:46,906 TERRI BOWERSOCK: The police were suspecting Taw. 501 00:26:46,940 --> 00:26:49,676 But I wasn't there. 502 00:26:49,709 --> 00:26:51,911 I didn't believe it at all. 503 00:26:51,945 --> 00:26:53,880 - Terri was at a terrible 504 00:26:53,913 --> 00:26:55,215 crossroads mentally. 505 00:26:55,248 --> 00:26:57,784 She was so fearful for her mother. 506 00:26:57,817 --> 00:27:01,621 But this also was the guy who had stepped in as a stepfather 507 00:27:01,654 --> 00:27:03,623 for 17 years. 508 00:27:03,656 --> 00:27:05,759 NARRATOR: Investigators continue their search 509 00:27:05,792 --> 00:27:08,828 of the couple's house in Tempe. 510 00:27:08,862 --> 00:27:11,031 FABIAN PACHECO: They find a rolled-up towel. 511 00:27:11,031 --> 00:27:16,302 And we discover that it contains a black clutch purse. 512 00:27:16,336 --> 00:27:22,375 It's Loretta's purse, contains her driver's license, 513 00:27:22,409 --> 00:27:26,913 her credit cards and checkbook. 514 00:27:26,946 --> 00:27:28,782 - Everything she would need 515 00:27:28,815 --> 00:27:30,650 to be in Tucson to go shopping. 516 00:27:33,186 --> 00:27:35,822 - Taw had been adamant that Loretta, 517 00:27:35,855 --> 00:27:38,658 when he dropped her off, he saw her walking into the mall 518 00:27:38,692 --> 00:27:40,226 with her clutch purse. 519 00:27:40,260 --> 00:27:42,796 Yet her purse is found in her house. 520 00:27:42,829 --> 00:27:47,067 So this is changing how I'm looking at this case now. 521 00:27:47,067 --> 00:27:50,070 Finding Loretta's purse is a definite game changer. 522 00:27:55,075 --> 00:28:00,246 We're starting to see several red flags popping up. 523 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:03,450 And I decided to ask Taw to come down to the police 524 00:28:03,483 --> 00:28:05,018 station the next day. 525 00:28:31,378 --> 00:28:34,047 FABIAN PACHECO: I tell him his timeline doesn't add up 526 00:28:34,047 --> 00:28:38,184 to what we're receiving, both from the cell phone company 527 00:28:38,218 --> 00:28:41,721 and also from his arrival at the hotel. 528 00:28:57,470 --> 00:29:00,874 FABIAN PACHECO: I confront him with the fact that, look, 529 00:29:00,907 --> 00:29:04,911 we have detectives at your house in Tempe. 530 00:29:05,011 --> 00:29:09,082 They found Loretta's clutch purse. 531 00:29:09,115 --> 00:29:13,019 How is she supposedly shopping at Park Place Mall 532 00:29:13,019 --> 00:29:15,422 and yet her purse is over here? 533 00:29:15,455 --> 00:29:17,791 And he was pretty shaken. 534 00:29:21,161 --> 00:29:22,462 (OFF) FABIAN PACHECO: I told him, 535 00:29:22,495 --> 00:29:25,865 I think something happened to Loretta. 536 00:29:25,899 --> 00:29:28,735 And I think you're not telling us the truth. 537 00:29:40,046 --> 00:29:42,916 FABIAN PACHECO: At this point in the investigation, 538 00:29:42,949 --> 00:29:46,820 he is number-one suspect in this case. 539 00:29:46,853 --> 00:29:51,124 But yet, we're just short of having enough evidence 540 00:29:51,157 --> 00:29:54,361 to make an arrest. 541 00:29:54,394 --> 00:29:58,264 I truly felt that Loretta was most likely dead 542 00:29:58,298 --> 00:30:01,234 and that Taw was responsible for her death. 543 00:30:03,937 --> 00:30:06,940 But we can't really keep him. 544 00:30:06,973 --> 00:30:08,808 So I told him, you're free to leave. 545 00:30:11,478 --> 00:30:13,480 NARRATOR: He returns to Tempe to the home 546 00:30:13,513 --> 00:30:15,949 he shared with Loretta. 547 00:30:15,982 --> 00:30:18,418 But who is Taw Benderly? 548 00:30:18,451 --> 00:30:20,320 FABIAN PACHECO: A criminal history check 549 00:30:20,353 --> 00:30:24,357 revealed an arrest in the Washington/Virginia area 550 00:30:24,391 --> 00:30:27,293 for a fraud activity. 551 00:30:27,327 --> 00:30:29,195 JANA BOMMERSBACH: Instead of coming home 552 00:30:29,229 --> 00:30:33,500 from Saudi Arabia and Bechtel, Taw Benderly 553 00:30:33,533 --> 00:30:35,101 had just gotten out of prison. 554 00:30:35,135 --> 00:30:38,471 [suspenseful music] 555 00:30:47,247 --> 00:30:49,482 NARRATOR: A week into the disappearance of Loretta 556 00:30:49,516 --> 00:30:52,852 Bowersock, her partner, Taw Benderly, 557 00:30:52,886 --> 00:30:55,422 has emerged as the number-one suspect. 558 00:30:55,455 --> 00:30:57,624 But investigators don't have enough evidence 559 00:30:57,657 --> 00:30:59,459 to make an arrest. 560 00:30:59,492 --> 00:31:02,162 TRENT LUCKOW: Most of the information that Taw was giving 561 00:31:02,195 --> 00:31:05,198 detectives appeared to be inaccurate 562 00:31:05,231 --> 00:31:09,069 or some sort of attempt to disguise 563 00:31:09,069 --> 00:31:10,937 something that had gone wrong. 564 00:31:14,207 --> 00:31:17,944 - Taw went back to their house in Tempe. 565 00:31:17,977 --> 00:31:21,648 So I just went ahead and went home also. 566 00:31:21,681 --> 00:31:24,217 I was a little bit concerned about us all heading back 567 00:31:24,250 --> 00:31:27,887 to Tempe so soon because I felt like we still needed to look 568 00:31:27,921 --> 00:31:29,489 around Tucson quite a bit. 569 00:31:29,522 --> 00:31:32,659 But at the same time, I thought I could 570 00:31:32,692 --> 00:31:35,261 get home and kind of regroup. 571 00:31:35,295 --> 00:31:37,364 JANA BOMMERSBACH: She keeps checking on Taw. 572 00:31:37,397 --> 00:31:40,100 This is her only conduit to her mother. 573 00:31:40,100 --> 00:31:43,103 She wants to be sure he's OK. 574 00:31:43,103 --> 00:31:45,105 NARRATOR: Terri diligently checks in on Taw 575 00:31:45,105 --> 00:31:47,107 at the house every day. 576 00:31:47,140 --> 00:31:51,177 But on December 23, nine days after Loretta went missing, 577 00:31:51,211 --> 00:31:54,180 Taw isn't picking up his phone. 578 00:31:54,214 --> 00:31:55,515 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I called. 579 00:31:55,548 --> 00:31:57,484 And there was no answer, which he had been pretty 580 00:31:57,517 --> 00:32:00,353 much answering every day. 581 00:32:00,387 --> 00:32:04,190 I called a couple more times and then called the Tempe police. 582 00:32:04,224 --> 00:32:05,959 And I said, I think something's wrong. 583 00:32:06,059 --> 00:32:07,527 [distant siren wailing]| 584 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:09,095 FABIAN PACHECO: At that point, 585 00:32:09,129 --> 00:32:12,399 we had officers do a welfare check. 586 00:32:12,432 --> 00:32:14,401 - Nobody's answering the house. 587 00:32:14,434 --> 00:32:17,937 We have a potential, possible murder case. 588 00:32:17,971 --> 00:32:20,440 And so mindset-wise, they don't know what they're 589 00:32:20,473 --> 00:32:24,077 going to be confronted with. 590 00:32:24,077 --> 00:32:26,079 Officers had their guns drawn. 591 00:32:26,112 --> 00:32:27,681 Once they make entry into the home, 592 00:32:27,714 --> 00:32:31,084 they methodically search it. 593 00:32:31,084 --> 00:32:33,219 Once they got through the garage, 594 00:32:33,253 --> 00:32:38,291 they found Taw hanging from an electrical cord. 595 00:32:38,324 --> 00:32:41,428 And he was deceased. 596 00:32:41,461 --> 00:32:44,464 [eerie music] 597 00:32:47,467 --> 00:32:49,636 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I was in shock. 598 00:32:49,669 --> 00:32:51,971 That was a really hard night, because now I 599 00:32:52,005 --> 00:32:54,341 was going through, did he kill himself 600 00:32:54,374 --> 00:32:57,110 because he was in so much sorrow, 601 00:32:57,110 --> 00:32:59,546 or did he kill himself because he did kill her? 602 00:33:03,450 --> 00:33:05,452 NARRATOR: Poring over the couple's records, 603 00:33:05,485 --> 00:33:10,724 Terri soon discovers the extent of Taw's betrayal. 604 00:33:10,757 --> 00:33:13,159 JANA BOMMERSBACH: Terri finds Loretta's checkbook. 605 00:33:13,193 --> 00:33:15,695 And indeed, in the checkbook, it shows 606 00:33:15,729 --> 00:33:18,531 that every month the first thing she writes 607 00:33:18,565 --> 00:33:21,501 is the mortgage payment. 608 00:33:21,534 --> 00:33:25,472 And they go to Taw's bank account, every month, 609 00:33:25,505 --> 00:33:28,675 that same amount is being deposited into his account. 610 00:33:28,708 --> 00:33:33,780 Apparently, he said to her, hey, I'll mail the rent check. 611 00:33:33,813 --> 00:33:38,151 He washes the rent check and remakes it out to himself 612 00:33:38,184 --> 00:33:41,421 and is stealing that money every single month. 613 00:33:41,454 --> 00:33:44,157 And then when the foreclosure notices start coming, 614 00:33:44,190 --> 00:33:47,327 he swipes that mail away before she ever sees it. 615 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:50,096 The bottom line is that Taw had been embezzling 616 00:33:50,096 --> 00:33:53,767 from Loretta for years. 617 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:56,236 TRENT LUCKOW: I notified Terri of financial issues 618 00:33:56,269 --> 00:33:57,771 at hand. 619 00:33:57,804 --> 00:34:00,240 I think, at that point, she was figuring out who Taw was. 620 00:34:02,676 --> 00:34:04,411 TERRI BOWERSOCK: He was basically, 621 00:34:04,444 --> 00:34:08,481 through my mother's name, frauding everything she had. 622 00:34:08,515 --> 00:34:12,485 So did he ever really love her? 623 00:34:12,519 --> 00:34:16,823 Was this completely fraud? 624 00:34:16,856 --> 00:34:19,759 TRENT LUCKOW: What we're finding out from his family 625 00:34:19,793 --> 00:34:25,432 is how Taw had manipulated a lot of people before Loretta. 626 00:34:25,465 --> 00:34:27,467 JANA BOMMERSBACH: Since that, investigators 627 00:34:27,500 --> 00:34:32,372 find out that he had seduced and defrauded a female warden 628 00:34:32,405 --> 00:34:35,508 and defrauded two other women before he ever got to Loretta. 629 00:34:35,542 --> 00:34:37,610 He would just suck the blood out of everybody 630 00:34:37,644 --> 00:34:41,715 he could find and use his charm to get away with it. 631 00:34:41,748 --> 00:34:44,617 Taw Benderly was a serial abuser of women. 632 00:34:47,420 --> 00:34:50,190 TERRI BOWERSOCK: He was a charming predator. 633 00:34:50,223 --> 00:34:52,459 He only stayed about three to five years 634 00:34:52,492 --> 00:34:57,364 and walked away with usually about a million to 3 million. 635 00:34:57,397 --> 00:35:00,734 Person that I knew for the last 17 years wasn't the person-- 636 00:35:00,767 --> 00:35:02,769 wasn't Taw. 637 00:35:02,802 --> 00:35:05,839 I think he was a pathological liar. 638 00:35:05,872 --> 00:35:08,241 JANA BOMMERSBACH: So from the very first moment 639 00:35:08,274 --> 00:35:10,176 he opened his mouth, Taw Benderly 640 00:35:10,210 --> 00:35:12,479 was lying through his teeth. 641 00:35:12,512 --> 00:35:14,280 He wasn't even from Scotland. 642 00:35:16,116 --> 00:35:17,817 TERRI BOWERSOCK: Everything was a lie. 643 00:35:20,653 --> 00:35:22,722 That almost makes the Earth kind of fall 644 00:35:22,756 --> 00:35:26,159 out from under your feet. 645 00:35:26,192 --> 00:35:26,860 Nothing was real. 646 00:35:29,496 --> 00:35:31,464 NARRATOR: Now Taw Benderly is dead. 647 00:35:31,498 --> 00:35:33,733 And Loretta Bowersock is still missing. 648 00:35:36,369 --> 00:35:38,772 It seems likely that Taw took the secrets of 649 00:35:38,805 --> 00:35:42,409 her disappearance to the grave. 650 00:35:42,442 --> 00:35:45,345 FABIAN PACHECO: You think that, OK, he committed suicide 651 00:35:45,378 --> 00:35:47,447 now and the case is over with. 652 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,215 Not really. 653 00:35:49,249 --> 00:35:53,620 The case isn't really closed, because where is Loretta? 654 00:35:53,653 --> 00:35:56,222 NARRATOR: With cell phone pings to guide them, 655 00:35:56,256 --> 00:35:59,759 investigators search the desert. 656 00:35:59,793 --> 00:36:02,262 - To find a body buried in that desert 657 00:36:02,295 --> 00:36:05,165 area is like finding a needle in a haystack. 658 00:36:08,335 --> 00:36:10,236 TRENT LUCKOW: The search and rescue team 659 00:36:10,270 --> 00:36:12,305 consisted both ground search-- 660 00:36:12,339 --> 00:36:17,577 people on foot, cadaver dogs searching for human remains. 661 00:36:17,610 --> 00:36:19,546 NARRATOR: After weeks with no result, 662 00:36:19,579 --> 00:36:21,948 the search is suspended. 663 00:36:22,048 --> 00:36:24,684 Terri is unwilling to give up. 664 00:36:24,718 --> 00:36:26,519 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I thought, it's time 665 00:36:26,553 --> 00:36:29,489 to call Mary Ann, the psychic. 666 00:36:29,522 --> 00:36:32,659 We met at my mom's house. 667 00:36:32,692 --> 00:36:34,661 MARY ANN MORGAN: I just immediately started 668 00:36:34,694 --> 00:36:36,463 hearing and seeing things. 669 00:36:36,496 --> 00:36:43,570 And I told her that Taw came up behind her with a plastic bag, 670 00:36:43,603 --> 00:36:47,407 put it over her head, and started strangling her. 671 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:49,242 She fought a little bit. 672 00:36:49,275 --> 00:36:50,643 But he was stronger. 673 00:36:53,646 --> 00:36:56,783 I said, I can see this blue. 674 00:36:59,586 --> 00:37:03,523 There's blue everywhere. 675 00:37:03,556 --> 00:37:06,726 I can hear children laughing. 676 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:08,895 And it's from days gone by. 677 00:37:12,766 --> 00:37:14,868 That is where she's at. 678 00:37:14,901 --> 00:37:17,237 She's 150 feet from the blue. 679 00:37:21,041 --> 00:37:22,676 (OFF) TERRI BOWERSOCK: I searched 680 00:37:22,709 --> 00:37:25,845 months and months and months and still hadn't found her. 681 00:37:25,879 --> 00:37:28,048 But I just couldn't give up. 682 00:37:28,048 --> 00:37:31,818 I needed to find my mother. 683 00:37:31,851 --> 00:37:34,387 JANA BOMMERSBACH: Where the hell is that woman's body? 684 00:37:34,421 --> 00:37:37,824 This poor daughter has been searching for her mother, never 685 00:37:37,857 --> 00:37:38,858 could find the mother. 686 00:37:38,892 --> 00:37:40,460 No one could find the mother. 687 00:37:40,493 --> 00:37:42,462 What happened to Loretta Bowersock? 688 00:37:56,142 --> 00:37:57,877 NARRATOR: Loretta Bowersock has been 689 00:37:57,911 --> 00:38:00,747 missing for almost 13 months. 690 00:38:00,780 --> 00:38:04,084 But her daughter Terri hasn't given up hope. 691 00:38:04,117 --> 00:38:05,919 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I thought for sure I 692 00:38:06,019 --> 00:38:07,821 was going to find her. 693 00:38:07,854 --> 00:38:10,623 And then months turned into months 694 00:38:10,657 --> 00:38:13,059 and turned into a long time. 695 00:38:13,093 --> 00:38:16,029 [suspenseful music] 696 00:38:23,737 --> 00:38:26,706 NARRATOR: And then on a brisk winter day, a family 697 00:38:26,740 --> 00:38:28,575 hikes through the tabletop wilderness 698 00:38:28,608 --> 00:38:32,579 southwest of Casa Grande. 699 00:38:32,612 --> 00:38:35,582 - A group was out hiking, looking for rocks. 700 00:38:35,615 --> 00:38:39,185 And they came across some skeletal remains. 701 00:38:39,219 --> 00:38:42,188 [suspenseful music] 702 00:38:46,126 --> 00:38:48,061 NARRATOR: The family calls the authorities 703 00:38:48,094 --> 00:38:53,199 to the desert location behind an abandoned motel. 704 00:38:53,233 --> 00:38:56,670 - Forensic investigators proceeded 705 00:38:56,703 --> 00:38:59,606 to do a body recovery. 706 00:38:59,639 --> 00:39:01,107 FABIAN PACHECO: The shallow grave 707 00:39:01,141 --> 00:39:04,077 was approximately a foot and a half 708 00:39:04,110 --> 00:39:09,082 deep, along with numerous boulders that had 709 00:39:09,115 --> 00:39:11,851 been placed on top of the site. 710 00:39:14,187 --> 00:39:16,056 TRENT LUCKOW: They find skeletal remains 711 00:39:16,089 --> 00:39:20,827 that were wrapped in a bag. 712 00:39:20,860 --> 00:39:23,196 FABIAN PACHECO: They were determined to be the remains 713 00:39:23,229 --> 00:39:24,731 of Loretta Bowersock. 714 00:39:27,734 --> 00:39:29,803 TRENT LUCKOW: It was determined that her cause 715 00:39:29,836 --> 00:39:31,037 of death was asphyxia. 716 00:39:33,907 --> 00:39:35,642 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I got a phone call. 717 00:39:35,675 --> 00:39:38,044 And it was the Maricopa Sheriff. 718 00:39:38,044 --> 00:39:41,948 And they said, we found your mom. 719 00:39:42,048 --> 00:39:46,720 As much as this day was really hard, 720 00:39:46,753 --> 00:39:48,355 I was glad to know where she was. 721 00:39:48,388 --> 00:39:49,356 I knew where she was. 722 00:39:49,389 --> 00:39:50,757 I had her. 723 00:39:50,790 --> 00:39:51,691 I had her with me. 724 00:39:51,725 --> 00:39:54,361 And I was OK. 725 00:39:54,394 --> 00:39:58,798 I could stop looking now and start working on healing. 726 00:40:07,974 --> 00:40:09,275 They drove me out. 727 00:40:09,309 --> 00:40:15,715 And we all of a sudden come up to this motel. 728 00:40:15,749 --> 00:40:18,218 The sign is blue. 729 00:40:18,251 --> 00:40:21,121 The building is blue. 730 00:40:21,154 --> 00:40:23,223 And then they drive around to the back, 731 00:40:23,256 --> 00:40:25,392 because he had gone way out in the desert, 732 00:40:25,425 --> 00:40:27,861 and the whole playground was blue. 733 00:40:30,930 --> 00:40:33,299 The very last thing that Mary Ann talked about with me 734 00:40:33,333 --> 00:40:37,203 before she left was that she saw blue. 735 00:40:37,237 --> 00:40:38,872 What is blue? 736 00:40:38,905 --> 00:40:41,975 And we don't know this until we found her. 737 00:40:47,881 --> 00:40:49,182 NARRATOR: But how had Loretta 738 00:40:49,215 --> 00:40:52,819 met such a terrible fate? 739 00:40:52,852 --> 00:40:54,154 TRENT LUCKOW: On December 13, 740 00:40:54,187 --> 00:40:56,790 what I believe occurred is that she 741 00:40:56,823 --> 00:41:01,161 finally found out that the home was in foreclosure. 742 00:41:01,194 --> 00:41:04,330 You can see on her phone records that there's numerous phone 743 00:41:04,364 --> 00:41:08,168 calls to Wells Fargo Mortgage trying to get a status 744 00:41:08,201 --> 00:41:13,206 on what is exactly going on. 745 00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:16,409 JANA BOMMERSBACH: Loretta would have gone berserk. 746 00:41:16,443 --> 00:41:19,079 Don't let the screen door hit you in the ass 747 00:41:19,079 --> 00:41:20,080 as you're out the door. 748 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:20,847 You're done. 749 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:23,383 You're gone. 750 00:41:23,416 --> 00:41:25,285 TRENT LUCKOW: There was a confrontation. 751 00:41:25,318 --> 00:41:27,187 And it turned violent. 752 00:41:27,220 --> 00:41:31,191 It's my conclusion that she died as a result of strangulation. 753 00:41:34,094 --> 00:41:37,731 JANA BOMMERSBACH: They believe he took a plastic bag-- 754 00:41:41,401 --> 00:41:45,105 and put it over her head, and held it there 755 00:41:45,105 --> 00:41:47,007 until she suffocated to death. 756 00:41:47,107 --> 00:41:50,443 [eerie music] 757 00:41:57,450 --> 00:41:59,119 FABIAN PACHECO: You start putting 758 00:41:59,119 --> 00:42:01,388 all the pieces together-- 759 00:42:01,421 --> 00:42:03,289 reports from the cell phone companies, 760 00:42:03,323 --> 00:42:08,361 they're telling us he spent two hours in that Casa Grande area, 761 00:42:08,395 --> 00:42:11,264 he had a pickaxe and a shovel still in his car, 762 00:42:11,297 --> 00:42:13,233 the fact that his car had a lot of brush 763 00:42:13,266 --> 00:42:16,469 in the undercarriage of it. 764 00:42:16,503 --> 00:42:20,407 After reviewing many, many hours of video surveillance, 765 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:25,311 there was no sign of a white van with a sliding door open. 766 00:42:25,345 --> 00:42:29,516 It was Taw that had told us this information. 767 00:42:29,549 --> 00:42:32,185 There was never a white van. 768 00:42:40,193 --> 00:42:41,795 TRENT LUCKOW: The case is closed. 769 00:42:41,828 --> 00:42:44,397 In the end, Taw acted alone, murdering 770 00:42:44,431 --> 00:42:48,968 Loretta and burying her in the back yard of the motel. 771 00:42:49,002 --> 00:42:50,804 FABIAN PACHECO: I'm confident that had 772 00:42:50,837 --> 00:42:53,239 Taw not committed suicide, he would 773 00:42:53,273 --> 00:42:54,474 have been placed under arrest. 774 00:42:58,244 --> 00:43:00,447 NARRATOR: Loretta Bowersock is gone. 775 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:04,250 But she will not be forgotten. 776 00:43:04,284 --> 00:43:06,186 TERRI BOWERSOCK: I know that my mother 777 00:43:06,219 --> 00:43:08,154 is acting as my guardian angel. 778 00:43:10,590 --> 00:43:14,227 And I have lots of dreams where she visits me 779 00:43:14,260 --> 00:43:17,263 and she just tells me, you're not alone. 780 00:43:17,297 --> 00:43:18,465 I'm with you. 781 00:43:18,498 --> 00:43:21,601 [gentle music]