1 00:00:01,043 --> 00:00:02,712 [♪ dramatic music playing] 2 00:00:02,796 --> 00:00:06,132 [narrator] 25-year-old Kevin Bacon is a hopeless romantic... 3 00:00:06,216 --> 00:00:07,801 [♪ pop music playing] 4 00:00:07,884 --> 00:00:11,555 ...looking for that someone special in his small Midwestern town. 5 00:00:11,638 --> 00:00:14,057 ♪♪ 6 00:00:14,140 --> 00:00:16,768 Kevin wanted to be someone's person, 7 00:00:16,893 --> 00:00:18,645 but he got friend-zoned a lot. 8 00:00:18,728 --> 00:00:21,398 [narrator] So, until Prince Charming shows up, 9 00:00:21,481 --> 00:00:24,901 he turns to dating apps for that feeling of connection. 10 00:00:24,985 --> 00:00:27,737 [Michelle Meyers] Kevin would meet them, maybe hook up multiple times, 11 00:00:27,821 --> 00:00:29,281 and then that was it. 12 00:00:29,364 --> 00:00:30,448 ♪♪ 13 00:00:30,532 --> 00:00:32,199 [narrator] But when Kevin doesn't come home... 14 00:00:32,284 --> 00:00:33,493 [police radio chatter] 15 00:00:33,577 --> 00:00:34,995 Why is his clothing in the car? 16 00:00:35,078 --> 00:00:36,496 [police radio chatter] 17 00:00:36,580 --> 00:00:38,957 [narrator] ...the secrets kept hidden in his phone... 18 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,042 He asked, "Am I gonna be safe?" 19 00:00:41,126 --> 00:00:44,337 [narrator] ...just might link his search for love 20 00:00:44,421 --> 00:00:46,882 to the search for a killer. 21 00:00:47,883 --> 00:00:50,969 I know that there is real, true evil out there, 22 00:00:51,052 --> 00:00:52,721 and this was an example of that. 23 00:00:52,804 --> 00:00:55,015 [♪ dramatic crescendo] 24 00:00:56,016 --> 00:00:58,602 [speaker 1] She solved her own murder from beyond the grave. 25 00:00:58,685 --> 00:01:00,645 [speaker 2] The fitness app on the phone. 26 00:01:00,729 --> 00:01:02,898 It was overwhelming evidence. 27 00:01:02,981 --> 00:01:06,234 ♪ I've been haunted by the visions ♪ 28 00:01:06,318 --> 00:01:09,738 ♪ That I've seen with my own eyes ♪ 29 00:01:09,821 --> 00:01:12,782 ♪ And the only way to find you ♪ 30 00:01:12,866 --> 00:01:16,745 ♪ Is to go beneath the lies ♪ 31 00:01:17,662 --> 00:01:20,081 [speaker 3] She did help catch this killer. 32 00:01:24,836 --> 00:01:29,007 ♪ I wanna take you to this place I know ♪ 33 00:01:29,090 --> 00:01:30,759 ♪ I wanna take you to... ♪ 34 00:01:30,842 --> 00:01:33,887 [narrator] It's Christmas Eve 2019 in Swartz Creek, Michigan. 35 00:01:33,970 --> 00:01:35,472 ♪ I wanna take you to this place I know ♪ 36 00:01:35,555 --> 00:01:37,140 While this quaint rural village 37 00:01:37,224 --> 00:01:40,644 in the shadow of Flint, Michigan, is celebrating the season, 38 00:01:40,727 --> 00:01:44,731 25-year-old hairdresser Kevin Bacon walks out his front door 39 00:01:46,316 --> 00:01:47,901 and vanishes. 40 00:01:47,984 --> 00:01:51,780 -[bells jingling] -[truck rumbling] 41 00:01:53,198 --> 00:01:56,493 His roommate, Michelle, is the first to realize that something is up. 42 00:01:57,702 --> 00:02:00,330 [Michelle] My name is Michelle Meyers. 43 00:02:00,413 --> 00:02:04,626 I was Kevin's best friend, roommate, confidante. 44 00:02:04,709 --> 00:02:06,253 [muffled clap] 45 00:02:06,336 --> 00:02:09,589 [♪ ominous music playing] 46 00:02:09,673 --> 00:02:14,302 When I woke up in the morning, I got a call and a text from his sister, 47 00:02:14,386 --> 00:02:16,096 who had asked where Kevin was. 48 00:02:16,888 --> 00:02:18,932 Since it was Christmas morning, 49 00:02:19,015 --> 00:02:21,142 he was supposed to have breakfast with his family. 50 00:02:22,269 --> 00:02:26,648 This is unlike Kevin to not show up on Christmas morning, 51 00:02:26,731 --> 00:02:29,150 and to not text me anything and let me know, 52 00:02:29,234 --> 00:02:31,027 like, where he is. 53 00:02:31,111 --> 00:02:33,530 [line ringing] 54 00:02:33,613 --> 00:02:35,824 I called several times and got no answer. 55 00:02:35,907 --> 00:02:37,117 ♪♪ 56 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,120 Kevin was super punctual, so him not being there, 57 00:02:40,203 --> 00:02:42,998 I was a little bit, you know, weirded out. 58 00:02:43,081 --> 00:02:45,166 [line ringing] 59 00:02:45,250 --> 00:02:48,378 [narrator] Kevin's connection to Michelle and his family is strong, 60 00:02:48,461 --> 00:02:51,882 and if he isn't answering either of them, 61 00:02:51,965 --> 00:02:53,925 something must be up. 62 00:02:55,719 --> 00:03:00,098 So, as the afternoon passes with still no word from Kevin, 63 00:03:00,181 --> 00:03:01,850 his worried parents call police. 64 00:03:01,933 --> 00:03:03,643 [line ringing] 65 00:03:03,727 --> 00:03:05,979 [Joshua Dirkse] I'm Detective Sergeant Joshua Dirkse. 66 00:03:07,230 --> 00:03:10,150 I work for the Michigan State Police out of the Flint post. 67 00:03:11,151 --> 00:03:14,362 Metro Police Department took the original missing person report 68 00:03:14,446 --> 00:03:18,116 and started the investigation looking into potentially where he could be. 69 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,829 Who his associates are, who he had been talking to, where he had gone. 70 00:03:22,913 --> 00:03:24,915 [♪ ominous music continues] 71 00:03:24,998 --> 00:03:27,667 [narrator] Investigators don't know much about Kevin, 72 00:03:27,751 --> 00:03:31,087 but they do know the holidays are tough. 73 00:03:31,171 --> 00:03:34,299 Kevin could have voluntarily disappeared for a little while. 74 00:03:34,382 --> 00:03:37,302 People do that all the time, especially around the holidays. 75 00:03:37,385 --> 00:03:38,970 They just, they need to get away. 76 00:03:39,054 --> 00:03:41,681 [narrator] All police know is that Kevin is an adult 77 00:03:41,765 --> 00:03:44,100 who didn't show up for breakfast. 78 00:03:44,184 --> 00:03:48,063 That's not necessarily a cause for concern, 79 00:03:48,146 --> 00:03:52,150 but Kevin's loved ones just know there's something wrong. 80 00:03:54,861 --> 00:04:00,533 ♪ Chasing shadows out our windows... ♪ 81 00:04:00,617 --> 00:04:03,995 I've known Kevin since he moved to Swartz Creek in 4th grade. 82 00:04:04,079 --> 00:04:05,288 ♪♪ 83 00:04:05,372 --> 00:04:07,999 We knew each other, we were friends, and kind of hit it off more 84 00:04:08,083 --> 00:04:10,043 as we got into middle school. 85 00:04:10,126 --> 00:04:12,712 And then, by the time we graduated, we were, like, best friends. 86 00:04:12,796 --> 00:04:15,507 ♪ Chasing shadows ♪ 87 00:04:15,590 --> 00:04:18,468 He was just like, I don't wanna say weird, but like, the good kind of weird. 88 00:04:18,552 --> 00:04:20,220 Like, I'm weird, and he's weird, 89 00:04:20,303 --> 00:04:23,139 so we just clicked in our weirdness together. [laughs] 90 00:04:24,140 --> 00:04:28,645 He was an all-around just bright light that, you know, everybody really needed. 91 00:04:28,728 --> 00:04:31,731 ♪♪ 92 00:04:31,815 --> 00:04:34,359 Kevin was one of my best friends. 93 00:04:34,442 --> 00:04:35,860 [♪ upbeat music playing] 94 00:04:35,944 --> 00:04:38,863 Kevin was tall, bald... [giggles] 95 00:04:38,947 --> 00:04:41,324 and always had nails and makeup on. 96 00:04:43,201 --> 00:04:44,744 He cared about the way he looked, 97 00:04:44,828 --> 00:04:48,123 and I think that he liked making other people feel that same way. 98 00:04:48,206 --> 00:04:49,958 [hair dryer whirring] 99 00:04:50,041 --> 00:04:51,585 [♪ gentle music playing] 100 00:04:51,668 --> 00:04:54,838 He was big on tattoos, and he had some beautiful artwork. 101 00:04:55,672 --> 00:04:57,340 "Beauty killer" across his chest, 102 00:04:57,424 --> 00:05:01,136 'cause that was Jeffree Star's cosmetic line. 103 00:05:01,219 --> 00:05:02,929 He had a couple Taylor Swift ones 104 00:05:03,013 --> 00:05:05,640 and a couple of Lady Gaga ones also. 105 00:05:05,724 --> 00:05:10,478 Man, I'm like, "I'm so jealous! I haven't gotten a tattoo in, like, two years! 106 00:05:10,562 --> 00:05:12,814 I don't have the money anymore." He's like, "I don't either, but... 107 00:05:12,898 --> 00:05:14,190 [laughs] it makes me feel good." 108 00:05:15,734 --> 00:05:17,485 He had a really big personality. 109 00:05:17,569 --> 00:05:19,988 He was a lot of fun. Big heart, too. 110 00:05:20,113 --> 00:05:22,240 Anything you needed help with, he was there. 111 00:05:22,949 --> 00:05:24,451 [♪ ominous music playing] 112 00:05:24,534 --> 00:05:26,786 [narrator] Kevin may have been smiling on the outside, 113 00:05:27,662 --> 00:05:32,751 but inside, he often struggled with his sexuality 114 00:05:32,834 --> 00:05:34,794 and his search for connections with others. 115 00:05:34,878 --> 00:05:38,924 ♪ Breathing in, breathing out ♪ 116 00:05:39,007 --> 00:05:42,510 In high school, even if I think he knew deep down that "I'm gay," 117 00:05:42,594 --> 00:05:46,389 I don't think he felt like he could even admit it to himself. 118 00:05:47,515 --> 00:05:50,769 And we, like, tried to make him feel comfortable about that. 119 00:05:50,852 --> 00:05:54,814 [narrator] Finding acceptance with your friends is one thing. 120 00:05:54,898 --> 00:05:56,358 -[keypad clacking] -Finding someone to share 121 00:05:56,441 --> 00:05:59,736 the rest of your life with is something else. 122 00:05:59,819 --> 00:06:03,448 And he often discussed the struggle with his good friend, LeRae. 123 00:06:04,616 --> 00:06:08,328 Kevin was looking for love. He wanted to be in a relationship. 124 00:06:08,411 --> 00:06:09,704 [♪ soft music playing] 125 00:06:09,788 --> 00:06:12,832 Kevin wanted to be someone's person. 126 00:06:12,916 --> 00:06:15,627 He would put all of his feelings out there, 127 00:06:15,710 --> 00:06:18,004 but they were never returned from the other side. 128 00:06:19,089 --> 00:06:22,133 [narrator] If that lasting connection is out of reach, 129 00:06:22,217 --> 00:06:25,971 at least there are plenty of guys eager for a hookup on the dating apps. 130 00:06:26,054 --> 00:06:28,807 He got friend-zoned a lot, so then he would go look 131 00:06:28,890 --> 00:06:32,269 for a quick fix on one of the sites. 132 00:06:32,352 --> 00:06:33,520 [♪ electronic crescendo] 133 00:06:33,603 --> 00:06:36,064 [narrator] The last time Michelle saw Kevin, 134 00:06:36,147 --> 00:06:39,192 he was getting ready for a hot date with a new guy. 135 00:06:39,276 --> 00:06:41,653 [Michelle] A lot of people do date online. 136 00:06:41,736 --> 00:06:43,655 And by the time Kevin moved in with me, 137 00:06:43,738 --> 00:06:47,075 he was pretty comfortable meeting men on the dating apps. 138 00:06:47,158 --> 00:06:51,788 ♪ Coming for you, coming for you, coming for you, coming for you ♪ 139 00:06:51,871 --> 00:06:53,790 [Michelle] Kevin would meet them, they'd hook up, 140 00:06:53,873 --> 00:06:56,459 maybe they'd chat, maybe sometimes befriend each other, 141 00:06:56,543 --> 00:07:00,589 or they'd maybe hook up multiple times, and then that was it. 142 00:07:02,132 --> 00:07:04,426 [narrator] All Michelle knows is that Kevin was going 143 00:07:04,509 --> 00:07:06,511 to meet someone on Christmas Eve. 144 00:07:06,595 --> 00:07:09,264 She has no idea who that is. 145 00:07:09,347 --> 00:07:12,350 Kevin told me he was going to meet with a guy in Swartz Creek. 146 00:07:13,351 --> 00:07:15,937 He just said, "Hey, I'm going to meet with this guy, 147 00:07:16,021 --> 00:07:17,480 and I'll be back later." 148 00:07:18,523 --> 00:07:20,442 [♪ ominous music playing] 149 00:07:20,525 --> 00:07:22,819 This is where Kevin was last seen. 150 00:07:23,862 --> 00:07:25,405 We had a Nest Doorbell 151 00:07:25,488 --> 00:07:28,074 that captured footage of him leaving our house. 152 00:07:28,158 --> 00:07:30,619 [insects chirping] 153 00:07:30,702 --> 00:07:34,247 He went straight to his car, and then-- and that was it. 154 00:07:36,875 --> 00:07:39,211 [car engine starting] 155 00:07:40,086 --> 00:07:42,589 [narrator] Kevin's parents know he's gay, 156 00:07:42,672 --> 00:07:45,300 but they don't know about his online dating habits. 157 00:07:45,383 --> 00:07:47,552 And Kevin wants to keep it that way. 158 00:07:48,595 --> 00:07:51,973 But it's now been nearly 20 hours since Michelle last heard from him, 159 00:07:52,057 --> 00:07:53,850 and she feels she has no choice. 160 00:07:53,934 --> 00:07:56,436 [♪ soft electronic music playing] 161 00:07:58,063 --> 00:08:00,106 It put me in a very tight spot 162 00:08:00,190 --> 00:08:02,817 because I don't know how to say that he was meeting up 163 00:08:02,901 --> 00:08:04,903 with a stranger online and hooking up with them, 164 00:08:04,986 --> 00:08:07,030 because his-- at this point, like, his-- 165 00:08:07,113 --> 00:08:09,282 his family didn't know any of that stuff at all. 166 00:08:09,366 --> 00:08:10,700 [line ringing] 167 00:08:10,784 --> 00:08:13,453 [voicemail] Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. 168 00:08:13,536 --> 00:08:16,248 [narrator] Michelle puts Kevin's safety before his secrets. 169 00:08:17,832 --> 00:08:20,460 So, I texted Kevin, and I just told him, 170 00:08:20,544 --> 00:08:22,420 "I'm really sorry, but I don't have a choice." 171 00:08:22,504 --> 00:08:25,757 ♪ There's no turning back now ♪ 172 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,134 [Michelle] "I'm gonna have to tell them that you've met 173 00:08:28,218 --> 00:08:31,555 with a stranger and some details about your lifestyle." 174 00:08:31,638 --> 00:08:34,975 ♪ There's no turning back now ♪ 175 00:08:35,058 --> 00:08:37,060 [♪ ominous music playing] 176 00:08:39,312 --> 00:08:41,606 [narrator] Kevin's father, Carl, rushes over to Michelle's 177 00:08:41,690 --> 00:08:43,066 to find out what she knows. 178 00:08:44,484 --> 00:08:47,571 [Michelle] I told Kevin's dad he was meeting with somebody 179 00:08:47,654 --> 00:08:49,656 on a dating app for a hookup. 180 00:08:50,824 --> 00:08:54,869 He didn't really know about Kevin being more sexually active. 181 00:08:55,662 --> 00:08:58,331 It was kind of like an awkward conversation, I guess. 182 00:09:01,293 --> 00:09:04,045 [narrator] Michelle tells police about Kevin's mystery hookup, too. 183 00:09:04,129 --> 00:09:05,422 [phone ringing] 184 00:09:05,505 --> 00:09:07,716 And they get to work figuring out who he is. 185 00:09:09,050 --> 00:09:12,846 But at the moment, they're more focused on Kevin's past 186 00:09:12,929 --> 00:09:15,473 and his history of self-harm. 187 00:09:16,683 --> 00:09:18,894 [Dirkse] We knew that he had struggled with some depression 188 00:09:18,977 --> 00:09:21,438 and had suicidal ideations. 189 00:09:21,521 --> 00:09:24,024 You know, a lot of times, holidays can bring that on. 190 00:09:24,107 --> 00:09:27,402 [♪ somber music playing] 191 00:09:27,485 --> 00:09:29,029 [narrator] Kevin's struggles with depression 192 00:09:29,112 --> 00:09:32,032 are something his friends are all too aware of. 193 00:09:32,824 --> 00:09:36,536 I remember in early high school, I would look at Kevin, 194 00:09:36,620 --> 00:09:39,539 and I'd see marks on his arms from cutting. 195 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:45,587 We would ask Kevin if he had been seeing a therapist 196 00:09:45,670 --> 00:09:47,672 or if that was a possibility. 197 00:09:47,756 --> 00:09:49,216 And it was difficult 198 00:09:49,299 --> 00:09:51,176 because just money was tight financially 199 00:09:51,259 --> 00:09:52,469 for him and his family. 200 00:09:53,762 --> 00:09:58,058 [narrator] It all boils over into a suicide attempt in 2018. 201 00:09:58,141 --> 00:10:01,102 [Michelle] Kevin sent me a text. He had cut himself quite bad. 202 00:10:01,186 --> 00:10:02,604 [echoing text bloops] 203 00:10:02,687 --> 00:10:06,316 And then, he did tell me that he had overdosed. 204 00:10:08,944 --> 00:10:11,905 And then, his mother contacted me 205 00:10:11,988 --> 00:10:14,950 and told me that he was admitted to the hospital. 206 00:10:15,033 --> 00:10:17,702 [machines beeping] 207 00:10:17,786 --> 00:10:20,914 [narrator] Alarm bells go off for investigators. 208 00:10:21,039 --> 00:10:23,875 Did Kevin's depression take over again? 209 00:10:25,085 --> 00:10:28,296 We are trying to follow up. There's been no indication 210 00:10:28,380 --> 00:10:30,674 that anything tragic has happened to Kevin. 211 00:10:30,757 --> 00:10:32,217 Kevin did in the past suffer 212 00:10:32,300 --> 00:10:35,762 from some mental health struggles and had been suicidal. 213 00:10:35,845 --> 00:10:38,807 [♪ ominous tone playing] 214 00:10:38,890 --> 00:10:40,934 [phone ringing] 215 00:10:41,017 --> 00:10:44,688 [narrator] While detectives are working through all potential leads, 216 00:10:44,771 --> 00:10:48,608 they get an unexpected call from Kevin's parents. 217 00:10:48,692 --> 00:10:52,946 They've been driving around town looking for Kevin themselves 218 00:10:53,029 --> 00:10:55,782 and they just found something troubling. 219 00:10:55,865 --> 00:10:57,659 [police radio chatter] 220 00:10:57,742 --> 00:11:01,079 [Jim Moore] Kevin Bacon's vehicle was found by his parents 221 00:11:01,162 --> 00:11:03,123 in the strip mall on Miller Road, 222 00:11:03,206 --> 00:11:06,167 approximately a mile and a half from his residence. 223 00:11:08,044 --> 00:11:11,631 [narrator] What the investigators discover inside the car 224 00:11:11,715 --> 00:11:14,551 turns this holiday into a horror. 225 00:11:14,634 --> 00:11:17,345 ♪♪ 226 00:11:19,347 --> 00:11:21,850 [♪ ominous music playing] 227 00:11:24,728 --> 00:11:29,399 [narrator] 25-year-old Kevin Bacon goes missing on Christmas Day. 228 00:11:29,482 --> 00:11:33,862 His history of self-harm has his family and friends worried, 229 00:11:33,945 --> 00:11:37,866 and the discovery of his car in a strip mall parking lot 230 00:11:37,949 --> 00:11:40,535 does little to ease their minds. 231 00:11:43,455 --> 00:11:45,624 [Michelle] His parents were concerned, 232 00:11:45,707 --> 00:11:47,959 so they started driving around. 233 00:11:48,043 --> 00:11:49,169 Because it's Christmas, 234 00:11:49,252 --> 00:11:52,088 all these parking lots are vacant at these stores. 235 00:11:52,172 --> 00:11:55,842 So, his car kinda stuck out like a sore thumb. 236 00:11:55,926 --> 00:11:59,888 And his mom pulled in and saw the car, reported it to police. 237 00:11:59,971 --> 00:12:03,892 -[♪ mysterious music playing] -[police radio chatter] 238 00:12:03,975 --> 00:12:06,353 Shortly after his vehicle was found, 239 00:12:06,436 --> 00:12:08,563 the police responded to there, 240 00:12:08,647 --> 00:12:11,024 and went through Kevin's vehicle. 241 00:12:11,107 --> 00:12:12,901 ♪♪ 242 00:12:12,984 --> 00:12:18,323 [narrator] What's inside is shocking and confusing. 243 00:12:18,406 --> 00:12:21,034 His wallet, his keys, 244 00:12:21,117 --> 00:12:23,578 and his neatly folded clothes. 245 00:12:23,662 --> 00:12:26,665 Why is his clothing in the car, and where is he? 246 00:12:28,458 --> 00:12:30,627 [narrator] The clothes match what Kevin was wearing 247 00:12:30,710 --> 00:12:33,088 when last seen on his home cam. 248 00:12:33,171 --> 00:12:34,881 It was just getting worse, 'cause it's like, 249 00:12:34,965 --> 00:12:38,635 Kevin wouldn't leave his clothes and everything behind. 250 00:12:38,718 --> 00:12:41,012 [narrator] If Kevin committed self-harm, 251 00:12:41,096 --> 00:12:43,223 why would he leave his clothes? 252 00:12:44,224 --> 00:12:47,477 But more concerning is the discovery 253 00:12:47,561 --> 00:12:50,105 that Kevin left his cell phone in the car as well. 254 00:12:50,188 --> 00:12:52,190 [♪ ominous music playing] 255 00:12:52,274 --> 00:12:55,151 That's really alarming, because in today's age, 256 00:12:55,235 --> 00:12:57,529 most people carry their cell phones on them. 257 00:12:57,612 --> 00:12:59,823 Why is Kevin's phone in the car? 258 00:13:02,033 --> 00:13:03,535 [narrator] It's Christmas in Michigan, 259 00:13:03,618 --> 00:13:05,996 and he couldn't have wandered off far in the cold. 260 00:13:06,997 --> 00:13:10,417 The police search the area and come up empty, 261 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:12,627 so they turn to his phone for clues 262 00:13:12,711 --> 00:13:15,589 and any insight into Kevin's life it may provide. 263 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,175 [Dirkse] Having the phone would help. 264 00:13:19,259 --> 00:13:22,304 You can see who he's been talking to, leading up to him going missing. 265 00:13:22,387 --> 00:13:24,264 -[police radio chatter] -[keypad typing] 266 00:13:25,515 --> 00:13:28,602 [narrator] But of course, Kevin's phone has a passcode. 267 00:13:28,685 --> 00:13:31,938 Investigators need a warrant and a forensic expert to unlock it. 268 00:13:32,022 --> 00:13:33,565 And that's gonna take time. 269 00:13:33,648 --> 00:13:34,816 [police radio chatter] 270 00:13:35,317 --> 00:13:37,152 But time is not a luxury they have. 271 00:13:38,278 --> 00:13:40,280 [♪ dark music playing] 272 00:13:40,363 --> 00:13:42,324 [birds chirping] 273 00:13:43,408 --> 00:13:45,785 So, investigators turn to Kevin's friends for help. 274 00:13:47,245 --> 00:13:48,955 Kevin's car was found here, 275 00:13:49,039 --> 00:13:52,834 and then the, the detectives called us down here. 276 00:13:52,918 --> 00:13:54,920 ♪♪ 277 00:13:55,003 --> 00:13:58,798 Until we found the car, I was kind of-- I was kind of feeling like 278 00:13:58,882 --> 00:14:01,509 there was still a chance that maybe he was just somewhere. 279 00:14:01,593 --> 00:14:03,845 But actually seeing the car and Kevin's clothes 280 00:14:03,929 --> 00:14:05,722 and everything in there, 281 00:14:05,805 --> 00:14:07,265 things started to feel 282 00:14:07,349 --> 00:14:09,100 that something had really had gone wrong. 283 00:14:09,184 --> 00:14:11,019 [♪ ominous sting] 284 00:14:11,102 --> 00:14:14,773 I remember the-- So, the detective approached me with Kevin's phone. 285 00:14:14,856 --> 00:14:16,524 ♪♪ 286 00:14:16,608 --> 00:14:19,361 And then I said that, "I think I know the code. 287 00:14:19,444 --> 00:14:21,696 I'm pretty certain I can unlock it." 288 00:14:23,198 --> 00:14:25,742 They handed me the phone over. 289 00:14:25,825 --> 00:14:28,495 I put in passcode. 290 00:14:28,578 --> 00:14:29,579 ♪♪ 291 00:14:30,914 --> 00:14:33,375 And it worked, first try. 292 00:14:33,458 --> 00:14:36,711 [Moore] Once the passcode was correctly accessed 293 00:14:36,795 --> 00:14:39,256 and his phone was unlocked, the phone was transferred 294 00:14:39,339 --> 00:14:42,384 to the Computer Crime Scene unit of the Michigan State Police. 295 00:14:44,094 --> 00:14:47,597 [narrator] While investigators pick apart Kevin's phone for clues, 296 00:14:47,681 --> 00:14:51,601 Michelle conducts her own investigation with Kevin's dad. 297 00:14:52,769 --> 00:14:54,479 They go through his computer, 298 00:14:54,563 --> 00:14:57,232 hoping they can find the identity of his Christmas hookup. 299 00:14:57,315 --> 00:14:58,733 [keyboard keys clacking] 300 00:15:00,652 --> 00:15:03,697 Christmas night, we were up pretty much all night 301 00:15:03,780 --> 00:15:05,323 just trying to log in on everything. 302 00:15:05,407 --> 00:15:08,868 I had, like, some of his emails and passwords. 303 00:15:08,952 --> 00:15:11,830 Kevin's dad also had some passwords to try, 304 00:15:11,913 --> 00:15:14,624 like, just to see if we could get in on his laptop, 305 00:15:14,708 --> 00:15:17,043 potentially get on iMessage 306 00:15:17,127 --> 00:15:19,296 and try to see anything from there. 307 00:15:22,340 --> 00:15:26,094 We got into pretty much every dating app that Kevin had. 308 00:15:26,177 --> 00:15:28,638 The messages are either 309 00:15:28,722 --> 00:15:32,434 nothing or very little, or it had nothing to do with the meetup. 310 00:15:34,227 --> 00:15:36,438 We could not find anything. 311 00:15:38,565 --> 00:15:41,693 It was hard because, you know, my thought was that 312 00:15:41,776 --> 00:15:45,614 wherever he is, he's in a bad situation. 313 00:15:47,866 --> 00:15:49,618 [narrator] Michelle isn't waiting for the police 314 00:15:49,701 --> 00:15:53,288 to figure out where Kevin is or who he's with. 315 00:15:53,371 --> 00:15:57,125 She starts compiling her own list of men Kevin has dated. 316 00:15:57,208 --> 00:15:58,919 Kevin met with a lot of married men 317 00:15:59,002 --> 00:16:00,754 that did not want their families knowing 318 00:16:00,837 --> 00:16:02,797 about what they were doing. 319 00:16:02,881 --> 00:16:07,052 [narrator] And she remembers one with whom Kevin seemed to have a special connection. 320 00:16:09,095 --> 00:16:11,723 [Michelle] Kevin had been meeting with a guy named Chad. 321 00:16:11,806 --> 00:16:13,683 He had met with him multiple times, 322 00:16:13,767 --> 00:16:16,770 and it got to become a more emotional relationship. 323 00:16:16,853 --> 00:16:19,940 ♪ How will we know it's time ♪ 324 00:16:20,023 --> 00:16:23,610 Kevin's dream was, you know, to find a partner, 325 00:16:23,693 --> 00:16:25,946 um, find a man that he could marry. 326 00:16:26,029 --> 00:16:28,490 ♪ I try to heal ♪ 327 00:16:28,573 --> 00:16:31,618 I think Kevin wanted for them to be, like, official, 328 00:16:31,701 --> 00:16:33,203 or something at some point. 329 00:16:34,287 --> 00:16:36,289 [LeRae Johnson] They had a great time, 330 00:16:36,373 --> 00:16:38,875 and I guess Kevin had asked, like, if they-- what they were. 331 00:16:38,959 --> 00:16:41,127 And he was like, "Oh, I just look at you like a friend." 332 00:16:41,962 --> 00:16:44,214 [narrator] Kevin was crushed. 333 00:16:44,297 --> 00:16:46,883 But now, Michelle can't help but wonder 334 00:16:46,967 --> 00:16:49,302 if somehow Chad was back in Kevin's life. 335 00:16:50,470 --> 00:16:53,265 It might have something to do with whatever happened to Kevin. 336 00:16:54,849 --> 00:16:57,686 Michelle shares the name with investigators. 337 00:16:57,769 --> 00:16:59,729 We were able to, to get a name of a person. 338 00:17:01,189 --> 00:17:03,817 Now, we can start investigating who that person is. 339 00:17:05,610 --> 00:17:08,863 [narrator] It's now almost two days since Kevin went missing. 340 00:17:09,864 --> 00:17:13,201 And as investigators consider the different men in Kevin's life, 341 00:17:13,285 --> 00:17:15,328 his phone gives them their first lead 342 00:17:15,412 --> 00:17:18,456 on the identity of his mysterious Christmas hookup. 343 00:17:19,541 --> 00:17:22,586 Kevin had taken screenshots 344 00:17:22,669 --> 00:17:25,922 of a chat log of a dating app that Kevin had used. 345 00:17:26,006 --> 00:17:28,800 And what was found was that Kevin was communicating 346 00:17:28,884 --> 00:17:31,595 with a male, and the messages between them 347 00:17:31,678 --> 00:17:34,806 appeared to show that Kevin and this unidentified male 348 00:17:34,890 --> 00:17:37,225 were gonna meet up on Christmas Eve. 349 00:17:38,268 --> 00:17:41,187 [narrator] The screenshots confirm that Kevin was going on a date. 350 00:17:41,271 --> 00:17:45,525 Not with Chad, but with someone new and anonymous. 351 00:17:46,610 --> 00:17:49,029 And they reveal that even Kevin was concerned 352 00:17:49,112 --> 00:17:52,324 that this meetup might go horribly wrong. 353 00:17:52,407 --> 00:17:55,076 Kevin asked the male, "You're gonna keep me safe, correct?" 354 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:59,915 [narrator] Now the race is on to find out who this mysterious person is... 355 00:17:59,998 --> 00:18:01,374 [knocking] 356 00:18:01,458 --> 00:18:04,002 ...before his family's worst nightmare comes true. 357 00:18:04,085 --> 00:18:05,962 ♪♪ 358 00:18:08,924 --> 00:18:10,592 [♪ ominous music playing] 359 00:18:10,675 --> 00:18:14,262 [narrator] 25-year-old Kevin Bacon is looking for a special connection. 360 00:18:14,346 --> 00:18:18,433 But right now, his friends and family are looking for him 361 00:18:18,516 --> 00:18:20,435 after he goes missing on Christmas morning. 362 00:18:20,518 --> 00:18:22,312 ♪ Your fall is mine ♪ 363 00:18:22,395 --> 00:18:24,272 [♪ electronic music playing] 364 00:18:24,356 --> 00:18:27,275 But investigators just got access to his phone, 365 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:31,738 and screenshots Kevin took hint that he was so concerned for his safety. 366 00:18:31,821 --> 00:18:33,240 ♪ You'll never know ♪ 367 00:18:34,491 --> 00:18:36,910 [Dirkse] Kevin's text messages were pretty specific, 368 00:18:36,993 --> 00:18:38,828 pretty detailed. 369 00:18:38,912 --> 00:18:40,956 They were talking about role-play 370 00:18:41,039 --> 00:18:43,667 that was gonna happen between him 371 00:18:43,750 --> 00:18:46,878 and this individual from the dating app that he was talking with. 372 00:18:46,962 --> 00:18:49,172 They were talking about taking clothes off, 373 00:18:49,256 --> 00:18:51,258 having nothing with him, none of his belongings, 374 00:18:51,341 --> 00:18:53,677 leaving it in his car, locking it up, 375 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,429 and then getting in the vehicle with this other individual. 376 00:18:58,557 --> 00:19:00,517 [narrator] It's all part of the pre-meetup ritual 377 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,937 that's part of the BDSM lifestyle. 378 00:19:04,020 --> 00:19:05,897 [Rachel Prenzler] My name is Rachel Prenzler. 379 00:19:05,981 --> 00:19:08,316 I'm an outpatient therapist. 380 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:12,320 The majority of my clients are queer or trans, LGBTQ+. 381 00:19:12,404 --> 00:19:14,573 And also, I see a lot of non-normative relationships, 382 00:19:14,656 --> 00:19:17,867 so polyamorous, BDSM, kink. 383 00:19:18,660 --> 00:19:22,789 Kevin was looking for a connection, but also fulfilling a fantasy, 384 00:19:22,872 --> 00:19:25,875 a sexual encounter based on a fantasy. 385 00:19:27,002 --> 00:19:30,338 When I was reading that text, there were no red flags, 386 00:19:30,422 --> 00:19:34,175 and you know, I could have saw myself in that situation. 387 00:19:34,259 --> 00:19:35,594 [keypad typing] 388 00:19:35,677 --> 00:19:38,763 It's all about trust and consent. 389 00:19:38,847 --> 00:19:42,058 We call it playing with someone, right? Or setting up a scene. 390 00:19:42,142 --> 00:19:45,061 So, before you do that, you have to sit down with each other 391 00:19:45,145 --> 00:19:47,772 and talk about, like, your boundaries, right? 392 00:19:47,856 --> 00:19:50,191 Like, what are you wanting to get out of this? 393 00:19:50,275 --> 00:19:52,444 So, it's very planned out. 394 00:19:53,236 --> 00:19:58,241 [narrator] Then, the screenshots give investigators their first real lead -- 395 00:19:58,325 --> 00:20:02,287 a profile photo and a name of the guy Kevin was meeting. 396 00:20:02,370 --> 00:20:04,497 His nickname on this mobile app was Olykos. 397 00:20:04,581 --> 00:20:06,708 [♪ ominous sting] 398 00:20:06,791 --> 00:20:08,001 Kevin asked him... 399 00:20:08,084 --> 00:20:09,502 ♪♪ 400 00:20:09,586 --> 00:20:11,963 "You're gonna keep me safe, correct?" 401 00:20:12,047 --> 00:20:15,050 And Olykos indicated that yes, he would keep him safe. 402 00:20:17,636 --> 00:20:19,512 [narrator] It's a huge lead. 403 00:20:19,596 --> 00:20:22,515 But like most things online, 404 00:20:22,599 --> 00:20:26,394 Olykos probably isn't this guy's real name. 405 00:20:26,478 --> 00:20:28,813 And it doesn't appear on any police database. 406 00:20:29,856 --> 00:20:33,526 Who is he? Where is he? 407 00:20:33,610 --> 00:20:36,947 And does he know anything about where Kevin is? 408 00:20:37,030 --> 00:20:40,283 For answers, investigators turn to the screenshot image 409 00:20:40,367 --> 00:20:42,369 of Olykos on Kevin's phone. 410 00:20:43,495 --> 00:20:44,788 [Moore] With that information, 411 00:20:44,871 --> 00:20:47,415 in trying to identify who Olykos was, 412 00:20:47,499 --> 00:20:51,378 the Computer Crimes Unit sent the image of Olykos 413 00:20:51,461 --> 00:20:54,047 to our facial recognition unit in Lansing. 414 00:20:54,923 --> 00:20:58,260 [narrator] One thing's for sure, he isn't Chad, 415 00:20:58,343 --> 00:21:02,973 or any of the other men whose names Michelle had given to the investigators. 416 00:21:03,056 --> 00:21:04,975 [Dirkse] It was definitely a race against time. 417 00:21:05,058 --> 00:21:07,602 We needed to decipher who he was talking to. 418 00:21:07,686 --> 00:21:08,770 [whooshing] 419 00:21:11,022 --> 00:21:13,233 [narrator] Michelle isn't going to wait around 420 00:21:13,316 --> 00:21:15,068 for the police to solve Kevin's case. 421 00:21:16,111 --> 00:21:18,989 I put together a search party with his family. 422 00:21:19,990 --> 00:21:21,366 We had several news stations, 423 00:21:21,449 --> 00:21:25,078 and the posts had gotten, I guess viral, in a sense. 424 00:21:25,161 --> 00:21:27,539 Time is of essence. If Kevin's alive somewhere, 425 00:21:27,622 --> 00:21:30,041 and he's obviously in an unsafe situation, 426 00:21:30,125 --> 00:21:31,668 we need to work fast. 427 00:21:31,751 --> 00:21:33,712 ♪ Walk away ♪ 428 00:21:33,795 --> 00:21:37,424 So, this is the park where we kind of all met and gathered. 429 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:41,887 We had about 80 to 100 people coming out, 430 00:21:41,970 --> 00:21:45,265 uh, just to kind of break apart into as many groups as possible 431 00:21:45,348 --> 00:21:47,684 and cover as much ground as possible. 432 00:21:49,728 --> 00:21:50,937 Right here. 433 00:21:52,188 --> 00:21:54,691 ♪ I write that song, that song ♪ 434 00:21:55,817 --> 00:21:57,569 ♪ Always something, something ♪ 435 00:21:57,652 --> 00:21:59,362 Like, I could just remember, you know, looking over, 436 00:21:59,446 --> 00:22:01,239 making sure there was nothing in the river, 437 00:22:01,323 --> 00:22:03,199 or just looking through trees, 438 00:22:03,283 --> 00:22:07,245 trying to find some little symbol that he was in this area. 439 00:22:08,914 --> 00:22:10,916 But we honestly-- we never came up with anything. 440 00:22:13,251 --> 00:22:15,754 [♪ somber music playing] 441 00:22:15,837 --> 00:22:19,090 [narrator] The search may have come up empty, 442 00:22:19,174 --> 00:22:21,843 but the social media buzz pays off. 443 00:22:21,927 --> 00:22:24,804 ♪ They're coming out ♪ 444 00:22:24,888 --> 00:22:28,600 That night, Michelle gets some unexpected information 445 00:22:28,683 --> 00:22:30,810 that raises even more red flags. 446 00:22:30,894 --> 00:22:33,146 ♪ Don't let them catch you ♪ 447 00:22:33,230 --> 00:22:35,815 [Michelle] I got a message from one of my friends saying, 448 00:22:35,899 --> 00:22:38,401 "Hey, there's been an individual in our town. 449 00:22:38,485 --> 00:22:41,988 "They've had people escape their basement. It was in the news. 450 00:22:43,406 --> 00:22:45,492 Like, this guy's really strange." 451 00:22:45,575 --> 00:22:47,577 ♪ Too late to think ♪ 452 00:22:48,495 --> 00:22:51,248 And it was a screenshot of a conversation 453 00:22:51,331 --> 00:22:52,666 between two people, 454 00:22:53,917 --> 00:22:56,253 and they were discussing this weird stuff 455 00:22:56,336 --> 00:22:59,214 has been happening at this guy's house. What if? 456 00:23:00,549 --> 00:23:04,761 And they sent a screenshot of his Facebook profile. 457 00:23:07,806 --> 00:23:10,267 [narrator] The incident the tipster is referring to 458 00:23:10,350 --> 00:23:12,644 just happened four weeks earlier, 459 00:23:12,727 --> 00:23:15,438 and not very far from where Kevin lives. 460 00:23:15,522 --> 00:23:19,234 The responding officer that night was Robert Viviano. 461 00:23:19,317 --> 00:23:20,527 [deep clap] 462 00:23:20,610 --> 00:23:23,572 [Robert Viviano] My name is Detective Trooper Robert Viviano. 463 00:23:23,655 --> 00:23:25,615 I'm a detective with the State Police. 464 00:23:25,699 --> 00:23:27,951 I'm currently on an undercover assignment 465 00:23:28,034 --> 00:23:29,661 for the State Police right now. 466 00:23:29,744 --> 00:23:30,912 ♪♪ 467 00:23:30,996 --> 00:23:36,001 In 2019, I was assigned to Shiawassee County. 468 00:23:36,084 --> 00:23:39,379 It's kind of more of a rural area. 469 00:23:40,672 --> 00:23:41,923 Lots of farms. 470 00:23:42,966 --> 00:23:46,303 In November of 2019, 471 00:23:46,386 --> 00:23:48,638 a call came over the radio 472 00:23:48,722 --> 00:23:50,724 that someone was running down the road, 473 00:23:51,850 --> 00:23:54,686 wearing a kilt, covered in blood, 474 00:23:54,769 --> 00:23:57,898 and was knocking on people's doors, yelling for help. 475 00:23:57,981 --> 00:23:59,983 We made contact with this individual 476 00:24:00,066 --> 00:24:04,279 who said that he had escaped from this house... 477 00:24:04,362 --> 00:24:06,031 [♪ eerie music playing] 478 00:24:06,114 --> 00:24:08,116 ...pointed out the house, 479 00:24:08,199 --> 00:24:10,493 and said that he had been held captive. 480 00:24:12,704 --> 00:24:14,706 ♪♪ 481 00:24:16,333 --> 00:24:18,501 We made contact with this individual at this house, 482 00:24:18,585 --> 00:24:22,130 who turned out to be a gentleman by the name of Mark Latunski. 483 00:24:22,214 --> 00:24:25,217 [♪ ominous music playing] 484 00:24:27,302 --> 00:24:30,597 And he was also dressed in nothing but a kilt, 485 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:33,475 a leather kilt, which we found strange. 486 00:24:34,351 --> 00:24:38,146 After talking to Mark and this subject 487 00:24:38,230 --> 00:24:40,690 that had quote-unquote "escaped" from this house... 488 00:24:42,150 --> 00:24:46,655 we thought it was some type of sexual role-play kinda gone bad. 489 00:24:46,738 --> 00:24:49,032 Someone got scared and ran outta the house kind of thing, 490 00:24:49,115 --> 00:24:50,909 which is kinda how Mark described it. 491 00:24:52,452 --> 00:24:56,289 So, we just kinda took it at that. Nobody wanted to press charges. 492 00:24:57,290 --> 00:24:59,251 There's nothing else that we could really do 493 00:24:59,334 --> 00:25:02,128 other than document it and kinda leave it at that. 494 00:25:02,212 --> 00:25:03,797 [♪ ominous music playing] 495 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:06,216 [narrator] The incident is about 10 miles away 496 00:25:06,299 --> 00:25:08,093 from where Kevin's car was found. 497 00:25:09,219 --> 00:25:12,764 As Michelle learns more about it from her online tipsters, 498 00:25:12,847 --> 00:25:14,891 her heart begins to race. 499 00:25:14,975 --> 00:25:18,311 I was going 100 miles an hour, and I can't think of anything else. 500 00:25:19,396 --> 00:25:23,191 What if this ends up being the person that did it? 501 00:25:23,275 --> 00:25:27,779 So, I gave the screenshot of the profile to the detectives. 502 00:25:27,862 --> 00:25:29,364 ♪♪ 503 00:25:30,699 --> 00:25:32,117 [narrator] With this new information, 504 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,078 the detectives start investigating Latunski 505 00:25:35,161 --> 00:25:37,956 and discover this isn't the first scary incident 506 00:25:38,039 --> 00:25:40,083 reported at his house. 507 00:25:40,166 --> 00:25:44,296 A man known only as James had a similar terrifying journey. 508 00:25:44,379 --> 00:25:46,089 A person named James had been to that house 509 00:25:46,172 --> 00:25:48,925 in the fall of 2019, 510 00:25:49,009 --> 00:25:51,761 had been to the house with Latunski. 511 00:25:51,845 --> 00:25:54,389 They had different role-play and scenes they had. 512 00:25:55,265 --> 00:25:57,183 But at one point, it went too far. 513 00:25:58,226 --> 00:26:00,228 And James was scared, 514 00:26:01,271 --> 00:26:03,273 thought that Latunski was gonna hurt him, 515 00:26:04,482 --> 00:26:06,026 thought he was being held against his will, 516 00:26:06,109 --> 00:26:07,652 was able to escape at one point. 517 00:26:07,736 --> 00:26:09,738 -[♪ dramatic music playing] -[panting] 518 00:26:09,821 --> 00:26:12,157 Running down the road, calling 911, asking for help. 519 00:26:19,664 --> 00:26:21,625 [narrator] When the police learn the full extent 520 00:26:21,708 --> 00:26:24,377 of James' troubling tale, 521 00:26:24,461 --> 00:26:27,797 they fear that Kevin may have met a similar fate. 522 00:26:31,635 --> 00:26:34,804 [♪ ominous music playing] 523 00:26:34,888 --> 00:26:38,350 [narrator] It's been three days since Kevin left his house on Christmas Eve. 524 00:26:38,433 --> 00:26:42,270 He was looking for love, or at least something like it, 525 00:26:42,354 --> 00:26:44,522 and hasn't been seen since. 526 00:26:44,606 --> 00:26:46,483 ♪♪ 527 00:26:46,566 --> 00:26:48,902 But thanks to screenshots Kevin took of a conversation 528 00:26:48,985 --> 00:26:50,987 that he saved on his phone, 529 00:26:51,071 --> 00:26:54,699 investigators know who he was meeting up with on Christmas Eve. 530 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:01,873 Now, police wonder if this man, known only as Olykos, 531 00:27:01,957 --> 00:27:03,541 might be a sexual predator 532 00:27:03,625 --> 00:27:06,127 who has been stalking other victims, 533 00:27:06,211 --> 00:27:10,090 including a man named James just four weeks earlier. 534 00:27:18,431 --> 00:27:21,059 ♪♪ 535 00:27:35,073 --> 00:27:36,116 [siren wails] 536 00:27:36,199 --> 00:27:38,785 [narrator] When Michigan State Police catch up to James, 537 00:27:38,868 --> 00:27:40,537 he's shaken, but unharmed. 538 00:27:40,620 --> 00:27:44,499 ♪ I see your evil ♪ 539 00:27:44,583 --> 00:27:47,794 James was very adamant that he didn't wanna pursue criminal charges, 540 00:27:47,878 --> 00:27:50,005 if there was anything criminal that had happened. 541 00:27:50,088 --> 00:27:51,715 [police radio chatter] 542 00:27:51,798 --> 00:27:53,758 James was embarrassed, 543 00:27:53,842 --> 00:27:56,803 said, "I came here on my own free will. I wanted to be here." 544 00:27:56,887 --> 00:27:58,638 ♪ Your wicked ways ♪ 545 00:27:58,722 --> 00:28:00,807 "I just wanna leave. I just want to get outta here." 546 00:28:00,891 --> 00:28:03,101 So, he did. 547 00:28:03,184 --> 00:28:04,811 [♪ ominous music playing] 548 00:28:04,895 --> 00:28:08,607 [narrator] As investigators race to learn all they can about Mark Latunski's past, 549 00:28:08,690 --> 00:28:12,652 the results from the facial recognition lab come in. 550 00:28:12,736 --> 00:28:14,821 The Michigan State Police facial recognition unit, 551 00:28:14,905 --> 00:28:19,743 they were able to obtain the probe image, as it's called, of Olykos. 552 00:28:19,826 --> 00:28:21,870 And they take that probe image, and they put it into 553 00:28:21,953 --> 00:28:23,496 the facial recognition software. 554 00:28:24,581 --> 00:28:26,875 And the software gave an investigative lead, 555 00:28:26,958 --> 00:28:30,212 which doesn't mean it's 100% this person. 556 00:28:30,295 --> 00:28:33,215 But in this case, their lead was Mark David Latunski. 557 00:28:33,298 --> 00:28:35,008 ♪♪ 558 00:28:36,468 --> 00:28:39,137 [♪ tense music playing] 559 00:28:40,222 --> 00:28:43,183 [narrator] Suddenly, it all comes together. 560 00:28:43,266 --> 00:28:45,852 The man who the tipster had warned Michelle about, 561 00:28:45,936 --> 00:28:49,814 the man who two potential victims had escaped from, 562 00:28:49,898 --> 00:28:54,361 and the man on Kevin's phone are now all one and the same: 563 00:28:55,570 --> 00:28:58,031 Mark David Latunski. 564 00:28:58,114 --> 00:29:01,451 So, with that, that was the next logical person 565 00:29:01,534 --> 00:29:03,703 -for them to go see or talk to. -[echoing knock] 566 00:29:03,787 --> 00:29:05,956 Was, "Hey, you've been talking to Kevin. 567 00:29:06,039 --> 00:29:07,832 Do you know where he's at?" 568 00:29:07,916 --> 00:29:10,377 [narrator] Trooper Viviano gets the call again. 569 00:29:10,460 --> 00:29:14,130 It's only been a month since he last saw Latunski. 570 00:29:14,214 --> 00:29:17,008 [Viviano] Mark answers the door, 571 00:29:17,092 --> 00:29:20,178 shirtless, wearing a leather kilt, 572 00:29:20,262 --> 00:29:24,015 and holding a little dog with a pink bow in its hair. 573 00:29:24,099 --> 00:29:27,894 It reminded me of the movie Silence of the Lambs, 574 00:29:27,978 --> 00:29:30,772 where that particular serial killer, Buffalo Bill, 575 00:29:30,855 --> 00:29:33,358 had a little dog with a bow in its hair. 576 00:29:33,441 --> 00:29:35,235 And it was kinda surreal. 577 00:29:35,318 --> 00:29:36,695 It was odd. 578 00:29:37,779 --> 00:29:39,322 And he goes, "Oh hey, Trooper, how you doing?" 579 00:29:39,406 --> 00:29:40,991 And I kind of explained to him, like, 580 00:29:41,074 --> 00:29:43,285 "Hey, we're looking for someone who went missing. 581 00:29:43,368 --> 00:29:46,162 His name's Kevin Bacon. Do you know him?" 582 00:29:46,246 --> 00:29:49,165 And he just kinda went, "Mm, no. Never heard of him." 583 00:29:51,501 --> 00:29:54,087 "Hey, do you mind if we come in and search the house, 584 00:29:54,170 --> 00:29:56,590 "check the house real quick, just to make sure everything's good 585 00:29:56,673 --> 00:29:58,550 and no one's here?" And he just paused, 586 00:29:58,633 --> 00:30:01,428 and waved me in and said, "Sure, come on in." 587 00:30:01,511 --> 00:30:04,014 ♪♪ 588 00:30:07,684 --> 00:30:11,646 I was thinking Kevin was probably here at Mark's house, 589 00:30:11,730 --> 00:30:14,858 and it was probably that they were hooking up. 590 00:30:14,941 --> 00:30:17,777 They met on a dating app, so he didn't want anyone to know 591 00:30:17,861 --> 00:30:19,446 what he was doing, like, that kind of thing. 592 00:30:19,529 --> 00:30:20,530 That's what I thought. 593 00:30:20,614 --> 00:30:23,491 I'm like, okay, he's gonna be here, sitting in the kitchen, whatever, 594 00:30:23,575 --> 00:30:26,411 or in the living room, you know, and they're just hanging out. 595 00:30:27,871 --> 00:30:29,414 We searched the first floor. 596 00:30:30,457 --> 00:30:32,000 Don't find anything remarkable, 597 00:30:32,083 --> 00:30:34,169 nothing that kinda piques our interest. 598 00:30:34,252 --> 00:30:38,340 We go upstairs, search the upstairs where Mark's bedroom is. 599 00:30:39,424 --> 00:30:42,219 There's Viking swords and helmets. 600 00:30:43,345 --> 00:30:47,265 Nothing that spoke crime. 601 00:30:47,349 --> 00:30:49,184 [♪ ominous music continues] 602 00:30:49,267 --> 00:30:51,228 We make our way to the basement. 603 00:30:51,311 --> 00:30:53,813 [echoing footsteps] 604 00:30:54,731 --> 00:30:57,192 And I kinda was looking on the ground, and there's a miter saw, 605 00:30:57,275 --> 00:30:59,319 and there's fresh-cut wood and sawdust. 606 00:31:00,820 --> 00:31:02,614 So, I put my hand on the wall 607 00:31:02,697 --> 00:31:05,992 thinking that I was gonna touch this wall and it would be cold to the touch, 608 00:31:06,076 --> 00:31:09,120 like your basement walls, but it was room temperature. 609 00:31:09,204 --> 00:31:11,665 So, I thought that was very odd. 610 00:31:11,748 --> 00:31:14,668 So, I push on it, and it gives a little bit. 611 00:31:14,751 --> 00:31:17,295 Then I push on it again, and it popped open. 612 00:31:18,171 --> 00:31:20,590 And it was kinda like a secret door, and it swung open. 613 00:31:20,674 --> 00:31:21,925 ♪♪ 614 00:31:22,008 --> 00:31:26,179 I peered into the opening, and I exclaimed, "Oh, my God!" 615 00:31:27,556 --> 00:31:30,684 [♪ disturbing music playing] 616 00:31:30,767 --> 00:31:34,771 It was just a crazy horror movie that I was in the middle of. 617 00:31:34,854 --> 00:31:36,731 ♪♪ 618 00:31:40,110 --> 00:31:43,488 [♪ ominous music playing] 619 00:31:45,115 --> 00:31:47,659 [narrator] Three days after he goes missing, 620 00:31:47,742 --> 00:31:50,453 investigators are looking for Kevin Bacon at the house 621 00:31:50,537 --> 00:31:52,372 of a potential predator. 622 00:31:52,455 --> 00:31:56,042 But even they aren't prepared for what they are about to find. 623 00:32:02,215 --> 00:32:05,427 [Viviano] At first, I didn't think it was real. 624 00:32:05,510 --> 00:32:06,928 [♪ disturbing sting] 625 00:32:07,012 --> 00:32:08,054 That's not real. 626 00:32:09,222 --> 00:32:12,350 It's like a dummy or something that's fake, you know? 627 00:32:13,768 --> 00:32:16,021 And then, my sensibility got the best of me, 628 00:32:16,104 --> 00:32:18,106 and I was like, "Oh no, it's real." 629 00:32:18,189 --> 00:32:20,108 ♪♪ 630 00:32:20,191 --> 00:32:23,153 I've never seen anything like that. 631 00:32:24,195 --> 00:32:28,074 I'm still shocked to this day that we found him like that. 632 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,786 ♪♪ 633 00:32:31,870 --> 00:32:34,873 My partner's head is peering around the corner from the top of the stairs, 634 00:32:34,956 --> 00:32:37,626 kinda like giving me like a "What's going on?" kinda thing. 635 00:32:37,709 --> 00:32:42,172 So, I look up at him, and I give him the universal sign that we use 636 00:32:42,255 --> 00:32:44,216 for cuff somebody up, put handcuffs on him. 637 00:32:44,299 --> 00:32:46,801 -[siren wails] -[police radio chatter] 638 00:32:48,303 --> 00:32:49,638 I go up to my sergeant. 639 00:32:49,721 --> 00:32:51,473 I said, "Sarge, he's in there." 640 00:32:51,556 --> 00:32:53,016 "Oh good, you found him?" 641 00:32:53,099 --> 00:32:55,018 "No, Sarge, he's dead. 642 00:32:55,101 --> 00:32:56,102 ♪♪ 643 00:32:56,186 --> 00:32:58,188 He's hanging from the ceiling in the basement." 644 00:33:01,399 --> 00:33:05,195 [narrator] Detectives Moore and Dirkse meet Trooper Viviano at the scene 645 00:33:05,278 --> 00:33:07,447 and take Latunski back to the station. 646 00:33:21,127 --> 00:33:24,506 [Moore] Mark told us that he did know Kevin 647 00:33:24,589 --> 00:33:26,049 through the dating app, 648 00:33:26,132 --> 00:33:28,343 that Kevin had approached him 649 00:33:28,426 --> 00:33:30,845 about consensual sexual activity. 650 00:33:50,448 --> 00:33:54,244 Kevin was gonna act as if he was kidnapped, and Latunski facilitated that. 651 00:33:54,327 --> 00:33:55,537 [door creaks] 652 00:33:55,620 --> 00:33:57,414 That was part of the role-play. 653 00:33:57,497 --> 00:33:58,957 [♪ ominous music continues] 654 00:34:00,041 --> 00:34:01,668 [Moore] As he's being led into the house 655 00:34:01,751 --> 00:34:03,753 and down into the basement, 656 00:34:03,837 --> 00:34:06,047 once they went into this room, 657 00:34:06,131 --> 00:34:08,133 the sexual activity occurred. 658 00:34:19,060 --> 00:34:21,396 Mark stated that he stabbed Kevin 659 00:34:21,479 --> 00:34:23,773 in the back of the neck with a knife. 660 00:34:23,857 --> 00:34:26,818 [♪ tense music playing] 661 00:35:01,895 --> 00:35:07,359 He then used the rope to hoist Kevin up by his ankles. 662 00:35:10,528 --> 00:35:13,114 You're not prepared to hear the things that he was telling us, 663 00:35:13,198 --> 00:35:15,325 but we have to keep our emotions in check. 664 00:35:16,326 --> 00:35:19,454 [narrator] Latunski admits to killing Kevin, 665 00:35:19,537 --> 00:35:21,164 but he insists that it wasn't a murder. 666 00:35:22,749 --> 00:35:25,210 Mark told us after the sexual activity occurred, 667 00:35:25,293 --> 00:35:28,380 that Kevin wanted Mark to kill him, 668 00:35:28,463 --> 00:35:30,257 to end his life. 669 00:35:50,735 --> 00:35:54,114 Latunski thought, you know, in his mind, this was an assisted suicide. 670 00:35:54,197 --> 00:35:56,408 What in the world, you know? 671 00:35:56,491 --> 00:35:58,076 What is this guy all about? 672 00:35:58,159 --> 00:35:59,369 ...160 pounds. 673 00:35:59,452 --> 00:36:02,414 There's no doubt in my mind, there's no doubt in anybody else's mind 674 00:36:02,497 --> 00:36:04,541 that Kevin did not want to die. 675 00:36:05,458 --> 00:36:08,128 He did not go into this looking to commit suicide. 676 00:36:08,211 --> 00:36:10,964 ♪ My eyes closed ♪ 677 00:36:11,047 --> 00:36:13,091 Kevin had mentioned in the text messages 678 00:36:13,174 --> 00:36:15,760 that he wanted to make sure that he was gonna be safe. 679 00:36:15,844 --> 00:36:17,637 He asked, "Am I gonna be safe?" 680 00:36:17,721 --> 00:36:19,681 ♪ Won't you leave my mind? ♪ 681 00:36:19,764 --> 00:36:22,809 He expected to be home with his family for Christmas. 682 00:36:24,853 --> 00:36:26,354 [♪ tense music playing] 683 00:36:26,438 --> 00:36:29,816 At the end of the interview, he wanted to know when he was going home. 684 00:36:29,900 --> 00:36:32,235 And we ended up breaking it to him. "Sorry, you're going to jail. 685 00:36:32,319 --> 00:36:33,486 You're not going home." 686 00:36:36,823 --> 00:36:38,825 "You're being arrested for the murder of Kevin Bacon." 687 00:36:43,121 --> 00:36:45,165 [Dirkse] I've dealt with a wide range of different people throughout my career. 688 00:36:45,248 --> 00:36:48,543 There's usually a little bit of humanness and a little bit of... 689 00:36:48,627 --> 00:36:51,463 remorse most of the time. 690 00:36:51,546 --> 00:36:52,839 But there was nothing. 691 00:36:52,923 --> 00:36:55,217 He didn't think anything he did was wrong, 692 00:36:55,300 --> 00:36:57,052 which was hard to understand. 693 00:36:57,135 --> 00:36:59,346 ♪♪ 694 00:36:59,429 --> 00:37:01,681 [♪ somber music playing] 695 00:37:01,765 --> 00:37:04,643 [narrator] Investigators finally know the grisly truth 696 00:37:04,726 --> 00:37:08,480 and are burdened with informing his loved ones. 697 00:37:08,563 --> 00:37:10,732 [Moore] I mean, parents aren't supposed to bury their kids, 698 00:37:10,815 --> 00:37:13,985 let alone in this fashion. 699 00:37:14,069 --> 00:37:17,989 So, to see them and to see their reaction was kind of heartbreaking. 700 00:37:19,532 --> 00:37:22,452 ♪ It all starts somewhere ♪ 701 00:37:24,412 --> 00:37:28,041 ♪ The innocence and fantasies ♪ 702 00:37:28,124 --> 00:37:29,960 My phone immediately started blowing up. 703 00:37:30,043 --> 00:37:32,212 Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, everywhere. 704 00:37:32,295 --> 00:37:34,798 And I just knew. Even before I opened my phone, I just knew. 705 00:37:34,881 --> 00:37:36,633 ♪ And it all goes nowhere ♪ 706 00:37:36,716 --> 00:37:39,636 [Michelle] I cannot even encapsulate how painful 707 00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:41,763 that moment was for me then. 708 00:37:41,846 --> 00:37:44,140 A pain that I've never, ever experienced before. 709 00:37:44,224 --> 00:37:48,770 ♪ Broken-hearted dreams ♪ 710 00:37:48,853 --> 00:37:50,689 ♪ You were my friend ♪ 711 00:37:50,772 --> 00:37:54,109 ♪ You were my treasure ♪ 712 00:37:54,192 --> 00:37:56,111 [narrator] The social media world now turns 713 00:37:56,194 --> 00:37:59,406 from searching for Kevin to mourning him. 714 00:38:00,448 --> 00:38:03,743 And when Kevin's personal idol hears about the tragedy, 715 00:38:03,827 --> 00:38:05,745 he reaches out to help. 716 00:38:06,830 --> 00:38:10,208 I'm so devastated for the Bacon family. 717 00:38:10,292 --> 00:38:11,835 Um... 718 00:38:11,918 --> 00:38:13,169 [sighs] I don't know. 719 00:38:13,253 --> 00:38:15,171 Here is sweet Kevin, and I want you guys 720 00:38:15,255 --> 00:38:18,341 to, um, be able to link to his GoFundMe. 721 00:38:18,425 --> 00:38:20,051 So, if you guys wanna swipe up. 722 00:38:20,969 --> 00:38:22,095 Kevin, I love you. 723 00:38:23,179 --> 00:38:25,682 [LeRae] He had a really beautiful, beautiful service. 724 00:38:25,765 --> 00:38:28,768 And honestly, a lot of that, thanks to Jeffree Star, 725 00:38:28,852 --> 00:38:32,063 and all of the followers, 'cause they donated the 20K. 726 00:38:32,147 --> 00:38:37,152 ♪ I bet it's so nice up in Heaven since you arrived ♪ 727 00:38:37,235 --> 00:38:38,987 It was just so good to see, you know, 728 00:38:39,070 --> 00:38:43,074 so many people out to just make sure he was done right. 729 00:38:43,158 --> 00:38:48,538 ♪ 'Cause here on Earth, everything's different ♪ 730 00:38:51,499 --> 00:38:54,044 [♪ somber music playing] 731 00:38:55,253 --> 00:38:57,172 [Scott Koerner] I'm Scott Koerner, the elected prosecutor 732 00:38:57,255 --> 00:38:58,632 of Shiawassee County. 733 00:38:58,715 --> 00:39:00,926 Latunski's initial defense counsel filed 734 00:39:01,009 --> 00:39:03,053 what's called the notice of insanity defense, 735 00:39:03,136 --> 00:39:05,764 which means that if he was found insane, 736 00:39:05,847 --> 00:39:08,433 he would not be responsible for the crime. 737 00:39:08,516 --> 00:39:11,770 [narrator] That leads to two and a half years of legal motions, 738 00:39:11,853 --> 00:39:16,942 competency evaluations, and psychiatric hospitalizations. 739 00:39:17,025 --> 00:39:19,277 [Koerner] He was aware of what he was doing. 740 00:39:19,361 --> 00:39:21,029 We had internet searches 741 00:39:21,112 --> 00:39:22,906 that were taking place the night before 742 00:39:22,989 --> 00:39:24,783 about a certain type of knife. 743 00:39:24,866 --> 00:39:26,618 We have receipts from the Home Depot 744 00:39:26,701 --> 00:39:29,412 where Latunski went and purchased that knife 745 00:39:29,496 --> 00:39:31,831 just prior to the murder, the night before. 746 00:39:31,915 --> 00:39:33,333 And then, we had his confession. 747 00:39:33,416 --> 00:39:36,503 So, we felt confident there was a lot of evidence. 748 00:39:36,586 --> 00:39:39,172 [♪ dramatic music playing] 749 00:39:40,465 --> 00:39:44,219 As to premeditated murder, Mr. Latunski, 750 00:39:44,302 --> 00:39:46,179 it is the sentence of this court 751 00:39:46,263 --> 00:39:48,306 that you serve out the remainder of your life 752 00:39:48,390 --> 00:39:51,184 in the Michigan Department of Corrections, 753 00:39:51,268 --> 00:39:53,687 without the possibility of parole. 754 00:39:53,770 --> 00:39:57,107 ♪ Deep down, you go ♪ 755 00:39:57,190 --> 00:39:59,150 [Pamela Bacon] But it don't bring Kevin back, 756 00:39:59,234 --> 00:40:02,779 but at least now, we got some type of closure. 757 00:40:02,862 --> 00:40:05,365 ♪ And though you wonder ♪ 758 00:40:06,866 --> 00:40:09,035 [Michelle] Kevin was murdered in someone's basement 759 00:40:09,119 --> 00:40:11,288 by a person that he trusted. 760 00:40:11,371 --> 00:40:14,457 He was missing this aspect that he wanted of, like, a long-term connection, 761 00:40:14,541 --> 00:40:16,710 and I think he didn't know what could happen. 762 00:40:16,793 --> 00:40:20,046 ♪ And the ghosts are gone ♪ 763 00:40:21,381 --> 00:40:25,510 [narrator] While Latunski's conviction is a small comfort to Kevin's family, 764 00:40:25,594 --> 00:40:30,640 law enforcement believes that the screenshots he took 765 00:40:30,724 --> 00:40:33,018 led them to a budding serial killer. 766 00:40:33,101 --> 00:40:36,688 To them, Kevin is a hero. 767 00:40:36,771 --> 00:40:39,065 Kevin probably saved a lot of lives. 768 00:40:41,318 --> 00:40:45,280 [Moore] Had Kevin not taken those screenshots, 769 00:40:45,363 --> 00:40:49,034 we don't know how quickly Mark would have been identified 770 00:40:49,117 --> 00:40:50,452 as a person of interest. 771 00:40:51,369 --> 00:40:55,290 And it is very likely that Kevin's body may never have been found. 772 00:40:56,291 --> 00:40:58,001 [Dirkse] It cost him his life, 773 00:40:58,084 --> 00:41:00,962 but we got a true predator off the streets 774 00:41:01,046 --> 00:41:03,798 and put in prison in Latunski, 775 00:41:03,882 --> 00:41:05,133 all thanks to Kevin. 776 00:41:05,217 --> 00:41:07,010 ♪♪ 777 00:41:07,093 --> 00:41:09,471 [LeRae] He's kind of always in the back of my head, 778 00:41:09,554 --> 00:41:13,433 like, almost to make sure that I'm still kind of a good person. 779 00:41:14,935 --> 00:41:18,396 I just wanna make sure that I do him proud up there. 780 00:41:32,369 --> 00:41:35,622 ♪ I don't know where my head is lately ♪ 781 00:41:35,705 --> 00:41:37,707 ♪ Have I lost my mind? ♪ 782 00:41:37,791 --> 00:41:40,418 ♪♪ 783 00:41:40,502 --> 00:41:41,503 [exhale] 784 00:41:45,924 --> 00:41:49,261 ♪ But I know that I have a secret ♪ 785 00:41:49,344 --> 00:41:51,846 ♪ And it's only mine ♪ 786 00:41:51,930 --> 00:41:53,932 ♪♪ 787 00:41:59,437 --> 00:42:02,983 ♪ And the only way to find me ♪ 788 00:42:03,066 --> 00:42:06,778 ♪ Is to go beneath the lies ♪