1 00:00:00,667 --> 00:00:04,003 (suspenseful music) 2 00:00:07,799 --> 00:00:10,468 [Narrator] A newborn child is found abandoned 3 00:00:10,468 --> 00:00:12,387 and near death in a ditch. 4 00:00:13,722 --> 00:00:15,807 - It's likely for this small town no one can comprehend 5 00:00:15,807 --> 00:00:18,184 who could have committed this kind of crime. 6 00:00:19,728 --> 00:00:22,021 - [Narrator] A community claims the child as their own. 7 00:00:22,021 --> 00:00:23,732 (suspenseful instrumental music) 8 00:00:23,732 --> 00:00:25,859 - This is a horrible tragedy, 9 00:00:25,859 --> 00:00:30,613 but it reveals a community of people motivated to do good. 10 00:00:32,073 --> 00:00:35,784 - There's so little to go on and the case goes cold fast. 11 00:00:35,784 --> 00:00:38,162 - You got a baby here that doesn't have a family. 12 00:00:39,372 --> 00:00:41,165 We need to find out what happened. 13 00:00:42,167 --> 00:00:44,043 - [Narrator] Eventually, technology 14 00:00:44,043 --> 00:00:46,880 and old-fashioned detective work catches up. 15 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:48,798 - We're gonna solve this. 16 00:00:48,798 --> 00:00:50,467 I'm gonna bring this home. 17 00:00:50,467 --> 00:00:52,927 - Police desperately need clues. 18 00:00:52,927 --> 00:00:54,804 - You almost have to rely on tips, 19 00:00:54,804 --> 00:00:57,015 the community coming together. 20 00:00:57,015 --> 00:00:59,100 (suspenseful instrumental music) 21 00:00:59,100 --> 00:01:01,936 - [Narrator] And one woman will face the past 22 00:01:01,936 --> 00:01:04,105 she tried to desperately bury. 23 00:01:04,105 --> 00:01:08,318 (suspenseful instrumental music) 24 00:01:09,444 --> 00:01:11,279 - The unsolved ones, 25 00:01:11,279 --> 00:01:13,072 we have to stand up. 26 00:01:13,072 --> 00:01:16,785 - And approach these cases in a way outside the box. 27 00:01:16,785 --> 00:01:18,536 (door creaking) - Let the world know, 28 00:01:18,536 --> 00:01:20,371 is for those out there that did commit a murder, 29 00:01:20,371 --> 00:01:22,373 there are people that are coming after you. 30 00:01:22,373 --> 00:01:24,125 - There's just a lot of good people trying 31 00:01:24,125 --> 00:01:25,834 to do the right thing. (emergency siren whaling) 32 00:01:25,834 --> 00:01:27,378 - Because it's something that you have 33 00:01:27,378 --> 00:01:29,047 to be passionate about. 34 00:01:29,047 --> 00:01:32,050 - Solve this, bring some peace to the family at least. 35 00:01:32,050 --> 00:01:33,384 I'm just doing my job. 36 00:01:33,384 --> 00:01:35,595 (suspenseful instrumental music) 37 00:01:35,595 --> 00:01:39,182 (Koki scribbling on paper) 38 00:01:39,182 --> 00:01:42,477 (ominous instrumental music) 39 00:01:42,477 --> 00:01:44,729 - [Narrator] Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 40 00:01:45,813 --> 00:01:47,315 on a chilly winter day. 41 00:01:48,191 --> 00:01:49,818 It's later in the afternoon 42 00:01:49,818 --> 00:01:52,612 when police receive a panicked call for help. 43 00:01:52,612 --> 00:01:54,280 (indistinct radio chatter) 44 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,451 - A baby is found in ravine in the outskirts of town. 45 00:01:58,451 --> 00:01:59,869 The frantic caller thinks 46 00:01:59,869 --> 00:02:02,205 there's still a chance for survival. 47 00:02:03,248 --> 00:02:04,541 - Police speed to the scene. 48 00:02:04,541 --> 00:02:07,210 It's a fluke that this newborn has been found. 49 00:02:08,377 --> 00:02:09,879 - [Narrator] Earlier that afternoon, 50 00:02:09,879 --> 00:02:12,465 a Sioux Falls man, Lee Litz, 51 00:02:12,465 --> 00:02:14,342 is test driving a vehicle. 52 00:02:14,342 --> 00:02:17,345 - It was on the edge of Sioux Falls, 53 00:02:17,345 --> 00:02:18,763 again, farming country, 54 00:02:18,763 --> 00:02:20,348 a dirt field approach where a farmer 55 00:02:20,348 --> 00:02:23,143 would take his tractor into the cornfield. 56 00:02:23,143 --> 00:02:24,477 - Ahead in the distance, 57 00:02:24,477 --> 00:02:26,729 Litz sees what appears to be red wine spilled 58 00:02:26,729 --> 00:02:29,607 on the side of the wintry gravel road. 59 00:02:29,607 --> 00:02:31,693 - He pulls over for a closer look. 60 00:02:31,693 --> 00:02:36,030 (suspenseful instrumental music) 61 00:02:38,575 --> 00:02:41,202 The red wine color is from a newish blanket 62 00:02:41,202 --> 00:02:44,622 that's protruding from the ditch on the side of the road. 63 00:02:45,957 --> 00:02:47,458 - [Narrator] With the terrible premonition, 64 00:02:47,458 --> 00:02:48,960 (dramatic instrumental music) 65 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,463 Litz steps into the cold to examine the site. 66 00:02:54,674 --> 00:02:56,008 - And they saw what looked like, 67 00:02:56,008 --> 00:02:57,677 and one of the comments was a doll. 68 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:00,138 (somber instrumental music) 69 00:03:00,138 --> 00:03:02,724 Like, why would that be thrown in the ditch? 70 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:05,018 (dramatic instrumental music) 71 00:03:05,018 --> 00:03:08,270 - It was a baby boy in some blankets and blood. 72 00:03:08,270 --> 00:03:12,150 (somber instrumental music) 73 00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:15,612 (ominous instrumental music) 74 00:03:15,612 --> 00:03:17,614 - The child's umbilical cord 75 00:03:17,614 --> 00:03:19,741 and placenta are still attached, 76 00:03:21,034 --> 00:03:24,162 and Litz notices that the child has been crying. 77 00:03:25,788 --> 00:03:30,627 - This case was so horrific that the baby was left 78 00:03:30,627 --> 00:03:35,131 in a ditch in the winter to slowly freeze to death. 79 00:03:35,131 --> 00:03:36,716 And when the baby was discovered, 80 00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:40,511 there were tears frozen on his face. 81 00:03:40,511 --> 00:03:42,597 That makes me so angry. 82 00:03:42,597 --> 00:03:46,226 (camera shutter clicking) (ominous instrumental music) 83 00:03:46,226 --> 00:03:49,354 - Police lose no time getting to the scene, 84 00:03:49,354 --> 00:03:50,605 but it's too late. 85 00:03:52,148 --> 00:03:55,818 The baby is dead and his tiny body has no apparent injuries. 86 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:58,571 All they've got so far, 87 00:03:58,571 --> 00:04:00,531 in addition to the wine-colored blanket 88 00:04:00,531 --> 00:04:01,699 the baby is wrapped in, 89 00:04:01,699 --> 00:04:03,117 is a bed sheet. 90 00:04:04,994 --> 00:04:07,330 - It really didn't tell you much at all. 91 00:04:08,665 --> 00:04:12,710 A gravel road that has hundreds of thousands of tire tracks. 92 00:04:14,212 --> 00:04:17,423 - The reality is that weather-related contamination due 93 00:04:17,423 --> 00:04:20,885 to wind and snow is blowing away evidence. 94 00:04:20,885 --> 00:04:23,721 They go over the scene of the discovery in a thorough, 95 00:04:23,721 --> 00:04:26,933 (camera shutter clicking) systematic search for clues. 96 00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:30,603 - When you're dealing with an infant or a child case, 97 00:04:30,603 --> 00:04:32,272 it's at a whole nother level. 98 00:04:33,690 --> 00:04:35,440 I'm not saying we don't work hard on adult cases, 99 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:37,777 but man, you really give it all you can 100 00:04:37,777 --> 00:04:39,237 when there's a baby involved. 101 00:04:39,237 --> 00:04:40,654 (camera shutter clicking) 102 00:04:40,654 --> 00:04:41,863 - From the outside, 103 00:04:41,863 --> 00:04:44,450 forensics can be seen as gruesome at times, 104 00:04:44,450 --> 00:04:46,869 especially in homicide investigations. 105 00:04:46,869 --> 00:04:48,579 (camera shutter clicking) 106 00:04:48,579 --> 00:04:49,914 But for the professionals 107 00:04:49,914 --> 00:04:52,750 who do this work day in and day out, 108 00:04:52,750 --> 00:04:55,545 it's about the greater purpose. 109 00:04:56,879 --> 00:05:00,550 - There simply wasn't anything at that scene but a blanket, 110 00:05:00,550 --> 00:05:02,969 a baby, (camera shutter clicking) 111 00:05:02,969 --> 00:05:05,471 and some other articles within that blanket. 112 00:05:06,889 --> 00:05:09,851 - There are no more clues and nothing else to go on. 113 00:05:10,935 --> 00:05:12,729 - [Narrator] Officers find clothing 114 00:05:12,729 --> 00:05:14,856 with traces of blood nearby. 115 00:05:15,773 --> 00:05:17,567 A shirt (camera shutter clicking) 116 00:05:17,567 --> 00:05:19,277 (suspenseful rumbling music) and a pair 117 00:05:19,277 --> 00:05:22,779 of women's underwear. (camera shutter clicking) 118 00:05:22,779 --> 00:05:25,658 Meanwhile, the tiny body is taken 119 00:05:25,658 --> 00:05:29,077 to the Minnehaha County county coroner for autopsy. 120 00:05:29,746 --> 00:05:32,332 Lee Litz is only the first 121 00:05:32,332 --> 00:05:34,751 who will become consumed by this case. 122 00:05:34,751 --> 00:05:36,294 (suspenseful rumbling music) 123 00:05:36,294 --> 00:05:40,548 The discovery of the baby's body stuns and horrifies 124 00:05:40,548 --> 00:05:44,886 Sioux Falls residents and they demand answers. 125 00:05:45,803 --> 00:05:47,764 - There's a groundswell of people 126 00:05:47,764 --> 00:05:51,601 who mobilize themselves for this unknown child. 127 00:05:51,601 --> 00:05:53,519 (ominous instrumental music) 128 00:05:53,519 --> 00:05:55,980 - And here, you're talking also before social media, 129 00:05:55,980 --> 00:05:57,857 so people would've found this out listening 130 00:05:57,857 --> 00:06:02,487 to the old radio news and probably the six o'clock news. 131 00:06:02,487 --> 00:06:04,822 And you could just feel, 132 00:06:04,822 --> 00:06:06,199 even from reading the report, 133 00:06:06,199 --> 00:06:08,368 that this shook the community. 134 00:06:09,786 --> 00:06:11,579 - Everyone now pins their hopes on some revelation 135 00:06:11,579 --> 00:06:15,166 from the autopsy report. (ominous instrumental music) 136 00:06:15,166 --> 00:06:18,127 - [Narrator] The coroner finds the baby is born alive 137 00:06:18,127 --> 00:06:20,505 and the cause of death is likely exposure 138 00:06:20,505 --> 00:06:24,258 and failure to assist the baby in maintaining an airway. 139 00:06:25,802 --> 00:06:28,178 - Police desperately need clues. 140 00:06:29,430 --> 00:06:31,933 - I mean, you're talking about a very safe community. 141 00:06:31,933 --> 00:06:33,684 No one locked their doors, 142 00:06:33,684 --> 00:06:35,353 especially back then. 143 00:06:35,353 --> 00:06:36,646 This was unheard of. 144 00:06:38,064 --> 00:06:40,565 - It's a small community and everyone is looking 145 00:06:40,565 --> 00:06:44,654 at each other and wondering who could have done this? 146 00:06:44,654 --> 00:06:45,947 - You know, where do we start? 147 00:06:45,947 --> 00:06:48,241 There has to be a string to pull at. 148 00:06:48,241 --> 00:06:50,201 There has to be something we can shake loose out 149 00:06:50,201 --> 00:06:51,244 of this tree, 150 00:06:51,244 --> 00:06:53,830 and there just simply wasn't. 151 00:06:54,831 --> 00:06:56,999 - But the unspeakable has happened 152 00:06:56,999 --> 00:07:00,962 and suspicion has been sewn in a small South Dakota city. 153 00:07:00,962 --> 00:07:05,133 (suspenseful rumbling music) 154 00:07:06,134 --> 00:07:08,970 But one woman struggles alone in secret. 155 00:07:08,970 --> 00:07:11,389 She makes a choice that will haunt her 156 00:07:11,389 --> 00:07:13,433 and an entire community. 157 00:07:14,934 --> 00:07:17,478 The police need to find the mother. 158 00:07:17,478 --> 00:07:21,232 (camera shutter clicking) (ominous instrumental music) 159 00:07:21,232 --> 00:07:23,025 - [Narrator] An anonymous woman steps forward 160 00:07:23,025 --> 00:07:25,736 to claim the body and arrange the funeral. 161 00:07:27,071 --> 00:07:29,323 About 50 residents attend the burial 162 00:07:29,323 --> 00:07:31,826 in St. Michael Catholic Cemetery, 163 00:07:31,826 --> 00:07:35,371 including Lee Litz who found the child's body. 164 00:07:36,581 --> 00:07:39,125 Nearly all the funeral services are donated. 165 00:07:40,042 --> 00:07:41,794 - But the community came together 166 00:07:41,794 --> 00:07:43,463 and gave him a a beautiful funeral. 167 00:07:44,964 --> 00:07:47,216 There was a local funeral home in Sioux Falls here, 168 00:07:47,216 --> 00:07:49,886 he stepped up and paid for the whole funeral. 169 00:07:49,886 --> 00:07:51,596 (somber piano music) 170 00:07:51,596 --> 00:07:54,182 The flower donations coming in, it's incredible. 171 00:07:55,016 --> 00:07:56,350 And to be honest with you, 172 00:07:56,350 --> 00:07:58,019 that's what we should be doing, 173 00:07:58,019 --> 00:07:59,770 especially when it's a baby. 174 00:08:01,147 --> 00:08:03,399 - Next to the casket is a bouquet of flowers 175 00:08:03,399 --> 00:08:05,693 and a ribbon with the name, Andrew, 176 00:08:05,693 --> 00:08:09,113 the name given to the baby by an anonymous donor. 177 00:08:09,113 --> 00:08:12,241 - The child's buried in a tiny, white casket. 178 00:08:13,242 --> 00:08:15,995 There are flowers, stuffed animals, 179 00:08:15,995 --> 00:08:18,498 and a note pinned to his pajamas that reads, 180 00:08:18,498 --> 00:08:19,916 "You are loved." 181 00:08:21,083 --> 00:08:23,836 - [Narrator] Baby Andrew's name is immortalized 182 00:08:23,836 --> 00:08:25,129 on his headstone. 183 00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:30,885 - Andrew John Doe is what is on his gravestone. 184 00:08:30,885 --> 00:08:32,178 (somber piano music) 185 00:08:32,178 --> 00:08:34,013 I don't know how the John Doe got kept, 186 00:08:34,013 --> 00:08:36,098 maybe there's some legalities to that, 187 00:08:36,098 --> 00:08:37,016 but that just became his name. 188 00:08:37,016 --> 00:08:38,809 At least he had a name. 189 00:08:38,809 --> 00:08:41,229 (somber piano music) 190 00:08:41,229 --> 00:08:43,105 - With all of Sioux Falls asking, 191 00:08:43,105 --> 00:08:46,609 how could someone have done this to an innocent newborn, 192 00:08:46,609 --> 00:08:48,903 the mother seems bound to be identified. 193 00:08:50,238 --> 00:08:52,865 The witness describes to police a light-colored vehicle 194 00:08:52,865 --> 00:08:54,951 that was parked near the crime scene. 195 00:08:54,951 --> 00:08:57,245 (ominous instrumental music) 196 00:08:57,245 --> 00:08:58,828 - The clue is big. 197 00:08:58,828 --> 00:09:02,250 Police believe they can close in on Baby Andrew's mother. 198 00:09:03,708 --> 00:09:05,753 - [Narrator] And by closing in on Baby Andrew's mother, 199 00:09:05,753 --> 00:09:09,215 detectives hope they can finally unravel the mystery 200 00:09:09,215 --> 00:09:13,469 of just who is Baby Andrew and who left him to die. 201 00:09:13,469 --> 00:09:17,557 (upbeat instrumental music) 202 00:09:19,225 --> 00:09:23,020 (suspenseful instrumental music) 203 00:09:24,146 --> 00:09:27,232 Tragedy it's a small town in South Dakota. 204 00:09:27,232 --> 00:09:30,361 A Sioux Falls man notices something strange at the side 205 00:09:30,361 --> 00:09:33,114 of a country road and is horrified 206 00:09:33,114 --> 00:09:36,117 to discover a newborn baby boy wrapped 207 00:09:36,117 --> 00:09:37,868 in a heat and blanket. (camera shutter clicking) 208 00:09:37,868 --> 00:09:39,287 (suspenseful instrumental music) 209 00:09:39,287 --> 00:09:41,914 Two items of bloodied clothes are discovered 210 00:09:41,914 --> 00:09:44,292 (camera shutter clicking) but nothing else. 211 00:09:44,292 --> 00:09:45,793 (camera shutter clicking) 212 00:09:45,793 --> 00:09:48,087 As a community clamors for answers, 213 00:09:48,087 --> 00:09:50,214 police receive a promising tip. 214 00:09:50,214 --> 00:09:54,218 A description of a vehicle that was seen in the area 215 00:09:54,218 --> 00:09:56,304 with the glimpse of a woman's legs 216 00:09:56,304 --> 00:09:58,931 and some blankets hanging out the door. 217 00:09:58,931 --> 00:10:01,142 Police hunt for the car, 218 00:10:01,142 --> 00:10:02,309 while they sift through more 219 00:10:02,309 --> 00:10:04,520 and more potential leads that are coming in. 220 00:10:05,896 --> 00:10:08,232 - Meanwhile, local residents are still grappling 221 00:10:08,232 --> 00:10:10,610 with this seemingly senseless act. 222 00:10:11,902 --> 00:10:13,821 - [Narrator] Lee Litz is haunted by the lonely death 223 00:10:13,821 --> 00:10:16,073 of the baby in the ditch. (somber instrumental music) 224 00:10:16,073 --> 00:10:17,950 - [Lee Voiceover] "I can still see the little boy lying 225 00:10:17,950 --> 00:10:21,287 "in his casket and feeling this is so wrong." 226 00:10:22,078 --> 00:10:23,706 - Lee Litz's his wife is pregnant 227 00:10:23,706 --> 00:10:25,625 when he discovers Baby Andrew, 228 00:10:27,001 --> 00:10:29,670 and his daughter is almost the same age as Baby Andrew. 229 00:10:31,255 --> 00:10:34,425 Litz agonizes that he did not find Andrew fast enough 230 00:10:34,425 --> 00:10:37,261 to save him. (somber instrumental music) 231 00:10:37,261 --> 00:10:39,221 - Two days after the funeral, 232 00:10:39,221 --> 00:10:41,390 he hears about a baby that was dropped off 233 00:10:41,390 --> 00:10:43,684 in front of a local fire station. 234 00:10:45,186 --> 00:10:48,522 He wishes Baby Andrew had the same chance. 235 00:10:51,192 --> 00:10:52,985 (ominous instrumental music) 236 00:10:52,985 --> 00:10:54,362 - [Lee Voiceover] "I sure would've adopted him, 237 00:10:54,362 --> 00:10:58,115 "rather than see him die like that," Lee Litz. 238 00:10:59,784 --> 00:11:02,662 Litz turns to alcohol in the weeks following. 239 00:11:04,163 --> 00:11:07,416 - Grief can include symptoms like nightmares, flashbacks, 240 00:11:07,416 --> 00:11:09,502 (suspenseful instrumental music) 241 00:11:09,502 --> 00:11:11,754 uncontrollable thoughts about the event. 242 00:11:13,381 --> 00:11:16,384 - Litz wants justice for Andrew and only the capture 243 00:11:16,384 --> 00:11:18,678 of the baby's killer will satisfy him. 244 00:11:20,179 --> 00:11:22,139 - [Lee Voiceover] "To see a child thrown away like that, 245 00:11:22,139 --> 00:11:23,349 "how could someone do that? 246 00:11:23,349 --> 00:11:26,686 "Someone got away with murder," Lee Litz. 247 00:11:28,229 --> 00:11:30,398 - Police aren't finding the vehicle 248 00:11:32,316 --> 00:11:34,151 but they do have tips about pregnant women 249 00:11:34,151 --> 00:11:38,655 who are no longer pregnant and there's no baby to be seen. 250 00:11:39,740 --> 00:11:41,367 - That was a typical tip 251 00:11:41,367 --> 00:11:43,953 and they would go knock on the door. 252 00:11:43,953 --> 00:11:45,955 She would either answer the door with the baby 253 00:11:45,955 --> 00:11:49,583 in her arms or maybe there's some paperwork for adoption. 254 00:11:49,583 --> 00:11:51,794 Just those dead ends, constantly. 255 00:11:53,337 --> 00:11:55,256 There just wasn't anything to follow up on at all 256 00:11:55,256 --> 00:11:56,090 and you think there would be, 257 00:11:56,090 --> 00:11:57,717 someone would've noticed this. 258 00:11:59,218 --> 00:12:00,678 - There aren't more than a handful of unsolved cases 259 00:12:00,678 --> 00:12:02,722 in the Sioux Falls community, 260 00:12:04,098 --> 00:12:06,726 and unfortunately, this could become one of them. 261 00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:10,604 (ominous instrumental music) 262 00:12:10,604 --> 00:12:13,315 All investigators had to go on was the fabrics 263 00:12:13,315 --> 00:12:14,984 from the ditch and the blood type. 264 00:12:15,943 --> 00:12:17,486 Despite the blood 265 00:12:17,486 --> 00:12:18,904 on the shirt and underwear, (camera shutter clicking) 266 00:12:18,904 --> 00:12:20,489 this is 1981. 267 00:12:20,489 --> 00:12:24,076 It's five years away from the first time DNA will be used 268 00:12:24,076 --> 00:12:25,619 in a criminal case. 269 00:12:26,453 --> 00:12:28,497 The DNA technology that we've come to take 270 00:12:28,497 --> 00:12:32,042 for granted today doesn't yet exist. 271 00:12:32,042 --> 00:12:34,378 - And again, back then their minds weren't on, 272 00:12:34,378 --> 00:12:37,548 gosh, I could send this off for DNA or anything. 273 00:12:37,548 --> 00:12:41,177 They were still relying on that phone call to come in 274 00:12:41,177 --> 00:12:43,179 because it's such a unique case. 275 00:12:44,513 --> 00:12:46,891 - [Narrator] After following up every lead possible, 276 00:12:46,891 --> 00:12:49,143 the police have no suspects. 277 00:12:50,311 --> 00:12:51,729 - This is tough because Baby Andrew 278 00:12:51,729 --> 00:12:54,315 has become important to the detectives. 279 00:12:54,315 --> 00:12:55,649 (ominous instrumental music) 280 00:12:55,649 --> 00:13:00,237 - You do everything you can to have it absolutely run out. 281 00:13:00,237 --> 00:13:01,697 You're working for a victim. 282 00:13:01,697 --> 00:13:03,365 You're working for their family. 283 00:13:03,365 --> 00:13:04,992 You're working for the community and, you know, 284 00:13:04,992 --> 00:13:06,160 part of it, yourself too. 285 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:07,745 There's a lot of pride. 286 00:13:07,745 --> 00:13:08,953 I'm gonna solve this. 287 00:13:08,953 --> 00:13:10,706 I'm gonna bring this home. 288 00:13:10,706 --> 00:13:13,417 - The lonely death of a helpless newborn is going 289 00:13:13,417 --> 00:13:15,878 to be impossible for them to drop. 290 00:13:17,421 --> 00:13:18,798 - [Narrator] By December of 1981, 291 00:13:18,798 --> 00:13:23,803 the case in the death of Baby Andrew John Doe goes cold. 292 00:13:24,761 --> 00:13:26,679 - The Litz family and everyone who attends 293 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:30,768 the child's funeral holds Baby Andrews memory close. 294 00:13:30,768 --> 00:13:32,269 (somber instrumental music) 295 00:13:32,269 --> 00:13:35,272 - I think they just came to such a dead end, 296 00:13:35,272 --> 00:13:37,191 what else do we do at this point, 297 00:13:37,191 --> 00:13:38,818 that it ended up in a box, 298 00:13:40,486 --> 00:13:43,948 and with the black marker of murder written 299 00:13:43,948 --> 00:13:45,825 on the side and put on a shelf. 300 00:13:46,784 --> 00:13:49,662 - Justice will have to wait, not forever, 301 00:13:49,662 --> 00:13:52,081 but there's no easy ride to this case. 302 00:13:53,707 --> 00:13:56,752 - They did not anticipate as much incredibly frustrating, 303 00:13:56,752 --> 00:13:58,838 almost tear-jerking dead ends. 304 00:13:59,547 --> 00:14:00,756 - [Narrator] Detectives continue 305 00:14:00,756 --> 00:14:02,758 to pursue all leads in the hope 306 00:14:02,758 --> 00:14:06,261 that they can finally solve the Baby Andrew case. 307 00:14:06,261 --> 00:14:09,139 (ominous instrumental music) 308 00:14:09,139 --> 00:14:10,516 - It's 28 years later, 309 00:14:10,516 --> 00:14:12,309 when the Baby Andrew files are removed 310 00:14:12,309 --> 00:14:13,852 from the cold case room. 311 00:14:15,688 --> 00:14:18,774 - We had moved over to a new law enforcement center. 312 00:14:18,774 --> 00:14:20,442 I was over in our records division, 313 00:14:20,442 --> 00:14:22,403 looking for something else. 314 00:14:22,403 --> 00:14:25,865 I looked up on a shelf way in the back and here it is, 315 00:14:25,865 --> 00:14:27,700 this dusty old paper ream box. 316 00:14:27,700 --> 00:14:29,743 It had black marker with, 317 00:14:29,743 --> 00:14:30,953 "Murder," on the side. 318 00:14:30,953 --> 00:14:33,330 You could almost smell the must coming off it. 319 00:14:33,330 --> 00:14:34,832 But, of course that word, 320 00:14:34,832 --> 00:14:37,459 murder, scrawled on the side gets your attention. 321 00:14:38,586 --> 00:14:39,920 I hate to say the word, forgotten, 322 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:41,505 but I think it was, it was. 323 00:14:41,505 --> 00:14:45,009 I think they just came to such a dead end, 324 00:14:45,009 --> 00:14:47,553 what else do we do at this point? 325 00:14:47,553 --> 00:14:48,888 It started right there. 326 00:14:49,722 --> 00:14:52,224 (ominous instrumental music) 327 00:14:52,224 --> 00:14:53,642 - All at once, 328 00:14:53,642 --> 00:14:55,895 the torch on the Baby Andrew case is picked up again. 329 00:14:57,313 --> 00:14:59,690 And like other Sioux fall residents still absorbed 330 00:14:59,690 --> 00:15:01,525 by the case, 331 00:15:01,525 --> 00:15:04,445 Detective Webb starts to visit Baby Andrew's grave. 332 00:15:04,445 --> 00:15:06,447 (ominous instrumental music) 333 00:15:06,447 --> 00:15:09,074 - [Narrator] Detective Webb becomes aware of the evidence, 334 00:15:09,074 --> 00:15:11,368 a bloodied woman's shirt and underwear, 335 00:15:12,411 --> 00:15:14,914 a wine red blanket and a sheet. 336 00:15:15,873 --> 00:15:18,709 - Technology has changed a lot in 30 years. 337 00:15:18,709 --> 00:15:22,671 These items could've held the key to solving this mystery. 338 00:15:22,671 --> 00:15:25,674 (ominous instrumental music) 339 00:15:25,674 --> 00:15:28,719 - The very first absolute punch in the gut 340 00:15:28,719 --> 00:15:30,638 on this case was going back to the crime lab 341 00:15:30,638 --> 00:15:32,640 and finding out that someone in the early '90s 342 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,935 had issued a destroyed order for all that. 343 00:15:37,519 --> 00:15:38,979 We had no evidence. 344 00:15:40,064 --> 00:15:41,607 What are the odds of that? 345 00:15:41,607 --> 00:15:43,776 'Cause we don't destroy evidence on an open case. 346 00:15:43,776 --> 00:15:45,402 Somebody must have screwed up. 347 00:15:46,403 --> 00:15:49,073 - It's obviously a major setback, 348 00:15:49,073 --> 00:15:51,992 but this detective is not easily deterred. 349 00:15:53,243 --> 00:15:54,620 - I don't know what you call it. 350 00:15:54,620 --> 00:15:57,247 Either you just call it or is it just fate? 351 00:15:57,247 --> 00:15:58,832 I had just been recently 352 00:15:58,832 --> 00:16:02,086 to a cold case investigator's course in Chicago. 353 00:16:02,086 --> 00:16:05,089 There's a gentleman there talking about exhumations. 354 00:16:06,423 --> 00:16:07,549 I had never done one. 355 00:16:07,549 --> 00:16:09,093 I didn't expect to ever do one. 356 00:16:09,969 --> 00:16:11,136 Here I am a couple months later, 357 00:16:11,136 --> 00:16:13,222 I come home and open this case 358 00:16:13,222 --> 00:16:15,140 and I'm glad I kept his business card 359 00:16:15,140 --> 00:16:18,102 because I called him very quickly, saying, 360 00:16:18,102 --> 00:16:19,395 "What do we do?" 361 00:16:19,395 --> 00:16:23,148 (suspenseful rumbling music) 362 00:16:23,148 --> 00:16:26,986 (upbeat instrumental music) 363 00:16:28,529 --> 00:16:32,324 (suspenseful instrumental music) 364 00:16:36,036 --> 00:16:37,746 - [Narrator] The man who finds the body 365 00:16:37,746 --> 00:16:41,000 of Baby Andrew is haunted by his tragic discovery. 366 00:16:42,167 --> 00:16:45,045 Authorities follow up on every possible tip, 367 00:16:45,045 --> 00:16:47,506 but each one is a dead end. 368 00:16:47,506 --> 00:16:49,800 In the absence of clues, 369 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,261 the community of Sioux Falls must accept 370 00:16:52,261 --> 00:16:56,056 that child's death is now a cold case. 371 00:16:56,056 --> 00:16:59,018 (ominous guitar music) 372 00:16:59,018 --> 00:17:00,853 - A court order is obtained 373 00:17:00,853 --> 00:17:03,230 and Baby Andrew's body is disinterred. 374 00:17:05,941 --> 00:17:07,859 Local residents who made the effort 375 00:17:07,859 --> 00:17:11,280 to provide Baby Andrew a proper burial wouldn't know 376 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:14,074 that years later it would also provide the key 377 00:17:14,074 --> 00:17:16,827 to solving this killing, DNA. 378 00:17:18,787 --> 00:17:20,289 - I'd already been told, 379 00:17:20,289 --> 00:17:21,707 "You can run with this, Mike, 380 00:17:21,707 --> 00:17:24,001 "but we just don't have the extra money." 381 00:17:24,001 --> 00:17:25,586 Myself and my partner, 382 00:17:25,586 --> 00:17:27,129 we brought a couple shovels from home. 383 00:17:27,129 --> 00:17:28,589 We didn't know what to do. 384 00:17:28,589 --> 00:17:30,215 We didn't know how this was gonna go. 385 00:17:30,215 --> 00:17:33,552 - Digging up a child is a difficult thing to comprehend, 386 00:17:33,552 --> 00:17:35,679 but the officers must do this. 387 00:17:35,679 --> 00:17:38,557 They need the child to finally have an identity. 388 00:17:38,557 --> 00:17:40,225 (camera shutter clicking) 389 00:17:40,225 --> 00:17:42,186 - And the cemetery crew was there, 390 00:17:42,186 --> 00:17:44,396 just a couple guys 'cause to be blunt, 391 00:17:44,396 --> 00:17:46,065 it's a very small grave. 392 00:17:46,065 --> 00:17:48,817 Once the cemetery caretaker kind of started digging, 393 00:17:48,817 --> 00:17:50,986 (camera shutter clicking) we couldn't help ourselves, 394 00:17:50,986 --> 00:17:52,446 we started in too. 395 00:17:52,446 --> 00:17:55,991 We're invested in this and we carefully exhumed Andrew. 396 00:17:55,991 --> 00:17:58,577 (camera shutter clicking) (ominous instrumental music) 397 00:17:58,577 --> 00:18:01,038 It hits you how small those caskets are. 398 00:18:01,038 --> 00:18:04,333 We've all been to our grandparents' funerals and things, 399 00:18:04,333 --> 00:18:06,794 but that baby's a different level. 400 00:18:06,794 --> 00:18:10,380 (camera shutter clicking) (ominous instrumental music) 401 00:18:10,380 --> 00:18:11,215 I carried him 402 00:18:12,299 --> 00:18:13,092 and 403 00:18:14,218 --> 00:18:15,427 I guess if you think about it, 404 00:18:15,427 --> 00:18:16,512 I think my mind just said, 405 00:18:16,512 --> 00:18:18,097 you know, this is mine, 406 00:18:19,263 --> 00:18:21,809 and I wasn't gonna let anybody else carry it. 407 00:18:23,143 --> 00:18:24,478 I don't think that was my intention 408 00:18:24,478 --> 00:18:27,064 but I think back now and I think that's exactly 409 00:18:27,064 --> 00:18:28,941 why I had that in my hands. 410 00:18:28,941 --> 00:18:30,943 And there's a picture of me holding this small casket. 411 00:18:30,943 --> 00:18:32,528 (camera shutter clicking) And again, when you think back 412 00:18:32,528 --> 00:18:34,821 to that and, gosh, 413 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,493 nobody should have to carry a baby casket ever. 414 00:18:39,493 --> 00:18:42,329 (camera shutter clicking) 415 00:18:42,329 --> 00:18:44,832 - But this case gets even stranger. 416 00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:48,877 - When that caretaker at the cemetery took the sod cutter, 417 00:18:48,877 --> 00:18:52,214 took the first inch and a half of grass off, 418 00:18:52,214 --> 00:18:54,340 that sod cutter went over the soil 419 00:18:54,340 --> 00:18:57,636 and made a perfectly nice, flat surface. 420 00:18:57,636 --> 00:18:59,263 There was a penny laying there. 421 00:19:00,263 --> 00:19:01,723 So I bend over and pick it up. 422 00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:06,603 That blade somehow went right over the top of that. 423 00:19:06,603 --> 00:19:08,605 (camera shutter clicking) 424 00:19:08,605 --> 00:19:10,232 I put it in my pocket. 425 00:19:10,232 --> 00:19:12,734 We finished the exhumation. 426 00:19:14,027 --> 00:19:16,196 - The baby is disinterred and Detective Webb 427 00:19:16,196 --> 00:19:19,157 has the penny from his grave site in his pocket. 428 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:21,952 - It was about at that point in a very long day 429 00:19:21,952 --> 00:19:24,913 that it kind of hit you that the blood sugar's low. 430 00:19:24,913 --> 00:19:26,915 So there's a Chinese restaurant across the street 431 00:19:26,915 --> 00:19:29,751 from the law enforcement center and I ran over and 432 00:19:30,586 --> 00:19:32,087 got my usual. 433 00:19:32,087 --> 00:19:33,172 I'm not a sweet guy. 434 00:19:34,381 --> 00:19:36,215 I was hungry so I ate the fortune cookie. 435 00:19:36,215 --> 00:19:38,260 I normally throw it away. 436 00:19:38,260 --> 00:19:40,512 My fortune that day was, 437 00:19:40,512 --> 00:19:43,599 "A lost penny will bring you a look." 438 00:19:45,475 --> 00:19:48,020 You can believe it and anything you want, 439 00:19:49,396 --> 00:19:51,565 it's just another bizarre part of this story. 440 00:19:52,733 --> 00:19:54,109 That penny and that fortune out of 441 00:19:54,109 --> 00:19:55,402 that little fortune cookie stayed 442 00:19:55,402 --> 00:19:56,987 in the case file for 10 years. 443 00:19:58,405 --> 00:20:00,407 - Now that they have the body and find its 444 00:20:00,407 --> 00:20:02,159 in good condition, the (camera shutter clicking) 445 00:20:02,159 --> 00:20:05,704 North Texas University Science Center gives instructions. 446 00:20:05,704 --> 00:20:07,497 (ominous instrumental music) 447 00:20:07,497 --> 00:20:09,041 - "How do I do this? 448 00:20:09,041 --> 00:20:10,626 "The exhumation went well. 449 00:20:10,626 --> 00:20:12,669 "The baby's in good condition. 450 00:20:12,669 --> 00:20:14,338 "What do you need from me?" 451 00:20:15,130 --> 00:20:16,340 They said, "Well, 452 00:20:16,340 --> 00:20:18,133 "we need to get ahold of your corner. 453 00:20:18,133 --> 00:20:20,636 "The baby needs to be transported there. 454 00:20:20,636 --> 00:20:23,805 "What we need are parts of him 455 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:25,599 "sent." 456 00:20:27,309 --> 00:20:28,602 I had a hard time with that. 457 00:20:28,602 --> 00:20:30,103 (camera shutter clicking) 458 00:20:30,103 --> 00:20:32,689 I had a hard time with the image of taking 459 00:20:32,689 --> 00:20:35,025 that baby out of his casket 460 00:20:36,484 --> 00:20:38,862 and removing parts of him. 461 00:20:41,573 --> 00:20:43,157 I did not do that. 462 00:20:43,157 --> 00:20:45,494 I made a command decision at that point. 463 00:20:45,494 --> 00:20:47,162 (camera shutter clicking) 464 00:20:47,162 --> 00:20:50,624 The lady at the lab I talked to had made a comment about, 465 00:20:50,624 --> 00:20:52,834 again, more of an adult case. 466 00:20:52,834 --> 00:20:54,086 She said, "Well, 467 00:20:54,086 --> 00:20:55,504 "we don't want the whole coffin, 468 00:20:55,504 --> 00:20:57,756 "adult coffin shipped with the whole body." 469 00:20:57,756 --> 00:20:58,882 She had made that. 470 00:21:00,133 --> 00:21:01,843 That stuck in my mind and I thought, 471 00:21:01,843 --> 00:21:03,470 this isn't an adult. 472 00:21:04,554 --> 00:21:05,763 So 473 00:21:05,763 --> 00:21:09,101 Andrew was sent to them whole. 474 00:21:10,519 --> 00:21:13,981 One of those things where you ask forgiveness later. 475 00:21:15,482 --> 00:21:17,693 - Because the casket is so small, 476 00:21:18,694 --> 00:21:20,404 instead of just sending a part of the body 477 00:21:20,404 --> 00:21:23,282 to the North Texas University Science Center, 478 00:21:23,282 --> 00:21:26,034 detective Webb sends a whole casket. 479 00:21:26,034 --> 00:21:27,869 How do they do it? 480 00:21:27,869 --> 00:21:30,789 By courier. (ominous instrumental music) 481 00:21:30,789 --> 00:21:32,666 - And I waited a few days 482 00:21:32,666 --> 00:21:33,834 and I called down there and I said, 483 00:21:33,834 --> 00:21:35,460 "This has been shipped." 484 00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:37,546 I emailed you the tracking number and, 485 00:21:37,546 --> 00:21:38,964 oh by the way, 486 00:21:38,964 --> 00:21:40,674 the box is gonna be a little bigger than you expect. 487 00:21:40,674 --> 00:21:42,426 And she says, "What do you do you mean?" 488 00:21:42,426 --> 00:21:45,012 And I told her what I did and I held my breath, 489 00:21:45,012 --> 00:21:47,806 'cause these people were doing us a big solid, 490 00:21:47,806 --> 00:21:49,683 working this case for us. 491 00:21:49,683 --> 00:21:52,185 And she just kind of laughs and she goes, 492 00:21:52,185 --> 00:21:53,561 "I get it." 493 00:21:53,561 --> 00:21:55,272 So I couldn't, 494 00:21:55,272 --> 00:21:57,482 I couldn't take him apart. 495 00:21:57,482 --> 00:21:59,109 I didn't even bring it up to the corner. 496 00:21:59,109 --> 00:22:00,986 (camera shutter clicking) (ominous instrumental music) 497 00:22:00,986 --> 00:22:04,071 - [Narrator] The child's DNA is obtained by the lab, 498 00:22:05,615 --> 00:22:06,742 but when searched, 499 00:22:06,742 --> 00:22:08,243 no matches are found. 500 00:22:09,911 --> 00:22:13,290 - I didn't anticipate that emotion of 501 00:22:14,791 --> 00:22:16,292 hitting that wall, 502 00:22:17,377 --> 00:22:19,379 just when you think you got some momentum. 503 00:22:19,379 --> 00:22:21,757 And I guess that's the nature of cold cases. 504 00:22:21,757 --> 00:22:22,715 They want cold for a reason, 505 00:22:22,715 --> 00:22:24,509 there's not an easy answer. 506 00:22:26,428 --> 00:22:28,805 - Detective Webb has done everything he can at this point 507 00:22:28,805 --> 00:22:31,767 and the case just won't be solved. 508 00:22:31,767 --> 00:22:33,769 (ominous instrumental music) 509 00:22:33,769 --> 00:22:35,520 - I still had 10, 12, 510 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,856 15 cases coming in every day 511 00:22:37,856 --> 00:22:39,941 that required my immediate attention. 512 00:22:41,234 --> 00:22:45,614 I can admit that I broke policy and brought this case home. 513 00:22:45,614 --> 00:22:46,907 I read it at night. 514 00:22:46,907 --> 00:22:49,368 That's when you had to find the time to do it. 515 00:22:49,368 --> 00:22:51,869 And it sounds weird to say, 516 00:22:51,869 --> 00:22:53,789 but there's times where even you'd wake up 517 00:22:53,789 --> 00:22:55,874 in the middle of the night and something would click, like, 518 00:22:55,874 --> 00:22:57,959 hey, I wonder if I could try this? 519 00:22:57,959 --> 00:22:59,961 I wonder if we should do this? 520 00:22:59,961 --> 00:23:02,839 Talk about something that's always on your mind. 521 00:23:03,924 --> 00:23:06,843 It's weird how in depth and obsessed 522 00:23:06,843 --> 00:23:08,929 and part of your life it becomes. 523 00:23:08,929 --> 00:23:10,888 It's a pretty big chunk for 10 years. 524 00:23:10,888 --> 00:23:13,433 (ominous instrumental music) 525 00:23:13,433 --> 00:23:15,060 You really wanna solve that for him 526 00:23:15,060 --> 00:23:16,978 and this case was unique. 527 00:23:18,522 --> 00:23:20,898 - DNA profiles of Baby Andrew are run 528 00:23:20,898 --> 00:23:23,777 through the South Dakota database once a year. 529 00:23:24,903 --> 00:23:27,071 More and more data is inputted all the time. 530 00:23:27,071 --> 00:23:30,200 They're waiting for a hit but it doesn't happen. 531 00:23:30,951 --> 00:23:32,577 - But we're very, 532 00:23:32,577 --> 00:23:33,954 very limited in what we can search. 533 00:23:33,954 --> 00:23:35,872 We could only search the South Dakota database. 534 00:23:35,872 --> 00:23:37,582 - [Narrator] The cold case 535 00:23:37,582 --> 00:23:40,085 of Baby Andrew is now 37 years old. 536 00:23:41,586 --> 00:23:43,755 How does the motivation to solve a cold case continue 537 00:23:43,755 --> 00:23:45,715 over decades like this? 538 00:23:45,715 --> 00:23:46,967 (suspenseful rumbling music) 539 00:23:46,967 --> 00:23:48,593 - We always had a family to talk to. 540 00:23:48,593 --> 00:23:51,054 There's always somebody to keep updated. 541 00:23:51,054 --> 00:23:52,638 And that kind of motivated you too, 542 00:23:52,638 --> 00:23:54,057 to keep going. 543 00:23:54,057 --> 00:23:56,268 Even in those long months where nothing was happening, 544 00:23:56,268 --> 00:23:59,104 sometimes the phone would ring and it would be, 545 00:23:59,104 --> 00:24:02,607 maybe it's a niece or a mom or a dad saying, 546 00:24:02,607 --> 00:24:05,152 hey, what's going on with my loved one's case? 547 00:24:05,152 --> 00:24:07,028 We didn't have that in this one, 548 00:24:07,028 --> 00:24:09,364 so we had to keep that motivation up. 549 00:24:10,699 --> 00:24:13,201 That's just what's so unique about Baby Andrew's case. 550 00:24:14,035 --> 00:24:17,539 - From Andrew's death in 1981 to 2019, 551 00:24:17,539 --> 00:24:21,167 this case that looks unsolvable is now on the verge, 552 00:24:21,835 --> 00:24:23,044 and that really stems 553 00:24:23,044 --> 00:24:25,922 from Detective Michael Webb's persistence. 554 00:24:27,007 --> 00:24:29,176 - Talk about learning patience, 555 00:24:30,093 --> 00:24:32,471 'cause nothing is gonna move fast. 556 00:24:32,471 --> 00:24:33,805 You want those results. 557 00:24:33,805 --> 00:24:34,848 Again, your brain starts going, 558 00:24:34,848 --> 00:24:35,974 hey, we can solve this. 559 00:24:35,974 --> 00:24:37,893 I'm gonna send this to the lab, 560 00:24:37,893 --> 00:24:39,186 and you might wait six, 561 00:24:39,186 --> 00:24:40,979 eight months before that comes back. 562 00:24:42,355 --> 00:24:46,526 Talk about perseverance, patience, 563 00:24:47,652 --> 00:24:49,488 and just sheer stubbornness. 564 00:24:49,488 --> 00:24:50,989 'Cause you can't quit. 565 00:24:51,948 --> 00:24:52,949 Once you're in it, 566 00:24:52,949 --> 00:24:53,992 you're not quitting. 567 00:24:55,285 --> 00:24:57,954 - [Narrator] In 2019, instead of running the DNA 568 00:24:57,954 --> 00:25:01,082 of Baby Andrew just through the South Dakota database 569 00:25:01,082 --> 00:25:03,126 as they have each year, 570 00:25:03,126 --> 00:25:05,295 police try something different. 571 00:25:06,171 --> 00:25:09,090 Baby Andrew's DNA is sent to a company 572 00:25:09,090 --> 00:25:12,511 that makes connections through DNA and genealogy. 573 00:25:14,054 --> 00:25:16,973 - Well, these are the most controversial types of cases. 574 00:25:16,973 --> 00:25:19,643 They're the ones that a lot of my colleagues 575 00:25:19,643 --> 00:25:22,186 in genetic genealogy do not approve 576 00:25:22,186 --> 00:25:25,857 of us using our techniques and databases for, 577 00:25:25,857 --> 00:25:30,070 and so I really struggled with working this type of case. 578 00:25:30,070 --> 00:25:32,155 (camera shutter clicking) But the bottom line is, 579 00:25:32,155 --> 00:25:34,324 everyone deserves an identity. 580 00:25:34,324 --> 00:25:36,076 Everyone deserves that dignity, 581 00:25:36,076 --> 00:25:38,119 whether you're a baby or an adult. 582 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:42,207 So our job is simply to provide that identification 583 00:25:42,207 --> 00:25:45,460 and then the rest is left to the detectives 584 00:25:45,460 --> 00:25:46,670 and to the courts. 585 00:25:48,171 --> 00:25:50,298 - [Narrator] Detectives work closely with scientists 586 00:25:50,298 --> 00:25:53,885 at the genealogy lab. (ominous instrumental music) 587 00:25:53,885 --> 00:25:55,679 - But in working with those amazing, 588 00:25:55,679 --> 00:25:59,933 smart people at that lab who are doing this profiling, 589 00:25:59,933 --> 00:26:02,102 doing this genealogy family tree, 590 00:26:02,102 --> 00:26:03,979 now, they gave us the tools, 591 00:26:03,979 --> 00:26:05,605 we had to do the family tree. 592 00:26:07,148 --> 00:26:10,151 - Our goal is really to try to zero in. 593 00:26:10,151 --> 00:26:13,446 Optimally, we wanna narrow it down to maybe just one person 594 00:26:13,446 --> 00:26:17,075 or a set of siblings for law enforcement to investigate. 595 00:26:17,075 --> 00:26:19,119 (ominous instrumental music) 596 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:21,329 - [Narrator] The lab determines some family trees 597 00:26:21,329 --> 00:26:24,583 and the ones in Sioux Falls interest police. 598 00:26:25,917 --> 00:26:28,962 Detectives piece together a genealogical story 599 00:26:28,962 --> 00:26:31,131 and track women who have had children 600 00:26:31,131 --> 00:26:34,467 who would've been 18 or 19 in 1981. 601 00:26:35,677 --> 00:26:38,054 When they get a sample from a woman in Sioux Falls 602 00:26:38,054 --> 00:26:40,015 that they think might be related, 603 00:26:40,015 --> 00:26:43,435 they check the sample with the South Dakota State Lab. 604 00:26:44,894 --> 00:26:46,563 - The names of a couple come up, 605 00:26:46,563 --> 00:26:50,108 Theresa Rose Bentaas and Dirk Bentaas. 606 00:26:50,108 --> 00:26:52,193 (suspenseful rumbling music) 607 00:26:52,193 --> 00:26:53,987 Police feel they're on the right track 608 00:26:53,987 --> 00:26:56,448 and getting closer to the baby's DNA. 609 00:26:57,824 --> 00:26:58,657 - That's where, 610 00:27:00,118 --> 00:27:01,453 well, I say old-fashioned DNA, 611 00:27:01,453 --> 00:27:03,622 right, a swab, 612 00:27:04,873 --> 00:27:09,294 a something needs to be done to prove that, 613 00:27:09,294 --> 00:27:11,379 to prove our family tree's correct. 614 00:27:12,255 --> 00:27:14,257 So obviously, there's legalities to that too. 615 00:27:14,257 --> 00:27:17,385 We can't just grab somebody and haul them in. 616 00:27:19,095 --> 00:27:22,307 - Then once you find this suspect on the tree 617 00:27:22,307 --> 00:27:25,352 and it fits the time and other criteria, 618 00:27:25,352 --> 00:27:30,398 it still needs a DNA test to see if it is a match. 619 00:27:31,316 --> 00:27:32,692 - [Narrator] Police conduct a trash pull 620 00:27:32,692 --> 00:27:34,402 of the Bentaas home. 621 00:27:35,278 --> 00:27:36,821 - When garbage is put out for collection, 622 00:27:36,821 --> 00:27:38,490 it's fair game. 623 00:27:38,490 --> 00:27:40,532 Law enforcement officers will conduct 624 00:27:40,532 --> 00:27:43,369 these perfectly legal pulls to potentially find evidence 625 00:27:43,369 --> 00:27:46,455 that will help them gain a search warrant for a residence. 626 00:27:46,455 --> 00:27:48,124 This can lead to charging the occupants 627 00:27:48,124 --> 00:27:50,042 with criminal activity. 628 00:27:50,042 --> 00:27:52,629 - [Narrator] Female DNA is found on a water bottle, 629 00:27:52,629 --> 00:27:55,674 a beer can and a cigarette butt. 630 00:27:57,175 --> 00:27:58,551 - On a personal level, 631 00:27:58,551 --> 00:28:01,680 we were nearing my set retirement date, 632 00:28:03,431 --> 00:28:06,101 February 15th, 2019. 633 00:28:07,227 --> 00:28:10,105 I was waiting right up to the day. 634 00:28:10,105 --> 00:28:12,398 I had already briefed my partner 635 00:28:12,398 --> 00:28:16,695 that I already put the case file on his desk, 636 00:28:17,612 --> 00:28:19,489 finger in his face saying, 637 00:28:19,489 --> 00:28:21,907 "You better keep me updated on this, I'm retiring." 638 00:28:23,618 --> 00:28:26,413 Two hours before my retirement ceremony, 639 00:28:26,413 --> 00:28:27,622 which was two o'clock, 640 00:28:27,622 --> 00:28:30,500 I was out to lunch with my family and my kids 641 00:28:30,500 --> 00:28:32,502 and we were eating. 642 00:28:32,502 --> 00:28:35,547 We were gonna go over to the law enforcement center, 643 00:28:36,589 --> 00:28:39,718 meet with my old coworkers and they're gonna wish me well. 644 00:28:41,344 --> 00:28:43,263 My partner walked in the restaurant 645 00:28:43,263 --> 00:28:47,225 and I did a double take and I'm like, 646 00:28:47,225 --> 00:28:48,476 what's he doing here, right? 647 00:28:48,476 --> 00:28:50,437 He's staring at me the whole time. 648 00:28:50,437 --> 00:28:52,731 He's staring at me walking across the restaurant. 649 00:28:53,690 --> 00:28:55,775 He goes, "You're not gonna believe this." 650 00:28:55,775 --> 00:28:58,570 (suspenseful rumbling music) 651 00:28:58,570 --> 00:29:02,657 (upbeat instrumental music) 652 00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:07,704 (ominous instrumental music) 653 00:29:10,457 --> 00:29:13,209 - [Narrator] Baby Andrew is exhumed to extract DNA 654 00:29:13,209 --> 00:29:16,087 from his bones to find his parents 655 00:29:17,338 --> 00:29:19,048 and finally give him an identity. 656 00:29:20,925 --> 00:29:23,386 Years pass with no matches 657 00:29:23,386 --> 00:29:26,514 and justice for Baby Andrew seems unlikely. 658 00:29:26,514 --> 00:29:28,641 (ominous instrumental music) 659 00:29:28,641 --> 00:29:32,353 - When items taken from the garbage are seized as evidence, 660 00:29:32,353 --> 00:29:34,481 they yield shocking results. 661 00:29:34,481 --> 00:29:36,524 (suspenseful instrumental music) 662 00:29:36,524 --> 00:29:37,859 - [Narrator] And on the day 663 00:29:37,859 --> 00:29:40,320 of Detective Mike Webb's retirement celebration, 664 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:43,531 his partner delivers some unexpected news. 665 00:29:43,531 --> 00:29:48,369 (dramatic instrumental music) 666 00:29:48,369 --> 00:29:51,372 - He goes, "You're not gonna believe this." 667 00:29:51,372 --> 00:29:53,500 He goes, "We got mom." 668 00:29:55,251 --> 00:29:58,171 I still can picture it, but again, 669 00:29:58,171 --> 00:29:59,798 it's almost like a dream. 670 00:30:00,799 --> 00:30:02,091 And he looks at me and I looked at him 671 00:30:02,091 --> 00:30:03,176 and I didn't know what to say. 672 00:30:03,176 --> 00:30:04,636 And he goes, "And dad." 673 00:30:04,636 --> 00:30:07,347 (somber instrumental music) - So again, we didn't know 674 00:30:07,347 --> 00:30:09,224 at that time that was the house. 675 00:30:09,224 --> 00:30:12,727 We knew a sample was hoping to get us closer in that tree. 676 00:30:12,727 --> 00:30:14,354 And it all hit me, (camera shutter clicking) 677 00:30:14,354 --> 00:30:15,730 the cigarette butts the can, 678 00:30:15,730 --> 00:30:16,856 it was just, 679 00:30:16,856 --> 00:30:17,982 it fast forwards in your brain like, 680 00:30:17,982 --> 00:30:18,983 oh my God, 681 00:30:18,983 --> 00:30:19,901 we leapfrogged everything. 682 00:30:21,236 --> 00:30:23,905 We have a positive confirmation through DNA 683 00:30:24,906 --> 00:30:26,533 that this is Andrew's parents. 684 00:30:27,367 --> 00:30:29,786 (somber instrumental music) 685 00:30:29,786 --> 00:30:31,621 - Incredibly, on what would 686 00:30:31,621 --> 00:30:34,833 have been Baby Andrew's 38th birthday, 687 00:30:36,334 --> 00:30:38,711 Detective Webb interviews Dirk and Theresa Bentaas 688 00:30:38,711 --> 00:30:39,754 in their home. 689 00:30:41,256 --> 00:30:42,507 - I thought, well, 690 00:30:42,507 --> 00:30:44,217 this will be the easiest interview 691 00:30:44,217 --> 00:30:46,553 of my life for a homicide, 692 00:30:46,553 --> 00:30:49,639 'cause I think that sheer emotion after 38 years 693 00:30:49,639 --> 00:30:51,516 of a detective saying, 694 00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:52,892 here's why I'm here. 695 00:30:53,852 --> 00:30:54,978 It didn't go that way. 696 00:30:56,104 --> 00:30:56,938 Sitting there 697 00:30:58,439 --> 00:31:01,359 with the person that I had been trying 698 00:31:01,359 --> 00:31:03,194 to find for the last 10 years, 699 00:31:04,779 --> 00:31:06,155 yeah, you can't put, 700 00:31:06,155 --> 00:31:08,157 I don't even know the words for that. 701 00:31:08,157 --> 00:31:10,577 (somber piano music) 702 00:31:10,577 --> 00:31:12,036 You know, there's nothing she could say 703 00:31:12,036 --> 00:31:14,247 because I had already explained to her why we're there. 704 00:31:14,247 --> 00:31:15,874 I mean, DNA, 705 00:31:15,874 --> 00:31:17,667 DNA doesn't lie, we know, 706 00:31:18,334 --> 00:31:20,879 and I wanna know why? 707 00:31:21,754 --> 00:31:24,257 - Detective Webb finally hears the story 708 00:31:24,257 --> 00:31:27,010 in the mother's own words. (ominous instrumental music) 709 00:31:27,010 --> 00:31:31,472 - [Narrator] Theresa Rose Bentaas is a Sioux Falls native 710 00:31:31,472 --> 00:31:34,058 and lives in the far southeastern part of town. 711 00:31:34,934 --> 00:31:37,812 - February 27th, 1981, 712 00:31:37,812 --> 00:31:39,856 she's 19 years old. 713 00:31:39,856 --> 00:31:41,941 She keeps her pregnancy a secret 714 00:31:41,941 --> 00:31:44,903 and gives birth to baby Andrew in her bedroom, 715 00:31:46,112 --> 00:31:49,157 wraps him in a sheet and blanket 716 00:31:49,157 --> 00:31:52,076 and then takes him to a ditch and abandons him. 717 00:31:53,745 --> 00:31:55,914 He's later found by Lee Litz 718 00:31:57,498 --> 00:31:59,918 who notices the red wine blanket. 719 00:32:00,877 --> 00:32:03,004 - Theresa Bentaas sees the news 720 00:32:03,004 --> 00:32:05,089 after Baby Andrew is discovered. 721 00:32:05,089 --> 00:32:06,215 - Against all odds, 722 00:32:06,215 --> 00:32:07,926 her secret isn't gonna die, 723 00:32:08,801 --> 00:32:10,386 she just doesn't know it yet. 724 00:32:11,804 --> 00:32:14,599 - [Narrator] But is in denial that she is responsible. 725 00:32:14,599 --> 00:32:17,602 - Denial's a coping mechanism that can kick in 726 00:32:17,602 --> 00:32:19,562 when the mind is under stress. 727 00:32:19,562 --> 00:32:23,608 - The stress Theresa Bentaas was under was so great 728 00:32:23,608 --> 00:32:27,195 that she may not have recognized what she had done. 729 00:32:28,112 --> 00:32:29,864 - Dirk Bentaas remembers 730 00:32:29,864 --> 00:32:32,659 that around the time Baby Andrew was found, 731 00:32:32,659 --> 00:32:37,330 he notices that Theresa had a bump and then no bump. 732 00:32:37,330 --> 00:32:39,457 - He doesn't think much more about it. 733 00:32:41,042 --> 00:32:44,170 - But there's more to this strange and tragic story. 734 00:32:45,296 --> 00:32:47,090 - [Narrator] In 1985, '86, 735 00:32:47,090 --> 00:32:50,051 5 years after Baby Andrew is born and dies, 736 00:32:50,051 --> 00:32:51,970 Theresa becomes pregnant again. 737 00:32:51,970 --> 00:32:56,391 She's unaware until late in the pregnancy and tells no one. 738 00:32:57,517 --> 00:32:59,852 - She gives birth in her mother's home. 739 00:33:00,979 --> 00:33:02,647 Upon hearing cries, 740 00:33:02,647 --> 00:33:05,066 her mother and stepfather enter her room 741 00:33:05,066 --> 00:33:08,945 and are surprised to see Theresa holding a newborn daughter. 742 00:33:08,945 --> 00:33:10,113 They call 911. 743 00:33:11,656 --> 00:33:13,825 - [Narrator] Theresa doesn't know if she'll keep the baby. 744 00:33:13,825 --> 00:33:15,994 - But her mother insists that she talks 745 00:33:15,994 --> 00:33:17,996 to the baby's father first. 746 00:33:19,122 --> 00:33:21,249 Theresa and Dirk Bentaas decide to keep the baby 747 00:33:21,249 --> 00:33:22,542 and raise it together. 748 00:33:23,543 --> 00:33:24,919 - [Narrator] In August, 1987, 749 00:33:24,919 --> 00:33:27,130 five years after Baby Andrew dies, 750 00:33:27,130 --> 00:33:31,592 Theresa Josten and Dirk Bentaas obtain a marriage license. 751 00:33:31,592 --> 00:33:34,262 They eventually have two children together, 752 00:33:34,262 --> 00:33:36,431 the daughter that Theresa nearly gave up, 753 00:33:36,431 --> 00:33:39,100 and then a son. (ominous instrumental music) 754 00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:41,436 Theresa, now age 57, 755 00:33:41,436 --> 00:33:43,855 admits that in 1980, '81, 756 00:33:43,855 --> 00:33:46,065 when she's pregnant with Baby Andrew, 757 00:33:46,065 --> 00:33:48,026 she is young and stupid. 758 00:33:49,402 --> 00:33:50,695 - Dirk Bentaas remembers hearing 759 00:33:50,695 --> 00:33:53,948 about the child 40 years ago on the news, 760 00:33:53,948 --> 00:33:55,825 but never once entertained the idea 761 00:33:55,825 --> 00:33:57,660 that it belonged to Theresa. 762 00:33:57,660 --> 00:33:59,871 (ominous instrumental music) 763 00:33:59,871 --> 00:34:02,123 - Police strive to keep their emotions, 764 00:34:02,123 --> 00:34:05,543 bias and expectations out of the picture, 765 00:34:05,543 --> 00:34:07,920 and sometimes that's hard to do. 766 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:10,381 (ominous instrumental music) 767 00:34:10,381 --> 00:34:12,216 - It tripped me up during the interview, 768 00:34:12,216 --> 00:34:13,718 I'm not gonna lie. 769 00:34:13,718 --> 00:34:16,054 There was a lot of personal emotion going on, 770 00:34:17,305 --> 00:34:19,431 and it was hard to remind myself that I needed still 771 00:34:19,431 --> 00:34:21,434 to ask some factual questions. 772 00:34:23,268 --> 00:34:24,353 I keep using the word, surreal, 773 00:34:24,353 --> 00:34:26,064 but it really was, sitting there 774 00:34:27,231 --> 00:34:30,359 with the person that I had been trying 775 00:34:30,359 --> 00:34:32,070 to find for the last 10 years. 776 00:34:33,446 --> 00:34:34,989 Yeah, you can't put, 777 00:34:34,989 --> 00:34:37,658 I don't even know the words for that. 778 00:34:37,658 --> 00:34:39,285 There really wasn't any fulfillment 779 00:34:39,285 --> 00:34:43,122 to those theories of emotion because it was just kind of, 780 00:34:43,122 --> 00:34:47,001 "Yeah, I did." (ominous instrumental music) 781 00:34:47,001 --> 00:34:50,088 And again, I expected more emotion. 782 00:34:51,297 --> 00:34:52,715 Even for somebody 783 00:34:52,715 --> 00:34:54,550 that maybe doesn't outwardly really show emotion, 784 00:34:54,550 --> 00:34:56,219 I mean, this would be too powerful. 785 00:34:56,219 --> 00:34:58,054 I have to have something 786 00:34:58,054 --> 00:35:00,515 and I just didn't get that from her. 787 00:35:00,515 --> 00:35:01,516 Like I said, 788 00:35:01,516 --> 00:35:03,059 I don't know if I'd wanted it, 789 00:35:03,059 --> 00:35:05,853 I needed it, expected it, 790 00:35:05,853 --> 00:35:08,314 but it was a very factual, 791 00:35:08,314 --> 00:35:10,358 the the whole interview threw me off. 792 00:35:10,358 --> 00:35:13,277 It did, it wasn't what I expected. 793 00:35:13,277 --> 00:35:15,071 (ominous instrumental music) 794 00:35:15,071 --> 00:35:17,489 - Detective Webb tries to get a show of emotion 795 00:35:17,489 --> 00:35:19,200 from Theresa Bentaas. 796 00:35:20,535 --> 00:35:24,497 - She only lived a few blocks from where that spot would be. 797 00:35:24,497 --> 00:35:26,165 That's where they lived. 798 00:35:26,165 --> 00:35:28,417 I said, "You drive by there every day, 799 00:35:28,417 --> 00:35:29,835 "doesn't it come back to you? 800 00:35:29,835 --> 00:35:31,087 "You would drive by there to work." 801 00:35:31,087 --> 00:35:33,506 (camera shutter clicking) 802 00:35:33,506 --> 00:35:35,591 Instead of getting an answer that I expected, 803 00:35:35,591 --> 00:35:36,759 it was, she said, 804 00:35:36,759 --> 00:35:38,302 "Well, I don't always take that way." 805 00:35:38,302 --> 00:35:41,514 (camera shutter clicking) 806 00:35:41,514 --> 00:35:43,975 Yeah again, I wanted more. 807 00:35:43,975 --> 00:35:45,226 I thought I'd get more. 808 00:35:46,561 --> 00:35:49,605 It was your baby. (camera shutter clicking) 809 00:35:49,605 --> 00:35:53,276 So yeah, it was a strange interview. 810 00:35:53,276 --> 00:35:55,152 (camera shutter clicking) 811 00:35:55,152 --> 00:35:57,613 I got what I needed factually for the case, 812 00:35:57,613 --> 00:35:58,739 for a prosecutor, 813 00:35:58,739 --> 00:36:01,284 but it certainly wasn't what I wanted. 814 00:36:01,284 --> 00:36:03,452 (ominous instrumental music) 815 00:36:03,452 --> 00:36:05,454 - [Narrator] Police execute a cheek swab 816 00:36:05,454 --> 00:36:07,331 on both of the Bentaas. 817 00:36:10,751 --> 00:36:13,087 - This is a buccal swab or smear, 818 00:36:13,087 --> 00:36:16,757 a common noninvasive method of obtaining DNA. 819 00:36:18,134 --> 00:36:21,554 It can determine whether individuals are suspects. 820 00:36:23,222 --> 00:36:24,599 - It really solidifies it, 821 00:36:24,599 --> 00:36:28,352 although we already know that this is the mother. 822 00:36:28,352 --> 00:36:30,688 It puts that extra layer now, 823 00:36:30,688 --> 00:36:33,649 right from her saliva from her cheek, 824 00:36:33,649 --> 00:36:38,988 that DNA, compared to Andrew's DNA profile 825 00:36:40,281 --> 00:36:42,700 to say a positive, positive match. 826 00:36:42,700 --> 00:36:44,785 I guess that's one way to say it. 827 00:36:46,204 --> 00:36:48,623 - Test results from cheek swabs 828 00:36:48,623 --> 00:36:50,791 show extremely strong evidence 829 00:36:50,791 --> 00:36:53,585 that Theresa Bentaas and Dirk Bentaas 830 00:36:53,585 --> 00:36:55,463 are Baby Andrew's parents. 831 00:36:55,463 --> 00:36:57,215 (ominous instrumental music) 832 00:36:57,215 --> 00:37:00,509 - Police determine that Dirk Bentaas is not involved 833 00:37:00,509 --> 00:37:02,469 in Baby Andrew's death. 834 00:37:04,555 --> 00:37:06,849 - Incredible waves of motion right there. 835 00:37:06,849 --> 00:37:08,142 Like, we did it, 836 00:37:09,435 --> 00:37:10,811 but I didn't. 837 00:37:10,811 --> 00:37:12,688 I'm not gonna bring this over the finish line, you know. 838 00:37:12,688 --> 00:37:16,567 And I have amazing partners and I was gonna be proud 839 00:37:16,567 --> 00:37:18,736 to watch them push it over the finish line, 840 00:37:18,736 --> 00:37:22,657 but I invested way too many years 841 00:37:23,574 --> 00:37:25,117 to walk off into retirement. 842 00:37:28,536 --> 00:37:32,541 (dramatic instrumental music) 843 00:37:34,335 --> 00:37:37,546 (upbeat instrumental music) 844 00:37:38,797 --> 00:37:40,216 (upbeat instrumental music) 845 00:37:40,216 --> 00:37:41,926 - [Narrator] A case of an infant's death 846 00:37:41,926 --> 00:37:45,137 that would've remained unsolved if not for advances 847 00:37:45,137 --> 00:37:49,558 in DNA technology and detectives who never gave up. 848 00:37:49,558 --> 00:37:53,896 (suspenseful rumbling music) 849 00:37:53,896 --> 00:37:55,564 - At the bond hearing, Crystal Johnson, 850 00:37:55,564 --> 00:37:58,484 of the Minnehaha County States Attorneys Office says 851 00:37:58,484 --> 00:38:01,570 that the passage of time does not diminish the severity 852 00:38:01,570 --> 00:38:02,571 of the crime. 853 00:38:03,823 --> 00:38:05,491 Bentaas does not seem to understand 854 00:38:05,491 --> 00:38:07,952 that she is facing charges in Andrew's death, 855 00:38:07,952 --> 00:38:09,661 until police arrest her. 856 00:38:09,661 --> 00:38:11,414 (somber instrumental music) 857 00:38:11,414 --> 00:38:12,915 Due to the severity of the charges 858 00:38:12,915 --> 00:38:15,459 and the possibility that Bentaas could flee, 859 00:38:15,459 --> 00:38:17,295 a preliminary hearing is set. 860 00:38:18,671 --> 00:38:20,297 - And all these years later, 861 00:38:21,716 --> 00:38:24,885 watching as a case unfolds in court is Lee Litz, 862 00:38:24,885 --> 00:38:26,846 the man who found Baby Andrew. 863 00:38:28,514 --> 00:38:30,975 - [Narrator] Theresa Bentaas pleads not guilty 864 00:38:30,975 --> 00:38:32,727 to all three charges. 865 00:38:32,727 --> 00:38:34,478 - But her case is scheduled 866 00:38:34,478 --> 00:38:37,189 for a change of plea hearing on October 8th, 2021, 867 00:38:37,189 --> 00:38:38,858 and will go to trial. 868 00:38:40,026 --> 00:38:42,695 - Theresa denies any responsibility, 869 00:38:42,695 --> 00:38:44,905 but a jury may not agree. 870 00:38:46,198 --> 00:38:47,700 - If found guilty, 871 00:38:47,700 --> 00:38:49,618 Theresa Bentaas could face life in prison 872 00:38:49,618 --> 00:38:55,082 or even the death penalty. (suspenseful rumbling music) 873 00:38:55,750 --> 00:38:57,793 - Theresa Bentaas is 19 874 00:38:57,793 --> 00:39:00,629 when she abandons her newborn in a ditch. 875 00:39:00,629 --> 00:39:02,965 Now she's almost 60. 876 00:39:04,550 --> 00:39:07,594 For the many people who never forgot Baby Andrew, 877 00:39:07,594 --> 00:39:10,181 her upcoming trial is a chance to understand 878 00:39:10,181 --> 00:39:12,183 what brought about this tragedy. 879 00:39:13,100 --> 00:39:14,768 - [Narrator] Theresa Bentaas undergoes 880 00:39:14,768 --> 00:39:16,896 a five-hour psychiatric evaluation 881 00:39:16,896 --> 00:39:20,107 with a psychologist who diagnoses her. 882 00:39:20,107 --> 00:39:23,861 The expert asserts she has a textbook case 883 00:39:23,861 --> 00:39:25,863 of complete pregnancy denial, 884 00:39:25,863 --> 00:39:27,531 which is a phenomena that occurs 885 00:39:27,531 --> 00:39:30,368 in roughly one out of 2,500 pregnancies. 886 00:39:31,744 --> 00:39:33,204 - Most who suffer 887 00:39:33,204 --> 00:39:35,664 from this condition misinterpret their symptoms 888 00:39:35,664 --> 00:39:37,750 and end up giving birth at home. 889 00:39:38,876 --> 00:39:40,044 And that is what happens with Theresa Bentaas 890 00:39:40,044 --> 00:39:42,463 with her first two pregnancies, 891 00:39:42,463 --> 00:39:44,840 and she wasn't able to name her first baby. 892 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:46,342 (ominous instrumental music) 893 00:39:46,342 --> 00:39:50,096 - Theresa Bentaas changes her guilty plea to an Alford plea, 894 00:39:50,096 --> 00:39:52,056 which allows her to maintain her innocence 895 00:39:52,056 --> 00:39:54,934 while authorizing the court to enter a guilty plea. 896 00:39:54,934 --> 00:39:56,936 In exchange, the state drops the first 897 00:39:56,936 --> 00:39:59,063 and second degree murder charges. 898 00:39:59,063 --> 00:40:00,940 (ominous instrumental music) 899 00:40:00,940 --> 00:40:02,858 - Lee Litz is there watching again. 900 00:40:02,858 --> 00:40:06,277 He's deeply invested in finding justice for Baby Andrew. 901 00:40:07,655 --> 00:40:09,489 - [Narrator] Litz and his daughter visit the grave 902 00:40:09,489 --> 00:40:11,867 and leave tokens on the baby's headstone, 903 00:40:12,952 --> 00:40:15,161 next to other items left by unknown people 904 00:40:15,161 --> 00:40:17,415 who have also been touched by the story. 905 00:40:18,541 --> 00:40:19,834 - [Crystal Voiceover] "I'm so glad the parents 906 00:40:19,834 --> 00:40:20,918 "have been found. 907 00:40:20,918 --> 00:40:23,170 "It means justice for Andrew. 908 00:40:23,170 --> 00:40:25,214 "That's what we've wanted this whole time 909 00:40:25,214 --> 00:40:28,968 "was justice for Andrew," Crystal Litz-Oestreich. 910 00:40:28,968 --> 00:40:30,719 - Four decades later, 911 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:34,473 this case goes to trial at the Minnehaha County Courthouse. 912 00:40:35,850 --> 00:40:37,143 - [Narrator] Despite the plea deal, 913 00:40:37,143 --> 00:40:38,893 Bentaas still can face life in prison 914 00:40:38,893 --> 00:40:41,021 for first degree manslaughter. 915 00:40:42,148 --> 00:40:43,899 It's revealed the baby has a small portion 916 00:40:43,899 --> 00:40:46,277 of air in his lungs and stomach. 917 00:40:46,277 --> 00:40:48,070 But Theresa Bentaas testifies, 918 00:40:48,070 --> 00:40:52,074 "When Baby Andrew was born he is not crying or kicking." 919 00:40:53,159 --> 00:40:54,785 - And the judge finds there's no evidence 920 00:40:54,785 --> 00:40:56,829 to suggest the baby would've survived, 921 00:40:56,829 --> 00:40:59,331 even if Bentaas had sought medical help. 922 00:41:00,791 --> 00:41:02,209 - In the end, 923 00:41:02,209 --> 00:41:04,128 the judge doesn't condone what happened, 924 00:41:04,128 --> 00:41:07,422 but he also doesn't condemn Theresa Bentaas. 925 00:41:08,966 --> 00:41:12,594 - Theresa Bentaas is sentenced to 10 years in prison 926 00:41:12,594 --> 00:41:14,930 and the judge suspends nine years of that. 927 00:41:14,930 --> 00:41:18,184 Finally, this long cold case is resolved. 928 00:41:18,184 --> 00:41:20,393 (ominous instrumental music) 929 00:41:20,393 --> 00:41:21,979 - Mr. Litz was an amazing man, 930 00:41:21,979 --> 00:41:24,023 showed up to the court trials 931 00:41:24,023 --> 00:41:26,275 when this thing did get solved. 932 00:41:26,275 --> 00:41:28,861 He was there for sentencing. 933 00:41:28,861 --> 00:41:32,531 When I shook his hand and I thanked him and he thanked me 934 00:41:32,531 --> 00:41:34,116 and that kind of hit me. 935 00:41:34,116 --> 00:41:36,577 I'm like, I was thanking him for being there. 936 00:41:37,995 --> 00:41:42,166 - Because of DNA and a determined law enforcement team, 937 00:41:42,166 --> 00:41:45,419 this terrible shrouded mystery seized the light of day. 938 00:41:46,795 --> 00:41:50,049 - This was a case of complete pregnancy denial. 939 00:41:50,049 --> 00:41:52,593 But tragic as this case was, 940 00:41:52,593 --> 00:41:55,513 it united a whole community around this child. 941 00:41:55,513 --> 00:41:57,848 (somber instrumental music) 942 00:41:57,848 --> 00:41:59,683 - Maybe there's something about detectives 943 00:41:59,683 --> 00:42:02,770 that wanna work cold cases, they're incredible. 944 00:42:02,770 --> 00:42:05,523 I mean, these are like the best of the best 945 00:42:05,523 --> 00:42:07,900 and they are not desensitized 946 00:42:07,900 --> 00:42:10,236 and they care about these victims. 947 00:42:10,236 --> 00:42:12,279 - And we're talking about a human life, 948 00:42:12,279 --> 00:42:15,991 so I think it's actually wrong to have closure on that. 949 00:42:15,991 --> 00:42:18,077 Andrew should be remembered. 950 00:42:18,077 --> 00:42:19,954 The case should be remembered. 951 00:42:19,954 --> 00:42:21,330 A long ways to get there, 952 00:42:21,330 --> 00:42:23,207 but sitting in that courtroom and finally saying, 953 00:42:23,207 --> 00:42:26,502 "Court adjourned," and walking away going, 954 00:42:26,502 --> 00:42:28,128 wow, that was it, 955 00:42:29,296 --> 00:42:31,006 we got it done. 956 00:42:31,006 --> 00:42:35,010 (somber instrumental music) 957 00:42:35,010 --> 00:42:39,390 (suspenseful instrumental music)