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[drill buzzing]
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[Matthew]
I knew something was wrong.
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Something happened to her.
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Her killer thought
he was gonna get away with it.
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[Dean] He formulated a plan.
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Like some sort
of Vegas magic act,
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he made the body disappear.
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[Pamela] It's like finding
a needle in a haystack.
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There's such a vast expanse
of where it could be.
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[Parker]
No one would have believed
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that anyone would have gone
to such lengths...
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to hide a body.
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[Dean] On May 31st, 2019,
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Esmeralda Gonzalez
was reported missing
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to the Las Vegas metropolitan
police department.
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Esmeralda was last seen
by her family
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on May 26th, 2019.
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After two days,
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her brother responded
to Esmeralda's address
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to check up on her.
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When he got there,
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he found her not there.
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Her brother called me
and told me
that she's missing.
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I was in denial.
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Esmeralda was a very driven
young woman.
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She was born in Mexico
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and she came to Las Vegas
at a very young age.
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And she was able
to finish up college,
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she bought her first house,
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she ended up
buying a second house
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and turned it
into a rental property.
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She became Instagram famous.
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She had thousands
and thousands of followers.
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Why would this girl,
who is 100% independent,
go missing?
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And I knew
something was wrong.
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[somber music playing]
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[Pamela] Her family told us...
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Esmeralda was living
in a pretty nice neighborhood
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and making pretty good money.
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But we found she suffered
from mental health problems.
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When she was
on her medication,
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she was fine.
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But if the medication
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stopped working for her,
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then she would have episodes.
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[Matthew] A week
before she went missing,
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her brother called me
and he told me
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that her mental disorder
is acting up again
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and something's going on
with her medicine.
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[Cinthia]
My news assignment editor
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said there's this report
of a missing Latina.
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She was in a very,
very fragile state of mind.
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To me, it hit home
a little more
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for the simple fact
that her parents had come
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to the United States
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for the same reason
my parents came here.
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Her family just wanted
a better life.
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That just makes you feel sick
to your stomach.
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[Matthew]
"What was her mental state?"
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is, uh, the reason why
something happened to her.
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I didn't know how to react.
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It was all like
a complete mystery
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what really happened.
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[Pamela] For me, all cases
are kind of like a puzzle.
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When the police detectives
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first came and spoke to us
about the case,
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they described it
as a missing persons case.
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But there's no indication,
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really, that anything criminal
has happened to her.
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[Dean]
We went to Esmeralda's house
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to see if the disappearance
was a result of something
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that happened there.
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[Pamela] There wasn't a lot
of disturbance at her house.
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But she left her phone,
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her car was there.
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[Dean] We did find
that she had video cameras
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on her door
and within the house as well.
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And we're able to obtain
video footage from the cameras
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in Esmeralda's house.
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[doorbell rings]
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[Dean] This video footage
shows her behavior
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around her house
in the days leading up
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to her disappearance.
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She's acting erratic,
strange.
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She's heard muttering
nonsense, phrases...
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and jumping at nothing.
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[Esmeralda yells]
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You can see that Esmeralda
is essentially
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not in a right mind
during that period of time.
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Even though
she's clearly having
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kind of a mental breakdown.
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Nothing in the house
ends up helping
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as far as where she went.
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The fact that she left items
that could be tracked.
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Her cell phone,
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her debit card, credit cards,
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and even her vehicle
at her residence,
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questions also arise
on whether or not
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she was trying
to escape from someone.
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We conducted interviews
with family members
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and others friends
that showed that Esmeralda
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had a boyfriend, John.
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[Matthew]
Last time that I'd seen her
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six to eight weeks
before she went missing,
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I went to her house
and she instantly stopped me
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and she said,
"You cannot come in here.
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I have a new man.
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He's extremely jealous.
He's controlling.
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He watches my cameras.
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He doesn't want you
around here."
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I was like,
"This is very odd."
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We look into John to see
what his criminal history was,
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and discovered that
there had been a report
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of a domestic dispute
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between Esmeralda and John
on the 29th of May.
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She is ultimately reported
as missing on the 31st.
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So we become concerned.
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[drill buzzing]
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[Parker] John ends up
being rather forthcoming
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with information
and his own whereabouts.
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He turns over a cell phone.
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He allows detectives
to essentially
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go through social media.
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Stuff like that.
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[Dean]
We used cell phone records
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with location data
to determine that John
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was not with Esmeralda
since May 29th
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in the days leading up
to her disappearance.
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[Parker]
At that point in time,
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we don't have enough
to move on John.
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[eerie music playing]
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[Dean]
The Missing Persons Unit
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then did a canvas
of the neighborhood
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where Esmeralda lived.
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They contacted
several neighbors.
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A lot of people
have ring doorbells
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that capture video
not only at their front porch
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or sometimes even out
in the front yard
or the street.
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[Parker]
One of the neighbors says,
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"Oh, hey, I have video footage
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of a girl
knocking on my door."
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[Dean] We did retrieve
that security footage.
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They're kind of taken aback.
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The video footage
showed Esmeralda dressed
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in her lingerie
and high heels.
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She appears very confused.
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When a person
is reported missing
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and you know that they have
a history of mental illness,
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then we do become concerned
about their welfare.
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[doorbell rings]
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The fear would be that
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they could become
a danger to themselves
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or a danger to someone else
in the community.
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The longer a missing person
goes missing,
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the colder the case gets,
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the harder it is
to put things together.
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[dog barking]
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[Dean] Now we have a question,
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what has happened to her?
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[man speaking]
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[man speaking]
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And you can see that
at 2:33 a.m. timeframe
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is the last time
she can be seen alive
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when she's walking
down the street.
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[Dean] Where did she go?
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She's leaving
on her own volition
from her house,
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but her behavior
is very erratic,
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and she just disappears
from that moment.
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We were concerned,
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will this missing
persons investigation
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ultimately become
a homicide investigation?
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[tense music playing]
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[Pamela] When people
are missing for us
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for a certain amount of time,
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we assume
it's gonna ultimately end
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in a homicide case.
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But we need a body.
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Without a body,
you have trouble proving
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that someone's dead
or that a crime has occurred.
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[Parker] It's frustrating
because you kind of know
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that Esmeralda's family
must be suffering,
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and this family
wants some closure.
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And we can't give it
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because we can't definitely
say what happened.
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We can't essentially tell
that family to give up hope.
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[Matthew] The hardest part
is just not knowing
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what really happened.
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I was afraid somebody
was doing harm to her.
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And then you're just searching
all over town,
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going everywhere that you know
that she normally goes.
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Where she gets
her nails done,
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the gas station.
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Is all her friends
and family.
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You're going everywhere
you can think
that she possibly went to,
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putting flyers up
all over town.
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[Dean] Then approximately
six weeks later
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on July 18th, 2019,
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00:13:01,266 --> 00:13:03,000
Metro PD's homicide unit
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00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,400
receives an anonymous tip
via a phone call.
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The information
in the anonymous tip
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00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,233
was that a prostitute
came to be in the company
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of a person
called Christopher Prestipino
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and that she had been held
against her will
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for a couple days
and was ultimately murdered
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by Christopher Prestipino.
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[Parker] We had doubts
about whether or not
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Esmeralda is the girl
that was discussed in the...
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In the tip.
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00:13:39,767 --> 00:13:43,400
However,
that gets me interested.
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This was the first real
significant break in the...
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00:13:49,066 --> 00:13:51,100
This investigation.
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00:13:51,100 --> 00:13:55,800
And the investigation
has turned upside-down.
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00:14:02,166 --> 00:14:04,467
There was investigation done
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00:14:04,467 --> 00:14:07,734
into what was going on
in Esmeralda's social life,
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00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:10,400
given that she was
a social media influencer.
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00:14:17,467 --> 00:14:20,667
[Pamela]
But we learned she had ties
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00:14:20,667 --> 00:14:23,700
to quasi-adult entertainment.
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00:14:26,767 --> 00:14:28,667
[Matthew] She worked
as one of those showgirls
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on the strip
where you wear the feathers
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00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:32,734
and you take pictures
with tourists.
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And I told her
that it was not safe.
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00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:36,367
Like you're...
You don't have security,
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00:14:36,367 --> 00:14:37,867
you're vulnerable.
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So she agreed
that she would work
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at a gentleman's club.
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00:14:44,867 --> 00:14:46,934
And she worked, worked,
worked, and worked
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00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:48,934
and saved every penny
she possibly could
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00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,166
and that's why she was able
to be successful
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00:14:51,166 --> 00:14:52,934
and invest in real estate.
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00:14:55,967 --> 00:14:59,433
There were definitely
adult entertainment
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00:14:59,500 --> 00:15:00,934
aspects of her life,
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00:15:02,100 --> 00:15:03,667
kind of loosely fitting
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00:15:03,667 --> 00:15:06,100
what the anonymous tipster
had said.
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00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:12,266
So, it seemed like
a pretty valid tip,
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00:15:12,266 --> 00:15:15,467
but for us as prosecutors,
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00:15:15,467 --> 00:15:18,100
we need a crime scene
or we need a body.
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00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:20,934
I mean,
we need something to go on
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if we're gonna charge
a homicide
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00:15:22,667 --> 00:15:25,533
much more than this person
is missing.
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00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,634
[suspenseful music playing]
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00:15:31,100 --> 00:15:33,867
[Dean] The first thing done
with this information
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00:15:33,867 --> 00:15:38,634
is try to identify
the person named in the tip.
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In this case,
they were able to identify
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00:15:41,767 --> 00:15:43,433
Christopher Prestipino
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because his last name
is very unusual.
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[Parker] We learned
that Christopher worked
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00:15:50,767 --> 00:15:53,033
here in Las Vegas.
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He dealt
with production lighting.
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[Pamela] He was sort of
a behind-the-scenes worker,
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00:16:00,367 --> 00:16:04,266
and they're able to find out
that around the time
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00:16:04,266 --> 00:16:09,000
Esmeralda goes missing,
he doesn't show up for work,
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00:16:10,767 --> 00:16:13,200
which is unusual for him.
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00:16:15,367 --> 00:16:17,467
[Dean] He had criminal history
258
00:16:17,467 --> 00:16:21,200
involving possession
and sales of narcotics.
259
00:16:23,567 --> 00:16:26,567
[Cinthia] But based on
what I saw on social media,
260
00:16:26,567 --> 00:16:29,233
this guy was perverted.
261
00:16:29,300 --> 00:16:31,100
He had so many posts,
262
00:16:31,100 --> 00:16:33,500
inappropriate posts
about women,
263
00:16:35,100 --> 00:16:37,300
things he would do to women.
264
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,433
I remember seeing
that he liked a lot
265
00:16:42,500 --> 00:16:46,433
of like nasty groups
on Facebook.
266
00:16:47,900 --> 00:16:51,333
He's a sicko walking around
in our community.
267
00:16:52,467 --> 00:16:53,900
He's a predator.
268
00:16:57,100 --> 00:16:59,000
[Matthew] I never met him,
this guy,
269
00:17:00,066 --> 00:17:02,400
but there's so many thoughts
going through your mind.
270
00:17:03,767 --> 00:17:05,100
You can't help
but to think like,
271
00:17:05,100 --> 00:17:06,300
"Are these things connected?"
272
00:17:11,467 --> 00:17:13,433
[Pamela]
Was there some connection
273
00:17:13,500 --> 00:17:17,700
between Esmeralda Gonzalez
and Christopher Prestipino?
274
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,233
[tense music playing]
275
00:17:34,300 --> 00:17:37,700
[Dean] Detectives were looking
for a connection
276
00:17:38,367 --> 00:17:40,734
between Esmeralda Gonzalez
277
00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:44,600
and Christopher Prestipino.
278
00:17:48,100 --> 00:17:50,867
We map out
Esmeralda's address
279
00:17:50,867 --> 00:17:53,734
and Christopher's address
and find
280
00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,934
that they're less than
one-tenth of a mile apart.
281
00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:04,867
The street that Prestipino's
cul-de-sac empties out onto
282
00:18:04,867 --> 00:18:06,533
is in fact the same street
283
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,333
that Esmeralda
is seen walking towards
284
00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:11,367
when she leaves
that neighbor's house
285
00:18:11,367 --> 00:18:15,533
at 2:30 a.m. on May 31st.
286
00:18:17,900 --> 00:18:19,767
[Pamela]
Because of the proximity
287
00:18:19,767 --> 00:18:22,734
of Esmeralda Gonzalez's house
288
00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,266
and also the...
Kind of the description
289
00:18:25,266 --> 00:18:26,767
of her loosely fitting
290
00:18:26,767 --> 00:18:29,300
what the anonymous tipster
had said,
291
00:18:30,700 --> 00:18:34,467
we were able to put together
that she was likely
292
00:18:34,467 --> 00:18:37,133
the person
in the anonymous tip.
293
00:18:39,166 --> 00:18:40,667
[Dean] Up until this moment,
294
00:18:40,667 --> 00:18:42,667
there's been a bunch
of dead ends
295
00:18:42,667 --> 00:18:46,367
in the Esmeralda Gonzalez
investigation.
296
00:18:46,367 --> 00:18:47,867
Now it seems
that there's been
297
00:18:47,867 --> 00:18:50,000
a huge break in the case.
298
00:18:53,467 --> 00:18:57,266
Christopher Prestipino
ends up being the suspect.
299
00:18:57,266 --> 00:19:00,400
Prestipino is playing game
of cat and mouse.
300
00:19:01,867 --> 00:19:05,367
If you don't have a body,
one of the main elements
301
00:19:05,367 --> 00:19:07,634
of a human being killed,
302
00:19:07,700 --> 00:19:09,266
you have to prove murder
303
00:19:09,266 --> 00:19:11,900
through at least
circumstantial evidence.
304
00:19:19,567 --> 00:19:22,867
[Pamela] We subpoenaed
Christopher's banking records
305
00:19:22,867 --> 00:19:26,500
and we could see
where his card was used.
306
00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:32,767
We pulled
the video surveillance,
307
00:19:32,767 --> 00:19:35,700
you see trips
to the hardware store.
308
00:19:36,567 --> 00:19:40,166
The hardware purchases
start occurring on June 2nd
309
00:19:40,166 --> 00:19:43,567
after Esmeralda went missing.
310
00:19:43,567 --> 00:19:47,467
[Pamela] All of the purchases
were highly suspicious,
311
00:19:47,467 --> 00:19:51,533
like a rope, and cement,
and wheelbarrow,
312
00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,834
and all these things
that you would need
313
00:19:54,900 --> 00:19:57,567
in order to move a body.
314
00:19:57,567 --> 00:20:00,634
But all of the little pieces
of evidence
315
00:20:00,700 --> 00:20:02,834
is circumstantial evidence.
316
00:20:03,567 --> 00:20:06,333
So it was helpful
but not definitive
317
00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:07,734
that a crime has occurred.
318
00:20:10,667 --> 00:20:13,734
[Parker] We also learn
Christopher Prestipino
319
00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,467
does three
different truck rentals
320
00:20:16,467 --> 00:20:19,333
from June 8th to June 10th.
321
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,800
Esmeralda has reported missing
on the 31st.
322
00:20:28,300 --> 00:20:32,066
If Christopher Prestipino
did kill Esmeralda
323
00:20:32,066 --> 00:20:34,266
and did not dispose
of the body
324
00:20:34,266 --> 00:20:36,200
until the 10th,
325
00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,667
that he had a long period
of time
326
00:20:40,667 --> 00:20:44,500
to formulate and enact a plan
to dispose of that body.
327
00:20:49,300 --> 00:20:51,033
[Pamela]
There's like 200 miles
328
00:20:51,100 --> 00:20:52,467
put on the rental truck,
329
00:20:52,467 --> 00:20:54,266
but Las Vegas,
330
00:20:54,266 --> 00:20:57,266
there's a lot of desert
surrounding it.
331
00:20:57,266 --> 00:21:01,100
There's such a vast expanse
of where the remains
332
00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:04,066
of Esmeralda Gonzalez
could be,
333
00:21:04,066 --> 00:21:08,667
but we needed to try to piece
together where she was.
334
00:21:08,667 --> 00:21:11,200
So it's like finding a needle
in a haystack.
335
00:21:20,100 --> 00:21:22,467
[Parker]
If he killed Esmeralda,
336
00:21:22,467 --> 00:21:25,767
I think Prestipino thinks
he can outsmart detectives
337
00:21:25,767 --> 00:21:28,266
because if you don't
have a body,
338
00:21:28,266 --> 00:21:32,133
we can't just go arrest him.
339
00:21:36,100 --> 00:21:38,367
If he's playing a game
of cat and mouse,
340
00:21:38,367 --> 00:21:40,200
you gotta keep going.
341
00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,634
Now, this is roughly
in this August
342
00:21:53,700 --> 00:21:55,533
to September time period.
343
00:21:57,867 --> 00:22:01,000
We get the cell phone records
of Prestipino
344
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,367
and a number is called
really frequently
345
00:22:04,367 --> 00:22:06,667
during this May 31st
346
00:22:06,667 --> 00:22:09,634
to, let's say,
June 10th timeframe.
347
00:22:09,700 --> 00:22:13,467
And Casandra Garrett
is the name of the person
348
00:22:13,467 --> 00:22:15,567
who's using this other phone.
349
00:22:15,567 --> 00:22:18,300
So detectives start
following up on that.
350
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,433
[Dean] Casandra
was kind of a drifter.
351
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:29,667
She lived in various places
in Las Vegas,
352
00:22:29,667 --> 00:22:32,400
sometimes not staying
at one place too long.
353
00:22:34,567 --> 00:22:37,400
Casandra's cell phone
is tracked.
354
00:22:39,100 --> 00:22:42,166
Sometime in the evening
of June 10th,
355
00:22:42,166 --> 00:22:44,300
Casandra leaves Las Vegas.
356
00:22:46,367 --> 00:22:50,100
Casandra ultimately ends up
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
357
00:22:52,367 --> 00:22:56,934
We were really trying to get
as much evidence as possible.
358
00:22:58,567 --> 00:23:01,767
There's a little bit
of strategy to that.
359
00:23:01,767 --> 00:23:05,033
We don't wanna talk
to Christopher
360
00:23:05,100 --> 00:23:07,533
because then obviously
he realizes
361
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,333
that he is being looked
at for a homicide,
362
00:23:12,066 --> 00:23:14,166
but we needed something.
363
00:23:14,166 --> 00:23:18,533
So the detectives traveled
to Milwaukee
364
00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:20,634
to speak
with Casandra Garrett
365
00:23:20,700 --> 00:23:22,433
to see if she would talk
366
00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:25,634
about anything that happened
in Las Vegas.
367
00:23:42,066 --> 00:23:43,634
Detectives respond
to Milwaukee
368
00:23:43,700 --> 00:23:46,600
to interview Casandra Garrett.
369
00:23:48,100 --> 00:23:50,567
We know that Casandra
370
00:23:50,567 --> 00:23:54,667
and our suspect
Christopher Prestipino
371
00:23:54,667 --> 00:23:56,300
were friends,
372
00:23:57,066 --> 00:24:00,467
so it's very important
to speak with her
373
00:24:00,467 --> 00:24:04,000
to see what her
involvement was.
374
00:24:10,567 --> 00:24:17,567
[detective speaking]
375
00:24:17,567 --> 00:24:19,100
[Casandra speaking]
376
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,367
[detective speaking]
377
00:24:23,367 --> 00:24:29,400
[Casandra speaking]
378
00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,700
[detective speaking]
379
00:24:41,166 --> 00:24:44,934
[Casandra speaking]
380
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:46,367
[detective speaking]
381
00:24:46,367 --> 00:24:53,533
[Casandra speaking]
382
00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:02,900
[detective speaking]
383
00:25:06,867 --> 00:25:10,367
-[Casandra speaking]
-[detective speaking]
384
00:25:10,367 --> 00:25:16,500
[Casandra speaking]
385
00:25:22,567 --> 00:25:25,066
She basically tells them
to pound sand
386
00:25:25,066 --> 00:25:28,900
and doesn't really give them
much to follow up on.
387
00:25:29,867 --> 00:25:31,734
[Pamela] She's not
too forthcoming.
388
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,767
So it's really challenging.
389
00:25:34,767 --> 00:25:38,066
I think Christopher Prestipino
was clearly involved
390
00:25:38,066 --> 00:25:41,367
in Esmeralda's disappearance,
391
00:25:41,367 --> 00:25:45,834
but we didn't have
anything else to go on.
392
00:25:53,767 --> 00:25:56,967
[Dean] But we do
become concerned.
393
00:25:56,967 --> 00:26:00,934
If he and Casandra
begin discussing the case,
394
00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,033
they may start covering up
their crime
395
00:26:04,100 --> 00:26:05,834
and disposing of the evidence.
396
00:26:07,100 --> 00:26:10,033
[Pamela] We had to figure out
where the crime scene is.
397
00:26:10,100 --> 00:26:12,266
So we got
search warrants served
398
00:26:12,266 --> 00:26:14,333
in Christopher Prestipino's
house
399
00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:16,667
in order
to find more evidence
400
00:26:16,667 --> 00:26:19,767
that would
substantiate a homicide
401
00:26:19,767 --> 00:26:23,166
and help us find
Esmeralda's body.
402
00:26:23,166 --> 00:26:26,400
[somber music playing]
403
00:26:33,667 --> 00:26:35,066
[Dean] This search
was conducted
404
00:26:35,066 --> 00:26:37,734
on September 20th.
405
00:26:39,266 --> 00:26:41,667
SWAT is used
in these circumstances
406
00:26:41,667 --> 00:26:44,834
is because the subject matter
of the investigation
407
00:26:44,900 --> 00:26:46,367
is a violent act
408
00:26:46,367 --> 00:26:49,900
where someone
is ultimately killed.
409
00:26:51,667 --> 00:26:54,767
[Pamela] When the detectives
served the search warrant,
410
00:26:54,767 --> 00:26:58,033
Christopher Prestipino
was home
411
00:26:58,867 --> 00:27:02,000
and cooperated
with the police.
412
00:27:04,166 --> 00:27:08,867
When the detectives
showed Mr. Prestipino
413
00:27:08,867 --> 00:27:11,934
a picture
of Esmeralda Gonzalez
414
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:16,567
and he denied ever seeing her
or ever meeting her.
415
00:27:16,567 --> 00:27:19,700
So we searched his residence.
416
00:27:22,100 --> 00:27:24,133
[door creaking]
417
00:27:26,100 --> 00:27:29,367
[Pamela] There wasn't
a whole lot of evidence
418
00:27:29,367 --> 00:27:33,834
that indicated violence
in the house.
419
00:27:36,967 --> 00:27:40,800
There wasn't
an obvious weapon,
420
00:27:43,266 --> 00:27:45,233
there wasn't blood,
421
00:27:47,767 --> 00:27:50,533
but there were things
that suggested
422
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:52,934
that something could've
happened in the house.
423
00:27:54,166 --> 00:27:57,133
The garage floor was redone.
424
00:28:00,266 --> 00:28:02,333
There were new carpets.
425
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,066
Those things
would be consistent
426
00:28:08,066 --> 00:28:12,800
with someone who's trying
to hide evidence of a crime.
427
00:28:14,467 --> 00:28:16,567
But there's no way to say
428
00:28:16,567 --> 00:28:20,500
that something bad happened
to her in the house.
429
00:28:30,300 --> 00:28:34,934
We were concerned
if we never find this body,
430
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,533
are we gonna be able
to put a case on?
431
00:28:41,667 --> 00:28:43,667
[Parker]
Maybe Prestipino thinks
432
00:28:43,667 --> 00:28:45,567
he can outsmart everyone,
433
00:28:45,567 --> 00:28:47,233
but we didn't stop.
434
00:28:47,300 --> 00:28:50,333
[somber music playing]
435
00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:59,567
[Pamela] Several months
into the investigation,
436
00:28:59,567 --> 00:29:04,100
a witness comes forward
and it was pretty big.
437
00:29:04,867 --> 00:29:07,000
One of Casandra Garrett's
friends
438
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:10,233
ends up talking to us.
439
00:29:11,166 --> 00:29:14,166
According to the friend,
Casandra had talked
440
00:29:14,166 --> 00:29:17,533
about this young woman
being tied up
441
00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,667
in the house of Prestipino
442
00:29:20,667 --> 00:29:22,500
for several days.
443
00:29:24,100 --> 00:29:25,867
That she was drugged
444
00:29:25,867 --> 00:29:30,000
and that she was prevented
from leaving the house.
445
00:29:32,300 --> 00:29:34,834
[Parker]
And so because of that,
446
00:29:34,900 --> 00:29:38,200
we decided to take another run
at Casandra.
447
00:29:43,367 --> 00:29:45,166
[Pamela] We told her
448
00:29:45,166 --> 00:29:49,967
that if she did tell us
what happened to Esmeralda,
449
00:29:49,967 --> 00:29:54,934
that her liability
would be lessened
450
00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:58,367
if she could implicate
someone else
451
00:29:58,367 --> 00:30:02,166
versus having most
of the responsibility laid
452
00:30:02,166 --> 00:30:03,934
at her doorstep.
453
00:30:05,367 --> 00:30:07,467
Casandra decided
that she would cooperate
454
00:30:07,467 --> 00:30:10,767
with the detective's
investigation
455
00:30:10,767 --> 00:30:14,767
and Casandra agreed
to come back to Las Vegas
456
00:30:14,767 --> 00:30:17,900
from Wisconsin
on October 4th.
457
00:30:20,066 --> 00:30:22,967
She admitted
that she was with Christopher
458
00:30:22,967 --> 00:30:24,400
when they dumped the body.
459
00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:29,667
Then she led the detectives
to a remote desert area,
460
00:30:29,667 --> 00:30:33,233
approximately 47 miles
north of Las Vegas.
461
00:30:39,767 --> 00:30:43,533
[Pamela] And once they got out
to that desert location,
462
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:51,033
what we found
was really shocking.
463
00:31:08,667 --> 00:31:11,934
[Parker] Early October,
Pam and I are alerted,
464
00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:13,667
hey, the body's
likely been found.
465
00:31:13,667 --> 00:31:15,467
It's a tomb.
466
00:31:15,467 --> 00:31:18,266
And Casandra Garrett ends up
being the person
467
00:31:18,266 --> 00:31:21,767
who shows us where the body
is in tomb
468
00:31:21,767 --> 00:31:23,800
and disposed of in the middle
of the desert.
469
00:31:24,967 --> 00:31:27,467
It's so heavy.
470
00:31:27,467 --> 00:31:29,767
A tow truck
with kind of a crane gets out
471
00:31:29,767 --> 00:31:31,433
in the middle of the desert.
472
00:31:32,667 --> 00:31:34,634
It picks up the tomb
473
00:31:34,700 --> 00:31:36,967
and it's brought back
to the CSI lab
474
00:31:36,967 --> 00:31:38,400
here in Las Vegas.
475
00:31:41,467 --> 00:31:44,100
[Pamela] They had
to drill it open
476
00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:48,967
and it was a really,
really heavy structure.
477
00:31:48,967 --> 00:31:51,166
[Parker] They were able
to find portions of bones
478
00:31:51,166 --> 00:31:53,667
and there is a watch
that Esmeralda was wearing
479
00:31:53,667 --> 00:31:55,467
in some of her
social media posts
480
00:31:55,467 --> 00:31:58,567
that is in that tomb
that she was buried with.
481
00:31:58,567 --> 00:32:00,367
And so that's one
of the initial ways
482
00:32:00,367 --> 00:32:01,734
that she's identified.
483
00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:03,433
But eventually, DNA confirms
484
00:32:03,500 --> 00:32:05,500
that's Esmeralda's body.
485
00:32:09,100 --> 00:32:11,100
It was shock,
486
00:32:11,100 --> 00:32:14,567
shock but kind of awe
in the sense of,
487
00:32:14,567 --> 00:32:18,834
hey, someone really build
this thing.
488
00:32:20,166 --> 00:32:21,667
The amount of thought
that it took
489
00:32:21,667 --> 00:32:24,667
to essentially enclosed this
into a tomb,
490
00:32:24,667 --> 00:32:26,634
no one would have believed
491
00:32:26,700 --> 00:32:28,667
that anyone would've gone
to such lengths
492
00:32:28,667 --> 00:32:30,567
to hide a body.
493
00:32:30,567 --> 00:32:32,266
[reporter 1] Prosecutors
suspected a body
494
00:32:32,266 --> 00:32:34,333
that was recently found
in the desert
495
00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:37,934
is missing woman 24-year-old,
Esmeralda Gonzalez.
496
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:39,634
[reporter 2] Detectives
located it in the desert,
497
00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:41,433
encased
in a homemade concrete
498
00:32:41,500 --> 00:32:43,233
and a wooden structure.
499
00:32:48,567 --> 00:32:51,433
[Matthew] I just remember
when her friend called me
500
00:32:51,500 --> 00:32:53,266
and told me
if they ended up killing her,
501
00:32:53,266 --> 00:32:56,166
I was actually
mentally prepared for it
502
00:32:56,166 --> 00:32:57,734
when they did find her.
503
00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:00,100
The story was,
it was all over the news,
504
00:33:00,100 --> 00:33:03,000
like you couldn't
even get away from it.
505
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,233
I try not to hear
all the details.
506
00:33:06,300 --> 00:33:07,967
If I hear the details,
507
00:33:07,967 --> 00:33:11,266
like I can imagine
exactly how she would react.
508
00:33:11,266 --> 00:33:12,166
And that type of thought
509
00:33:12,166 --> 00:33:13,867
just kind of, like, sticks
in your mind,
510
00:33:13,867 --> 00:33:16,400
so I just try not
to hear the specifics.
511
00:33:17,166 --> 00:33:19,600
I was in complete shock.
512
00:33:24,567 --> 00:33:27,467
[Parker]
So that's the point in time
when you can go forward
513
00:33:27,467 --> 00:33:30,333
with an arrest warrant
for Christopher Prestipino.
514
00:33:32,467 --> 00:33:35,367
Detectives become aware
that he's gonna fly back
515
00:33:35,367 --> 00:33:37,367
from vacation on this flight.
516
00:33:37,367 --> 00:33:39,667
It's gonna land here
in McCarran Airport.
517
00:33:39,667 --> 00:33:42,533
I'm at the airport
with the detectives.
518
00:33:43,166 --> 00:33:45,533
Detectives circle around him,
519
00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:47,266
hook him under each arm.
520
00:33:47,266 --> 00:33:49,500
We say we found the body.
521
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:53,033
Prestipino goes limp
522
00:33:53,100 --> 00:33:55,834
and, kind of, collapses
523
00:33:55,900 --> 00:33:58,834
into the arms
of the detectives.
524
00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:04,634
[Pamela] He is arrested
at that point,
525
00:34:04,700 --> 00:34:09,500
but he obtained counsel
and he refused to talk.
526
00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:15,667
It's then that
Casandra lays out actually
527
00:34:15,667 --> 00:34:18,033
what occurred on May 31st
528
00:34:18,100 --> 00:34:20,300
in those early morning hours.
529
00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:28,133
[detective speaking]
530
00:34:41,467 --> 00:34:45,233
[Casandra speaking]
531
00:34:46,166 --> 00:34:49,667
[Dean] Casandra said
she and Christopher
532
00:34:49,667 --> 00:34:52,667
were at Christopher's house
the night
533
00:34:52,667 --> 00:34:54,767
of May 30th
534
00:34:54,767 --> 00:34:57,634
into the morning of May 31st.
535
00:34:59,467 --> 00:35:03,133
Esmeralda is in lingerie
walking down the street.
536
00:35:03,700 --> 00:35:05,934
That street leads real close
537
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:07,800
to Christopher
Prestipino's house.
538
00:35:08,867 --> 00:35:12,867
[woman] She was walking around
knocking on people's doors,
539
00:35:12,867 --> 00:35:15,333
and this guy took advantage
of the situation.
540
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,066
Esmeralda was having
a mental health episode,
541
00:35:22,066 --> 00:35:24,367
but I think he probably
thought we can party
542
00:35:24,367 --> 00:35:26,800
with her
and have sex with her.
543
00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:32,266
[Casandra speaking]
544
00:35:32,266 --> 00:35:33,467
[detective speaking]
545
00:35:33,467 --> 00:35:36,600
[Casandra speaking]
546
00:36:17,667 --> 00:36:22,867
Christopher appears
to become kind of paranoid.
547
00:36:22,867 --> 00:36:26,900
[Casandra speaking]
548
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,800
[Dean] So they make the
determination to kill her.
549
00:36:37,066 --> 00:36:39,834
He starts beating
on Esmeralda
550
00:36:40,767 --> 00:36:42,834
and chokes her out.
551
00:36:43,567 --> 00:36:48,500
[Casandra speaking]
552
00:36:56,100 --> 00:36:57,734
[detective speaking]
553
00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:03,300
[Casandra speaking]
554
00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:24,100
Christopher then injects
Esmeralda with muriatic acid,
555
00:37:24,100 --> 00:37:26,166
which is used
in cleaning swimming pools,
556
00:37:26,166 --> 00:37:29,634
which ultimately
kills Esmeralda.
557
00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:32,166
And he's trying to use that
558
00:37:32,166 --> 00:37:33,867
to throw the investigators
off the scent
559
00:37:33,867 --> 00:37:36,533
in the disposal of the body.
560
00:37:39,166 --> 00:37:42,934
[Parker] Christopher
then built an entire tomb
561
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,033
full of concrete
562
00:37:45,100 --> 00:37:48,700
with various screws and jacks.
563
00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:52,533
He actually entombs
that body.
564
00:37:55,367 --> 00:37:57,567
Ultimately, Christopher
and Casandra
565
00:37:57,567 --> 00:37:59,734
drove the rented moving truck
566
00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:01,000
with the concrete in the back
567
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:05,166
to an area approximately
47 miles north of Las Vegas
568
00:38:05,166 --> 00:38:07,166
and were able to dump
569
00:38:07,166 --> 00:38:10,634
the complete structure,
wood, concrete, and all
570
00:38:10,700 --> 00:38:13,634
out of the back of the truck
into a remote desert area.
571
00:38:18,500 --> 00:38:21,767
There's like a point of really
dehumanizing someone,
572
00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:25,934
but it's really shocking
I think to know,
573
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:29,367
like literally what he had
to do to accomplish this,
574
00:38:29,367 --> 00:38:32,066
like moving
a young woman's body,
575
00:38:32,066 --> 00:38:33,767
just pouring cement on
576
00:38:33,767 --> 00:38:36,867
with the hopes
that no one ever finds her.
577
00:38:36,867 --> 00:38:40,467
I think Prestipino
does everything in his power
578
00:38:40,467 --> 00:38:42,800
to just kind of erase her.
579
00:38:49,500 --> 00:38:52,667
[Parker] If not
for how aggressive we were
580
00:38:52,667 --> 00:38:53,867
at continuing to follow up
581
00:38:53,867 --> 00:38:56,166
and the investigation
582
00:38:56,166 --> 00:38:59,166
going through
the various search warrants,
583
00:38:59,166 --> 00:39:00,800
the social media
584
00:39:02,100 --> 00:39:04,500
and the cell phone mapping,
585
00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:08,100
this probably would
never have been solved.
586
00:39:12,667 --> 00:39:14,834
[Pamela] For Casandra Garrett,
587
00:39:14,900 --> 00:39:17,767
we felt like we had
to give her some credit
588
00:39:17,767 --> 00:39:20,934
or some benefit for assisting
589
00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,000
with locating the body.
590
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:25,867
And so she got
a 20-year sentence
591
00:39:25,867 --> 00:39:29,634
with parole eligibility
after eight years.
592
00:39:31,767 --> 00:39:34,133
[Parker] Christopher
Prestipino eventually pleads
593
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,467
to second degree murder
and first degree kidnapping
594
00:39:38,467 --> 00:39:42,166
and receives a sentence
of 10 to 25 years...
595
00:39:42,166 --> 00:39:43,934
combined.
596
00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,567
It's really shocking,
I think, to know
597
00:39:47,567 --> 00:39:50,967
like literally what he had
to do to accomplish this
598
00:39:50,967 --> 00:39:54,100
with the hopes
that no one ever finds her.
599
00:39:54,100 --> 00:39:57,000
That's pretty dark
to be able to do that.
600
00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,500
I've prosecuted homicides
for 20 years
601
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:03,867
and the thing
that I always think about
602
00:40:03,867 --> 00:40:05,367
in this case
603
00:40:05,367 --> 00:40:08,233
is how she's preyed upon
604
00:40:08,300 --> 00:40:11,467
when she's in
this really vulnerable state.
605
00:40:11,467 --> 00:40:13,133
So that's always
the part for me
606
00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:14,700
that makes it really sad.
607
00:40:17,667 --> 00:40:19,233
[Matthew]
Her brother called me
608
00:40:19,300 --> 00:40:21,400
to come get her dog Bonita.
609
00:40:22,467 --> 00:40:26,433
As soon as I picked her up,
she stayed by my side.
610
00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:29,767
She was
my emotional support animal.
611
00:40:29,767 --> 00:40:31,433
So she traveled with me,
612
00:40:31,500 --> 00:40:33,867
I took care of her
for quite a while.
613
00:40:33,867 --> 00:40:35,667
And she went
614
00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:38,600
to Esmeralda's funeral
with me and everything.
615
00:40:41,467 --> 00:40:44,767
I put her down October
616
00:40:44,767 --> 00:40:48,133
of 2021.
617
00:40:49,567 --> 00:40:52,166
So until this day she...
Her ashes are next
618
00:40:52,166 --> 00:40:54,300
to her mom's ashes
in her room.
619
00:40:56,166 --> 00:40:57,967
It doesn't make sense to me.
620
00:40:57,967 --> 00:40:59,667
Literally,
you could've just let her go
621
00:40:59,667 --> 00:41:02,233
and said
she's not mentally well.
622
00:41:04,367 --> 00:41:05,867
Why did you have to kill her?
623
00:41:05,867 --> 00:41:09,500
[ominous music playing]
624
00:41:13,467 --> 00:41:18,133
This case is Dracula meets
The Sons of Anarchy .
625
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:22,333
I've never seen anybody go to
this length to dispose
626
00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:23,467
of a body.
627
00:41:23,467 --> 00:41:27,567
At that point we had got
a ladder, and I went down.
628
00:41:27,567 --> 00:41:29,567
We were thinking,
is Keith down there?