1 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: Hi, guys, Nancy Grace here, Welcome back to Killers amongst Us, 2 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: the production of iHeartMedia and Crime Online. We are investigating 3 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: the disappearance of Sarah Stern, a gorgeous team girl, her 4 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: car found abandoned late at night on a remote bridge, 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: New Jersey. We are joined by Sarah's dad, Michael Stern, 6 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: local reporter on the scene on the story from the 7 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: get go, Alex Napoleonello, Mama County Prosecutor Christopher Gramicioni, the 8 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: lead detective on the case, Brian Weisbrot is with US 9 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:43,560 Speaker 1: doctor Daniel bober Renow, forensic psychologist. Last week we ended 10 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: with police trying to piece together a timeline of Sarah's disappearance, 11 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: her comings, her goings. Now neighborhood home surveillance cameras managed 12 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: to catch Sarah's car leaving her home several times the 13 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: day she goes missing. That's a good start, but there's 14 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: nothing saw it to give cops the league they really need. 15 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: All hope is seemingly lost. Then a new tip is 16 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: the love of money, the root of all evil. The 17 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: search intensifies. How any time Saturday morning, this weekend, and 18 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: you want to help search for Sarah Stern, Nancy Grace 19 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: Chillers unmongst Us, Sarah Stern. She's the young lady nineteen 20 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: years old missing since last weekend. Her car was found 21 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: on the Belmar Bridge through thirty five Bridge at three 22 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: o'clock in the morning. And she's from Neptune City and 23 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: no trace of her. Nobody can find her. Coast Guard 24 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: and law enforcement has been looking all over that area 25 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: and no trace of her yet. So her father Michael 26 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: is getting a bunch of people as many volunteers as 27 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: can come to the boardwalk tomorrow morning Ocean Grove at 28 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: Ocean Pathway at Ocean Avenue at the Boardwalk Pavilion. They 29 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: gather there at eight thirty and they fan out the 30 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: towns all up and down the shore. And if you're 31 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: a parent like me and you've ever had a child missing, 32 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: my heart goes out of this guy and to anyone 33 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: else who's close to Sarah and wants to try to 34 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: help find her. That's din as hard. At one on 35 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 1: one point five, the whole community joining in to comb 36 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: the area looking for Sarah. To Detective Brian, wife brought 37 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: with Mama County Detective, tell me this, tell me about 38 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: the land search for Sarah. So, the land search we 39 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: had that was conducted by the police and the various 40 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: volunteers with e MS and fire departments in the area 41 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: was conducted in and around the area of the bridge 42 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: where Sarah's carr was found over the Shark River on 43 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: round thirty five. That's essentially where the primary search began 44 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: and then it spanned out. Of course from there, an 45 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: extensive amount of searching was done by the marine law 46 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: enforcement units with the state Police in the County Sheriff's 47 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: office as well. And we were doing uh, you know, 48 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: campusing for surveillance cameras and an effort to be able 49 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:18,119 Speaker 1: to locate Sarah. You know in the area. Detective, did 50 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: you bring in tracker dogs? Yes, we did. We had 51 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: canine dogs assisting us, especially during the early portions of 52 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: the search. We had dogs in boats with their handlers, um, 53 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: you know, searching the shoreline as well. You know what 54 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: a lot of people don't know is that a dog, 55 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: a tracker dog can pick up a scent even in 56 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: the water. If the person has been in the water 57 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: or is in the water, the dog can pick up 58 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: that scent. To Michael Stern, Michael, that had to be 59 00:03:54,920 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: so surreal. Everything's fine when you leave for Florida. You 60 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: talked to her the night before. Everything is fine, she's happy. 61 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: The next thing you know, her car is abandoned, she's 62 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: not in the home, the dog is in the cage, 63 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: locked up, and all of a sudden you look out 64 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: and there are tracker dogs looking for your girl. Well, 65 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 1: there was a lot of a lot of things going on. 66 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: There was a lot of activity with between the local 67 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: local police and the Sheriff's department to order rescue unit. 68 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: So it was just it was just so many things 69 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: going on all at once. It was a little bit overwhelming. 70 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: In the meantime, we're you know, we're throwing the information 71 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: that that Sarah's missing out farther and farther, So would 72 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: you know to just try to, you know, get some 73 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: kind of clue of what happened or where she was. 74 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 1: Take a listen to what was happening at the scene 75 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: of the search. Things are becoming very desperate. I really 76 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: didn't want to do this. I thought, you know, Sarah 77 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: would turn I was sooner, should be home and everything 78 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: would be fine. This is just that's you, Michael. That's 79 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: you at the search scene. You're there at an event 80 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: in the midst of everyone looking for Sarah. Do you 81 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,840 Speaker 1: remember that moment when you spoke to NJA dot com? I, 82 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: actually I don't. I spoke to so many people and 83 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: there was so much going on from five six o'clock 84 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 1: in the morning until eleven o'clock twelve o'clock every night 85 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 1: that it just never ended. It was just one continuous 86 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: conversation going on with hundreds of people. The news media. 87 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: We know, we wanted to get as many media people 88 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: involved as possible to you know, try to figure out 89 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 1: if anybody had seen Sarah, or where she might have been, 90 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: or what might have happened. So we were kind of 91 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: at a loss, which we just kept throwing the you know, 92 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: the church out farther and farther as police follow the 93 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 1: leads all the way to Canada. At the bridge, the 94 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: search begins in the water to public safety dive instructor 95 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 1: and trainer and evidence recovery specialists being Dobrin being thanks 96 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: for being with us, being what do you make of 97 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: the point where the car was found that remote bridge. 98 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 1: If Sarah Stern jumped off the bridge where they were 99 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: told she jumped off the bridge, the first thing you 100 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,720 Speaker 1: do is put boats in the water. You need to 101 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: find out what the tide is doing. That's a tidal 102 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,679 Speaker 1: body of water that empties directly into the Atlantic Ocean 103 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:41,360 Speaker 1: with an outgoing tide, that that body can be washed 104 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: out very quickly, and once it gets from the ocean, 105 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: your search area has just gone up exponentially. If it's 106 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:52,159 Speaker 1: an ingoing tide, you know, that really kind of narrows 107 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: down the search area to just that tidal basin where 108 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: the water is going to be going in. Now, there's 109 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: a difference if somebody jumps in, there's there's a lot 110 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:05,039 Speaker 1: of variability if the person is still alive when they 111 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: hit the surface and inhale now they're gonna have a 112 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: lung full of water, and they're gonna sink. If they 113 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 1: die on impact and don't inhale water and their lungs 114 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: are full of air, they can float or they can 115 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: be what it's called neutrally buoyant. They can be under 116 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 1: the water or foot or two you won't be able 117 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: to see from the surface, but they're also not gonna 118 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: be dragging on the bottom, and so they're really gonna 119 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: be impacted by the current. Now, the search air for 120 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: something like that obviously you're going to start right under 121 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: the bridge. You can have some surface search. You can 122 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: have people walking along the shoreline, because a lot of 123 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: times bodies will wash up on the shoreline. You'll have 124 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: teams walking on the shoreline. But you also can have boats. 125 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 1: Helicopters can be a very good asset, especially if the 126 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: person had just jumped. If you have a helicopter with FLEAR, 127 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: especially at night or if the water's cold, you have 128 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: you have some time that a heat signature signature can 129 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: show up on flear as well. Tides affect the search. 130 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: Tides going in and out of that tidal basis. Okay, 131 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 1: if you're looking for somebody five days later in a 132 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: tidal body of water, you know that that bridge is 133 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: very close to the Atlantic Ocean. And on the East 134 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: Coast we have what's called semi diurnal tides. Tide shift 135 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: every every six hours. You have two high tides and 136 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: two low tides a day. So it goes high tide 137 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: six hours later, low tides six hours later, high tide 138 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: six hour laters for so the tides are constantly moving. 139 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: There's a slack tide of about an hour between shifts, 140 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: but the tide is constantly moving. So if you have 141 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: five days, which you know, with four title shifts a day, 142 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: that's twenty different title shifts, and so that body's going 143 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: to move, especially if it's not all the way on 144 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: the bottom. If there's a little bit of either positive 145 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: flotation or neutral buoyancy, body's going to go a lot 146 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: of ways. Been question. Would it have helped if someone 147 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: could have placed Sarah if they had got a visual 148 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: of her at the bridge getting out of her car 149 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: to help you determine what happened. If you have a 150 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: witness that says I saw somebody jump into this body 151 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: of water, you have a very high confidence that you're 152 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: going to find the body in that water, and so 153 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: you really want to get it done, and you're going 154 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: to keep searching until you find that body. If you 155 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:34,359 Speaker 1: have some less manageable evidence or less you know, actionable information, 156 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: you can search and you want to find the body 157 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,959 Speaker 1: and you're gonna you know, one of the things that 158 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 1: that public safety dive teams really want to do is 159 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,719 Speaker 1: they want to bring closure to the families. We're out 160 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: there to find these people and to bring them home 161 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: so that the families can have closure, because sometimes it's 162 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: a missing person. Nobody knows where the person is. If 163 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:01,680 Speaker 1: we find that person, then we can stop searching elsewhere 164 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: and the family can grieve with the body. Well, Ben, 165 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 1: what about the height of the bridge. Would the height 166 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,559 Speaker 1: of the bridge make a difference. The height of the 167 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: bridge actually doesn't matter. We had a suicide a few 168 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: years ago off of one of our local bridges. It's 169 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: around one hundred and sixty two hundred and sixty feet 170 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: off the water, just depending on the tide. And when 171 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 1: we had video, there was no doubt that this person 172 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: jumped the bridge has video, We watched the person jump, 173 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 1: and one of the things that happens with the height 174 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: of that bridge is when he hit the water, that's 175 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: like cement from that height, and so when he hit 176 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: the bridge, all the air in his lungs. This is 177 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: what I believe happened. All the air and his lungs 178 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: got pushed out and the impact killed him. Because if 179 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 1: you inhale water and drown, your body generally sinks. Drowning 180 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 1: victims sink to the bottom. We had sonar out there 181 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: for about two days. We had multiple boats, we probably 182 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,199 Speaker 1: seven or eight boats running sonar. He was not on 183 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: the bottom. We also had boats obviously looking at the surface. 184 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: He was not on the surface. He was probably that 185 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 1: body of water. It was about forty five to fifty 186 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: five feet deep. He was somewhere between the surface and 187 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: the bottom and we could not get a stone our 188 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 1: picture on him. And the only way we found him 189 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 1: was about four days later. It was summertime and his 190 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: body bloated and came to the surface and he was 191 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 1: within a hundred yards of where he jumped in Durban 192 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: with me public safety dive instructor an evidence recovery specialist, 193 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 1: Michael Stern. Could you ever imagine Sarah jumping from that bridge? No, 194 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: I couldn't imagine at all. That just wouldn't wouldn't be star. 195 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,599 Speaker 1: I mean, she was a good swimmer, but she was 196 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:45,559 Speaker 1: on the swim team in high school. But it just 197 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: will be totally unlike Sarah. Just nothing thought like that 198 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,439 Speaker 1: just didn't come to my mind at all. And when 199 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: the divers were out there searching, what was going through 200 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:58,559 Speaker 1: your mind? I mean, in your mind, she would never 201 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: have jumped off that bridge, right, Well, we thought there 202 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: might have been some foul play involved, so you know, 203 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,559 Speaker 1: we weren't sure, you know, like you said, where she 204 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:12,280 Speaker 1: was that evening, you know, prior to them finding in 205 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 1: the car, So some speculations that you know, it could 206 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: have been an abduction, or it could have been a 207 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 1: you know, something else could have happened. It just it 208 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 1: was a mystery. We just, you know, something that nothing 209 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 1: made any sense at all. Being durban with me, what 210 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 1: is it lot? What told does it take on you 211 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: and your team when you look for a victim. It's 212 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 1: physically demanding, especially depending on the time of the year. 213 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: If it's cold water, um, that could be very physically 214 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: demanding on the people underwater, but also the support crew 215 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:53,559 Speaker 1: as well. One of the things with the type of 216 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,240 Speaker 1: diving that you're talking about is it takes a lot 217 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: of support staff. You generally have about five or six 218 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: people for every one day ivory you have. You've got 219 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 1: to have a tender, you've got to have a safety diver, 220 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: nine diver, a dive supervisor. We have medics on themes. 221 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,559 Speaker 1: So you're talking about, you know, to get one diver 222 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 1: in the water, you're gonna have six or sevens four 223 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: people and if it's very cold, you know, that gets 224 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 1: tire tiring very quickly. But from from bank to bank 225 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 1: where that bridge was if you have a dive team 226 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 1: of ten or fifteen people, you could clear that in 227 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,200 Speaker 1: two days, a day and a half, depending on how 228 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 1: many hours you were out there in that time. Ben question, 229 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: tell me you're objective and what it's like in that water. 230 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,079 Speaker 1: I've dived many, many times and there were times I 231 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. 232 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:44,319 Speaker 1: We're trying to find a person to bring home to 233 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 1: the family. It's a horrible feeling. I have found bodies 234 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: and black water, and you know, to know that I 235 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 1: have now found this body. It's a horrible, lonely feeling 236 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 1: to be in dark, cold water holding on to a person. 237 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: But I know I'm out there doing that to bring 238 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: that body back to the family. If it's evidence in 239 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:16,199 Speaker 1: something a crime, now we can go forward with the 240 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: investigation for the crime. You know. I'm just thinking about 241 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: this search and that water. I want to go to 242 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 1: Detective Brian Wi s brought Brian. I'm just trying to 243 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: get a handle on it because when all of this 244 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 1: is happening, and there's dive teams out there, and there's 245 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: hide skin sonar are going on, and the whole community 246 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: is involved. What was the scene on the water. There'll 247 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: be a lot of personnel out there, a lot of 248 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: agencies involved, local law enforcement, counting law enforcement, state law enforcement. 249 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: The aviation unit was flying as well, doing aerial searches 250 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: of the area. So the ghost traveling in and around 251 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 1: that area, they certainly saw a very large and significant 252 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: police presence, especially early on in the investigation. Our efforts 253 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: were heavily being conducted in and around the bridge with 254 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: me Is Alex and Polilla Alex. Were you covering the 255 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: water search? So yes, I was one of the weekend 256 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:29,720 Speaker 1: reporters that weekend and I signed on early Sunday morning. 257 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: So her car was found Saturday. I was reporting Sunday morning. 258 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 1: The information coming into our newsroom initially was that police 259 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 1: and the dive teams were out looking for a possible jumper. 260 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: What struck me as odd from the start was that 261 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: bridge really isn't that high. It's not a bridge that 262 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: common that you would commonly associate with suicide. I mean, 263 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: here in New Jersey we have jumpers at the George 264 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: Washington Bridge what frequently, and at the Victory Bridge in 265 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 1: perth Amboy, but not at the thirty five Bridge in 266 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: del mar So this struck me as odds, and yeah, 267 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:14,480 Speaker 1: we were covering the search. The dive teams were out 268 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: for approximately three days, if I recall, and there wasn't 269 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 1: much information initially, it was just that police were searching 270 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 1: for a possible bridge jumper and that the car had 271 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 1: been found and Sarah was missing. Man, I'm just trying 272 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 1: to take it all in. Oh, let me go back 273 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 1: to you, Ben. What about size key and sonar. You 274 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: go over the area and you can say within thirty 275 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: yards either side of this bridge, there's no body. And 276 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: then we've sonared in and we've sonard out, and there's 277 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: no sonar picture of a body. Because sometimes you get 278 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: targets that might look like a body, like you'll get 279 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,840 Speaker 1: a tree trunk or you know, just something that looks 280 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: like a body, and you can dive on that just 281 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: to rule it out and say, you know, we put 282 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: divers down there and it was a tree trunk. But 283 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,119 Speaker 1: you know, if you do a meticulous search from shore 284 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: bank to shore bank and then you know twenty or 285 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 1: thirty yards either side, and if you have sonar available, 286 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:17,719 Speaker 1: you know, three days, four days, I'm thinking about these sides. 287 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 1: Can sonar the search going on on the water tracker 288 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:26,680 Speaker 1: dogs out on the water the whole nine yards. But 289 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,200 Speaker 1: deep in his heart Michael Stern, her dad is like, 290 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: she's not in the water. She did not jump off 291 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: that bridge. He just knows it to detected. Brian Weisbrott, 292 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: tell me how far you went in the ground search. 293 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,959 Speaker 1: Where did you guys search? How did you search? We had? 294 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:52,880 Speaker 1: The ground search was quite extensive. We had covered, of course, 295 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 1: the area of the Dirty Five Bridge connecting Neptune Township 296 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 1: in Belmar. We covered the entire area of the Shark 297 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:07,840 Speaker 1: River the inlet as well as the western part of them, 298 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: the river and all the roads and the land adjoining 299 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:20,560 Speaker 1: the river. We had assistance from dive teams, marine law 300 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 1: enforcement units in the State Police Aviation Unit, which assisted 301 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: in conducting those searches. Wow, so you're saying by land, 302 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:35,679 Speaker 1: by air, by water, community involvement, volunteers, professional searchers, dive teams, 303 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:38,879 Speaker 1: side skin sonar, the works. Was there ever a moment 304 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:41,960 Speaker 1: that you heard we think we found her, or we 305 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 1: think we found some evidence. Was there ever that moment? 306 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:50,959 Speaker 1: There were several times that various pieces of clothing items 307 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 1: were located, but unfortunately they were quickly determined to not 308 00:18:56,080 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: be related. To Sarah. Additional, the marine units that were 309 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:08,359 Speaker 1: in the water had investigated various um um abnormalities that 310 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: they had located in the water um but again, unfortunately 311 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:20,479 Speaker 1: those were also determined to be um very Michael Stern, 312 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:23,679 Speaker 1: would they tell you, hey, we think we found something. 313 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:27,399 Speaker 1: Do you remember that, Yeah, we were. We were in 314 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,679 Speaker 1: contact with anybody that was looking, and if they did 315 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,960 Speaker 1: find something, whether it was a shoe or a sneaker, 316 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: they would check the size, the color, description. A lot 317 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 1: of stuff was, you know, was uncovered that unfortunately didn't 318 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaker 1: weren't related to Sarah, but there was always hope that 319 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: something was. Oh gosh, Doctor Bethany Marshall, can you just 320 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: imagine you're looking for your child and they call it 321 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:00,159 Speaker 1: a hey, we thought we found a sneaker, and then 322 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: they call back it's the wrong size, or it's you 323 00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: look at it, it's not hers. I mean, it's just 324 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 1: like raise your hopes to dash your hopes. Nancy, I 325 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: can't imagine what that would be like. Because when somebody 326 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 1: first goes missing, the family members believe that that person 327 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 1: is just about to show up. They have to stay 328 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 1: in a state of denial in order to keep their 329 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: courage up and their hope up to continue the search. 330 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 1: And so every time a shoe comes in, a piece 331 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:36,920 Speaker 1: of clothing, a shred of evidence, it reinforces that belief 332 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,440 Speaker 1: that that person is out there, and that in turn 333 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: disrupts the process of coming to grips with a very 334 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:51,359 Speaker 1: harsh reality, which is that that person may never be found. 335 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: It's hope, then hope stashed, hopes, and then hope stashed. 336 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: It's like a form of trauma that gets repeated again 337 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:02,440 Speaker 1: and again to all. It's the Poliello, the crime and 338 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 1: court reporter for NJA dot com, and star Ledger Alex 339 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 1: And it was a frenzy with the media, everybody there. 340 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: The saying of the search, the knines, the divers. I 341 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: bet that was quite the same. Do you remember it was? 342 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 1: And I can't say this enough because it's an important 343 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 1: part of the search and the story is that community 344 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 1: was a big thing. So there were a couple hundred 345 00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:29,920 Speaker 1: people who turned out for this search. And like I've 346 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,600 Speaker 1: said over and over again, this is a tight knit 347 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,959 Speaker 1: community where everyone knew each other by name. And although 348 00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: thousands of people come to the Jersey Shore every summer 349 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,280 Speaker 1: to vacation, the people who live here full time. They 350 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: know who each other are, and they recognized one another. 351 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 1: And with that being said, there were people who came 352 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,679 Speaker 1: to this search who had no connection to Sarah whatsoever. 353 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,360 Speaker 1: I met a man who drove from Point Pleasant, which 354 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:58,560 Speaker 1: is about twenty five twenty five minutes south of where 355 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:02,240 Speaker 1: the search was. He never met Sava, he never met Michael. 356 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:04,719 Speaker 1: He didn't know anyone in the family, but he had 357 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:07,720 Speaker 1: a teenage daughter and he felt moved to drive to 358 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: join this search. And there were others who were just 359 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: like this person, who had no connection to this story whatsoever, 360 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: who just felt that they needed to be there. Michael 361 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: is the search that dragged on. How could you even 362 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: put your head on your pillow and go to sleep 363 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 1: at night? Well, the answer to that is they didn't 364 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: get much sleep, and just you know, thinking of the 365 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: different things, and just you know, staying in touch with 366 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,119 Speaker 1: a lot of people, even into the late hours until 367 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,160 Speaker 1: midnight a lot of nights just to talking to different people, 368 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: trying to come up with ideas and thoughts and what 369 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:47,720 Speaker 1: else we could do it. It was a very tiring 370 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 1: effort to keep going every day and still not be 371 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 1: able to find Sarah. Did you expect at any moment, 372 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: she's going to call on your cell and go Dad, Dad, 373 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: I'm okay, Well, you know I had hope that would happen, 374 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 1: but you know, the days went on and there was 375 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: no no response on her phone, and you know, it 376 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:13,120 Speaker 1: just you know, it just seemed like she just vanished. 377 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: It just you know, it became a feudal effort. You know, 378 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:24,399 Speaker 1: a month, a month later, six weeks later. You know what, 379 00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: we didn't stop looking. We just uh, you know, I 380 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 1: wanted to make sure that you know, there wasn't anything 381 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:37,200 Speaker 1: that wasn't looked at or we weren't checking into. And 382 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: it just it got tougher every day. And it's still 383 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 1: to this day, it's not very easy to to know 384 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:47,800 Speaker 1: what happened. And you know, and then as my content 385 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: regarding the search of his daughter surveillance video emerges, will 386 00:23:53,520 --> 00:24:03,719 Speaker 1: it crack the case Sarah? From his greed? I would say, 387 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:07,399 Speaker 1: we're pretty close friends. When did you last see Sarah? 388 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:14,200 Speaker 1: When I was leaving her house? Gotta work? Was sometime 389 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:19,200 Speaker 1: before four forty five on what day? Day? Friday? And 390 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 1: what do you say before forty four forty five? Had 391 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: to be at work? Good to be at Where did 392 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:26,920 Speaker 1: you work friend of Sack has what time did you 393 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:31,640 Speaker 1: work at Brundas? What time Diday work? Yes, between four 394 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,600 Speaker 1: forty five five o'clock I got there and then when 395 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:39,680 Speaker 1: I was off U sometime around ten o'clock when you 396 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,680 Speaker 1: went to work? What was what were you? Sara to him, 397 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 1: I was just hanging out. You know, when you don't 398 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,960 Speaker 1: know where to go, when you hit a wall, what 399 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: do you do? You start over square one. Cops detectives 400 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: desperately trying to determine what happened to beautiful team girls 401 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 1: Sarah Stern, So they start back at the beginning with 402 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:07,439 Speaker 1: the timeline. Best friend Sarah Stern, Liam mctaznee, and Preston 403 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:12,880 Speaker 1: Taylor had been together really since grade school. In fact, 404 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 1: Taylor had been her stand in as a prom date 405 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 1: the three of them the Three Musketeers, throughout high school. 406 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 1: So cops go back to Liam and he says that 407 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: he saw Sarah that day before he went to work 408 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: at Brennan's Steakhouse. And as a matter of fact, to 409 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 1: Mamma County Prosecutor Christopher GRAMMACIONI, you could confirm that with 410 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,879 Speaker 1: video of him at work. Tell me about that. He 411 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:42,359 Speaker 1: was shocking. He showed up at work, and we have 412 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: video surveillance from the restaurant where he worked, right in 413 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: town in Neptune City. He showed up, he looked a 414 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:50,520 Speaker 1: little bit disheveled, was running a little bit late, and 415 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: then he goes in and works a shifts as a 416 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 1: waiter at a high profile steakhouse in town. Yeah. I 417 00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 1: remember looking at that video with me, Mamma County Prosecutor 418 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,159 Speaker 1: Christopher GRAMICIONI, Christopher, I remember looking at the video and 419 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:07,439 Speaker 1: it shows him bursting through the double doors picking up 420 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 1: an order at the steakhouse, and I think going back 421 00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: through the double doors to serve it. He was there 422 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:18,920 Speaker 1: where he said. And would you agree, Christopher, that when 423 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,359 Speaker 1: you're trying to corroborate a story or a timeline, and 424 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:26,440 Speaker 1: you can corroborate part of it that tends to show 425 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:30,760 Speaker 1: the rest of the timeline could be reliable. Absolutely, And 426 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: that's something not just that we looked for in his investigators, 427 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,160 Speaker 1: but as you know, being a lawyer, that's what jurors 428 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:37,640 Speaker 1: want to see. They want to be able to piece 429 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,280 Speaker 1: together what happened during this significant event. So it makes 430 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,240 Speaker 1: perfect sense. Man, don't we all take a listen to 431 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:49,160 Speaker 1: what else? Liam tells detectives, dishes cleaned of the house. 432 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,399 Speaker 1: Then I called her initially that's whar I want to 433 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,440 Speaker 1: get some food. What time do you hope about it? Sarah? 434 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: Sometimes between them one and two o'clock one and two, 435 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,960 Speaker 1: I went over. Did you go to eat? No? Yeah, 436 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,480 Speaker 1: we did go to eat fire. I'm sure we initially 437 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:11,919 Speaker 1: um wrapped up all her stuff, put in the containers 438 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:17,200 Speaker 1: and then went across the street to the drapers put 439 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:22,119 Speaker 1: the stuff and they're basing them and Sarah and I 440 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 1: Taco Bell. Would you eat there? Now? We went back 441 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:28,719 Speaker 1: to her house? Did you stay there the whole time? Here? 442 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 1: If you went back to her house? Yeah, we actually 443 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,359 Speaker 1: went up into her and take some baby games. There 444 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:38,159 Speaker 1: you have him again confirming the Taco Bell trip, and 445 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 1: they meet around one o'clock. They bring in containers of 446 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:46,960 Speaker 1: her stuff to neighbors homes, which always has stumped me. 447 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:51,920 Speaker 1: But forget about the containers where you're Sarah, They go 448 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 1: to Taco Bell, and you actually pull up video of 449 00:27:55,280 --> 00:28:01,200 Speaker 1: them at Taco Bell. So Christopher GRAMICIONI you're one of 450 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:07,200 Speaker 1: Mammoth County's lead prosecutors. There you've got Liam's timeline hanging 451 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: together again. There at Taco Belle, just like you thought, 452 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:13,280 Speaker 1: you confirmed that with video. That's right. So, just like 453 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:16,479 Speaker 1: a puzzle, we're piecing together a timeline of what happened 454 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: from the point where Sarah was last known to be 455 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:22,120 Speaker 1: to find out where she was, and trying to piece 456 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: together what happened there from. So that's just yet another 457 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,200 Speaker 1: piece in the puzzle. Now I find something that came 458 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 1: out during Liam mctasney's police interview to be highly probitive. 459 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 1: Take a listen to this, Christopher, what's the extent of 460 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 1: your relationship? Were pretty close friends? Ever your girlfriend? Now? 461 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:53,600 Speaker 1: Sarah's friends and family portray her as this happy, go 462 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:59,000 Speaker 1: lucky girl that never had any reason to say she 463 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 1: would hurt herself or hurt someone else, but Liam portrays 464 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 1: a different picture. Does she ever talk about like guys 465 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 1: or don't I know girls? No, she has been known 466 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:19,480 Speaker 1: to obsess over girls in the past, though. He talks 467 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 1: about an ex girlfriend of his, Maggie, who Sarah became 468 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 1: obsessed with. She would always say stuff like, Maggie, if 469 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 1: you don't come here right now, I'm gonna kill myself. 470 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:39,200 Speaker 1: During his interview with detectives, Liam also asks them this question. 471 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 1: One thing. I want to fuck to you guys about boys. 472 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: She she did jump off the bridge? What did the 473 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:56,959 Speaker 1: odds say She's not somewhere all the way out to detected? 474 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:00,959 Speaker 1: Brian Weiss brought you know right there. That just strikes 475 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 1: me as odd. You're in the middle of trying to 476 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:08,440 Speaker 1: piece together a timeline when suddenly mctasney starts asking, wouldn't 477 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:10,320 Speaker 1: her body have washed out to sea by now? Yeah? 478 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: That was one of one of a few very odd 479 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:16,320 Speaker 1: questions that Liam had had either asked or statements that 480 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:21,400 Speaker 1: he made during that interview. We found it extremely Here 481 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 1: we are looking to find one of his close childhood friends, 482 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: and the question that he asks is that I would 483 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 1: have expected that he would have asked questions such as 484 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,440 Speaker 1: what can I do to help? What have you done 485 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:40,240 Speaker 1: so far? And perhaps identify additional people that we could 486 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,000 Speaker 1: speak to to assist us in Low King Sarah. Yeah. 487 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:48,480 Speaker 1: And the way he actually gesticulates to Mama County Prosecutor 488 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,560 Speaker 1: Christopher Gramicione, Chris, the way he kind of like gesticulated 489 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 1: out to see. It's like he wanted her to be 490 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 1: out to see. It's hard to read within his mind. Obviously, 491 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 1: we can't do that. But I think that throughout he's 492 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 1: not only creating this ruse that Sarah maybe killed herself 493 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: or had some kind of depressive problems that might have 494 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 1: caused her reason to want to kill herself, but he's 495 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 1: also probing to find out how much the state has 496 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 1: on the case. The interview William mctasney goes on, you 497 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:26,640 Speaker 1: guys keep questioning him. Then you find out something very 498 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:30,800 Speaker 1: very odd and inconsistency. You haven't told us about the bank. 499 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 1: How can you haven't told us about the bank? Well, 500 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: I told the bank. Did you go to the bank? 501 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: I was with her? Okay, that's the way back from 502 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:44,680 Speaker 1: Taco Bell, Well, thank you, char I shouldn't badly be 503 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: called Carney. What did you do with the bank? No idea, 504 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:55,000 Speaker 1: it didn't going you stay at the car? Yeah, why 505 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 1: don't you stop at the bank. What did she tell you? 506 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 1: She was stopping the bank something to do for money. 507 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: I don't know. She has found money in the one 508 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:08,440 Speaker 1: house she wants ago and she has a lock box 509 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: call money any there. I don't know. She was taking 510 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 1: money out, putting money in there in a lock box? 511 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:19,040 Speaker 1: School moneywhere and Carney Bank? On the way back from 512 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 1: Taco value stuff to the bank, ro own new stuff, 513 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 1: being straight to the house. After that, you're at the 514 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:32,040 Speaker 1: house until I want to work. Okay, Now wait a minute. 515 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:37,400 Speaker 1: To Christopher Gramicione, we knew some money was in the 516 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 1: car with her when she checked on the money at 517 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: the bank, thousands and thousands of dollars in a safe 518 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:47,280 Speaker 1: deposit box. We knew that. Didn't really know who. But 519 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 1: what difference does it make whether Liam went with her 520 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 1: or not to the bank, Chris, that's it. I mean 521 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 1: he left out one of the more material and important 522 00:32:57,720 --> 00:32:59,960 Speaker 1: parts of what we learned during the investigation, that he 523 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: accompanied her to the bank, that he watched her go 524 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:06,240 Speaker 1: in get the money, they had discussions about the money, 525 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:11,960 Speaker 1: and leaving that out, I know, created a serious concern 526 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:15,080 Speaker 1: and raised the red flag for our investigators. Yeah, I 527 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:18,800 Speaker 1: mean to forensic psychiatri is joining us doctor Daniel Bober, 528 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:23,239 Speaker 1: I typically get more worried when somebody outright lies when 529 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:26,560 Speaker 1: you've got a missing girl that could be murdered, could 530 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,840 Speaker 1: have committed suicide, could have been kidnapped, and you leave 531 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:31,880 Speaker 1: out a portion of the day. But yet on the 532 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 1: I worry more when somebody lies about it. Here he 533 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 1: just left out what seemed to be an innocent trip 534 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,680 Speaker 1: to the bank. Does that really bug you, doctor Bober? Yes, 535 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:44,160 Speaker 1: I mean, listen, there's lies of comission, there's lives of omission, 536 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 1: and clearly, if he was going to cooperate completely, he 537 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 1: would give a full and complete story. So yes, that 538 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 1: would be concerning to me. So let me tell you 539 00:33:52,720 --> 00:34:01,760 Speaker 1: how this interview ends, Richard. If she had told me 540 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:04,600 Speaker 1: that she was going to jump off the bridge, there 541 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:06,480 Speaker 1: would have been no way that I could have gone 542 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 1: to work. That she's something she had to get away Canada, 543 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: get away from her dad. I think Canada was a 544 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,400 Speaker 1: place that she had been, that she had a great experience, 545 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,600 Speaker 1: had when it was something that she talked about potentially 546 00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 1: moving there in Canada. I couldn't tell you. I can 547 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:34,280 Speaker 1: honestly tell you that I'm one of her closest friends, 548 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:36,840 Speaker 1: and I have no idea why she wouldn't tell me 549 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 1: anything before she left. When did you last see Sarah 550 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:48,480 Speaker 1: when I was leaving her house to get a work. 551 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:54,880 Speaker 1: It's interesting because Liam is very chatty in these initial 552 00:34:55,280 --> 00:35:00,600 Speaker 1: first interviews, but eventually Tom runs out heres lawyer and 553 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:05,040 Speaker 1: he stops talking. WHOA He lawyers up and stops talking Uh, 554 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 1: is that what happened to Chris GRAMICIONI yes, it is. 555 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 1: At some point after a detective White Brott was questioning him, 556 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:18,200 Speaker 1: and soon after that the question concerning would you would 557 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:19,799 Speaker 1: you would you be able to find her body if 558 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:22,560 Speaker 1: it was out to see um? He has ended up 559 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,360 Speaker 1: asserting his Fifth Amendment rights and opted no longer to 560 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:28,880 Speaker 1: speak with law enforcement. Cops hit a dead end with 561 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:32,120 Speaker 1: friend Liam mctaznie when he lawyers up and won't talk anymore, 562 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:35,560 Speaker 1: so they turn to the third member of the Tree 563 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,799 Speaker 1: of the Three Musketeers, Preston t l Or Listen tell 564 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:51,799 Speaker 1: you about his day here there everything that Liam had 565 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:55,040 Speaker 1: told us, Preston had confirmed there were no real inconsistencies 566 00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:00,120 Speaker 1: that they presented. At one point in the intervie, you 567 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:04,480 Speaker 1: police ask Preston what he thinks happened to Sarah Stern? 568 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:10,200 Speaker 1: What do you think? And if you watch and listen closely, 569 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:15,200 Speaker 1: you'll hear his voice slightly cracked and his hand reaches 570 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:18,879 Speaker 1: up to wipe something from his eye. He should jump? 571 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:38,239 Speaker 1: Why do you jump? Heard her? Dad? I went down 572 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,600 Speaker 1: that night and watched his statement. When Brian came out 573 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:44,560 Speaker 1: of the statement, he said, something's not right here. At all. 574 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 1: I did not have a good feeling about the information 575 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:53,359 Speaker 1: that both Liam and Preston had told us. I wasn't 576 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:58,480 Speaker 1: satisfied that something didn't happen to her, detected Brian Wispot, 577 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:02,319 Speaker 1: Right there, you say you've got a bad feeling. Why 578 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:07,320 Speaker 1: by the information that Liam was both telling us and 579 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:11,279 Speaker 1: failing to tell us. Is his failure to tell us 580 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:13,719 Speaker 1: about going to the bank. That certainly, as the proster said, 581 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 1: was a huge red flag for us. We felt as 582 00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:21,360 Speaker 1: though that if he was truly trying to assist in 583 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:24,759 Speaker 1: locating one of his closest childhood friends, that was a 584 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:28,760 Speaker 1: piece of information that he would have shared, especially considering 585 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:32,279 Speaker 1: the fact that we had already learned that Sarah had 586 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,280 Speaker 1: come into this money. I want to go to special 587 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:40,360 Speaker 1: Guests joining me, Sarah Sterns dad, Michael Stern, the closest 588 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 1: person in the world to Sarah, trying to make sense 589 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:48,880 Speaker 1: of her disappearance, Michael, when you learn her best friend, 590 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:55,600 Speaker 1: Liam mctasney lawyers up and won't talk. And then Preston Taylor, 591 00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:00,440 Speaker 1: the third of the trio of three Musketeers, leave cops 592 00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:04,800 Speaker 1: feeling uneasy and queasy when you hear that, what do 593 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:09,560 Speaker 1: you think, well, he was always the suspect in my mind. 594 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:15,040 Speaker 1: When the first information we had was that he had 595 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:19,759 Speaker 1: lost his phone, and that was on the way back 596 00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:26,240 Speaker 1: from Blarden. I asked the detective, you know, did anybody 597 00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:31,319 Speaker 1: check his phone? And he had lost his phone? Right away, 598 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:35,560 Speaker 1: I was suspicious, but I had nothing else. That's all 599 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:40,040 Speaker 1: I had. You had a dad's intuition. Something made you 600 00:38:40,239 --> 00:38:44,880 Speaker 1: ask cops day one, when you are driving through the 601 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:47,359 Speaker 1: night to get home from Florida to find your daughter, 602 00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:51,759 Speaker 1: you think then to say, well, where's his cell phone? 603 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:55,319 Speaker 1: What made you think that, Michael, Well, if they had 604 00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:58,359 Speaker 1: his phone, they would see any communication that he would 605 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:01,759 Speaker 1: have had had with Sarah. So if she had contacted 606 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: him after or you know, during that time when she 607 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:09,200 Speaker 1: was between when he said he last saw her, that 608 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 1: there would have been something on there on his phone 609 00:39:12,719 --> 00:39:15,720 Speaker 1: if Sarah had called, because Sarah's phone also was missing. 610 00:39:15,719 --> 00:39:18,880 Speaker 1: I mean, I know every jury is told point blank 611 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 1: the invoking your right to remain silent under the Fifth 612 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:28,600 Speaker 1: Amendment or getting a lawyer, which is also a constitutional right, 613 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:32,160 Speaker 1: means nothing, or at least it's not supposed to to 614 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:36,320 Speaker 1: a jury. But Michael, when you learn your daughter's best friend, 615 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:39,839 Speaker 1: lawyer's up and won't talk. What went through your mind 616 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:43,359 Speaker 1: when you heard that? I was just I was overwhelmed. 617 00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:46,160 Speaker 1: You know. There was always something that said he had 618 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 1: something to do with it. We just couldn't pin it down. 619 00:39:49,760 --> 00:39:54,600 Speaker 1: Between the police and the detectives and any of Sarah's friends, nobody, 620 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:59,480 Speaker 1: nobody could figure it out. It was everything led to 621 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:02,600 Speaker 1: dead end. Michael. During all the years that your daughter 622 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:06,840 Speaker 1: Sarah was friends best friends with mctazney and Taylor, what 623 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:10,920 Speaker 1: was your impression of them? Um? Just regular, you know, 624 00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:14,320 Speaker 1: regular guys. You know, didn't seem anything, you know, nothing 625 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:17,840 Speaker 1: out of the ordinary, you know, kind of cordial, not 626 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:20,400 Speaker 1: you know, I didn't really have a lot of interactions 627 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:25,480 Speaker 1: with them, although I did, uh you know, was in 628 00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:28,640 Speaker 1: the car pool and stuff and participated in school projects 629 00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:31,719 Speaker 1: and stuff in grammar school, and you know, they were 630 00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:36,880 Speaker 1: on the same swim team in high school. Also, uh, 631 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:42,440 Speaker 1: Liam was on the Bradley Beach Fire Department as cadets. 632 00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:45,640 Speaker 1: Was Sarah too. So you know, I had a lot 633 00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:48,760 Speaker 1: of interaction with them, but nothing out of the ordinary 634 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:53,400 Speaker 1: that would make them seem like you would even be 635 00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:56,839 Speaker 1: inclined to do anything like this. Neither well so far, 636 00:40:56,960 --> 00:41:00,520 Speaker 1: their stories are checking out, their alibis are holding, what 637 00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:04,680 Speaker 1: with the Brennan Steakhouse job and mctasni is on video 638 00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:10,120 Speaker 1: serving plates that night. So to you, County Prosecutor, Christopher 639 00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:15,960 Speaker 1: GRAMICIONI to me, Leah, mctasney strikes me as Eddie Haskell. 640 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:18,840 Speaker 1: Do you remember him from Leave It to Beaver? I do? 641 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:21,080 Speaker 1: I do. It's a great analogy, Yeah, I do. I 642 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:27,479 Speaker 1: mean he's smiling in Sarah in Michael's face, But what's 643 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:33,279 Speaker 1: he doing the rest of the time. Nancy Grace signing off, 644 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:34,640 Speaker 1: goodbye friend,