1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: When a nineteen year old's car was found abandoned on 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: a bridge at the Jersey Shore, speculation ran wild keys. 3 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 2: We're in the ignition, no sign of foul play, nothing. 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 3: Sarah was nowhere to be found. 5 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: But was Sarah Stern trying not to be found? 6 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 4: Sarah talked about possibly starting a new life in Toronto 7 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 4: and moving away. 8 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 5: Her mother had left her a lot of cash. 9 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: It all added up to one giant mystery. 10 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 4: You don't know what today. 11 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: To be honest, today we're at the Jersey Shore in 12 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: the community of Neptune City for BFFs the disappearance of 13 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: Sarah Stern. I'm Sloan Glass and this is American homicide. 14 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: As a note, this podcast also contains subject matter which 15 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: may not be suitable for all audiences. Discretion is advised. 16 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: The Jersey Shore, What did it give us? Snookie, Polly 17 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: d and Jwow. But what you say see on TV 18 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: and what really happens in real life are two completely 19 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 1: different things. 20 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 5: The Jersey Shore is not quite what you would expect 21 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 5: to see. 22 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: Journalist Tom Davis grew up on the Jersey Shore and 23 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: now covers the area for Patch dot Com. 24 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 5: It's actually a very conservative, traditional community, that's mixed in 25 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,040 Speaker 5: with a tourist atmosphere. 26 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: Like clockwork, every summer, tourists and beachgoers take over the area. 27 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 5: During the summertime, I would say the population probably for 28 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 5: druples at least, especially on the weekends. It almost develops 29 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 5: a little bit more of a Miami Field to it. 30 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: The party atmosphere every summer takes over the mini bars, restaurants, 31 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: and of course the beaches. 32 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 5: The beaches are the best place to beat. 33 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: The shore features forty four beaches in total, and if 34 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: you're like Tom and live there year round, you look 35 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: forward to the off season. 36 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 5: For a lot of people, they really kind of hate 37 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 5: the crowd, so they actually like the fall and the 38 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 5: winter bigg This is obviously a lot emptier, it's a 39 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 5: lot less crowded. I always called it the void between 40 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 5: Labor Day and Moral Day because literally nothing happens here. 41 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: But in the early morning hours of December third, twenty sixteen, 42 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: something did happen. A ridehair driver noticed an abandoned Oldsmobile 43 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: sedan atop a bridge heading out of town and called 44 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: nine one one. 45 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 5: Mine one one, where is the emergency? 46 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: I kut on the Belmore Bridge through the car that 47 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: debanded gets off the side in the road. 48 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 4: Was there anybody inside the vehicle? 49 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 2: I look down. 50 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 1: That tall bridge spans the Shark River, which despite its name, 51 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: isn't known for having sharks. 52 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 5: The water underneath is a Shark River, which is a 53 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 5: very shallow river. The might do some fishing there. There's 54 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:46,519 Speaker 5: really no swimming or anything like that. 55 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: When police got to the car, they found no one inside, 56 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,519 Speaker 1: so they contacted its owner, Michael Stern. 57 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 3: About three o'clock in the morning. 58 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 6: Was kind of a squeaky voice saying they were from 59 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 6: the Mamouth County Sheriff's Department and they were looking for 60 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:03,799 Speaker 6: the owner of an oldsmobile. 61 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: Michael lived in Neptune City, New Jersey year round with 62 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,839 Speaker 1: his daughter Sarah, but at the time he was out 63 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: of town. He was vacationing in Orlando. 64 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 3: And I said, yeah, you know, Sarah drives that car. 65 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: Sarah was his nineteen year old daughter. She was in 66 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: college studying media production. 67 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 3: Well, Sarah was into the arts. 68 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 6: She was taking television production, art classes, pottery photography. 69 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: Well, her dad was in Orlando, Sarah was back home. 70 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 3: Sarah was basically by herself, and she didn't like to 71 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 3: be by herself. 72 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: Yes, but sometimes, like everyone, Sarah just needed her space. 73 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 6: When she was fifteen, her mom passed away cancer and 74 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 6: it was a tough time for her. 75 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: It was very tough. Sarah's mom had a long bout 76 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: with breast cancer. 77 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 3: And Sarah, you know, she was a champ. 78 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 6: She loved her mom and she did everything she could 79 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 6: to keep for comfort when she was going through chemo. 80 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: And sadly, her mom ultimately lost that fight. When Sarah 81 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: was a freshman in high school. 82 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 3: She struggled at the time, you know, losing her mom. 83 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: Sarah took that pain and channeled it into her artwork. 84 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 6: So she had to kind of find herself and that's 85 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 6: when she threw herself into art, drawing, photography, and the media, 86 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 6: and her talent just blossomed. Within a couple of years, 87 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 6: she was doing things that I thought were incredible. 88 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: According to Michael, as a widower and father of a 89 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: teenage daughter, he thought the only thing to do was 90 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: to pull Sarah close and cope together. 91 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 6: Our family basically was Sarah and myself and always a dog. 92 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,840 Speaker 6: She loved her dog Buddy, and she dressed Buddy up 93 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 6: in different outfits like put jackets on them in sweatshirts, and. 94 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 3: The buddy dressed up for Halloween. That was her best friend. 95 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,359 Speaker 1: With Sarah and Buddy back home, Michael spent the early 96 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: morning hours of December third, twenty sixteen, trying to figure 97 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: out why Sarah's carr was left on a bridge some 98 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: two miles from their home. 99 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 6: I tried the house phone and her cell phone, and 100 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 6: I wasn't getting anything through. 101 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: Then he did what every father of a nineteen year 102 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: old would do. He sent her a text message. 103 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 6: The messages were coming up green as opposed to blue 104 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 6: on an iPhone, so I thought, maybe your phone was off, 105 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 6: or you know, the battery life had gone down. 106 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: By then, the police had gone to Sarah's home and 107 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: already did a search. 108 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 3: No one was there except for the dog. 109 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: The police found Buddy locked in his cage, which was 110 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 1: something Sarah's dad said she would only do when strangers 111 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: were at the house. 112 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 6: It was kind of odd that he would have been 113 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 6: in there, but Sarah was nowhere to be found. At 114 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 6: that point, we just didn't know what was going on, 115 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 6: so we just packed up and threw everything in the 116 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 6: car and started driving north. 117 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: The sixteen hour ride from Orlando to Neptune City gave 118 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: Michael plenty of time to think about what could have happened. 119 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 6: There was a million scenarios going through my head. Did 120 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 6: the car stall with something wrong with it, you know? 121 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 6: Did Sarah have somebody with her that might have abducted her. 122 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,359 Speaker 1: There was also the terrifying thought that Sarah, who was 123 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: struggling with the loss of her mother, possibly took her 124 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: own life. 125 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 3: We had no answers, no answers at all. 126 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: Early that morning, the police sent a team of divers 127 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: into the frigid waters of the Shark River to look 128 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:40,919 Speaker 1: for any signs of Sarah. 129 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,599 Speaker 3: The tides go in and out very very quick. 130 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 6: It's cold, it's rocky in some areas, and it's marshy 131 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 6: and other areas. 132 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: By the time the sun came up that Saturday morning, 133 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: there was still no sign of Sarah and no evidence 134 00:06:56,839 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: of what could have happened. 135 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 4: There were a couple of theories that law enforcement believed. 136 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,119 Speaker 1: Early on, Alex Napoliello covered the story for NJ dot 137 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,280 Speaker 1: com and the Star Ledger newspaper. 138 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 4: It's possible her car had broken down and she flagged 139 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 4: the wrong person for help, and someone did something terrible 140 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 4: to her, possibly threw her body off the bridge. And 141 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 4: I remember early reports talking to sources off the record, 142 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 4: that there was belief that she had jumped off the bridge. 143 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 4: So then law enforcement wants to start putting the pieces together. 144 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 4: What was her mental state leading up to this? 145 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 3: You know, was she sad? 146 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 4: Was she depressed? 147 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 3: Well? 148 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: According to witnesses who last saw Sarah, she was not 149 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: in a good place mentally. 150 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 4: Police talked to her neighbor across the street, Robin Draper, 151 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 4: and what Robin had told them was that Sarah had 152 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 4: seemed a little off that day and not necessarily herself. 153 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 4: Sarah was over at their home earlier in the day 154 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 4: and she had dropped off some bins of her belongings. 155 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: But Sarah didn't just drop all of some of her stuff. 156 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: She also dropped some hints about where she might be going. 157 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 4: Sarah talked about possibly starting a new life in Toronto 158 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 4: and moving away. If she's getting rid of these belongings 159 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 4: while her father is vacationing, maybe she wanted to leave 160 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 4: town without necessarily notifying her family that she was leaving. 161 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:27,360 Speaker 1: One of the last people to see Sarah Stern before 162 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: her disappearance was one of her best friends, Liam Mcatasne. 163 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 4: Liam Mcatazsne was one of Sarah's closest friends growing up. 164 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:37,839 Speaker 4: They lived about a block away from each other. They 165 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 4: were childhood friends and they did what normal kids do, 166 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 4: play video games, talk on the phone, text with each other. 167 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: The two had one of those rare lifelong friendships. They 168 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: met at Sunday School when they were just six years old. 169 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 4: They were close and they remained close up until the 170 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 4: day she disappeared. 171 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: Liam was with Sarah that afternoon as she moved those 172 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,680 Speaker 1: beens filled with her personal belongings into a neighbor's house. 173 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: When detectives questioned him, he painted a bleak picture of 174 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: Sarah's state of mind. 175 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 7: In the past, she has had a tendency to have 176 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 7: self destructive, suicidal behavior. 177 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 4: He was telling law enforcement she wanted to move away. 178 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 4: She wasn't happy, she was depressed. 179 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 8: Over the past few months, she's been telling. 180 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 7: Me how bad her relationship with her father is and 181 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 7: how she just needs to get out of here. 182 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 4: She had a rocky relationship with her father. There were 183 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 4: some periods where you know, they fought and had disagreements. 184 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 1: So let's say that one of Sarah's best friends was right, 185 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: and she did leave to get away from her dad, Well, 186 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:54,079 Speaker 1: how could she afford it. 187 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 4: On the day before Sarah's carr was found abandoned on 188 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,679 Speaker 4: the bridge, police learned that she I had gone to 189 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 4: a bank during the day to withdraw money from a 190 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 4: safety deposit box that she had. 191 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 1: Liam said he went with her to the bank, but 192 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: stayed in the car while Sarah went inside. 193 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 4: She took out seven thousand dollars. What would a nineteen 194 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 4: year old be doing with this money? 195 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:22,000 Speaker 1: What nineteen year old has thousands of dollars soft away 196 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 1: in a safe deposit box. 197 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,439 Speaker 4: You don't know what to think, to be honest. 198 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 1: Sarah's father also didn't know what to think of that cash. 199 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 3: I didn't know about it. 200 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: Well, here's what he learned. Sarah found those thousands of 201 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: dollars in a shoe box inside their home, and this 202 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: money was filthy and old from well before the US 203 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: Treasury redesigned the twenty and fifty dollars bills. 204 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 6: Her mother I'd squirreled away money, I guess for years. 205 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 6: But she mentioned it to somebody and he got back 206 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 6: to Sarah and. 207 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 3: She found it. 208 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: So Sarah Stern had some problems with her dad, and 209 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 1: she had a pile of cash. So it makes perfect 210 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: sense that she left town, but her dad wasn't buying it. 211 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 6: You know, she just wasn't leaving her car on a 212 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:18,960 Speaker 6: bridge and leaving her suitcase and her passport. Her passport 213 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 6: was up in her drawer where she kept it. 214 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, without a passport, Sarah would have no way to 215 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: get into Canada. 216 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 3: We just we didn't know. Then. 217 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:33,959 Speaker 6: It just left the big open wound. 218 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 1: In the early hours of December third, twenty sixteen, nineteen 219 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 1: year old Sarah Stearn's car turned up on a bridge 220 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,320 Speaker 1: near her home in Neptune City, New Jersey. 221 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 2: There's really not a lot of room over there on 222 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 2: the shoulder, so it's very, very odd for people to 223 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 2: be stopping. 224 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 3: On the bridge. 225 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 1: Edward Kirshenbaum was the director of Public Safety for the 226 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: Neptune City Police Department. 227 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 2: He's bring the ignition with no sign of a driver 228 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 2: or a pass sure, no sign of foul play. Nothing. 229 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: And here's a bit of bad luck. Surveillance cameras near 230 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: the bridge were not working that night, but a home 231 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: security camera across from the Stearns house was working. Unfortunately, 232 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 1: for detectives, they couldn't make out anything other than the 233 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:22,560 Speaker 1: time Sarah's car came and left the house. 234 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 2: You don't know what's going on, so you have to 235 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 2: pull in every resource that you can to try to 236 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:29,680 Speaker 2: get to the inline of what happened. 237 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:34,200 Speaker 1: Hundreds of Sarah's friends and neighbors joined Sarah's best friend, 238 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,479 Speaker 1: Leah Mcatasne in the search for any sign of Sarah. 239 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 2: The beaches in the lakes and the inlets were all 240 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 2: searched by volunteers, so there was an all out effort 241 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 2: by the community to see if they could locate anything 242 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,200 Speaker 2: that would give any indication of what happened to. 243 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: Sarah stick but detectives were concerned about Sarah's bizarre behavior. 244 00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: The afternoon before she. 245 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 2: Disappeared wasations with friend of Sarah's Liam mcintazie, where she 246 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:09,320 Speaker 2: may have had some type of suicidal tendency that she 247 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 2: was upset with issues, maybe because of her mom's death. 248 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: In fact, Liam was with her when she moved some 249 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: of her stuff into a neighbor's house. The afternoon before 250 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: she went missing. 251 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,800 Speaker 2: Sarah had dropped off bins of her personal belongings to 252 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 2: be kept in the friend's basement. Sarah also gave a 253 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 2: bin of footballs and basketballs or some type of equipment 254 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 2: to kids in the neighborhood, so that was kind of odd. 255 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,760 Speaker 1: Liam told detectives that afternoon, the two went to the bank, 256 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 1: got tacos for lunch, and returned to Sarah's house. They 257 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:44,959 Speaker 1: ate and then played video games until around four forty 258 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: five PM. That's when Liam left for his job at 259 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: a local steakhouse. 260 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 2: Liam was the last person that Sarah had talked. 261 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: To, and most concerning was what Liam told detectives about 262 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:57,679 Speaker 1: Sarah's state of mind. 263 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 2: Sarah was unhappy with her home life, that her father 264 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 2: was overbearing, that the relationship between Michael Stern and Sarah 265 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 2: Sterne was not a good relationship. 266 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:12,920 Speaker 1: So naturally, detectives questioned her father, Michael, about his relationship 267 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: with Sarah, and they were surprised by his response. 268 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 2: Michael Sterne was an open book. He was forthcoming with 269 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 2: everything that we discussed. Any type of telephone communication, whether 270 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 2: it be text messages, their voicemails. 271 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:31,320 Speaker 1: And these messages didn't show any sort of conflict between them. 272 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: Just before Sarah disappeared, she texted her dad, Hey Dad, 273 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: good afternoon. What day are you coming back from Florida? 274 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: Her text also contained emojis, a smiley face with sunglasses, 275 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: a palm tree, and a little red car. Michael's response 276 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: included a picture of a rainbow that had just appeared 277 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: right around that time. He later sent a picture of 278 00:14:55,680 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: Disney's Magic Kingdom, where he was vacationing. Sarah wrote back, Wow, 279 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: the castle looked so pretty with the lights. She added 280 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: a shooting star emoji. It was the last message he 281 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:14,720 Speaker 1: received from Sarah. So again, what's going on here? 282 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 2: It's a parent sports nightmare. I couldn't imagine it myself, 283 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 2: and my heart was breaking for him. 284 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,120 Speaker 1: At this point, all detectives knew for sure was that 285 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: Sarah took out a large sum of money from the 286 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: bank and then vanished. 287 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 2: There was no utilization of any bank cars or anything 288 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 2: that would give some kind of information that she had 289 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 2: left the area, because without funding, how far can you 290 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,400 Speaker 2: go you have no car, So it was a unique case. 291 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 2: There was nothing adding up. 292 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: Even the surveillance footage from the bank showed Sarah smiling 293 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: and waving to the manager as she left, it didn't 294 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 1: exactly point to someone who was considering taking her own 295 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: life or fleeing the country. 296 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 2: There were no hardcore facts out there, so you had 297 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:07,680 Speaker 2: to use the totality of circumstances to just old fashioned 298 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 2: police work, hoping that somebody says something, and just talking 299 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 2: to everybody to try to put the pieces together. 300 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: Journalist Alex Napoleello covered the story. 301 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 4: Very early on. The reports coming to us from police 302 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:24,040 Speaker 4: was that Sarah was missing and that there wasn't anything 303 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 4: suspicious about her disappearance. And then, sort of seemingly out 304 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 4: of the blue, the Mammoth County Prosecutor's office puts out 305 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 4: information that they are willing to pay anyone who would 306 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 4: have information in her disappearance. 307 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 1: That reward, which totaled five thousand dollars, caught everyone off guard. 308 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 4: Now that struck us as a bit odd because usually 309 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 4: those rewards are put out when there's a crime that 310 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 4: has occurred. 311 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: Reporters saw it as a sign that police no longer 312 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 1: believe Sarah took off to Canada or her own life. 313 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,440 Speaker 4: And it was the first indication to us that maybe 314 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:06,120 Speaker 4: something the faarius had happened here. 315 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: And then seven weeks after Sarah's disappearance, detectives got a 316 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:15,119 Speaker 1: mysterious lead from someone who went to high school with Sarah. 317 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 2: Police father got information of a gentleman by the Marathony Curry. 318 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: Okay, let's talk about Anthony Curry. Like Sarah, he was 319 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: nineteen years old and liked the arts at the time. 320 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,119 Speaker 1: He considered himself to be an aspiring horror movie maker 321 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: and sort of looked the part. He was tall, with long, 322 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 1: dark hair, wore dark clothing, and smoked cigarettes, but he 323 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: wasn't exactly a loner. In high school, he was named 324 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 1: most likely to become famous. 325 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 2: Mister Curry met with detectives of the case and told 326 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 2: them an incredible story. 327 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:55,520 Speaker 1: Incredible is an understatement. Anthony Curry told detectives about a 328 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: bizarre conversation he had with a longtime friend about movies. 329 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: This friend floated a movie idea past Anthony that involved 330 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,400 Speaker 1: robbing and killing someone. 331 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:13,479 Speaker 2: A scenario of parking a vehicle on the bridge, making 332 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 2: hear that somebody committed suicide by jumping off the bridge 333 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 2: into the water. 334 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:24,440 Speaker 1: This so called movie plot sounded all too familiar to detectives. 335 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 2: It was a detail by detail description of what had 336 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:30,159 Speaker 2: happened to Sarah. 337 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: Star, making things even more bizarre. This conversation with Anthony 338 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:40,720 Speaker 1: Curry happened on Thanksgiving twenty sixteen, just days before Sarah 339 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: Stern went missing. 340 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 2: Anthony came up with information that only somebody involved in 341 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 2: the crime would know. 342 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:53,399 Speaker 1: And this person who shared this movie idea with Anthony, well, 343 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:56,040 Speaker 1: he was also no stranger to Sarah. 344 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:59,160 Speaker 2: It was a friend of Sarah's, Liam mcintazie. 345 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:02,800 Speaker 1: I know a lot has happened, so let's take a 346 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 1: moment to reset. A week before Sarah disappeared, Anthony Curry 347 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 1: alleges that Sarah's good friend, her best friend, Liam shared 348 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,680 Speaker 1: his idea for a movie about a young woman who 349 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,520 Speaker 1: was robbed, murdered, and then thrown off a bridge while 350 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: her car was left on a bridge to appear like 351 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: she took her own life. Things are getting really weird here, 352 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:26,960 Speaker 1: so just. 353 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 2: The whole concept is beyond comprehension. 354 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,120 Speaker 1: And Anthony said he never thought about this conversation after 355 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: it happened, that is, until he read about Sarah's mysterious disappearance. 356 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 2: Mister Curry came forward too law enforcement because mister mcintassie 357 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 2: continued to reach out for mister Curry. 358 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: Leah mcintazzne told Anthony it was urgent they meet up, 359 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,160 Speaker 1: which is what caused Anthony to go to the cops. 360 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: But again, Liam was one of Sarah's oldest and best 361 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: and most devoted friends. Could he actually be involved in 362 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:08,400 Speaker 1: Sarah's disappearance? Was this just some sort of weird coincidence, 363 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: or had Sarah and Liamp cooked up some sort of plan. 364 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 2: This is just so off the choice that nobody knows 365 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:16,680 Speaker 2: what happened. 366 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,120 Speaker 1: So the police came up with a plan to learn 367 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:22,439 Speaker 1: the truth, and it involves some serious work on the 368 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: part of Anthony Curry. If he could pull this off, 369 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,280 Speaker 1: it would make him famous for reasons no one in 370 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:36,879 Speaker 1: his high school could have ever imagined. A week before 371 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 1: nineteen year old Sarah Stern went missing in December twenty sixteen, 372 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 1: Leamcatazzne told his friend Anthony Curry an idea for a movie. 373 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:49,600 Speaker 1: In this movie, a young woman is robbed and killed. 374 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: Her body is then thrown off a bridge, all to 375 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,359 Speaker 1: make it look like she took her own life. Now 376 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: back to reality, nobody was found when already searched the river. 377 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: But since the rest of the movie plot sounded like 378 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: what could have happened to Sarah Stearn, Anthony Curry went. 379 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,160 Speaker 2: To the cops, so they wired mister Curry up. 380 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 1: Edward Kirshenbaum worked for the Neptune City Police Department, and 381 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:16,680 Speaker 1: a plan. 382 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,199 Speaker 2: Was put in placed by the investigative team for a 383 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 2: meet between Liam mctazzie and Anthony Curry, with law enforcement 384 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 2: wiring mister Curry and monitoring with audio and video the 385 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:31,879 Speaker 2: conversation that would take place. 386 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 1: On January thirty first, twenty seventeen, seven weeks after Sarah 387 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:41,440 Speaker 1: Stearn's disappearance, Anthony Curry met Liam mcintasney in his car. 388 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:44,879 Speaker 1: The police listened from a safe distance in hopes of 389 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: learning whether Liam's idea for a movie was actually his 390 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:50,359 Speaker 1: plan to murder Sarah. 391 00:21:52,960 --> 00:22:01,359 Speaker 9: Don't he don't put you on to hide from the cops. Dude, 392 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 9: you can't blame me for doing this, right. I got 393 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 9: a few y real quick, right right. 394 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,880 Speaker 1: Off the bat. Liam Mcatazsney amped up the drama. He 395 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:15,719 Speaker 1: was nervous and asked to pat down Anthony Curry in 396 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: case he was wearing a wire. 397 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:18,600 Speaker 8: No disrespect. 398 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:22,680 Speaker 9: I'll show you no disrespect, okay. 399 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: Liam's pat down of Anthony didn't reveal anything because the 400 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 1: police didn't wire him up. They wired up his car, 401 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,400 Speaker 1: so Liam had no idea their conversation was being recorded. 402 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,959 Speaker 9: I got the FBI on my ass. Dude, what are 403 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 9: they questioning? Oh yeah, a lot? Well what killing there? 404 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: The FBI was not involved in the investigation, So what 405 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:51,600 Speaker 1: was Liam talking about? Was this another page from his script? 406 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 1: Was this all again to him? And then police heard this? 407 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:58,920 Speaker 8: I did something really dumb. 408 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,119 Speaker 9: Then I planned it out half a year and the 409 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:05,679 Speaker 9: worst part is we threw off the bridge and the 410 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:07,080 Speaker 9: body never showed up. 411 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:12,399 Speaker 1: Well that was pretty shocking, and who is we? Then 412 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 1: Liam shared what happened the afternoon before Sarah disappeared. 413 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 9: I'm hanging out with her. We went to the bank. 414 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 9: She took some money out, not all for money. 415 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,199 Speaker 1: Liam said. After Sarah took seven thousand dollars out of 416 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 1: her safe deposit box, the two went back to Sarah's 417 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: and that's when Liam put his plan into action. 418 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 9: We're counting out and then she goes to walk out 419 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 9: the front door. 420 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 8: I choked her out, like I just I picked her up. 421 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 9: And had her just like dangling off the ground, and 422 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 9: she just herself said my name, and then that was it. 423 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 9: And her dog laid there and watched as I killed her. 424 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:58,360 Speaker 9: Didn't do anything. 425 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 1: That's really hard to hear and makes my stomach drop. 426 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:08,440 Speaker 1: Such a sad ending to Sarah's life and the police 427 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: could not believe what they were hearing. Sarah Stearn's friend 428 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: and neighbor, Liam mcintosney, very nonchalantly described how he killed 429 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: Sarah with his own two hands. 430 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 8: She was just laying there, having a seizure or something. 431 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:26,680 Speaker 9: I got a shirt and I just shoved it down 432 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 9: her throat so she wouldn't throw up her anything, and 433 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 9: held my finger over her nose. 434 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 8: And it took me like a half an hour. 435 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:37,159 Speaker 1: It's really hard to listen to this because he is 436 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:42,120 Speaker 1: so cold, But Liam went on. He said he ran 437 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,360 Speaker 1: out of time. He had to be at work at 438 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: five pm, so he dragged Sarah's body to the bathroom 439 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:53,119 Speaker 1: and left her there. And that's where Liam's accomplice comes 440 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:58,679 Speaker 1: into the story. His roommate, Preston Taylor. According to Liam, 441 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:02,120 Speaker 1: Preston was in on the plan. They had actually been 442 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:06,119 Speaker 1: planning to rob and kill Sarah for six months. 443 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:08,679 Speaker 9: You are the only person on the planet that not 444 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 9: besides Preston, and Preston doesn't know. 445 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:12,119 Speaker 3: That you know. 446 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:15,440 Speaker 1: So if what he is saying is true, then while 447 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 1: Liam was at work, Preston entered Sarah's house through her 448 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: back door and then moved her body to a bushy 449 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 1: area in the backyard. 450 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:25,880 Speaker 9: I get off work, Donn Preston, and I go over 451 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 9: to her house. Then we take her body out of 452 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:32,439 Speaker 9: the bushes and drag it over to her back fence, 453 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:39,119 Speaker 9: and I crawl get into her car and I back up. 454 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,159 Speaker 9: She had There's a security camera across the street, so 455 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 9: I had to back I had to act like her. 456 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:47,400 Speaker 9: I watched her. Every time she backed out, she does 457 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 9: the same thing. So I backed out exactly like she 458 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:51,640 Speaker 9: did and drove off. 459 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:56,440 Speaker 1: Liam still hasn't said anything that establishes a clear motive. 460 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:00,919 Speaker 1: His story is so brutal and so nonchalant at the 461 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: same time, it's hard to believe it's true. And then 462 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:10,960 Speaker 1: there's another thing. Somehow Liam dodged the security cameras, which 463 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: wasn't easy considering where he put the body. 464 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 8: Put her in the passenger seat of her own car. 465 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 1: With a seatbelt around. Sarah's dead body in the passenger 466 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 1: seat of her own car, Liam said he drove to 467 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 1: the bridge over the Shark River. 468 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 9: I go up, open the door on hooker, pull her out, 469 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 9: start dragging her to throw her over, and then cars 470 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 9: start coming up. 471 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 8: I seeing like headlights coming. 472 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 9: I try to get her over and I can't my 473 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:42,560 Speaker 9: leg up like so now I'm limping my legs up 474 00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 9: and there's three cars coming up. 475 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,600 Speaker 1: Liam said he freaked out and dragged Sarah's body back 476 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 1: to the car, pushing her into the passenger seat and 477 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 1: signaling to his roommate pressed in for help. From the 478 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,320 Speaker 1: way he described it, Liam did all of this with 479 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 1: no regard for Sarah. It was it's like she was 480 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: no longer a person, but just an object, no longer 481 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: his best friend, just a thing. 482 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,199 Speaker 9: The two of us throw the body over and then 483 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:14,960 Speaker 9: we're out. This is the thing about there's so much 484 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:17,640 Speaker 9: you can't account for. You don't know until it happens. 485 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 1: Liam then explained how he and Preston stole a safe 486 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,880 Speaker 1: from Sarah along with that money Sarah took out from 487 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 1: her safe deposit box. 488 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:27,720 Speaker 9: That's not even the worst part. The worst part of 489 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 9: it is I thought I was walking out fifty grand, 490 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:34,120 Speaker 9: one hundred grand in my pocket. She only had ten 491 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:38,159 Speaker 9: grand and this money I don't know if it was 492 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:39,199 Speaker 9: birth or something. 493 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 8: It's old money, terrible quality. 494 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 1: That's the worst part. He's upset about the money. Well, 495 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:53,280 Speaker 1: if you remember those twenty and fifty dollars bills looked 496 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 1: old and beaten up, which upset Liam. 497 00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:58,400 Speaker 8: I don't even know if I can put any of it. 498 00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:03,200 Speaker 1: In the ban out this sickening discussion with Liam, Anthony 499 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 1: Curry kept repeating, it's like a movie. It's like a movie, man, 500 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:09,440 Speaker 1: and Liam agreed, to. 501 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 9: Your life, you might as well make it. What are 502 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:14,639 Speaker 9: you gonna list on? Foreign ass life? 503 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:18,040 Speaker 1: That's when Liam said he needed to go and exited 504 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:22,719 Speaker 1: the car. But then seconds later Liam turned around and 505 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: ran back to Anthony's car. Liam knocked on Anthony's window 506 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: and looked worried. 507 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 8: There he there, got ahead, everything got They're there. 508 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:42,240 Speaker 1: Liam found his keys in Anthony's car, grabbed them and left. 509 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:47,760 Speaker 1: Anthony exhaled, lit up another cigarette, and drove back home, 510 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 1: wondering how on earth this horror movie plot Liam shared 511 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 1: with him on Thanksgiving may have turned into a real 512 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: life murder. As for the detective, they also tried to 513 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 1: process what they heard. 514 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:08,320 Speaker 2: It was a detailed accounting of what he, along with 515 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:11,280 Speaker 2: President Taylor did to Sarah start Ed. 516 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,959 Speaker 1: Kirshenbaum of the Neptune City Police Department was shocked not 517 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 1: just at what Liam said, but how he said it. 518 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 2: It was a chilling account with no remorse, no emotion. 519 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,239 Speaker 1: With Liam mctasne on tape detailing what he did to 520 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 1: Sarah Stearn. You would think there would have been enough 521 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: evidence to charge him with murder, but this story was 522 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 1: far from over. 523 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:40,200 Speaker 3: They spotted somebody but looked like Sarah. 524 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: I got a good look right in her face, stared 525 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:43,800 Speaker 1: right into her eyes. 526 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:45,800 Speaker 8: Away and looking at you right now, and she turned 527 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 8: her head duck down an alleyway. I said, I don't 528 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:50,840 Speaker 8: know what that is, but that girl did not. 529 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,720 Speaker 3: Want to be seen. I just you know, I was 530 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:54,760 Speaker 3: beside myself. 531 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 4: I had never seen anything like that. As a reporter 532 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 4: covering crime for many years. 533 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 1: I'm Sloane Glass. Join me for part two of BFFs, 534 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 1: the Disappearance of Sarah Stern, as we learn what really 535 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:13,920 Speaker 1: happened in the small beach town of Neptune City. That's 536 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: next time on American Homicide. You can contact the American 537 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 1: Homicide team by emailing us at American Homicide Pod at 538 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: gmail dot com. That's American Homicide Pod at gmail dot com. 539 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:38,440 Speaker 1: American Homicide is hosted and written by me Sloane Glass 540 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:42,640 Speaker 1: and is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of 541 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show 542 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:51,280 Speaker 1: is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Todd Gans. The 543 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 1: series is also written and produced by Todd Gans, with 544 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: additional writing by Ben Fetterman and Andrea Gunny. Our associate 545 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:04,000 Speaker 1: producer is Kristin Melcurie. Our iheartyap is Ali Perry and 546 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:09,080 Speaker 1: Jessica Crimechack. Audio editing and mixing by Matt Delvecchio, Dave 547 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: Seya and Britt Robashow. Additional editing support from Nico Ruka, 548 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: Tanner Robbins and Patrick Walsh. American Homicide theme song was 549 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:24,240 Speaker 1: composed by Oliver Bains of Noisier Music Library provided by 550 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 1: my Music. Follow American Homicide on Apple Podcasts and please 551 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 1: rate and review American Homicide. Your five star review goes 552 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 1: a long way towards helping others find this show. For 553 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:41,280 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 554 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:43,720 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.