1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,320 Speaker 1: Hi, there is Steve Fishman from Orbit Media. I want 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: to introduce today's featured episode. It's the pilot of our 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: new true crime thriller, Killer Story. It's a series about 4 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: a teenager with dreams, a murder that no one knew 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: was a murder, and a reporter with a hidden past 6 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: that drives her to pursue this hopeless story for years. 7 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,799 Speaker 1: You're going to love the reporter, brazen, cunning when she 8 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: has to be, and always endlessly relentless. Oh and there's 9 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:34,560 Speaker 1: a love story in the middle of this podcast too. 10 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: The series is distributed by Sony Music and you can 11 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: listen wherever you get your podcasts, or you can hear 12 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: all episodes of Killer Story right now by going to 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: the Binge dot com enjoy. It's just after dawn in 14 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: late September nineteen eighty seven and Tom Percival is about 15 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: half an hour by car from Las Vegas. He's just 16 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: launched his boat into the Colorado River. His wife is 17 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: with him. They've planned a day with the kids playing 18 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: in the river's clean, clear water. 19 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 2: We were probably that ten twelve minutes into the water. 20 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: As they head across the water, the two watch out 21 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: for debris and their path. 22 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 2: And that's when I see it. It's about seventy five 23 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 2: feet away, seventy five eighty feet something like that. Dcolder 24 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 2: was a log just looked like it was barely floating underwater, 25 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 2: just barely breaking the surface. 26 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: Tom's not convinced, so he steers the boat closer. As 27 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: he approaches, time seems to stand still. 28 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 2: I remembered everything. I mean, I could probably even tell 29 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 2: you how many ripples were in the water at the time. 30 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: Tom sees something unusual. He can't tell what it is. 31 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 2: Looked like a beautiful mannequin. So I took the oar 32 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 2: and kind of pushed on her, and she went about 33 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 2: six inches under water and then floated back to the surface. 34 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 2: And I'm going, no, it it was a girl. I 35 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 2: didn't want to hurt her skin. I didn't want to 36 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 2: touch right, I didn't want to touch her, and I 37 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 2: was only just far away from her six eight inches. 38 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 2: I remember looking at her hair, beautiful hair floating in 39 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 2: the water, just floating out like a like a like 40 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 2: a rainbow, kind of like it's beautiful. And she did 41 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 2: have this like a mossy green tent all over the 42 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 2: skin that I could see. And that's when I noticed 43 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 2: a tear drop right in the corner of her eye. 44 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 2: I saw a bloody tear. I had not lost it 45 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 2: right there. I've said, who would do this to this 46 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 2: poor girl? 47 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: The girl's name was Sabrina Kid, but no one knew that. 48 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: They won't know that for years. Nobody will know that 49 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: Sabrina is dead, and still wouldn't know if not for 50 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: the preternatural drive. I'm a total stranger, a stranger who 51 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: decided for her own reasons to find out what happened 52 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: to Sabrina. This is a story of lies, cons and 53 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: cover ups. 54 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 3: He said she never came home. That motherfucker's line. 55 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: And if a woman compelled to get justice for someone 56 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: she's never met. 57 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 4: No one ever did tell me anything. I did it 58 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 4: because I wanted to, because I was telling the truth. 59 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: And it's a story of yearning for better endings, because I. 60 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 5: Just want someone to love me, someone to care about 61 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 5: me unconditionally. 62 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: From Sony Music Entertainment and Orbit Media. You're listening to 63 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: Killer Story ad free on the binge where you get 64 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: all episodes all at once. This is episode one. 65 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:50,839 Speaker 6: Arose for Mom. 66 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: Head west from the Colorado River and you'll most likely 67 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: run into Las Vegas, known across America as Sin City. 68 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 1: That's its attract Las Vegas is a place to do 69 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 1: whatever you want. People float into Vegas to shake off 70 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: their work today selves. They hit the Vegas Strip, a 71 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: row of casinos with high stepping showgirls and flashing neon 72 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 1: lights so bright you can see the miles into the 73 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: Mojave Desert. Viva Las Vegas. A place where adults gamble 74 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:27,279 Speaker 1: on changing their stories. What Sin City is not is 75 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 1: a place for a beautiful, naive teenager. So why in 76 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,280 Speaker 1: the late spring of nineteen eighty seven did seventeen year 77 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 1: old Sabrina Kid moved to Vegas alone. The answers begin 78 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: with her mother, don't they always. It's the nineteen eighties 79 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,239 Speaker 1: and Sabrina is a child living with her mom, Bobby 80 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,239 Speaker 1: Sue in Texas. 81 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:53,840 Speaker 5: She worshiped her mom. 82 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: This is Dewana, Sabrina's first cousin. 83 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,159 Speaker 5: I remember when I would go over and I would 84 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:01,800 Speaker 5: spend the weekend. Were at my aunt Bobby's, and Sabrina 85 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 5: and I would we would go walk the Strip mall. 86 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: Sabrina was probably eight or nine at the time. At 87 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: the strip mall, they drifted past store windows, peering in 88 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: until Sabrina found what she wanted, always the same thing. 89 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 5: Then her pride deal was always to stop and get 90 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 5: her mom a rose. 91 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: And so I picture a young girl walking with a 92 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: single rose in her hand. She holds it in front 93 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: of her like a candle. I imagine it's red. She's 94 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: moving with purpose, eager to get home to Mom with 95 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:42,720 Speaker 1: her special gifts. But Mom wasn't always there, not emotionally 96 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: at least. Mom was beautiful herself, a playboy model at 97 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: one point, according to Dowana, and men flocked. And when 98 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 1: a man came into Bobby Sue's life, well that's when 99 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: Mom's focus changed and Sabrina was out of the picture. 100 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 5: She spoiled Sabrina and gave her just about whatever she wanted, 101 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:09,280 Speaker 5: I mean material things she didn't do without. But my 102 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 5: mom was always gone. So you know, as long as 103 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 5: Sabrina got in the way of her boyfriends or got 104 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 5: in the way of anything, then you know, she just 105 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:19,480 Speaker 5: shoved her off onto people. 106 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: At seventeen, Sabrina moved in with Dewana, whose family had 107 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: migrated from Texas to Vegas. They shared an apartment for 108 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: a time. 109 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 5: She was there in the one bed, and I was 110 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 5: in the other bed and I asked her, I said, 111 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 5: what do you want? And she goes, I just want 112 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 5: someone to love me, someone to care about me unconditionally 113 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 5: and not judge me. 114 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: Did you remember saying anything to that? 115 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 5: I told her, you know, I love you. 116 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: Sabrina wasn't particularly bold or assertive. She didn't strike people 117 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: as driven. She was running from not too but she 118 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: was a good friend, the kind everyone values. This is 119 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: her friend Jennifer. 120 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 3: She was just a really nice, good hearted person, and 121 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 3: she was very trusting, and she was a good friend. 122 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 3: And the big standout for me is that she was 123 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 3: just just really kind. 124 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: Sabrina did have moments of conflict, and not just with 125 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: her mother. A few weeks after she moved in with 126 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: her cousin do Wana, they had a falling out. Do 127 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: Wanna didn't approve of a guy Sabrina was seeing so 128 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: much for unconditional love. The boyfriend was soon gone and 129 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: Sabrina was on her own again, hunting for a job 130 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: and a home where she felt welcome. I imagine her 131 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: rippling with anxiety, and yeah, I find that heartbreaking. Seventeen 132 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:58,920 Speaker 1: and on your own and just wanting to be loved. 133 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: Then she met Jim and life seemed to get better. 134 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: They met at a party. 135 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:08,720 Speaker 7: As as I saw her, I was like, Wow, she's 136 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 7: a kiddie, and so obviously I. 137 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 8: Started to strike up the conversation and we just hit 138 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 8: it off. 139 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 1: This is Jim Bixel. Jim was a good looking Vegas native. 140 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: He sported a moment when it was the going fashion 141 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 1: and usually wore a leather motorcycle jacket. 142 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 7: She didn't get into detail with me, but just the 143 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 7: little things that she did tell me. 144 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:34,439 Speaker 8: Yeah, she did not have a great childhood. 145 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 7: So one of my goals was just for me to 146 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 7: make sure she had a great time whenever we were together. 147 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: A lot of those great times involved Jim's motorcycle. 148 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 7: I bought a Kawasaki Ninja six hundred. The cross Rocket 149 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 7: is what we called it. On the weekends, we'd meet 150 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 7: at the Old Wet and Wild Water Park on Las 151 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 7: Vegas Boulevard on the strip, right next to Sarah Hotel, 152 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 7: and then at midnight we would all take off and 153 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,160 Speaker 7: we do really fast long rides. 154 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 8: Somewhere. We went up to Mount Charleston. 155 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: Mount Charleston is over two miles high. 156 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 7: We came down that canyon and we were doing one 157 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 7: hundred and thirty five hundred and forty miles an hour. 158 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 7: She was definitely pulled it on for dear life. She 159 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 7: would love going fast. She would say, you know, right 160 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,680 Speaker 7: on the bike really makes me feel free. 161 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: In Las Vegas, friends remember Sabrina as a blonde, though 162 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: I've seen early photos, and in them she's a brunette 163 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: with thick, gentle waves of hair. She has hazel eyes. 164 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: Her skin is almost as pale as her shining teeth. 165 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 1: In most of the photos, she's smiling, though it strikes 166 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: me as the smile you put on for the camera, 167 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: thinking one thing, showing another. To me, Sabrina looks almost 168 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 1: middle aged in these photos. In one she actually wears pearls. 169 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: She looks ready for a job as a bank teller 170 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: in Vegas. Sabrina seems to shake off the person she 171 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,960 Speaker 1: was for one thing. She lightens her hair and she 172 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 1: crafts a signature hairstyle, short on one side, long on 173 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 1: the other, and sometimes she manages to feel free. Jim 174 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: introduces Sabrina to his friends. One a childhood friend lives 175 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:34,680 Speaker 1: with his girlfriend at his father's house. Turns out that 176 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 1: his father has an extra bedroom to rent and Sabrina 177 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: jumps at the chance. 178 00:11:39,559 --> 00:11:42,079 Speaker 8: So Sabrina liked that idea, said yeah, I'll do that. 179 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: Sabrina hasn't had a steady address in the six months 180 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: she's been in Vegas, and now that problem seems solved. 181 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: Life seems to be getting better and better for Sabrina. 182 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: A dependable living situation, new friends, a boyfriend who makes 183 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: her feel free, and she's recently interviewed for a job 184 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:06,319 Speaker 1: at the fashion wall and she landed it, her first 185 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:10,800 Speaker 1: solid gig since arriving in Las Vegas. She seems to have, 186 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: to her credit, developed a network of support in an 187 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 1: intimidating new city. And then another break. Her friend's father, 188 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 1: her landlord. 189 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,200 Speaker 7: He asked her something the effect of, hey, what do 190 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 7: you want to do ultimately with your life? 191 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,400 Speaker 8: And she said, you know, I'd like to be a model. 192 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: And her landlord, a kind fatherly figure, encouraged her. And 193 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:38,080 Speaker 1: so for Sabrina kid life is looking pretty good. She's 194 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 1: too young to gamble, but it's as if she walked 195 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: into a casino and exited with a pocket full of cash. 196 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 1: And then, just as everything is coming together, one morning 197 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 1: in late summer, one of Sabrina's best friends knocks on 198 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: her door, expecting to spend the day with her. Instead, 199 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: she learns that Sabrina didn't come home home the previous night. 200 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:09,560 Speaker 1: No one sees her ever again. Sabrina vanishes. Why How? 201 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 1: What happened to this promising life? On that late summer 202 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:28,920 Speaker 1: morning in Las Vegas, Sabrina made a couple of close friends, 203 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: Jennifer and Crystal. They were the same age as Sabrina, seventeen. 204 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: They'd grown up in Vegas. The three were a striking trio, young, 205 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: full of life and pretty. They snuck into Caesar's Palace 206 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: to hear their favorite bands. They went to high school parties. 207 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:52,200 Speaker 1: They talked nearly every day. This is Jennifer, you. 208 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 3: Talk about like girl shed and boys and what are 209 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 3: we doing this weekend? And what are you wearing? That's 210 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 3: the kind of stuff today. It's weekend to weekend. It's 211 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 3: not really deep like oh my mother's you know it 212 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 3: doesn't It never got into that. 213 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: So you were all seventeen, Yeah, Vegas was a good 214 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: town to be seventeen, and it was because. 215 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:20,040 Speaker 3: You knew everybody. You know, there was only so many 216 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 3: high schools. Everybody knew everybody. 217 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: So they did last Vegacy things like hang on the 218 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: strip and teenage things like attend a junior varsity football game, 219 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: which is what was on the agenda on what would 220 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: be the evening before Sabrina disappeared. After Sabrina vanished, Jennifer 221 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: and Crystal Wood review again and again their last hours together. 222 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 1: It's September seventeenth, nineteen eighty seven. The evening starts with 223 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 1: a junior varsity football game at Valley High School. It's 224 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: a bit after sunset, and Crystal picks up some Sabrina 225 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 1: doesn't have a car, though with her new job, it's 226 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: on her list. As usual, Sabrina looks great. She's tall 227 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: and slender. Her nails are painted pink, her favorite color 228 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 1: from childhood. A couple of boys decide to flirt with Sabrina, 229 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: which annoys the boys at girlfriend's harshing the mellow Crystal 230 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: and Sabrina leave in a bad mood, talking about those 231 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: rude girls. A bit after eight pm, Crystal drops Sabrina 232 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 1: off at her place. An hour or so later that 233 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 1: same evening, so still September seventeenth, Jennifer picks Sabrina up 234 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:44,160 Speaker 1: around nine pm. They head over to Jennifer's boyfriend's apartment. 235 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: He's older and has his own place. Both Jennifer and 236 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: Sabrina spend the night. It's now morning, September eighteenth. Sabrina's 237 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: running late for work and starts shaking Jennifer awake. Sabrina 238 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:02,320 Speaker 1: needs a rick home because Crystal is picking her up. 239 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: Crystal and Sabrina are both working at Lane Brian at 240 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,040 Speaker 1: the fashion mall and they can't be late, so Jennifer 241 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: drives Sabrina back to her place. She drops Sabrina at 242 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 1: about eight thirty in the morning. The drop off will 243 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: stick in Jennifer's mind because Sabrina doesn't have her keys. 244 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: She empties her purse in Jennifer's car looking for them, 245 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: but no luck. Sabrina has to knock on the door. 246 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: Jennifer remembers that the landlord lets Sabrina in. You dropped 247 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: her off at like nine in the morning and it 248 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 1: was early yeah. 249 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 8: Right. 250 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: About an hour later, Crystal pulls up to Sabrina's place. 251 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: It's around nine to thirty in the morning. Sitting in 252 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: her car, Crystal honks, expecting Sabrina to pop out. As 253 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: her friends know, Sabrina is dependable and always He's punctual, 254 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: but Sabrina doesn't appear, so Crystal gets out of her 255 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:10,120 Speaker 1: car and goes to the front door and knocks two times, 256 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 1: three times. The door finally opens, but only a few inches. 257 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: It's the landlord in his bathrobe. Usually he's friendly to 258 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 1: Crystal and invites her in. This morning, he seems put out. 259 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,879 Speaker 1: Crystal asks him, you've seen Sabrina. We're supposed to go 260 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: to work. I told her I would meet her. She's 261 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: not home. The landlord tells her he doesn't know where 262 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 1: she is, so Crystal heads to work alone. Sabrina doesn't 263 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: show up. Cristal doesn't hear from Sabrina all day, and 264 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:53,119 Speaker 1: neither does Jennifer, and they're usually in touch daily. Sabrina 265 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: had mentioned an opportunity to go to California for free 266 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 1: that weekend. Maybe she's taken up that offer. Maybe it's 267 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:05,399 Speaker 1: kind to modeling work or that guy she just meant. Still, 268 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: it isn't like Sabrina to be out of touch. Jennifer says, 269 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: they have to go to the police. 270 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 3: We waited twenty four hours and then we went to 271 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,919 Speaker 3: the police. We said she's missing, something happened, and they 272 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,879 Speaker 3: just didn't believe us. One point, they said that she 273 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:27,399 Speaker 3: was class as a runaway and there's nothing they could do. 274 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 1: Jennifer isn't satisfied when Sabrina doesn't show up. In the 275 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:35,199 Speaker 1: next couple of days, she and Crystal returned to the 276 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 1: police department. This time the cops accused them. 277 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 3: I remember them saying, oh, you were a prostitute that 278 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 3: went to Caesar's Palace, and I was like, no, even 279 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 3: if it was for it had nothing to fucking do 280 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 3: with the fact that she's missing. I remember being so 281 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 3: fucking angry. 282 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:01,680 Speaker 1: What happens after Jennifer and Crystal visit the police. As 283 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: far as they can tell, nothing. Sabrina's case is filed 284 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 1: with the files of hundreds of other missing teenagers, seemingly 285 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: a final resting spot, except that her family back in Texas, 286 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: Bobby Sue. Sabrina's mother, along with her aunt, will not 287 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 1: give up. They scour missing person reports from around the country. 288 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: They reach out to media. If they could just get 289 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: her image on TV, maybe someone would recognize her four 290 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:39,120 Speaker 1: excruciating years past like this, it's now nineteen ninety one, 291 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:43,679 Speaker 1: and someone mother or aunt gets an idea. There's a 292 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: very popular new tabloid TV show, A current affair maybe 293 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,359 Speaker 1: they'd taken an interest in the story of a beautiful 294 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 1: teenager who mysteriously vanishes in Las Vegas. It's worth a shot. 295 00:19:57,800 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 4: And I'm sitting there one day on the phone rings 296 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 4: and I pick it up. 297 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 1: So in nineteen ninety one, Lindall Marx answers the phone 298 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: in her office. Lindall is at that moment a new 299 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: reporter at the wildly popular TV show A turn affair 300 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 1: leader in the newest TV genre, the tabloid. 301 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 4: I mean, we would get calls often. It would be 302 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:44,359 Speaker 4: people that knew were crazy, people who just had dumb stories, 303 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:50,240 Speaker 4: just unbelievable stories, or you know, I've spotted a celebrity 304 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:52,640 Speaker 4: or whatever, and you know, how much? How much will 305 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,159 Speaker 4: you pay for my tape today? 306 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 1: The caller is a woman, middle aged. From the sound 307 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:03,919 Speaker 1: of her voice, I've spoken a Texas draw. She introduces 308 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: herself as the aunt Lindall. Here's the mother in the background. 309 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 4: So I'm talking to her. I'm talking to her and 310 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 4: and they weren't crazy at all. And this woman tells 311 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 4: me that her niece is missing, and my first reaction 312 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:25,119 Speaker 4: was okay. 313 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,040 Speaker 1: Theann explains that her niece was living in Las Vegas 314 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: when she vanished. 315 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 4: And she was clearly upset. We have phoned newspapers, We've 316 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 4: phoned other people in the media, we have phoned the 317 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 4: local press. No one cares. We can't get anyone to 318 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 4: do anything. You are our last resort, right Okay, So 319 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,680 Speaker 4: what have you done? Have you told the police? Yes, 320 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,160 Speaker 4: but the police have done nothing. What do you mean 321 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 4: the police have done nothing. We reported her missing a 322 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:02,439 Speaker 4: few days after she went miss they've done nothing. And 323 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:06,360 Speaker 4: when I hear that, that makes me go, I'm here 324 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 4: for you. I will listen to you. 325 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: Linda is in her twenties and already a seasoned reporter. 326 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: She comes from a hard news background. She's Australian, but 327 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: more at home in a place like New York, where 328 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,920 Speaker 1: ambition and she's ambitious matters. 329 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 8: I've seen a. 330 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: Bunch of her TV segments from the nineties, and she 331 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: looks cool in a ninety sort of way, petite with 332 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:34,840 Speaker 1: perfect bangs and those shoulder pads that seem so excellent 333 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 1: back then. She's down to earth. She does her own 334 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:43,159 Speaker 1: makeup for TV. As a reporter, she's old school, lots 335 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: of shoe leather, door knocking, file searching, and relentless like 336 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:54,280 Speaker 1: irrationally relentless, prides herself on that. The word hard bitten 337 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: comes to mind. 338 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 4: You never take no for an answer. 339 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:01,920 Speaker 1: But also she's like wildly idealless. She seems to truly 340 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:06,919 Speaker 1: believe that her efforts, her relentless efforts, can change the 341 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:07,960 Speaker 1: course of history. 342 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:11,480 Speaker 4: If I feel like there's a big man kicking a 343 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 4: little guy in the guts, I will go after that story. 344 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,640 Speaker 4: I will go after that with aggression and passion. 345 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: And from where she sits at a desk on a 346 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: phone in a New York office, the mom and the 347 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 1: aunt in Texas are the little guys. Lindall can't believe 348 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,240 Speaker 1: that the cops shrugged at the report of their missing girl, 349 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,680 Speaker 1: that they shirked their duty for a soft spoken, helpless 350 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: aunt and mother. The system couldn't be bothered, or so 351 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:47,120 Speaker 1: it seemed to Lindall at that moment. On the phone, 352 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:51,120 Speaker 1: the aunt shares more details. She says, her niece disappeared 353 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:53,199 Speaker 1: from Las Vegas when she was seventeen. 354 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 4: I asked her when did she go missing? She said, 355 00:23:58,400 --> 00:23:59,160 Speaker 4: four years ago? 356 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: WHOA, Lindall? Four years ago? And they're just popping up now. 357 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: If there was a trail, it's not there. Anymore. That 358 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:12,880 Speaker 1: timetable would have made a lot of reporters hang up. 359 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: Lindall keeps listening. 360 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 4: So she's begging me to help. I just I filled 361 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,080 Speaker 4: a connection with that family. I felt their pain, and 362 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:28,199 Speaker 4: I just I felt something was wrong. People don't just 363 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:29,719 Speaker 4: disappear into thin air. 364 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,600 Speaker 1: So, Lindall, you thought everyone's pushed him aside, so you 365 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:35,719 Speaker 1: can do something different. 366 00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, one, just one problem. 367 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 1: Lindall doesn't actually have the authority to decide what story 368 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:52,400 Speaker 1: she works on at a current affair. There's a chain 369 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: of command, So she hangs up with the mother and 370 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:59,080 Speaker 1: aunt and heads to the office of news editor Dan, 371 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: meaning it's Dan who clears or kills story ideas. Reporters 372 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 1: are in and out of his office all day. It's 373 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:12,480 Speaker 1: a busy place. Lindall edges her way in. This is Dan. 374 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,239 Speaker 9: She came up to me and said she got a 375 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:20,159 Speaker 9: phone call and what do I think of this story? 376 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 9: I said, it's some missing persons. We don't do missing persons. 377 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:28,400 Speaker 9: There's no conclusion to the story, and she kept insisting 378 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:30,560 Speaker 9: there was. I said, I can't, no, I can't waste 379 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 9: any money on this. I'm sorry, there. 380 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 4: Is something going on here. This this just doesn't sound right. 381 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 4: She's so young. How do you not follow this kid? 382 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 4: She's a baby? How do you not follow that? How 383 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:44,920 Speaker 4: do you ignore a mother? 384 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 9: She argued with me and said, it's a story here, 385 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 9: I'm telling you I feel it. This is a missing girl, 386 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:55,920 Speaker 9: and it's not a murder investigation, and we don't have facts. 387 00:25:57,680 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 9: What is the viewer going to walk away with? 388 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:05,040 Speaker 1: Lindall, He's being clear, Stop the nonsense, get back to work. 389 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 9: You know, this is a sausage factory and I've got 390 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 9: to come up with about four or five stories a night. 391 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 9: So I can't be wasting my time on stories that 392 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 9: I feel doesn't have a conclusion. 393 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 4: Lindall's reaction, Yeah, totally fuck off. 394 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: All right, So a girl is missing, a girl who 395 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: because a one phone call Linda feels tied to and 396 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: so guess what, Linda will find a way. 397 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 4: When I feel something and my instinct is telling me 398 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 4: this is right, I have to follow this, I will 399 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 4: follow it. I will go down every rabbit hole if 400 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:52,359 Speaker 4: I feel like a victim hasn't been given a voice, 401 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 4: I won't stop until I have found a way to 402 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:56,880 Speaker 4: tell that story. 403 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 1: Now there's a reason that Lindall is so compelled by 404 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,159 Speaker 1: this phone call and by this story, a reason that 405 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 1: Lyndall's kept secret for years, a reason that she's ready 406 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:14,040 Speaker 1: to reveal on this podcast to a national audience. Just 407 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,800 Speaker 1: like it's a segment on a current affair, only better 408 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: next time. On Killer Story, Lyndall's secret revealed. 409 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,679 Speaker 4: A friend of mine came to visit me and she 410 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,879 Speaker 4: just walked in and I remember the shock on her face. 411 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 10: I felt an incredible sadness because I could feel that 412 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,959 Speaker 10: it was going to have an impact on her for 413 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,720 Speaker 10: the rest of her life, not in a good way. 414 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:52,919 Speaker 4: I completely connected to what happened to me. 415 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:56,719 Speaker 3: I was glad somebody was investigating it, and I remember 416 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:57,960 Speaker 3: being glad somebody believed that. 417 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 9: If this wouldn't have worked for lend her career at 418 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:03,679 Speaker 9: a corner, fair may have come to a dead end. 419 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 4: You wake up one morning, you go, screw it, I 420 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:12,680 Speaker 4: need to do the story. 421 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 1: You're listening to Killer Story ad free on the Binge. 422 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,120 Speaker 1: As a subscriber, you get Binge access to new stories 423 00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:22,719 Speaker 1: on the first of every month. Check out the Binge 424 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: channel page on Apple Podcasts, or getthobinge dot com to 425 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: stay up to date on all the Binge worthy shows 426 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:35,040 Speaker 1: included in your subscription. Killer Story is a production of 427 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:39,680 Speaker 1: Orbit Media in association with Signal Company. Number One. Creator 428 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: and host is me Steve Fishman. Executive producers Arlnda Marx, 429 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 1: Kevin Warnis and Jonathan Hurst from Sony Music Entertainment Producers 430 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: Jackie Pauli, Hannahbiel and Austin Smith. Production coordinator Austin Smith, 431 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:59,320 Speaker 1: Series consultant Emil Klein, sound designer Britt Spangler, fact check 432 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:04,240 Speaker 1: Ryan Alderman. Our lawyers are at Claris Law. Special thanks 433 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 1: to Emily Rassik, Steve Ackerman, Catherine Saint Louis, Sammy Allison, 434 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 1: Allison Haney, Fisher Stevens and the glamorous Rhea Julian. We 435 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:17,640 Speaker 1: also thank our agents at WM Evan Crassig, Maurissa Hurwitz, 436 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: Ben Davis, and a special thanks to Shelley Chanoy for 437 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:26,040 Speaker 1: voice overcasting. And a special special thanks to the inimitable 438 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:27,000 Speaker 1: Emil Klein