Vanished with Beth Holloway (2011): Season 1, Episode 4 - Kesse/Bible and Freeman - full transcript

-We believe that this is
an abduction of some sort.

Narrator: A beautiful
young woman

vanishes from her Florida condo.

-Personally I thought after
the very first day, maybe even

the second day, that
she was trafficked.

Narrator: A sketchy surveillance
tape is her family's only hope.

-The person's face is
hidden behind a large beam.

Narrator: In Oklahoma,
two teenagers

disappear after a
mysterious house fire.

-The last thing she told
me was, I love you, daddy.

Narrator: And the search for
the girls unearths a heinous crime.



-I could make out
the perfect outline

of a man laying
face-up on the floor.

Narrator: Now, Beth
holloway goes on location

to help two families
unravel the mysteries...

-she'd come right
down this sidewalk.

Narrator: And discover the truth

about their missing loved ones.

-In 2005, I got
the call telling me

that my daughter,
Natalie, had vanished.

Every parent's worst
nightmare became my reality.

Beth holloway (on TV): And
I ask the world to help me.

-I found myself in
an unimaginable fight.

My search for answers gave
me a new mission in life...

Bring the missing home,
and criminals to justice.



Beth holloway: In the
case of a missing person,

all you can hope for is hard
evidence, something tangible

that will help investigators
locate your loved one.

Often it's as simple
as a drop of blood,

or a partial fingerprint.

But for two parents in
Orlando, even a photo

of the prime suspect hasn't been
enough to bring their daughter

home.

Narrator: In 2003,
22-year-old Jennifer kesse

graduates from the
university of central Florida,

and begins to build her life.

-Extremely, extremely
independent, intelligent,

funny, very quick-witted,
compassionate.

-Very stubborn.

Knew what she
wanted, and went after it.

-We used to tell her,
reach for the stars.

You just might catch one.

-Hello.

I'm Jennifer kesse.

And i... I am one of
the runners at the party.

And I have been asked... and I
have been asked to supervise.

Oh, so this is my
business company.

Narrator: By 2005,
all of Jennifer's dreams

seem to be coming true.

She's got great
friends, and a great job

as a financial analyst
with a mortgage company.

-It's an exciting time
of your life, you know.

You just went from
a college state to,

uh, you know... now
you're out on your,

you're really out on your own.

And we were enjoying it.

Narrator: Jennifer has also
purchased her first home,

a condo in an upscale
Orlando neighborhood.

-That was a huge feat.

-Drew and I feel
very, very blessed

to see your child
evolve and grow

into this strong, confident,
independent young woman.

Narrator: Along
with her new condo,

Jennifer has a new
boyfriend, Rob Allen.

-If you get past the physical
beauty... which obviously, it's

hard to... but if you
take out of the equation,

then she's very warm.

She's very intelligent.

She's a very caring individual.

So... and she's just magnetic.

She's someone that
you want to be around.

Narrator: The relationship
has one obstacle.

Rob lives around two hours
away, in Fort Lauderdale.

Jennifer loves her job, and
is reluctant to move away

from Orlando.

-You know it was
a long distance.

So it's hard.

But you know, she would go
down there on the weekends,

or he would come up.

Drew kesse: They
were both driven.

And they both
had very good jobs.

It was, you know,
I think I love you,

but I have so much
here, it's gotta be real.

Narrator: Despite the distance,
Jennifer and Rob's relationship

continues to grow.

Along with the
weekend visits, they

talk to each other
several times a day.

There's always a
phone call on the way

to work in the
morning, and another

just before they
go to bed at night.

Two months after Jennifer
moves into her new condo,

she and Rob travel to
Saint Croix for a vacation.

Rob Allen: It's kind
of like, decompress

from everything at work.

Obviously with us doing a
long distance relationship,

it was nice to spend a week
with someone that you care about.

-She called her parents, said
she was having a fabulous time.

Narrator: After four
wonderful days in Saint Croix

Jennifer and Rob fly into Miami.

Instead of driving
straight back to Orlando,

Jennifer stays the night
with Rob in Fort Lauderdale.

-Uh, she did a lot of times
when she came down,

would, um, just get up in
early morning on a Monday

and drive straight into work.

She'd always call on her
commute, just be kind of like,

hey, look, have a great day.

Just usual talk.

Narrator: That evening,
when she gets home,

Jennifer calls her
mom to tell her

about the trip to
Saint Croix then,

she ends her day as she always
does... on the phone with Rob.

But after a long weekend
together in paradise,

the couple is
having a difficult time

readjusting to
their separate lives.

-The last person to talk to
her, at 9:57 pm, was Rob.

And they were having
somewhat of a little bit of a, a...

-spat.

-Spat, because it was,
ok, now we're apart again.

-Which was natural...

-and it... yes.

And it was the
testing of the wills

of who was going to break down.

And Jennifer's stubborn.

It's our understanding
she just said, Rob,

I'll talk to you in the morning.

I'm tired.

I'm going to bed.

Narrator: After their
argument the night before,

Rob isn't too concerned
when the following morning, he

doesn't get his usual call.

Rob Allen: I didn't
hear anything from her.

So I just was like, ok,
maybe she's got a meeting,

or she had to go in early.

Narrator: But Jennifer
hasn't made it into work.

And her boss is concerned.

Joyce kesse: I got the
phone call from her employer,

asking if there was
a family emergency.

I said, no, why?

Well, I don't want to
alarm you but, um, Jennifer

hasn't shown up for work.

Narrator: Jennifer's
boss also tells the kesses

that his calls to her phone are
going straight into voice mail.

-Normally, when you
would call Jennifer,

would her phone
ever be turned off?

- Never.
- No.

Jennifer's phone
is her lifeline.

-The minute I heard
that, I felt like somebody

punched me in the stomach.

I'm like, what do you mean?

Narrator: Where
is Jennifer kesse?

For the next several
hours, her parents

try to answer that question.

But their calls continue
to go unanswered.

-At this time, were you
and Joyce both beginning

to come to this,
this thought process

that there's something
terribly wrong with Jennifer?

[Interposing voices]

-When I ring Jennifer
on the phone, that's it.

She picks up.

I don't care, I
don't care what it is.

She will stop what she's doing.

From that, you know,
from that point on,

then I knew something
was wrong, too.

Narrator: It's now been
13 hours since anyone

has heard from Jennifer.

The kesses make a
frantic two hour drive

from their home across the state
to Jennifer's condo in Orlando.

-I called the
management and said,

could you go down and see if
her car is in her parking spot?

And the manager
came back and said

that, no, her car is not there.

We started calling the
jails and the hospitals.

Narrator: When the kesses
arrive at Jennifer's condo,

they confirm what the apartment
manager has told them...

Jennifer's car is
not in the parking lot.

Her front door is locked, and
drew uses his key to get in.

Inside, things
seem eerily normal.

-The bathroom and the
bedroom were as if she got ready

and went to work.

The shower stall was wet.

Her towel was wet and draped
over her washing machine.

There was nothing...

-Out of place.

Her hair brush was there.

Her makeup kit was there.

The blow dryer was all,
you know, right in place

where she would use
it and what have you.

Narrator: There are a few
things missing, though... Jennifer's

purse, her car keys,
briefcase, and cell phone.

They kesses ultimately
decide to call the police.

But when an officer
meets them at the condo,

he sees no cause for concern.

He greeted us, went in,
basically really just, like,

looked around and he
just shrugged his shoulders

and said, she probably got
in a fight with her boyfriend.

She'll be back.

Narrator: Was Jennifer's
disappearance the result

of a fight with Rob?

Her parents don't think so.

Instead, the kesses file
a missing persons report,

and take to the streets.

They also offer up
thousands of dollars

in reward money for
information leading

to Jennifer's safe return.

-By 4 o'clock, we had
tens of thousands of fliers.

We had all of our friends... we
had 14 people in by that night,

on all the major corners,
passing out fliers.

-In the initial stages,
Jennifer's family

made sure that everyone rallied.

They made sure that it
was out there in the public.

Narrator: But despite
the kesses' efforts,

they are still no closer
to finding their daughter.

Police ping her cellphone,
but get no response.

And even though there were
workmen at the condo next door,

and landscapers working
throughout the complex,

no one claims to
have seen Jennifer

leaving her apartment
that morning.

-They can not tell us if she
walked out that front door,

if she made it
out the front door.

-She's vanished.

People don't vanish.

Narrator: With no other
leads, police turn their attention

to the last person
to speak to Jennifer...

Her boyfriend, Rob Allen.

People closest
are always the ones

that... they're the
that people blamed.

But at the point,
I'm willing to do

whatever it takes
to get Jen home.

So if that means them
investigating me 1,000 times

to prove that I'm not the
culprit, then that's fine.

Narrator: With no
physical evidence,

Rob is eventually
eliminated as a suspect.

The search for Jennifer
is leading nowhere.

Orlando, Florida, 2005.

Jennifer kesse has
mysteriously disappeared

from the condominium
where she lives.

24 hours have passed.

And Jennifer's parents
are desperate to find her.

-We can stand at her front
door, and ask up, down,

left, or right, where?

Not a clue.

Vanished is the word
they use constantly.

Narrator: Finally, two days
after Jennifer's disappearance,

there's a break in the case.

Police find Jennifer's car
parked in an apartment

complex about a
mile from her home.

-When the car went
to be processed,

was there any
evidentiary material

that was retrieved from the car?

-The car seemed to
have been wiped down.

Valuables were left in her car,
that could have been pawned.

She had a DVD
player in the backseat.

They didn't steal
it... Steal for the car,

because they dropped it
1.2 miles down from where

we're sitting.

Narrator: The discovery
of Jennifer's car

only deepens the mystery
surrounding her disappearance.

Police decide to search the
woods around Jennifer's condo,

and the apartment complex
where her car was found.

They're hoping to find
her missing purse, cell

phone, or briefcase.

-We're looking for articles
of clothing, anything

that might lead us to
Jennifer's whereabouts.

-The police would take
horses into the woods

and do searches until nightfall.

And they would have
helicopters out in the, you know,

remote areas.

Narrator: The searches
yield no new evidence.

The chances of finding Jennifer
are dwindling, day by day.

But just as hope
begins to fade, police

uncover a promising lead.

Two surveillance cameras
capture Jennifer's car

being parked by the pool
at the apartment complex

where it was later discovered.

Drew kesse: The person
parked into parking space,

stayed in for 32
seconds, got out of the car,

closed the door behind him,
walked, never looked back.

Narrator: The driver
is clearly not Jennifer,

but the image is blurry.

And that's not the only problem.

-The person's face is
hidden behind a large beam

going through fence posts.

So we could not see
it... Every single picture.

We're sitting there and
we're like, oh my god.

-That had to be so
incredibly frustrating.

-Maddening.

Maddening.

It would be... it's
not frustrating.

It was maddening that
the luck of a criminal,

that their gait stride would
put their face, from their ears

forward, obscured
by the fence post.

Narrator: Desperate
for leads, police go

public with the
surveillance video images.

-We believe that this is
an abduction of some sort.

We are not sure whether
it's in an abduction

and she's being held
someplace against her will,

or whether it's an
abduction and a homicide.

-We're absolutely
positive someone

has the information we need
to bring this young lady home.

Narrator: Jennifer's
case has the full attention

of both media and
law enforcement.

But her parents are
beginning to fear the worst.

-My thoughts, as crude
as this may sound,

is, was she being raped?

-Were you playing out in
your mind different scenarios?

-I thought, after the very first
day, maybe even the second day,

that she was trafficked.

Narrator: With the release
of the video images,

hundreds of leads pour in.

Though none of them
can be concretely tied

to human traffickers,
they offer investigators

their first real hope of
iding the man they believe

can lead them to Jennifer.

-The clothes appear
to be a painter

or construction-type person,
within an apartment complex

or condo complex
somewhere in the area.

Narrator: The morning
that Jennifer vanished,

there were workmen
next door to her apartment.

The theory resonates
with Jennifer's parents.

Narrator: The two
months that she

lived in this
condominium complex,

she had verbalized
to many people

that the workers
made her feel uneasy.

They were not
overtly harassing her,

but they would stop
and stare at her.

-Because she was uncomfortable
enough to express this to you.

-And not just to us.

She was like, no they
make me feel uneasy.

Narrator: If police can
find out which workers

were in Jennifer's
condo, or which

ones have prior
criminal records,

they might be able to identify
the man in the surveillance

video.

But the condo's management
company keeps no such records.

Two weeks have now
passed, and the kesses

are no closer to
finding their daughter.

Rather than giving up,
they increase the number

of fliers circulating, and
launch an all-out media blitz.

-We created fliers in
Spanish, English, and creole.

We did our own
decks of cards for Jen.

We did uh, books of matches.

She was on Nascar,
race car, and I

don't know how many billboards.

Narrator: The kesses'
efforts amount to one

of the largest missing
persons campaigns ever seen.

One unwanted
side effect is that it

yields hundreds of false leads.

-You hear every story.

You get notes passed to you
that your daughter's chopped up,

and down in the sewer.

Or, well, she's by palm
trees and water. [Laughing]

It's almost mean.

It's almost cruel.

Narrator: But as hope of
finding Jennifer begins to fade,

a shocking development
reignites the investigation,

and brings her family face
to face with their worst fears.

Thanks to an
anonymous tip, police

have reason to believe that
Jennifer's remains are buried

near a walking trail about
one mile from her condo.

Within hours, investigators
are scouring the area.

It's not long before they
make a startling discovery.

-They had a credible
tip, and the dogs,

they identified on a body.

-Next two days that we
found that Jennifer was gone,

that was probably
the hardest day.

-We had such feeling in the
pit of our stomach that, it's time.

-I talked to the
kesses that day,

and they said, you
know, we think this is it.

This was credible.

Be prepared that this may be it.

Narrator: At 8
o'clock in the morning,

backhoes are brought
in, and police begin to dig.

-It's easier when all
they're bringing up is dirt.

But when they start
bringing clothes up,

and you know that
a dog hit on DNA,

and you were told five minutes
before to prepare yourself,

I don't think you know
how to prepare yourself.

Narrator: Jennifer's loved
ones have braced for the worst.

However, the dig uncovers
nothing but some debris.

There's no further
evidence to suggest

Jennifer's body is
anywhere near the area.

-You know, they were
saying, just be prepared.

And just, my stomach
dropped, and I just, I

couldn't believe it.

Narrator: For the
kesse family, it's

just another in a long string
of disappointments and dashed

hopes.

-Thank you folks so much.

-Thank you.

-One part of you craves
that it was Jennifer,

so that we could actually give
her a proper memorial service,

and finally, people
can begin to heal,

because you can't
heal without answers.

-People don't
think that you don't

feel your heart
hurt... Physically hurt.

My, my heart physically hurts.

I can, I can feel my heart hurt.

Narrator: Jennifer's
case has grown cold.

But her parents
haven't given up hope,

or stopped searching
for the man they believe

holds the key to
finding their daughter.

-I feel like you guys are
thinking you'll get an answer.

And i... that is my
prayer for you, too.

You want to know what happened.

No matter what it is.

You want... you just want
to know the details, what

happened, where is she.

-Do we pray for the
miracle of an answer?

Absolutely.

And we'll take the answer
for the good, for the bad.

But that is right now
what we hope for,

is that miracle of an answer.

-Yeah, and you know,
some people... and I'm sure,

same thing with you, Beth.

Some people say, well, you
know, you know she's dead.

Can't you, can't you move on?

Like, no.

If you give me a chip that
big of my daughter's bones, ok.

That's fine.

Then we know.

Narrator: Jennifer kesse
was last seen in 2006.

She would now be 30 years old.

She's 5' 8" With a
slender build, blonde hair,

and a distinctive cleft chin.

She also has a shamrock
tattoo on her right hip.

If you have information
about Jennifer,

please go to mylifetime.
Com/vanished,

and click on the tips button.

Coming up... 1999, the rolling
farmland of eastern Oklahoma.

Teenagers lauria Bible
and ashely Freeman

are as close as
two friends can be.

-The girls were
your girls next door.

They were cheerleaders,
basketball players.

Narrator: Until tragedy strikes.

-And you think your
children are safe.

But, they're not.

-We just knew they were gone.

Both girls were gone.

Narrator: Or are they?

-By 2 o'clock in
the afternoon, we

knew that the girls
were nowhere in there.

Narrator: Where are
lauria and ashely?

The only person who seems
to know is a convicted killer.

-Look me in the eyes
and tell me if you're

responsible for their death.

Narrator: Now, Beth
holloway explores

the chilling details of lauria
and Ashley's disappearance,

and joins the Bible family
in their search for answers.

-Losing a loved one in a
fire is an unthinkable tragedy.

For one family, the
sadness is even greater.

They found two bodies in the
ashes of a devastating Blaze.

But it's what they didn't
find in those ashes that

continues to haunt
them to this day.

Narrator: Craig
county, Oklahoma.

The rolling farmland is home
for teenagers and best friends

Ashley Freeman and lauria Bible.

-Well, lauria and
Ashley grew up together.

So they knew each
other their whole lives.

And Ashley was
in our home a lot.

I mean, she'd come
and stay three, four days.

During the summer, she'd
stay for weeks at a time.

Narrator: Ashley is on her
high school basketball team.

Lauria is a cheerleader.

And when the two
teenagers aren't at practice,

they're busy raising livestock
to show at the county fair.

-Did the girls... did
Ashley and lauria...

Did they ever get into trouble?

-No.

No.

-Plain ol' no.

-They were outgoing,
good academically.

They, they found
the good in things.

Narrator: During
Christmas break of 1999,

the two 16-year-olds
leave the Bible's farmhouse,

and head to Ashley's
for a sleepover.

-The last thing she told
me was, I love you, daddy.

And out the door they went.

You don't realize
when your child says,

I love you, daddy,
that it's going

be the last thing they
say to you sometimes.

Narrator: The next
morning, the bibles' world

comes crashing in.

A sheriff's deputy
shows up at lorene's work

with alarming news.

There's been a
devastating fire at the home

where the girls are staying.

-And I said, how bad is it?

Just like this, how bad is it?

And he's like, the
house is totally gone.

-What was going
through your mind?

-That you have to stay calm.

People will tell you, even to
this day, you seem so calm.

Well, I'm not calm.

My mind is exploding.

But if I lose it, then who's
going to ask the questions

that need to be asked?

Narrator: Fearing the
worst, the bibles race

to the smoldering site,
only to find they have to wait.

The situation is so dire
that the Craig county sheriff's

office has called in
the Oklahoma state

bureau of investigation
to handle the search.

But it will be three hours
before the osbi arrives.

The wait is almost more
than the Bible family can bear.

-This is as far as we
were able to come.

They had a big, yellow
do-not-cross sign right here.

And all we could do
is stand on this side

and watch the activity
that went on up there.

-So who's, who's talking to...

-nobody's talking.

-Nobody's coming to...

-they're not saying
nothing at that time.

You're standing there looking
at a good half a dozen deputies

standing around.

One's got a clipboard and
checking everybody in and out

from the crime scene tape.

And nobody's coming to say,
hey, you know this is my daughter.

And nobody's saying
anything to me, you know.

I want to know.

Narrator: When the
osbi finally arrives,

they begin sorting through the
charred rubble of the Freeman

home, and confirm
that the fire was fatal.

But there's only one dead body.

And it's the body
of an older woman.

-He said there's a ring on
her... a band on her left hand.

Narrator: At 6:00 pm, the
osbi finishes their search,

and releases the crime scene.

-There should have
been two adults... Danny

and Kathy Freeman...
Their daughter,

and one guest, a
16-year-old guest, lauria Bible.

Narrator: Adding to the
mystery, the Freemans' two cars

are still parked in the
driveway, as is lauria Bible's

Chevy, the keys still
hanging in the ignition.

The family can only
hope that the girls

have escaped the Blaze.

But why would they run?

It's a mere 35 degrees outside.

-It's hard to think clear
in a situation like that.

We just knew they were
gone, both girls were gone.

All of their cars were there,
so they should have been there.

Narrator: With no other
bodies found in the ashes,

investigators shift their
focus to the one set of remains

they did find, and make
a chilling discovery.

-The medical
examiner had completed

the exam of Kathy
Freeman, and determined

that she had been
shot in the head,

and was a homicide victim.

Narrator: If Kathy Freeman
has been the victim of a homicide,

then lauria and Ashley are
no longer just missing children.

They've seemingly disappeared
on foot in the middle of the night

from the scene
of a brutal murder.

-So now we know
it's not just a fire.

-She was shot from
the back of the head.

You know, that's
all lot of rage.

Narrator: Was there
a killer on the loose?

Or was this the scene
of a domestic squabble

gone horribly awry?

Based on a prior
incident involving

a member of the
Freeman family, it

was a question
investigators have to ask.

-Danny Freeman had
a son named Shane.

About a year
before this incident,

Shane had run
away from home, had

broken into the neighbor's
homes, and stolen some items.

Shane was finally caught
up with a county road.

That arrest ended
up in a shooting.

Narrator: A shooting that
cost Shane Freeman his life,

and according to some, sent
Danny Freeman over the edge.

-Word had been
leaked that morning

that Danny had
went off the deep end.

He'd shot Kathy,
and had the girls,

and wanted to trade the
girls for the deputy that

shot his son.

-So stories are rampant.

It's hard to make any since
of what's, what's transpired,

or what is transpiring.

Narrator: Had a disturbed
Danny Freeman killed his wife,

and then set
the trailer on fire?

If so, where were
lauria and Ashley?

-Are you thinking
then, Danny maybe

had scooped the girls
up to flee somewhere?

-Somebody called and
said that they'd seen Danny

that morning at 6:45,
in a white Ford truck,

had lauria and Ashley with him.

-We prayed all night long
that first night, you know,

things was going.

Just praying to god
that she'd be all right.

We're just thinking,
you know, it's cold.

Is she warm?

And things like that.

All that stuff is running
through your mind.

You go back to praying
just to get it off your mind.

You do anything you can to
keep those kind of thoughts

out of your head.

Narrator: In an effort to
locate Danny and the girls,

investigators initiate a
search of Craig county.

But Jay and lorene Bible
are desperate for answers.

They decide to take
matters into their own hands,

and head back to the charred
rubble of the Freeman home.

-There was nobody to
keep us back down here.

We drove all the
way up to the fire.

And we stepped over into it.

Jay and I, like,
squatted down where

the floors had fell through,
and looked underneath

to see if we could
find anything.

Narrator: On December 30,
1999, 16-year-old lauria Bible

and Ashley Freeman have
vanished from the scene

of a mysterious house
fire, where Ashley's mother

Kathy was found murdered.

Investigators speculate
that Ashley's father, Danny,

might have murdered
his wife, and then

fled with lauria and Ashley
after setting fire to his home.

But Jay and lorene
Bible are conducting

their own investigation
of the Freeman home.

And just minutes after
their search begins,

they made a shocking discovery.

-I could make out the
perfect outline of a man

laying face up on the floor.

He'd had his face
shot off with a shot gun.

Narrator: The bibles
have discovered

the body of Danny Freeman.

How could investigators
have missed it?

-They were literally had to have
been walking all over his body

around there, while they
was doing their investigation.

-They did, because the more
we looked at Danny's body,

he had footprints down his legs.

-I mean, you had to
have just been absolutely

beside yourself.

-I mean, at that
point, you explode.

You know, how
could they miss this?

They stepped on Danny Freeman.

They didn't look.

We were going to be in
charge of this investigation

from that point.

-What, in your minds, did
you think you might find?

-I was hoping to
find my daughter.

Narrator: The bibles
call everyone they know.

Within minutes, there's a
full-blown search underway.

-We were able to get some
of the family and friends

to come over.

And we started
picking furniture,

pieces of whatever was left.

And we took it out of the burn.

And we moved it over
here, and made big holes.

Narrator: In doing so, the
bibles uncover more evidence.

They find their daughter,
lauria's, purse, her Christmas

money still tucked inside.

But there is no other
trace of lauria or Ashley.

-We brought in saws
and we sifted the dirt,

looking for bones.

And probably by 2
o'clock in afternoon,

we knew that the girls
were nowhere in there.

-Are you at that point, then,
are you relieved, and think,

ok?

-Frustration's
still right there.

We're still just...
It's just as high.

And uh, well, what's
happened to them?

Where are they at?

-The first 24 to 48
hours of any, any missing

persons, any
crime, is the critical.

So we've already lost 24.

Now we just went to 48.

So the girls aren't in there?

You can be anywhere in 48 hours.

Narrator: On new year's
day, 700 volunteers

show up to help the
family search a 10 mile

radius around the crime scene.

But the search party
comes up empty-handed.

And some people
in Craig county begin

to wonder if the girls are
on the run from the law.

-Was there any
talk or speculation

that lauria and
Ashley had something

to do with the deaths
of Kathy and Danny?

-Not really out right to us.

No one said anything.

But you know, we knew what
they was looking at, you know,

every scenario.

-Lauria's car was parked
in front of the Freeman's.

The keys were in the ignition.

And you found her purse
in the house with $200.

If the girls had shot
Danny and Kathy,

they would've took
lauria's car, and they

would've took her purse.

Narrator: Certain that their
daughter lauria and her friend

Ashley are victims,
the bibles continue

their relentless
search for the girls.

Tips that the Freeman
murders might be drug-related

lead them into
dangerous territory.

-We might drive
200 mile in a night,

going down, tracking down leads.

We had our own
little investigation

team for a while, lorene and I.

-Would people call you directly?

-Yes.

These people... we met
many of drug dealers.

-Wow.

-One guy looked
at me in the face

and said, why would
you come meet me?

Because you have information
that may lead to my daughter.

And I'll meet you at 2
o'clock in the morning,

on a dark county road
to get the information,

to see if it's true.

Would I have done
that before this?

There's probably no way under
god's green earth I would have.

-And would you do it today? -If you call me, I'd be there.
-If you call me, I'd be there. Don't care.

-If you call me, I'd
be there. Don't care.

Don't care time, day, when.

I'll make it happen.

Narrator: Despite the bibles'
sometimes dangerous efforts,

they're no closer to
finding their daughter.

With no suspects,
and no new leads,

Jay and lorene Bible
wonder if anyone else still

thinks their daughter and
her best friend are even alive.

-For me, the winter
time is the worst.

You know, if she's out there,
and she's alive, you know,

is she warm?

Is she eating?

Narrator: Finally,
in January 2005,

there's a break in the case.

Authorities in Alabama notify
the Oklahoma state bureau

of investigation that they've
gotten a shocking confession

from a young convict by
the name of Jeremy Jones.

Mr. Jones was
convicted and sentenced

to death in Alabama for
the murder of a Lisa Nichols.

Narrator: There is an eerie
similarity between the Nichols

murder and the
killing of the Freemans.

In the Freeman home, both
Danny and Kathy were shot,

and the mobile
home was set on fire.

In the Nichols
home, Lisa was killed,

and the mobile home set on fire.

Narrator: In a
formal interrogation,

Jones gives cops his version
of what happened that night.

-He confessed to
murdering the Freemans.

Narrator: The
details are chilling.

But Jones claims
his plan went awry

when he encountered
lauria and Ashley.

He hadn't planned on
the two girls being there.

Finally, Jones confesses that
the best friends died together.

Jones' confession also
includes facts never released

to the public, including the
exact location of the Freemans'

trailer, and type of gun
used to kill Danny and Kathy.

Thanks to the detail,
and gruesome confession

of Jeremy Jones, Jay
and lorene Bible's search

for their daughter
lauria and her best friend

Ashley seems to be
coming to a tragic end.

Jones claims that not
only did he shoot and kill

Danny and Kathy Freeman,
he killed lauria and Ashley, too.

-What did you think of the
Jeremy Jones confession?

-You either did it, or you
were there, and saw it done,

was the only reason
you could have

this type of type
of information.

Narrator: But one fact Jeremy
Jones' confession doesn't

include is the location of
lauria and Ashley's bodies.

Six long months go by
before detectives finally

convince Jones
to tell them where

they can find lauria and Ashley.

-He explained to us that
he dumped both bodies

in the galena, Kansas
area in mine shafts.

He showed us on a map exactly
where he dropped the bodies.

Narrator: Police descend on
the area with cadaver dogs.

-We looked for
two and a half days,

but we were unable
to find any bodies.

Narrator: Investigators
are beginning

to doubt Jeremy
Jones is telling the truth.

When they look
deeper into his story,

they uncover a telltale piece
of circumstantial evidence.

Steve nutter: On the morning
that the fire was discovered,

Jeremy was arrested
on charge about an hour

and a half after
the fire started.

Theoretically, he could have
disposed of the girls the way

he said he did, but
everything would

have had to have
been just about perfect.

And he was arrested
for public intoxication.

So I'm not sure he could
have done everything perfectly

that day.

-We have no evidence
that he committed the crime.

There's not enough to
convict him of that crime,

just because he confessed.

-Jeremy is like
a lot of murderers

that end up on death row.

They have nothing left.

And psychologically,
they just try

to make a name for themselves.

He has confessed
to a lot of murders.

-Look me in the eyes
and tell me if you're

responsible for their deaths.

-I am responsible
for their death.

Narrator: Investigators' theory
about Jones is well founded.

A few months later, Jones
recants his confession.

He now claims to know
nothing about the disappearance

of lauria or Ashley.

The bibles aren't so sure.

-When Jeremy Jones
retracted his confession,

did that dishearten you?

-No, we can't rule him out.

And we won't rule him
out until we probably

talk to him face
to face ourselves.

-You think you would
ever do that, lorene?

-You're telling people
that you killed my daughter.

Look me in the eye.

You know?

Narrator: Since is
Jeremy Jones' confession,

another convicted
murderer named Tommy sells

has also claimed responsibility.

His confession was
also proven to be false.

Today, the bibles are
no closer to understanding

what happened the night
their daughter vanished.

But they continue
to do everything

they can to preserve the
memory of their daughter.

-It was something
that I read, and it

was about the Christmas tree.

And it just... ah.

You know, when I,
when I think about that...

-lauria put the
Christmas tree up.

-Just devastating.

-It took five years, over five
years, before we took it down.

-Wow.

-People would buy stuff, and
then we'd hang on that tree.

And it got to the
point that the... I

moved it to clean it and
get the dust and stuff off of it.

And the, the
weight of everything,

it just snapped it in half.

But we, we had always
said that this tree was

gonna stay up until
lauria come home.

-That is just such a tribute.

- It's my only little girl.
- Yeah.

-You've experienced it.

You have to do it.

You can't not do it.

All I had to hang on
to from the good lord

above was everything's
going to be all right.

That was, that
was the only words

that stuck with me
that, you know...

Everything's gonna be all right.

-Hope keeps lorene
and Jay Bible going.

But more than a decade after
their daughter and her best

friend vanished, they have
more questions than answers.

To find the answers
they're looking for,

the bibles need your help.

Someone out there
knows something.

Narrator: Lauria
and Ashley were last

seen in northeast
Oklahoma, in December 1999.

Ashley is 5 feet, 7 inches
tall, and has a small scar

on the right side
of her forehead.

Lauria is 5' 5" With
brown, naturally curly hair.

Lauria would be 28 years
old, and Ashley would be 27.

If you have information
about lauria or Ashley,

please go to mylifetime.
Com/vanished,

and click on the tips button.

-Well, drew and
Joyce, I see you still

keep Jennifer's picture
so beautifully displayed.

-And we lovingly refer to
the cars as Jen mobiles.

You know, as parents, there's
very little that you can do.

We're not detectives.

But what we can
do is help continue

to create the awareness.

And that's what we're after,
because without the awareness,

the chances for us to find
Jennifer are dramatically

reduced.