unsubscribe and switch to xfinity. their connection is unreal. and we could all un-experience this whole session. okay, that's uncalled for. thank you for joining us for this saturday show. join us tomorrow when congressman jerry connelly joins us to discuss concerns over trump and his allies and refusing to say they will accept the election results, the pillar of our democracy. this week's democratic primary for u.s. senate it -- senate, maryland, which could impact the balance of power in the senate. angela also brooks joins us to discuss her chances against her competitor, who is outs pending her, 10-1. that is tomorrow. bombs, they said it's a c4 explosive. >> terror. to make the guys driving to the bank with a bomb on his chest.

they said to me, we want $4.2 million in cash. families taken hostage, told to commit a crime, or else. >> striking again -- >> here is a guy with an assault rifle. >> and again. >> every minute, his wife would lose a finger. >> a high-speed car chase. >> how did the gun men knew everything -- know everything? this secret weapon could turn anyone into a potential target. >> they would find people on social media. be careful what you put out for the world to see.

detective: it's a beautiful september day in the western mountains of north carolina, a beautiful stretch of interstate. is a beautiful september day, and the western mountains of north carolina paid a beautiful stretch of interstate. north carolina state highway patrol's are running the radar. you see them below right by. it started off as a routine traffic stop but was anything but routine. all of a sudden, you see the suv pull over, the passenger- side door open, briefly. you hear the sirens, you hear the unmistakable engine. you see them swerve into the big truck.

you see his ominous brake lights go on and you see him ramble aside. >> we begin in 2015 with matt yasmin, chief financial officer of a credit union in central connecticut. >> i have been playing hockey for 30 something years, sometimes twice a week. >> money management pays the bills, but hockey fuels his passion. he is the goalie for the trash pandas. >> see you play sunday night. how did you do that? >> it was a late night game. >> and nice victory, that february night. he pulled up to the garage around midnight. he didn't know

two men were watching. >> i open the garage door, i'm goalie, i have a large bag. >> a retired nurse was inside the home, watching the academy awards. he moved into the house after her husband passed away. >> it was the night of the oscars and they didn't finish until it was just about midnight or a few minutes after and it was right after that that i heard the garage door open. >> i see someone running down my driveway and i see he's pointing a gun. he tells me to kneel on the floor. he walks up behind me and sticks the gun right behind the back of my ear and presses it against my head and says, lie face first on the ground. >> i was waiting for him to come into the house and he wasn't coming in. >> i look up and i see another

guy running down the driveway. >> the gunmen were covered head to toe in layers of heavy clothing and dark see close. we created these images of those men. >> could you have made out their faces? >> they had no distinguishing things i could see. everything was covered. >> the only features he could make out, one was tall and slender and the other heavyset. >> i went out to the garage and there was a man laying face down and two masked gunmen. one of the gunmen swung around with his gun pointed at me and said, come down into the garage, here. >> so this is all going bad very quickly. >> i went down and i noticed my son and i said please don't hurt us, we will do whatever you want.

>> mother and son quickly realized that they were the victims of a home invasion. neighbors could not see what was happening because their ranch house was set far back from the road on a cul-de-sac. >> i guess you're thinking this will play out in the garage. >> that was my whole thing. leave me, go, and i thought that was going to be the end of it. but it moves into the house. >> inside, matt was led to a couch. >> he put a small, knit cap over my head and duct taped my hat to my head so i couldn't see. >> why didn't he grab valuables and leave? he could never have guessed what their plan for him really was. coming up, this was much more than just a home invasion. the gunmen say they have a problem and this is the solution.

>> we owe some bad people a lot of money and you're going to get it for us. $4.2 million in cash. >> that was nothing. >> this was a c4 explosive. we are strapping this to you. >> and his mom was in danger, too. >> if you deviate from the plan , i will detonate both of your bombs. >> when "dateline" continues. but this is my story. ( ♪♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful. because with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. trelegy also improves lung function, so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia,

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a blindfold. >> i tried to listen to what they were saying. they were putting on some headphones. >> they would put earphones on me and i was getting static and static. i don't know what's going on and all of a sudden, i get a voice that sounds very emphasized, electronic, and the very first thing they said was, this is not a robbery. this is not a home invasion. >> with a device like this -- >> it gave me the creeps. it sounds very similar to what they did. >> then, they explain why mom and son are being held captive. >> they owed bad people a lot of money. >> how much? >> it is very specific, they said $4.2 million in cash.

>> and there was something else unusual lease this affect did the new intimate details about his wife. >> they knew what i did, i had my mother in the house. >> the cfo of a chief financial credit union was told that he would go to one of his branches and take $4.2 million out of the vault. he told them a credit union would never have that much money on hand, but still, he could get them something. >> this is where i live for the first time like i can get you $1 million. they said oh, and million dollars. >> hours passed and matt said he sat on the couch, tied up and blindfolded, wondering what would happen next. >> 3:00 in the morning, i think. they get me up and they say, you know what, we are going for a ride. that was the second time i got really scared because now i am like, they are taking me away from the house.

>> that's a line out of a bad movie. >> the next went to his mom carrying roles of heavy duty duct tape and told her she was going to stay behind. >> they wrapped my feet with duct tape and said it was just a precaution so i wouldn't go anyplace while they went away and i said, i will day where you put me. i didn't dare try to get out of the bindings. >> he says he found himself in the back seat of one of the vehicles he owns. >> they actually put a pillow in the back seat of the car. i don't know why, but they told me to stick my face into the pillow and not move. we then proceed out my driveway . we drove for maybe 15 minutes. we park and i heard gravel, or cracking snow. like we'd gone offside the road and i was like, what is going to happen?

are they taking me out in the woods to put a bullet in my head? >> one of them got out of the suv. he says he heard another car start up. suddenly there was movement in his vehicle and they were back on the road. he was relieved to eventually find himself back home. then, the kidnappers asked him an odd question. >> they sat me on the couch and asked me if i wanted to take a shower. >> a shower? >> after all that. i said sure. >> you showered? >> after terrorizing him for three hours, how strange. what was going on? then it took another bizarre turn. he says he was led into the kitchen where something was waiting for him on the table. >> they said, do you know what this is? i said no, and they said this is a c4 explosive. we will make an explosive device and strap it to you because we don't trust that you will do what you are told.

>> a positive explosive used by the military and terrorists they can be molded like clay into any shape and detonated remotely. hearing what was happening, his mom began to cry. >> then, i could hear them unwrapping the duct tape, lots and lots, i could hear that and that must've been when they were strapping him in and i began to cry harder, getting really panicked because as you are laying there, i'm thinking that they are putting a bomb on him. >> he was left alone with a bomb tightly wrapped around his waist. his anxiety was building. each minute seems to be the last. it was just before daylight. his mom says one of the men came back into her room and said something unexpected. >> one man came in and said, i don't want you to get alarmed but we are going to be using

the vacuum. i thought, what? the vacuum? they come in and i could hear them and then they came in the bedroom. >> six hours into the ordeal, the sun was soon to rise. the assailants told matt that his workday was beginning and he would soon be leaving to rob his own credit union. and to ensure his cooperation, they advised him that they were leaving an insurance policy in his mom's bedroom. >> they said they weren't taking chances, there's a bomb under her bed and if you deviate from the plan, we will detonate those bombs. >> he says the plan included the threat to detonate his or his mom's bomb at anytime they wanted. 10:00, they would text him the location of where to drop off the money and to make sure he was on time, they also attached a timer to his bomb that would automatically explode at 11:00.

that was less than three hours away. >> at some point, they came over to me and said, it's time. they bring me to my car and at this point the take the blindfold off me, they cut the zip ties off me. >> so they blindfold you. >> coming up. >> i did exactly what they told me. i told my boss, don't call the police. >> but his boss does. >> is a turn the corner to the front of the branch, i see all the police cars. >> a diabolical plan goes off the rails, and the surprises are just getting started, when "dateline" continues. high absm helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. qunol, the brand i trust. nothing dims my light like a migraine.

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it was 8:30 am, 8 and 1/2 hours since the start of connecticut executive matt yussman's nightmare. it was 8:30. a .5 hours since the start of

matt's nightmare. he was on his way to one of the branch offices of his credit union, claiming kidnappers had strapped a placid explosive to his belly and rigged another device between his mother's bed, where she lay bound. >> i'm driving to the credit union and now, for the first time, i start to think, how is this going to play out? what is going to happen? >> so you are meant to drive yourself? to make they wanted me to drive my own car. >> how do they control you? >> i figured they would watch me the whole time. >> to bonds could be detonated by the touch of the cell phone and by the way, a timer on his device would go off at the stroke of 11:00. >> i call my boss and he said, my mother and i are the victims of a home invasion and them in my car strapped to an explosive device. and i'm coming to the credit union to empty the vault.

you need to evacuate the branch. >> are you using code words? >> no, this is real, this is my life, don't play with it. don't call the police. >>'s boss ignored the plea. >> i just received a call a few minutes ago from one of ours and he says they are going to come and rob it. >> the call eventually ended up here. police headquarters, where the credit union was located. >> we had just gotten done with roll call in the morning and the phone rang. you know, there's a bank robbery going on. a guy is driving to the bank right now and he has a bomb strapped to his chest. >> it's not your usual monday morning. the met we were trying to figure out if it was a joke or

not. >> he was one of the first out the door. >> the only thing we knew is they gave us a plate on the car, it was a red car. >> they had met license plate number and the model of the red car he was driving. >> i get to the credit union and i don't see anything. no cars. fantastic. as i turned the corner to the front of the branch, that is when panic sets in. now, i see all the police cars. >> they told matt not to call the police and now, there they were. he now had two hours and 15 minutes until the bomb would explode. he eased into a parking spot. >> i roll down my window, they are saying get out of the car. >> he gets out, we get out of hours, and there was a good 15

seconds of silence. him looking at us and us looking at him and trying to figure out what was going on. >>'s partner drew his gun. >> i said, i'm wearing an explosive device and they are like, show us. so i lift up my shirt and show them what i was wearing and they are like holy cow, i can't believe it. >> you were persuaded. >> it was a frigid 9 degrees out and the sergeant told matt to get back in his car and then he and his partner protectively stood 100 feet away. he was, at that time, new britain's chief of police overseeing a force of 165 officers for the 73,000 people in the central connecticut area, word of the crime ran up the ranks and the chief rushed to the credit union. >> what do you do to secure the area? >> immediate response, all personnel were sent to the area.

we cleared buildings. >> they closed off the surrounding street and shut down a major thoroughfare. s.w.a.t. and heavy equipment rolled in and the bomb squad was called to get the device. >> it's not a small decision. calling in other agencies to assist is not small decision. they were made very quickly. >> back at the credit union parking lot, a member of the crisis negotiation team became the point man to communicate. the sergeant yelled and they started to talk. >> so what do you say? >> he was even keeled. very calm, for the situation. >> at least, for now. members of the state police bomb squad were scrambling, traveling in from different parts of the state.

precious time was melting away. 10:00, the kidnappers began to text. one hour to go until the bomb was supposed to explode. coming up. >> like, what you want me to tell them? >> not needed answers and he didn't have time. >> your mind starts to think about things. what are you going to feel? >> when "dateline" continues. covered by medicare for more people managing diabetes with insulin. visit freestylelibre.us/medicare

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we have a news update. israel's military issued an urgent warning to evacuate parts of vovchansk saturday signaling and expansion of its military campaign. more than 1 million palestinians are sheltered there. a group of college faculty members are pushing to stop the school from awarding president biden an honorary degree at morehouse. is some oppose his policies on policing and

incarceration and his handling of the israel-hamas war and others. now, back to "dateline". parkg lot of the credit union. it was now close you'to 10: almost 90 minutes since matt first drove into the parking lot of the credit union. >> you are strapped to an explosive. >> an explosive device due to go off in about an hour. >> are my employees watching this? i don't want anyone to see me blow up and this is not what i wanted to be doing. that next hour was awful. >> the pressure was becoming unbearable. >> now i'm starting to cry. and am waiting for the bomb squad. >> as the state police bomb squad headed to the scene from different parts of connecticut, the sergeant was talking to matt on the cell phone from his car. >> i was trying to keep him

calm and talking and ensuring him that help was on the way and we were going to get through it. >> he is my one and only contact, the only person i'm talking to. he tried to keep me from losing it. >> matt was still able to tell the police about his mom's dire situation. nine miles from the credit union parking lot, their house was eerily quiet. his mom was convinced the kidnappers were gone but to where, she didn't know. she decided to work free from her bed. >> it took a while to get out because they had wrapped that duct tape around and around. >> she had no idea that the authorities were descending on her home in force. >> i got myself out of the restraints and i could the right into our driveway. when i looked out there, it was full of police. when i opened the door to

holler out, there was a rifle pointed at me and told me to walk up to the driveway. >> his mom was unharmed, at least physically. emotionally, she was alarmed. >> they said, lift up your shirt and i thought, what are they doing? apparently they thought i had a bomb on myself so i lifted up my shirt and they checked me out and put me in a police car. >> back in the credit union parking lot, matt was told his mom was okay. he was not. precious minutes for ticking by. >> you been told is the timer, right? it's just going to go. >> the original plan was that i would be done at 10:00. >> the kidnappers told him they would text him at 10:00 with an address where he was to drop off the $1 million from his credit union.

the text will be sent from his mother's cell phone, which they had taken from her. >> i get the first text from the criminals, and i say to the police, what do you want me to tell them? >> i said, we are going to roll with it. you are still working hard to get the money, but we need to do is buy some time. >> "it's more money than i anticipated. moving as fast as i can. they text back, "good." >> he doesn't have any money. this is all about keeping them talking, on the line. the kidnappers texted again with an address where the money was to be dropped, a nearby cemetery. he should leave it at the flagpole.

at the same time, cops were able to trace where the messages were coming from, near the cemetery. >> we probably missed them by just a minute. >> that up to the ante for matt. >> 10:35 and i am like, i don't see the bomb squad. where are they? >> it was 25 minutes before the device was detonated and terrible thoughts raced through his mind. he recalled the shocking story of the pizza delivery guy in erie, pennsylvania was that he was kidnapped and had a bomb on his neck. >> i know he was forced to try to rob a bank and it didn't go well and he was killed. >> your mind plays tricks and you start to think about weird things, am i going to know when it goes off? do you hear the noise, do you see a flash? what are you going to feel?

>> the excruciating weight continued as the clock counted down to 11:00. >> there are no more messages. they expect me at that point. it's 10:45. i am now in full panic mode. coming up. tiktok. -- take talk. >> it's like the movies. he's wearing the big suit and he walks up and they are examining it. >> it didn't look good. >> was a multiple wires. >> when "dateline" continues.

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waist was set to go off at 11:00. just minutes away. >> i start asking, where is the bomb squad, it's getting closer to 11:00, this thing is supposed to go off. >> the bomb squad was now unseen. >> it wasn't the first time i responded to an incident like that. >> mike avery was on the bomb squad. his team assembled a bomb robot, thinking they could use it to inspect the device and maybe defuse it from a safety dance. they didn't know what they had moved into. >> we didn't know if this individual was assessed act or victim. >> former police sniper teams were getting into position around his car, targeting him. >> he has an explosive device on him and if he doesn't follow our instructions and if he rushes out of the perimeter

towards us or toward other law enforcement personnel, then that force would be utilized. >> getting close and figuring out a safe approach. it was 2:00 to 11:00. >> we watched that clock. i had my cell phone. i am thinking, this is it. >> he's looking at his watch, i'm looking at my phone. it's getting closer to 11:00. >> i didn't pray, i didn't know what to do. i just sat there counting down and waiting and then that phone 11:00 and my heart stopped and i just sat there. >> there was no explosion. >> i looked around and nothing happened. >> after 11:00, there was a sigh of relief from everybody there. the last thing we wanted was

for anything to happen. >> and i'm like, why am i not dead? it was about 11:00 or so when i said oh, maybe they lied, maybe there is no timer. >> no one but the kidnappers knew what was happening. after 10:00, the bomb squad ordered him out of his car. >> we could see there was something attached to his torso but we could not get a good visual on it. >> they abandoned it because they could get a better sense of the device from the safety of an armored vehicle. they drove alongside him. >> he slowly lifted his shirt up and exposed the device to us and it was completely wrapped around his body, a heavy-duty gorilla tape, you could not see anything else. >> then, avery made his move. volunteering to remove the device by himself. he suited up and approached.

this photo was taken at that moment. it had been 11 hours since matt and his mother said they were first kidnapped and now here he was, on his knees. it was 9 degrees out. >> it's like the movies, the guys are wearing the big suit, and he walks up to me, we are examining it. >> they decided to x-ray his torso right there using a portable x-ray machine and it took just one minute to make an image. >> was a multiple wires running through and around that material. is it actual c4 or is it just a chunk of clay? >> coming up with a plan, what they are going to do. finally, the guy says, i'm going to take this off you. >> i would down with the cutting tools, had him remain on his knees away from me,

lifted his shirt up and slowly started cutting the tape. >> as if he hadn't gone through enough, another problem came up. >> he was extremely harry and this was gorilla tape and it was wrapped around his torso. it was incredible pain. >> we finally get the bomb off me and it goes down to my feet and he goes, kick it away and run with me and go behind the truck. i go to kick the bomb away and it gets stuck to my shoe and i start to run and i start dragging the bomb with me and the bomb squad starts screaming and i'm like oh my god. >> i'm sorry and laughing, but this is a funny thing. >> exactly. at the time, i wasn't laughing but looking back now, that would have been a comical moment.

>> he says it didn't happen quite like that. he thinks matt's memory might be affected by his emotional trauma. >> we did not tell him to run and it was not luck to him. >> at last, the ordeal was over , or so he thought. >> i get to the first guy, i tapped him on the shoulder and say thank you and immediately grab both hands and put me in handcuffs and i am like, i don't understand what's going on. coming up. >> my own safety, you are the one with the guns? >> police had their reasons to be suspicious, especially after what they heard about matt from his relatives. >> they mentioned your big gambler. >> investigators turn up the heat and matt starts to sweat. >> i know i'm in trouble, i know that i'm needing an attorney and that this is not going to go well for me.

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matt yussman was finally free of the device that had been taped to him, but was shocked to find himself matt was finally free of the device that had been taped to him but was shocked to find himself now confined in handcuffs. the local station, nbc connecticut, caught the moment he was led into the ambulance. >> i like, what you doing? i'm of the them. they said they were doing it for my own safety, you are the ones with the guns. they were like, we will take you to the hospital. >> investigators took these photos, his waist, red and raw where the bomb was attached and they took pictures of the device itself. it turned out that after the massive bomb scare, the multi agency security operation found the suppose it bomb was a fake, modeling clay with wires ran

through it and connected to it. there was no timer counting down to 11:00. there wasn't any kind of explosive device beneath the bed. >> why don't you start at the top for us? he met by now, detectives were questioning and were learning strange details. >> they didn't, they left my hands free. >> your feet were tied together? but your hands were free? >> why would real catnip or -- will kidnappers leave her hands free? according to valerie, the kidnappers behaved like gentlemen. >> he would take my feet to the bed and said don't worry, we are not here to hurt you. he brought them inside would not be hungry.

he was being very nice to me. >> they offered more strange details. >> i also wanted to say to him, you do housekeeping, as a side? i thought that was funny. >> she said the even called her, "ma'am." >> now what is going on? >> yeah. i thought this was bizarre. investigators would hear more bizarre details. >> what was up with that nighttime shower he took while the kidnappers were in his home? >> i don't know why they would -- >> it was their idea? >> as for the strange drive, he didn't have a convincing

explanation. >> and why did kidnappers speak to him with a digitally altered voice? >> you know like they do on tv, they change some guys voice. the former police chief was getting reports on what was being said. >> i can see why they were concerned. unorthodox kidnappers, who do strange things. >> they weren't ruling out the possibility, he was telling a version of events that by a lot of accounts, would make someone pause and say, really? >> so much of the story did not add up as he said in the police interview room, the atmosphere turned chilly. the questions had sharp edges.

what he didn't know was that morning, after his boss called the police, investigators started to dig into his life and reached out to people he knew well. >> one of the first things, they said, you owe me, and that's completely false. >> this was troubling. a guy with possible money problems, kidnappers family to his mom, who then let him drive himself to rob's own credit union with a bomb that turned out to be fake and no trace of any criminals themselves. they thought he had to be somehow involved. >> you have the ability, maybe you are an unwilling participant

. >> if the kidnappers did in fact disguise their faces and voices, that didn't help. had matt gotten himself tangled in a scheme to get rich that had spun out of control? >> this is your opportunity to put it all on the table. >> there is nothing that i can say, unequivocally, i have done nothing directly or indirectly. >> as detectives pressed him to fess up, his answers did not satisfy. >> if the implication that you are somehow involved in this, not as a victim, okay? by that, we mean it's an inside job. >> investigators were so convinced, they wondered if his

mom was somehow part of the scheme. >> have you lied to us while you been in here? you haven't told us any untruths? in order for to protect matthew? >> i am not -- >> if there is something else going on. >> police were undeterred and took matt dna. >> is going to be a little uncomfortable. >> they asked him to sit for a polygraph. >> is going to be bad for you if you felt polygraph. >> i don't see any reason i would fail the polygraph >> it would turn out to be bad, very bad, for matt. >> new britain then police chief held a news conference to calm his nervous community. the city was on edge after being partially shut down when matt showed up at his credit union, strapped with explosives . the bomb turned out to be fake. >> we are considering all

possibilities, whether or not he was doing something against his will or is a suspect. >> you couldn't determine if it was true or not. >> we could not determine the facts. >> but you're not finding corroborating evidence. >> there is no corroborating evidence other than his mom. >> nothing to support his story. investigators searched his house and car, looking for fingerprints or dna from the kidnappers, but found nothing. matt did take a polygraph test and failed part of it. results indicated he was not telling the truth when asked if he had any involvement in the scheme. >> i know i'm in trouble, i know i am needing an attorney and that this is not going to go well for me. >> he was right. in the following days, authorities that search warrants for his home and collected computers and phones, and started digging into his finances. he was placed on paid leave from his job.

>> you are investigated not only by the authorities. >> i'm now being investigated by my own credit union. >> what no one knew is that this unbelievable tail was only on chapter 1. while matt tried to save his reputation, investigators in another part of the country were about to uncover a series of minor crimes that would span three states, involving high-speed chases and even more victims. >> this is where the story takes a turn, south, to tennessee. april 28th, 2015, two months after the connecticut home invasion. the assistant u.s. attorney happen to be in the middle of the great smoky mountains national park when he got an urgent message. >> please call the fbi, something about a kidnapping. >> that was david lewin, and

man named martin sigler was on his way to work as the ceo of a federal credit union in a suburb of knoxville. as he was pulling out of the garage he noticed a garbage can was knocked over. >> he puts his car in park, get out of the car, goes to fix the garbage can, at which time he is accosted by two masked men in dark clothing, ski mass, with guns drawn. >> as an assistant u.s. attorney, he was designed -- assigned to help the fbi investigate. he knew nothing about the connecticut case but the descriptions of the suspects were similar. one slender and tall and the other stocky. >> the first guy with the gun had a big sunburst tattoo on his neck. the mask was pulled up so that was exposed. distinctive. another person came through who appeared to be a black man with a black bandanna and sunglasses and a black, bald head, again with guns drawn.

>> the assailants forced him back into his house. his wife and teenage son were inside. all three frighten family members were handcuffed and placed in the living room. mark was then given a note containing chilling details on what was about to happen. he was going to rob his own credit union. coming up. >> empty the vault of $3.4 million. for every minute he was late, his wife was going to lose a finger. later, a high-stakes stalemate. and, a high-speed car chase that could crack the case. >> i was like, what is about to happen next? my about to be caught on the interstate, what are they doing? >> when "dateline" continues.

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and ordered to rob his own credit union. they said this is c4 explosive. returning to our story. an executive says he was kidnapped by gunmen in order to ribosome credit union. >> they said it's explosive and we will strip it to you. >> the bomb was fake. is his story fake too? it was about to be dij@ vu all over again. more kidnappings. >> -- >> more bank robberies. >> he is to empty the fault of gold bullion. >> a dramatic roadside arrest. >> and a mystery is solved. first, some dots would need connecting. 800 miles from matt yussman, unsuspecting authorities near knoxville, tennessee, had no idea they were about to be a part of the same story. only that they were dealing with an unfolding crime of the room.

mark ziegler, ceo of the y-12 credit union, two armed assailants holding markman ski wife and son hostage in their home outside knoxville, tennessee, and had ordered marc to wrap the credit union he ran. >> he is to empty the vault of $3.4 million as well as any and all gold billion. >> the ceo was given a strict deadline. he had less than 45 minutes to get the cash and gold. if you field, consequences would be devastating. >> for every minute that he was late, his wife was going to lose a finger. when she ran out of fingers, their adult daughter, brittany, who lived in texas at the time, they have people watching her in texas. >> they had ice on the daughter. >> they had ice on the daughter and they were going to chop her up and mail her to the family if

ziegler failed to comply. >> how did they have so much knowledge of the family? >> we don't know. >> but they're getting the facts right. >> they're getting the facts right. >> he said would happen next took a more bizarre turn. >> a tall slender guy, white male, wind outside and a few minutes later a white female comes in through the back door. a female. >> now you have three. >> three. the white female comes in and says something that he told me to come in and get milk for the baby. >> the baby? now you have four players. one is an infant. is this a gag? >> we are dealing with a crew. >> ziegler arrived at the credit union as captured by security cameras. he went to the vault and started loading cash in a black bag given to him by the kidnappers. he slipped one of the employees

this note. >> 911, which are emergency? >> my ceo sent me a note that says home invasion. call police. he has bags and walked into the vault. >> ziegler fill the bag with over $200,000 in cash. then he got in his car headed toward the parking lot exit where an arriving police officer stopped him. the criminals were listening to everything through cell phone in ziegler's pocket. >> mark ziegler is telling them through the phone, the police are here. what do you want me to do? what he heard through the phone was two words. abort. abort. then the phone went dead. >> in the meantime i they blindfolded his wife and son and loaded them into the family sub. they drove to a parking lot and dumped the vehicle. the wife and son still inside. eventually they freed themselves of found someone to call the police.

the family got out alive in the bank robbers got no money. >> no money, but they escape. >> they provided a detailed description of the suspects which authorities used to create the sketch of a black male in the female suspect who came in the house looking for milk. i'm sure the crime scene techs processed the house and vehicles within an inch. did they find anything? >> they found nothing. it was clean. >> fingerprints or fiber? >> no fingerprints or dna. >> nothing to stop the next attack. and there would be a next one. >> coming up. a young couple and their baby barricaded behind locked doors. >> prybar is being used on the master bedroom door. >> intense standing. >> the bank employee refuses to open the vault. she said the going to kill me

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ask your child's eczema connecticut, july, 2015. for five months, matt yussman remained under a heavy cloud of suspicion. connecticut, byjuly t2015, five months matt yussman remained under a cloud of suspicion. he had read about the tennessee credit union ceo held hostage and told to rob his own bald.

he told investigators in connecticut, it must be the same guys who kidnapped him and his mother. >> i found it odd that another executive was forced to try to rob his credit union. it's the same people. there is no way it's a coincidence. they told me it was a copycat. >> matt had been allowed to return to his job but was still under investigation. the fbi took over's case from the local police. according to matt, there was serious doubts about his innocence. >> i told there was a 100% chance i was guilty. i said, i am in trouble. >> in tennessee, the same month, it would be another families turn to be traumatized. a young couple was beginning their day. tanner, abigail, and their 5- month-old son. >> he and abigail were in this cute love phase. they had the new baby and they were happy. >> jamie covered the story for the newspaper. >> she remembers having this

goofy grin on her face, and she leaves the baby with tanner and she goes down the steps. she's going to take a quick jog, and she said she might come back and get flirty with her husband. that's why she had the goofy grin. she gets to the bottom of the steps, opens the door, and then boom. >> as soon as she opened the garage she saw two masked man, ski masks with guns. she slams the door shut. >> using a crowbar, one of the assailants ripped open the door. >> he is now in the kitchen of the house. >> abigail ran upstairs. she is trying to warn her husband. >> they chase her up the stairs. she runs down the hallway to the master bedroom. she slams the master bedroom door shut. >> her husband locked the door.

>> they hear the doorframe starting to crack. the prybar is being used now on the master bedroom door. >> where she is huddling with her husband and child. how horrifying. >> they go into the master bathroom. >> they get back into the fire this point they could get away. tanner is trying to hold the door and the baby is crying. it's chaos. >> that's the last doorway. the two invaders forced themselves into the bathroom than one drag on and delivered a refrain the other families had also heard. >> you were going to rob your bank today for us. >> tanner worked at a local bank as a loan officer. he was handcuffed and he and his wife eventually were blindfolded. the attackers loaded the entire family in their car including the 5-month-old son. the attackers knew where tanner worked and drove there with the family.

fbi agent. >> they are going to keep the son and the wife while he robs the bank. >> a baby. >> a 5-month-old baby. >> does this make a special case? >> you are ramping it up when you talk about a defenseless infant. >> he went into the vault and loaded a black bag with cash. he went out to the bank's parking lot to the car where they were holding his family. >> you see the car stop in the passenger side door open. you see tanner and dover a large bag. you can see a brief struggle. >> tanner demanded the kidnappers let his wife and child go before he would turn over the cash. >> the bag is yanked in the door shut and the car speeds out. an image of a husband and father left in the parking lot by himself, watching the car speed away.

>> two armed desperados have taken his family. >> the kidnappers a left of -- eventually left them in their car. and escaped in a getaway car. they netted $195,000 for their efforts. you believe you have two middle- aged white males. >> correct. >> not three. there is no woman. >> no black male or a woman. >> how was is playing as a story? >> i can't say people were universally frightened. i think the greater harm initially as people were suspicious of these families. that's what i heard. i had cop friends were suspicious. as journalists we were suspicious. they kidnap you then let you go? it sounded unbelievable. >> unbelievable, maybe, but it would happen again. this time in northern tennessee. three months later, young

weather was starting hard and struggling to get her toddler secured in her car. >> he wants candy for breakfast and he is throwing a fit. she is quite distracted anyway, when all of a sudden, she feels movement. >> broke didn't have time to think. she and her 3-year-old son were under attack. >> she looks up and here is a guy with an assault rifle pointed at her. >> two malefactors forced her into the car with her son. they headed here, this credit union where she worked as a nine dollar an hour teller. >> the people knew where she worked. they knew how to get your bank without being told. >> jeff is a special agent for the fbi. he investigated the case and said she was instructed to go inside and get $350,000 or else. >> she has been told that if the police were called and she doesn't do what is instructed,

there will be a shootout and she and her child will be in the middle of a. >> a frantic brooke into the credit union scream she needed the vault open in the big soda with money because her 3-year- old son was being held hostage outside . that is when her day got even worse. >> she finds her boss in the bank and says, two men have carson with guns and i need to get into the vault. her boss refuses to open the vault. >> who can be judgmental in that circumstance, but -- >> right. >> masked gunmen have her son. >> her response was singular. she pointed at her and said you just killed us. >> the credit union security cameras caught the excruciating moments brooke was looking for help. >> all she could think about is her son. she runs out of the bank. opens the passenger side back door of her car. throws the bag in there.

drapes herself over carson and begs them not to shoot her and tells him to drive because the cops are being called as they speak. >> surprisingly, the criminals eventually left both of them go, leaving them in her car while they took off in another vehicle. they did not get any money. three bizarre robberies they had the rumor mill buzzing about inside jobs. now, there were three. people were wondering who would be next. fbi investigators were frustrated. they had no solid leads. by that time, they had released sketches of the suspects for the attack on the ziegler family hoping that would help the case. no one would've guessed the big break in the investigation would happen when this assistant restaurant manager took his fiancee's little red car for a drive on the highway. >> coming up. >> 1c hit me, i knew these guys are running. >> a high-speed car chase

reveals a subtle clue. >> he just hit a third vehicle. >> stroke may those people had discipline. they had purpose. .

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adam russo: it was surreal. it was like, you're not going to believe what happens. narrator: this is adam russo. >> it you're not going to believe what happened. >> this is adam. not a bank executive are teller and not another victim

terrorizing east tennessee. in september 2015, more than a month between brooke's ordeal, adam was an assistant restaurant manager on his way to a job interview, driving west on i-40 in a car he borrowed from his fiancee. what kind of car? >> 2005 ford focus. >> a little car. >> yeah, a little car. >> if you try telling him he was on his way to becoming perhaps most crucial player in a case that had befuddled investigators, he would've thought you crazy. that was exactly what was to happen. >> i looked in my rearview mirror and i could see a couple cop cars. there's sirens and a black suv. i thought that guy must've been going too quick. you know, and is getting pulled over. >> this is dash cam video from one of the police cars and you may recognize it. the same dramatic high-speed

case footage we showed at the beginning of the story. >> i looked back and they were still following this guy. that's when i knew something was a little off. why is this guy not pulling over? >> the driver pulled up to the little red car in the right- hand lane. >> this black suv is on my tail. he was making swerving gestures like swipes. this type of motion. i remember putting two hands on the wheel and he had to meet. >> freeze-frame that moment. what is going on? >> once he hit me i knew these guys are running. obviously, it was like you were not going to hit me and keep going with two cops on you unless something is going on. >> adam watched as the black

suv hit another car with such force it spun out of control and crashed into the barrier. >> i was like, what's about to happen next? am i gonna be caught in a shoot out in the middle of the interstate? >> and then the door opens and here comes two guys. he saw the driver and a passenger leap out of the car carrying black bags. >> two guys start sprinting. across the concrete barrier like olympic track runner. sprinting through the wooded area. >> troopers decided not to give them chase not until reinforcements could arrive. adam called his fiancee. >> i said you won't believe what happened. she is like, no way. are you serious? it sounds like a movie scene. >> that should have been at.

a crazy tale to tell the kids but that's where the story took a left turn into the twilight zone. his fiancee called her dad. >> i received a call from my oldest daughter who told me basically you won't believe what happened with adam. i thought there was a problem in route to his job interview. my future son-in-law messed up a job interview. >> let me put you on pause. you are not only his prospective father-in-law, what else are you? >> special agent in the fbi. >> his years of experience told him some things he heard about that chase were strange. like the way the driver tried to ram adam's car from behind. that's a police tactic called the pit maneuver. >> it's a police intervention technique. a trained technique. >> what is the goal? >> to get the engine to shut

down and get a hold of the driver and make the arrest. if you're a criminal it's been vehicles, you can wreak havoc on the pursuing law enforcement officials. >> there was something unusual about them with amended >> i have no clue what they felt was important to grab those bags or why they would choose to cross on coming interstate to make the getaway didn't make sense. >> it confounded the troopers too. despite searching the area, authorities never did find the two men. agent o'hare didn't think much more about it until a little more than a month later when he was assigned to help on a case in elizabethton. it was brooke's case. a woman at gunpoint abducted and told to hold up her bank. what details stuck in your mind? >> it was organized. >> back to the high-speed car

chase. it had a thought a similar sophistication. >> it struck me those people had discipline. they had purpose. >> it involved two suspect and black bags. >> i thought it's not a guarantee they are one and the same but i was not aware of anyone else who would fit the bill. >> you are not pulling this out of the computer. your gut is telling you. >> it was some experience and instinct that led me to believe they were connected. >> what started as a hunch was about to break the case wide open. >> coming up. abandon gps with a road map of a crime spree. >> it looked they were casing the bank. >> leading to another high- speed chase with a slightly different ending. >> get on the ground. >> i don't know what's going on. i am just hitchhiking.

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i'm richard lui. the northern lights lighting up the sky around the world friday night expected to continue through sunday. it was visible farther south than usual. in europe and the united states as well as new zealand. increased visibility could be caused by solar flares. scientists anticipate a small web book over the summer. a new variant represents 20% of current cases in the u.s., up from only 6% in april. the new mutation is outpacing the previous variant. on the loose in east tennessee. they'd already terrorized at least three unsuspecting families. a sophisticated bank robbing crew was on the loose in east tennessee. they had already terrorized at least three unsuspecting families. >> we had no clue who was

responsible. >> how bad are these guys? >> i would consider them two of the most dangerous criminals to walk in east tennessee. >> tips were coming in and investigators chased every lead but turned up nothing. lead october 2015, all the fbi was left with is a hunch the agent had and a bizarre highway chase miles away in north carolina that had something to do with the tennessee bank robberies. he shared his inkling with agent. >> i remember him telling me, not for nothing, but this happened and might be something and might not. at this point, it was the only last remaining stone we needed to turn to see if there was anything to it. >> they took a look at what happened in north carolina. the agents learned the whole crazy car chase starting with a routine traffic stop for speeding. they wanted to look at the dash cam video of the suspects

freaking fleeing the crash. >> the suspects were similar. one tall and athletic and one a little thicker and the black bags stuck out because both had described the individuals that they had black bags. >> your first pass through. what did you think? >> i knew we had bad guys. i thought we may have enough to continue the investigation. i did not know if it was a bank robbers are wasn't. >> it turns out that gone through the suspects banged up suv and they found a gps device. it could be a gold mine of information. tell me where you have been? >> it can. >> fbi special agent searched and found something intriguing. one of the locations marked in the gps was a credit reunion near knoxville.

>> looked at was set up that they were casing the bank and looking for escape routes and like away from the bank. i talked to jeff, they are somebody's bank robbers. >> another route led to a luxury rental home in maggie valley. a north carolina tourist destination near the smoky mountains. investigators reached out to the property manager. >> the fbi basically stated that they had some concerns and needed to know who was staying in the home. >> melissa told the ages of five months earlier she had received an inquiry. two men, a writer and his assistant, were looking for a place to stay while they worked on their book. melissa showed them around. they were in the market for something secluded with a garage. >> we looked at a couple of homes. they chose one. >> the men were staying in home

appling name southern cover. it was a month-to-month rental and they paid in cash. melissa said they were some of her best tenants. >> these guys treated me with utmost respect. they were very kind. on occasion, they actually brought me a potted plant. a thank you card for being such hospitable rental company, i guess. >> they hardly seem like gunwielding kidnappers. the agent ran down the name of that author. did the name check out? >> no. it did not check at. >> the clincher came money talk to the property manager about their car. >> i asked if they had seen him in a lexus black suv. there was one burned after the robbery. she said they have a black suv, lexus earlier in the summer. she hadn't seen it in several months. >> did you think i've got you? >> i was convinced it was her bank robbery crew. >> it was time for a stakeout.

the agent assembled a team to keep tabs on the two men. you see them coming? >> we saw them coming and going but unable to identify who they were. >> they learned the men were not alone. >> they were able to ascertain there was a female at the cabin. >> did you know who she was? >> we did not know who she was. >> remember there was that woman who asked for milk for the baby. could this be her? authorities waited patiently for an opportunity to take the suspects down. two weeks after they started surveillance, they finally got there chance. the assistant u.s. attorney david. >> the day before thanksgiving, they see them get into a silver nissan pathfinder with stolen maryland license plates. the decision was made to stop the vehicle. >> it was another high-speed chase. sirens blaring.

the suv weaved around traffic then suddenly slowed down. >> we see the suv pullover. we see the passenger side door open. we see a person get out of the vehicle holding a black bag. the suv takes off. >> get down now. put your hands up. >> one down and one to go. but the man on the ground was not behaving like a criminal caught in the act. he was behaving like a victim. >> he said, i am not involved. i don't know who these guys are. i'm just hitchhiking. >> did they get the wrong guy? they would have to sort that out later. there was still a man barreling down the highway. >> there is more than one way to catch a crook. >> the driver takes off on foot. the red pickup truck pins him underneath the wheel.

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ask your doctor about hormone—free veozah... north carolina state troopers were back on the tail of the suv after its passenger bolted out to the side of the interstate. but as the suv fled, the driver made a serious error. north carolina state troopers were on the tail of the suv after's passenger bolted out to the side of the interstate.

as the suv fled, the driver made a serious error. he cut off a red pickup truck. >> the red pickup truck did not like that. >> road rage exploded. the driver took off in pursuit of the suv, leapfrogging state troopers. >> the police are following the red pickup truck who's following the silver pathfinder. with the trooper in the pickup driver giving chase, the suv left the interstate. drove to a construction site and into a ditch. >> the driver jumps out and takes off on foot. the red pickup truck pins him underneath. runs him over. >> you can't make this up. that's the end of the chase? >> the police pull up and take the driver into custody. >> the driver of the suv was banged up with a broken collarbone, broken ribs, and burns. he and the passenger were rolled out of the suv were

taken to the local jail. who were they? investigators learned the driver was witham, guy with a rap sheet dating back to when he was in his 20s with conviction for armed robbery. >> he gave the impression that he would give a chance, he would kill you and take -- think nothing of it. >> they tried to get answers but his suspect was mom >> he said he's not going to rat . >> the passenger who claim to be hitchhiker said his name was michael. he was charged with felony possession of a stolen car. in an interview room, he ranted about his arrest. >> there should be no her best here. there is no nothing. >> he braked he was a big deal executive. street journal" in 2014.

investigators learned he founded a company and was profiled in the wall street journal and 2014. his company was called prisoner assistant. it manage finances for inmates in prison. turns out benanti had experience in that area. >> he has multiple felony convictions to include attempted murder of a police officer, robbery, theft of property, and most importantly, a federal conviction of conspiracy to commit bank robbery. >> what did you make of this business? >> he was actually stealing from the business. he was robbing the banks to repay the money to inmates he was stealing from. >> he wasn't a random hitchhiker who happen to get into the car as he originally told police. the two were in cahoots and they had a long history together. they had met in the late 1990s at a prison in pennsylvania and devised a plan to escape but it

failed. both of them were sent to the super max prison in colorado. again, and custody, he paste about while he called his sister asking that she bail him out. >> i'm sorry to have to give you this call. i love you. i am in prison. >> then the agent arrived to interview him. first impressions. who did you see? >> he was extremely arrogant. >> pompous as well. >> he is the smartest person in the room no matter what room he was in. he was proud he was had been in super max prison. he was proud of being a criminal. >> by now, they were sure they had the right guys. in part because of something that happened when benanti was arrested. >> he is white knuckling something in his hand. clenched fist. it's opened up and there's a crumpled piece of paper.

>> the feds took a look. the crumpled paper had details, names and numbers, the sent date chilled down their spines. >> three names handwritten. bank executives in greenville and spartanburg, south carolina. their titles and bank locations . >> the prosecutor believed these were the next victims. with a search warrant in hand, the fbi agents spent thanksgiving day and black friday of 2015 in the smoky mountains at a house called southern comfort. they found evidence of a sophisticated criminal enterprise. and, evidence that would finally reveal who that mystery woman was. the woman who wanted milk for the baby. agents, who was this? >> coming up. the answer and a warning. >> be careful what you put out for the world to see. the minute you hit post or

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nexgard® plus. it was thanksgiving day 2015 in a house in the mountains of north carolina. but there was no family gathering inside, just it was thanksgiving day 2015, in a house in the mountains of north carolina. there was no family gathering inside. just fbi agents and a prosecutor.

they were searching for evidence to tie michael benanti and witham to the bank robberies in eastern tennessee. >> when we walked in, the amount of evidence and items that were in the house was staggering. >> including weapons, electronic devices, cameras, fake law enforcement ids and fake tattoos and massive amount of photos. among them this picture of benanti and witham and inadvertent selfie. his face seen in a car side mirror as they cased a bank. when the agents told witham what they had, he went to spelling everything he knew to the feds. >> he laid out the entire scheme. his role. >> it was a chilling criminal enterprise that involve learning every detail about their intended victims lives. step-by-step, they gathered intelligence. first, they identify the bank. >> they would look on the

social media page and hopefully get names and pictures of the people they thought would be were the targets. >> then they stalked the bank employee's online. >> they could find them on linkedin, facebook. >> victims would rise and fall on their target list depending on the quantity and quality of social media evidence that they put out there for the world to see. >> in the harris case, they saw pictures of the couple's newborn baby on facebook. >> with the harris' they were planning on doing that earlier but they noticed she had given birth. they pushed the date back. >> facebook revealed that ziegler had an adult daughter in texas. >> we've got people surveilling your child in texas. >> once the victims were picked out, it turned up close and personal. they would surveilled them at home hiding in their yards. watching and documenting their every mood. >> commando style.

camera set up around the house. witham would put himself up in a tree. sometimes next to the playsets of these families with children in the backyard and watch, quietly, making notes of when lights go off and when they come on. when people go to the kitchen table. when they go out to get the paper. >> we would then take the information i gathered, reams of personal details, surveillance photos, maps, and compile them into a victim packet. agents found over a dozen of these with dossiers and a black reef case in the house. >> we have numerous packages they have names, address, children, grandchildren. >> i am seeing spartanburg which is south carolina. georgia. >> that's correct. >> future victims which

included some of the names and addresses on the crumpled piece of paper that benanti clutched in his hand. >> we found thousands upon thousands of photographs on sd cards of some of these houses, locations, people. >> they weren't just future targets. the agents found one of a target they already knew very well. brooke. what is the quality? >> s.w.a.t. team leader and these targeting packs they have are quality i could use. >> execute a search warrant or everything is. >> the agents learned why they never found any physical evidence. no dna or fingerprints or fibers. he and benanti made sure not to leave a trace behind. >> witham even shaved his body to eliminate as much dna as possible. >> while he was in a tree doing surveillance, he brought a jug. >> he relieves himself in the jug so he doesn't break surveillance and doesn't leave dna behind.

>> now, even with the two men in custody, the feds didn't know how many others were involved. who was the african american man and the woman that ziegler described? was or anyone else involved? >> three, four, five, six people? what are the races and genders? >> witham gave the answer. they bought masks. who is this? >> the white female from the ziegler robbery. >> the one who said the baby needs milk? >> yes. >> the fbi released a sketch of her to the public and it was eerily close. what has happened here? >> witham had a fake tech to and walked aside and put that mask on and came in and acted like a female looking for mill for the baby. >> as for the african american man, he was a mask as well. benanti's dna was found in a.

pretty good mask. >> they spent roughly $1500 apiece for these masks. >> they were sewing and red herrings and things designed to confuse the victims. >> gender and racial switch. >> although that. the victims will report that to the police, and the police will be looking for a black man, a woman with long brown hair. >> and, it worked. he told the agents he and benanti didn't strike just in tennessee. >> he lays out a crime spree up and down the eastern seaboard that began in the summer of 2014. >> he told about a heist they pulled off in 2014 in a small pennsylvania town. sure enough, there was a tall slender man and a heavyset one. they held the tell a second point and made off with $156,000. >> we go up and we learn that bank robbery was unsolved.

>> then witham told them about another job in connecticut. that's when the fbi connected the tennessee cases to matt yussman. the victim was regarded as a suspect and lived under the stick men of that until witham gave up the story. >> the investigators were looking at leads and running things out. they were striking at the same as we work down here. >> matt yussman didn't know any of this yet. he was still under suspicion. he had just appeared before a grand jury. >> it did not go well. it was obvious they were going to recommend an indictment. >> that was november. december 1, he thought his worst fear had come true. his boss said the fbi was coming to his office. >> i tell him i will not allow them to arrest me in front of my staff.

>> the meeting was about an arrest but it was not matt's. >> he said we apprehended two individuals in north carolina. we have overwhelming evidence that connects them to your case. you are now no longer a suspect. you are completely exonerated. >> matt and his mom had been telling the truth all along. >> i actually broke down and cried because all the emotion came out that i had been bottling up for nine months because i was trying to show i was truly innocent. >> is a learn more about his kidnappers mo, some of the strange details about a story made sense. remember how his mom said the kidnappers used her vacuum to clean up? that is because they didn't want to leave evidence behind. matt learned his captors found him on his credit union's website then they saw his picture and learned where he lived on facebook. they began their watch. you were surveilled. >> to this day i can't handle

that i had people surveilling me and i did not notice. if i had paid more attention, would i've stopped this? >> in 2017, benanti was convicted on 23 counts including armed bank extortion and kidnapping. he is serving for two consecutive life sentences and 155 years. he maintains his innocence. witham is struck a deal was sentenced to 30 years. what is the lesson for people here? >> be careful what you put out for the world to see. the minute you hit poster sent, you have no guarantee who can access that any point. >> the baby pictures out there. >> you talk where you run and how long? it's all out there. >> they exploited all of it. as for matt yussman, he is upset at how he was treated by the fbi and local authorities. former police chief jim prame. he would like to take a swing at you guys.

>> and rightfully so. he went through so much. for any of us to add to his anguish is regretful. he is a victim of a horrific crime and a good man and a courageous man. >> while the men behind the crime will be in prison for years into the future, all of their victims seemed to have been deeply traumatized. reporter jamie. >> they will never be able really to ever fully rest easy in their own homes. that is the price they pay. security. >> your life can never be the same. it never will be. no matter how much i tell everybody i am fine. i will never be the same after this. ancanning. this is dateline.