this is "nightline." tonight. mom on the run, lost and found. her two children missing for months in idaho. >> pick up the phone. talk to us. please, god, talk to us. >> she suddenly appears in hawaii. her family suspecting doomsday beliefs changed her. and a trail of mysterious deaths cause includes. plus, 1917. behind the scenes of movie mastery. the critically acclaimed oscar contender. now one on one with the creative genius. >> every trench had to be measured the exact length, every

orchard, every farmhouse had to be exactly the right length as the scene. >> how it is propelling the film to front runner status. ♪ but first, the "nightline" five.

wean air force veteran made of doing what's right,. not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it - with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa good evening. thank you for joining us. the desperate search for two

children who vanished nearly four months ago in idaho intensifying after their mother shows up thousands of miles away in a tropical paradise. the story gaining national headlines as hope to find the children is fading. >> reporter: strolling into view, a couple. looming over them, a deadline. a day later, thousands of miles away in idaho, a frantic family arrives as the clock is ticking. >> we're leaving to go to the police department and see how all of this is going to shake out. >> reporter: they're the two sides of a standoff. at the center, the mystery of two missing children. jj and tily. >> the deadline the saga has been making headlines and generating

intrigue since november when authorities discovered laurie's two kids were missing. the couple also vanished, until they were spotted over the weekend in hawaii. by this point, stories had been swirling about their doomsday beliefs. >> i said there's something going on. >> we have one suspect. >> there have been a number of deaths in that family. and that does raise eyebrows. >> if this story is not a movie in the next five to ten years, i would be surprised. >> reporter: september 19th, lori moved for a fresh start with jj and tylee. seth bernard and his family lived next door. >> kids would go over there and play. she was really nice. >> jj mentioned one time that he was going to live with his grandmother. >> reporter: lori suddenly seemed different to him, too. jj, who's autistic was last seen

on september 23rd at school. school officials say she withdrew him planning to home school him. >> started getting knocks from police. >> reporter: but lori never reported the boy missing. and about a month later she had a new husband. chad daybell. daybell worked in book publishing and was an author. some of his books focussed on the end of the world. he's also affiliated with a series of lectures and podcasts called "preparing a people." its site says it prepares people of the earth for the second coming of christ. a statement says it is part of a media company that films speakers on a variety of topics not affiliated with any specific religion and is not a group or cult. they add mr. daybell did not start, own or control any part of our media company. lori also briefly appeared on a podcast with chad. >> if you did something bad yesterday the lord wants you to say you are sorry today and just

do better tomorrow. >> reporter: chad's wife tammy was found dead in her home. less than two weeks later, chad and lori were married. in november, jj's grandparents finally requested a welfare check, after being unable to reach the boy since august. >> she never would respond to anything. texts, voice mails, e-mails, nothing. >> reporter: police said in a statement lori initially told them jj was staying with a family friend in arizona. but they quickly learned that wasn't true. they also learned lori's 17-year-old daughter tylee ryan had also not been seen since september 2019. when police arrived at lori's home the next day with a search warrant, she and chad had vanished. >> we're asking the public. please, for god's sake call authorities. >> reporter: they left their home in louisiana and traveled to idaho, offering a $20,000 reward for the safe return of jj and tylee. >> we want lori to please start

cooperating with the police. >> reporter: the emotions raw for the couple. >> he means the world to me. he's just the sunlight. >> mom, i want to talk to you. >> reporter: lori's oldest son, colby, even pleading with his mom on youtube to return his siblings safely. >> you have the power to end this. i'm just as in the dark as anybody else. that's a hard position to be in. >> reporter: he last spoke to his siblings in august. >> jj's super funny, a loud character, the type of person to walk up to anybody and be, you know, their best friend. tylee, she is just very sweet, independent, funny, has a really big heart and cares about everybody. >> reporter: back in month after covdiscovering the missing, they released a statement. they started investigating the death of tammy, even exhuming her body. >> we're processing a lot of

evidence that has been accumulated. we're waiting for the lab results to come back from the autopsy. >> reporter: but tammy's death wasn't the only one raising questions. in arizona, police started looking deeper into the july death of lori's estranged husband, charles. >> what is the emergency? >> i shot my brother-in-law. >> reporter: that's lori's brother, alex cox captured on police body cameras after shooting and killing his estrang estranged brother-in-law. there's lori walking into frame. >> okay. just stand over there for just a second. >> reporter: and then answering questions from police. >> how long have you lived here? >> three weeks. >> oh, geez. got you. >> like, hi, neighbor. sorry. >> you see lori sort of not in a distressed state. >> reporter: you can also see tylee in the video, though her

face is blurred. >> how old are you again? >> 16. >> reporter: in divorce filings, concerns are raised about her religious beliefs, saying she's obsessive about spiritual visions. she told him she could not trust vallo and she would not only kill him but destroy him financially. five months later, after attempting to reconcile with lori, charles was killed. kay, charles' sister, says she believes her brother was ambushed. >> when we did find out what happened the day after, because lori didn't tell anybody. he called me and said they did it. >> reporter: lori's brother claims it was in self-defense and was never charged. then alex was found dead, his cause of death has not been released. >> law enforcement in my view are going to have to go back and look at every one of these deaths to see if they're connected in some form or fashion to lori and/or chad.

because there's really no other way around it. >> reporter: the mother and stepfather of two missing children have been found in hawaii. finally, two months after lori and chad were last seen, east idaho news captured the couple at this kauai resort after police confiscated their car. >> where are your kids? >> the whole united states is looking for the kids, and she's on the beach in hawaii. >> reporter: police also served lori with a court order, demanding she present jj and tylee today in idaho. this morning, larry wooddock clung to a photo of his grandson. >> that's my little man. >> reporter: as they left the hotel, the deadline approaching, he tried to prepare himself. >> i'm so hopeful, and i'm so afraid. >> yeah. >> i think i'm a lot more afraid by a long shot. >> reporter: but now, the deadline has come and gone.

lori and the children never showed. >> how do you not produce your child? what kind of a mother does that? the only word that is coming to my mind right now is a monster. >> reporter: what happens now that they haven't complied with that court order? >> if they do not comply with the court order you can charge them with contempt, obstruction of government. >> they can potentially charge them with child endangerment, child neglect. >> reporter: for the woodcobs, it's hope. >> if there's any tiny chance we could see jj today where else would we be? maybe somebody else will show up with the kids. >> reporter: for "nightline," diane macedo. >> our thanks to diane. up next, shoot being a cinematic feat. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ being a

cinematic feat. eing a cinematic feat. ing a cinematic feat. with type 2 diabetes like james people lower their blood sugar. a majority of adults who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. here's your a1c. oh! my a1c is under 7! (announcer) and you may lose weight. adults who took ozempic® lost on average up to 12 pounds. i lost almost 12 pounds! oh! (announcer) ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. there's no increased risk. oh! and i only have to take it once a week. oh! ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) ozempic® should not be the first medicine for treating diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to ozempic®. stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, itching, rash, or trouble breathing.

serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your doctor if you have diabetic retinopathy or vision changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. once-weekly ozempic® is helping me reach my blood sugar goal. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) you may pay as little as $25 per prescription. ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. break out the butter loif you've been dreaming aboutr tender wild-caught lobster, dig in to butter-poached, fire-roasted and shrimp & lobster linguini. see? dreams do come true. or if you like a taste of new england without leaving home, try lobster, sautéed with crab, jumbo shrimp and more, or maybe you'd like to experience the ultimate surf and the ultimate turf... with so many lobster dishes, there's something for every lobster fan so hurry in and let's lobsterfest. or get pick up or delivery at redlobster.com

we live with at&t and we are well past the honeocupado tom. at&t, what's this i hear about you advertising a 100% fiber network? only like a fraction of my customers can get that.

that's it?!? you have such a glass half-empty attitude. the glass is more than half-empty! you need to relax tom. oh! tom, you need a little tom time. a little tt. stop living with at&t. xfinity delivers gig speeds to more homes than anyone.

you're in a group most likely to develop skin cancer, including melanoma. that's why your best shot is to check for a spot. follow through and check your skin. go to spotskincancer.org to find out how. the war to end all wars is being revisited in a new way on the big screen. abc's chris connelly sits down with "1917" director. >> from the very beginning, i thought this movie should be told in real time. every step of the journey, breathing every breath with

these men. ♪ i'm going back >> reporter: from director sam mendes. it dispatches two british soldiers on a do or die mission in world war i, capturing every breath, every step, every spine-tingling explosion. >> when you watch this film, you're not just watching it, you genuinely are experiencing it. >> reporter: a war film like few in recent memory. >> the second are due to attack the line shortly after dawn tomorrow. >> reporter: 1917 is waged at a time before nations fought with missiles or fighter jets. >> it was unlike any other film i've ever made and probably ever will make. >> reporter: its images depicting brutal combat from a hundred years ago as soldiers and horses came face-to-face with weaponry.

>> you can get lost and thrilled by the story. >> reporter: its thrills, gunfire and perilous adventures made mesmerizing because it appears to consist of a continuous shot, an undertaking conjured up by the mind of mendes. >> it seemed a natural thing to not have any cuts. that's how i prefer to describe it. a movie with no cuts in it, rather than a one-shot movie. you're experiencing every second passing in what is effectively a race against time. >> reporter: a century-old conflict, captured using 21st century technology, cameras carried through muck and debris and mounted on techno cranes, cars and motorcycles. moving in choreographed, chaotic symphony. >> i feel in some way it requires a different level of emotional investment. you feel like okay if i'm here

with these guys i'm just going to have to live with them. so it seemed to me, to put audience in the shoes of the characters, they literally don't know who's telling them the truth. and what the reality is or what's around the next corner, because there's no way of finding out other than going there. >> come on, i can't see, i can't see! >> reporter: the heart of the film with solid performances from the two lead roles. >> a mine shaft. we have to jump! >> reporter: performed not by a-list actors but up and comers. >> it's not just about the first world war. it's about the human experience. >> kind of what it is to be human. and i think the context of war is one in which humans are stretched physically and emotionally to their absolute limits. >> reporter: with such long takes, the cast and crew rehearsed for months before filming. >> he's expected to get it right every time. the boom operators, cameramen

capturing this. if the timing is off by a hair it's unusle. i think sam did a really good job of not making us feel that pressure. everyone had pressure. the sound guiys. they had their own choreographed dance going on. >> reporter: but for "1917", mendes was drawing on personal history told by his grandfather alfred mendes. >> it was me and my cousins pestering him, thinking we were going to hear stories of bravery and how he won his medals and it was going to be cool. instead, he told us stories of absolute chaos. >> reporter: world war i was supposed to be the war to end all wars. engulfing dozens of countries and costing millions of lives. film makers had to construct a world. >> we filled with thousands of people and built around the

actors. >> reporter: camera operators waded through treacherous terrain all under the watchful eye of roger deacons. marking his fourth collaboration with mendes. >> every trench had to be measured the exact length, every orchard, every farmhouse, every town street had to be exactly the right length of the scene, because there was no way of cutting distance or jumping time. >> the oscar goes to "birdman." >> reporter: six years ago, the winner sustained the single shot illusion throughout. >> all you have to do is -- >> reporter: alejandro's "birdman." an oscar goal for its director. >> i hoped today might be a good day. >> reporter: "1917" is showing it, too, could be a contender. >> given the fact that it's an ambitious film, it's not a franchise. there's no existing ip, and it

doesn't have two giant stars in the lead. so the fact that it's connected with audiences is incredibly moving. >> reporter: mendes took a first stab at the single-shot process in filming this sequence from "sky fall." and again, in 2015's "specter". those were small tastes. >> go, go, go! >> reporter: with "1917", being the main course. so if not everything went according to plan, that was just fine. what kind of happy accidents happened that you kept baked in? >> there's a final run, if you've seen the trailer, it's in there, and he gets knocked off his feet, not once but twice. neither of which were planned. >> reporter: and for all the mesmerizing movements, what "1917" revels most in is the human moments. >> i always said to them, just

remember it's not you slipping in the mud, it's your character slipping in the mud. it's not you, if you fumble over a line. it doesn't matter, unless you make a colossal error, i won't stop. >> last man stand beiing. >> reporter: for "nightline," chris connelly in los angeles. >> "1917" is in theaters now, and you can watch the oscars right here next sunday. we'll be right back. about tender wild-caught lobster, dig in to butter-poached, fire-roasted and shrimp & lobster linguini. see? dreams do come true. or if you like a taste of new england without leaving home, try lobster, sautéed with crab, jumbo shrimp and more, or maybe you'd like to experience the ultimate surf and the ultimate turf... with so many lobster dishes, there's something for every lobster fan so hurry in and let's lobsterfest. or get pick up or delivery at redlobster.com laso you can enjoy it even ifst you're sensitive. se.

yet some say it isn't real milk. i guess those cows must actually be big dogs. sit! i said sit! this is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12-hour. and this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. delsym 12-hour. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. even though you keep your car clean, does it sometimes smell stuffy or stale? try febreze car vent clips to eliminate those odors for up to 30 days. stuffy, stale car odors occur because of everyday smells that are absorbed and released from soft surfaces. then they're circulated by the ac system. febreze car vent clips eliminate the stale, stuffy smells in your car and leave behind a fresh scent for up to 30 days. plus, they come in a range of scents including extra light. try febreze car brand power, helping you buy better. too many after-parties. new neutrogena® bright boost

with dullness-fighting neoglucosamine. boosts cell turnover by 10 times for instantly brighter skin. bright boost neutrogena®. heartburn and gas? ♪ fight both fast tums chewy bites with gas relief all in one relief of heartburn and gas ♪ ♪ tum tum tum tums tums chewy bites with gas relief it's timcan it helpltimate sleep nukeep me asleep?he sleep number 360 smart bed. absolutely, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed.

plus 0% interest for 24 months on all smart beds. only for a limited time to deal with the problem.icians but they wouldn't. so we took it to the voters and forced big tobacco to pay its share of healthcare costs. we fought oil companies for new clean air laws and closed a billion dollar corporate tax loophole to fund public schools. by going directly to the people we got results. that's not something you see a lot of from washington these days. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message. let's make change happen.

and finally tonight, a preview of a "2020" special. >> tell me about when you first met ted bundy. >> oh, my gosh. >> you described him as magical. >> yeah, he won me over pretty headily. >> he seemed to embrace us as a family unit. >> everything about this is chilling. the two survivors who knew him best, who loved him. why do you think he spared you? >> the "2020" special airs tomorrow, 9:00/8:00 central. abc news live, a streaming

service premieres on monday. that's "nightline," thanks for the company, america, goodnight.

the number of uninsurising.ricans, the cost of prescription drugs, rising. the threat to people with pre-existing conditions, rising. the good news, so is support for the one candidate who'll do something about it. as mayor, mike bloomberg helped expand coverage for seven hundred thousand people, including hundreds of thousands of kids. including hundreds of thousands of kids. as president, he'll lower drug costs and ensure everyone without coverage can get it. that's a promise. and unlike him, mike actually keeps his. i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message.