Skip to main content

tv   Nightline  ABC  June 23, 2023 12:37am-1:07am PDT

12:37 am
♪ this is "nightline." >> byron: tonight, "titanic" tragedy. debris from the missing sub found near the famous shipwreck. >> the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the
12:38 am
vessel. >> byron: plus the lives lost. "titanic" director james can ron and the lessons from the doomed voyage. >> what was "titanic" saying to us over all these years? heed the warnings. don't be arrogant. don't think you're smarter than nature. >> byron: the man who discovered the wreckage nearly 40 years ago, and the future of deep sea exploration. >> i'm sure we're going to see new things coming out of this tragic event so that these people did not die in vain. >> byron: plus -- vanished. the desperate mothers on a mission to find their children. >> you're convinced they're in hiding? >> i think they're being hidden. >> byron: they say the children are under the influence of tyrannical leader and convicted pedophile, warren jeffs. >> send this message everywhere you can among the priesthood people. >> byron: allegedly still running his church from behind bars. why his brother is sounding the alarm. >> if the law officials, fbi,
12:39 am
whoever, doesn't stop warren, thousands will die. >> byron: the race to find them before it's too late. >> i have no idea if he's alive. but hope to god he is. ♪oh♪ ♪then you take me by the hand♪ ♪i feel better again♪ ♪oh i feel better now♪ my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger.
12:40 am
we care for all those who make your family, well, your family. that's why all of us work together to give them the care, and caring, that any family would. kaiser permanente. for all that is you. ♪
12:41 am
>> byron: good evening. thank you for joining us. we begin tonight with a tragic ending to the search for the missing "titanic" tourist sub. all five passengers are presumed dead after debris was found in the atlantic ocean. we're learning tonight that the u.s. navy heard sounds of what was likely the implosion of the vessel the same day it lost contact. abc's gio benitez is in halifax, nova scotia. >> reporter: heartbreaking end. the coast guard announcing search crews have found the pieces of the missing sub carrying five passengers 1,600 feet, nearly one-third of a mile, from the bow of the "titanic." >> the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel. >> reporter: five major pieces of debris were recovered on the ocean floor, including the sub's nose cone, as well as the front and back end of the vessel. all coming apart as the capsule collapsed inward under extreme pressure. it's unclear exactly when the sub imploded after it started
12:42 am
its dive sunday morning. >> the navy now saying an underwater acoustic detection system heard what was likely the impression of the "titan" sunday. the information was immediately shared. >> on behalf of the united states coast guard and the entire unified command, i offer my deepest condolences to the families. >> reporter: oceangate expeditions saying, "our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time." businessman shahzada dawood and his 19-year-old son suleman, who shared a passion for science and discovery. british billionaire and explorer hamish harding, who loved adventure. voyaging to space aboard a blue origin flight. tonight, harding's family calling him a passionate explorer, whatever the terrain, who lived for his family, his business, and for the next adventure. p.h. nargeolet, a legendary
12:43 am
expert on "the titanic." his daughter saying there is comfort in knowing he was in the place he loved. ceo and founder of oceangate expeditions, stockton rush, who saw himself as a maverick, talking about how the "titan" defied industry standards. >> i'd like to be remembered as an innovator. i think it was general macarthur said, you're remembered for the rules you break. and i've broken some rules to make this. i think i've broken them with logic and good engineering behind me. the carbon fiber titanium. there's a rule you don't do that, well, i did. >> reporter: we're learning more about concerns over using carbon finer and titanium to make the experimental sub, an untested material at extreme depths over time. tonight with the world watching, yet another tragedy. 111 years after the "titanic's" doomed voyage, five souls captivated by its story now resting in those same waters. >> byron: our thanks to gio.
12:44 am
now to two people with a unique and intimate knowledge of "the titanic." robert ballard, who discovered the ship's wreckage in 1985 james cameron, writer and director of the movie "titanic." both lost friends in the sub. >> reporter: what struck you about today? >> i wasn't surprised about anything they said. the two data points bass they lost comms, they lost tracking simultaneously. there was only really one explanation for that. through the grapevine, it turned out there were a number of different hydrophone systems that picked up a loud bang at the same time. you know. i mean, i knew what had happened. i was hoping against hope that i was wrong. and i wasn't. my heart breaks for them. i did have misgivings about that design. i had misgivings about prior designs that used carbon fiber cylinders with titanium end caps. i certainly believe in the principle of certification for
12:45 am
any sub that's going to take passengers. i believe there is a place for true exploration at the cutting edge of engineering, but it's got no place when you're taking paying passengers to a known site like "titanic." >> reporter: how does this tragedy impact you personally and the community of explorers you're a part of? >> i've known stockton rush since he was very young. i remember him seeking me out at various times about his dream to go down to the "titanic." and obviously he was following his dream. and it led to a nightmare. >> exploration is always risky. climbing a mountain is risky. and people will take those chances. but i think you mitigate that risk as assiduously as possible, with every fiber of your being. and you engineer against it to the extent humanly possible. and for me personally, that's part of the attraction. >> reporter: bob, you once said visiting the "titanic" is like
12:46 am
dancing on someone's grave. what's the like down there? >> well, you know, it's the deep sea, it's an amazing place. but what's really amazing about it is, you can't see very far. and i can remember when we came in on the "titanic" for the first time, it was less than 30, 40 feet away. we came in, a beam of the bridge, there was like a giant wall of steel. so it's very intimate in that regard. but it's very unforgiving. you can't see pressure. >> the first time i went there, i felt like, i'm going to the most remote place on the planet. what i realized, you know, as a result of this terrible tragedy in which my friend, p.h. nargeolet, lost his life, it's a very small circle. but then you've got an operation like oceangate that unfortunately didn't believe in certification. they were using experimental technology to take paying passengers to the "titanic."
12:47 am
this whole thing is inexcusable, it's a tragedy. >> >> reporter: james, your blockbuster film renewed public interest in the "titanic." i wonder how this strikes you now to see a second tragedy at that very same site? >> i'm struck by the fact that somehow, you know, individuals, companies have managed to miss the lesson of "titanic" itself. what was "titanic" saying to us over all these years? whether it's in my films or the many documentaries and so on? which is, heed the warnings. don't be arrogant. don't think you're smarter than nature. you know? and those were the warnings of "titanic." now we have two wreck sites adjacent to each other that both represent, in my mind, recklessness. >> i remember the sinking of the "titanic" led to the international ice patrol. it led to the fact that you had a radio operator 24 hours a day. all sorts of things came out of
12:48 am
the loss of the "titanic" that made it safer and safer. and i'm sure we're going to see new things coming out of this tragic event so that these people did not die in vain. >> byron: stay with abc news for continuing coverage of this disaster. coming up, vanished. children of the prophet. the desperate search for eight missing children and their ties to the church leader and convicted pedophile warren jeffs. of my moderate somedays, i cover up bee to severe plaque psoriasis. now i feel free to bare my skin, thanks to skyrizi. ♪(uplifting music)♪ ♪nothing is everything♪ i'm celebrating my clearer skin... my way. with skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. in another study, most people had 90% clearer skin, even at 5 years. and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses.
12:49 am
serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to clearer skin with skyrizi - this is my moment. there's nothing on my skin and that means everything! ♪nothing is everything♪ now's the time. ask your doctor about skyrizi, the #1 dermatologist-prescribed biologic in psoriasis. learn how abbvie could help you save. you know that feeling of having to rewash dishes that didn't get clean? i don't. new cascade platinum plus... with double the dawn grease fighting power and double the scrubbing power. for a no rewash clean... and a cabinet ready shine. upgrade to new cascade platinum plus. dare to dish differently. the right age for neutrogena® retinol? that's whenever you want it to be. it has derm-proven retinol that targets vital cell turnover, evens skin tone, and smooths fine lines. with visible results in just one week. neutrogena® retinol. one prilosec otc each morning blocks
12:50 am
heartburn all day and all night. prilosec otc reduces excess acid for 24 hours, blocking heartburn before it starts. one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. want luxury hair repair that doesn't cost $50? pantene's pro-vitamin formula repairs hair. as well as the leading luxury bonding treatment. for softness and resilience, without the price tag. if you know... you know it's pantene.
12:51 am
i'm living with hiv and i'm on cabenuva. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. it's two injections from a healthcare provider. i really like the flexibility.
12:52 am
and for me, it's one less thing to think about while traveling. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or if you taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems, and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection-site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. ready to treat your hiv in a different way? ask your doctor about every-other-month cabenuva. with every-other-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ♪ >> byron: now to the urgent search for eight children.
12:53 am
the mothers fighting to find them are all former members of the fundamentalist church of church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. why they say bringing them home is a matter of life and death. here's my "nightline" coanchor juju chang. >> i checks on him at midnight. my daughter was awake and i thought, that's odd. i'll sleep with one ear open. >> juju: it was a wintry morning this past february when lorraine jessop realizes her three kids had vanished. >> 5:00 in the morning i awoke to a cold house. because the front door was wide open. and the kids were gone. it was horrifying. it was cold outside. they didn't take any of their things with them besides what they had on. it's really scary when you don't know where your children are.
12:54 am
i immediately called the police. and said, "my kids have disappeared." >> juju: do you have a sense of what happened? >> i do. i feel like that either someone took it upon themselves or were told by church authorities to gather up these children. >> juju: lorraine jessop is one of four mothers whose children, as young as 12, have disappeared from remote towns dotting the rocky mountains. >> my name is lorraine jessop. i haven't seen my kids since february 4th of 2023. >> my name is sarah my son salom has been missing since march 2021. >> melinda johnson. i haven't seen from my son since october 9th, 2022. >> my name is elizabeth roundy. i haven't seen my daughter since
12:55 am
january 21st, 2023. >> juju: law enforcement says they're all runaways. but these mothers are convinced it's not that simple. and are sounding the alarm. >> who is to say that they are safe? >> juju: the women are united by a painful bond that goes beyond their missing children and ties directly back to their former religion. they were all members of the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter-day saints, the flds. known for their bouffant hair-dos, prairie dresses, large families with multiple sister wives, but most of all, polygamy. this breakaway offshoot of mormonism, led by now-imprisoned convicted pedophile warren jeffs. >> the nationwide manhunt for a polygamist who became one of the fbi's ten most wanted has ended. >> guilty of two counts of felony sexual assault against two girls, one 12, the other gave birth to his child when she
12:56 am
was 15. >> crazy. psychopath. warren thinks he's god. and they think he's god. >> it would be impossible for him to make a mistake. that's on the level of jesus. warren jeffs, however, is a pedophile. he had 80, approximately, wives. many, many of them, underage girls. >> juju: the mothers placing the blame directly at the foot of their former church whose leader was convicted of pedophilia and of marrying off child brides. >> the whole church was based on fear. they control people by fear. >> one of the downfalls that they teach is, just keep sweet. that means to do whatever they tell you to do at all costs or there will be dire consequences. >> juju: all four mothers leaving that life behind. but now they believe their kids have actually run back to the church they fought so hard to escape. you're convinced they're in hiding? >> i think they're being hidden. >> if there's anything that the
12:57 am
flds is good at, it's hiding people. >> it's my belief that all of the flds children that are missing at the present time are all connected. >> there is a pattern that's very similar to what i've seen in the past. and it's an alarming pattern. >> juju: those who study the church say the prophet, warren jeffs, even after more than 15 years behind bars, still runs the flds with an iron fist. >> warren will be the prophet until the day he dies or he goes totally insane and he's put in a rubber room somewhere. >> send this message everywhere you can among the priesthood people. >> warren's followers believe whatever warren says. he's got them so indoctrinated. >> juju: these mothers fear they're working against the clock because jeffs himself has issued a series of frightening prophecies calling for his
12:58 am
disciples to die so they can be resurrected in heaven. >> i'm looking at the revelation that warren sent out. according to the heavenly calendar that will exist in new jerusalem, translated people must die. >> what does that mean? >> whatever warren jeffs means by it, i don't want to wait and find out and see. >> if warren jeffs were to command people to be translated, in other words, die, so they could go to heaven, the faithful flds may well do that. >> it's not unrealistic to believe his followers would follow him down the road of a mass suicide event. >> that's our concern, is that something could happen along the lines of heaven's gate. >> the mass suicide in california, 21 women, 18 men -- >> or a zonestown. >> jim jones, the leader of an american religious cult and his followers, have been found dead at their jungle camp in guyana the result of a mass
12:59 am
suicide-murder. >> and i hope i'm wrong. i really do. but that is what is written in the revelations. >> i want to make this very clear. if the law officials, fbi, whoever, doesn't stop warren, thousands will die. sorry. >> juju: jeffs also calling for all children of former flds members to come back into the fold. >> i think those recent revelations have everything to do with the disappearance of these children. >> i'm very worried for them. >> juju: do you feel a sense of peril? >> yes. i do. >> i have no idea if he's alive. but i hope to god he is. >> i'm very scared for her. >> a year ago, i knew of one child missing. now there's eight. >> juju: the church is famous for casting people out and splitting up families.
1:00 am
all of our mothers say it happened to them. when lorraine was 32, she was banished for something she had done years earlier. >> it was because i had been seen by a male doctor at a time when i had hemorrhaged. a woman cannot see a male doctor. if she does, she's been defiled and can no longer be a member of the church are. >> juju: was that a miscarriage? >> yes. >> juju: when she permanently broke with the flds, they labeled her an apostate, the scarlet letter of the flds community. what did you say to your children? >> i told them that i had sinned and that i had to go live somewhere else and that it was best for them to stay with the priesthood. >> juju: when she embarked on a new life, she entrusted all six children to her sister wife. >> it's the hardest thing and the stupidest thing i've ever done in my life. but to me, it was the only option.
1:01 am
it was the only choice. i felt like i was going to burn in hell. imagine if you were walking into a furnace, would you take your children with you? if that's where you knew you were going? in my mind, i knew that's where i was going. >> juju: after two years on the outside, lorraine conquered her fears and decided to try to get her children back. but actually getting them back would be the fight of her life. >> byron: our thanks to. >> juju:. abc news reached out to the flds church for comment. they did not respond. you can see more of the mothers' fight on "impact by nighton nig now streaming on hulu. coming up, french sensation.
1:02 am
historic number one nba draft pick. this all-new ariya is an elegant ev. yeah, with 389 horsepower. ♪ and all-wheel drive. ♪ it's beautiful. it's a beast. it's electric. with an edge. oh, let's go with that. ♪ febreze! your bathroom... needs febreze small spaces... the always-on, odor-fighting air freshener you set and forget. no outlets used, no batteries needed, no effort required. so your bathroom stays continuously fresh for 45 days. that's the power of febreze small spaces. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp.
1:03 am
neuriva: think bigger. densify from crest pro-health. like bones, your teeth lose density over time. but, crest has you covered. crest densify actively rebuilds tooth density to extend the life of teeth. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. crest. ♪ zyrteeeec...♪ works hard at hour one and twice as hard when you take it again the next day. so betty can be the... barcode beat conductor. ♪ go betty! ♪ let's be more than our allergies! zeize the day. with zyrtec.
1:04 am
1:05 am
1:06 am
♪ >> byron: finally tonight, a big night for the nba and the new french prince. >> the san antonio spurs select -- >> byron: as widely expected, 19-year-old victor wembanyama, the number one draft pick now heading to the san antonio spurs. making history as their first number one draft pick from france. a tearful and emotional wembanyama sharing the moment with family and friends.
1:07 am
an

104 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on