of dateline extra. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. she was just so beautiful. >> they'd found each other, and their own tropical island. >> we saw the lump in the water and said that's it. that will be our spot for the rest of our lives. >> she said it's like living in a postcard. >> a picture perfect life. until she disappeared. >> imagine you were calling. leaving messages. >> calling, texting, and we started wondering. >> why should she just leave? >> i called her best friend and said did she meet somebody? does she have a man that i don't know about? is something going on? >> where would she go? >> she wasn't selling it.

she loved it. >> and why did someone new now own her slice of paradise. >> i was convinced this guy killed these people and stole their property. >> and he was getting away with it. >> he was literally getting away with murder. t a dream that seems so out of reach. quit the rat race, move to an exotic land and buy your own private island. >> even when she was young, she wanted to see the world. >> cher made her dream come true in the most unlikely place, the tiny far away islands in panama. >> she would take a picture of the sunset and send it to me. she said it's like living in a postcard. >> life was beautiful and simple, an escape from the pressures of modern living. who could have known that evil could find a place in paradise too, that beneath all that

beauty was a dark secret. >> it still seems very unreal. i don't want to believe it. >> this is a really, really bad guy. >> just sent chills down my spine. >> but before the nightmare came the dream. this place is the kind of place where people come to escape, a group of islands off the coast of panama, and way off the beaten path. it's the kind of place where things move more slowly. and life is supposed to be easy. cher first visited the islands with her boyfriend keith whirly in 2000 for the outdoorsy cher, it was love at first sight. what's more, it was affordable for the same money cher has been saving up to sail around the world, she bought her little piece of paradise, a rental property, a small house, and that tiny round island. >> we saw the lump in the water and said that's it.

that will be our spot for the rest of our lives. >> cher and keith met seven years before that when the vivacious blonde walked into a little bar keith owned in florida. >> came in and those big blue eyes and a big smile. i was hooked. she was just so beautiful. >> cher grew up in st. louis where her all-american good looks got her into modelling as a teenager. >> she walked into a room and everybody knew she was there. she was always happy. always had a smile. >> reporter: she moved to florida where her sister said she became a savvy businesswoman running her own neon sign company. >> she would always make sure she had that income. she made sure she was setting herself up for what exactly what she wanted to do was retire and travel around the world. >> cher did travel, but mostly in the u.s. then a friend invited her to visit exotic bocus dell toro.

chefr jumped at the chance. >> took seven days to decide where we wanted to live the rest of our lives. the people here are phenomenal. >> we love you. >> and cher loves children, and panama has lots of kids. >> keith is a carpenter. he built their dream home. shiny wooden buildings on top of their island. cher planted tropical gardens and adopted a pet monkey and a brown doberman pincher named jack. he adored cher and followed her wherever she went. she loved the local school kids, planned movie nights with popcorn and celebrated the holidays with enthusiasm even though her friend, shawn trainer, says the kids didn't always get the significance. >> she would do the easter egg hunts for the kids. they had no idea what this crazy white woman was doing, coloring eggs and hiding them around on the island. they never participated in anything like that before. >> keith and cher's relationship

blossomed on the islands. in 2005 they married in front of their many friends in the close community. >> it's a small place. you go to the grocery store and meet 20 people you know. >> christen roberts who moved there from norway became part of cher's group of friends. >> she kind of stick together. you know, and treat each other like family. and take care of each other. >> spend holidays together? >> yeah. make up social events because there's obviously not a lot of social events happening. >> everyone went by their first names or nicknames. keith and cher were known as ken and barbie. a man, another american, known as wild bill, viking hat and all. bill and his wife jane opened a bar on their secluded property accessible only by boat where they sometimes gathered for drinks. >> bill had saturday parties at his place at the bar and restaurant once or twice a month.

>> draws everybody. >> everybody was there. >> it was cher's tropical dream come true. a beautiful backdrop for family reunions like the time her aunt mary came to visit. >> her grandmother, my mother, and i came down and visited and got the whirlwind tour, and they met us at the airport with a big bouquet of flowers. it was just wonderful. >> there was another big trip in the works. cher's sister judi was planning to visit for the very first time. >> she wanted to show you her paradise. >> oh, yeah. >> the trip would be a good distraction for cher. her life had turned up side down. her five-year marriage to keith hit a rough spot. he even moved out. >> when keith moved off the island, she was pretty devastated. but then again, i also thought whose marriage is perfect and hopefully they'll work it out. i knew they still loved each other. >> the sisters were excited

about the trip. plans were in full swing. >> she called me and said hey, i'm still hanging out on the front porch on the island and just saying how beautiful it is. can't wait for you to get here. hurry up and get here. >> and did you tell her you had a ticket? >> she knew i already had my ticket. i got everything lined up. >> what happens? >> i don't hear from her. >> one day passed, then another, and still nothing. >> what is racing through your mind at this point? >> too much time has gone by without her talking to one of the members of the family. and now i know something has happened. i kept hoping that i would get the phone call and oh, sorry. you know, my phone wasn't working. i dropped my laptop in the water. there was always that hope, but inside i knew something was wrong. >> jude di was worried, and cher was gone. coming up.

>> where's cher, and they're going i don't know, but we're mad at her too. >> but maybe her disasolved. >> she said i met somebody else. he's better than you. >> and she was running away with that person? >> yeah. >> so maybe she got on a boat with a new friend you didn't know about and she'd be back in a week? >> yeah. right. >> but who was this new mystery man and where was cher? when stealing paradise continues. continues. ♪ we would walk on the sidewalk ♪ ♪ all around the wind blows ♪ we would only hold on to let go ♪ ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we need someone to lean on ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we needed somebody to lean on ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ all we need is someone to lean on ♪ remember, you have out the hilton app. can the hilton app help us win?

hey, hey-we're all winners with the hilton price match guarantee, alright? man, you guys are adorable! alright, let's go find your coach, come on! book with the hilton app. expect better. expect hilton. thouwhich is breast cancer metastthat has spreadcer, to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can lead to death. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough, or chest pain. before taking ibrance,

tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance.

on the exotic coast of panama, cher hughes had been living out the dream of owning her own island, but then she vanished. >> imagine you were calling, leaving messages. >> calling, texting, facebooking. thn i started reading her facebook like cher whe panama i

haven't seen you around town. where are you at in give me a call. and we started wondering. >> when cher's husband keith realized she'd left town, she was surprised, but he thought he might know why. cher had been panama city, a place she could blend in more easily and wrap her head around their break up. >> she told me she wanted to spend time out of bocas. it's a small community. >> you have to keep telling the same story. she was ready for a break. >> was it part of her being on her own also and not with you at her side anymore? >> i think she -- cher was never alone. not a solitary person. she didn't like to spend much time by herself. >> it's not unusual for people to come and go around here. the easy going lifestyle is part of the island's charm, but cher's friend and family said it wouldn't be like her to leave so abruptly, leave her cherished

island with her belongings still here. >> cher's aunt mary started phoning cher's friends in panama. >> we immediately started calling her friends and going what's going on? and everyone was saying you know cher, she might have gone for a week and she lost her phone and i'm like well, okay. maybe. >> mary logged onto cher's facebook page and reached out to those friends. >> where's cher? they're going i don't know but we're mad at her too. she always day. why would she not call me? aggravated like what are you doing? >> and then some good news. cher's friends received a text message from her saying she'd gone sailing. >> she's a free spirit. right? >> oh, she had an opportunity, she'd go. you know? >> so maybe she got on a boat with some new friend that you didn't know about and she'd be back in a week. >> yeah. right. >> it wouldn't have surprised me that mary, i went sailing and my phone fell off the deck when i

dropped my purse. that would be cher for a three to four days. >> the messages were reassuring but not for long. a few days passed, and cher didn't return. then another text message, this one from cher to keith. >> she said i met somebody else who is better than you. >> she said she met someone else? >> yes. >> and she was running away with that person? >> yeah. >> a mystery man? keith wanted to get to the bottom of it. >> well, i called her best friend and said did cher meet somebody? did have a man i didn't know about? >> she said she's waiting for you. there's no man. she didn't run away. >> keith noticed something strange about the messages. they weren't written in cher's usual style. >> instead of small letters, it would be all capitals. she always wrote are. and the number for 2 rather than two. it changed. >> and then the text messages simply stopped.

cher's aunt mary called the u.s. embassy in panama and begged for help. >> i said we have a missing person, cheryl hughes and gave them all her facts and then we sent the embassy pictures, and -- but the embassy was telling me yes, we'll look through the morgues and hospitals, and if we find her, we'll notify you. but they made a big point of saying people disappear all the time, and if she wants to be found, she will contact you. i wasn't accepting that, because i'm from the united states, texas. this is my -- she calls her dad every sunday. don't tell me she ran away from home. so i had a hard time shouting into the darkness of the embassy saying help me, help me. >> things got worse. cher didn't call her father on his birthday. it was a huge alarm bell. >> i knew how she felt about her dad, and she would never, ever miss his birthday. something had happened to cher for sure in my heart, i knew then. >> after two months, it was staring everyone in the face.

the unanswered phone calls, the strange messages, the missed birthday. all the clues pointing to a horrible conclusion. >> did you start to pan snick. >> yeah. i knew something was wrong. the whole family started to panic. >> the terrible realization sank in. cher hadn't gone all sail organization return away with a mystery man. she wasn't hiding out in an apartment in panama city. something had happened to her. friends in bocas wracked their brains for answers and started thinking about another american from their group who has also left abruptly. had anyone heard from him. what if cher wasn't the only person missing? what if there were two? >> i just woke up morning. like one of those weird things and i just knew. coming up, another american who apparently just walked away leaving his home and a lot of questions behind. >> some shoes by the door. his cane is next to the front door. there's dirty dishes in the

sink. it gave me a weird vibe. >> i knew off the bat this was like what's going on here? >> i couldn't ignore it anymore. i just couldn't. somebody had to do something. >> when "stealing paradise" continues. with the hilton price match guarantee, alright? man, you guys are adorable! alright, let's go find your coach, come on! book with the hilton app. expect better. expect hilton. amanda's mom's appointment hello mom. just got rescheduled - for today. amanda needs right at home. our customized care plans provide as much - or as little help - as her mom requires. whether it's a ride to the doctor or help around the house. oh, of course! tom, i am really sorry. i've gotta go. daiten hol bert. daiten hol bert. right at home.

hey, our worker's comp insurance is expiring. should i just renew it? yeah, sure. hey there, pie insurance here to stop you from overpaying for worker's comp. try pie and save up to 30%. it's easy. sweet! get a quote in 3 minutes at easyaspie.com. hi. uh, can you tell me how to get to i-70, please? sorry, i'm working. right. could you just use your sign to point me in the direction? i wish i could. it's not that kind of sign.

you know what? thanks. thank you. thanks so much. switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. you know, like the sign says.

in the islands of bocas del toro panama, a crisis was brewing. cher hughes has been missing for two months. now her family and friends wondered if her disappearance had anything to do with another american who had left the islands abruptly four months before cher. a man named bo icelar. >> he was quiet, a great guy. introvert. >> bo kept a low profile since moving from santa fe in 2004. the former antique dealer was so quiet that no one noticed when he took off. >> a lot of people say let's go to argentina for six weeks. they don't email everybody and tell them they're leaving. it's easy to be not missed for a while. >> it made even more sense when

they found out that bo had sold his home to wild bill, another american in their group famous for throwing lively parties many of them attended including cher's friend christen. >> i knew that he wanted to sell and move somewhere different. and so i assumed they came to an understanding over the price and that bo had just left. >> still, as keith thought back to the days after bo moved out, an image kept returning to his mind. an image of bo's house right after he'd left. >> i walked in and looked around and it looked as if bo had gone to the store, not moved out. i went back and told my friends, i can't believe that house is really weird. there's towels on the back of the chair. his cane is next to the front door. there's dirty dishes in the sink. it gave me a really weird vibe that bo would just walk away. >> two americans missing. rumors began to swirl. could their disappearances be linked? >> the more you think about

something like that, it didn't add up. >> did it eat at you? did you keep thinking act it? >> i kept thinking about it. because it wasn't right that cher would leave without the party. i knew this girl would not leave town without a big party. and bo could leave, but the two of them going together and sending their belongings after the fact? it didn't sound right. >> and then christen heard something that made the floor drop from under her. bo abruptly stopped paying his bills, something totally unlike him. >> i woke up one morning, a weird thing. i couldn't ignore it anymore. i just couldn't. somebody had to do something. >> christen went to the police. >> did they immediately ib ve investigate? >> no. they put it in the file. i went there four days in the row and they looked for the file. they go yeah. they say people get lost in panama all the time. it's just two people missing.

big deal. >> christen reached out to someone she thought could help, another expat, don winter who won panama guide, a news website for foreigners living in panama. >> i was contacted by one of her friends that was concerned that she was miss and they asked for my help. >> don had lived in panama for decades, and acted as a consultant on this story. he had originally come here with u.s. military intelligence. the case of the two missing americans caught his attention. >> i knew right off the bat that this was like whoa, hey, what's going on here. i knew i had to apply a lot of time attention to it, and i also knew i had to get it right. >> he hopped on a plane to bocas del toro and tapped into the coconut telegraph. >> what's the coconut telegraph? >> that's just the rumor mill. they call it the coconut telegraph. when something happens, word spreads quickly. >> and from what don was hearing, things just weren't

adding up. he checked to see if bo and cher might have left the country. >> i knew that bo and cher both of them, their passports had not gone through the airport. if you look at immigration movements, both of them, you can track. they come in, they leave. >> they're still in panama. >> they came in. they never left. they're still in panama somewhere. >> but where? there was one more piece of the puzzle falling into place, and that would point a finger of suspicion at someone living right among them. coming up, he was their neighbor who threw outrageous parties and they knew he had quirks, but how well did they know wild bill? >> he was always the loudest voice in the room. he'd text everybody and say your lord commands you to come to my party. >> your lord commands you? >> yeah. >> a pirate out to make a killing in real estate. >> she wasn't selling to anybody. she loved it. >> bill showed up and said yep, i bought everything. >> when "stealing paradise"

continues. ♪ time for reflectin' on family and friends ♪ ♪ and hey, we got somethin' ♪ ♪ just for you (sniffing) ♪ it's a cup of your favori-i-i-ite... ♪ (loud splashing) (high-pitched laughter) dang woodchucks! with geico, the savings keep on going. just like this sequel. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. tracfone lets you keep your leftover data each month. unlimited carryover data! $20 bucks. what are you doing? i want to ask you about your data. oh, i thought you said dating. this is your wake-up call, people. the new tracfone wireless. now you're in control.

the new tracfone wireless. itso chantix can help you quit slow turkey. along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting. chantix reduces the urge so when the day arrives, you'll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or life-threatening allergic and skin reactions. decrease alcohol use. use caution driving or operating machinery. tell your doctor if you've had mental health problems. the most common side effect is nausea. quit smoking slow turkey. talk to your doctor about chantix.

this is the hour top stories. ongoing protests in iran after the government admitted the military accidentally shot down a ukrainian plane killing 17 6 people on board. the country's supreme leader should step down, and protesters accuse after a coverup. pelosi says president trump is impeached for life despite the actions of mitch mcconnell. in an interview pelosi accused mcconnell of gamesmanship in his handling of the trial. now back to "dateline". two americans had vanished from tropical bocas del toro panama, and after months of searching their friends and family were convinced that their disappearances were linked and that something terrible had happened to both of them.

>> they both disappeared, and neither of them contacted anybody and the same story, both of them had their personal belongings that was going to be sent to them. one and one is two. american bo iselar was the first to leave in the fall. at the time no one thought it was unusual, especially when they learned he sold to house to someone else in the community, wild bill. >> bill had a persona of i have buckets of cash. i can pay for it. >> they pulled documents from the public registry and found out that wild bill had bought more than just bo's home. >> bill cortez had taken over bo's company. and the company owned the property. so shortly after bo goes missing, bill cortez and his wife are the president and secretary of this company. they own it. >> bill was in a hurry to get bo's house remodelled and flipped to a new owner. he even placed an ad in the local paper trying to sell it.

in fact, wild bill seemed to be on a real estate buying and selling spree. he got his first property in 2007 from a reclusive family living on an escape close to cher's island. the browns, a father, mother and teenage son. now he acquired bo's house as well. but the next purchase grabbed everyone's attention. >> bill showed up and said i bought everything. >> everything meaning your rental properties. >> the four properties. >> the house you built together? >> exactly. >> the beautiful estate? >> exactly. everything we built together, he bought it all. and of course, cher would have spoken to me before she would have sold the island, and that didn't ring true. >> bill said she bought cher's entire estate, even her beautiful island and cher had simply taken off. >> my dogs were there, belongings on the island. where's cher and where's that stuff? when she gets back, you can deal with that. that's between you and her.

>> keith asked to get the dogs back. >> he brought me one of my dogs and here's a table and two chairs and a tool box. i said there's a lot more missing here, bill. >> to keith the whole story didn't add up. >> she would have never sold the island. it would have never happened. >> did you have an interest in the property. >> we put everything in cher's name. >> she had the right to sell it? >> absolutely, without telling me anything. >> you don't think she would have done that? >> no. it was our home. we set it up to live there forever. >> it all sounded wrong to aunt mary as well. >> she wasn't selling that place. she loved it. she loved it. >> mary wanted answers. she picked up the phone and called wild bill. >> and he told me yeah, i got a great deal on cher's property. i bought everything at $0.50 on the dollar. i said i'd like to see that resaer

recei receipt. well,y signed a confidentiality statement. i said i'd like to look for it. he said come on down, i'll help you look for cher. she's not here. >> where did he tell you she'd gone. >> that was the next question, what do you think she went? i heard she got an apartment in panama city. i said so where's her stuff and everything? he goes yeah, she got there and had me send her some jewelry and money air cargo. i said i'd like to see the receipt on that. because this girl is not going to have you looking through her drawers finding her jewelry. >> never. never. >> but his didn't make sense. >> it made no sense, and his arrogance came through the phone. i'd never met him, but it's like do you believe what you know or what i'm telling you? i said well, what i know. >> and another curious thing was happening over at bill's place. no one could figure out why cher's devoted dog jack kept leaping off cher's island and swimming to bill's house over

and over again. >> they kept putting him back at your old home and he would swim over? >> he'd swim back and stay right there. >> but for bill, it was business as usual. he even threw one of his famous parties at cher's place with all her things still there. it seemed odd to her friend shawn trainer who stopped by that night. >> it wasn't very well attended. >> why didn't people go? >> i think everybody had the same thing. it was kind of really weird that it was at cher's house and he was doing it. >> bill even made a toast at the party to friendship. >> and bill gave a speech? >> yeah. it was really something about having good friends. >> like here's to good friends? >> just like that. >> wild bill lived about an hour's boat ride from the main island in bocas del toro, big guy with a big personality. he was known for throwing parties at his place. and even in a place that's full of colorful characters, wild bill stood out. >> he was always the loudest voice in the room.

he'd text everybody and say your lord commands you to go to my party? >> your lord commands you? >> yeah. he talked about himself in a royal sense. everyone took it at another one of bill's quirks? >> another quirk, a pirate club called the jolly roger social club. he joked only 90% of the members survive. by now an uneasy feeling about wild bill was spreading throughout bocas, and he was lying low. >> every time i saw him, he was in a hurry. he didn't want to answer a lot of questions. nervous. >> and with good reason. the more don winter tapped into the island's coconut telegraph, the more he became convinced that wild bill was the key to finding bo and cher. >> this was the common denominator between the two of them that this guy had supposedly bought their property for cash and both people disappear. >> the flairs went off.

wild bill dealt with both the people and they're missing? >> do you remember that moment? >> dread came over me. he could have done something to these people. >> coming up, the dark side of paradise. >> execute a search warrant on his house. find the ak-47. get him in custody. the police went up with shovels and came down about two hours later and said we need you to come up and take a look. >> and i imagine that was one of the hardest days of your life. >> inconceivable. >> when "stealing paradise" continues. i saw you eating poop earlier. hey! my focus is on the road, and that's saving me cash with drivewise. who's the dummy now? whoof! whoof! so get allstate where good drivers save 40% for avoiding mayhem, like me. sorry! he's a baby!

and you'll experience a whole new range of emotions like... of a travel site the relaxing feeling of knowing you're getting the best price. and the magic power of unlocking your room with your phone. i can read minds too. really? book at hilton.com and get the hilton price match guarantee. the famous meat lover's pizza from pizza hut. over a pound of meat and cheese for just 10 bucks. it's more pepperoni for your penny, more beef for your buck, more... you get the idea. get yours delivered now at pizza hut.com. no one out pizzas the hut

♪ when crabe stronger...strong, with new nicorette coated ice mint. layered with flavor... it's the first and only coated nicotine lozenge. for an amazing taste... ...that outlasts your craving. new nicorette ice mint. (honk!) i hear you sister.

that's why i'm partnering with cigna to remind you to go in for your annual check-up, and be open with your doctor about anything you feel - physically and emotionally. but now cigna has a plan that can help everyone see stress differently. just find a period of time to unwind. a location to de-stress. an activity to enjoy. or the name of someone to talk to. to create a plan that works for you, visit cigna.com/mystressplan. cigna. together, all the way. in the tiny community of bocas del toro, all eyes were on one of their own. wild bill cortez. in four months' time he'd snapped up the homes of two

people who had mysteriously vanishes, bo and cher. now cher's husband, keith, was telling anyone who would listen that the disappearances and property transfers were no coincidence. >> i right away thought bill has done something to these people. i was telling people in bocas about the suspicions. we're all say the same thing. bill is in the area. and he told people he was going to come shut me up. he told three or four people that. i moved into a hotel with security. i was on the third floor. i was afraid for my family. i was afraid for anyone i cared about that was near me when he would come and kill me. >> keith wasn't the only one who was nervous. >> i got to the point where i became convinced this guy, cortez, had killed these people in order to steal their property. that's when i said i'm going to the authorities. >> he urged keith to do the same. >> he said you need to come to panama city, get to the prosecutor and the dij and really turn up the heat. >> keith went to panama city and

laid out the case against wild bill to the dij, the panama fbi. >> from that point on, kudos to the panama police. they stepped it up. >> for aull the suspicion, ther was no everyday. dan heard stories about wild bill and his ak-47. but in panama, it's illegal for a silver yan to own that type of weapon. don made a suggestion to police. >> execute a search warrant on his house. find the ak-47. get him in possession. find the gun, lock him down. >> and then figure out what role, if any he might have had in the disappearance of two people. police drew up the warrant. authorities authorities descended on wild bill's home. police began the search. >> police are looking around. they're here. they have a search warrant on

this property looking for a gun. >> yeah. they're executing the search warrant for an ak-47. when they got here, they encountered cher's dog. >> jack, the doberman who adored cher was already at bill's place. no one knew exactly how he got there, but the dog was anxious, pacing nervously. >> jackie was really animated and agitated and kept circling. and running up into the jungle. >> and the dog would come down and like bark at the people that were doing the search and then run up the hill, and follow me, guys and the dog led them up there. >> right here? >> went up into the back of the property. >> jack bounded up and down the hill until police followed him. and there, they found something shocking. a mound of disturbed dirt. they began to dig. cher's husband, keith, waited at the bottom of the hill. >> the police went up with shovels, and then they came down about two hours later and said we need you to come up and take a look.

>> in a shallow grave hidden under a mound of garbage, the body of cher hughes. she had been shot once in the back of the head. >> i imagine that was one of the hardest days of your life? >> yeah. serious. i mean, no one should ever see someone they care about look like that. >> now keith finally understood why jack kept swimming to bill's place. >> he'd swim that mile back and just stay right there. he was staying true to mommy. >> but the horror wasn't over as police continued searching bill's property, they discovered another mound of disturbed dirt. another shallow grave, and there buried beneath more rubble, the other missing american. >> when they found the bodies, that's when they realized that it's not just people with suspicions and making accusations. it's really happening. >> keith watched as authorities raided bill's home. he says they found evidence of the ghastly crimes. bo's i.d., cher's passport, her

purse, and her cell phone, used to send the text messages saying cher had simply gone for a sail. and there was more. nazi memorabilia, strange satanic signs, jewelry that may have belonged to the victims and the most gruesome discovery, about a dozen gold teeth. >> he lived with these things. he lived with corpses and people's personal effects around him. >> souvenirs? >> could be. i don't know, or was it more functional because he was using the cell phones to send out text messages to try to create misdirection on cher? >> but gold teeth? >> well, you see, he had this whole thing of always on the run, and so if he had gold, he could use that in any country to buy his way out of anything. >> it may have been financial? >> yeah. >> just for value? >> who knows what he was thinking or doing. >> the expats in bocas were in

turmoil. two of their friends were dead and found in the body of someone they trusted. >> i had him in my own. we did the social neighbor thing with him and he shot my wife. unconceivable. >> authorities launched a search for bill and his wife who they also suspected was involved. but it was too late. they had already fled. >> this is now a major man hunt. >> right. i knew he was probably out of the country already. that he was on the fly, so the most important thing at that point was to get his picture out there on every television screen, on every newspaper cover, on every computer monitor. it's got to get out there in a big way to get him caught. that's what happened. eventually the press coverage caught up to him. >> by then wild bill and his wife, jane, were in costa rica. someone recognized them there and contacted the police. as the search intensified, bill and jane made a desperate attempt to cross into nicaragua

by boat, but they were stopped by soldiers at a check point. >> when he sees this check point, the boat driver is going to stop. okay? so what he does is stands up, grabs the boat driver, throws him into the river, takes control of the tiller himself and goes flipping down the river, down the san juan river. there was a nick waug ra army parol on a patrol boat in the area. they got the drop on him with machine guns and said halt or die, and he stopped. that was the first time he'd ever had handcuffs on. >> it was also the first time anyone on the island heard wild bill's real name. >> i'm william dathan holbert. >> the bar tender, wild bill cortez was, in fact, william dathan holbert, a 30-year-old on the run from american authorities since 2006. as the islanders absorbed the headlines of a killer among them.

they discovered he had a long past that stretched nearly 2000 miles from the white sand beaches of bocas del toro to the blue ridge mountains of north carolina. that's where he grew up going by dathan. he played high school football, married his sweet heart, had three kids, and worked as a landscaper. his old boss had a gym, liked dathan until dathan had an affair with one of his employees. and hoover says embezzled 25$,000 from the gym's accounts. >> he told me he thought that was part of his pay. his package. and i said no, dathan, it's not part of your package. >> and that was just the beginning. dathan left the job and his wife. he ran off with laura michelle reese who would later be known as jane cortez in bocas. in 2005 police say dathan started in on real estate scams. he sold a home that wasn't his for $200,000. police charged him with obtaining property under false

pretenses. by the time the owner realized what had happened, dathan was on the run. that landed him on the television program "america's most wanted". somewhere along the line, police say dathan sold a stolen car in montana and when cops pulled him over for speeding in wyoming, he took off. >> stop, right now. >> leading them on a high speed chase before escaping. . it seems it was only after he moved to panama the dathan scams took a sinister turn. >> the change was he killed people to get the documentation to take away the property and not only did he steal the property, he would steal everything in the house. cars, boats, right down to the toothbrush and the underwear and their dogs. >> he took down their lives? >> yea. >> he was finally in police custody after four years, charged with heinous crimes and murders of bo and cher. >> there are dozens if not a

hundred people in this town who knew cher and bo and they're thinking wow, this guy fooled us all. he fooled everybody. >> he got away with murder. >> for a while, yeah. >> little did everyone know that wild bill had actually gotten away with a lot more. coming up, an alleged killer trades his island hide away for a panamanian jail cell, and finds his own life may be in danger. >> there's a guard in this jail that brings me a cell phone and gives me death threats from these people and threats on my wife's life. >> an interview with wild bill. >> i never tried to paint myself as a good guy. i'm a bad guy. i'm getting what i deserve. >> when st"stealing paradise" continues. ing paradise" continues. alright, let's go find your coach, come on! book with the hilton app. expect better. expect hilton.

little things can be a big deal. psoriasis, that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with... ...an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur.

tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you.

the search for cher hughes and bo had ended tragically. both were found dead shot in the back of the head and buried in

shallow graves. after being caught at the nicaragua border wild bill and his wife emerged from the jungle in shackles, charged with the murders. bill's wife was subdued. >> no comment. >> and denied any involvement. >> bill, however, appeared surprisingly cheerful, saying he was happy to be back in panama. those first days when bill was brought back to panama, what was he like? >> he was making jokes and laughing. and he was really a -- he wanted people to see him. he was really trying to show off. >> national director of police interrogated wild bill and says he talked openly about the killings. bill admitted to shooting bo iselar on his boat. for cher, it started with a friendly dinner at bill's place. after bill took her outside to see some animals behind his house. when she turned to look at them, he shot her.

did bill tell you why he murdered the people that he confessed to murdering? >> money. money. he said yeah, i wanted to have their things. >> but even the most hardened cops were shocked to hear what else bill had done. wild bill drew a map of his home with xs marking where the bodies were buried. only there were more than two xs on bill's map. there were five. five victims. not just bo and cher. but three more people who had died at the hands of wild bill. this time it was a father, mother, and their teenage son, the brown family. they were the original owners of bill's property, cher's neighbors. >> beautiful view. look at that. >> that's the thing. and they built the house on the hill for the view. >> yeah. >> and then sometime around christmas, 2007 -- >> right. i believe that's when bill killed the brown family. took over this property and

moved in as his own. >> and then there's the sign. hauz yen da cortez. >> what a skull and cross bones. >> yeah. skull and cross bones. the whole thing about the pirates and skulls, that was his whole gig. >> it's chilling. >> after the bodies were discovered, wild bill was seen as a monster in panama. a serial killer who kept his victims' personal things in his own house. we wanted to speak with bill holbert, so we reached out to his attorney. we did get a return call. it was the lawyer with wild bill himself on the phone, calling from his jail cell in panama. he had already confessed to the murders, but he said he wanted to explain himself. >> i am not denying criminal activity. i am only saying that what's been portrayed in the media as this crazy serial killer thing is completely untrue. i'm telling you i am not a serial killer. i have never taken the pleasure in harming another human being. and the things i've done in my

life haunt my nightmares and i'm left here to die. >> you to understand the victims of these crimes, their families are in r incensed. their families say you had parties at their homes. how can you defend that action? >> defend it? i'm not trying to defend my actions. i'm a criminal. i'm a bad guy, your worst nightmare, but i'm also saying i didn't wake up one morning and decide to kill my neighbors. >> shortly after our call, a very different looking bill holbert gave an interview to a local tv station from his jail cell. his wild blonde hair replace bade brown buzz cut. >> i planned it. i did it. i'm guilty of it. i'm gong ton punished for it. >> in cold and chilling detail, he recounts how he murdered the brown family. >> i separated them. this is gruesome, and i understand it's very -- but you're asking me and i'll answer your questions, sir. i separated them. i asked mike brown to show me a well he dug in the back of his

property. i took him there and shot him from behind and killed him. >> he also admits to another victim, number six. american expat jeffrey kline, holbert claims he died when the two got into a fight on a boat. too afraid to go to authorities, holbert came up with his own solution foricked and took it h and buried it. i built a picnic area over it. it was the wrong thing to do. i didn't know what to do. i never trii'm not. i'm getting what i deserve. i am sorry. but i can do nothing to bring the people back, especially cherl hughes. >> holbert says he's sorry for what he's done and he does shed tears but not for the victims. for his wife, laura, who he says is innocent. >> if she was sitting here, i would tell her i'm sorry. she never -- because she didn't

deserve this. if i could give my life to make her free, i would. that's it. >> and the man who said he killed six people had time to sit in a cell and think about his own death. william holbert and his wife laura reese apparently received threats in prison. >> there's a guard in this jail that brings me a cell phone and gives me death threats from those people and threats on my life. i'm a dead man. i don't care. that's not important. new my wife don't deserve this. >> you talk about this? what are the options they have? >> options? just give me a second to compose myself. >> this is a really, really bad guy. i mean, doesn't get any worse than this kind of guy. he's the worst of the worst. >> do you think the trail of bodies is longer than we moe? >> i have no doubt. how many people did this guy kill? nobody knows.

>> panama's prosecutor on the case said he reached out to other countries to see if any of their missing persons may have crossed paths with wild bill. >> once they verify and confirm any persons who have had contact with him and have disappeared, they will take measures to verify where they are. >> if there are other victims out there, they may be hard to find. wild bill mostly targeted loners, people whose disappearance might not be noticed. it wasn't until bill killed cher, the woman who had a smile for everyone, that he was caught. >> his mistake of targeting cher is what was his down fall. >> he couldn't have picked a girl more loved. he picked someone that stood out everywhere she went. and would be missed and loved. >> someone the family cared so much about that they would start calling immediately sfwlchlt. >> this is our girl. how dare you mess with our girl and think we're not coming for

her? >> it would take seven long years for the wheels of justice to turn in panama. during that time holbert's wife divorced him while they both sat in separate jails. but cher's family finally got the news they had long waited for. in august of 2017 william dathan holbert, the man the people of bocas del toro knew as wild bill cortez, was found guilty of the robbery and homicide of five people according to a tweet from the panama ministry of justice. he was sentenced to 47 years in prison. and the woman once known as jane cortez, she was sentenced to 26 years for her role in the crimes. for cher's sister, judi, there are only good memories and appreciation for the big sister who followed her adventurous spirit all the way to paradise. >> you're not bitter she ever went to panama to bocas del

toro? >> i'm happy she went, because i know what it meant to her. the peace in her heart of being able to live there, i wouldn't have wanted her to miss that. . i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is ""dateline." . >> she was receiving a long rambling e-mails threatening her life saying that her husband is cheating on her. she's telling her to watch her back. she better get out of the picture. >> menacing e-mails sent to a newlywed. >> the new wife went to authorities and said she was being harassed. >> that's when all the fireworks started happening. >> obviously, this has to stop. >> what arrived next appears far worse.