have kids and we still think about christy, that she never got to have that. >> she was a huge light in this world, that was taken away, way too soon. just way too soon. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i am natalie morales, thanks for watching. morales, thanks fo>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is dateline. >> she did not deserve this. to kill someone, over months, and months and months. there are a lot of ways to kill someone, but i have never seen anything like this. >> a devastating mystery illness. >> she was in a lot of pain, excruciating pain. >> this is all i wanted. >> she looks like a zombie? >> like a zombie. >> i knew that she was gone. >> what was happening to this

young mom? >> so, when you are seeing this. >> we are like oh my gosh. someone said, could this be a poison? >> this is the kind of stuff that was used by russian kgb agents. >> who in the right mind would even think of this? >> you need to search those computers, search those phones. >> this is being done to her on purpose, she is in danger. >> this evil came into our lives. how could this be? ♪ ♪ ♪ >> welcome to dateline. -- loved to ride, and was hardwired to go the extra mile with everything that she did. then, suddenly, her health collapsed. doctors were baffled as her symptoms multiplied and grew more alarming. and then is confounding mistreat took a sinister turn. somebody wanted her dad, and they thought that they had hatched a foolproof plan.

could a keen eyed physician and the fbi stop it in time? here is the depression blue mystery. >> from the moment the ambulance arrived at the san diego emergency room in march, 2018, the situation was frightening. and, desperate triage nurse laura took one look at the young woman on the gurney, and knew that something was terribly, terribly wrong. >> she was losing her vision, she cannot feel or extremities, feet or hands. she could not even see the water that i was giving her. >> the patient's name was brigitta, she had just turned 28. yet, she seemed to be near death. >> at that point, i mean, she was very, very sick? >> probably the sickest patients in the er at that time. >> i told my coworkers that, she might go on me. >> whatever was killing her was not evident. there were no bruises, no

wounds or no obvious signs of infection and yet when doctor jeff la point examined her -- >> she was critically ill, very ill. >> so began an unusual detective story. first, the doctors had to unravel a medical mystery. soon enough, real detectives would be on the case as well. but at that moment -- . >> we saw someone was almost apathetic, didn't have a personality, she could barely talk and tell us anything it was hard to get history. >> looking for clues, the doctor dove into her medical records, and they were extensive. brigida have been suffering for months. nausea, fatigue, excruciating pain. she had been in and out of dr. offices and ers repeatedly. her sister olga says brigida's illness will come on suddenly. >> she was often violently sick. she had to call from work, and was sick for days.

>> various doctors had come up with theories, from fibroid's to cancer. >> there was one doctor that actually told her oh, you have really bad menstrual cramps, because she felt like one of her symptoms was that her ovaries were about to fall out of her body. she called me and said, she was crying, and said i do not know what to do. and i am frustrated because i thought, nobody could tell us what was wrong with her. >> brigida had wondered if stress could be making her sick. she had a toddler to chase around, a husband in the navy who was trying to find a new career, and a new job teaching special ed. it was thrilling, but overwhelming. so doctors put her on medication for depression, but then she got sick again. >> she kept going to the doctors, and she kept getting worse, worse and worse. losing a lot of weight. >> her mom, also named olga, felt helpless as her daughter's

illness progressed. >> when you are getting more and more worried, seeing your daughter waste away? >> i was thinking she was getting tired of going to the doctors, and then finding nothing. she says mom, i give up, i will not go to the doctors anymore. i said no, you can't, you have to go back. you cannot give up. she was not even walking normally anymore. >> just one it seemed like things could not get worse, a disturbing new symptom. >> i went next door to see her, and she, we ended up on her kitchen floor. and she was crying to me and said, she had pulled out a chunk of her hair, like, just in the shower. it came out. >> brigida beautiful, dark brown locks started to fall out by the fistful. >> when you see her lose her hair, i felt like that was her

most beautiful trait. how concerned were you? >> we were very concerned. and on march 5th, she called me in the morning and said mom, i need to go to the hospital. she says, i could hardly breathe. >> brigida lived in the country, in a house right next to her parents. yet, that morning, she could not really see her way to their place. and the pain in her legs was so bad that she could barely get into her mother's suv. >> i tried to help her by raising a leg, but even the touch was painful. she screamed. >> her mom raced her to the naval hospital in san diego. >> she said mom, just drop me off as close as you can to the entrance. and ... i still remember, i saw her walking. and she walked like, you know

like the walking dead? >> like a zombie? >> like a zombie, it was horrible. >> but the navy doctors could also not figure out what was wrong. brigida's husband took her back to their family doctor, who called an ambulance when they saw how sick she was. now, at kaiser hospital, she was doctor liu points mystery patient. >> one of the mystery physicians working saw her and said, it is just not right, and from their our team was called. >> doctor lapointe has board certification in medical toxicology, a rare thing in an er. as it happened, his expertise would prove critical. >> as a toxicologist, i was a little bit more in the detective role. >> so what was causing brigida's hair to fall out, not to mention the severe pain, vision loss and weakness? >> doctors, when they first saw her said oh, it could be lupus? >> she had this chronic kind of withering, slow course.

so auto immune stuff was on the list. cancer does not make you lose your hair, it's the therapy that makes you lose your hair. >> doctor lapointe knew he had to solve this mystery fast. brigida was fading. the clock was ticking. >> when i saw her and i knew that she was dying, she was in a lot of pain. she was in excruciating pain. and i remember being in the hospital room and i was like, i want to be close to my sister. so she put herself through an insane amount of pain just to turn her body to look at me. >> how close was she to dying? >> i watched my sister almost die, i knew that she was gone. >> a family anguish deepens, and the race to unravel this mystery shifts into overdrive. >> coming up. >> your daughter is getting weaker, and weaker. she was losing her vision? >> she was losing everything.

>> for her husband and young son, were they in danger as well? >> i have a child in the equation now, i have a spouse. let's make sure the child is safe, now they have not been exposed. >> when dateline continues. been exposed. >> when dateline continues why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema

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visit noweyesee.com to get the facts about diabetes, your eyes, and what you can do next— to take charge of your sight. brought to you by regeneron. >> here at kaiser permanently hospital in san diego, brigida uto was so weak, she could not conjure up the energy to care about what was happening to her. doctors have a term for

patients in his apathetic state. la belle indifference. >> you are so weak wasting away, , you don't have is inside like oh, that is fine. >> this tells you right there, but she was as sick as she could get, and possibly was near death? >> i think so, yes. >> doctor jeff lapointe did not know for sure was making brigida sick. but there were -- his toxicologist mind, the symptoms indicated she might have been exposed to a toxic chemical. and he realized, she might not be the only one. >> there are so many moving pieces, i now have a child in the equation, i have a spouse. let's make sure we are observing them, make sure the child is safe, that they have not been exposed. >> he had brigida's husband and son admitted to a separate hospital for testing. and for safety sake, they banned all visitors from her

hospital room, even immediate family. >> there was a time where he did not know what was happening with your sister. did you think, this visit, she might be gone already, nobody is telling us? >> yes, oh yes. i was like a zombie, a walking zombie. just going through the motions, hoping that she is okay. knowing that if they had not called me to tell me that she was gone, it is because she is still here. >> olga is two years younger than brigida, they have always been close. >> we should a bedroom when we were little. of course, every night was like a sleep over. we did everything together, we were literally there for each other for everything that had happened. throughout our childhood, teenage years, adult life. she was my go to person. >> their dad, john mcingvale, worked for u.s. customs at the border. they grew up in rural san diego county. >> there were no real dangers. it was a safe, i do like upbringing for your daughters? >> it is safe. every place has its dangers.

i mean, over the years we had a rattlesnake here or there, or somebody came through and stole a pick up truck. there are dangers, but that goes with anywhere. you can't protect someone from everything. >> from their dad, their girls learn caution. from their mom, they learned the importance of faith. >> i put them in a catholic school. they teach you a lot of moral values, things that are important in life. >> brigida would beg to go to church during the week, is that true? >> during the week, yes. >> a little girl who begged to go to church grew into an accomplished young woman who ran across the and excelled in school. >> did she put a lot of pressure on herself then, to be perfect? >> yes. she has always been that way. even in kindergarten, they used to get a lot of homework. she was the type of girl, if she made a little mistake, she did not want to have her pages show that she had erased something. she would start all over. >> near the end of her senior

year in high school, brigida met a young man named race a runner like he was, uto, a great behind her, but ambitious and determined to go to the naval academy in annapolis. >> when did you first hear about race? >> i was 16 years old. i remember, she met him at a car show. she was there doing the venture the graduating class. she did not go to our high school, he was there, remember her saying something after it's like he met this guy, basically. and i was like oh, okay, i didn't think much of it, my sister did really not date that much. >> but it's all got to know him better, she thought that he might just be the guy that she needed. she was always very into her books. she stuck to the rules. he took her to that adventurous part of her life. >> got a lot of? herschel >> definite got out of her shell. >> i saw it inside of her. but >> raise made it to the naval academy, like he wanted, but he suffered a hernia that never healed properly. eventually, he had to withdraw,

without graduating. he didn't join the navy, though. then, in 2014, brigade oh and race married. very soon, she was back in with her son. everyone was thrilled when the baby came. >> we were all excited. >> we sit there, like when we were little, and we had a little dull, and we hold my nephew, we take turns. you know, i take care of him, while she sleeping on trying to rest, watching her learning experience being a mom for the first time, how she wanted to be. it was beautiful. >> then, just before her son turned to, brig eta got sick. soon, she could barely pick up a child. your daughter is getting weaker, and weaker and you can barely walk. she was losing a vision. >> she was losing everything. >> now, in the hospital, toxicologist, jeff liu point, developed a chilling suspicion

about what was wrong with the bridge eta. we're >> all just like, you think, oh my god. >> coming up, our wherein devastating diagnosis. >> highly toxic, highly toxic. this is your very first case. >> yeah. >> growing danger at the hospital. and a sudden alert at the fbi. >> were notified, immediately, that's something we're very concerned about. >> when dateline continues. concerned about. >> when dateline continues

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jeff low point was keeping his mind open. letting the clues lead him to a theory, about why it might be

killing brigida. >> i just had to figure out what's wrong, and get the treatment started. >> most of her symptoms could've been caused by a range of toxic chemicals, like arsenic, cadmium or sees medium. but, to dr. liu point, one particular symptom stood out. sudden hair loss. >> that's the telltale sign. >> if you tell them, you have a young woman who's lost her hair and, now can't walk because her feet hurt so, volumes on a list. it straight out the books. that leon is a heavy metal, atomic number 81, on the periodic table of elements. >> it was discovered late 1800s, and quickly began being used medically, early 1900s, -- you wanted a job to lose their hair, you would give them valium. >> oh my god. >> doctor low point to also knew, for decades, dalian had another use, as an ingredient

in rat poison. >> it was really good as a road and decide. it was outlined in the 1970s. it's really good at killing things, at the end of the day. >> highly toxic,. >> you had never treated anybody else for thallium poisoning. >> no. >> this was your very first case. >> yeah. >> yet, there is no quick way to confirm mrs. sufficient. hospitals rarely see patients with thallium poisoning, and don't have a way to test for it. >> so, no hospital is just going to put a drop of blood and have a come back, yes, thallium. so you have to send these things away. now, i'm looking at a two or three-day delay. >> days that, he knew, bring it might not. half >> we have a very scary situation, where we have a test that's infrequently reported, that i need now, that is the send out. it's scary, it's serious, it's been frequently done, and it's exotic. >> you're in a race against time, when it comes to saving her life. >> yeah.

i'm trying to advocate all these different people, lots of hours on the phone. trying to get somebody on the phone saying, this was going to die. as soon as we sent the test, we said, how do we get the antidote? >> he wanted to get ready as soon as results came in. what is the antidote? >> so, the antidote is called oppression blue. >> you've probably seen impression blue in paint. yes, paint. it's been used as a pigment, since the 1700s. you can see it here, in vincent van gogh's starry night. it wasn't until 1965 that scientists discovered prussian blue could be uses antidote. it works by speeding up elimination of certain poison, such as thallium. while you can't buy blue paint in any -- is nearly impossible to find. >> so, we started calling pharmacies around town, a different places. we started calling the navy, or we called our local public health people. we got in touch with the cdc,

and we finally find storage. they're all confidential stored sites, but we found one. >> prussian blue it's so hard to find, because it's also an antidote for radiation poisoning. the u.s. government keeps it under close guard, stockpiled in case of a nuclear attack. >> so, no one wants to give me an antidote before proven him. because, we don't just throw around prussian blue. we >> have several tripwire set up, in this case the prussian blue patient was in san diego, and we were notified immediately that a production order. >> john cale is a special agent with the fbi, and san diego. his focus is weapons of mass destruction. a request for the antidote to thallium, but his office in alert. >> in the past several decades, there's been instances where thallium has been used as an assassination weapon. >> that's where you're thinking when you get this call, oh,

what's happening? >> right. that's something that we're very concerned about, in the united states. >> all of this just as president trump was days away from a trip to san diego, to talk about the border wall. >> you triggered all about alarm bells. >> yes. >> coming up, so when you're seeing this >> were like, oh my gosh. >> a deadly substance in brigida system, but how? >> i'm proceeding like this is unintentional poisoning, until proven otherwise. >> when dateline continues. wewe

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here's what's happening. queen elizabeth marks 70 years on the throne today. her anniversary, known as the platinum jubilee serves to emphasize, although the queen is assume the throne in february, 1952. official celebrations are around the time she was coordinated in june. they will be an extra national holiday for the equation, along

with other events throughout the uk throughout the year. she also announced she wants camila to be queen when charles ascends the throne. now, back to dateline. ascends the throne no >> welcome back to dateline, i'm natalie morales. brigida uto was clinging to life in an icu. her doctor had a hunch she had been poisoned. and is pressed to get hold of the closely guarded antidote, which raised alarms of the fbi. now, brigida test results were about to solve one piece of this mystery. and send the case in a chilling new direction. returning now to the procession blue mystery. >> brigida's mom cannot visit her daughter in the hospital. no visitors were allowed, so she waited and prayed. that was all that she could do.

30 miles away at kaiser hospital, doctor lapointe was waiting as well. three days had passed since she sent out brigida samples. brigida, in pain the whole time. finally, the lab results came back. just as he suspected, it was thallium. a lot of it. brigida husband and young son seemed to be clear of the toxic metal, but she was in serious danger. >> her levels were off of the charts? >> they really were. >> more than 1000 times the acceptable level. >> wow, that is unbelievable. >> a hospital staffer had driven through the night to get hold of prussian blue pills. doctor lapointe started brigida on them immediately. but, with so much thallium in her system, dr. lapointe worried that prussian blue would not be enough to save her. he also put her on dialysis to filter her blood. it was a slow process.

when fbi special agent john deal arrived to question her, brigida was still desperately ill. >> how would you describe her condition at that point in time? >> it was a serious condition, she struggled with answering simple questions. >> sick as she was, he knew that he could not wait. >> she looked bad, and it is concerning. so at that point, we did not know if she would make it. >> he needed to quickly figure out how she had been exposed to thallium. brigida did her best to help. >> at several points, she thought she had been exposed to thallium. she received holistic medical treatments in mexico. >> or maybe, she said, she could have been exposed at the school where she worked. it was an old army base, there might be traces of old rat poison there. >> some of these older school structures, were used during world war ii. that is the time when we used thallium based like denton

sides. >> the investigators followed brigida's leads. the holistic treatments? nothing. there san diego sheriff department brett -- brad took at the school. >> i took some of the teachers who work in the same areas she worked there have been some, rumors the previous year some teachers went out sick a lot. i had to look into that, it turned out to be not in any way, shape or form involved in this. >> meanwhile, a hazmat team searched the uto house, and found no thallium. they also considered another possibility. >> we also had to explore the fact that sometimes in these cases, a person might try to poison themselves if they are struggling with depression, or crying out for attention. >> brigida had been depressed around the time she first started to get sick. but brigida and everybody who knew her told him, in no way was she suicidal. >> i told the detective, i know my sister more than anybody. she would never do this to herself. >> and as the mother of a young

child, i would imagine, much less? >> no! she always wanted to be a mother, to have a family. she would not throw it away like that. >> as they eliminated all of the other possibilities, the detectives, along with doctor lapointe came to a sinister conclusion. >> i am proceeding like this is unintentional poisoning until proven otherwise. >> why would somebody choose thallium? >> someone would choose thallium, because it looks like a medical disorder. it presents as someone having a slow decline, and withering away, dying. you would associate this with a chronic illness. it is poison, to get away with it. >> the next step to solving this mystery was figuring out how brigida had been poisoned. doctor lapointe did his own kind of detective work. >> and, you see this kind of, really bright spots everywhere, all throughout. >> these little white flex? >> the little white flecks are thallium ian brigida's deduct -- digestive tract. >> when you see this.

>> in the context of what we are seeing, like, oh my gosh. >> a telltale sign? if it is in her gut, what does that tell you about how she's getting this? >> food, right? >> somebody is feeding it to her? >> she is eating it, someone is giving it to her, yes. >> it is what doctor lapointe had feared. he took that unusual precaution that left brigida's family in the dark. >> i cleared everyone out of the room, because everybody was bringing gifts, food. everybody out. a lot of people come to the hospital poisoned, and they get worse if someone else is bringing them more poison. so i just wanted all of the variables off of the table. >> so far, doctor lapointe had done a lot of things right. but, he knew against thallium, that might not be enough. >> in a lot of these cases, people cannot recover, people can't feel their legs again or they will never hear back. >> even if brigida survived, there was no telling if her life would ever be the same. >> coming up. who could be behind this?

>> your circle is narrowing, looking at her family, you are looking at her sister and of course, her husband. >> absolutely. >> when dateline continues. absolutely. >> when dateline continues getting ready for a special day? spice things up at adoreme.com. with bras and lingerie in sizes up to 4x. get on-trend bodysuits or lacy babydolls, just because.

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believed someone was determined to commit the perfect murder, by feeding bits of a highly toxic metal, thallium, to his patient, brigida uto. for tense hours and days, the doctor and his team fought to save brigida's life. she consumed more than enough thallium to kill her. and yet, >> i do not know why i am here. but [laughs] i do not know why i am still alive, and that is scary. [laughs] >> meet brigida, she is still with us. >> did you feel like you were dying? >> i, i did. i did, but i was too afraid to admit it to myself. >> what kept you alive at that time? >> well, my son. wanting to see my son. >> as the antidote took effect, brigida, in essence, woke up. she found herself in a hospital bed with only wisps of hair on her head.

but she could not walk or really see. doctors could not really tell her what to expect. >> they pretty much were very open about not knowing what would happen. >> and then, one day, her cell phone came into focus. days later, she caught sight of something else. >> i was really excited, because i could see the tv, like what brand the tv was. i could see it across the room. [laughs] >> small victories? >> right. at first, my goal was to be able to walk with my walker to the door of my room. and then after that, it became, walk to the nurse's station, and then come back. sometimes, they would have to wield me in. >> while brigida continued to make a slow, physical recovery in the hospital, she also had to face the hard truth, that someone had plotted against

her. >> we asked her, does anybody have an agenda against you? she vehemently stated, no, i do not think there is anyone in my life would attempt to poison me. >> but agent gill knew that intentional poisoning was usually personal. >> statistically, historically speaking, when you do have a poisoning, it is either a close family member, or close friend. >> sitting alone in her hospital room, not brigida found herself terrified at the thought of doctors lifting their ban on visitors. >> did you start to become more fearful as you then started to realize that this was an intentional poisoning? >> yes. no i started getting fearful. i started to think about what would happen if i got out of the hospital, if i ever got out of the hospital, and who i would have to protect myself from. >> i imagine at this point,

your circle is narrowing as to who could have done this. we are looking at her family, at her sister. and of course, at her husband. >> absolutely. >> they talk to everybody, including brigida's husband, race uto. >> he was a friendly, cooperative individual throughout the entire investigation. >> was he at all concerned about his wife? >> when we first talked to him in the hospital, he did have some tears, he kept saying, i just wish i could do something to help her. >> he said the right things to detectives, but special agent gill quickly learned that something about race uto seemed off. >> some of the medical staff expressed some concern over his behavior, at the time. it came out that he was not acting as a concerned husband should be acting. he was asking the wrong kind of questions, he did not seem concerned about what is happening to her.

>> suspicious as detectives were, brigida could not go there. >> at this point, are you suspecting at all, your husband? >> no. anybody who had suggested that idea, i mean i would say, why would you think that my husband would do something like that? like, i do not know, he is the one who brought me here. how does that make any sense? >> it was true. race was the one who took brigida to the doctors that day she transferred to the hospital. to brigida, that was the act of an innocent man. she also remembered how race cared for her as she fell ill. >> as you are getting more and more sick, did he show that he was concerned by bringing you food? was that part of his way of taking care of you? >> that was his way of taking care of me. when i started to stay home, he would bring me breakfast sandwiches, in bed. he would make sure i had food.

>> and you are thinking wow, he is showing this side, taking care of me! >> he was taking care of me, he really loves me and cares about what happens at this point. but, she also told the detectives, something else about her husband. it turned out that he had a very strange hobby, collecting the types of plant seeds that are used to make poisons. when you hear this, are alarm bells going off? >> absolutely. this isn't a normal, avalanche or a hobby to have. so, obviously, it's very concerning. >> 16 days into bringing to stay at the hospital, detectives had enough evidence to get a search warrant for the udall home. race was there to greet them. >> he was wearing these dark sunglasses. no reason for anyone to wear sunglasses, especially inside the residence. >> he was fidgety, but seemingly candid. we asked them, we'll, if we emit your phone, is there

anything in your search history that will be of concern? he said, no, not at all. by the way, -- >> that made the detectives even more suspicious. they took his electronics, they scour the house, the garage, and then they got to his car. >> and then, within the whole for the spare tire, we find an odd mix of materials, a canister of acetone, packets of exotic seeds. >> still barred from visiting, brigitte's family was at home. sister call the detectives over. earlier that day, her mother had seen race tossed out of black parish bag. >> i was like, okay, i'll go get. it >> she was a great junior agent. she went up to. diving >> with did you find that black? back >> some of them were serious. things we found receipts for

some of the exotic seeds that he had ordered. we saw some of the crude, filtering mechanisms that he had. we found solutions in which to purify and refined some of the poisons. >> agent gayle says they found evidence wrong, race had tried to grind of castro beans to make the poison. he says they also found rosary pieces, like these, a sea that makes another deadly poison. and seeds like these, from something called the suicide tree of india. and, on races electronic devices that he thought he had wiped clean, they found two books, criminal poisoning and the poison or's handbook. as bad is it all looked, there was one find that they did not find, thallium. not a trace of it. without that, detectives felt there wasn't enough evidence to make an arrest. at the end of the search, race uto remained free man.

but, detective knew he had to warn brigida. >> so i, went to the hospital and we had a very long talk. i showed are some of the stuff that we found. basically lay it all out for her, that if, you get out, unique to not go back to your husband. >> coming up, a pivotal polygraph begins. >> were you involved in the policing of your wife? >> would investigators get the proof they need? >> i think he thought he had in the. >> a haunting, terrifying moment. >> he had made a breakfast sandwich for me, and my son climbed up and wanted a piece. >> when dateline continues. dateline continues dateline continues we're on your corner and in your corner

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so no matter what big event comes up, your team can be ready for what's next. get started with fast and reliable internet and voice for just $64.99 a month. or, ask how to get a visa prepaid card with a qualifying bundle. welcome back. race uto was a prime suspect in the poisoning of his wife. a search of his car, and it discarded trash bag turned up materials used to make highly toxic substances. yet, investigators still couldn't tie race to the thallium, that nearly killed his wife. soon, a standing twist, not one, but two jaw-dropping discoveries, that would blow this case wide open. now, the conclusion of the prussian blue mystery. >> by now, doctors and nervous, and law enforcement all

believed that they had to protect brigida from her husband. even if you brigida couldn't wrap or mind around it. >> i had finally gotten to the point were i told investigators, fine, continue the investigation, but i need proof. >> so did lauren forsman. they kept digging, and learned race uto had a secret life. there was a girlfriend, who thought his wife was dead. >> he had taken his son with them on so many of their dates, that the sun was ashley calling her mom. mr. uto painted this picture like he was a former navy seal, and he specifically mentioned, he wanted to work for the fbi in the poisons department. >> kind of like when you do. >> that's very ironic. >> then, they found another girlfriend. >> he specifically told a girlfriend that he wanted his wife to get hit by a bus, and for her to die, so he can get sole custody. >> investigators decided it was

time to confront a race. they asked to race to take a polygraph. >> he's a person that seems to have gone through life we're talking himself out of situations. >> it's not off easy, almost a casual chat. >> what are your hobbies, would you do for fun? >> i spent time on my son, when i can, i like to serve. >> then, he got more serious. >> can you pass this test? >> yes. i wouldn't her. >> the sensors were strapped on. >> all right, we're gonna get started. >> his demeanor verse during the first half, was confident. i think he thought he had to be. >> paul rise in was the prosecutor on the case. >> it almost look like, all right, i got this. i'm getting through this, we're good. >> please remain still, the test is about to begin. are the lights on his room? >> yes. >> regarding poisoning your wife, we aren't sure truthfully? >> yes. >> were you involved with poison your wife?

>> no. >> did you poison or wife? >> no. >> please remain still, test is about to end. >> nine times the investigator asked the same questions, and every time uto -- and he seemed sure, and passed. >> testing went on, the polygraph are eventually stopped, let him take a break, came back in. >> let's have a seat there. >> confronted him, and said, i don't believe anything you're saying. >> so, you filled your test. not only do flu tests, you failed miserably. >> that's when you can. vest >> right then and there. >> right after the. polygraph >> race broke. the details of how we tried to kill his wife began tumbling out. >> i can't really remember, most visible or. >> ray stole the investigated that the first time he fed thallium to brigida, it was in a sandwich.

>> it was a -- and the second time, walk me through what you did. >> i threw it in with a soup. >> race told law enforcement, he doled out the poison, based on brigida weight. starting with one gram of thallium, late summer 2017. >> you thaw based off or wait, and what you read, one about one killer? >> basically. >> bob eta got sick, but you obviously didn't die, so we update the last time. he opted up to five grams. he thought i was going to do it. >> it should've been a lethal dose, but race didn't factor in his wife's will to live. >> all the doctors, the nurses, the detectives say, it's your quiet strength that allowed you to pull through. do you believe that? >> yeah, i struggle with that.

>> don't be humble. >> thank you. i mean, i would hope so. i would hope that i have that to give to my son. but, i think it's all the work that they did, together, that was a help. >> you are going to be arrested today. >> police arrested race immediately after his confession. >> you have anything in pockets? >> eight months later, ray pseudo-pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder. he serving 21 years to life. >> my parents saw him as their son, at one point. i saw him as a brother, and he took advantage of us, wanting to be open and caring with him. >> it was upsetting, i couldn't believe it for a while. how can this be, writer under our nose, he was doing this to our daughter. thank god the right next door, because i think, if they had

been living someplace all, she would've died. i'm sure of that. >> so then you start going back in your head, replaying all the times he brought you food, made you food. was there an instance that stands out in your mind? >> he had made a breakfast sandwich and taken into the bedroom for me, and my son climbed up and wanted a piece. and immediately, his reaction is, no, don't give him any of it. i think about that all the time. >> the moment that could've easily gone a different way. it haunts her. >> emotionally, how are you doing? >> it's rough. it's still hard to stop and think about what happened. the amount of deception, i can't really trust people. what have discovered is trusting myself is difficult to do. >> before they were married,

brigida told race, that as a catholic, she believed marriage was forever. >> how do you feel about divorce? oh >> yeah. i love the idea. >> this strong woman, who once couldn't walk is now running again. >> it's been hard when, at first, i couldn't even walk without a walker. so, it's been a very slow, slow progress. >> is this your therapy? >> yeah. yeah. i remember being in the hospital and finding out everything, and being so angry, that i couldn't get up and go for a run. >> right now, though, brigida focus is on life, and all of its thrills. >> i've gone skydiving you.

i mean, i've done different things. >> you're living life to the fullest now? >> absolutely. yeah >> that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >> a, everyone. another hurdle to reviving the iran nuclear deal. the u.s. says the regime could have a fuel it needs for a bomb within a year. i will speak to u.s. special envoy to iran, robert -- rob malley. what do you get for investigating a violent attack on our capitol? a center from the republican national party. and marianne williamson says she dropped out of the primary too early. is she plotting a 2024 political comeback? she joins us as well, this friday night, i am ayman mohyeldin, let's get started. ♪ ♪ ♪