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. >> 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. birgitta uto 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 dead, 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 prussian 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 her extremities, feet or hands. she could not even see the water that i was giving her. >> the patient's name was brigitta uto, 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 patient 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 lapointe 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. ks? you can't always avoid triggers like changes in weather. qulipta™ can help prevent migraine attacks. you can't prevent what's going on outside, that's why qulipta™ helps what's going on inside. qulipta™ is a pill. gets right to work to prevent migraine attacks and keeps them away over time. qulipta™ blocks cgrp a protein believed to be a cause of migraine attacks. qulipta™ is a preventive treatment for episodic migraine. most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and tiredness. learn how abbvie can help you save on qulipta™. ♪ ♪ fight fleas and ticks with seresto. eight months continuous protection against fleas and ticks. it's effective and vet recommended. seresto. learn more at seresto.com. ♪ ♪ so i said, "yeah you're saving hundreds

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that are starting to have mild sensitivity. it felt clean and i really liked it. the new sensodyne nourish will help patients invest in healthier teeth. ♪♪ >> here at kaiser permanente 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. everyone was thrilled when the baby came. >> we were all excited really.

you sit there, like when you are little. and you have a little doll, and hold your nephew. and take turns like i take care of him while he's sleeping. or trying to arrest. launching her learn. experiencing the longing for the first time how she wanted to be. it was beautiful. >> then, just before her son turned to, brigade it got sick. soon, she could barely pick up her child. >> and your daughters getting weaker and weaker? >> and weaker. >> and she can barely walk? >> she was losing her vision. >> she was losing everything. >> now in the hospital, toxicologist jeff la pointe developed a chilling suspicion about what was wrong with pergola. >> through all this you think oh my god. >> coming up. a rare and devastating diagnosis. >> highly toxic? >> highly toxic. >> this is your very first case? >> yeah. >> growing danger at the hospital.

and a alert at the fbi. >> we were notified immediately it is something that we are very concerned about. >> when dateline continues! teline continues but instead of period pads, she brought poise ultra thin. so she can bounce on with clean, dry, fresh protection from poise. you're pretty particular about keeping a healthy body. what goes on it. usually. and in it. mostly. here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand. over 2000 high quality products. rigorously tested by us. real world tested by you. and delivered to your door in as little as one hour. my mental health was much better. my mind was in a good place. but my body was telling a different story. i felt all people saw were my uncontrolled movements.

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la pointe was keeping his eyes open. letting the clues lead him to a theory that might be killing brigade a.

>> i was thinking about what's wrong with the treatment started? >> most symptoms could've been caused by a range of toxic chemicals like arsenic, cadmium. but to document one particular symptom stood out, hair loss. >> it's a telltale sign. i think any medical toxicologist. if you tell them that they have a long woman who has lost their hair. that's gonna be on our list. it's like straight out the books. >> valium is a heavy metal, atomic number 81 on the table of aliens. >> it was discovered in the late 1800s. and it was used medically in the early 1900s. it was a depilatory agent. if you had license, they would give them tally a. >> oh my gosh! >> right? >> they also knew for decades that that liam had another use. as an agreed eons in rat

poison. >> and it was really good at that. so that was all in the 1970s. it's really good at killing things. >> highly toxic? >> highly toxic. >> you had never treated anybody else for this poisoning? >> now. >> so this was your first case in front of your very eyes? >> yes. >> there was no quick way to confirm his suspicion. hospitals rarely see patients with thalium poisoning. and do not have a way to protest for it. >> so this is going to put a drop of blood, and have a come back. yes no. so you have to send these things away. so now i'm looking at and delay? >> things that he knew brooke eta might not have. >> this is a scary situation where i have a test that is in recent order that i have now. and it is scary, serious, infrequently done, and exotic. >> you're on a race against time when it comes to saving her life? >> yeah. >> so i'm trying to advocate all these different people.

just trying to get someone on the phone and say this girl is going to die. as soon as we sent the test, we said how do we get to know? >> he wanted to be ready as soon as the results came in. >> what is the antidote? >> it's called prussian blue. >> you've probably seen oppression blue in paint. yes paint. it's been used as the pigment since the 17 hundreds. you can see it here in vincent van gogh's starry night. but it wasn't until 1965 that scientists discovered prussian blue could be used as an antidote. it works spice beating up the elimination of certain poisons, such as thalium. while you can buy blue paint at any r-chop, finding prussian blue is nearly impossible. >> and we started going to pharmacies around town. we called our local health people, we got in touch with the cdc. and we finally found a storage guy. and they're all confidential

storage sites. but we found it in los angeles. >> pressure blue is also hard to get because it is an antidote for radiation poisoning. the u.s. government keeps it under close guard, stockpiled in case of a nuclear attack. >> so no one usually wants to give me an antidote until i prove it to them. right? i don't have access depression blue. we keep it in cases. >> this case, here in san diego. and we are notified immediately of the oppression order. >> john cale is a special agent with the fbi in san diego. his focus is weapons of mass destruction. a request for suppression blue first that liam poisoning put his office under alert. >> in the past, there were cases where thalium is using as a agent against former spies. >> and that's when you get the call, and you say, oh!

what is going on in san diego? >> that's something that we're very concerned about in the united states. >> all this just as president trump was days away from a trip to san diego to talk about the border wall. >> you triggered all kinds of alarm spells? >> i triggered all kinds of alarm bells. yes. >> coming out! >> so when you're seeing this,. >> we're like oh my gosh! >> a deadly substance in brigades sister? but how? >> i said i have another poison case. then i proceed against that it's an intentional poisoning until i see otherwise. >> when dateline continues! continues when pain says, “it's time to go home” “i say, “not yet”. ♪ ♪ aleve. who do you take it for?

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♪♪ making friends again, billy? i like to keep my enemies close. guys, excuse me. i didn't quite get that. i'm hard of hearing. ♪♪ oh hey, don't forget about the tense music too. would you say tense? i'd say suspenseful. aren't they the same thing? can we move on guys, please? alexa, turn on the subtitles. and dim the lights. ok, dimming the lights. as a business owner, your bottom line

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orders for the shots, which began in distribution centers on friday. following the fda's authorization. now back to dateline! dateline 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 prussian 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's 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 rodenticides. >> 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.

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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 wheel 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 normal, amateur happy to have. it's obviously very concerning for. us >> 16 days into bridget's 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 your residence. >> he was fidgety, but seemingly candid. we asked, if we have in your phone, is there anything in the

search history that is going to be of concern to us? he said, no, not at all. by the way, i recently erased all the search history of all my electronic devices. >> that made the detectives even more suspicious. they took his electronics, they scoured the house, the garage and then, they got to his car. >> -- the whole for the spare tire, we find an odd mix of materials -- acetone, packets of exotic seeds. >> still barred from visiting, brigitte's family was at home. sister, all the, call the detectives over. earlier that day -- toss out a black trash bag. >> i'll go get. it >> she's a great junior agent. she went dumpster diving. >> what did you find in the black bag? >> something more serious. we found receipts for --

we saw some of the crude filtering mechanisms that he had. we found solutions in which to purify, refine some of the poison. 's >> agent gills they found evidence race had tried to grind up castor beans to make the poison rison. he says, they also found rosary peas, like these. a sea that makes another deadly poison. and scenes like these, from something called the suicide tree of india. and, on races electronic devices, that he thought he wiped clean, they found two books, criminal poisoning, and the poison or's handbook. as bad is it all looked, there was one thing they didn't find, valium. not a trace of it. without that, detectives felt that there wasn't enough evidence to make an arrest. at the end of the search, race udall remained free man.

detective knew he needed to warn brook eta. >> i went to the hospital, and i had a very long talk, we showed some of the stuff we found. we laid it all out for her that if she gets out, you need to not go back to your husband. >> coming up, a pivotal polygraph begins. >> do you intended answer truthfully? >> yes. >> were you involved in the poisoning of your wife? >> would investigators get the proof they need? >> i think he thought he had as beaten. >> and a haunting, terrifying moment. >> he had made a breakfast sandwich for me, and my son climbed up and wanted a piece. >> when dateline continues. hen dateline continues eels... ...when it comes to our skin, what if it could feel differently? say hello to opzelura for the treatment of mild to moderate eczema.

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from the most innovative company. so you can be ready for what's next. get started with a great deal on internet and voice for just $49.99 a month for 24 months with a 2 -year price guarantee. welcome back. call today. race udall was the prime suspect in the poisoning of his wife, bring into. a search of his call and discarded trash bag turned materials used to make highly toxic substances. yet, investigators still could tie race to the valium that nearly killed his wife. soon, a stunning 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 the doctors and nurses and law enforcement all

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

it was time to confront race. they asked him to take a polygraph. >> he's a person that seems to have got to live by talking himself out of situations. >> it started off easy, almost a casual chat. [inaudible] >> i spent time with him, i like to serve. >> then, he got more serious. >> do you mind if i ask you about boys under? >> no. >> the sensors were strapped on. >> all, right we're gonna get started. >> his demeanor during the first half, confident. i think he thought he had it beat. >> paul rise and was the prosecutor on the case. >> it almost look like, okay, i got this. i'm getting through this. we're good. >> remained, still the test is about to begin. regarding poisoning your wife, do you intend to answer truthfully? >> yes. >> were you involved in the poisoning of your wife? >> no.

>> did you poison wife? >> no. >> please remain still, the test is about to end. >> nine times, the investigator actors the same questions. every time, race uto assured him that he did not poison his wife. he seemed sure that he passed. >> the testing, one on the polygraph or eventually stopped, let him take a break, and he came back in. -- he confronted him and said, i don't believe anything you're saying. >> so, you filled your test. he failed miserably. >> that's when he confessed. >> right then and there? >> right after the polygraph. >> race broke. the details of how he tried to kill his wife began tumbling out. >> -- >> i can't really remember, it's all a blur. >> ray stole the investigator that the first time that valium -- it was in a sandwich. >> egg, she's, a breakfast

sandwich. >> the second time, walk me through what you did. >> through it in with a soup. >> race told law enforcement -- based on bridget's weight, starting with one gram of that liam in late summer of 2017. >> he found that based off or wait -- >> bob eta got sick, but you obviously didn't die, so he upped it the last time. he upped it up to five grams. he thought that would 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 to? >> [laughs] i struggle with that a little

bit. >> 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 that it's all the work they did together that has helped me be here now. >> you are going to be arrested today. >> police are arrested race immediately after his confession. eight months later, race uto pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder. he's serving 21 years to life. >> if 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. how can this be? right under our nose, he was doing all this to our daughter. i think god that they're right next door, because i think, if they had been living someplace

else, she would've died. i'm sure of it. >> then you start going back in your head and your replaying all the time 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. my son climbed up and wanted a piece. immediately, his reaction is, no, don't give him any of it. i think about that all the time. >> a 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 and what have discovered is trusting myself is difficult to. >> before they were married,

brigida told race, as a catholic, she believed marriage was forever. how do you feel about divorce now? >> yeah. [laughs] i love the idea. [laughs] >> 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. it's been very slow, slow progress. >> is this your therapy now? >> yeah. yeah. i remember being in the hospital and finding everything out and being so angry that i couldn't get up to go for a run. >> right now though, brigida is focused on embracing life and all its thrills. >> i have gone skydiving.

i mean, i've done different things. >> you're living life to the fullest now. >> absolutely. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. thank you for watching hey, everyone. we heard a lot about vice president mike pence in this january 6th hearing, that he's a hero, for example. but, if that's true, shouldn't we hear it from him to? plus, the right really wants democrats in the media to talk about inflation, so much so, that they missed the fact that, well, they are talking about it. a lot. and the british government just cleared the way for -- to the united states. i'm gonna speak with his brother later on in the program. i'm ayman mohyeldin, let's get started.