right about a better. >> in fact, mark twitchell himself offered an answer to all those people who wondered why. he was different, he wrote. in sk confessions. he simply could not feel for anyone. and so? intentionally or not. he offered a dismal reason for murdering a perfect stranger. it was a single line. at the end of that horror movie of his. house of cards. when the killer tells his wife, the best way to succeed is to write what you know! >> they said, this is c for. explicit furnace trapped. to -- >> robbery. >> they sent me, we've four

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>> it is a beautiful september day. in the western mountains of north carolina. beautiful stretch of interstate. north carolina state is running radar. you see a ford edge covered by. started off as a routine traffic stop. anything but routine. all seven, you see the suv pull over. you see the passenger side open briefly and [inaudible] take off again. hear the sirens. you hear the unmistakable roar of the engine. you see the vehicle swerved into a big truck. takes off the driver side near. was flying off. you see his brake lights go on.

you see him ramp the side -- >> he's just hit a third vehicle! stop! >> our story begins in 2015. with 46-year-old matt, a chief financial officer and central connecticut. >> i've been playing hockey for 30 something years. a play every week, sometimes twice a week. all summer long, all winter long. >> management paces bills, hockey feels his passion. he's the goalie for team called the trash pandas. >> julie place on sunday night? how did that happen? >> it was a good thing. he was a late night game. >> i school from a nice victory and a night that he had hoped. he pulled up to his garage around midnight. didn't know two men were watching. >> i just open the garage door,

took the equipment out. >> matt, 70-year-old mother, retired nurse, was inside the home they shared, watching the academy awards. matt moved his mom into the house after her husband for years had passed away. >> i was the night of the oscars. just about midnight or a few minutes after. right after that when i heard the gradual or open. >> i'm walking back to the border pull it open, i see someone pulling up my driveway. as he's pointing the gun at me. tells me to nail on the garage floor. as i'm kneeling there, he walks up behind me. sticks the gun against my head and says, face to the ground. >> you heard when he arrived home. >> yes. yes. i was waiting for him to come into the house. he wasn't coming in. >> as i'm being zip tied, i look up. i see another guy running down the driveway. >> matt says the gunman were

covered and head to toe with heavy clothing and dark ski goggles. based on past recollection, he created this images of the men. >> could you have made out their faces? >> no, they had no distinguishing things that i could see. >> did you know what race they were? >> everything was covered. >> the only features he could make out, one was a tall slender guy. the other, having said. >> when i got up to go to the garage, from out there, as a mat lying face down in the garage. there were two masked gunman. but i got on him. why the gunman swung around. pointed his gun at me and said, come down here. kneeled beside your son. >> this is all going back really quickly. >> this is one that really quickly. >> i went down to him. i know beside my son. i said, please, don't hurt us. please, don't hurt us. we will do whatever you want. >> mother and son quickly realized that they were the victims of a home invasion.

neighbors couldn't see what was happening because their branches is set far back on the road on an isolated cul-de-sac. >> you're thinking, this is gonna play out in the garage. >> that was my whole thing. you know what, take what you need. leave me. go. i thought that was going to be the end. >> it moves into the house. >> it moves into the house. >> inside, matt was led to a couch. >> immediately put a small knit hat over my head and duck tape that my head so i couldn't see. >> why didn't they just grab some valuables and leave? he could never have guessed what their plan for him really was. >> coming up -- this was much more than a home invasion. the gunman say they have a problem. and matt is the solution. >> we owe some bad people a lot of money. you're gonna get it for us. >> how much money? >> four point $2 million in

cash. >> and that was nothing compared to what matt heard next. >> this is c for explosive, we're gonna make an explosive device. we're gonna strap into. >> that's mob? she was in danger. >> we're gonna put a bomb on her, if you deviate from the plant, we're gonna dead tonight both of the bombs. when dateline continues. dateline continues. it was easy. i inputted information about the car including, the mileage, the vin number. answered a few questions and got a real offer in seconds. it felt too good to be true. it was a lot higher than i expected. a carvana advocate came to my house. as soon as they stepped in the car they paid me on the spot. i couldn't believe it. i'd recommend it to anyone. try it for yourself. go to carvana .com and get an offer for your car. at carvana [ coughing/sneezing ] [ door knocking ] dude, you coming? because the only thing dripping should be your style! plop plop fizz fizz, with alka-seltzer plus cold & flu relief. also try for fizzy fast cough relief!

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serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. >> two armed, masked men holding matt and his mother hostage in their connecticut home. that's mob was brought into the bedroom where they turned up the volume on her tv. she said she was instructed to biden on the bed and stay there. that, she was left alone. she could hear something alarming going on in the other room. that was where matt was seated on a couch. his hands, zip tied. his eyes, covered with the bible. >> i try to listen to what they were saying to matthew. you are putting on some

headphones but i heard them say -- >> they put your phones on me. i was getting static and static. i don't know what's going on. all of a sudden, i get a voice that sounds very synthesized, electronic. the very first thing they said to me was, this is not a robbery. this is not a typical home invasion. >> by using it as like this -- [inaudible] >> it gives me the creeps there. that sounds very similar to what they did. >> they outlined their complex, big plan, explaining why they were being held captive. >> we're looking for a large sum of money. we owe some very bad people a lot of money. you're gonna get it for us. >> how much money? >> very specific. they said, we want four point $2 million and cash. >> and there was something else that wasn't usually specific. kidnappers had intimate details

about matt. >> they knew what i did, wherever, they had my mother the house. >> matt, c f o of a credit union, was told the next morning they would go to open up their branches and take four point $2 million out of the vault. that is a credit union would never have that much money on hand. still, he could give them something. >> this is where i live for the first time and i'm like, i can't get you guys 1 million dollars. and they said, 1 million dollars. >> hours pass. matt says he sat on that coach tied up, wondering what was going to happen next. >> 3:00 in the morning and they get me up and say, you know, we're going for her right. that was the second time i got really scary because no, they're taking me away from the house. >> that's a lot out of the bat of these. taking me for a ride. >> the victim went into his monster, carry heavy duty duct

tape. they told her, she was gonna stay behind. >> they struck by feet with duct tape to my bed and said, just a precaution so that i wouldn't go anyplace when they went way. i said, i will stay wherever you put me. i didn't dare try to get out of the findings. >> but she found him self in the backseat of one of the two vehicles he owns. >> they had put a pillow in the backseat of car. don't know why. they told me to stick my face into the pillow and not to move. we then proceed out my driveway, we drove maybe 15 minutes. we parked. i heard gravelly or cracking snow. like we had got off the side of the road. i was like, wow. what is gonna happen here? are they taking me out to the votes to should be, put a bullet in my head? >> one of them got out of the

suv. months as he hurt another car start-up. suddenly, there is movement in his vehicle. they were back on the road. he was relieved to eventually find himself back home. that, according to matt, the kidnappers asked him on question. >> let me down the coach and asked me if i wanted to take a shower. >> the shower? after all of this? >> after all that. i said, sure. i'll take a shower. >> a shower? after terrorizing him for three hours. how strange. what was going on? that, that story took another bizarre turn. he says he was led into the kitchen or something was waiting for him on the table. >> they said, do you know what this is? i said, no. they said, this is c for explosive. we're gonna make an explosive device. we're gonna strap it to you because we don't trust you that you're gonna do what you're told. >> c4, a plastic explosive that is used by the military and terrorists. it could be molded likely into

any shape at detonated remotely. during what was happening in the other room, that's not began to cry. >> and that, i could hear them unwrapping duct tape, lots and lots. i could hear that and wrapping. that must of been when they were strapping it around him. and i began to cry harder. and really panicked because, as you're laying there, [inaudible] >> that was left alone. a bomb tightly wrapped around his waist. his anxiety was building. as each minute seemed the last before eternity. it was just before dinner, that's mother says one of the men came back into her room and said something unexpected. >> one fellow came out and said to me, i don't want you to get alarmed, but we're going to be using the vacuum. and i thought -- >> the back? you >> they commit.

i could hear the vacuum you know my living room. and that came in the bedroom where back ewing wrote that. >> the six hours and to their ordeal, the sun was soon to rise. the two assailants told me that his workday was beginning. it soon be leaving to rob his own credit union. to ensure has corporation, they advised him they were leaving and insurance policy in his mom's bedroom. >> they said, we're not taking any chances. or putting a bomb under her bed. if you deviate from the plan, we're gonna designate both of your bombs. >> buses that plan included the threat to tonight his or his mom spoke by cell phone at anytime they wanted. attendee, they would text him the location of where to drop of the money. and to make sure he stayed on time, they also attached a timer to his bomb that would automatically explode at 11 a.m.. that was less than three hours away.

>> at some point, they came over to me and said, it's time. they bring me to my car. at this point, they take a blindfold of me. they cut the subpoenas off of me. >> rob the bank, drop off. >> we'll meet with the drop-off, yes. >> coming up -- >> i did exactly what they told me. i called my boss. i said, this is my life. don't call the police. >> but, his boss does. >> as i turn the corner around to the front of the bridge, i see all the police cars. that is one pure panic that said. >> a diabolical point goes off the rails. and the surprises are just getting started. when dateline continues. eline continues.

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it into our since the start of executive -- nightmare. he was on his right one of the bench offices of his credit union, claiming -- plus fixable searches belly and put another device behind his mother's bed where she was. >> i'm driving to the credit union. now, for the first time, i start to think, wow, how is this going to play a? what is going to happen? >> wait a second, are you driving yourself? >> yes, they wanted me to drive my car. >> how they're going to control? >> i figured they were gonna follow me. around. watching the whole time. >> two palms, he said, that could be detonated by the touch of the cell phone. oh, by the way, a timer on his

device that would go off at the stroke of 11 a.m.. >> i call my boss. i said, my mother and i are victims of a home invasion. i'm currently sitting in my car right now strapped to an explosive device. i have coming to the credit union to empty the belt. you need to evacuate the branch. >> or using code words? >> no. real. this is my life. i don't play with at. >> don't notify the place. >> i said, don't call the police. >> that's boss ignored his plea of no cops. >> 9-1-1, what is your emergency? >> i just received a call a few minutes ago from one of our peace. and he's instructing me to vacate our new britain branch because they're going to come and rob it. >> that 9-1-1 call eventually ended up here. police headquarters in connecticut where the credit union was located.

>> it was a brand-new sergeant, just got done with a call. there is a bank robbery going on. a guy is driving to the bag right now. he has a bomb strapped to his chest. >> this is not your usual monday morning, is it? >> we were trying to figured it was a joke or not. >> not a joke. sergeant david was the first out the door. >> what do you know at that point? >> the only thing that we knew is, they gave us a plate on the car. it was a red car. >> the sergeant had matt's license plate cover and the model of the red car he was driving. >> i get to the credit union. and i don't see anything. no car, nothing. fantastic. as i turn the corner around to the front of the bridge, that is on pure pet accident. >> now, a sea of police cars. >> the kidnappers told matt not to call the police. now, though they were. he now had two hours and 15

minutes until that bob would explode. matt eased into a parking spot. >> a realtime went oh. they're all screaming, get out of the car. get out of the car. >> he gets out of the car. we get out of our cars. there was a good 15 seconds of silence. him looking at us, us looking at him. trying to figure out what was going on. >> his partner drew his gun that matt. >> i'm wearing an explosive device. they're like, show us. so, i looked at my shirt. show him what i was wearing. >> really, holy cow, i heavily is real. >> you are persuaded -- >> hundred percent. >> because it was a frigid nine degrees that february morning, sergeant told matt to get back in his car. that, he and his partner protective listed 100 feet ay. jim was britain's chief of police. overseeing 165 officers for the

73,000 people who lived in the central connecticut city. order this extraordinary crime immediately ran up the wraps. but she, along with his top committed step, rush the credit union. >> what did you do to secure the area? >> immediate response. pretty much all available personnel were sent to the area. we cleared buildings in the area, schools on lockdown. >> they closed off the surrounding streets and shut down a major [inaudible] swat teams and heavy equipment rolled and. and the states bob scott was called to get the device off. >> shutting down an interstate is not a small decision. calling in other agencies to assist is not a small decision. all those decisions had to be made. >> back at the credit union parka, sergeant mccloskey, member of the negotiation team, became -- sergeant yelled has some number,

he started to talk on the phone. >> so, what is the demeanor of the snow? >> even killed. you know? he was very calm for the situation. >> at least for now. members of the state place bob squad, meanwhile, we're scrambling. traveling from different parts of the state. precious time is melting away. then, today, the kidnappers started texting. they want their money. one hour to go until the bomb was supposed to explode. >> coming up -- >> i said to the police, what do you mean to tell them? >> matt needed answers. and he didn't have much time to get them. >> no, your mind starts to think where things like, am i gonna know it's gonna go? of what are you gonna feel? >> when dateline continues. hen dateline continues relieve 9 of your worst cold and flu symptoms, to help take you from 9 to none. for max-strength nighttime relief, nyquil severe. my asthma felt anything but normal.

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here is what is happening. south korea says north korea launch apparent ballistic missiles on sunday. a statement, south korea's joint chiefs of staff said that

the missile flew towards its easter waters. japanese officials also said they spotted missile launches. an ftx founder, some big run for, it is expected to waive extradition on monday. former cryptocurrency executive was arrested in the bahamas this week. he will face multiple charges. he returns to the u.s.. including fraud. down, back to dateline. back to dateline >> it was no close to ten a.m.. almost 90 minutes since that first drove into the parking lot of the credit union. >> and sitting in the car. you're strapped into an explosive device. >> an explosive device. due to go off in about an hour. >> i'm like, are my employees watching this? i don't want anyone to see me blow up. this is not what i want to be doing. so, that next hour was just

awful. >> the pressure was becoming unbearable. >> no, i'm starting to cry. >> you're waiting for the bob squad. >> i'm waiting for the bob squad. >> as the state police bomb squad headed to the scene from different parts of connecticut, sergeant david was talking by cell phone in his car. >> my big thing was try to keep income and keep him talking. assuring him that there is help on the way and we were gonna get through it. >> he is my one and only contact. while the person i'm talking to. he tried to keep me from losing it. >> terrified as he was, that was still able to tell the police about his mom's dire situation. nine miles from the credit you can parking lot, the house and connecticut was eerily quiet. matt's mom was convince the kidnappers we're going, but to where, she didn't know. she decided to work herself free from her bed. >> it took me a while to get

out of it because they had wrapped that duct tape around and around. >> she had no idea that the 30s were ascending on her home in fourth. >> as i got myself out of the restraints, i could see out into our driveway. when i looked out there, it was full of police. when i opened the door to holler, of the policeman, with a big rifle, pointed right up and said, walk up the driveway. >> matt mom was a turned. at least, basically. emotionally, she was alarmed as she talked to please. >> then they said, leapt up your shirt. i thought, what are they doing? apparently, they thought maybe i had a bomb on myself. i left it up my shirt. they checked me out. okay. they put me in a police car. >> back in the credit union parking lot, matt must hold his mom was okay. he was not. precious minutes were taking by. >> meanwhile, you've been told

there was a time. >> right. >> we're just gonna go boom at 11:00. >> 11:00. the rational plant was that i would be done at ten. >> the kidnappers told math that they would text him at ten a.m. with an address where he was to drop off the million dollars taken from his credit union. the text, they said, would be sent from his mother's silver, which they had taken from her. >> i mean, right at 10:00, i get the first text. are you done yet? >> from the home invaders? >> from the criminals. i said to the place, would your me to tell? >> i talked about. we go, let's. we're gonna roll with it. we're going to tell them that you're still working hard to get the money that they need. what we need to do is by a little bit of time. >> matt tax, it is more money than i anticipated. moving as fast as i can. >> the kid never sexted back, that is good. >> in fact, hasn't made it in the bag. >> never makes in the big. >> doesn't have any money. >> no, zero. >> this is to keep talking,

keep him on the line. >> yes. >> at 10:24 a.m., 36 minutes before the device on matt was due to explode, the kidnappers go taxing again with an address where the money was to be dropped. a nearby cemetery. that should lead the money at the flagpole. at the same time, cops were able to trace where the tax were coming from. near that cemetery. they raised over, but found no one. >> in that specific area, there are no longer the area. probably missed them by minutes. >> that only upped the ante for matt. check talk. >> that 35, i'm, like oh, craig. i don't see them on scott. where is the bomb squad? >> it was 25 minutes before the device would detonate. thoughts, terrible words, raised their bets might. he recalled the shocking story of a pizza delivery guy in pennsylvania who said he was kidnapped and had a bomb around his neck. >> i know he was forced to try to rob a bank.

that it didn't go well. he was actually killed during all this. >> matt thought about the end of his life. >> no, your man starts to play tricks. you think we're thanks like, am i going to know it goes off? you hear the noise? do you see a flash i? what are going to feel? >> for matt, the excruciating weight continued. the clock counted down to 11 a.m.. >> i'm just sitting there. there are no more texts from the criminals. they expected me to be at that drop off point. we're getting closer. it is 10:45. it is 10:50. i am now in full panic mode. >> coming up, tech talk. >> 10:58, 10:59. just like the movies. the guys wearing the big suit walks up to me. examining it. >> it didn't look good. >> saab multiple wires running through the tape and around the

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♪ ♪ ♪♪ voltaren. the joy of movement. ♪♪ need a backup plan? get plan b one-step. plan b helps prevent pregnancy before it starts by temporarily delaying ovulation—and you can resume your regular birth control right away. i've got this. ♪♪ >> a federal, state and local officers secure the area. matt was in a panic. the improvised decide he's taped to his waist was set to go off 11 am, just minutes away. >> i start asking, where is the bomb squad? it's getting closer to 11.

this thing is supposed to go off. >> the bomb squad was now on the scene. >> that was the first and only time i responded to an incident with an individual that had the device actually attached to their body. >> connecticut state police trooper avery, now retired, was on the bomb squad. >> avery's team assembled a bomb robot, thinking they could use it to inspect the device and maybe defuse it from a safe distance. the bomb squad didn't know what it had walked into. >> we didn't know if this individual was a suspect or victim. unbeknownst to matt, please spy parties were getting into position around his car, targeting him. >> he has an explosive device on. if he doesn't follow our instructions, in the event that he rushed out of that perimeter towards us or towards other law enforcement personnel, deadly force would have to be utilized. >> getting this neighbor teams in place, deploying robot, figuring out a safe approach,

all ida more of the time. it was just two minutes to 11. >> watching the clock. i had myself out there. i would, you know. 10:50, 10:59. and i'm thinking, this is it. tiktok. >> absolutely. he's looking at his watch, i'm looking at my phone. it's clicking closer to 11:00. >> to be honest, i didn't pray. i didn't know what to do. i just sat there, counted down and waited. when that phone hit 11, my heart stopped. i just sat there. >> there was no explosion. i looked around. nothing happened. >> after 11:00 passed, there was a soundbite everywhere. the last thing we wanted was for anything to happen to matt. >> i'm like, why minor death? finally, it was 11:05 or so. summer there i said, baby

delight. maybe there is no time. >> no one except the kidnappers knew what was wrapped around matt. after about ten minutes, a bomb squad ordered matt out of his car. >> we could see there is something attached to his torso, but we could not get a good visual on it. >> avery and his partner abandoned their bob robot plan. they could get a better sense of the device with the naked eye, from the safety of an armored vehicle. did you alongside matt. >> at that time, he slowly lifted his shirt up and expose the device to us. it was completely wrapped around his body with a heavy duty guerrilla tape. did not see anything else in front of his torso. >> that, avery made his move. volunteering to remove the device by himself. he suited up and approached mad. this photo was taken at that moment. it had been 11 hours since that and his mother said he was forced kidnapped. now, here he, was on his knees,

without a coat. it was nine degrees out. >> it's just like the movies. that guys wearing the big suit. he walks up to me. they're examining it. >> the cops decided to x-ray mats torso right there and a lot. using a portable extreme issue. they took one and it to create that image. >> we saw multiple fires running through the tape and around that organic material. at that time, it couldn't determine if it was actual c4 or type of explosive. or if it's a type of clay to simulate a hoax device. >> they're looking at it, coming up with a plan, what they're going to do. finally, because as, you know, we're gonna take this off of you. >> so, i went down with a couple of -- couple of cutting tools. had him basically from the. lifted his shirt up. slowly started cutting the tape of this back. >> as if that had not already going through and up the state,

another sticky problem came up. >> he was extremely hairy. this is corolla tape. was wrapped around his entire torso. so, while we're moving it, causing quite a bit of pain because removing the hair from his torso. >> finally get the palm off of me and it goes down to my feet. and he got, kick it away. ran with me. go behind the track. i go to kick the bomb away and it gets stuck to my shoe. i start to run. i start dragging the bomb with me. the bugs got guys saying, you're dragging the, bob draghi. but i blink, oh my god, all micah. >> sorry, above. if this is a funny thing. stuck on your shoe like a visitor the ever? >> exactly. at the time, i was 11. got, looking back now, one of the comical moments of the whole ordeal. >> avery says, it didn't happen quite like that. you think smith memory might be affected by his emotional trauma. >> we did not tell him to run.

it was not stuck to him. >> atlas, that's ordeal was over. or so he thought. >> as they get to the first one case, i tap him on the shoulder. thank you, they immediately grabbed my hands. put me in handcuffs and there we behind the back. i'm like, i don't understand what is going on here. >> coming up. >> we're doing this for your own safety, my own safety, you're the ones with the guns. >> police had their reasons to be suspicious. especially after what they heard about matt from his relatives. >> one of the first thing they mentioned was that your big gambler. >> investigators turn up the heat, and matt starts to sweat. >> i know i'm in trouble, i know that i am eating an attorney and this is not going to go well for me. >> when dateline continues. line continues oh! tens of thousands of mud-chugging options. it was just so easy to find a car within my budget. i'm just happy i was able to pick this baby. good on ya!

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i guess we have. [both] finch! let's go! oh yeah! it's not the same. what could you do to solve the problem? we could get xfinity? that's actually super adult of you to suggest. i can't wait to squad up. i love it when you talk nerdy to me. guy, guys, guys, we're still in session. and i don't know what the heck you're talking about. pst. girl. you can do better. at least with your big-name wireless carrier. with xfinity mobile you can get unlimited for $30 per month on the nation's most reliable 5g network. they can even save you hundreds a year on your wireless bill over t-mobile, at&t, and verizon. wow. i can do better! -yes you can! i can do better, too! see how easy it is to save hundreds a year on your wireless bill over t-mobile, verizon, and at&t. talk to our switch squad at >> matt was finally free of the your local xfinity store today.

device that had been tipped to him, but shock to find himself now confined in handcuffs. the local station nbc connecticut caught the moment he was led into an ambulance. >> i'm like, what are you doing? i'm the victim, are you arresting me? they're like we're doing this for your own safety. i'm like, my own safety? you are the ones with the guns. and they're like we're gonna take you to the hospital. >> at the hospital investigators had matt checked out. they took these photos, mats waist red and raw from where the bomb -- and they took pictures of the device itself. it turned out that after the massive bomb scare the multi agency security operation, all the white knuckled fear, the supposed bomb was a fake. nothing more than modeling clay with wires running through it and connect it to nothing. there was no time or counting down to 11 am. and there wasn't any kind of explosive device beneath the bed of matt's mom, valerie.

matt valerie would have some explaining to do. >> why don't you start at the top for us? >> okay. >> by now, at the police station detectives were questioning valerie, and we're learning some strange details about the kidnappers mo. >> what they used to find your hands? >> they didn't, they left by hands free. >> your feet were just tied together to the bed? >> yes. >> but your hands were free? >> but my hands were free. yes. >> why would real kidnappers leave her hands free? and another weird detail. according to valerie, the kidnappers behaved like gentleman. >> they were trying not to hurt me or do anything that was bad. after he taped my feet to the bed, he kind of hug me and said don't worry, we're not here to hurt you. he brought me in a can of soda, i had cookies on the counter and stuff. he brought them in so i wouldn't be hungry. you know, he was being very nice to me. >> investigators took valerie's clothes as evidence as she offered more strange details.

the criminals clean her home. >> he said i'm going to vacuum the floors, i almost wanted to say to him you do housekeeping to, you know as a side? i thought that was funny. >> she said they even called her mom. what is going on, guys are calling you ma'am and giving you cookies and juice and other vacuum in your house? >> yes, i thought it was bizarre. >> matthew, how are you doing? >> good. >> investigators would hear more bizarre details when they brought matt to new britain police headquarters. >> we have a ton of questions for you. >> what was up with that nighttime shower he took while the kidnappers were in his home? >> did you find that odd? >> yes, i did, actually i don't know why they would do -- >> was it their idea? >> yes. >> as for the strange nighttime drive the kidnappers took math on, he didn't have a convincing explanation. >> do you know which way you went? >> they, they kept making turns. >> and why did kidnappers speak to match using a digitally

altered voice? >> you know like when they do it on tv, and they change some guys voice and something like very similar to that? >> definitely not a human voice? >> definitely not human. yes. >> former new britain police chief jim was getting reports on what was being said in those interview rooms. >> i could see how your guys are concerned about what it is you have here? he's talking about these wolco unorthodox kidnappers, home invaders who do strange things. >> the investigators were not ruling out any possibility, he was telling a version of events by a lot of accounts would make people pause and say, really? >> so much of matt story didn't add up. as he sat in the police interview room the atmosphere turned chilly. the detectives questions suddenly had sharp edges. >> financially, there's no issues? >> yes. >> as far as it goes for you? >> well, yeah. >> what matt didn't know is that right after the credit union call the police,

investigators started to dig into his life. reached out to people he knew well, found out stuff. >> we talk to your brother and nephew, and one of the first things they mention is that you're a big gambler. they said you owe money, that you gambled a ton. >> and that's completely false. i mean, i don't gamble a ton. >> this was a troubling picture coming together for police. a guy with possible money problems, kidnappers who are friendly to his mom, who then let him drive himself to rob his own credit union with a bomb that turned out to be a fake. and, no trace of any criminals themselves. they figured he had to be somehow involved. >> there's just too many things. you have the ability and the access to do it. okay? that's why think your may be an unwilling participant in this day. that somebody leverage your fortune to this. >> and if the kidnappers did in fact disguise their faces and voices, that didn't help matt. >> there's only one reason they do that and that's that they

know you, okay? >> had matt got himself scandal in a scheme to get rich that spun out of control? >> this is your opportunity to put it all on the table, and if there's something else going on, we can help you. it's almost trying -- >> i don't, i don't -- >> leverage you -- >> completely honestly, there is nothing, i can say unequivocally that i have nothing indirectly, directly to do with this. >> but as detectives pressed matt to fess up, his answers didn't satisfy them. >> i'm just gonna put the cards on the table, because i don't have time to play games, really, with you. it's the implication that you're somehow involved in this. not as a victim, okay? by that we mean that it's some sort of inside job. >> investigators seem so convinced that math wasn't being straight with them, they wondered if his mom was somehow part of the scheme. >> have you lied to us at all? >> no. >> while you have been in here? >> no. >> you haven't told us any untruths?

>> not that i know of. >> in order to protect matthew -- >> oh, no! >> is there something else going on -- >> i'm not -- >> is something else going on, lots of time to say it. >> police were undeterred, they took matt's dna. >> so, open wide, it's gonna be a little uncomfortable. >> then they asked him to sit for a polygraph, warning him -- >> it's gonna be bad for you if you failed a polygraph. >> i don't see any reason why i would fill a polygraph. >> oh, it would turn out to be bad, very bad for matt. >> it's all under investigation. very fluid. >> new britain's then police chief jim held a news conference to calm his nerves community. the city was on edge after being partially shut down when matt showed up at his credit union strap with an explosive. the bomb turned out to be a fake. >> certainly we are considering all possibilities whether or not he was coerced, doing something against his will or a suspect. >> could you guys even determine whether the story was true at that point? >> could not. you could not determine exactly

what the facts were -- >> you're not fighting any cooperating evidence in his vehicle, his home? >> no evidence except his mom. >> no evidence to support matt story. investigators search his house and car with a fine tooth comb looking for fingerprints or dna from the kidnappers, but found nothing. what's more, matt did take a polygraph test and failed part of it. results indicated he wasn't telling the truth when asked if he had any involvement in the scheme. >> i know i'm in trouble, i know that i am needing an attorney and this is not going to go well for me. >> matt was right, in the following days authorities got search warrants for his home. they collected computers and phones, subpoenaed his records and started digging into his finances. then matt was placed on paid leave from his job. >> you're investigated not only by the authorities -- >> i'm now being investigated by my own credit union to make sure that they can clear me. >> but what no one knew is that

this unbelievable tail in connecticut was only on chapter one. while matt tried to save his reputation, investigators in another part of the country were about to uncover a whole series of similar crimes. crimes that would span three states involving high speed chases and even more victims. this is where the story takes a turn south, to tennessee. it was april 28th 2015, two months after the connecticut home invasion. and assistant u.s. attorney happen to be in the middle of a great smoky mountains national park when he got an urgent message. >> hey, please call the fbi when you get cell reception, i have something about a kidnapping. >> that man was david lewin, he learned that earlier that day a guy named mark ziglar was on his way to work as the ceo of the wide 12 credit union in the suburb of knoxville. as he was pulling out of his garage he noticed a garbage can

was knocked over. >> so, he put his car in park get out of the car, goes to fix the garbage can at which time he is accosted by two masked men wearing dark clothing, ski masks with guns drawn. >> as an assistant u.s. attorney, lewin was assigned to help the fbi investigate the ziglar story from that first day. he knew nothing about the connecticut case, but, the descriptions of the two suspects were similar. one, slender in tall, the author stockier. the first guy with the gun had a big son burst tattoo on his neck that was -- the mask was pulled up, that was exposed. >> distinctive? >> distinctive. and another person came through who appeared to be a black male, with a black bandana and sunglasses, but a blackballed head. again, with guns drawn. >> the assailants forced ziglar back into his house. his wife and teenage son were inside. all three frightened family members were handcuffed and

placed in the living room. mark ziglar was and given a three-page note, it contained chilling details on what was about to happen. he was going to rob his own credit union. coming up. >> he is to empty the vault of three point $4 million for every minute that he was laid his wife was going to lose a finger. >> and later, a high stakes stalemate. >> they refused to open the vault. >> and a high speed car chase. that could crack the case. >> he just hit a third vehicle. >> i was like what is about to happen next, you know? am about to be caught in a shoot out in the interstate, what are these guys doing? >> and then come to guys? >> yes. >> when dateline continues. ontinues . it was easy. i inputted information about the car including, the mileage, the vin number. answered a few questions and got a real offer in seconds. it felt too good to be true. it was a lot higher than i expected. a carvana advocate came to my house.

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for an everyday item to become dangerous. tide pods child-guard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer. to close, twist until it clicks. tide pods child-guard packaging. there's nothing like hitting the waves. there's nothing like volunteering. but my moderate-to-severe eczema can make it hard. now i'm staying ahead of it. dupixent helps heal your skin from within. so you can have clearer skin and noticeably less itch. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. >> returning to our story, and executive says he was kidnapped by gunmen and ordered to rob his own credit union. >> they said this is an

explosive we will stop a two. >> the bomb was fake. was his story faith to? >> it's gonna be bad for you if you failed a polygraph. >> but it was about to be déjà vu all over again. more kidnappings -- >> she said they're gonna kill me, my child. >> more bank robberies. >> he has to empty the vault of any and all gold leon. >> a dramatic roadside arrest. and a mystery to solve. but first, some dots would need connecting. 800 miles from matt in new britain, connecticut, unsuspecting authorities in tennessee have no idea they were about to be part of the same story. only that they were dealing with an unfolding crime of their own. mark ziglar the, ceo of the white 12 federal credit union, two armed assailants were holding mark's wife and son hostage in their home in knottsville outside of tennessee and had ordered mark

to rob the credit union he ran. assistant u.s. attorney lewin was helping the fbi investigation. >> just to empty the vault of three point $4 million as well as any and all gold bully on. >> the ceo was given a strict deadline. he had less than 45 minutes to get the cash and goal. if he fail the consequences would be devastating. >> for every minute that mr. ziegler was late, his wife was going to lose a finger. and when she ran out of fingers, their adult daughter, brittani, who lived in texas at the time they have people watching britney in texas -- >> they had eyes on the daughter? >> eyes on the daughter and they were going to chop her up and mail her to the family if mr. ziglar fail to comply. >> how did they have so much knowledge about this family? >> we don't know. >> but they're getting the facts right? >> they're getting their facts right. >> make no sarah was the lead

investigator for the fbi, he said what happened next took an even more bizarre turn. >> the tall slender guy, white male, went outside a few minutes later a white female comes in to the back door -- >> a female? >> a female. >> now you have three assailants? >> three. the female comes in and says something about that he told me to come in and get milk for the baby. >> for the baby? >> for the baby. >> now you have four players here? one of them is an infant apparently. so is this again, what's going on here? >> obviously we're dealing with a crew. >> a sigler ride at his credit union as captured on security cameras, he went to the vault and started loading cash into a black bag given to him by the kidnappers, and he slipped one of the employees this note. >> 9-1-1 what is your emergency? >> my ceos sent me a note that says home invasion, called police. he has bags and walked into the

vault. >> ziglar filled the black bag with over $200,000 in cash, then he got into his car and headed towards the parking lot exit were and arriving police officer stopped him. the criminals were listening to everything through a cell phone in ziglar's pocket. >> mark ziglar is telling them through the phone that the police are here, they are approaching me what do you want me to do? and what he heard through the phone was two words, abort, abort. and then the phone went dead. >> in the meantime the kidnappers blindfolded ziglar's wife and son and loaded them into the families suv. they drove to a parking lot and dumped the vehicle with ziglar's wife and son still inside. eventually the to free themselves and found someone to call police. >> so at the end the family got out alive in the bank robbers got no money from it? >> no money, but they escaped. >> the ziglar's provided a detailed description of the

suspects which authored is used to create this sketch of the blackmail and this one of the female suspect who came in the house looking for milk. now i'm sure the crime scene had process the house in the vehicle within an inch. they get lucky? did they find anything? >> we found nothing. it was clean. >> fingerprints? fibers? >> no fingerprints, no dna. nothing was left behind. >> nothing to stop the next attack, and there would be a next one. coming up. a young couple and their baby barricaded behind locked doors. >> pry bars now being accused on the master bedroom door. >> and an intense standoff. >> the employee refused to open the vault. >> she says they're gonna kill me unless we do this? >> yes, they're gonna kill me, they're gonna kill my child. >> when dateline continues. tinues fore it starts, and it won't impact your ability to get pregnant in the future. find it yourself in the family planning aisle no prescription, no id.

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i guess we have. [both] finch! let's go! oh yeah! it's not the same. what could you do to solve the problem? we could get xfinity? that's actually super adult of you to suggest. i can't wait to squad up. i love it when you talk nerdy to me. guy, guys, guys, we're still in session. >> connecticut, july 2015, for and i don't know what the heck you're talking about. five months marked remained under a heavy cloud of

suspicion. by the time he read about the tennessee ceo held hostage and asked to rob his own vault. he told investigators that it must be the same guys who kidnapped him and his mother. >> found this to be very odd that another credit union executive was forced to try to rob his credit union. it's the same people. there is no way that it is a coincidence. they told me it was coincidence, copycat doing this. >> matt had been allowed to return to his job but he was still under investigation. the fbi had taken over his case from the local police, and according to matt, there were serious doubts about his innocence. >> i was told there was a 95% chance i was guilty, there was a 100% chance i was guilty. and i said, i'm in trouble. >> back in tennessee, that same month it would be another families turn to be traumatized. a young couple was beginning their day, the harrison's. tanner, abigail and their five month old son. >> he and abigail were just in

this cute little love phase they had the new baby and they were very happy. >> jamie satterfield covered the story for the knoxville newspaper. >> she remembers just having this goofy grin on her face and she leaves the baby with tanner and she goes down the steps, she's gonna take a quick job and frankly she says she might come back and get a little flirty with her husband. so that's why she had the goofy grin on her face. so she gets down to the bottom of the steps, opens the door and then boom! >> as soon as she opened the garage she sought to mass man, ski masks, dark clothing, with guns. she immediately slams the door shut. >> using a crowbar with, one of the assailants opened the door. >> she's not in the kitchen of the house. >> abigail ran upstairs, she's trying to warn her husband's. >> they chase her up the

stairs. she runs down the hallway to the master bedroom. she slammed the master bedroom door shut. >> then her husband locked the door. >> the immediately here that door frame starting to crack. because the pry bar is now being used on that master bedroom door. >> where she's huddling with her husband in child? >> and child. >> how absolutely horrifying. >> there's only one place left to go, they go into the master bath bathroom. >> they go all the way back, the farthest point can get away and tanner's trying to hold the door and abby and the baby is crying, it's just chaos. >> that's the last doorway? >> yes. >> the two invaders force themselves into the bathroom, then, one drew a gun and delivered a refrain the other families had also heard. >> you're going to rob your bank today for us. >> tanner, as you may have guessed worked at a local bank as a lone officer. he was handcuffed and booking his wife eventually were

blindfolded. the attackers and loaded the entire family in the harris's car including their five month old son. the attackers knew where tanner worked and drove there with the family. fbi agent make. >> they're going to keep the son and the wife while he goes and drops the bank. >> this is a child in arms? this is make it a special case? >> your ramping up when you're talking about a defenseless infant. >> tanner went into the vault as seen from this bank surveillance camera and loaded a black bag with cash. he then went out to the banks parking lot to the car where the kidnappers were holding his family. >> you see the car stop and the passenger side door open. you see tanner harris hand over a very large bag, but you can see a very brief struggle. >> tanner demanded that the kidnappers let his wife and child go before he will turn over the cash. >> at which time the bag is yanked, door shut, car speeds

out of the parking lot and an image of a husband and father left in that parking lot by himself watching the car speed away. >> two armed desperado have taken his family? >> yes. >> the kidnappers left abigail and the sun in their own vehicle while they took off in a getaway car. they had escaped once again. but this time date netted $195,000 for their efforts. so in this case you believe you have to middle aged white males? >> correct. >> at the bank robbers? >> not three, there's no woman? >> no woman, no blackmail. no tattoo reported. >> after he had two of these things how is it playing as a story, how is knoxville hearing about it? >> i can't say that people were universally frightened. i think the greater harm initially was that people were suspicious of these families, that's what i heard, i had cop friends who were suspicious, we as journalists were kind of suspicious, really? they kidnap you but then they let you go and, you know, it

just sounded unbelievable. >> unbelievable, maybe, but it would happen again. this time in northern tennessee. three months after the harris case a younger mother was starting her day and struggling to get her toddler son secured in her car. >> he wants candy for breakfast, and he is throwing a fit, so she is quite distracted anyway. all of a sudden, you know, she feels movement. >> brookline's didn't have time to think, in an instant she and her three-year-old son were under attack. >> she looks up and hears a guy with an assault rifle pointed at her. >> two male attackers forced broke into the car with her son, that's right, they headed here, this credit union in elizabethton where she worked as a nine dollar an hour teller. >> the people knew where brooke worked, they knew how to get to her bank without being told. >> jeff plantain is a special agent for the fbi. he investigated brooks case and says she was instructed to go

inside and get $350,000 or else. >> she's been told by these two guys if the police are called, if she doesn't do what she's instructed, then there is going to be a shoot out, she and her child will be in the middle of it. >> a frantic broke entered the credit union scream that she needed the vault open and the bags loaded with money because her three-year-old son was being held hostage outside. that's when brooks de got even worse. >> she finds her boss in the bank and says two men have carson, with guns, i need to get into the vault. her boss refuses to open the vault. >> they can be judgmental in that kind of circumstance, but -- >> right. >> masked men half her child outside the doors. >> broke response was singular she pointed at her and said, you just killed us. >> the credit union security camera caught the excruciating

moments broke was desperately running around looking for help. >> all she can think about is her son, she runs out of the bank opens the passenger side back door of her car, throws the bag in their, drapes herself over carson begs them not to shoot her and tells them to drive because the cops are being called as they speak. >> surprisingly the criminals eventually led both of them go, leaving her in her car while they took off in another vehicle. >> they didn't get any money. >> two bizarre robbery stores had the knoxville bruemmerville buzzing of inside jobs, but now they're worth three. people were wondering who would be next. fbi and vested gaiters were frustrated, they had no solid leads. by that time they had already released sketches of the suspects from the attack on the ziglar family hoping that would advance the case. no one would have guessed that the big breaking investigation what happened when this assistant restaurant manager took his fiancée's little red

car for a drive on the highway. coming up. >> once he hit me, i knew at this point these guys are running. >> a high speed car chase reveals a subtle crew. >> he just hit a third vehicle. >> and a sharp eyed investigator takes notice. >> it struck me that those people had disciplined, they have purpose. >> when dateline continues. when dateline continues you up, try vicks nyquil severe. just one dose starts to relieve 9 of your worst cold and flu symptoms, to help take you from 9 to none. for max-strength nighttime relief, nyquil severe. my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala is a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma that can mean less oral steroids. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you

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country in an attempt to unionize the company. now, back to dateline. now, back to dateline. >> it was surreal. it was like you're not gonna believe what happened. >> this is adam russo, no, he isn't a bank executive or teller, not another victim of the violent bank robbing gang terrorizing east tennessee. back in september 2015, more than a month before broke lions ordeal, adam was an assistant restaurant manager on his way to a job interview. driving west on i-40 in north carolina, in a car he borrowed from his fiancée. what kind of car does she have by the way? >> 2005 ford focus. so -- >> a little car. >> little car, you know, gets you where you need to go. >> if you try telling adam he was on his way to becoming perhaps one of the most crucial player in a case that had befuddled an army investigators,

he would have thought you crazy. but, that was exactly what was about to happen. >> i remember looking in my rearview mirror and i could see a couple of cop cars, their sirens and suv, i thought that guy must of been going too quick, he's being pulled over. >> this is the dashcam video from one of the police cars and you may recognize him, it's that same dramatic high-speed chase footage we showed you at the beginning of our story. >> i look back and there were still following this guy and that's when i knew something was a little off, why is this guy not pulling over? >> instead the driver pulled up to adam's little red car in the right-hand lane. >> and all of a sudden this black suv is on my tail. he's making the swerving gestures, kind of like swipes

in this type of motion, all i know is our member putting two hands on the wheel, he hit me -- >> adam free sprays that moment, what the heck is going on? >> right, once he hit me i knew at this point this guys running. obviously. you're not gonna just hit me and keep going with two cops on you unless something is going on. >> adam then watched in horror as the black suv hit another car with such force -- >> he just hit a third vehicle. >> it's been out of control and crashed into the barrier. >> i was like what is about to happen next, you know? i'm about to be caught in a shoot out in the middle of the interstate, what are these guys doing? >> and the doors open in their comes two guys. >> yes. >> adam saw the driver and a passenger leap out of the car, carrying black bags. >> two guy starts britain. across the concrete barrier like an olympic track runner,

you know? >> hold out! >> sprinting through the wooded area. >> all cars, jump in, run up and run, i-40. >> north carolina troopers decided not to give that man chase not until reinforcements could arrive. adam called his fiancée. >> i was like, babe, you don't believe what just happened, she said, no way, are you serious? like, she couldn't believe it. sounds like a movie scene. >> and that should have been it, a crazy tale maybe to tell the grandkids at thanksgiving. but that's where the story took a left turn into the twilight zone. adam's fiancée called her dad brian o'hare. >> so i received the call from my oldest daughter who told me basically you're not gonna believe what happened with adam, and immediately i thought there was a problem in relation to his job interview, he has messed up a job interview. >> let me put you on pause, interesting biographical detail because you are not only adams respective father in law, what

else are you? >> i'm a special agent in the fbi. >> and his years of fbi experience told agent o'hare that some things he heard about that chase were rather strange. like the way the driver tried to ram adams car from behind. o'hare recognize that as a police tactic called a pitch maneuver. >> it's a police intervention technique, it is a trained technique. >> what's the goal, that would have and the pursuit and you get away? >> the goal is to get that engine to shut down and then get a hold of the driver and make your rest. if you're criminal and you spin vehicles around you can recap vic on the pursuing law enforcement officials. >> stop! >> and there was something unusual about the way those men fled. >> i had no clue as to why they fell so important to grab those bags or why they would choose to cross and uncle coming interstate to make that get away, it doesn't make any sense. >> it confounded the north carolina troopers to. and despite searching the area,

authorities never did find the two men. agent o'hare didn't think much more about it until a little more than a month later when he was assigned to help on a case up in elizabeth and, his luck was have, the brook lines case. >> you had a bank robbery, a woman at gunpoint abducted tool to hold up her own bag. what details were in your mind? >> it was very well organized. >> and that jog his memory back to the high speed car chase on i-40. it had a similar sophistication. >> it struck me that those people had discipline, they had purpose. >> both cases also involve two suspects and black bags. >> i thought that it is not a guarantee that they are one in the same, but i wasn't aware of anyone else who would fit the bill. >> you're not pulling this out of a computer, your gut is telling you something is going on here? >> some experience and some instinct that led me to believe that the two episodes could be connected. >> what started as a hunch was about to break this case wide open.

coming up. an abandoned gps with a roadmap of a crime spree. >> it looked like they were chasing the banks. >> leading to another high-speed chase with a slightly different ending. >> get on the ground! get down, now! >> i don't know what's going on, i'm hitchhiking, trying to get around. >> when dateline continues. ontinues when you're through with powering through, it's time for theraflu hot liquid medicine. powerful relief so you can restore and recover. theraflu hot beats cold. dupixent helps you du more with less asthma. and can help you breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that's not for sudden breathing problems. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath,

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east tennessee. >> tips were coming in and investigators chased down every lead, but turned up nothing. violent of tolbert 2015, all the fbi was left with was that hunch agent o'hare had that a bizarre highway chase miles away from north carolina had something to do with the tennessee bank robberies. he shared his inkling with age and plantain. >> i remember him telling me not for nothing but this happened and it might be something, it might not. so at this point it was really the only last remaining stone that we needed to go turn to see if there was anything to it. >> so they took a close look at what happened in north carolina, agent plantain an agent know sarah learned that whole crazy car chase started with a routine traffic stop for speeding and they wanted to take a look at the dash cam video of the suspects fleeing the crash. >> the descriptions were similar, he had two white males one tall and athletic and one a

little bit thicker and stop here. the black bags stuck out because both the ziglar's and that harris's had described these individuals when they came to their house that they had black bags. >> your first hunch, what did you think? >> i knew we had bad guys i thought we may have something here enough to continue the investigation at this point i did not know if it was our bank robbers or if it wasn't. >> turns out investigators had gone through the suspects black banged up suv and they found a gps device. so it could be a gold mine of information? >> it can be. >> tell me where have you been? >> it can be. >> an fbi special agent search devise and found something intriguing, one of the locations marked on the gps was a credit union near oxville. >> it looked like this was set up that they were casing the bank and looking for escape routes and routes away from that bank. i talk to jeff and i said it may not be our bank robbers but

they are somebody's robbers. >> no the gps route led to a luxury route in maggie valley, a beautiful north carolina tourist destination near the smoky mountains. investigators reached out to the property manager melissa. >> the fbi basically stated that they had some concerns and needed to know who was staying in the home. >> melissa told the agents at about five months earlier she'd received an inquiry. two men, a writer named ron bradford and his assistant were looking for a place to stay while they worked on their book. melissa showed them around, they were in the market for something secluded with a garage. >> we travel around the area looked at a couple of homes and they chose one. >> the men were staying in a home aptly named southern comfort. it was a month to month rental and they paid in cash. melissa said there were some of her best tenants. >> these guys treated me with utmost respect. they were very kind, on an

occasion that actually brought me a potted plant and i thank you card for being such hospitable rental company, i guess. >> they hardly seemed like gun wielding kidnappers. agent -- rand the name of the author. >> did the name check out? >> no, the name did not check out. >> for him -- about the renters car. >> i asked if she had ever seen run in the black alexis acts uv. one of the robberies in knoxville there was a black suv that was burned after the robbery. she said yes they had a black suv, alexis earlier in the summer but that she hadn't seen it in several months. >> did you think, i got you? i'm on you? now >> at this point i was convinced that it was our bank robbing crew. yes. >> it was time for godahl fashion stake out. agent blanton assemble a team to keep tabs on the two men, did you see them coming and going? >> i saw them coming and going,

we were unable to identify who they were but we were able to see them. >> and investigators learned the men were not alone. >> the surveillance team was able to ascertain that there was a female at the cabin. >> do you know who she was? >> we did not know who she was. >> remember the ziglar home invasion? there was that woman who came in the house asked for milk for her baby, could this be her? authorities waited patiently for an opportunity to take the suspects down. two weeks after they started their surveillance they finally got their chance. assistant u.s. attorney david louis. >> a day before thanksgiving long enforcement see them get into a silver nissan pathfinder with stolen maryland license plate, the decision was made to stop the vehicle. >> it was another high speed chase, sirens blaring. the suv went through traffic and suddenly slowed down. >> we see the suv pull over, we

see the passenger side open, we see a person get out of the vehicle holding a black bag and then the suv takes off. >> get on the ground! get down, now! don't you move! do not move! >> one down, want to go. but the man on the ground well, he wasn't behaving like a criminal caught in the act. he was behaving like a victim. >> immediately says, i'm not involved don't know what's going on, i don't know these guys are busy hitchhiking i just wanted to get a ride. >> did the cops get the wrong guy? they would have to sort that out later. there was still a man on the loose barreling down the highway. coming up. there is more than one way to catch a crook. >> driver jumps out and takes off on foot, right pick up truck pins him under the rear wind. >> run some? over >> runs him over. >> you can't make this stuff up? >> you can't. >> and later, a suspect gives up a chilling clue. >> his fist is opened up and

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troopers were back on the tail of the suv after its passenger bolted out on the side of the interstate. but as the suv fled, the driver made a serious error. he cut off a red pickup truck. >> the red pick up truck didn't like that. >> road rage exploded, the driver of the red pickup took off in hot pursuit of the suv. leapfrogging the state troopers. >> the police are now following the red pick up truck was following the suv. >> the lead position is mr. road rage, why did you cut me off? >> right. >> with the trooper and the pick up driver still giving chase the suv left the interstate, drove to a

construction site and went right into a ditch. >> driver jumps out and takes off on foot, the red pick up truck pins him over -- >> runs him over? >> runs him over. >> you can't make the stuff? up >> you can't. >> and of the chase? >> and of the chase police pull up, they take the driver into custody. >> the driver of the suv was banged up with a broken collarbone, broken ribs and burns, both he and a passenger who rolled out of the suv were taken to a local jail. but, who were they? investigators learned the driver was bryan with him, a guy with a rap sheet dating back to when he was in his 20, with convictions for armed robbery. >> he gave the impression that he was the guy who -- given the chance he would kill you and think nothing of it. >> this agent tried to get answers from him but his suspect was mobbed. >> he comes in and says he is not going to rat. >> the passenger who claimed to be a hitchhiker said his name

was michael but naughty. he was initially charged with felony position of a stolen car. here in an interview room he ranted about his arrest. >> there should be no arrest here. i got thrown out of a car on the highway. you know what i mean? there is no nothing. i didn't do nothing. >> back to the guard that he was a big deal executive. >> i'm the ceo of a company, eight years have been building and the stupid little arrest is going to destroy me. >> investigators learned that he in fact founded a company and was even profiled in the wall street journal in 2014. his company was called prisoner assistant, and it manage finances for inmates in prison. turns out he had a lot of experience in that area. >> he has multiple felony convictions to include attempted murder of a police officer, robbery, theft of property and most importantly a federal conviction of

conspiracy to commit bank robbery. >> what do you make of this business he had? >> he was actually stealing from that business, part of the reason the banks were being robbed is because he could repay some of the money that he owed two inmates that he was stealing from. into it as he originally told police. the two were in cahoots, after the long history together. and in the late 90s enough -- and devised a plan to escape. on the contempt ban. the both of them were sent to the prison in colorado. now, again in custody they paced about and called his sister saying desperately that she should bail him out. >> danielle? i'm sorry to have to give you this call. i love you. i am in prison. >> then fbi agent arrived. >> agent, first impressions? who did you see? >> while he was extremely arrogant. >> and --

as well he said. >> he's the smartest person in the room, he was very proud that he was a graduate of super max and in the super max printed and was proud of his credentials being a criminal. >> by now, they were sure that they had the right guys. in part because of something that had happened when he was arrested. >> he is white knuckling something in his hand, with a clenched fist. his fist open up and there was a crumpled piece of paper. >> the defense took a look at it and that crumpled paper had details, names and numbers that sent a chill down their spines. >> three names, handwritten, thank exempt the ribs. south carolina, their titles, their bank locations. >> prosecutors believe that these were the next victims. with the search warrant in hand the fbi agents spent thanksgiving day, black friday

of 2015, in the smoky mountains in a house called southern comfort. there, they found evidence of a sophisticated criminal enterprise. and evidence that would finally reveal who that mystery woman was, the woman who wanted milk for her baby. >> so agents, who is this? >> coming up! >> the answer. and a warning. >> be careful what you put out for the world to see. the minute that you can post, or hit sand, they won't guarantee who's gonna be able to access on their. >> baby pictures out? there >> may be pictures out there. >> when dateline continues! continues

>> it was thanksgiving day 2015, and a house in the mountains of north carolina. but there was no family gathering inside, just fbi agents and the prosecutor. they were searching for evidence tying michael and

brian to the strain of kidnappings and bankruptcy aries in eastern tennessee. >> when we originally walked in, the amount of evidence and items that were in the house was staggering. >> including weapons, electronic devices, cameras, fake law enforcement i.d.s, fake tattoos, and massive amounts of photos. among them, this picture of -- , which was an inadvertent selfie. his face seen in the car side mayor taken as a case of [inaudible] . >> they told brian what he had, he went from mom to spelling everything to the defense. >> he was in the role in this. >> it was a chilling case of evidence that involved learning every detail about their intended victims lives. step-by-step they gathered intelligence, first they identified the bank. >> they would go to that bank, they would look at the social media page and hopefully get

names and pictures of the people that they felt would be where the targets. >> then they stopped the bank employees online. >> they would find them on linkedin, they would find them on facebook. >> victims would rise and fall on the target lies depending on the quantity and quality of social media evidence that they put out there for the world to see. >> for example in the harris case, they saw the pictures of the couple's newborn baby on facebook. >> with the harris, they were planning on doing that one earlier but they notice that she had given birth and they push the date back. >> and facebook also revealed that they had an adult daughter who lived in texas. >> they were able to say that we've gotten your people surveilling your child in texas. >> once the victims were picked out, the spying turned up close and in person. he would surveil them at home, hiding in their yards. watching and documenting their every move. >> commandoes style, gopro

camera set up around the house. they would camo up, have some food. and he would put himself up into a tree and sometimes right next to the playsets of the families with the children in the backyard. and watch, quietly, making notes of when lights go off. when they come on. when people go to the kitchen table, when they go out to get the paper. >> the duo would then take all of the information that they had gathered, reams and reams of personal details. surveillance photos. maps. and compile them into a victim packet. agents found over a dozen of these packets, or dossiers, in a black briefcase in the house. >> we have numerous packages we have names, addresses, children, grandchildren. >> and i'm seeing spartanburg which is in south carolina? >> that is correct. georgia? >> late in georgia? >> future victims correct? >> yes. >> they included some of the names and addresses on the piece of paper which he

clutched in his hand. >> and we found thousands upon thousands of photographs on sd card's of some of these houses, locations, and people. the >> dossiers weren't just the future targets, the agents also found the target that they already knew very well. brook lions. >> what is the quality of their surveillance work? >> it's, i'm a division swat team leader. and these are of a quality that i could use for them. >> to execute a search warrant, or anything else. >> in talking to whitmer, they learned why they had never found any physical evidence. no dna, prince, fibers. he made sure not to leave a trace behind. >> he wouldn't even change his body to try to eliminate as much detail as possible. >> while he was in a tree doing surveillance, he brought -- along with him. >> he relieves himself in the jugs so that he does not break surveillance, and that he does not leave any dna behind. >> but now, even with the two

men in custody, the defense still did not know how many others were involved. who was the african american there? and the woman that the ziglar's described? was there anyone else involved? >> three, four, five, six people? are we looking for to? what are the races? what are the genders that we are looking for? >> brian gave them the answer. they brought masks. >> so agents, who is this? >> that is the white female from the robbery in april in 2015. >> they want to see the baby -- >> yes. >> the fbi had released a sketch of her to the public. it was eerily close. >> so what has actually happened here? >> brian had a fake tattoo on his neck, walked outside, put that mask on. and then came in and acted like a female coming in. looking for milk for the day. >> as for the african american man, he was a mask as well. the dna was found on it. >> pretty good mess? >> yes. they spent --

appears to purchase these masks. >> they were sewing in deception, and red herrings. and things designed to confuse the victims. >> gender switch, the racial switch? >> yes. all of that. because the victims then are going to report all of that to the police. and the police will then be looking for a black man, a woman with long brown hair. >> and it worked. he also told the agents that he and -- didn't strike just in tennessee. >> he lays out a crime speeding up and down the eastern seaboard. that began in the summer of 2014. >> he told them about a heist that the two of them had pulled off in 2014, in a small, pennsylvania town. and sure enough, there was a tall slender man. and a heavy set guy. they held the tellers at gunpoint and made off with $156,000. >> and sure enough we go up, and we learned that that bank robbery was still unsolved. >> then he told them about

another job, it was in connecticut. and that's when the fbi finally connected the tennessee cases to matthew. >> you see, the poor victim had been regarded as a suspect. and he lived under the stigma of that until he gave up the story, didn't he? >> yes. >> the investigators were looking at other leads, and running things down. they were striking out the same as we were. down here. >> of course, matt did not know any of this yet. he was still very much under suspicion. in fact, he just appeared before a grand jury. >> it did not go well, it was very obvious that they were going to recommend an indictment. >> that was in november, then on december 1st. matt thought that his worst fear had come true. they said the fbi was coming to his office. >> and i told them, i'm not gonna last them arrest me in front of all of my staff. >> it was about an arrest all right, but it wasn't max. >> he said we've apprehended

two individuals down in north carolina, we have overwhelming evidence that connects them to your case. you are now no longer a suspect, you are now completely exonerated. >> matt and his mom had been telling the truth all along. >> the overwhelming emotion, i actually broke down and cried in the office because of all the emotions that just came up. they had been bubbling up for nine months because i was trying to show that i was truly innocent. >> and as he learned more about his kidnappers mo, some of the strange details about his story made so much sense. for instance, remember how his mom said that the kidnappers used his vacuum to clean up? that's because they did not want to leave any evidence behind. and matt learned that his captors found him on the credit union website. then they saw his picture, and learned where he lived on facebook. the criminals began to watch. >> you are surveilled? >> yes, i was surveilled. to this day i still can't handle that i had people surveilling me and i did not

noticed. if i just paid more attention, what i've stop this? >> in 2017, he was convicted of 23 counts, including armed bank, extortion, and kidnapping. he is now serving four consecutive life sentences plus 155 years. but he still maintains his innocence. brian, who struck a deal, was sentenced to 30 years. >> so what is the lesson for people here? >> be careful what you put out for the world to see. the minutes that you hit post or send you have no guarantee who is going to be able to access that at some point. >> baby pictures out there? >> baby pictures out there. you talking about where you run in your neighborhood, and how long. it is all out there. >> and these guys explain it all of those things? >> they made it all. >> as for, he is still upset how he was treated by the fbi and local authorities. former police chief, hue. >> he would have liked to take a swing at you guys? >> and delightfully so, he was

through so much. for any of us to have added to his anguish isn't regretful. he is a victim of her horrific crime, he is a courageous man. >> and -- we'll be in prison for years and years into the future. all of their victims seem to have been deeply traumatized. reporter, jamie satterfield. >> there will never be able, really, i think, to ever fully rest easy in their own homes. that's the pay, carrie. >> your life will never be the same, it never will be. no matter how much i put on that face and tell everybody that i am fine. i will never be the same after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline". my -- i didn't want to believe it.