with my husband, that's cool digging. i have bills kids, i have his grandkids. something she'll never have. and i have all the memories of bill. that's not a gold digger, that's a wife. so she should maybe look it up in the dictionary first. >> frances told us that the new case goes to trial, she'll take the stand. it worked for her at the sentencing hearing in bill's murder, but insurance fraud is a serious crime too, and there's no sudden passion defense. if convicted, the woman who served just two years for killing her husband will face the possibility of life in prison yet again. >> that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm craig melvin, thank you for watching. u for watching and this is "dateline." >> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales.

>> and this is dateline. >> i just can't imagine to be held in captivity. >> dad, just send the money. that's all they want. >> they have an american kid. a 14-year-old kid in the middle of the jungle. they're thinking they have the jackpot. >> they were vacationers turned prisoners. a mother and son, kidnapped by terrorists. >> we need 10 million u.s. dollars for the release of your family. >> 10 million, from me? are you losing your mind? >> a harrowing international hostage drama. >> this is a big operation, this is not just a drag tag group of people. >> anything can happen, there are no guarantees. >> can a father to negotiator to bring them home? >> prepare for the worst. >> i'm getting worried. i'm getting so worried. >> a lot of people were praying for them. a lot of people were.

>> hello, and welcome to dateline, they were on a dream vacation when suddenly a mother, her teenage son, and a cousin were all kidnapped by a group of men with guns wanting money and lots of it. but the worldwide hostage drama be resolved before it was all too late? here with heart of darkness is keith morrison. >> they lay in wait, unseen underneath the green canopy, armed to the teeth, immersed and there to find extremist beliefs, hunting, stalking, deadly in this particular heart of darkness. it was the summer of 2011, a jungle clad island in the southern tip of the philippines, where they prepared the place. the news of the terrible

committed here, flashed halfway around the world and came crashing down out of nowhere on a modest working class family. in lynchburg, virginia. >> i got a phone call for my mother. the first thing she said was gerfa and kevin are kidnapped in the philippines. >> kidnapped? her mother tried to wrap her hand around the considerable. gerfa was there and, kevin gerfa's-year-old son. they were to home from a philippine vacation. instead, they are in the clutches of something horrific. >> i felt like i was in a dream, wasn't real. >> i was thinking, what? >> gerfa's husband had stained behind in lynchburg, and was at work when he aired. >> you must have been terrified? >> yes, it was impossible to think about it, but pictures don't lie. >> they didn't. there they were, on philippine television, incomprehensible images.

kevin and gerfa's passports, suitcases, relatives. gerfa, kevin, and one gerfa of's cousins kidnapped by a boat in the dead of night. >> i was thinking, no, that doesn't happen to us! >> nobody think it's going to happen to us, right? >> yeah, but, my wife's heart is in the philippines, her family. >> gerfa was born in the philippines and always felt safe there. her older sister married a u. s. navy sailor, moved to america in 1985. brought 16 year old gerfa with her, hoping to give her a chance at a better life. >> she was so excited about the opportunity. i remember, she went to little caesar's pizza, it was the greatest thing, to get a job. >> she had a son, josh, went back to community college to improve herself. there she met a german immigrant named heiko. from then on, that was it.

they were a family! she became a lab technician, heiko a maintenance man. they bought a house in the leafy neighborhood of lynchburg, virginia and had kevin. and the immigrant son became an all american kid. he was 14 that summer of 2011. smart, studious, and looking forward to the start of high school in the fall. >> he is this normal american kit, likes pizza, hotdogs, burgers, hang out with his friends, play video games, right on his state board. >> they lived frugally, saved their money. which is how eventually heiko could afford his used mercedes sportscar, and gerfa and kevin that vacation ship to the philippines. life was good. but now, it was very bad indeed. >> when i first heard they were kidnapped, the first thing that came to my mind was, my gosh, it's abu sayyaf! >> abu sayyaf a small but extremely violent militant

group over the years claimed affiliation first with al-qaeda, then isis as they fought to establish an independent islamic state in the southern philippines. it's bread and butter, the fight against the government, kidnap for ransom. abu sayyaf had taken american hostages before. some were released eventually, but some were beheaded. heiko was frantic, had no idea what to do where to turn. that very day, the cavalry came running in. >> my boss from work called, come on over to work, the fbi is here for you. >> what was it like to hear the fbi was actually paying attention to this? >> it is really real now. this is a real thing. >> we never know how families are going to react, obviously. but almost in every case, they are in a state of crisis. >> mark thundercloud was a leader of a special fbi hostage negotiating unit. formed precisely for an emergency like this. more than that it doesn't agents set up the lunsmann house.

covered windows, set up a surveillance system and heiko's kitchen, not ready for what they knew was coming. demand for ransom. >> he's negotiating really with someone who is selling his family. >> the fbi told me that my wife and son are merchandise for them. >> that's hard to hear. >> yes. >> we tried to be very transparent with the families in these cases. we try to prepare them the best we can. >> did you prepare heiko for the possibility they would be executed? >> yeah. we prepared him for the worst. >> now there is nothing else to do. except wait and then the phone rang. >> hello? >> hello. >> yes? >> this is long distance from philippines. is this mister heiko lunsmann? >> a terrorist on the line, and the question our heiko beloved wife and son, the life of death

negotiations have officially begun. coming up -- >> we need 10 million u.s. dollars for the release of your family. >> 10 million? from me? are you losing your mind? >> dad. we need you to send the money. >> i'm getting worried. i'm getting so worried! >> when dateline continues. with flonase, allergies don't have to be scary. spray flonase sensimist daily for non-drowsy, long lasting relief in a scent-free, gentle mist. (psst psst) flonase. all good. i'm gonna pull over and stretch my legs. i think you were supposed to keep left there. hmm? what is this place? the other side of the rest stop. bundles as far as the eye can see. if you're looking for a first mate, i know a guy. me. i'm the guy. is this oak? [ sniffs ] four types of jerky. this is where i live now. you could save a ton with progressive by bundling your boat or rv with your home and auto.

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lunsmann? >> yes, that's me. >> okay, we'd like to inform you that your family is here with us, under our custody. >> two days after his wife and child were kidnapped by abu sayyaf in the philippines, heiko lunsmann got his first ransom call. on the phone, the man who called himself mr. so -- >> he called me mr. lunsmann. but i wanted to know what i can call you. a kidnap or, terrorists? just give me a name. >> mr. so was calm, businesslike. like he done it 100 times before. in fact, he was the voice for a violent separatist group known for executing prisoners. beheadings, usually. >> we would like to tell you that we need 10 million u.s.

dollars for the u.s. release of your family. can you hear me? >> and i was just was thinking, are you losing your mind? who do you think you've got? just couldn't believe. it 10 million. from the? >> why would they think heiko had 10 million? perhaps they'd watch the internet. in lynchburg, the kidnapping was big news. tv crew set up shop across the street and captured heiko driving his use mercedes coop. there you are in your fancy car. >> yes. >> you must be worth millions. >> that was the wrong, wrong impression. >> i'm not a rich person, but i will give whatever i can get together. okay? >> we need 10 million u.s. dollars for the release of your family. okay? >> heiko was lucky in this. when mr. so made his demands, some of the most experienced hostage negotiations in the country were right there listening in. ready to point out the right way for heiko to respond. literally. >> these are for general visual prompts that we want heiko to think about. we have other questions related

to kevin and gerfa, that we think are important for heiko taken sitter. and while we're doing that, we're going to write notes down and pass them to heiko, who would read it and then hopefully introduce it to the conversation. >> where is my wife? can i talk to her? is she okay? where is my son? >> yeah, no. your son is -- >> can i talk to them? i want to know if they're okay. >> mr. so didn't say. meanwhile, fbi agents in the philippines were working sources on the ground. word was that gerfa and kevin had been taken to one of abu sayyaf's strong holes, basilan, a large island about four hours by boat from where they've been kidnapped. to a base camp deep in what was nearly impenetrable jungle. >> we travel to basilan to talk with politicians there who may have had influence over this group. >> heiko had the fbi to help. but government money? no. >> you don't pay ransom? >> the government doesn't pay ransom. >> any decisions that are made regarding ransoms are rate made by the family.

>> but it was actually me, no choice. i know i want to pay something. just to make sure they are safe. >> the week after the kidnapping, heiko wired a ransom payment, close to $5, 000, to a bank account in the philippines. >> i was thinking i pay that money and is over. but -- they started wanting more and more and more. >> more weeks went by. mr. so reduced his demands from 10 million to 2 million. then 1 million. still impossible, of course. so the kidnappers turned up the heat. they put kevin on the line. >> that. >> yeah. >> are you there? >> how are you doing? >> we need you to send the money. >> i know that and i am ready. but all i have over here i will send. >> dad. dad. just send the money. that's all they want. >> heiko maxed out his credit e heat. still impossible, of course. so the kidnappers turned up the heat. they put kevin on the line. >> that. >> yeah. >> are you there? >> how are you doing? >> we need you to send the money. >> i know that and i am ready. but all i have over here i will send. >> dad. dad. just send the money.

that's all they want. >> heiko maxed out his credit cards. board money from whomever he could. but it never seemed to be enough. >> as the incidents grows from weeks into months, we end up with so many boards that we have to work our way down this hallway. >> daniel girsch was one of the hostage negotiators assigned to heiko. and i guess >> it gets to the point where we don't think we're making progress. heiko feels like we're not making progress. >> you just hope. that's all. you just hope. >> but hope was hard trying on two. the kidnappers kept threatening beheadings. and even worse, they put gerfa on the phone and beat her while she talked to heiko. >> sweetheart, what are you doing over there? >> i know, honey. i'm just so -- >> just tell them i don't have 1 million. please do that. >> i want this to stop. and i -- i told them that you don't have anything.

but they just, like, asking. >> how are you doing, gerfa? i'm getting worried. i'm getting so worried. >> a few seconds later, the line went dead. >> oh, my god -- i'm smoking a cigarette. >> heiko, you need to be ready. >> the frustration must be pretty -- >> the frustration was immense. >> if he is not calm and our hostage capers are going to be calm. so oftentimes i would have to tell heiko be quiet, let the hostage takers speak and then we would have a chance to respond. >> and then what? how long before they are tired of the game and kill the two great loves of his life? >> i've worked these cases that will last years instead of months. >> i said, i'm not gonna make

it years. i mean, there's no way. >> heiko didn't have to wait that long. three months after gerfa and kevin were taken, there was a very different phone call. and for heiko, it was terrifying. >> coming up -- >> she called me really, really sad, crying. >> i felt her dark place, being a mother myself. and it was awful. >> when dateline continues.

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since an islamic paramilitary group had kidnapped since and islamic paramilitary group kidnapped lunsmann's wife and son. he sent the kidnappers what he considers to be a fortune. and then the phone rang again. and it was mr. so. instead, even better an fbi agent, dan girsch, was astonished. >> we received tremendous news that gerfa was released. heiko was excited. i could see and hear just joy. heiko could scarcely believe it was a news flash across the philippines. his wife gerfa was alive and free and safe. so, inexplicable joy. and then gerfa called him and heiko realized the nightmare was just beginning. >> she called me really sad, and crying. my first question was, where is kevin? >> he could hear the terror and her voice. abu sayyaf still had kevin and her cousin. they could kill them anytime

they wanted. >> and i felt her dark place, a mother myself. and it was awful. >> before long, the terror deepened, when she learned her cousin got out, which meant that there and that awful place, her 14 year old son, no one left to protect him, was all alone. >> i remember seeing the picture of her that was in the news and she just looked so sad. she looked so sad and helpless. >> this is gerfa, and even five years later, the memory is brutal. we brought her back here to the philippines and oscar to tell us her story. the story that began at 2:00 in the morning, at the end of a

happy family reunion on a beach, just about like this one. >> it does take you back. you can hear the water, the waves. you can feel the wind. you see the evening sky, the stars. >> it was a beautiful thing. >> it was a beautiful morning. suddenly, i saw from the left side, two men running really fast, like on the sand with some kind of rifle. my first impression was it with some kind of robbery. i screamed for help. i was terrified, i never screamed that loud in my life. >> gerfa rushed back to her hut, grabbed kevin. together, they ran towards the beach. they didn't get far. in an instant, they were surrounded by several armed men in military fatigues. >> kevin was looking at me, he was in front of me. and suddenly, someone kicked him from behind. that violence right there, they were rough right away. like, why did they kick my son? >> a motorboat suddenly

appeared. the kevin pushed kevin and gerfa into it, shocked afraid, gerfa looked up to see her cousin not quite 22 years old and the father of a newborn holding on to the boat. >> he didn't care about his safety, even care about his life. he was backing him, and begging him to let him. this is my family, my faith will be the same. >> took her cousin to. gerfa watch the shore disappear into the darkness. >> in a manner of a moment, you went from a feeling of incredible peace, to the worst nightmare you could ever imagine? >> chaos, complete chaos. and you try to control yourself, try to stay calm. how do you do that? >> it was early morning right after sunrise, they arrived on an island.

they were made to sit in the mangrove. take me, gerfa pleaded with the kidnappers, let the boys go. but in response, one of the man raised his machete. >> he looked at me and he said, did you want me to cut your infidel son said? we had him? i knew right there it was religious. it was more serious. this is more hostile. >> you could see the hatred in their eyes? >> i've never seen so much hate. >> gerfa had heard about abu sayyaf and their kidnappings, but she never thought for a moment that she could be a target. >> we sat there, just shaken, and i couldn't stop it. the fear of death is so strong. we were surrounded by this armed men. there is no rescue, there is no sign of rescue. we were on our own. >> night game. there were prodded at gunpoint into the jungle. particular darkness. >> i constantly followed kevin. the minute he's three feet away from, he is gone. it's like he's gone in the dark. >> then a light, just a flash,

really. a car in the distance. the kidnappers seemed terrified by a, and gerfa was ripped by a fear more terrible than any in her life. >> immediately, someone stood really close to kevin, and i saw that silver rifle, the tip of it, just went close to his forehead, and at that point, i just realized, i was like... oh, my gosh, i might lose my son that night. >> coming up -- >> you're ready to die? >> i was ready. i said lord, thank you for the beautiful family you gave me. i said, if you want me to come home, i'm ready. >> when dateline continues. "dateline" c ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ it's spring! non-drowsy claritin-d knocks out

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speaker kevin mccarthy reached a tentative agreement to raise the debt ceiling. the statement says the deal reduce the spending, while protecting critical programs for people, and growing the economy for everyone. vice president, kamala harris, becoming the first woman to give the commencement address at west point. condemning russia's invasion of ukraine, and warned the graduating cadets but the rising threat of china's military. now, back to dateline. to dateline. >> welcome back to dateline. i'm craig melvin. kidnap victim gerfa lunsmann had been released from her jungle captivity. but what about the fate of her son and her cousin?

here again is keith morrison. >> in the dark of the philippine jungle, surrounded by men with hate in their eyes, gerfa lunsmann look terrified at her 14 year old son. and approaching car had put the kidnappers on alert. and now, one of them held an automatic rifle to kevin's head. >> i just said don't move, son. well my entire body was frozen. >> and then the car passed and they kept walking. several hours later, they arrived at abu sayyaf his's base camp. and this is where they were brought. to a cage in the jungle. not this cage, we actually built this one. but the exact specifications given to us by gerfa. five feet by five feet, some old broken boards for a floor. jungle stitch lashed together with mark. no roof, no protection from the elements. but a key gesture cure as any cage in any prison. there were guard tents on either side of the cage. and a sniper on the hill above, watching them. and right beside the cage, a seemingly bottomless cliff, planted with land mines, said their captors. i know you've been walking for about 36 hours or something. how did you feel?

>> well, exhausted physically, spiritually, mentally. >> and then they present you with this? >> exactly, and you see this piece of crap. and this guy told us get in. and you want to resist. you want to fight it. because you know you are not -- >> this is gerfa's cousin. the young man who forced the kidnappers to take him so he could protect her and kevin. >> he takes the shorter place here. i would sleep here. and kevin will take the longest area of the cage. because he is taller. we cannot move. we take one spot and that is it. >> they sat in silence for biden to speak. they were bit by bit, starved. and a little rice and dried fish. a single play per day to share.

and then one night, about a week after they had been taken hostage, the group's leader told gerfa about the price abu sayyaf had put on her head. that 10 million they demanded from heiko. >> a felt like my whole body just collapsed. i knew if i cannot convince him that i don't have that money, i will never see my family again. so i look up towards heaven. and there was this one star, just blinking. i pointed out the star, this one star lead. up in that sky and i told them to -- if they can get that star, my husband can give them $10 million. >> gerfa new heiko would've sent all of the money they had. even as the kidnappers squeezed him, by putting his terrified son on the phone. >> dad, just in the money.

that is all they want. >> heiko didn't realize that the kidnappers were beating kevin as he spoke. gerfa was forced to watch, helpless, full of rage. >> he gets her from head to toe. even though he fell on the ground, they continued to abuse him. but all he was doing was just listening to his dad. because that was the safety zone. >> gerfa's cousin threw himself on kevin, trying to shield him. >> well i want is to hug kevin and take him. and i want to take the beating. but they try to keep me away from kevin. i cannot fight back. >> when it was over, kevin and

gerfa were forced back into the cage. battered, horrified. and there was her cousin, lying in the corner, crying. >> so we were just rubbing his back trying to console him, because it was just three of us. no one cared about our feelings, how hurt we were. the world was not there for us. no one was there. >> and if no one was coming to rescue, well, then they had no choice. they had to try to escape, come what may. down that cliff. and then, two months into their captivity, the moment came. gunfire pierced the silence. the kidnappers grabbed their weapons and ran towards the front of the camp. and the captives? impulse in unison, squeezed through the cage and slid off the edge of the cliff. >> there was no time to think. what happened? no, we have to go now. >> down a slope like that? head first? >> yes, head first.

trying to hold on to the roots and the bushes. >> but then they heard a shout. one of their kidnappers had seen them. >> and they were screaming, they're escaping! they're getting away! by the time i got a look, they had all lined up. it was like really, i cannot believe they caught us. we marched back into that cage. >> that tiny, little cage? which must have felt like a tomb to you? >> we know we are going to die in that cage. >> but their captors were on edge. for a reason. this is nbc news footage of military exercises on the coast of basilan in september of 2011. about two months into gerfa's ordeal. then let the philippine military supported by american

advisers, was launching an offensive against abu sayyaf. which in turn became so nervous, they decided to move kevin, gerfa and her cousin, out of that cage and into a windowless room in a farmhouse about a day's hike away. and then, one of them pulled gerfa from their cell. they were taking her away. >> and at that point it was like, oh my gosh, they're going to separate me for my son. >> they told her she would be back the next day. but she was convinced her time was up. that she was about to be executed. were you ready today? >> i was ready. i said, "lord, thank you for the beautiful family you gave me." i said, "if you want me to come home, i am ready." but i want you to let these two boys, guide them out of that jungle. it is in your hands now. >> they put gerfa on a boat with a bag over her body. but to her complete surprise,

they didn't kill her. instead, they dropped her off on a footbridge nary village and told her, they would be in touch, soon. >> the started to disappear in the dark ocean. and i knew right than, that my connection to kevin was gone. it was worse than being in prison. there was no freedom for me. >> she got in touch with the philippine military. was evacuated to manila, the philippines capital. back in lynchburg, lead fbi negotiator mark thundercloud thought he knew why the kidnappers released gerfa. >> their intent was to let her go to help raise more money. and now she is out, now she has got to talk to these people. someone needs to be there with her. >> heiko decided he should stay in lynchburg to, try to find the money. and mark thundercloud moved his operations from the family's kitchen to a hotel room in manila. and there as one month passed, and then another, they tried to help gerfa deal with mr. so. >> december 6th was the last day with that we talk with mr. so. basically he was saying, look, what you are offering is not enough. this might be the last communication that we ever have. we still expected calls. but on the seventh, nothing. on the eighth, nothing. on the ninth, nothing. >> oh they would hear what happened to kevin, soon enough. a shock in waiting. >> dateline returns after the break.

>> welcome back. time moves at a different pace for those living under duress. for heiko and gerfa lunsmann craig melvin: "dateline" returns, after the break. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ it's spring! non-drowsy claritin knocks out symptoms from over 200 allergens without knocking you out. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. live claritin clear. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪ ♪ breeze driftin' on... ♪ [coughing] ♪ ...by, you know how i feel. ♪ if you're tired of staring down your copd,... ♪ it's a new dawn, ♪ ♪ it's a new day... ♪ ...stop settling. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good. ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler,

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♪ ♪ after advil. back to work. what about your neck? it's good to go. before advil. advil dual action fights pain two ways. advil targets pain at the source, acetaminophen blocks pain signals. advil dual action. acetaminophen blocks pain signals. >> welcome back. welcome back. time moves at a different pace for those living under duress. time moves at a different pace for those living under duress.

for heiko and gerfa lunsmann, each in their own prison of pain, their focus was on their 14 year old son kevin who was still being held captive for ransom deep in the philippine jungle. there was no way to know if his time is running out. here again is keith morrison. >> on the night of december 2011, heiko lunsmann sat in his burn kitchen with a single of despair. history fbi friends with their notes and equipment were long gone, in a manila how elder now with his wife, who had no news about kevin at all. >> just a terrible feeling. you're feeling helpless, totally helpless. useless. just sitting here, and hope for the best. >> that very day, halfway around the world, gerfa got word the fbi wanted to see her immediately. she rushed to the hotel. >> when i opened the door, everybody was looking at me so quiet, just staring at me. like, oh, something happened. something happened to kevin.

>> an fbi agent was holding a phone. on the line, the mayor of a small town off the island. it's for you, the agent told gerfa. >> the mayor said, mrs. lunsmann, kevin is out! it is chaos after that. i was like, cabin! he was like, hey mom, it's. kevin a beautiful sound, it's my son. >> kevin was free, but how? >> crazy story of my life, probably. i don't think it was ever going to happen. >> here he is, kevin lunsmann. now in his twenties. and this is his amazing story. which began a moment before the kidnappers took his mom away. when she leaned forward, and whispered in his ear. >> i remember the words exactly she said. you have to get home to your father. you have to get back home.

it made me realize that she might be thinking she may not make it tonight. >> she might be taken away, we killed? >> yes. i just wanted to cry. and i didn't, i didn't want to lose her. >> soon after that, they took his cousin away also. >> after he left, i was alone. there was nothing more, it was just me. >> 14 years old, all alone in that dark room in the jungle. when he finally slept, he had a dream. >> we are in a two story house, and i turn to my side, my mother is there, and my cousin is there. all of a sudden, a barrage of bullets goes through the walls. all these bullets are flying

through. we aren't getting hit. all of a sudden, i turned around, and my mother's gone, and my cousin is gone, and the barrage of bullets stopped. everything ceased. i realized i'm alone again. even in my dream, i'm always alone. >> he woke up, remembered his mother's words, get home to your dad. and he made a choice. >> i was going to get home, one way or another. >> how the heck would you do that? >> i was unclear about myself. i had to wait, maybe one day they'd get careless. >> you'd escape? >> yes. >> bit by bit, he prepared. >> basically, i tried to maintain, try to get as much food as i could when they'd give it to me, do you sit ups, pushups because if i ever did have to run, and have to be somewhat in shape. >> but then, he had an idea. the kidnappers allowed him to wash his clothes, and hang them to dry on a line outside the house. baby, if they were distracted somehow, he could make a run for it, get to the ocean, catch a boat to the mainland. wishful thinking, of course. he was guarded around the clock. then, one morning, almost six months after he was taken

hostage -- >> i woke up in the morning, and i didn't hear any sounds whatsoever. i look at the trails, i couldn't see anyone walking around. it was sort of like a light bulb moment. this might be it. >> he washed his clothes, hung them up. eyes darting two little voices working in his mind. >> one was saying, you should run. another is saying you should stay. i was terrified. the other one knew what was waiting for me out there was much better. my own freedom. i proceeded to walk to the edge of the house, and i looked at the creek, and around the side, and i could see no one. nothing, no movement. after that, i just bolted. >> kevin knew as many 14 year olds do that water obliterates footprints might hide his route of escape.

so, with his heart heart pounding and his ears training for the sounds of sewers, he picked his way down the creek bed and into the jungle. and then he heard it, the bird call. >> it wasn't just a bird. this was more of an alert call that the terrorists used to communicate with one another. i knew the signal had been put up i had escaped. >> what did that do to you? >> as soon as i heard it, i knew i had to get out as fast as i could. i had to run. >> one of those moments in life where you either grow up and deal with it, or you decide to give up and stay a little boy. >> those were my two choices. are you going to panic, are you going to man up and try and get out of here? and i chose option to. >> and so he ran all day, and into the thick black of the jungle night. his feet raw, his clothes ripped by unseen hazards. bloodied now by 1000 thorns, tore into his flush. >> it was marsh, brush, the thorns, anything. i would get through it.

i don't cost. even if it cost me my life, at least i tried. >> exhausted, he searched for a hiding place so inhospitable his pursuers wooden thing to look there. and he fell asleep in a mosquito infested swamp. when the sun rose, he opened his eyes, -- >> i remember waking up and not swung the rumor of coffee they've been brewing, or maybe the types of fried rice. it didn't smell like any of that. it's not like fresh air, i smelled freedom. >> at least for the moment. but where was he? >> at a point, i couldn't keep going through brush because i didn't know my location. i had to keep walking. and possibly get on a road, maybe i could find a different way. >> but there was a danger, because people could see you?

>> people might see me. >> on this island, you don't know who is with them and who's not, right? >> right. >> but it was a risky had to take. and soon regretted. walking down the road, he heard a voice behind him. a man was approaching. and he had a rifle. >> coming up -- >> i had escaped and walk through all of that terrain, and it was for nothing. >> he could take you away, take you back to those guys. >> i froze, and i just stopped. this is it. >> when dateline continues. meet gold bond healing. a powerhouse lotion that moisturizes, heals, and smooths dry skin. with 7 moisturizers and 3 vitamins, you can pay more but you can't get more. gold bond. champion your skin. wow. that's good. almond breeze? you like the almond breeze i got you... that's sooo interesting. what's happening, dad? with delicious taste and 50% more calcium. blue diamond almond breeze. don't just milk it. almond milk it. martial arts is my passion. i work out whenever i can.

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welcome back. 14-year-old kevin lunsmann had made a daring escape 14 year old kevin lunsmann had made a daring escape from his jungle kidnappers. but now, he was lost. and running for his life deep in the heart of the jungle. here was the conclusion of our story is keith morrison. >> for two days, one long night, kevin lunsmann practically feel his captors breath on this back. their guns on his back. as he ran. somehow, eluded them. >> all my clothes were all covered in mud. black mud. everything, my hair was ruffled. i smell terrible. i probably had over 100 or more lacerations. blood all over my arms as well. so i didn't look too good. >> and then he took that one necessary risk. emerged to a public road and -- there was. the end. clearly, a local, on this abu sayyaf infested island. and he had a very big gun.

>> i thought that that was -- it was all over. i had escaped and walk through all of that terrain and it was for nothing. they had found me and they were going to bring me back. >> but then the man spoke. and the word startled kevin. he was speaking english. >> he was asking, do you need help? were you kidnapped? and i froze at that question and i just thought, this is it. should i just tell him. >> he could go either way? take you away. take you back to those guys. >> right. and i knew those risks. but at this point, i felt like i was going to put my trust in him. >> so how did he react? >> he proceeded to say, i'm going to get you out of here. get your home. my name is kenny, i'm here to help. >> my name is kenny? >> yes, my name is kenny, like kenny rogers. that's exactly what he said. >> and it gave me a laughed. and it was one of the first

last i had in a long time. >> kenny got in touch with the mayor of a nearby village. the mayor called the philippine army. and the army arrive in humvees. >> it seemed like hundreds of them. and i just like, this is all for me. i couldn't believe it. i realized that i would see my family again. i'm going to see my friends. i'm going to have my life back. >> but would he have his mom? four months, kevin had been grieving. afraid she had been executed by the militants. but then the mayor gave him the phone. and kevin heard a familiar voice. >> hey, mom, is that really you? i didn't know for months what happened to you. once i heard her voice and knew that was her, i think at that point i felt alive again. there was a color in my life again. >> after that 14 year old amazing escape, the u.s. military put him on a plane to manila, where his mother was waiting on the tarmac. >> the door was too slow to open. i was ready to climb that plane and open the door. and he stood there on the plane,

right there looking around. it's like, i'm right here. [laughs] but he just looked and i was like, you don't recognize me. [laughs] i said okay, it must be the look. and i stopped crying. right? >> and i see this woman, and i can see tears. as i got closer and closer, i realized i knew who that was. we just ran up to each other and we just hugged each other. and it was just incredible. >> back in lynchburg, kevin's dad, heiko, was delivering christmas turkeys to a hospital when somebody found him and gave him the news. >> i was so happy. [laughs] your mind gets clear again. but you don't have to be worried. and i will have my family back. it's just a great feeling. it's a great feeling. >> on december 14th, 2011, six months after they were taken hostage, gerfa and kevin, finally came home. returning to lynchburg, to

heiko, and to your gerfa's niece, sherry. >> it was awesome. the first thing we did was put up christmas decorations. kevin and gerfa we're so happy. i didn't know what to expect because of what they've been through. but they were just so grateful to be back with their family. >> in 2012, the philippine army caught three of gerfa and kevin's got kidnappers. they return to the philippines to testify at their trial and helps in their captors to prison. kevin was honored for his bravery by the virginia general assembly and met president obama. then kevin went off to college, had an idea about joining the fbi one day. >> he was there, you know, as a boy. and now he came back as a man. you must be pretty proud of that boy? >> very proud. >> years that separate their

ordeal from this evening on the beach with us have erased not a moment of the memory. the terror their shared. the pain, the desperation, sorrow. and finally, joy. but we look on and see a bond only they can fully understand. did you ever think you would actually be in this situation where you've got your arm around your mother? and the two of you are talking about this in the past tense? with smiles on your face? >> never. >> not at that point. we didn't think it would ever be possible. but here we are. >> and we are very glad to see you safe. >> thank you. but [laughs] >> wonderful, wonderful. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. >> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this, is dateline.