continued to pursue the case. but, in 2017, a u.s. district court issued a final judgment dismissing their claims. >> what about ashley's family, can they just accept this and go on? >> i don't think they will ever accepted. to say that they were distraught would be an understatement. they, i, think truly believe that tom fallis killed their daughter and they are never going to let that go. >> an idea once so deeply engraved, sure enough will not go away. and tom fallis and his children make a life as best they can. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. ng ng

and dreams. and it's so real, it feels like her. and she just gives me a hug. why did it have to happen to our family? >> why did it have to happen to michelle? why that they? >> a young nursing student disappears. she was still dressed in my hospital scrubs. something drew her out to her car. >> the cousin she grew up with. the brother she raised. desperate to find her. >> they were able to do what a lot of other families have never been able to do. >> text messages, security monitors, surveillance videos. were they sons that she was trapped, reaching out for help? >> one of the things about, this is that didn't make sense. >> moment by moment -- dateline was there for every turn. >> look, there's blood wiped across. >> was she missing or murdered? was this the key? >> i will take her life and hers. >> a threat, a voice seething with hate and rage. >> you deserve to die for your

lies. it's your last and final warning. >> what's happened to michelle? >> this case is not going to be over until we get her home. >> i'm lester holt, and this is dateline. they are watching us. they know where we are. how we shop, how we play, what we do, who we love. electronic eyes, the sticky picks of fingers that follow us almost everywhere. and the weird fractured personal diary they write. remains forever. of course, it's meaningless, most of it. meaningless, that is until it's

not. until it terrifying. the san francisco bay, may 27, 2011. 6:55 pm, a young nursing and student, named michelle hoang thi le walked across her studio at the parking lot. she's not supposed to be here. for reasons unknown, and without permission, she has left her post at the hospital. here, she walks to a white honda crv, just out of camera range. then, 7:17 pm, here is michelle's honda leaving the garage. but why, why then just an hour or two before the end of her shift? good questions. questions about to engulf the whole family. >> why that day? couldn't just stepped up and gone to another campus that day and avoid this whole thing? why did it have to happen to our family? why didn't have to happen to michelle? >> but it did. much of it recorded as you will see by those electronic beeps and bytes and pixels. just enough to make it a truly puzzling mystery.

enough to not quite know what happened to michelle le. >> one of the things i was so angry about is that nothing made sense. nothing made sense. >> especially. this same night, 8:56 pm, nischelle's nursing instructor annoyed, baffled, blurred by her absence takes the security guard to the parking lot to look for car. 9:05 pm, michelle's car re-enters the garage two floors below. 9:06 pm, it arrives on the third floor. the camera, nursing instructor sees it and ways frantically. the car suddenly stopped, backs up, races down the ramp out of the garage. but why? alarmed, the nursing instructor calls the police. and the next morning, 400 miles south of san diego, michelle's cousin christine was awakened via text from michelle's former boyfriend. and he messages me and says, hey, just so you know we don't

know where michele is. had you heard from her? try calling her. i said, i looked at his message and said -- oh my gosh what did michel do the same. and usually >> she's a fun loving person, right? >> yes, she's always out with their friends. getting lost sometimes. i honestly didn't think much of it at the time i read the message and i, like rolled over back in bed. >> michelle, after all, could look after herself. she had been looking at for christine for years she was just 26 but seemed somehow older than that the eldest of a clown of 15 cousins who grew up together with very little except each other. and michelle was smart, studious, and attractive. the leader of this various pack strong loving center of the family, a mother figure to her younger brother, michael le. michael who was the next person to get the call from the ex-boyfriend. where was michelle?

>> so i go yeah, yeah ex-boyfriend just trying to get a hold of michelle. so, -- didn't pay any mind. but just in, case i wanted to see if she was okay so i checked on her facebook recently and she had plans to go to tahoe hall with some friends so, i said those friends facebook messages just to make sure she was okay. >> michael went to work, didn't think much more about. it but then you got another call. this time, it was that nursing instructor >> and she was trying to be composed, and she told me a story of how she had went out to the garage looking for marcia she said she saw what match the course description taking off suddenly, it wasn't a game anymore it was something you could excuse. >> that christine was calling michel's cell phone she didn't pick, up that's when i had this feeling where something might have been wrong. after she didn't pick up a few times. >> at 9:30 am, 12 hours after michele was reported missing, police found her car. it was parked outside this apartment building.

just a few blocks from the hospital where michelle was last seen. odd. fraser richie was the hayward police inspector -- >> the car was locked, it was secured. that's how we believed that michelle was somewhat around here. but we had no clue where to start looking. >> but they could see through the tinted windows. it looked. fine as if michele had probably left the car here herself. all morning, a flurry of word phone calls went back and forth among michelle's friends and family. what should they do? >> it was just chaotic. but we weren't thinking the worst at the time. >> still in san diego, christine, along with her aunts uncles begin packing for the eight hour drive north to san francisco east bay. brother michael was attending college at uc berkeley. he rushed over to nearby hayworth to join michelle's friends and fellow students who were already handing out missing posters outside the hospital parking garage. had anybody seen her?

>> we all just wanted to find her. we didn't think that anything bad happened to her. >> where was she? they hammered her iphone with more than 100 calls and texts. and heard in response, nothing. >> then, 12:45 pm, 15 hours after michele was last seen, finally a text from her phone. >> i am not missing, it read, my phone has been acting crazy. it deleted everything. all these texts have killed my battery. >> michelle sent a flurry of reassuring texts to friends and family. i'm fine, she wrote. just taking it easy. so that ex-boyfriend texted her back. his phone number he knew almost as well as her own. a response from michelle. who is this. uh oh. >> when we come back, did michelle really sent that text? >> coming up -- >> i had asked, is it possible

she could just be out there, all stressed out. they said yes, it's possible. but soon, questions about michele's friends would lead police closer than they knew to the key to this case. when dateline continues. try head & shoulders shampoo. dandruff is caused by irritation to a germ that lives on everyone's scalp. unlike regular shampoo, head & shoulders contains zinc pyrithione, which fights the dandruff-causing germ and helps prevent it from coming back. it's gentle on hair and provides up to 100% dandruff protection, clinically proven. try head & shoulders shampoo and conditioner. for best results, use with every wash. this has been medifacts for head & shoulders. (geri) i smoked and i have copd. my children are really worried. my tip is, send your kids a text. it may be the last time that you do. (announcer) you can quit. call 1-800-quit-now for help getting free medication. your best defense against erosion and cavities is strong enamel- nothing beats it.

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numrows=2> cell phones buzzed and chirped all afternoon that day after michelle le vanished -- certainly, her iphone had didn't vanish. one creepy text after another popped up in the phones of her ex, her brother, her cousin. i just needed some time without anyone. i had a bad night last night. i don't really want to talk to anyone right now. but then, after three hours of that, the texts stopped just as suddenly as they had begun. the last one said, i'm sick. so strange, so out of character. to michelle's friendly and

friends, it seemed obvious, someone had michelle's phone. someone who was not michele. >> the more that they -- it felt like it was becoming sinister. >> having this person text back as michelle was just extremely, extremely terrifying. >> how does it feel like going through that? >> it's hard to put into where a living nightmare, i think is the closest thing. >> strange, as chilling as these messages were, it gave michele's friends and family some hope. to them, it seemed obvious they were communicating with someone who had abducted michelle. and so, their mission was not clear. michelle didn't just need to be found. michelle needed to be rescued. >> it's a time critical situation.

every second that you waste is second that she's hurting, we have to find her. >> saturday afternoon, 18 hours after michel vanished, michael and a group of michel's friends met with inspector fraser rishi at the police department. >> we had about ten or 15 family members and classmates and friends at the police department. they were all talking about how responsible she was, how out of character this would've been for her to just get up and leave. >> did you try to call michelle or anything? >> did you get a response. >> yes. >> i sentimental job, this is detective richie, you need to get a hold of me right now. >> i got the response within several minutes saying that my phone is dying, i need to find a charger, i'm having car trouble. >> the same sort of response received by michelle's friends and family. who had now decided, based on those weird text messages that michele had been kidnapped. but, as far as inspector richie was concerned, just about anything was possible. >> i kept an open mind. i didn't know whether michelle voluntarily went missing for whatever personal reasons she had or if this was a strange abduction or if this was an

abduction from somebody that she knew or she just left with the friend >> did anybody think that she would've just flipped out and, stressed out as they say, i just left? >> i had asked. is it possible that she could just be out there, all stressed out? >> and they said, yes, it's possible. >> inspector richie also asked if she had any enemies. or problems with explored friends, for example >> the only problems that you seem to be having with anybody was coming from giselle esteban. >> giselle esteban one of her friends from high school. but not just her friend, friend of a family gisele was a picture in the house, -- and then after high school, in 2000. to the both friends moved to san francisco to attend college. and that is when gisele fell in love got pregnant. moved in with her boyfriend, scott. and then broke up with him three years later. the trouble came when michele

stayed friends with scott, with that boyfriend after the break up and that just didn't sit well with gisele. though, really, it wasn't such a big deal. still, just to cover all the bases, late saturday night, richie dropped in on gisele to ask which he knew. >> we're here about michelle le. >> who? >> oh god, what about her? >> she went missing last night from her work. >> okay. >> been talking, to, her friends we understand that you guys had a ton to this relationship. she was my best friend who slept with my, then fiancée >> i started talking to her and started asking her about her relationship with michelle. if she could provide any information where she would -- >> gisele said she had no idea and besides, they weren't seeing each other these days. so, she wouldn't know. then, just due diligence that

night, richie sent another team of detectives to speak to gisele's ex boyfriend, the father of a baby. who, they were interested to learn now had sole custody of the child. listening to him, talking to him, and the relationship with him and his daughter and his family, things like that. he didn't seem to be the person, the type of person that would. lie >> sunday, 48 hours after michelle appeared in that ghostly video at the parking lot. her large extended family began arriving from san diego and leaving with the police. and that is when detectives began to understand, michelle a little. how can she was. and bright, self reliant. very much like this young woman, feng shui. also vietnamese american. also a twentysomething nursing student. also living in the san francisco area who, 13 months,

later also disappeared. there is a lot of similarities obviously she's the same each category, say magnets to the, same profession. even the same, last name. was it a pattern development? >> coming up -- police located the possible connection between those student nurses. and a meeting between police and michel's family. in asian families, when you're younger, you're supposed to be very respectful of the hierarchy in the family. and you can't just pause anybody around. but i was just livid. >> when dateline continues. i'm your overly competitive brother. check. psych! and i'm about to steal this game from you just like i stole kelly carter in high school. you got no game dude, that's a foul! and now you're ready to settle the score. game over. and if you don't have the right home insurance coverage, well, you could end up paying for all this yourself. so get allstate, and be better protected from mayhem, yeah, like me.

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april 30th, 2010, just over a keith morrison: it was april 30, 2010, year before the disappearance of michelle le. close, perhaps 50 miles away, but it was so coincidental. another young nursing student, almost the same age, same ethnicity, even the same last name. vanished. from the shopping mall parking lot. her name? phuong le. police lieutenant greg caught the case, but couldn't find her. >> several weeks later, we got a call from a neighboring county. that county said that they had a body, out in the woods, that someone matched the description of our missing person. >> indeed, it was phuong le. that was by no means the end of the investigation. >> to this day, we are trying

to identify who killed her. >> during the memorial day weekend in 2011, when detective -- heard the name about someone whose name was michelle le, was this a break in his case? >> this is almost the same, named the same circumstances, it was bizarre. >> michele's family, also hearing about phuong le. when they met with detectives for the first time, 48 hours after michele's disappearance, they asked the dreadful question. could michel's case be connected to the phuong le murder? >> the community brought it up, and thought it might be linked. we brought that up with the hayward police. they said, yes, we looked into it, but we don't think there is a connection. >> there was a wash of relief. the detectives told the family they had found michel's car, that it was locked, appeared undamaged. to the family, that was good news. it meant, michelle must be alive, or held somewhere. although, during that sunday meeting, the police gave the impression they still had no idea what had happened to michelle. >> they asked us all questions, about her

relationships, her friendships. they told us they were working on it. >> we would keep asking them, probing them, for more information. just they would throw up their hands, and say, sorry. >> your level of frustration must of been high? >> it was sky-high. >> the family now had the impression that the police were taking the serious at all. >> they said, michelle as an adult, and we felt, if she's an adult, and she is not a child, maybe she wasn't being prioritized? >> what was it like leaving that meeting? >> it was chaos. that's probably the number one feeling. we didn't have a place to stay, we were hotel hopping. we were just waiting around, most of the time, staying in the hotel. you are blind. we had no idea where to go, or what to do. >> the family could not understand why the police

were moving so slowly. and their minds, michel was held against her will. one week went by, saturday, june 4th, eight days after michelle's disappearance. her family, holding a vigil, near the place where her car was found. >> we wanted the fbi involved, and all of this, and they were just making a lot of noise. >> scott, the young man, the police had questioned a year earlier. janelle's old boyfriend, the father of her child. the called back for important meeting, and they finally had a chance to search michel's car. the status of her case was changed. from a missing person, to homicide. and, the family felt blindsided. >> they say, i think you have to get comfortable with the fact that your sister is probably dead. we were horrified. >> just like that, the information door closed. the hayward police told

the family, it was a murder investigation now, so, department policy, they could reveal nothing more. and, therefore, could not, or would not, to tell the family why they thought michele was dead. but, without hearing an explanation, or seeing any evidence, how could the family believe the police? now, simply, they would not accept what the cops had to say. >> it was horrible. we were very angry. because, okay, you want to make a homicide, but you won't tell us why. >> richie understood the family anger, but as far as he was concerned, he had a murder investigation on his hands. that meant, the family needed to be in the dark. >> there are certain procedural things that we need close to, us that we cannot put out there. we need to maintain evidence. we need to maintain the custody of certain information. it is of evidentiary value of us, that if we don't have the suspect in custody, that the only people who do know about, it is a suspect, and us. >> in the absence of official information,

the family, and at least this younger members, decided that the only option was massive publicity. an appeal to the public, for whatever help they can offer. but, that was the kids, and cousins. family elders were deeply reluctant to share their grief with strangers. >> they did not want her story out there, or publicized, like we had made it. >> why? >> it's private. such a fine line between, how much do you give away about your own family, and their misfortune, to do good for michelle. in asian families, when you are younger, you are supposed to be very respectful of the hierarchy of the family. you aren't supposed to boss any one around. but, i was just livid. i was so angry. >> they know far more about survival than most people ever do. they were boat people, and had been forced to flee vietnam after the war. very nearly perished, and they're open boat, in the

south china sea. then they spent months in a refugee camp, before being dropped in a land, whose language, and customs, they did not know. and, yet, before long, they had embraced it all. big family celebrations at christmas time, and easter, and birthdays. they went on all american vacations, like this one, to the california coast. that's little michelle and their glasses. >> here we are, at santa barbara beach. we are having lots of fun. here is my brother. >> they succeeded in america by doing what they did since their days on the south china sea. they stuck together. and epic, very american tale of great, hope, and self reliance. lessons, absorb hole, by their children. >> if i was missing, and michelle was looking for me, she would tear heaven and earth. so, i had to fight for her. >> there was a new generation, the american born generation, that had finally convinced the family, it needed to go public. to put their story into the press, and on

social media. >> until the hayward police department can offer, conclusive, and definite proof, otherwise, we will continue to believe she is alive. michelle is still alive. she needs to be rescued. >> we will find you, and we will bring you home. >> two weeks to the day after michelle's disappearance, the family organized this vigil. making a public case, that michele was not at. but, instead, a kidnapping victim, in urgent need of rescue. >> we are just focusing on getting her home, and doing what we can. >> i truly believe, she is out there, and we will find her. >> if michelle was going to be rescued, the family decided, it would be up to them to do it. coming up. where is michelle? who would have taken her? and investigator, zeroing in. >> looking into human trafficking patterns -- >> human trafficking? >> yes. >> you thought that was a possibility?

>> we did. >> this is someone who knew her, and knew where she would be. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues. lester holt: when "dateline" continues. 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, trelegy makes breathing easier for a full 24 hours, improves lung function, and helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler

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and dozens more were injured following a weekend of mass shootings. these fatal gun incidents of reported violence broke out in st. louis, washington state music festival, and chicago suburb. a russian official claims ukrainian forces have to the village in the zaporizhzhia region. it is one of ukraine's first gains sense it's not just long anticipated counteroffensive. nbc news cannot verify these claims. now, back to dateline. now, back to dateline.

maxlength=32> what happened to vanished on a sunny evening from a well-lit parking garage michelle le, banished on the sunday evening from a wallet parking lot under the protective watch of 18 surveillance cameras. detectives with the hayward police department let a vote this footage again and again. were they missing something? >> what happened in those minutes after michelle walked out of camera rate. and before her car went missing out of the garage. it was infuriating. it was one camera right above michele's car would reveal everything. in fact, that night the camera wasn't working. what happened in those missing minutes? the police remembered, while talking to the family. so the family presumed its own line of investigation. >> we are looking to human trafficking patterns. >> human trafficking patterns? >> yeah. >> you felt like that was a possibility? >> we did. >> that, was a dead. and then, 34 days into michel's

disappearance, the le family contacted us to say that they were working with the private investigator. he promptly sat down with us to tell us what he learned. >> this had happened quickly. this was a part of the garage, people go from that garage all. night someone was lying await. they knew, at some, point she returned to her vehicle. it was a number of hours before shift was going to be over. and they were prepared to have doctor at that time. >> did anybody know why she went to the cart? >> not that we know about this time. >> an unusual thing to do at this day? >> i think it was either a quick break or something through her up to her car that we still don't know. but she was still dressed in white hospital scrubs. it was evident she was going to come back because she left her belongings in the hospital. >> remember, the police found michelle's car about half a

mile from the hospital park and locked in a residential area. they have not revealed whatever it is they have found inside. but -- they had found a thing or two about the car and how i got there >> and did anybody see the car right? >> there's a report of a witness who said that they heard conversation coming from the headlight. conversation coming from the car at about 4:00 in the morning. . >> conversation? >> conversation. >> which would mean that there's more than one person. the people saw the headlights shining and they believe it came from the general direction from where michelle's car was

found. >> multiple kidnappers. almost had to be it -- >> after you look at the circumstances and the totality of how this person was waiting for her and the fact that she was put into her vehicle, obviously quickly and driven out quickly, there may be a possibility of more than one person. >> and, he was almost sure not strangers. >> this was someone that michele had some type of contact. with that saw her, that knew her. the newer she parked her vehicle. knew what she drove. knew where she worked. knew where she'd be at work. >> so, it may be members of your family. or her friends. they already know who this is.

i mean, they know the person who did it. not -- just not aware that they. no if they just look through what the relationships, where the answer might be in it somewhere. >> the answer i think in this case is not far off. >> the police had questioned michel's family, current and former boyfriend. but it didn't seem that they were getting anywhere. [inaudible] that the investigation was in trouble. >> when you don't have information to what is going to lead you to a suspect, i think it's important that you start looking at viable alternatives. too often, these cases go cold for five, ten years. from what we have seen so far, i think those are a possibility. >> the le was akin from it because they were frustrated ated ahhh! icy hot pro starts working instantly. with two max-strength pain relievers,

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next scene might take a while. michelle le have been missing keith morrison: michelle le had been missing for weeks, for weeks. no break at all. then just before we sat down with an interview for a private investigator named michael from, there is a tip from him in a, to claim to know where michelle could be found. >> who do you think is involved in michelle le disappearance? >> what is this guy saying? what can you tell you? >> he said he has information as to approves ten shull site where michelle may be. >> he made the trip to the jail, for a face to face interview. >> the information was that she had been abducted, and was held at a house in hayward. unfortunately, it turned out this information was related to another criminal act. it had nothing to do with michele's disappearance. >>

back in hayward, the police may have been accomplishing something, but they were saying nothing, beyond their belief that michele was dead. as far as the family could tell, the police investigation seemed to get nowhere. now, the family's own private investigator seem lost in the weeds as well. hoping to shake loose a lead, they increase the amount of the reward money. from 20, 000, to 40, 000, to 65, 000, to $100,000. all from private donations. much of, it out of the family's own pocket. so, every day was precious, said her brother michael. every day that passed, a missed opportunity to find her. >> she was always looking out for me. so, this was my time to do everything i could to look out for her. to make sure, what she was going through, she wouldn't have to go through one day longer. >> you must have had this sense, any day now, you will find, her and bring her back, and everything will be

okay? >> every day, we were hoping today was the day. every day. >> it was obvious, as we talk to michael, the intensity of his devotion. for michelle. the reason for that? he told us a story about their mother. >> my mom was, pretty much, our superhero. she worked the long hours, and she was a kind, loving mother to us. she always told us stories. >> stories about what? >> one that we always loved, it was one called the woman on the moon. it is a vietnamese love story about, how if you look hard enough, the shadows of the moon almost looked like a woman with long, flowing hair. and, at the same day of year, she would come down to look for the one she loved. but, ultimately, she was trapped on the moon, only to watch over him. >> folklore, the kind of reality that is like armor for a child. it protects, in a time of terror. michael was 11, when his mother learned she had breast cancer, but she did not tell him. she protected him from the worst of it, both he, and it's 14 of, systematize. so, when the

cancer finally took her life -- >> it was a shock. she died december 1st, 1999. we had just seen her for thanksgiving, maybe not a week prior. >> alone, michael, and michelle, were taken in by christine's family. >> she told me a story about, how after her mom passed away, she didn't know what to do it first until she saw michael in the garage, holding something of his moms, and crying. she told me, that was the time i knew it was time to be big sister, and be a mother figure. >> overcome that sense of loss, and say this boy? >> yes. she could tell. >> he made a commitment, between her and i, that she would look out for me. >> but not just michael. michelle, also, kept watch over christine. >> she was like my older sister. she dressed me, she tweezed my eyebrows, she taught me makeup. >> taught you about boys? >> exactly. all the time. she helped me write my first love letter. oh my gosh. when we were growing up, we were so like, my family called me mini michelle. >> now, many michelle, michael, and the rest of the family, issued press releases, and did anything to

keep michele's case in the public eye. >> i needed to work on something, all the time, that was her, every day, that was related to her, every day. >> did you feel like you are getting anywhere? >> it felt productive, but it still felt hopeless. hopeless in the sense where, you still know what's going on. >> after weeks of casting about, there were no closer to finding michel with this first chaotic weekend. and, it was sad, but perfectly understandable. the public interest began to wane. during this period of darkness, one of michel's uncles, and san diego, begged for help from this woman. carrie mechanical. >> michele's uncle asked, what do i do? and completely lost. >> why her? because carrie had been through it all herself. two years earlier, she had to search for her murder daughter, amber dubois. now, carrie ran a search organization, in the

memory of her daughter. she couldn't know, back then, the role she would play. the events she would set in motion. for now, it was who she knew. >> i put them in touch with mark, because it was up in northern california. they were all up in the same area. >> mark class, a rare man, with a rare skill. how to find the missing. >> coming up, a man who knows how it feels to lose a daughter, and had learned, from personal experience, how to lead the search. >> we need help from the police, and we finally said, that is where the cell towers take us. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues.

ead the search. we needed help from the police. and when we pressed them, why should we be looking there? they finally said, because that's where the cell towers take us. lester holt: when "dateline" continues. ♪♪ ready to feel what it's like? when you can du more with less asthma. it's possible with dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. are you in? dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening

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[crash] so today is your lucky...day maxlength=32> the vigils. keith morrison: the vigils, the reward, the facebook campaign, the reward. the facebook campaign. the flyers. the detective paul kept michele's family busy and hopeful that had ultimately been unproductive. they were nowhere. and it was just at that point when mark class stepped into the light for the le family >> i met the family in the dingy motel on the side of the freeway in hayward california at about 11:00 in the morning. and they were all huddled inside this little room >> the le family class was like the calgary. >> we were all in our pajamas.

we were shoveled, all together in our lifetimes. tried to end it press releases. trying to organize all the interviews. and, reading the news, trying to talk to the police. and i looked around and i said the first thing that you people need to do is get out of this room. >> dark and depressing. >> it was horrible. and they were so down frighten. they had absolutely no idea of what to do or where to go. >> and he sat down and gave us a list of what to do to find our center. how to get volunteers. we had to position media and in this sort of light. he was giving us all sort of tips. >> it made an all sort of world difference. -- >> but what marcus didn't do was burden the lee family with his own story. didn't tell him about his own daughter, poly, kidnapped two decades ago. >> that was the worst time in my life it shattered me it shattered my heart.

>> 12 year old poly class was snatched from her room in public california in the midst of a slumber party. police body was only discovered when her killer, arrested at a traffic stop, two months later show detectives where he buried her. >> do you still live with that awful week, now? all these years later. >> my work is my therapy. my work is my therapy. >> and that work through the class gates foundation is to help people find their missing loved ones by providing family with the now proven professional methodical approach to their search effort. >> you have to basically start in the center and work your way out. following statistics that the vast majority of people that

are missing are going to be found,, eight and a half mile radius of where they met missing. or b, within a five mile radius of where they went missing. >> boy, this is just the dissimilar work you do. >> it is not dismal. it's not dismal, it's hard work. it can be heartbreaking, it can be so sad but it's not dismal. it's really good work and it's important work. . and there's just not enough people doing it >> possibly, because it's worked at his barebones. hundreds of times since police, death marcus shared his experience learned through his own parental grief that families just like michele's had drifted in shock. and the first order of business, said, mark repair the relationship with the police which would become very freight indeed. >> we needed help from the police, and they slowly started to let us know where they thought we should be looking. and when we pressed some questions, they -- why should we be looking there. they, said fine, because that is where the cell towers take us.

>> i michelle le, it turns out, went on a journey on the eve of the 27, 2011. or at least herself wounded. and the two hours after michele abruptly left the center at the kaiser permanente medical center in east bay, the cell phone left its footprints through the streets of the east. and then it turned down to a tooling background and then a major freeway and then it's picked its way right back along the very same route back to the parking lot. at the very moment, the nursing instructor saw missiles car drive into the parking lot, then rapidly reversed course, and speed away into the dark. a puzzle but getting that cell phone trail from the police was also a huge break said marc klaas. who was not deeply involved in the search for. michelle >> it enabled us then to hone in on what we needed to do and why we needed to do.

it it was to prepare viable search locations for search teams. >> but, the area was vast. much of it rugged, rural. the search for michelle would be tough, labor intensive work. just the sort of thing marc klaas's organization you want to do. >> when we saw this emotion it when we knew, wow, this guy in this foundation has really got it together. we would've never thought of that on our own. >> klaas even flows his directives of search operations who was one of the first people to look for poly. >> we -- are going to deal with some [inaudible] terrains today. lots of canyons, waters, sensitive or ravines -- >> this was day 49 since michelle disappeared. and once again, her san diego relatives loaded in the car around midnight and drove eight hours north the san francisco

bay. dateline was there, watching. as they gathered for a morning briefing to prepare them for the long day of searching ahead. >> if you take nothing else away from this presentation, take this portion right here, okay? every single search that we put you on today, tomorrow, we consider a potential crime scene. >> the police suggested a zone to be searched. that's about all the information they provided. >> we don't know exactly why but they say based on all the evidence and their timelines, they believe that something might have happened in this air. >> the area, a narrow canyon east of the san francisco bay. as the search party made its way up the canyon, they tied off, here and, they're pink ribbons. >> we've got a system of tape markings that we use win, we're reporting to the investigators -- everything we're doing here is to support the police effort in bringing back michele. >> a complication. this area is a heave in for the homeless. it is also notorious dumping

ground for murder victims. here, one of the search is found in the -- and inside, a sleeping bag. >> ian. he wants to check out -- it looks like a sleeping bag. >> they want to pull it? >> the bag was empty. but deeper inside the encampment, something else was uncovered. a large bone. this creek canyon soon became apparent that it was well traveled by both creatures, big and small. >> some animals, some mammals. >> but there was another bone -- searchers had already passed by when our producer noticed it like there. and yet -- >> i'm not sure, i'll probably have income ticket out. it does look like a thighbone. like a joint. in, come take a look at this

for me. there's a lot of bones around, which is kind of interesting. >> it's just a really big ball. looking at a bone from a large mammal. >> we'll do a more thorough search around here just in case, and then we'll get somebody to get the gear. >> do you think you could scamper up to that little piece of rebar that's up there, and tie ribbon up to. >> the bone was examined, sent to a lab, and, yes it was from the lake of a large mumble. in this case, a human. >> coming -- up while michele's friends and family are searching, police are making discoveries of their own. is one tiny clue a key to the mystery? >> we found a identification card from the nursing school. but it was not michele's. >> when dateline continues. onth rebate when you buy 12 doses of both heartgard plus chews and nexgard chews from your vet. terms apply.

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video, audio, text messages, cell phone pings. so many clues that seem to have picked up signs of michelle, but they've also picked up signs of someone else. here again, keith morrison. keith morrison: (voiceover) 45 days after michelle le disappeared, we stumbled over a human bone in the same area where michelle's cell phone had briefly pinged off a nearby tower. man: you're sure it's here? keith morrison: (voiceover) but as the searchers scoured the immediate area, they understood it couldn't be her. the bits of clothing weren't right and the bone was bleached by the sun. must have been there a long time. and when they looked closely-- that's a six foot something. it's not a 5 foot 5' female. keith morrison: (voiceover) appalling, some other poor soul wound up here, but relief too it wasn't michelle.

so the search and the mystery wore on for days and then for weeks. and by the middle of august, it all looked to be losing steam. on a typical san francisco summer afternoon as the fog rolled in, christine and michael brought us up to date on their efforts to find michelle. how long has it been now? it's been over two months. it's been about 72 days. how are you doing, the two of you, with all this? i mean, how are you holding up? it's just-- we're just trying to stay active and just trying to keep the word out and trying to stay positive. right. it's just really trying to stay positive is the hardest part. christine: the hardest times for me are at night. getting in bed and thinking, gosh, i wish michelle's in the-- i hope michelle's in the bed. yeah. i mean, you clearly have decided she's still alive. mm-hm. it's not over and it's not going to be over until we get her home. keith morrison: (voiceover) and so that very evening, they hosted a fundraising

event at a nearby restaurant. and a few days later, the 85th day of michelle le's disappearance the san diego family, again, piled into their cars just after midnight and made the long drive up the coast to launch their 8th search. time had faded the posters taped to their cars. the creek bed to be searched seemed desperately far away from any place where a body might be dumped or a woman might reasonably be held captive. still-- christine: her cell phone last pinged there. so, you know, they tracked where her cell phone ended up after she disappeared. and it's all around the rural [inaudible].. it's such a huge area. keith morrison: (voiceover) it was 100 degrees in the waning days of summer. and it seemed to have impacted turnout as the number of volunteers dwindle. suddenly, the search leader called in the discovery. some female clothing partially buried in the sand. connie, i'm down by the creek. it's a woman's underwear by the tree.

almost like light pink, white. keith morrison: (voiceover) it is, it turns out, another false lead. so they pack up. another fruitless day in a case gone cold. or so it seemed to michael and christine. but oh, what they did not know. that during all those weeks and months in which the family had been searching for a living woman, a police murder investigation had been very active indeed. and now in the last days of august, inspector fraser ritchie was in fact closing in on a very hot target. but to understand how he got there, we need to go back almost to the beginning. it was minutes before midnight, may 28th, 2011. 29 hours after michelle le disappeared. ritchie had gone to pay a midnight visit to michelle's old high school friend, giselle esteban. months in which the family had

been searching for a livin woman, the police murder investigation have been very active indeed. and now, in the last days of august, inspector frazie ritchie was closing in on very hot target. but to understand how he got there, we need to go bac almost to the beginning. it was minutes before midnight may 20th, 2000, 11:29 hour before michelle le disappeared. richie had gone to pay midnigh visit to michelle's old high school friend, giselle diwag esteban. >> how long has she been missing? >> since yesterday >> and have you guys tried calling her? >> i have no idea how to hel you at this point. >> since one >> i'm, almost a week now. to tell you to stay away fro my daughter. >> so, clearly there was som animosity between gisele and michelle so, inspector region's partner brought gisele downtown to the police station for a mor in-depth conversation. >> i understand at - at one point, you and michelle were close friends is that right? >> i considered her my sister. >> and then -- would have been?

>> she made a mistake. scott made a mistake >> and then, was that when you are with scott or had you guys broken up? >> no, we were still together, they made the mistake twice. >> and then drizzle told the strange little story she was pregnant, remember with their second child. and said she went to the kaise permanente medical center for premade will checkup just hour before michele disappeared she said she spotted her old friend at a distance >> were you surprised to see michelle there >> yes >> how did it make you fee when you saw her >> at first, surprised and the annoyed and then i thought

okay keep your blood pressure down. otherwise you're gonna los this baby. >> strong feelings but, gisele esteban was not so strong herself tiny, pregnant hardly not capable o overpowering michelle le let alone finding a way of disposing of her body. so the center home and later the afternoon, finally got a look inside of michelle's car as we did, much later, when th detective showed it to us. nothing had changed. nothing was touched. here, the morbid sense we were somehow violating a set an very personal space. this is what richie found, a crime scene. >> once we got the car open, you can see that there is bloo wiped across here and th plastic, a little bit on the floor mats and then, as you can see there is more droplets blood dropping down in a downward pattern >> police also saw some bloo smeared were mitchell's car ha been parked. were you able to make

judgment about what it happene when she got to a car? >> if she was attacked, most likely here because from the looks that it looked like sh got placed in the backseat there was a bloody confrontation here and there i more blood back there. but you can see, hear, it' been moved around a bit. it's a little bit smeared. up and there's more than one location >> clearly, a very violent a physical assault who could've done this a fresh look at th surveillance tapes may offer a clue watch what michelle does as sh walks to a car park to the far right hand side of the lot michelle makes a wide sweeping turn to the left, away from th car. then walks back to the right these to consider it appears she stops. would have been's? did she see somebody she knew. or somebody she didn't want to see. richie felt he may hav

answered that question when he found on the passenger seat of michel's car, a little piece that would end up fitting into a very large puzzle. >> we found a identification card from the samuel merritt university nursing school. the one that michele attended. but there was no reason for it to be there. >> the name and face wer visible right on the car so richie called the schoo and was told - >> oh, that's our ne instructor that starting in week and then i could hear in the back of the phone, her i. d. cards gone it's missing from my desk. >> the card had been stolen bu by whom? >> here's the things about these identity cards they are actually key cards. this is mine at nbc here and whenever i'm in th headquarters voting -- i use them to swipe the ke card on that little box there,

it makes an electronic recording of the use of th cart at that moment in time an at this place. and then, of course, i'm being watched by a security camera a the same time. in fact, you can't go anywhere in this building without being seen by security cameras the security team at the nursing school did the sam thing. they just look for the compute record of the key card being used and they pulled of the securit video from that moment in th place. and viola, there was their thief. >> so, i have them sent me the still photographs. i want i looked at it, i immediately identified it it was gisele esteban the picture was dated, may 20, 61 day before michel disappeared. so, what else did she do tha they >> richie got a subpoena for all the hospital securit cameras. when he saw on the video was those changing disturbing an moved georgia esteban at the top of the list of persons o interest >> coming up - the strange video trail of ♪...you know how i feel.♪ you don't have to take... [coughing] ...copd sitting down. ♪it's a new dawn,...♪ ♪...it's a new day,♪ it's time to make a stand.

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keith morrison: what you're watching ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy... is far better than any eyewitness-- what you're seeing is an exact record of a strange moment in time. watching is far better than an eyewitness what you're seeing is in the

exact record of a strang moment in time this is gisele esteban at we michelle le nursing school the day before le vanished why she was here, was mystery. but what she did - that, richie piece togethe from her electronic trail. which picked her up in the morning at the school, posin as a prospective student while there, she stole a instructor ski card. then, appeared to test whether woodwork by entering this brea room >> and then at 5:30 in the evening, when the campus was closed, she gained acces through the back door usin that electronic -- >> same swipe card >> yes, exactly. throughout the hallways, there are cameras. and it shows just a walkin around with the cameras, her glasses, up and she's goin around turning on computers >> weird. >> yeah. >> gisele can also be walkin around with the class roster and you know it's a roster because you could se photographs. so you can see that it's a class roster and it looks like she's walking around as if she's pretending to be a

structure or something lik that she's in that room for an hour and a half or so and then sh leaves >> all of this, the nigh before, michelle l disappeared. what was gisele doing? >> - on the morning after gisel disappeared gisele esteban one with her daughter to an appl store and sure enough, there she was, on the store security camera that is heard there a the top left of your screen, having one of the employee unlock an iphone >> she told the apple employee that he daughter had put a code into the phone and locked scott marasigan it once. jan lofted, the phone starte bringing and ringing >> and just at the ver moment, as cell phone record show, michele lays iphone begi picking on the cell phone towe not far from the apple store now, there's a matter of following the signal which led to this chuck e. cheese restaurant. a few miles away where the phone turned u again. >> gisele was seen on vide

showing a white iphone >> remember, this is the day after michelle's disappearance when her friends and famil were frantically calling him texting her. and look at this, surveillance footage, looks like gisele i sending out text messages. and at that moment, as record, show michele's iphone wa pinging off a nearby cell phon tower. to ritchie it seemed quite clear. giselle esteban was the on using michel's phone to send those creepy text messages toward friends and family an to him and just melted all this while on a shopping trip with thei daughter >> and she's on the phone. roughly the same time that she's getting text message from the classmates and family members and things like that and then, i sent her a secon text message at, roughly the 1

in the afternoon saying that this is not a joke, this is th police department you need t contact me right now that wa the last contact that is whe her phone went off >> yes, but the evidence was mounting so ritchie stepped up th surveillance of gisele >> we placed a truck on he car. >> why >> to see if she would take us >> to see if she would take us to a location that michelle ma possibly be. >> well that didn't happen not to say that her behavior wasn't suspicion do you remember the visual the -- help a week after he disappearance? the one attended by the export from scott it turned out, gisele was ther to, sort of. the tracking device showed

gisele circling the block as michele's family pleaded for help and later, it showed her driving pass scott's house why? ritchie was all but sure now that jason had something to do with michele's disappearance the question now was, did sh have some help >> it was something that w have to look at. >> if so, who? >> yes dive into her life her friends. who can we talk to that nose gisele >> ritchie consult did a alameda county da. busch ford some of m colleagues the response was, well who help to do. it because she's a, woman she' pregnant in order to do this, she had t have help. >> prosecutors had a hard time believing that esteban was physically capable of killin michelle le all by herself >> we encourage them to make sure they eliminated any possible suspects just just, the father of gisele's child >> that would be scott, th ex-boyfriend which is referrin to so, everybody's antenna went up in late july of 2011, 63 day after michele's disappearance,

as the le family searches th hills, ritchie got a ver strange phone call from scott. who was sounding out of breath >> sad to believe that h thinks he had found michel's phone. >> i asked him, where do you find michele's phone >> he said, in the back of m car. >> coming up - at first police doubt scot story. >> did we miss something, is h had the other part in this >> or, was he gisele's nex victim >> did you ever have any concern about scott safety >> yes, and we advised scott that you need to be concerne for your safety as well. >> you deserve to die for your lies, and does she, this i your last -- >> week when datelin continues. hey hon. hey dad...(sniffs) that smell could be 8,000,000 odor causing bacteria. good thing adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria that detergents leave behind. clean is good, sanitized is better. ♪ ♪

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slammed into another vehicle police say the driver ran from the scene before being taken into custody alone assert to the area and to win them clark to claim the trophy at the final rounds of the u.s. open in los angele on sunday. -- shot the lowest firsthand scor in tournament history. along with fellow competitor rickie fowler. now, back to dateline. maxlength=32> we have an abl but the prime suspect in michelle le's disappearance-- ond child, which made detectives wonder-- is there somebody else involved with her? keith morrison: it was a question often repeated of the alameda county da's office. we have an able-bodied young lady who disappears from bodied young lady who just appears from a public place. so automatically our minds wen to was there more than one person involved? >> so, when richie got a cal from gazelles ex-boyfriend claiming to have found michel'

iphone, he was worried >> i was very concerned that how do we miss something is he the other part of this why is he telling us this? if he is another part of, this wisely fighting this and telling us about the evidence. and that was the key question. why would scott admit to havin incriminating evidence was he trying to outsmart th cops by pretending to be helpful? tua found michele's iphone whe he had it all along? or was he afraid, afraid somebody was trying to set him up which might have been th reason why, scott share this document with detectives this is a temporary restrainin order against gisele esteban inside declaration, both scott and his mother told how thei family was awakened early on morning by scots carla scott went to investigate. >> i want result, front he hears his mother screaming he goes inside gisele is insid of his house, he is inside o his room tempering with this computer >> some familiar

it was the same thing esteba was doing at the nursing school >> and one was this before the murder >> for days. >> but there was something else, a piece of evidence you have t hear to believe. scott told the detectives that four months before michele's disappearance, gisele rank and threatened him verbal alarm so alarming tha he recorded someone's iphone just in case something bad eve happened this one, in scott's car their small arthur sitting i the backseat, listening. you listen closely you're about to hear the rea giselle esteban. >> i asked you if we could jus be honest about michelle, caus she's the only issue that have a hard time dealing with >> that's not what yo said it. all >> starting for now, we ar going to be honest about michelle do you understand? what's your sleep with, or whether you share food wit their, whether you talk with

there you will be honest wit me look at me you will be honest with me regarding her. otherwise i will take your lif and hers and you can take that to the grave with the >> why >> why because you lied about are s many times it's hard to believ that you didn't sleep with her and knock her up you deserve to die for you lies, as should she. and you will if you do it again, this i your last and final warning. >> why >> do you understand me? it's your last and final warning. >> ritchie listen to gisele' tone from [inaudible to threatening this was far from the subdue woman he met back in may >> it was clear that she was a violent woman. we advise not that, if it wa just so you have to be concerned for your safety as well and he might well be a. target >> esteban was cleare the recording and fixated on her old friend was convinced that michele had somehow broke up her relationship with scott and, yet as richie too

pains to discover -- >> michelle and scott were nothing more than just friends she had a boyfriend, scott was just one of the many friends that she had the only person in this worl that seem to think that ther was more to it was just up >> prosecutor butch ford heard the audio to and with the 1500 pages of tex an email scott gay police. >> for the better part of si years she had an obsession wit michelle her text messages were fille with hatred towards michel a every step but the way and then, towards the last fou months or so, they were filled with hatred towards scott. wishing him -- wishing his death. they were just filled with hat towards the two of them with blame towards michel for ruining her relationship and essentially breaking her family >> do you think there's an

truth that at all? >> only from the standpoin that gisele believed it wa michele's fault. so, in terms of responding t that question, the answer ha to be yes. there's truth to it. but from her perspective because she had to blame somebody >> this is a very disturbe individual >> yes, there's no questio about that from my perspective, when we'r dealing with in particular murders my position is tha they are all sort of screwed up because a normal person doesn' react that way i mean, we have to believe tha right? a normal person does not react that way so at some level, anybody wh commits a murder there i something that is loose in their head

there has to be. >> butch ford, may know more >> butch ford, may know more than the most human paramete -- he raised more that it sibling -- worked his own way through law school and, now as a prosecutor, si out sound advice from someon who has seen it all. his own grandmother. >> i have dinner every wednesday on my grandmother' house. >> the first female africa american judge appointed i alameda county county. >> i've never had a case that have never spoken to her about and run ideas by her, closin arguments, things like that. i always run it by her >> but this case was special ford's grandmother was struc by the devotion to michelle. but their determination to fin answers. but, it was clear that there was still too many questions t take this case to court. >> the theory was that gisel had done something to brin about her devices. this was a question of what'

and how we prove it. >> in fact, without a body, ho could they prove there was a murder at all? >> coming up - in a strange twist of fate, th mother of amber dubois, join another surge along with their new. dog she's barking, she jumpe up on me, and picks up again and i followed her and i noticed, well, sticking out of the ground a dramatic discovery, when dateline continues (geri) i smoked and i have copd. my children are really worried. my tip is, send your kids a text. it may be the last time that you do. (announcer) you can quit. call 1-800-quit-now for help getting free medication. all saints catholic church i

[church music] call 1-800-quit-now keith morrison: all saints catholic church in hayward, hayward california not the sort of place it attractive would expect to get a hot tip and a murder case. but that's exactly wha happened who is the priest who called police, and wound up talking t the inspector frazier richie and told him his story about a encounter with a young woman who came to him seeking solace of some kind >> it was actually outside o an office in a patio area. he asked her several times, do you want to go int confessional she said no. so that's how he was able to talk to us about it. and he said that she was we ar in a medical type scrubs, same physical build, same characteristics of gisele. and she was asking for forgiveness for something sh

had not yet done >> she asked for forgiveness for us since she had not committed? >> that's the interpretation o the priest roughly 3:00 in the afternoon. the day that michele wen missing. >> reporter: richie wa convinced that giselle esteban killed michelle. a so is the prosecutor but they did not know how sh did it or when she did or where she tip. or, more importantly, what you did with the body. >> if you don't have a body, i makes the case more difficult. >> reporter: so rich and the other investigators with the hayward pd continued the bus work of doing the case without a body they ran fingerprints, sent dn for testing, interviewed witnesses, all quietly, out of sight of the family and press.

they tested a strand of hair founded michelle's car it turned out to be that o giselle. some of her dna was on the tur signal as well but since the two knew eac other, that was not enough evidence to make an arrest so they checked the cell phone record for giselle and found that her phone, like michele left a trail in the hours afte michel vanished. what do you know >> in the locations that michele's phone went, chisel phone went also. >> as if they were traveling the eavesdropping electronic we're closing in here was surveillance vide showing giselle trying t access nursing school computer the night before michelle' appearance and here, the scene at the

apple store the day afte michelle vanished. esteban getting michele' iphone unlocked and then using it at the chuck e. cheese. but still, it was not enough until the lab results finall came back from evidence seized that very first night. specifically from giselle' shoes. those tests uncovered a trac amount of blood, blood tha belonged to michelle only one explanation for that. and so on december 7th, 2001 104 days after the disappearance of michelle le frazier went to esteban's hous for a visit. >> we showed up on september morning, waited for her to com up to her house, i pulled up i front with two other investigators. we got out of the car and sh looked at me very nonchalantly dismissively what now you are under arrest not, for what, or anything it was just like a matter of fact, she was waiting for it giselle esteban's arre

no sign of remorse, there wa nothing. she was just like, okay. and when the news was announced, michele's family knew giselle, knew her as one of michelle' the closest friends. and they were stunned. >> i never suspected her o thought the worst until we kne for sure >> i didn't think it was her when giselle had problems, michel would go to canceling sessions with her. that was her last text to jail no matter what, you will alway be my friend >> reporter: and now wit giselle esteban's arrest, th family found themselves in a paradox, that someone woul finally be held accountable fo michel's appearance, yet refusing to accept that she wa dead to them, the fact that nobod had been found meant that ther was still hope, however slim that they could find her alive >> i was still hoping, without finding my sisters remains, was still holding out hope until it was definitive, w were going to fight for her. >> reporter: and so, 113 day after michelle disappeared, te days after the arrest, the

family mounted yet another search this time they were joined b carey mcgovern nickel, whose daughter amber dubois had been kidnapped two years earlier. and like martin clashed before her carry formed a organization to help find th missing. she brought a search dog wit her, a search dog in training. >> she was acting we, ar jumping all over the place barking and wanted to get away from me. and as i buckled her up, she took off from me and ran and i started running after he and she comes back and jumps u on me and takes off again. and i followed her and she was just standing still. as i reached out to put he leash on, i noticed some twine some rope sticking out of th ground and then some bones next to it it was the skeletal remains of a young woman, unidentified. michele's cousin christine was back at the command center >> i remember search director, brad dennis, he took a break

and looked at me and said, babe, we will be right back. he never leaves the search center so he left and i was, like oh, something must have happened he must have found something but he was like, i just need a break. i'm going out there. some random evidence they found, i thought. >> reporter: but then the phon rang, a reporter with a ti from someone in the search party. >> i heard they found michele' body, can you comment on that? and i just started shaking i said, we have now found her. but i knew that they did when got that call from the reporter i knew >> reporter: but there was n confirmation, not yet. the medical examiner still had to matchup dental records. and that could still take a fe days >> it may sound dumb now, but still -- i was still really stubbor about it there was nothing that could

tell me that michele was dead. but we all stayed in a hotel room because we were all hidin and wanted to know where w were, in the hotel room, and w wanted to stay there for the next few days. and then about four days later the hayward police came to our hotel and they told us that sh had been confirmed to be found there were dental records. >> and at that point you could not pretend anymore. >> yeah. >> after four months, th families long and determined search to find michelle ways over but their goal, no matter ho remote, was always to bring he home alive that she was found dead was blow that took them to their knees. >> that was one of the very fe times where i let myself cry part of me was relieved that i was over, that we had found he and brought her home and a majority of me was ver angry. and it just felt hollow. >> reporter: there was one thing left to do make sure that michelle go justice. but that, it turned out, was not going to be so easy.

coming up, giselle on trial an her defense strategy surprises everyone >> i think that if you are going to defend against th indefensible, you have to find a better way of doing it the to vilify the victim >> reporter: will it work? when "dateline" continues. going to defend against the indefensible, you have to find a better way of doing it than to vilify the victim. lester holt: would it work? when "dateline" continues. [music playing] music (i swear) jaycee tried gain flings for the first time the other day...and forgot where she was. you can always spot a first timer. gain flings with oxi boost and febreze. sometimes, the lows of bipolar depression feel darkest before dawn. a first timer. with caplyta, there's a chance to let the light shine through. and light tomorrow, with the hope from today.

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so every day, you can say, ♪ youuu did it! ♪ with centrum silver. maxlength=32> in october 2012, keith morrison: in october of 2012, ♪ youuu did it! ♪ when was giselle esteban went on trial for the murder when giselle went on trial for the murder of michelle le, prosecutor butch ford expected he would have his hands full >> i thought she would fight tooth and nail that she did no do it, because she does no want her family and her kids t

know that he was responsible for that >> reporter: so, in his openin statement, ford laid out a devastating case, all pointing to premeditated first degree murder murder tons of it esteban's life wa in shambles, said forward. she lost custody of he daughter, her boyfriend left her. she blamed it all on her successful, to beautiful frien michelle and said set about methodicall to kill one of the few peopl who tried to be her friend why did she sneak into the school to find michelle's new address and maybe kill her there why did she send those tex from the apple store in chuc e. cheese? to cover-up or crime but she could not hide from th cameras. so the prosecutor but -- her own electronic trail and

the dna in the car confirmed it the evidence was overwhelming. just know refuting it, sai forward. and so the defense did not eve try. instead, they did somethin wholly unexpected, a big surprise giselle admitted that she di it >> so you are putting all thes building blocks together, to show that she had to b responsible for this >> yes >> then she goes and admits it >> i could not believe that sh would allow her defense to be, i did it >> reporter: but there was a reason, said the defense there giselle had been provoked she killed michelle in the hea of passion michelle, she claimed, was a lying schemer who had been bus stealing wet little giselle ha left in life, her family mark class watched from th back of the courtroom. he was disgusted >> i don't think character i

as a nation is a defense if you are going to defend against the indefensible, think you have to find a bette way of doing it then to vilify the victim >> reporter: but ford wa worried, the defense might jus work >> if i come in as a defense lawyer, and we are going t tell you, my client did it even though the prosecution ha the burden of proof. but we are going to tell you why it happened. that's the most importan thing. >> and that's something the da cannot tell you. >> yes and it has an air of credibility. >> voluntary manslaughter? -- >> yes and then you get out in nine years >> there was another problem even as ford methodically laid out the evidence for the jury, what he could not do - and this turned out to be a bi hole in the case - was tell the jury how th

murder took place. michele's remains were s decomposed that the corone could not determine the caus of death >> the pathologists report indicated that they not only visually examined my shelves remains but also examined it using an x-ray to look for any sort of trauma to her skull, her bones, anything of tha nature they couldn't locate any >> and while the camer recorded just about everything before and after the murder, they did not capture the crime itself >> it is my position that th evidence of the crime is mos supported by on assault weapon a sharp object, a stabbing object, a knife, a box cutter, something to that effect truthfully, i believe that she snuck up behind, or grabbed he by her hair and assaulted he with a sharp object. with a sharp object. is offering up? that this was heat of passion, that this wasn't planned. keith morrison: michael was in court every day,

as well was krystine, and the aunts, and uncles, and parents, and cousins. all of them took time off work to be united for michelle. oftentimes, in homicide cases, nobody shows up for the victim. or maybe it's a mother, or father, or a sibling-- in this case, every day there were between i would say 12 and 20 family members. and knowing that the vast majority of them had traveled from san diego to be present, to show everybody that michelle was missed, it was really touching to me, and inspiring in that, again, it made me want to work even harder to ensure that i had done everything i could to bring about what was a just result. and i hamentioned that was the only thing i promised to the family was that i would work as hard as i could to make sure that the right result came. do you encounter families like that very often?

on that level, no. keith morrison: when the case went to the jury, everything was up in the air. prosecutor ford didn't worry, particularly, when the jury stayed out a full day-- even when it stayed out two days. after three days, ford began to wonder if he'd done enough to debunk giselle's heat of passion defense. after four, everybody wondered. the longest deliberation i'd ever had was four days. this was now getting to four and 1/2 days, so i start to have concern. lester holt: coming up-- day five and the suspense is over. the jury sends word of a verdict. we're were just all holding hands in the front row. lester holt: will there be justice for michelle? when "dateline" continues. [music playing]

[ tires screeching ] jordana, easy on the gas. i gotta wrap this commercial, i think i'm late on my payment. it's okay, the general gives you a break. yeah, we let you pick your own due date. good to know, because this next scene might take a while. for a great low rate, go with the general.

i know there's conflicting information next scene might take a while. about dupuytren's contracture. i thought i couldn't get treatment yet? well, people may think that their contracture has to be severe to be treated, but it doesn't. if you can't lay your hand flat on the table, talk to a hand specialist. but what if i don't want surgery? well, then you should find a hand specialist certified to offer nonsurgical treatments. what's the next step? visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started. keith morrison: giselle esteban readily admitted she

killed her friend michelle le. but she claimed it was in the heat of the moment-- she was angry, provoked by michelle. the defense, which, in a way, blamed michelle for her own death. to friends and family sitting in the courtroom, the strategy seemed outrageous. and yet, after the jury had been out four long days, they all worried that it worked. i was wondering if the jury sat in the same trial that i sat in. we were going crazy. we were really afraid that either they felt sympathy for the defendant because she is a woman, or that she has children, or you never know. by the fifth day, we were thinking, what if they let her off easy? keith morrison: and then, finally, on the fifth day, the jury announced they were ready. there could be no acquittal-- their choices were first-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter-- a verdict that could have esteban back on the street

before she's 40. i remember hearts were just pounding, and we were being lined up. and we sat down and we saw the jury walk in, and a couple of them, like-- you could just tell on their faces that they were exhausted. they looked exhausted. and we were all holding hands in the front row, and we were all shaking. and you can see butch and he was just up there-- his, like, hands and his head. and all of us were just praying. and then we heard guilty of murder first. i burst right into tears. and there was-- that feeling was just so indescribable how much relief was there. keith morrison: 17 months after chelle le went missing, after endless searches, a relentless investigation, a tense trial, finally an end. the search for michelle and for justice was over.

one of the things i was so angry about was that nothing made sense-- nothing made sense. why did it have to happen to michelle? and so i think the verdict brought reason. like get a sense of someone committed a murder, they will pay for the crime. it's just as awful as it was, and the loss is just as great, but the world is back on its axis-- or something like that. in some way, yeah. how was it to get that verdict? what was it like? in one word-- relief. what did your grandmother say? she asked, how is michelle's family doing? because i had talked to her about what a great family they were. i have nothing but respect for that family. and they had faith in the process, and, more than anything, i appreciated that they had faith in me. keith morrison: the le family's uncommon grace and dignity and determined togetherness infected many of the families that stood with them

during those dark months. they were able to do what a lot of other families have never been able to do, and that's rally around each other in a time of great need to prop each other up. keith morrison: michael and krystine volunteered with marc klaas' organization. they helped to coordinate searches in the case of a teenager kidnapped near san jose-- their way to honor michelle. michelle, who still refuses, somehow, to leave them. krystine dinh: she mainly comes in dreams. and it's so real that it feels like her. and she won't say a thing. she'll just give me a hug, or something. i would flip out and be like, michelle, where the heck have you been? we had this huge thing where we thought you were gone, you know? and she laughed, and she said, i'm fine. [music playing]

keith morrison: and michael? when he and michelle were little, they begged their mother to tell them the old vietnamese folk tale of the woman in the moon who protects and watches over them. the tale is very real now for michael le. i feel like-- i feel like they're always watching me. and, you know, at the very least, i like to believe that my sister is with my mom finally and that they're together. you know, it's not my time yet, but i just can't wait to see them again. [music playing] this sunday, former vice president mike pence responds to the federal indictment of donald trump. thisy,