halloween fun. >> she had a poison ivy costume. bright lipstick, awake on. >> she looked beautiful in her costume. >> next morning. she was gone. >> i got a couple facebook messages. do you know where she's at? >> the vehicle you put her in was gone. >> you have the majority of people in costume. the worst case to start an investigation. >> was somebody lying? >> did you take that girl? >> did you have anything to do with her disappearing at all? >> no. >> the halloween mystery that will leave you chilled to the bone. >> very eerie place. >> the train is going by. the echoes. >> what did you think when you saw that? >> the hair on your back stand up. >> i had to find her.

>> in a quiet rural township in michigan, as october chilled into autumn, two young women prepared for the social event of the season. >> it's gonna be great. there will be so many people. >> so they imagined. , so they hoped, in their naivete. then so many others of a particular demographic of the farms and in the small towns around moran county. >> it was a buildup that whole summer that we coordinate way to go to the halloween party. >> halloween! becky brinson and her friend chelsea bruck just loved dressing up for halloween. chelsea and becky worked together at a restaurant called olga's kitchen in monroe and, as they served their customers, they talked endlessly about what was coming. this wasn't going to be just any halloween party. it was big mike's annual halloween bash of 2014. >> everyone -- just everyone knew, big mike has the biggest halloween

party. >> and after all, their friends were going -- and there'd be bands and noise and excitement and, who knew what all there'd be? >> we were definitely gonna be there. >> big mike had made quite a name for himself, with his heavy metal music and his epic parties, here at his mother's farm. the girls had been to some of those parties before. and nothing bad ever happened. so, really why should they worry, as they dreamt up their costumes. their clever impersonations of evil. >> we were both gonna be batman villains. >> chelsea would be the essence of evil, batman's nemesis poison ivy. >> she looked beautiful in her costume. >> yeah, i'll bet -- >> i'll never forget. >> chelsea made it herself, spent weeks bent over a needle and thread. by hand, she sewed on each leaf of artificial ivy -- >> i didn't even know -- she could do that. >> and she found a wig, just the right thing.

maroon with tips, red like blood, like the wine jug she carried. like the bright red of her poison lips. >> and she must have been very proud of it? >> she was. >> did they imagine even for a moment as they prepared. that true evil would find them here on this sleepy country road, not just the pretend kind. no, not as they tingled with excitement that saturday october 25th, 2014. and blended into the wild, bacchanalian scene inside two giant tents big mike had set up for the occasion. and the revelers poured in -- 600, 700 people, hundreds more maybe. who knew? a parade of eight heavy metal rock bands blasted their shock waves into the night. one of them big mike's very own band, pick ax preacher. that's him, singing the band had dressed up as ninja turtles for halloween. somewhere out there in that

crowd were becky and chelsea and their friend penny watkins. >> me and chelsea kind of -- kind of attached at the hip. >> penny was a decade older than chelsea, had four growing kids. but, that night at the party? >> we were walking around and being goofy -- [laughs] kind of like two little schoolgirls, just laughing and giggling and drinking a little bit. i felt like 21 again when i was hanging out with her. >> chelsea was 22, grew up in a tiny safe place called maybee. she was the youngest of five children, still lived at home with her parents. >> she was nice. she was friendly, um kind of wholesome. just this girl that, you know, came from the country and was ready to meet new people and do things and have some fun. happy, happy to start her life, happy to adventure and explore and do new experiences. >> just after midnight, the last band stopped playing, and big mike lit up a huge bonfire, flames up to 15, 20 feet high.

>> we actually walked over there together. that's when she bumped her nose. >> chelsea, that is. chelsea bumped her nose on a tent pole. had to hurt. >> was it bleeding or anything? >> it wasn't bleeding. there was a mark where she had hit it, and she was holding her face. we were kinda laughing at her. [laughter] cause -- you know, she -- she's clumsy sometimes. >> it hurt, you know when you hit your nose and it kinda stings? i kinda babied her a little bit. like, "oh, you're gonna be okay. it's gonna be okay." she wanted to go home right then. >> oh? >> "it's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay. just drink a little bit. it'll go away." you know, and after a minute or two, she was fine. then she was back, enjoying the party. >> then, about 1: 00am, it was time to go home. earlier, chelsea had asked penny for a ride home, but sometime during the bonfire they lost sight of each other. and penny's sister had work the next morning, and so had to leave right then. >> she had to be up at 6:00, so -- >> oh my -- >> so it was time to go. >> such confusion.

by then becky was holding chelsea's phone because chelsea had no pockets in her poison ivy get-up, but becky couldn't find chelsea either. >> and i was, like -- "like, what do i do? like, do i find a different ride? do i get stuck here? like, find -- go find chelsea? " >> i assumed that, you know, she knew other people and she -- someone would give her a ride home. i felt like she was there with people in the community, people that knew her. so i didn't have a reason to be concerned that anything bad would happen. >> so they left penny and becky, who still had chelsea's phone. >> probably the biggest regret of my life. >> in hindsight it was probably the worst mistake i've ever made was not looking out for her better than i did. there was so much i could have done to help protect her, and i didn't. >> later, much later, someone would report seeing chelsea as the party wound down. in the dark. alone.

seemed to be crying. and then -- nothing. chelsea bruck simply vanished into the cold night air. >> coming up. >> where was chelsea? certainly she'd turn up by the next day. >> at the time i guess there was a hope that maybe something silly happened. >> but that "hope" faded fast. >> there were probably about 15 people all searching through the field. that's when it started getting more alarming. >> this is real. >> yeah. kn ow how i feel.♪ ♪breeze driftin' on by...♪ ♪...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. ♪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,

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the day after bigrn how mike's halloween could party 2014 was a sunday-- halloween party, 2014, was a sunday. recovery day -- >> i remember just telling my dad, how much fun it was and how happy i was to get outta the house and, you know, just all good things. >> penny watkins and becky brinson failed to understand.

just yet, it was going to be second guessing day, too. becky, through the haze in her "morning-after head" called chelsea's mom, left a message that she had chelsea's cell phone. >> and whenever chelsea woke up that day, she could come get it. 'cause i'd be home all day. >> did you hear anything back? >> i didn't hear anything until late that night. >> when chelsea's sister sent becky a message on facebook, saying chelsea hadn't come home. so becky responded. >> she's probably at a friend's house. she's probably, you know, maybe still sleeping. who knows? maybe got up, ate, and went back to bed, you know. who knows? >> who indeed. by monday, when chelsea had still not turned up at home or called or sent word. her worried family contacted whoever they could think of, friends, the police big mike. >> i was sitting at breakfast. >> this is big mike.

the party guy -- his real name is mike williams. and this is his mother's farm where he's lived pretty much all his life. >> i got a couple facebook messages. "did you see chelsea? do you know where chelsea's at? " and i'm like, "i didn't even know who they were talking about at first." >> it was chelsea's sister who messaged big mike. the family was worried. very worried now -- >> people were like messaging me, "michael, look through your field. you know, go look. take a walk." you know, i'm like, "all right." >> but look for what? a body? surely not -- anyway, look he did. >> i took my dog with me. we went walking. i went hiking through the field. probably hiked a couple miles and then my dog stumbled on a fox trap. >> so mike took his injured and bleeding dog back to his house. and there encountered chelsea's mom who, he said, gave him a chilly reception. he excused himself, took his dog to the vet. >> and then i came back here. and, you know, there were probably about 15 people here. they're all searching through the field. that's when it started getting more alarming. >> this is real. >> yeah. this is real. she's -- she's missing.

>> chelsea's family was frantic, did not waste time. they set up camp here. >> yeah, they did. this was kind of like their base for a little bit. >> did they put up a tent or something? >> they put up a tent. i had a generator, port-a-potty. and i talked to my attorney and what we should-- how we should handle it. and he said just-- just leave them alone for now. and then eventually they'll go away. and we took that advice. and just kind of let them do their thing. and-- >> did they say, "do you mind if we set up here? " or-- >> they actually-- i don't think they even asked. i think they just did. >> really? >> yeah. >>'cause they sort of suspected you. >> yeah, they kind of suspected me. and i don't think they really-- maybe they were trying to put heat on me or something. >> maybe. >> yeah, i don't know. yeah, they kind of suspected me. and i don't think they really-- maybe they were trying to put heat on me or something. >> maybe. >> yeah, i don't know. >> well, that might be an understatement. meanwhile a few sheriff's deputies joined the family and searched the fields behind mike's house with their atvs and a search dog.

and found nothing. but suspicion was in the air. that monday evening, at least as mike saw it, chelsea's mom, understandably very worried, took on an accusing tone. >> "is she in your basement? is she in your trailer? do you have her? " like i have her locked up somewhere you know, that kind of, like, threw me off. like, no, i'm out here helping. >> but here around the farm, people wondere was he? anyway, that was about the time penny heard that chelsea never made it home after the party. >> kinda got a lump in my throat. like what? >> and she joined in the search that night. >> at the time, i guess there was a hope that maybe something silly happened, like she got her leg caught in somewhere. that maybe she just somehow was on the property. >> got lost, was in the woods somewhere or something. >> yeah. i mean, this is monroe, stuff like that don't happen in monroe. >> it's safe, safe little place. >> yeah. >> the next thing becky heard was very early the next morning. tuesday -- >> i got a knock on my door from the police. >> and then, finally, becky understood. something awful may have happened to her friend chelsea. what did your mind go to? >> the worst possible scenarios.

maybe she walked home. what if she got hit by a car? what if she's in a ditch somewhere, you know? what if somebody kidnapped her or trafficking? >> there were cases of human trafficking? >> yes. >> so people were being snatched, you know, women particularly. and then taken to be prostitutes somewhere against their will -- >> yeah. >> how did that feel? >> it was helpless. >> penny used facebook to get the word out about chelsea and kept looking. >> i was out there almost every day. some nights i would put the kids to bed and go out searching all night. >> out on big mike's property, the family invited the media including our detroit affiliate wdiy to their command post.

and chelsea's mother tried to stay focused through her fear and regret. >> had i known she was going to a party with over 600 people, 22 or not, she would not have been going. >> this was agony for a mother and for a sister. >> if she was able to come home, she would have by now. >> from mike's farm, the family sent volunteer search parties around the neighborhood and beyond. >> and they were still conducting searches throughout the fields. and they were knocking on farmers'doors. asking if they could look around their fields and things like that. >>detectives from the sheriff's office were very active, too, by then. but they'd already encountered a serious problem. how to investigate six or eight hundred people, many in halloween disguise? >> coming up, an eyewitness. >> he saw chelsea. he described her as being tipsy. >> he also spotted someone walking away with her. >> he described this guy pretty good which ultimately led us to this composite sketch. >> upon releasing that, we-- we got flooded with phone calls. >> when dateline continues. switch to verizon, and get iphone 15 pro on them.

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each day that first week, little groups of people showed up at big mike's place out in rural monroe county, little groups of people showed up at big mike's place out in rural monroe county, eager to follow a worried sister's direction. >> 5-mile radius outside the first circle, my house, 10-mile out. that's where we're looking, that's where she'd go. >> while in town, the sheriff's office confronted a baffling mystery. >> it's a halloween party, so you had the majority of people in costumes. >> it didn't take but a minute for detectives brian sroka, and mike preadmore to get the picture. this wasn't going to be easy. somehow, they had to figure out what happened to one young woman at a rowdy party of more than 600 people who'd been drinking. many of whom had disguised themselves for halloween. >> so, you put all those together, it almost makes it a worst case scenario to start an investigation. >> there certainly wasn't a list of people they could

contact. >> you're in the middle of nowhere and it's -- it's pitch black, you know, minus the fire and the -- a little bit of moonlight, and this party's going all throughout the early morning hours. people are coming and going. there's just no accountability, who's there, who's coming, who's leaving. >> so, somebody walking through the grounds of the party, if they weren't right beside the fire, it would be a little hard to tell who they were. i mean, it's like some ghostly presence coming out of the dark and -- >> yes. >> they're wearing makeup, and then they're gone. >> yes. >> it was chaos almost. >> still -- they needed to figure out what happened, and also they wanted to understand the young woman who was missing. >> chelsea, she almost became our sister during this. you talk to the family. >> i mean, we've searched her

room. you know almost everything about her, it seems like. she's 22 years old. she's the youngest of five children, almost the baby of the family. she was the only one still living at home with mom and dad, and they -- they kind of were lenient on -- on her, but she was -- >> there's something -- >> a grown adult. >> very special about that. >> yes. >> youngest daughter of the -- >> yes. >> when you've got a large family. >> yes. >> so -- her place in the family was sort of family sweetheart, that kind of thing? >> pretty much. >> and we started to establish this, you know, her personal history of she has nowhere to really go. she doesn't drive. she wouldn't just up and leave. >> which is just what chelsea's sister told our toledo affiliate wnwo. >> she even had told my mom that night, i'm not even staying that long. i'll be home in a couple hours. she was just going to go with her friends for a little bit, and come back. >> detectives talked to chelsea's friends, too, of course. >> and what did they tell you about her dating history? >> she wasn't currently seeing anybody, but there were a couple of guys she was interested in. so we obviously -- we looked into these people. >> these were guys she had dated before? >> she had dated, or is interested in. >> how carefully did you look at these guys she had been interested in, or had dated?

>> very in depth. >> did any of them go to the party? >> no. >> no. >> oh. >> so, we were trying to determine did they pick her up. did they have someone pick her up? what did they know about chelsea that night? >> we brought them in. we talked to them. we searched their homes. we searched their cell phones. you know, we -- at one point, we even collected some of their clothing, you know, to maybe possibly get some type of every, dna, fibers. >> but detectives were hearing from people who had been at the party. >> we actually have six different people that we made contact with who let chelsea borrow their phone for phone calls, and then she actually tried to call two friends. >> one of those friends was penny who was home by the time chelsea called. >> she asked if i could come get her. at the time i thought i was being responsible, and i told her, i'm sorry, i drunk too much, i really have no business driving. she didn't sound desperate for a ride. she didn't sound upset. >> she never tried to call her mom or anybody else. she was seen crying a few times, you know, by the fire. she was -- saying, nobody's, she has no friends to give her a ride. she was cold. she was just upset. >> but then, a couple of days after the party, a woman called in, said her son may have seen

something important. >> he saw chelsea, and he remembers clearly that it was chelsea because he talked to her about her poison ivy costume, and that -- how badly allergic he is to poison ivy. >> did he remember what time this was? >> it was approximately 3:30 in the morning. he described her as being tipsy. >> but -- here's the thing, and maybe it was some kind of break in the case, he said he saw a man hovering over chelsea. >> you know, he's kind of comforting her, standing with her, you know, talking to her. >> almost like they knew each other, said the witness. >> he described him, you know as a little taller -- slender, hair swooping, wearing glasses, and then the two disappeared into the dark, he said. >> he described this guy pretty good to one of our -- a michigan state police sketch artist which ultimately led us to this composite sketch. >> and released it to the public? >> right away, as soon as we

had it. >> upon releasing that, we -- we got flooded with phone calls. we didn't realize how common of a look that actually is. i mean, a lot of people actually look like the sketch. >> mike williams offered an opinion. >> it looks like 150 different people that i know. you know, i don't know. i could take you to a bar right now where everybody in the bar looks like that. >> but mike told the detectives that a couple members of a milwaukee band that worked the party looked a bit like the sketch. >> maybe talk to them. i don't know. maybe she hopped in their -- in their tour van and went to -- back to milwaukee. i don't know. she was kind of a free spirit. so i mean, i thought maybe she just cut town. you know. >> we sought assistance from the fbi tracking them down.

nothing panned out. >> they all had alibis. >> yes. >> but big mike? neither the detectives nor chelsea's family could shake the idea this guy was hiding something. coming up -- >> we asked for his consent to search the house, and he denied us consent. >> big mike in the spotlight -- and, a new witness who says he saw chelsea right before she went missing from mike's party. >> so you went back out to the parking lot, and the vehicle that you put her in was gone? >> and her too. new emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? [sfx: video game] emergen-c crystals. kayaking is my thing. running is awesome. but her moderate to severe eczema would make her skin so uncomfortable. now i'm staying ahead of it. dupixent helps heal your skin from within. so, they can have clearer skin and less itch. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe.

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our top story, the red cross is urging all parties involved in the israel-hamas war to restore water, electricity and health care in gaza. the president of the international committee of the red cross called it quote unacceptable that civilians have no safe place to go in the gaza area amid the massive bombardments. matthew perry was found dead saturday over an apparent drowning in his home, according

to representatives for the actor. he was 54 years old. now, back to dateline. ack to dateline. >> four days after chelsea four days after chelsea bruck disappeared, bruck disappeared, the detectives decided it was time for a serious talk with big mike williams. >> chelsea. ok, you know her? >> i don't know her, know her. but i do know who she is. >> funny thing about mike. on the one hand he seemed cooperative. but on the other.. >> we asked for his consent to search the house, you know, for any kind of evidence from the investigation and make sure chelsea wasn't even in the house. and he denied us consent. >> so, they did it the hard way. >> they came in with 13 swat guys in full gear. and i said, "do you have a search warrant? " and they presented it to me right then and then. and then "are you gonna let us in or we going to kick in the door? " that's when i let them in.

>> they're getting tough with you at this point. >> yeah. they went through my house and they were searching for things, like, they left a terrible mess. it's the first time, i think, ever in my entire life of living here, like, forever that i didn't feel comfortable in my own home. >> outside, investigators took one look at mike's fire-pit and was there something in there? >> they dug through, you know, years of burning stuff. you know, having parties and >> what was that like? >> i kind of shoot my head. they had it all taped off and i think they dug all day looking in -- looking in there. >> nothing. still. was he a person of significant interest? oh, yes. >> absolutely. >> we kept mike -- big mike close. >> but the investigation was about to take a turn. det. preadmore was at the office when a new tip came in about a young man named harlin bird. >> he'd possibly have information that would help us find chelsea or what happened to her. >> which is how the 19-year-old mr. bird wound up in an interview room at the sheriff's office. >> so who did you go to this

party with? >> i went with my best friend i consider my brother. >> he remembers two subjects harassing a female in the parking lot of the party. and at this time, they were, you know, shoving her around and pushing her around -- and pushing around -- assaulting this female, and that she was -- crying and yelling for help. he intervened and he fought these guys off and he helped chelsea up off the ground. and he actually got blood of chelsea's on his shirt. >> could he describe her? >> he described her as chelsea. he -- he described -- >> wearing the poison ivy costume? >> as her poison ivy, the wig. he -- he described chelsea to a t. >> finally, a witness who could actually tell them something. >> i just told her to please sit still. i didn't want to leave her but i didn't want to stay there either because i didn't know whether or not if someone found her like that they'd blame me. >> harlin said he put the woman in a red four-door car, though he didn't know who it belonged to, and then he went back to the party to find anyone who

knew her. >> i was looking for like 5 to 15 minutes. walked back to the car and it was gone. >> so you went back out to the parking lot and the vehicle that you put her in was gone? >> and her too. >> the detectives knew chelsea bumped her nose at the party. so when harlin mentioned blood, that got their attention. >> so from where you picked her up there was a little bit of blood on your right shoulder. >> not this shirt. i was wearing, it was a different shirt i was wearing but yeah. i'm not saying it was a big spot it was just a dab. i didn't realize it until i got home that night and looked at my shirt. >> you still got the shirt? >> i should. i'm pretty sure it's being cleaned right now because my fiance has a -- or girlfriend slash fiance. >> well, if there's blood on it

we want it for her dna. >> if it was cleaned would you still be able to get something off it? >> no. >> unfortunate, if true. but there was something about young harlin, that didn't seem quite on the level. >> and when you got her up she had a bloody nose? >> well i didn't see her have a bloody nose, but i figured that she was bleeding somewhere because >> earlier you told me she had a bloody nose. >> i didn't say i seen it. >> when i ask you said it was up here. >> i said it had to be because when she brushed my shoulder -- or her face on my shoulder that's what i figured. >> well when i asked how much blood you said just a few spots. and i said from her nose and you said just a few spots. >> i don't know for sure. >> i mean i'm having a little bit of problems with your story here harlin. >> i'm just telling you what this girl that i found. >> when rsli that, frequently is cover for having actually done something bad. >> correct. correct. >> you start thinking he says that he has her blood on his clothing, is he-- >> but i tried to save her. >> is he trying to make-- >> yes. >> an excuse if something did happen to chelsea, if we find her with some injuries?

is he trying to account for that and cover that up? yeah. >> hey, are you in here for another reason? you know, did something happen and >> and did you have something? >> that you're -- and you're -- >> to do with it? >> coming forward, but you don't want to come forward and just be direct? this is your way of telling us that you possibly had something to do with chelsea's disappearance? and he denied -- he denied, you know, doing-- >> they put some pressure on harlin. >> did you take that girl and do harm to her? >> no. no. >> did you take that girl and have sex with her? >> no. >> did you rape her? >> no. >> did you kill her? >> no. >> and it was through more questioning and his story kind of got, you know, it wasn't makin'sense at all. and that's when, you know, ultimately we asked him, "did you ever see her? do you even know chelsea? did you have any contact with her? " he ultimately said, "no, i just wanted to look good." >> he made the whole thing up? >> he made the whole thing up. >> this is nothing but a big lie that i shouldn't have done, and i'm sorry. >> of course they had to waste more time checking harlin's stories, whether made up or not.

and then they arrested him for lying to the police. >> what's it like to think you've got a lead like that and then it's gone? >> it's deflating. >> still. something about that young man. as they moved on, they kept him in mind. just in case. one tip that sounds too good to be true. >> he had a knife and he goes, "this is what i used with chelsea bruck." >> and another tip, that's all too real. >> she says, "oh, my god, brian, that's her shoe." how long have you been tracking the value of our car? should we sell it? we hold... our low mileage is paying off. you think we should... hold... hoooold!!! hooold! now!!!! i'm on it. i'm, on it. already sold to carvana. go to carvana and track your car's value today. (vo) it's another ultimate endless shrimp flavor drop with new tequila lime shrimp one of seven endless choices

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>> i love her, and i miss her, and i want her to come home. >> when her family and friends gathered for a prayer vigil. >> she's coming home. it's not hope, it's a reality. >> it's something that i wish no one else ever has to go through. she's just, she's your baby sister, you're supposed to take care of her, and be there for her and you can't. >> chelsea's family moved their search operation from big mike's place to a more permanent base. >> they actually went to a vacant bank from monroe bank and trust, set up a headquarters. >> a lot of new faces today which is good because people are tired. >> and from here her family held for dear life to a fading hope. that chelsea was alive might

still come home. >> absolutely miss you. love you. if someone is holding you no matter where you're at -- no matter, we just want you home. >> the family's organization was impressive. each volunteer assigned to a group, each group sent to a particular area or neighborhood. >> and this just went on and on. >> soon there were posters of chelsea's face and purple ribbons her favorite color everywhere. >> friends like penny worried she might have been kidnapped by sex traffickers. so penny went looking in the darker corners of toledo, ohio, a half hour south of monroe. >> i was handin'out flyers. have you seen this girl? you know -- in the areas where prostitution is known. i had policemen tell me, "you don't need to be out here, you need to go back home, " because i would go out at night because that's when the prostitutes were out -- >> that's kind of a dangerous thing to do, you know? >> i had to find her. i just -- you know, what do you do? i mean i couldn't live with

myself just sitting at home and hoping that she turned up. >> chelsea was featured on dateline's own missing in america series. her mother tried to stay positive. >> cannot lose hope. cannot give up. the faith and prayers has given us that hope and if anything it's only gotten stronger. >> but penny and others couldn't quite keep that up. >> i know her sweet mom always had hope, and i know one time i introduced myself and i said, "i was chelsea's friend." and she corrected me, "no, you are chelsea's friend. chelsea's out there." >> but christmas 2014 came and went no sign of chelsea. and then a week into the new year a break. maybe the break they'd been waiting for, a terrified woman in toledo reported that her ex-boyfriend confessed to her that he killed chelsea. >> ok kerri, i'm det. preadmore, this is det. smith. >> we brought her in right away. and -- another detective and i sat down with her and interviewed her. >> her name was kerri carr. >>

when i went to go leave i walked out and was trying to get in my car. >> ok. >> and he pulled out a knife. ok. a pocket knife. and then he goes, "this is the one i used on chelsea." >> she provided information that this ex-boyfriend of hers told her that, you know, he was at the party and that he left with chelsea, and that he ultimately ended up killing chelsea and dumping her body in the toledo area, in a cemetery. >> and kerri said he threatened to kill her, too. >> he like grabbed me by my shirt and he had a knife and he goes, "this is what i used with chelsea bruck." he didn't say her name exactly -- >> what did he say? i need to know exactly. >> he said, "i used it on chelsea, don't make me use it on you." >> you could tell that she was nervous, you know, real on edge. >> kerri said she lived in fear of her ex-boyfriend and she

wanted him arrested right away. >> i want him locked up but i can't have him like questioned and then released. he lives on the same street as me. he's going to go after me and my kid. >> if kerri was telling the truth, this was very big. >> did you actually confront this guy? >> we did. we interviewed him. and we -- we brought up the same information that was provided to us. without even mentioning her name. he says, "this girlfriend of mine, kerri carr, we've had problems for a long time. and i believe that she's doing this to get back at me'cause she don't like me. she wants to see me in trouble." >> the detectives brought kerri in for another chat. >> after a lengthy discussion, she ultimately said, yes, what her ex-boyfriend told us, that she was trying to get back at him and try to get him in trouble, almost like i got you kinda thing. >> you know, it's frustrating work that you do.

>> yeah, this was -- i mean, this took days. you know, it took us away from the -- what we're thinkin'we're investigating, trying to locate chelsea and find out what happened to her with this information that someone comes in and brings to us. >> so they arrested kerri, too, for lying to the police and they went back to square one. while chelsea's family waited for something anything good. >> still very hopeful that she is somewhere alive and well. >> and the searchers slogged. >> it's pretty marshy back there. it's a lot of mud. so it's pretty tough to get through. a lot of downed timbers. so it's challenging. >> cops deputies volunteer firefighters. >> any type of clues, um maybe some things she might have been wearing or disturbed ground or anything like that. >> and everybody waited for

something from the detectives. >> a lot of pressure. >> oh, yeah, intense pressure. >> we did work on it every single day. all of our resources were still on this case. new leads coming in and you just kept chippin'away at it. >> and then it was a sunday in late march spring cleaning time. and a woman called in she'd found something on the edge of her property. >> how far away from the party was this? >> that was 2.3 miles. so, that is a route that -- you know, many people leaving the party would have taken. >> her name was sheryl retzlaff. this is her. she told the detectives she'd been cleaning up a winter's worth of debris along the country road. just like every other spring. >> what-- what sorta stuff do you find out here? >> yeah. i find all manner of things. i mean, i have found cameras hanging from my trees with cd-- you know, the--

the disk cards in them. we've found car radios and speakers. and cases of booze and broken booze bottles. >> she followed her usual route along the tree line. >> where were you that particular day? that -- >> i start usually here. and make my way all the way around. and then end up back here. >> and that's where it was. a shoe. >> what kinda shoe was it? >> it was leather, flat. >> okay. >> red. like a mary jane type of shoe. >> sheryl threw it in the trash bag. moved on. >> my husband comes home from work and as per the usual he's like, "so what'd you find this year? " i'm like, "well, i didn't really find anything but trash, other than this shoe." and he was i'm -- instantly on alert. a shoe.

he's like, "you know, sheryl, really, maybe, do you think it could be hers? " and i knew who he meant right away. right away. and i'm like, "no. there's no way. all winter? they searched everywhere here. how could they have missed it? how could they have missed it? " >> yeah. >> sheryl called the monroe county sheriff's office and deputies came to pick up the shoe. and the next day det. sroka sent a photo of the shoe to chelsea's mom. >> i'm on the phone with her. i tell her, "i-- i just sent the email to you. did-- did you get it? " she opens it up and she says, "oh, my god, brian, that's her shoe." and it-- it was just surreal. at that point, you-- your heart drops and you're like, this-- this may really be, you know, something we've been waitin'for. and she checks with other family members and they also confirmed that it was chelsea's shoe. >> now, that was a tip. >> yes. >> the shoe was tip number 623. >> but what does it tell you, really? >> yeah, it-- it didn't look good. uh-- but again she's still missing. we have one shoe.

you know, where's the other shoe at? where's chelsea at? where's her costume? where's everything else at? so-- >> and nothing else found in that area during -- >> nothing else. we searched within several miles on-- on foot and in the air-- you in fields, woods, and not a single sign of anything else. >> and then? then a certain young man ran out of money. fascinating, what a person will do when he has to. >> it looked kinda like a plant, like a fake plant. chelsea's costume. and a strange coincidence. >> what did you think when you saw that? >> the hair on the back of your neck kinda stands up. >> when dateline continues. 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,...

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home of the xfinity 10g network. goli, taste your goals. learn more today. >> it was five months after it was five months after chelsea disappeared, home of the xfinity 10g network. and the only trace of her was one red shoe on a roadside two chelsea disappeared and the only trace of her was one red shoe on a roadside two miles from the halloween party. but when chelsea's mom found out about that shoe? >> i could tell a change in her demeanor,'cause she had been real upbeat during the whole investigation. you could just feel -- feel negativity. you just -- she knew at that point, i think, that -- >> like the air coming out, yeah. >> yeah. spring. people go outside. they see things.

>> was this here before? was this here when you came that day, this berm, this earthen thing you're climbing up? >> yeah. it wasn't as big to my knowledge but it was definitely there. >> erik kassab and a friend were trying to make some quick cash finding and selling abandoned bits of metal. this was 10 miles from big mike's. >> that day, i was comin'here to -- find any scrap metal that i could take out. i was in a rock and a hard place and i needed -- money pretty quickly and -- >> what do we call that, "scrapping, " or something? >> yeah. it was scrapping. >> erik wasn't having much luck. and then inside this half-collapsed ruin, he turned over a piece of disintegrating plywood and -- >> i saw what i thought was like -- it looked kinda like a plant, like a fake plant, so i went and picked it up. i didn't realize what it was, because it was all bunched up. it had leafs on it, like fake leafs. >> sewn on? >> yeah. >> there was also a maroon wig. >> i did see -- the wig and --

kinda creeped me out, so i didn't wanna pick it up at all. >> so what'd you and your friend do at that point? >> i showed him. he told me it was a poison ivy costume. we actually contemplated keeping it'cause it looked cool. >> yeah. >> and -- decided that it wasn't worth our time, threw it back down right where it was underneath the plywood and then -- continued to -- look for scrap metal. >> the two left with what little metal they could salvage and forgot all about it until -- >> about a week later, i was at work and i saw a poster for the missing girl wearing that costume. >> oh, and immediately you thought? >> "hey, that looks just like what i found." >> so, should he report it? well, he probably should, he knew but, after all, he touched that costume. couldn't that make him look kind of suspicious? >> i've seen enough -- television shows to know what dna is. >> yep. >> and i was around the same age as the girl.

there were just so many circumstances that could make me look like -- a suspect. i contemplated it. i didn't want to turn it in. i just wanted to leave it alone and pretend like it didn't exist, but i couldn't get it outta my head. >> erik joined his sister for easter brunch and told his sister about the costume and his dilemma. she knew right away what erik had to do. had to. >> she was tellin'me that like i had to report it. and she basically gave me the ultimatum. she calls the police or i call the police. >> so he made the call. >> i was actually sitting down for easter dinner. and then the phone rings. and -- our sergeant called and he said, "i'm needing you to come in. we have -- chelsea's costume and wig." and i'm thinking, "are you sure? " "are you sure this is hers? " he texted -- texted me a photograph of it and -- you get that feeling in your heart and stomach and you're like, wow, this is -- this is what we've been lookin'for for a long time. >> the costume had been ripped at the straps and the crotch. important? maybe.

they sent it to the state lab for tests. and officers picked through the discarded junk on foot, by air, all day, and into the evening. and, right away, that easter sunday, the detectives brought erik kassab to the station for a talk. >> it's suspicious that he just happens to find this costume. he waited a week to call us. so, there's a lot of things that are looking kind of suspicious. >> just as erik had feared. >> did you go to that party by chance? >> no. >> tons of people went to this so we're trying to talk to everybody who went to the party -- >> no, i've never gone to a party. >> so you're saying you didn't go to the party on post road in newport at all? or -- >> no. however, at that time my baby's mother lived in newport. >> in fact, his ex-girlfriend lived on war road, the same road where chelsea's shoe was found. >> you said you don't know chelsea. >> i don't know her. >> okay. i gotta ask you -- >> yeah, i know -- >> did you have anything to do with her disappearing -- >> no. >>--at all? >> no. >> erik swore he was at home with his daughter that weekend

and had nothing to do with chelsea's disappearance. he agreed to give his dna and fingerprints. >> all right. open your mouth i'm going to swab the inside here. >> but there was something else about the discovery of the poison ivy costume. and it had to do with harlin bird. remember him? the guy who'd tried to sound like a hero, who told detectives he helped chelsea at the party, then admitted his story was a lie? >> this abandoned building, where the costume and wig were found, was literally 100 yards, 200 yards tops from harlin bird's house. you could pretty much see harlin bird's residence from where the costume was found. >> coming up. harlan, back in the interrogation room. >> how do we explain that those items were found that close to your grandma's house? >> i can't explain it. >> and the discovery. >> i found a dead body on my property. >> has chelsea finally been found? >> i think it's the girl that's

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