erever we were at, we could feel, like, she was there. dennis murphy (voiceover): despite the horrific events that took away her daughter, veronica is still as determined as ever to continue to do good work and to help children in need. she and james have since adopted five more children. it is just what annie would have wanted them to do. man: you know i don't have a full day, so give me a break. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm andrea canning. thanks for watching. crew: that's good. hello, i'm craig melvin, and this

josh mankiewicz: she was a design original. christina, the fashionista. the most fantastic wardrobe. josh mankiewicz: it was news nationwide when she vanished. she went out to drinks with friends, and never came home. i said, something's wrong. we realized this is real. josh mankiewicz: who was the last too see her? and where was her ex model boyfriend? he doesn't call when she she's missing, and he won't say where he was. someone had something to hide. he thought he was getting away with it. she was fighting for her life. all i can do is pray, with all that i have, tell me what happened that night. [music playing] welcome to dateline. 23-year-old christina morris had vanished without a trace. with no clues and only blurry security video to go on,

could the clue investigators needed really had been scribbled on a trashed post-it note? here with frantic is josh mankiewicz. josh mankiewicz: christina morris was afraid of the dark. up through even like, you know, grade school, if she woke up in the middle of the night, we knew about it because she was in our bed. yeah, you could hear the feet coming down the hallway. she was scared of the boogeyman. boogeyman was going to get her one day. josh mankiewicz: it was something she never really got over. 23 years old, was sleeping with a nightlight. always left the bathroom light on. yeah. josh mankiewicz: and it wasn't just the dark that scared christina, it was what might happen in the dark. christina had a fear her whole life that she would be taken. taken? abducted? yes. josh mankiewicz: where'd this come from? anna morris: i don't know, but her absolute worst fears is exactly what happened to her.

how many people actually live their worst nightmare. josh mankiewicz: from early childhood, christina morris' fears didn't slow her down. she's not one to sit in front of the tv and watch tv. she always has to be taking pictures, or working on the computer. she just always had to be going. josh mankiewicz: christina's parents divorced when she was a baby. she grew up in suburban dallas with her dad mark, her step mom anna, and a brother and sister. but she remained close to her mom, jonni mcelroy. she's the love of my life, the apple of my eye, my heart beat. she's my everything. josh mankiewicz: it was almost like christina had two moms. and later, when jonni married ronnie, to dads. and lots of friends. sidney robertson has known christina since they were three years old. her personality was definitely 10 times bigger than she was.

and she is so small, but she gives the biggest hugs. and she will not let you go. josh mankiewicz: kelly lange met christina just after high school. she was this animated, smart, beautiful, fashionista. she was quirky, and it drew people in no matter who you were. josh mankiewicz: and all her life, christina was drawn to two boys. she knew these two guys, logan and hunter since third grade. josh mankiewicz: hunter foster, logan prendergast, and christina. she the three musketeers, you know? and they knew everything about her. josh mankiewicz: logan and christina went from buddies, to high school sweethearts. moving day. josh mankiewicz: the relationship continued through college. christina earned a degree in marketing, and later moved in with logan. when they broke up in 2013, christina rebounded, right into the waiting arms of hunter

foster, the third musketeer. almost as if like, what, there were no other guys in the world? right. yeah. hunter's always been in love christina. always. it was easy and comfortable for her to be with hunter since she knew him and his family growing up. josh mankiewicz: hunter was a skateboarder, and had pursued a modeling career in new york. successful at first, it hadn't worked out, and he was back in town without a job, but with have plenty of free time. he was a great skater, and a dirt-bike rider, and good-looking in her eyes. and he lived life on the edge and took chances. that was her excitement too. josh mankiewicz: by the summer of 2014, 23-year-old christina was living with hunter about an hour away from family and friends. she was working in marketing at a dating service, and had just earned a promotion. christina was moving up.

she was very driven. she liked designing things. she loved photography. she was making a business for her boyfriend at the time. josh mankiewicz: hunter had an idea to start his own clothing line. he had a dream of starting a business with skater gear and stuff like that. josh mankiewicz: he may have had the dream, but hunter didn't have the ambition or the money, relying on christina to help him with his business and with the bills. she worked a full time job and was manager. her boyfriend didn't do anything. she supported him. so she had a mom and a dad who worked, right? right. where did she get this idea that it's ok to be with a guy who didn't do anything? because that's our world, not her world. ok. i know, i'm the same way, trust me. it bugged the heck out of me. josh mankiewicz: on the friday of labor day weekend, hunter decided to drive to dallas

and hang out with his friends, and not with christina. she went back to her old neighborhood to see some high school pals. steven nickerson, another of her childhood buddies, was surprised to see her. it was good, because i hadn't seen her in probably, like six to eight months and we caught up. josh mankiewicz: the group met up at an apartment. and then around 11:00 or 11:30, we went down to the bars. josh mankiewicz: the bars were in an upscale shopping mall in the town of plano. it was hopping. the group headed to a bar called henry's tavern, then closed down another called scruffy duffies. at about 2:00 am, christina, steven, and a few others went back to the apartment where they'd started. how drunk was everybody? i mean, we were all pretty drunk. myself, i probably had 10 to 12 shots and a couple of beers when i was out. josh mankiewicz: too drunk to drive, steven wanted to crash on the couch and sober up. but christina hadn't had much to drink at all, and she just wanted to get home.

it was now about 3:30 saturday morning. she wanted me to take her home. she wants you to take her home, and you say, i can't. i've had too much to drink. why don't you stick around? - yeah. and she says, no, i want to go. i'm gonna go. - yeah. she's stubborn. i'm not gonna force her to stay there. josh mankiewicz: steven says christina decided to drive herself home. i told her if she felt like when she got to her car that she couldn't drive, to call me and i'd walk back and get her, and we'd walked back and sleep there, sleep it off or leave in a few hours, and i'd take her to her place in fort worth. josh mankiewicz: she left the party. and just like that, christina morris vanished. after she vanished without a trace, it was a race against the clock to find christine morris. josh mankiewicz: coming up. i immediately got a feeling in my stomach that i've never had before. i said something's wrong. josh mankiewicz: the first clue to the mystery. mark morris: they found christina's car. she never got in it. craig melvin: when dateline continues. [music playing]

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>> calm. >> download the free app now. >> the first 100 days. it's a critical time for our country and rachel maddow is on five nights a week. >> now is the time. so we're going to do it. settle in. >> the rachel. maddow show weeknights at 9:00 on msnbc. msnbc premium gives you early. access and ad free listening to rachel maddow chart topping series, msnbc original podcasts, exclusive bonus content, and all of your favorite msnbc shows. of your favorite msnbc shows. now ad free. josh mankiewicz: it was about 3:30 in the morning on the saturday of labor day weekend, 2014. the party was over. christina morris didn't like the dark, and was walking to her car. another guy at the party had offered to walk with her. her buddy steven nickerson called her to be sure she was ok. steven nickerson: i said, hey, have you made it to your car yet? and she said, no, i'm almost there.

josh mankiewicz: a few minutes later, steven texted christina. but the messages were coming up green on his screen. which means her phone is not on? or out of service, yes. josh mankiewicz: steven slept it off and drove home late saturday morning. i shot her a text and said, let me know when you get home. whenever your phone charges or whatever it is. josh mankiewicz: three days later, on tuesday afternoon, christina's mom jonni, now living up in tulsa, oklahoma, got a text from one of christina's friends. asking me have i heard from christina. and i said, no, why? and she sent me back a message. she goes, her boss called me and said she never showed up for work. josh mankiewicz: she hadn't shown for her shifts on saturday, or tuesday. i immediately got a feeling into my stomach that i've never had before. i knew something's wrong. i sent christina a message on her phone, and i sent hunter a message. josh mankiewicz: hunter, christina's live in boyfriend. and he never called me back.

josh mankiewicz: jonni called christina's dad. i asked her father if he's heard from her. he said no. and anna had not heard from her. and i said, something's wrong. josh mankiewicz: mark, his wife anna, and christina's sister sarah all started calling friends, including hunter. so your oldest daughter ends up getting a hold of him, sarah. and she says to hunter, have you seen christina? and he's like, well, no, i haven't since friday. right. he figured she was with us or with her mom. hunter, who's living with her, doesn't say anything, doesn't call you, doesn't sound the alarm and call anybody? don't get me started. josh mankiewicz: mark and anna continued to work the phones, eventually reaching christina's pal, steven nickerson. her dad had asked me if he had seen-- if i had seen christina or heard from christina. and i said no, the last time i talked to her was saturday morning. he asked me, who'd she leave with? i told him it was enrique and i'm like, who's enrique?

yeah, because we didn't know enrique. josh mankiewicz: enrique arochi was a guy christina had known in school. he was the one who left the party at the same time and had offered to walk with her. how well did you know enrique? i graduated high school with him, but i wasn't-- i was acquaintances with him, i didn't really ever talk to him. and that was pretty much christina's relationship with him too, right? yeah. josh mankiewicz: steven chased down enrique's number from other friends and anna called him. he told me, we did leave together, but we went separate ways. and i said, you telling me you did not see her get into her car? and he said, no. and then i told him, i said, well, no one has heard from her. i cannot find her. we're about to call the police. josh mankiewicz: mark couldn't dial fast enough.

my daughter. >> and she hasn't shown up from work. i'm just finding. >> out. >> about this. everybody's freaking out. freaking out. >> does josh mankiewicz: about 30 minutes later, mark got a call back. officer called me and said they found christina's car. it was still parked in the parking garage. it never left. josh mankiewicz: just after midnight, mark and anna raced to the garage with a spare set of keys. i opened the door, i looked inside. the car was locked. it was just a mess. yeah, it was a mess like she keeps it. it was always a mess? it was always a mess. josh mankiewicz: but no bag, no wallet, no cell phone. the car was locked, and she never got in it. josh mankiewicz: now police had to play catch up. the plano police department had a disadvantage with a four day delay start. josh mankiewicz: zeke fortenberry was a prosecutor in the colin county district attorney's office. plano police department knew that it was four days she'd been missing already.

and so that kind of raises a red flag that something serious might be going on. there is still no sign of a missing fort worth woman who vanished from a plano parking garage. josh mankiewicz: by this time, a lot of people in north texas were hearing about christina morris. lorraine caceres covered the story for telemundo dallas. christina morris. people don't randomly disappear from shopping centers in plano, that just doesn't happen. and the fact that maybe, just maybe, this could be a random act, and if it as a random act-- then it's really scary. it's very scary. am i the next victim? and the unanswered question, where is she? craig melvin: coming up, questions for the friend who left the party with christina. police were very adamant that this guy was not a suspect. craig melvin: if he wasn't a suspect, then who was? when dateline continues. [music playing] my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi.

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>> my entire. >> life has. >> been spent preparing. >> for the end times. >> my father, founder of the now. >> infamous oath. keepers stewart rhodes. >> the. >> third was going to save america. >> from the end of the world. >> the big lie is that there was some concerted plan near the capitol. it just wasn't. >> stewart was becoming increasingly unstable. >> people are gravitating to him like a son. i bet everything on like a son. i bet everything on him being josh mankiewicz: the stars at night were big and bright. but by dawn, deep in the heart of texas, there was no trace of christina morris. i didn't sleep for 24 hours. i stayed up all night. josh mankiewicz: by wednesday morning, four days after christina vanished from the fancy shopping center, her mom jonni was growing frantic. i called every police department. i called every hospital, because you never know. josh mankiewicz: the calls led nowhere, and jonni felt helpless in oklahoma.

so she and her husband packed their bags and drove the four hours down to plano. straight to the parking garage where christina's car had been found. you came straight here? jonni mcelroy: yes. even though this was the one place in dallas where you can pretty much guarantee police had searched pretty thoroughly? yes but you're searching, you're walking all over the place? yes. as a mom, i just can't believe that. there's no way that there's no evidence, that she didn't come out of this parking garage, that she had to still be here. josh mankiewicz: jonni didn't find anything, but she hoped maybe someone in the neighboring apartments heard or saw something. how many doors you knock on total you think? oh gosh. 50, 100? josh mankiewicz: christina's friends were searching the shopping center too. we walked the path that she possibly could have walked that night. josh mankiewicz: and plano police were also hitting the streets.

they began to contact all of the friends who were at the party that night who had been at the bars and drinking with christina. josh mankiewicz: including enrique arochi, the guy who left the party with christina. the detective reached him at this sprint store where he worked as a manager. josh mankiewicz: enrique was more than willing to help. to. >> where your vehicles were parked. is that right? >> yeah. yeah, we. >> yeah. yeah, we. >> walked separate ways. josh mankiewicz: that afternoon, enrique arochi drove down to plano pd for an interview. he never asked for an attorney and answered all their questions.

josh mankiewicz: police took photos of enrique's black camaro, and set him on his way. lorraine caceres says reporters got wind of enrique's visit to plano pd. and the police were very adamant about the fact that this guy was not a suspect, that he was not involved. he was very cooperative, very helpful with the investigation. josh mankiewicz: police also wanted to learn more about christina's boyfriend, hunter foster. her parents told police that relationship was rocky. she was planning on leaving him, i do know that for sure. she was home alone a lot by herself, because he'd go out partying with his friends, and she was lonely. she was sad. josh mankiewicz: and when police talk with christina's friend steven, he told them she'd been texting hunter that night, asking him to pick her up from the shopping center. she had texted him a few times, and then he stopped texting her back. and then she tried calling him, and he didn't answer.

as as a result, steven said, christina became more and more upset as the night wore on. i mean, yeah, they were in a fight. they were definitely fighting that last night. police asked hunter to come down to the station. former prosecutor zeke fortenberry. what's he say about that fight that he and christine were having? hunter says he wasn't really aware of the fight. he said that he was out drinking, partying, he wasn't paying attention to his phone. and yet, it's the opinion of all her friends, who heard her side of that conversation, that they were. oh yeah. the friends that she was upset to the point of even crying sometimes. that she was so upset with hunter that she was tearful and upset. josh mankiewicz: hunter told police he was out with friends in downtown dallas the night christina disappeared, and 20 miles away from that mall in plano. but when cops pressed him for details, he was vague. and there was one more thing. hunter would not give up his cell phone. that's like wearing a sandwich board saying,

be suspicious of me. yeah. so it's friday night, but they're not going out together. and he doesn't call when she's missing, and he won't let you download his phone. is that about right? that's all true. josh mankiewicz: christina's mom also found hunter's behavior very odd. and she confronted him about it. i need to know why you didn't call, why you didn't check on her. yeah, i flipped out. i got a little anxiety right now. josh mankiewicz: jonni kept pressing hunter for details about that night. you kept in touch with him, you stayed in contact. yes. if he was responsible, i'm gonna keep that enemy closer. so i wasn't gonna let him out of my sight. josh mankiewicz: jonni wasn't giving up. neither was christina's step-mom, anna. anna morris: somebody's seen her. something is somewhere. we just need a little bit of information so that we can bring her home. josh mankiewicz: there were no witnesses, and few leads, but attention grew. plano police were leading larger and larger search parties,

scouring the countryside. there was a lot of people from the community that didn't know family, had no connection to christina, and they were coming to support. and thousands, thousands of people in these searches, just trying to find this girl. josh mankiewicz: days went by with no sign of christina or her belongings. more resources arrived, like a mounted search team, and drones. christina's family and friends were a constant presence. we were told to look for her items, for her phone, for a ring, for a hat, for a bandeau, for anything at all, because anything could be something. josh mankiewicz: however, one person very close to christina never showed. hunter foster. the only person missing in this entire process was her boyfriend, her live in boyfriend, that she shared a roof with. not searching.

no. not out there. no. so that was our next question, who is this guy? craig melvin: coming up. craig melvin: hunter foster finally goes public. lorraine caceres: so nervous. he gets up takes off his mic. i can't do this anymore. craig melvin: when dateline continues. [music playing] and my progressive rep was super helpful. tom hayes is passive progressive. the way kevin says he always has to help you. tom doesn't have progressive, so he takes it out on those who do. if you switch you can save hundreds. that's great. you can buy more of that cologne we all love. huh. progressive called me back about the claim i filed. support when you need it? i wonder what that's like, huh? in my office. now, tom. -don't be passive progressive. -this is bad right? switch to get good coverage and savings for yourself. when you smell the amazing scent of gain flings...

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josh mankiewicz: reporters can smell a story, and soon they were all over this one. christina morris's face was everywhere, including on dateline's own missing in america series. tips were pouring in. everybody thinks they saw something. i seen this girl at wal-mart. so you start getting these calls all the time. then you have psychics that call you. and some of these people are people who genuinely want to help in some way. and some of them are just crazy. right. josh mankiewicz: but no matter how crazy, plano police checked out every tip, every sighting. and they didn't find anything? no. josh mankiewicz: reporters wanted to hear from christina's boyfriend hunter, who hadn't shown up for any of the searches. why can't we ask him just the routine sound bite, how do you feel? what is your hope? and to much insistence, he decides to come down and be interviewed. josh mankiewicz: but when he sat down with nbc5 dallas,

he was a wreck. lorraine caceres: his body is trembling in a way i've never seen anybody shake before. his voice breaking up, so nervous. lorraine caceres: ok, that's fine. that's fine. and maybe two questions into the interview, he gets up and takes off his mic. i can't do this anymore. josh mankiewicz: was he traumatized because his girlfriend was missing? or could it be something else. so hunter walks out of there basically having done himself probably no good. no favor at all. josh mankiewicz: at the same time, investigators were pulling security footage to document christina's movements that night.

plano police department were able to piece together videos and kind of create a timeline. josh mankiewicz: cameras captured the group of friends heading to henry's tavern. that's christina walking in front of the group. then early saturday morning an atm camera caught christina and enrique heading toward their cars. remember, they'd left the party together. the videos are blurry, but then police found this one. a clear shot of christina and enrique. neither of them appear to be intoxicated. they're walking normally, and it appears to be friendly. josh mankiewicz: but that video was a big red flag for police. it shows christina and enrique walking into the same parking garage where her car was found. that contradicted what enrique had told police previously, that they had parted ways long before that. he had also said he parked in a different garage. so they invited him back down to the plano pd and showed him a frame of that video. it might.

>> be a. >> possibility that. >> possibility that. >> he says he must've walked through that parking garage, and he just was mistaken. but he continues to insist that he didn't park in the same parking garage as christina. josh mankiewicz: plausible. except police had another video, just three minutes after christina and enrique are seen entering that garage. this black car leaves. >> no. >> something's wrong. and. enrique, i don't. this picture. >> is in. >> that garage. that picture is taken of you walking in that

garage with christina. and that's your car coming out. >> of that. >> same garage. >> i guess i parked there. i went to the other car, and she. >> went. >> her way. >> i mean it, that's. >> i mean it, that's. >> all i can tell josh mankiewicz: poor manners maybe, but not criminal. detectives kept pressing. josh mankiewicz: later, police enhanced the video of enrique's car. can you tell if anybody's in it? zeke fortenberry: now, the windows are tinted and there's a reflection on them. you can't tell who's driving the car, and you can't tell if anyone's in the passenger seat. josh mankiewicz: police searched his car again. they used a special forensic light on the inside of the camaro, looking for bodily fluids. but they found nothing. and no blood, no hair, fibers, or fingerprints.

zeke fortenberry: it's very clean. the detectives note they could see vacuum marks in the floorboard. josh mankiewicz: sometimes, a spotless car can seem suspicious. but if the driver is enrique, maybe not. mr. arochi's one of these guys who spends a lot of time with his car. he was a car guy. everyone said that he loved his car, he washed his car, cleaned his car, his car was his prized possession. josh mankiewicz: investigators turned their sights back to christina's boyfriend, hunter. a week after she disappeared, hunter finally brought his phone into plano pd. but when forensic experts went through it, the questions for hunter did not fade away. some things had been erased. text messages, conversations, things like that had been erased. could you tell what he'd erased? we know that he erased part of the conversation with him and christina, that that conversation was gone. josh mankiewicz: police knew little for sure. but they strongly believed one, or maybe both, of these men was lying.

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morris had somehow stepped out of this life, and maybe into history. two weeks in, her family wasn't giving up, hoping to find her alive. her mother was forbidding herself to think the worst. i don't want-- i don't want her to be out in the field, so this'll let us now. i believe that she's not outside. josh mankiewicz: what are those searches like? they're rough. you never know what you're going to come across. i now can understand the difference between human bones and animal bones. still scares the hell out of you. josh mankiewicz: christina's boyfriend hunter told police he was in dallas with friends the night she disappeared, but he'd been stingy with the details. he had erased conversations on his phone between himself and christina. investigators were also trying to check enrique's story. that he was alone when he drove out of the garage early that

saturday morning. josh mankiewicz: though his memory seemed fuzzy, enrique had been cooperative, speaking with detectives down at headquarters without an attorney. and police found no trace of christina inside his car. but since enrique was the last person seen with christina, the police kept digging, even digging through the trash outside of enrique's home. what'd they get out of that? they saw several cleaning bottles that were empty. odor removing chemicals, bottles of that that were empty. which could have been used by him on his car or somebody in the house. yeah, the normal household cleaners. but the timing might be a bit suspicious. josh mankiewicz: the trash runs continued. then in late september, more than three weeks after christina disappeared, they found this.

a post-it note written in spanish that's in the trash can. what's on the post-it note? the post-it note is a list of three or four things. it says in spanish, a black shirt, text messages from august 29th, and bank and cell phone bills. josh mankiewicz: august 29 was the night christina went missing. police thought this might be a list of things to get rid of. enrique was wearing a black shirt that night. the video clearly shows him wearing a black shirt the whole night. and bank and cell phone records might explain where he was, what he was doing? right. josh mankiewicz: plano detectives were already looking at enrique's cell phone records. now, they took a close look at his bank records. and they found this transaction at 10:15 saturday morning, about six hours after christina was last seen on that garage camera. what'd he buy the morning that she went missing? he got gas at a local grocery store with a gas station attached to it. josh mankiewicz: this video from the gas pumps

shows enrique filling up his camaro. and while he was getting gas, he washes the back of his car, where the trunk is at. josh mankiewicz: ok, he's washing the back of his car. he's a car guy. zeke fortenberry: it's a bit odd. it's the squeegee you would use on your windshield, and he's washing the trunk area where the license plates at. josh mankiewicz: remember, police had already searched the interior of enrique's camaro. now they thought he might inadvertently be pointing them in a new direction. police obtained a search warrant and brought the car down to the crime lab garage. and they showed that gas station video to the csi techs. zeke fortenberry: and one of the csi investigators thought to herself, where is a likely place that would have dna that's hard to clean? and she said her gut told her to swab the weatherstripping, the rubber portion of the trunk at the seal. josh mankiewicz: it's that black rubber gasket that lines the opening of the trunk. they swab it and send it off to the laboratory for confirmatory tests. josh mankiewicz: as you can imagine,

detectives weren't saying much about the case. not even to christina's parents. they're not giving you the play by play? - no. - no way. and we understand they can't, but you know, we had to ask questions. we couldn't just sit and wait. josh mankiewicz: they also had questions for enrique. maybe he knew more than he was telling. from the beginning, they've been suspicious of his story. and given christina's fear of being taken, anna and mark thought their daughter would never have let him leave her alone on the walk to the car. she would have grabbed hold of his leg and screamed bloody murder, or she would have run back in that apartment and got steven. she would not have walked to her car alone at 3:00 in the morning. never. josh mankiewicz: now christina's family wanted to speak with enrique. he refused. so they began protesting in front of his house. you wanted to be sure the neighbors saw this. absolutely. i needed his neighbors to know what they were living next to.

and it worked, he didn't like it. josh mankiewicz: enrique started talking, making the interview rounds. this one with telemundo dallas. what do you think about the actions of the family against you and your family. i feel like they're very wrong. they're accusing me of something. they're pressuring me to say something i don't know personally. they've put my name out there so much that people are starting to see me as a monster, when i'm really one of the nicest people you can ever meet. are you afraid for your life? i am afraid for my life because of all the threats. enrique, do you have anything to do with christina's disappearance? no, i do not. i have nothing to do with her disappearance. did you harm her in any way? no, i didn't. i wouldn't harm anything, not even an animal, a fly, nothing. what happened? i have no idea. i wish i knew. josh mankiewicz: denials from enrique, and no concrete evidence that he, hunter

foster, or anyone else was responsible for christina's disappearance. her family was losing hope. but in early december, about three months after christina disappeared. reporter: breaking news late tonight. we learned that christina morris's boyfriend is charged as part of a massive drug bust. josh mankiewicz: officially, dallas police said hunter foster's arrest was not related to christina's disappearance. still, reporters wondered if police were telling the whole story. we didn't know if he was being maybe arrested for that federal drug charge, and there was something there that might be connected to christina. just to get him into custody. just to get him into custody. we had no clue. craig melvin: coming up. investigators were starting to think they knew what happened to christina morris, but could they prove it? she was fighting for her life. craig melvin: when dateline continues. [music playing]

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craig melvin: welcome back to dateline. i'm craig melvin. while enrique arochi's story continued to unravel, another twist in the case. christina morris' boyfriend, hunter, was arrested in a drug bust. investigators wanted the truth, but would that lead them to her body? here with the conclusion of frantic is josh mankiewicz. josh mankiewicz: by early december 2014, christina morris had been missing for three months.

police had arrested her boyfriend, hunter foster, on drug charges. investigators had thought he might have something to do with christina's disappearance, but when they looked at cell tower and tollway records they realized hunter's alibi was rock solid. zeke fortenberry: his cell phone is down in dallas. his toll tax shows that he came back to dallas that evening. everything indicates he's in dallas. josh mankiewicz: which is not anywhere near where she was getting into her car. zeke fortenberry: 20, 25 miles away. josh mankiewicz: and the reason hunter was so reluctant to give up his phone, well, it had nothing to do with christina. hunter was dealing drugs that night, and the proof, one of his customers was a nark. zeke fortenberry: hunter foster actually dealt to an undercover agent. josh mankiewicz: so on the night christina vanishes, hunter is selling drugs to an undercover officer? zeke fortenberry: yes, sir. josh mankiewicz: then less than a week after hunter's arrest police

had something else to announce. enrique arochi was under arrest for kidnapping christina morris, though police believed he had murdered her. woman: i can't even explain the emotions and the pain. my whole world was turned upside down. josh mankiewicz: you knew she was gone then. woman: yeah. josh mankiewicz: in september of 2016, almost two years to the day since christina had vanished, enrique arochi went on trial at the collin county courthouse, charged with aggravated kidnapping. zeke fortenberry was the lead prosecutor. josh mankiewicz: why not prosecute him for murder? zeke fortenberry: we thought about that, and i believe he did murder her. the problem is is we didn't have a body to show that, and we didn't have a crime scene to show murder. it's probably the most difficult case i've ever tried. i'm here to give you the facts, and to tell you that on august 30, this defendant kidnapped christina morris, and that's what the facts say.

josh mankiewicz: the prosecutors showed the jury those interviews enrique gave police and pointed out his changing stories. zeke fortenberry: why did he lie again, and again, and again? josh mankiewicz: he told the jury that even though she can't be seen here, christina was probably in the passenger seat of enrique's car. zeke fortenberry: so why did christina get in the car? my guess is he lied to her. maybe he told her, i'll take you home to fort worth. josh mankiewicz: fortenberry pointed to records from cell phone towers that he said proved she was in the car. he said christina's phone battery was almost drained as she and enrique approached the garage that night. not surprisingly, their phones were pinging near each other. then it gets a bit murky. the prosecutor explained that after the camaro left the garage, it passed through a toll station heading north on the highway. but about 10 minutes later, christina's phone pinged off a tower back near the shopping mall, and then so did enrique's, almost

as if they'd made a u-turn. zeke fortenberry: and i think something changed. i think maybe he put the moves on her and started making sexual advances towards her, and she was not ok with that. and then maybe is when the altercation began. josh mankiewicz: detectives testified they'd seen injuries on enrique's arms and hands. zeke fortenberry: because as detective busbee said, there was a fight. it was between enrique and christina, and she was fighting for her life. josh mankiewicz: then he told the jury christina's cell phone went completely dead. enrique's phone continued to ping, eventually near his house about 35 minutes later. finally, the state presented its strongest evidence. csi techs testified they did find cristina's dna, a lot of it, in that rubber gasket lining the trunk of enrique's camaro. what they found was probably blood, said experts, but they weren't 100% sure.

they were sure that it belonged to christina, and that's not all. zeke fortenberry: we also found two other places on the trunk mat that also came back with christina's dna. zeke fortenberry: where is christina morris? i told you at the beginning of this case i wouldn't be able to answer that question. where was christina morris? in the defendant's trunk. josh mankiewicz: do you think she was alive when she was in the trunk? zeke fortenberry: i think she was dying or dead. zeke fortenberry: tell the defendant, you've got your day in court and you're guilty. josh mankiewicz: but enrique arochi had maintained his innocence throughout the investigation. now, his defense attorney, keith gore, was going to try to pick apart the case against him. keith gore: the only thing that matters in a criminal case is can the prosecution prove the words in the indictment? josh mankiewicz: lorraine caceres covered the trial. lorraine caceres: the defense concentrated on the fact there was no body. they concentrated on the fact there was no video of christina

getting into the suspect's car. josh mankiewicz: gore told the jury enrique had been cooperative, and as for the injuries on his arms and hands, enrique told detectives he'd been working on his car. enrique arochi: when the tire landed on me-- because i took it off. officer: oh. enrique arochi: and it was too heavy, so it just landed right here on my arm and that's why all this-- officer: that makes sense. josh mankiewicz: then the defense went after the cell phone data. keith gore: what do you have? cell data hits. lorraine caceres: they brought in their own experts saying that these cell phone towers and these pings are not reliable. josh mankiewicz: and christina's dna in the trunk, gore pointed out enrique's camaro and christina's toyota were both processed at the same police garage. keith gore: this is a one bay, one garage, and you've got all these cars coming in and out. nobody needs to tell you this. this is how cross-contamination occurs. the evidence is not there beyond a reasonable doubt, and i would ask for your verdict of not guilty.

josh mankiewicz: enrique did not testify and the jury got the case. deliberations dragged on for two days, and then a verdict. foreman: we, the jury, find the defendant guilty of aggravated kidnapping as charged in the indictment-- woman: they saw that evidence, the right thing was done that day. josh mankiewicz: the judge gave enrique the maximum, life in prison. mark: she put her trust in you to walk her to her car. josh mankiewicz: christina's family finally got to confront enrique in court. woman: i will make sure until i take my last dying breadth that she is remembered with dignity, respect, integrity. everything you are not, enrique. josh mankiewicz: christina's family and friends continued to search for her almost every weekend. then, in march 2018, about 25 miles north of the garage where

she disappeared, construction workers clearing brush made a startling discovery-- some human remains. officer: the collin county medical examiner's office has examined the recovered remains and this morning has positively identified the remains as those of christina morris. josh mankiewicz: it had been 42 months since christina morris went missing, and as one chapter closes, another opens. police and prosecutors are continuing the investigation in an ongoing effort to seek justice for christina and her family. craig melvin: that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. [music playing] >> this sunday. executive this sunday, executive orders. >> the american people have spoken. >> donald trump returns to the