president doing unilateral moves on immigration, 44% disapproved. why is this divide important? because it's here in the urban suburbs, where democrats have the most to lose if people turn against the president. the democrats need these places to win national elections. 67 million people live in these areas. president obama won them by a whopping 16 points in 2012. if these communities turn against the executive action that the president took, it's possible democratic presidential conditions will be faced with a hard choice, support the president and risk turning off the potential swing runners or run against the executive action and possibly turn off hispanic voters. that's an important part of the democratic base vote. that decision point isn't two years away. it may be a few months away. the sub rushz already a swing vote that has to be acknowledged. these are the questions

potential candidates have to consider now because of the issue of immigration not going away any time soon. speaking of immigration, house republicans have to figure out how they will react to the president's decision. so does the new senate republican majority. tom cotton is one of both, a ho daughter: do you and mom still have money with that broker? dad: yeah, 20 something years now. thinking about what you want to do with your money? daughter: looking at options. what do you guys pay in fees? dad: i don't know exactly. daughter: if you're not happy do they have to pay you back? dad: it doesn't really work that way. daughter: you sure? vo: are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab. alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth. i have a cold, with terrible chest congestion. better take something. i'll catch up later. awww... truth is, theraflu severe cold doesn't treat chest congestion.

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welcome back. we all think change doesn't come fast to the senate. here is a statistic that surprised us. three-quarters of the nation's senators will have started their career after 9/11. there has been a lot of turnover in the world's most dlib are aive body. they are getting younger. the average age is 50, ten years younger than the average age of the senate. one reason the average age is going down is thanks to our next guest, tom cotton. at 37, he is the youngest member of the senate. his victory over mark pryor helped give republicans their new majority. >> i think i may have brought that average down by six years.

>> there you go. let's start with immigration. you are a sitting member of the house. there's been speculation that house republicans this week are going to decide on how to retaliate against the president on his decision. what's the decision going to be? >> we will come back from the thanksgiving holiday and make a decision the best way to proceed. congress has to stand up to protect our prerogative, which is stand up for the american people. the president just lost an election in no small measure because wages for working families are declining and unemployment is still too high. the first big action he took was to make it easier for illegal immigrants to get jobs, not for working families to get jobs. >> one of the ideas that's been floating out there is to pass all of the spending bills through september of next year and just isolate anything that has do with immigration. do you agree with that idea? >> that's one possible solution. that would stop our spending on

other things. we might pass a short-term spending mesh spend ing measure to -- >> you are against the idea that -- >> i will consult with my colleagues in the senate and the house to decide on an immediate path forward. i'm reluctant to see the spending power that the congress has under the constitution for three-eighths of the remainder of the presidency. >> would republicans be on higher ground if the house passed an immigration bill? >> i think we should pass a bill that -- >> why didn't you? >> there weren't the votes in the house going forward to focus on the real problems that the people of arkansas shared with me during the campaign, a bill that focused on building a border fence or enforcing laws and getting a handle on legal immigration. but the new congress will focus on those. >> you said immigration you thought was the number one issue, the reason why you and so many republicans won. >> certainly.

a central issue. but too many are worried about the impact that immigration is having on their community, jobs for working families. that's why they want us to address the problems. >> you brought up one other issue during the campaign. i want to ask about you it. let me play audio about the immigration issue. you didn't bring up terrorism with me. did you in a campaign phone call. is that just campaign rhetoric? >> no. >> what's the evidence? >> hezbollah has tried to launch terrorist attacks. they are under federal indictment collaborating with locals in mexico to attack us. as long as our border is off, it's a national security issue. we know the drug cartels are

focused on power and profit. they will branch out into any active if it brings them money and helps them consolidate control. that's why we need control of our border. >> do you worry rhetoric makes it that much harder to get some sort of agreeable immigration bill? that mraplaced a fear. >> the islamic state is cutting the head off of americans here. that's something we should be fearful of and we should take a stance against whether in iraq and syria or securing our southern border. >> one thing you did as a congressman, you were alone in voting against the farm bill. some people thought that was a problem for you. it turned out to be. explain to me what your job as a senator is -- how much do you represent arkansas versus representing the interests outside of arkansas. >> i voted against that bill because i thought it wasn't in the interest of arkansas -- >> you were in the minority.

>> everyone has disagreements. but i didn't think it was a good idea to spend a trillion dollars at a time when we are almost 18 trillions in debt, when arkansas would get a small benefit. no one will agree with every word i speak or every vote i cast. i hope everyone will know i'm looking out for their interests. >> do you think too many senators are parochial? that was something, i'm looking in my view what's in the best national interest, maybe it wasn't in the best financial interest -- >> in our national interest. if you look at farm counties i won across arkansas, you will see farmers agrees and said so at the time. >> tom cotton, you have some cleanup work here in the house. we will watch to see what happens on immigration. thanks for coming on "meet the press." in 45 seconds, we will hear from

press." in 45 seconds, we will hear from janay rice, what she has psome cool things to pass onto iyour kids: your super heroes.om janay rice, what she has your fashion sense. your love of reading. your uncanny ability to find parking spots. your fear of people who are different? not so much, the more you know.

welcome back. the panel is here. helene cooper, when i brought you -- i wanted you on the show. your big scoop had to do with an outgoing defense secretary, chuck hagel, he was fired by the president.

number one, why do we think he was fired? do we really think he was fired? who do you think the president will replace him with? >> wow. you don't ask anything hard. >> not at all. you are the one who broke the story. you own the story now, cooper. >> i own it. i think he was -- the phrase we are using is resigned under pressure. i think president obama was very fine with seeing him leave because it's sort of -- in many ways, chuck hagel was exactly the defense secretary that president obama wanted. he wanted to take the temperature down a notch after -- >> a smaller personality in. >> he didn't want a rock star military general. he didn't want the constant fighting with the pentagon over troop numbers in iraq and afghanistan. hagel gave him everything he wanted. at the end of the day, chuck hagel was viewed by the white house as almost too passive. i think the real reason why he was let go is because the white

house, after the mid terms, felt luke they needed to show they were doing with -- they were shaking up the national security team. the reality is he didn't want to shake up his national security team. he went for the lowest hanging fruit. >> it was interesting to see the republicans who voted against chuck hagel in confer rags sudd suddenly embrace him. >> i agree firing is too harsh. this is conscious decoupling >> wow. pharrell williams and gwyneth paltrow on the same show. >> i thought hagel was brought on to be a non-factor and was performing in that role. i was surprised by this. you now have three former defense secretaries that say the white house is too insular and is micromanaging on foreign policy. you have a policy making process that is troubled. and a substantive policy that i believe is a disaster. >> the question is where does the substantive policy go?

specifically, islamic state. and to me the war seems to be in the sort of untenable middle ground where it's kind of a war but not really. which way does it go from here? >> the fact is that he was hired to get out of afghanistan and iraq. and now we are in both. >> we signed an agreement. >> we are training and we are on the ground in iraq. they criticized him for being too passive. they wanted someone passive. >> i want to shift a little bit. matt lauer got an exclusive with ray rice's wife during the domestic violence incident that took place in atlantic city. here is what has been interesting is the focus now seems to be on the nfl commissioner roger goodell, what did he know, when did he know it. here is what janay rice said he knew. >> when the commissioner of the nfl roger goodell says ray was ambiguous and the nfl says it

was a starkly different sequence of events, is the commissioner lying? >> i can't say he's telling the truth. i know for a fact that he told -- that ray told the honest truth, that he has been telling from february. >> and you think the league and the commissioner covered their butts? >> i think they did what they had to do for themselves. >> rich, i know you are an nfl fan. phil simmons got fired for speculating he was a liar. she said roger goodell lied. >> the notes seem to back her up. this seemed bizarre that you would punish him twice for the same offense. the first time too lightly, the second time too severely. the process has been a mess it's a big threat to the future of roger goodell. in the long-term, i believe the biggest threat to the nfl is the concussion issue.

>> it would be -- goodell's job would be on line if he weren't hired by the owners who are still backing him as of now. >> i think it may still be on the line. >> he makes so much money for the owners. >> somebody else can do the same thing. >> the other thing from that interview though that really jumped out at me is that she remembers nothing of what happened in the elevator because he hit her so hard. talk about concussions. it was just -- it was a pauling. it's an amazing thing to have seen. so i do think this is a big issue for the nfl. i understand why the nfl is trying to get out front and not be behind this curve, what did goodell know and when did he know it, i suspect we will learn more about this. let's go lighter here. it's officially here. cyber monday is tomorrow. many of you braved all the black friday crowds on tuesday of last year. i happen to know andrea rushed

out. she's a big play station 4 gal. for those of you who haven't gotten ahead on your holiday gift shopping, we have our top five gifts for the political junky in your life. for the justice and hip hop loving person in your life, it's the notorious r.b.g. t-shirt in justice ruth bader ginsburg was released from the hospital this week. a stent put in and is expected to hear arguments tomorrow. good for her. number four, you want to dress like a president. done. george h.w. bush socks complete with the elephant. i know what i'm getting helene. back at the court. look how cool this is or shall we say hot. this has supreme court cases. add hot coffee and the losers vanish. i know what i'm getting pete williams. there's the ted cruz coloring.

a missouri company has that line and what they call special event coloring books. this stars the texas junior senator 2016 hopeful ted cruz. finally, what i'm getting you -- your dog or cat, they don't stop talking about hillary clinton. now they can show they are ready for hillary, too. the lucky cat collar or dog leash. the price for both is $20.16. there it is. that's what you want, right? >> shopping is done. >> thank you. that was great. >> a t-shirt for you. >> appreciate it. >> this is what we do here. on a more -- a little heavier note here at the end, 2016 we talk about ted cruz, ben carson. what do we make of ben carson? he is incredible popular. >> he is going to be a real s k

factor in iowa. that part of the field will be crowded. >> they are both the tea-vangelicals. ted cruz and ben carson is cool. they have two different temperament temperaments. >> ted cruz has won election in texas. >> carson has not. >> he has no political background at all. i was watching. >> that could be an asset. >> i was watching him on maryland pbs last night. he taped it about a year ago. his lecture on the brain, fascinating stuff. a live audience. >> the rest of us are watching football. andrea is watching a pbs special. >> i saw he was on the tube. >> she wasn't watching the iron bowl. that is not what was happening. you were terrific. >> i should do the nerd thing. >> before we go. quick note, this week if it's

tuesday, it will be the ten-year anniversary, ready for that -- ten-year anniversary of brian williams ang s anchoring "nbc n news." a decade, nice work. hope to match you. >> if it's thursday, allison williams -- >> live peter pan. because if it's sunday, next week, it will be "meet the press." i'm freaking out. i walk in and my sister's not there. her door is open. her lights are on. her bed's undone. everything was horrible, and i felt it!

>> reporter: she'd been fearless on the frontlines in iraq. >> pretty amazing. i saw her as like a really strong soldier. >> reporter: but something had her terrified at home. >> i'm just scared. i don't feel safe. >> reporter: a desperate call to police. and then, she vanished. something made her pretty scared. >> yes. >> reporter: but there's nothing to say what that was. >> right. >> reporter: what had happened to this beautiful army sergeant? that question would launch a spellbinding mystery. >> you got a roommate. you got a boyfriend who she is maybe about to dump. you got an ex-boyfriend who's suddenly back in her life. >> there were a number of potential suspects, absolutely. >> reporter: was a killer out there? >> she was in danger. >> reporter: could police catch him? they'd hatch a plan of virtual genius! >> one of the detectives said, "you're not going to believe this!" >> reporter: i'm lester holt, and this is "dateline." here's josh mankiewicz with "mystery in orange county."

reporter: orange county, california. on tv, it's a place of sun, fun, and privilege. it's where "the real housewives" first aired their dirty laundry. >> what is wrong? >> nothing's wrong with me. it's you. >> reporter: it's where the kids from "the o.c." showed us all what temperature cool really was. >> who is that? >> reporter: around here, you get the sense everyone's rich and white, and lives in a mansion with a view of the pacific. but step back from the coast, and you'll see the orange county that isn't on tv. not as wealthy. not as white. full of those who came here from somewhere else, chasing a better life. and finding it in places like santa ana, a mostly working class immigrant community in the shadow of disneyland. it's the part of the o.c. where people know that to survive they'll have to work hard.

maribel ramos arrived here as a baby, leaving mexico behind. she would not only survive here but thrive. to tell you the truth, this should be the story of a woman who worked hard to change her life and, in doing so, carved a path for others to follow. >> hello? >> hi, orange police. >> reporter: but this story is going to end differently. >> why are you crying? >> because i'm afraid. >> reporter: there are some parts of life that hard work just can't fix. >> i'm just scared. i'm just, like, calling to let you guys know that if something happens, i did it because i was trying to defend myself. >> reporter: some things that are beyond our control. >> all i'm trying to say is that i'm warning -- i'm honestly -- i will fight for my life, and i swear i will kill him. >> reporter: all of this should never have reached that point of no return.

so maybe it's a story of simple bad luck, of two lives that should never have come together. tell me about growing up with maribel. what was she like? >> troublemaker. mom wanted her to stay in the home, and she wanted to go play baseball. >> reporter: tomboy? >> yes, yes. >> reporter: her sister lucy says tomboy maribel ramos also had a spark. >> i mean, she'd come in and immediately, what? introduce herself to everybody, and -- >> make friends, and people were drawn to her, easy to talk to. >> reporter: you saw boys interested in her? >> oh, definitely. yeah, definitely. >> reporter: from an early age? >> from an early age. >> reporter: and that never ended, did it? >> no, no. >> reporter: little sister lucy remembers how maribel was also in charge of watching out for her while their single mother often worked two jobs to make ends meat. you were how much younger? >> seven years younger. >> reporter: lot of girls wouldn't want their little

sister tagging along. >> no, she didn't want to, but she had to. >> reporter: yet, even as a child, maribel figured out that a different world existed, and she wanted to live there. >> oh, she knew at a young age that there was a lot more to life than what we had around us. there's things you can do, and go to school and have opportunities, and live in a nicer house. >> reporter: she saw all of that? >> yeah, yeah. definitely. >> reporter: maribel ramos knew she'd have to work hard to get what and where she wanted. after high school, she worked in security at kmart and hatched a long-term plan to become a cop. but she'd need a college degree, and that meant money. so maribel ramos became private first class ramos. she joined the army hoping to use the g.i. bill. her first day was august 8th, 2001. and just 34 days later, the whole world changed. we all sort of recoiled in

horror. but you probably also thought, "that's going to affect my sister." >> yes. i turn on the tv, and the towers are crumbling. first thing i thought was, "oh, my gosh, my sister's going to war." how do you wrap your mind around that? >> reporter: lucy worried. their mother worried. but maribel was like a rock. what did maribel say about going overseas? >> she didn't express her feelings about it. she just said, "well, this is what's happening, sister. you need to talk to mom." >> reporter: maribel went to war in iraq. what was it like to see her in uniform? >> it was pretty amazing. >> reporter: giselle cendejas is lucy's daughter, maribel's niece. >> i saw her as, like, a really brave, strong soldier. sometimes i wouldn't even see her as my aunt. it was just, like, whoa, you're going out there, like, to save everybody. >> reporter: you were proud of her? >> yeah. >> reporter: maribel learned to jump out of airplanes.

she manned the guns for armed convoys. she saw more than her share of combat. she also made sergeant. and when her tour in iraq ended, she re-enlisted for another. she seemed fearless. she could very easily have become a casualty. >> yes. and other people did die. a lot of other friends of hers. >> reporter: in 2009, after two tours in iraq, maribel left the army and set part two of her plan into action, enrolling in college. but adjusting back to civilian life wasn't as easy as maribel had expected. like a lot of war veterans, she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, or p.t.s.d. she'd seen some terrible things. she ever talk about that? >> not with me. >> reporter: instead she focused on school, work, and family, especially her niece, giselle. she kind of adopted you as this project. >> yeah. >> reporter: now, why did she do

that? >> i think it was because she wanted me to have the best. >> reporter: as giselle grew older, the self-improvement message sometimes came complete with push-ups. after all, maribel was all army. >> when i would get in trouble, she would make me do exercise in order to, like, work off the punishment. >> reporter: and all this time, maribel was hammering away at giselle. you're going to finish school. >> oh yes. >> reporter: you're going to study hard. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: you're going to have a career. >> yes. this is what you're going to do, mija?" and she would tell her, "okay, giselle?" "yes, tia." >> reporter: maribel got a dog, and rented a two-bedroom apartment in the city of orange, which she shared with a roommate, a quiet chemist named k.c. joy, who also had a dog. >> i thought it was a perfect match. like, he has a dog. she has a dog. he seems quiet. you know, he's not going to have all these people coming over.

>> reporter: by may 2013, everything seemed great. maribel was leading by example, finishing up her degree in criminal justice at cal state fullerton. giselle was following in her strong footsteps. >> and she was dropping off money at my house because i had gotten good grades. and she had just got her hair done, dyed and styled for her graduation. >> reporter: she looked great? >> yeah. >> reporter: and she was happy? >> yeah, she was. >> reporter: and that's why it made no sense when, just days later, maribel ramos -- soldier, student, loving aunt -- simply disappeared. what had happened to maribel ramos? when we come back -- >> i'm freaking out! her door is open, her lights are on, her bed's undone. everything was horrible, and i felt it. >> the mystery was about to

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ditch the misery. let's end this. reporter: may 3rd, 2013 was a friday, a day that should have been an easy day for maribel ramos. school was nearly over, graduation was so close, but

that morning things weren't right. >> i got a text from k.c. at 10:00 a.m., and he said, "your sister didn't come home." >> reporter: they'd been roommates for more than a year now. k.c. felt protective of maribel. he told lucy he'd already called police to report her missing. >> orange police, dispatcher rose. >> oh, this is not an emergency, and i have a roommate. she's 36 years old, and she didn't come home last night. >> so what i did is i text her at 11:00. and i said, "happy friday," because we usually text each other anyways. that was my way of connecting. and she didn't text me back. >> reporter: unusual? >> yes. >> reporter: lucy still wasn't worried. she knew her combat-hardened sister could take care of herself. but then evening came and for maribel, friday night was softball night. she loved to play and never missed a game. but this friday night, she didn't show. now lucy's phone was ringing, maribel's teammates on the line. >> they told me, "go to the house. the police are there.

do not take giselle." i'm freaking out. and i walk in, and my sister's not there. her door is open. her lights are on. her bed's undone. my head started spinning. everything was horrible, and i felt it. >> reporter: detective joey ramirez with the orange police department got the call that evening. and he also had a bad feeling about everything. it sounds like you were taking this pretty seriously from the get go? >> absolutely. >> reporter: why couldn't she just be off by herself or with some other friends and maybe she lost her phone or forgot to call? >> that was our hope, that she was just missing and that she'd come walking through the door. but the family and friends that were -- expressed that she was very responsible. >> reporter: and nobody had heard from her? >> nobody. >> reporter: so ramirez and his team went into action. they quickly figured out that if she left on of her own accord,

it didn't look like maribel had planned to be out long. she left her car at home. >> her car was there. her keys were gone. her phone was gone. but her toothbrush was there, so was her big purse she used when she had a lot to carry. >> reporter: k.c. returned home hours after police first got there. he again told the cops what he had told them that morning, that maribel was missing. lucy and the softball team went to the police station, hoping for answers. but morning came, and there weren't any. so channeling her big sister, lucy decided to stop waiting and make her own luck. >> i woke up on saturday, and i thought, "wow, this is seriously happening." so i posted a picture of her on facebook. and it was immediate. people went into action. >> reporter: friends from the university got together, family members, her roommate, lots of people whom maribel had touched wanted to help. they hung flyers in english and spanish.

they reached out to reporters. >> it's very not like her, after eight years of service in the army, to just disappear. >> unusual thing was being next day, friday morning, she was not here. >> i helped my mom pass out flyers around school, pretty much anything i could do. >> reporter: did you think they'd find her? >> yes, i did. >> reporter: giselle was 14 at the time. but detective ramirez, who has been a cop for more years than giselle's been alive was not as hopeful. she's not using her cell phone. she's not taking any money out. no one's heard from her. when you've picked up no trace of herer days, you still think you're looking for a living person? >> the percentages are starting to drop. not in our favor. >> reporter: because by then you've called all the hospitals. >> all hospitals, jails. >> reporter: there's an alert out that any police officer, what, in southern california sees her? >> correct. and the media was also helping. >> reporter: and nothing? >> nothing.

>> reporter: no maribel on security tape from any nearby store. police checked all of them. they found only this image from the security camera outside the manager's office for her apartment complex. it's maribel, paying the rent. it's may 2nd at 8:18 p.m., the night before anyone realized she had disappeared. maribel seems to be alone. so what the cops needed to do was talk to everyone who was anyone in maribel's life. turns out there were a lot of people they suddenly needed to get to know, including a current boyfriend, an ex-boyfriend -- and someone maribel had just met, a guy she'd made a date with online, a guy whose name maribel had apparently kept completely to herself. coming up -- the men in maribel's life suddenly, under scrutiny!

>> no, you're not under arrest. anything like that. >> i wouldn't think so. and that haunting phone call. >> i was scared for my life! >> reporter: something had happened to make her pretty scared. >> yes. >> r

♪ >> reporter: this is the city of orange, california in the county of orange, california. much of it is a small town stuck in time. there's a university, a zoo, cute local businesses and a police department that doesn't have to deal with a lot of violent crime.

after all, the happiest place on earth is just down the street. but in may 2013, detective joey ramirez was far from happy. he had a lot of ground to cover and a strong sense that time was against him as he tried to figure out what had happened to maribel ramos. she just vanished? >> yes. >> reporter: how often does that kind of thing happen? >> it doesn't happen often. >> reporter: ramirez started by investigating the men in maribel's life. it turned out there were a few of them. did you know she was doing all that online dating? did she talk about that? >> yeah, she did. >> reporter: maribel sometimes met guys through a website called "plenty of fish." that's how she found paul lopez. they'd been dating for a few months and paul had even joined her weekly softball game. lopez was the last person maribel talked to on the phone. now police wanted to talk to him. >> you know you're not under arrest, anything like that. >> i wouldn't think so.

>> reporter: ramirez sat across from paul and asked about his relationship with maribel. >> nothing's been like exclusive. it's just been, you know, dating. >> you date other people too? >> me? yeah. >> okay. you don't know if she dates other people or not? >> don't ask don't tell. >> reporter: and he asked lopez where he was on the night maribel disappeared. >> did you come into orange at all on thursday? >> no. >> reporter: police also had to consider this. maribel had told lucy that things weren't working out with paul lopez. >> she wasn't a match with paul. so she was online, talking to people. >> reporter: it wasn't clear if paul knew, even as they kept dating, that maribel was back on plenty of fish and had met a new man. he was a photographer who had worked a lot with the military. it was a connection for both of them. how did she describe that guy? >> she said, "oh, i met someone. he's very interesting. we have a lot in common." >> reporter: and you thought what, good? >> i thought great.

>> reporter: they planned a date for cinco de mayo, but two days before that date was to happen, maribel vanished. so police talked to that photographer and made a recording of the conversation. >> you're saying you never actually met her in person? >> no. >> reporter: so he said, anyway. there was also an ex-boyfriend who'd been calling. police needed to check him out. and there was this lead. >> there was a person at cal state fullerton that was in the veteran's association with her that had given her a bad feeling. he may have wanted to pursue some sort of dating relationship. >> reporter: but it gave her a bad feeling how? >> she wasn't interested in him, and she didn't give him any attention, yet he didn't go away. >> reporter: so he made her feel uncomfortable? >> correct. >> reporter: and by now, detective ramirez had learned something else. just a little over a week before

she vanished, maribel ramos had called 911. >> hi, orange police. >> hi, it's not an emergency, but i just -- is there recording? >> is there a what? >> is this conversation recording? >> yes, every conversation is recorded. >> reporter: maribel wanted it on the record. she wanted police to know that she was very afraid of someone. >> i'm just like calling so that you guys know that if something happens, i did it because i was trying to defend myself. >> reporter: she might have been afraid, but this army-strong woman who'd always taken care of herself feared she might be the one putting the hurt on her attacker. >> all i'm trying to say is that i'm warning -- i'm honestly -- i will fight for my life, and i swear i will kill him. >> reporter: something had happened to make her pretty scared. >> yes. >> reporter: there's nothing on the call to say what that was. >> right. >> reporter: what was she afraid of? not clear. who was she afraid of?

that was another story entirely. coming up -- another man in maribel's life sits down with police. and he seems eager to help with the case. >> so you were doing your own surveillance? >> yes. >> reporter: did her roommate know something that police didn't? how their holiday glscent made me feel,ing which inspired this song. ♪ feel the air with joyful noise ♪ ♪ ring the bell and raise your voice ♪ ♪ let there be peace on earth ♪ ♪ let there be peace on earth ♪ ♪ lift your light and let it shine ♪ ♪ let it shine, shine, shine! ♪ glade sparking spruce. feel anticipation. feel glade. sc johnson, a family company. i'm telling you i heard someoh!ng... (awkwardly laughs) get out.

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♪ it should have been her proudest moment. she had joined the army to put herself through college, but just days away from her graduation ceremony, she vanished. earlier, maribel had called police to say she was in danger and afraid for her life. what was it or who was it that had her so terrified? here again josh main koe wits. >> reporter: by now, posters blanketed the city of orange.

maribel ramos was missing and her family was frantic. >> soon as i got a call that she didn't show up to her baseball game, i got the worst feeling in the world. >> reporter: putting himself out there with all the rest was maribel's roommate, k.c. joy. >> she's my only family i have. she's my best friend. and i want her to come back. that's all. >> reporter: k.c. had moved from tennessee to southern california for a job. he had no family and few friends here, so he turned to maribel. and she was happy to include him. she even arranged for k.c. to tutor her niece in math. >> he seemed nice, respectful. he liked to be involved with the family and my aunt. >> reporter: he didn't have a family of his own, so he kind of attached himself to yours? >> yeah. >> reporter: but they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend? >> no. >> reporter: even so, in photos maribel and k.c. seem to be having a great time. they even went on a cruise together. soon, police would be talking with k.c. joy.

>> do you mind -- have you got a business card, sir. >> yeah. >> because i like to keep track of names straight and -- >> yeah, that's good idea. >> reporter: the formalities over, detective ramirez started asking about maribel. >> as you know, right now there's some people, some family and friends that are worried about maribel, your roommate. >> i'm also a friend. and i care about her very much. >> reporter: but, he said, he had no idea what happened to her. >> so when was the last time that you saw her? >> about 9:00 p.m. that's when i talk -- at 9:00 and i went out. >> reporter: that was thursday night, may 2nd. the next night, when the cops were called to maribel's house, k.c. wasn't there. he explained he'd been so worried that he did his own investigation, watching his own front door from his car parked out front. >> all those movies and detective movies, if somebody always comes back their crime scene or whatever, i want to see who's going to knock on my door. so i just park the car in the front.

i took my notebook, had a binocular in there. >> so you were doing your own surveillance? >> yes. >> reporter: it sounded a little odd. maybe k.c. had just seen too many crime movies. but if he had, then he'd probably know cops don't miss little details like -- well, like this. >> he's sitting across the table from me. he's wearing a short sleeved shirt. he has jeans on and sandals. and instantly i can see he has scratches on both his arms. he's got a scratch across his forehead from his hairline to his eye. >> how'd you get all these scratches on you? >> we go eisenhower park all the time. >> ah huh. >> and like you go exactly -- you go -- we pick up by the pond. >> ah huh. >> we pick up fishing lines all the time you go there. >> can i see? >> fishing lines. >> those are from fishing lines? >> no, no, no. i'm going to explain. >> reporter: k.c. explained he

was walking the dogs when he saw fishing line in a bush. worrying about the ducks in the park getting caught in the line, he reached in to remove it, and got all those scratches. you've been around long enough you could tell the difference between scratches that a person might get, you know, reaching into a bush or from an animal, and scratches that somebody would get during -- you know, an actual fight with another person. >> right. and some of the scratches on his arms did look like scratches that would be from something other than fingernails. but there was one particular set of scratches on his right bicep that to me clearly look like scratches from a hand. >> reporter: and that says to you he was in a fight? >> it does. >> when was the last time you guys had any sort of an argument? >> actually the thursday. >> this thursday? >> reporter: that was the last night anyone saw maribel.

the night she was caught on camera paying the rent, which k.c. said was what they were arguing about. >> well, what happened? >> rent money. >> tell me about that. good morning. coming up on "early today" the wife of former baltimore ravens running back ray rice opens up about the night he punched here in the atlantaic city elevator. a tragic story in ohio. an osu football player who had been missing for five days has been found dead. chaotic scenes in hong kong has protests take a violent new high. plus, why the black friday shopping weekend may be losing its mojo. the haek attack at sony pictures and the girl scouts are about to go digital. it is monday, december 1st. "early today" starts right now.