. >> reporter: but it turns out, he was really william holbert, a white supremacist from north carolina. >> has been destroyed for the last 100 years or so, after the civil war. >> behind your -- stop, right now! >> reporter: he was wanted in the u.s. for various crimes, including alleged real estate schemes. he and his girlfriend left the united states all together after alluding police on a high speed chase. >> going up the hill offroad, exit one. >> reporter: they arrived in panama in 2007 and quickly became a presence. he was known for his guns, his parties, and his trademark symbol, the skull and cross bones. then, americans began to disappear. first, there was michael brown, his wife and teenage son. cortez moved into their house. in 2009, bo isler, a former gallery owner from new mexico, seemed to split town all of a sudden, leaving his property behind. wild bill said he bought it. >> and that struck me as very odd. i said, god if i would have known he was going to give the house away, we would have bought it. >> reporter: in march, yet another person went missing. this time, it

. >> reporter: it turns out he was really william holbert, a white supremacist from north carolina.including alleged real estate schemes. they arrived in bocas in 2007 and quickly became a presence. he was known for his guns, his parties, and his trademarked symbol, the skull and crossbones. then, americans began to disappear. first there was michael brown, his wife, and teenaged son. cortez moved into their house. in 2009, beau isler, former gallery owner from new mexico, seemed to split town all of a sudden, leaving his property behind. wild bill said he bought it. >> that struck me as very odd. it was the talk of the town. i said, god, if i would have known he was giving the house away we would have bought it. >> reporter: things started heating up in march when yet another person went missing. this time it was cheryl hughes. five missing people with one common denominator. bill cortez. >> this man was my neighbor. he was at my house for dinner. his wife, they came over, they were my neighbors for two and a half years. wild bill and his wife. >> reporter: cher hughes and her husb

panamanian police say this man, american william jason holbert, has admitted to killing five americansto wild bill and his companion. >> this is feldman, and this was cher's favorite. she never, ever would leave feldman. >> reporter: cindy was cher's best friend known for her love of animals and radiant smile. in march, cher disappeared leaving her dog behind wild bill said he had bought all of her property. >> she never wanted to sell that property. >> so when you heard that he had gotten his hands on that? >> i knew something was wrong. >> reporter: a pattern began to emerge. his house and others all emerged from residents who mysteriously disappeared. police say he killed off residents to get their money and property. >> what surprised me she was that arrogant to think he would get away with it. >> reporter: when cher's estranged husband became suspicious, they went on the run. keith was at wild bill's house when investigators discovered five bodies including cher's. >> they found passport documents, they found her phone. the last thing i thought i'd be identifying her body coming o