A BEAUTIFUL, YOUNG WOMAN
DISAPPEARS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
THIS ONLY HAPPENS IN MOVIES.
POLICE SEARCH EVERYWHERE...
BUT IT SEEMS SHE'S BEEN SWALLOWED UP
BY THE CRUEL WINTER NIGHT.
I JUST REMEMBER CRYING INTO THE NIGHT
AND PRAYING AND HOPING I WOULD HEAR FROM HER.
AS THE CLOCK TICKS,
POLICE MUST TURN TO THE MOST RELIABLE WITNESS THERE IS.
CCTV IS A SILENT WITNESS.
IT RECORDS DISPASSIONATELY WHAT COMES BEFORE IT.
DID IT RECORD WHAT HAPPENED TO DRU SJODIN?
MEG FLATEGRAFF'S PHONE STARTS RINGING
FRIDAY NIGHT AROUND 9:15.
EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHERE MEG'S ROOMMATE,
DRU SJODIN, IS.
FIRST, IT'S HER BOYFRIEND, CHRIS LANG.
HELLO?
HE HASN'T HEARD FROM DRU FOR HOURS.
I DIDN'T REALLY THINK ANYTHING OF IT.
I THOUGHT MAYBE SHE WAS JUST BUSY DOING SOMETHING
OR DRIVING OR, YOU KNOW,
AND SHE'D JUST CALL HIM BACK LATER.
BUT WHEN DRU'S BOSS AT THE EL ROCO NIGHTCLUB
CALLS TO SAY DRU HASN'T SHOWN UP FOR WORK,
MEG STARTS TO WORRY.
OKAY.
DRU HAD TWO JOBS.
SHE WENT TO HER JOB AT VICTORIA'S SECRET,
AND THEN I THINK HER SHIFT AT THE EL ROCO THAT NIGHT
STARTED ABOUT 9:00 P.M.
SHE WAS A WAITRESS.
THE KIND OF WAITRESS
THAT SHOWS UP ON TIME FOR EVERY SHIFT.
IT WAS KIND OF LIKE, "OKAY.
WELL, MAYBE SOMETHING IS, YOU KNOW, REALLY WRONG."
SO I ACTUALLY CALLED THE HOSPITAL IN GRAND FORKS
JUST TO SEE IF SOMEBODY HAD BEEN BROUGHT IN BY AMBULANCE
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT 'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW AT THE TIME
KIND OF WHAT ELSE TO DO.
HI.
HAS THERE BEEN A DRU SJODIN ADMITTED?
THANK YOU.
AT 9:30 P.M.,
MEG CALLS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA POLICE
AND ASKS THEM TO FIND DRU.
STUDENTS...FAIL TO CALL IN
OR FAIL TO CHECK IN FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
BOYFRIENDS, PARTIES.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF REASONS
A TYPICAL COLLEGE STUDENT LIKE DRU SJODIN
MIGHT NOT BE ANSWERING HER PHONE OR SHOWING UP FOR WORK.
SOMETIMES THEY JUST NEED SOME DOWNTIME
AND GO OFF FOR A BIT, AND THEN THEY COME BACK, SO...
SOON, RIGHT?
BUT ACCORDING TO HER ROOMMATE,
DRU WOULD NEVER JUST VANISH, NOT LIKE THIS.
APPARENTLY, SHE WAS PRETTY RELIABLE.
IT WAS UNUSUAL, ACCORDING TO HER ROOMMATE,
THAT SHE NOT SHOW UP FOR WORK.
OKAY, SO THEY'LL BE...
MEG CONVINCES THE INVESTIGATOR TO HELP HER FIND DRU.
THE LAST ANYONE KNOWS, DRU WAS AT HER DAY JOB
AT A VICTORIA'S SECRET AT THE COLUMBIA MALL.
BUT IT'S 11:00 AT NIGHT, AND THE MALL IS CLOSED.
THE LOT HAD CLEARED OUT.
EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED UP.
ABOUT THE ONLY PEOPLE MOVING AROUND THERE
WERE THE SECURITY GUARDS FOR THE MALL.
RASMUSON LOOKS FOR ANY SIGN OF DRU OR HER CAR,
A RED OLDSMOBILE.
AND WHEN I COME AROUND THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LOT
ON THE J. C. PENNEY WING, IT WAS THERE.
WENT UP TO THE CAR.
CHECKED THE DOORS. THEY WERE NOT LOCKED.
AND DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING THAT WOULD INDICATE
THAT THERE'D BEEN ANY VIOLENCE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
LOOKED LIKE THE BACKSEAT OF MY DAUGHTER'S CAR --
CLOTHES, FOOD WRAPPERS.
IT WAS CLUTTERED.
BUT JUST AS HE BACKS AWAY FROM THE CAR,
SOMETHING CATCHES HIS EYE.
SAW A BLACK OBJECT LAYING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE
OF THE VEHICLE.
I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS, LIKE, A SHEATH FOR A MULTITOOL
WITH PLIERS, SCREWDRIVERS, AND STUFF IN IT.
A MISSING COLLEGE STUDENT,
HER CAR ABANDONED WITH THE DOORS UNLOCKED,
PHONE CALLS TO HER CELL UNANSWERED --
RASMUSON SENSES THIS IS MORE
THAN JUST AN IRRESPONSIBLE COLLEGE KID WHO SKIPPED WORK.
HE CALLS IN FOR HELP FROM THE GRAND FORKS PD.
DETECTIVE JIM REMER HEADS TO THE MALL
TO HELP HIM SOLVE THIS PUZZLE.
ANY TIME YOU HAVE A CASE LIKE THAT,
YOU'RE GONNA SEE AND WANT TO CHECK OUT TO SEE
IF THERE WAS A STRUGGLE OR SOMETHING
THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE CAR
THAT WAS MAYBE OUT OF THE ORDINARY.
SEE SOMETHING?
AND THERE WAS JUST NO HINT OF THAT IN THE CAR.
THEIR NEXT STEP --
QUESTION THE LAST PEOPLE WHO MIGHT HAVE SEEN DRU.
IN ANY INVESTIGATION LIKE THIS,
YOU NEED TO SPEAK WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSE TO THE VICTIM.
22-YEAR-OLD DRU SJODIN IS A GRAPHIC ARTS MAJOR
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA.
SHE'S IN A SORORITY, WORKS TWO JOBS,
AND HAS A NEW BOYFRIEND NAMED CHRIS LANG.
SHE WAS, FUNNY AND INTERESTING,
BUT SHE SEEMED VERY GLASS IS HALF FULL,
SOMEBODY REALLY WARM AND FRIENDLY TO BE AROUND.
AND I KNOW ALL OF HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY WOULD SAY THE SAME,
THAT WHEN SHE CAME IN THE ROOM,
IT JUST KIND OF LIT UP WITH HER SMILE.
SHE'S A VERY BEAUTIFUL GIRL.
SHE HAD A GREAT PERSONALITY AND, YOU KNOW,
JUST A VERY MAGNETIC PERSON TO EVERYBODY
THAT SHE CAME INTO CONTACT WITH.
POLICE ASK FRIEND MEG TO PIECE TOGETHER DRU'S DAY.
THE QUESTIONS THAT THE POLICE ASKED ME ARE,
"WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE HER?"
SHE WAS LEAVING THE HOUSE TO GO WORK AT THE LINGERIE STORE.
"HOW DID TODAY GO EXACTLY?"
SHE WAS AT WORK DURING THE DAY,
AND THEN SHE WAS GOING TO HER SECOND JOB AT THE BAR.
"WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TALKED TO HER?"
I DIDN'T SPEAK TO HER IN BETWEEN HER TWO JOBS.
"YOU KNOW, WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO SEE HER TONIGHT?
WHERE WAS SHE GOING?
IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE THAT,
YOU KNOW, SHE COULD BE WITH AT THIS TIME?"
NEXT, INVESTIGATORS TURN
TO DRU'S NEW BOYFRIEND, CHRIS LANG.
HE WAS QUESTIONING ME ABOUT THE LAST TIME I SPOKE WITH HER
AND EVENTS OF THAT EVENING.
SHE WAS AT WORK.
THE FACT THAT HER FRIENDS HADN'T SEEN
OR HEARD FROM HER WAS IMPORTANT FOR US
BECAUSE THAT WAS OUT OF THE ORDINARY.
SO WHEN THERE WAS NO CONTACT,
WHEN THERE WAS NO INFORMATION COMING FROM HER, AGAIN,
THAT'S WHY, I THINK, HER FRIENDS,
THEY GOT VERY CONCERNED VERY EARLY ON.
CHRIS TELLS POLICE HE WAS MOVING TO A NEW APARTMENT
300 MILES AWAY IN MINNESOTA...
AND THAT HE LAST SPOKE WITH DRU AT 5:00 P.M.
MY LAST CONVERSATION WITH DRU LASTED A COUPLE OF MINUTES
AND ENDED ABRUPTLY.
DRU?
SHE SAID SOMETHING INTO THE PHONE.
IT SOUNDED LIKE, "GOD. OKAY."
DRU.
IT'S A STRANGE WAY TO END A PHONE CALL.
CHRIS DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT AT THE TIME.
BUT NOW, SINCE DRU IS MISSING, EVERYTHING TAKES ON NEW MEANING.
I THINK IT WAS JUST OVERWHELMING, JUST VERY SURREAL.
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
THIS ONLY HAPPENS IN MOVIES.
CHRIS CALLS DRU'S PARENTS
TO LET THEM KNOW THAT DRU IS MISSING.
HELLO?
I PICKED IT UP, AND IT WAS CHRIS.
AND HE SAYS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT,
"I DON'T WANT TO ALARM YOU, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM DRU.
I TRIED TO CALL HER,
AND SHE HASN'T SHOWN UP TO HER SECOND JOB."
AND SHE DIDN'T SHOW UP?
WELL, IT WAS A PRETTY SURREAL MOMENT
WHEN YOU KNOW SOMEBODY SO WELL.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
OF COURSE, YOU DON'T WANT TO THINK THE WORST,
BUT YET, I KNEW THAT SOMETHING HAD TO BE WRONG.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU TRIED CALLING HER?
SO YOU SAW SOMETHING THERE?
BACK AT DRU'S CAR, INVESTIGATORS FIND SOMETHING IMPORTANT.
IN THE CAR, WE FOUND HER WALLET.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO DRU...
SJODIN.
...IT WASN'T PART OF A ROBBERY.
WE'RE GOOD. WE GOT A MATCH.
THE MALL'S BEEN CLOSED FOR HOURS.
ANY WITNESS TO WHAT HAPPENED IS LONG GONE,
AND POLICE ARE DISAPPOINTED TO DISCOVER
THERE ARE NO CCTV CAMERAS OVERLOOKING THE PARKING LOT.
I THINK IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS
THAT WHENEVER YOU HAVE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO AVAILABLE,
IT'S GONNA BE PERTINENT TO THE CASE.
INSIDE THE MALL, IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY.
THE CAMERA -- IT'S THE ONLY WITNESS
THAT NEVER BLINKS AND ALWAYS TELLS THE TRUTH.
POLICE ROUND UP VIDEO FROM SECURITY CAMERAS
INSIDE THE MALL.
CCTV TELLS A STORY. WHAT HAPPENED?
AND IT'S ABOUT TO TELL AN INCREDIBLE STORY
ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENED TO DRU SJODIN.
COLLEGE STUDENT DRU SJODIN
HAS VANISHED AFTER WORKING HER SHIFT
IN VICTORIA'S SECRET AT THE COLUMBIA MALL
IN GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA.
AND POLICE ARE WORKING THE CASE FROM TWO ANGLES.
FIRST, THEY'RE ROUNDING UP ALL THE FOOTAGE FROM THE MALL
THE DAY DRU WENT MISSING.
AND THEY'RE QUESTIONING DRU'S BOYFRIEND, CHRIS.
THE INFORMATION DOES SHOW
THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE CLOSE TO A VICTIM ARE THE ONES
THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO COMMIT A CRIME LIKE THIS.
SO YOU NEED -- YOU DO NEED TO CHECK THOSE OUT.
CHRIS IS THE LAST PERSON
TO HAVE CONTACT WITH DRU.
AND HE CLAIMS IT WAS A PHONE CALL THAT ENDED ABRUPTLY,
AS IF SHE'D BEEN INTERRUPTED.
WHERE EXACTLY WAS HE AFTER DRU FINISHED WORK?
COULD IT BE THAT CHRIS IS INVOLVED
IN DRU'S DISAPPEARANCE?
AN OFFICER SORT OF INTERVIEWED ME,
AND HE WANTED TO KNOW WHERE I WAS.
IT WAS MOSTLY, YOU KNOW, YOUR PHYSICAL WHEREABOUTS,
WHAT TIMES WERE THESE CONVERSATIONS?
HOW ARE YOU?
THEY DID A DNA SWAB OF ME
AND KIND OF PUT ME THROUGH THE PROCESS
OF SOMEONE OF INTEREST.
CHRIS EXPLAINS TO OFFICERS
THAT HE WAS 300 MILES AWAY FROM GRAND FORKS
WHEN DRU CALLED AT 5:00 P.M.
THE CALL ENDED ABRUPTLY,
AND THEN A FEW HOURS LATER, SHE CALLED AGAIN.
HER NAME CAME UP ON MY CALLER I.D.,
SO I KNEW IT WAS HER. HON?
I SAID "DRU" INTO THE PHONE.
DRU.
I HEARD NOTHING BUT STATIC AND WIND.
IT SOUNDED LIKE WIND.
IT ENDED WITH LIKE FOUR OR FIVE DIAL TONES...
DRU! HELLO?
...THAT I SPECIFICALLY HEARD INTO THE PHONE.
INVESTIGATORS PULL IN BOTH DRU AND CHRIS' PHONE RECORDS.
IF HE'S TELLING THE TRUTH, THE RECORDS WILL BACK HIM UP.
MEANWHILE,
MORE SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE FROM THE MALL STARTS TO COME IN.
BUT NONE OF IT IS FROM OUTSIDE THE VICTORIA'S SECRET,
WHERE SHE WORKS.
WHICH MEANS THEY'LL HAVE TO SCAN FOOTAGE FROM EVERY CAMERA
IN THE MALL.
HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF IT.
WE REVIEWED THE VIDEOTAPES.
IT WAS A VERY BIG TASK
BECAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT HOURS AND HOURS OF VIDEO TAPE.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE TAPE HAD BEEN TAPED OVER SEVERAL TIMES,
SO THE QUALITY IS VERY BAD.
INVESTIGATORS CALL IN CRAIG THRANE,
AN EXPERT VIDEO ANALYST, TO HELP.
THRANE KNOWS THAT DRU GOT OFF WORK
AT VICTORIA'S SECRET AT 4:00 P.M.
SHE HAD FIVE HOURS UNTIL THE START OF HER SHIFT
AT THE BAR FOUR MILES FROM THE MALL.
IT'S A PERFECT CHANCE TO DO SOME CHRISTMAS SHOPPING.
BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHICH OF THE MALL'S 63 STORES
SHE MIGHT BE IN.
I HAD BEEN TOLD TO LOOK FOR A BLONDE-HAIRED FEMALE
WEARING A TOP THAT WAS MORE PINK IN TONE WITH A DARK BOTTOM.
THRANE SCOURS ALL OF THE CAMERAS IN THE MALL
FOR A GLIMPSE OF THE BLONDE GIRL IN THE PINK TOP.
WHICH CAMERAS OF THOSE COULD HAVE RECORDED ANY EVIDENCE
THAT IS USEFUL,
ANY THINGS THAT COULD HAVE INVOLVED INVESTIGATIVE LEADS
FOR HOW MANY MINUTES,
FOR HOW MANY HOURS, FOR HOW MANY DAYS?
THRANE FOLLOWS CAMERAS FROM STORE...
TO STORE.
NO SIGN OF THE SHORT-HAIRED BLONDE GIRL IN THE PINK TOP.
CCTV IS A SILENT WITNESS.
IT RECORDS AND ALLOWS YOU TO REVIEW AND SEE WHAT HAPPENED.
HE SWITCHES TO THE CAMERA
AT THE MARSHALL FIELDS DEPARTMENT STORE,
EXPECTING MORE OF THE SAME.
THAT'S WHEN HE SEES IT.
A WOMAN IN PINK.
BUT IT'S NOT DRU.
IT'S AN OLDER WOMAN WITH LONGER BLONDE HAIR.
AND SHE'S WEARING JEANS.
BUT WHO SHOULD ENTER THE FRAME NEXT?
SHORT BLONDE HAIR.
PINK TOP.
THAT IS DRU SJODIN.
HE'S SURE OF IT.
THRANE NOW NEEDS TO TRACE ALL HER MOVEMENTS IN THE STORE,
STARTING WITH THE TIME SHE ARRIVED.
HE SWITCHES TO THE CAMERA AT THE ENTRANCE.
AT 4:21 P.M., HE SPOTS HER ENTERING THE STORE.
DRU SJODIN APPEARED TO HAVE A DARK COAT
DRAPED OVER HER LEFT ARM.
HE WATCHES AS DRU MOVES AROUND THE STORE.
SHE APPEARS TO BE ALONE.
AND SHE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE IN ANY HURRY --
JUST ANOTHER CHRISTMAS SHOPPER.
THEN, AT 4:55 P.M...
THRANE SPOTS SOMETHING ELSE.
THAT TIME COINCIDED WITH THE TIME
WE SAW A FEMALE RAISE HER HANDS
INTO THE VESTIBULE AREA WITH A PINK SWEATER ON.
CAPTURED BY A CAMERA OVER THE CASH REGISTER,
IT SHOWS...
A PINK SWEATER, LIKE THE ONE DRU WAS WEARING.
A FEMALE IN THE MARSHALL FIELDS STORE MATCHED HER CLOTHING.
IT APPEARED TO BE THAT DRU SJODIN HERSELF
WAS MAKING A HANDBAG PURCHASE.
MALL CAMERAS SHOW DRU SJODIN
SHOPPING WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD,
NOT A DISTRESS, NOT BEING FOLLOWED...
AS FAR AS THEY CAN SEE.
BUT THE NEXT PART OF HER DAY IS NOT GOING TO BE SO CAREFREE,
AND THE CAMERAS WILL CATCH IT.
COLLEGE STUDENT DRU SJODIN HAS BEEN MISSING FOR THREE DAYS.
POLICE HAVE FOUND HER CAR AT THE MALL WHERE SHE WORKED.
AND THEY'VE SEEN HER ON TAPE
JUST MINUTES BEFORE SHE VANISHED.
DRU'S STORY HAS MADE THE NEWS IN GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA.
AND NOW IT SEEMS EVERYONE IN TOWN
WANTS TO HELP BRING HER HOME.
IT WAS SOME PRETTY NASTY WEATHER OUT THERE.
IT'S WINTERTIME IN THE MIDWEST.
BUT, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH THE COLD AND THE SNOW,
WE HAD BUSLOADS OF PEOPLE WALKING UP AND DOWN
DITCHES AND ROADSIDES, LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE.
DRU'S FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND SORORITY SISTERS
START THEIR OWN SEARCH FOR THEIR MISSING LOVED ONE.
OUR SORORITY WERE VERY INVOLVED.
THEY WERE ALL PART OF THE SEARCH PARTIES
THAT WERE PUT TOGETHER.
WE ENDED UP HAVING WHAT WE CALLED
KIND OF OUR COMMAND CENTER HERE IN OUR HOMETOWN.
AND I WAS REALLY RUNNING THE PHONES
AND TRYING TO GARNER AS MUCH HELP
THAT WE COULD FOR SEARCHERS.
ALL THOSE SEARCHES IN THE FRIGID WINTER WINDS
TURN UP NOTHING.
THEN BOYFRIEND CHRIS LANG'S PHONE RECORDS COME IN.
WILL THEY BACK UP HIS CLAIM
THAT HE WAS OUT OF TOWN WHEN DRU VANISHED?
WE FOUND THAT CHRIS WAS DOWN IN THE TWIN CITIES AREA,
IN MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL,
AND WE WERE ABLE TO VERIFY THAT THROUGH PHONE RECORDS
AT THE TIME THAT TOOK PLACE.
CHRIS WAS TELLING THE TRUTH
WHEN HE SAID HE WAS OVER 300 MILES AWAY
WHEN DRU WENT MISSING.
IT'S ANOTHER DEAD END.
WITH THE SEARCH FOR DRU STALLING,
POLICE TURN BACK TO THE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO.
THEY'VE PIECED TOGETHER THE START OF DRU'S TIMELINE.
I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW, OKAY?
THEY KNOW SHE LEFT WORK AT VICTORIA'S SECRET AT 4:00 P.M.
THEY'VE TRACED HER TO THE MARSHALL FIELDS STORE
AT 4:21 P.M.
SHE'S WEARING PINK.
WE WERE ABLE TO SEE EXACTLY WHEN SHE WAS IN THE STORE,
WHAT SHE DID WHILE SHE WAS THERE,
AND WE COULD SEE WHAT SHE WAS WEARING.
OKAY. SO, YEAH.
AND THEY KNOW SHE'S BEEN SHOPPING THERE
FOR OVER 30 MINUTES
WHEN SHE GOES TO THE CASH REGISTER.
SHE MAKES THE PURCHASE.
SHE BUYS A PURSE. THANK YOU.
THAT PURSE GETS PUT INTO A MARSHALL FIELDS BAG.
WE CAN CORRELATE THE TIME ON THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA.
THEN WE CAN START TO PUT THINGS TOGETHER TO SEE
WHEN THINGS WERE HAPPENING IN THE CASE.
BUT BEFORE THEY CAN TRACE HER LEAVING THE STORE,
SHE DISAPPEARS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS.
THRANE KEEPS WATCHING...
...UNTIL HE SPOTS A SHORT-HAIRED BLONDE WOMAN
WITH A MARSHALL FIELDS BAG
EXITING THE STORE THREE MINUTES AFTER BUYING THE HANDBAG.
HE'S FOUND DRU.
DRU SJODIN LEFT THE MARSHALL FIELDS STORE
AT 5:00 AND 30 SECONDS WEARING A DARK COAT.
SHE'S PUT HER COAT ON,
WHICH MEANS SHE'S THROUGH SHOPPING
AND HER NEXT STOP IS OUTDOORS, PROBABLY TO HER CAR.
AS DRU WALKS OUT OF THE STORE, THRANE NOTICES SOMETHING ELSE.
HE CAN BARELY MAKE IT OUT,
BUT THE CAMERA CATCHES A SMALL ARM MOVEMENT.
HE SLOWS THE VIDEO DOWN.
SHE WAS RAISING HER RIGHT ARM UP TOWARDS HER FACE,
TOWARDS HER EAR.
IT'S THE MOMENT DRU DIALS CHRIS.
SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE HAS CAPTURED
THE PRECISE SECOND THE CALL STARTED.
SO WE KNOW FROM THE VIDEO THAT THE CELLPHONE CALL
STARTED AT 5:00...
...AND THAT AT 5:04, THAT CELLPHONE CALL...
DRU. ...WAS CUT OFF.
SO THEY NOW KNOW WHERE DRU'S CALL TO CHRIS STARTED.
BUT CAN THEY FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT FOUR-MINUTE CALL
ABRUPTLY ENDED AND WHY?
POLICE HEAD TO THE MALL TO RETRACE DRU'S STEPS.
THEY START AT THE STORE AND WALK FOR FOUR MINUTES.
WE WALKED A ROUTE FROM MARSHALL FIELDS TO THE CAR
TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT MADE SENSE.
IF IT ACTUALLY TOOK FOUR MINUTES TO GET TO HER CAR
AND THE PHONE CALL CUTS OFF,
THERE'S A QUESTION THERE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.
FOUR MINUTES OF WALKING AND POLICE ARE RIGHT THERE,
AT DRU'S ABANDONED CAR.
WE DID FIND THAT IT FIT THE TIMEFRAME
FOR HER TO BE ABLE TO GO FROM MARSHALL FIELDS
AT A NORMAL WALKING PACE BACK AND MAKE IT TO HER CAR.
POLICE HAVE CREATED A TIGHT TIMELINE --
5:00 P.M., OUT OF THE DOOR AT MARSHALL FIELDS
AND THE START OF A PHONE CALL.
FOUR MINUTES LATER, THE CALL ENDS ABRUPTLY,
AT HER CAR...
DRU?
...WHERE POLICE DISCOVERED A SHEATH.
THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT TOOL THE SHEATH IS FOR.
BASICALLY, SHE...
POLICE SUSPECT THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO DRU AT THE CAR
MAY HAVE STARTED IN THE MALL.
DETECTIVE REMER NEEDS TO CHECK WITH DRU'S COWORKERS
IF THEY REMEMBER ANYTHING UNUSUAL.
WAS THERE ANYBODY THAT WAS SUSPICIOUS
THAT WAS HANGING AROUND?
WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT WAS OUT OF THE ORDINARY?
DRU'S COWORKERS REPORT SOMETHING
THAT SEIZES INVESTIGATORS' ATTENTION.
SOMETIMES MEN WOULD LURK OUTSIDE THE LINGERIE STORE,
WATCHING THE WOMEN WHO WORK THERE.
AND PRETTY GIRL DRU SEEMED TO BE OF SPECIAL INTEREST.
NO ONE CAN REMEMBER ANYONE SPECIFIC THAT DAY.
APPARENTLY, IT HAPPENED ALL THE TIME.
THE WORKERS JUST IGNORED IT.
AND WE KNOW THAT SHE GETS TO HER CAR,
AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS.
THERE'S SOME INTERACTION TO WHERE SHE SAYS,
"OKAY. OKAY."
AND THE PHONE CALL CUTS OFF.
GOT HER, UM, LIKE, A BLACK...
MAYBE THERE WAS MORE TO THIS, AND IT MIGHT BE A KIDNAPPING.
WITH A POSSIBLE KIDNAPPING,
GRAND FORKS POLICE CALL IN FEDERAL AGENTS.
THEY WANT TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN
TO BRING DRU BACK ALIVE.
NOT SO FAR. BUT...
WELL, IT WAS THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE'VE EVER DEALT WITH.
WE HAD AT SOME POINT 80 TO 100 INVESTIGATORS
WITHIN OUR COMMAND POST WORKING THE CASE.
THE FEDERAL AGENTS LOOK INTO THE THEORY
THAT DRU HAS BEEN ABDUCTED.
SHE'S 22 YEARS OLD.
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT A SEXUAL DEVIANT
COULD SIT OUT IN THE KIOSK
OR OUT IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF VICTORIA'S SECRET
AND SEE WHAT HE CAN SEE?
YOU BET.
IT COMPLETELY CHANGES THE PROFILE
OF WHO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
THE FBI PROFILERS ADVISE POLICE
IT'S LIKELY TO BE A SEX OFFENDER.
THIS ONE, WHICH IS NICE.
IT IS TREMENDOUSLY HARD TO SOLVE A STRANGER ABDUCTION
BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW.
IT COULD BE TWO SHIPS PASSING IN THE NIGHT.
AND, WE WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEY WERE.
FOR DRU'S FAMILY,
IT'S A MOST UPSETTING TURN TO THE INVESTIGATION.
WELL, OF COURSE IT'S A PARENT'S WORST NIGHTMARE
TO THINK THAT YOUR DAUGHTER'S BEEN TAKEN BY A SEX OFFENDER,
A TOTAL STRANGER.
IF THERE WAS SOMEONE STALKING DRU AT THE MALL,
IT WILL BE BURIED IN THE HUNDREDS OF HOURS
OF MALL SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE SOMEWHERE.
THE REALITY IS THAT THERE ARE EVENTS HAPPENING
THAT ARE CRIMINAL OR NONCRIMINAL
HAPPENING AROUND US EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND WE DON'T SEE THEM.
BUT INVESTIGATORS WILL SEE
THE PERSON THEY ARE LOOKING FOR ON CAMERA.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHERE.
YES.
OKAY. BYE.
POLICE NOW BELIEVE THAT 22-YEAR-OLD COLLEGE STUDENT
DRU SJODIN
MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED FROM A MALL PARKING LOT.
THEY ARE HOPING SURVEILLANCE VIDEO
CAN HELP THEM SOLVE THE CASE AND BRING DRU HOME.
AND WITH EVERY MINUTE
THAT GOES BY WITH NO NEWS ABOUT DRU,
HER FAMILY FALLS DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO DESPAIR.
I REMEMBER THINKING...
...THAT I JUST WANTED THE WORLD TO STOP.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT
BECAUSE YOU'RE SO CAUGHT IN THE EMOTIONS
OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THAT IT JUST SEEMED --
THE WORLD SEEMED SO CHAOTIC TO ME, IN MY MIND.
I...I COULDN'T SLEEP.
PHONE CALLS WERE GOING OFF THE HOOK.
THERE WAS THIS AWFUL ADRENALINE GOING THROUGH YOUR HEART.
I JUST REMEMBER CRYING INTO THE NIGHT
AND PRAYING AND HOPING THAT I WOULD HEAR FROM HER,
THAT SHE WOULD SHOW UP
OR I WOULD HEAR SOME WONDERFUL NEWS.
25 MILES AWAY,
SEARCHERS CHECKING RIVERBANKS NEAR CROOKSTON, MINNESOTA,
MAKE A SINISTER DISCOVERY.
THIS COULD REALLY HELP US IN OUR INVESTIGATION.
WE FOUND A SHOE BY THE 75 BYPASS BRIDGE
CLOSE TO CROOKSTON.
AND IT MATCHES THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SHOES
DRU WAS WEARING THE DAY SHE WENT MISSING.
YEAH. I...
IT'S HERS. IT IS HERS?
WHEN I IDENTIFIED THE SHOE...
YEAH. ...IT WAS LATE NOVEMBER
IN NORTH DAKOTA.
THERE WAS ALREADY SNOW ON THE GROUND.
TO FIND THE SHOE, IT WAS PRETTY INDESCRIBABLE EMOTION.
IT'S HARD TO EVEN IMAGINE BECAUSE IT WAS SO COLD.
AND TO THINK, YOU KNOW,
"MY DAUGHTER'S OUT THERE NOW WITHOUT SHOES ON..."
UM, IT...
JUST A GAMUT OF EMOTIONS.
IT WAS JUST ONE MORE THING THAT MADE IT SEEM LIKE,
YOU KNOW, WE MAY NEVER SEE HER AGAIN.
INVESTIGATORS MUST REVISIT
THE FOOTAGE FROM THE MALL
FOR ANY SIGN THAT DRU WAS BEING FOLLOWED.
NO ONE AT MARSHALL FIELDS SEEMS TO BE STALKING HER.
THIS TIME, THEY GO BACK IN TIME
AND LOOK FOR FOOTAGE FROM ALL STORES
TO SEE IF ANYONE STANDS OUT.
WHEN REVIEWING VIDEO
FROM AN INVESTIGATIVE STANDPOINT,
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR THINGS THAT STAND OUT OF THE NORM.
A NORMAL BEHAVIOR WHEN SOMEBODY'S SHOPPING AT A STORE
IS LOOKING AT THE MERCHANDISE,
LOOKING TO FIND THAT MERCHANDISE.
HE WATCHES FOOTAGE FROM A TARGET STORE
AT 3:40 P.M.,
84 MINUTES BEFORE DRU DISAPPEARED.
THE THINGS THAT STAND OUT OF THE NORM,
SUCH AS PEOPLE THAT LOOK AT OTHER PEOPLE
MORE THAN THE MERCHANDISE.
THRANE LOCKS ON TO ONE MAN.
THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE TARGET STORE
WENT THROUGHOUT THE TARGET STORE,
WALKED UP AND DOWN THE CD AISLE.
THRANE SEES THE MAN DOESN'T SEEM TO BE SHOPPING...
...AT LEAST NOT FOR CDS.
INSTEAD, HE'S LOOKING AT OTHER SHOPPERS.
THRANE WATCHES THE MAN WALK AROUND THE STORE.
DURING THE ENTIRE TIME
THE SUBJECT WAS IN THE TARGET STORE...
HE APPEARED TO BE BY HIMSELF.
AND THEN, AT 3:41 P.M...
...HE TAKES A SEAT AND CONTINUES WATCHING PEOPLE.
HE WOUND UP SITTING AT A BENCH CLOSE TO THE EXIT...
...FOR APPROXIMATELY 11 MINUTES.
HE WAS SEATED IN A CHAIR RIGHT AT THE EXIT DOOR.
AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT HE WAS WATCHING PEOPLE
AS THEY WALKED OUT OF THE STORE.
AND THEN HE STOOD UP, PUT GLOVES ON HIS HANDS...
...AND THEN WALKED OUT TOWARDS THE VESTIBULE.
AND AS HE EXITED THE STORE, YOU COULD SEE HIM.
IT APPEARED HE LOOKED TOWARDS THE CEILING,
TOWARDS THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA.
IT'S JUST 72 MINUTES UNTIL DRU DISAPPEARS.
WHEN THEY LOOK IN MORE DETAIL,
THEY FIND SOMETHING MORE SINISTER.
WELL, ON THE VIDEO, WE SEE A BLONDE-HAIRED FEMALE...
WHO WALKS OUT OF THE STORE
SHORTLY BEFORE HE GETS UP AND LEAVES.
REMER DOESN'T THINK THAT'S A COINCIDENCE.
DRU'S COWORKERS AT VICTORIA'S SECRET SAY
THEY WERE REGULARLY WATCHED.
AND IN THE SAME MALL, A MAN IS WATCHING SHOPPERS
AND FOLLOWS A BLONDE-HAIRED WOMAN OUT THE DOOR.
THINGS ARE STARTING TO ADD UP.
THE FBI SAID TO CHECK FOR SEX OFFENDERS.
THEY FIND 60 OF THEM REGISTERED IN THE AREA.
POLICE HAVE PHOTOS OF ALL OF THEM.
SPECIAL AGENT DAN AHLQUIST PULLS UP THE PHOTOS
OF ALL 60 SEX OFFENDERS
AND NARROWS THEM DOWN TO THE ONES NEAR CROOKSTON,
WHERE DRU'S SHOE WAS FOUND.
THEY FIND FOUR NAMES... AND FOUR PHOTOS.
AND ONE OF THEM IS THE MAN FOLLOWING A BLONDE-HAIRED WOMAN
OUT OF THE TARGET STORE IN THE MALL.
FOUR DAYS INTO THEIR INVESTIGATION, POLICE
MIGHT HAVE THEIR BEST LEAD YET IN THEIR SEARCH FOR DRU SJODIN.
VIDEO FROM A TARGET STORE
SHOWS A MAN FOLLOWING A DIFFERENT BLONDE-HAIRED WOMAN
JUST 72 MINUTES BEFORE DRU DISAPPEARED.
AND THEY'VE COMPARED HIS IMAGE
TO PHOTOS OF NEARBY SEX OFFENDERS.
AND THEY FIND A PERFECT MATCH...
...ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ.
RODRIGUEZ WAS ARRESTED FOR RAPE AND KIDNAPPING
AND SERVED 23 YEARS.
HE'S BEEN OUT SIX MONTHS.
BUT RODRIGUEZ IS JUST LEAVING A STORE.
HE'S NOT COMMITTING ANY CRIME.
THAT'S WHEN POLICE LEARN OF ANOTHER BREAKTHROUGH.
TWO INVESTIGATORS WHO HAD BEEN ASSIGNED
TO IDENTIFY THIS TOOL-SHOP-TYPE SHEATH...
THE SHEATH THEY FOUND AT DRU'S CAR
WASN'T FOR A TOOL
BUT FOR SOMETHING FAR MORE DEADLY.
THEY SAID IT WAS A SHEATH FROM A KNIFE...
WITH A LOCK-BLADE KNIFE.
WE MADE CONTACT WITH ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ
AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE.
YEAH. TALK TO US?
AGENT AHLQUIST CHECKS RODRIGUEZ'S CAR.
OKAY.
WE LOOKED INTO THE TRUNK,
AND THERE WAS SOME FISHING EQUIPMENT
AND A SMELL OF CLEANER.
HE SEES A CONTAINER WITH LIQUID.
JUST, LIKE, A CLEANING SUBSTANCE,
AND IN THAT CLEANING SUBSTANCE
WAS SUBMERGED A LOCK-BLADE KNIFE,
AN EXACT DUPLICATE.
AN EXACT DUPLICATE OF THE LOCK-BLADE KNIFE
AGENT AHLQUIST HAD JUST SEEN IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
RODRIGUEZ IS DETAINED,
AND FORENSICS ARE CALLED IN TO CHECK OUT HIS CAR.
I RECALL QUITE VIVIDLY STANDING OUTSIDE THE BACKDOOR OF THE CAR.
A SCIENTIST WAS IN THE CAR
AND JUST SAID, "THAT'S INTERESTING."
"LOOK AT ALL THE BLOOD."
FORENSIC SAMPLES TAKEN FROM RODRIGUEZ'S CAR REVEAL
TRACES OF DRU'S DNA.
WHEN DRU'S BLOOD IS FOUND IN RODRIGUEZ'S CAR,
YOU KNOW, THAT REALLY THEN BRINGS IT HOME.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MRS. SJODIN.
WHEN I HEARD THAT HER BLOOD HAD BEEN FOUND
THE CAR OF A SEX OFFENDER,
IT HIT ME IN THE GUT LIKE...
LIKE I COULDN'T BREATHE.
THEY STILL HAVE NOT FOUND DRU.
BUT POLICE HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO ARREST ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ
AND CHARGE HIM WITH KIDNAPPING DRU SJODIN.
POLICE BREAK THE NEWS TO DRU'S FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
IT WAS DECEMBER 1st.
AND LINDA CALLS.
SHE'S LIKE, "PULL OVER.
PULL THE CAR OVER."
SHE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS AN ARREST,
AND THERE IS SOME BLOOD INVOLVED.
AND SHE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT DRU.
AND I ASK, "WELL, WHERE'S DRU?"
AND SHE JUST SAID, "WE DON'T -- WE DON'T KNOW."
IT WOULD TAKE FIVE MORE MONTHS
BEFORE HER FAMILY WOULD HAVE THAT FINAL, CRUEL ANSWER.
APRIL 17, 2004.
THE NORTH DAKOTA WINTER IS OVER.
THE SNOW AND ICE MELT AND REVEAL THE DEADLY SECRET
THAT HAD BEEN BURIED FOR MONTHS.
A SEARCH TEAM FINDS DRU'S BODY IN A REMOTE RAVINE.
SHE HAS BEEN STRANGLED, STABBED, AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.
INVESTIGATORS USING SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE
ARE ABLE TO PIECE TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENED TO DRU SJODIN.
I BELIEVE THAT MR. RODRIGUEZ ENCOUNTERED HER IN THE MALL
AS SHE WALKED FROM VICTORIA'S SECRET.
I THINK HE FOLLOWED HER THROUGH THE MALL...
...FOLLOWED HER OUT THE MARSHALL FIELDS DOOR...
YEAH. I JUST FINISHED WORK.
OKAY. ...TO HER CAR,
WHERE HE DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO MAKE HIS MOVE...
...PULLED OUT HIS KNIFE, DROPPED THE SHEATH.
IN THE CAR. HE FORCES HER INTO HIS CAR
AND DRIVES OUT OF THE AREA.
DRU.
I THINK THE 7:42 PHONE CALL...
IS HER KILLER DISREGARDING THE PHONE NEAR HER,
WHICH IS WHY I HEARD THE TONES,
WHICH GIVES ME A TIMELINE OF 5:05 TO 7:42.
I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT IT, THAT HE PUT HER THROUGH HELL.
UM, THAT 21/2 HOURS, I CAN'T IMAGINE.
ON AUGUST 30, 2006, ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ
IS CONVICTED FOR THE KIDNAP AND MURDER OF DRU SJODIN.
HE'S SENTENCED TO DEATH.
HE WAITS ON DEATH ROW TO THIS DAY.
THE HISTORY OF VIOLENCE WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL
AND SERVING 23 YEARS
AND, UPON RELEASE, 6 MONTHS LATER,
BEING ABLE TO DO THIS,
ANGERS ME EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT IT.
...INTRODUCING A PIECE OF LEGISLATION
THAT I HOPE VERY MUCH WILL SAVE LIVES IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND DRU'S LEGACY LIVES ON.
IN 2006, THE WHITE HOUSE SIGNED DRU'S LAW...
MAKING THE SEX-OFFENDERS REGISTRY
AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC NATIONWIDE.
IT MAKES ME FEEL ANGRY THAT HE TOOK THIS PERSON
OUT OF NOT ONLY MY LIFE,
BUT A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES.
AND IT WILL FOREVER AFFECT MY LIFE,
AS WELL AS EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED.
DRU'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL ALWAYS WONDER.
IF THE PARKING LOT OF THE MALL HAD SECURITY CAMERAS,
THIS CRIME MAY HAVE BEEN DETERRED.
IT WAS VITAL SECURITY FOOTAGE
THAT WAS CRITICAL TO SOLVING THIS CASE.
THE VIDEO EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE
REALLY PLACED MR. RODRIGUEZ AT THE SCENE OF THE ABDUCTION.
WITHOUT THAT VIDEO EVIDENCE,
THERE WOULD HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A QUESTION IN SOMEBODY'S MIND.