WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:04.000 With Lucky Land Slots, you can get lucky just about anywhere. 2 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:06.360 Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today. 3 00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:08.720 Has anyone seen the bride and broom? 4 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:10.599 Or sorry, we're here. 5 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:12.679 We were getting lucky in the limo when we lost 6 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:13.199 track of time. 7 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:16.760 No Lucky Land casino with cash prizes that add up 8 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:18.000 quicker than a guess registered. 9 00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:20.399 But in that case, I pronounce you lucky. 10 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:24.399 Play for free at lucky landslots dot com. Daily bonuses 11 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:27.160 are waiting. No purchase necessary boid. We're prohibited by long 12 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.359 eighteen plus terms and conditions APPLA. See website for details. 13 00:00:30.879 --> 00:00:34.159 Lucky Land Casino asking people what's the weirdest place you've 14 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:34.880 gotten lucky? 15 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:37.960 Lucky in line at the Delhi I guess ah, in 16 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:41.240 my dentist's office more than once. Actually do I have 17 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:41.679 to say? 18 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:42.320 Yes? You do? 19 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:45.079 In the car before my kid's PTA meeting? 20 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:45.600 Really? 21 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:46.920 Yes, excuse me? 22 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:48.719 What's the weirdest place you've gotten lucky? 23 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:49.960 I never win? 24 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:51.479 And tell well, there you have it. 25 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:54.679 You could get lucky anywhere playing at lucky landslots dot com. 26 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:55.960 Play for free right now? 27 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:57.320 Are you feeling lucky? Nope? 28 00:00:57.439 --> 00:00:58.079 Not necessary boid. 29 00:00:58.079 --> 00:00:59.359 We we're gon be my low eighteen plus terms and 30 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.359 conditions plus lost. 31 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:15.599 You are now listening to True Murder, The most Shocking 32 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:18.719 Killers in True Crime History and the authors that have 33 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:26.079 written about them Gaesy Bundy Dahmer, The Nightstalker BTK. Every 34 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:29.799 week another fascinating author talking about the most shocking and 35 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:34.439 infamous killers in true crime history. True Murder with your host, 36 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:46.280 journalist and author Dan Zupansky. 37 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:49.719 Good Evening. This is your host Dan Zupanski for the 38 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.040 program True Murder, The most Shocking Killers in True crime 39 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:56.640 History and the authors that have written about them. A 40 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:00.519 beautiful young American woman was kidnapped and confined against their 41 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:05.400 will in the putrid depths of Tijuana, Mexico. Drugged and tortured, 42 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:10.000 she lived in constant fear for her life. Kidnapped, kidnapped 43 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:13.120 by the cartel opens the doors into the secret covens 44 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:17.159 of a Mexican organized crime, a terrifying place where many 45 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:22.439 are lost forever. Slimy backstreets of Tijuana are graphically revealed 46 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:26.120 as the disgusting, gruesome, and violent places they are known 47 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:33.319 to be. The US State Department has warned against non 48 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:36.800 essential travel along the United States Mexico border, especially in 49 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:41.599 the violent cities of Cluad, Juarez and Tijuana. This novel 50 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:46.080 gives a taste of what goes on behind the fence. Kidnap. 51 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:49.120 The book we're featuring this evening is Kidnapped by the Cartel. 52 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:53.680 This is a novel inspired by a true story with 53 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:59.439 my special guest author, Karen Sciosia. Welcome to the program, 54 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:02.560 and thank you for agreeing to this interview. Karen Scusia, 55 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:03.719 thank you so much. 56 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:06.960 It's Shosha. But it's a difficult name to pronounce. 57 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:07.360 You know what. 58 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:09.879 That's what I should have I should have done that 59 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.520 before in the few seconds that we had before we 60 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:14.919 went on the program. So say your last name again 61 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:21.639 for me, please, Shosha, Shosha. Okay, that's a lot easier. Ah, 62 00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:23.520 that's easy. Okay, thank you. 63 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:25.240 Now. 64 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:27.000 One of the questions I used to ask a lot 65 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:28.960 of the authors, and I haven't asked it in a 66 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:31.919 little while because it seemed maybe a little too obvious, 67 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:38.080 but I think it's appropriate here. Why did you want 68 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:44.159 to write? Why were you compelled to write? And kidnapped 69 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:45.039 by the cartel? 70 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:49.560 When this I call it the incident, even though that's 71 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:52.599 not a strong enough word probably, but when this incident 72 00:03:52.680 --> 00:03:57.680 happened in our family. It was just such an amazing 73 00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:02.520 thing and we could hardly believe it. And I found 74 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:06.439 out that it was not an isolated incident. These things 75 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:10.000 were happening. So the book was written initially as a 76 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:14.639 cautionary tale, but then it has developed an audience kind 77 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:17.560 of twofold. One as a cautionary tale, and then two 78 00:04:17.959 --> 00:04:23.120 for people who like to read about well crime, true crime, 79 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:27.000 fictional crime, just crime stories like CSI shows the movie 80 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:30.560 take and things like that. There's a whole audience for 81 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:34.040 this type of story. And then, like I said, there's 82 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:38.639 the cautionary tale for what has happened here and does 83 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:40.199 happen continuously. 84 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:45.600 Actually, now, as you know, and we were in we've 85 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:52.480 had conversations that this is strictly a nonfiction program where 86 00:04:52.519 --> 00:04:56.199 we talk about nonfiction books. But I made the exception 87 00:04:56.319 --> 00:05:00.800 in this case because of our friend Kathy Scott highly 88 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:05.319 recommended this story, and that obviously when you say it's 89 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:09.000 inspired by a true story and you talk about the incident, 90 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:13.160 now tell us about some of the research that you 91 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:16.000 did do in order to be able to write this 92 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:20.600 book and give it as much authenticity as possible. Other 93 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:23.800 than of course, the relation in your family to the 94 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:27.800 subject of the book, whose name in the book is Amanda. 95 00:05:28.399 --> 00:05:31.480 But tell us about the independent research you did about 96 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:36.000 organized crime in Mexico that you did in order to 97 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:36.800 write this book. 98 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:44.120 Okay, Well, I was involved actually in this incident personally. 99 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:49.759 My family member was kidnapped in Tijuana and I live 100 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:52.160 in North Carolina. So after a few days, I actually 101 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:56.600 flew out to help. After five days, and this person 102 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:59.519 was missing eleven so after five days I flew out 103 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:04.480 to get involved in the search. So I learned firsthand 104 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:08.959 many things. But then after when I was doing research 105 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:13.199 and found out that this was not an isolated incident, 106 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:16.480 that these things were happening, I went to the police 107 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:21.040 again in San Diego to talk more on an intelligent 108 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:23.800 level and not on such a desperate level, because this 109 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:28.879 situation had been was over for us, not over for 110 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:31.959 other people though, And I went to detoc centers and 111 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.079 the hospitals, and I went back into Mexico several times, 112 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:39.759 talked to policia and a lot of different people, even 113 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:44.279 though you really don't know how to discern who you 114 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:48.800 can trust too well. There and then the pharmacias. I 115 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:52.319 went into those pharmacias and The thing about the pharmacias 116 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:56.800 there is that people can go in and by practically 117 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:00.439 any drug you need a prescription for without a description. 118 00:07:01.240 --> 00:07:04.319 So you go into the border cities particularly, and you'll 119 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:09.000 find a lot of Americans and other tourists buying different things. 120 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:12.680 People will be buying, say retine for their face, which 121 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:19.399 is a prescription, steroids, shots bodybuilders, oxycon for people that 122 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:23.680 are invicting, for people who are hooked. So those are 123 00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:27.879 just a couple of examples that you see on a 124 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:31.000 daily basis. 125 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:37.000 Now, this, would you be able to write a non 126 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:41.319 knowing that everything you know now and being so intimately involved, 127 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:45.120 would you be able to write a non fiction tell 128 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:48.279 all book about the like you talk about the pharmacies 129 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:54.480 where everything is available and organized crime itself, human trafficking, prostitution, 130 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:59.879 illegal immigrants smuggling into the US, drug running, and every 131 00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:04.000 thing that goes along with that. And many people know 132 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:07.839 about the ruthlessness of Mexican gangs and their reputation and 133 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:10.120 shock value of some of the things that they're willing 134 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:13.279 to do to maintain their power. Would you be able 135 00:08:13.319 --> 00:08:15.720 to write a nonfiction book about this? 136 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:20.079 Yes? And I would have to say that in this 137 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:24.399 book those areas are pretty much nonfiction in this book. 138 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:29.600 What is been what has been fictionalized is I wanted 139 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:35.759 to protect my family member, and coupled with what I 140 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:38.960 learned about other people's situations, other people that had been 141 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:42.399 kidnapped didn't make it back, things like that that I 142 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.600 learned from private investigators. So I created a character. I 143 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:49.600 created this character of Amanda and put several stories into her. 144 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:54.120 Those stories are true for somebody. They're all true for somebody, 145 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:58.519 and not necessarily all true for her, but they are 146 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:03.799 true happening. So these things do happen now. I talked 147 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:06.480 to other authors. I did a lot of research. I 148 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:10.399 did with a lot of research in Mexican newspapers and 149 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:13.840 in Time magazine and just a lot of different author 150 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:16.600 people that wrote about this. And in fact I talked 151 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:19.120 to an author who lives in California but under the 152 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:23.159 assumed name now because the cartel was not happy with 153 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:25.840 some of the things he wrote and he used totally 154 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:28.480 the truth, totally name all the correct names and everything, 155 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.000 and now there's a hit out for him. I was 156 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:34.399 able to talk to him through our publishers kind of 157 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:36.840 got together and went to him, and then he called 158 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:41.200 me which was really nice of him to do, trusting 159 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:45.320 although I'm quite a trustworthy person, but nonetheless, and he 160 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:47.399 gave me a lot of information, and I looked up 161 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:49.919 a lot of things, so I was able to accurately 162 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:53.840 talk about a lot in the book from what I learned, 163 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:56.279 not only what I learned firsthand, but what I learned 164 00:09:56.720 --> 00:09:58.200 post to the event. 165 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:02.080 Okay, well, that's great, and I know we've got that 166 00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:08.320 established that this is a very truly terrifying nonfiction tale. 167 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:14.559 And you've established primarily what it is primarily nonfiction, but 168 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:18.919 the lead character, Amanda, in her experiences in your book, 169 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:21.879 you've kind of put in some of the other people 170 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:27.279 that would be captive by this cartel those experiences and 171 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:32.320 those experiences being true. So let's get to the story, 172 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:34.679 because this is a fascinating the way you've go unfolded this. 173 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:39.440 You're going back and forth. We're traveling from affluence and 174 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:44.799 then in America and then in Mexico, a completely different world, 175 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:48.799 and you've brought the reader into that world. Tell us about, 176 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:52.399 as you mentioned before, the incident. Tell us a little 177 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.440 bit of background about Amanda, and then what happened to 178 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:59.240 Amanda and how this story began. 179 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:06.360 Amanda was a performer and had actually hurt herself. She 180 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:09.519 had a physical injury which she was prescribed vic it 181 00:11:09.639 --> 00:11:14.919 in for and she became addicted to vic it in, 182 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:21.279 which happened sometimes legitimately through different physical ailments or something 183 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:24.960 that's a problem in the United States actually, and so 184 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.519 it was where she was having headaches with it. Without it, 185 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:30.879 you had to have more. She had been to a 186 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:36.399 couple of rehabs and that just wasn't really working. And 187 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:39.159 what she learned in rehab was you could go to 188 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:44.919 Mexico and get these drugs. Just get them. Now, having 189 00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:49.399 grown up in San Diego, this character was very familiar 190 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.279 with crossing the border. A lot of people would do it. 191 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:57.480 They would go to Insanitas and Rosarita Beach for sheep, 192 00:11:57.559 --> 00:11:59.960 lobsters and things like this. I've talked to many people 193 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:02.600 that have done that over the years, and it was 194 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:05.879 nothing to just slide into Tiuana for some drinks or 195 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.519 just you know, to shop around for Chotchke's or something. 196 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:16.759 So plus Mexicans, Wealthy Mexicans wanted their children to be 197 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:20.480 educated in the US, so they would have established some 198 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:23.799 kind of residents in the San Diego area along with 199 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:26.320 their Mexican residents so their kids could go to school 200 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:29.759 in the US. So she met in school lots of 201 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:32.960 kids like that, wealthy Mexicanan had gone to their homes 202 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:36.480 growing up somewhat so crossing the board. My point is 203 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:38.879 crossing the border was not a big deal for her 204 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.440 as it would be for somebody from you know, Wisconsin 205 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:46.720 or somebody somewhere else to go into Tijuana at that time, 206 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:51.039 and you own, this was just prior to when you 207 00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:53.279 needed to have a passport. You just needed a driver's 208 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:58.080 license to cross the border before. One thing I learned 209 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:02.639 through this incident was I always thought that Americans were 210 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:06.879 kidnapped in Mexico for ransom, that they were targeting wealthy 211 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:11.559 Americans or their children or something like that, And that's 212 00:13:11.639 --> 00:13:15.360 not all. They kidnapped for lots of reasons. One was 213 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:21.240 to use Americans or you know, younger, younger Americans for 214 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:26.639 drug mules, right drugs across the border. Another was for 215 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:31.279 human trafficking for sexual reasons, not necessarily across the borders 216 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:35.679 to the United States, but within Mexico or maybe being 217 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:38.720 sent to other countries like Russia, which is actually what 218 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:42.120 was in store for this girl down the road to 219 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:46.960 be used for human trafficking, and that part is true. 220 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:51.000 So then and also another reason that there could be 221 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.840 a kidnapping would be someone to just prove that they 222 00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:57.000 can do it, like a gang member that would have 223 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:00.279 no qualms, you know, like go kidnap that person over there, 224 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:02.360 or you've got thirty minutes and go kidnap somebody or 225 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:10.120 kill them or something is unbelievably ruthless. Unbelievably ruthless. So 226 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:12.679 those are some other things that I learned, was that 227 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:16.440 what kidnapping could be done, why they would kidnap there? 228 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:22.399 Now? How did you say that Amanda was very comfortable 229 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:25.279 while going over to the border. She had sort of 230 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:28.919 a party streak. She was a party girl. You talked 231 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:31.080 about an addiction to Viking in and a lot of 232 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:38.759 people are addicted to oxycotton, some form of morphine, not heroine, 233 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:43.120 but at least the opiates that. So people have a 234 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:45.240 sort of a taste for that and they may have 235 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:50.320 developed it legitimately or otherwise. Cocaine's in this mixt though 236 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:53.600 as well, because it's a very social drug as well, 237 00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:57.960 cocaine alcohol. So we're talking about a pretty serious addiction 238 00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:01.200 in Amana had it wasn't a very wasn't very casual. 239 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:04.639 It was it was a. 240 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:07.639 Yeah, it was not pretty and but and she was 241 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:11.039 not happy with it. Clearly she wasn't happy to be 242 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:14.360 like that. I don't think maybe some people are that habit. 243 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:21.840 So she actually went there. She was in a big need, 244 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:24.120 I guess you could say, in the middle of the 245 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:28.240 day this one day, and made them a mistake of 246 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:30.240 going there by herself. She had never done that. She'd 247 00:15:30.279 --> 00:15:33.960 gone usually with a friend to cross the border to 248 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:38.039 purchase something from a pharmacia. But she had a fight 249 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:41.679 with her boyfriend, just you know, other factors, and she 250 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:44.679 drove in the middle of the day down into Tijuana 251 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:51.360 anticipating a quick purchase. But she drove into Tijuana and 252 00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:55.240 was pulled out of her car in broad daylight, and 253 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:57.440 her car was driven away and they had her. 254 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:03.600 Now we're talking about a fairly valuable vehicle as well, 255 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:06.679 and this would be important to the story. Whose vehicle 256 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:07.320 was this? 257 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:15.279 And uh, well, I guess valuable, Well, that's by definition 258 00:16:15.799 --> 00:16:18.879 would be valuable to them. It wasn't like it was 259 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:22.279 a Mercedes. I think it was a maybe a Mustang 260 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:24.360 or something. Not to say that that's not a nice car. 261 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:27.159 That is a nice carce okay, So it was something 262 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:29.759 like that. I don't remember this second Tomro, you know, 263 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:33.799 some kind of a car like that, and it was 264 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:38.919 her parents had bought it for her, and so anyway, 265 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:41.799 she drove that and then that was the last time 266 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:46.200 anyone saw that car. It was taken and it was 267 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:50.039 actually stolen from the people that stole it, and it 268 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:55.679 was stripped and driven to a impound lot outside of Tijuana. 269 00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:58.000 And by the time that we got the word of 270 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:02.000 that from an insurance company, we went there, which was 271 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:04.519 guarded by vicious dogs. It was just like a whole 272 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:07.440 nother that was just a side story that was unbelievable. 273 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:12.319 It was stolen from there, taken from there. So it 274 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:17.359 was just a very frustrating experience, not only when we 275 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:21.559 scared to death for her and being nervous there ourselves. 276 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:26.680 It was very frustrating, frustrating dealing with the way the 277 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:30.640 penal system is in Mexico. You're afraid of that. You 278 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:36.200 don't know which police are good police. Maybe who's on 279 00:17:36.279 --> 00:17:37.400 the take of the cartel. 280 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:42.799 Step into the world of power, loyalty and luck. 281 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:45.440 I'm going to make him an offer you can't refuse. 282 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:50.400 With family, canolis and spins mean everything. Now you want 283 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:53.759 to get mixed up in the family business. Introducing the 284 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:57.799 Godfather at Champa Casino dot com. Test your luck in 285 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.440 the shadowy world at the Godfather's launch. 286 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:03.279 Someday I will call upon you to do a service 287 00:18:03.319 --> 00:18:03.519 for me. 288 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:06.480 Play the Godfather now at champac Casino dot com. 289 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:08.880 Welcome to the Family vdW group. 290 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:09.640 No purchase necessary. 291 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:11.400 I believe we're pribited by los se Terms and Conditions 292 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:14.240 eighteen plus. With the Lucky land Slots, you can get 293 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:16.000 lucky just about anywhere. 294 00:18:16.839 --> 00:18:19.640 This is your captain speaking. We've got clear runway and 295 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:21.440 the weather's five. But we're just going to circle up 296 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:24.720 here a while and get lucky. Oh no, nothing like that. 297 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:27.200 It's just these cash prizes add up quick. So I 298 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:29.559 suggest you sit back, keep your trade table up right, 299 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:30.799 and start getting lucky. 300 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:34.559 Play for free at Lucky Landslots dot com. Are you 301 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:38.240 feeling lucky? No purchase necessary void, We're prohibited by law 302 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:42.000 eighteen plus. Terms and conditions apply. See website for details. 303 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.720 All that and they plus the police. You could go 304 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:48.519 into one police station on a corner and they said 305 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.519 they don't know anything. They tell you to go to 306 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:53.000 another one like a block away, and I go, well, 307 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:55.559 can't you just call them up up to your computer system. 308 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:59.599 And we had a private investigator who's bilingual with US 309 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:02.400 Mexican American actually, and he'd said, don't say that, don't 310 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:04.359 get chook up. You just got to accept what it is. 311 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:08.079 And it was very frustrating, and it was hot, it 312 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:14.119 was hot, dirty, frustrating, scary, all these things, and we 313 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:17.400 just kept thinking every second longer would we find her. 314 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:22.160 And he was reporting back to my husband, this investigator, 315 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:26.759 saying that the odds were not good of finding her alive, 316 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:32.440 finding her at all, and men, particularly alive. So he 317 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:36.160 did this type of thing. This wasn't his first time, 318 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:40.079 so it was very stressful situation. 319 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:44.839 Now we've just jumped way ahead for our audience. So 320 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:47.799 let's go back a little bit to the to the 321 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:52.240 realization that Amanda is actually missing. Now you said, this 322 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:55.519 is not the first time she's gone over the borders. 323 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:57.519 She's an adult. 324 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:01.960 They didn't know she was doing this. They did not 325 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:02.960 know she was doing this. 326 00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:05.799 Okay, Well, take us back to where they at the 327 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:10.039 point where they actually realized the horror that she is missing, 328 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:14.319 and then what there is there immediate reaction being in 329 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:18.039 the US, and what do they do and what do 330 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:20.720 they how do they get to the point where they 331 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:24.440 have a private investigator that's bilingual, that's ready to help 332 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:25.720 them take us back. 333 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:32.160 Okay, Well, on about maybe day two two or three, 334 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:36.640 I got a call from family members saying that she 335 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:40.880 was missing. And I was kind of complacent, to be honest. 336 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:42.599 They said, well, you know what, remember that time she 337 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:44.519 went to Las Vegas with her friend and for a 338 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:47.039 couple of days and you didn't know about it and 339 00:20:47.079 --> 00:20:49.839 stuff like that, cause she was twenty one, by the way, 340 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:53.079 which also affected how the police felt in the United 341 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:56.440 States because she was twenty one. So they go, no, 342 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:58.759 this is different. You know, we were able to figure 343 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:01.279 out you're calling different peace people where she was. Nobody 344 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:05.279 knows anything. I still, because she had had some problems, 345 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:07.839 wasn't all that shook up, to be honest, And I 346 00:21:07.880 --> 00:21:10.680 feel bad about that now, and I would caution people 347 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:14.680 to go with your gut. Their gut was right, and 348 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:17.799 I was distant and involved in my own life and 349 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:21.680 everything else, and I just wasn't quite that worried yet. However, 350 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:28.359 on I think day three there, three or four. They 351 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:30.720 kept calling her cell and she was you know, they 352 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:33.720 were just leaving messages finally to sell. The voicemail box 353 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:36.319 was full, so they knew there was a real problem 354 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:38.839 because it's you know, just like everybody else. They checked 355 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:41.000 their voice, their messages all the time. They live by 356 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:44.799 the cell. Well, with one day, like I guess the 357 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:49.759 fourth day, maybe third day, third day they called in 358 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:54.200 a Mexican male answered kind of with a thick accent 359 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:59.319 and said a few she's mine, and her father went 360 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:04.400 berserk and called again, and a female answered in a 361 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:09.240 Mexican and just kind of said hello or whatever and 362 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:12.400 then just hung up. So then he called me and 363 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:15.519 said that you know she's in Mexico. And I said, well, 364 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:17.279 how do you know she's in Mexico. There's people that 365 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:20.039 speak Spanish, you know, right there. And he said, the 366 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:22.640 phone makes a funny ring when it's across the border, 367 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:25.799 Like if you have an American phone and you cross 368 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:29.039 into Tijuana, it'll work for a mile or two in, 369 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:32.200 but it makes a funny ring when you're calling, and 370 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:34.359 it made that ring, so he knew at least the 371 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:37.319 phone was there whereas she but the phone is there, 372 00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:40.359 and so that was the first idea they knew she 373 00:22:40.440 --> 00:22:42.119 was there, they didn't know she they didn't even I 374 00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:44.319 don't know if they thought about that. I suppose that 375 00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:46.119 was a possibility, but I think they thought she was 376 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:50.599 just partying with friends, maybe in San Diego area, could 377 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:52.559 be up in LA could be you know, she could 378 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:54.880 be anywhere. They didn't know that was the problem. Could 379 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:57.559 she have been passed out because she've odeed somewhere, something 380 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:04.519 like that. So now there's this shocking thing. So my well, 381 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:12.079 the we had somebody else got a called and got 382 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:18.200 through the channels of their work, of their security department, 383 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:23.200 a number in Washington that they used for international problems, 384 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:25.440 and they got us in touch with the company, and 385 00:23:25.559 --> 00:23:30.160 we got this in this private investigator who we hired, 386 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:33.160 who lived actually in southern California and who did help 387 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:37.279 in these kind of situations. So we hired him. And 388 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:41.480 then there was my uh, one of our friends was 389 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:43.920 an ex Navy seal, and so there was like this 390 00:23:43.960 --> 00:23:47.519 little motley crew and we we just I flew out 391 00:23:47.559 --> 00:23:49.440 there when I got that message and then I heard 392 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:51.359 the panic and the voice. I'm like, oh my gosh, 393 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:53.559 this is this is something this is really something. Then 394 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:56.599 I made plans and flew out thinking I would just, 395 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:00.559 you know, help in any way I could. To be honest, 396 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:03.599 I thought that I would help doing domestic things, making 397 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:05.240 sure there was food to eat, that they had clean 398 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:07.599 clothes to wear, that I would write something for them. 399 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:10.039 You know. I was thinking, maybe America's most planet. These 400 00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:12.039 are the thoughts going in my mind. I was picked 401 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:13.839