A young woman vanishes. Eerie surveillance video captures a man in a hat. Investigators learn the two are linked by a secret. “48 Hours” contributor Natalie Morales reports.
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The
cast is a rare person. She didn't care. What
He thought of her
She didn't care. If you liked her
should incur she was too loud
two in her face. She just was. She was your best friend rang yeah yeah. For years I got a pair,
short, the teacher to essie nail how she got
These things called whole videos where
you would go shopping. I will show you what I got and then I'll tell you how much everything cost can have spread. The word about deals, ninety ninety, seven, ninety, eight and ninety three dollars and thirty. Then she never really left
I got this for my mom. I do this for the slippers. I also do this for her. She was always there, so we were really good
august twenty fifth, twenty twenty centres,
very Psmith, got up. She left work. Everything's, fine,
when I came home it was.
Clear that she had used the master bathroom to get ready to go oliver
It was in a hurry and then I didn't care for me. I knew she had a shocking day planned and her friend
alexandra was going to be meeting with her the next day. I remember I was late by about fifteen minutes.
I texted her hey. Where are you hey? I'm sorry, I'm late! I got no response. I left panicked message.
This. Her voice mail box wistful she.
Never just went dark like
before morning at the twenty seventh, I had text for marie that send to cast in the night with you as she at your place or in with her she's, not with you.
than she was with you and that's when I realized something wrong. When did you
the police
I called later that day it started out like
any other adult missing person case. The majority of those calls are resolved with known affair.
activity, maybe she's out there
The world is so wired with cameras. There's just no way that some,
They didn't see something were able to see the white car consent,
his customer's car
I can see a subject getting out of the vehicle start, walking away as damning evidence. That's incredibly valuable evidence for us. You can see him.
Across the street, he's rest
a black black shoes, black pants black t, shirt,
Whose surgical gloves and a black fedora, he knew something he was involved, but there was
something going on there. We didn't know about yeah sure,
keeping a sacred. She didn't.
Want to tell me
like the shorts and its full of a lot of interesting questions. What is happiness really mean? How do I get the most out of my time here on earth and what really is the best cereal? These? The questions I seek to resolve on my weekly podcast life is short with just one.
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be called everybody,
buddy. I could think there's a guy. Can sleep only
and nobody heard from this. I got four dollars and change with nine dollars in chains.
nine again, eight, you! I appeal type.
From re smith. The realisation that her daughter, Cassandra can trial had been missing from.
within two days was almost more than she could take. I never thought I'd be the person's inheritance.
My daughter wanted her found. I don't even know
explain how wrenching it is Marie
close friend Christie sinclair, says it was agony
can't be happening. This is real. She lost her phone, she lost her car. She,
It had no money. I don't know anything bites what you don't want to think about anything, but that procedure
It was only five dollars as cassandras family and friends grappled with her disappearance police got to work, pierce county sheriff.
Tat. Diffrent help keep was assigned to the case. His fur
step talked it
those who knew cassandra best. How do
Marine described Cassandra normal because he is too general responsible
yeah response, which she would you call the letter. No, you know where she was going detected.
key learned, Cassandra was close with their family and good about staying in touch or spelling. You
her fifteen dollars she enjoyed, making those youtube, shopping, videos and love being on stage she'd.
enjoined to local production of the rocky whore picture. Show where people act alongside the movie
Marie says it was perfect fit for her daughter. She was with a group of people who were wacky like her shoes,
georgia, sherry mueller. The shows producer recalls, Cosette
It was natural talent. She was playing a care
turn by the name of janet weiss? She,
I also learned the character
of colombia by all accounts at the time of her disappearance. Cassandra was a happy thirty three year old and not someone who would run off
This wasn't the typical missing person that was going to come home and a couple days.
active, helm, key canvas, the area around where marine cassandra lived and found on a neighbor security camera a clear but cassandras white Mazda on the morning of august, twenty fifth
it was seen leaving the neighbourhood? Did you see any video of the car coming back no
as the hours ticked, by with no sign of cassandra, her family and friends,
to remain hopeful? It was particularly difficult for cassandra
when brother wrong growing up.
who were inseparable and would stay up late at night,
watch. Scary movies cheers never scare
Now we lost a lot of it. Ok,
tough girl banned as they got all
you're their shared passion for movies evolved into collecting
memorabilia? They even dreamed of opening their own
collectible shop, half price
Two dollars is only five bucks, but as close as they were, rob couldn't imagine where his sister went and he was filled with remorse about their last
conversation,
We have an argument short
come over twenty fifth but ignored or the twenty fifth of august twenty twond
the day cassandra went missing, nuts,
regret I imagined still for you. The accusation
I would have drawn what she was doing that day and I would have at least known where she had gone: Cassandra's, family and friends, organized searches
imagine what that must feel like to be
their searching and knowing which cooper.
Simply be looking for you put it
in about you, don't think about that should help me find a clue. Hobby
the cliff and then three days after Cassandra vanished, believe
scoundrel white mazda unlocked with the key
still inside. It was
most underneath interstate. Seventy five, which goes
the heart of the downtown tacoma? Isn't it
estralla area, where groups of homeless people often care.
In the area. Its summit
I have been down here strange place for a young woman to park a car and then go missing. You are alarm bells going off. Them
increasingly, she had clearly gotten ready to go somewhere.
Where did she go? Who did she go to sea detective? How he had
I ordered an emergency trace on Cassandra cell phone to try
and find her last no location, and he discovered her
only last pinged about two miles, south of a town.
on vashon island in the past
sound one, the first,
idea was just get on. Google earth and strike an arc from that tower
see where it lands and it showed his landing or around this shoreline at one beach or point defiance park and we're taking this huge body of water. You thinking
never going to be able to find us
investigators chasing that last paying from cassandra cell phone knew. It was somewhere here in the fast waters,
puget sound, which is nearly one hundred miles long. What's the next step about trying to recover that we debated about that
because it's a needle in a haystack two huge body water. This is
acidity that it showed up, is being at the detail.
if key, had a starting point
He knew someone likely had tossed a phone into the water from owen beach. Finding
it was a longshot, but detective sergeant, brent vandyke was up for the challenge. He brought the peers count.
Metro died team out to the beach on a summer day we're lucky with the time
that day. The title,
extremely well so made. Our
search area, a little less vandyke.
Plan to dramatically reduce the area where the phone might be. First, he asked members of his team
throw stones from the beach dissimulate how far
went to throw a cell phone. If you picture throwing Sutton from here,
it limits the distance. I would have to search for what he thrill. The dive tee then formed a line.
Centrally creating an underwater dragnet, we had a boat out water.
and our line of people on snorkel that day just looking down, they were,
well that cassandras phone had a case decorated with glitter this,
the actual underwater footage
The team was in the water for little more than an hour when, incredibly, one of the guys on the line said hey, I think I got it. They saw sparkle. I think I got the fog and it was a fault
the phone with
into a specialist to determine if any information could be recovered.
hunt defined cassandra was intensifying as detect.
Is learn more about her. She felt like she could tell you pretty much.
We think about what is going on in her life right. Yes, even her deepest darkest seat,
What's she would tell you first
month before she disappeared Cassandra
confided a secret to her best friend. She texted me a positive
and see test and said? I think I might be pressures in the day. She
supposed to meet alexandra but never showed up. It was going to be her for
ultra sound for detective bronze helsinki.
Cassandra had been pregnant at the time of her disappearance changed everything
This is what is now peeking my my entry.
Normally in em
situation where a pregnant woman disappears. You look at who the partners first courage.
Cassandra had also told her mother, she was pregnant, didn't provide
details. I asked
did she tell you who the father was, and she says well with some guy she met online or through a dating app. She told me it was
somebody that she was actually seeing and that he didn't live in the area
it was no secret. Cassandra was actively dating using apps,
tender and Marie told it
active about an old boyfriend. Cassandra was still in touch with call in dudley. The two had died
back in two thousand six, while in the rocky war acting group,
this shows producer. Sherry, mueller Collins played a character.
The criminal just onstage outside of the stage when he wasn't performing. He was the head of tech and he kind of random.
Asked. But after dating for several months, colonnade cassandra broke up collins,
Our relationship with another cas member rebecca fisher and the two
eventually moved in together.
the
deep Amman hung out at their home regularly to play a game called dungeons and dragons, except
What dungeons and dragons is it's not a board game right?
no, not traditional board, it's more of
or of the mind tat game play.
Thank you wouldn't normally do in real life
play a wizard rogue fighter. The game always took place in collins, basement com
What kind of the dungeon master of it
Twenty one ran the show and steve
I liked being around him colin was quickly
help. If someone needed money he says and he's still really
Where's the meals calling cooked for game nights. He was a sham
I professions was nice food into debt,
in fourteen after collins, father died. He rekindled of friendship with cassandra
She assured me that she was just there to be a friend. She like these gaps,
girlfriend. According to my
cassandra and collingwood, sometimes watch movies or rather bite to eat at some point
alexandra says, even though Collen was living with rebecca, his relationship with cassandra once again turned romantic and cassandra
told Alexandra that call and was the father of her baby shoes very excited.
About you down names and game. She wanted at the baby shower. She has. Has she amazon registry?
already made cosette.
Because only hesitation, whether she should tell calling he was with rebecca and had mentioned he didn't want to have kids but Alexandria, says Cassandra did tell collins, she was pregnant and he
was ok with it. She called me and she said: well, I told him and went better than expected. He was com
said not to worry about it and that they would talk.
Detective. How
He wondered if collins knew where cassandra was we're just
the follow up with people who knew Cassandra. You know places she likes to go that we could maybe look
and sat and talked with detective helm, key on his front porch and the common
Station was recorded. This is a record of statement, can be taken from colony, patrick Dudley. So
You know we just kind of begin with just simple hate. Tell us about you and cosette
How did you meet
I met her at the rocky were picture, show we were in relationship for a couple of months and then we broke up in two thousand and six. I then started Kennedy running.
but these things by him that the people are telling me talk and other people talk,
santos family. In some other friends, they report
that she was about ten weeks, frank and what we ve been here.
Is it she's been telling people that you are the father,
no now
I'll know, call in was adamant. He and Cassandra were not in a relationship and he was most definitely not the father of her child admiration.
or you know, no one night stands know you know hookups after the fact or anything like that. No, absolutely not! He says in fact, Colin insisted. He hadn't seen or spoken to cassandra since they broke up back in
Two thousand six except one
when he ran into her at the mall you wheel,
tat what you know, messages or facebook or anything
home key believed call was lying, but could he prove it, it turned out
a clue to finding the answer was in marie's paperwork.
detective helm, key believed call Dudley was lying when he said he had
seen or spoken to cassandra for years?
It was Cassandra mother Marie who provided some proof, she'd been com
through cassandras old phone bills. Were she noticed a mystery number that kept reappearing
we didn't know please it was because it didn't have a name attached to it. Going back. How far in that? Oh, we looked back months and months. You know, as far back as we could see this number kept
hang out and the last time it popped up marie told detective Helsinki
The morning cassandra disappeared, I said so
So what what's that number- and she tells me- I immediately rail, its Collins hunky one
in forensic investigators to take a closer look at
these phone, which
active home he had taken when they met on douglas front porch, I told them. You know I have a word seizure phone. I read in the warrant grabbed the phone and we left invest
haters, later obtained the phone records for both cassandra and call
phones, they were turned over. Did
active ryan salmon cellphone, for
ex analyse for the sheriffs department sam.
Noticed something curious. The name Cassandra never appeared in collins phone
What name was he using right for us Sandra he headed under velma? Why velma we learned later through
Cassandra mother that she had gone as velma from scooby do as a hallowing costume
and it's likely salmon said that call in deadly did not want his living girlfriend to know he was still in touch with cassandra.
Even without the information from her water logged phone salmon was able to see when and where she and lowland interacted, simply by having those
records. It's extremely helpful in determining
where somebody was during a critical time frame. People
cell phone with them almost all day every day.
The phone records showed cassandras white Mazda driving to the spot. Where was found,
cassandra or someone else parted there
How can you the city's light rail system was near by and ask them?
security people if they could find any footage of cassandras car. What they found proved crucial.
We have the video you want. You need to get down here. Look at it. These views,
I have never been shown publicly in this video.
From a moving light rail train taken the
morning of august. Twenty fifth hunky could see a man in a black had walking
from where Cassandra car was part, then a different
camera shows that same man from a much closer and
he'll cross right in front of this camera, so he comes
and across
They need to see all black,
the blue gloves in the fedora?
just sits down to stop. The time was
in fifty eight am the
and since for four minutes and then keeps walking
continues, walkin
his face covered by some type, a mask is hard to see, but based on his build in gate, help
spected that call in deadly was the man wearing that fedora. The detective have been told.
Call. Him often had asked, demanded even
People call him or had man was
always wearing a hat. You would put it on and
switch into his persona of the hat man and preferred to be called the hat man Alexandra Mcnair. He had heard all about it from Cassandra
the percent. I was basically the main character from clockwork orange trees, very dark
intentionally so morally dubious. Did you see the security video at all of the man in the hat? I did get to see it, and did you look at it and say that's Colin powell? Who else would it be
in that video. From the light rail system, the man and the hat keeps walking right into the dakota
home station parking garage only blocks away from work. Cassandras car was found
healthcare security personnel at the garage if they had any footage. The answer was a resounding yes, we find him walking into the parking garage to a truck
see him using remote, controlled opener
the truck and then, as he exits the parking garage. You can see pretty clearly in the video the license plate, which comes back to mister Dudley.
was college shabby truck
proving the detective said. The man in the video and calling dudley were one and the same detective healthy was convinced that calling
I've done something to Cassandra and he wanted
get into debt these house immediately. We don't have a body
We don't have any true evidence that cassandras dad we're still hoping. Maybe she is tied up in the
he's my six days after Cassandra control banished a swat team burst into colander,
these house. What do you think is the strongest piece of evidence connecting column dudley, dick s, disappearance chat now with the forty
hours. Tea on facebook and twitter,
the authorities were out in force after they raided Colin Dudley's house, but they found no sign of cassandra. Cassandra was not found inside the mcallen was detained temporarily for us to do. The fingerprints and dna investigators seized several items from the house, including Colin chevy, colorado truck and a black fedora. Don't know if it's the same one he's wearing in the video or not. There were numerous areas that they identified in the basement where there was passive
Dna blood evidence they said that
I showed particular interest in the basement, specifically a browns
in the basement. Detective home key believe something terrible had happened to cassandra deadly, had stopped talking to investigators, but is living girlfriend rebecca fisher, a carpenter agreed to sit down for it.
Our view. Do you think he would be capable of hurting Cassandra after a thirteen? Second pause,
six would say: yes, he's got size and strength on
don't think he would in no. He would not
investigators could not prove otherwise doubly was free to go. Why can't you arrest him? Will he's guilty of something? But what is it
thea detected. Honky wanted to know every move doubly made on august twenty there, the day, Cassandra
went missing and he said
it became clear that dudley had hatched a well thought out plot.
Get rid of cassandra. He had play on this, and probably
was pretty meticulous in his planning. It
police interview doubly said that early on the morning cassandra disappeared. He visited carrasco, sulphur
stop. He makes is at a cost, go gas station. Then
went to a second costco to pick up supplies for what he had told detectives was a spring cleaning investigators
I received in the store provided video here.
Surveillance cameras. It'll pick up doubly in the store.
around seven a m. This
is where he said he stopped, because he needed supplies for his spring cleaning correct. Yes, the video is so crystal clear. We think that probably the garbage sacks store
Heard show that doubly purchased a box of heavy duty. Trash bags goes back to his house
active, say then dudley dropped off. This applies at home and drove to the duke
I'm a dome station parking garage arriving at eight
seventeen. I am surveillance reels when fulla too
What shows that truck again now in the back you'll see a bike.
You'll see him get out and
put on a helmet.
then get on a bike and ride it away deadly left his truck in the garage and began paddling home
it's about a twenty minute ride. Investigators believe he wanted to be home by nine, am because
It turns out he.
Cassandra had made plans at his house sure enough text record,
show that Cassandra was outside collins house at eight forty nine, a m she said. I am a bit early that ok,
and he says he says europe come on up
Those two messages were both deleted. Eta has answered. The two phones are then pinpointed in that same location at the house for a couple of hours right.
for a little more than two hours? Neither phone showed any movement, and it was during this p,
creative time investigators believe call in deadly. Like
he killed. Cassandra can travel
The amount of premeditation right went into planning this right.
It appears investigator say that around eleven forty I am doubly turned on his cell phone.
Cassandras phone shows it moving away
the house detective salmon says that's because doubly had her phone with him,
has he drove her hard at the spot
bandit near the light. Rail
nation. He turns his cell phone off, but doesn't turn
or cell phone often is driving around with it. What was he thinking? Apparently? He wasn't. He wasn't thinking well enough.
Not as smart as he thought he was
you'll see
car is that I read that the way why weren't coming down
and then you see dudley in the hat, walking away from her car.
remember how he paused for a few moments and sat down detective salmon believes he was gather,
himself,
de murdering Cassandra? I think
he's just physically tired, because a probably how violent the incident was
Tactile, say doubly then retrieved his truck from the garage where he had staff
did earlier that day drove to
when beach and tar sands phone into the puget sound and what time roughly was that last year's around twelve forty four
but while investigators had discovered her phone in the water, they still haven't found cassandra. They had no idea what doubly had done with her, but they did have a chevy colorado truck and tell
he had an idea as an investigator or been exposed to different technologies, and we knew cars had electronic evidence contained in them. Almost every car or truck has reams of data that can be extracted, as illustrated here. So this is where the major break in the case came through. You can turn your cell phone off or not necessarily be able to track, but you can't turn your car's black box off exactly how he got a warrant to remove the truck's black box. Essentially a computer that tracks and records nearly every move a vehicle makes he reviewed the data which confirmed much of what they already knew from the phone records. But there was something new that caught everyone's attention. The truck's black box had a record of Colin Dudley's movements on august twenty six. The day after Cassandra visited his house, and this is the next morning corrects an hour at six am and then, of course, we notice where the vehicle stopped
ups. There is a large wooded ravine
on September twenty second, twenty twenty detective sergeant,
rent vandyke rushed to.
ravine, which is eight mb
I from dudley's house it was nearly a month since Cassandra had gone missing. I got there first and looked over the hills.
And you can clearly see that there was a garbage can halfway down. Now you can
see that the garbage can had a bag liner and
some ropes around. He also spotted glide, so you clearly
This point new had remains optional,
home key.
also at the scene, wanted to make a quick
identification and he knew
that Cassandra had a distinctive tattoo. I asked them to take a break,
but so they took a picture in came walking up. The hill hunky recognised
the tattoo immediately Cassandra can't
well was dead. Help keys heart sank when he thought
our calling cassandras mother cycle
and told her that had information
that I needed share with her my first.
Question: was she hidden? No sorry she stopped.
cassandras twin brother, rob overheard that phone call the secular heard her screaming. I knew that they had found her
Colleagues dudley was arrested that night and later charged with first degree murder.
Investigators felt they had built a strong case so strong that they decided not to try and retrieve the information on Cassandra water logged phone, the case barreled toward trial for two years and then cassandras friends and family heard that prosecutors were considering making a plea deal with doubling. They could not believe it. It was premeditated. It was.
literally cold. Blooded. I've, no words a lot of
or down a locked, see more evidence of how the case against Colin Dudley came together that forty eight hours dot com
check,
an optimist. She'd, never lhasa, even up until the end
leave that she entered his house hopeful.
Hopeful that call in deadly was getting comfortable with their pregnancy. Instead, investigators believe he brutally murdered her in autumn,
see revealed exactly how brutal there
were fractures,
major fractures to her school so head over the head getting on,
cause of death was blunt force, trauma
investigators say they were never able to identify a murder weapon, but they did find
those traces of blood likely Cassandra does indeed
these basement based
floor walls, a stainless steel,
table.
and the laundry room, sink police, suspect collins.
Cleaned the basement multiple times after killing cassandra and kept her body there,
overnight before dumping her in that regard,
the next morning and they believe collins live in girlfriend rebecca was hot.
during some of that time been thinking
Well, you know Rebecca there in the house to that was my next,
Gender was there any thoughts that she had
been involved. There was no mean some people thought that
investigators, confronted rebecca
did you have anything to do with the disappearance of cassandra on we did not find
and any information that she
that it went on that she had anything to do with it to kept separate areas of the house,
and so I could see you know her doing
own thing and now going on around the basement. Yeah but rebecca did confirm.
the police that call and never wanted to be, a father
He does not want to be had pierced. County Debbie
prosecutors. Brian wasn't, carry and Patrick Vincent went to work on improving collins guilt,
That this is a very strong case. Lay circumstantially mean, oddly, it's not one in which we had a great deal of physical evidence. Who is it
set relied on essentially digital records. Like that video of call in leaving cassandras car those phone records placing cassandra at collins house the morning she disappeared and the data showing collins truck
Cassandra remains were eventually found for the prosecutors, its.
like a lot, but they were concerned about convincing a jury and trial. We don't have an eye witness. We don't have a murder weapon. We don't have a confession. So when the defence offered to accept a plea deal, the prosecutor
negotiated eventually
Alan doubly agreed to plead guilty to murder and the first degree for killing cassandra. The prosecutors brought
deal the cassandras family, they were furious.
but I'm november, fourteenth
Twenty two calling deadly formally entered his guilty play
sure
guilty
he was sentenced to twenty six years in prison,
I have no words that would even encompass
The frustration, anger, sadness heart ache.
Andrews, family and friends had wanted a trial where the full story was told. There also upset that someone guilty of murdering a pregnant woman would
they get twenty six years in prison. You think the system is broken
broken in this case, has is that somebody kin
what he did and not have to spend it.
Life in prison. It was
sentiment. Steve Amman shared he felt betrayed by
one time friend and had even written a letter to
judge, saying he should not be
at all. He will
learn from this
call in deadly likely will get out and with good behaviour he could be free again,
as early as twenty forty four
He should never see the light of dick in because
He gets out, he could be in his early sixties.
He stood out all that time to live
cassandras family, wants to make sure that no one else suffers the way they say they have. They would like a law in washington state that if
someone is guilty of knowingly killing a pregnant woman. They would automatically get em
I've sentence. No boss border
or you die in jail until there's any sort of resemblance of justice. I'm not later
go and wanted.
Emily wages, that fight cassandras twin brother is trying
honor his sister in
other ways she would have loved you did.
Finally open that dream that you had together your own store. Yes,
your of her hanging in the window and photos throughout the store of her. It's a living tribute to her
The store is not far from cassandras. Grave
he and his mom go to visit her
say, hi keep her headstone clean,
your flowers do? You think what life could be like with her now, if she had had the chance
the live, her life and be a mom
about a lot because
She had all these plans sweet
Marie says her daughter lived life to the full list,
I by that distinctive tattoo she had of her favorite quote. We don't stop
because we grow weaker
ass. We stop plea
She always had something up her sleeve. She would spring
Little surprises on me
What I miss most is just
four essence?
I
the
I the
two young women,
for a night of parties together, there's a dark side to us,
angeles. How did they end up
dont, separate hospitals and who is responsible for their deaths, something terrible happened by forty eight hours, saturday, CBS and streaming on, colonel plus
hey Brian
members, you can listen to the forty eight hours podcast ad free on amazon, music, download
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Transcript generated on 2023-04-10.