00:00:08
[Music] My intention was never ever to hurt anybody. >> Esther Reed is a highly intelligent
00:00:24
individual. >> My mom used to say that I could tell Ice to Eskimos. I could really do that.
00:00:30
>> The problem with Esther Reed is you don't know what's real and you don't know what's not real.
00:00:35
>> That's something that can definitely be used to manipulate and to hurt people. I
00:00:39
certainly could do it. >> Like the character and catch me if you can. >> I was also wondering if I could write
00:00:45
you a personal check. >> Esther Reed was able to manufacture identities and convincingly live in
00:00:51
those identities. >> Harvard Medical School. She was able to fabricate fraudulent
00:00:57
marriage certificates and birth certificates. >> That is a woman I knew in college as
00:01:00
Natalie Fischer. >> She told me that she was going by Bowman. >> This is a woman that completely
00:01:06
reinvented herself from being a chubby Montana high school dropout to an attractive Ivy League co-ed able to con
00:01:15
her way into Harvard into Colombia going to military balls at West Point. She is
00:01:21
certainly not above using her feminine ws to get whatever she wants. And then she picked the wrong identity.
00:01:29
>> In the summer of 2006, I received a phone call stating that there was someone in New York City calling herself
00:01:36
Brook Henson. >> South Carolina authorities sent the NYPD detectives to check her out.
00:01:43
>> The next day, she was gone. That was Esther Reed and not Bro Henson. I'm interested in finding out if Esther
00:01:52
Reed knows anything about Brook Hensson's disappearance. >> My name is Steven Rom. I'm a private
00:01:57
investigator and I am currently hunting for Esther Reed. >> The only life she has ever known has
00:02:04
been someone who steals identities and commits major fraud schemes. >> She's getting wire transfers from
00:02:09
overseas, communicating with people at West Point. Law enforcement is concerned, you know, maybe this is a
00:02:16
spy. We want to shut it down as quickly as possible. >> It just snowballed. >> I think Esther Reed has the ability to
00:02:22
be as cold blooded as she needs to be. >> The shooting happened this morning at the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park.
00:02:28
>> It was never supposed to happen that way. >> Catch her if you can. Tonight's 48 hours
00:02:36
mystery. [Music] [Applause] [Music] They say she stole a missing girl's identity. Now she's missing, too.
00:03:11
I became a different person in name only. I'm basically the same girl. >> Could you tell me who you are? What is
00:03:18
your name? >> Esther Reed. >> Are you sure? >> Yes. Well, in first grade I was Esther
00:03:26
Elizabeth Herford Reed. I think when I was about 18 I was Elizabeth Reed. Then I was Natalie Fischer. Then I went by
00:03:32
the name Natalie Bowman. Then Brooke Henson. And finally Jennifer Meyers. Esther Reed granted 48 hours her first
00:03:40
interview. The circumstances of how we found Esther will become clear as we unravel this mystery.
00:03:48
>> Esther Reed is cunning. She's calculated and she's intelligent. It's a perfect
00:03:53
combination for a con artist. >> Right now, she must be uh living a a life trying to keep one step ahead of
00:04:00
the law. Private investigator Steve Rom working for 48 hours and US Marshal John
00:04:06
Bridge were each searching for the elusive Esther Reed. >> She really is very much on the run now.
00:04:14
I think in a way that she never was before. After stealing many identities and running numerous brilliant scams, this
00:04:23
master conwoman has earned a spot on the US Secret Services 10 most wanted list.
00:04:30
>> She lived this life as other people. She was not Esther Reed from 1999 on. >> Walt Wilkins, a US attorney, has
00:04:38
investigated Esther's background. >> How good is Esther? She's good. She's real good.
00:04:47
Trying to understand the riddle of Esther Reed, we traveled to her hometown of towns in Montana.
00:04:54
>> It's a very small town in the middle of Montana, and if you blink, you miss it.
00:05:00
>> Edna Stro is one of Esther's eight older siblings. >> We used to play in the creek a lot. I
00:05:06
mean, that was the big thing, especially if you could do it without mom finding out. The box.
00:05:12
>> Edna has not seen Esther in person for nearly a decade, but she agreed to show
00:05:18
us the family home. >> Now, what do we have here? >> This is a surprise trunk. The people
00:05:23
that bought the house were cleaning out the attic, and they found a trunk. >> You want to see what's inside?
00:05:27
>> I do. I really want to see what's inside. >> Why don't we turn this? >> I'm curious.
00:05:31
>> The trunk is the first in a trail of clues our investigation will uncover. >> This is Esther's dress.
00:05:39
How old would you guess Esther is in this room? >> I'd say she's like four or five.
00:05:43
>> Looks like a very happy young girl. >> She was She was always smiling. >> This was a photograph. It was inside
00:05:52
that box. >> Yes. I was a very happy kid. Very, very happy. >> What goes through your mind when you
00:06:00
look at that? It's hard cuz this period of my life was great. It's just a shame what happened and how
00:06:12
I disappeared. >> Why did you disappear? >> I just was so afraid of the world. >> After Esther's parents divorced, she
00:06:22
felt like an outcast. >> What do you think Esther saw when she looked in the mirror?
00:06:27
>> Somebody she didn't want to be. someone she didn't like, someone I I think she
00:06:33
would have done anything to escape from if she could have. >> Jim Tero was Esther's English teacher
00:06:40
and debate coach. >> She was very, very smart, a kid with so much potential. Do you feel as though
00:06:46
you're intellectually gifted? >> I would say yes. I assimilate information quickly. I remember it. I'm
00:06:53
able to problem solve things like that. >> She used to argue with you. Yeah, she
00:06:58
practiced on me. Did she win those arguments? Generally, >> she did. >> EJ Reed is Esther's brother. They were
00:07:06
very close. And EJ felt Esther's brilliance every day, especially when the two played chess.
00:07:14
>> She blew me away. I mean, I couldn't even hold a candle to her. Your sister always thinks a few moves ahead. She's
00:07:22
definitely always thinking a little bit ahead. But as smart as she was, Esther dropped
00:07:27
out of high school and moved with her mom to Seattle. Then in 1998, Esther's mother passed away.
00:07:36
>> My mom always just loved me. If she was there, it was fine. And when she died, it wasn't fine
00:07:45
anymore. Nothing was fine anymore. >> She didn't like who she was and where she was going. She would say, "I just
00:07:53
wish I was someone else." >> Esther's metamorphosis from small town girl to big city conwoman had begun. And
00:08:02
so did her life of crime. >> I have lost my only compass in life. I've lost my only support system. And
00:08:11
I'm spiraling out of control. And I have nowhere to turn. >> The next matter, State of Washington
00:08:15
versus Esther Reed. Would you explain to me just briefly? During this period, Esther stole a coworker's purse.
00:08:22
>> How do you plead? >> Guilty. >> Esther even took Edna's purse and drained her checking account of
00:08:29
thousands of dollars. >> It was like somebody slugged me in the stomach. >> Edna was steamed.
00:08:35
>> I just told her, "You can't live like this. You have ripped me off." And you know who are you? We have a very toxic
00:08:43
relationship. I think I push her buttons and I think she pushes my buttons. What
00:08:47
was the last thing the two of you said to each other before you parted? >> We just hugged each other and said, "We
00:08:52
loved each other." And then she said, "I promise I will keep in touch." And she did for a while.
00:09:00
>> When did you next see your sister? >> I never saw her again. >> Esther Reed had ceased to exist.
00:09:08
[Music] [Music] [Applause] by 1999. Esther Reed knew she needed to leave town. >> I was really, really angry and my life
00:09:33
was falling apart. Now a convicted criminal with family problems, 21-year-old Esther decided it was time
00:09:41
to ditch her old life and find a new identity. >> I decided, okay, I'm just going to move
00:09:47
on. In the beginning, I thought I just needed a driver's license and I could just have a name and that would be okay.
00:09:54
>> And it was at that time, around that time, you made the decision to become Natalie Fischer.
00:09:59
>> Yes. very soon after that. It's going to sound really bad, but she's wicked smart.
00:10:05
>> Meet the real Natalie Fischer, the sister of Esther's old boyfriend. >> Did she seem friendly to you?
00:10:12
>> Yeah, she seemed like she was a nice person, but she's quiet. >> Quiet, but cunning. Before long, Esther
00:10:20
had gotten a hold of Natalie's social security number and began using it to rip her off. I got a phone call from the
00:10:27
collection agency representing AT&T and they informed me that I owed them like $400 or $500. Esther got a driver's
00:10:36
license in Natalie's name and proceeded to live as Natalie. Esther left Seattle in 2000 and spent much of the next two
00:10:44
years traveling cross country in a car like this, staying in cheap motel. But despite her life of vagrancy and petty
00:10:53
crime, a part of Esther still wanted to find a path to success and a place where
00:11:00
she truly belonged. [Music] I hated the name Esther. I never liked it. So, I was never attached to that
00:11:08
name. My intention was to have a life that I could live. And I tried my best not to hurt people.
00:11:18
Forced to live by her wits, Esther needed a way to make money any way she could. She perfectly forged these JC
00:11:26
penny receipts and used them to return items for more than they were worth. Esther pocketed tens of thousands of
00:11:34
dollars. >> Thank you. >> I'm not going to discuss money of any sort. >> Okay. But you managed to make some money
00:11:42
somehow. >> I managed to survive. >> She did more than survive. She transformed herself by losing weight and
00:11:50
having cosmetic surgery. >> Who is this woman? >> That is a woman I knew in college as
00:11:55
Natalie Fischer. >> She was a very nice person. She's very friendly. >> Two years later, she met Brandy Olsen at
00:12:01
a debate camp in Tempe, Arizona. Brandy says Natalie Fiser always had plenty of money and a ready explanation of where
00:12:12
it came from. >> She had a very well-paying job as a professional chess player. She said,
00:12:16
>> "How do you make money in chess?" >> Well, she told us that the prizes if you
00:12:20
won a tournament were pretty substantial, upwards of $10,000. [Music] >> She always seemed to have money.
00:12:27
>> Where'd she get it? She was getting it from opening up credit cards and other
00:12:32
people's names. >> US Attorney Walt Wilkins. >> She was living a relatively good
00:12:38
lifestyle. Um, at least that's what our evidence suggests during that time. >> It's our only hope if you live in
00:12:44
Newcastle. Brandy was on a college debate team and Natalie used her new friend to meet people at debate
00:12:51
tournaments. >> She wanted to go back to college and she had been interested in a debate so she
00:12:56
was going to start getting into that. >> Esther's ruse worked. >> Is a minority of some sort.
00:13:02
>> She met debate coach John Brushki and in 2002 he invited Natalie to attend Cal
00:13:10
State Fullerton. whether it's embracing Nze or not, what I'm saying >> and asked her to join his team. She
00:13:16
agreed, but by the time she got there, she had a different name. >> Natalie was very guarded about her past.
00:13:23
Uh I mean, I once in fact asked her the question, I you know, is your last name Fischer or Bowman?
00:13:30
>> While you were at Cal State Fullerton, you make a decision to change your identity from Natalie Fischer to Natalie
00:13:36
Bowman. Why? >> I knew I couldn't be Natalie Fischer. That's because Natalie Fiser was
00:13:43
monitoring her credit report and realized someone was stealing from her. Esther needed to refine her scam and get
00:13:52
someone's social security number. >> So, I got the idea that you could use a missing person's. That's why I started
00:13:59
college as Natalie Bowman. I thought she was missing. I was just going to go to college, you know, get on with my life.
00:14:06
If there's anyone who knows what Esther was going through, it's Frank Abagnail. >> You live this life. Esther Reed is
00:14:14
living this life. What is it like every day? Are you looking over your shoulder?
00:14:18
It's horrible. It's an extremely difficult life to live. >> His exploits as a young con man inspired
00:14:24
the movie Catch Me If You Can. >> I'd like to cash this check here and then I'd like to take you out for a
00:14:32
steak dinner. Abagnail spent years posing as a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. He says he knows why Esther
00:14:41
loved to debate. >> There's no greater debate person than a con man who has the answer to every
00:14:47
question instantly. >> So someone like Esther has to be a good actor. >> You're acting. You're playing role.
00:14:52
You're not really that person. You're just pretending to be that person. Esther has creativity. She has talent.
00:14:58
She's intelligent. She has a personality. Uh, so she has a lot of things going for her.
00:15:07
>> She paid for everything with cash and she always had money and she was very generous with her money.
00:15:13
>> Beta Shagi, who was Esther's roommate at Cal State Fullerton, had no idea her
00:15:18
close friend was an impostor. This is a picture of my mother when >> Ba trusted Esther completely and they
00:15:26
bonded after learning both their mothers had died of cancer. >> She said, "Oh my goodness, I haven't met
00:15:33
another person who's lost their mother at such a young age like I have." She seemed to feel like I understood where
00:15:39
she was coming from. >> But back in Seattle, 3 years had passed since Esther's family had heard from
00:15:48
her. It's the betrayal and that she has left everybody hanging, that she doesn't
00:15:54
even have the consideration to call and say, "I truly am okay." >> The family filed a missing person's
00:16:02
report, and Edna wondered if she'd ever see Esther again. What are you thinking to yourselves?
00:16:07
>> That somebody had hurt her and that she was dead. >> Esther was very much alive and she was
00:16:15
moving on to another identity. In the spring of 2003, Esther ditched the name Natalie Bowman, left Cal State
00:16:23
Fullerton, and hit the road. She told Beta she was being stalked and had to change her name yet again. Beta believed
00:16:33
her. >> And what was going to be her new name? >> The one that she ended up picking was
00:16:38
Brooke. And I said, "Oh, I like that one." And you know that you could pass for a Brooke. And then I said, "Well,
00:16:43
what's your last name going to be?" And she said, "Hensen." In Brook Henen, Esther felt she'd found the perfect
00:16:49
cover. It proved to be anything but. [Music] For some reason, new people are not as
00:17:13
frightening as people I know. like people I get used to then I start to see a look on their face that wasn't there
00:17:19
before or maybe she's treating me different now. So new places for some reason were safer for me.
00:17:26
>> After her first taste of college life in California under the name Natalie Bowman, Esther Reed wanted more.
00:17:35
>> She was clearly qualitatively better than other students in the class. >> In fact, Esther wanted to go to Harvard.
00:17:43
She asked her professor Mitch Avala to write her a letter of recommendation, but there was a catch.
00:17:50
>> Well, she asked me to write it uh for her under another name. >> I asked him and he said yes.
00:17:56
>> What did you tell him so that he'd say yes? >> I know. I told him I was in danger and
00:18:00
had to change my name. I don't remember why. >> She claimed at the time that she was
00:18:04
being stalked. >> A lot of debate is a lot of BS. You learn how to come up with creative
00:18:11
arguments. You craft them. You research them, you develop them, and you present them. And that's sort of what I did.
00:18:18
>> It was Esther's most ambitious identity theft yet, and one she thought was foolproof.
00:18:24
>> What was that name? >> Brooke Henson. >> Brooke Henson. A young woman from South
00:18:30
Carolina who was missing presumed murdered. I really thought that I could live my life as Broken and they wouldn't
00:18:39
know and I would have a new life. In 2004, Esther fulfilled her childhood dream. She applied and was accepted to
00:18:51
Harvard University. It's extension school anyway. >> She went at someone else that surprises
00:18:56
me. But that she made it doesn't surprise me in the least. Esther had big plans for her new
00:19:04
identity. As Brooke Henson, she wanted to attend law school. >> She'd been wanting to be a lawyer since
00:19:10
she was very small. >> Esther had fooled Harvard, but she wanted more. She'd scored well on the
00:19:17
SAT and soon set her sights on another Ivy League school. >> I applied to Colombia and I was
00:19:24
incredibly shocked when she called me and said, "You've been accepted." The high school dropout from towns in
00:19:31
Montana was in the big leagues. >> What was it like for you to walk the campus of Columbia University as a
00:19:40
full-fledged student? >> I had a feeling that this was going to be the start of my life and I was
00:19:46
incredibly excited about that. >> Esther financed her new life by acquiring more than $100,000
00:19:54
in fraudulent student loans. I never ever borrowed a penny that I did not intend on paying back. I intended to be
00:20:01
Brook Hansen for the rest of my life. >> After months with no contact, Esther was
00:20:08
now back in touch with her friend in California, Beta Shagi. >> She told me that she really loved New
00:20:15
York. >> Beta went to visit her on July 4th, 2005. >> Did you call her Brooke or Natalie?
00:20:21
>> No, Natalie. Always called her Natalie. still unaware that her best friend was a
00:20:27
con artist. >> It was a blast. We went everywhere. We went to cafes. We took a ferry out to the Statue of
00:20:36
Liberty and we took some pictures. She didn't like taking pictures, so I really had to talk her into even getting
00:20:45
this these pictures with me. >> She didn't like to take pictures. >> No, she didn't.
00:20:49
>> How come? Well, she told me she just didn't like the way she looked in pictures.
00:20:57
>> That same 4th of July >> was also the sixth anniversary of the real Brooke Henson's disappearance.
00:21:04
>> According to the police, there's still not a trace of evidence. >> Her aunt, Lisa Henson, held a vigil.
00:21:10
>> Something needs to be done to find out what happened. Somebody needs to come forward. I miss her.
00:21:16
>> I know you do, baby. We all miss her. There may have been foul play involved in her disappearance.
00:21:23
>> South Carolina investigator John Campbell had nearly run out of new leads. >> We would get the occasional sighting,
00:21:30
but we would never be able to substantiate it. It was like she dropped off the face of the earth.
00:21:38
>> Back up at Colombia, the fake Brooke Henson was making the most of her new life. She had a 3.22 22 GPA, an
00:21:47
apartment near Central Park, and was dating a West Point cadet. Among the textbooks, you were studying
00:21:55
psychology and criminology. >> Yes. >> And logically, someone would say, "What perfect two courses for a conwoman to
00:22:03
take to hone her craft?" >> "What perfect two courses for a lawyer to take?" In July of 2006, feeling confident after
00:22:12
2 years at Colia, >> I knew I wasn't doing anything wrong enough to get caught, >> Esther applied for a job. Doing a
00:22:21
background check, the employer Googled Brooke Henson. He discovered she was a missing person and quickly called South
00:22:29
Carolina authorities. >> It didn't make any sense to me that that there was somebody alive in New York. It
00:22:35
was actually Brooke. Detective John Campbell was shocked and skeptical. >> I didn't think it was possible that
00:22:41
Brooke had gone to New York and somehow got into an Ivy League school after she'd been a high school dropout.
00:22:48
>> But then again, that's exactly what this high school dropout had done. >> A lot of kids who are incredibly bright
00:22:55
drop out of high school because we're bored. >> Campbell asked a New York detective to
00:23:01
make contact. >> And what'd you tell him? Um, I tell my man, Brooke Henson, >> and ask her some questions that Lisa
00:23:07
Henen, Brook's aunt, had prepared. >> What is your brother's best friend's name? What's your late uncle's first
00:23:14
name? Things like that. >> Remarkably, Esther got nearly all the answers right. >> So, I really had hope then.
00:23:21
>> Then Lisa saw a photo. Is this Brooke? >> No. >> You're certain of that? >> Absolutely. positively. She is not Broo
00:23:33
Henson. >> But Lisa and Detective Campbell wanted more information. >> Technically, she is a suspect until we
00:23:40
can clear her. >> I started thinking either she had something to do with Brook's
00:23:43
disappearance or she knew somebody who was involved in it. >> Campbell asked a New York detective to
00:23:51
call Brooke and request a DNA sample. What are you going through at that moment? Are you panicked?
00:23:57
>> Sure. >> Esther decided to flee. She quickly went out and rented a U-Haul truck.
00:24:04
>> I came back and the New York City police were at my door and um I went upstairs,
00:24:09
grabbed my dog and my suitcase. Then I left. The only thing I couldn't leave was my dogs.
00:24:15
>> As Esther's cons made headlines, she went underground. 48 hours then set out to find her,
00:24:23
hiring renowned private investigator Steve Rom. How do you begin? Well, we begin by finding out everything we can
00:24:31
about her background, her aliases, places where she's lived. >> Rom first heads to Esther's old
00:24:39
apartment in Manhattan. >> Thank goodness her landlord saved all of this. >> Oh, baby, baby, baby.
00:24:49
>> Steve Rom strikes gold. >> This is Brook Henson's certified birth certificate. a paper trail of Esther's
00:24:57
life as Brooke. >> She left behind her credit card bills, her bank statements, her phone bills.
00:25:04
Countless, countless leads. We've got evidence here of massive financial frauds.
00:25:09
>> And some of her targets were the men she was dating. >> How many men do you think Esther Reed
00:25:14
has gone through? >> I'm aware of about a dozen. >> What was it about Esther that made her
00:25:18
so attractive to men? She's she's a master of manipulation and she can socially engineer anyone into liking
00:25:27
her. At least five of Esther's boyfriends were cadets and midshipman from West Point and Annapolis.
00:25:35
There are fears that Esther has been taking her scams to a whole new level. Law enforcement is concerned that she
00:25:43
might be involved in espionage. [Music] When I made the decision to leave New York, I never spoke to anyone I knew
00:26:05
ever again. >> It was July 2006. Having shed her identity as Brooke Hansen, Esther Reed escaped from New
00:26:14
York. Where'd you go? >> Just to a hotel over in Jersey. I took a cab. I just knew I needed time to think.
00:26:23
>> And then she was gone. But the authorities were closing in. A federal grand jury in South Carolina handed down
00:26:31
this indictment, charging Esther Reed with felony identity theft and student loan fraud. With the full investigative
00:26:39
powers of the Secret Service now deployed, it seemed likely that Esther would be apprehended quickly.
00:26:45
>> When it came in as a potential identity theft case, the Secret Service became
00:26:49
immediately involved. >> US Attorney Walt Wilkins. The fact that Esther got a passport under the name
00:26:57
Brooke Henson, was that kind of a fatal mistake for her? >> If someone is able to attain a US
00:27:02
passport fraudulently, we're going to take that very seriously. Either they're going to find her or I'm going to find
00:27:08
her. >> Hot on Esther's trail is 48 Hours private investigator Steve Rom. He tracked Esther all the way from Vermont
00:27:17
to Florida to California. >> I would be very surprised if we don't find her. If I didn't genuinely believe
00:27:24
that, I wouldn't be daring enough to say it on television. >> Pouring over Esther's old cell phone
00:27:30
records, Rom decided to head for Chicago. There are a lot of significant leads in the Chicago area. We know she
00:27:39
lived there. We know she did whatever she does there. >> Those records led us to this man, Steven
00:27:46
Fouts, a convicted sexual predator. We caught him going into his favorite bar. >> Steven Fouts, that you
00:27:54
>> There were more than 100 phone calls between you and Esther Reed on your cell
00:27:59
phone and hers. Fouts claims a woman named Wanda used his cell phone to make those calls to Esther.
00:28:06
>> She had my telephone. All right. You believe that? Do you believe that? >> No, I don't.
00:28:14
>> The Fouts lead is a dead end. So, Rom next zeros in on Steven Donald, an old boyfriend of Esther's also in Chicago.
00:28:23
>> He may know her current location. He certainly has a lot of information we don't yet have. After observing Donald
00:28:31
in his apartment, Rom Bomb coaxes him outside. We then decided to move in ourselves.
00:28:40
>> Here we go. Do it. >> Steven Peter Van, >> are you in contact with Esther Reed
00:28:48
today? >> No, of course not. >> Do you have any idea where she is? >> No. You understand that she may be
00:28:55
involved in illegal activities and that those who associated with her will be likely questioned and I'm giving you an
00:29:02
opportunity to tell us what you know about her. >> You tell the federal authorities I'd be
00:29:05
more than happy to speak with them as they are a uh fine upstanding professional group of people.
00:29:13
>> But Donald goes back on his word. Authorities say he refused to cooperate. And while Rom was in Chicago, Esther was
00:29:22
still at large. >> I don't believe Esther's been in contact with any of her uh family or friends. Um
00:29:29
I honestly believe that she pretty much left everyone behind. >> Joining the hunt on the federal side is
00:29:38
US Marshal John Bridge. because she's able to change her identities. It presents a unique challenge in figuring
00:29:44
out what identity she's now using. >> To uncover that new identity, he has to match wits with Esther.
00:29:52
>> There's an old saying, you can't connect the dots until you collect the dots.
00:29:58
>> And when the dots are connected and Esther's pattern becomes clear, authorities are alarmed. Esther is
00:30:05
dating a series of military men, but no one knows why. >> We investigated along with the military
00:30:12
a potential security risk that Esther Reed might impose to the United States. >> That she could be a spy,
00:30:19
>> that she could be a spy, that she could um obtain information and and and counter espionage, sell the information
00:30:26
to to other countries. Fueling the suspicion was the fact that Esther had received several wire transfers of cash
00:30:34
from a man in Germany. We were certainly concerned about any international wire transfer, especially coming from
00:30:40
Germany. >> In the States, investigators focused on Kyle Bringingle, a West Point cadet with
00:30:47
whom Esther was romantically involved. >> Kyle Bringing, who is he? >> Military Academy candidate. military
00:30:57
academy graduate. This is again somebody who should he choose probably can rise through the ranks to the very top of the
00:31:08
military. >> With Kyle Pringle, you have IM in which you're asking about what he's studying.
00:31:13
If he could provide you with some of this information, including potential battle plans. Why did you ask him for
00:31:20
that? >> I cannot imagine I would ever ever ask Kyle for a battle plan. But her instant
00:31:26
messages with Kyle say otherwise. Kyle, training briefing. Got lots of maps and timelines. Esther, is it for a
00:31:36
class or something real? Kyle, yeah, for my military science class, just like what I'll do as an infantry platoon
00:31:44
leader. Esther, I want to see it when you're finished. Kyle, I'll send it to you.
00:31:52
This is a classic method of espionage using using sex and using intimacy to get this sort of information. I mean
00:32:01
this is Mahari 101. >> Are you a spy Esther? >> No. >> Never. You can die for being a spy. I
00:32:10
would never even consider doing that. >> Again, her ims to Kyle Bringingle conflict with her story.
00:32:19
Esther, I'd so love to be James Bond. Kyle, really? You want to be a spy? Esther? Oh, please. That would be a
00:32:29
dream job. >> Either I was drunk or we were joking. I have no idea why I would say that.
00:32:34
>> Why should I think you're just BSing me right now? That the the master conwoman
00:32:38
is just conning me and conning this audience. >> I am never very clear on why people
00:32:45
consider me a con artist. I don't think everyone who tells a lie is a con artist.
00:32:50
>> Frank Abagnail, who himself used sex to get information when he was a con man
00:32:56
thinks he knows why Esther was romantically involved with so many military students.
00:33:02
>> She's using the sex to meet them, but that when she gets to meet them, she can
00:33:05
question them all day long in a very way that they don't realize they're even being questioned about, you know, how do
00:33:11
I do this? When you go do this, what do you have to do? It's to round out her military character. I don't think Esther
00:33:17
is into espionage. >> But Esther didn't limit her relationships solely to military men.
00:33:23
>> The one thing she's religious about paying her bills for apparently are for e-harmony.com and match.com. She's
00:33:30
trolling the internet for the next boyfriend, for the next sucker. >> And she found them everywhere. Traveling
00:33:38
all over the country, Esther was hooking up with men in Connecticut, New York, and Florida.
00:33:45
So, the $64,000 question, where is Esther Reed? Steve, >> don't know yet. >> Do you feel like you're getting close?
00:33:54
>> Very close. >> In February 2008, investigators get a huge break. They link Esther to a car
00:34:02
purchased in the greater Chicago area. >> All we have is a license plate number,
00:34:07
and we're just hoping and waiting that eventually law enforcement will find this particular car.
00:34:15
They do, but in a way no one ever expected. >> Police searched on the ground and from
00:34:22
the air for a suspect they believe shot several people inside this Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park.
00:34:28
[Music] Despite being hunted by the Secret Service and US Marshalss, Esther Reed
00:34:44
could be anywhere right now. >> Investigated by a US attorney and hounded by private investigator Steve
00:34:51
Rom. And >> I think Saddam Hussein changed his sleeping arrangements less often than
00:34:56
she did. >> Esther Reed was still at large more than a year and a half after her escape from
00:35:02
New York. still changing identities to keep one step ahead of her pursuers. >> After Brook Henson and I uh decided
00:35:10
we're not playing with real people, I'm going to create an identity. So, I didn't think I could get in any trouble
00:35:15
for that one. >> What was the name that you became? >> Uh Jennifer Myers. >> Jennifer Myers. And where did Jennifer
00:35:20
go to live? >> Um I traveled. Unbeknownst to Esther, investigators uncovered her new identity and US
00:35:30
Marshal John Bridge was closing in fast. >> We had information that Esther was in
00:35:36
the area of Tinley Park. >> And Tinley Park, a suburb of Chicago on February 2nd, 2008, was the worst place
00:35:45
in the country for Esther to be. What were you doing there? >> Staying in a hotel. The shooting
00:35:51
happened this morning at the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park. Cops were searching everywhere in town after five
00:35:58
women were brutally murdered in a Lane Bryant store. The killer was still on the loose.
00:36:04
>> I had just gotten lunch and I noticed there was tons of police and I was like,
00:36:08
"What the heck is that?" >> Police began cruising parking lots, running checks on all outofstate license
00:36:14
plates. Just by chance, they came across Esther's car. >> I was uh awakened by a door knock. You
00:36:22
open the door and who's standing there? >> Um the police. And actually I thought
00:36:25
they were doing, you know, a manhunt looking for the guy. So I said, "Sure, come on in." He asked me if I had
00:36:30
identification. I said, "Sure." He checked my identification and it came back invalid. And he said, "Let's just
00:36:35
take you down to the station. We'll figure it all out." It was overwhelming. There was an absolute panic.
00:36:42
>> Finally, Esther is forced to admit her true identity. She is arrested and charged with multiple counts, including
00:36:51
identity theft and student loan fraud. [Music] After nine long years, Esther spoke with
00:37:01
her sister Edna from a jail house phone. >> I told her I loved her. She told me she
00:37:06
loved me and that she missed everyone. And I said, "Then why were you gone so long?" And she said, "I don't know. I'm
00:37:11
still very frightened how I will handle a family I can't deal with. It's pain. I mean, every time I talk
00:37:21
about it, it's pain. I just I want to be a happy girl. >> I think Esther is a lost soul.
00:37:31
>> And Fitz was Esther's defense attorney. >> Esther has an underlying psychological
00:37:36
disorder. It's stems from a social anxiety disorder. She feels like people are out to get her.
00:37:44
>> Social anxiety disorder is a very common phobia and defined as an excessive or
00:37:50
irrational fear of being watched, judged, and criticized by others. How convenient. Social anxiety disorder.
00:37:59
Boy, it seems to explain all the bad decisions you made in your life. I've been diagnosed by some of the top um
00:38:06
psychiatrists in the field. >> You could be acting. >> I could be. >> They studied it.
00:38:10
>> I could be, but they happen to be the top experts. >> This is a woman who has spent years
00:38:16
manipulating people. What makes you think she's not just manipulating you? >> Well, she she could be manipulating me,
00:38:22
but from my perspective as her attorney, I have to believe her. >> Esther's defense will never be heard at
00:38:30
trial. 6 months after her capture, she admits to the fraud and identity theft charges, but refuses to detail her many
00:38:40
scams. Are you a criminal, Esther? >> Sure. I mean, I'm a felon. I just pled guilty to four felonies.
00:38:48
>> Esther, now 30 years old, is sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. >> In your opinion, was Esther Reed a spy?
00:38:59
I don't believe she was. My thoughts are that she was merely um looking into possibility of broadening her her her
00:39:08
criminal schemes. >> Federal investigators concluded that Kyle Pringle did nothing wrong and the
00:39:15
Lane Bryant killer has never been found. >> Do you think Esther Reed knows the difference between right and wrong?
00:39:22
>> I hope she does today and I hope that she realizes what she's done to the Henson family.
00:39:29
Brooke Henson's aunt Lisa had to live with the pain of not knowing what happened to her niece who remains
00:39:36
missing. I don't think she ever considered anybody that this would affect. She was
00:39:42
all about Esther. A mother lost her daughter. And if I could fix it, I would. I don't know how to make him better.
00:39:51
>> Esther agreed to this interview after her sentencing. >> There's one question on everyone's mind.
00:39:59
People wonder, "Why couldn't you just do this as Esther Reid? You had such intellect, such talent, such ability.
00:40:06
Just do this as yourself." >> Esther Reed wonders why I couldn't have. I just wanted to go to college. I wanted
00:40:12
to go to college and have a family where I wasn't constantly plagued by these toxic relationships that I couldn't make
00:40:19
work. [Music] After nearly a decade of running from her family, the law, and herself, what
00:40:29
will become of Esther Reed? >> I think Esther Reed has remarkable potential to do something. God knows
00:40:38
what it is. I suspect she'll find what it is. I suspect if it doesn't exist, she'll create it.
00:40:45
>> Who are you going to be in this new life? I don't know if I'll stick with Esther Reed or if I'll change my name
00:40:51
legally. This is for me the start of my life. There's a slight waiting period which I intend to endure with optimism
00:40:57
and excitement and then I intend to go on and be something great. >> No BS. >> No BS.
00:41:06
[Music] [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music]