00:00:09
[Music]
00:00:13
our episodes deal with serious and often
00:00:15
distressing incidents if you feel at any
00:00:18
time you need support please contact
00:00:19
your local crisis center
00:00:21
for suggested phone numbers for
00:00:23
confidential support please see the show
00:00:25
notes for this episode on your app or on
00:00:27
our website
00:00:35
i revealed myself to those who did not
00:00:37
ask for me
00:00:38
i was found by those who did not seek me
00:00:42
to a nation that did not call on my name
00:00:45
i said here am i here am i
00:00:50
all day long i have held out my hands to
00:00:52
an obstinate people who walk in ways not
00:00:55
good
00:00:56
pursuing their own imaginations
00:01:09
[Music]
00:01:29
at the age of 10 john alan chow stumbled
00:01:32
across a copy of robinson crusoe in his
00:01:35
father's study
00:01:37
the classic novel tells of a sailor
00:01:39
shipwrecked on a deserted island
00:01:42
captivated by the tale john told his dad
00:01:45
he wanted to live on a tropical island
00:01:47
one day
00:01:49
born in alabama in 1991 john chow spent
00:01:53
most of his childhood in vancouver
00:01:55
washington
00:01:57
it was in the wilderness around his home
00:01:59
where john developed a lifelong passion
00:02:01
for the outdoors
00:02:04
as he got older this love of nature
00:02:06
morphed into something deeper
00:02:09
he saw it as a means to connect more
00:02:11
fully with god
00:02:13
john was raised as an evangelical
00:02:16
christian and faith played a critical
00:02:18
role in his life
00:02:20
as he devoured christian literature and
00:02:22
stories
00:02:24
john found himself attracted to one
00:02:26
facet of the religion in particular
00:02:29
missionaries
00:02:32
mission work has been a part of
00:02:34
christianity since its inception
00:02:37
verses in the gospel of matthew quote
00:02:39
jesus christ as telling his apostles to
00:02:42
make disciples of all nations
00:02:45
these passages are known as the great
00:02:48
commission and have led some christians
00:02:50
to believe they must save souls through
00:02:53
conversion
00:02:55
as a teenager john chao encountered
00:02:58
stories from the 19th and 20th centuries
00:03:01
about famous missionaries who had
00:03:03
converted people in africa and south
00:03:05
america
00:03:07
in an article published by outsider
00:03:10
magazine
00:03:11
journalist alex perry describes how jon
00:03:14
felt a particular affinity to american
00:03:16
missionary jim elliot
00:03:19
elliot's mission failed however when he
00:03:22
was killed by an isolated ecuadorian
00:03:24
tribe
00:03:26
in 2008 john experienced his first taste
00:03:30
of missionary life when he traveled to
00:03:32
mexico to help build an orphanage
00:03:35
the trip was a success
00:03:37
it inspired jon
00:03:40
mission work was the perfect path for
00:03:42
him
00:03:49
john returned from mexico curious about
00:03:52
other places where he might complete a
00:03:54
mission
00:03:54
he turned to the joshua project
00:03:58
based in colorado springs the joshua
00:04:01
project is a christian organization that
00:04:03
collates information on ethnic groups
00:04:06
around the world to provide data for
00:04:08
missionaries
00:04:10
visitors to the joshua project website
00:04:12
can scroll through its databases of
00:04:15
unreached peoples the organization's
00:04:18
term for non-christian cultures
00:04:21
users can search by language country or
00:04:24
religion to find more than six thousand
00:04:27
societies that are deemed in need of
00:04:29
saving
00:04:32
john didn't want to go to a destination
00:04:34
where others had already been
00:04:36
he wanted to reach people far away in
00:04:39
the kind of remote locations he'd only
00:04:41
ever read about
00:04:43
clicking through the joshua project
00:04:45
website john discovered a page that
00:04:48
caught his eye
00:04:50
it showed a tiny blurry photo taken from
00:04:53
the safety of a boat
00:04:56
it showed a small group of people
00:04:58
gathered on a beach's shoreline naked
00:05:01
except for some loin cloths
00:05:04
the entry was titled
00:05:06
sentinelese in india
00:05:10
in the late 1870s british naval officer
00:05:14
maurice portman sailed through the bay
00:05:16
of bengal 1
00:05:18
370 kilometers east of india's mainland
00:05:23
around him were the andaman islands an
00:05:26
archipelago of over 800 separate islands
00:05:29
characterized by white sand beaches lush
00:05:32
rainforests crystal clear lagoons and
00:05:35
colourful coral reefs
00:05:38
portman had been made officer in charge
00:05:41
of the andamanese
00:05:43
for the next 20 years he traveled from
00:05:46
ireland to ireland to quote civilize the
00:05:50
native peoples
00:05:51
often times using force
00:05:55
in january 1880 portman arrived on an
00:05:59
island known as north sentinel a
00:06:02
forested landmass roughly the size of
00:06:04
manhattan
00:06:06
after days of searching portman
00:06:09
discovered the island's inhabitants the
00:06:11
sentinelese people
00:06:14
theorised to have migrated to the island
00:06:16
from the african continent tens of
00:06:19
thousands of years prior the sentinelese
00:06:21
were a hunter-gatherer society that
00:06:24
lived in makeshift hearts
00:06:26
the adults stood between five foot three
00:06:29
to five foot five and their skin was
00:06:32
described as quote shining black
00:06:36
the islanders fled from portman and his
00:06:39
group of armed men and local trackers
00:06:42
undeterred they continued their search
00:06:45
of the island until they came across an
00:06:47
older couple and their child
00:06:50
the man raised his bow but was tackled
00:06:53
and disarmed before being taken hostage
00:06:56
along with his family
00:06:57
[Music]
00:07:00
portman also managed to capture three
00:07:02
more children and took the six abducted
00:07:05
sentinelese back to his house in port
00:07:08
blair the region's capital on south
00:07:10
andaman island
00:07:13
not long after their arrival the couple
00:07:16
grew sick and died
00:07:18
realising their illness was likely due
00:07:21
to their contact with the outside world
00:07:23
portman quickly sent the children back
00:07:26
to north sentinel island along with an
00:07:28
abundance of gifts
00:07:30
he didn't want to ruin his chances at
00:07:33
making connections with the community
00:07:36
portman later wrote about the incident
00:07:39
noting
00:07:41
this expedition was not a success
00:07:44
we cannot be said to have done anything
00:07:47
more than increase their general terror
00:07:49
of and hostility to all comers
00:07:54
after maurice portman's ill-fated trip
00:07:57
he kept trying to go back to north
00:07:59
sentinel
00:08:01
but he never established a relationship
00:08:03
with the island's inhabitants
00:08:06
many attribute his inhumane and fatal
00:08:09
actions as to why the sentinelese remain
00:08:12
famously wary of outsiders to this day
00:08:16
throughout the years many others have
00:08:18
attempted to reach out to the small
00:08:20
population but have been met with
00:08:22
hostilities
00:08:24
the sentinelese have made it clear that
00:08:26
they desire isolation above all else
00:08:30
[Music]
00:08:33
attempts at settlement in the 18th
00:08:35
century devastated the five indigenous
00:08:38
communities that resided on several of
00:08:40
the andaman islands
00:08:42
foreign infectious diseases and the
00:08:45
introduction of drugs and alcohol by
00:08:47
invaders decimated the native peoples
00:08:50
one tribe became extinct
00:08:53
only one group managed to resist
00:08:56
outsiders the sentinelese considered the
00:08:59
most secluded tribe in the world
00:09:03
it's believed that their population
00:09:05
currently ranges between 100 and 150
00:09:10
the indian government has made it
00:09:12
illegal for anyone to visit north
00:09:14
sentinel island or even go within three
00:09:17
miles of it both for the protection of
00:09:20
the highly vulnerable residents and that
00:09:22
of any would-be visitors
00:09:24
[Music]
00:09:26
the joshua project's write-up about the
00:09:28
sentinelese explained that their
00:09:31
language was unwritten and had no
00:09:33
biblical resources
00:09:35
it did note that visiting the island was
00:09:38
banned but concluded
00:09:41
sentinelese people need to know that the
00:09:43
creator god exists and that he loves
00:09:46
them and paid the price for their sins
00:09:51
as soon as seventeen-year-old john chow
00:09:54
read about the sentinelese in 2009 he
00:09:57
felt certain of one thing
00:10:00
he had discovered his destiny
00:10:04
north sentinel was the last frontier
00:10:06
he'd dreamed of since childhood a remote
00:10:09
unexplored island with residents who
00:10:11
needed to hear christ's message
00:10:14
and it had been left near untouched for
00:10:17
him alone to discover and save
00:10:21
john began to speak of the sentinelese
00:10:24
often and openly
00:10:26
one day his father patrick overheard
00:10:29
john talking about the island with some
00:10:31
friends
00:10:33
john knew his plan was dangerous but at
00:10:36
the same time the risk made it all the
00:10:38
more important
00:10:40
patrick felt nothing but dismay
00:10:44
this didn't sound like a plan that would
00:10:46
work out well for his son
00:10:49
between 2012 and 2015
00:10:53
john flew to cape town for a university
00:10:55
mission trip went to kurdistan with a
00:10:58
christian soccer charity and took an
00:11:00
evangelical tour of israel
00:11:03
then in october 2015 he finally made his
00:11:07
way to india
00:11:10
over the next few years jon would travel
00:11:12
to the andamans a total of four times
00:11:16
as he spent more time there he became
00:11:18
increasingly convinced of going to north
00:11:21
sentinel
00:11:22
he noticed a number of signs that
00:11:24
pointed to him being the only person who
00:11:27
could convert the sentinelese
00:11:30
his chinese heritage helped him blend in
00:11:32
with the local fishermen so he'd be
00:11:35
better placed to sneak out to the island
00:11:37
when the time finally came
00:11:40
and like the sentinelese
00:11:42
john was on the smaller side at 5'6 and
00:11:45
130 pounds
00:11:48
this would make him appear less
00:11:50
threatening to the tribe
00:11:54
in the summer of 2017 john attended a
00:11:58
two-month course on translating the
00:12:00
bible into new languages at the canadian
00:12:03
institute of linguistics
00:12:06
his dream was to learn sentinelese a
00:12:08
language known by no one except the
00:12:11
islanders and interpret the bible for
00:12:14
them
00:12:16
if the tribe accepted him jon hoped to
00:12:18
stay with them for many years
00:12:21
maybe even forever
00:12:25
in october 2017 he flew to missouri to
00:12:28
participate in a rigorous three-week
00:12:31
long boot camp with missionary
00:12:32
organization all nations
00:12:35
the program was intended to teach john
00:12:38
how to interact with foreigners who had
00:12:40
little or no understanding of
00:12:42
christianity
00:12:44
in one instance john was blindfolded and
00:12:47
driven to an isolated location
00:12:50
he had to walk until he came across a
00:12:52
pretend village
00:12:55
members of all nations dressed in
00:12:57
clothes from thrift stores and carried
00:12:59
spears in an effort to look like remote
00:13:02
tribespeople
00:13:04
they pretended they couldn't understand
00:13:06
what john was saying and took on hostile
00:13:09
postures
00:13:11
john thrived during his training the
00:13:14
organizers were very impressed by him
00:13:18
john avoided romantic relationships so
00:13:21
he'd have fewer ties to home
00:13:24
he got vaccinations for 13 infectious
00:13:27
diseases
00:13:28
he stuck to a healthy diet and exercised
00:13:31
regularly
00:13:33
sometimes he took his kayak out in
00:13:35
choppy waters to practice what it might
00:13:37
be like to row out to north sentinel
00:13:41
over the course of two years he read
00:13:44
more than 100 books on mission work and
00:13:46
anthropology
00:13:48
he also sought advice from others who
00:13:51
had completed missions with uncontacted
00:13:53
peoples
00:13:55
according to gq magazine john put
00:13:58
together a 27-step plan outlining how he
00:14:02
would undertake his mission
00:14:05
first he'd win the sentinelese over with
00:14:07
gifts and would use drawings to
00:14:09
communicate his desire to stay with them
00:14:13
then he'd learn the language and
00:14:15
translate relatable stories from the
00:14:17
bible for them
00:14:19
once he forged good relationships with
00:14:21
the tribe's leaders the entire group
00:14:24
would join the christian faith
00:14:31
by fall of 2018 john chow was finally
00:14:35
ready
00:14:36
he booked a flight to port blair and
00:14:39
landed on october 16.
00:14:42
days later he caught a 10-hour ferry to
00:14:45
the island of little andaman
00:14:47
it lay some distance south of north
00:14:50
sentinel and was home to the yonki tribe
00:14:53
one of the other remaining indaminese
00:14:55
peoples
00:14:57
according to outside magazine john hoped
00:15:00
to convince some of them to accompany
00:15:02
him to north sentinel but was unable to
00:15:05
for reasons unknown
00:15:09
on november 3 john traveled back to port
00:15:12
blair
00:15:14
his mission was one he'd have to
00:15:16
undertake alone
00:15:18
perhaps it was better that way
00:15:21
the sentinelese would be less threatened
00:15:23
by one person than a group
00:15:26
john entered a self-imposed quarantine
00:15:29
for the next 11 days
00:15:32
he gathered supplies including pencils
00:15:35
tools multivitamins medicine abdominal
00:15:38
pad dressings and dental forceps to
00:15:41
remove arrows that might be shot at him
00:15:45
john also collected gifts that he would
00:15:47
offer the islanders
00:15:49
safety pins scissors tweezers fishing
00:15:52
line and hooks
00:15:55
one day two friends of john's showed up
00:15:59
both were evangelical christians from
00:16:01
america and were aware of his plan
00:16:05
john was excited when one of them shared
00:16:07
good news
00:16:09
they had found some people who were
00:16:11
willing to help him reach his goal
00:16:26
case file will be back shortly thank you
00:16:29
for supporting us by listening to this
00:16:31
episode sponsors
00:16:34
this episode is brought to you by the
00:16:36
jordan harbinger show
00:16:38
want a new podcast to look forward to
00:16:40
each week one that's entertaining
00:16:42
informative and packed with actionable
00:16:44
content
00:16:45
of course you do
00:16:47
the jordan harbinger show is a top shelf
00:16:49
podcast named best of apple in 2018
00:16:53
jordan dives into the minds of
00:16:55
fascinating people from athletes to
00:16:57
scientists to mobsters spies and hostage
00:17:00
negotiators
00:17:02
all of the jordan harbinger show
00:17:04
episodes are great but there's a few
00:17:06
that case file team member paulina has
00:17:08
recently listened to and found
00:17:10
fascinating
00:17:11
there's episode 622 with ishmael bear
00:17:14
who was a child soldier in sierra leone
00:17:18
he shares what life in a war zone is
00:17:20
like through the eyes of a child
00:17:23
for something completely different
00:17:24
there's also episode 651 with dania
00:17:27
shortland a professor of political
00:17:30
economy who offers her insight into
00:17:32
kidnapping for ransom and how many
00:17:34
people actually survived the ordeal
00:17:37
you can't go wrong with adding the
00:17:38
jordan harbinger show to your rotation
00:17:41
it's incredibly interesting there's
00:17:43
never a dull show search for the jordan
00:17:47
harbinger show that's h-a-r-b-i-n-g-e-r
00:17:52
on apple podcasts spotify or wherever
00:17:55
you listen to podcasts
00:17:58
case file presents the detective's
00:18:00
dilemma a 10-part series narrated by me
00:18:04
that dives deep into case 35 operation
00:18:07
mayan featuring interviews with family
00:18:10
members and the lead detective steve
00:18:12
fulcher
00:18:14
when a moral dilemma arises you'll have
00:18:16
the opportunity to put yourself in the
00:18:18
detective's shoes and ask yourself what
00:18:21
would you have done
00:18:23
the detective's dilemma is available to
00:18:25
stream for free from march 14
00:18:28
only on spotify
00:18:30
stay tuned to hear the official trailer
00:18:33
at the end of today's episode and be
00:18:35
sure to follow the detective's dilemma
00:18:37
on spotify
00:18:40
thank you for listening to this
00:18:42
episode's ads by supporting our sponsors
00:18:45
you support case file to continue to
00:18:47
deliver quality content
00:19:00
a crew of local fishermen had agreed to
00:19:02
take john out to north sentinel
00:19:05
they couldn't speak english but they
00:19:07
were christians and were sympathetic to
00:19:09
john's cause
00:19:12
because they'd be taking a great risk by
00:19:14
helping him they wanted 25 000 rupees
00:19:18
the equivalent of 360 us dollars
00:19:23
john readily agreed
00:19:25
a plan was made for them to set sail for
00:19:28
the island on the evening of wednesday
00:19:30
november 14.
00:19:33
hours before they were due to leave john
00:19:35
scribbled an entry in his journal
00:19:38
he asked god for help and gave thanks
00:19:41
for being shaped and molded as christ's
00:19:44
ambassador
00:19:46
sailing under cover of darkness the crew
00:19:49
was careful to avoid the indian coast
00:19:51
guard
00:19:53
as they approached north sentinel jon
00:19:56
spotted three large fires burning on its
00:19:59
eastern shoreline
00:20:01
but lights from boats in the distance
00:20:03
prompted the crew to head south to avoid
00:20:06
being caught by authorities
00:20:09
they moored and waited for dawn to break
00:20:14
when he closed his eyes john saw what he
00:20:17
could only describe as a vision
00:20:20
built across an island was a city
00:20:23
skyline topped with the jagged spires
00:20:26
the scene was cast in a purple coloured
00:20:29
hue
00:20:30
john saw a meteorite fall to earth he
00:20:34
felt troubled and uneasy
00:20:36
but then the purple light and sharp
00:20:39
spires faded
00:20:41
they were replaced with a pure white
00:20:43
glow
00:20:46
john was no longer scared
00:20:50
at 4 30 a.m the crew steered the boat
00:20:54
into a cove on the west side of the
00:20:56
island
00:20:58
a large hut crafted by the sentinelese
00:21:00
was visible on the shore
00:21:03
a few hours later
00:21:05
john began his approach
00:21:08
he loaded up a kayak with his gifts and
00:21:10
personal documents as well as two large
00:21:13
fish that his crewmates had caught
00:21:17
john paddled towards the shore
00:21:20
as he drew closer he heard women yell
00:21:24
and cry out
00:21:26
he kept rowing
00:21:28
two sentinelese men suddenly appeared
00:21:31
and ran towards him both carrying bows
00:21:34
and arrows
00:21:36
john called out
00:21:39
my name is john i love you and to jesus
00:21:42
loves you
00:21:43
jesus christ gave me authority to come
00:21:46
to you
00:21:47
here is some fish
00:21:50
the men ignored him and knocked arrows
00:21:53
into their bows
00:21:55
john hastily threw one of the fish
00:21:57
towards them then the other before
00:22:00
paddling backwards to a safe distance
00:22:03
the sentinelese men retrieved the fish
00:22:08
john decided to return to the boat
00:22:10
for now
00:22:16
hours later john was ready for his
00:22:18
second attempt
00:22:21
this time he paddled his kayak loaded up
00:22:24
with more fish and gifts to the island's
00:22:26
north shore
00:22:28
once again the sentinelese shouted upon
00:22:31
seeing the stranger
00:22:34
when six sentinelese men called out
00:22:36
words that john couldn't understand he
00:22:39
tried to mimic them in an effort to
00:22:41
communicate
00:22:42
this caused the group to laugh
00:22:46
then two islanders dropped their weapons
00:22:49
and steered a handmade canoe out to meet
00:22:51
him
00:22:54
john delivered the fish and some
00:22:56
presents from a distance
00:22:58
the encounter seemed to be going well
00:23:02
then a young woman and a child emerged
00:23:05
from the dense forest and walked towards
00:23:07
the sand
00:23:09
both thaming bows at him
00:23:12
john gestured that they should drop
00:23:14
their weapons
00:23:15
they ignored him
00:23:18
by this time the waves had picked up and
00:23:21
john's kayak drifted towards some
00:23:23
shallow coral behind him blocking him in
00:23:28
wondering if this was his moment of
00:23:30
reckoning john pulled out his waterproof
00:23:33
bible and recited verses from the book
00:23:36
of genesis
00:23:38
one unarmed islander stood just inches
00:23:41
away
00:23:42
so jon handed him more gifts
00:23:45
when he got out of his kayak to show
00:23:47
that he had two legs just as they did
00:23:50
the sentinelese saw an opportunity and
00:23:53
seized his vessel
00:23:56
john held his bible in front of his
00:23:58
chest still speaking to the crowd
00:24:02
then the young boy who'd been aiming a
00:24:05
bow
00:24:06
released an arrow directly at him
00:24:09
it landed in the middle of john's bible
00:24:13
he yanked the arrow from the book threw
00:24:15
it back towards the boy then dove into
00:24:18
the water
00:24:20
with his kayak gone he had no choice but
00:24:23
to swim back to the boat
00:24:26
fit and strong john was able to power
00:24:28
through the water quite easily
00:24:31
he breathed a sigh of relief when he
00:24:34
finally reached the boat
00:24:37
when he checked his bible john saw that
00:24:40
the arrow had pierced the book of isaiah
00:24:43
chapter 63 verse 5 to chapter 65 verse
00:24:47
2.
00:24:49
in the scripture the prophet isaiah
00:24:51
predicts imminent judgment but eventual
00:24:54
restoration for obstinate people
00:24:58
one section begins
00:25:01
i revealed myself to those who did not
00:25:03
ask for me
00:25:04
and goes on to encourage the reader to
00:25:07
reach out to those who walk in ways not
00:25:10
good in order to get them to commit to
00:25:13
faith
00:25:17
john was shaken
00:25:18
he'd known that being shot at was a
00:25:20
probable outcome of his attempts
00:25:23
it was well recorded that the
00:25:24
sentinelese pelted intruders with rocks
00:25:27
spears and arrows
00:25:30
but the experience had scared and upset
00:25:32
jon nonetheless
00:25:35
plus when he lost his kayak he had also
00:25:38
lost everything it contained including
00:25:40
his passport and official documents
00:25:44
in his journal john debated what to do
00:25:48
would it be wiser to leave and let
00:25:50
someone else continue
00:25:52
no i don't think so
00:25:54
i'm stuck here anyway without a passport
00:25:58
it almost seems like certain death to
00:26:01
stay here
00:26:02
yet there is evidential change in two
00:26:05
encounters in a single day
00:26:10
decided to rest on the boat overnight to
00:26:12
regain his strength then try again early
00:26:15
the following morning
00:26:18
he was afraid of dying but he was even
00:26:21
more worried about who would take on the
00:26:23
role of saving the sentinelese if he
00:26:26
gave up on his mission
00:26:28
as he watched the sunset
00:26:31
john began to cry
00:26:34
he knew it might be the last time he
00:26:36
ever saw such a sight
00:26:39
he missed his family and friends
00:26:42
none of the fishermen could speak
00:26:44
english and john desperately wanted
00:26:47
someone to talk to
00:26:50
the next morning he woke early to write
00:26:53
once more in his journal and pen some
00:26:55
letters to his friends and family
00:26:59
a little after 6 20 am
00:27:01
john stripped down to his underpants so
00:27:04
he would more closely resemble the naked
00:27:06
islanders
00:27:08
he got back in the water
00:27:11
then he began swimming in the direction
00:27:13
of the hut he'd visited the previous day
00:27:20
that day the five fishermen who'd taken
00:27:23
john out to north sentinel remained at
00:27:25
sea completing their usual work schedule
00:27:29
afterwards they spent another night out
00:27:32
on the boat
00:27:33
then the following day they headed back
00:27:36
to north sentinel to check on john
00:27:40
they strained their eyes as they steered
00:27:42
around the perimeter of the island
00:27:46
then they noticed something
00:27:48
a few of the sentinelese were using rope
00:27:51
to drag something across the sand
00:27:55
it was a human corpse with the rope
00:27:58
wrapped around the neck
00:28:00
nearby was a recently dug grave
00:28:04
the fisherman recognized the body
00:28:06
instantly
00:28:09
it was john chow
00:28:12
they watched as the sentinelese dropped
00:28:14
jon into the grave and buried him
00:28:18
the fisherman rushed back to port blair
00:28:22
word soon got back to john's mother
00:28:24
linda
00:28:26
a missing person's report was
00:28:28
immediately issued
00:28:30
the andaman's director of police had
00:28:32
north sentinel island scanned from the
00:28:35
sky and water
00:28:36
but none of the officers could see any
00:28:39
sign of jon
00:28:43
on november 21 police issued a press
00:28:46
release titled urgent death of u.s
00:28:50
national
00:28:52
it detailed how 26 year old john alan
00:28:55
chau had been killed during a misplaced
00:28:58
adventure trying to interact with
00:29:00
uncontacted peoples in a highly
00:29:02
restricted area
00:29:05
the bizarre story caught the attention
00:29:08
of the world's media
00:29:10
many criticized the jon's decision to
00:29:13
attempt a mission in the area
00:29:15
by doing so he had not only broken the
00:29:18
law but shown extreme disregard for the
00:29:21
survival of the sentinelese and their
00:29:23
culture
00:29:24
[Music]
00:29:25
some expressed regret that jon had been
00:29:28
killed while also pointing out that his
00:29:31
actions had been stupid at best
00:29:35
others were more scathing describing jon
00:29:38
as dumb with a misguided sense of moral
00:29:41
superiority
00:29:43
the director of survival international a
00:29:46
group that advocates for indigenous
00:29:48
riots issued a statement that read
00:29:52
the sentinelese have shown again and
00:29:54
again that they want to be left alone
00:29:56
and their wishes should be respected
00:30:00
i hope this tragedy acts as a wake-up
00:30:02
call to the indian authorities to avert
00:30:05
another disaster and properly protect
00:30:08
the lands of both the sentinelese and
00:30:10
the other andaman tribes from further
00:30:13
invaders
00:30:16
all nations the missionary organization
00:30:19
that john had trained with also released
00:30:21
a statement
00:30:23
it concluded
00:30:26
throughout church history the privilege
00:30:28
of sharing the gospel has often involved
00:30:30
a great cost
00:30:32
we pray that john's sacrificial efforts
00:30:35
will bear eternal fruit in due season
00:30:42
indian law enforcement was faced with
00:30:44
the difficult question of what to do in
00:30:47
the wake of john's
00:30:48
death in his final letter to his family
00:30:52
john had acknowledged the likelihood
00:30:54
that he could die and requested that his
00:30:57
body not be retrieved
00:31:00
the police agreed with this
00:31:02
attempting to do so would be too
00:31:04
dangerous both for their officials and
00:31:07
the sentinelese
00:31:10
the killing of john chow raised a unique
00:31:12
ethical question
00:31:14
he was by definition murdered
00:31:18
however those responsible for his death
00:31:21
were extremely isolated from modern
00:31:23
society and oblivious to the laws that
00:31:26
govern it
00:31:29
the process of accessing the island to
00:31:31
formally charge inhabitants was yet
00:31:34
another risky proposition both for law
00:31:36
enforcement and the islanders
00:31:39
though it was considered initially
00:31:43
this notion was quickly put to rest when
00:31:45
the u.s government announced that it had
00:31:48
not asked the indian government to
00:31:50
pursue any sort of sanctions against the
00:31:52
tribe
00:31:54
nor would they do so themselves
00:31:58
most members of the public believed the
00:32:00
blame for john chow's murder lay
00:32:02
entirely at his own feet
00:32:05
that he had invited the aggression of
00:32:08
the tribe as it was well known that they
00:32:10
violently resisted outsiders
00:32:15
unlike the sentinelese those who'd taken
00:32:18
jon to meet with his killers could be
00:32:20
pursued illegally
00:32:23
the five fishermen had broken the law by
00:32:25
abetting john's trip to the island
00:32:28
they were all arrested as was a local
00:32:31
tour guide and the friend john stayed
00:32:34
with in port blair
00:32:37
the wife of one of the fishermen told
00:32:39
the new york
00:32:40
times i am frustrated hearing john's
00:32:44
name
00:32:45
he has filled my family with sorrow for
00:32:47
our whole life
00:32:51
the chow family asked for the release of
00:32:54
the arrested individuals as they knew
00:32:56
such a development would have deeply
00:32:58
upset jon
00:33:00
the arrestees were soon freed on bail
00:33:05
as of the release of this episode there
00:33:07
has been no news as to how prosecution
00:33:10
is proceeding
00:33:12
in july 2020 news website op india
00:33:17
reported that anderman police were
00:33:19
planning to send a summons letter to
00:33:21
john chow's two american friends who
00:33:23
visited port blair in the days before
00:33:26
his death
00:33:28
they had put him in touch with the
00:33:30
fishermen
00:33:33
investigators had hinted that they
00:33:35
believed john had been brainwashed into
00:33:37
completing his mission
00:33:39
although there are many records showing
00:33:42
it had been his personal passion project
00:33:44
for many years
00:33:50
john's father patrick has been the most
00:33:52
outspoken member of the family openly
00:33:55
blaming what he calls an extreme brand
00:33:58
of christianity for his son's death
00:34:01
in emails he exchanged with a journalist
00:34:04
from the guardian patrick described
00:34:06
religion as the opium of the masses
00:34:10
and said john's fixation with faith had
00:34:12
been a long-standing issue between the
00:34:15
two of them
00:34:17
the chows have left john's instagram
00:34:20
account online as a tribute to his life
00:34:24
comments are now restricted but all of
00:34:26
john's photos from his many adventures
00:34:29
remain visible
00:34:31
the final and most recent picture is one
00:34:34
his family uploaded several days after
00:34:37
his death
00:34:38
it features a photograph of john beaming
00:34:41
in front of a rushing river with
00:34:43
mountains in the distance
00:34:46
it is accompanied by the caption
00:34:50
words cannot express the sadness we have
00:34:52
experienced
00:34:54
he was a beloved son
00:34:56
brother
00:34:57
uncle and best friend to us
00:35:01
he loved god
00:35:02
life helping those in need and had
00:35:05
nothing but love for the sentinelese
00:35:08
people
00:35:09
we forgive those reportedly responsible
00:35:12
for his death
00:35:14
he ventured out on his own free will
00:35:17
[Music]
00:35:20
john chow remains buried on north
00:35:22
sentinel island
00:35:24
in his final letter to his friends and
00:35:26
family penned november 16 2018
00:35:30
he wrote
00:35:31
[Music]
00:35:33
you guys might think i'm crazy in all
00:35:35
this
00:35:36
but i think it's worth it to declare
00:35:38
jesus to these people
00:35:41
this is not a pointless thing
00:35:43
the eternal lives of this tribe are at
00:35:46
hand and i can't wait to see them around
00:35:48
the throne of god worshiping in their
00:35:51
language as revelation chapter 7 verses
00:35:54
9 to 10 states
00:35:57
i love you all and i pray none of you
00:36:00
love anything in this world more than
00:36:02
jesus christ
00:36:05
written from the cove on the south west
00:36:07
dish
00:36:08
of north sentinel islands
00:36:11
[Music]
00:36:23
[Music]
00:36:37
in 2016 case file covered the
00:36:40
disappearance of 22 year old shano
00:36:42
callahan all you can see is headlights
00:36:45
of a car flashing it's blatantly obvious
00:36:48
that she got in that car whoever had
00:36:50
taken her had done it for criminal
00:36:52
purposes
00:36:53
now hear firsthand from loved ones and
00:36:56
lead investigator steve fulcher as we
00:36:59
unravel how the case unfolded and the
00:37:02
minefield of legal and ethical dilemmas
00:37:04
encountered along the way
00:37:06
therefore there's only one way to do
00:37:08
this it was at that point that steve
00:37:10
fortune decided to take an extraordinary
00:37:13
gamble her life is my responsibility all
00:37:16
i could do was plead with him for her
00:37:18
life when a killer confesses
00:37:21
do you listen he said you and i should
00:37:24
have a chat the fact of his guilt
00:37:27
was unequivocal
00:37:28
but what if one interpretation of the
00:37:31
law says you shouldn't accept the
00:37:33
confession
00:37:35
when he got taken to swindon he got a
00:37:37
lawyer all that conversation
00:37:39
those vital confessions
00:37:42
disappeared
00:37:43
of no value what they were doing what
00:37:45
were they doing what happens to the cop
00:37:48
who believes he's making the right
00:37:50
choice the whole reason we were there
00:37:54
was losing sight what was wrong in
00:37:56
getting a confession
00:37:58
from a murderer it obviously rehearsed
00:38:01
this line that he ended with which was
00:38:03
it was a pleasure to ruin your career
00:38:06
you corrupt bastard if it had been your
00:38:08
loved one steve bulger was looking for
00:38:11
what would you have wanted him to do to
00:38:14
crucify somebody
00:38:16
for trying his best to get closure for
00:38:18
two families
00:38:20
doesn't make a lot of sense
00:38:22
case file presents the detective's
00:38:24
dilemma available for free on march 14
00:38:29
only on spotify
00:38:31
[Music]