00:00:00
48 year old cameraman Patrick McDermott was the on and off boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John
00:00:06
in 2005 he boarded an overnight fishing charter off the coast of Los Angeles when the boat disembarked the following
00:00:14
day Patrick was nowhere to be seen in season 2 of suicide poppy Damon and Alice fines dig deeper into Patrick
00:00:23
McDermott's case than anyone has before they explore Patrick's life his disappearance and the media storm that
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followed with exclusive interviews from Patrick's France private investigators Marine safety experts and a witness from
00:00:40
that fateful Boat Trip Poppy and Alice strive to answer the question did Patrick die at sea or did he disappear
00:00:48
deliberately to begin a new life The Disappearance of Patrick McDermott is both a true crime Quest For answers
00:00:55
and a deep dive into media ethics and journalism in the digital age Suicide Season 2 The Disappearance of
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Patrick McDermott is available to listen to now for free only on Spotify stay tuned to the end of today's episode
00:01:12
to hear the trailer new episodes are released every Wednesday so be sure to hit the follow
00:01:18
button on Spotify so you don't miss an episode [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often
00:01:38
distressing incidents if you feel at any time you need support please contact your local crisis center
00:01:44
for suggested phone numbers for confidential support please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on
00:01:50
our website on Thursday January 17 2008 Ricky Goff placed a call to his 21 year old
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daughter Denise Amber Lee he wanted to invite Denise her husband Nathan and their two young Sons over for
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dinner that night Denise did an answer so Rick left her a voicemail as it need 4pm Rick's cell phone rang
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it was his son-in-law Nathan Lee Rick figured Nathan was calling to accept the dinner invitation
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he was shocked instead to hear Nathan say Denise is missing [Music] [Music] [Music]
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the weather on Florida's West Coast was worn that day in the city of Northport a few miles
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Inland from Venice Beach 23 year old Nathan Lee was working his job as a meter reader for Florida Power and Light
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at 11AM he called home to speak to his wife Denise foreign they were on a tight budget Nathan asked
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Denise to open the windows instead of turning on the air conditioning Denise reassured him that she already
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had [Music] as 3pm neared and Nathan's shift was ending he called the Nace again
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she didn't pick up Nathan tried eight more times during the 25-minute drive home but Denise never
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answered although unusual Nathan assumed Denise was just busy it wasn't until he pulled up at their
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house that he sensed something wasn't right all of the windows were closed the front door was locked
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after entering Nathan heard his two-year-old and a six-month-old Sons he found them in their bedroom sitting
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up in the same crib Denise didn't typically put the boys in bed together she was also an attentive
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mother yet both boys diapers were soiled Nathan searched the house for Denise but
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she was nowhere to be found while everything appeared in place Nathan soon discovered that the windows
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had only been pushed closed not latched and locked like the front door Denise was security conscious she
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wouldn't leave the house accessible if she had to hurry out for some reason nor would she have left her young Sons
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alone [Music] Nathan called 9-1-1 to report his wife is missing foreign father Rick Goff
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Rick was a 25-year law enforcement veteran and currently worked in a neighboring County as a sheriff's
00:05:18
lieutenant he knew that when someone goes missing the First Person of Interest was almost
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always their spouse yet he firmly believed Nathan Lee had nothing to do with his daughter's
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disappearance the young couple had been head over heels in love since meeting at Community
00:05:37
College within weeks of their first date Nathan bought Denise's silver ring with a hard
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on it for Valentine's Day she never took it off not even after receiving her engagement ring years
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later Nathan and Denise were raising their boys in North Port estate a new housing
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development in a relatively rural isolated area Rick Goff hadn't been thrilled when his
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daughter and her husband moved to the property he thought it felt a bit like a ghost
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town but the three-bedroom house was brand new and the rent was affordable until recently Nathan had to juggle
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three jobs to support their growing family Denise stayed home to raise the boys putting her College Ambitions
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temporarily on hold police arrived at the Lee's rental house on LaTour Avenue there were no signs of forced entry or
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Foul Play and nothing had been stolen or displaced Denise's purse Keys car and cell phone
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were all at the house with no indication as to where she might have gone police officers began door
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knocking the Lee's neighbors for information was a teenager who'd been staying with
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relatives one house over from the leagues that afternoon she'd been in a front room watching television
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at around 2PM Jennifer's attention was drawn to a window that overlooked the quiet Street
00:07:20
a car was slowly cruising up and down LaTour Avenue as if its driver was looking for a specific address
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when the car passed by a fourth or fifth time Jennifer went outside to see if the
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driver was lost just as Jennifer exited the house the car pulled into Nathan and Denise Lee's
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driveway Jennifer made eye contact with the driver who was the sole occupant of the
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vehicle he was white with a heavy set face light colored eyes and blondish hair Jennifer returned home assuming the man
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was a friend of the leagues the car remained parked in the Lee's driveway Jennifer never saw anyone get in or out
00:08:08
of the vehicle about 10 to 15 minutes later at around 2 30 she noticed that driving away
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this encounter occurred an hour before Nathan Lee returned home from work to discover Denise had vanished
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a bulletin was issued asking all police officers in the area to be on the lookout for the car Jennifer had
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witnessed a two-door 1990s model Chevrolet Camaro it was dark green with a protective
00:08:41
black vinyl or leather casing attached to its front known as a car bra wasting little time police informed
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locals in the media of the situation to bolster their chances of finding the Camaro
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entrance ramps to the Interstate 75 highway were monitored to prevent the suspect vehicle from fleeing Northport
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if it hadn't already Highway Patrol officers stopped traffic to conduct on-the-spot vehicle
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inspections a search helicopter swept overhead while police dogs were used to scour the land
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below authorities in neighboring counties pulled their resources to help find Denise as she was the daughter of one of
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their own Avon federal law enforcement assisted in the investigation then at 6 14 PM A call came through to
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9-1-1 [Music] a panicked woman on the other line cried out I'm sorry I'm sorry I just want to go
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the dispatcher tried to communicate with the caller repeating the word hello several times
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but the woman ignored her instead talking to someone else nearby it was a man why did you do that he asked
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the woman continued to apologize she begged to be released and see her family it sounded as though she and the man
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were in a moving vehicle her radio was playing music loudly in the background making it difficult to
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hear what was going on the dispatcher continued to ask questions which went ignored
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the woman repeatedly begged to be let go the man retorted I was gonna let you go then you go [ __ ]
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around he complained about having to drive a different route because she had done
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something quote in front of my cousin Harold the dispatcher asked for an address
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while simultaneously putting a trace on the call the woman asked the man where they were
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going didn't you see the man responded exactly four streets well five streets over from
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your house [Music] the phone pinged off the Northport cell phone tower the dispatcher asked for the woman's
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name please my name is Denise I'm married to a beautiful husband and I just want to
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see my kids again she stated it appeared as though she could hear the dispatcher but had made the call
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discreetly and didn't want the man to realize her responses were phrased to mislead
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the man into thinking she was talking to him directly what's your last name the dispatcher
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asked the woman responded Lee a man then seemingly caught on to the deception he suddenly asked
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what did you do with my cell phone the cars radio stopped right before the call abruptly
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disconnected the woman was heard asking the man um [Music] the coal lasted almost six minutes
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given Denise Lee's case was receiving wide-scale media and police attention the possibility the call was a hoax was
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considered the recording was played to Rick Goff who immediately identified the female
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caller as his daughter while devastating to hear her in trouble the call offered Denise's loved ones a
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glimmer of hope she was still alive authorities tried to trace the call but it had been made using a cheap prepaid
00:13:02
phone this meant it wasn't fitted with the GPS tracking device that investigators could
00:13:09
use to pinpoint the phone's exact location they could only uncover which Towers it
00:13:15
had pinked however they were able to identify the phone's owner via its number it belonged to a 36 year old unemployed
00:13:26
plumber named Michael King had no criminal record aside from a few traffic fines
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the name meant nothing to Denise's family they had no idea who Michael King was and couldn't imagine why he would
00:13:43
Target Denise [Music] Harold maxlow lived on colic Street about four miles south of the Lee's home
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he was completely unaware of the investigation unfolding nearby sometime between 5 30 and 6 PM Harold
00:14:05
heard a knock at his front door it was his cousin 36 year old Michael King Michael explained that his lawnmower had
00:14:15
become stuck in his yard and he needed some equipment to dig it out he asked to borrow a shovel a gas can
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and a flashlight Harold invited Michael inside the two men chatted for a while before
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Harold handed the tools over Michael then carried them over to his Green Chevrolet Camaro and said goodbye
00:14:40
to his cousin as Harold turned to walk back inside he heard a woman's voice scream called the
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cops The Plea had come from inside Michael's vehicle Harold spun around what the [ __ ] are you doing he asked
00:15:00
Michael nothing his cousin replied don't worry about it Harold figured Michael was having an
00:15:10
argument with a girlfriend Michael had been known to have some tempestuous relationships since his
00:15:17
marriage ended almost seven years earlier Harold began to walk towards his house
00:15:23
but his curiosity got the better of him he turned around and headed back down the driveway towards Michael's car
00:15:32
he could see a female silhouette with shoulder length hair in the back seat it was too dim to see any of her other
00:15:41
features Michael had clamp it into the car and was crawling over the console he pushed the woman's head down so she
00:15:51
was out of sight one of the woman's knees rose up as though she was struggling against
00:15:57
Michael then climbed back into the driver's seat started the engine and it drove away
00:16:06
Harold maxlow wasn't sure what to do he wasn't certain that anything was seriously wrong but the incident didn't
00:16:15
sit right with him he decided to drive over to Michael's house to see if his story checked out
00:16:22
if he found Michael there and the lawnmower was indeed stuck in his yard then Harold would know his cousin had
00:16:30
been telling the truth Michael only lived about six miles away in another part of Northport so it
00:16:38
didn't take Harold along to drive over Michael's Camaro wasn't parked in the driveway and when Harold rang the
00:16:46
doorbell no one answered there wasn't a lawnmower inside Harold was reluctant to alert the
00:16:56
authorities instead he phoned his 17 year old daughter Sabrina and informed her of
00:17:02
what had taken place Harold told Sabrina not to call the police but as soon as they ended their
00:17:10
call Sabrina didn't hesitate she phoned 9-1-1 at 6 23 PM just the minutes after the Frantic call placed by
00:17:20
Denise Lee realizing the significance of Sabrina's call the dispatcher said you are just so wonderful to call us and
00:17:30
give us this information Sabrina didn't know where Michael King might have taken Denise but
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investigators now knew for certain that he was behind the abduction based on the items he had borrowed from
00:17:45
his cousin they also realized that time was of the essence foreign will be back shortly thank you for
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Port towards the city's South a woman named Jane Kowalski was driving South along
00:21:32
U.S Highway 41. she came to a stop at a traffic light while waiting for it to turn green Jane
00:21:41
suddenly heard a horrific high-pitched scream it had come from the car in the lane
00:21:47
next to James it was a dark-colored Camaro Jane made eye contact with the Camaro's
00:21:56
male driver and gave him a quizzical look as though to ask what was going on he was using one hand to push something
00:22:05
down in the back seat [Music] a small hand then stretched up from the back seat and began frantically hitting
00:22:12
the passenger window trying to get attention Jane believed she might have been witnessing a child abduction
00:22:21
[Music] as the traffic light turned green she drove forward slowly so that she would
00:22:28
be able to see the Camaro's license plate as it passed her but the driver seemed to know that she
00:22:35
was still watching and he drove slowly too he then changed into her Lane so he was
00:22:41
driving directly behind Jane as the Camaro only had a license plate on the rear Jane couldn't see it as long
00:22:50
as it stayed back realizing the driver wasn't going to let her see his license plate Jane dialed
00:22:58
9-1-1 on her cell phone it was exactly 6 30 PM mere minutes after they had received the calls from
00:23:07
Denise Lee and Sabrina maxlow when an operator answered Jane immediately began providing a
00:23:15
description of the incident along with up-to-date details about her location she was driving just 45 miles per hour
00:23:25
the Camaro continued to creep along even more slowly behind her the two vehicles were holding up their
00:23:33
entire Lane of traffic even though Jane believed that the victim was a child and described the
00:23:41
Camaro as blue instead of green the operator knew they had another eyewitness to the Denise lay abduction
00:23:48
[Music] she called out the information to someone else in the center as Jane provided updates about the Camaro's
00:23:56
movements suddenly the Camaro swerved and pulled into a lane that was turning off the
00:24:03
highway and left onto Toledo Blade Boulevard Jane asked if she should follow it by the time the operator asked if she
00:24:13
was able to there was too much other traffic in the way the Camaro had turned and Jane could no
00:24:21
longer see the vehicle despite numerous patrol cars circling the area where the Camaro was last seen
00:24:33
none of them spotted the vehicle at 6 50 PM another tip-off was made to 9-1-1 via a payphone
00:24:43
Harold maxlow had a change of heart and decided to anonymously report what had happened earlier with his cousin
00:24:51
by this time investigators were well aware of Michael King's involvement in the Denise lay abduction
00:24:58
by now she had been gone for roughly four hours armed with a search warrant they arrived
00:25:06
at King's residence on Sardinia Avenue it was a modest single-story home with a large garage and a wide driveway
00:25:17
King's Camaro wasn't parked outside but police officers could hear voices coming
00:25:22
from inside the house they gained access and were confronted with the barely lived-in sparsely
00:25:30
furnished space the voices officers heard emanated from a television that bled from the front
00:25:38
room in the kitchen a roll of silver-colored duct tape was lying on a counter a garbage bag in the pear tree had some
00:25:49
pieces of duct tape in it with long light brown hairs stuck to the adhesive the dining room featured several
00:25:57
rectangular mirrors hanging side by side on a wall then there was one empty set of hawks
00:26:04
it appeared one mirror had been removed it was found in the main bedroom where a
00:26:13
clock radio was also switched on and blasting music the mirror was propped against the wall
00:26:21
directly across from the mirror a Winnie the Pooh blanket lay on the floor along
00:26:26
with some pillows a second yellow blanket had been draped over the bedroom window
00:26:34
also on the floor was a wadded up strip of duct tape with more light brown hairs
00:26:39
attached swabs taken from the end of the duct tape matched to Michael King's DNA
00:26:46
profile the hairs belonged to Denise Lee the Winnie the Pooh blanket featured semen stains that tested positive for
00:26:56
King's DNA as well [Music] there was blood on the blanket too obtaining a DNA profile for it proved it
00:27:06
difficult but Denise couldn't be excluded from the result despite these key findings neither
00:27:15
Denise Lee or Michael King were found at the property the search continued a Statewide alert was issued as petrol
00:27:27
stations were checked to see if anyone matching King's description had filled a gas tank that night
00:27:34
surveillance footage was obtained but didn't provide any leads police continued to comb The Straits
00:27:42
looking for King's Green Camaro Deputy Christian Weimer and state trooper Edward Pope were monitoring
00:27:50
Toledo Blade Boulevard the street that witnessed jankowalski had seen the Camaro turn onto two and a half hours
00:27:57
earlier they were stationed near the turn off to Interstate 75 highway at 9 10 pm they spotted a 1995 Green
00:28:10
Camaro that matched Michael Kings right down to the black Cabra attached to the front
00:28:17
it was headed for the on-ramp of Interstate 75 Southbound state trooper Pope took off after the
00:28:26
vehicle its license plate matched Kings turning on his car's lights and Sirens Pope forced the Camaro to pull over
00:28:38
hope exited his own vehicle and got out his gun he ordered the Camaro's driver to step
00:28:45
out of the car the driver ignored him Pope repeated the order four more times but the driver didn't budge
00:28:57
Pope repeated himself yet again finally the driver's side door opened a few inches
00:29:06
hope threatened to shoot into the vehicle if the driver didn't exit immediately the door opened fully and the man behind
00:29:16
the wheel began to get out in the strangest way Pope had ever seen he laid down across both front seats and
00:29:24
a wriggled out backwards it was Michael King he was wearing blue jeans a camouflage
00:29:33
style t-shirt and black sneakers he was soaking wet from his waist down Pope ordered King down on the ground
00:29:43
then cuffed him and patted him down the soles of his shoes were muddy in his pocket was a wallet which
00:29:52
contained his driver's license there was also an empty earplug container and a cell phone which had its
00:30:00
battery and SIM card removed inside the Camaro Pope found a blue flashlight a wooden bed railing and a
00:30:09
packet of baby wipes the battery for the cell phone lay on the passenger side floorboard and a 5
00:30:16
gallon gas can sat on the passenger seat in the back seat was a yellow blanket and a muddy shovel
00:30:25
there was also a small silver ring with a hard on it Denise Lee wasn't there [Music]
00:30:37
after being arrested Michael King said he would be represented by legal counsel and refused to answer any further
00:30:44
questions Harold maxlow was taken to the interrogation room to see if king would
00:30:50
speak candidly with his cousin their encounter was filmed King told Harold that he'd been hijacked
00:31:00
while driving and to that both he and Denise were kidnapping victims he'd tried to call 9-1-1 but was unable
00:31:08
to kidnapper blindfolded King so he couldn't see where Denise was left King subsequently agreed to take the
00:31:19
police to an area near his home where he said the carjacking had taken place a search of the area revealed nothing
00:31:29
investigators didn't buy a King's Story for a second he was charged with kidnapping and held
00:31:36
in protective custody King's Camaro was moved to a police garage for further examination
00:31:46
Harold maxlow identified the gas can flashlight and shovel found in the car as the ones he'd lent his cousin earlier
00:31:53
that evening a palm print on the outside of the driver's side window matched Denise Lee
00:32:00
as did several hairs recovered from the back seat these appeared to have been deliberately
00:32:07
pulled from her head when Denise's husband Nathan was shown the silver ring found in the back seat
00:32:15
of King's car he broke down in tears it was the ring he'd given Denise for their first Valentine's Day together
00:32:25
it sat tired on Denise's finger and he knew that the only way it would have come off her hand was if she
00:32:32
deliberately removed it Nathan was certain Denise had left it there along with her hairs as evidence
00:32:39
for investigators to implicate King in her abduction a large-scale search and rescue mission
00:32:48
for donation ballet commenced it carried on into the following day of Friday January 18.
00:32:57
more than 100 officers some with police dogs performed a grid by grid search expanding from the location where King
00:33:04
was arrested some deputies searched on Horseback through the thick underbrush others took to kayaks and boats to scour
00:33:14
bodies of water investigators were hopeful of finding Denise alive King's Camaro hadn't been bloody
00:33:25
northport's police captain reassured the media there is no reason to believe Denise is
00:33:32
not alive case File will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this
00:33:47
episode's sponsors there's no shortage of information available at our fingertips these days
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you support casefile to continue to deliver quality content that night some canine officers were
00:37:14
drawn to an abandoned construction site it was just off Interstate 75 near the Toledo Blade Boulevard exit
00:37:24
it was a rural area not visible from the road trees and thickets of Palmetto bushes
00:37:31
dotted the landscape some recently Disturbed soil was discovered nearby were two small piles of sand that
00:37:40
didn't match the rest of the area on closer inspection the piles of sand were spotted with blood
00:37:49
an examination indicated there had been Blood on the ground the sand was then shoveled on top to absorb the blood
00:37:59
the next morning in the light of day a forensics team began Excavating the Disturbed patch of soil
00:38:05
marks in the earth were consistent without having been dug with a shovel after digging three feet and one inch
00:38:13
into the ground the team uncovered something lying in a puddle of water [Music] it was Denise Amber Lee's naked body
00:38:23
two pieces of duct tape were stuck in her hair she had been killed with a single
00:38:29
gunshot wound near her right eyebrow a single nine millimeter shell casing was found in some nearby grass a day or
00:38:37
two later an autopsy would reveal more than 20 internal and external bruises underneath
00:38:45
consistent with being restrained there was also evidence that she had been raped
00:38:51
[Music] a couple of hundred yards away investigators recovered a shirt belonging to Denise a bra with a broken
00:39:00
strap a pair of women's underwear and Denise's size and preferred style and a pair of boxer shorts that were Nathan
00:39:08
Lee's Denise was known to wear them at home as shorts on warm days the shorts also contained Michael King's
00:39:18
DNA forensic testing would fall into traces of Denise's Blood on the hood of King's
00:39:24
Camaro and on the blanket in the back seat [Music] within days of finding Denise her family
00:39:35
held a press conference to thank the police and the public for their help her father praised Denise's quick
00:39:42
thinking from the moment she had been attacked at home stating she was a strong lady who made sure that
00:39:49
her children were safe even though she was faced with adversity because of her ability to think on her
00:39:56
feet she was able to provide information to the investigators that will help convict the perpetrator that did this to
00:40:02
her Denise's husband Nathan told the assembled crowd on behalf of my sons I want to thank
00:40:11
everyone from the bottom of my heart for all their efforts to bring her home Denise was my soul mate and my best
00:40:19
friend and I will never ever forget about her my sons will always remember who she was
00:40:26
I will miss her so much those who were closest to Michael King were stunned to learn what he was being
00:40:35
accused of friends family members and former colleagues described him as a nice guy
00:40:41
who was happy-go-lucky he didn't drink or do drugs had no history of domestic violence and was
00:40:48
regarded as a hard worker but he had experienced some misfortune originally from Michigan King was in a
00:40:58
sledding accident at age six and suffered a head injury his family said he changed after that he
00:41:05
suffered headaches which were exacerbated by stress he struggled at school and had to repeat the first grade
00:41:13
by the time King was eight he still couldn't write all the letters in the alphabet
00:41:19
a social worker recommended he enter a special education program King also became more impulsive after
00:41:28
the accident when he was 13 he decided to act out a scene from a cartoon that featured a bow
00:41:35
and arrow he nearly killed his brother in the process at 17 he saw the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
00:41:45
imitating the film's villain Leatherface King acquired a chainsaw he began chasing family members with it
00:41:53
his facial expression entirely blank but King found a vocation in plumbing got married and had two children
00:42:03
in March 2001 King had been almost 30 years old when he came home from work one day to discover his wife was missing
00:42:13
King went to the local sheriff's department and filed a missing person's report it soon emerged that his wife was safe
00:42:22
and well she had left King for another man who she'd met on the internet the couple divorced and King received
00:42:31
full-time custody of their son his wife retained custody of their other child King purchased the three-bedroom house
00:42:41
on Sardinia Avenue and had a series of romantic relationships with different women
00:42:48
[Music] not long after King moved into his house a feud broke out between him and his
00:42:56
next door neighbor she accused his son of damaging her family's inflatable pool the neighbor installed a wooden fence
00:43:05
between the two properties which upset King he reportedly took Revenge by keying the
00:43:11
neighbor's car slashing its tires pouring battery acid on her pool cage and throwing eggs at her
00:43:19
the neighbor filed reports with Northport police King denied the allegations and there
00:43:25
was no evidence against him others in the area also disliked King he was known to deliberately Screech his
00:43:35
tires loudly as he drove some said he would walk around to the neighborhood alone at night peeping into
00:43:41
people's windows King was alleged to have exposed himself to one woman outside a hair salon
00:43:50
another woman said he had raped her neither of these incidents resulted in any charges
00:43:57
[Music] for four years King worked at the same plumbing company until he abruptly left
00:44:03
in June 2007. his boss would later tell police King was a habitual liar he and his 13 year old son traveled back
00:44:14
to Michigan that same month King's house in Northport sat empty and unoccupied for months
00:44:22
by December 2007 his lack of steady income meant he was facing bankruptcy and foreclosure on his home
00:44:30
he also broke up with a girlfriend at the beginning of 2008 he returned to Florida in the hope of sorting out his
00:44:39
financial problems and keeping his house family members said King began acting oddly around this time as though he were
00:44:49
dazed or even catatonic he also seemed paranoid on Sunday January 13 2008 less than a
00:44:59
week before Denise Amber Lee was abducted other residents on Sardinia Avenue suddenly saw Michael King at his
00:45:07
home again he was with a blonde woman his neighbors didn't recognize this was likely his new girlfriend who
00:45:16
later told investigators that King's Behavior had been growing even more extreme
00:45:23
two days before he took Denise he told his girlfriend that he thought the neighbors were spying through his
00:45:28
windows he also allegedly owned a nine millimeter handgun investigators couldn't find the gun
00:45:38
anywhere or find any evidence of its existence it was suspected King had disposed of it
00:45:44
at some stage no ammunition was ever found in his possession either despite the lack of a murder weapon
00:45:54
investigators had forensic evidence tying Michael King to Denise Lee as well as multiple eyewitnesses and
00:46:01
circumstantial evidence King was charged with first degree murder and involuntary sexual battery in
00:46:09
addition to the kidnapping charge Michael King's trial began in late August 2009 more than 18 months after
00:46:20
Denise amberley's abduction and murder the prosecution didn't know how or why King had targeted Denise
00:46:30
when a member of the public reported seeing both Denise and King at the same post office earlier on the day of the
00:46:36
attack it was theorized that King had followed Denise home from there but this sighting was later debunked as
00:46:44
mistaken a woman who lived in the same street as Denise Lee thought she recognized King
00:46:51
as a plumber who'd come to look at her house when it was for sale the previous summer
00:46:58
with no confirmed link between the two it was posited that King had simply trolled the neighborhood looking for a
00:47:05
victim for some reason he had chosen Denise and gained access to her home while she was
00:47:11
there alone with her two young Sons Nathan Lee noted that King's 1995 Green Camaro looked very similar to the 1995
00:47:22
green Dodge Avenger he drove perhaps when Michael King pulled into their driveway Denise had mistaken him
00:47:30
for her husband upon realizing she was in danger she kept her children safe by placing them
00:47:37
together in a cot in their bedroom she then hurriedly closed all the windows and locked the front door
00:47:46
the prosecution had plenty of physical and DNA evidence to back up their case including the silver ring and strands of
00:47:54
hair they believed the niece had deliberately left in King's car numerous Witnesses who could place
00:48:01
Denise in King's car also testified for the prosecution including King's cousin Harold maxlow
00:48:10
all of the 9-1-1 calls received that night were played for the court including the one Denise had made
00:48:16
herself Harold maxlow confirmed that the male voice on Denise's core was Michael King
00:48:26
the defense didn't call any Witnesses instead they tried to implicate a friend of Kings named Robert Salvador
00:48:35
police initially thought Robert was King's accomplice after they learned the two were together shortly before Denise
00:48:41
Lay's abduction they had gone to a gun range that morning to practice target shooting
00:48:49
King brought along a nine millimeter handgun while Robert supplied the ammunition
00:48:55
they finished at 1pm around 90 minutes before Denise was taken [Music] Robert had Alibis confirming that he
00:49:05
wasn't with king during or after her abduction the defense attempted to place the pair
00:49:11
together when Denise was killed and accused Robert of executing her Robert vehemently denied this
00:49:20
the judge subsequently instructed the jury to dismiss several of these questions stating
00:49:27
there is no basis in fact from the evidence for the asking of these questions [Music]
00:49:36
the jury deliberated for two hours before reaching a verdict guilty on all counts
00:49:45
Denise's husband parents her twenty-year-old sister and 15 year old brother all cried as it was delivered
00:49:52
King stared straight ahead the jury also recommended he receive a death sentence
00:50:01
it was a sentence Denise's family were in favor of Nathan Lee told The Tampa Tribune quote
00:50:11
one thing that really bothers me is he can think about Denise whenever he wants to
00:50:16
I don't want him to have those memories I want him gone a penalty phase was held to determine
00:50:26
whether King was competent to receive a death sentence the defense argued that the sledding
00:50:33
accident he'd suffered as a six-year-old caused the permanent brain damage a psychiatrist who performed a scan on
00:50:40
King said his frontal lobe showed indications of abnormal activity consistent with the traumatic brain
00:50:47
injury he explained that individuals with frontal lobe injuries can sometimes exhibit poor judgment risk-taking
00:50:56
behavior and poor impulse control King's siblings testified about some of his dangerous Behavior as an adolescent
00:51:06
the psychiatrist also said that a recent verbal IQ score King had taken placed him in the borderline range of having an
00:51:13
intellectual disability the prosecution's expert psychologist also had king take an IQ test
00:51:23
while his results also placed King in the borderline range he counted that King's ability to concentrate and
00:51:30
comprehend were stronger than the results indicated the trial judge ruled that King was
00:51:37
competent and sentenced him to death by lethal injection for the murder of donation ballet
00:51:44
King later appealed his conviction but it was upheld as of late 2022 he remains on death row
00:51:53
in Florida the conviction of Michael King wasn't the end of the Denise Amber Lee case
00:52:04
many questions remained as to whether she could have been saved given the number of 9-1-1 calls received as the
00:52:10
crime was taking place particularly significant was the 9-1-1 call from Witness jankowalski
00:52:19
she provided real-time updates to emergency dispatch while attempting to follow King's Camaro along U.S Highway
00:52:26
41. she also gave the dispatcher her contact information in case anything further was
00:52:33
required Jane didn't hear back from law enforcement after making her call the following day she saw a news footage
00:52:43
of Michael King's arrest she recognized him immediately as the driver of the Camaro she'd seen
00:52:51
at the time Jane believed she was witnessing a child abduction it wasn't until then she discovered King
00:52:59
had actually taken a grown woman Jane told the television program Dateline of her distress upon realizing
00:53:08
the crime had been real she decided to call the Northport Police Department telling them
00:53:15
I'm the 9-1-1 caller who called in do you need any more information from me the Northport police were baffled
00:53:25
they had no idea what Jane was referring to and had no record of her call because of Jane's location when she rang
00:53:34
her call had been routed to neighboring Charlotte County not Sarasota County where Northport was situated
00:53:42
for some reason Charlotte County Sheriff's Department the same Department that Denise's father worked for had
00:53:50
failed to pass the message along [Music] an internal investigation revealed that
00:53:56
the 911 operator who'd taken the call realized it was related to the Denise Anthony case and had been urgent
00:54:04
however she hadn't entered the information into a computer database as per protocol
00:54:11
instead she called it out to police dispatchers who sat across the aisle from her and passed over a handwritten
00:54:18
note they heard her but hadn't sent the tip out due to the particularly chaotic circumstances of that night
00:54:30
one dispatcher thought she couldn't send it out due to mistakingly thinking her radio wasn't working
00:54:37
others assumed their colleagues passed it along Jane Kowalski's crucial information had
00:54:44
simply slipped through the cracks at the time multiple sheriff's deputies had been stationed along the road that
00:54:52
Michael King was driving along while Denise was still alive in the back seat one Deputy realized he had likely been
00:55:01
stationed at the Toledo Blade Boulevard intersection at 6 35 PM around the same time that King drove through it
00:55:10
without the tip-off being passed along he hadn't noticed king's car the investigation led to the call
00:55:19
Operator requesting a voluntary demotion to a desk clerk position after 15 years
00:55:24
in the job four call operators had to undergo remedial training two dispatchers were suspended for
00:55:33
failing to send out patrol cars in response to the call one for 60 hours and the other for 36.
00:55:41
while the Charlotte County Sheriff publicly announced the suspensions he did not apologize for the errors
00:55:50
Denise's father Rick Goff has struggled with the knowledge that such a mistake was made by the same Department he'd
00:55:57
spent 25 years working for she's beating on the window so hard and screaming trying to get help which is
00:56:05
the smart thing to do because by that time she knows she probably wasn't coming back he told television program
00:56:12
Dateline as far as I'm concerned we blew it and I say we because I'm part of that
00:56:21
Sheriff's Office Rick began to lobby for improved training for 9-1-1 call takers which led
00:56:32
to the Denise Amber Lee act being signed into Florida law the ACT provides for voluntary training
00:56:39
for emergency line operators Rick and other members of Denise's family continue to advocate for
00:56:47
mandatory training and certification for all 9-1-1 operators Nathan Lee told Dateline that if Jane
00:56:55
Kowalski's information had been passed on quote there's not a doubt in my mind Denise
00:57:02
would still be here not a doubt in my mind in the wake of his wife's murder Nathan
00:57:11
found it difficult to return to his job as a meter reader the position gave him too much time to
00:57:17
walk and think he found the constant rumination painful six months after his wife's death Nathan
00:57:27
established that Denise Amber Lee Foundation to advocate for improvements to the 9-1-1 system
00:57:33
the non-profit was a way to create some good for his family's enormous loss by using their tragedy to impart valuable
00:57:40
lessons Nathan has traveled all over the United States to share Denise's story with call
00:57:47
takers speaking on 9-1-1 reform is now his full-time career in 2008 Nathan told the Saint Petersburg
00:57:59
times that he believed his wife's Fierce fight for survival was due to her desire
00:58:04
to be reunited with their sons quote she had a lot of reason to get out of that car
00:58:12
I know the main thing on her mind was getting to see those kids again although he believes it is a blessing
00:58:21
that their sons were too young to remember the circumstances surrounding their mother's death it was painful
00:58:27
knowing that they wouldn't remember her either over the years he has taken them to
00:58:34
visit Denise's grave and played home movies featuring her for them Nathan has been able to take some
00:58:43
comfort in knowing their mother will always be there in some way telling Dateline producers
00:58:50
I'm not worried about them they've got part of Denise in them and that's the most comforting thing I can think about
00:58:59
[Music] [Music] [Music] in 2004 Olivia Newton-John and her handsome cameraman boyfriend seemed to
00:59:34
be madly in love with each other but less than a year later this seemingly besotted couple had split and then quite
00:59:42
suddenly Patrick McDermott vanished his disappearance was so sudden so total and
00:59:50
so mysterious that some people think he faked his own death so here's a guy that's poor okay that's hurting owes
01:00:00
back child support and I believe that the pressures of that and the pressures of oh my God I'm gonna have to go to
01:00:09
jail and my son's gonna have to see me in jail and I think it was just too much for him months after he vanished alleged
01:00:16
sightings began apparently McDermott was in Mexico and I was sitting there at the bar
01:00:22
having adult beverages and this guy was walking around going table to table with
01:00:27
like an artist rendering of an image of Patrick and he came to our table and he goes do you recognize this person I go
01:00:35
you know what I think he's staying at my surf camp in season one of suicide we brought you nine different stories of
01:00:42
death Road Through the Ages now in season two we're investigating The Disappearance of one man Patrick
01:00:49
McDermott so I'm interested to give you a question too because you said that you
01:00:55
were doing an article there or journalism piece on people who had faked their death like do you really think
01:01:03
that Patrick McDermott faked his death join me poppy Damon and me Alice finds as we unravel the mystery week by week
01:01:11
in suicide only on Spotify you're like where is he and that's horrible for somebody that that you know you cared
01:01:20
about where is he that suicide beginning with a p only on Spotify