00:00:04
[dance music]
00:00:09
PETER THOMAS: There were
many eyes on Lana Long
00:00:12
as she walked out on stage
for her nightly routine.
00:00:22
She was a popular
performer at the Sly
00:00:24
Fox Lounge, a club well known
for beautiful exotic dancers.
00:00:37
Sometime after the
performance, Lana Long
00:00:41
had an unexpected encounter.
00:00:43
[eerie music]
00:00:49
The crime committed that might
have gone unsolved had it
00:00:53
not been for a common thread.
00:00:56
[screams]
00:00:58
[theme music]
00:01:22
[music playing]
00:01:23
It's going to be great.
Give it to me.
00:01:24
PETER THOMAS: One
Sunday afternoon,
00:01:26
two boys were playing together
on an abandoned highway.
00:01:30
Ready?
00:01:31
3, 2, 1--
00:01:34
[wind rushing]
00:01:37
Cool.
00:01:38
PETER THOMAS: As they
ran through a field
00:01:40
chasing a parachute, they
discovered a horrible sight--
00:01:47
the nude, decomposed
body of a young woman.
00:01:51
She was lying face down with
her hands bound behind her back.
00:01:56
A cord was wrapped three times
around her neck like a leash.
00:02:00
Under her body lay a white
silk scarf tied in a knot.
00:02:05
CHARLES DIGGS: This killer was
trying to make a statement.
00:02:07
He could have killed this
woman with a lot less trauma.
00:02:11
But the deepness of this bruise,
the prominence of this bruise
00:02:18
indicated that he
applied a lot more force
00:02:23
than it was necessary to
end this woman's life.
00:02:26
He was violent.
00:02:28
PETER THOMAS: The victim was
identified as 20-year-old Lana
00:02:31
Long, an exotic dancer who
worked at the Sly Fox Lounge
00:02:35
in Tampa.
00:02:37
Detectives found some faint
tire tracks near the body,
00:02:40
but little else.
00:02:42
Homicide investigators
interviewed Lana
00:02:44
Long's boyfriend John Corcoran.
00:02:47
Corcoran hadn't reported
Long missing even
00:02:50
though they lived
together and he
00:02:51
hadn't seen her for three days.
00:02:54
He had an explanation of why
he didn't report her missing.
00:02:56
It was kind of vague.
00:02:58
We were concerned about that.
00:03:00
PETER THOMAS: Corcoran admitted
that he argued with Long
00:03:03
on the day of her
disappearance about the number
00:03:06
of men who were calling her at
home, asking her out on dates.
00:03:11
Two weeks later, a second
body was discovered
00:03:15
in a deserted location.
00:03:17
GARY TERRY: I can vividly
recall getting in the car,
00:03:18
driving to the crime
scene, saying to myself,
00:03:21
"Please don't let her be bound.
00:03:23
Please don't let
her be tied up."
00:03:25
It felt like a ton of bricks
had just fallen upon me.
00:03:28
Because here we go
from rarely having
00:03:30
a victim bound to now two
within two weeks of each other.
00:03:35
PETER THOMAS: The victim was
identified as 22-year-old
00:03:38
Michelle Simms, a
former beauty contestant
00:03:42
who had turned to prostitution
to support a drug habit.
00:03:46
Near the body, police discovered
some fresh tire prints
00:03:50
in the soft sand, but
there was something
00:03:53
unusual about the
tire impressions.
00:03:56
The vehicle had three
different tires.
00:04:01
Detectives made plaster
molds of the tire impressions
00:04:04
for analysis, hoping
they would provide
00:04:06
some clue to the
identity of the murderer.
00:04:11
Because of the similarities
in these two cases,
00:04:15
investigators believed
that both murders were
00:04:18
committed by the same person.
00:04:20
This time, however, John
Corcoran had an alibi
00:04:24
and was no longer
considered a suspect.
00:04:27
In the forensics
lab, when Michelle
00:04:29
Simms' clothing was analyzed,
they discovered a tiny clue--
00:04:35
a mysterious red fiber.
00:04:38
It was similar to a red
fiber discovered at the Lana
00:04:41
Long crime scene
on the white silk
00:04:43
scarf found under Long's body.
00:04:47
On September 18, 1984, the
nude body of a third woman
00:04:52
was discovered.
00:04:53
The victim, 18-year-old
Chanel Williams,
00:04:57
who had a prior arrest
for prostitution.
00:05:01
This particular case,
it was a black female.
00:05:04
Her body had been
dumped on the roadside.
00:05:07
She was completely nude.
00:05:08
She was not bound in any way.
00:05:11
There was some clothing found
next to her, tied in a knot.
00:05:16
She had suffered a gunshot
wound to the back of the head.
00:05:20
So when you look at
this case, it's totally
00:05:22
different than the other cases.
00:05:23
Or is it?
00:05:25
PETER THOMAS: The forensics
lab found the answer.
00:05:28
Tiny red fibers were discovered
on Williams' clothing--
00:05:32
fibers similar to those found
on the other two victims.
00:05:37
While detectives launched
a full scale investigation,
00:05:41
they hoped that these
mysterious red fibers
00:05:45
would lead them to their serial
killer before he struck again.
00:05:52
[music playing]
00:05:54
PETER THOMAS: The Hillsborough
County Sheriff's Department
00:05:56
wanted to know all they could
about the mysterious red fibers
00:05:59
found on the three
murdered women.
00:06:03
Each of the tiny fibers
was microscopically
00:06:06
analyzed and compared.
00:06:10
Under a scanning electron
microscope, magnified
00:06:13
more than 1,000
times, scientists
00:06:17
noticed an unusual size
and shape to the fibers.
00:06:21
Instead of being
round or square,
00:06:24
the fiber looks more or less
triangular, but like a triangle
00:06:27
that's been pinched so that
you see the three legs sticking
00:06:31
out from the core of the fiber.
00:06:33
PETER THOMAS: The fibers
from the three women
00:06:35
were all triangular or trilobal.
00:06:39
The next task was to
identify whether the fibers
00:06:43
were natural or man-made.
00:06:45
Since man-made fibers
are made from chemicals,
00:06:49
scientists use what is called
a melting point apparatus
00:06:53
to determine the
temperature at which
00:06:55
the fiber would break down.
00:06:57
The results revealed that
the red fibers were nylon.
00:07:02
And by microscopically
measuring the light reflected
00:07:05
through the fibers, scientists
determined that all three
00:07:09
trilobal nylon fibers were
dyed the exact same color
00:07:14
and were from the same dye lot.
00:07:16
The conclusion, the
red nylon trilobal
00:07:19
fibers found on
the three victims
00:07:22
were all from the same source.
00:07:25
Nylon trilobal fiber is
used mostly in carpet--
00:07:28
high durability,
inexpensive carpet.
00:07:31
Since this fiber
masks dirt, it's often
00:07:34
used in automobiles and hotels.
00:07:37
Next, homicide detectives
turned their attention
00:07:41
to the tire impressions
found near the bodies.
00:07:44
Tire tread experts noticed
that there were three
00:07:48
different tires on the vehicle.
00:07:50
The impression of the front
tire was simple to identify.
00:07:54
It was an extremely
common model made
00:07:56
by the Goodyear Tire company.
00:07:58
The right rear tire was
manufactured by the Goodyear
00:08:01
company as well.
00:08:02
It was a low price
model called the Viva.
00:08:05
But there was something
unusual about the tread.
00:08:09
It was a white wall
tire and was on the rim
00:08:13
with the white wall
side facing inward.
00:08:17
The left rear tire
could not immediately
00:08:19
be identified since it was
not among the thousands
00:08:23
of known tire treads in the
FBI's computer database.
00:08:27
So investigators sent the tire
impression to the Goodyear Tire
00:08:31
Company in Akron, Ohio, to see
if they could help identify it.
00:08:35
Goodyear's tire
expert recognized
00:08:38
that it was a specialty
tire and a very expensive
00:08:41
one not sold in retail stores.
00:08:45
It was a model
called the Vogue made
00:08:47
by the Vogue Tire
and Rubber Company
00:08:49
and was used exclusively
on Cadillacs.
00:08:53
The tire impression showed that
it too was a white wall tire,
00:08:58
which was placed on the
vehicle with the white wall
00:09:00
side facing inward.
00:09:03
If the detectives
could find the vehicle
00:09:05
with this unusual
combination of tire treads,
00:09:09
they would have the vehicle
which left the tire tracks
00:09:12
at two of the murder scenes.
00:09:14
They also suspected
that this vehicle would
00:09:18
have red nylon trilobal carpet.
00:09:21
Gary Terry decided
not to release
00:09:24
this important
information to the press.
00:09:26
GARY TERRY: Serial
killers watch the news
00:09:28
and read the newspaper
just like anybody else.
00:09:31
We were aware of the experience
up in Atlanta, Georgia,
00:09:33
with the Wayne Williams case.
00:09:35
I had personally talked with
the investigators up there.
00:09:38
He changed his
pattern after he saw
00:09:40
it described in the newspaper.
00:09:43
He began reading
about trace evidence,
00:09:45
so he began dumping the
bodies in the rivers
00:09:47
to wash the bodies and destroy
latent or trace evidence.
00:09:51
PETER THOMAS: Deputies believed
that the killer was cruising
00:09:54
for victims along
Nebraska Avenue, where
00:09:58
prostitutes usually congregate.
00:10:00
Female police decoys
walked the strip
00:10:03
dressed as prostitutes in an
attempt to lure the killer.
00:10:07
The number of patrol cars in
the area also was increased.
00:10:12
Author Anna Flowers described
the search for the killer
00:10:15
in her book, "Bound to Die."
00:10:18
ANNA FLOWERS: I've talked
to a lot of officers
00:10:22
who say, "I have to
think like the killer
00:10:26
in order to catch him.
00:10:27
I worry, what would it take
for me to become the killer?"
00:10:33
Interesting thought.
00:10:35
PETER THOMAS: Despite
police efforts,
00:10:37
a fourth nude body was
discovered in a deserted area.
00:10:41
The victim, 28-year-old
Karen Dinsfriend,
00:10:45
who had turned to prostitution
to support a drug habit.
00:10:50
Deputies knew that the serial
murderer had struck again
00:10:53
when they found red
nylon trilobal fibers
00:10:58
in Dinsfriend's clothing.
00:11:00
The pattern that we saw here,
the way that these bodies were
00:11:05
left, the way that
they were strangled,
00:11:09
the way that they
were tied indicated
00:11:11
that we had a serial killer.
00:11:13
PETER THOMAS: Despite leaving
behind the fiber and tire track
00:11:16
evidence, the killer was smart.
00:11:19
But his next target,
a 17-year-old girl,
00:11:23
outsmarted him.
00:11:27
[suspenseful music]
00:11:29
PETER THOMAS: 2:30 AM.
00:11:31
After working the night shift
at this donut shop in Tampa,
00:11:34
Florida, 17-year-old Lisa
McVey rode her bicycle home
00:11:40
along a dark, deserted street.
00:11:44
Suddenly, a man jumped
from behind a parked van,
00:11:47
knocked Lisa off her bicycle,
grabbed her by the hair,
00:11:50
and forced her into his car.
00:11:53
LISA MCVEY: God help me.
00:11:54
I was thinking I was
going to be killed.
00:11:57
Oh, my god.
00:11:58
Just help me.
00:12:00
PETER THOMAS: He drove
McVey to an apartment.
00:12:03
Over the next 24 hours, she was
repeatedly raped and sodomized.
00:12:10
Blindfolded, petrified, and
convinced she would die,
00:12:15
Lisa McVey made an
important decision.
00:12:19
I had the life of God in me.
00:12:22
I wanted-- I had the
willingness to live, to survive.
00:12:25
That's it, the survival part.
00:12:28
When you're in
something like that,
00:12:30
you would be surprised yourself
what you're capable of.
00:12:34
[suspenseful music]
00:12:35
PETER THOMAS: While
still blindfolded,
00:12:37
McVey was permitted
to use the bathroom.
00:12:40
She left her fingerprints
everywhere she could--
00:12:43
under the toilet seat, around
the sink, on the hair dryer.
00:12:48
LISA MCVEY: If I had
died, if I was killed,
00:12:50
I want them-- as
far as the police
00:12:52
or whoever found me-- to know
that I was there and I tried.
00:12:57
GARY TERRY: Lisa was a
very sharp young lady.
00:12:59
I personally feel what saved
her life was her actions.
00:13:02
And those actions were
to say yes sir and no sir
00:13:05
to every demand that
the suspect made of her.
00:13:09
PETER THOMAS: At
3:00 in the morning,
00:13:10
after 24 hours of captivity,
Lisa, still blindfolded,
00:13:15
was forced back into
the car at gunpoint.
00:13:18
ANNA FLOWERS: She was
very street smart.
00:13:20
Although she had
been blindfolded,
00:13:23
she could see
under the blindfold
00:13:25
enough to give police
very important data.
00:13:29
LISA MCVEY: I was trying to get
a good clue, idea of what area
00:13:32
I was in.
00:13:33
I wanted to know where
I was coming from.
00:13:34
And I remember leaning
back in the chair--
00:13:37
I could see under
the blindfold--
00:13:38
that I saw two hotels side by
side each other, practically.
00:13:42
I remember the 275
goes in between them.
00:13:45
And it was a Howard
Johnson's and a Quality Inn.
00:13:47
PETER THOMAS: Lisa noticed the
word "Magnum" on the dashboard,
00:13:52
saw that the seats were
white and that the car
00:13:56
had red carpet.
00:14:00
Her abductor stopped the car
for a few minutes and Lisa
00:14:04
heard a familiar sound--
00:14:07
[beeping]
00:14:09
A 24-hour bank teller machine.
00:14:12
LISA MCVEY: I heard the sound
of the keys, of the buttons
00:14:14
on the machine.
00:14:22
PETER THOMAS: A short drive
later, he stopped the car,
00:14:26
opened the door, put Lisa on the
street along with her clothes,
00:14:31
warned her not to remove the
blindfold for another five
00:14:35
minutes and drove away.
00:14:54
LISA MCVEY: Freedom.
00:14:56
Wow.
00:14:57
I'm alive.
00:14:58
I'm here.
00:14:59
What do I do now?
00:15:01
I look both ways.
00:15:03
And I fell to my knees
and I started crying.
00:15:06
PETER THOMAS: Lisa McVey
was taken to the hospital
00:15:08
and her clothing sent to the
forensic lab for analysis.
00:15:12
But before it could be
analyzed, detectives were
00:15:16
called to another homicide.
00:15:20
Another nude body found
near a highway overpass.
00:15:24
GARY TERRY: And you
could tell it was him.
00:15:25
There were actually no
ligatures on the body,
00:15:28
but you could see
ligature marks where
00:15:30
he had removed the ligatures.
00:15:32
PETER THOMAS: When the forensic
lab analyzed the clothing
00:15:35
from Kim Swann and Lisa McVey.
00:15:38
They discovered a shocking
piece of information.
00:15:42
Kim Swann's clothing
contained the same red nylon
00:15:47
trilobal fibers as the other
victims and the same red fibers
00:15:52
were found on Lisa
McVey's clothing.
00:15:57
It was disbelief.
00:15:59
We couldn't believe
that we have--
00:16:01
for some reason, the
killer has not killed--
00:16:04
he's let a victim survive.
00:16:06
PETER THOMAS: Lisa McVey's
courage and determination
00:16:10
made her the first known
survivor of this serial killer.
00:16:14
Could she provide enough
information to find him?
00:16:23
PETER THOMAS: When police
realized that Lisa McVey's
00:16:25
rapist was the serial killer,
the clues she provided
00:16:29
took on a new importance.
00:16:32
She saw the word "Magnum"
on the dashboard of his car.
00:16:37
Only one car had the word
"Magnum" on the dashboard,
00:16:41
the 1978 Dodge Magnum.
00:16:44
A computer search of Dodge
Magnum owners in the area
00:16:47
revealed a list of 486 names.
00:16:51
McVey also told investigators
that her abductor
00:16:55
used a 24-hour bank
teller machine shortly
00:16:58
before she was released.
00:17:01
When the records of all
bank machine transactions
00:17:04
for November 4 were
compared with the list
00:17:07
of Dodge Magnum
owners, only one name
00:17:11
was on both lists, Robert Long.
00:17:15
Robert "Bobby Joe" Long was
a 31-year-old part-time X-ray
00:17:20
technician.
00:17:22
Separated from his wife, he
was the father of two children.
00:17:26
Since Lisa McVey was blindfolded
during most of her captivity,
00:17:30
she could not positively
identify him from photographs.
00:17:35
So Bobby Joe Long was
immediately placed
00:17:38
under 24-hour surveillance.
00:17:40
Long was followed to
this movie theater.
00:17:43
And when he went
inside, deputies
00:17:46
inspected the tires on his car.
00:17:49
On the right rear side
was a Goodyear Viva.
00:17:52
On the left rear side, the
expensive specialty tire,
00:17:56
the Vogue.
00:17:57
Both tires were inverted
with the white wall
00:18:00
side facing inwards.
00:18:03
They were the same tires
and in the same position
00:18:07
as the tire impressions found
at two of the murder sites.
00:18:12
When Long walked out
of the movie theater,
00:18:14
deputies immediately
arrested him and confiscated
00:18:18
his car for further analysis.
00:18:20
The tire treads match the
plaster impressions taken
00:18:24
from two of the crime scenes.
00:18:27
Long's blood type
matched a semen stain
00:18:30
found on one of the victims.
00:18:32
But it was the carpet
inside the Dodge Magnum
00:18:37
that linked long to
all of these crimes.
00:18:41
The red nylon
trilobal carpet fibers
00:18:45
inside Long's Dodge
Magnum matched the fibers
00:18:49
found on the murdered women.
00:18:52
And they also matched
the red fibers
00:18:55
on Lisa McVey's clothing.
00:18:57
How was he getting
so much fiber evidence
00:18:59
on the clothing of the victims?
00:19:02
Well, he was stripping his
victims down in the car
00:19:04
and he was throwing the
clothes in the floorboard
00:19:06
of his vehicle.
00:19:07
And the victim was
kicking the clothing,
00:19:09
kicking it and kicking it.
00:19:10
It was picking up the
fiber evidence out
00:19:11
of the floor of his vehicle.
00:19:14
Fiber evidence is often
referred to as a silent witness.
00:19:17
It doesn't say a thing,
but it just speaks volumes.
00:19:20
PETER THOMAS: When told of
this evidence against him,
00:19:23
Bobby Joe Long confessed to
the rape and abduction of Lisa
00:19:27
McVey, as well as the murders.
00:19:31
He also confessed to
two additional murders
00:19:35
the police knew nothing about
and led them to the bodies.
00:19:40
In all, he confessed
to 10 murders.
00:19:45
BOBBY JOE LONG: It's sad
what happened to them
00:19:49
and that I could do something
like that to somebody.
00:19:53
All the victims, all of them,
you know-- and you're talking
00:19:56
about a lot of them, a lot.
00:20:02
A lot of lives have
just gone right
00:20:03
down the tubes
because of me, you
00:20:06
know, in one way or another.
00:20:08
And it's not a good feeling.
00:20:09
It's not a pleasant feeling.
00:20:10
I'm not proud of
anything I've done.
00:20:14
And the worst thing is
I don't understand why.
00:20:16
I don't understand why.
00:20:18
Yes, it was bad.
00:20:19
Yes, it was very
traumatic to my life.
00:20:22
But it's made me who I am today.
00:20:25
The challenges in my life, the
weaknesses that I had then,
00:20:27
it's made me a stronger
and better person today.
00:20:31
And that's how I'm
able to survive.
00:20:32
[music playing]
00:20:35
I'm a firm believer that
this is not all the homicides
00:20:38
Bobby Joe Long did.
00:20:39
You don't start killing the way
Bobby Joe Long started killing.
00:20:43
Have we found all the victims?
00:20:44
No.
00:20:45
Are we going to find
all the victims?
00:20:47
I doubt it.
00:20:49
Not unless some day
he decides to give
00:20:52
us the rest of the information
and the rest of the story.
00:20:55
[eerie music]
00:21:06
[music playing]
