America's Most Wanted- Missing Persons (2025) Season 1 Episode 2- People Don't Just Disappear
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00:00Five-year-old, nine-year-old, 14-year-old Gina DeJesus never made it home.
00:12It's a family's worst nightmare, a son, a daughter, a loved one.
00:16We're doing everything we possibly can to help you.
00:19Gone without a trace.
00:21America's Most Wanted has brought justice and hope to families across America, helping
00:26to bring more than 65 missing children home.
00:28Thanks to some tipsters, Elizabeth Smart was recovered alive.
00:34Now we carry that legacy forward with a single mission, to bring the missing home.
00:39This hole in my heart where Chelsea's supposed to be.
00:43We've assembled a team to lead the search.
00:45Boots on the ground.
00:46From America's Most Wanted, Callahan Walsh.
00:48She doesn't even know that she's a missing child.
00:50Former NYPD police chief, Rodney Harrison.
00:53Rick Sherman is a demon.
00:54And if not for the members of this task force, he would still be on the streets today.
00:59True crime podcaster, Payne Lindsey.
01:01Somebody needs to be asked some hard questions.
01:03And survivor and advocate, Elizabeth Smart.
01:06I'm here because you deserve your brother back home.
01:08Working with investigators and listening to families.
01:11Why would he take the van?
01:12Why would he take my phone?
01:14There's no more waiting.
01:16Tonight, we're going to find them.
01:19Someone knows something.
01:20This little girl is still out there.
01:22We need your eyes.
01:23We need your voice.
01:24We're one tip away from changing the course of this case.
01:27We need your help.
01:29It's a missing piece to the family.
01:31I miss my son.
01:33Because one sighting, one tip, one moment.
01:36We're this close.
01:36Can bring someone home.
01:39We never stop searching because we know the families won't stop either.
01:43The search begins now.
01:49Good evening.
01:50I'm Harris Faulkner.
01:51And this is America's Most Wanted Missing Persons.
01:54A new show based on the iconic true crime series.
01:57And we have one mission.
01:59To bring missing loved ones home.
02:01We have three urgent cases to dive into tonight.
02:04And we've assembled a team of experts to join us.
02:07Callahan Walsh, a familiar face to America's Most Wanted.
02:11Rodney Harrison, former NYPD police chief who helped crack the Gilgo Beach murders case.
02:17Payne Lindsay, whose podcasts have reached audiences worldwide with more than 50 million
02:23downloads.
02:24Let's start though with an exciting update on one of the cases we covered last week.
02:29Daniel Robinson, a young man who went missing in the Arizona desert in June 2021.
02:35Payne, what's the update?
02:36The police have officially re-engaged in this case.
02:39There's been a new search.
02:41There's been a new witness.
02:42And also the evidence that David held onto in that storage locker for years.
02:46It's being retested.
02:48Amazing.
02:48It's big news.
02:49And this is momentum that we want.
02:51It's why we do this.
02:52Ah, great work.
02:53It's a step in the right direction.
02:54Well, and there's more good news to tell you about.
02:56Gabby Petito's father, Joe Petito, actually went to Arizona to help Daniel's father with
03:00his search.
03:01And we'll see Joe right here in studio next week.
03:04And by then, we hope to have even more updates to give you.
03:07There's movement in this case.
03:08And that's a positive thing.
03:10Oh, all good stuff.
03:11Well, let's get you to our first case for tonight.
03:14And I have to tell you, this one really breaks our hearts.
03:18Dane Elkins was a star student, the oldest of four children.
03:21His mother believes a mental break may have led to his disappearance.
03:25We have good reason to believe Dane is still alive.
03:29But time is of the essence.
03:31Watch.
03:35We're going to where Dane went missing.
03:38This is Dane's car I'm driving today.
03:40In December of 2020, college student and former racquetball champion Dane Elkins left
03:46his car behind and it disappeared off the map.
03:50It's still a mystery.
03:52He vanished.
03:54There are so many awards in here.
03:58Dane is the oldest of four.
04:00It's a missing piece to the family.
04:04As a kid, we'd go to tournaments.
04:06We'd travel together.
04:07He made Team USA multiple times.
04:09I made Team USA for him.
04:11He was my role model.
04:12He was the person I looked up to.
04:14Most of the time, he was completely normal.
04:17But during the pandemic, something was wrong.
04:20The last time I saw him, he showed up as a surprise.
04:25Four in the morning, the doors open and his phone's in the trash.
04:30His jeans are in the trash.
04:32He left this book.
04:35This whole book's just question marks.
04:37It seems like he thinks people are out for him.
04:41Reading it back, it's a completely different person.
04:45For the next six days, Dane just wrote up and down the state.
04:51And he'd say, I'm going to come home.
04:53And then as soon as he'd get close, I can't.
04:55There's targets on me.
04:59I filed a missing person report.
05:01So here's his VIN number.
05:04Like, how long does it take for you to trace the car?
05:07That could be very instant.
05:10On December 21st, close to Castillo, California, he made one last Snapchat.
05:17The CIA's made up of 12 people, the 12 keepers of all the secrets.
05:22If you don't want to do whatever they want you to do, then they kill you.
05:27They found his car.
05:30I was hysterical.
05:32A search team formed.
05:34But the search dogs lost his scent 500 feet from the car.
05:39We're pretty sure he hitchhiked.
05:41Yeah, he went missing here.
05:44No trace of him.
05:46He ditched everything, phone, wallet.
05:50The officer came back to give me this wallet.
05:52Like, this is all we have.
05:54That was the lowest point in my life, that I got so close to getting him home.
06:02And I knew at that point, when they told me his car was empty, that I may never see him again.
06:12I have a little letter I wrote for him.
06:14I have some flowers.
06:18It's just a lot of pain being back here.
06:22There have been sightings.
06:23We put that on the news.
06:25He's been seen in Bakersfield, in Mojave, Oakdale, in Santa Cruz.
06:30All reported sightings of him have been on the street.
06:32He may be living out of a suitcase.
06:37Someone has to know where he is.
06:40Please come forward.
06:42The hope is the same.
06:44I want to find my son, Jay, safe.
06:50I mean, his state of mind tells a story of its own.
06:54The Snapchat video is very telling.
06:56It is.
06:57Basically, the CIA is made up of 12 people, right?
07:01The 12 keepers of all the secrets.
07:03If you don't want to do whatever they want you to do, then they kill you.
07:08So, I mean, we have to remember, this is his reality right now.
07:12And so he left his family because he thought they were in danger.
07:16He's doing what he thinks is the right thing.
07:18What's scary is that he didn't just disappear.
07:21He really kind of erased himself.
07:23He doesn't have his phone, not a wallet.
07:26Possibly going by a different name.
07:28Right, and one of the witnesses said that he referred to himself as his younger brother's name.
07:32Cody, yeah.
07:33Cody was his brother's name.
07:35I think it's also important to note who the people are that are reporting these sightings.
07:39Most of the people that have interaction with him have been mothers with kids.
07:42They're families.
07:43Families.
07:44At the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
07:46we tell kids to look for trusted adults.
07:49People like a mother with children.
07:50People they can go to in a time of emergency to get aid.
07:54And I truly believe it's going to be the moms out there that help us locate Dane,
07:58that help us get that message back.
07:59Don't underestimate the power of moms.
08:01That is very true.
08:01Don't underestimate the power of love.
08:04Absolutely.
08:04There's got to be some type of community being galvanized regarding this investigation
08:09and helping out go to the different homeless shelters throughout the West Coast
08:13and see if we can just pass our flyers, see if anybody knows about his whereabouts.
08:16In order for us to bring missing people home,
08:20especially those that are struggling with that mental illness,
08:24it takes a partnership.
08:25And the public can really help out in this way without even having to engage.
08:29They can take out their cell phone.
08:30They can do a little record, maybe a quick pick and then call police.
08:35Yeah.
08:35As long as we're working with other agencies and getting the community involved
08:40and bringing awareness to a show like this.
08:41Well, you know, social media has played a huge part in this case.
08:45True crime podcaster Jackie Flores talked all about Dane's story on TikTok.
08:50And one of Jackie's followers connected the dots and realized she had actually seen Dane.
08:56Dane's car was found abandoned between Los Angeles and Bakersfield, California.
09:00One report is from a woman who says she's confident she interacted with Dane
09:03outside of a Taco Bell in Oakdale, California in July of 2021.
09:07Since then, several people have reported seeing Dane in Northern California.
09:11This gives a family hope that he is still out there.
09:14And Jackie is with us now from San Diego.
09:17Jackie, thanks so much for being here.
09:19First of all, what is it like to get the news that one of your followers says I can help?
09:24I was just so happy for Dane's mom, because at the end of the day,
09:27all she wants is just that one confirmed sighting, that one connection,
09:31that one little sense of hope that her son is still out there and still alive.
09:35It just makes you realize how important social media can be and how people are paying attention.
09:40People are watching.
09:41People are listening.
09:42And it only just takes one person to make that connection.
09:44Well, and I want to talk to you about how you found out about this particular case.
09:48Well, Dane's mom actually reached out to me through TikTok.
09:50So she had come across my page.
09:53She liked the way that I presented these cases.
09:55So we worked together.
09:56We did the TikTok live.
09:58And I'll continue to just help her whenever she needs.
10:01Since you have such a conduit between you and your followers,
10:05what would you say to them about this case, about Dane?
10:08Just memorize his face.
10:09Look at this picture.
10:10And just remember that this could be your brother, your son, your cousin, your best friend.
10:15You know, you could be the key evidence in this investigation.
10:17And you might not even know it.
10:18So just always keep your eyes out.
10:20Jackie, thank you so much for what you're doing.
10:22And you take a look at some of the work and the participation
10:26that happened in the Gilgal Beach investigation, where a lot of people were calling in,
10:29talking about certain tips regarding the missing or the disappearance.
10:32These things help investigations go in the right direction.
10:36So Jackie, whatever you're doing, continue to do it.
10:38Yes, 100% I will.
10:39And again, you guys are doing such amazing work.
10:41So congrats to you guys as well.
10:43All right.
10:44Thanks, Jackie.
10:45The only thing we know for sure, his family is heartbroken without him.
10:50We need your help.
10:51Dane's mom says people should not directly approach him
10:54and they should not use his name if someone does see him.
10:58Just be a friendly face.
11:00And if you have more information about any of these cases,
11:03please call 1-866-AMW-TIPS or go to our website, amwtips.com.
11:11Still to come on America's Most Wanted Missing Persons.
11:14Nicole was murdered.
11:16I remember yelling no.
11:19Ariana, her daughter.
11:20Vanished.
11:21Do you think it's a possibility that she doesn't even know that she's a missing child?
11:24100%.
11:35Welcome back.
11:36Our next two cases are about missing children who we believe are still alive.
11:41We're joined again by our experts, a team, including Elizabeth Smart,
11:45an advocate and survivor who knows firsthand
11:48how important the public's attention to cases like this really is.
11:52And in this particular missing child case,
11:55a mother murdered, buried in a shallow grave in San Francisco.
11:59Her two and a half year old daughter, Ariana, is missing.
12:03The San Francisco Police Department is offering a quarter million dollar reward
12:08in this for any information about this missing child.
12:1332 year old Nicole Fitz was killed and buried in San Francisco's McLaren Park.
12:18Sources tell us she was beaten to death.
12:20Her two year old daughter, Ariana, still hasn't been found.
12:27So I'm here in San Francisco searching for Ariana Fitz,
12:31a young, young girl who went missing after her mother was found brutally murdered.
12:36I first learned about this case through my work with the National Center for
12:39Missing and Exploited Children, and it means a lot to me personally.
12:43We need to find Ariana.
12:46How are you?
12:46Hey.
12:47Callahan Walsh.
12:48Tess Fitz.
12:48Good to meet you.
12:50Thanks for meeting me here.
12:51Tell me about your sister and what happened to her.
12:56My sister is the most kindest person anyone could ever meet.
13:00Her priority was working to take care of her family.
13:05Nikki, as a sister, had her struggles and things that weren't going so well in her life,
13:10but would always look out for me, always looks out for people, you know, before herself.
13:15One day we get word that no one had heard from Nikki.
13:19After a few days of searching, we were delivered the devastating news that she was found dead
13:28in McLaren Park.
13:30Sorry to hear that.
13:31I mean, it was a punch to the gut, and at the same time, not real.
13:40And Ariana, her daughter, where was she at the time?
13:46Vanished.
13:47So you're not only grieving the loss of your sister, but desperately searching for a missing
13:52child.
13:52Desperately searching for her.
13:54You believe that she's still out there.
13:57There is hope.
13:58100%.
13:59100%.
14:01We need answers.
14:02We need to bring her home.
14:07There was a period of time where my sister was living at a shelter.
14:10As a result of just how expensive living was, it was there that she met Lemasani.
14:18Lemasani Briggs was a street pastor who met Nicole and her daughter in a San Francisco
14:22homeless shelter.
14:23My thing is that I help people.
14:26Briggs passed away in 2021.
14:28Lemasani decided, hey, why don't you just move in here?
14:33She charged Nikki rent, which rightfully so.
14:36Lemasani was also babysitting Ariana, but Lemasani was going through her stuff when
14:42she wasn't there.
14:43Although Lemasani opened her home to Nicole, she didn't give her a key.
14:47She read her personal diaries, and she forced her to donate both money and time to her
14:52organization.
14:54My sister was like, I'm fed up.
14:55I can't take this anymore.
14:57After my sister got out of there, Lemasani refuses to give her her stuff and refused
15:01to even give us Ariana's car seat.
15:06It's like I don't want to get makeup on you.
15:08I'm so sorry.
15:11You're strong for Nicole.
15:13I have to be.
15:14I met Nicole working at Best Buy.
15:17I knew something was wrong.
15:19And the first thing I said is, just come stay with me.
15:22Nikki changed babysitters from Lemasani to Lemasani's nieces, Cielo and Helena, with
15:30Devin Martin.
15:31She was paying them around like $600 a month to watch Ariana because she was with them
15:37so much.
15:40It was Friday.
15:42She got a call from the babysitter around 930.
15:45She was supposed to get Ariana back that evening.
15:49She was like, hey, the babysitter wants to meet at B&J's restaurant.
15:53She said she was going to be five minutes.
15:56When I tell you, she looked at me, Callahan, and said, I will be right back.
16:02And like part of me believed her that night.
16:05And that was the last time I saw her.
16:08The morning I woke up to a text message from her around 1244 in the morning saying that
16:13she was heading to Fresno to help a friend named Sam, who she had never mentioned before.
16:18But I don't think she sent that message.
16:20Like I never thought she sent that message.
16:26I get a call from a detective and I just remember just yelling no.
16:34Like I didn't even, I didn't even give him a chance to say the words.
16:39This is the spot where Nicole Fitz's body was found buried in a shallow grave here in
16:43McLaren Park.
16:44How was someone capable of doing that?
16:48Like, I don't, I don't understand.
16:50Police and FBI investigators also revealed a piece of plywood with unusual markings
16:55found placed over Nicole's body.
16:57How did Nicole's body wind up in McLaren Park?
17:01Just a five minute drive from the burger joint.
17:03Why is it there?
17:04Prior to Nikki's death, Lemasani was just sending like angry texts to Nikki.
17:11Like the one that I remember most distinctly was bring my baby back to me.
17:17This lady's crazy.
17:20This is unreal.
17:22I mean, this little girl goes missing in circumstances like this.
17:25Her mom working all those hours to find her.
17:28And then she's like, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.
17:31In circumstances like this, her mom working all those hours.
17:35I just can't put this one together.
17:38It's difficult to wrap your mind around.
17:39You know, this is still a red hot case.
17:42It's been nine years, but I think that $250,000 reward is indication, especially from SFPD,
17:48a great vote of confidence that they believe Arianna is still alive, that this case can
17:52be solved.
17:53And that reward can be a very motivating factor.
17:57It's change your life money.
17:59I completely agree.
18:00And I think it's something that if you've seen someone that looks like Arianna, you're
18:05a teacher.
18:05There's a student in your class that matches the age progressed picture.
18:10A new girl down the street.
18:11A new girl down the street.
18:12Don't just think, I don't want to get involved.
18:15We cannot have that mentality.
18:17You got to get down to the motive.
18:20And what was the motive for Nicole being killed?
18:23What exactly do we know about the background of these babysitters?
18:27Well, I can't speak about all three of them, but the one thing, uh, Helena Martin, uh,
18:32she did six years, uh, in custody for, uh, the killing of her baby's father.
18:36I mean, what's the job of a babysitter to watch over the kids, right?
18:41Yeah.
18:42To keep them safe.
18:43This kid went missing.
18:45At what point do you start, what do you stop saying?
18:48It's a coincidence.
18:49Right.
18:50And we're going to learn a lot more in part two after the break.
18:54Remember, we have reason to believe Ariana is still alive.
18:58And we also need your help with this urgent case.
19:03Pay attention to this photo of 14-year-old Stephanie Dameron.
19:07She's been missing since September 23, after walking into the woods behind her home in
19:13New Sweden, Maine, near the Canadian border.
19:15The FBI and Maine State Police are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to
19:21Stephanie's safe return.
19:25In part two of our story, the question becomes, who saw Ariana last?
19:31We need your detective work on this one, because Ariana is likely still alive.
19:37And if we find her, we may also find out who killed her mother.
19:41Take a look.
19:44It's just such a tragic case that this mother has been found dead and Ariana now missing.
19:50Right now, all I have is a picture of Cielo, Devin, and Helena.
19:54I don't know where they are, and they did deny any wrongdoing.
19:56But I do need to find out more about them.
19:59Helena told a neighbor she's being targeted unfairly because she has a criminal record.
20:03She served six years in prison back in 2001 for killing the father of her child.
20:08Do you understand she was last seen with you?
20:10Yeah.
20:13I'm on my way to the police station.
20:15I'm on my way right now to the FBI's headquarters here in San Francisco.
20:23I want to hear the FBI's theories.
20:25Nothing is adding up.
20:28Can you tell me what the current state of the investigation is?
20:31This case has been very much an active investigation for us,
20:35open since the day we were notified that she was missing.
20:39The babysitters were likely the last people known to be in contact with Ariana.
20:46Were you able to contact them?
20:48We were able to interview Helena Hearn and Devin Martin.
20:51They came into my office voluntarily on two separate occasions,
20:55and then they stopped coming in.
20:57They left the area.
20:59We do believe the individuals who were in the Bay Area have since relocated to Las Vegas.
21:06So we've targeted the Las Vegas area with billboards and an information campaign.
21:12The reward is up to $250,000.
21:16Ariana would be around 12 years old now.
21:20Do you believe that Ariana is still alive?
21:23Absolutely.
21:24We have nothing, believe otherwise, in our investigation,
21:27and we want to bring her home safely.
21:29Do you think it's a possibility that she doesn't even know that she's a missing child?
21:33100%. Yeah, I would say she might not even know she's missing herself.
21:36What do you want the public to know?
21:38Nicole Fitz worked very hard to keep her family united
21:44and was murdered and buried in a shallow hole in a public park
21:50in one of the wealthiest cities on the face of this earth, San Francisco.
21:56And her daughter is missing.
21:59And to speak frankly, the community should care about this case.
22:07This is the park where her body was found?
22:10Yeah.
22:11Are you okay being here?
22:14It's tough being here.
22:18There's a $250,000 reward for information that leads to the whereabouts of Ariana.
22:24Anybody out there who has information, come forward.
22:29It's been nine years.
22:32The public, her friends, her family, never ever going to forget.
22:38And there's so many people who I know now who I wish got to know her as well.
22:45I'm just asking the public to please first remember the brutal injustice
22:52that happened when my sister was killed and her daughter was abducted.
22:58Be on the lookout for Ariana.
23:01And also for anyone who knows anything, please provide information.
23:14This is tough.
23:16Yeah, I mean, somebody should come forward and talk.
23:20People know what happened.
23:22That's definitive here, in my opinion.
23:24Yeah.
23:25I want to pull up the text message that was sent.
23:27There are so many red flags with this text message alone.
23:30I'm with my daughter.
23:32I don't think Nicole is somebody who refers to her daughter as my daughter,
23:37when she could easily say Ariana.
23:39And I'm not gonna lie, my first thought was,
23:41I wonder if it's someone else on the end of that line.
23:45Also, this is Nicole's Facebook account.
23:48Posted the day after she was last seen.
23:50Spending time with my three-year-old.
23:53Need this break.
23:54So, two things I noticed right away.
23:57First one is, they misspelled break.
23:59And talking to Nicole's friends, she always wrote incomplete sentences,
24:04used proper grammar, her spelling was immaculate.
24:07This is not something she would write.
24:09Also, my mom would call me by my name.
24:12Pain.
24:12Not a three-year-old.
24:14It's very impersonal.
24:15But also, she's two and a half.
24:17The wrong age.
24:18Not to mention the age being wrong.
24:21That feels very detached from a mother.
24:25If a phone is destroyed, can you still retract the pings through its service?
24:32Absolutely.
24:33Yes, you can.
24:33And law enforcement, they have reason to believe
24:36that Ciolo and Helena are in the Las Vegas area.
24:38And they're targeting that area with billboards
24:41that have Ariana's picture on them.
24:43And if she sees these billboards and she looks up at them and she's like,
24:47that looks just like my picture,
24:49don't you think that would cause her to start asking questions?
24:52I completely agree.
24:53We know the most important tool when it comes to the recovery of a missing child
24:56is a photo of that child.
24:58So if you see these billboards and you think you've seen this little girl
25:01that matches that picture, please give us that information.
25:04Give the FBI that information.
25:06People need to call in.
25:06Even if they have something that they think is insignificant,
25:09it may be the thing that law enforcement has been waiting for,
25:13that one little piece of information.
25:15And there's a huge reward here.
25:17Quarter million dollars.
25:19People know things.
25:21Listen, the streets are talking.
25:23People know what happened to Nicole or the disappearance of Ariana.
25:27The right information can help us bring closure to both of them.
25:31Ariana would look like this now.
25:33How do we find her?
25:34Put all your law enforcement partners together.
25:36Make sure you work together.
25:38Dedicate these investigators just to this case.
25:41It worked in Gilgo.
25:42It will work here.
25:43I mean, it made all the difference in my case.
25:45When I was brought out into public, that's when the phone call came in saying,
25:48I think I just saw Elizabeth Smart.
25:50That led to my rescue.
25:52The same thing could happen for Ariana.
25:54Well, the truth is out there.
25:56We need your help in finding it.
25:58Police are searching in Las Vegas and across California.
26:01Someone around this case knows something.
26:04And if you have any information, please call 1-866-AMW-TIPS
26:09or go to our website, amwtips.com.
26:12Coming up, a 13-year-old boy vanished.
26:16Did he run away from home or was he taken?
26:20Elizabeth Smart flew to Wisconsin to talk with the family and investigators
26:24who say we might only be one tip away from finding him.
26:29Stay close.
26:42Welcome back.
26:43One year, 10 months, and 23 days.
26:46That's how long James Jablonski has been missing.
26:49And James was just 13 years old when he vanished in June 2023.
26:53Our Elizabeth Smart went to Wisconsin, where James was last seen.
26:57His family desperate for any help and Elizabeth offering hope in their time of need.
27:07Every year, over 600,000 people go missing.
27:12James Jablonski has been missing now for almost two years.
27:18There is absolutely still hope that he's out there, that he's alive.
27:21And we just need to bring his story to the attention of more people
27:25because someone knows something.
27:28In a bizarre case from Sauk County, Wisconsin, on June 12, 2023,
27:3613-year-old James Jablonski was reported missing.
27:40Images of James leaving his home were captured on the family's home security system.
27:46Early that morning, you see James Jablonski carrying several bags out to the family van.
27:52And then he departs the home in the van.
27:58I would have never seen James doing anything like this.
28:01The van's gone and James is gone. He's got my phone.
28:06Sauk County deputies found the family's van abandoned on Highway 12, but no sign of James.
28:12Not knowing takes your breath away.
28:15It makes you wonder if you have the strength to go on.
28:21Hello.
28:22Hi, you must be Bill.
28:24Yes.
28:24Elizabeth.
28:25Come on in.
28:27This is my daughter, Natasha.
28:29Hi, Natasha.
28:30I think this is amazing that you're doing this.
28:34I just want him home. It's been too long.
28:36How do both of you feel?
28:38It's hard on her.
28:39Yeah.
28:40Because they were so close.
28:41I'm here because you deserve your brother back home with you.
28:46Do you have pictures of James here?
28:48Oh, yeah.
28:49Could I see them?
28:50Sure. Come on, baby.
28:51One of the things that is most heartbreaking is just like the giant
28:56gaping wound that his absence has left in his family's lives.
29:01I'm a single father. I have four children at home.
29:05Three boys and a little girl.
29:08And James is my baby boy.
29:12James is very warm and loving.
29:18He cares about people.
29:20He loves tinkering with all kinds of engines and stuff.
29:24So that's why I bought him his own boat.
29:27Oh, you bought his own boat?
29:28It's a project he can look forward to working on.
29:30And it's his.
29:32I mean, the boat is waiting for him when he gets home.
29:41When police get called that morning by Bill reporting James is gone,
29:45the van is gone, his phone is gone,
29:48the police realize actually they have already had a hit on the van.
29:52Walk me through what happened.
29:54A patrol deputy had come upon an abandoned vehicle along the side of US Highway 12,
30:00tagged it at about 4.40 a.m. that morning,
30:02and then the missing call from Bill came closer to the 8 o'clock hour.
30:06The van was left on the side of the highway.
30:10There's really nothing in that area.
30:14Where did James go?
30:18What was unique is Bill was missing his phone.
30:20And so one of the steps we took right away also was to get location information on the phone,
30:24what we call a ping.
30:26And in this case, the ping was coming back to the area of the van with a large radius.
30:31We go up into the woods and we ultimately locate a duffel bag and then a backpack.
30:37The police do actually bring canines to the scene.
30:41And James' scent is with the belongings,
30:44but they can't find his scent in any other direction.
30:49Was he really the one that brought the belongings there?
30:52Or did he stop somewhere prior and get into a different car?
30:58Maybe someone else brought the car and abandoned it and then left the belongings up there.
31:04There are just no definitive answers whatsoever.
31:08Do you think it's possible that someone else came and dropped James' things there?
31:14That is still a possibility.
31:15His route that night, did it show anything other than his home
31:19and the location where the van was found?
31:22The van starts out at Bill's residence.
31:24Then it travels up and stops at a location outside of Wisconsin Dells.
31:28And that is Bill Yablonski's business.
31:31In talking with Bill, he informed us that he was missing a handgun
31:34that had been stored at his business in the Wisconsin Dells area.
31:37So it is a possibility that James went to his dad's business that night to retrieve a gun.
31:43I thought I had it come unglued that morning when he was missing, but that was even worse.
31:47I just couldn't figure out what James was thinking.
31:53Is that why James went to his dad's business?
31:57Was he meeting someone there?
31:58Did James take that gun?
32:03You know, Elizabeth, you spent some good time with the people who worry most.
32:08I mean, I was most touched by his little sister.
32:12Natasha, beautiful little girl, just missing her big brother.
32:15To me, it seemed like they were incredibly close.
32:19There's such a hole that he has left in his family.
32:23That little girl wants to see her big brother again.
32:25Yeah.
32:26Well, the video of James leaving the house must have been so hard for his dad to see,
32:30but it could offer real clues.
32:33Well, it's clear that he's got not only a backpack, but two duffel bags.
32:36In the initial hours of the investigation,
32:40it seemed like he had left the home on his own volition.
32:43However, if this is a grooming or luring situation,
32:45that really is a dangerous situation for any child to be in.
32:49I agree.
32:50I've felt sad and scared as a 13-year-old boy before,
32:53and I'm hoping that someone didn't take advantage of James's vulnerability here.
33:00In part two, law enforcement officials weigh in on his case.
33:04Plus, a cryptic video James allegedly posted to social media
33:09Stay with us.
33:22Welcome back.
33:23James Jablonski has been missing since June 2023.
33:27Our Elizabeth Smart was boots on the ground on this one,
33:30meeting with law enforcement officials to get answers.
33:33In part two of the story, a disturbing Snapchat video,
33:36a missing gun, and a plea from a desperate father.
33:45As law enforcement investigates further, Bill comes to them and says he's missing a gun.
33:51What made it even worse was the Snapchat video that somebody sent to me.
33:58Sorry for everyone who cares about me.
34:02It's not their fault.
34:04It's no one's fault.
34:05It's my fault.
34:06I chose to do it, and I was scared and sad.
34:10I have no emotions anymore.
34:13I watched it probably four times, and it bothered me.
34:20But the more I thought about it, it's not the way he talked.
34:25It's like he is reading from something.
34:29I think somebody made him read that to throw everybody off.
34:36This is the spot where the police found James's stuff.
34:40My mind is blown.
34:41Like, we're walking this in the daytime.
34:43You think pitch black at night, two duffel bags, backpack.
34:48It's hard.
34:50He had a bunch of clothes that James had taken from the house,
34:54but it was actually clothes that he never wore.
34:58My phone, a phone charger, some cords, a roll of toilet paper.
35:02And that's what was really weird.
35:05It was like it was set there just to throw everybody off.
35:09If you were going into the woods to harm yourself,
35:12what reason would there be for you should bring toilet paper?
35:18Why do you think he would have taken your gun?
35:20My theory is he knew he was meeting somebody
35:25that he didn't know that he was talking to,
35:28and I think he took it for protection for that.
35:31James played online games,
35:33and I think he met somebody through one of those games.
35:37Unfortunately, predators go onto these gaming platforms
35:42to find vulnerable victims.
35:46Does this place make you emotional being here?
35:50It tears me up inside that he's not here right now.
35:54I just want him home.
35:57I don't think he's out there by himself,
36:01but I think there is someone out there who does know something,
36:04and I think James is alive.
36:09So tell me about this boat.
36:11It's a project boat.
36:12It doesn't need a lot of work,
36:13but it's something that we can do together.
36:16I've always tried to be the best father I can with James.
36:19I just feel like that maybe there's something
36:24that I did wrong to push him to leave.
36:28If he knew about the boat, he would be excited about it.
36:33Oh, yeah, because he loved to fish.
36:36I don't know if it's being hard on him,
36:40wanting him to do better than I did,
36:42not make the same mistakes I did.
36:46James was a strong-willed kid.
36:49If he thought something was wrong,
36:53he would tell you.
36:54He would tell you.
36:55I think hope is so important.
37:00For me, it was knowing that my family loved me unconditionally
37:05and that gave me the hope to survive,
37:07and I'm so grateful that my parents never gave up
37:11because I think if they did, I don't think I would be here.
37:14Him and his brothers and his sister mean the world to me,
37:18and without them, I don't have anything.
37:20I just want to know I pray for an answer.
37:26Whatever God gives us, I pray for an answer.
37:30And if someone is holding him,
37:32I hope they find a heart and let him go.
37:36James, I need you here, and everyone else needs you here.
37:42Please just come home.
37:44Elizabeth, it's so interesting to see his dad
37:47talk directly to his son.
37:49There was so much confidence around the story that he's alive.
37:52I truly do believe he's alive,
37:54and I think making sure that his father doesn't lose hope
37:57is really going to be one of the key factors
38:00in helping to bring James home
38:01because his father is the one keeping his story alive.
38:05He was playing online games.
38:07We know that from the family.
38:09How can that help us find him?
38:10You play this game.
38:12I play this game.
38:13Okay, cool.
38:14We're friends now, right?
38:14We have something in common.
38:16That invites and opens the door
38:18for someone who might not have the best of intentions
38:21to already gain that trust with James.
38:24So, I'm a mom of two teenage girls,
38:27and you hope your kids are telling you everything.
38:29You think he's lying.
38:31You think he's lying.
38:32You're hoping he's lying.
38:33You're hoping he's lying.
38:34You're hoping he's lying.
38:36You're hoping he's lying.
38:37You're hoping he's lying.
38:38You're hoping he's lying.
38:40You think you know them and where they might go online,
38:42but the truth of the matter
38:43is you have to stay locked in on them.
38:45What's unfortunate is Romney's right.
38:47At the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
38:49we operate the cyber tip line.
38:51We had over 400,000 reports
38:53of online enticement last year alone.
38:55And that's just what's reported.
38:57That's just what's reported.
38:58If this is a case that he was lured from the home,
39:00the person that lured him
39:02might have come up with a plan with him
39:04and shared that plan that we're going to go camp
39:06and we're going to go hide out in the woods.
39:08And James might've found out very quickly
39:11that that wasn't the plan at all.
39:12The campsite where his clothes were found,
39:15it looks like the end of the story.
39:17But I wonder if that was actually just the first stop.
39:20I mean, I think that the police were very, very thorough.
39:24They had the drones in
39:26and then they came back again a couple months later
39:28with cadaver dogs just in case they missed
39:32and nothing was ever found.
39:35You know, in my own case,
39:36they brought dogs to track me down
39:38and they then thought that a car came and picked me up.
39:41No car ever picked me up.
39:43They had just lost my scent.
39:45So like, where do you go from there?
39:48I don't want anybody believing
39:50that this whole case is germane towards Wisconsin.
39:52This is something that might've taken them across the country.
39:55So there's gotta be work done locally,
39:57but yet at the same time,
39:58we have to do a lot more outreach nationwide
40:01to see if we can bring James home.
40:03Absolutely.
40:04At this point, he could be anywhere in the United States.
40:07Enough time has gone by that he could be in any state.
40:10So if you're a parent out there,
40:12I know this can be scary,
40:14but parents should talk to their kids
40:15about situations like this.
40:17They should show this to their children.
40:18No, I agree.
40:19I mean, my mom made me watch America's Most Wanted
40:22and your dad was one of my heroes.
40:25Your dad's training videos, they're burned into my brain.
40:28So I think it's important that other young kids,
40:32that they're exposed to this.
40:34We can learn from these things
40:35and we can also rally together to bring him back.
40:38Absolutely.
40:39I mean, there is a young boy out there who needs our help.
40:42His family desperately wants him to come home.
40:46Parents, show your kids this show.
40:49Let's bring James Yablonski home.
40:53All right, we need your help to solve this case.
40:55Remember, if you have any information,
40:57please call 1-866-AMW-TIPS
41:00or go to our website, amwtips.com.
41:06♪♪
41:18Welcome back.
41:19Take a look once again at these faces
41:21and some of their unique traits.
41:23It's up to us to keep searching for them.
41:26There is good reason to believe they are all still alive.
41:29Dane Elkins has been missing since 2020.
41:32He is about five feet, 11 inches tall
41:35with brown hair and green eyes.
41:36His family is heartbroken without him
41:39and they are counting on us to not give up the search.
41:43Ariana Fitz vanished in 2016
41:45when she was just two and a half years old.
41:48Thanks to age progression photo technology,
41:51we believe this is what she would look like now.
41:53Authorities are honing in on Las Vegas,
41:55the Bay Area and Southern California.
41:59James Yablonski has light brown hair.
42:01He's about five feet, 11 inches.
42:04Investigators say they are so close
42:06to changing the course of his case.
42:09Study their faces, go online, ask questions.
42:14You can bring them home.
42:16I want to thank this incredible team,
42:19Callahan Walsh, Rodney Harrison,
42:21Elizabeth Smart and Payne Lindsay.
42:23Remember our mission to bring loved ones home
42:26is just getting started.
42:28I'm Harris Faulkner
42:29and I want to thank you for being with us.
42:30Stay close because we will make a difference together.
42:35Next week on America's Most Wanted, missing persons.
42:39I found it very odd that she had two flat tires.
42:42Chelsea did run into a lot of people.
42:43Maybe she ran into one that wasn't good.
42:46He started screaming, stop Terrence.
42:49Next thing I know, he's running off the side of the mountain.
42:51This guy's long gone.
42:53Savannah Hale's case, there are numerous possibilities
42:56whether it's suicide, whether it's foul play.
42:59She just vanished.