- 2 days ago
When 60-year-old Ilene Gowan goes missing, Council Bluffs PD turn to CCTV to retrace her movements. They follow a trail of surveillance footage to unpick the lies of someone close to Ilene, and reveal the shocking truth of what happened to her.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00There is a dead body on the side of the road.
00:12It was very clear that she had been beaten up.
00:18She was involved in a very physical altercation.
00:21Now we have to start running down the details.
00:25Surveillance footage was really paramount in this investigation.
00:29Why did she need that money?
00:31Could she have gotten in trouble?
00:32She's gone, and now he's throwing things away right when he gets home.
00:38Something just didn't look right, and it raised our suspicion.
00:41Where'd you go?
00:43I wish you were home.
00:44Well, the camera doesn't lie.
00:58Eileen Gowan is celebrating her birthday with her family.
01:17Happy 60th birthday, Granny.
01:22Happy birthday, Mom.
01:24Happy birthday, Mom.
01:26She didn't like getting older, that's for sure.
01:28But she still looked good for being 60.
01:34Okay, let me get this food ready.
01:36I'm starving.
01:38She was getting her buzz on cooking, just in her element in the kitchen.
01:42She was an awesome cook.
01:44Can I help?
01:46You can get me another beer.
01:48Eileen and Sam were dating off and on for about a year and a half, maybe two years.
01:54My mom was married three times.
01:57I believe she was a hopeless romantic, and she was always looking for that right person.
02:02Cheers.
02:03Cheers.
02:04She definitely wanted things to work with Sam.
02:07They seemed like they were having a pretty good day together.
02:10She just loved that we were all together.
02:13I just wish I would have done more.
02:15I wish I could have made it more special.
02:17How can I help you, ma'am?
02:30I need to report a missing person.
02:32Nicole came into police records and reported her mother missing on the 14th of February, 2023.
02:39She last heard from her mother the morning of the 13th.
02:42I spoke to her at, like, 8.30 in the morning, and she told me that Sam kicked her out, and she had nowhere to go.
02:51There was arguing going on, and it wasn't good.
02:55So a friend of hers, Mike, offered to let her stay for a couple days.
03:01I didn't have Mike's number.
03:03I called Sam.
03:04He said he hasn't heard from her.
03:06It just was very odd to me.
03:07I was worried.
03:11I'll get an officer to look at this.
03:15So Nicole provided us with two names.
03:18Sam Brammer, Eileen's on-again, off-again boyfriend, and Mike Brockman, who she was currently living with.
03:27So we needed to speak with both of them.
03:30Right away, on the 15th of February, we reached out to Sam Brammer and requested an interview with him.
03:43The missing persons case was initially assigned to Sergeant Ted Roberts.
03:47I'm the sergeant that you talked to on the phone.
03:49My name is Ted Roberts.
03:51You know, Eileen, she's never done this kind of thing before.
03:54She's never just, you know, took off and gone.
03:57What she does is she comes to me, she's moved in with me four or five times.
04:03But usually when she moves in with me, she stays away from home.
04:05He explains that they would be together, they would get in these arguments, and they would break up.
04:12Sam tells detectives that Eileen messaged him on February 13th, the same day that Nicole last heard from her mom.
04:20She texted me.
04:20Okay.
04:21And wanted to know if I would come and get her.
04:23He said she needed to ride from Sugar's Diner to Mike Brockman's residence.
04:30My mom was working at Sugar's in Council Bluffs as a server.
04:34She would come in at 5, 6 in the morning and clean it and then serve for the morning shift and then come back for her afternoon shift.
04:43Sam says that he picked up Eileen in his 1999 Ford F-150 at 8.30 in the morning.
04:51They leave Sugar's Diner and he takes her to Mike Brockman's residence.
04:55I pull up, she gets in the truck.
04:58We take off and drop her off there.
05:02Then I'm left.
05:03It's about two and a half miles from Sugar's Diner.
05:06He would have dropped her off there at about 8.40 in the morning.
05:09Sam indicated that he had not heard from her again.
05:13When Sam mentions that, it certainly makes us want to talk to Mike sooner than later.
05:22Detectives bring in Mike Brockman for questioning.
05:26I'm Detective Branigan.
05:27This is Sergeant Roberts.
05:28Thanks for coming in today.
05:29Law enforcement wants to know when was the last time Mike Brockman saw Eileen.
05:33How did that relationship work or go?
05:36Tell me how you met Eileen.
05:37Mike said he's a regular patron of Sugar's Diner.
05:42He knows Eileen from frequenting that business.
05:46We asked him if he had any type of contact with Eileen.
05:51Was there ever anything sexual between you and Eileen?
05:54He flat out denied that.
05:56He said he had no desire to have an intimate relationship with her.
06:00Why was Eileen staying at your place?
06:03He allowed her to stay on this couch and stay there for a short period of time.
06:08On Sunday night, had a conversation with her that that was going to be her last night.
06:12She needed to find another place to stay.
06:14And he would take her to work that morning on the 13th, Monday morning.
06:18And he would come pick her up, gather her things, and he would take her wherever she wanted to go.
06:23What time did you drop Eileen off at Sugar's Diner on Monday morning?
06:27He said he dropped her off at about 5 in the morning.
06:31Thanks, Mike.
06:32Mike's account is directly contradicted by Sam's interview that he picked up Eileen and he drove her straight out to Mike Brockman's house.
07:02Both Sam and Mike are released pending further investigation.
07:12Police are now trying to verify the stories that they've received from Sam and from Mike.
07:17First thing they do is start looking for video.
07:21So I reach out to Sugar's.
07:23Morning.
07:24I'm Sergeant Roberts. This is Detective Brannigan.
07:27Morning.
07:27We'd like to ask you some questions.
07:29That morning, Eileen came in early.
07:32She did her cleaning.
07:34Then she left at 8.30 in the morning.
07:36Was there anything odd or unusual about Eileen's mood or behavior?
07:40She was supposed to be back at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and she didn't show up.
07:45It was completely out of the ordinary.
07:47Do you have any surveillance cameras on the premises?
07:51Sugar's Diner has a camera at the back door, has a camera at the front, at the entrance.
07:57What we're hoping to see is Eileen come to work and how she's acting.
08:04We want to make sure that she's, first off, acting normal.
08:08Can you start just before 8.30 a.m. on the back door camera?
08:11Uh-huh.
08:28Stop.
08:29There's Eileen.
08:37We see Eileen walking across the video screen.
08:41She leaves work.
08:42She doesn't look like she's in any type of distress.
08:45Okay, keep playing.
08:48They're really hoping that, you know, as that camera advances,
08:52that they will be able to see what happens next,
08:54where she goes, who she's with.
08:56Sam indicated that he was driving her out,
08:59and he had a fairly distinctive truck.
09:02He had a Ford F-150.
09:10Rewind and play that again.
09:18It's grammar.
09:20We see Sam's truck drive directly in front of that camera angle.
09:24Play that again.
09:26Stop.
09:33Zoom in.
09:37We can clearly see Eileen sitting in the passenger seat of that truck.
09:41So that confirms the statement from Sam
09:46that he did pick her up that morning at 8.30,
09:49and she was healthy, alive, and with him voluntarily.
09:54It's time to start trying to verify Mike Rockman's story.
09:59He had indicated that he had dropped Eileen's belongings off that evening
10:03at the back door of Sugar's.
10:05Show me the camera that covers the back.
10:06Show me the camera that covers the back.
10:07Play just before 8 p.m.
10:17Stop there.
10:18We can clearly see Mike Rockman removing some items from his truck
10:29and leaving them at the back door,
10:31and then he gets back in his truck and he drives off.
10:33So he was telling us the truth.
10:37Now we know that at 8.30 in the morning
10:40that she's alive and well in the passenger seat of Sam Brammer's truck.
10:45At about 8 o'clock at night,
10:47Mike Rockman is dropping off her belongings at the back door.
10:50So we need to be able to put more things into that timeline.
10:53We need to know where she was at what time,
10:55who she was with, what she was doing.
11:00We don't have any of this information yet.
11:08See, now police have to start running down the details.
11:11Does Mike Rockman have an alibi for his whereabouts
11:14on the day of February 13th?
11:17And so detectives went to his work.
11:20The manager pulled up his timesheets
11:22on the morning of the 13th.
11:24He clocks in around 6 o'clock in the morning.
11:27Mike Rockman was still there
11:28talking with co-workers when she left around 4 o'clock.
11:33Mike Rockman was at work all day long
11:36on the 13th, just like he told us.
11:40Mike has a pretty solid alibi.
11:43So Sam Brammer was the last one
11:45that has been seen with her at 8.30 in the morning.
11:50Investigators switch gears.
11:54The police are trying to find out
11:56who has spoken with Eileen,
11:58who has seen Eileen after Sam
12:00and picked her up from Sugar's.
12:01So they reach out to friends and family
12:04and they end up speaking with Eileen's mom, Kathleen,
12:07at Dudley Court Apartments.
12:08Kathleen tells detectives that Eileen visited her
12:12at around 8.45 a.m.
12:14How was Eileen when you saw her on February 13th?
12:18Kathleen said that she was acting completely normal.
12:21What did Eileen do when she came in?
12:24Kathleen said that she went into the apartment,
12:27went straight into the bedroom
12:29where the safe is kept,
12:31retrieved the safe,
12:32and she left the apartment.
12:34That safe had about $1,200 into it,
12:37according to her mom.
12:38That's a pretty good, sizable amount of money.
12:42Eileen's visit to her mom's apartment
12:44conflicts with Sam's account
12:46of her movements that morning.
12:48Sam's interview indicated
12:50that he picked up Eileen at Sugar's at 8.32
12:53and he drove her straight out to Mike Brockman's house.
12:58He lived north and east of Sugar's
13:01about 5, 10 minutes away.
13:04Eileen's mom's apartment
13:05is around 15 minutes west of Sugar's
13:08and if he drove her straight out
13:09to Mike Brockman's house,
13:11then she couldn't be at her mom's apartment
13:13at about 8.45 a.m., 10 minutes later.
13:19So law enforcement is looking to try to verify, again,
13:22the accuracy of the statements.
13:24They're able to acquire the surveillance footage
13:27from the Dudley Court apartments.
13:29Okay, start just before 8.40 a.m.
13:43So at about 8.45 in the morning,
13:46we see Eileen enter Dudley Court.
13:49She comes in through the foyer.
13:52She gets on the elevator.
13:59Next camera.
14:02And then we see her come off the elevator
14:05on the second floor.
14:08And she walks directly to her mom's apartment.
14:13And she goes off camera.
14:17And then about 5 minutes later,
14:18you can see her coming out.
14:26She's carrying the safe.
14:28It was a small black safe
14:30with a handle on top.
14:31Why did she need that money?
14:39Did she need to just get away from everything
14:42for a little while?
14:44Or could she have gotten in trouble?
14:45Did she need to pay somebody off?
14:48That's the lobby camera.
14:49She exits out of the lobby.
14:55Unfortunately, there's no cameras
14:56that cover where she goes once she leaves.
14:59She's not seen with Sam Bramer,
15:00but he's the one that left Sugars with her.
15:03And 15 minutes later,
15:05she's on camera at Dudley Court apartments.
15:07So this is certainly pretty good evidence
15:09that she is still with Sam Bramer
15:11during this period of time.
15:18Across town,
15:20Eileen's family struggles with her disappearance.
15:24As time went,
15:26we became more and more concerned.
15:30My brother, Jack,
15:31made a missing person flyer.
15:33And we all went,
15:35every gas station,
15:37every bar.
15:38I mean,
15:39just every business
15:40that would let us put it up.
15:47Hey there,
15:48it's Eileen Gowan.
15:49Leave a message.
15:50I was calling her,
15:52blowing her phone up.
15:53No response.
15:56My mom was my best friend.
15:59And so I knew I had to stay strong
16:01for the girls,
16:02but believe me,
16:03there was times
16:04that I couldn't.
16:10Investigators refocus
16:12on Sam's movements
16:13on February 13th.
16:16They review the data
16:17from traffic cameras
16:18to trace where he went that day.
16:21Sam told us
16:22that he picks her up at 8.30,
16:25took her to Mike Brockman's house,
16:27and he went back home.
16:30There are a couple of surveillance
16:31cameras that were positioned
16:33between Sugar's
16:34and Mike Brockman's house
16:35that captured the highway.
16:38Sam's truck is not captured
16:40on that video.
16:41But Sam's truck
16:42is identified
16:43at 9.28 a.m.
16:45on the 13th,
16:46heading westbound
16:47on West Broadway
16:48at about 36th Street,
16:50which would be leading
16:51into Omaha, Nebraska.
16:53Still not in the direction
16:54of Mike's house,
16:55which is north and east
16:57of town.
16:57The next surveillance camera
17:00photograph we receive
17:02is Sam returning,
17:04now traveling eastbound
17:05at the same location
17:06at 10.28 a.m.,
17:10one hour later.
17:11So for one hour,
17:13he's somewhere in Nebraska.
17:16There is someone
17:17in the passenger side,
17:19but you can't see
17:19the passenger's face.
17:20Something just didn't
17:25look right
17:25and it raised
17:27our suspicion.
17:35Investigators invite Sam
17:36to the police department
17:37for a second interview.
17:39We began talking
17:41with him again
17:42about his movements
17:43that day.
17:45Now this time,
17:46he knows that we have
17:47some questions,
17:47he's prepared
17:48and he gives us
17:51a little bit
17:51more information.
17:52So I went and picked her up
17:53and she got in the truck,
17:55but she didn't want
17:55to go home right away.
17:57So me and her
17:58just went right down
17:59to Broadway
17:59and then she wanted
18:00to stop her
18:01at her mom's house.
18:02He tells us,
18:03well, I didn't take her
18:05straight to Mike Brockman's house.
18:07First, she needed
18:08to go see her mom.
18:09So we went to Dudley Court.
18:12I stopped her
18:12at her mom's house
18:13and she was in there
18:14for, I don't know,
18:15five or ten minutes.
18:16She came out there,
18:17got back in.
18:19She just said
18:20she wanted to talk
18:20to her mom.
18:21That's what she told me.
18:22Did she come out
18:22with anything?
18:23Did she have anything?
18:24She had her purse
18:24and she had a black
18:26seat with her.
18:28She wanted to talk
18:28to me about helping
18:29her get in the apartment.
18:30Now we know
18:31what that money was for.
18:32That money was to
18:34put down on an apartment
18:36the deposit
18:37first month's rent.
18:39We received video photos
18:41from Sherwood Apartments
18:42and located them
18:44walking up to the door
18:45seeing that the office
18:46doors were closed
18:47and then they left.
18:50That confirms that part
18:51of his story
18:52but he still ends up
18:53with the story
18:54that he drops her off
18:55at Mike Brockman's house.
18:57Okay, and it's somewhere
18:58off of there
18:58is where you drop her on.
19:00It says, I pulled up
19:01and she didn't want me
19:02going to the driveway
19:03in case he was there.
19:04That's when I watched her.
19:05I turned around
19:05and came back.
19:06Okay.
19:07Yeah, it's straight on.
19:07We know that he didn't
19:09take her to Mike Brockman's
19:13house because we have
19:14the video of him
19:15going back west.
19:17We have a camera
19:17at 36th and Broadway
19:19and we have your truck
19:20going westbound
19:21at 928 a.m.
19:22going to Omaha.
19:23I told you
19:24I went straight home.
19:25I don't remember
19:26going to Omaha.
19:27Well, the camera
19:29doesn't lie.
19:31And then one hour later
19:33you're coming back
19:34from Omaha
19:34and you're coming
19:35back into Council Plus.
19:38One hour later.
19:39Where'd you go?
19:40I went straight home.
19:41I know that he's
19:42not telling me the truth.
19:44I don't know why
19:45he's lying to me yet
19:46but there's a lot of things
19:49that just aren't adding up.
19:51We'd like to look
19:52a little bit further
19:53in your phone
19:53and get the location
19:55information off of it
19:56so that we can see
19:56where you went
19:57during that time.
19:59Okay?
20:00We apply for search warrants
20:02for Sam and Eileen's phone.
20:04We can find out
20:05the movements
20:07of their phones.
20:11While investigators
20:15wait for the phone data
20:17they review
20:19the surveillance footage
20:20from the apartments
20:21where Sam lives.
20:24Play the camera
20:24that faces the parking lot.
20:31That's Sam's truck.
20:34This camera angle
20:35shows Sam Brammer
20:37arriving home at 12.59
20:39on the 13th
20:40the day that
20:41Eileen went missing.
20:46He gets out
20:47fiddles around
20:48with his truck.
20:54Sam takes some things
20:55out of the truck
20:56and walks away.
21:00What's he got in the bag?
21:01Is there a camera
21:13that shows where Sam goes?
21:15Right at the entrance
21:16is a dumpster.
21:19We can see Sam
21:21and he walks
21:23toward that dumpster
21:24carrying whatever it is
21:26that he's carrying.
21:27Sam is a dumpster.
21:27Sam is a dumpster.
21:27Sam is a dumpster.
21:31What's he throwing in the trash?
21:37It's hard to tell.
21:39Go back to the first camera.
21:42He returns to his truck.
21:45He's opening up the doors.
21:47He looks like he's
21:48cleaning a couple
21:48of things up.
21:50Why is he spending
21:51so much time
21:52in the passenger side?
21:53That door is open.
21:55There's a tree there.
21:56It's hard to see
21:57exactly what he's doing.
22:05Then he closes up the truck
22:06and walks back
22:07to his apartment.
22:09We can clearly see
22:11that Eileen's not
22:12in the truck
22:12at this time.
22:16She's gone
22:17and now he's
22:18throwing things away
22:19right when he gets home.
22:20That raises
22:21some red flags with me.
22:25By the time
22:26we realized
22:27that footage existed
22:28it was too late
22:28to find out
22:29what he'd put
22:29in the dumpster.
22:30That dumpster
22:31had already been emptied.
22:34Okay.
22:35Let's just keep watching
22:37and see if Sam
22:37comes back out
22:38to his truck.
22:38The surveillance camera
22:50on the 14th
22:51shows him leaving
22:52in his truck
22:53after dark
22:54about 8 p.m.
22:57Fast forward.
22:58Let's see when he comes back.
23:06He returns
23:07at about 10 p.m.
23:08So he's gone
23:09for about 2 hours.
23:11We need to know
23:12where Sam went.
23:14So we still have
23:15some unresolved questions
23:17that we would like
23:18to talk with him about.
23:26We had tried
23:27to contact him
23:27leaving messages
23:29but we didn't
23:30get any response.
23:32Investigators issue
23:33a bolo
23:33for Sam
23:34and his pickup.
23:36You can light it up.
23:37It's approaching him.
23:39A patrol officer
23:40spots the truck
23:41in Council Bluffs
23:42later that afternoon.
23:44Sam is obviously
23:45beginning to elude.
23:47He speeds up.
23:50It's a dangerous pursuit.
23:53He's driving recklessly.
23:55There's traffic.
23:57The speeds
23:57are getting pretty high.
23:59He's running stop signs.
24:02So it's determined
24:05that this pursuit
24:06needs to end.
24:08A warrant
24:09is obtained
24:10for Sam's arrest
24:11for eluding.
24:12Three days later
24:19Sam Brammer
24:20turns up
24:21at the police department.
24:23I'm Sam Brammer.
24:25I got outstanding warrants.
24:27I'm here
24:27to get myself up.
24:29I drove straight
24:30to the station
24:31and prepared
24:32to talk to him.
24:34Detective Branigan
24:35questions Sam
24:36for a third time
24:37about his movements
24:38on the day
24:38that Eileen disappeared.
24:40I'm trying to
24:42really lock him in
24:44to a final
24:45route that he took.
24:48Where did you go
24:49between 928
24:49and 1028
24:50with Eileen?
24:51He now
24:52admits to having
24:53new memories.
24:54He now remembers
24:55that they did actually
24:56travel over
24:57across to Omaha.
24:58He said
24:59they went to
25:00Carter Lake
25:01to the park
25:02which is actually
25:03in Omaha
25:04and he said
25:06that they
25:06fooled around
25:07a little bit.
25:08so that was
25:10his reason
25:11for being
25:12in Omaha
25:13for an hour.
25:15And where did
25:16you go then?
25:17I dropped
25:17her off
25:18at Mike's place.
25:19If you don't
25:20believe me
25:20I can show
25:22you the route
25:22we took.
25:23And I thought
25:23you know
25:24that's a great
25:25idea.
25:26Let's do that.
25:27We turned up
25:32205th street
25:33and 205th is
25:34where Mike Brockman
25:35lives.
25:36He says
25:37this right here
25:37is where
25:38I turned around.
25:39She got out
25:40grabbed her purse
25:41grabbed her safe
25:43and she just stood
25:45there as I drove
25:46away.
25:47So he's able
25:48to claim
25:48at that point
25:49he has no idea
25:50where she went
25:50because he last
25:51saw her standing
25:52on the side
25:53of 205th street
25:54between two homes.
25:55I absolutely
25:57know he's lying
25:58at that point.
25:59He never made
26:00it there.
26:00He never went
26:01to 205th street.
26:05So he
26:05drove back
26:06to his apartment.
26:07I pulled up
26:08right behind
26:09his truck
26:09and I asked
26:10him Sam
26:11do you mind
26:12if we take
26:12a look
26:13in your truck?
26:14He says
26:15you're not
26:15going to find
26:15anything
26:16he said.
26:17We just
26:17want to look
26:18and see
26:18if there's
26:18anything in
26:19there that
26:19tells us
26:20that there
26:20was a
26:21disturbance
26:21between
26:21you and
26:22Eileen
26:22inside that
26:23truck.
26:25So
26:26Detective
26:26Fletcher
26:27looked inside
26:27the vehicle
26:28he didn't
26:29see anything
26:29completely
26:30out of the
26:31ordinary.
26:32Sam Brammer
26:33knew now
26:33that we
26:34were definitely
26:34interested in
26:35this truck.
26:36We wanted
26:37to see
26:37inside that
26:38truck.
26:39But
26:39at this
26:40point
26:40we only
26:41have a
26:41missing
26:41person.
26:42We don't
26:43have a
26:43crime.
26:44So
26:44I don't
26:45have probable
26:46cause to
26:46seize
26:47or search
26:48anything.
26:49Sam
26:53is taken
26:54back to
26:54the station
26:55and released
26:55on bail
26:56for his
26:56traffic
26:57violations.
27:00Investigators
27:01refocus on
27:02tracing Sam's
27:03movements on
27:04February 13th
27:05the day
27:05Eileen
27:06disappeared.
27:07When Sam
27:08comes back
27:09from Omaha
27:10the traffic
27:11camera captures
27:12his truck
27:13at 1028
27:14but we
27:15didn't know
27:15where he
27:16went after
27:16that.
27:17So I
27:18requested a
27:19couple of
27:19our detectives
27:20to go
27:20canvas every
27:21business in
27:21that area
27:22for any
27:22kind of
27:23video footage
27:23that they
27:24could find
27:24and they
27:25did just
27:25that.
27:28We were
27:28able to
27:29secure video
27:29from one
27:30of the
27:30businesses
27:31in this
27:31area
27:31it's
27:32Burger King
27:32in the
27:333200 block
27:34of West
27:34Broadway
27:34right by
27:35the traffic
27:36camera at
27:3636th and
27:37Broadway.
27:38Play from
27:38there.
27:45We can
27:46see Sam
27:47Brammer's
27:47truck pull
27:48up to
27:48the
27:48drive-thru.
27:51Okay
27:52rewind
27:52let's have
27:52another look.
27:55It captures
27:56both him
27:57and Eileen
27:58in the
27:59passenger side.
28:00We know
28:01it's Eileen
28:01but the way
28:02she's positioned
28:03is very
28:04awkward.
28:05It's
28:05strange.
28:07Zoom
28:07into Eileen.
28:08It looks
28:14like her
28:15right arm
28:15has crossed
28:16her body
28:17and just
28:17she doesn't
28:18look right
28:18and all
28:18you can
28:19see is
28:19her lower
28:20body
28:20and nothing
28:22moves.
28:22The whole
28:23time that
28:23he's sitting
28:24there
28:24nothing moves.
28:26we watched
28:38it several
28:39times.
28:40I never
28:40thought that
28:41I would
28:41ever see
28:41a piece
28:42of video
28:43footage
28:43like this.
28:45We started
28:46noticing
28:47Brammer.
28:47Look at
28:48his chest.
28:49It's really
28:50moving up
28:50and down.
28:51He was
28:52taking very
28:53large breaths.
28:54He was
28:55gasping.
28:57You could
28:58see the
28:59nervousness
28:59on Brammer.
29:02After that
29:03we were
29:03convinced
29:04that Eileen
29:05was either
29:06hurt very
29:07bad and
29:08unconscious
29:08or already
29:09deceased.
29:13And that
29:14we received
29:15a phone call.
29:20911
29:21what's the
29:21address
29:21for your
29:22emergency?
29:22Crescent Iowa.
29:24What's going
29:24on?
29:25So we're
29:25driving down
29:26the road
29:26and there
29:27is a dead
29:28body on
29:29the side
29:29of the
29:29road.
29:30You don't
29:30think it's
29:30male or
29:31female?
29:32It's female
29:32for sure.
29:34On February
29:3426th a 911
29:35call came
29:36in alerting
29:37authorities to
29:38a body that
29:39had been
29:39located.
29:41I was the
29:41on-call
29:41supervisor that
29:43day and so
29:44that's why I
29:44was dispatched
29:45to it.
29:47I could see
29:48that the body
29:49was on the
29:50side of the
29:50roadway in
29:51the ditch.
29:51The body
29:52had jeans
29:53on and
29:54a coat
29:55with a
29:55zipper and
29:56I was
29:56aware of
29:57the clothing
29:58that Eileen
29:58had last
29:59been seen
30:00in so
30:01it was
30:01pretty apparent
30:02that that
30:02was her.
30:06Detective?
30:07You seen a
30:08black safe
30:08box?
30:09Nope.
30:09The safe
30:11wasn't anywhere
30:14in the area.
30:15She was
30:15missing her
30:15glasses.
30:17One of her
30:17shoes was
30:18missing.
30:19Her purse
30:19was not in
30:20the area.
30:21Her phone
30:21wasn't around
30:22her.
30:23When could
30:24she have been
30:24dumped here?
30:25It had snowed
30:26several days
30:27before and so
30:29the snow had
30:30begun to melt.
30:31That's when the
30:32body was able
30:33to be seen.
30:35We could see
30:35that there really
30:36wasn't snow
30:37underneath the
30:38body which
30:39suggested that
30:40she had been
30:41there prior
30:41to when it
30:42snowed since
30:43roughly the
30:4413th on the
30:45day she went
30:45missing.
30:47There was a
30:48laceration on
30:49the top of her
30:50head and there
30:50was also a
30:51ligature mark on
30:52her neck that
30:53we noted.
30:54The number of
30:55contusions and
30:56injuries that
30:57Eileen sustained
30:58it was very
31:00clear that she
31:01had been beaten
31:01up.
31:02She was involved
31:03in a very
31:04physical altercation.
31:06Now my
31:07investigation
31:07ramps up.
31:09now we
31:10absolutely have
31:11a homicide.
31:17Investigators
31:18contact Eileen's
31:19family with the
31:20news.
31:21Detective
31:21Branigan said
31:22I'm sorry to
31:23inform you but
31:24it was your
31:25mom's body that
31:26we found.
31:29I just lost
31:30it.
31:31that little
31:33sliver of hope
31:35is of course
31:36gone.
31:37You don't
31:38ever think
31:38that something
31:38like this is
31:39going to happen
31:39to someone you
31:40know.
31:41I couldn't
31:42tell my
31:43daughter that
31:44the person she
31:45loved so much
31:46was never coming
31:47back.
31:48I felt between
31:49helpless and
31:50hopeless.
31:51My focus was
31:52they better get
31:53them before I do.
31:53detective secure a
31:57warrant to search
31:58Sam's apartment
31:59and his pickup
32:00truck.
32:01The truck wasn't
32:03there that night.
32:04We had announced
32:05ourselves, entered.
32:08Sam was inside the
32:09residence.
32:09He didn't want to
32:10talk to us.
32:11Put Sam on the
32:11stairs and search
32:12the apartment.
32:15Sam shares that
32:16apartment with his
32:17granddaughter Emily.
32:18We asked Emily
32:19what happened to
32:21her grandpa's
32:22truck.
32:23My grandpa
32:24told me to
32:26tell anybody who
32:26asks about the
32:28truck and where
32:29it is.
32:29He told me to
32:30say, I don't
32:31know.
32:32That's all he
32:33told me to say
32:34was, I don't
32:35know where it
32:35is.
32:36I told the
32:37police officer
32:38that a few
32:39days prior, my
32:40grandpa asked
32:41me if I could
32:43follow him in
32:44his truck to
32:46the scrapyard
32:47in Carter Lake.
32:49He pulled his
32:50truck in to go
32:51get crushed.
32:52We received
32:53the still photos
32:53from Lakeside
32:54Auto Salvage.
32:56We can clearly
32:56see his truck,
32:58his driver's
32:58license, and
33:00him in his
33:01truck.
33:02He had the
33:03car shredded.
33:04Our belief was
33:05that there would
33:06have been
33:07incriminating
33:07forensic evidence
33:08in that truck.
33:09He was able to
33:10get that truck
33:11crushed before we
33:12were able to
33:12get it searched.
33:14We missed
33:15that opportunity.
33:17It just makes
33:18you shake your
33:19head.
33:20It's unbelievable.
33:21What else could
33:21happen?
33:27Detectives
33:27received Sam's
33:28and Eileen's
33:29cell phone data
33:30from February
33:3013th.
33:32We were able
33:33to triangulate
33:35their locations
33:36with cell towers.
33:38The information
33:39that we received
33:40shows the phones
33:41traveling together
33:42up until about
33:4311 o'clock
33:44in the morning.
33:47And right about
33:48that time,
33:48the phones are
33:49no longer
33:50communicating,
33:51which means
33:51they were either
33:51turned off
33:52or they were
33:54placed on
33:54airplane mode.
33:56Investigators
33:57search for
33:57surveillance cameras
33:58close to the
33:59location of the
34:00last ping
34:01from Eileen's
34:01phone.
34:02We were able
34:05to find
34:06some surveillance
34:07video from a
34:08Department of
34:09Transportation camera
34:10out in
34:10Trainer, Iowa
34:11on Highway 92.
34:13At 11.46 a.m.
34:15on February 13th,
34:17a camera captures
34:18Sam Brammer's
34:19pickup.
34:19Sam's truck
34:20is seen
34:20traveling east
34:22on Highway 92
34:23through
34:23Trainer, Iowa.
34:24And he drives
34:29out of sight,
34:30continuing east.
34:37And at 12.34,
34:40we again see
34:41Sam's truck,
34:41this time
34:42traveling on Highway
34:4392 back
34:44toward Council
34:45Bluffs.
34:47Now we can
34:48clearly see
34:48through his
34:49windshield as
34:50he's driving,
34:51he's the only
34:52person inside
34:53that truck.
34:54But Eileen's
34:57phone is
34:58with him.
35:05Sam continues
35:07all the way
35:07to his home.
35:08When he gets
35:09home at 12.59,
35:11we know Eileen
35:12is not in that
35:13truck because he
35:14has it all
35:14opened up.
35:19I believe
35:20that Sam
35:22dumped her
35:24somewhere east
35:25of Trainer
35:26just to get
35:27her out
35:28of his truck.
35:29He needed
35:30to find
35:30someplace
35:31to hide
35:32her quickly.
35:32The next day,
35:41we know he's
35:41gone for two
35:42hours.
35:43On the 14th,
35:44as we see
35:45the surveillance
35:45video showing
35:46him leaving
35:47the apartment
35:47complex about
35:488 p.m.
35:50and returning
35:51at 10 p.m.,
35:52that would have
35:53been plenty
35:53of time for
35:54him to drive,
35:56retrieve her
35:56body,
35:58take her to
35:58the different
35:59location,
36:00and drop her
36:00body on
36:01Mormon Bridge
36:01Road.
36:05Law enforcement
36:06is really
36:07looking at
36:07motive at
36:08this point,
36:09so we've
36:10obtained Sam's
36:11bank records.
36:13I came upon
36:13one deposit
36:14that occurred
36:15on the 15th
36:16of February.
36:17This was a
36:18deposit of
36:19$1,200
36:20in cash.
36:22This amount
36:22of money
36:23matches the
36:24amount of
36:24money that
36:24should have
36:25been in
36:25the safe
36:26that Eileen
36:27had.
36:28Video from
36:29the bank
36:29does show
36:30Sam Brammer
36:31enter the
36:31bank and
36:33give cash
36:34to the
36:34teller.
36:36This was
36:36very significant
36:37because Eileen
36:38has a safe
36:39that has
36:40$1,200 cash
36:41in it that
36:42has gone
36:42missing,
36:43and then
36:43two days
36:44later,
36:45he's showing
36:45up at the
36:45bank depositing
36:46coincidentally
36:47$1,200 in
36:49cash.
36:49He had taken
36:50possession of
36:51her safe.
36:52So at
36:53this point,
36:54we had
36:54enough probable
36:55cause to
36:56issue warrants
36:57for Sam
36:58Brammer's
36:58arrest.
37:03On May
37:0424th,
37:05Sam Brammer
37:06is arrested.
37:08He was
37:08formally charged
37:09in August
37:09of 2023
37:11with second
37:12degree murder,
37:13and then the
37:13trial began
37:14in mid-November.
37:16Prosecutors
37:16lay out the
37:17events that
37:18led to
37:18Eileen's
37:19murder.
37:22Sam picked
37:23her up at
37:24Sugar's at
37:248.32.
37:25He drove
37:26her to
37:27her mom's
37:27apartment
37:27where she
37:28retrieved
37:29the safe.
37:30Then they
37:31started heading
37:32westbound
37:32through the
37:33city of
37:34Council Bluffs,
37:36across to
37:36Omaha.
37:38They drove
37:38to Carter
37:38Lake.
37:41Oh, no,
37:42no, no.
37:42Come on,
37:42come on.
37:43Come on,
37:43jump out.
37:44It's a beautiful
37:44day.
37:45Come on.
37:46Come on.
37:46Come on.
37:47Come on.
37:48Come on.
37:49Come on.
37:51Hey,
37:51come on.
37:52Come on.
37:52Sam,
37:52no.
37:53Stop.
37:54I posited
37:55to the jury
37:56that he's
37:57assaulting her
37:58with something
37:58more than his
37:59fist,
38:01something significant
38:02enough to cause
38:02a laceration to
38:04the left side
38:05of her scalp.
38:06He brutally
38:07assaulted her
38:07while he was
38:08choking her,
38:09and during that
38:10assault,
38:10she died.
38:14He then
38:14puts her back
38:15in the truck
38:16and heads
38:17back into
38:18Council Bluffs.
38:22At 10.36 a.m.,
38:24she can be seen
38:25now awkwardly slumped
38:27in the drive-thru
38:28at Burger King.
38:32We have cell phone
38:33data and the
38:34surveillance video
38:35that showed that
38:36he was heading
38:37east toward
38:38Traynor,
38:39where he dumped
38:40her body.
38:41Shortly thereafter,
38:43he's heading back
38:43westbound,
38:44back into
38:45Council Bluffs
38:46without Eileen.
38:48And then he
38:49arrives back home,
38:51the Cottonwood
38:51Apartments,
38:52and he grabs
38:52something from
38:53the bed of the
38:54truck,
38:55and we see him
38:56walk across
38:57and deposit
38:57that item
38:58in the dumpster.
39:02The next day,
39:04he's leaving
39:05the apartment
39:05complex about
39:068 p.m.
39:07to collect her body
39:08from maybe where
39:09it had initially
39:09been dumped
39:10to where it
39:11ultimately ends
39:11up north of
39:12town at
39:13Mormon Bridge
39:14Road in
39:14152nd.
39:18Then Sam
39:19Bramer deposited
39:20$1,200 cash,
39:22probably taken
39:23from her safe.
39:27On January
39:2718, 2024,
39:29the judge
39:30sentenced Sam
39:30Bramer to the
39:31maximum of 65
39:32years in prison
39:33for murder
39:34in the second
39:34degree,
39:35abuse of a
39:36corpse,
39:36and theft
39:37in the second
39:37degree.
39:39Mike Brockman
39:39was cleared
39:40of any
39:40wrongdoing
39:41whatsoever.
39:43Surveillance
39:44footage was
39:45really paramount
39:46in this
39:46investigation.
39:48Even though
39:48the crime
39:49itself was
39:50not captured
39:50on video,
39:52almost the
39:53entire before
39:53and almost
39:54the entire
39:55after was
39:56captured on
39:56surveillance
39:57video.
39:58Without
39:58the cameras,
39:59we would have
40:01possibly never
40:02solved this
40:02crime.
40:02It was
40:07partial release
40:08when we
40:09found out
40:10that he
40:11was guilty.
40:11But then
40:12the other
40:12part of it
40:13is it
40:13didn't bring
40:14mom back.
40:16So that
40:16would give
40:16anything to
40:17talk to my
40:17mom one
40:18more time.
40:20I just
40:21miss her
40:22big personality
40:23and it's
40:25infuriating
40:26that someone
40:27could take
40:28that for
40:30no good
40:30reason.
40:30I would
40:32just choose
40:33to remember
40:33her as
40:35somebody who
40:36was always
40:36willing and
40:37able to do
40:38her best for
40:38her kids and
40:39her grandkids.
40:40She was
40:41funny.
40:42She loved
40:44life.
40:46She had this
40:46weird laugh
40:47that was
40:48contagious.
40:49She was just
40:49a great person.
40:51Whenever I
40:52needed her,
40:53whether it was
40:53in the middle
40:53of the night
40:54or she had
40:55something going
40:56on, she
40:57would stop
40:57what she's
40:57doing and
40:58come to be
40:59with me,
41:00just anything.
41:03She was
41:03there.
41:05I love
41:05and miss her
41:06very much.
41:11Next time
41:11on See No Evil.
41:13Calls of death
41:15have been ruled
41:16a homicide.
41:17They said it
41:17was very clear
41:18strangulation.
41:19I noticed
41:19several cameras.
41:21We see the
41:21suspect.
41:22We need to
41:23find out who
41:23he is.
41:24I want to get
41:25this person off
41:25the streets
41:26immediately.
41:26See you next time.
41:28See you next time.
41:28See you next time.
41:29See you next time.
41:30See you next time.
41:30See you next time.
41:31See you next time.
41:31See you next time.
41:32See you next time.
41:32See you next time.
41:32See you next time.
41:32See you next time.
41:32See you next time.
41:33See you next time.
41:33See you next time.
41:34See you next time.
41:34See you next time.
41:34See you next time.
41:35See you next time.
41:36See you next time.
41:36See you next time.
41:36See you next time.
41:37See you next time.
41:37See you next time.
41:38See you next time.
41:38See you next time.
41:39See you next time.
41:39See you next time.
41:40See you next time.
41:41See you next time.
41:42See you next time.
Recommended
41:31
|
Up next
42:56
45:41
45:31
41:31
43:04
41:33
41:31
41:31
43:00
41:31
41:31
42:52