- 2 days ago
Every second of every day, millions of Americans are caught on CCTV. Living in a surveillance society means everyday actions are caught on camera, mostly of honest citizens going about their daily lives.
Category
đź“š
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 then 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 he 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.
07:54The door has a camera at the front, at the entrance.
07:58What 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 that I couldn't.
16:10Investigators refocus on Sam's movements
16:13on February 13th.
16:16They review the data from 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 and Mike Brockman's house
16:35that captured the highway.
16:38Sam's truck is not captured on that video.
16:41But Sam's truck is identified
16:43at 9.28 a.m. on the 13th,
16:46heading westbound on West Broadway
16:48at about 36th Street,
16:50which would be leading into Omaha, Nebraska.
16:53Still not in the direction of Mike's house,
16:55which is north and east of town.
16:57The next surveillance camera photograph
17:01we receive is 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 in the passenger side,
17:19but you can't see the passenger's face.
17:20Something just didn't look right,
17:26and it raised our suspicion.
17:35Investigators invite Sam
17:36to the police department
17:37for a second interview.
17:39We begin talking with him again
17:42about his movements that day.
17:45Now this time,
17:46he knows that we have some questions,
17:48he's prepared,
17:49and he gives us
17:51a little bit more information.
17:52So I went and picked her up,
17:54and she got in the truck,
17:55but she didn't want to go home right away.
17:57So me and her just went right down Broadway,
17:59and then she wanted to stop her
18:01at her mom's house.
18:02He tells us,
18:03well, I didn't take her straight
18:05to Mike Brockman's house.
18:07First, she needed to go see her mom.
18:09So we went to Dudley Court.
18:12I stopped her at her mom's house,
18:14and she was in there for,
18:15I don't know,
18:15five or ten minutes.
18:16She came out of there,
18:17got back in.
18:19She just said she wanted
18:20to talk to her mom.
18:21That's what she told me.
18:22Did she come out with anything?
18:23Did she have anything?
18:24Yeah, she had a purse,
18:25and she had a black coat seat with her.
18:28She wanted to talk to me
18:29about helping her get in the apartment.
18:30Now we know
18:31what that money was for.
18:32That money was to put down
18:34on 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 doors
18:47were 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.
18:56Okay, and it's somewhere
18:58off of there
18:58is where you drive her on.
19:00As soon as I pulled up,
19:01and she didn't want
19:02to be going to the driveway
19:03in case he would say her,
19:04and that's when I was
19:05straight, turn around
19:05and came back.
19:06Okay.
19:07Yeah, he had to start home.
19:08We know that he didn't
19:09take her to Mike Brockman's house
19:13because we have the video
19:15of him going 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'm going to start home.
19:25I don't remember
19:26going to Omaha.
19:27Well, the camera doesn't lie.
19:31And then one hour later,
19:33you're coming back
19:34from Omaha,
19:35and you're coming back
19:36into Council Plus.
19:38One hour later.
19:39Where'd you go?
19:40I'm with Sherry,
19:41and I 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.
19:50We'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
20:06of their phones.
20:07while investigators wait
20:16for the phone data.
20:18They review the surveillance footage
20:20from the apartments
20:21where Sam lives.
20:23Play the camera
20:24that faces the parking lot.
20:25That's Sam's truck.
20:34This camera angle
20:35shows Sam Brammer
20:37arriving home
20:38at 12.59
20:39on the 13th,
20:40the day that Eileen
20:42went missing.
20:45He gets out,
20:47fiddles around
20:48with his truck.
20:49Sam 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
21:13where Sam goes?
21:15Right at the entrance
21:16is a dumpster.
21:19We can see
21:20Sam
21:21and he walks
21:23toward that dumpster
21:24carrying whatever it is
21:26that he's carrying.
21:27What's he throwing
21:36in the trash?
21:37It's hard to tell.
21:39Go back
21:39to the first camera.
21:42He returns
21:43to his truck.
21:45He's opening up
21:46the doors.
21:47He looks like
21:48he's cleaning
21:48a couple of things up.
21:50Why is he spending
21:51so much time
21:52in the passenger side?
21:53That door is open
21:55with there's
21:55there's a tree there.
21:56It's hard to see
21:57exactly what he's doing.
22:05Then he closes up
22:06the truck
22:06and walks back
22:07to his apartment.
22:09We can clearly see
22:11that Eileen's
22:12not in 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.
22:21That 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
22:36watching
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
22:58when he comes back.
22:59he 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
23:13so we still have
23:15some unresolved
23:16questions
23:17that we would like
23:18to talk with him about.
23:19We had tried
23:27to contact him
23:27leaving messages
23:29but we didn't
23:30get any response.
23:32Investigators issue
23:33a bolo for 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
23:50pursuit.
23:53He's driving
23:53recklessly.
23:55There's traffic.
23:57The speeds
23:57are getting
23:58pretty high.
24:01He's running
24:01stop signs.
24:03So 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.
24:15Three days later
24:19Sam Brammer
24:20turns up
24:21at the police department.
24:23I'm Sam Brammer.
24:25I got outstanding
24:26warrants.
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 Brannigan
24:35questions Sam
24:36for a third time
24:37about his movements
24:38on the day
24:38that Eileen disappeared.
24:41I'm trying
24:42to really lock him
24:44in to a final
24:45route that he took.
24:48Where did you go
24:49between 928
24:49and 1028
24:50with Eileen?
24:51He now admits
24:53to having new 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.
25:09So 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 her
25:17off at Mike's place.
25:19If you don't believe
25:20me I can
25:21show you
25:22the route we took.
25:23And I thought
25:23you know
25:24that's a great idea.
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 I
25:38turned around.
25:39She got out
25:40grabbed her purse
25:41grabbed her safe
25:43and she just
25:45stood there
25:45as I drove away.
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.
25:56I absolutely
25:57know he's lying
25:58at that point.
25:59He never made it there.
26:00He never went
26:01to 205th Street.
26:05So he
26:05drives back
26:06to his apartment.
26:07I pulled up
26:08right behind
26:09his truck
26:09and I asked him
26:10Sam do you mind
26:12if we take a look
26:13in your truck?
26:14He says
26:15you're not going
26:15to find anything
26:16he said.
26:17We just want
26:17to look and see
26:18if there's anything
26:19in there
26:19that tells us
26:20that there was
26:20a disturbance
26:21between you
26:22and Eileen
26:22inside that truck.
26:24So
26:26Detective Fletcher
26:27looked inside
26:27the vehicle.
26:29He didn't see
26:29anything
26:29completely out
26:31of the ordinary.
26:32Sam Brammer
26:33knew now
26:33that we were
26:34definitely interested
26:35in his truck.
26:36We wanted to see
26:37inside that truck.
26:39But
26:39at this point
26:40we only have
26:41a missing person.
26:42We don't have
26:43a crime.
26:44So
26:44I don't have
26:45probable cause
26:46to seize
26:47or search
26:48anything.
26:53Sam
26:53is taken
26:54back
26:54to the station
26:55and released
26:55on bail
26:56for his
26:56traffic violations.
27:00Investigators
27:01refocus
27:02on tracing
27:02Sam's movements
27:03on February 13th
27:05the day
27:05Eileen
27:06disappeared.
27:08When Sam
27:08comes back
27:09from Omaha
27:10the traffic
27:11camera captures
27:12his truck
27:13at 1028
27:14but we didn't
27:15know where
27:16he went
27:16after that
27:17so I requested
27:18a couple
27:19of our detectives
27:20to go canvas
27:20every business
27:21in that area
27:22for any kind
27:22of video footage
27:23that they could
27:24find
27:24and they did
27:25just that.
27:28We were able
27:28to secure video
27:29from one of the
27:30businesses in this
27:31area
27:31it's Burger King
27:32in the 3200 block
27:34of West Broadway
27:34right by the
27:35traffic camera
27:36at 36th and Broadway.
27:38Play from there.
27:39We can see
27:46Sam Brammer's truck
27:47pull up to the
27:48drive-thru.
27:51Okay rewind
27:52let's have another look.
27:55It captures
27:56both him
27:57and Eileen
27:58in the passenger side.
28:00We know
28:01it's Eileen
28:01but the way
28:02she's positioned
28:03is very awkward.
28:05It's strange.
28:07Zoom into Eileen.
28:09It looks like
28:15her right arm
28:15has crossed
28:16her body
28:17it just
28:17she doesn't look right
28:18and all you can see
28:19is her lower body
28:20and nothing moves.
28:22The whole time
28:23that he's sitting there
28:24nothing moves.
28:26We watched it
28:38several times.
28:40I never thought
28:40that I would ever see
28:41a piece of video footage
28:43like this.
28:45We started noticing
28:47Brammer.
28:47Look at his chest.
28:49It's really moving
28:50up and down.
28:51He was taking
28:52very large breaths.
28:54He was gasping.
28:55You could see
28:58the nervousness
28:59on Brammer.
29:02After that
29:03we were convinced
29:04that Eileen
29:05was either
29:06hurt very bad
29:08and unconscious
29:08or already deceased.
29:10and that we received
29:15a phone call.
29:20911
29:21what's the address
29:21of your emergency?
29:22Can I say Iowa?
29:24What's going on?
29:25So we're driving
29:26down the road
29:26and there is
29:27a dead body
29:28on the side
29:29of the road.
29:30Do you know if it's male
29:31or female?
29:32It's female
29:32for sure.
29:34On February 26th
29:35a 911 call
29:36came in
29:37alerting authorities
29:38to a body
29:39that had been located.
29:40I was the
29:41on-call supervisor
29:42that day
29:43and so that's
29:44why I was
29:45dispatched to it.
29:47I could see
29:48that the body
29:49was on the side
29:50of the roadway
29:50in the ditch.
29:51The body
29:52had jeans on
29:54and a coat
29:55with a zipper
29:55and I was aware
29:57of the clothing
29:58that Eileen
29:58had last been
29:59seen in
30:00so it was
30:01pretty apparent
30:02that that was her.
30:06Detective?
30:07Have you seen
30:08a black safe box?
30:09Nope.
30:11The safe
30:12wasn't anywhere
30:14in the area.
30:15She was missing
30:15her glasses.
30:17One of her shoes
30:18was missing.
30:19Her purse
30:19was not in the area.
30:21Her phone
30:21wasn't around her.
30:23When could she
30:24have been dumped here?
30:24It had snowed
30:26several days before
30:28and so
30:29the snow
30:30had begun to melt.
30:31That's when the body
30:33was able to be seen.
30:35We could see
30:35that there really
30:36wasn't snow
30:37underneath the body
30:38which suggested
30:39that she had been there
30:41prior to when it snowed
30:43since roughly the 13th
30:44on the day
30:45she went missing.
30:47There was a laceration
30:48on the top of her head
30:50and there was also
30:51a ligature mark
30:52on her neck
30:52that we noted.
30:53The number
30:55of contusions
30:56and injuries
30:57that Eileen sustained
30:58it was very clear
31:00that she had been
31:01beaten up.
31:02She was involved
31:03in a very physical
31:04altercation.
31:06Now my investigation
31:07ramps up.
31:09Now we absolutely
31:11have a homicide.
31:17Investigators
31:18contact Eileen's family
31:19with the news.
31:20Detective Branigan
31:22said I'm sorry
31:23to inform you
31:24but it was
31:25your mom's body
31:26that we found.
31:29I just lost it.
31:33That little sliver
31:34of hope
31:35is of course gone.
31:37You don't ever think
31:38that something like this
31:39is going to happen
31:39to someone you know.
31:42I couldn't tell
31:43my daughter
31:44that the person
31:45she loved so much
31:46was never coming back.
31:47I felt
31:49between helpless
31:50and hopeless.
31:51My focus was
31:52they better get him
31:53before I do.
31:56Detective secure
31:57a warrant
31:58to search Sam's apartment
31:59and his pickup truck.
32:01The truck wasn't
32:03there that night.
32:04We had announced
32:05ourselves
32:06entered.
32:08Sam was inside
32:08the residence.
32:09He didn't want
32:10to talk to us.
32:11Put Sam on the stairs
32:12and search the apartment.
32:15Sam shares that
32:16apartment with his
32:17granddaughter Emily.
32:18We asked Emily
32:19what happened
32:21to her grandpa's truck.
32:23My grandpa
32:24told me
32:25to tell anybody
32:26who asks
32:27about the truck
32:28and where it is.
32:29he told me
32:30to say
32:31I don't know.
32:32That's all
32:33he told me to say
32:34was I don't know
32:35where it is.
32:36I told the police officer
32:38that a few days prior
32:40my grandpa asked me
32:41if I could
32:43follow him
32:44in his truck
32:45to the scrapyard
32:47in Carter Lake.
32:49He pulled his truck
32:50in to go get crushed.
32:52We received
32:53the still photos
32:53from Lakeside Auto Salvage.
32:55We can clearly
32:56see his truck
32:57his driver's license
32:59and him
33:00in his truck.
33:02He had the car
33:03shredded.
33:04Our belief was
33:05that there would
33:06have been
33:07incriminating
33:07forensic evidence
33:08in that truck.
33:09He was able
33:10to get that truck
33:11crushed
33:11before we were able
33:12to get it searched.
33:14We missed
33:15that opportunity.
33:18It just makes you
33:19shake your head.
33:20It's unbelievable.
33:21What else could happen?
33:21Detectives received
33:28Sam's and Eileen's
33:29cell phone data
33:30from February 13th.
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.
33:45And right about
33:48that time
33:48the phones
33:49are no longer
33:50communicating
33:50which 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 phone.
34:02We were able
34:05to find
34:06some surveillance
34:07video from
34:08a Department
34:08of Transportation
34:09camera out
34:10in Trainer,
34:10Iowa on
34:11Highway 92.
34:13At 11.46 a.m.
34:15on February 13th
34:17a camera
34:17captures
34:18Sam Brammer's
34:19pickup.
34:19Sam's truck
34:20is seen
34:20traveling east
34:22on Highway 92
34:23through Trainer,
34:24Iowa.
34:28And he drives
34:29out of sight
34:29continuing east.
34:32And at 12.34
34:39we again
34:40see Sam's truck
34:41this time
34:42traveling
34:43on Highway 92
34:44back toward
34:45Council Bluffs.
34:47Now we can
34:48clearly see
34:48through his
34:49windshield
34:50as he's driving
34:51he's the only
34:52person inside
34:53that truck.
34:55But Eileen's
34:57phone
34:57is with him.
35:02Sam continues
35:07all the way
35:07to his home.
35:08When he gets
35:09home at 12.59
35:10we know Eileen
35:12is not in that
35:13truck because
35:13he has it
35:14all opened 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
35:28he needed
35:30to find
35:30some place
35:31to hide
35:32her quickly.
35:39The next day
35:41we know
35:41he's gone
35:42for two hours
35:42on the 14th
35:44as we see
35:45the surveillance
35:45video showing
35:46him leaving
35:47the apartment
35:47complex
35:48about 8 p.m.
35:50and returning
35:51at 10 p.m.
35:52that would have
35:53been plenty
35:53of time
35:54for him
35:55to drive
35:55retrieve
35:56her body
35:57take her
35:58to the
35:59different
35:59location
35:59and drop
36:00her body
36:00on Mormon
36:01Bridge Road.
36:05Law enforcement
36:06is really
36:07looking at
36:07motive at
36:08this point
36:09so we've
36:10obtained
36:10Sam's bank
36:11records.
36:13I came
36:13upon one
36:14deposit that
36:14occurred on
36:15the 15th
36:16of February.
36:18This was
36:18a deposit
36:19of $1,200
36:20in cash.
36:21This amount
36:22of money
36:23matches
36:23the amount
36:24of money
36:24that should
36:24have been
36:25in the
36:26safe
36:26that Eileen
36:27had.
36:28Video from
36:29the bank
36:29does show
36:30Sam Brammer
36:31enter the
36:31bank
36:32and give
36:33cash to
36:34the teller.
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
36:42and then
36:43two days
36:44later
36:44he's showing
36:45up at the
36:45bank
36:46depositing
36:46coincidentally
36:47$1,200
36:48in cash.
36:49He had taken
36:50possession
36:50of her safe.
36:52So at
36:53this point
36:53we had
36:54enough
36:55probable
36:55cause
36:56to issue
36:57warrants
36:57for Sam
36:58Brammer's
36:58arrest.
37:03On May
37:0424th
37:05Sam Brammer
37:06is arrested.
37:07He was
37:08formally charged
37:09in August
37:09of 2023
37:11with second
37:12degree murder
37:12and then
37:13the trial
37:14began in
37:14mid-November.
37:16Prosecutors
37:16lay out the
37:17events
37:18that led
37:18to Eileen's
37:19murder.
37:19Sam
37:23picked her
37:23up at
37:24Sugar's
37:24at
37:24832.
37:25He drove
37:26her to
37:27her mom's
37:27apartment
37:27where she
37:28retrieved
37:29the safe.
37:30Then
37:31they started
37:31heading westbound
37:32through the
37:33city of
37:34Council Bluffs
37:34across to
37:36Omaha.
37:37They drove
37:38to Carter
37:38Lake.
37:41Come on.
37:42Come on.
37:43Come on.
37:43Jump out.
37:44It's beautiful
37:44day.
37:45Come on.
37:46Come on.
37:49Come here.
37:50Come on.
37:51Hey, come here.
37:52Sam,
37:52who?
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
38:01significant
38:02enough to
38:02cause a
38:03laceration
38:03to the left
38:04side of her
38:05scalp.
38:05He brutally
38:07assaulted her
38:07while he was
38:08choking her
38:09and during
38:09that assault
38:10she died.
38:13He then
38:14puts her
38:15back in
38:15the truck
38:16and heads
38:17back into
38:18Council Bluffs.
38:22At
38:221036
38:23a.m.,
38:24she can be
38:25seen now
38:26awkwardly slumped
38:27in the
38:28drive-thru
38:28at Burger
38:28King.
38:32We have
38:33cell phone
38:33data and
38:34the surveillance
38:35video
38:35that showed
38:36that he
38:36was heading
38:37east toward
38:38Traynor
38:39where he
38:39dumped her
38:40body.
38:41Shortly
38:42thereafter,
38:43he's heading
38:43back westbound
38:44back into
38:45Council Bluffs
38:46without Eileen.
38:48And then
38:49he arrives
38:50back home,
38:51the Cottonwood
38:51Apartments,
38:52he grabs
38:52something from
38:53the bed
38:53of the truck
38:54and we see
38:55him walk
38:56across and
38:57deposit that
38:58item in
38:58the dumpster.
38:59The next
39:03day,
39:04he's leaving
39:05the apartment
39:05complex
39:06about 8 p.m.
39:07to collect
39:07her body
39:08from maybe
39:08where it
39:09had initially
39:09been dumped
39:10to where
39:10it ultimately
39:11ends up
39:12north of town
39:13at Mormon
39:13Bridge Road
39:14and 152nd.
39:18Then Sam
39:19Bramer
39:20deposited
39:20$1,200
39:21cash,
39:22probably taken
39:23from her
39:24safe.
39:26On 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.
39:38Mike 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,
40:00we would have
40:01possibly never
40:02solved this
40:02crime.
40:06His
40:07parcel
40:07release
40:08when we
40:09found out
40:10that he
40:11was guilty.
40:12But 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
40:17my mom
40:18one more
40:18time.
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.
40:32I would
40:32just choose
40:33to remember
40:33her as
40:35somebody who
40:36was always
40:36willing and
40:37able to
40:37do her
40:38best.
40:38for her
40:39kids and
40:39her
40:39grandkids.
40:40She was
40:41funny.
40:42She loved
40:44life.
40:46She had
40:46this weird
40:46laugh that
40:47was contagious.
40:49She was just
40:49a great
40:50person.
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
41:00anything.
41:03She was
41:03there.
41:05Did I love
41:05them?
41:05She didn't
41:06miss her
41:06very much.
41:11Next time
41:11on See No Evil.
41:13Calls of death
41:15had 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.
41:26We need to
41:27go.
41:28We need to
41:28go.
41:29We need to
41:30go.
41:30We need to
41:31go.
41:31We need to
41:32go.
41:32We need to
41:33go.
41:33We need to
41:34go.
41:34We need to
41:35go.
41:35We need to
41:36go.
41:36We need to
41:37go.
41:37We need to
41:38go.
41:38We need to
41:39go.
41:39We need to
41:40go.
41:40We need to
41:41go.
41:41We need to
41:42go.
41:42We need to
41:43go.
41:43We need to
41:44go.
41:44We need to
41:45go.
41:45We need to
41:46go.
41:46We need to
41:47go.
41:47We need to
41:48go.
41:48We need to
41:49go.
41:49We need to
41:50go.
41:50We need to
41:51go.
41:51We need to
Recommended
0:30
10:24
1:54
42:43
43:05
42:43
41:31
41:31
42:44
43:10
20:41
20:43