Page 2 - Gerfa Lunsmann News Today

This is a big operation. This is not a ragtag group of people. Anything can happen. There are no guarantees. Can a father turned negotiator help bring them home . We prepared him for the worst. Im getting worried. I am getting so worried. A lot of people were praying for them. A lot of people were. Heres Keith Morrison with heart of darkness. Reporter they lay in wait, unseen under a thick green canopy, armed to the teeth. Immersed in their defiant extremist belief, hunting, stalking, deadly, in...

This is a big operation. This is not just this ragtag group of people. Anything can happen. There are no guarantees. Can a father turned negotiator help bring them home . We prepared him for the worst. Im getting worried. Im getting so worried. A lot of people were praying for them. A lot of people were. Hem low and welcome to dateline. They were on a dream vacation when they were kidnapped by a group of men with guns wanting money and lots of it. Would it be resolved until it was all too late ....

For heiko and gerfa lunsmann, each in their own prison of pain, their focus was on their 14 year old son kevin who was still being held captive for ransom deep in the philippine jungle. there was no way to know if his time is running out. here again is keith morrison. >> on the night of december 2011, heiko lunsmann sat in his burn kitchen with a single of despair. history fbi friends with their notes and equipment were long gone, in a manila how elder now with his wife, who had no news about ke...

Speaker kevin mccarthy reached a tentative agreement to raise the debt ceiling. the statement says the deal reduce the spending, while protecting critical programs for people, and growing the economy for everyone. vice president, kamala harris, becoming the first woman to give the commencement address at west point. condemning russias invasion of ukraine, and warned the graduating cadets but the rising threat of chinas military. now, back to dateline. to dateline. >> welcome back to dateline. im...

Vicks super c is a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. dayquil severe is a max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. new from vicks. >> welcome back. time moves at a different pace for those living under duress. four heiko and gerfa lunsmann, each in their own prison of pain, their focus was on their 14 year old son kevin who was still being held captive for ransom deep in the philippine jungle. there was no way to know if his ti...

Im craig melvin. kidnap victim gerfa lunsmann had been released from her jungle captivity. but what about the fate of her son and her cousin? here again is keith morrison. >> in the dark of the philippine jungle, surrounded by men with hate in their eyes, gerfa lunsmann look terrified at her 14 year old son. and approaching car had put the kidnappers on alert. and now, one of them held an automatic rifle to kevins head. >> i just said dont move, son. well my entire body was frozen. >> and then t...

Agent, dan girsch, was astonished. >> we received tremendous news that gerfa was released. heiko was excited. i could see and hear just joy. heiko could scarcely believe it was a news flash across the philippines. his wife gerfa was alive and free and safe. so, inexplicable joy. and then gerfa called him and heiko realized the nightmare was just beginning. >> she called me really sad, and crying. my first question was, where is kevin? >> he could hear the terror and her voice. abu sayyaf still h...

News that gerfa was released. obviously, heikos very excited -- i could see and hear just joy. joy. >> reporter: heiko could scarcely believe it. as the news flashed across the philippines. and to lynchburg, virginia. his wife gerfa was alive. and free. and safe! so, inexpressible joy. and then gerfa called him. and heiko realized the nightmare. was just beginning. >> she called me, really, really sad and crying. so my first question to her was "wheres kevin?" >> reporter: he could hear the terr...

My fate will be the same. >> reporter: so they took her cousin too. gerfa watched the shore disappear into the darkness. in a matter of a moment, you went from a feeling of incredible peace to the worst nightmare you could ever imagine. >> chaos. complete chaos. and you find yourself thinking, stay calm. how do you do that? >> reporter: it was early morning, right after sunrise, when they arrived at an island. they were made to sit hidden in the mangroves. "take me," gerfa pleaded with the kidna...

This weekend. nebraska and iowa seeing tough conditions. flooding expected in missouri sunday. now, back to "dateline." welcome back to "dateline." im craig melvin. kidnapped victim gerfa had been released. but what about the fate of her son. and her cousin? heres keith morrison. >> reporter: in the dark of a philippine jungle, surrounded by men with hate in their eyes, gerfa lunsmann looked, terrified, at her 14-year-old son. an approaching car had put the kidnappers on alert. and now one o...