Anything for christian to be Here. Reporter the whole world ahead of them. He grabs my chin and pulls me up and he gives me this magical kiss. Reporter their secret romance will be to something shattering when christian vanished. My young life went Out the window. It was tense and we were nervous. We were scared. Am starting to believe tHere may be more to this than just a missing person. Reporter wHere was he . Did someone have something to hide. A lovers triangle. A circle of friends. Was one of the May Killer . This was Planned in on purpose. How could do do something so horrific . Welcome to dateline. High schoolers Erika Friman, Pedro Bravo and Christian Aguilar who likes 3piece in a pod after graduation , the even picked colleges in the same city. Then one of them went missing. Last seen in a dangerous area of town. As the hours passed, the ministry deepened. Then investigators uncovered a hidden truth. One they believed might be a motive for murder. Here is Dennis Murphy with circle of friends. Remember going away to college. Maybe your first time away from home. Their new friends waiting to be made. The tingling of possibilities. The first kiss was amazing. Reporter sometimes disappointment when things did not work Out. I thought he was depressed. We did not take it that seriously. You know. Maybe we should have. Reporter for three florida teenagers, the decisions they made as they started Campus Life had terrifying, legal consequences. It all seems so surreal. We are told, this cannot possibly be happening. Reporter the story of our three begins at a High School near miami. Not quite hogwarts but they were as inseparable as they were. A trio of friends, laughing and wrestling through adolescence togetHer. At the royal academy, a Charter School for high achieving smart kids. I was tHere in 2006 for sixth grade. For Erika Friman rolla academy was a special place. I met people from All Over The World and they had a lot of opportunities academically. But i dont think you get an average High School. Reporter eric it was smart, up late and pretty and she loved everything from skydiving to shakespeare. And in Her Sophomore Year she caught the eye of the cute guy in class, Pedro Bravo. He was a big clown. He was kind of a funny guy around people. He was always making jokes. Not really acting Out in class but he would act Out as soon as class was over and it was just to get the crowd laughing or this or that. Reporter patron was a rocksolid student with artistic flair. His journals were full of sketches and doodles the friends thought showed real talent. He could draw anything. Anything you wanted. Reporter Robert Lopez was a friend and classmate. Anything from graphic comics to picture art. He was very, very gifted in that sense. Reporter Erika And Pedro became an item. Teenage lovers, but with adult dreams. We were in a pretty serious relationship. We are a little more mature than the average. We did not go Out and drink. Which is very focused on school and each otHer. Reporter anotHer sharply focused classmate was tHere buddy Christian Aguilar. I met him through pedro and he was awesome and funny and he was nice and we instantly were good friends. Reporter christian was a Soccer Player who hit the books. The son of colombian immigrants became the allamerican boy. Video games, Kanye West Wrapping in his ears and Plans to become a doctor. It sounds although to understand christian you have to understand how academically motivated he was. He was very driven and it was not like his family was pushing him. He wanted to make them proud. Reporter the three high achieving musketeers all doubled at prom togetHer and pose for the snapshot. Reporter did you do a memo . We did and we all showed up and we took plenty of pictures. You know. It was fine. Reporter for a lot of american kids, it was for these three. Graduation from High School is one of those big paths crossing in the woods. Of autoped, what are you going to do next . Lets be friends forever kind of goodbyes. Mr. Christian aguilar. Reporter christian , pursuing premade, got admitted to the selective university of florida in gainesville. Was he happy . He was so happy. He was ecstatic. Reporter although three friends wanted to be gator and had usf as a top school, only christian got him. It was headed to a different college in gainesville. Santa fe. The PitcHer Plan to take classes tHere his home in miami. And his graduation neared, or life decisions. Erika broke it off with pedro. She did not want a long distance relationship. And after all, they were just 18 years old. And the Big Wide World was ahead of them both. I wanted him to find someone and fell in love with them and live a normal life. And i did not think he was someone for me. Reporter they were barely unpacked and classes to starting, when a sudden change of Plans. Pedro did not want to be left behind in miami after all. As the Fall Semester started, he showed up in gainesville as his Friend Robert remembered. You just visited gainesville and that was the intention was just to visit. And then he ended up signing a lease and enrolling for classes in the fall. At Santa Fe college. Reporter maybe tHere was life after hogwarts for pedro, erika and christian. Could differentiate be renewed . Survive a foul Power Move up the interstate from miami. If that was indeed the hope, it was followed with some awful news on. It was tense and nervous. We were scared. What couldve happened . Reporter christian never showed up at a storm that night and was not answering his phone. It is not like christian to not answer. It is not like him to disappear. THere was something wrong. Reporter Christian Aguilar had vanished. What could be behind christians sudden disappearance . Retracing his last steps, a rough neighborhood, and a curious stranger. He tells me at one point they stopped to pick up a hitchhiker. When dateline continues. Lot , that helps heal your skin from within. Serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Tell your doctor abOut new or worsening Eye Problems such as Eye Pain or vision changes including blurred vision, Joint Aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. Dont change or stop asthma medicines withOut talking to your doctor. Ask your Eczema Specialist abOut dupixent. Nexium 24hr prevents Heartburn Acid before it begins. Get Allday And Allnight Heartburn Acid prevention with just one pill a day. Choose acid prevention. Choose nexium. Type 2 diabetes . Discover the ozempic trizone. I got the power of 3. I lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. In studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. Im under 7. Ozempic lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known Heart Disease. Im lowering my risk. 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It got later and later and it started calling friends and i just wanted to make sure, had to sing christian. When you dont get text back, when you go to worry too getting freaked Out . Honestly come all that night. I couldnt really sleep. I went by his dorm to see if his phone died and he could not answer. Is find Out wet. I was thinking of all the different scenarios and he was not in his dorm. WHere was he on night . WHere was he staying . WHere was he sleeping . WHere is he . Reporter the next morning, still nothing from christian. He had not come back to his Dorm Room so Erika And Pedro, Her exboyfriend, went to the gainesville police. We go to the window and explain the situation and the lady pretty much laughs at me. They are blowing me off. Yeah. This lady better hope tHere is nothing wrong Here. I was so upset at that point because i wanted someone to pay attention and this is a serious thing. Reporter after all christian will not be the first College Freshmen to go off the grid for a bit. Maybe taking a break from his studies, crashing at anotHer dorm. But his friends were worried and the cops told them to go see if the Campus Police could help. The big thing i want to find Out, has anyone been in contact when was the last time they contacted him, wHere was the last time anyone was in contact with him. Reporter to the officer talked to the concerned pair and found Out that pedro was the last Fantasy Christian the previous day. He walked me through the day. And once he meets christian they go and get a flu shot. Then they go back to Pedros Car which is parked on campus. And that at that point they go to Best Buy. Reporter said pretty rOutine trip until pedro told him they decided to do something a little impulsive. He tells me they stopped to pick up a hitchhiker. Reporter pager told the officer that they drove around town. Eventually the check is i want to get Out of the car and shortly after, christian center want to get Out of the car. Pull over. Reporter that is wHere the friends parted, near this Auto Body Shop a few miles off campus. The neighborhood, around the Body Shop raise alarms for officer tech. It has some rough spots. Some of the area is known to be a high drug area. And have some Gang Activity as well. So the kind of concerned me. Are they up tHere specifically for that reason, or in the process of christian getting dropped off, did he run into something or wander into a bad area . I knew tHere was a large homeless community in gainesville and tHere still is. I was a little concerned. If he was in the woods somewHere and he stumbled into a campground of homeless people and, you know they decided to do something to him. That was one of the options i thought of. Reporter a gang area, homeless camps and mysterious hitchhiker. Seemed reason enough to be worried. Erika called christians parents, down in miami and told them that christian was missing. What did you think . I knew something was wrong. Was that worrying for you . His behavior was not at all christian. That was not christian. Reporter along with Christians BrotHer alex, they made a long drive up to gainesville. I could say that Car Ride was in a silent. We did not talk. We do not know what to say. What did the word missing mean . Missing, me trying to be positive, was him, maybe you went to a party and maybe he got injured and maybe he got into a car accident. We cannot tell because we dont know who he hangs Out with. Reporter once they arrived, police had questions for alex and his parents. It is a small room and we have an officer who gave us a few questions. Asking what type of person discretion. As you normally like this . Would usually go Out, does he drink or do drugs . What are you seeing in christians parents. Confused, pain. THere was pain in their eyes. Reporter but erika said the role abOut the channel that pain into determination, with more friend setting up from miami. I had a whole group of individuals who were now just as concerned as i was. Just as focused as i was. Just is driven to find christian and i did not feel so alone. I felt we will find them know we can do this. Reporter Christians Family and friends were hopefully return up and soon. And for Officer Peck, the case of the missing student got more baffling when he caught wind of a secret. Christian had been trying to hide something. Was his secret the key to finding him . THere is Something Else going on that i am not aware of, but what exactly that is, i am not sure. Reporter coming up. I was concerned i would push them off the edge. When dateline continues. Pete g. Writes, my tween wants a new phone. How do i not break the bank . We gotcha, pete. Xfinity mobile was designed to save you money and gives you access to wifi speeds up to a gig. So you get high speeds for low prices. Better than getting low speeds for high prices. Right, bruce . Jealous . Yeah, look at that. Honestly. Someone get a helmet on this guy. Xfinity internet customers, ask how to get a free 5g Phone and a second unlimited line free for a year. Switch today Erika Friman and Pedro Bravo were at the Police Station, trying to the cops track down their friend christian. I cannot wait to see you again. Everything will be okay. Trying to calm myself down. Reporter it was in the hours inside the Campus Police station that erika disclosed a secret that christian had been keeping. It was Her secret also. Since i School Graduation and Her breakup with pedro, she and christian had become more than friends. It was very exciting. We thought it was great. We thought this is us learning how to get used to gainesville. And it was like i had my Best Friend with me. It was somebody who i can always turn to, somebody i always did turn to and somebody that was always going to be tHere for me. Who made the move for the first embrace . He did. He drove to my house and i see him and instantly we hug and i am tHere and i am nervous and i have not been this nervous at all these butterflies in my stomach and he grabs my chin and he pulls me up and he gives me this magical kiss. You became a couple that moment. Yeah. And we felt like, is this really happening . Is this still really happening . I kept pinching myself. God. This is crazy. I cannot believe this. Reporter and in a matter of weeks their young lives, she and christian had changed completely. They were madly, deeply in love. What you think the two of you had . Something very rare. Something you dont find every day. Something amazing. Something i dont know how to explain what we had. It is like not a care in the world because youre just so happy to be with that person. Young girls on love sometimes with being above but this does not sound like that. No. No. This was something you clicked on every level. Reporter but Out of Friendship And Respect they kept the new romance a secret from pedro, erikas ex boyfriend. Get his friends knew that something was eating away at pedro, ever since graduating from High School. He had been any kind of funk. Did he change at all . Yes. As a matter of fact. As time went on, he kind of was a little more withdrawn. He was just starting to keep to himself a little more. I thought he was just depressed, you know. We all go through it and we all feel like, my gosh. Reporter buddy Robert Lopez had noticed odd, alarming behavior. We went Out to this restaurant. The swamp. It is well known in gainesville, right next to the football stadium. In our tabron up to 70 and he picked up the whole tab and we asked, pedro, why would you pay for the whole tab youre paying for your classes Outofpocket. He said, yeah, i will not need this money soon. Expected that give you an in sight . That is when we realized, you know, he is not doing okay. Reporter was pedros recital . All the more reason for erika and christian to keep their happy romance quiet. I was concerned i would push him off the edge and i did not want him to go on that night knowing that i was dating one of our mutual friends and him saying, you know, im just going to end my life right now. Reporter now with christians disap