Disappearance, in the same small town. But soon, police would discover a creepier connection. One of the detectives had gotten his hands on an image that amy had of karen together. A dead teenager and the missing mom arm in arm. In that moment, most of us knew that wasnt coincidence. Was someone stalking the women of this tight in knit church. A race to correct the dots, revealing a truth darker than anyone imagined. I dont get that. I mean, its just evil. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with someone was out there. There are children born into this world for whom the dance never ends. For whom joy seems uncontained. Amy jane, what are we doing right now . Were riding on the roof of a car. There was this young woman. A sprite really in a young womans body, who loved adventure and people, and who danced to music no one else could hear. Which is why it haunted me. This case haunted me. Haunted the police. Haunted the whole town. Is there a serial killer around . A serial killer with plans for two women in one particular church in one particular photograph . I was like this is insane and Everybody Needs to find this person. Yes. But it began with that girl, that sprite. Just the freest spirit that you could think of. Like literally not having a care in the world. Kate cook is talking about her friend and fellow missionary, amy jane. Now that its happened, that its all over. Kate and jane went to india and nepal together back in 2012. Shes always ready to give and pour her heart out to people and just give everything that she had to offer. They were there three months for something called youth with a mission. Like tourists, they went to the taj mahal. And like preachers, they spread the word. To children mostly, for whom amy jane was magnetic. Irresistible. When they would see her they would go, sister, sister, like so excited. When the threemonth mission trip was over she hated it. She was like, i dont want to go home. Home for amy jane was a universe away from india. Here it is. Pendleton on the vast Rolling Plains of eastern oregon. Cowboy country. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the pendleton roundup. Home to one of the nations biggest rodeo, the pendleton roundup which celebrates the towns rough and tumble past as a brawling cow town. And then good conservative citizens wave goodbye to the parting cowboys and settle into a safe and predictable life and fill the pews every sunday morning without fail. People like bill, who was like family to amy jane and her parents. They brought amy jane home when she was three days old. We were there when she was brought home. Bill knew and adored the remarkable little girl from the very beginning. You watched amy jane grow up . Yes. And saw what sort of girl emerge . She was very carefree, loving, didnt know a stranger. They asked bill to speak for them after what happened, when they sorely needed their church family. Like youth minister jed and his wife lisa. If she got the feeling that you were left out, shed find you and make sure you knew that you had a friend. A bit like pippy longstocking. She knew everyones name. She was just fun. When she was far away in india, the people who loved amy jane worried a lot. And didnt breathe easy until she returned home to the safety and security of pendleton. She was waiting for god to tell her what to do next. Go to school or travel the world. She wanted more freedom too, so she moved out of her parents house and got herself a little apartment downtown and worked two jobs to pay for it. She was excited to get this other job, but she wasnt so sure about working at the hotel. She was a little nervous about it. After all, shed never done that sort of thing before, or answered to a boss who this one sounded gruff. But she went and she scoured and scrubbed those little rooms that looked out on downtown pendleton and then it was august 14th, 2012. I am calling from travelodge. Theres a girl dead in the bathroom. A girl dead in the bathroom . I think shes passed out. Im going to get Police Headed that way. Bill listened and felt the dread flood in. Just gave me a feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was not good about this call. Bill, remember, was a close friend of the family, attends the same church. But hes also a policeman. That day, with the chief on vacation, lieutenant bill was the man on charge. He requested my presence, which i knew then we were probably dealing with a homicide. As he raced to the motel, he couldnt know what had just been started there, anymore than whose life had just ended. What this veteran investigator was about to find would leave him stunned. I just cant tell you the feeling that went through went through my mind. When we return, a crime that may be impossible to solve, thanks to a suspect list that could include anyone and everyone. Within the first hour of being at the crime scene, up being at the crime scene, up wards of 50 people walked by. Crystal geyser Alpine Spring water being at the crime scene, up wards of 50 people walked by. From here to there to you crystal geyser. Always bottled at the mountain source. Crystal geyser Alpine Spring water to you from us crystal geyser. Always bottled at the mountain source. If god had a plan for pendleton, oregon, on the afternoon of august 14th, 2012, one could hardly have imagined it would be this. 911, what is your emergency . Theres a girl dead in the bathroom. Lieutenant bill caldera prepared himself as he drove over to the travelodge and then climbed the stairs to room 231. All the preparation in the world could not have been enough. Lying on the bathroom floor her lifeless body punctured by the startling scarlet of a dozen stab wounds was the sweet free spirit hed known since she was a baby, 19yearold Amyjane Brandhagen. It just felt like somebody kicked me in the pit of my stomach. I just cant tell you the feeling that went through my mind. Almost like she was your kid in a way. Very much. Lieutenant caldera took it upon himself to notify amy janes parents. And that was probably the toughest thing that ive ever had to do in my career. And i cant tell you the feeling we all had. We broke down in tears. But why would anyone want to kill amyjane of all people . I was crushed. Like how is this even possible . I was speechless. And then i just sat crying in the bathroom for probably the next hour like not understanding, like craziness. As word spread through amy janes church family, so did the questions. High school youth pastor chris thatcher. Early on was there any indication of who may have been responsible . I dont think anybody had any idea. I think thats what made this so hard is that so many of us, we know each other. Were family here. But there was the dismal work to do. Lieutenant caldera returned to the motel where amy was murdered. It would be pretty hard for you to take part in an active investigation. No, i wouldnt have. I couldnt have. Not with my relationship. Lieutenant caldera turned the case over to detective Sergeant Rick jackson. It was a pretty pretty horrific crime scene. It was obvious amyjane fought for her life. Her glasses lay in the bathtub. Blood spattered the walls. Dna of a male presumably her attacker would be found under her fingernails. But the medical examiner said it was not a sex attack. And it wasnt robbery either. Amyjanes purse and cell phone were still right there on the bedside table. And nobody saw a thing. Even though this is during broad daylight with a Motel Room Door with Motel Room Doors open. The only potential witness, if he was a witness at all, was a painter working at the motel who said he saw a young man with longer hair, darker skin, perhaps hispanic or native american, walking near the back parking lot. It may have been the person who did it and it may not have been. Could have been somebody passing by. Sure. While we were there she was in the first hour of being at the crime scene. Upwards of 50 people walked by. I mean, this is a pretty busy area of town. Busy, yes. And studded with cctv cameras. Banks, bridges, city hall, walking trails along the river that runs through town. Detectives painstakingly went through the footage. There was nothing. They took dna from dozens of motel guests to check against the sample taken from amyjanes fingernails. Wasnt any of them. So detective jackson went to the people who knew amyjane well, or perhaps romantically. Those stab wounds were all focused around her heart, which often indicates some kind of crime of passion. But i think most of the males we spoke to really viewed themselves as her protectors. Pendleton police chief Stuart Roberts hurried back home from his abbreviated mexican vacation and encountered a case going nowhere fast. Everybody that knew her characterized her in the same way. She knew no stranger. She didnt have an evil bone in her body. As the investigation entered its second week, amyjanes family prepared a Memorial Service at the church where theyd raised their daughter. Amy loves thunderstorms. It was one of her favorite things to do go out barefoot and dance in the rain because she just loved it. The morning of her Memorial Service there was a loud clap of thunder that came over town about 6 30. And several of us heard it. I think we knew. Up there dancing in the rain somewhere, huh . I think she was. Together we pray, in jesus name, amen. Hundreds crowded into amy janes church. And many like jed and lisa hummel were amazed by the strength of amyjanes parents. They were hurting deeply, but they werent looking for vengeance. Me, on the other hand, i was just ticked. I was like this is insane. And Everybody Needs to find this person. Oh, they were certainly trying. Even at that very moment. We had about 10 to 12 undercover officers in and about the Memorial Service looking for anybody that would strike us as odd. But no one stood out. Hang in there, caleb. Hang in there. A month after the murder, the famous roundup filled the streets as usual. And then they emptied again. And as the autumn wind turned raw, detective jacksons investigation chased down every lead and got nowhere. We call them rabbit trails. We ran hundreds of rabbit trails down. The holidays came and went, holidays for other people. Not detective jackson. Not chief roberts. It haunted me. This case haunted me. And then a spring breeze dipped into the pendleton valley, curled its warming fingers into secret corners and came out whispering a name. Coming up weve gone for months with nothing and now this. Out of the blue, a tip. Have cops found their killer . We go out and find his girlfriend. Shes going i always believed he could have done this. Six months after the murder of Amyjane Brandhagen, investigators finally caught a break. A county jail inmate looking for a deal got word out to the cops. He claimed to know who killed amyjane. I mean, wed gone for months with nothing and now this. There were two of them, said the inmate. Ira draper and eric torres, both wellknown to local law enforcement. Who soon confirmed the men were in the area the day of the murder. They found torres first. And looked like they were on to something. Torres said, yes, he was in on it. But he didnt kill her. It was the guy he was with, he said. Draper, who went into the motel room and came out very bloody. He basically tells them, yeah, i was driving the getaway car. It was his buddy who did the killing, he said. Ira draper. So we go out and find his girlfriend. Shes going, i always believed he potentially could have done this. Hes aggressive. And he has these journals. And there are journal entries about defiling women and killing d burying them. They found and questioned draper who said he understood why he was a suspect. Have you ever thought about killing anybody . Ive never really planned it out, but maybe thought about it, yeah. But after a few minutes with draper, jackson had a familiar sinking feeling. He was very much so enamored by the fact the police were giving him attention. He was playing you. Playing it for all it was worth. He was getting a little street cred for it. The dna confirmed it was all an act. Two unpleasant men, the police said, who seemed to be enjoying themselves at the expense of the cops. So back to zero. By august 2013, it had been almost a full year since amy jane brandhagens murder in pendleton. Investigators had exhausted hundreds of leads. And themselves. I knew it was having an impact on my Physiological Health as well as my mental health. On august 8th the chief took his family out of town for some r and r. And the very next day a woman named karen lange happened to be a member of amyjanes church announced to her husband dan she was going for a walk. And she came down. And ill never forget what she said. She said, well, you know, i was thinking that we can maybe go out for dessert afterward. Karen was an accomplished singer and pianist. Dan Vice President of the local community college. Her walk along the river levee in downtown pendleton, the river walk was almost a daily habit. It was 4 30 p. M. Lots of sun left on the warm august afternoon. And the last words she said to me were, well, i guess well just have a nice boring evening. Dan went back to tinkering on his motorcycle. Lost all track of time. It was dark when his son walked into the room and asked an innocuous question. Wheres mom . I said, well, i dont know. Ill give her a call. So i went i tried to make the phone call, and i couldnt get ahold of her. But it was after 9 30 p. M. Karen usually walked for less than an hour. Shed been gone for five. In some people anxiety stokes panic. Dan is not like that. Its a coping mechanism, he stays calm. He made another call. Long day, 10 00 at night. My phone rings. I answer, hi, dan. Remember jed and lisa hummel . Friends of amyjanes from church . Karen always parked her car in front of her house when she took her Late Afternoon walks. Says, is karen at your house . No. I just got home and i asked lisa if shed been over. And i said, no, havent seen her. And i had looked outside and sure enough the car was still there. So we went out to the car and she wasnt there. So jed and lisa grabbed flashlights and walked a couple of blocks from their house down to the river levee. There in the parking lot sat a Pendleton Policeman. What should they do they asked him. He just thought it was unusual enough that he got ahold of dan. As the officer left to talk to dan, jed and lisa kept looking through the dark along the riverbank. Theres a fear of not finding anything. And theres a fear of finding something. When i got to where the policeman was, we were talking, and he said, you seem to be awfully calm for your wife being missing. And at that point i thought, holy mackerel, you know, if theres something if theres something bad that happened to her, i could be a suspect. From his patrol car the officer was able to pull up images from cameras stationed around the river levee. No sign of karen. Then her cell provider sent a ping to karens phone. It turned up across the main road about half a mile from the river. In the parking lot at walmart. Where again, the officer could not find karen. What was going on . Around and around the river walk they went pointing their puny flashlights at a sea of dark. I did go home at about 5 00. I wrote an email saying karens gone. I dont know where she is. I just have to go to bed. And i went and i just cried. He did not sleep long. The phone call that startled him awake brought news. Some good, some very, very bad. Coming up amyjanes murder and karens disappearance. Could they be connected . Investigators are about to discover a disturbing clue. I think in that moment most of us knew that that wasnt coincidence. Dawn took its own time on the morning of august 10th, 2013. By that time going on 6 00 a. M. Karen lang had been missing more than 12 hours. Then finally the morning sun lit up the banks of the umatilla river. And then the policeman called, we found your wife. She was found and alive but what the policeman said next was terrifying. Well, when he said we found your wife and shes alive, that was a great relief. But he certainly made it sound like it was a tough thing. Oh, it was. Karen had been struck from behind by some heavy blunt object. Her skull was crushed. The wound was massive. Right away the detective called the chief on vacation in the mountains five hours away and described the way they found her. Did he think she was dead already . He thought she was dead. Tremendous amount of blood. He indicates that he reaches for her wrist to see if she has a pulse and her leg moves. And she gasps. But it didnt look like shed be alive for long. The detective drove dan lang to the hospital, told him prepare for the worst. As he arrived at the emergency room, dan ran into a nurse he knew. And she took one look at me, and it was so heartbroken that i, of course, broke down. And then i had a chance to see karen. The doctors gave her a slim chance, 1 in 100, maybe. She was airlifted to a bigger hospital in portland for specialized care. As dan kept watch at her bedside, he remembered an odd comment karen made a few days before she was attacked. Her boys were in college, nearly grown. She wasnt sure what her purpose was any more. As she told dan i really wish that i could be, you know, more useful, if im going to remain here. On planet earth. On planet earth. I would assure her that god has a plan. And you will be used. But what kind of use was this . If she lived, she might never regain consciousness. If she regained consciousness, she might never be the same. How useful could that be . And then suddenly, the case in the murder of Amy Brandhagen and the attack on karen lang seemed to take on a new and terrifying meaning. Chief roberts returned from his vacation to be handed this photograph by investigators. It had been taken four years earlier. One of the detectives had gotten his hands on an image of Amyjane Brandhagen and karen lang together dated august 14th. Oh, my god. Amyjane brandhagen was murdered on august 14th. Karen lang was assaulted on august the 9th one year after amyjanes murder. You think somebodys targeting them or someone within the church has some strange motivation . It could be a member of the congregation or it could be somebody who they provided Outreach Services to. In pendleton at the Free Methodist church, the word spread quickly. I think in that moment most of us knew that that wasnt coincidence. And i cant tell you how we knew. Well, small