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 particular heart of darkness. It was the summer of 2011, a jungleclad island in the southern tip of the philippines where they prepared the place. And the news of the terrible deed committed here, flashed halfway around the world and came crashing down, out of nowhere, on a modest working class family in lynchburg, virginia. I got a phone call from my mother. The first thing she said was gerfa and kevin were kidnapped in the philippines. Reporter kidnapped . Sherry hutter tried to wrap her head around the inconceivable. Gerfa was her aunt. Kevin, gerfas 14yearold son. They were due home from a philippine vacation, instead they were in the clutches of something horrific. I felt like i was in a dream like it wasnt real. And i was just thinking, what . Reporter gerfas husband Heiko Lunsmann had stayed behind in lynchburg, and was at work when he heard. You must have been terrified. Yes. It was impossible to think about it. But pictures dont lie. Reporter they didnt. There they were, on philippine television. Incomprehensible images, gerfas and kevins passports, their halfpacked suitcases. The stricken relatives theyd been visiting on tictabon, a small island at the tip of southern philippines. Gerfa, kevin and one of gerfas young cousins, said the news reports, kidnapped by boat in the dead of night. I was thinking, no, that doesnt happen to us well, nobody thinks its gonna happen to us, right . Yeah, but my wifes heart is in the philippines. Thats her family. Gerfa was born in the philippines. Had always felt safe there. Her older sister married a u. S. Navy sailor and moved to america in 1985. And brought then 16yearold gerfa with her, hoping to give her a chance at a better life. She was so excited about the opportunity. I remember she worked a lil caesars pizza and that was the greatest thing to get a job. Reporter she had a son, josh, went back to Community College to improve herself. And there she met a german immigrant named heiko. And from then on, that it was. They were a family. She became a lab technician. Heiko, a maintenance man. They bought a house in a leafy neighborhood of lynchburg and had kevin. And the immigrants son became an allamerican kid he was 14 that summer of 2011. Smart, studious, and looking forward to the start of high school in the fall. Hes this normal american kid who likes pizza and hotdogs and burgers, hang out with his friends, play video games, ride on his skateboard. Reporter they lived frugally, saved their money. Which is how eventually heiko could afford his used mercedes car, and gerfa and kevin, that trip to the philippines. Life was good. But now, it was very bad indeed. Much when i first heard they were kidnapped, the first thing that came to my mind was, oh my gosh, its abu sayyaf. Reporter abu sayyaf, a small but extremely violent militant group. Over the years it claimed affiliation first with al qaeda, then isis, as it fought to establish an independent Islamic State in the southern philippines. Its bread and butter in its fight against the government . Kidnapforransom. Abu sayyaf had taken american hostages before, some were released eventually. But some, were beheaded. Heiko was frantic, had no idea what to do, where to turn. And then, that very day, he got the cavalry came riding in. My boss from work called, come on over to work, the fbi is here for you. What was it like to hear the fbi was paying attention to this . That its really real now, this is the real thing. We never know how families are gonna react, obviously. But almost in every case, theyre in a state of crisis. Reporter mark thundercloud was the leader of a special fbi hostage negotiating unit, formed precisely for an emergency like this. More than a dozen agents descended on the lunsmann house, covered the windows, set up a Surveillance System in heikos kitchen, and got ready for what they knew was coming, a demand for ransom. Negotiating really with someone who is selling his family. The fbi told me that my wife and son are merchandise for them. Thats kinda hard to hear. Yes. We try to be very transparent with the families in these cases. We try to prepare them as best as we can. Did you prepare heiko for the possibility they would be executed . Yeah, we prepared him for the worst. Reporter now there was nothing else to do, except wait. And then the phone rang. Hello. Hello. Yes . This is Long Distance from philippines. Is this mr. Hilko lunsmann . A terrorist on the line. When we come back, the lifeanddeath negotiations begin. We need 10 million u. S. Dollars for the release of your family. 10 million, from me . Are you losing your mind . Dad, we need you to send the money. I am getting worried. Im getting so worried. Discover to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. Now no fruit is forbidden. Nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for allday, allnight protection. Can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn . For allday, allnight protection. My gums are irritated. I dont have to worry about that, do i . Actually, you do. Harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line, and if youre not taking care of your gums, youre not taking care of your mouth. So now i use this. Crest gum detoxify. 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Reporter two days after his wife and child were kidnapped by abu sayyaf in the philippines, he got his first ransom call, a man who called himself mr. So. Just give me a name. Reporter mr. So was calm, businesslike, like hed done it a hundred times before. In fact, he was the voice for a violent separatist voice known for executing prisoners, beheading, usually. We would like to tell you that, uh, we need 10 million u. S. Dollars for the release of your family. Can you hear me . And i just was thinking, are you losing your mind . Who you think you got . Just couldnt believe it. 10 million. From me. Why would they think he had 10 million . Perhaps they watched the internet. In lynchburg, the kidnapping was big news, with tv crews across the street and captured him driving his used mercedes coupe. There you are in your fancy car. You must be worth millions. That was a wrong, wrong impression. Im not a rich person, but i will give whatever i can get together. Okay, we need 10 million u. S. For the release of your family. Okay . Reporter heiko was lucky in this, when mr. So made his demands, some of the most experienced fbi hostage negotiators in the country were right there, listening in. Ready to point out the right way for heiko to respond. These are for general visual prompts that we want heiko to think about. We have all the questions related to kevin and gerfa and that we think are important for heiko to consider. And what were doing then, were gonna write notes down and pass them to heiko. He would read it and hopefully introduce it to the conversation. Wheres my wife . Can i talk to her . Is shes okay . Wheres my son . Yeah, no, uh, your son. Is she with you . Can i talk to them . I wanna know if theyre okay. Reporter mr. So didnt say. Meanwhile fbi agents in the philippines were working sources on the ground. Word was that gerfa and kevin had been taken to one of abu sayyafs strongholds basilan, a large island about four hours by boat from where theyd been kidnapped. To a base camp deep in what was nearly impenetrable jungle. We travelled to basilan to talk with politicians there, who may have had some influence over this group. Reporter heiko had the fbi to help, but government money . No. They dont pay ransom. The government doesnt pay ransom. Any decisions regarding ransoms are really made by the family. No choice. I want to make sure theyre safe. Reporter the week after the kidnapping heiko wired a ransom payment. Close to five thousand dollars to a bank account in the philippines. I was thinking, pay them money and its over. But they started wanting more and more and more. Reporter more weeks went by. Mr. So reduced his demands from 10 million, to 2 million, then 1 million. Still impossible. So the kidnappers turned up the heat. They put kevin on the line. Dad yeah. How are you doing over there . Are you there . We need you to send the money. I know that, and im ready, but all that i have over here i will send, and they know it. Dad just send the money. Thats all they want. Reporter heiko maxed out his credit cards. Borrowed money from whomever he could. But it never seemed to be enough. As the incident grows from weeks into months, we end up with so many boards that we have to work our way down this hallway. Reporter Daniel Girsch was one of the hostage negotiators assigned to guide heiko. And it gets to the point where we dont think that were making progress. Heiko feels like were not making progress. I think you just hope. Thats all what you have, hope. Reporter but hope was hard to hang on to. The kidnappers kept threatening beheadings. Even worse, they put gerfa on the phone, and beat her while she talked to heiko. Sweetheart, what you doing over there . I know, honey. Im just so just tell them i dont have a million. Please do that. I want this to stop. I know, i told them that you dont have anything but they just, like, asking. How are you doing gerfa . Stop that [ crying ] i am getting worried, im getting so worried. Reporter a few seconds later the line went dead. Oh my god [ bleep ], im smoking, i got have a [ bleep ] cigarette, or im gonna [ bleep ] heiko, heiko you need to be ready. Reporter the frustration must be pretty intense. Frustration was immense. If hes not calm, then our hostage takers arent going to be calm. So often times, i would have to tell heiko to be quiet, let the hostagetaker speak, and then we would have a chance to respond. Reporter and then what . How long before they tired of the game and killed the two great loves of his life . Ive worked these cases that will last years instead of months. And i was thinking, no, im not making it for years, theres no way. Reporter heiko didnt have to wait that long, three months after gerfa and kevin were taken, there was a very different phone call. And for heiko, it was terrifying. Coming up she called me really, really sad and crying. I felt her dark place, being a mother myself. And it was awful. When dateline continues. [ ] check your free Credit Scores at creditkarma. Heres to progress. Calyoure gonna love this. Rs. New coppertone sport clear. Not thick, not hot, not messy, just clear, cool, protected. Coppertone sport clear. Proven to protect. Reporter it had been three months since an islamic Paramilitary Group had kidnapped Heiko Lunsmanns wife and son. Hed already sent the kidnappers more than twenty thousand dollars. A fortune for him. And then the phone rang again. And it wasnt mr. So. Instead, well. Even veteran fbi agent dan girsch was astonished. We received the tremendous 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 terror in her voice. Abu sayyaf still had kevin and her cousin. They could kill them any time they wanted. And i felt her dark place, just being a mother myself. And it was awful. Reporter and before long her terror deepened. When she learned her cousin got out, too. Which meant that there in that awful place, her 14yearold son no one left to protect him was all alone. I remember seeing that picture of her that was in the news. And she looked so sad. She looked so sad and helpless. Reporter this is gerfa. And here, even five years later the memory is brutal. We brought her back here to the philippines and asked her to tell us her story. The story that began at 2 00 in the morning, at the end of a happy, family reunion, on a beach, just about like this one. It does take you back. You know, you can hear the water, the waves. You can feel the wind. You see the evening sky. The stars. It was a beautiful thing. Oh, it was a beautiful morning. Suddenly i saw from the left side two men running really fast, like, on the sand. With some kind of rifle. My first impression, it was some kind of robbery. I scream for help. I was terrified. I never screamed that loud in my life. Reporter gerfa rushed back to her hut and grabbed kevin. Together they ran toward the beach. But they didnt get far. In an instant they were surrounded by several armed men in military fatigues. Kevin was looking at me. He was in front of me. And when suddenly someone kick him from behind that violence right there they were rough right away. Its like, why did they why did they kick my son . Reporter a motor boat suddenly appeared. The men pushed kevin and gerfa into it. Shocked and frightened, gerfa looked up to see her cousin, not quite 22 years old and the father of a newborn, holding on to the boat, trying to prevent it from leaving. He didnt care about his safety, he was begging him and begging him to let him in. He said, this is my family, i wannabe with them. 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 kidnappers, let the boys go. But in response, one of the men raised his machete. He looked at me and he said, did you want me to cut your sons your infidel sons head . Behead him . Behead him. I knew right then it was religious. Yeah, the these guys are fanatics i knew it was more serious. Ive never seen so much hate. Reporter gerfa had heard about abu sayyaf and their kidnappings. But she never thought for a moment that she could be a target. So we sat there just shaking, and i couldnt stop it. The fear of death is so strong. We were surrounded by these armed men. There was no rescue, there was no sign of rescue. We were on our own. Reporter night came. They were prodded at gunpoint to their feet and into the jungle. And its own particular darkness. I constantly followed kevin. The minute hes like three feet away from me he is gone. Its like hes gone in the dark. Reporter and then a light, just a flash really, a car in the distance. The kidnappers seemed terrified by it and gerfa was gripped by a fear more terrible than any in her life. Immediately someone stood really close to kevin. And i saw that silver rifle, the tip of it just went close to his forehead. And at that point i just realized, i was like, oh, my gosh, i might lose my son that night. Coming up were you ready to die . I was ready. I said, lord, thank you for the beautiful family you gave me. And said, if you want me to come home, im ready. Get ready for the insurancethemed experience of a lifetime. Its progressive on ice. Everything you love about Car Insurance the discounts. The rate comparisons. And flo in a boat. Insurance adventure awaits at progressive on ice. Tickets not available now or ever. At progressive on ice. No matter how much you clean, does your house still smell stuffy . Thats because your home is filled with soft surfaces that trap odors and release them back into the room. So, try febreze fabric refresher. Febreze finds odors trapped in fabrics and cleans them away as it dries. Use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. Fabric refresher even works for clothes you want to wear another day. 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Today, lifechanging technology from abbott is helping hunt them down at their source. Because the faster we can identify new viruses, the faster we can get to stopping them. The most personal technology, is technology with the power to change your life. Life. To the fullest. Reporter in the dark of a philippine jungle, surrounded by men with hate in their eyes, Gerfa Lunsmann looked, terrified, at her 14yearold son. An 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, while my entire body was frozen. Reporter and then the car passed. And they kept walking. And several hours later they arrived at abu sayyafs base camp. And this is where they were brought to a cage in the jungle. Not this cage, we actually built this one, but to the exact specifications given to us by gerfa. Five feet by five feet, some old