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had 10 million? perhaps they'd watch the internet. in lynchburg, the kidnapping was big news. tv crew set up shop across the street and captured heiko driving his use mercedes coop. there you are in your fancy car. >> yes. >> you must be worth millions. >> that was the wrong, wrong impression. >> i'm not a rich person, but i will give whatever i can get together. okay? >> we need 10 million u.s. dollars for the release of your family. okay? >> heiko was lucky in this. when mr. so made his demands, some of the most experienced fbi hostage negotiations in the country were right there listening in. ready to point out the right way for heiko to respond. literally. >> these are for general visual prompts that we want heiko to think about. we have other questions related to kevin and gerfa, that we think are important for heiko taken sitter. and while we're doing that,

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i'm getting worried. i'm getting so worried. >> a few seconds later, the line went dead. >> oh, my god -- i'm smoking a cigarette. >> heiko, you need to be ready. >> the frustration must be pretty -- >> the frustration was immense. >> if he is not calm and our hostage takers are going to be calm. so oftentimes i would have to tell heiko be quiet, let the hostage takers speak and then we would have a chance to respond. >> and then what? how long before they are tired of the game and kill the two great loves of his life? >> i've worked these cases that will last years instead of months. >> i said, i'm not gonna make it years. i mean, there's no way. >> heiko didn't 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

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we're going to write notes down and pass them to heiko, who would read it and then hopefully introduce it to the conversation. >> where is my wife? can i talk to her? is she okay? where is my son? >> yeah, no. your son is -- >> can i talk to them? i want to know if they're okay. >> mr. so didn't 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 sayyaf's strong holes, basilan, a large island about four hours by boat from where they've been kidnapped. to a base camp deep in what was nearly impenetrable jungle. >> we travel to basilan to talk with politicians there who may have had influence over this group. >> heiko had the fbi to help. but government money? no. >> you don't pay ransom? >> the government doesn't pay ransom. >> any decisions that are made

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but some were beheaded. heiko was frantic, had no idea what to do where to turn. that very day, the cavalry came running 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 actually paying attention to this? >> it is really real now. this is a real thing. >> we never know how families are going to react, obviously. but almost in every case, they are in a state of crisis. >> mark thundercloud was a leader of a special fbi hostage negotiating unit. formed precisely for an emergency like this. more than that it doesn't agents set up the lunsmann house. covered windows, set up a surveillance system and heiko's kitchen, not ready for what they knew was coming. demand for ransom. >> he's negotiating really with someone who is selling his family. >> the fbi told me that my wife

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since an islamic paramilitary group kidnapped lunsmann's wife and son. he sent the kidnappers what he considers to be a fortune. and then the phone rang again. and it was not mr. so. instead, even better an fbi 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 as the 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?

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ask yoiali about dupixent. >>s this mister heiko lunsmann? >> yes, that's me. >> okay, we'd like to inform you that your family is here with us, under our custody. >> two days after his wife and child were kidnapped by abu sayyaf in the philippines,

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was evacuated to manila, the philippines capital. back in lynchburg, lead fbi negotiator mark thundercloud thought he knew why the kidnappers released gerfa. >> their intent was to let her go to help raise more money. and now she is out, now she has got to talk to these people. someone needs to be there with her. >> heiko decided he should stay in lynchburg, try to find the money. and mark thundercloud moved his operations from the family's kitchen to a hotel room in manila. and there as one month passed, and then another, they tried to help gerfa deal with mr. so. >> december 6th was the last day with that we talk with mr. so. basically he was saying, look, what you are offering is not enough. this might be the last communication that we ever have. we still expected calls. but on the seventh, nothing. on the eighth, nothing. on the ninth, nothing. >> oh they would hear what happened to kevin, soon enough.

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regarding ransoms are really made by the family. >> but it was actually me, no choice. i know i want to pay something. just to make sure they are safe. >> the week after the kidnapping, heiko wired a ransom payment, close to $5, 000, to a bank account in the philippines. >> i was thinking i pay that money and is over. but -- they started wanting more and more and more. >> more weeks went by. mr. so reduced his demands from 10 million to 2 million. then 1 million. still impossible, of course. so the kidnappers turned up the heat. they put kevin on the line. >> dad. >> yeah. >> are you there? >> how are you doing? >> we need you to send the money. >> i know that and i am ready. but all i have over here i will send. >> dad. dad. just send the money. that's all they want. >> heiko maxed out his credit cards.

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heiko lunsmann got his first ransom call. on the phone, the man who called himself mr. so -- >> he called me mr. lunsmann. but i wanted to know what i can call you. a kidnapper, terrorists? just give me a name. >> mr. so was calm, businesslike. like he done it 100 times before. in fact, he was the voice for a violent separatist group known for executing prisoners. beheadings, usually. >> we would like to tell you that we need 10 million u.s. dollars for the u.s. release of your family. can you hear me? >> and i was just was thinking, are you losing your mind? who do you think you've got? just couldn't believe. it 10 million. from me? >> why would they think heiko

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and son are merchandise for them. >> that's hard to hear. >> yes. >> we tried to be very transparent with the families in these cases. we try to prepare them the best we can. >> did you prepare heiko for the possibility they would be executed? >> yeah. we prepared him for the worst. >> now there is nothing else to do. except wait and then the phone rang. >> hello? >> hello. >> yes? >> this is long distance from philippines. is this mister heiko lunsmann? >> a terrorist on the line, and the pons in question are heiko beloved wife and son, the life of death negotiations have officially begun. coming up -- >> 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.

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