Law & Order Special Victims Unit s23e07 Episode Script
They'd Already Disappeared
1
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
I just needed to change my clothes, and then I was going to buy a coffee.
So rude, yelling "Bathroom for customers only," the whole time I'm in there.
Sorry, I didn't get you a coffee, mami.
Coffee's not what I need right now, T.
- I know.
- I'll hook you up tonight, okay? [UPBEAT HIP-HOP MUSIC.]
[CAR HONKS.]
You look cold, bae.
I'll keep you warm.
If you pay me.
Your mama's calling, it's past your bedtime.
The streets might eat you.
Hang on, I just gotta go grab my coat, then I got a couple dates, okay? Hey, watch your back, baby.
It is heartless out here tonight.
Hey, Daria.
I've been looking all over for you.
Here I am.
I got you this.
Thanks.
Got any cash? I'll pay you back.
It's not for me.
A friend needs it.
Please, don't.
Fine.
You hear anything from Mom? You know how that goes.
She doesn't worry about us at all, does she? Well, I worry about you.
Sleeping in hallways? It's not safe.
Come back with me, please.
To your dorm? Nah.
I don't belong there.
You were always the smart one.
You get back there, and you study hard.
I gotta fly.
See you, sis.
Love you.
Hey, Country.
Quit playing with your knives and hold this for me.
You got it.
Oh, and I need my coat.
You should eat something first.
Nah, I got a date.
He'll wait.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[TOUCH TONES DIALING.]
He raped me, Daria, and choked me and tried to kill me.
I want to come stay with you.
I'll be good, I promise.
I'll get off the drugs.
I really want no! [SOBS.]
Scream all you want.
Nobody cares.
So how'd it go with McGrath? He's being respectful, or pretending to be, for now.
At least I don't have to go over every one of my cases with him.
We'll see how long that lasts.
I already told him all of this before.
- I understand.
- You don't understand, - my sister is missing.
- So much for a quiet morning.
She said someone tried to kill her.
She's not picking up her phone, I called 911 and no one's listening to me.
- Daria, I'm listening.
- So why are we standing here? - So what happened? - I don't know.
I was on patrol, East Harlem, she jumped in front of the car, screaming something about a rape.
Rollins, Velasco.
Hi, Captain.
This is Daria Cruz.
She thinks her sister may be in trouble.
Officer Tran here brought her to SVU.
You did the right thing, officer.
Thank you.
So you can tell your sergeant that we've got it from here.
Thank you so much.
Okay, Daria, can I ask you to follow us? Yeah.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
He raped me, Daria, and choked me and tried to kill me.
I want to come stay with you.
I'll be good, I promise.
I'll get off the drugs.
I really want no! [SOBS.]
I didn't listen until this morning.
I'm so sorry.
Last night I was studying.
Usually when Tania calls, she's asking for drug money.
I understand, believe me.
We'll need your sister's number, we can try to trace her phone.
When is the last time you saw her? Last night, East Harlem.
So she lives near there? No, she hangs around there, she She's homeless.
She's a survival sex worker.
Our mom took off last spring and Tania started partying with the wrong people.
She's been on a bad spiral.
We are going to do everything we can.
Do you know anyone who she hangs out with? Maybe somebody who knows her clients, or knows her dealer? [SENTIMENTAL MUSIC.]
Daria told me that Tania was missing.
Surprised to see NYPD cares.
We do, and her sister said that she comes here.
Any of these girls know her? Snowflake and Missy.
Ladies, these detectives are looking for Tania.
I ain't seen her since, like, forever.
Maybe she went away with a date.
We do that sometimes.
Okay, any particular client? Maybe a guy who gets rough.
Like half of these mothers? Tania's sister thought she was looking to score.
You guys know her dealer? No, you should talk to Beauty.
Any idea where we might find Beauty? Maybe over on Pleasant.
Some days the whole world smells like cat pee.
Tania's sister's really worried about her.
- Anything that you can think of - Daria's always worried, but she can't do a thing for her.
Keeps coming down here with snacks and Gatorade, like T's on some kind of Outward Bound trip.
I heard you two go on dates together sometimes.
Have you met anyone weird? They're all weird.
T's all right, though.
Taught her how to survive.
Don't go with drunks, they take too long.
And stay away from nerdy white guys, they're always the psychos.
When's the last time you saw her? Last night, early.
She was headed over to Country's to get her coat.
She was gonna meet me back here.
She never showed.
Did you text her? Nah.
Sometimes T starts flying, and then she's not gonna land for a while.
"Stay in heaven long as you can.
" That's what I say.
Is Tania okay? You see anybody out there waiting on her, like a guy or a vehicle? She got a rich daddy or something? Look, it was busy last night.
She came in, grabbed her coat, and she left this.
And she gave you that because? They stash stuff with me all the time.
Umbrellas, cereal, pictures of their mama.
They got no place to stay, no place to keep their things.
Yeah.
This is the backpack I gave her, where was it? She left it with a guy named Country.
Did Tania ever talk to you about him? Oh, she says he looks out for her.
Nobody knows where she is? No But we're not giving up.
Detective.
These women know your sister.
Excuse me.
Did you hear from Tania? No.
But Beauty Is missing.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
- Rollins is taking Daria home.
- Oh, good.
Okay, so where were we? Well, we were all hanging in this hallway, keeping warm, and Beauty went to score.
And how do you know that? She put some cash in her bra and left, but she never came back.
- How long has it been? - Four hours.
Normally we wouldn't freak, but with T missing too Of course, listen, we understand, and we're glad you came in.
Maybe she picked up a date? Not without her bag.
She left it with us because she didn't want her dealer searching it.
Do you know who the dealer is? No idea.
She doesn't tell us stuff like that.
Do you mind if we look through the bag? Beauty's grandma gave her that mirror.
Don't lose it.
- We won't.
- Okay.
Two girls in two days? I don't have a good feeling about this.
Start with the cell phone records.
Sweet kids, same smile.
- They share a look.
- They do.
This could be a long shot.
Check with the local precinct.
Let's see if they didn't circular-file any other missing woman reports.
Sorry to keep you so late.
My sergeant says he's still busy.
We can wait.
Actually, I I shouldn't tell you this, but he left for the night.
Thanks for the tip.
You know what? We still have two missing girls.
Yeah, I know.
I feel bad.
The detective said I could give you this as long as it didn't come from her.
Missing women from this neighborhood the last few years, street workers, addicts.
No one's looking that hard.
NHI.
House slang.
No Humans Involved.
Thanks.
That's a lot of missing girls.
Yeah.
What is it? Like, ten? These two, they look like Tania.
And Beauty.
And there's a third.
He's got a type.
He? We may be looking at a serial.
Okay, so we have three more missing girls.
Same neighborhood.
They're all slight.
Same type as Tania and Beauty.
So who filed the original reports? Not family, - probably friends on the street.
- Probably? Well, the phone numbers on the initial reports were all out of service or disconnected.
We pulled their rap sheets for drugs and prostitution.
So far, no luck tracking down the people they were arrested with.
Did the detectives get anything? They said the girls were over 18.
There's not much we can do.
And nobody went back to the precinct - looking for the girls.
- So no investigation.
I mean, these women, they could have been from out of state, gone home Or ended up in the morgue.
You asked me to look for Jane Does matching the profile you gave me? Yeah, dark-haired, slight women, most likely sex workers.
I remember two Bronx cases from when I first started ten years ago.
I called them my Christmas angels.
Christmas angels? I was showing my daughter the tree at Rockefeller Center, when the first victim came in.
The second was maybe a week later.
They look so young.
I estimate 18, 19.
From their dentition, probably drug addicted on the edge of society.
No access to regular dental care.
And there's no missing persons report, matching either woman? One seemed likely, but the mother of that girl brought in DNA, not a match.
They were murdered? Strangled and raped.
Okay, so we're probably looking at the same perp.
Actually, I don't know that.
The second victim, was partially eviscerated post-mortem.
Partially? Her liver and intestines were removed.
- Why? - Does it matter, Fin? No good reason.
Whoever he was, he'd never done this before.
It was crudely done.
He used a butcher's knife, and a meat cleaver.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Hey, hey, man, those are my knives.
What the hell is going on? - We have a warrant.
- Wha y'all out y'all's minds.
I don't know where Tania is, or Beauty.
Well, we have some new information we need to talk to you about.
How long have you been in the neighborhood, Country? Moved up here from South Carolina ten years ago.
Went back home for a stretch when my daddy died.
And when you were arrested? You moved up here after your bid? Opened this place three years ago.
- So what? - Huh? Is that when you started getting friendly with these girls? Look, it's tough out there for them.
They're good people.
I help them out.
Okay, so you won't mind coming downtown, and telling us about it? I told you, I'm a good guy.
Not always.
- Your arrest was for assault.
- With a baseball bat.
I was protecting myself.
Spartanburg PD, they've always had it out for me.
Okay, let's talk about Sunday night, where were you? I was at my restaurant closing up.
All night? I would think before you speak, because we've run street cams.
That your station wagon? That's old school, man.
Not too many of those on the street.
Traffic cams got it going up 3rd Ave around 11:00.
Okay.
- Okay, I went for a drive.
- BENSON: All by yourself? - No.
- Who were you with? Looks like a young woman.
Now, we can't ID her, but what we can see, is that there's two people in the car, going north, and then You're coming down 2nd Avenue, half hour later.
Only you.
We're tearing apart your restaurant, we're tearing apart your car.
Country, are we going to find Tania's blood in there? Or Beauty's? You won't find anything.
Look, I look out for these girls.
Hold their stuff.
That's it.
But you have three months left on your parole, right? You lied to us, and that's enough to send you back, to a South Carolina prison.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on.
Please don't do that.
You need to tell us where she is.
Help us help you.
Look Tania had a date, wanted to meet her uptown.
She said he was a regular, always paid, but she didn't feel like waiting for the bus.
So I dropped her off.
This mystery date Did you see him? No.
I dropped her, and I took off.
Tania's gonna pop up, any day now, and when she does, y'all'll come by, eat some ribs with me and her, and apologize.
Until then, we're gonna need an address.
[CAR DOORS SLAM.]
Scary place to meet for a date.
If there even was a date.
Country could be making this whole thing up.
If he killed Tania, dumped her body, why send us up here? Anyway, what are we supposed to do? There's nobody here to talk to.
Well, we check bus routes, I don't know, truck deliveries for Sunday night.
Talk to homeless guys.
- Maybe we get lucky.
- Yeah, maybe.
But I'm with Fin on this one.
This guy sent us on a goose chase.
Yo, a little help? Nice trucks.
- Put these on yourself.
- Yeah.
Thanks.
You guys are cops.
- Right? - Mm.
You here about that vampire? A vampire? Yeah.
We're vampire slayers.
We got to keep an eye out.
He lives right in there.
How do you know a vampire lives there? He's sneaky, but some nights we can see a light moving around inside.
- Is he here today? - No.
Vampires sleep in the day.
- They hunt at night.
- Yeah.
How about Sunday night? He was in there.
We had our stakes ready.
- It was quiet.
- Sunday night, you see this car? - No, I don't think so.
- Okay.
How about this girl? Yeah.
Maybe.
You know where she went? I gotta go home.
You be careful with those vampires.
Hey.
Let's go.
Vampires.
I told you we might get lucky.
Hmm.
After you, Buffy.
Let's do this.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[COUGHS.]
What's that smell? I don't even want to know.
Okay.
Dear Jesus.
What the hell is this? [GASPS.]
[WHISPERS.]
Velasco.
That's Beauty.
That's Tania.
How many victims? 12 who were mummified, and then Beauty and Tania.
Their bodies are on the way to the morgue.
I called Daria.
Thank you.
All right, let's put a rush on the autopsy rape kits.
It's been less than 48 hours, so there's a possibility for DNA.
Velasco, run the parking tickets, building, neighborhood street cams.
On it, Sarge.
We're looking at a mass fatality event over time.
Ever seen anything like this, Doc? The mummies of Guanajuato, in a museum.
But those bodies were naturally mummified.
Okay, and these? DIY.
Do it yourself? How? Surprisingly easy.
The technique hasn't changed that much since the Egyptians.
They removed the organs, salted the body, stuffed it with linen, and let the desert heat do the rest.
This guy, used heaters you can buy at Home Depot, put in a cage to keep the rats out.
Are you gonna be able to, to ID these victims? None of the bodies have ID on them, but, mummification preserves DNA and fingerprints.
The older bodies have some putrefaction, but his technique got better.
And the killer's DNA? Not likely to find any.
He kept a meticulous dissection room.
Chief What are we looking at? We are trying to figure that out? And what, what is that smell? Like an old wet book - with a touch of cinnamon? - Yes.
With mummifying, there's very little scent.
- Bodies don't rot.
- That's good to know.
If you look over here, Chief McGrath, he made a cut, pulled the brains out the back to keep the face intact.
Yeah.
Thanks, Doctor.
Let's just save that for the autopsy report, okay? Would you like to talk outside? Yeah, that'd be great.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
[SIREN WAILS.]
Hey.
You got a suspect in custody? Country Jones.
He was the last one to see the uh, - the latest victim alive, right? - Yeah.
He's got a barbecue joint.
There were knives everywhere.
He Checking for his DNA, and, he's the one that led us up here.
Yeah, well, maybe he wanted to be caught.
These women were butchered, Captain.
Yes, they were.
And then he laid them out like Like he's throwing some goddamn dinner party? Make the case, okay? Make the case because This is evil.
How's the chief doing? I wasn't expecting him to get that upset.
It's, uh, it's upsetting.
I couldn't even look at them, but I I had to.
What these women went through You know, Captain, I know you've seen this a lot Velasco, I've been doing this for over 20 years.
I've never seen anything like this.
And honestly Honestly, you never get used to it.
Any of it.
[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC.]
Sofia, Dee, Shanise.
They all went missing in the past three years.
Right after you moved back up to New York.
We found a lot of unclaimed stuff in your restaurant.
Coats, purses, shoes, jewelry.
Personal items, that the owners would come back for.
These girls come and go.
They hook up with some guy, head to Florida.
They get arrested, or check into rehab.
If we find out that any of these purses, or coats, are in your restaurant, if they belong to these three girls Or these.
You're done.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
What hell is this? Oh, yeah.
They were butchered.
Organs removed, brains pulled out of their skulls, dried and preserved like beef jerky.
No, no, no.
Put those away.
Listen, you're our only suspect, Country.
So if there's anything that you're not telling us, now would be the time.
Look, I swear, I don't know what Who did Wait.
That's Neecy.
- Shanise.
- Yes.
I drove her to a date, same street as Tania.
I thought she would be okay, she said he was a regular.
One of her nice guys.
Man, stop playing with us, Country.
You know these girls, and you know what happened to them.
I'm sorry.
[SOBS.]
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
[KNOCK ON DOOR.]
The ME has something.
My team went into emergency mode, worked through the night.
All 12 of the mummified bodies were strangled.
- All sex workers? - Most likely.
We found track marks, ice burns from frostbite.
One had scarring from STDs in her uterus.
Were you able to ID any of the bodies? We're still waiting on the DNA, but, they all had personal effects, partially dressed.
In fact, some of the body cavities were stuffed with the women's own clothing.
Okay.
And that helps us how? More information to go on.
We expanded our search to tri-state women reported missing in the last ten years.
We got two hits.
A missing New Jersey woman, from six years ago wearing almost exactly the same coat.
A second victim, from Connecticut.
We IDed her through her charm bracelet, engraved with her name and birthday.
- Oh, God.
- Meredith Hart.
We're going to need to speak with their families.
The Northvale detective had no contact for relatives of the Jersey victim.
Enfield PD, is still trying to get in touch with Meredith's family.
Okay.
I only hope we can, ID them all.
The girl in New Jersey was reported missing One week after, Country started his sentence at South Carolina And Meredith A year after that.
He was in prison, halfway through his bid.
Which means Country's not good for this.
And whoever it is is still out there.
And He knows that we broke into that Hell hole.
Thank you.
The NYPD is working around the clock to hunt down the person or persons responsible for these horrific murders.
Somebody knows this killer.
Somebody sells him coffee.
Somebody delivers his takeout.
Somebody works with him or works for him.
NYPD Crime Stoppers is offering a $3,500 reward with any information that leads to an arrest.
Thank you so much.
You get anything on the building? Finally.
The warehouse owner died ten years ago without a will.
He owned 15 buildings in the neighborhood.
A dozen distant cousins are in court.
Any of them involved in managing those buildings? Unlikely.
They all live in Wuhan.
His LLC has been paying the taxes while they sort it out.
So no help.
Hey, I told you there was a vampire living there.
Yeah, you did, Jamal.
This is Sergeant Tutuola.
What's up, Jamal? So you saw this vampire.
What's he look like? White, like a ghost.
Tough.
Sometimes he's in a pickup truck.
You know what type? Don't worry.
You've still been very helpful.
Thanks, Jamal.
They may have located the Connecticut vic's mother.
Okay, I'll tell the captain.
Hey, Daria.
Remember, you don't have to do this.
We've identified Tania, by her dental records and DNA.
I just really, really, need to see her.
I understand.
Did you bring the photo of the two of you together like I asked? So if you'd like, you can put it there, on the table.
You only need to look, here for as long as you need.
And then you look there, because that's really your sister.
That's who you want to remember.
[SNIFFLES.]
Okay.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
[SOBS.]
Daria, are you okay? Do you want to sit down? I'm-I'm gonna go, but thank you.
I'm just gonna walk.
It's very common, to insist on seeing the remains.
I've never seen that before, with the photo.
The brain doesn't need to retain an image of a cold, traumatized body.
You can encourage recall of happy memories, especially in such a young woman.
Um Mrs.
Hart, maybe your grandson doesn't need to be here.
He's on the spectrum.
He gets too anxious if he's not with me.
Okay.
Please sit down.
Thank you.
He's not listening.
- I'll tell him about his mother later.
- Okay.
We're sorry about your daughter.
I knew it would end this way.
She was always running off with bad boys.
Started when she was 15.
I'd track her down, bring her home, and then she'd run off again.
Do you remember anything about the last boy, that she ran off with? More of a man.
He was a carny.
Do you know where she met him? One of those town fairs.
She took Jack the first night, went back on her own the second.
Meredith, she was happy For a minute.
When the carnival closed up, - she took off with him.
- When was this? I called the police a few weeks later, I I don't remember the exact date I last saw her.
JACK: July 7th, 2016.
Hush, honey.
No, no, it's o It's okay.
Jack, do you Do you know what we're talking about? The day mommy left.
July 7th, 2016, I saw her get into his truck.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Do you remember what color the truck was? Gray, New Jersey.
6 ILI 90.
Garden State.
6 ILI 90.
Jack, you never told me that.
Mommy said not to.
That she'd be back soon.
She said, "Don't make Grandma get worried.
" Okay, he's home.
Suspect's truck's parked out front, and there's lights on in the house.
Let's go.
Who are you two? And what do you want? NYPD, ma'am.
We're looking for Trace Lambert.
- He's not home.
- Where is he? Ma Who're you talking to? Take those things out of your ears.
Hey, Trace Lambert? We're wondering if you can come into the city, and talk with us.
[SIREN WAILS.]
What, am I under arrest? We can do that.
You'll just spend the night in Jersey City booking, while we sort through the paperwork.
Well, I didn't do anything.
Then if I were you, I'd come with us.
- I'm coming too.
- Ma - I'll get my purse.
- Ma, I can handle this.
So can I.
I'm calling a cab.
Misdemeanor record.
Vandalism, disorderly conduct, public urination.
With anger issues, that's par for the course.
And he hasn't asked for a lawyer yet? He doesn't think we have anything on him.
He's organized, methodical, no trace of his DNA, or prints on the bodies, or in the warehouse.
- Does the timeline fit? - Yep.
He worked a carnival, on the road up and down the Eastern Seaboard eight months out of the year.
The other four months, he lives with his mother in New Jersey.
All the victims disappeared late fall or winter, except for Meredith, and she ran off with somebody that she met at the carnival.
And his mother came in with him? Not like he asked her.
Velasco.
Get her a cup of coffee.
Play the good son.
See if you can get anything out of her.
Ah, they don't really look familiar, but I'm on the road a lot.
Meet a lot of people.
Like Little T? Were you in New York Sunday night? I don't think so.
Think again, we've got your truck on traffic cams coming over the George Washington bridge.
Huh.
So what are you asking me for? We also got your truck parked two blocks away from the warehouse where Little T's body was found.
Yeah, I saw that on the news.
That was sick, man.
Somebody really did a number on those poor girls.
They mummified them.
Bone saws, space heaters, the whole bit.
We run your credit card, we gonna find those things on you? Heaters? You might.
My mother's 65.
She gets cold at night.
Here you go, ma'am.
Light and sweet, just how you asked.
Thank you, Joe.
What was I saying about Trace? Never said boo as a boy.
Came out of me that way, white as a sheet, flat and quiet, a dead fish.
No way he did anything to get himself arrested.
Do you know where he was last Sunday? He said he was going to the city, to meet a girlfriend, but that's a lie.
Why is that, Mrs.
Lambert? [SCOFFS.]
You take a look at him? Mrs.
Lambert, I'm Captain Benson.
How's everything going in here? Can Trace and I go home now? Mrs.
Lambert was just telling me Trace is not good with women.
What I said was, he's a loser.
This one, he's charming, but he wasn't listening.
How about you tell me, about your son, Mrs.
Lambert? I don't know why you'd be interested, but, since you're asking.
No, I don't know her, I don't know her, I don't know her.
How many times I gotta tell you, - they're not my type.
- TUTUOLA: And what is your type? Not that.
Classier, I guess.
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Trace, Captain Benson.
Trace was just telling us what kind of women he likes.
I was just talking to your mother about the same thing.
She doesn't know anything about me.
- She shouldn't even be here.
- Okay.
You guys want to take a break? Yeah, Cap.
Okay.
Look My mother's a lonely old lady.
She don't got anybody to talk to.
Oh, I got that sense.
She just gave me an earful.
She certainly has a lot to say about you.
Like what? First of all, she says, that you barely talk to girls.
She says that you're Soft.
I've had girlfriends.
Like Meredith, right? She says that you met her in Connecticut, - at the carnival.
- That's right.
And my mother met her too.
So my mother's full of crap.
She mentioned Meredith.
She said that Meredith Felt sorry for you.
That's not true.
Your mother and Meredith talked a lot about you.
Your mother felt that Meredith was out of your league.
Meredith loved me.
She loved you? Yes.
Okay, then where is she? She leave you? Or did she try to, - and then you killed her? - I didn't kill anybody.
That's what your mother said.
She said that you weren't smart enough or ambitious enough to commit a crime like that.
She said that carnival work, that was Sort of your limit.
And as a mother myself, I have to say I agree with her.
Well, you don't know me, either.
Do you? I know that the guy that I'm looking for Is Methodical.
He's intelligent, he's organized.
He picked women that nobody Nobody would look for.
He found a location, and he kept it hidden for ten years.
Nobody Nobody was onto him.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
So you think, this guy that you're looking for, is smart? Oh, yeah.
I know he is.
But your story I mean, I think your mother's right.
This guy is special.
Trust me, when they find him, they're gonna make documentaries about him.
Ten years Ten years And the owner of the building had no idea what was going on in there.
[SNORTS.]
How much you know.
The owner, that Chinese guy? I heard he's dead.
So you follow the case? Closely? - Yeah.
- All right, so Maybe I underestimated you.
Okay.
Our take, this guy, is not only smart, but he's lucky.
No, I think he's smart.
Very smart.
He's lucky enough to find an abandoned building, where the owner, just happens to be dead.
He didn't happen to be dead.
You knew him? It's what I heard.
Listen The killer pretended to be a buyer Sat down with the landlord to seal the deal over tea.
"Yum cha," he called it.
Never saw it coming.
Saw what coming? Tea was poisoned.
Made it look like a heart attack.
Oh, my God.
That is a good plan.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was.
It was my plan.
It was your plan? Yeah.
[SCOFFS.]
Okay.
- All right, all right, Trace.
- It was.
I killed him.
Oh yeah, I killed all of them.
They were my girls.
They were mine.
Do you understand me? And you had no right to go in there, and disturb ten years Ten years of my work.
Who was yours? Tania Screamed for her sister.
Okay? Beauty Couldn't stop shaking.
Dee She pissed herself.
And Meredith She just kept saying "No".
"No, no, no.
" I kept her alive for days.
I killed them.
All of them.
You tell my mother that.
You tell my mother what I did.
Thanks, Carisi.
Trace's lawyer cut a deal.
He will plead guilty to a dozen homicides, to avoid federal prosecution.
That's New York.
But FBI is checking missing persons in every town on the Eastern Seaboard, that his carnival went through for the last ten years.
He can still get the death penalty.
So Doc, what do we have? I was able to ID two more victims.
Their DNA was in the system.
No one ever even reported them missing.
Dawn Doyers.
If she'd lived, she'd have just turned 26.
Katie Evers, 32.
So with Dee, Shanise, Gina, and Meredith.
- Tania and Beauty.
- That's eight.
Are you going to be able to identify the rest of them? I don't know, but after all they've been through, I'm not gonna abandon them now.
Oh, uh, that's Beauty's grandmother.
She told me she was coming in.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
I just needed to change my clothes, and then I was going to buy a coffee.
So rude, yelling "Bathroom for customers only," the whole time I'm in there.
Sorry, I didn't get you a coffee, mami.
Coffee's not what I need right now, T.
- I know.
- I'll hook you up tonight, okay? [UPBEAT HIP-HOP MUSIC.]
[CAR HONKS.]
You look cold, bae.
I'll keep you warm.
If you pay me.
Your mama's calling, it's past your bedtime.
The streets might eat you.
Hang on, I just gotta go grab my coat, then I got a couple dates, okay? Hey, watch your back, baby.
It is heartless out here tonight.
Hey, Daria.
I've been looking all over for you.
Here I am.
I got you this.
Thanks.
Got any cash? I'll pay you back.
It's not for me.
A friend needs it.
Please, don't.
Fine.
You hear anything from Mom? You know how that goes.
She doesn't worry about us at all, does she? Well, I worry about you.
Sleeping in hallways? It's not safe.
Come back with me, please.
To your dorm? Nah.
I don't belong there.
You were always the smart one.
You get back there, and you study hard.
I gotta fly.
See you, sis.
Love you.
Hey, Country.
Quit playing with your knives and hold this for me.
You got it.
Oh, and I need my coat.
You should eat something first.
Nah, I got a date.
He'll wait.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[TOUCH TONES DIALING.]
He raped me, Daria, and choked me and tried to kill me.
I want to come stay with you.
I'll be good, I promise.
I'll get off the drugs.
I really want no! [SOBS.]
Scream all you want.
Nobody cares.
So how'd it go with McGrath? He's being respectful, or pretending to be, for now.
At least I don't have to go over every one of my cases with him.
We'll see how long that lasts.
I already told him all of this before.
- I understand.
- You don't understand, - my sister is missing.
- So much for a quiet morning.
She said someone tried to kill her.
She's not picking up her phone, I called 911 and no one's listening to me.
- Daria, I'm listening.
- So why are we standing here? - So what happened? - I don't know.
I was on patrol, East Harlem, she jumped in front of the car, screaming something about a rape.
Rollins, Velasco.
Hi, Captain.
This is Daria Cruz.
She thinks her sister may be in trouble.
Officer Tran here brought her to SVU.
You did the right thing, officer.
Thank you.
So you can tell your sergeant that we've got it from here.
Thank you so much.
Okay, Daria, can I ask you to follow us? Yeah.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
He raped me, Daria, and choked me and tried to kill me.
I want to come stay with you.
I'll be good, I promise.
I'll get off the drugs.
I really want no! [SOBS.]
I didn't listen until this morning.
I'm so sorry.
Last night I was studying.
Usually when Tania calls, she's asking for drug money.
I understand, believe me.
We'll need your sister's number, we can try to trace her phone.
When is the last time you saw her? Last night, East Harlem.
So she lives near there? No, she hangs around there, she She's homeless.
She's a survival sex worker.
Our mom took off last spring and Tania started partying with the wrong people.
She's been on a bad spiral.
We are going to do everything we can.
Do you know anyone who she hangs out with? Maybe somebody who knows her clients, or knows her dealer? [SENTIMENTAL MUSIC.]
Daria told me that Tania was missing.
Surprised to see NYPD cares.
We do, and her sister said that she comes here.
Any of these girls know her? Snowflake and Missy.
Ladies, these detectives are looking for Tania.
I ain't seen her since, like, forever.
Maybe she went away with a date.
We do that sometimes.
Okay, any particular client? Maybe a guy who gets rough.
Like half of these mothers? Tania's sister thought she was looking to score.
You guys know her dealer? No, you should talk to Beauty.
Any idea where we might find Beauty? Maybe over on Pleasant.
Some days the whole world smells like cat pee.
Tania's sister's really worried about her.
- Anything that you can think of - Daria's always worried, but she can't do a thing for her.
Keeps coming down here with snacks and Gatorade, like T's on some kind of Outward Bound trip.
I heard you two go on dates together sometimes.
Have you met anyone weird? They're all weird.
T's all right, though.
Taught her how to survive.
Don't go with drunks, they take too long.
And stay away from nerdy white guys, they're always the psychos.
When's the last time you saw her? Last night, early.
She was headed over to Country's to get her coat.
She was gonna meet me back here.
She never showed.
Did you text her? Nah.
Sometimes T starts flying, and then she's not gonna land for a while.
"Stay in heaven long as you can.
" That's what I say.
Is Tania okay? You see anybody out there waiting on her, like a guy or a vehicle? She got a rich daddy or something? Look, it was busy last night.
She came in, grabbed her coat, and she left this.
And she gave you that because? They stash stuff with me all the time.
Umbrellas, cereal, pictures of their mama.
They got no place to stay, no place to keep their things.
Yeah.
This is the backpack I gave her, where was it? She left it with a guy named Country.
Did Tania ever talk to you about him? Oh, she says he looks out for her.
Nobody knows where she is? No But we're not giving up.
Detective.
These women know your sister.
Excuse me.
Did you hear from Tania? No.
But Beauty Is missing.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
- Rollins is taking Daria home.
- Oh, good.
Okay, so where were we? Well, we were all hanging in this hallway, keeping warm, and Beauty went to score.
And how do you know that? She put some cash in her bra and left, but she never came back.
- How long has it been? - Four hours.
Normally we wouldn't freak, but with T missing too Of course, listen, we understand, and we're glad you came in.
Maybe she picked up a date? Not without her bag.
She left it with us because she didn't want her dealer searching it.
Do you know who the dealer is? No idea.
She doesn't tell us stuff like that.
Do you mind if we look through the bag? Beauty's grandma gave her that mirror.
Don't lose it.
- We won't.
- Okay.
Two girls in two days? I don't have a good feeling about this.
Start with the cell phone records.
Sweet kids, same smile.
- They share a look.
- They do.
This could be a long shot.
Check with the local precinct.
Let's see if they didn't circular-file any other missing woman reports.
Sorry to keep you so late.
My sergeant says he's still busy.
We can wait.
Actually, I I shouldn't tell you this, but he left for the night.
Thanks for the tip.
You know what? We still have two missing girls.
Yeah, I know.
I feel bad.
The detective said I could give you this as long as it didn't come from her.
Missing women from this neighborhood the last few years, street workers, addicts.
No one's looking that hard.
NHI.
House slang.
No Humans Involved.
Thanks.
That's a lot of missing girls.
Yeah.
What is it? Like, ten? These two, they look like Tania.
And Beauty.
And there's a third.
He's got a type.
He? We may be looking at a serial.
Okay, so we have three more missing girls.
Same neighborhood.
They're all slight.
Same type as Tania and Beauty.
So who filed the original reports? Not family, - probably friends on the street.
- Probably? Well, the phone numbers on the initial reports were all out of service or disconnected.
We pulled their rap sheets for drugs and prostitution.
So far, no luck tracking down the people they were arrested with.
Did the detectives get anything? They said the girls were over 18.
There's not much we can do.
And nobody went back to the precinct - looking for the girls.
- So no investigation.
I mean, these women, they could have been from out of state, gone home Or ended up in the morgue.
You asked me to look for Jane Does matching the profile you gave me? Yeah, dark-haired, slight women, most likely sex workers.
I remember two Bronx cases from when I first started ten years ago.
I called them my Christmas angels.
Christmas angels? I was showing my daughter the tree at Rockefeller Center, when the first victim came in.
The second was maybe a week later.
They look so young.
I estimate 18, 19.
From their dentition, probably drug addicted on the edge of society.
No access to regular dental care.
And there's no missing persons report, matching either woman? One seemed likely, but the mother of that girl brought in DNA, not a match.
They were murdered? Strangled and raped.
Okay, so we're probably looking at the same perp.
Actually, I don't know that.
The second victim, was partially eviscerated post-mortem.
Partially? Her liver and intestines were removed.
- Why? - Does it matter, Fin? No good reason.
Whoever he was, he'd never done this before.
It was crudely done.
He used a butcher's knife, and a meat cleaver.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Hey, hey, man, those are my knives.
What the hell is going on? - We have a warrant.
- Wha y'all out y'all's minds.
I don't know where Tania is, or Beauty.
Well, we have some new information we need to talk to you about.
How long have you been in the neighborhood, Country? Moved up here from South Carolina ten years ago.
Went back home for a stretch when my daddy died.
And when you were arrested? You moved up here after your bid? Opened this place three years ago.
- So what? - Huh? Is that when you started getting friendly with these girls? Look, it's tough out there for them.
They're good people.
I help them out.
Okay, so you won't mind coming downtown, and telling us about it? I told you, I'm a good guy.
Not always.
- Your arrest was for assault.
- With a baseball bat.
I was protecting myself.
Spartanburg PD, they've always had it out for me.
Okay, let's talk about Sunday night, where were you? I was at my restaurant closing up.
All night? I would think before you speak, because we've run street cams.
That your station wagon? That's old school, man.
Not too many of those on the street.
Traffic cams got it going up 3rd Ave around 11:00.
Okay.
- Okay, I went for a drive.
- BENSON: All by yourself? - No.
- Who were you with? Looks like a young woman.
Now, we can't ID her, but what we can see, is that there's two people in the car, going north, and then You're coming down 2nd Avenue, half hour later.
Only you.
We're tearing apart your restaurant, we're tearing apart your car.
Country, are we going to find Tania's blood in there? Or Beauty's? You won't find anything.
Look, I look out for these girls.
Hold their stuff.
That's it.
But you have three months left on your parole, right? You lied to us, and that's enough to send you back, to a South Carolina prison.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on.
Please don't do that.
You need to tell us where she is.
Help us help you.
Look Tania had a date, wanted to meet her uptown.
She said he was a regular, always paid, but she didn't feel like waiting for the bus.
So I dropped her off.
This mystery date Did you see him? No.
I dropped her, and I took off.
Tania's gonna pop up, any day now, and when she does, y'all'll come by, eat some ribs with me and her, and apologize.
Until then, we're gonna need an address.
[CAR DOORS SLAM.]
Scary place to meet for a date.
If there even was a date.
Country could be making this whole thing up.
If he killed Tania, dumped her body, why send us up here? Anyway, what are we supposed to do? There's nobody here to talk to.
Well, we check bus routes, I don't know, truck deliveries for Sunday night.
Talk to homeless guys.
- Maybe we get lucky.
- Yeah, maybe.
But I'm with Fin on this one.
This guy sent us on a goose chase.
Yo, a little help? Nice trucks.
- Put these on yourself.
- Yeah.
Thanks.
You guys are cops.
- Right? - Mm.
You here about that vampire? A vampire? Yeah.
We're vampire slayers.
We got to keep an eye out.
He lives right in there.
How do you know a vampire lives there? He's sneaky, but some nights we can see a light moving around inside.
- Is he here today? - No.
Vampires sleep in the day.
- They hunt at night.
- Yeah.
How about Sunday night? He was in there.
We had our stakes ready.
- It was quiet.
- Sunday night, you see this car? - No, I don't think so.
- Okay.
How about this girl? Yeah.
Maybe.
You know where she went? I gotta go home.
You be careful with those vampires.
Hey.
Let's go.
Vampires.
I told you we might get lucky.
Hmm.
After you, Buffy.
Let's do this.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[COUGHS.]
What's that smell? I don't even want to know.
Okay.
Dear Jesus.
What the hell is this? [GASPS.]
[WHISPERS.]
Velasco.
That's Beauty.
That's Tania.
How many victims? 12 who were mummified, and then Beauty and Tania.
Their bodies are on the way to the morgue.
I called Daria.
Thank you.
All right, let's put a rush on the autopsy rape kits.
It's been less than 48 hours, so there's a possibility for DNA.
Velasco, run the parking tickets, building, neighborhood street cams.
On it, Sarge.
We're looking at a mass fatality event over time.
Ever seen anything like this, Doc? The mummies of Guanajuato, in a museum.
But those bodies were naturally mummified.
Okay, and these? DIY.
Do it yourself? How? Surprisingly easy.
The technique hasn't changed that much since the Egyptians.
They removed the organs, salted the body, stuffed it with linen, and let the desert heat do the rest.
This guy, used heaters you can buy at Home Depot, put in a cage to keep the rats out.
Are you gonna be able to, to ID these victims? None of the bodies have ID on them, but, mummification preserves DNA and fingerprints.
The older bodies have some putrefaction, but his technique got better.
And the killer's DNA? Not likely to find any.
He kept a meticulous dissection room.
Chief What are we looking at? We are trying to figure that out? And what, what is that smell? Like an old wet book - with a touch of cinnamon? - Yes.
With mummifying, there's very little scent.
- Bodies don't rot.
- That's good to know.
If you look over here, Chief McGrath, he made a cut, pulled the brains out the back to keep the face intact.
Yeah.
Thanks, Doctor.
Let's just save that for the autopsy report, okay? Would you like to talk outside? Yeah, that'd be great.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
[SIREN WAILS.]
Hey.
You got a suspect in custody? Country Jones.
He was the last one to see the uh, - the latest victim alive, right? - Yeah.
He's got a barbecue joint.
There were knives everywhere.
He Checking for his DNA, and, he's the one that led us up here.
Yeah, well, maybe he wanted to be caught.
These women were butchered, Captain.
Yes, they were.
And then he laid them out like Like he's throwing some goddamn dinner party? Make the case, okay? Make the case because This is evil.
How's the chief doing? I wasn't expecting him to get that upset.
It's, uh, it's upsetting.
I couldn't even look at them, but I I had to.
What these women went through You know, Captain, I know you've seen this a lot Velasco, I've been doing this for over 20 years.
I've never seen anything like this.
And honestly Honestly, you never get used to it.
Any of it.
[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC.]
Sofia, Dee, Shanise.
They all went missing in the past three years.
Right after you moved back up to New York.
We found a lot of unclaimed stuff in your restaurant.
Coats, purses, shoes, jewelry.
Personal items, that the owners would come back for.
These girls come and go.
They hook up with some guy, head to Florida.
They get arrested, or check into rehab.
If we find out that any of these purses, or coats, are in your restaurant, if they belong to these three girls Or these.
You're done.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
What hell is this? Oh, yeah.
They were butchered.
Organs removed, brains pulled out of their skulls, dried and preserved like beef jerky.
No, no, no.
Put those away.
Listen, you're our only suspect, Country.
So if there's anything that you're not telling us, now would be the time.
Look, I swear, I don't know what Who did Wait.
That's Neecy.
- Shanise.
- Yes.
I drove her to a date, same street as Tania.
I thought she would be okay, she said he was a regular.
One of her nice guys.
Man, stop playing with us, Country.
You know these girls, and you know what happened to them.
I'm sorry.
[SOBS.]
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
[KNOCK ON DOOR.]
The ME has something.
My team went into emergency mode, worked through the night.
All 12 of the mummified bodies were strangled.
- All sex workers? - Most likely.
We found track marks, ice burns from frostbite.
One had scarring from STDs in her uterus.
Were you able to ID any of the bodies? We're still waiting on the DNA, but, they all had personal effects, partially dressed.
In fact, some of the body cavities were stuffed with the women's own clothing.
Okay.
And that helps us how? More information to go on.
We expanded our search to tri-state women reported missing in the last ten years.
We got two hits.
A missing New Jersey woman, from six years ago wearing almost exactly the same coat.
A second victim, from Connecticut.
We IDed her through her charm bracelet, engraved with her name and birthday.
- Oh, God.
- Meredith Hart.
We're going to need to speak with their families.
The Northvale detective had no contact for relatives of the Jersey victim.
Enfield PD, is still trying to get in touch with Meredith's family.
Okay.
I only hope we can, ID them all.
The girl in New Jersey was reported missing One week after, Country started his sentence at South Carolina And Meredith A year after that.
He was in prison, halfway through his bid.
Which means Country's not good for this.
And whoever it is is still out there.
And He knows that we broke into that Hell hole.
Thank you.
The NYPD is working around the clock to hunt down the person or persons responsible for these horrific murders.
Somebody knows this killer.
Somebody sells him coffee.
Somebody delivers his takeout.
Somebody works with him or works for him.
NYPD Crime Stoppers is offering a $3,500 reward with any information that leads to an arrest.
Thank you so much.
You get anything on the building? Finally.
The warehouse owner died ten years ago without a will.
He owned 15 buildings in the neighborhood.
A dozen distant cousins are in court.
Any of them involved in managing those buildings? Unlikely.
They all live in Wuhan.
His LLC has been paying the taxes while they sort it out.
So no help.
Hey, I told you there was a vampire living there.
Yeah, you did, Jamal.
This is Sergeant Tutuola.
What's up, Jamal? So you saw this vampire.
What's he look like? White, like a ghost.
Tough.
Sometimes he's in a pickup truck.
You know what type? Don't worry.
You've still been very helpful.
Thanks, Jamal.
They may have located the Connecticut vic's mother.
Okay, I'll tell the captain.
Hey, Daria.
Remember, you don't have to do this.
We've identified Tania, by her dental records and DNA.
I just really, really, need to see her.
I understand.
Did you bring the photo of the two of you together like I asked? So if you'd like, you can put it there, on the table.
You only need to look, here for as long as you need.
And then you look there, because that's really your sister.
That's who you want to remember.
[SNIFFLES.]
Okay.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
[SOBS.]
Daria, are you okay? Do you want to sit down? I'm-I'm gonna go, but thank you.
I'm just gonna walk.
It's very common, to insist on seeing the remains.
I've never seen that before, with the photo.
The brain doesn't need to retain an image of a cold, traumatized body.
You can encourage recall of happy memories, especially in such a young woman.
Um Mrs.
Hart, maybe your grandson doesn't need to be here.
He's on the spectrum.
He gets too anxious if he's not with me.
Okay.
Please sit down.
Thank you.
He's not listening.
- I'll tell him about his mother later.
- Okay.
We're sorry about your daughter.
I knew it would end this way.
She was always running off with bad boys.
Started when she was 15.
I'd track her down, bring her home, and then she'd run off again.
Do you remember anything about the last boy, that she ran off with? More of a man.
He was a carny.
Do you know where she met him? One of those town fairs.
She took Jack the first night, went back on her own the second.
Meredith, she was happy For a minute.
When the carnival closed up, - she took off with him.
- When was this? I called the police a few weeks later, I I don't remember the exact date I last saw her.
JACK: July 7th, 2016.
Hush, honey.
No, no, it's o It's okay.
Jack, do you Do you know what we're talking about? The day mommy left.
July 7th, 2016, I saw her get into his truck.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Do you remember what color the truck was? Gray, New Jersey.
6 ILI 90.
Garden State.
6 ILI 90.
Jack, you never told me that.
Mommy said not to.
That she'd be back soon.
She said, "Don't make Grandma get worried.
" Okay, he's home.
Suspect's truck's parked out front, and there's lights on in the house.
Let's go.
Who are you two? And what do you want? NYPD, ma'am.
We're looking for Trace Lambert.
- He's not home.
- Where is he? Ma Who're you talking to? Take those things out of your ears.
Hey, Trace Lambert? We're wondering if you can come into the city, and talk with us.
[SIREN WAILS.]
What, am I under arrest? We can do that.
You'll just spend the night in Jersey City booking, while we sort through the paperwork.
Well, I didn't do anything.
Then if I were you, I'd come with us.
- I'm coming too.
- Ma - I'll get my purse.
- Ma, I can handle this.
So can I.
I'm calling a cab.
Misdemeanor record.
Vandalism, disorderly conduct, public urination.
With anger issues, that's par for the course.
And he hasn't asked for a lawyer yet? He doesn't think we have anything on him.
He's organized, methodical, no trace of his DNA, or prints on the bodies, or in the warehouse.
- Does the timeline fit? - Yep.
He worked a carnival, on the road up and down the Eastern Seaboard eight months out of the year.
The other four months, he lives with his mother in New Jersey.
All the victims disappeared late fall or winter, except for Meredith, and she ran off with somebody that she met at the carnival.
And his mother came in with him? Not like he asked her.
Velasco.
Get her a cup of coffee.
Play the good son.
See if you can get anything out of her.
Ah, they don't really look familiar, but I'm on the road a lot.
Meet a lot of people.
Like Little T? Were you in New York Sunday night? I don't think so.
Think again, we've got your truck on traffic cams coming over the George Washington bridge.
Huh.
So what are you asking me for? We also got your truck parked two blocks away from the warehouse where Little T's body was found.
Yeah, I saw that on the news.
That was sick, man.
Somebody really did a number on those poor girls.
They mummified them.
Bone saws, space heaters, the whole bit.
We run your credit card, we gonna find those things on you? Heaters? You might.
My mother's 65.
She gets cold at night.
Here you go, ma'am.
Light and sweet, just how you asked.
Thank you, Joe.
What was I saying about Trace? Never said boo as a boy.
Came out of me that way, white as a sheet, flat and quiet, a dead fish.
No way he did anything to get himself arrested.
Do you know where he was last Sunday? He said he was going to the city, to meet a girlfriend, but that's a lie.
Why is that, Mrs.
Lambert? [SCOFFS.]
You take a look at him? Mrs.
Lambert, I'm Captain Benson.
How's everything going in here? Can Trace and I go home now? Mrs.
Lambert was just telling me Trace is not good with women.
What I said was, he's a loser.
This one, he's charming, but he wasn't listening.
How about you tell me, about your son, Mrs.
Lambert? I don't know why you'd be interested, but, since you're asking.
No, I don't know her, I don't know her, I don't know her.
How many times I gotta tell you, - they're not my type.
- TUTUOLA: And what is your type? Not that.
Classier, I guess.
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Trace, Captain Benson.
Trace was just telling us what kind of women he likes.
I was just talking to your mother about the same thing.
She doesn't know anything about me.
- She shouldn't even be here.
- Okay.
You guys want to take a break? Yeah, Cap.
Okay.
Look My mother's a lonely old lady.
She don't got anybody to talk to.
Oh, I got that sense.
She just gave me an earful.
She certainly has a lot to say about you.
Like what? First of all, she says, that you barely talk to girls.
She says that you're Soft.
I've had girlfriends.
Like Meredith, right? She says that you met her in Connecticut, - at the carnival.
- That's right.
And my mother met her too.
So my mother's full of crap.
She mentioned Meredith.
She said that Meredith Felt sorry for you.
That's not true.
Your mother and Meredith talked a lot about you.
Your mother felt that Meredith was out of your league.
Meredith loved me.
She loved you? Yes.
Okay, then where is she? She leave you? Or did she try to, - and then you killed her? - I didn't kill anybody.
That's what your mother said.
She said that you weren't smart enough or ambitious enough to commit a crime like that.
She said that carnival work, that was Sort of your limit.
And as a mother myself, I have to say I agree with her.
Well, you don't know me, either.
Do you? I know that the guy that I'm looking for Is Methodical.
He's intelligent, he's organized.
He picked women that nobody Nobody would look for.
He found a location, and he kept it hidden for ten years.
Nobody Nobody was onto him.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
So you think, this guy that you're looking for, is smart? Oh, yeah.
I know he is.
But your story I mean, I think your mother's right.
This guy is special.
Trust me, when they find him, they're gonna make documentaries about him.
Ten years Ten years And the owner of the building had no idea what was going on in there.
[SNORTS.]
How much you know.
The owner, that Chinese guy? I heard he's dead.
So you follow the case? Closely? - Yeah.
- All right, so Maybe I underestimated you.
Okay.
Our take, this guy, is not only smart, but he's lucky.
No, I think he's smart.
Very smart.
He's lucky enough to find an abandoned building, where the owner, just happens to be dead.
He didn't happen to be dead.
You knew him? It's what I heard.
Listen The killer pretended to be a buyer Sat down with the landlord to seal the deal over tea.
"Yum cha," he called it.
Never saw it coming.
Saw what coming? Tea was poisoned.
Made it look like a heart attack.
Oh, my God.
That is a good plan.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was.
It was my plan.
It was your plan? Yeah.
[SCOFFS.]
Okay.
- All right, all right, Trace.
- It was.
I killed him.
Oh yeah, I killed all of them.
They were my girls.
They were mine.
Do you understand me? And you had no right to go in there, and disturb ten years Ten years of my work.
Who was yours? Tania Screamed for her sister.
Okay? Beauty Couldn't stop shaking.
Dee She pissed herself.
And Meredith She just kept saying "No".
"No, no, no.
" I kept her alive for days.
I killed them.
All of them.
You tell my mother that.
You tell my mother what I did.
Thanks, Carisi.
Trace's lawyer cut a deal.
He will plead guilty to a dozen homicides, to avoid federal prosecution.
That's New York.
But FBI is checking missing persons in every town on the Eastern Seaboard, that his carnival went through for the last ten years.
He can still get the death penalty.
So Doc, what do we have? I was able to ID two more victims.
Their DNA was in the system.
No one ever even reported them missing.
Dawn Doyers.
If she'd lived, she'd have just turned 26.
Katie Evers, 32.
So with Dee, Shanise, Gina, and Meredith.
- Tania and Beauty.
- That's eight.
Are you going to be able to identify the rest of them? I don't know, but after all they've been through, I'm not gonna abandon them now.
Oh, uh, that's Beauty's grandmother.
She told me she was coming in.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]