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MUSIC

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This is a map of Greater Los Angeles,

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50 miles across, 2,500 square miles in all.

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Now if someone goes missing in this sprawling city,

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even a highly organized search can't guarantee to find them.

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Etta Smith claimed no special psychic powers, no history of clairvoyance,

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but she succeeded where the whole of the Los Angeles Police Department failed.

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How she did it is a matter of debate.

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What she did is beyond question.

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I've lived in Los Angeles now for 26 years.

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A day I'll never forget will be December 17th, 1980.

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That day changed my life, had an impact on me that I'll never forget.

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I'll never be the same person that I was prior to that day.

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On the traffic front.

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Okay kids.

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That day started as normal as any other.

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Start getting ready for work, get the children ready.

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It was no different than any other day.

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Okay, bye mom.

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Bye.

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Bye mommy.

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Bye honey.

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A single mother with two children,

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Etta Smith lived in the Los Angeles suburb of Soma.

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She worked as an administrator of the Lockheed Aircraft Company in nearby Burbank.

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It was there she first heard of the disappearance of local woman Melanie Uribe.

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KNBC News from Los Angeles, the headlines at 9.

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The police department is conducting a house to house search for a missing nurse, Melanie Uribe.

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The 31 year old was last week.

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It was really strange because as soon as the announcer said they were making a house to house search,

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I had some kind of a visual image like what you would see on a movie screen.

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I could see where she was.

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I know it's a canyon area.

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I see a dirt path going off to the right and I see a hill.

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And at the end of the dirt path I see white through shrubbery.

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And I thought that's odd.

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Something tells me she's not in the house and then I see this picture. Why?

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Etta left work that day profoundly troubled.

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Her premonition was proving impossible to ignore.

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As I'm headed home, this thing still won't leave me alone.

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I couldn't dismiss it.

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So I'm saying maybe I should stop and tell the police and then something is telling me,

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now they're going to think you're nuts.

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Then I'm thinking, yeah, but what if she's alive and what if I'm right?

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What if somebody needs to get to her?

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Can I in good conscience ignore that possibility and go home?

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Etta decided it was her duty to tell the police.

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What she didn't know was that the police had found the missing woman's pickup truck abandoned and in flames.

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They now suspected they were investigating a case of abduction and possibly murder.

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Mrs. Smith, I'm Detective Lee Ryan. I'm handling the Rebe case.

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Can I help?

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Well, um, I know it may sound weird, but I think she might be dead.

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I hope I'm wrong. I mean, she could be alive, but...

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She was a very nicely dressed lady, very professional looking, very...

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very well phrased. Her demeanor was such that she was very credible on initial appearance.

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I think I know where she is. I had kind of a psychic experience.

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I mean, several statements at the time that she didn't want to be considered a cuckoo or a nut.

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She wasn't crazy, although we might think she is when we heard what she had to say.

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Do you think you could possibly locate Mrs. Rebe on this map?

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Sure.

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I was following with my finger on the map and I remember stopping.

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And saying, this is the area. I still to this day don't know why.

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She's here. Lopez Canyon. There are these hills in the background and some sort of track through the scrub.

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That's quite a big area.

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But I know she's right here. And she's hidden in the underground.

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The city of Los Angeles is huge. And this particular map included some of the county.

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But to be able to pinpoint an area was absolutely incredible.

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Do you have any connection with the missing person?

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No.

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Okay, ma'am. What I'd like to do now, if I may, is take down your address and phone number.

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I'd like to talk to my commander and we'll follow up your lead.

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Thank you very much, officer. You know, I'm so sure about this that I think I'm going to follow this up myself.

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We had a Smith left the station. I shook her hand. Thanked her very much for her concern.

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Not only as a citizen, but as a possible witness. I thanked her for her coming in on her own, on her own time.

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I felt at least I had done my part to be a writer wrong. If I was wrong, that would be wonderful.

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But if I was right, it would be a very sad time.

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Still disturbed by her vision, Etta went home and told her children and her niece Deborah about the day's extraordinary events.

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So now I don't know what to do. I just hope the police will do something.

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I have such a strong feeling about this. I think I'm going to have to go up there and take a look myself.

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Well, you can't go alone.

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Well, I think I should.

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Oh, please, please, mommy. Let us come with you.

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I was eight years old and my mom came home from work and she said she had a premonition and she explained it to be like a daydream.

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And we didn't understand it really at the time, but we got very excited about it.

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Please, please, mommy. Let us come.

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We were so anxious. We really wanted to go and we just weren't going to let her go without us.

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Etta's decision to go to the canyon marked a deepening of her involvement in the case.

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She was now being drawn into the investigation in a way she could no longer foresee or control.

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I said, OK, this is what I need you to do. We're going to drive up in the canyon, try to look and see if you notice anything white through shrubbery.

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We drove very slowly. I'm looking to the left. I'm looking to the right. They're looking.

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And I said to Deborah, you know, I don't see anything right here, but I know she's in this canyon. I feel it.

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I pulled the van over.

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Deborah and I got out. I could see tire marks and for some reason I felt compelled to touch them.

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Oh, no. I know this was her truck.

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As soon as I laid my fingers inside the indentions in the dirt from the tire marks, it was like then I really felt scared.

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I really felt a trembling inside of me. Come on, kids, we've got to get out of here.

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Come on. Come on, now.

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As Etta drove back down the canyon, she began to regret ever having involved her children in the search.

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I'm thinking this thing is really out of hand now. Now I'm starting to feel guilty because I have them with me doing something that they have no business doing.

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I felt this emotion inside my body like impending fear.

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Mom, look. There's something white in the brush, just like you said.

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Tina, come on.

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We headed back down the canyon and about halfway down the canyon, I thought I saw something and I told my mother and she didn't want to believe me.

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I just think we really better go home.

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No, there was something back there. We can just back up, can't we?

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Come on, Mom. We have to go back.

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I'm not so sure about this.

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But, hey.

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At this point, we were very, very excited and not with joy, but with fear in a sense.

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Andy, stay in the car.

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Mom?

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Oh my God.

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It was like everything in me exploded. It was like thunder and lightning and fear and rage because the subject had on white nurses shoes.

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It's her.

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Okay, right. I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll go to the next call box, we'll phone the police and then just tell them what happened.

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Hey, Mom, look.

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All of the trauma and all of the fear and everything that had been feeling building up all just went crazy.

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Oh my God. There's this woman and I think she's dead.

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You know, now and here, I think she's dead.

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I know, I calm down.

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I don't remember exactly what I said, but I got enough out to let him know that we had indeed found a body.

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She's over here.

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16 W41B advised. I'm at Lopez Canyon. I'm an apparent homicide.

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Victim appears to be a female. Requesting divisional detectives in the corner. Over.

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Out there.

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I need you to make a statement, ma'am.

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Okay.

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Why don't we step over the car and wait for the detectives arrive and then we'll take you down the station.

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Okay.

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The officer came back in just a few minutes and I said, uh, is it her?

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And he said, well, of course I can't be for sure, but from what I see in our probability, I would say it probably is.

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I said, oh my God.

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Having made her statement to the police, Etta went home.

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All of us were pretty shaken up, but we felt a little better once we got home.

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Shut the door.

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We began to feel a little bit of security.

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Yes.

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Etta Smith.

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Uh-huh.

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LAPD, ma'am. We'd like you to come down to the station with us. It's about the rebate case.

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But I only just finished making a statement to one of your men.

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I've already talked to Detective Ryan.

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Well, that's what we want to talk to you about, so if you'd come with us.

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Are you sure you really need me to go through all this again?

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Put it this way, ma'am. We want you to come along with us now.

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Just a moment.

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Mary.

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Look, kids, I've got to go out now.

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They explained to me that what they would like for me to do is answer a few questions so that they could fill out their report regarding this body.

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To me, that seemed like a logical request. They assured me they would bring me back.

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I said, okay, no problem.

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How did you know the body was there?

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Well, I saw the place. I had a vision.

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You had a vision?

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Yes.

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And she was wearing white shoes in this vision of yours?

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Yes. Uh, white.

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So you went up to Lopez Canyon to look for the body yourself?

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Yes.

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And there it was?

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Yes.

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That's quite a series of coincidences, don't you think?

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What are you trying to say?

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Oh, come on, Anna. There's always one person who knows where the body is.

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Well, I was only trying to help. Ask Detective Ryan. He knows I'm telling the truth.

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You expect us to believe that you had a vision and you go up to this canyon and you find this body?

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By yourself?

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Yes.

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Come on, Anna.

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I know it sounds crazy.

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We went through it again.

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And again.

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And then again.

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Finally, about 10 o'clock, I start to realize something isn't right here.

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Look, I know it sounds crazy.

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Come on, Anna.

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I had this experience and I felt compelled to go up there.

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You felt compelled, but you took your children with you?

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Yes.

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That doesn't make sense, Anna.

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I was not thinking straight.

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Anna, I don't think this is washing. I don't believe you.

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Detective Ryan was now working on another case. He was told that Etta had been taken into custody.

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I was infuriated. I wanted to know why. I asked why. And I was told that the detectives now that are handling the case...

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...believe that she's more involved than what she told you.

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Have you ever known Melanie Reve?

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No, of course not.

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Look, Etta. We're going to be straight with you.

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We haven't got any other leads in this case.

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And along comes a woman who says she knows where the body is.

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But I came to see you.

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You could be setting yourself up with an alibi.

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What more can I do or say to convince you guys?

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Look, I got to get to my kids.

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But give me a lie detector test.

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I said, if you're having a problem believing me...

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You'll know I'm telling the truth.

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Then let me volunteer for a lie detector or a polygraph.

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Once I do that, you'll know I'm telling the truth. You'll be happy. I'll be happy.

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I said, okay.

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I'm not at all happy about this. I'm just not sure about it. It's late. She's not in a fit state to take the test.

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I think we should just leave it till the morning.

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Please, let's just get this thing over with. I can get out of here.

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Let's do it.

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Have your heart, please.

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By offering to take a polygraph test, Etta thought at last she'd found the perfect way to convince the detectives she was telling the truth.

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Are you taking this polygraph of your own free will?

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Yes.

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Is your name Etta Louise Smith?

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Yes.

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Are you 32 years of age?

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Yes.

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Do you work at the Lockheed Aircraft Plant, Burbank?

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Yes.

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Do you know or have you ever known Melanie Uribe?

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No.

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He did it once? Then he asked me if we could do it again.

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Sure. So he went through it again.

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Are you 32 years of age?

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Yes.

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All in all, we were probably there hour and a half, two hours.

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Is that it?

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All finished. Thank you for your time.

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Maybe a few minutes before I can let you have the results.

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It was now three in the morning. Etta had been in custody for nine hours.

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Okay, Etta. We have the results.

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According to this polygraph, you were lying to us about your so-called visions.

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And you were also lying to us when you said you didn't know Melanie Uribe.

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Oh, my God. No, I don't believe it.

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This is what I'm saying. Inside. Oh, no. There's a mistake.

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Outside, it's like, what? But my mind is spinning.

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How can you fail a polygraph when you're telling the truth?

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Is there anything else you want to tell us about this case now?

234
00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:08,280
It looks like you were heading straight for a charge of murder.

235
00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:09,280
What?

236
00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,280
You're under arrest, Etta.

237
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:14,280
My mind is spinning.

238
00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:19,280
I said, I've been honest, I've been cooperative, and you're going to book me for murder?

239
00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:23,280
I said, you know what? Fine.

240
00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:34,280
When the wheels of justice turn, you're going to find out you've made a very serious mistake.

241
00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,280
I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to say no.

242
00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:39,280
But I knew that's what they were trying to do to me.

243
00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,280
And something inside said no.

244
00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,280
I won't let them do that to me. Fine. Take me to jail.

245
00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:47,280
But I was scared.

246
00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:56,280
I'm stripped, searched. I have to take off all my clothes.

247
00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:59,280
They hose me down with something.

248
00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:05,280
I mean, I'm totally violated by the system that I thought was there to protect me.

249
00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:12,280
I'm very upset. I had promised her she would not be taken to custody because she was a friendly witness.

250
00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:17,280
She wasn't seeking any form of monetary or personal gain.

251
00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:27,280
And that I felt that it had broken all the moral rules and standards that the Los Angeles Police Department and its detectives were expected to uphold to the community and the citizens.

252
00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:31,280
And I'll need an attorney to be. And could you call Ann about the kids?

253
00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,280
Yeah, they better have a note for school.

254
00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:35,280
And there's some burgers in the freezer if you could put them down.

255
00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:39,280
With Ethel under arrest, the hunt for the real killers had come to a standstill.

256
00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,280
Did your ring work for me tomorrow?

257
00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:45,280
The pursuit of her premonition had plunged her into a nightmare.

258
00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:46,280
That's tea and Andy.

259
00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:51,280
We didn't understand why she was not coming home.

260
00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:52,280
Tell my love.

261
00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:53,280
We were devastated.

262
00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:55,280
Okay. Bye-bye.

263
00:18:55,280 --> 00:19:02,280
She's our mother. She didn't do anything. She's not supposed to be there. She's supposed to be here with us.

264
00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:08,280
I'm just, I'm dumbfounded. But I won't cry. I won't give in.

265
00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:16,280
And I tried to figure out how in the world I end up there trying to help somebody.

266
00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:27,280
You're fritchable.

267
00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:28,280
What?

268
00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:31,280
Really?

269
00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:33,280
Etta was suddenly free.

270
00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:39,280
At a party, three men had been overheard boasting of having killed Melanie Uribe.

271
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,280
The police had no further interest in Etta Smith.

272
00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:51,280
For some reason, something way deep down inside of me came up in a voice.

273
00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:54,280
And it says, I don't have to be strong anymore.

274
00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:57,280
That's all I could say. It was the weirdest thing.

275
00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,280
And I was crying. I don't have to be strong anymore.

276
00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:03,280
I could not make it 10 feet. I collapsed.

277
00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:12,280
After being held as a murder suspect for nearly four days, Etta was reunited with her family.

278
00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:16,280
Andy, tea!

279
00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:17,280
Mom!

280
00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:19,280
How are you?

281
00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:20,280
How are you?

282
00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:21,280
Are you okay?

283
00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:22,280
Are you okay, Mom?

284
00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:23,280
Are you okay, Mom?

285
00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:24,280
I missed you.

286
00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:25,280
Yes.

287
00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:26,280
I missed you so much.

288
00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:27,280
You did.

289
00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:29,280
When she finally did come home, we were relieved.

290
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:30,280
We were happy.

291
00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:34,280
We were just filled with joy.

292
00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,280
And it was just the best thing ever to have our mom back.

293
00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:42,280
But Etta's relief was short-lived.

294
00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,280
The trauma of her imprisonment had left its scars.

295
00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:48,280
I couldn't get back to normal.

296
00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:50,280
Nothing was the same.

297
00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:52,280
Nothing was the same.

298
00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,280
I wasn't the same person.

299
00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:56,280
Home didn't feel the same.

300
00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,280
I couldn't seem to adjust.

301
00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,280
Etta was haunted by her experience.

302
00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:09,280
In a battle to clear her name and exercise her ordeal,

303
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:13,280
she decided to sue the Los Angeles Police Department for wrongful arrest.

304
00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:17,280
Detective Ryan gave evidence on her behalf.

305
00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,280
I felt it was a terrible injustice.

306
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,280
She'd put her job on the line.

307
00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:26,280
She'd put her standing on the line in the community.

308
00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:32,280
And it was just a real embarrassing situation from the Los Angeles Police Department.

309
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,280
After seven days of testimony, the judge ruled in Etta's favor,

310
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,280
and she was awarded $26,000 in damages.

311
00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,280
Her story had been vindicated.

312
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:46,280
This case was very unusual and astonishing.

313
00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:50,280
I didn't hold very much credibility for persons who claim

314
00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:54,280
they can see into the future and predict the unknown.

315
00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,280
And I wouldn't say that I'd bet there would be one in a thousand

316
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,280
that I thought could do it, much less maybe one in a million.

317
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,280
I was a disbeliever until I talked with Edda Smith.

318
00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:11,280
Etta's case is unprecedented.

319
00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:16,280
She sued the police because they doubted her psychic abilities, and she won.

320
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,280
And the trial cleared up one mystery for Etta.

321
00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,280
She didn't fail the lie detector test the night she was arrested.

322
00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:24,280
The results had been inconclusive,

323
00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,280
but the detectives couldn't believe she was telling the truth.

324
00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,280
So they decided to tell her she'd failed.

325
00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,280
Good night.