Episode 787: The Matamoros Devil Murders (Part 1)

Hey, weirdos. I'm Ash. I'm Elena. She's. back. I'm back. And this [clears throat]. is Morbid. This is Morbid. >> [music]. >> Oh, I'm. >> Are you alive? I'm alive. I'm alive. We. made it through. [music]. We just had one of those things that, you know, the stomach bug. It just rolls. right through. And then it paused and.

came back, [music] which is really. [ __ ] It paused before it hit the last. of us and then it hit the last of us. Then we cleared it on out. >> That's [ __ ]. >> goodbye. Glad you cleared it out though. I appreciate that. >> We made it through, but man, everybody. wash your hands. >> Wash your hands. Make sure your kids are. washing their hands as much as possible. I know sometimes that doesn't do it, but. trust me cuz we're a hand-washing house. At least it's getting hot out again. Like does I feel like when it's hot. viruses they don't do as well. Don't. thrive. Well, not some of them do, but I.

don't know if this one does. >> like tummy bugs don't necessarily. >> one thrives in like cold weather I think. the best. >> Yeah, which of course it's literally. about to get cold again. Of course. Like. hotter than. Satan's butt hole outside. >> It's true. I got to announce this solo and it. didn't quite feel so right. So we just. want to remind you one more time that we. have a game. We have a [ __ ] game with. Hunt A Killer. >> This feels so much better that you're. here and we can talk about it together. >> I'm really excited. It's nuts cuz I was.

saying when I announced it, that was our. first sponsor that we ever had on the. pod. >> They were the first ones that reached. out. >> Hunt A Killer. I was always a big Hunt A. Killer girly and I'm being so for real. I need I should find the boxes somewhere. like the early boxes and it was when. they came in those like black plain. boxes. >> Yep. In the early days me and John used. to love them especially like before we. had kids. >> Oh, yeah. We loved that kind of thing. >> That's really cute. You played games. together? >> Yeah, we loved games. >> Me and Drew are really good. >> games. The only games that me and Drew.

play are like Mario Kart. Yeah, we love. Mario Kart, too. >> Mario Kart. We're we're an equal. opportunity game family. >> board game house, but I would like to. become a board game house. >> are really fun with kids. >> just playing a board game with your kid. Yeah. Yeah, I got that like reading. board game. >> Yeah, it was helping me. I was learning. how to read. There you go. Good. I'm. glad. >> [laughter]. >> But yeah, um we're [ __ ] stoked about. the Salem Slicer. Salem Slicer. It's. very 80s themed. It's very New England. >> It's Salem, obviously.

>> It's very like a fake true crimey. Mhm. Uh you're going to There's a special. exclusive podcast episode in the game. from us. >> cool is that? Uh which is really fun and. it was really fun to do. They've been great to work with. We had. a blast. We were part of the whole thing. from beginning to end. I know it's crazy. that it's actually like hitting stores. now. Cuz it's been It's been a while. >> It's been a while. And it's just like if. you ever wanted to be a detective, now. you get to do so. >> It is, honestly. Hunt A Killer is so fun.

that way. It had There's like real. evidence in there. There's. things you can touch, things you have to. unlock, things like it you really have. to get into it. It's fun as hell, I'm. telling you. >> through all the evidence. So, right now. it's available for pre-order at Walmart. So, definitely go pre-order it, please. Do it. And do we have any other biz. nasty, Big Red? >> Um biz nasty, I would say uh. hey, if you're looking for a signed copy of. The Butcher Legacy, speaking of.

pre-orders, speaking of pre-orders, >> Hey. uh go to Premier Collectibles. I. have the the link is on my Instagram. Um go click it. Premier Collectibles. I'm sure if you type in The Butcher. Legacy on there, it'll come up. Um I'm. signing things for them, signing copies, and I will continue until you guys say, "Hey, you dumb [ __ ] we don't want any. more signed copies." I doubt people will. say that. I I doubt [laughter].

I doubt the true blues will say that. I. doubt the good people will say that. >> I have been reading your book all. afternoon and like all I I read like a. little bit last week. I was reading it. at a pedicure and I was like I'm. probably scaring everybody around me. >> like. >> [laughter]. >> There's just blood dripping off the off. the cover and people are like, "What are. you reading?". >> What's going on there? Is that okay? It's not okay. But I love it. >> Yay! >> I Alaina always has me read like when. she's writing. So with the first two I. read a lot of chapters before the final.

product, but I obviously then still read. the books and that was fun and I still. loved them. But with this one you didn't. have me read as much as you were. writing, so it's like a completely. different reading experience. >> I love that. That's so fun. Cuz I forget the twist. Yeah, that's it. I know you were like, "I know there's a. twist, but I don't know." I'm like, "Ha. ha ha." I know. I was like. [clears throat] I'm not going to tell. you. >> I know. I was I'm very excited about it. I'm getting very close to the end. I'm. like more than halfway through. I'm very. excited. It's I If you guys I'm telling. you. get into it, man. Get into it, yeah.

>> Get into it. >> Please. It's fun. I swear. I [laughter]. swear. And I'll love you forever. That's. nice. >> So make sure you go pre-order The. Butcher's Legacy. And if you search for. some reason you're like, "Fuck that, I. don't want a signed copy, but I would. like a copy of the book.". I get it. For sure. Why not? >> Okay. >> If If you want to do that, go to. butcherslegacy.com and buy it anywhere. you want to, really. >> anywhere the [ __ ] you want. You can You. can pre-order it anywhere you want. >> The world is really your oyster. >> It is and I'll and I'll keep making sure.

it's your oyster. >> You can't We should be specific. You. can't buy it at like an IHOP. No. Or. like a Denny's. >> that's an idea. Okay. Yeah, [laughter]. there you go. See if you can talk to. your literary agent about that one. >> to try to get it in anywhere. So. International House of Pancakes, here. she comes. >> Here I come. >> [laughter]. >> We are slap-happy because this is later. >> And I feel like we never record this. late. >> No, we don't. >> But life happened. Life sure happens. >> Life has continued to happen. >> Yeah, it keeps on happening. >> I like that life keeps happening.

>> Yeah, that's great. We love that. >> it gets a little crazy. But sometimes. it's just hard to fit everything in the. day. All right, everybody. So, look at. your stopwatch. The episode's about to. start. Okay. All right, you can say that it's about. to start now. >> Okay, there you go. There's your minute. mark. Thanks so much, whoever you are. >> [laughter]. >> So, we are going to be talking today. This is going to be a two-part uh. >> A two-part uh. >> Two-part uh It is true crime. It's true. crime. >> It's true crime. Yes. >> So, this this is a very tragic case. Very interesting, though, I will say. >> know this case. I didn't know this case. before Dave found this and was telling.

me all about it, and I said, "Please do. that one." And we started looking into. it, and I said, "Whoa, a lot is going on. here." So, we're going to go over a lot. in part one. We're going to be talking. about Mark Kilroy and who he was and how. he found himself to be missing, and. we'll get into right when they're. getting hot on the case, but not quite. there yet. And then we'll pick up again. in part two. Oh, I love that. So, let's. talk about Mark Kilroy first. He was. born on March 5th, 1968 in Chicago,

Illinois. >> Chicago. He was the oldest of two. children born to Jim and Helen. And not long after he was born, his. parents decided they wanted to leave the. city for a slower pace of life, and they. ended up moving to Texas, Santa Fe to be. specific. For his entire life, Mark Kilroy was the. kind of kid that parents can only dream. of. Aw. He went to church regularly with. his parents. He was an active member of. the community, especially the church. community. His father said, "When he was. around, he always lifted people up. He.

went in the right direction all the. time. He was a real good guy to be. around.". >> Aw. He also was always a good student. He avoided drinking. He didn't do drugs. When he was in high school, he joined. the uh, Santa Fe High School baseball. and the basketball team. And he was. involved in student government, he was. involved in Boy Scouts, but he always. made sure to spend enough time on his. studies at the same time. So, he's like. involved in all these different. extracurriculars, but also managing to. be a good student at the same time. >> easy. No, it's not. Now, when he.

graduated from high school in 1986, he. was accepted at Southwest Texas State. University, and he had a brief stint. there before he ended up transferring to. Tarleton State University, and that was. on a basketball scholarship. Okay. Sports had always played a really big. part in his life, but after a few years, it became clear to him that this wasn't. going to be his whole life. Like, he. wasn't going to be in the NBA. Yeah. So, he transferred to a third school, this. time the University of Texas, and he. ended up deciding to study medicine. there. Oh, wow. That's a big deal. It.

is. Now, even though their lives had led. them separate directions, Mark and his. core group of friends from high school. still managed to stay in touch through. their college years. And whenever they. were home on school break or anything. like that, they always got together. Mhm. Now, in, uh, late winter of 1989, Mark and his friends Bradley Moore, Bill. Huddleston, and Brent Morton started. planning details for their spring break. vacation. Okay. They were stoked about. this. Yeah, of course. >> As soon as the semester ended, they were. going to be back in or they were going.

to meet back in Santa Fe and take off. together for a few days on South Padre. Island, which is a resort town not too. far from the Mexican border. For Mark, that year was more exciting. than the usual spring break trip because. it also coincided with his 21st. birthday. >> Oh, what a what a lucky thing. And. remember, he didn't really drink or do. drugs or anything like that. So, he's 21. now. He can drink for it to be legal. >> can have a little drinky-poo if he wants. to. And what better time to have a drink. than spring break? >> Of course. They had all attended spring.

break break festivities in South Padre. before, but this was the first time that. also that Mark and his four high school. best friends were going to be visiting. together. So, that was also like an. exciting thing. As soon as Bradley finished up his exams. around noon on March 10th, he jumped he. he jumped in his car and jumped in his. Itzu. And he drove to Austin to pick up Mark. And they headed to Santa Fe to meet up. with Bill and Brent. Okay. It's also. very funny to me that there's Bradley, Bill. >> Bill, Brent, and Mark. >> Yeah, it's so so. >> [laughter].

>> Now, along the way they caught up on the. things that they'd missed in each. other's lives, about their plans for the. future. Just boy talk, just vibing. Just. hanging. Just hanging. Uh Bradley said, "We talked about how it would probably. be our last summer at home together.". Aw. Which is like that's really sad. It's sad, but it's also like okay, so. like let's make the most of this trip. Like Yeah. There's a there's like a. tension there almost where you know this. is like kind of the end of a chapter. >> Well, it does it feels like one of those. like you know those shows or movies you. see where it's like the group of friends.

and it's their last summer at home. before they all head off in different. directions. >> Yeah. And you want it to end well. Like. this is supposed to be like, you know, a. summer where you get like you have fun. and you you let loose. >> Yeah, it's like supposed to end with. this like happy ending. >> It's supposed to end all together. And I. now that you're beginning to talk, I do. know this. >> Okay. Um I do know this. I think we. talked about it on Crime Countdown. You know what? That actually makes sense. cuz the name. >> I think you're right. The name sounded. really familiar to me.

>> Yeah. And all of a sudden I was like, "Wait a minute." We talked about so much. on Crime Countdown and there was like. such little bursts of information, like. snippets exactly. So, every now and. again I'm like, "Did we talk about Bob?". >> Yeah, I'm like, "Did we do a whole. episode on that?" And then I'm like, "No, we didn't.". >> I know, exactly. >> Yeah. So, it was late by the time they reached. Santa Fe, but the four boys decided they. didn't want to waste any time. So, they. started making their way to South Padre. around midnight. In total it took about. 9 hours for them to get there, including. two stops along the way. But, there.

There no time to rest. As soon as they. checked into the hotel, they showered, they ate, and they hit the beach. Yeah. This is their last trip. They got to. make the most of it. Now, with roughly a quarter of a million. students expected at South Padre that. spring break, the entire area had been. transformed in anticipation of all these. kids' arrivals. According to journalist. Gary Cartwright, the weekend attractions. and offerings included beer companies. sponsoring an unprecedented variety of. entertainment, including free movies, free concerts, free calls home, Which.

like please just think about that. Yeah, which is wild. and surf simulator rides. Religious organizations from as far away. as Madison, Wisconsin, were handing out. pamphlets and free suntan lotion urging. students to pray rather than to party. A. beer company offered the free use of a. swimming pool to students who didn't. mind being filmed for part of a. commercial, and the boys took advantage. of it. >> Yeah. So, it's just like all kinds of. things going on. >> Yeah, again, it's just like let loose. It reminds me of like [clears throat]. like just that little like snippet.

reminds me of. Saved by the Bell when they go on that. like beach vacation. >> yes. >> Right? >> Yeah. I I for some reason that that. episode sticks out of my head. It might. have been a series of episodes. >> It's like Saved by the Bell, and then it. made me think of Gilmore Girls when they. go on spring break. I don't even. remember that when they go on you It's. like You can count on a girl. You can. count on Elena to pinpoint a specific. Gilmore Girls reference. >> absolutely. >> Wild. >> Yeah. So, Mark and Brad took advantage of the. free phone calls home, and they let. their parents know that they all had got.

there safely, and they were just hanging. out on the beach. Later that night, they. met up with a group of girls who. traveled from Purdue University, and. they just spent the night drinking and. hanging out in their joining hotel rooms. until dawn, getting to know each other, just having a good time. Yeah. Within a. couple days of their arrival, the four guys had kind of settled into a. routine of waking up early, hitting the. beach, going back to their hotel rooms. for a little nap before ending or before. starting the evening's round of. drinking, like typical vacation. Yeah. Occasionally the routine was interrupted.

by an event like the daily Miss Tan Line. contest. Miss Tan Line. >> I love it. But for the most part, it was. just a lot of sun, a lot of drinking, a. lot of fun. So this was pretty much what. they expected, but none of them had. expected it to get old quite so fast. And by Sunday, March 12th, they decided. they wanted to change it up a little. bit. Like they were like, "Okay, why. don't we go like sightsee? Why don't we. go to Matamoros, Mexico, just over the. border? We're so close to Mexico, it. would be so fun to travel.". >> Yeah. So that night, Mark and his. friends stopped at the Sonic Drive-In in.

Port Isabel for dinner. There they met a. group of girls from the University of. Kansas who were also on their way to. Matamoros. So they all decided, "Okay, let's go together." And the girls. followed behind as Brett drove to the. border. After parking their cars on the. Brownsville side of the bridge, they all. walked across the border into Matamoros, and they just spent the night kind of. bar hopping, and they specifically. landed at one bar called Sergeant. Pepper's. Okay. Once they got back to. their cars early the next morning, the. two groups said their goodbyes, and they. went their separate ways. Now they all had so much fun in.

Matamoros that night. So after a day at. the beach the next day, they all. decided, "Why don't we go back into. Mexico again? Like that was so much. fun." Yeah. So they did, and they. arrived a little after 10:00 p.m. It. turned out that Mark and his friends. were not the only one with that plan. though. By the time they arrived in the. small border town, the sidewalks were. crammed with nearly 15,000. students. >> Holy [ __ ] All of whom had come to party. and celebrate spring break. So looking for the bar with the shortest. line, they ended up at a place called. Los Sombreros, described as a spot with.

a lot of neon and music loud enough to. shatter brick. Woah. Yeah, sounds like. my worst nightmare. >> just going to say I hate everything. about that. >> I will say though, if I was 21, dream. Like let's go. >> Yeah, would have loved it. Now, couldn't. pay me. >> Couldn't, no. Music loud enough to. shatter brick is actually so scary to. me. Yeah, it actually is. >> [laughter]. >> We went to dinner together one time. I. forget where we went, but I just. remember sitting down at the table with. you and the music was really loud and I. you looked like you were going to crawl.

inside of yourself. >> was [laughter and gasps]. so I remember that vividly and I know. exactly where it was. >> Cuz I think you literally looked at me. and said, "How are we going to get. through this?". >> I said I was like, "I can't hear. anything. Like I don't know what's going. on.". >> And what if I agree to something crazy? >> Yeah, I could not. Yeah, loud music. [clears throat] is a lot, especially if. it can split brick. Yeah. So after a few. hours with music splitting brick at. Loston Bros, they traveled deeper into. the city ending up at the London Pub, which I feel like you wouldn't expect to.

see. No. It had just rebranded itself. actually as the Hard Rock Cafe, which. has no relation to the American chain. Really? >> Yeah. Wow. Uh the group apparently we. all just have good ideas. All right. >> The group stayed there until about 2:00. in the morning and then Bill decided it. was probably time to head back across. the bridge back into the US technically. So by that point the four boys had. separated when they walked in when they. walked out of the bar, Mark's friend saw. him leaning against a car outside. talking to a girl who he had met earlier. that day at the Miss Tanline contest. But [snorts] seeing him and getting to.

him were two very different things. entirely at this point because remember. I just said there's 15,000 people. littering the streets like. I'm stressed out. >> All I can picture now like just to. relate this to us and maybe anybody else. in Boston is like the um St. Patty's. parade or like pride or something like. similar. >> or when it's like um 4th of July on the. Esplanade. Yes, like millions. That's what I'm thinking of. >> Just like shoulder to shoulder. >> Yeah. So getting to him was going to be. tough. So rather than try to fight the. movement of the crowd, Brad and Brent.

figured it would be easier to just go in. the direction of the bridge that led. back to Texas and then they could all. just meet there cuz they they figured. why wouldn't we all just do that? >> Yeah, why not? By that time Mark had. caught up with Bill and so they assumed. that they would find their friends. But. as they neared the border, Mark told. Bill to go ahead of him because he had. to relieve himself, so he ducked behind. a tree to do that. A short time later, Bill met up with Brad and Brent, and the. three of them were sitting around. waiting for Mark, who they figured would. emerge at any second, but minutes passed. and he still wasn't showing up. And.

eventually, they started to get. concerned. By then, nearly all of the. bars had closed, and all of the tourists. had flowed back over the border, and. there were still no signs of Mark. So, they spent hours roaming the town. looking for him. They went back over the. border, but it was like he vanished. without a trace. Damn. >> He was just gone. And honestly, you. don't. think, and I know like. you don't think about this happening. with like a man. No. You know what I. mean? Like when it like. >> your first thought.

>> Like when it's like a group of men. together, [clears throat]. you would assume Nothing can touch them. >> Like they're invincible, essentially. You know what I mean? I know that's not. true. I'm just saying that's the initial. thought. >> way we're kind of like conditioned to. think with these kinds of stories. >> a group of young men, one of them. suddenly going missing is like, what? >> You're like, how did that happen? >> safe? Yeah. It's It's just like very. shocking. >> It is. It's. And it's chilling. Yeah, it is chilling. That's the perfect way to describe it.

So, they spent all night searching the. increasingly empty streets of Matamoros. for Mark, growing more and more. concerned with every single hour that. passed. Finally, when the sun came up. and they still hadn't found any sign of. Mark, the three decided maybe he had. just gotten a ride back to South Padre. with someone that he met at the bar, maybe that girl that they saw him. talking to earlier. They're like, hopefully we're overreacting here. Yeah. Because the alternative that their. friend had now disappeared in a foreign. country was way too frightening to. accept at the time. And like, who takes.

a grown man? Well, and you don't I mean. I I don't think you initially go to. that. Like obviously, when you're. looking for your friend for hours and. hours and you can't find them, like. panic starts to set in. But then, after. a little bit, you're like, "Okay, let's. be a little logical here. Maybe he did. just get a ride home.". >> Yeah, like your your brain doesn't want. to believe that the alternative. >> Right. Unfortunately though, when they got back. to the Sheraton later that morning back. in Texas, they discovered Mark's bed was. empty. It didn't look like it had been slept.

in, and there was nothing in the room to. indicate that he returned. Exhausted. though from their night of partying and. search and searching, they went to bed. hoping that when they woke back up, he. would be back. Remember, this is the '80s. Like, we're. not all super well-informed. in how to respond to a situation like. this. And honestly, I think what you. were just saying as men, They just. weren't thinking of it. >> They're not thinking like that. >> Yeah, cuz they're not conditioned to. think like this. And again, remember, like back then, it's not like they were. listening to true crime podcasts or. watching documentaries and Dateline and.

seeing this kind of [ __ ] happening all. the time. >> Exactly. This was not something that. anybody was thinking about, you know? But, here's the thing. When they woke up. several hours later, Mark still wasn't. back, and they decided that under the. circumstances, it didn't seem wise just. to keep waiting for him to show back up. So, that afternoon, March 15th, they all. together went to the South Padre Island. Police Department, and they filed a. missing person's report, including every. relevant detail that they could remember. from the night before. Now,

during spring break, the usually quiet. South Padre community had learned to. brace itself for an increase in. everything that comes with the increase. in the number of visitors, from hotel. bookings to also reports of criminal. activity. So, Mark wasn't necessarily the first. person to be reported missing during. spring break. He wasn't even the first. person actually reported missing that. week. >> That's wild. >> It's yeah. >> Spring break scares the [ __ ] out of me. I never was allowed to go on spring. break. >> I never was either. >> And I will not allow my children to go. on spring break, and I know I know that.

there's like all these things that you. say before you have kids that you're not. like, "I'm not going to do this, and I'm. not going to do that." That's one I. know, I will be standing 10 toes down. on. As someone with kids, no, I'm not. either. So it's just not happening. We. can take a family vacation. >> [laughter]. >> So while the police took the report. seriously, they still was they still. were confident that he would show back. up. >> Yeah, they probably thought he was like. drunk and like passed out somewhere. >> Exactly. >> Yeah. But when Mark's friends mentioned. Mexico, the detectives did become. somewhat more concerned. Author Jim.

Shoots, and we will link his book in the. show note show notes, he said, "No. matter how casually the kids themselves. took this business of crossing into. Mexico to raise hell, no one in law. enforcement in South Texas took Mexico. cases lightly.". Cuz you're in a completely different. jurisdiction. Yeah, of course. You don't. Yeah. A completely different area. Now throughout the 1980s specifically, drug trafficking and organized crime had. spiked in Mexico due mostly to a massive. economic crisis that put a lot of people. out of work and led to few options for.

legitimate employment. Criminal gangs. that were once very poorly organized and. focused mostly on petty crime had become. a lot more formal, and now there were. lots of different networks for. trafficking guns, drugs, people, you. name it. Gang violence was a problem all over the. country, but it was particularly. challenging at the American border. Oh, I'm sure. Because large amounts of drugs. and other illicit substances were. flowing into the country there. So it. wasn't that uncommon for tourists or. unlucky American workers to get.

kidnapped and ransom back to their. families. So this is what the investigators in. South Padre had been thinking when they. got the report about Mark going missing. in Matamoros. And if that was what. happened to Mark, the small police. department in South Padre did lack the. resources to deal with a case like this. >> mean, that's a big deal. Yeah. So that afternoon the case was forwarded. to Cameron County Sheriff Alex Perez in. Brownsville, Texas, which you do have to. respect how quickly these police forces. moved. >> Yeah. That doesn't always happen.

>> No. It's not often that a small police. department realizes that they don't have. the resources. >> out. >> So when they do, like you got to snap on. that. >> Yeah. Now, if Mark had been kidnapped for. ransom, the county sheriff would have. had the resources and the regional. knowledge necessary to resolve. everything, hopefully, without getting. on the wrong side of Mexican. authorities. Mhm. So Perez assigned his. uh the case to his most reliable deputy, George Gavito, who immediately recruited. the help of Deputy Lupe Limas, a formal.

Brownsville police officer, who had. recently started working with the. sheriff's department. And he had a lot. of experience working on cases that. crossed over into the border. So this. was kind of That's who you need. >> duo, right? Yeah. So Gavito and Limas. were aware of the potential implications. of Mark having gone missing, especially. over the border. He was one of 60. Americans to have been reported missing. in Mexico in just 3 months. >> Whoa. Yeah. However, they were also familiar, like. we were just saying, with the chaos and,

you know, just the drunken vibes going. around on spring break. >> So neither of them were ready to assume. the complete worst. >> Yeah, cuz this could just be debauchery. Exactly. [laughter]. >> And honestly, I'm sure they were hoping. it was. >> that's the thing. You're hoping this is. just a lesson learned. >> Exactly. >> So instead of going to worst case. scenario, they decided to proceed as. they would with any other missing. person's case, operating on the. assumption and the hope that Mark had. simply caught a ride with a girl that he. met at a bar and he would turn back up. soon enough. That's how they planned to approach the.

case, but before the day was over, that. plan changed dramatically. After Mark's friends filed a report with. the South Padre police, they returned to. the hotel and they called Mark's. parents, obviously, to let them know. that he was missing. What the the call. no parent wants to get. >> And the call, like. it's got to be so stressful to send your. kids on spring break. Like And also, here's the other thing. These aren't. kids. He's a 21-year-old, so they didn't. have a lot of say in if he went to he. didn't. >> their kid and it's like.

>> you go you sit there and you're like it. won't happen to my kid. >> Right. And then when you the worst. happens, I don't even know how you bring. you wrap your brain around it. >> just not feel like real life. >> cuz you're like no, this is literally. the worst case scenario. How is it. actually happening? >> Right. Ugh. So, they had heard the news. reports of people going missing along. the Mexican border as it was all. happening and they immediately worried. that something bad had happened to their. son once they realized he was one of. those missing people. >> So, rather than wait to hear from the. police, Jim called his brother Ken who.

was a US Customs agent which like great. contact to have. >> Uh he was based in LA and he asked for. his help. Now, Ken knew his nephew pretty well and. he knew that well Mark might have had a. few beers now and again and you know, maybe partied too hard every now and. again, he wasn't a drug user and there. wasn't anything else on that side of the. border that he would have gotten caught. up in. >> Yeah. Plus, his car was still on the. American side of the border and all of. his belongings were inside and they were. they knew that he wouldn't have just. abandoned all of that.

So, in just a few hours the missing. person's case had escalated from a local. matter to now a federal investigation. Damn. Yeah, fast. By the time which is. honestly a good thing I think. >> Good, yeah, that it got leveled this. high. Yeah, by the time Ken Kilroy and. his partner Oren Nak got in touch with. uh George Gavito, several calls had. already been made to the Cameron County. Sheriff's Department and a large team of. law enforcement officials was assembled. to search for Mark. At the same time, Mark's father Jim was. on his way to Brownsville to help in in.

the search however he could. Gavito remembered later about Mark's. father, uh he came into the Sheriff's. office and he never left the Sheriff's. office. He was there for 30 days each. single day, Saturdays and Sundays too. He begged me to help him look for his. son. Oh my god, that just destroys my. heart. >> That's a parent right there. >> That's a full-blown parent. The problem was while Gavito and the. rest of the investigators assigned to. the case obviously desperately wanted to. find Mark Kilroy, they had no evidence.

and there were no leads to work with. And even if they did have those leads. and did have that evidence, none of them. had jurisdiction to launch an. investigation in Mexico. Yeah. So that's. really really complicated there. And you're not thinking that as a. 21-year-old on spring break crossing. over the border. No. >> But now that we have that information, it is something that you have to. consider. >> do. >> If something happens to me. >> It's not that easy for people to get the. resources and the jurisdiction and the. warrants and the this and the that and.

the share information. And that's why I. think it's so important that we share. stories like this. >> Yeah, because you need to know that you. have to at least be aware of these. things. It's It's so scary. >> Cuz this this is anywhere. Anywhere. that's not where you're based and where. you're all your [ __ ] is. >> Mhm. Well, it's just like we were. talking about. >> find you. >> Yeah, just like when we were talking. about the Amy Bradley case like in. international waters. >> It just becomes more complex. The web. becomes tighter and that's hard. >> It's awful. And it sucks because people.

should be able to go on vacation, should. be able to let loose without monsters. preying upon them. >> people just stop being [ __ ] It's. never happened in all of humanity, I. don't think. >> sick if we could all just agree to stop. being [ __ ]. >> It would I would love that. Everyone. >> I would love that. >> What a peace on earth is a real I'm. like, damn. I know. That is. You just You wish somebody would get. that that wish [clears throat] and. actually have it happen. Honestly. Cuz.

it would be real nice if everyone was. just chilling. Yeah, it would be great. Imagine if everyone was just chilling. >> I can't even picture it to be honest. with [laughter] you. >> That everybody was just minding their. own business. No. Helping out their. >> Helping their brethren when they could. Yeah. I mean, that's how I try to live. my life. I Obviously, everybody can be. an [ __ ] sometimes, but like to this. degree, no. At this point in my life, I'm just trying to chill. Yeah. She just. threw up the She's saying, "I'm just. trying to chill." [laughter] I am. I'm. just trying to chill. So, but no, that's. like I said, I really do think that's. why we should be. >> Yeah, telling these stories.

So, aware of the restrictions on law. enforcement in international in an. international case, the Kilroys turned. to the nearby communities for help. In. the early days, Jim went down to the. bridge that crossed into Matamoros and. handed out missing flyers from morning. until night, just hoping that somebody. he was going to run into and hand that. flyer to would know something and give. them some kind of lead they could work. with. That truly breaks my heart. It's. awful. Family friends also joined the. search. Uh, Mark's former basketball. coach, Joe Rodriguez, spent the first.

week traveling back and forth to. Matamoros, uh, interviewing what are called. veladores, and those are the men who. provided security for local businesses. and bars, kind of like a bouncer. Jim said of the Rio Grande Valley. communities that helped search for Mark, "They were just absolutely wonderful how. they coddled us and took care of us.". Which is really sweet. Like, it's. uh, this case does not end up No. in a. in a This is not a happy ending, which I. obviously hate, but at the very least, it's nice that these communities were.

able to work together and that people. were supported in the search. >> Now, while the family and the community. continued to search on both sides of the. border for Mark, the sheriff's. department took two more atypical. methods of investigation. A few days into the search, uh, Gavito brought Brad Moore into the. sheriff's office to be hypnotized, hoping that it might jog his memory and. reveal some critical clue about the. night that Mark went missing. Now, when I first heard that, I was like, "Okay, maybe that'll work." Like, sure.

But, you know, sometimes these things. work. Hey. We don't know everything. there is to know. We really don't. >> mind, about what the [ __ ] happens. So, if something could potentially help and. especially I would as a parent I would. do [ __ ] anything. Absolutely. >> Nothing would be off the table. >> Absolutely. So, Willie Cannon of the US. Customs Service said, "It's kind of an. unusual situation because there's really. nothing to go on." Yeah. So, when Brad. was unable to come up with anything new, they moved on to Bill Huddleston. And.

while he was under hypnosis, he. described seeing Mark walking near a. quote Hispanic man with a cut on his. cheek right before he disappeared. Hmm. Which is like. pretty to have the cut on the cheek to. go on, that's a little more than just. your typical. description of somebody, you know? >> So, Bill said he didn't recall Mark. talking to the man, but when he looked. back he said he saw the strange man. motion towards Mark.

Okay. Interesting, right? >> Yeah. So, when more than a week passed. and there was still no sign of Mark, the. Kilroys were getting desperate and they. turned to another outlet for help that. was kind of a newer outlet. Just one. year earlier the TV program America's. Most Wanted made its debut, which like. Wow. >> Isn't that crazy? >> feel like that's always been a thing. even though you know it's not. >> life it always has been. And pretty much. your life, too. Like for most of our. most of your life and all of mine it. has. >> Yeah. So, and the thing was it had.

debuted a year earlier before this case. and it had already led to the capture of. many violent criminals. >> Yeah. So, the producers of America's. Most Wanted agreed to feature the story. on the program and they immediately. traveled out to Brownsville a recreation. of of the night that everything happened. and Mark went missing to air on the. show. Okay. While they were taking a. break from filming the segment, a woman. staggered up to one of the cameramen, Scott Judy. She was clutching a crumpled. missing person's poster in her hand and. she told him, "He's dead, you know. They. found him shot in the head." What the.

[ __ ] Out of completely nowhere. That's horrifying. And just like what? What? It turned out that rumors had. already started circulating among the. spring breakers in South Padre that Mark. had been found dead. Moments later one of the producers. angrily escorted the woman out of the. area and made sure she didn't come back, but it got everybody thinking. >> Yeah. Now the segment was rushed to. completion and it aired on the show a. few nights later along with a 20-second. PSA recorded both in Spanish and in.

English telling viewers how they could. help. The episode did result in more. than 150 tips called in by viewers. claiming everything from Mark was dead. to Mark was seen working in a. convenience store in California, not. true. None of the tips really led to. anything, but according to Jim Schutz it. allowed investigators to see into the. Mexican side by tracking what the. Mexicans were doing with tips from the. show. So they didn't have jurisdiction. there, but now that community is able to. kind of talk to them a little bit. >> Yeah. So there's it's giving them.

something. >> Yeah, for sure. They really hadn't made. any more progress on the case than the. American counterparts, but detectives in. Texas could see that the Mexican. investigators were taking Mark's. disappearance very seriously and they. also were running all these tips down. So that was nice. >> Yeah, so things are in motion. >> They are. But by the end of the month. investigators on both sides of the. border weren't much closer to finding. Mark Kilroy than they had on the day he. went missing and it was starting to feel. like he was never going to be found. Mhm. In order to feel like they were.

doing something productive and. proactive, Jim and Helen withdrew Mark. from school. Jim told reporters, "We're trying to. find out what things we can do cuz we. don't really know. We're holding up. well, but it's a matter of what you can. do, how much can you do and you start to. run out of things you can do to try to. find Mark.". >> Yeah. It's just awful. >> It is. Now just as everybody was. starting to lose hope that Mark would. ever be found, there was a break in the. case and it came in one of the most. unexpected and innocuous forms.

On the end this is where we really take. a hard left. So, bear with me, everybody. All right, I'm here. We're. going into a completely different area. here. So, on the afternoon of April 1st, Mexican police were conducting a. checkpoint on Highway 2. That's the main. road that connects Matamoros to Texas. Okay. The setup was a simple uh drug. checkpoint like countless others along. the border, basically attempting to stop. drugs from coming into or out of Mexico. Okay. Now, they're sitting there. on this on this stop and they spot.

police spot a red truck they recognize. coming down the highway. And they. quickly ran the plate and discovered. that it belonged to Serafin Hernandez. Garcia. Now, at the time, the Hernandez family. was well-known to the police in. Matamoros. For decades, they had been. one of the better organized gangs in the. region, responsible for a lot of drug. trafficking and smuggling. In more recent years though, the. organization had expanded to include. several members of the family living. across the border in Brownsville, Texas. So, they were kind of like working dual.

sides of the border. Okay. Now, unlike more of the hardcore gangs that. had been recently established in the. region, the Hernandez family mostly just. ran marijuana back and forth from Texas. to Mexico. So, >> Okay. they the police they'd run into the. police a lot, but they weren't like. super dangerous or anything like that. Despite that, they had been successful. for many years, due in large part to. their charismatic leader, Saul. Hernandez. But, when Saul was killed by machine gun. fire in 1986, the family business. started to fall apart. Now, Paul's bro.

uh Paul's brother, Serafin, tried to. step into his brother's role and keep. everything together, but within a month, he was arrested by US officials, which. left their entire operation in disarray. Yeah. Now, without the charisma of their former. leader, the Hernandez business wasn't. just in danger of losing money, but they. were also in danger of being taken over. by one of the other organizations in the. region, because that was happening, too. They would just walk in and be like, "Well, you're part of us now, and you're. going to be paying us everything that. you're making, and that's it." Yeah,

deal with it. Like, otherwise, we can. just shoot you. Oof. Yeah. So, in order. to fend off any potential takeovers, which would have inevitably ended in the. murder of those higher up in the family, like I just said, >> Yeah. uh what remained of the Hernandez. leadership turned to Adolfo Cos-. Constanzo, the Cuban-American leader of. the criminal organization that was. dubbed Los Narcos Satanicos, the Narco. Satanists. >> Ooh. Yeah. As one of the more feared and dangerous. gangs in the region, Adolfo Cos-.

Constanzo's group operated less like a. criminal syndicate and more like a. religious cult. Okay. Yeah. And it was. all orien- uh oriented around Constanzo, who was the known as the Godfather, and his {quote} {unquote} high. priestess, Sara Maria Aldrete. Villarreal. I really hope I'm saying. these pronunciations correctly. I looked. them up. So, yeah. Okay. >> Interesting. Okay. Now, at first, the. deal that was struck between Constanzo.

and the remaining Her- Hernandez family. members was just for simple protection, but before long, the remaining Hernandez. family members basically were absorbed. into the Narco Satanists. >> Okay. So, as soon as they received the report. about Mark Kilroy, who had disappeared. in Matamoros, it occurred to. investigators that he could have been. kidnapped by one of the local gangs. That was one of the first things on. everybody's radar. >> Absolutely. Publicly, Mexican. authorities, quote, tried to claim that. that Kilroy must have vanished in. Brownsville, because they were aware.

that news of another kidnapped tourist. was going to hurt the local economy, which was already hurting. Mhm. But, behind closed doors, more than a few. people brought up Adolfo Constanzo and. the Hernandez family. Mhm. And sadly, [clears throat] they. knew that if Mark had been kidnapped by. the Narco Satanists, there was very. little hope that they would get him back. alive, if they ever even got him back at. all. That's worst case scenario. It. really is. >> Like truly worst case scenario. >> To not even get to think that you.

wouldn't even get his body. You'll just. never get him back. >> Like that's. >> Like oh god. >> I can't. So now back to the afternoon of. April 1st. Agent Raul Morales had been stationed at. the checkpoint on Highway 2. He'd been. an agent in the area for many years and. he was familiar with the various members. of all the gangs, especially the. Hernandez family. So when he saw the compact red pickup. coming down the highway, he knew right. away that he would find little Serafin. behind the wheel. And that was confirmed when they managed. to check the plate. And since little. Serafin had blown through the checkpoint.

without stopping, they also knew that. they had ample reason to stop him and. even arrest him if they needed to. But Morales and all the other officers. had been through that before. They'd. stop one of the gang members as they. came across the border. They'd try to. get information. Inevitably the gang. members would stay silent and the whole. thing was kind of just a pointless. exercise in frustration. Yeah. So. instead, he had a better idea. And. uh. the way that this all works out, I was. like. there's some kind of divine intervention. here because the fact that he was like,

"You know what? I'm not going to do that. today.". >> Yeah. It all worked out. Not in a good. way but. it worked. >> Mhm. So rather than hitting the sirens. and forcing Hernandez to pull over, he. and his partner jumped in an unmarked. Ford Bronco and they followed Serafin at. a safe distance hoping that he would. lead them somewhere or give them a lead. on whatever it was this family was up. to. >> Mhm. So they ended up following him to. the Santa Elena ranch which was by the. way Elena. That's me. Uh it was an old.

farm about 20 miles outside of. Matamoros. Morales and the other. investigators had figured Constanzo's. organization had been headquartered. somewhere just outside of the city. and later that would be confirmed by a. raid. um and information that they obtained. from US Customs officials. In the report, Customs agents estimated. that there were up to 24 people. smuggling drugs for a drugs for. Constanzo, and they were all coming and. going at the ranch, but they wrote that. no more than 12 were involved in the. kidnappings and the slayings that.

eventually took place at the ranch. >> Oh, Jesus. So, at the time, Morales and. the other investigators had no proof of. what they suspected was going on between. this gang here. Yeah. They had only. really just learned about the location. of the ranch when they followed Serafin. >> [sighs]. >> So, rather than risk losing valuable. evidence, Morales chose to hang back and. stake out the ranch, hoping that they. could gather some kind of compelling. evidence to justify a search warrant for. the property. This is great detective. work.

So, the next day, he returned to the. ranch pretending that he was a lost. traveler looking for directions back. into town. Wow. >> Which is like brave. I was just going to. say that's terrifying. >> Yeah. So, he spoke with an elderly man. who said that he was the caretaker, and. the man did seem to be tending to the. animals that day. So, he was like, maybe. you are a caretaker. >> what the [ __ ] The man said his name was. Domingo, but he said he didn't know who. owned the ranch. He just showed up every. day to do his job, and he didn't ask. questions. I mean, hey, I don't blame. him. Yeah. So, Morales could tell the man was lying.

to him. He was like, I definitely think. he knew more than he was letting on, but. he also didn't want to blow his cover, so he didn't push. Uh also, his job that afternoon was to. keep the caretaker busy while his. partner poked around the property trying. to stay out of sight. >> this is This is scary. It's like. terrifying. >> But a lot of police work happening here. >> Yeah, and really good police work. >> Yeah. So, as the other agent crept. around the property, he spotted what. looked like a brand new Chevy Suburban, which was not exactly the type one would.

expect to find on a farm in the middle. of nowhere. Probably not. And now, peering into the back of the car, he. could see a layer of uh dark dust. covering almost the entire back seat, which he immediately recognized as the. resin dust that shakes off of dried. marijuana plants. So, it's like caked on. in that car. Okay. And as he started to. turn away from the truck, though, something else caught his eye. On the floor in the back seat of the car. was a gray cement statue of what looked. to the agent like some kind of demonic. figure. Mhm. Not wanting to raise any.

alarms, he just went back to the car and. waited for his partner, Morales, who. came back a short time later. Okay. Now, back at the station, the two agents. checked in with their supervisor, Commander Juan Benitez, and gave him an. update on what they had all seen at the. ranch. Now, Benitez had been raised in. the traditional, I hope I say this. correctly, uh Walahokan community. And he was more familiar with folk. religions than the other agents were. Oh, wow. That's good that they had. somebody that actually knew [ __ ]. >> It [clears throat] really worked out.

because we're pulling on a thread here. right now. >> Yeah, for sure. So, when Benitez heard. the description of the statue in the. back of the car, he immediately. recognized it as the statue of Alaguala, who's a trickster god in Santa Maria. And this god is recognized as the. messenger to the supreme creator, Alawufi. Oh, okay. >> really hope I'm saying all that right. >> [snorts]. >> So, Benitez explained that the trickster was. a favorite among the drug traffickers to. kind of worship and like ask for. protection, especially those who wanted.

to curse their enemies. Ooh. According. to author Edward Humes, among the. legends was the belief that if the. proper offerings were made to Alaguala, he could make you bulletproof and. invisible. Woah. So, that being the. case, the promise of those powers would. have made some of the greatest criminals. in the world. >> Um yeah, I would say so. And for that, those criminals felt like there was. nothing too valuable to sacrifice. Oh. So, it was obvious that there was drug. smuggling going on at the ranch, but.

they needed something a little bit more. and they because they knew something. much worse was going on there. >> Yeah, this is not looking good right. now. So, Benitez himself had overseen. the downfall of the Hernandez family in. the last few years. So, he knew that. whatever was happening at the farm, they. weren't working alone, and they probably. weren't running the show anymore either, which meant that another cartel was. involved. And that's a big deal. Yeah. So, he ordered that the ranch be. monitored day and night. And in the. meantime, he placed a call to his. contact at the DEA to find out whether.

they knew anything about the operation. at the ranch. Now, the DEA had also been monitoring. the Hernandez family since before they. expanded beyond the border. But that. focus became more intense when the. family expanded into Brownsville, Texas. It was as Benitez had expected. Something had changed changed in the. family's fortunes since the elder. leaders had died. So, for decades, like I said, Hernan the. Hernandez family had been trafficking. small amounts of marijuana back and. forth, but their operation was not that. impressive, especially compared to the.

newer cartels. And after the death of Saul and the. failure of his brother, it was expected. that they would kind of just be on their. way out. But that was hardly what the. DEA had seen. Edward Humes wrote, "The Hernandez boys. were living in a fine home, driving a. fleet of brand new trucks, and walking. the streets like swaggering feudal. lords." Woah. Yeah. What a description. Exactly. And they said, "Obviously, that. kind of money and confidence didn't come. from selling small amounts of weed or. even cocaine at that point to tourists.".

Yeah. There was something a lot bigger. going on here. So, the agent pretty much confirmed what. Benitez already knew. The remaining Hernandez family must have. hooked up with a more powerful cartel. But he mentioned one more thing that. Benitez didn't know. According to the DEA agent, there had. been rumors circulating lately about the. Hernandez boys talking about how they. had all the protection they needed, and. that they had bought off the local cops. All of which they attributed to, quote,

"Some weird religion that made them. invincible. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So it was the comment. about the religion that started to bring. everything into focus for all of these. agents here. The statue of the trickster. god that Morales's partner had found in. the back of the Suburban, the fact that. little Serafin had just blown through. the police checkpoint without the. slightest hesitation, and the fact that. he didn't even seem to think about being. followed when he led them directly to. the ranch, like that wasn't on his. radar. >> Yeah. It all started to make sense. Now.

little Serafin had never been the. brightest member of the family, but even. he wasn't so stupid as to openly defy. the police that brazenly, unless he thought he was untouchable and. protected. >> Oh. Yeah. >> what I'm saying? >> that makes so much sense. Yeah. Damn. And that means they're making the. ultimate sacrifice in their mind. >> Yeah. >> god. Yep. So by the morning of April. 8th, 1989, Commander Benitez had. gathered enough information from his. agents and from all his other sources to.

confirm pretty much every suspicion he. had. Now fortunately for him and the. other agents, whatever religious beliefs. that the family had and their. connections had, it had made them. confident to the point of carelessness. Mhm. After getting a warrant for a. wiretap a few days earlier, agents. started listening in on the phone calls. that were coming and going out of the. ranch, during which one of the. Herrera-Hernandez boys and their. contacts didn't even bother to use code. names or obscure the subject of their. conversation at all. Wow.

>> they were. They're invincible. They're. protected. >> Yeah. So they think. That morning, little Serafin was to receive a very big. amount of marijuana at the ranch, and. that was exactly the kind of information. that Benitez needed to justify a raid on. the compound. >> So before little Serafin hung up the. call, he also said something about El. Padrino. Benitez didn't know what or to whom. Serafin was referring because it was the. first time he'd heard heard the. reference. But for the time being that.

had to wait. But that will come back. later. Okay. So later that day several. agents descended on Serafin's house in. Matamoros where they found him with. another known drug dealer, Sergio. Martinez. Upon searching the house they didn't. actually find any drugs but they found. more than enough evidence of a drug. operation. Yeah, something's a foot. >> Yeah, it was resin dust everywhere. There was guns, there's paraphernalia, there's a lot going on. So when he was questioned about the. large quantity of marijuana that they. just received Serafin was silent. But rather than continue to press him.

Benitez threw them both in the back of a. police car and drove them both out to. the ranch, the bigger ranch. Now after breaking a lock on one of the. large set sheds the agents discovered 60. lb of marijuana along with a significant. cache of weapons and the Chevy Suburban. that Morales and his partner had seen. earlier that week. Whoa. Now back in. Matamoros agents watching Serafin's. house managed to grab a few more members. of the gang as they arrived including. one of the older members, Eleo.

Hernandez. Like Serafin and Martinez none of the. men really seemed to be too concerned. about having just been arrested. They. all kind of presented with like cocky. certainty that. Cuz they're divinely protected. >> Cuz they're divinely protected. Exactly. Something's going to happen here. >> deeply frustrating for the investigators. cuz they're. >> And must have been the freaky because. it's like oh they genuinely believe. Yeah. that this is this this trickster. god is protecting them. And what.

sacrifice must they have made to him for. them to believe that they are so. protected here. >> honestly would be the thing that would. send chills down my spine. >> Like they believe that they're. invisible. Not just invincible, invisible. So they had to have felt. pretty confident with the sacrifice they. had made. >> Yeah. Their sacrifices. Yeah. Benitez. said later they weren't worried at all. They thought we couldn't hurt them. They. thought they were protected." Damn. Now, although they were pretty profoundly. irritated by the confidence, they also.

knew that they'd eventually got a. confession one way or the other. >> Yeah. So, here's the thing. We've told cases We've. told stories before. There's been cases. where officers resort to violence to get. answers. >> we've seen those. >> And that was especially common in this. area in the 1980s. >> I'm sure. There were the more common. tactics like we've talked about. beatings, threats, but there were also. more extreme tactics. And Dave found one. that I said, "Excuse me, what? Hold the. phone." Oh, lord. One of the most.

effective techniques at this time. involved adding large quantities of hot. sauce to soda water. The [ __ ] Which was. then shaken up and shot up the suspect's. nostrils. Oh my god. Hot sauce and soda water. shoved into your nostrils. All I can think of is the sensation when. you get the bubbles in your nose if. you're like drinking it and you're like, "Ooh, that hurts.". >> hot and spicy. >> Add it with hot sauce and have it shot.

directly into your nose. >> Yeah. Holy [ __ ]. >> Yeah. Edward Humes wrote, as you're thinking. about that, he described it. "First. comes a hideous sensation of drowning as. the foaming liquid floods breathing. passages followed by an indescribable. searing pain as the peppery liquid. scores sensitive nasal tissue." Oh my. god. Yeah. So, not too shocking, this. one was particularly effective. >> Oh, I yeah. That I'd tell you [ __ ]. >> I'd tell you [ __ ] I didn't do, probably.

>> I would make up stuff that you didn't. even know about. >> Yep. Oh my god, that hurts. My nose. hurts now. >> can you even? No. So, in this case, it. turned out that the hot sauce soda. technique would not be necessary. The. rumors of it alone would suffice when it. came to Domingo Bustamante, the. caretaker at the ranch. >> He was like, "You know what? I heard. that that's a thing and I'm not going to. deal with it.". >> they were like, "We could do that." And. he was like, "You know what? Let's just. chat.". >> Why don't I just tell you what's going. on? And remember, he was the one who had. already talked to one of the officers. >> "I don't know nothing about nothing. I.

just came and did my job." Precisely. Now, he had been picked up by the feds. when he got to work on the morning of. April 9th. And a short time later, he. was sitting across from Benitez in the. interrogation room. Now, from the moment. they met, Benitez could tell that he. wasn't a drug smuggler or some hardened. criminal. He was clearly just a man. trying to make enough money to support. his family and he had gotten caught up. in something much bigger than him. More importantly, he didn't believe in witchcraft or the. trickster gods. So, he didn't have any. of the confidence and the smug cockiness.

that kept the others from talking. >> He said, "I know I'm not invisible, so.". >> said, "I know you can see me right here, right now." Basically, he would be easy. to break. Just easy to get information. out of. So, it turned out that Benitez's. assessment of the caretaker was right. Within just a few minutes of the. interrogation, he was telling agents. everything he knew. He confirmed that the ranch was the. headquarters of the Hernandez smuggling. operation. And then he began. [clears throat] rattling off all the. names of the smugglers at the ranch, at. least all the ones he knew.

He told them, "People come and go all. the time at the ranch. Some are friends. of the bosses or workers, but there are. others. They're treated very badly." Oh. He began to say something about an. American who he had seen at the ranch. recently. And then he kind of trailed. off, almost seeming to realize that he. said something he shouldn't have. >> No, keep talking. So, the other agents. and Benitez were aware of the. disappearance of Mark Kilroy and several. of them had been involved in the case on. the Mexican side, but it wasn't until. that moment that they all assumed the.

case they were working on was a separate. matter entirely. >> Oh, [ __ ]. >> thought that and then they were like, Oh, this is them. This is not. So, it was when the caretaker brought up the. American that it occurred to all of the. agents that this case could be related. So, Benitez pressed further. Domingo, the caretaker, hesitated, and. then he started talking about a day a. month earlier when he saw a young man. tied up in the back of the blue Chevy. Suburban at the ranch. The men at the ranch had left him tied.

up like that in the truck overnight. Domingo said, "I felt very sorry for. him. I made him something to eat. I. brought him some eggs and water for. breakfast, and then the bosses came and. took him away.". Oh my god. This like makes my stomach. hurt. It's horrific. He estimated that. this had occurred two or three weeks. earlier, and he said the young man was. white with blonde hair, which matched. the description of Mark Kilroy, but that. was all he knew, he said. So, Benitez, thinking quickly, went back. to his desk and rummaged through the. drawers until he found the glossy black.

and white photo of Mark Kilroy that was. being used in all the missing posters. He slapped the photo down on the table. in front of Domingo, and Domingo. immediately recognized the man in the. picture. He told the detectives, "Yes, that's him, the guero." Ugh. And guero. is um is like slang in Mexico talking. about like a white blonde person. >> Oh, man. And that is where we are going to end. for part one. >> Holy [ __ ]. Yeah. So, I took you what probably felt.

like on a hard left, but then we. we kind of got back to our original. destination. >> Oh, man. Yeah, part two really sad. >> even sadder. Yeah, I feel so [ __ ]. hard for this family and this group of. friends. What they've had to go through. That all just started from a celebratory. time in their lives. >> man. Like, what? Like, Jesus, they. weren't even doing anything wrong. No, they were just. >> like they were like getting into. trouble, you know what I mean?

>> No, they were just they crossed over the. border, they had a fun night, and. >> Yeah, like they just didn't. I think they just didn't have the. information, you know? Like they were. just. lacking information. Exactly. >> Cuz at the time Exactly. I mean, again, remember this is the '80s. It's not now. No. So, we can't judge it off of now, where you where you know certain things. >> And even judging off of now, how many. millions of kids go on spring break to. Mexico still? Yeah, like it's not like. this is. you should be able to. And this is like. a this is one of those cases that it's.

like worst case scenario. It is. >> It really is. It's the cases that you. get warned about when you go on spring. break. It's awful. Yeah. So, we will be. back with part two, and we will get a. lot deeper into this, and it's jarring. So. Fun fact. Apparently, in Japan, if. you're found drunk and violent, police. will physically roll you up in a giant. plastic sheet and carry you away like a. burrito. That's iconic. >> [laughter]. >> They said, "We don't have time for this.

Give me the burrito wrap.". >> Burrito him. Like that's So, don't get. drunk and violent in Japan. Okay, I. won't. >> I mean, don't get drunk and violent. anywhere, but But definitely don't do it. in Japan. >> They'll wrap you up and take you away. >> Yeah, they'll just throw you over their. shoulder. You heard it here first. Maybe. not, but you heard it here, that's for. sure. Maybe. All right, weirdos. We love. you. We hope you keep listening. And we. hope you. >> keep it weird. >> But not so weird that you get crazy and. violent in Japan, or in Mexico, or in. the US, or anywhere.

>> Don't be crazy and violent. >> Especially anywhere you're unfamiliar. Be [music] careful, everybody. Everywhere. >> [music]. [music]. [music].

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>> Mhm.