Ice Cold Killers

DURING A MISSOURI WINTER THAT'S BONE-CRACKING COLD,

THE WIND AND ICE CAN'T SLOW THE FLOW OF CRIME.

EVERY PARENT'S NIGHTMARE

IS THAT KNOCK AT THE DOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

THIS NIGHTMARE BECAME A REALITY.

A COLD-BLOODED ATTACK

BY AN ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS KILLER.

YOU'RE WILLING TO TAKE ON AN ARMED, TRAINED OFFICER,

WHAT CHANCE DO THE REST OF US HAVE?

YOU COULD SEE IT ON THEIR FACES,

THESE OFFICERS HAD LOST A -- A FRIEND.

THE PRESSURE WAS ON. WE HAD TO FIND THIS GUY.

AND A STUNNING TWIST

REVEALS THE KILLER IS CLOSER TO HOME

THAN ANYONE SUSPECTED.

IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI, WINTER SHOWS NO MERCY.

WHEN IT GETS COLD, IT GETS COLD AND JUST GOES RIGHT THROUGH YOU.

SINGLE-DIGIT TEMPERATURES FOR WEEKS AT A TIME.

YOU COULD HAVE ICE AND SNOW ON THE ROADS FOR DAYS OR WEEKS.

IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS TIME OF YEAR.

DESPITE THE DANGERS, MOST RESIDENTS LOVE IT HERE,

LIKE 38-YEAR-OLD JOANN LISCOMBE.

JOANN GREW UP

IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS.

JUST YOUR TYPICAL ST. LOUIS FAMILY, LIVE IN THE CITY,

WENT TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY,

WENT TO A CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

SHE WAS VERY OUTGOING, VERY FRIENDLY,

ALWAYS HAD A SMILE

OR COULD MAKE A JOKE OUT OF ANYTHING, BASICALLY.

WE WERE TWO MONTHS APART.

I WAS BORN IN APRIL. SHE WAS BORN IN JUNE.

WE GREW UP TOGETHER, AND THE FAMILY WAS VERY, VERY CLOSE.

THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS, THE NEW YEARS HOLIDAY.

THERE WAS ALWAYS ITALIAN FOOD, HOMEMADE MEATBALLS FROM SCRATCH,

HOMEMADE SAUCE AND EVERYTHING. IT WAS GREAT.

JOANN FOLLOWS IN SEVERAL FAMILY MEMBERS' FOOTSTEPS

WHEN SHE BECOMES A POLICE OFFICER.

OUR UNCLE, SKIP, WAS A POLICE OFFICER.

HE WAS BASICALLY THE INSPIRATION BEHIND ALL OF US

LATER BECOMING POLICE OFFICERS.

MY TWO BROTHERS WERE POLICE OFFICERS.

JOANN WAS A POLICE OFFICER.

SHE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 1st PRECINCT

IN NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY, AND SHE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT.

SHE ENJOYED BEING A PATROL OFFICER,

AND SHE MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS.

JANUARY 11, 1991,

JOANN WORKS ALONE ON THE MIDNIGHT PATROL.

IT WAS A SLOW SHIFT, AND SHE STOPPED

AT A -- A CONVENIENCE STORE

TO GET A CUP OF COFFEE AND CHECK ON THE BUSINESS.

HELLO. HOW ARE YOU?

PRETTY GOOD. HOW'S YOUR NIGHT BEEN GOING?

GREAT, THANK YOU.

PLACE ALL RIGHT?

TONIGHT WILL NOT BE BUSINESS AS USUAL.

A LADY CAME IN AND APPROACHED HER AND TOLD HER

THERE WAS AN INDIVIDUAL WALKING NORTHBOUND ON HALLS FERRY ROAD,

AND HE WAS ACTING FUNNY.

IT JUST STRUCK HER AS THIS GUY BEING ODD,

THE WAY HE WAS MOVING AROUND AND STOPPING AND LOOKING

AND NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

HE SEEMED TO HAVE NO DIRECTIONS.

00 IN THE MORNING.

IT'S A TERRIBLE NIGHT, VERY COLD OUT.

FOR A PERSON TO BE OUT WALKING,

EITHER YOUR CAR BROKE DOWN AND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR HELP,

OR THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE WRONG.

JOANN SAID THAT SHE WOULD DRIVE DOWN THAT WAY

AND CHECK IN TO IT

AND SEE IF IT WAS A PERSON THAT HAD BROKEN DOWN,

NEEDED A RIDE SOMEWHERE, IF THEY WERE OKAY.

SHE ADVISED THE RADIO DISPATCHER

SHE WAS GOING TO BE OUT, BASICALLY,

THAT MEANS OUT OF SERVICE, AT THE PATRICIA RIDGE

AND OLD HALLS FERRY ON A SUSPICIOUS PERSON.

THAT WAS THE LAST WE HEARD FROM HER.

10 MINUTES GO BY,

AND SHE COULDN'T BE REACHED ON THE RADIO.

SO THE DISPATCHERS SENT AN OFFICER TO CHECK ON HER WELFARE.

BUT BEFORE BACKUP ARRIVES, A PASSERBY

DISCOVERS AN UNUSUALLY LONG FLASHLIGHT ON THE ICY ROADSIDE.

A PERSON LOOKING AT THIS WOULD KNOW THAT IT WOULD BE

A LAW-ENFORCEMENT OR POLICE FLASHLIGHT.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THE NORMAL JOHN Q. CITIZEN

IS GOING TO CARRY AROUND, JUST BECAUSE OF ITS WEIGHT,

BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE, ITS LENGTH.

AND THEN...

A BODY LAYING IN THE SNOW.

IT'S A POLICE OFFICER.

SHE'S OBVIOUSLY WOUNDED, BLEEDING.

WHEN THE BACKUP OFFICER ARRIVES,

HE RECOGNIZES HER.

- I NEED YOU TO CALM DOWN. - IT'S JOANN LISCOMBE.

STAY RIGHT THERE. ALL RIGHT, MAN.

SHE'S UNRESPONSIVE. SHE IS STILL BREATHING.

THERE'S BLOOD IN THE SNOW ALL AROUND HER.

SHE'S INCAPACITATED, CAN'T MOVE.

THERE'S AN OBVIOUS GUNSHOT WOUND

TO HER LEFT HAND AND HER HEAD AREA.

ON THE SNOW, IT'S SURROUNDED BY BLOOD.

THE OFFICER NOTICES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT.

THAT MEANT, IMMEDIATELY, THAT --

THAT YOU GOT A GUY OUT THERE WITH THE OFFICER'S WEAPON

AND A POLICE CAR.

SO HE -- HE COULD BE ANYWHERE AT THAT POINT.

A POLICE AGENCY'S WORST NIGHTMARE.

IT'S LIKE EVERYTHING JUST WENT IN SLOW MOTION,

THAT NOTHING COULD HAPPEN FAST ENOUGH.

SIMULTANEOUSLY, THEY MUST SAVE JOANN,

FIND HER VEHICLE

AND LOCK DOWN THE AREA TO STOP THE SHOOTER.

JOANN WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL, TOOK HER IN,

AND THEY DID SURGERY ON HER.

WORD QUICKLY SPREADS.

I WAS WORKING IN THE HOMICIDE DIVISION

WITH THE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT,

AND WE GOT A CALL FROM THE COUNTY,

AND THEY WANTED TO KNOW IF WE COULD SEND SOME DETECTIVES

OUT TO HELP THEM.

I COULDN'T PROCESS IT.

I WAS LIKE, "NOT JOANN LISCOMBE.

IT'S NOT JOANN."

AS EMOTIONS RUN HIGH,

OFFICERS GET TO WORK.

CRIME-SCENE UNIT WAS THERE TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS,

DOING THEIR MEASUREMENTS AND SEIZING EVIDENCE.

OUR DETECTIVES WERE WORKING HARD TRYING TO FIND SOME EVIDENCE

THAT WOULD, HELP US DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED.

WITH THE SNOW ON THE GROUND,

AND WITH THE ICE COVERING IT,

IT DID INHIBIT WHAT WOULD TYPICALLY BE

EVIDENCE COLLECTION.

TYPICAL TANGIBLE EVIDENCE

THAT WOULD BE LEFT AT A NORMAL CRIME SCENE,

SAY DURING THE SUMMER TIME,

THIS PUT A CAMOUFLAGE OVER IT.

THERE WAS BLOOD -- BLOOD ON THE ICE AND SNOW.

AND THERE WAS, OBVIOUSLY SIGNS OF A STRUGGLE

THAT OCCURRED THERE.

BUT LITTLE ELSE.

THE PROBLEM WE HAD

WAS THAT EVERYTHING WAS FROZEN, YOU KNOW,

THERE'S THAT ICE LAYER ON TOP.

AND YOU WOULD NOT BREAK THROUGH THAT ICE LAYER,

SO THERE WERE NO FOOTPRINTS LEFT IN -- IN THE ICE.

THAT'S HOW HARD IT WAS.

YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT, IF ANYTHING,

WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER THAT SNOW.

BASED ON JOANN'S INJURIES,

INVESTIGATORS TRY TO PIECE TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENED.

SHE HAD SUFFERED TWO GUNSHOT WOUNDS OF THE HEAD.

THERE WAS ANOTHER INJURY TO THE BACK OF HER HEAD

FROM BEING STRUCK BY THAT FLASHLIGHT

THAT WAS FOUND AT THE SCENE.

AND NOW POLICE MUST RACE TO CATCH AN ASSAILANT

WHO COULD APPEAR TO BE ONE OF THEM.

COULD BE IMPERSONATING AN OFFICER.

THERE'S A RADIO IN THE CAR,

AND SO ANYTHING THEY'RE SAYING, HE MAY BE HEARING.

THEY DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A GUY

WHO'S DRIVING AROUND NOW ACTING LIKE THE POLICE.

ON AN ICY NIGHT IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI,

OFFICER JOANN LISCOMBE

CLINGS TO LIFE AFTER BEING SHOT MULTIPLE TIMES.

POLICE BELIEVE THE SHOOTER FLED WITH HER WEAPON AND HER VEHICLE.

ALL AVAILABLE OFFICERS FROM SEVERAL JURISDICTIONS

SCRAMBLE TO FIND THE GUNMAN

BEFORE HE VANISHES OR ATTACKS ANYONE ELSE.

THIS PERSON THAT ASSAULTED JOANN

IS OBVIOUSLY A VIOLENT PERSON.

THAT VIOLENCE, YOU KNOW,

COULD VERY WELL EXTEND TO OTHER PEOPLE

THAT HE MAY CONFRONT, TOO.

FINALLY, THEY SPOT JOANN'S VEHICLE

ABOUT A MILE FROM THE CRIME SCENE.

THE CAR IS JUST PARKED.

IT'S NOT ABANDONED, JUST UP ON SOMEBODY'S LAWN,

AND CLEARLY SOMEBODY HAD RUN AWAY.

IT'S PARKED AT THE CURB, THE DOORS ARE CLOSED,

THE LIGHTS WERE STILL ON.

THEY SURROUNDED THE CAR

AND CAUTIOUSLY APPROACHED IT,

NOT KNOWING WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS A SUSPECT IN THERE,

WHETHER OR NOT THERE COULD BE ANOTHER VICTIM IN THERE.

WHO KNOWS WHAT WAS IN THERE.

IT WAS CLEARLY SOMEBODY HAD PULLED IT UP

AND PARKED IT RIGHT THERE, AND THEN GOT OUT OF THE CAR,

AND THEN DISAPPEARED.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW

LEAD AWAY FROM THE CAR A SHORT DISTANCE.

INVESTIGATORS HAVE A NEW FOCUS IN THEIR SEARCH FOR THE SHOOTER.

POLICE WERE THEORIZING...

CLEAR.

...THAT THIS IS A LOCAL.

NOT ONLY HAD HE BEEN WALKING IN THE STREET

WHEN THE OFFICER CONFRONTED HIM,

BUT HE DROVE THE CAR A SHORT DISTANCE

IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, ABANDONED THE CAR,