Web of Lies

COME ON, GUYS. IT'S TIME FOR THE CAKE.

Narrator: A LOVING MOTHER...

I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, SWEETHEART.

I'm gonna come over, okay?

...DEVASTATED BY A FAMILY TRAGEDY...

IT BROKE HER HEART.

IT WAS HER BABY.

Narrator:...SEEKS COMFORT IN THE DARKEST CORNERS OF THE WEB.

SHE'S SCREAMING OUT.

Narrator: TWISTED FANTASIES PLAY OUT...

THE SLAVE HAD TO DO ANYTHING

THAT THE MASTER HAD REQUESTED.

Narrator: ...WITH DEADLY CONSEQUENCES.

MY GUT TOLD ME THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE.

I WAS IN FEAR FOR LAURA'S LIFE.

[ BREATHING HEAVILY, GAGGING ]

Narrator: 37-YEAR-OLD LAURA SIMONSON

LOVES NOTHING MORE THAN SPENDING TIME

WITH HER FIVE DAUGHTERS AND TWO SONS.

COME ON, GUYS. IT'S TIME FOR THE CAKE.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY SWEET 16.

WHEN SHE WAS REALLY HAPPY AND CONTENT,

SHE WOULD LIGHT UP THAT ROOM.

MAKE A WISH, SARAH.

Simonson: I SAW HER AS A BEST FRIEND.

SHE WAS A BIG PART OF MY LIFE. SHE WASN'T JUST MY MOM.

SHE WAS SOMEBODY I COULD GO TO FOR ANYTHING.

Narrator: HELPING LAURA OUT

IS HER MOTHER, MARY, AND SISTER, NIKI.

Carlson: BIRTHDAY PARTIES WERE ALWAYS HUGE.

I MEAN, NO MATTER WHOSE IT WAS,

SHE ALWAYS HAD A WAY OF MAKING THAT CHILD FEEL

LIKE THE CENTER OF THE WORLD.

STOP, MOM.

IT'S LOVELY, JUST WHAT I WANTED.

I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, SWEETHEART.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

Simonson: SHE JUST, LIKE, MADE LITTLE THINGS,

LIKE PUT TOGETHER SOME EARRINGS OR A NECKLACE.

IT'S A LOT MORE SPECIAL WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING

THAT SOMEBODY MADE FOR YOU,

SOMETHING THAT THEY PUT THEIR TIME AND EFFORT INTO.

NIKI, WOULD YOU GIVE ME A HAND WITH ALYSSA?

ABSOLUTELY. ANYTHING FOR MY FAVORITE NIECE.

13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, ALYSSA, GETS A LOT OF LAURA'S ATTENTION.

SHE REQUIRED A LOT OF CARE,

YOU KNOW, BEING WHEELCHAIR-BOUND,

AND LAURA HAD TO PRETTY MUCH DO EVERYTHING FOR HER.

HEY.

THAT WAS A BIT MUCH, WASN'T IT, SWEETHEART?

Narrator: ALYSSA WAS LEFT BLIND AND PERMANENTLY BRAIN-DAMAGED

AFTER A SWIMMING ACCIDENT WHEN SHE WAS A TODDLER.

Simonson: I THINK, IN A WAY,

IT COULD BE AN ESCAPE FOR MY MOM, TOO,

TO BE ABLE TO JUST

SPEND TIME WITH HER AND HELP HER

AND FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE.

WE ALL NEED A LITTLE QUIET TIME SOMETIMES.

Narrator: LAURA COULDN'T BE PROUDER OF ALL HER CHILDREN.

SHE EVEN HAS A TATTOO OF ALYSSA'S NAME

AND BIRTH DATE ON HER ANKLE.

THAT JUST SIGNIFIED HOW MUCH HER CHILDREN MEANT TO HER,

AND SHE WAS JUST SO IN LOVE WITH BEING A MOM,

AND SHE WAS JUST SO PROUD.

Narrator: LAURA SPLITS HER TIME WITH THE KIDS

WITH EX-HUSBAND, TROY.

SO SHE SPENDS A LOT OF TIME ALONE.

HEY, NIKI. I GOT YOUR MESSAGE.

WHAT'S UP?

Hey, Laura. Where are you?

I'M HOME RIGHT NOW.

WHY?

Have you heard?

It's Alyssa, Laura.

She passed away.

I'm so sorry. Laura, where are you?

I'm gonna come over, okay?

I'm going to be right there. Laura?

Carlson: ALYSSA WAS WITH A FRIEND OF OURS,

AND THEY WENT TO GO WAKE HER UP ONE MORNING,

AND... SHE HAD PASSED AWAY IN HER SLEEP.

SHE GOT ANOTHER INFECTION IN HER HEART,

AND NOBODY KNEW.

IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT JUST KIND OF HAPPENED.

YOU KNOW, IT BROKE HER HEART.

Narrator: AFTER LOSING ALYSSA, THE FAMILY RALLIES AROUND LAURA.

Simonson: I THINK SHE WAS REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOST.

YOU OKAY?

NO.

AND IT WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF PAIN

THAT SHE WAS FEELING FROM EVERYTHING ELSE.

Narrator: THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN TOUGH FOR LAURA.

SHE'D BEEN BATTLING MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS.

Carlson: SHE HAD HAD A PROBLEM WITH DEPRESSION.

SHE WOULD HAVE DRASTIC DOWNS

TO WHERE IT WAS HARD TO BE AROUND HER.

Narrator: ALYSSA'S DEATH SEEMS TO SEND HER

FURTHER INTO A DOWNWARD SPIRAL.

YOU DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO HELP HER

BECAUSE SHE HAD KIND OF WITHDRAWN

FROM THE GIRL I USED TO KNOW.

Narrator: AFTER MONTHS OF CARE, LAURA SEEMS TO IMPROVE.

Carlson: ALL THROUGH ALL OF THIS,

WE THOUGHT, "OKAY. LAURA WAS GONNA BE FINE.

YOU KNOW, SHE'S GONNA PULL OUT OF THIS."

Narrator: SHE TAKES COMFORT IN SURFING THE WEB

AND CREATES A PROFILE ONLINE.

I KNEW SHE WAS MEETING PEOPLE ONLINE,

BUT I THINK THE REASON WHY SHE WAS DOING IT WAS TO ESCAPE,

TO GET AWAY, TO FIND SOMEBODY,

TO JUST FORGET ABOUT LOSING HER KID

AND ALL THE BAD THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO HER.

Carlson: SHE HAD LOST EVERYTHING THAT SHE HAD AND HELD DEAR,

AND WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING?

YOU'RE GONNA GO TO WHEREVER YOU FIND ACCEPTANCE,

AND YOU FIND THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET.

THAT'S WHEN I GOT A LITTLE MORE SCARED.

Narrator: BUT THEN, LAURA MAKES A LIFE-CHANGING DECISION.

Carlson: OBVIOUSLY, THE NOTE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

"I'M SORRY I'M THIS WAY.

I'M NO GOOD FOR THE KIDS, EITHER.

THE BEST THING I COULD DO IS TO STAY AWAY.

I'M GONNA FIND A PLACE TO GO

SO NO ONE HAS TO DEAL WITH ME AGAIN.

I LOVE YOU ALL

AND ALWAYS WILL."

Simonson: SHE WAS DESPERATE.

SHE THOUGHT THAT IF SHE WENT AWAY FOR A WHILE,

FOUND SOMEBODY WHO COULD HELP HER

AND TAKE CARE OF HER,

THINGS WOULD GET BETTER.

Carlson: WE THOUGHT, "OKAY.

SHE'S JUST GONNA GO STAY WITH A FRIEND FOR A WHILE.

SHE JUST NEEDS SOME SPACE. LET HER GET HERSELF TOGETHER.

AND SHE'LL BE BACK READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD."

Narrator: NEARLY THREE WEEKS GO BY.

LAURA'S FAMILY IS OUT

WHEN THERE'S A VISITOR TO THEIR HOME.

Niki: "MARY, MY NAME IS JEFF MADISON.

AS YOU KNOW, LAURA HAS BEEN FRIENDS WITH ME FOR YEARS.

I HAVEN'T SEEN OR HEARD FROM HER IN TWO WEEKS.

MYSELF AND HER FRIENDS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HER.

IF YOU HAVE HEARD FROM HER WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS,

COULD YOU PLEASE CALL ME AND LET ME KNOW

SO WE CAN STOP WORRYING, JEFF."

JEFF MADISON -- DO YOU KNOW THIS GUY?

I DIDN'T KNOW A WHOLE LOT ABOUT JEFF.

ONLY THAT SHE MET HIM ONLINE.

NOT A WHOLE 100% SURE,

BUT I KNOW THAT THEY WERE JUST FRIENDS.

HAVE YOU HEARD FROM HER?

I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING.

IT'S OKAY, MOM.

IN THE BEGINNING, WE THOUGHT,

"SHE'S JUST DOING HER THING, AND SHE'LL BE BACK."

HI, SARAH?

HAVE YOU HEARD FROM YOUR MOM?

NO? OKAY.

CAN YOU PUT YOUR DAD ON THE PHONE?

AND THEN KIND OF TALKED TO THE KIDS

AND FOUND OUT THE KIDS HADN'T HEARD FROM HER EITHER.

HI, TROY.

HAVE YOU HEARD FROM LAURA SINCE SARAH'S BIRTHDAY?

NOBODY HAD HEARD FROM HER.

NO? OKAY.

THAT'S WHEN I GOT REALLY SCARED.

Narrator: NIKI MAKES THE CALL THAT EVERY FAMILY DREADS.

I'D LIKE TO FILE A "MISSING PERSONS" REPORT

ON MY SISTER.

HER NAME IS LAURA --

LAURA SIMONSON.

Carlson: I THOUGHT IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING.

"SHE'S GONNA SHOW UP TOMORROW,

AND I'M GOING TO FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, CRYING WOLF

BECAUSE MY SISTER IS GONE, AND THERE SHE IS, RIGHT THERE.

Narrator: IT'S THE WEEKEND IN SMALL-TOWN MINNESOTA,

SO IT'S MONDAY MORNING BEFORE THE POLICE RESPOND TO THE CALL.

HI. HI, I'M DETECTIVE LEE HOLLATZ.

NIKI. WE SPOKE ON THE PHONE.

- COME ON IN. - THANKS.

I APPRECIATE IT.

I'VE HAD "MISSING PERSONS" REPORTS

BEFORE COME TO MY DESK OR A RUNAWAY,

AND USUALLY IT'S THE 16-YEAR-OLD IS UPSET WITH THE DAD,

AND THEY'RE STAYING WITH THEIR BUDDY UP IN THE CITY

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

THIS ONE HAD A DIFFERENT FLAVOR.

I SAW A LOT OF RED FLAGS.

MOM HAS NEVER BEEN GONE THIS LONG BEFORE.

SHE JUST LEFT THIS NOTE, AND THAT'S IT.

"I'M SORRY I'M THIS WAY. I'M NOT GOOD FOR THE KIDS."

YOU COULD SEE IN HER NOTE THAT SHE'S --

SHE'S SCREAMING OUT.