Web of Lies

PARENTS DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHO THEIR KIDS ARE TALKING TO,

WHERE THEY GO,

OR WHO THEY'RE SPENDING TIME WITH.

IN THE SEARCH FOR A MISSING GIRL...

EVERYBODY NOW WAS A SUSPECT.

...A SMALL TOWN TEARS ITSELF APART.

I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS TERRIBLY WRONG.

IN THE HUNT FOR STOLEN INNOCENCE...

MY WORLD HAD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.

...THE WEB GUARDS ITS SECRETS.

I KNOW I WAS LIED TO.

I KNOW THAT HE KNOWS SOMETHING THAT I DON'T KNOW.

AND I'M WONDERING WHERE MY BUDDY IS, 'CAUSE HE'S ARMED.

THE SMALL TOWN OF CLAYTON, NEW JERSEY,

IS HOME TO 12-YEAR-OLD AUTUMN PASQUALE.

AUTUMN WAS A BRIGHT, HAPPY LITTLE GIRL.

SHE WAS ALWAYS SMILING.

SHE WAS FUN AND OUTGOING.

SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE COOPED UP INSIDE.

A SMILE THAT RADIATED,

A LAUGH THAT WAS CONTAGIOUS,

AND YET HER OUTER BEAUTY WAS MERELY A GLIMPSE

OF THE BEAUTY WITHIN HER.

ARE YOU HUNGRY YET? LET'S GO.

SO, ARE YOU COOKING?

I'LL HELP.

AUTUMN'S PARENTS DIVORCED WHEN SHE WAS 3 YEARS OLD,

AND NOW SHE, HER OLDER BROTHER, A.J.,

AND YOUNGER SISTER NATALIE ALL LIVE WITH THEIR DAD, ANTHONY.

IT WASN'T EASY BEING A SINGLE FATHER.

I TRIED TO RAISE 'EM AS THE BEST I COULD.

ALL MY KIDS HAD TO TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITIES

BEFORE THEIR TIME.

DINNER IN 10.

OKAY.

CALL ME WHEN IT'S READY.

BECAUSE AUTUMN DIDN'T HAVE A MOTHER FIGURE IN HER LIFE,

I DID A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT OTHER MOTHERS WOULD DO.

I WOULD BRING IN THE CUPCAKES FOR HER BIRTHDAY.

I WOULD ATTEND ALL OF HER FUNCTIONS AT SCHOOL.

I WOULD TALK TO ALL HER TEACHERS.

I HAD A BOND WITH EACH ONE OF MY KIDS,

BUT THE BOND I HAD WITH AUTUMN WAS INSEPARABLE.

SHE WAS MY BABY GIRL.

BUT ANTHONY'S BABY GIRL IS GROWING UP FAST.

IN THREE MONTHS, SHE WILL TURN 13.

SHE COULDN'T WAIT TO BE 13.

JUST, I GUESS, JUST BEING 13, A TEENAGER,

YOU KNOW, IS LIKE A... YOU KNOW, IT'S A MILESTONE.

TO MARK THE OCCASION, AUTUMN IS ON THE HUNT

FOR THE PERFECT PRESENT.

SHE WASN'T INTO THE GIRLY-GIRLY THINGS.

SHE WANTED A BMX.

AUTUMN SPENDS EVERY SPARE MOMENT SEARCHING THE WEB

FOR EXACTLY THE RIGHT MODEL,

SHE KEPT CHANGING HER MIND.

WHEN I'M GETTING READY TO THINK THAT SHE WANTS IT,

SHE CHANGED HER MIND... SHE WANTS SOMETHING ELSE.

BUT AFTER MONTHS OF DELIBERATION,

AUTUMN FINALLY SPOTS HER DREAM BMX ON eBay.

DAD! DAD!

LOOK, I FOUND THE BIKE I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.

IT'S LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

YEAH, IT LOOKS GREAT.

I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT BIKE STOOD OUT THE MOST.

I MEAN, I THINK IT WAS MORE OF A GIRL BIKE.

YOU KNOW, IT WAS WHITE.

YOU KNOW, I CAN FEEL IT IN MY HEART

THAT SHE WAS VERY HAPPY AND EXCITED.

YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET BORED OF THAT ONE

- LIKE YOU DID THE OTHERS? - DAD, NO.

LOOK, IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY.

LET'S JUST SEE HOW THE BIDDING GOES, OKAY?

YOU CAN BUY IT NOW.

WILL IT GET YOU A's IN SCHOOL?

I PROMISE TO WORK HARDER IF YOU GET ME THE BIKE.

YOU ARE KILLING ME.

IT'S MONDAY.

AUTUMN'S BEEN AWAY AT HER MOM'S FOR THE WEEKEND,

BUT WAITING FOR HER AT HOME IS A BIG SURPRISE.

MY GOSH, IT'S ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!

SHE WAS VERY EXCITED.

NO WORDS COULD DESCRIBE HOW EXCITED SHE WAS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

YOU'RE WELCOME!

I LOVE YOU!

THAT BIKE WAS HER JOY,

AND SHE LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT BIKE.

SO I WAS HAPPY TO GET IT FOR HER FOR HER BIRTHDAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

THIS IS EXACTLY IT.

THANK YOU!

YOU'RE WELCOME.

NOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

I'M GONNA TAKE A PHOTO.

WHAT, ARE YOU GONNA POST IT?

YEAH, ON FACEBOOK.

YEAH.

CAN I TAKE IT FOR A RIDE?

YES, YOU CAN.

AUTUMN WROTE HOW HAPPY SHE WAS ABOUT THAT SHE GOT THE NEW BIKE

AND THAT SHE WAS SO THANKFUL FOR HER DAD FOR GETTING IT.

SHE WAS LIKE, "THANK YOU, DADDY, SO MUCH.

I'M SO HAPPY. I LOVE IT SO MUCH."

BUT AUTUMN'S POST IS SEEN

BY MORE THAN JUST HER CLOSE FRIENDS.

WE SPOKE ABOUT WHO SHE WAS CONTACTING,

THAT SHE COULD NEVER BE SURE OF WHO SHE WAS TALKING TO.

THEY'RE JUST NOT GIVEN THE EDUCATION

AS TO THE DANGERS THAT CAN HAPPEN.

IT'S ALWAYS A WORRY WITH TECHNOLOGY.

THINGS CAN HAPPEN UNBEKNOWNST TO YOU RIGHT UNDERNEATH YOUR ROOF.

LOOK AT THAT SHINY, NEW BIKE.

AUTUMN IS UNAWARE OF THE ATTENTION

HER POST IS GENERATING.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

SHE'S JUST A GIRL IN LOVE WITH HER NEW BIKE.

AUTUMN WENT NOWHERE WITHOUT THAT BIKE.

IT WAS ALWAYS WITH HER.

SHE WAS THRILLED.

SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY BESIDE HERSELF.

THAT BIKE WAS, LIKE, THE EQUIVALENT OF A CHILD.

IT WAS HER BABY.

THOUGH AUTUMN ADORES HER NEW BMX,

SHE'S ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR WAYS TO MAKE IT EVEN BETTER.

00 A.M., AND AS THE REST OF THE HOUSEHOLD SLEEPS...

...AUTUMN IS STILL AWAKE AND SURFING THE NET.

IN THE PAST, AUTUMN WOULD OFTEN GO ONLINE

TO TRADE BIKE PARTS WITH FRIENDS.

AUTUMN DID GO ON FACEBOOK A LOT.

SHE LOVED TO BE ON, LIKE, SOCIAL MEDIA.

SHE GOT NEW FRIENDS

BECAUSE THEY WOULD TRADE BIKE PARTS.

SHE WOULD TRADE BIKE PARTS FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS MORE STYLISH.

BUT IN HER SEARCH FOR THE ULTIMATE ACCESSORY,

AUTUMN WOULD ALSO CHAT WITH COMPLETE STRANGERS.

I TRIED TO MONITOR THEM AS MUCH AS I COULD,

MAKE SURE THE KIDS AREN'T TALKING TO SOMEONE

THAT THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO.

BUT IT WAS DIFFICULT.

AUTUMN IS ABOUT TO TURN IN WHEN SHE SPOTS A POST ON A NEWS FEED.

IT'S A PHOTOGRAPH OF A BMX WITH BRIGHT BLUE HANDLEBARS.

SHE INSTANTLY FALLS IN LOVE.

AUTUMN POSTS A COMMENT.

IT'S LATE, BUT SHE GETS A RESPONSE.

KIDS GET VERY BOLD BEHIND THE KEYS,

AND THEY MIGHT SAY AND DO THINGS

THAT THEY NORMALLY WOULDN'T DO IN PERSON,

AND THEY CAN BE TALKING TO SOMEBODY

THAT REALLY IS A PREDATOR,

AND THEY'RE POSING THEMSELVES AS A 12- OR 13-YEAR-OLD BOY.

AUTUMN TELLS THE OWNER OF THE BLUE BARS

THAT THEY WOULD LOOK PERFECT ON HER NEW BMX.

HE SUGGESTS MEETING UP TO TRADE.

AUTUMN AGREES.

IT'S HOMECOMING WEEKEND...

A BIG DAY FOR SMALL TOWN CLAYTON AND THE PASQUALES.

AUTUMN'S BROTHER, A.J., IS PLAYING IN THE HOMECOMING GAME,

AND HIS DAD IS GOING ALONG TO SUPPORT HIM.

AUTUMN HAS OTHER PLANS.

ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT TO COME WITH US?

YEAH, I'M SURE.

I'M GONNA HANG OUT WITH A FRIEND.

I DID NOT KNOW WHICH FRIEND SHE WAS GOING TO.

SHE HAD SO MANY FRIENDS.

00, OKAY?

BUT, DAD, IT'S HOMECOMING.

AUTUMN.

OKAY.

AUTUMN KNEW HER CURFEW.

LOVE YOU.

LOVE YOU, TOO.

I NEVER HAD AN ISSUE OF HER BEING LATE.

SHE WAS VERY RESPONSIBLE IN THAT WAY.

THERE WAS NO WORRIES IN MY TOWN ABOUT WHO SHE WAS WITH.

CLAYTON'S A SMALL COMMUNITY.

IT'S A SAFE TOWN.

EVERYBODY KNOWS JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY.

00, ANTHONY RETURNS HOME.

I WENT TO A.J.'s GAME.

AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS WATCHING HIM PLAY.

AUTUMN, I'M HOME!

AUTUMN?!

AUTUMN?!

BUT AUTUMN ISN'T HOME.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME 00 CURFEW.

AUTUMN WOULD NOT REBEL AGAINST HER FATHER'S CURFEW.

SHE WAS VERY PROMPT.

SHE WOULD ALWAYS CALL HIM.

IT WAS JUST NOT IN HER NATURE TO REBEL AGAINST HER FATHER.

IT WAS SATURDAY. IT WAS A GREAT DAY.

SO I SAID, "ALL RIGHT, 30."

30, THERE'S STILL NO SIGN OF AUTUMN.

SO ANTHONY CALLS HER CELL.

WHEN I CALL HER, NORMALLY SHE WOULD PICK UP RIGHT AWAY.

HI! LEAVE ME A MESSAGE!

NOT HEARING FROM HER, I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG.

NOW ANTHONY IS TERRIFIED FOR HIS DAUGHTER.

AUTUMN!