Persona

["House Of Refuge" by Maynz plays]

Again, you are looking at footage

from what was a pretty heated scene

outside of the West Covina Police Department

this afternoon,

where friends and family of eight missing women of color

gathered to protest what they say

is the inaction and the

of the detectives at the Department

and Department as a whole.

-Take a look. -

We've been asking for help.

We've been calling and showing up.

We've been asking.

If they were white girls,

you know they'd be looking if they were white.

That last plea, if you will,

was from Melissa Irby,

mother of missing college student Samantha Irby,

thought to possibly be a victim

or one of eight missing women

whose last known whereabouts,

I-- I guess that would be the ,

the last known whereabouts

was the West Covina Motel parking lot.

Now, long-term residents of that motel

and those who live in nearby say

they have been reporting strange goings on,

like screams, and other odd sounds in the night,

but they have been ignored by police.

In fact, two neighbors

that wish to remain anonymous for fear of retribution

say that they were threatened

with nuisance tickets from police

if they continue to call about .

So they stopped.

The friends and family that gathered today

accused the Department of ignoring the victims

because six of the eight were confirmed sex workers

and all were women of color.

The Department denies those allegations

but is providing little other information

on the potential of finding any of these women alive.

And neighbors are terrified

because police are also not denying

that there may be a danger to the community at large.

Now, all of this came to a head yesterday afternoon

when Samantha Irby was taken,

and that is the word used by lead detective Michael Ho

at today's news conference.

I quote, "Video evidence has surfaced

indicating that Samantha Irby was taken,

not of her own free will,

from a motel parking lot in West Covina."

Again, this was one of many shocking revelations

from today's sort of impromptu news conference

on the steps of the West Covina police station.

Police say up to eight women are presumed

to have been taken.

Investigators did not comment

on what kind of video evidence they had obtained,

or how or from what source,

or whether that evidence would be made public.

There was also no response

when asked if they expected to find

any of those missing women alive.

They answered very few questions,

in fact, leaving many...

Oh.

No!

- -

- -Uh...

9-1-1, what's your emergency?

Hello, hello, I'm-- I'm-- I'm-- I'm stuck in a house that--

You all right? Yeah? Come here.

What the hell?

Must be for pigs or something.

Something? Look.

That was a close one.

You telling me.

Let's get the hell out of here.

Get the fuck out of here.

- - Ow! Ow!

Hello?

Hey.

Hey.

Uh, h-- hello?

Okay.

- Hello? -Hello?

O-- okay. It's-- it's okay.

-It's okay, it's okay. -

Okay.

I'm not gonna hurt you.

Okay. I'm not gonna-- I'm not gonna hurt you.

Okay, okay.

-What happened? -I don't know.

- -Okay.

Okay, .

Okay. I'm gonna be right back.

Mommy.

Mommy.

I'm com-- I'm coming! I'm coming!

- - Okay.

Just-- just relax, okay?

Just breathe through your-- your nose.

- -Oh, I'm sorry.

-Ow, ow, ow. -I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

-Ow, ow. -

Oh, my God. I'm so sorry.

Just breathe .

-Okay. -

Oh, my...

- -Oh, my God.

What happened? Who did this to you?

I don't know.

I don't know. I don't remember.

I just remember walking to my car.

That's the last thing I remember.