Show full transcript 0:53 first purchase. 0:54 That's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com slash date line. 0:58 Code date line at checkout. 1:00 Tonight on Date Line. 1:02 To this day, I call him the monster, because that is exactly what he is. 1:08 He took the butcher knife, took it to my throat, and he just said, shh, I knew what 1:14 was going to happen next. 1:16 This is an unbelievably brutal crime. 1:19 It was the worst I've ever investigated. 1:21 He was waiting in the shadows when she came in. 1:24 It was just so frightening. 1:26 There was a handwritten note. 1:27 It said, no police. 1:29 I'll be back. 1:30 Miss IBM. 1:31 Sheer terror. 1:33 He knows that I worked for IBM. 1:34 I'm like, oh my God, do I know him? 1:37 Months turned into years. 1:39 No arrests. 1:40 There was no trace. 1:41 You are the one who got this case reopened. 1:43 If you know my mom, it's impossible not to fight for her. 1:48 Somebody has to, like, light a fire. 1:51 There was one Hail Mary that we could try. 1:53 Hand sweating, heart beating, it had all come down to this. 1:56 Did you know her? 1:58 You didn't see her that day. 1:59 It feels like you're investigating me. 2:03 Never, ever, a million years would have thought it would have been him. 2:08 A harrowing attack, a haunting crime, 2:11 and the mother and daughter bond that solved the mystery at last. 2:15 I'm Lester Holt, and this is Dateline. 2:26 Here's Blaine Alexander with Unmasking the Monster. 2:33 There she is. 2:36 Here's Aunt Dusty on the wall. 2:39 First day on the beach. 2:41 For as long as she can remember, 2:43 Andra Beatty has felt lucky to have a mom like hers. 2:47 That's perfect, sweetie. Look at that. 2:49 Loving and just kind of the kindest person I know. 2:54 and that was always a parent just in spite of everything. 3:01 Everything. 3:02 As a little girl, Andrew never quite knew what that meant, 3:05 but she did feel it. 3:08 A dark chapter from her mother's past 3:10 that managed to creep into their everyday lives. 3:14 We were the only family I knew that 3:15 locked all of our doors and closed the garage and set our alarm. 3:20 The mystery loomed over her childhood, 3:23 not knowing exactly what had stolen so much from her mom, from all of them. 3:29 I definitely remember thinking, there's no way I leave this world not knowing the answer to that 3:36 question. Because sometimes a daughter doesn't just carry her mother's story, sometimes she 3:42 has the power to rewrite it. Somebody has to light a fire. And you lit that fire. Yeah. 3:53 Cincinnati, 1989. What was life looking like for you back then? 3:59 It was an opportunity to grow up. Dana was 29 and living on her own. 4:06 I got very involved in the city. It felt like home to me. I was always outside running. I 4:12 was a big aerobics girl. And she was excelling in her career at IBM. 4:16 In the late 80s, early 90s, you could easily impress somebody by saying you worked at IBM. 4:23 It honestly was the Facebook, the meta, the Google of today. 4:30 Dana was one of just a few women in the sales division. 4:34 She was a rock star. 4:35 She was the friend that if anyone was going to be the CEO of their company, it was going 4:40 to be her. 4:42 Nancy Eichholz met Dana while volunteering. 4:44 We were both career women at a time where, you know, most of our friends have gotten married right out of college. 4:50 And so we kind of watched out for each other. 4:53 Would you say that Dana had a lot of admirers? 4:56 Oh, she did. Male and female in a good way. 4:59 Hi, Dana. It's Nancy. Call me when you get back from exercising. 5:04 Dana's answering machine captured a life in full swing. 5:07 That maybe we could just get together for a pizza or a beer or whatever. 5:14 I was living an incredible life, I was having the time of my life. 5:21 And then that came to a screeching halt. 5:22 And then my life took the most horrific and tragic turn that I would have never in a 5:34 million years ever imagined. 5:39 It happened on August 1st, 1989. 5:43 How did that day start for you? 5:45 It was a gorgeous summer sunny blue sky day. 5:48 Dana left work a little early. 5:51 Many of her friends, in fact most of Cincinnati it seemed, 5:54 were headed to a Jimmy Buffett concert that night. 5:58 Dana had been invited too, but she was consumed with work 6:01 and decided not to go. 6:03 Instead, she went home to her condo, 6:06 where she lived on the second floor of this house. 6:08 She planned to change clothes, 6:10 hit an aerobics class, and get a good night's sleep. 6:13 Then I came up the stairs and I unlocked the door and I noticed immediately that there 6:19 was a very strange smell in my home. 6:22 What did that smell smell like? 6:23 It smelled like pot and I turned to use the restroom and I noticed the light was on. 6:29 The toilet seat was up and I'm thinking, who has been in my house? 6:34 She could barely finish the thought before a man jumped out at her. 6:39 He was dressed in black from head to toe, a full mask, gloves, and a Lycra body suit. 6:46 There was not one piece of skin exposed. 6:49 The Lycra was skin tight. 6:52 He was in exceptional shape. 6:53 He was very slender, he was strong, and he was holding a butcher knife. 7:01 He immediately grabbed me. 7:03 He took the butcher knife, took it to my throat, and I said to him very quietly, 7:09 I said you can have anything in this condo that you want you can have anything in my purse 7:14 You want you can take anything you want and he just said 7:19 He was carrying a black duffel bag and pulled out what looked like a medical tape 7:25 Keeping the knife under my neck 7:27 He began to take the tape and roll it around my head around my face around my eyes around my nose 7:33 Covering me so I couldn't see almost like a mummy like he's like wrapping exactly around your face 7:39 Yes. 7:40 He covered Dana's nose and mouth with a cloth 7:43 that smelled like a chemical. 7:45 He dragged her to the bedroom 7:46 and, with her pantyhose, 7:48 tied her wrists and legs to the bed. 7:51 And he put me in such a contorted, 7:53 stretched, uncomfortable position 7:56 and I knew what was gonna happen next. 8:01 I screamed in pain 8:03 because it was so painful what he did 8:05 and I started to cry 8:07 And he immediately, from I'm sure his duffel bag, took this huge gag and just jammed it 8:15 into my throat, into my mouth. 8:17 For the next five and a half hours, Dana Beatty lived through hell as her attacker raped 8:23 her over and over. 8:26 The way I survived was I told myself, if I survive, because I didn't know if I would, 8:33 I have to remember every second of what he's done to me if I do have the 8:40 opportunity to get the police involved. And Dana, you're telling yourself this 8:46 while this is happening to you. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever drug cloth he put over your 8:53 face. It didn't work. I felt every minute. I felt every touch. I felt it all. 8:59 And through it all, Dana says her attacker never said a word. 9:05 He raped me at least five times. 9:09 In between, I would have the little breaks and he would leave me there. 9:14 She couldn't see, but she heard him during those breaks, shuffling through her papers 9:20 and playing her answering machine. 9:24 He was listening to messages, listening to my messages. 9:27 I'm like, what is he doing? Why is he care?" 9:31 And through a small crack in the tape on her face, she caught the faintest glimpse. 9:37 My bedroom was quite large, and there was a rocking chair in the corner, and he was 9:42 sitting there. 9:43 Oh, God. 9:44 I could see that he had taken the mask off his head, but I couldn't for the life of 9:50 me figure out. 9:51 Make out of space. 9:52 Anyway, in shape or form. 9:53 More than five hours of sheer torture, and then? 9:58 All of a sudden, I feel him unbounding one of my hands from the bed. 10:06 And I'm like, oh god, what's going to happen now? 10:09 Silence hung in the air. 10:12 Minutes ticked by, she couldn't tell if her attacker was still there or not. 10:16 But she took a chance, untied herself, and ran for her life. 10:23 Dana prayed the worst was over, but there was no way to outrun what still lay ahead. 10:30 This is a clear threat. 10:32 Clear threat. 10:33 You know, if he's capable of something like that, what else is he capable of? 10:36 Oh my God, oh my God. 10:38 My heart was racing. 10:39 This really was a long shot. 10:41 It's our last chance, and if it fails, then he walks away. 10:45 Never would have thought it would have been him. 10:47 Were you planning on doing this again? 11:03 Dana Beatty had just endured the unthinkable. 11:06 I didn't look at anything in the house. 11:08 I just ran for the door, ran down the stairs, 11:11 and immediately went to these incredible people 11:14 that were becoming so dear to me. 11:16 It was a young husband and wife. 11:17 New neighbors. 11:18 My neighbors. 11:20 We heard the banging at the door, 11:22 and Bob got to the door first. 11:23 Bob and Jeannie Grone lived one floor down from Dana. 11:27 Dana stepped through the door as Bob opened it and just collapsed into his arms. 11:32 As she said, call 911, I've been raped. 11:36 Oh gosh. 11:37 She was disheveled, tape on her head. 11:42 Mascara, her mascara had run all down her face. 11:46 She had on a beautiful silk dress that was torn halfway up. 11:50 She was in bad shape. 11:52 Thank you. 11:53 Jeannie called 911 and a female officer drove Dana to the hospital. 11:59 I was so scared that when she put me in the backseat, I laid down because I thought he was 12:07 following me. 12:08 So as you're riding to the hospital, you're literally hiding. 12:11 I am hiding. 12:12 Jeannie also went to the hospital and sat with Dana until her parents arrived. 12:18 What was it like once you and Dana were there in the hospital? 12:20 Um, she was frightened and trembling and pale. 12:26 They were examining her and taking pictures. 12:30 As they evaluate me, put me back together again, take tons of tests, blood tests. 12:38 They asked me if I wanted what's called the morning after pill. 12:41 I didn't even know what that was. 12:44 They collected Dana's clothing and completed a sexual assault kit. 12:47 it. I mean this is an unbelievably brutal crime. 12:51 Extremely brutal. This is the worst I've ever investigated in my career. 12:56 Charlie Beaver was a detective with the Cincinnati PD. He spent more than 30 years on the force. 13:02 Were they able to find any DNA? Yeah, they were able to recover evidence 13:05 of semen. 13:07 But this was 1989. DNA as a crime-solving tool was still in its infancy and its use 13:14 was limited. Back at Dana's condo police were searching for more clues. Was there any sign 13:20 of how this guy might have been able to get inside? No, none at all. Dana's purse lay 13:26 open on the dining room table and on the kitchen counter the knife. Dana tentatively identified 13:33 that as being from her kitchen set. He used one of her own knives. One of her own knives, yes. 13:38 They go into the bedroom where she said it happened. Her pantyhoser still tied to the 13:43 brass headboard. There's some medical tape left there. Investigators collected the bed sheets 13:49 and dusted for prints. They processed subsequently. They get a get a couple fingerprints off the 13:55 bed post. They discovered Dana's attacker had unplugged her phones and on a piece of newspaper 14:01 he'd written a note. It said no police or I'll be back Miss IBM. Correct. This is a clear threat. 14:09 Clear threat. 14:10 What else did they notice from the crime scene? 14:13 The answering machine had been pulled away from the wall. 14:16 Dana made comment that she thought he was going through her answering machine, like 14:20 maybe trying to remove a voice message that was on there or not. 14:24 Unfortunately, we didn't have the cloud back then, so there's no way of determining 14:29 if he did or did not erase anything from that answering machine. 14:33 Still, that answering machine was a perfect place for police to start their investigation. 14:38 They compiled a list of every male caller on Dana's machine. 14:43 That was essentially a time capsule that really was able to show you every person who was connected. 14:51 Correct. You go through that, you listen to what they got to say, and you make a determination if they're a person of interest, or this is just a social call. 14:59 One of the messages was from a guy Dana briefly dated who was now a friend. 15:04 Hi, Dana. This is the scene. Give me a call when you go to jail. 15:07 He'd had plans to take Dana to the Jimmy Buffett concert that day. 15:11 Yeah, and he never followed through or called her back and let her know definitely one way 15:15 or the other. 15:16 Did that raise some suspicion? 15:17 That did, only for the fact being, hey, is this his chance of basically maybe setting 15:22 her up? 15:23 Police checked out his alibi. 15:25 He had, in fact, gone to the concert, and he didn't match the physical description. 15:30 Another voice on the machine belonged to Mike, Dana's boyfriend. 15:34 Hey, Dana, this is Mike Conn. 15:37 I just wanted to get what you were doing. 15:40 Dana was sure he wasn't her attacker, 15:42 but police still needed to rule him out. 15:45 Was he able to give it alibi? 15:47 Yeah, he was a dinner, I believe, with his parents, 15:51 which we were able to corroborate via a receipt. 15:55 And then there was this man. 15:58 Hi, Dana. 15:59 You got another call. 16:00 I wish I could think of something for you again later. 16:04 Have a nice day. 16:04 It was a voice investigators couldn't ignore. 16:09 The voice of one of their own. 16:12 I was convinced it was him. 16:19 Whoever says saving money is hard doesn't know that the new customers who bundle and 16:24 save with Progressive save hundreds. 16:27 Because switching your home and auto insurance is better than cutting down on those iced 16:31 lattes you love. 16:32 Switch your home and auto to Progressive and see if you could save and keep sipping 16:36 away. 16:37 Get your quote today at progressive.com, progressive casualty insurance company, affiliates, and 16:43 other insurers, not available in all states. 16:46 Ever notice how every new AI tool asks you to explain your business to it all over again? 16:52 Google Workspace with Gemini skips that. 16:54 You get Google's AI built right into the premium versions of Gmail, Docs, Sheets, 16:59 and more. 17:00 No new tools, no extra logins. 17:02 Just one subscription that gives you personalized AI right inside your actual workflow. 17:08 Make work less work. 17:09 Try Google Workspace with Gemini at go.gle slash workspace with Gemini. 17:15 Every night is a screen this October with FearFest on AMC and AMC Plus, a month-long 17:22 party of your favorite horror movies. 17:25 So good, it could wake the dead. 17:27 Hi, I'm Chucky, wanna play? 17:29 It's a killer nonstop lineup that includes Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Tales from the Crypt and all the best slash hits. 17:38 Is this fun or what? 17:40 Nonstop Horror, one terrifying month AMC FearFest 17:45 Dana Beatty knew she couldn't stay in Cincinnati, that she'd have to restart her life, what was left of it, in a new place. 18:02 She went to live in her parents' home nearly two hours away in Columbus. 18:07 I'm just struck by the fact that he did not end your life that day, but a very big piece 18:13 of you died that day. 18:17 The life that you knew before. 18:19 It was gone. 18:20 It was black. 18:22 It was done. 18:24 Dana was terrified her attacker would come for revenge after she called police. 18:29 Still, she didn't back down. 18:32 You were going to do whatever you could to help police move this investigation 18:36 forward. Yes. Of any drive I had, that was my strongest. I've had rape victims 18:44 before. Normally, they would draw. The last thing they want to do is talk about 18:49 it. They want to put it out of their mind. They want to forget. Understandably so. 18:54 Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, I find nothing wrong with that, believe me. 18:58 But Dana, she was going to help in any way possible for us to try to help 19:03 it. Identify the guy that did this tour." 19:07 Investigators quickly focused on one of the men on Dana's answering machine. He'd left 19:11 five messages. 19:18 And he was someone they knew, a Cincinnati police officer. He and Dana first met a month 19:25 and a half earlier. 19:27 I come home from work and there is a Cincinnati policeman looking up at the sky, seeing a 19:32 of birds flying in a circle. 19:33 And he approaches me and he says, 19:35 do you see those birds up there? 19:36 And I said, yeah. 19:37 And he said, something's not right over there. 19:40 The fact that they're circling like that 19:42 makes me wonder if something isn't dead or going on. 19:46 And he says, I'm gonna go check it out. 19:47 I didn't think a whole lot of it. 19:50 Then she came home one day to a letter. 19:53 He said something to the fact 19:55 that it was a nice meeting you. 19:56 You're a very nice person. 19:58 Maybe sometime we can have a beer or something. 20:01 and I'm thinking, ow. 20:05 Dana wasn't interested, but he was persistent 20:08 and started showing up at her home. 20:11 I finally relented one time. 20:13 I thought, what would it hurt to go meet him for a beer 20:16 and just get it out of his system and just be friends? 20:19 And I thought to myself, naively, 20:22 then maybe that would kind of cut things down 20:25 and he kind of settled on a little bit. 20:27 It did not happen that way. 20:28 It escalated, of course it did, right? 20:30 I mean looking back now, being a smarter woman now, it escalated. 20:35 Dana told the officer she had a boyfriend, but that didn't stop him. 20:39 He called her, dropped another note in her mailbox, 20:43 and even followed her while she was on a run, pulling up alongside her. 20:47 He slowed his car down and he was like doing one of these things while I'm running 20:50 because I wouldn't stop running. 20:51 Was he in his police car when he pulled up? 20:54 Yes, he was dressed in his police outfit in his police car. 20:58 He was basically stalking me and I was starting to get extremely uncomfortable and really unsettled 21:06 That was just a few days before the attack and there was something else 21:11 He had the exact body fit. He was thin. He was strong. He was tall. He everything fit him perfectly 21:18 I mean not it helps a fat on him. And so I thought that's who did it to me 21:22 And so I told the detectives I think it's him. I I was convinced it was him 21:29 The policeman, and I don't think Dana is aware of how frequently he did come up here looking for her. 21:36 A couple days after the attack, police spoke to neighbors at the condo 21:40 and found out they'd seen him hanging around, too. 21:44 And he goes, I know it seems odd to be coming here on the job, but can you tell me about it? 21:49 I asked him some questions about the girl upstairs. 21:51 And so we thought, oh, this is cute. 21:52 Yeah, you know, we told him a little bit about her. 21:55 Probably said she works for IBM. 21:56 But just for your information, he was up here again last night. 21:59 Okay, so, well, I was going to talk to him, but I was just going to mention that his friend 22:04 Dana upstairs had been assaulted, but he backed on out and down the hill. 22:08 That was it. 22:10 Everyone in Dana's circle knew about the cop. 22:13 I do remember her letting her friends know that he was making her uncomfortable. 22:20 I remember just thinking, well, that's rotten. 22:24 He's a police officer, you know, we're supposed to be able to trust them. 22:28 He was our only suspect. 22:29 We all immediately thought it's that police officer. 22:33 We were all just certain it was him. 22:36 The officer knew where Dana worked. 22:39 He knew where she lived. 22:41 And his fascination with her was unsettling. 22:44 You couldn't ask for a better circumstantial case. 22:48 Not so fast. 22:50 In this case, nothing was guaranteed. 23:09 When police first responded to reports that a young woman had been savagely raped, they 23:14 never imagined they would have to look in-house. 23:18 But now, they had every reason to. 23:25 A cop with an unrelenting crush who fit the physical description. 23:30 It seemed like the perfect lead, until it wasn't. 23:35 We were able to verify this police officer was in what they call Regional Crime Information 23:40 Center training, as well as making radio runs during the time of the offense occurred. 23:47 So there is no way he could have physically been the attacker of Dana. 23:52 Yeah, in Alibi. 23:53 Perfect Alibi, verified. 23:56 that was shocking to me and sad to me and devastating to me because I'm like well 24:06 then if it's not him who in the world could it be Dana asked us not to use the 24:12 officer's name because the whole experience with him still makes her 24:17 uncomfortable he told Dateline he understands why he was a potential 24:21 suspect, saying he was not in a good place back then, and that he has remorse for causing Dana 24:27 distress. He was cleared. And with her attacker still on the loose, fear remained Dana's constant 24:36 companion. I was living a very reclusive, very terrified life. My friends were my godsends, 24:49 They were my lifeline. 24:52 What changes did you see in her? 24:55 She was totally independent, came and went, traveled, fearless, 25:00 and all of a sudden she's living at her parents' house. 25:04 Can't even take a shower without somebody in the bathroom with her. 25:08 Her mother had to sleep with her in her bed. 25:11 And the fear was contagious. 25:13 Within three months, we had relocated to a different city and state. 25:17 out of town. You couldn't stand to live here. The local news reported tips like this one about 25:26 a young man spotted on the street right after the attack. The neighbors saw the man get into a 25:32 1984 or 1985 yellow Nissan that was parked nearby. They said he walked down the street 25:38 and he got into a yellow cart. They weren't able to get a license number. 25:43 Investigators kept mining Dana's answering machine for leads. 25:47 There was a message left by somebody who was calling to offer condolences. 25:50 Correct. That guy was identified as a person named Fred. 26:02 He was a medical resident and someone Dana had known for years. 26:07 She wrote him out right away basically saying that 26:10 that that's the husband of my best friend. 26:13 And the fact that he didn't fit the description. 26:15 There was also a soccer player that Dana had dated 26:18 that did match the physical description. 26:20 Yes. 26:21 Oh, Dana, is it still ever me last night? 26:26 He readily agreed to give his fingerprints. 26:29 They didn't match. 26:30 So you checked him off the list pretty quickly. 26:33 Then there was a doctor. 26:35 Yes. 26:35 Who did fit the description. 26:38 And this was somebody that Dana had at some point dated in the past. 26:41 Yeah, dated him a little bit. 26:42 He, too, was ruled out. 26:44 Police went back to Dana and asked her to think of anyone else. 26:49 Is it terrifying to have to just scrutinize literally every person in your life? 26:55 It was terrifying and it was also so painful. 26:59 There were so many different people that I was forced to put down as suspects that I did not want to, 27:05 but I knew I had to, because I wanted to know who did this to me." 27:09 At time after time, you're getting cleared, cleared, cleared. 27:12 Correct. Yes. 27:14 Then, about five weeks into the investigation, police got a tip. 27:19 A woman shared a story about a guy she went on a date with. 27:23 A guy, she said, who seemed way too focused on what had happened to Dana. 27:28 And he started asking questions about the rape. 27:30 And according to her, he acted extremely overly interested in it. 27:36 He was making comments about specific details about the rape. 27:40 He even mentioned the fact that they heard the cop did it. 27:44 And he's talking about all of this while he's on a date? 27:47 While he's on a date, yes. 27:48 Sounds like a horrible date. 27:50 He was a young man who lived so close to Dana, he could see her condo from his house 27:56 and he fit the description Dana gave. 27:59 He also knew somebody that used to live in Dana's building and you put that all together and you're starting to line some ducks up in a row again 28:06 Did Dana know this guy? No, she did not know this guy 28:09 Police gave him a call and he agreed to talk with them an officer then goes to speak with this guy at his house 28:17 the officer went inside and saw something that looked like it might be the break they were hoping for and 28:24 and there's a bicycle inside. 28:26 Stretch across the bicycle is a pair of black lycra pants. 28:30 Right out in the open. 28:31 Right out in the open. 28:44 It was one of the first things the officer noticed 28:46 inside the home of Dana's neighbor, 28:49 a man named Andy Raiden, black lycra pants, 28:52 just like those worn by Dana's attacker. 28:55 And there was more. 28:57 There's some black gym shoes 28:59 and there's also a black gym bug laying there. 29:01 His clothing, his proximity, his appearance, 29:04 and his interest in the case all raised some questions. 29:09 Still, he was cooperative. 29:11 And after their conversation, 29:13 the officer recorded some notes inside his car. 29:17 He was agreeable and said that if I needed to talk to him, 29:21 I couldn't recontact him. 29:23 But later, when police asked him 29:25 to come down to the station, 29:27 he kind of him hauled and says, 29:29 no, I don't think I'm gonna come in. 29:30 He goes, I'm done talking. 29:32 So decidedly less cooperative. 29:33 Correct. And he said he's not going to do it. He said I'm calling my attorney. 29:37 Police told his lawyer they wanted a blood sample. He refused. They took him to court where a judge 29:43 ordered him to comply. He refused that. Are you looking at him and saying this is clearly? 29:49 Checking off boxes saying he's looking better and better and better. Yes. So subsequently 29:54 Judge Matthews locks him up for contempt at court and of course he makes bond. 29:58 In the end, he complied with a search warrant and went to a lab to give blood and saliva 30:04 samples which could be compared against bodily fluids found at the scene. 30:09 After all of this legal process, you finally get these samples. 30:12 What do you get? 30:14 It's not him. 30:15 No match? 30:16 No match. 30:17 I bet you couldn't even believe it. 30:19 It's kind of like the same situation with the cop. 30:21 I can't believe it. 30:22 Raiden was cleared. 30:23 He told Dateline that during the investigation he felt out of his element and was following the advice of his attorney 30:30 Another dead-end for investigators 30:33 Tim Carney was Detective Beaver's partner. He focused on that warning note the scrawled miss IBM the attacker had left behind 30:41 well that note meant a lot to both of us because 30:45 Miss IBM somebody had to know where Dana worked at the time of the attack Dana was preparing a major 30:52 presentation for a competitive contract. 30:55 Detectives wondered, could that have made her a target? 30:59 Talk to me about why you thought that. 31:00 All the competitors would know that she's competing against them to get this contract. 31:05 So what better way to kind of remove her, traumatize her, and get her kind of out of the way. 31:11 It wasn't the most logical of motives. 31:14 Far-fetched. I mean that would be a hell of a type of revenge. 31:17 But possible. 31:18 But very possible. I've seen people do some weird stuff in my career. 31:22 Investigators spoke with managers at IBM, including Dana's direct boss. 31:27 Have you ever heard of anybody calling her Ms. IBM? 31:30 No. 31:31 He couldn't identify any potential suspects, but her colleagues were mostly men, 31:36 some of whom fit the physical description. 31:38 There was one guy who had made her feel uneasy, 31:41 and Dana sent office supplies from his desk to detectives to test for fingerprints. 31:47 And on one weekend, she quietly took investigators into the office. 31:51 I brought the police in to fingerprint some of the desks. 31:55 And this is where you're showing them, okay, here's where this male colleague works, here's 31:59 where this male colleague works. 32:00 It's just different desks, different computers. 32:04 People that I got very highly of. 32:06 The fingerprints didn't lead anywhere. 32:09 A year went by and then another. 32:12 Detective Charlie Beaver was promoted to homicide and had to move on. 32:17 Charlie was it hard for you to walk away from that case? 32:19 Yes, it eats at you when you have to walk away when you see a brutal crime like this 32:25 and somebody getting away with it. 32:27 When Detective Carney took over the case, he was just as determined, largely because he 32:32 felt Dana's attacker could strike again or already had. 32:36 I'm not going to sit back and say, you know, I don't think I'll do that anymore. 32:40 They're going to continue, especially if they were successful, and you have to find them. 32:48 And so he tried everything, even some of Dana's more unconventional ideas. 32:54 Well, at one point, I believe her mother told Dana about this psychic, and Dana called 33:01 me. 33:01 What do you think about this guy? 33:03 And I said, if you want me to talk to him, I'll be more than happy to." 33:08 The psychic described a location, one possibly linked to the attacker. 33:13 He lived in an area of four counts. 33:20 After talking to him, it sent me down an avenue looking into breweries. 33:27 I didn't see anything. 33:28 You even tried hypnosis at some point. 33:30 I tried hypnosis. 33:31 It was even on tape. 33:32 Tell me what the girl sees. 33:35 She sees. 33:35 He was a fairly tall man, dressed in black from head to toe. 33:46 What was that experience like? 33:49 It was eerie and bizarre. 33:52 Nothing came back that moved the needle. 33:55 Carney pursued every lead, but then he got promoted and moved to another unit. 34:00 Still, he used his own time to check in. 34:03 One of the leads that I actively pursued was the yellow car. 34:08 I made sure that on the anniversary of Dana's rape that I would set up a 34:15 surveillance in case this person would come back to the scene. Never happened, 34:20 but I did that for several years. 34:22 Were you starting to think this person will never be found? 34:25 Oh, many times. Many, many, many times. 34:30 But Dana was still fighting and in the years to come someone new would take the lead. 34:36 I was very aware of that from the very beginning, that I was making a choice that could be very 34:43 difficult for everyone. 34:45 In getting to the truth. 34:46 Yes. 34:51 Ever notice how every new AI tool asks you to explain your business to it all over again? 34:57 Google Workspace with Gemini skips that. 34:59 You get Google's AI built right into the premium versions of Gmail, Docs, Sheets, 35:04 and more. 35:05 No new tools. 35:06 No extra logins. 35:07 Just one subscription that gives you personalized AI right inside your actual workflow. 35:13 Make work less work. 35:14 Try Google Workspace with Gemini at go.gle slash workspace with Gemini. 35:23 Oh look, you just got added to a meeting about coordinating another meeting to prepare for 35:31 the pre-meeting ahead of the follow-up meeting. 35:35 which will, of course, require a recap meeting and then another meeting. Hit your 35:43 booking point. Book with Southwest in an airplane mode. 35:50 Hey, Ryan Reynolds here from Intmobile. Now, I don't know if you've heard, but 35:53 Mint's premium wireless is $15 a month, but I'd like to offer one other perk. 35:59 We have no stores. That means no small talk. Crazy weather we're having. No, 36:06 It's not it says just whether it is an introvert's dream give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch 36:13 Up front payment of $45 for three month plan $15 per month equivalent required new customer offer first three months only then full price plan options available taxes and fees extra 36:19 See mintmobile.com in a baby had survived, but she longed to truly live again 36:35 I said to myself whoever this was that did this I 36:40 Can not let them ruin my life 36:43 I will not let them ruin my life. 36:48 In the comfort of her family's home, Dana began to rebuild her life, and then someone 36:54 new showed up. 36:56 I was living with my sister next door to her parents. 36:59 His name is Dick Beatty, and he really liked Dana. 37:03 She's kind, she's strong. 37:05 As you get to know her, it's really kind of almost like a velvet hammer. 37:09 A velvet hammer. 37:11 Yeah. 37:11 I've never heard anyone describe that one. 37:12 It's so strong, but with such a soft touch. 37:15 They started as friends, going on walks, talking, 37:19 and the conversation went deep. 37:21 I asked her to explain to me exactly what happened 37:25 if I was actually gonna understand her 37:26 and try to help her anyway. 37:28 And she told me in detail pretty early on, 37:32 I actually went back to where I was staying 37:36 and I wrote it out and typed it out. 37:38 And I gave it back to her. 37:40 It was a big gesture and it sparked a relationship, one where Dana felt safe. 37:47 In January of 1992, two and a half years after the attack, Dana took a giant step toward 37:53 the life she wanted. 37:55 She married Dick Beatty. 37:56 For that man to actively choose to want to walk into a marriage and a relationship 38:03 that he knew was going to be no picnic because of the damage that had been caused 38:08 to me. 38:09 That's an incredible man. 38:11 Dick worked in insurance. 38:13 Dana returned to IBM, 38:15 where she says the company went to great lengths 38:17 to support her, 38:18 and her career soared. 38:20 Even though sometimes everyday things 38:23 felt overwhelming. 38:25 There were times when I would have to 38:27 turn down dinners 38:29 with friends, parties, 38:32 trips I was invited to. 38:33 Because you just couldn't. 38:35 I couldn't do it. 38:37 Dana and Dick's life together demanded special care 38:40 and certain rules. 38:43 I can't look at a butcher knife. 38:44 I can't be in the room of a butcher knife. 38:47 If I know she's coming in 38:48 and I'm doing something with a large kitchen knife. 38:51 Just hang on a bit. 38:52 I'll just say hang on a bit. 38:54 He will never walk behind me. 38:57 He will never surprise me from behind. 39:00 So he always announces himself. 39:02 He announces, literally, announces himself. 39:04 When he's saying, 39:05 out, coming around the corner up the stairs. 39:07 Dana had dreamed of a loving marriage, and that came true. 39:12 So did another dream. 39:13 And then how many years later did you become a mom? 39:16 In March of 1994. 39:18 I had a girl, wow. 39:20 I am really lucky, I think, to be an only child because both of my parents have so 39:27 much to give and I got all of it. 39:30 It was really neat to have a mom who was both so loving and kind, who was also so incredibly 39:37 intelligent and successful. 39:39 But even when she was little, Dana's daughter, Andra, knew all about those special rules. 39:45 We were the only family I knew that locked all of our doors and closed the garage and 39:49 set our alarm. 39:51 I knew when I was young, like, we don't use kitchen knives in front of mom. 39:57 We don't surprise mom. 39:58 mom. But she didn't know why. There was a lot of unknowns, a lot of secrets, a lot of things 40:05 that I couldn't know and that were kept from me. Do you remember when you found out what 40:12 happened to your mom? Yeah. 40:14 Andra was about eight years old when she came across a book. And it was called If 40:19 She Was Rape. And in the front cover, there was a note to my dad. It was a book for 40:27 partners of victims and when I found that I wrote about it in my journal that I 40:37 was keeping at the time. Dana found that entry in her little girls diary. You're 40:43 realizing okay I have to tell my daughter. Yes I have to say something. She 40:48 sat me down I remember like sitting in our living room on the couch and I 40:52 probably told her way more than she deserved to hear. There's no like 40:56 great way to tell an eight-year-old about something horrific that happened to the person they 41:03 love most in the world. Did she also tell you that the person who did this 41:07 hadn't been caught? Yeah, yeah, definitely. There were times Andra felt like her mother's child 41:13 and protector. But like her mother, she was tough and passionate. She fell in love with theater. 41:23 And when she grew up, she got hooked on something else. 41:28 At some point, true crime podcasts become a real interest of yours. 41:33 Yeah. 41:34 Do you think that that was colored by knowing what happened to your mom? 41:37 Yeah, definitely. 41:38 I think I wasn't getting all of the information that I really desired about what had happened. 41:43 And through the true crime stuff, I got a taste of what happened in that space in 41:49 in terms of the criminal justice system. 41:51 She had discovered a world where victims found justice 41:56 and it opened a new possibility. 41:58 Maybe her mother could too. 42:01 Years after the brutal attack, 42:03 Dana's daughter would begin a quest 42:05 to once and for all unmask the monster. 42:10 It's just somebody has to like light a fire. 42:13 I don't believe you were being truthful with us. 42:16 Prosecutors believe that you have other victims out there. 42:19 Did you do this to anybody else? 42:36 Andra Bady always knew the man who attacked her mom 42:39 would not remain a ghost. 42:41 I definitely remember thinking, there's no way 42:45 I leave this world not knowing the answer to that question. 42:49 You were determined, even from a young age. 42:51 Yeah, I was like, no, that's not gonna be the story. 42:55 Andra was now almost 29, 42:57 line, the same age her mother had been when she was raped. 43:02 As Andra immersed herself in true crime, she was learning more and more about different 43:07 ways cases were being solved. 43:09 And she came across a recently solved case involving a serial rapist right there in Cincinnati. 43:16 And at the bottom of the article, there was a call out saying, if you think you 43:22 know anything about this or you know of another victim come forward and I didn't 43:28 know if it quite fit but there was enough there where it was to me worthwhile to 43:34 say like maybe. She took the leap and sent an email. I was nervous because I 43:43 felt that I was making another choice for my mom that she didn't have a say 43:50 And that weighed really heavily on me. 43:53 Does this take her power away? 43:56 Am I doing that? 43:58 Andra's email made its way to the Cincinnati Police Department, 44:01 where all the officers who'd worked Dana's case 44:03 had either retired or passed away. 44:06 She got a response from Detective Jeff Smallwood, 44:09 the lead investigator on that serial rape case. 44:12 I just said, hey, I understand that you're interested 44:15 in seeing if this case could be linked to your mom's. 44:17 He was ready to dive in, 44:19 but Andra had a few conditions. 44:22 It's sad that it's very important to me 44:24 that this not get to my mom unless there is a chance 44:29 that something could happen. 44:32 She didn't want to get her hopes up. 44:33 Yeah, it had been a number of years 44:35 and, you know, you don't want to kind of rip off 44:37 that that band-aid unless you have to. 44:39 Can we take a look? 44:40 Sure, yeah. 44:42 Detective Smallwood's first call 44:43 was to police archives. 44:46 Suspects, records and photos, 44:47 clothes, close tip sheets, VHS tape. 44:50 I just asked for, you know, do we even have anything from 1989? 44:55 And the response that I got back was we had one box. 44:58 And sure enough, this entire box is Dana's case. 45:02 The dress Dana wore, the pantyhose used to bind her. 45:07 And the knife, evidence that could now be retested using modern technology. 45:13 And he was like, I have the box. 45:16 It has been preserved and it's like a miracle. It's still here. Wow 45:20 And I think there is a chance that this could be solved. How shocked are you hearing this? 45:25 I don't think the word is shocked. I think I had known like I think this is still there 45:31 And there's just no one working on it. It's just somebody has to like 45:35 Light a fire. Yeah. Yeah, and you lit that fire. Yeah 45:40 Detective Smallwood first looked at that serial rapist whose case prompted 45:45 Andra to send that email. DNA extracted from Dana's dress quickly ruled him out. 45:51 But Detective Smallwood believed Dana's case could be solved with forensic 45:55 genetic genealogy, which uses DNA from the crime scene to identify a suspect's 46:01 relatives, then traces the family tree to find the offender. It's an 46:06 expensive process, but Smallwood was determined. He applied for a grant from a nonprofit to 46:12 pay for the lab work and got the green light from prosecutors. But before going any further, 46:17 he wanted Dana's blessing. 46:19 I said, I understand, but I don't want her to know that it was me. I want her to think 46:26 that you initiated this at this point. I'm just not ready. 46:30 Andra didn't want us to tell her mom that Andra was the one that reached out to us because 46:37 she didn't want her mom to know how much what happened to her mom had affected her life. 46:42 So how are you explaining to Dana that you're reopening this case? 46:45 Yeah, I just said that, yeah, I was going through some cases that were similar to the 46:48 one we had solved and stumbled across hers. 46:52 And he said, are you interested in using this technology to solve your crime? 46:58 And I about dropped the phone on the floor. 47:01 I'm like, are you kidding me? 47:03 Because you weren't expecting this at all. 47:05 This is zero. 47:06 Of course, I was, I mean, ecstatic is an understatement. 47:11 I was kind of freaked out too, but I was beyond ecstatic. 47:17 How did you feel when you hung up after that call? 47:19 No, that we absolutely had to solve this one. 47:23 As things started to get real, 47:25 Andra realized it was time to come clean to her parents. 47:29 I knew I had to tell them. 47:31 I said, I have something to tell you. 47:33 It's not bad. 47:34 It's not good, but it's not like bad. 47:36 She says, I really need to talk to you 47:40 about something important, 47:41 and I hope you're not mad at me. 47:43 I said, you know how this is all happening? 47:46 You know, I want you to know that a few months ago, 47:49 it was me that reached out initially. 47:52 And I'm looking at her. 47:53 or I am in complete and total shock, I'm crying 47:58 and she starts crying and she says, 48:00 I really hope you're not mad at me 48:01 because I hope I didn't overstep my boundaries 48:03 and I hope I didn't do something you didn't want. 48:06 I looked at her and I said, 48:08 if this is not the most unbelievable act of love 48:14 to your parents, to your mother, I'm speechless. 48:17 This is, I mean, I just was so blown away by her. 48:21 She knows how much this has impacted you. 48:23 She's lived this, sadly and horribly and tragically, yes, she did. 48:27 But she's felt this impact, yes. 48:30 Now she's old enough to do something. 48:33 And that something was now on the fast track, 48:36 moving at warp speed to a place Dana never could have imagined. 48:41 I'm sorry, I just have to isolate myself in the toilet somewhere now. 48:49 Ever notice how every new AI tool asks you to explain your business to it all over again? 48:54 Then Google Workspace with Gemini skips that. 48:57 You get Google's AI built right into the premium versions of Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and 49:03 more. 49:03 No new tools, no extra logins. 49:06 Just one subscription that gives you personalized AI right inside your actual workflow. 49:11 Make work less work. 49:12 Try Google Workspace with Gemini at go.gle slash workspace with Gemini. 49:18 Oh look, you just got added to a meeting about coordinating another meeting to prepare for 49:29 the pre-meeting ahead of the follow-up meeting, which will, of course, require a recap meeting. 49:39 And then another meeting. 49:41 Hit your booking point, book with Southwest, and enter airplane mode. 49:48 Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile, with a message for everyone paying big wireless way 49:52 too much. 49:53 Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. 49:56 With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. 50:00 Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. 50:03 Okay, one judgment. 50:06 Anyway, give it a try at MintMobile.com slash Switch. 50:10 Upfront payment of $45 for three month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. 50:13 Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes 50:16 and fees extra. 50:16 see full terms at MintMobile.com. 50:27 Thirty-four years after Dana Beatty was raped, the investigation had new life. 50:33 Genetic genealogy meant there was a real possibility Dana's case could be solved. 50:39 To have this DNA evidence back in 1989 really wouldn't have gotten investigators that far, 50:44 but that same DNA evidence today is like a golden ticket. 50:49 Yes, the things that we're doing now would have been complete science fiction 50:52 and to the officers that worked cases in 1989. 50:56 In the fall of 2023, Detective Smallwood uploaded 50:59 the suspect's DNA profile to two genealogical databases. 51:04 Almost immediately, he got a lead. 51:06 The heritage based on what we were seeing, 51:08 all of the names appear to be Jewish. 51:11 He calls me and says, 51:13 do you know anyone from Cincinnati 51:15 from that time that was Jewish? 51:18 I said, well, there's only one person I know. 51:21 That person was named Fred Tanser, a doctor who, back in 1989, was married to Dana's 51:29 best friend, a woman she had known since high school. 51:32 He was one of the voices on Dana's answering machine. 51:40 Police had asked Dana about him years ago and ruled him out. 51:44 I explained to them this is my best friend's husband and there is absolutely no way that 51:50 you told police oh yeah don't even go down this road right and she told small wood the same thing 51:56 about fred tanzer now the next day detective small wood got the results from the second database 52:03 and they were stunning usually genetic genealogy points to distant relatives which means searching 52:10 a long chain of family members to identify the suspect. But this time, that chain was quite short. 52:17 We've worked some cases where it's taken upwards of two years to go through everything, 52:22 and this one was the easiest one that we've worked so far. 52:26 The results pointed very clearly in one direction. 52:30 This is an extraordinary moment. After more than 30 years of nothing, 52:34 now, finally, you have a name. What's the first thing you do? 52:38 So the first thing, we now know, okay, we have to meet with Dana in person. 52:42 Anywhere is more comfortable for you, you just relax and we're gonna kind of fill in. 52:47 I can tell Jeff's pretty excited and even a little tiny bit nervous. 52:52 I'm pretty confident that we have, based on the matches that we have, I think we have 52:58 a very good idea of who the offender is. So based on what we see, I believe very strongly 53:04 that it is Fred Tancer who's DNA is present. 53:08 I was flattened, devastated, shocked, beyond belief. 53:18 You had been searching now for more than 30 years for this person, and you learn who 53:23 it is. 53:24 It was your best friend's husband. 53:26 Yeah. 53:27 Oh my god. 53:28 It is, I mean, I'm sorry. 53:35 I just have to- 53:36 No, no, no. 53:36 You're not coming. 53:37 Like- 53:56 Dana asked us not to report her friend's name to protect her privacy. 54:03 Her friend and Tanzer divorced in 2008, almost 20 years after Dana's attack. 54:10 And as Dana absorbed the news, old memories came flooding back. 54:15 She recalled Tanzer was heavy set, not nearly as physically fit as her attacker, but later 54:21 learned he had started exercising a lot back then. 54:25 And she thought about how, seven years before the attack, she let him spend the night in 54:30 her home while he was interviewing for medical school. 54:33 He brought me an album to thank me. 54:36 So this is somebody you've basically helped along the way. 54:38 Given him a free place to stay, opened your home to him. 54:41 I did. 54:43 And here he was during one of the most special moments of her life, her wedding day. 54:50 It was an intimate ceremony at her parents' home, just family and a few close friends. 54:58 Chanser's demeanor struck her even back then. 55:02 As I'm looking up and seeing everyone, everyone's got this huge smile on their face. 55:07 They're so happy. 55:07 and he is just like looking at me, like studying me, 55:11 not smiling, not anything. 55:13 And I'm looking at him like, 55:14 why are you looking at me like that? 55:16 Even at the time, you thought this is weird. 55:18 This is strange. I thought it was so weird. 55:20 Here on the left side of the screen, 55:22 you can see Tanzer giving Dana a hug after the ceremony. 55:26 And later, when the family socialized, 55:28 she thought Tanzer was moody and had a short temper, 55:32 like during a basketball game with his kids. 55:35 He started getting angry 55:37 because he was not making baskets, and the kids were. 55:40 He's getting mad that he's losing to his kids? 55:44 He gets so mad that he not only lashes out at his kids, 55:48 he kicks the puppy. Hard. And I looked at my best friend. 55:52 Oh gosh. 55:53 And I said, I can't be here anymore. I'm sorry. 55:57 The two friends had always shared everything, 55:59 which made this moment, the break in the case, 56:02 all the more painful for Dana. 56:04 I was not allowed to tell anybody who did this to me, except for my daughter could know and 56:13 my husband could know. 56:14 Otherwise, you had to keep it entirely to yourself. 56:16 Entirely to myself. 56:18 Investigators told her the secret would be out soon enough. 56:22 How close are you at this point to being able to move in and make an arrest? 56:25 Yeah, I feel like we're pretty close. 56:27 But not so fast. 56:30 Devastation's an understatement. 56:31 They would have to abandon the playbook and try something completely outside the box. 56:38 It's your last chance. 56:39 It's our last chance. 56:40 After more than three decades, Dana's rapist finally had a face. 56:58 He was the ex-husband of her best friend. 57:01 It was both a feeling of like, oh my gosh, I'm so grateful that we know and also this 57:08 This makes things so much more complicated and heavier and way more messed up. 57:15 You had memories of this person. 57:17 Yeah. 57:17 I remember he had a big personality, charismatic, but not nice. 57:25 Detective Smallwood set up surveillance on Fred Tanzer. 57:29 He learned Tanzer was now in his 60s and had been a doctor for more than 30 years. 57:35 He'd practiced in Ohio, then later moved around for work with stops in Colorado and 57:40 Kansas. 57:42 He'd remarried, and he and his wife were back in Cincinnati, where he worked at a hospital 57:47 and lived in a nice neighborhood with two Range Rovers parked out front. 57:52 So you package it all up, everything that you've got so far. 57:55 You take it to the DA. 57:56 Yes. 57:57 What do they say? 57:57 They say, yeah, we made a mistake that we were unable to prosecute this case. 58:02 It is beyond the statute of limitations and thanks for playing but yeah, no no prize at this one 58:11 Yeah 58:12 That mistake came down to a misreading of the law at the time of Dana's rape 58:17 Ohio statute of limitations for sex crimes was six years that law later changed to 25 years with an extension when DNA evidence 58:26 identified a suspect 58:28 Prosecutors thought Dana's case was covered but because the statute of limitations on her case had expired before the change, it didn't apply. 58:38 You are outside the statute of limitations. You cannot prosecute him for what he did to you. 58:44 Even though they knew this is the person, without a doubt, who raped you and attacked you. 58:50 That's correct. 58:51 They could not arrest him. 58:54 That's correct. 58:55 Devastation is an understatement. 58:58 But Detective Smallwood wasn't giving up. 59:01 He approached the FBI and was connected to two federal prosecutors with a reputation 59:06 for thinking outside the box. 59:09 When I heard the facts of the case, my jaw just hit the floor. 59:13 Assistant U.S. attorneys Kelly Rossi and Julie Garcia. 59:16 It was a case where the facts were so egregious and the injustice that would occur if 59:23 this man walked free was just unfathomable. 59:26 A new federal team, including the FBI, took on the case and set out to confirm the forensic 59:32 genetic genealogy results with a new DNA sample. 59:36 They followed Tanzer after he left a Starbucks, watched him drink a coffee, and grabbed the 59:42 cup when he tossed it. 59:43 Just as they suspected, the DNA was a match. 59:47 But they still had to manage Dana's expectations. 59:51 We said to her, we are going to do everything that we can to get justice for you. 59:56 What we want to let you know right now, the state prosecutors were right. 60:00 He can never be prosecuted for the rape. 60:03 It's too late. It's beyond the statute of limitations. 60:06 Have you been surprised by a lot of what you've learned about these laws? 60:11 Disbelief, it's been so disappointing. 60:14 I do not understand why there even would be a statute of limitations 60:20 I don't understand what the value in that is. 60:24 Do you believe that there are other rapists out there, 60:27 like Fred Tanzer, who have committed these crimes, 60:30 but because of a statute of limitations, 60:32 are walking around free 60:34 and may never be prosecuted for these crimes? 60:37 We know that for a fact. 60:41 Statutes of limitations are vastly different from state to state. 60:45 Neighbor in Kentucky, for instance, 60:47 doesn't have a statute of limitations on rape. 60:51 Dana's condo overlooked the Ohio River and looked into Kentucky and if she had just been on the 60:57 other side of the river we wouldn't be having this conversation because Dr. Tanzer would have been 61:02 able to be prosecuted. They had to find another way to build a case and started quietly searching 61:08 for any crime they could prosecute. We just brainstormed and spitballed a lot of different 61:13 things to try to see if there was something that would apply. We had checked with the Ohio 61:17 Department of Health to see if there were any medical board issues, any complaints or 61:22 anything like that, and he was coming up with a clean record. 61:25 This is a person who holds a position of authority in the community. 61:29 This is a doctor. 61:30 How high were the stakes here? 61:32 It felt like there was a real urgency. 61:35 As we were sitting there, he had access potentially to female patients' addresses. 61:39 He had access to controlled substances and drugs. 61:43 investigators also dug into the other states where he'd practiced medicine 61:47 we thought can we tie him to other rapes that have happened within the statute 61:52 limitations you guys were what just calling I mean local police departments 61:56 in every city where he lived to see do you have any unsolved rape cases in 62:01 this area yes nothing panned out they decided it was time to talk with 62:07 Panzer's ex-wife, Dana's friend. 62:10 We learned some pretty disturbing things. 62:12 Special Agent Eric McIntosh was leading the case for the FBI. 62:17 She described him having a very high sex drive 62:21 and demanding sex almost daily. 62:23 And then her fears that during their marriage, 62:26 Fred had drugged her and had sex with her 62:28 when she was unconscious. 62:30 What made her believe that? 62:31 But the main incident she recalled was waking up, feeling groggy and really out of it. 62:40 And noticing she had an IV hooked to her, just hung from a coat hanger in the bedroom. 62:45 At the house. 62:46 At the house. 62:47 She had memories of being barely conscious for up to four days. 62:53 Days that she just doesn't remember. 62:55 Right. 62:56 Was this finally something they could prosecute? 62:59 Once again, Ohio's laws said no. 63:04 Unfortunately, as we looked into that, 63:06 we determined that it was actually not a crime 63:08 to drug and rape your spouse in Ohio 63:10 when those rapes occurred. 63:12 There was an exception in the law 63:13 for when the victim was a spouse, 63:15 and that loophole was not closed until 2024. 63:18 I want to ask you about that 63:19 to make sure that I'm understanding this correctly, 63:21 that here in the state of Ohio, 63:23 up until 2024, 63:24 it was perfectly legal for a man 63:27 to drug and rape his spouse until just two years ago. 63:31 Yeah. 63:31 Perfectly legal. 63:33 It was actually an exception that was built into the statute itself. 63:37 Prosecutors had run through every option, but there was one idea left. 63:42 This really was a long shot. 63:43 Absolutely. 63:44 But it's your last chance. 63:46 It's our last chance, and if it fails, then he walks away. 63:50 My instinctive small wood. 63:51 Is Mr. Tanzer home by any chance? 63:52 Ever notice how every new AI tool asks you to explain your business to it all over again? 64:02 Google Workspace with Gemini skips that. 64:05 You get Google's AI built right into the premium versions of Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and more. 64:10 No new tools, no extra logins. 64:13 Just one subscription that gives you personalized AI right inside your actual workflow. 64:18 Make work less work. 64:19 Try Google Workspace with Gemini at go.gle slash workspace with Gemini. 64:28 Oh look, you just got added to a meeting about coordinating another meeting to prepare for the pre-meeting ahead of the follow-up meeting, 64:41 which will, of course, require a recap meeting and then another meeting. 64:48 Hit your booking point, book with Southwest and NRAirplane Mode. 64:55 Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. 64:57 I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 65:02 a month plan that I've been enjoying. 65:04 It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistance assistants 65:08 switch you to Mint Mobile today. 65:10 I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. 65:14 Upfront payment of $45 for three month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. 65:19 Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and 65:23 fees extra. 65:24 See full terms at MintMobile.com. 65:34 For investigators, the evidence was overwhelming. 65:38 Dr. Fred Tanzer was the man who had raped Dana Beatty. 65:42 But due to the statute of limitations, he would never spend a day in prison for 65:47 the crime. 65:48 They were down to their last move. 65:50 We decided that there was one Hail Mary that we could try and that was just to 65:55 go knock on his door. The plan was to get Tanzer talking, most importantly to 66:01 Eric McIntosh, who was of course an FBI agent. You know introduce Eric as a 66:06 federal agent and interview him about the case and if he lied then that would 66:12 be lying to a federal agent. And there's your criminal charge. There's our 66:15 criminal charge. But the tricky part is everyone has a right to remain 66:20 and he would have been well within his rights to say, 66:23 I don't want to talk to you. 66:24 And that would have been it? 66:25 That would have been it. 66:26 You try to plan as best you can, but obviously... 66:28 On a December day in 2024, 66:30 Agent McIntosh and Detective Smallwood, 66:33 both secretly recording, walked up to Fred Tanzer's door. 66:37 We did have agents and support, 66:41 people helping us staged and hidden away close by. 66:45 They were ready with a fake story. 66:47 They planned to ask him about that police officer who once had a crush on Dana and say they were 66:53 investigating a fictional police cover-up. 66:56 Tanzer would be approached as a helpful witness, not as a suspect. 67:01 Everything hinged on can they get in the door. 67:04 Kelly and I were listening live on an audio feed and we heard them walking up. 67:09 We heard the muffled sounds of the microphone on them. 67:12 They rang the bell, they knocked, and were finally greeted by Tansor's wife. 67:21 Hey there, how are you? I'm sorry to bother you. 67:24 My name's Detective Smallwood. I'm with Cincinnati Police. 67:26 Is Mr. Tansor home by any chance? 67:28 Is everything okay? 67:29 Yeah, nobody's hurt. 67:30 Hey Fred, will you get your clothes on and come down? 67:35 I remember being relieved that she shouted up to him to come down, 67:39 and that was our first win. 67:41 Hey there, sir, how are you? 67:51 So they sat and launched into their made-up story. 67:56 Somebody more recently made a complaint about an uninvestigated offense into a police officer. 68:03 This guy was suspected of a sexual assault, I guess of an acquaintance of yours back in 68:16 They had that list of names from Dana's answering machine and said they were interviewing anyone 68:21 who'd called her back then. 68:30 But before you jumped into it, there was something that you had to say. 68:34 Yeah, anytime I talk to someone I advise them that it is a crime to lie to a federal agent 68:39 So whenever we're talking just be honest, okay 68:41 so I guess the 68:44 The the complainant on this the woman by the name of Dana Beatty. Uh-huh. Did did you know her or your wife? 68:50 No, no, she was a friend of ours. It was primarily my wife's friend. Okay high school 68:55 And so what was the nature of your guys relationship? My ex 68:59 was, you know, they were like good friends, so we were over at her place sometimes, she 69:05 was over at our place sometimes, but not on a regular basis. 69:09 About 10 minutes in, the questions got more pointed. 69:13 So again, just as far as any relationship with Dana, you guys never dated or anything 69:19 like that? 69:19 No, absolutely not. 69:19 Before hand or anything? 69:21 Absolutely not. 69:21 There was never any sexual relationship between you and Dana? 69:24 Okay. 69:24 just to clarify again I believe you've answered it but there was no reason you 69:32 were not at her apartment on that day on August 1st 1989 no you didn't see her 69:37 that day Danny didn't see it didn't speak with her at all communicate with her 69:42 all that day I don't remember specifics for the specific day but no and you knew 69:47 that was a lie we knew those are all lies and that was a federal crime the 69:52 The plan was for prosecutors listening in to call when they heard enough to make an arrest. 69:57 But that phone's not ringing. 69:58 Yeah, and that was a long, a long stretch there. 70:02 So I remember texting Kelly and Julie, are we good? 70:06 Call me, call me. 70:08 And as the investigators kept the conversation going, Tanzer's wife started to get antsy. 70:14 I'm just trying to enter, you know, just feel a little bit more... 70:18 Right. 70:18 About the police officer. 70:20 Yeah. 70:21 Yeah. 70:21 But we just have to make sure. 70:23 So, but, you know, I think for us, we're feeling a little bit like what's really going on here. 70:29 That's really kind of what I'm a little confused here. 70:33 Yeah. 70:33 It feels like you're investigating me. 70:36 That's the vibe I'm getting, and not the police officer. 70:40 I just, you know, I've watched too much data line. 70:43 Does that make sense? 70:45 It does. 70:46 He did make that comment that he'd seen a lot of data line. 70:49 Um, but apparently not enough because the prosecutors had what they needed. 70:55 We said we have it. 70:56 We feel comfortable charging him today. 70:58 You can arrest him. 71:00 Go ahead and confront him with the DNA. 71:02 All right. 71:03 Well, um, Dr. Tanzer, at this point, um, I think we are going to tell you a little 71:11 bit more about what we know. 71:12 I don't believe you are being truthful with us. 71:14 I think at this point I want to get a lawyer. 71:17 Have you seen her for me? 71:19 I've seen her. 71:19 She puts her hands behind her back. 71:22 35 years after the rape of Dana Beatty, 71:26 Fred Tanzer was under arrest. 71:29 I don't know. 71:31 We've got to find a pretty lawyer. 71:33 I don't know what's going on. 71:37 Dana was in the middle of an airport waiting for her 71:39 luggage when she got the call. 71:42 We got him. 71:44 We got him. 71:46 I said, are you? 71:48 I mean, tears, you know, just coming down my face, 71:51 are you kidding me? 71:54 But it was one of the best moments of my life. 71:59 Ran to my husband, whispered in his ear, 72:02 he is under arrest, and just gave me the biggest hug. 72:07 We were just two people standing together, 72:09 shaking in the middle of an airport. 72:10 I just held her as long as she wanted to be held. 72:14 I remember just hearing my mom say, 72:19 like it worked like they got him and was really grateful I think too that they 72:27 I mean nobody in this whole thing wanted to give up. 72:30 Dana had spent 35 years fighting to get to this moment, 72:35 but for the woman hurt on that tape, Tanza's wife, a frightening new chapter was just beginning. 72:43 Something felt off. 72:44 Yes, and I couldn't remember. I kept lacking out. 72:47 Fred Tanser was finally under arrest, not for rape, but for lying about it to the FBI. 73:08 Now investigators were shifting their attention to his wife, Dawn Tanser. 73:18 I immediately just went into some sort of shock of, this isn't real. 73:25 It's just not real. 73:27 She married Fred Tanser in 2008. 73:29 A committed doctor, a man of integrity, or so she thought. 73:36 He would be the guy who would come in on a Saturday. 73:38 He would be the person who would say, I don't need that copay because what I already have 73:44 is enough. 73:46 Investigators sat down with Dawn right after her husband was arrested and they had a very 73:50 specific question. 73:51 One of the FBI agents had asked me, had I ever felt like I've been drugged or drowsy or any 74:02 of those type of things. The conversation went a bit like, no. And then they asked me a couple more 74:10 questions. And then I finally said to the FBI agent, we need to go back to that question. 74:16 You took them back. 74:17 Yeah. I need to tell you that yes, I had had an experience. 74:21 She said she first noticed it 10 years into their marriage. 74:25 I started feeling like I wasn't handling my alcohol. 74:29 Something felt off. 74:31 Yes, and I couldn't remember. I kept blacking out. 74:34 She suspected he was drugging her before sex and she confronted him. 74:39 I said I have reason to believe that you're putting things in my drink and I need you to tell me. 74:45 I need you to tell me if that's what you're doing and he did. 74:48 He admitted it. 74:49 He absolutely admitted it. 74:50 And I said, how often have you done that? 74:54 And he said 15 times. 74:56 15 times? 74:57 He's admitted that he's drugged you. 74:59 He's had sex with you without your consent. 75:03 Why did you choose to stay? 75:08 Because I thought he was going through a dark period. 75:11 And I didn't know about everything else. 75:16 And I thought that love was to stay and get help and make sure this doesn't happen again. 75:25 So you have these two women who are married to him who told remarkably similar stories. 75:30 What did you think? 75:31 I think we both felt that this was further proof that he was a serial offender. 75:37 And then there was this. 75:39 this. After Tanzer's arrest and after police searched the home, Don found some strange 75:45 items left behind on the bedroom floor. 75:48 I took a picture of them. I called the FBI H&M. 75:52 There was a restraint, a ball gag, a black hat and some zip ties. 75:59 Zip ties. What did you believe those were used for? 76:02 My concern was either he used those on Don and she was not conscious and or both 76:09 he used those on other victims. 76:12 This is Tanzer's attorney, Chris Buccio. 76:15 I mean, he had been a spectacular doctor, 76:17 not a good doctor, an award-winning doctor, 76:19 somebody who everybody respected. 76:21 You know, the great irony in all of this 76:23 is that if Tanzer had admitted what he'd done, 76:27 there would be no case. 76:28 Your question is exactly what I presented to the judge. 76:32 Think about it, if he would have just said, 76:34 you know what, I did this, I'm guilty, 76:37 He handcuffed me. 76:38 He handcuffed me now. 76:39 I couldn't have done anything." 76:41 Tanzer himself clearly knew the statute of limitations would protect him. 76:45 In fact, that's what he told Dawn on a phone call from jail when she asked if he'd ever 76:50 worried about getting caught. 76:52 I mean, you always had to know it would be a possibility, right? 76:56 No, because the statute of limitation had gone by. 76:59 How did you know that? 77:00 Well, I knew, I mean, a while ago I looked it up. 77:04 What did you look up the statue honey? I don't know. It could have been ten years ago. I don't know. I don't remember I 77:13 Hear you ask him several times like when did you look this up? I mean in your mind. Are you thinking? 77:18 You've been thinking about this. You've been watching the clock. Yeah, I just couldn't believe this was the human 77:25 That I'm now dealing with the prosecutors are very clear 77:28 They say this was not the only crime they say that he is a serial rapist 77:33 What serial rapist do you know has never been charged with raping somebody? 77:38 A successful one. 77:39 It could be, but again, you have his DNA. 77:42 DNA, he points out, that does not match any other cold case in law enforcement databases. 77:49 In September of 2025, 36 years after he raped Dana Beatty, 77:54 Fred Tanzer pleaded guilty to three counts of lying to a federal agent. 77:59 In a document submitted to the court, 78:01 Tanzer attempted an explanation. 78:04 It all started, he said, with a famous 78:06 and sexually explicit movie from the 1970s. 78:10 No, no, I don't, I don't wanna know your name. 78:13 So he, as a 14-year-old, was taken 78:17 to watch Last Tango in Paris. 78:19 After he watched that movie, he believed 78:22 that he developed abnormal sexual fantasies. 78:26 and it developed from there. 78:30 As she walked into Tansor's sentencing hearing 78:32 in January of 2026, Dana knew he was facing 78:35 a maximum sentence of 15 years. 78:39 She also knew the judge could give him less. 78:42 I am nervous, I'm terrified, however I have hope. 78:48 Dana refused to look at him in court, 78:50 but she did unload decades of pain and trauma 78:53 in her victim impact statement. 78:56 He was finally hearing your voice, 78:58 but he was cuffed on his hands and his feet. 79:01 He was bound, just like what he did to you. 79:07 Wow, I never thought about it that way, 79:09 but you're absolutely right. 79:11 Danzer made his own statement. 79:13 He apologized to Dana, adding that over the years 79:16 he had hoped she wouldn't give up her efforts to find him. 79:21 I almost wish you would have found me. 79:24 I hoped you would have found me. 79:25 All I could think about was he's saying all this to the judge 79:29 to get brownie points. 79:31 You didn't buy a word of it. 79:32 How could I? 79:33 It was manipulation. 79:35 It was narcissism. 79:36 I looked at him, I saw such a visible retro 79:39 of a human being that he wasn't worth my hate 79:41 and I didn't want to hate anymore. 79:44 The judge gave Tanzer the maximum sentence, 15 years. 79:49 Does it feel like justice? 79:51 No, but it feels like 79:54 think the best option we have. 79:58 Fred Tanser has now traded in his white doctor's coat for prison scrubs, but he still has something 80:05 to say. 80:07 Are you sitting here asking people to feel sorry for you? 80:24 Fred Tanser is now behind bars, which is where we met him. 80:30 He came into our interview trying to tell us how it was going to go. 80:35 If we're not keeping this within the scope of what I was convicted of, then I'm not going 80:41 to do this. 80:43 We didn't agree. 80:44 I'm going to ask you some questions. 80:46 You can choose how you answer them, whether you answer them. 80:49 And he stayed put. 80:51 And we started talking. 80:52 And to be clear, you do not deny that you raped Dana Beatty. 80:55 What reason could you possibly have for this? 80:58 So, there is no reason that possibly have, and I'm working on the why. 81:06 He talked about that movie, he says, affected him as a teen, last tango in Paris. 81:12 That's where the rape fantasy started. 81:16 Just listening to you say that, millions of people saw that movie, certainly millions 81:20 of people didn't go on to become rapists. 81:22 It feels like a flimsy explanation. 81:25 So there's aren't millions of 14-year-olds that saw that movie and like I said, it's just the way it affected me.
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