Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Sarah Dunsey’s rescue brings hope for others

Episode Date: February 20, 2017

Sarah Dunsey’s rescue brings renewed hope for the families of women missing in southern California. The FBI found Dunsey in Venice, California, a month after she disappeared from Las Vegas. Nancy Grace speaks with the mother of Elaine Park, a 20-year-old Glendale, California, woman who disappeared after a movie date. Her car was found near a beach in Malibu three days later. The boyfriend said Elaine left his home suddenly after awakening with a panic attack. Elaine’s mom questions that story. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. January 15th, our daughter Sarah Dunsey was abducted from Las Vegas, Nevada. She's being held against her will and Sarah is a victim of sex trafficking. 17-year-old Sarah Dunsey has been found in Southern California. She went missing while on a trip with friends in Las Vegas. This is Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Her family said she was found by the FBI at a home in the Los Angeles area, that she was treated at a hospital and two men have been arrested. Sarah Barra, this message is for you. I want you to fight because I need you.

All of us need you. The world needs you, so fight, okay? We're coming to get you. A teen girl snatched from a Las Vegas casino hotel leaves a mystery text. If you don't see me alive, her mother takes to the internet begging for help. Tonight, a bombshell. The teen girl, Sarah Duncy, has been found. After our podcast goes to air, Sarah Duncy has been found after our podcast goes to air. Sarah Duncy has been found.

Welcome to Crime Stories. I'm Nancy Grace and I want to thank you for being with us. It is so rare we get to say this, that a missing child has been found alive. True, she's been taken to the hospital, but she is alive and in custody tonight are two adult men. Listen to what her mom posted. On January 15th, our daughter Sarah Dunsey was abducted from Las Vegas, Nevada. She's being held against her will and Sarah is a victim of sex trafficking. This is my absolute worst nightmare.

We need Sarah home. We have to have her home. I cannot wonder where she is and if she's safe. Please help us find her. Sarah Barra, this message is for you. I want you to fight because I need you. All of us need you. The world needs you, so fight, okay? We're coming to get you. The world needs you, so fight, okay? We're coming to get

you. That's it. The mother of this teen girl beside herself thanking the public, thanking everyone, quote, thank you for helping my baby girl come home. The mom thanking supporters

as FBI now are questioning two men found with the girl a full month after she was snatched from a casino to be, quote, sexually trafficked. It is a life of pure hell. And very typically, once a girl, a child, girl or boy, teen, is taken for sex trafficking, they end up dead. They don't make it out alive. They are used and used and used in a living hell until they're killed. This family from Logan, Utah, is convinced their daughter was sexually trafficked. Joining me right now, Alan Duke. Alan, how was she convinced their daughter was sexually trafficked. Joining me right now,

Alan Duke. Alan, how was she found and where was she found? She was found in Venice, California. Of course, that's the beach area in Los Angeles County, a pretty grimy, seedy place in some parts, but then a high-end tourist place too. It's where a lot of homeless people gather, and it's the famous boardwalk. That's where she was found. How did she get from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to there? The FBI is investigating. But right now, and I've been talking with the family, the family's been asked, don't tell the media what happened yet.

We still need to get more investigation done. They're not even telling us who they've arrested or what they've been charged with. Well, I know it's two men. The mom says, I prayed and prayed that you would come and you came. That is what she's posting. This girl is alive. And tonight we can really just praise God that this girl has been found. She was found far, far away from home. What it's leading me to, not only is the thanks that she's been found alive, but the questions about the other girls, the other women we've been reporting on that have gone missing in the same general area. Right now, I want to talk about Elaine Park. What do we know about this girl?

She's a 20-year-old girl, and her mother is absolutely beside herself, a 20-year-old Glendale girl. What do we know about Elaine, and why does this seem eerily similar? She is from Glendale, California, an LA suburb. She went missing after going to her boyfriend's house in the Calabasas area one weekend. And a couple of days later, her family realized she was missing. They couldn't find her. They couldn't get her to answer her cell phone. So they went to the police in Glendale. Finally, what happened was her car was found parked on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, not that far from Calabasas. It was near

Coral Canyon. And in the car, I believe, were her personal belongings, her phone and keys were still inside. She is a Korean American girl. She is American, 5'6", just 125 pounds. She's got long brown hair and blonde on the tips. She's a gorgeous young girl, and joining us now is her mother. Before we go out to Elaine's mom, Susan Parks, I want to thank our sponsor, SimpliSafe, for being with us and allowing us to speak to Elaine's mom and to broadcast our podcast. SimpliSafe is simply awesome. And I'll tell you why. A lot of people don't even try to get home security because they think they can't afford it. Why should some people have home security and other people don't because they can't afford it? That's not right.

I have home security. My mom has home security. Why? Because I want peace of mind when my children are here. I have it on when I'm home. I have it on when I'm gone, especially when they're home with me and at night. And what's so great about SimpliSafe, it's $14.99 a month. If you go online to simplisafe.com slash Nancy, you get another 10% off. SimpliSafe, thank you for sponsoring our program tonight. Everyone with me is Susan Parks, Ms. Park again. I'm trying to understand how Elaine went missing.

And why did it take a day or two before everyone realized she was gone? Well, Friday afternoon she asked me to borrow $20. And we have a little money thing going on where she asked me quick pay. I gave her $20. I asked her to pay me back. And, you know, it's like a managing money strategy I'm trying to teach her. So she said, yeah, I'll pay you back Friday night after my dad gives me spending money. So that's fine. That'll be around six o'clock. So she texted me about that. And then seven o'clock comes and she has not,

you know, responded or said anything at six. So at seven o'clock, I text her about it, and she says at 9 o'clock, she texts me and saying, oh, give me until later tonight. So I said, you know, keep your word. You know, as a mom, I was, like, saying a couple things. That was it. Then she didn't come home. Then on Saturday, 1041, text her. She didn't respond.

So I called her, and two times it rang. And then after that, the phone died. Then it went straight to voice message. So I'm thinking, well, that's really strange because she usually are good about paying me back and she has not responded or called and then the phone is dead. The reason why I did not think of much because in the past she would pack her bags and makeup and she would go away for a couple days, two, three days or two days and she just appears and we don't have a traditional or affectionate mother-daughter relationship. She's 20 years old. We live in the same household, but she always wants me to leave her alone. And she just closes the door. She doesn't want me to

come into her room. Every time I try to pick up her hair or sweep her hair, she would say, why are you sneaking around? Don't come to my room. So I learned to leave her alone. So I'm thinking, well, she'll be back. And then Saturday evening, I called her. The phone kept, it was off. All day it was off. So now I'm starting to think something is wrong. Sunday afternoon, she still didn't come home and her phone was still off all day, all night. So I'm thinking, all right, so something definitely is wrong. Sunday, I called the police department to look into filing missing persons report but they say oh she's 20 years old so we don't take this critical we take

it as a volunteer so why don't you know she is anything missing so yeah i should her duffel bag is missing her makeup is missing so they didn't take it too seriously. So I'm thinking, well, let's give it one more night. So Monday came, and that's when I finally said, okay, I have to do something. Something is not right. Have Elaine's credit cards, her ATM, any of that been used since she went missing? Her driver's license was in the car. She doesn't have a credit card, but the driver's license was there. Friday afternoon, she purchased gas near my house. That was the last transaction. Has she tried to contact you in any way? Last time I got text from her around 9 o'clock Friday was when she said,

give me until later tonight to give me the $20. That's the last time she texted me. What are police telling you now about her disappearance? They're puzzled. They don't know what else to do. They're just waiting for leads. They just went to, that's all there is. They're just sitting back.

What do you think happened? I thought it might be suicide at first because of our bad relationship and she was not happy at home. She was not loved as traditional parents would. I'm Asian, I'm Korean. All her friends are American friends. She must have compared American friends' parents towards their daughter against my relationship with her because I'm not lovey-dovey, I love you, affectionate. So I felt like that had impact and she was, for her being unhappy. But then like, why would, I thought, why would she, that's what I thought

at first. But then as time goes by, I feel adoption, I feel trafficking. Ms. Park, this is Alan Duke. I know you talked to your daughter's boyfriend. Apparently, he was the last known person to see her at his home in Calabasas, just a few miles away from where her car was found three days later. What did he tell you about that night? We came home on the 28th, and then all of a sudden she woke up at like 4 o'clock or something, singing and shaking, and she looked like she had a panic attack. I asked her not to go, but she dressed so fast, and she just left. And you've told me the police gave you security camera video from the boyfriend's home that shows your daughter apparently leaving the house that next morning. At 6.05 a.m., my daughter, only by herself, she was exiting.

She was going towards her car from 6.01 to 6.05, and that's when she finally came out. And that was cut off. At that 6.05, immediately when she got out, the footage was cut off. Then a separate DVD of Community One, there was only one footage of her leaving, not her leaving, the vehicle leaving on January 28th at 7.14 a.m. The car just driving off is totally black, dark, and only the license plate you could see. I know that that is her license plate number. And where is the one hour?

So you see her leaving about 6.05 a.m., but her car is not seen driving out of the community gate until after 7. Exactly. And we don't know who the driver is. As far as I know, what my concern is maybe the body is inside there in the car. I don't know. I don't know. There's no answer to it because I can't see.

And why did it take one hour for her to leave? Ma'am, you have got to know that we are praying for and thanking of Elaine and doing everything we know within our power to help bring her home. Everyone, we are talking to the mom of Elaine Park, who is missing, a gorgeous young girl out of Glendale, California. If you could reach her right now, if she were listening to our voices, what would you tell her? I just want a second chance with her. If you're listening out there, I'm sorry for not loving you as much as other girls that you see

I want our home safe you know I do love you very very much I'm lacking expressions and all I wanted to do is discipline you in traditional Korean way and that's my fault and I just want a second chance with Elaine my daughter and I want to love her no matter what, unconditional love. I want to help you, Elaine, if you're into any kind of trouble.

I want to help you. Please come home safe. We all love you. The whole community wants you back safe. We're doing all our best 24-7, practically putting out flyers searching for any clues anything we're doing everything in our power they're helping me pull together to look for you we all want you back safe we all love you elaine i love you very much and I'm sorry I didn't say it enough. Please come home safe. I know this is a tough question, but do you think your girl

is still alive? I don't know. I don't know. She's a very smart girl and I know she'll find somehow, some way, if she's alive, escape, fight, use her intelligence to get out and get help. But if trafficking, I heard that if you drug the girl and threaten their lives or family's lives, they're trapped somehow, especially when it's drugged. So I'm confused. People are giving me hope,

but I'm confused. I don't know if she's alive. I don't know. People are trying to keep me up hope, but it's fading out and it's one way or the other. I want her back. I want her back. I need to have her back. I need to find her. I want to thank you so much for being with us, ma'am. And again, our prayers go on for Elaine. Again, thank you, Simply Safe, for sponsoring our podcast. A great feature of Simply Safe, when I was telling my mom's backstore neighbor about Simply Safe,

she's a widow. Her husband passed away several years ago. She said, well, even if I had it, I couldn't install it. That's not true. That is not true. I really believe my daughter or son, who are nine years old, could do it. But if you go online, they've got a little video tutorial. It is so easy to install.

Simply say thank you for making home security possible for so many people. Again, with Elaine, the tip line is 818-548-4911. Repeat for Elaine Park from Glendale. The tip line is 818-548-4911. I know it must be so painful for Elaine's mom to stand by and see Sarah come home alive while she's still looking for her girl. Happiness for Sarah's family and the pain that she's still living with, with her daughter still missing. You know, the discovery of Sarah alive, far from home, but alive, has renewed hope for so many families, Alan. Yes, you know, we talked to these moms and, and aunts and brothers and sisters, and it's so heartbreaking. But the case of Sarah Dunsey, the way that it has turned out, and that she is now

back with her family has given these others hope I heard from the friends, the people who want to find Maricela Garcia, and they're hoping that what the FBI and the LAPD learn in this case may help them find Maricela. Everyone, happiness, relief for Sarah Dunsey's family tonight. But our search for the other missing girls goes on. Nancy Grace, Crime Stories, signing off. I want to thank you for being with us. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.