Dateline NBC - Heart of Darkness

Episode Date: February 10, 2020

In this Dateline classic, a man in Virginia learns that his wife and son have been kidnapped by a group of international terrorists demanding millions in ransom while on vacation in the Philippines. With time running out, the FBI joins the case, which comes to a heart-stopping conclusion. Keith Morrison reports. Originally aired on NBC on May 28, 2017.

I just can't imagine to be held in captivity. Dad, just send the money. That's all I want. They have an American kid, a 14-year-old kid, in the middle of the jungle. They're thinking they hit the jackpot. They were vacationers turned prisoners, a mother and son kidnapped by terrorists. We need $10 million for the release of your family. $10 million for me. Are you losing your mind?

Tonight, you're inside this harrowing hostage drama. This is a big operation. This is not just this ragtag group of people. Anything can happen. There are no guarantees. Can a father-turned-negotiator help bring them home? We prepared him for the worst. I'm getting worried. I'm getting so worried.

A lot of people were praying for them. A lot of people were. I'm Lester Holt, and this is Dateline. Here's Keith Morrison with Heart of Darkness. They lay in wait, unseen, under a thick green canopy, armed to the teeth, immersed in their defiant extremist belief, hunting, stalking, deadly, in this particular heart of darkness.

It was the summer of 2011, a jungle-clad island in the southern tip of the Philippines, where they prepared the place. And the news of the terrible deed committed here flashed halfway around the world and came crashing down out of nowhere on a modest working-class family in Lynchburg, Virginia. I got a phone call from my mother. The first thing she said was, Jerfa and Kevin were kidnapped in the Philippines. Kidnapped? Sherry Hunter tried to wrap her head around the inconceivable. Jerfa was her aunt.

Kevin, Jerfa's 14-year-old son. They were due home from a Philippine vacation. Instead, they were in the clutches of something horrific. I felt like I was in a dream, like it wasn't real. I just was thinking, what? Jerfa's husband, Heiko Lundsman, had stayed behind in Lynchburg and was at work when he heard.

He must have been terrified. Yes. It was impossible to think about it, but pictures don't lie. They didn't. There they were on Philippine television. Incomprehensible images. Jerfa and Kevin's passports, their half-packed suitcases. The stricken relatives they'd been visiting on Tikdaban, a small island at the tip of the

southern Philippines. Jerfa, Kevin, and one of Jerfa's young cousins, said the news reports, kidnapped by boat in the dead of night. And we're thinking, no, that doesn't happen to us. Well, nobody thinks it's going to happen to us, right? Yeah, but my wife's heart is in the Philippines. That's her family. Jerfa was born in the Philippines, but always felt safe there. Her older sister married a U.S. Navy sailor and moved to America in 1985,

brought then 16-year-old Jerfa with her, hoping to give her a chance at a better life. She was so excited about the opportunity. I remember she worked at Little Caesar's Pizza, and that was the greatest thing, to get a job. She had a son, Josh, went back to community college to improve herself, and there she met a German immigrant named Heiko. And from then on, that was it. They were a family. She became a lab technician, Heiko a maintenance man. They bought a house in the leafy neighborhood of Lynchburg, Virginia, and had Kevin. And the

immigrant's son became an all-American kid. He was 14 that summer of 2011, smart, studious, and looking forward to the start of high school in the fall. He's this normal American kid who likes pizza and hot dogs and burgers, hang out with his friends, play video games, ride on his skateboard. They lived frugally, saved their money, which is how, eventually, Heiko could afford his used Mercedes sports car and Jerfa and Kevin that vacation trip to the Philippines. Life was good, but now it was very bad indeed. When I first heard they were kidnapped, the first thing that came to my mind was,

oh my gosh, it's Abu Sayyaf. Abu Sayyaf, a small but extremely violent militant group. Over the years, it claimed affiliation first with Al-Qaeda, then ISIS, as it fought to establish an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Its bread and butter in its fight against the government? Kidnap for ransom. Abu Sayyaf had taken American hostages before.

Some were released eventually, but some were beheaded. Haika was frantic, had no idea what to do, where to turn. And then that very day, the cavalry came riding in. My boss from work called, come on over to work, the FBI is here for you. What was it like to hear the FBI was actually paying attention to this? It is really real now. This is the real scene. We never know how families are going to react, obviously, but almost in every case, they're in a state of crisis.

Mark Thundercloud was the leader of a special FBI hostage negotiating unit formed precisely for an emergency like this. More than a dozen agents descended on the Lunsman house, covered the windows, set up a surveillance system in Heiko's kitchen, and got ready for what they knew was coming, a demand for ransom. He's negotiating, really, with someone who's selling his family. The FBI told me so that my wife and son are merchandise for them. That's kind of hard to hear. Yes. We try to be very transparent with the families in these cases,

and we try to prepare them as best as we can. Did you prepare Heiko for the possibility they would be executed? Yeah, we prepared him for the worst. Now there was nothing else to do, except wait. And then... the phone rang. Hello? Hello?

Yes. This is Longistan from the Philippines. Is it Mr. El Kulansman? A terrorist on the line. When we come back, the life and death negotiations begin. We need 10 million US dollars for the release of your family. 10 million for me? Are you losing your mind? Chad! We need you for the money. I'm getting bored. I'm getting so worried.

Is it Mr. Elko Lanzman? Yes, that's me. Okay, we would like to inform you that your family is here with us under our custody. Two days after his wife and child were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines, Heiko Lanzman got his first ransom call. On the phone, a man who called himself Mr. So. He called me Mr. Lundsman

and I said, I want to know what I can call you. I don't want to call you a kidnapper, a terrorist. Just give me a name. Mr. So was calm, businesslike, like he'd done it a hundred times before. In fact, he was the voice for a violent separatist group known for executing prisoners.

Beheadings, usually. We would like to tell you that we need 10 million US dollars for the release of your family. Can you hear me? And I just was thinking, are you losing your mind? Who do you think you are? Just couldn't believe it. $10 million for me. Why would they think Heiko had $10 million?

Perhaps they'd watch the internet. In Lynchburg, the kidnapping was big news. TV crews set up shop across the street and captured Heiko driving his used Mercedes coupe. There you are in your fancy car. Yes. You must be worth millions. That was a wrong, wrong impression. I'm not a rich person, but I will give it ever I can get together. Okay. I got what we need. We need billion new dollars for the release of your family. Okay?

Heiko was lucky in this. When Mr. So made his demands, some of the most experienced FBI hostage negotiators in the country were right there, listening in, ready to point out the right way for Heiko to respond. Literally. These are for general visual prompts that we want Heiko to think about. We have other questions relating to Kevin and Jerfa that we think are important for Heiko to consider. And what we're doing then, we're going to write

notes down and pass them to Heiko. He would read it and then hopefully introduce it to the conversation. Where's my wife? Can I talk to her? She's okay. Where's my son? Yeah, no, your son. Can I talk to them? I want to know if they're okay. Mr. So didn't say. Meanwhile, FBI agents in the Philippines were working sources on the ground. Word was that Jerfa and Kevin had been taken to one of Abu Sayyaf's strongholds, Basilan, a large island about four hours by boat from where they'd been kidnapped, to a base camp deep in what was nearly impenetrable jungle. We traveled to Basilan to talk with the politicians there. They may have had some influence over this group.

Aiko had the FBI to help, but government money? No. to talk with the politicians there. They may have had some influence over this group. Heiko had the FBI to help, but government money? No. So you don't pay ransom? The government doesn't pay ransoms. Right. Any decisions that are made regarding ransoms are really made by the family. But it was actually, to me, no choice. I know I want to pay something just to make sure they're safe. The week after the kidnapping, Heiko wired a ransom payment, close to $5,000, to a bank account in the Philippines.

I'm forsinking it. I pay some money and it's over. But it started wanting more and more and more. More weeks went by. Mr. So reduced his demands from $10 million to $2 million, then $1 million. Still impossible, of course. So the kidnappers turned up the heat. They put Kevin on the line.

Chad. Yeah. How are you doing over there? I'm there. We need you to send the money. I know that and I'm ready, but all I have will be a little sandal. Dad. Dad, just send the money. That's all I want.

Heiko maxed out his credit cards, borrowed money from whomever he could, but it never seemed to be enough. As the incident grows from weeks into months, we end up with so many boards that we have to work our way down this hallway. Daniel Gersh was one of the hostage negotiators assigned to guide Heiko. And it gets to the point where we don't think that we're making progress. Heiko feels like we're not making progress. I just think you just hope that's all that you have, hope. But hope was hard to hang on to.

The kidnappers kept threatening beheadings. Even worse, they put Jerfa on the phone and beat her while she talked to Heiko. Sweetheart, what you doing over there? I know, honey, I'm just so... Just tell him I don't have a million. A few seconds later, the line went dead. How are you doing, Jeff? I'm getting worried. I'm getting so worried. A few seconds later, the line went dead. Oh, my God. I'm smoking a cigarette or I'm going to... Heiko, you need to be ready.

The frustration must be pretty intense. Frustration was immense. If he's not calm, then our hostage takers aren't going to be calm. So oftentimes I would have to tell Heiko to, you know, be quiet, let the hostage takers speak, and then we would have a chance to respond. And then what? How long before they tired of the game and killed the two great loves of his life? I've worked these cases that will last years instead of months.

I was thinking, no, I'm not making it for years. I mean, there's no way. Heiko didn't have to wait that long. Three months after Jerfa and Kevin were taken, there was a very different phone call. And for Heiko, it was terrifying. Coming up. She called me really, really sad and crying. I felt her dark place, being a mother myself, and it was awful. When Dateline continues. It had been three months since an Islamic paramilitary group had kidnapped Heiko Lundsman's wife and son.

He'd already sent the kidnappers more than $20,000, a fortune for him. And then the phone rang again. And it wasn't Mr. So. Instead, well, even veteran FBI agent Dan Gersh was astonished. We received that tremendous news that Jerfa was released. Obviously, Heiko's very excited. I could see and hear just joy, joy. Heiko could scarcely believe it as the news flashed across the Philippines and to Lynchburg, Virginia. His wife, Jerpha, was alive and free and safe. So, inexpressible joy. And then Jerpha called him, and Heiko realized the nightmare was just beginning.

She called me really, really sad and crying. So my first question to her was, who is Kevin? He could hear the terror in her voice. Abu Sayyaf still had Kevin and her cousin. They could kill them at any time they wanted. And I felt her dark place, just being a mother myself. And it was awful. And before long, her terror deepened. When she learned her cousin got out too,

which meant that there in that awful place, her 14-year-old son, no one left to protect him, was all alone. I remember seeing that picture of her that was in the news, and she just looked so sad. Like, she just looked so sad and helpless. This is Jerfa. And here, even five years later, the memory is brutal. We brought her back here to the Philippines and asked her to tell us her story. The story that began at two o'clock in the morning, at the end of a happy family reunion,

on a beach just about like this one. It does take you back. You know, you can hear the water, the waves. You can feel the wind. You see the evening sky, the stars. It was a beautiful thing. It was a beautiful morning. Suddenly, I saw from the left side It was a beautiful thing. It was a beautiful morning.

Suddenly, I saw from the left side two men running really fast, like on the sand, with some kind of rifle. My first impression, it was some kind of robbery. I screamed for help. I was terrified. I've never screamed that loud in my life. Jerfa rushed back to her hut, grabbed Kevin. Together, they ran toward the beach. But they didn't get far. In an instant, they were surrounded by several armed men in military fatigues.

Kevin was looking at me. He was in front of me. And when suddenly someone kicked him from behind, that violence right there, they were rough right away. It's like, why did they kick my son? A motorboat suddenly appeared. The men pushed Kevin and Jerpha into it, shocked and frightened. Jerpha looked up to see her cousin, not quite 22 years old and the father of a newborn, holding onto the boat, trying to prevent it from leaving. He didn't care about his safety. He didn't care about his life.

And he was begging him, begging him to let him in. He said, this is my family. I want to be with them. My fate will be the same. Though they took her cousin, too, Jerfa watched the shore disappear into the darkness. In a matter of a moment, you went from a feeling of incredible peace to the worst nightmare you could ever imagine.

Chaos. Complete chaos. And you try to control yourself, trying to stay calm. And how do you do that? It was early morning, right after sunrise, when they arrived at an island. They were made to sit hidden in the mangroves. Take me, Jerfa pleaded with the kidnappers. Let the boys go. But in response,

one of the men raised his machete. He looked at me and he said, did you want me to cut your son's, your infidel son's head? Behead him. Behead him. I knew right then it was religious. Yeah, so these guys are fanatics. It's more serious.

This is more hostile. You could see the hatred in their eyes? I've never seen so much hate. Jerfa had heard about Abu Sayyaf and their kidnappings, but she never thought for a moment that she could be a target. So we sat there just shaking, and I couldn't stop it. The fear of death is so strong. We were surrounded by this armed man. There was no rescue. There was no sign of rescue. We were on our own. Night came. They were prodded at gunpoint to their feet and into the jungle, and its own particular darkness.

I constantly followed Kevin. The minute he's like three feet away from me, he's gone. It's like he's gone in the dark. And then a light, just a flash really, a car in the distance. The kidnappers seemed terrified by it, and Jerpha was gripped by a fear more terrible than any in her life. Immediately, someone stood really close to Kevin, and I saw that silver rifle, the tip of it,

just went close to his forehead. And at that point, I just realized, I was like, oh my gosh, I might lose my son that night. Coming up, were you ready to die? I was ready. I said, Lord, thank you for the beautiful family you gave me. I said, if you want me to come home, I'm ready. In the dark of a Philippine jungle, surrounded by men with hate in their eyes, Jerphil Lunsman looked terrified at her 14-year-old son.

An approaching car had put the kidnappers on alert, and now one of them held an automatic rifle to Kevin's head. I just said, don't move, son, while my entire body was frozen. And then the car passed, and they kept walking. And several hours later, they arrived at Abu Sayyaf's base camp. And this is where they were brought, to a cage in the jungle. Not this cage, we actually built this one,

but to the exact specifications given to us by Jerfa. Five feet by five feet, some old broken boards for a floor, jungle sticks lashed together with bark. No roof, no protection from the elements, but a cage as secure as any cage in any prison. There were guard tents on either side of the cage, a sniper on a hill above watching them. And right beside the cage, a seemingly bottomless cliff planted with landmines, said their captors.

I know you'd been walking for like 36 hours or something. How did you feel? Well, exhausted physically, spiritually, mentally. And then they present you with this. Exhausted, and you see this piece of crap. And this guy told us, get in. And you want to resist. You want to fight it.

Because you know you're not an animal. This is Jerfa's cousin, the young man who forced the kidnappers to take him so he could protect her and Kevin. He takes the shorter place here. I will sleep here, and Kevin will take the longest area of the cage because he is taller. We cannot move. We take one spot, and that's it. They sat in silence, forbidden to speak. They were, bit by bit, starved, fed a little rice and dried fish, a single plate per day to share.

And then one night, about a week after they'd been taken hostage, the group's leader told Jerfa about the price Abu Sayyaf had put on her head, that 10 million they demanded from Heiko. I felt like my whole body just collapsed. I knew if I cannot convince him that I don't have that money, I will never see my family again. So I look up toward heaven, and there was this one star just blinking. I pointed at the star, this one star up in that sky and I told them to if they can get that star my husband can give them $10 million.

Jerfan knew Heiko would have sent all the money they had even as the kidnappers squeezed him by putting his terrified son on the phone. Dad, just send the money. That's all I want. Heiko didn't realize that the kidnappers were beating Kevin as he spoke. Jericho was forced to watch, helpless, full of rage.

He got hurt from head to toes, even though he fell on the ground. They continued to abuse him. But all he was doing, it was just listening to his dad. Because that was the safety zone. Jerfa's cousin threw himself on Kevin, tried to shield him. What I want is to hug Kevin, protect him, and I want to take the beating. But they tried to keep me away from Kevin. I cannot fight back. When it was over, Kevin and Jerfa were forced back into the cage, battered and horrified.

And there was her cousin, lying in the corner, crying. So we were just like rubbing his back, trying to console him, because it was just three of us. No one cared about our feelings, how hurt we are. The world was not there for us. No one was there. And if no one was coming to rescue them, well, then they had no choice.

They had to try to escape, come what may, down that cliff. Then, two months into their captivity, the moment came. Gunfire pierced the silence. The kidnappers grabbed their weapons and ran toward the front of the camp.

And the captives, impulse in unison, squeezed through the cage and slid off the edge of the cliff. There was no time to think what happened. No, we got to go now. Down a slope like that. Yeah, we're trying to get... Head first.

Yes, head first, holding on to the roots and the bushes. But then they heard a shout. One of their kidnappers had seen them. Many were screaming, they're escaping, they're escaping, they're getting away. And by the time I got a look again, they all lined up. It's like, really, I cannot believe they caught us.

We marched back into that cage. That tiny little cage, which must have felt like a tomb to you. We know we're going to die in that cage. But their captors were on edge for a reason. This is NBC News footage of military exercises

on the coast of Basilan that September of 2011, about two months into Jerfa's ordeal. The Philippine military, supported by American advisers, was launching an offensive against Abu Sayyaf, which in turn became so nervous, they decided to move Kevin, Jerfa, and her cousin out of that cage and into a windowless room in a farmhouse about a day's hike away. And then, one of them pulled Jerfa from their cell.

They were taking her away. And at that point, I was like, oh my God, they're going to separate me from my cell. They were taking her away. And at that point, I was like, oh my God, they're gonna separate me from my son. They told her she'd be back the next day, but she was convinced her time was up, that she was about to be executed. Were you ready to die? I was ready.

I said, Lord, thank you for the beautiful family you gave me. I said, if you want me to come home, I'm ready. But I want you to let these two boys guide them out of that jungle. It's in your hand now. They put Jerpha on a boat with a bag over her body. But to her complete surprise, they didn't kill her. Instead, they dropped her off on a footbridge near a village

and told her they'd be in touch soon. They started to disappear in the dark ocean. And I knew right then that my connection to Kevin is gone. It was worse than being in prison. There was no freedom for me. She got in touch with the Philippine military, was evacuated to Manila, the Philippines' capital. Back in Lynchburg, lead FBI negotiator Mark Thundercloud

thought he knew why the kidnappers released Jerfa. Their intent was to let her go to help raise more money. Now she's out, and now she's got to talk to these people. Someone needs to be there with her. Heiko decided he should stay in Lynchburg, try to find the money, and Mark Thundercloud moved his operations from the family's kitchen to a hotel room in Manila.

And there, as one month passed and then another, they tried to help Jerfa deal with Mr. So. December 6th was the last day that we talked with Mr. So. Basically, he was saying, look, what you're offering is not enough. This might be the last communication that we ever have. We still expected calls, but on the 7th, nothing. On the 8th, nothing. On the 9th, nothing. Oh, they would hear what happened to Kevin soon enough. A shock in waiting. Coming up.

When I opened the door, everybody was looking at me so quiet. I was like, oh, something happened. Something happened to Kevin. When Dateline Continues. On the night of December 2011, Heiko Lundsman sat in his barren kitchen in a sinkhole of despair. His FBI friends with their notes and equipment were long gone, in a Manila hotel room now with his wife, who had no news about Kevin at all. It's just a terrible feeling. You're feeling helpless, totally helpless, useless. And they're sitting here and hope the best.

That very day, halfway around the world, Jertha got word that the FBI wanted to see her immediately. She rushed to the hotel room. When I opened the door, everybody was looking at me so quiet, just stare at me. It was like, oh, something happened. Something happened to Kevin. An FBI agent was holding a phone. On the line, the mayor of a small town on Basilan Island. It's for you, the agent told Jerfa.

The mayor said, Mrs. Lundsman. I was like, yeah? Kevin is out. And I said, what? What? It was just like chaos after that. And then when I talked to him, I said, Kevin, hi, Mom, this is Kevin. You know, he just sounds so good. He was just so beautiful. Sounds like my son.

It's my son. Kevin was free. But how? That's the craziest turn in my life, probably probably I didn't think it was ever going to happen Here he is, Kevin Lunsman And this is his amazing story Which began a moment before the kidnappers took his mom away When she leaned forward and whispered in his ear

I remember her words exactly, she said You have to get home to your father. You have to get back home. And it made me realize that she might be thinking that she may not make it tonight. That she might be being taken away to being killed. Yes. I just wanted to cry.

And I didn't want to lose her. Soon after that, they took his cousin away, too. After he left, I was alone. There was nothing more. It was just me. Fourteen years old, all alone, in that dark room in the jungle. When he finally slept, he had a dream. We're in a two-story house, and I turn to my side, and my mother's there, and my cousin's

there, and then all of a sudden a barrage of bullets goes through the walls. All these bullets are flying through, and yet we're not getting hit. All of a sudden, I turn around, and my mother's gone, and my cousin's gone, and the barrage of bullets has stopped. Everything has

ceased, and I justja bulls have stopped. Everything has ceased. And I just realized I'm alone again. Even in my dream, I was alone. He woke up, remembered his mother's words, get home to your dad, and he made a choice. I was going to get home, one way or another. How the heck would you do that? I was still unclear about myself. I just had to wait. Maybe one day they'd get careless. You'd escape? Yes. Bit by bit, he prepared.

Physically, I tried to maintain. I tried to get as much food as I could when they'd give it to me. Sometimes do sit-ups, push-ups, because if I ever did have to run, I'd have to be somewhat in shape. And then he had an idea. The kidnappers allowed him to wash his clothes and hang them to dry on a line outside the house. Maybe if they were distracted somehow, he could make a run for it, get to the ocean, catch a boat to the mainland.

Wishful thinking, of course. He was guarded around the clock. But then, one morning, almost six months after he was taken hostage... I woke up in the morning and I could hear no sounds whatsoever. I looked at the trails and I couldn't see anyone walking around. And it was sort of like a lightbulb moment. This might be it. He washed his clothes, hung them up, eyes darting, two little voices

working in his mind. One that was saying you should run, another one saying you should stay. One was terrified, the other one knew what was waiting for me out there was much better, my own freedom. I proceeded to walk to the edge of the house and I looked at the creek and around the side and I could see no one. Nothing, no movement. And after that, I just bolted. Kevin knew, as many 14-year-olds do, that water obliterates footprints, might hide his route of escape. And so, with his heart pounding and his ears straining for the sounds of pursuers, he picked his way down the creek bed and into the jungle.

And then he heard it. The bird call. It wasn't just a bird. This was more of like an alert call that the terrorists used to communicate with another. So I knew that the signal had been put up that I had escaped. What did that do to you? As soon as I

heard it, I knew I had to get out as fast as I could. I had to run. I guess it's one of those moments in life where you either grow up and deal with it or you decide to give up and stay a little boy. Those are my two choices. Are you going to panic or are you going to man up

and are you going to try and get out of here? And I chose option two. And so he ran all day into the thick black of a jungle night, his feet raw, his clothes ripped by unseen hazards, bloodied now by a thousand thorns that tore into his flesh. No matter if it was marsh, brush, thick thorns, anything, I would get through it at any cost.

Even if it cost me my life, at least I tried. Good morning, exhausted, he searched for a hiding place so inhospitable his pursuers wouldn't think to look there. And he fell asleep in a mosquito-infested swamp. And when the sun rose and he opened his eyes... I remember waking up and not smelling the aroma of the coffee that they had brewed or maybe the types of food like fried rice. I didn't smell any of that.

I smelled fresh air. I smelled freedom. At least for the moment. But where was he? At a point, I couldn't keep going through brush because I didn't know my exact location. I had to keep walking. And possibly get on the road,

maybe I can find a different way. But there was danger because people might see you out here. People might see me, yes. Well, on this island, you don't know who's with them and who's not, right? Right. But it was a risk he had to take and soon regretted. Walking down the road, he heard a voice behind him. A man was approaching.

And he had a rifle. Coming up... I had escaped and walked through all of that terrain, and it was for nothing. He could take you away, take you back to those guys. I froze and one long night, Kevin Lundsman could practically feel his captor's breath on his neck. There are guns in his back as he ran and somehow eluded them.

All my clothes were almost covered in mud, black, blood, everything. My hair was ruffled. I smelt terrible. I probably had over a hundred or more lacerations on my body. I had blood all over my arms as well, so I didn't look too good. And then he took that one necessary risk, emerged to a public road, and there it was. The end. Clearly, a local on this Abu Sayyaf-infested

island. And he had a very big gun. I thought that that was, um, it was all over. I had escaped and walked through all of that terrain, and it was for nothing. They had found me, and they were going to bring me back. And then the man spoke, and the words startled Kevin. He was for nothing. They had found me and they were going to bring me back. And then the man spoke.

And the words startled Kevin. He was speaking English. And he was asking, do you need help? You know, were you kidnapped? And I froze at that question again. And I just thought, is this it? Should I just tell him? He could go either way still.

He could take you away, take you back to those guys. Right. And I knew those risks. But at this point, I felt like I was going to put my trust in him. So how did he react? He proceeded to say, I'm going to get you out of here. I'm going to get you home. And my name's Kenny.

I'm here to help. My name's Kenny? My name's Kenny, like Kenny Rogers. That's exactly what he said. And it gave me a laugh. It was actually one of the first laughs I had in a long time. Kenny got in touch with the mayor of a nearby village. The mayor called the Philippine Army, and the army arrived in Humvees. It seemed like hundreds of them. And I was just like, this is all for me. And I just couldn't believe it.

I realized that I'm really going to see my family again. I am going to see my friends. I'm going to have my life back. But would he have his mom? For months, Kevin had been grieving, afraid she'd been executed by the militants. But then the mayor gave him the phone and Kevin heard a familiar voice. Hey, mom, is that really you? I had no clue for months what happened to you. Once I heard her voice, I knew that was her, and I think at that point I felt alive again. There was a color in my life again. After that 14-year-old's amazing escape, the U.S. military put him on a plane to Manila,

where his mother was waiting on the tarmac. The door was too slow to open. I was ready to climb that plane and open that door. And he stood there on the plane, right there, looking around. He's like, I'm right here. And I was like, I'm right here. But he's just like looking. And I was like, you don't recognize me.

I was like, OK, it must be the Lord. You got to stop crying, right? And I see this woman, and I could see tears. And as I got closer and closer, I realized I knew who that was. We just ran up to each other, and we just hugged each other. And it was just incredible.

Back in Lynchburg, Kevin's dad, Heiko, was delivering Christmas turkeys to a hospital when somebody found him and gave him the news. I was so happy. Your mind gets clear again, sir. You don't have to be not more worried. And I will have my family back. It just is a great feeling.

It's a great feeling. On December 14, 2011, six months after they were taken hostage, Jerfa and Kevin finally came home, returned to Lynchburg, to Heiko, and to Jerfa's niece, Sherry. It was awesome. The first thing we did was put up Christmas decorations. Kevin and Jerfa were so happy. I didn't know what to expect because of what they'd been through, but they were just so grateful to be back with their family. In 2012, the Philippine Army caught three of Jerfa and Kevin's kidnappers.

Jerfa returned to the Philippines to testify at their trial and helped send her captors to prison. Kevin was honored for his bravery by the Virginia General Assembly and met President Obama. He was there, you know, as a boy, and now he came out as a man. The whole maturity is just unbelievable. You must be pretty proud of that boy. Very proud.

The five years that separate their ordeal from this evening on the beach with us have erased not a moment of the memory, the terror they shared, the pain, the deprivation, sorrow, and finally, joy. But we look on and see a bond only they can fully understand. Did you ever think you'd actually be in this situation where you've got your arm around your mother

and the two of you are talking about this in the past tense with smiles on your faces? Never. Not at that point, no. We didn't think it was going to ever be possible. Yeah. But here we are. And we're very glad to see you're safe.

Thank you. Glad we're back. Wonderful, wonderful. That's all for now. I'm Lester Holt. Thanks for joining us.