True Crime with Kimbyr - Two Teenagers, One Monster: When True Evil Lurks The Streets: Part 1

Episode Date: September 7, 2025

In this episode of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha begins the heartbreaking story of Amber Dubois and Chelsea King. What started as an ordinary February morning in Escondido turned into a nightmare when 14-year-old Amber vanished on her way to school. Just one year later, 17-year-old Chelsea disappeared during a jog in a nearby park—two young lives intersecting in tragedy. How could two vibrant teenagers vanish in broad daylight, and could the cases be connected? Join True Crime with Kimbyr for the beginning of a chilling investigation that shook California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One moment life feels ordinary, school mornings, hugs goodbye, and dreams about the future. But what if in a single heartbeat that world was ripped away? What if your child, vibrant and full of life, simply vanished? For two families in California, the unthinkable became their reality. Two young women disappeared in broad daylight. Their lives intersecting in ways that no one could have foreseen. Their stories are heartbreaking and deeply personal, and they reveal how fragile safety can feel and how a community strength is tested when the unthinkable actually happens.

Hi everyone, welcome back to my channel. My name is Kimberlya. If you've never been here before, it's nice to finally meet you. Amber Leanne Dubois was born on October 25th of 1994 in the sun-soaked town of Escondido, California, Ticarri McGonigal, and Maurice Dubois. Nestled in the northern reaches of San Diego County, Escondido is often called the Jewel of the Valley. For its picturesque landscapes rolling hills and Mediterranean charm. Amber's arrival was more than just a celebration. It was the start of a journey filled with hope and love. Her mom, Carrie, was so delighted in dressing baby Amber in frilly little outfits and oversized bows. She would parade her around the local mall, just beaming at the compliments she would get about how beautiful her little

baby was. Carrie would proudly call her her little angel, something that never faded as Amber got older. I thought it was really cute that Carrie said she would go home, change Amber and a new outfit, go back to the mall to get even more compliments. This was a mother who just adored her child, and that's pretty common when it's your first baby. But I can say even with my second, that I'm just as in love as the first. Carrie loved everything that Amber did. Every milestone was important, like this home video of Amber learning how to crawl. It's those moments that meant so very much. Amber's parents separated when she was little with her dad, Maurice, who went by Mo, moving out to Los Angeles.

Despite the distance though, Mo remained a really big part of Amber's life. He shared weekends with her. Carrie, meanwhile, began a new chapter with her partner, Dave Cave. And together, they welcomed Amber's younger sister Allison into the family when Amber was about 10. And wow, did Amber absolutely adore little Allison. She loved to play with her. And in this home video, you can see how much Amber loved being a big sister.

She would try to help Ali learn to take her first steps, play hide-and-seek together, and hug her tightly. Amber quickly developed a reputation for being kind, thoughtful, and independent. Her free-spirited nature extended to other parts of her life. Did she like shopping for clothes? Not at all. She felt like it was torture. Did she like to follow teenage trends? Nope. That was not her thing. Amber would rather have her nose in a book than fuss over the latest makeup trends. She would go at her own pace. She would even stop and look at everything around her. As they say, stop and smell the roses. That was Amber. She loved in nature, but also loved animals so much. As a child, she was actually fascinated by all creatures, from the tiniest little tadpoles to majestic wolves, her favorite animal.

Her bedroom was like a small zoo. She had guinea pigs, fish, and even pet rats, and she loved them all. At just three years old, Amber actually began taking horseback riding lessons, and this evolved into a lifelong passion of hers. By age nine, she actually owned her very own horse. Even Amber's diary entries revealed her deep love for animals and her dream of one day becoming a marine biologist. In one of her diary entries, she said that God had made animals because they were nice and cute, and when she grew up, she wanted to work at SeaWorld. Once at Escanito High School, Amber thrived academically and socially in her own unique way, with her short, shiny brown hair and sweeping bangs and her big, sparkling blue eyes and freckles that dotted her skin. and of course, her bright white smile.

She was confident yet humble. She took school seriously and actually vowed to never miss one day. She even took extra classes to try to graduate early. Her favorite class was agriculture, taught by her very encouraging teacher, Mr. Rayburn. The subject allowed Amber to combine her love for animals with her growing interest in science. And it sparked a new dream. She wanted to work with animals hands on. Amber loved to read so much she would actually get caught in her classroom.

classes reading novels under her desk and when her teacher would say, I can hear you because she was flipping through the pages when the class was quiet. And of course, Amber would look up and she would smile with her big bright blue eyes innocently saying, well, I was listening while I was reading. It might sound silly to some, but reading was part of Amber's identity. She finished all seven Harry Potter novels in just two weeks time. She would stay up late with a flashlight under her covers, unable to tear herself away from the magical words on the page. Sometimes her mom even worried about her, that she was reading too much.

I think it's way better than a teenager being addicted to social media. One day, Amber's agriculture class introduced her to the idea of raising a lamb through the Future Farmers of America program. Amber was immediately hooked on this idea. The school actually had its own farm, and the chance to raise her own animal while learning about agriculture felt like it was the perfect fit for her. She rushed home right away and she pleaded with her mom to please, please, please, let her buy a lamb for $200.

Of course, Carrie kind of hesitated. She wasn't really sure if Amber would lose interest in the animal over time, but they saw Amber's enthusiasm. So her mom and dad decided to give her a chance. However, to prove that she was ready for the responsibility, Amber had to write a letter outlining her plan for taking on the responsibility of this little lamb, which she was going to name Nanette. which is a French word for Grace. Why a French word? Well, her name Dubois was French. So she thought it was fitting.

Instead of writing a one-page letter, she actually wrote a two-page letter outlining her entire plan, which included, I promised to feed her, clean up after her, and make sure that she's happy. Carrie couldn't help but laugh at how many times Amber actually repeated herself just to make this letter longer to show her commitment.

In the end, Amber's passion won them over, and they decided they would give her the money to get her own lamb. Now at this point, her big dreams of being a marine biologist had turned into wanting to become an animal behavioral scientist. That's right. And the day finally came.

It was Friday, February 13th, 2009, a day that Amber had been counting down for weeks. For the 14-year-old animal lover, it wasn't just a Friday. It was the day that she could finally hand in the check to get her lamb. Amber had spent weeks preparing for this very moment, dreaming of taking care of little Nanette and imagining all the ways that she could help her lamb thrive. That morning, Carrie was up early for work

around 5.30. And unlike most teenagers, Amber didn't really need her mom to coax her out of bed. But still, Carrie went into her bedroom and made sure that Amber was getting up. And of course, she jumped out of bed excited to get dressed right away and of course get her lamb. Before heading out, She gave Amber a hug and told her she was going to be home early that day, so maybe they could do something like go see a movie together. Amber said, thanks so much, Mom. And then Carrie told her that she loved her and she left. Now on the drive to work, Carrie couldn't help but laugh,

knowing that she would probably be the one that ended up taking care of this lamb, just as much as Amber would or probably more. But it didn't matter because she knew how much it would make her daughter happy. Amber stepfather Dave left her a check on the armchair of the couch before heading out for work. And as he walked past Amber, who was finishing her cereal on the floor, he reminded her not to forget the check.

And she said, I got it. She was very happy for her big day. She gave him a quick goodbye and told him she loved him before he left. Now, Amber started to walk to Escondido High School that morning around 7 a.m. The same time she always did. The school wasn't far, just a 10 to 15 minute walk.

And Amber had perfected the routine. Classes started at 7.50. And the rest of her day was mapped out. School got out at 2.45, and Carrie, knowing how responsible Amber was, typically gave her until 3.30 to hang out with friends before expecting her to be home. But this Friday wasn't typical. By late afternoon, something felt very wrong. When Dave arrived back home around 4.30, the house was quiet. But it was too quiet.

Amber should have been home by now, but she wasn't there. At first, Dave just assumed she might be running late. Maybe she got caught up at school with her lamb or stopped and talking to her. to friends, but as the minutes went by, his concern only grew. Dave called Carrie at work to see if maybe she had heard from Amber, but she hadn't. Carrie just at this point figured that Amber, of course, must have just got caught up with friends, so she called her daughter's cell phone. But he eventually rang and then went to voicemail.

Carrie left a message for her to call her back as soon as she could. She wasn't that worried at first. Amber was responsible to a fault. She never skipped school and never failed to check in. and certainly wouldn't just disappear without a word, especially not on the day that you've been looking forward to for weeks. But just to be sure, and to check if Amber may have needed some help with her lamb and was still at school taking care of it

and maybe didn't notice how much time had gone by, Dave decided to drive out to the high school to look for Amber. By this time, Carrie had already called her phone several times with no response. At the school, Dave ran into Mr. Rayburn, Amber's favorite agriculture teacher, who actually shared some alarming news. He said that Amber had not shown up to class that day at all. And the shock was mutual at this point.

Mr. Rayburn knew how dedicated Amber was to her FFA project and how excited she was to pay for her lamb. He had expected her to be the first student in class that day. Especially since it was the last day that they were able to take payments for the animals. Dave pressed for more details, but there were none. Amber hadn't attended any classes that day. Dave was perplexed. He even told the teacher, there's just no way. He personally wrote the check that morning and gave it to Amber.

So Dave called Carrie back, who now was panicking. Dave checked with school officials just to be sure, and they confirmed that Amber had not made it to class and was marked absent. They said they had called the house to notify the family, but no one answered, so they left them a message. Dave relayed all of this information to carry, and for her, it was,

It was the moment that everything clicked. Something was terribly wrong. Carrie left work immediately, calling Amber's father Mo on the way home. And through tears, she explained that Amber was missing. Mo didn't hesitate. He and his partner, Rebecca, started driving from Los Angeles to Escondido to help search for his daughter.

And on her way home, Carrie then stopped by the high school herself, hoping that she would be able to locate Amber. She scoured the campus, searching every corner even in the dumpsters for any trace of her daughter's belongings, like maybe her backpack, but there just weren't any clues to be found. By the time Carrie arrived home, she had already contacted the Escondido Police Department to report Amber missing.

Officers were waiting for her at her house, ready to ask a bunch of questions. Carrie, of course, described what Amber had been wearing that morning, jeans in a black hoodie, and she recounted every other detail of their last interaction. When Carrie begged the officers to please issue an Amber Alert. She was actually very disappointed by what they said. They explained that an Amber Alert can only be issued if there was a known vehicle or suspect involved. And that didn't apply

in this case. It was a technicality that felt very cruel and ironic, a system with the same name as her daughters that's actually made from missing children. But it couldn't help her Amber. Frustrated but still determined Carrie took matters into her own hands. She enlisted the help of her friends and neighbors, and they created and distributed color flyers with Amber's photo and all the details about her disappearance. The cops at this point had been passing out black and white flyers that they'd faxed around to different agencies, and it didn't truly depict what Amber looked like. So that's why Carrie and Dave made the color flyers, and then they retraced Amber's route to school, knocking on doors and handing the flyers out and asking anyone if they had

seen her, but nobody had. As a sunset, the worry really settled in. Amber wasn't the type to vanish without a trace. Something was definitely wrong and everyone could feel it. For Carrie and Moe and everyone who loved Amber, the hours ahead would be a test of their endurance, their hope, and their courage. The officer who took Amber's missing person report on February 13th knew right away. This wasn't the typical case of a teenage runaway. Something about the situation just didn't sit right. Amber wasn't the kind of girl to skip school, ignore her family, or disappear without a word, especially not on this day that she had been anticipating. So trusting his gut, the officer marked Amber's case as suspicious missing, and he began his investigation

immediately. The officer's first stop was the Escondito High School. He had a canine unit, and he searched the campus thoroughly, extending their efforts to the surrounding areas, including a nearby river. The dogs trained to pick up even the faintest sense combed through these fields, and he searched and wooded areas behind the school. But despite their exhaustive efforts, the search turned up nothing.

No evidence, no signs of Amber, nothing to suggest what might have happened to this little girl. The lack of clues was obviously frustrating, but it didn't deter the officer or the detectives who were quickly assigned to Amber's case. They knew that the first 48 hours were critical, and they intended to use every second wisely.

One of the detective's first steps was to dive into Amber's digital life. They got her cell phone record, her email accounts and even her internet history, hoping that it would uncover some evidence of maybe who she'd been in contact with and maybe that person lured her away somehow. She was, after all, a very impressionable teenager. However, what they found only reinforced what her family already said. Amber wasn't a troubled or secretive teen at all. Her online activity was actually very innocent, even more innocent than I would have thought for her age. It was filled with research about

animals. She would go on and on researching anything she could about her FFA project. There were no red flags, no messages suggesting that she had plans to meet with somebody, and no hints of something brewing beneath the surface. While detectives worked to follow leads, Amber's family sprang into action. Carrie was determined to do anything she could to find her daughter. So one of her friends actually drove their RV to Escondido, and they parked it in a nearby church parking lot to serve as a makeshift command center for their search efforts. And inside that RV, Carrie organized flyers. She made call list.

She coordinated with volunteers. The RV became a hub of all kinds of activities trying to find Amber. But for Carrie, it was also a place of heartbreak, knowing that this was her reality. And during those first few days, Carrie spent hours in Amber's room. She sat on her daughter's bed, holding her belongings, and letting her emotions flow freely.

tears would stream down her face and she would turn to prayer, prayers for guidance and strength, saying, please, please, God, bring her home. Detectives contacted Amber's phone company, hoping for some leads through her phone activity, and they discovered her phone had been active near the high school, and someone had even attempted to access her voicemail. The phone had last pinged off a cell tower that covered both the school and Amber's house, but its exact location could not be pinpointed, unfortunately. Now, this information pushed detectives to take immediate action.

They activated a reverse 911 system. It would auto call phones. And then when residents would pick up, it would play a pre-recorded message to thousands of residents in the area with details about Amber's disappearance. This message asked anyone who might have seen Amber or knew anything about her whereabouts

to contact the police. Now, I actually hadn't heard of this before. It kind of reminds me of those text alerts we now get, or emergency alerts that appear on our phones. The search had just started, and by the next day on February 14th, Valentine's Day, two witnesses came forward to the police. The first was a mother who occasionally gave Amber rides to school. She recalled seeing Amber walking to school on the morning of February 13th.

She said the weather was cold and it was drizzling outside, and she considered pulling up and offering Amber a ride. But her daughter, who was sitting next to her in the passenger seat, looked out and said, Mom, it looks like Amber's talking to a boy. So they didn't want to embarrass her, so they kept driving. She described this boy as taller than Amber, about six or seven inches taller. And in her words, he was doughy looking with a darker complexion. But she couldn't really give them more details than that, except for the location that she saw her.

It was next to a fire hydrant on the sidewalk right outside of the high school near the field. It was actually also near a bus stop. So detectives to refocus their search on the Escondito High School in its surrounding areas. Their attention then turned to a bus parking lot that was near the school, which was equipped with security cameras. They were hoping for a breakthrough. They obtained a warrant to access the footage, and when detectives reviewed the grainy CCTV footage from the parking lot, something caught their attention. It was a red truck with tin-ed windows, and it appeared in the area during the time Amber would have been walking to school. But the footage, as per usual, was frustratingly low quality, making it impossible to discern anything like a license plate or the identity

of the driver. The red truck now became a critical focus of this investigation, but for now, it was just one more unanswered question. As news of Amber's disappearance spread, tips started pouring in. On February 15th, one of Amber's classmates reported seeing her in downtown Escondido. So detectives pulled CCTV footage from that area hoping to confirm the sighting, but nothing was found. Another student came forward, saying they had seen Amber walking with a boy. Investigators followed up on this lead, only to discover the girl wasn't Amber after all. Even with every false lead, Carrie held to her belief that Amber did not run away. She knew her daughter better than anyone, and she was certain that Amber would not just disappear at her own will, not without telling her family.

Carrie said, I know my daughter. Something has happened to her, and I won't stop until I found out what. She really thought, from the day that Amber disappeared, someone had taken her. She just really didn't want that to be true. As the days moved in two weeks, the Escondido Police Department was pouring over every resource in the search, and they still had no leads. So they decided to expand their investigation,

bringing in reinforcements from the San Diego Police Department and even the FBI. One of the first steps in the investigation was to interview Escondido's 148 registered S offenders. I think you know what I'm saying there. And officers actually went door to door questioning these individuals about their activity, on February 13th, the day that Amber disappeared.

And these efforts were thorough, but there were still no breakthroughs. None of these registered offenders raised any red flags, and the police were left with no clues to even follow through on. So they just kept pushing. There was even a girl who looked just like Amber that kept being stopped by police over and over again because they were trying to be so diligent.

And this girl started to carry her ID, and then just when she would see police, she's like, I'm not Amber, and she would just pull her ID up and show it. As the search widened, detectives and volunteers combed through abandoned buildings, ravines, rocky hills, and even local hangouts like the caves near Escondido High School. The search and rescue teams were scouring the dense brush surrounding the area, but still no trace of Amber was found. Even America's Most Wanted featured Amber's story, generating nationwide attention, and of course

an influx of tips. Even though it heightened awareness on Amber's case, it didn't bring them any closer to finding her. I know when you're listening to me tell you all of these stories in detail, you might be thinking, okay, they're searching, they're searching here, they're searching there, what happened? But think about how frustrating it is to actually live it. The strain of Amber's absence began to take a toll on her family. Amber's mom was consumed by a desperate need for answers. She meticulously searched Amber's bedroom, wondering if maybe she had missed a clue. Maybe there was a diary on tree, a hidden boyfriend,

anything to explain what had happened. But deep down, Barry just knew that Amber did not run away. Her daughter was innocent, grounded, and naive about the dangers of the world. Amber loved her family way too much to just disappear on her own. Amber stepped at Dave also felt the weight of Amber's disappearance.

He claimed to be so overwhelmed by the uncertainty. He began to neglect his scaffolding business. And he said, Amber lives in my house. She's my baby girl. Yet, as the investigation progressed, Dave actually became the focus of detective scrutiny. which added even more tension to this situation. It was just part of their due diligence.

Detectives began by investigating anyone that's close to Amber, including her parents. Amber's biological father, Moe, and her mom, Carrie, had alibis. They had been at work all day on February 13th, with witnesses to corroborate their whereabouts. But Dave's story didn't hold up under scrutiny. Initially, Dave told the detectives that he had left to check for Amber that morning, gone to see his personal trainer,

and then spent the day at the movies before returning home to do his taxes. Well, when Carrie heard this, she was stunned. She knew that that did not align with what Dave did that day. He actually visited her at work, bringing her chocolate-covered strawberries and roses for Valentine's Day. This was the day before Valentine's. Just remember that. Carrie also found the visit kind of unusual because in all the years they were together, Dave had never celebrated Valentine's Day. Even stranger, he was just was just lingering around her workplace for about 45 minutes, long enough for Carrie to ask him to actually leave. She was like, what are you doing here? I'm working. When confronted about this inconsistency in his daily routine that he gave to police, Dave admitted, oh yeah, I did stop by

Carrie's work. But then I did go to the movies afterward as well. But the timeline still felt very suspicious to Carrie. Detectives noted several additional factors that raise questions about Dave. For one, the relationship between him and Amber had always been strained, especially in the months leading up to her disappearance. According to Carrie, the two of them were barely even speaking, and the tension in their household was obvious. But Dave, of course, claimed otherwise. He said that he and Amber had recently called a truce, and even enjoyed a trip to the bookstore the night before she went missing. These conflicting accounts only deepened detectives' doubts about Dave. So when he arrived at the police station for a

formal interview. Detectives photographed his hands and his body. They were checking for scratches or other signs of a struggle. And they asked him directly if he had anything to do with Amber's disappearance or if he knew anything about it or her current whereabouts. Dave denied any involvement stating repeatedly that he wanted nothing more than for Amber to come home. Now over the course of the investigation, Dave underwent several polygraph tests, but the results were inconclusive. Now, as the investigation in Dave intensified, detective subtly suggested to Carrie that he might actually be involved in Amber's disappearance. While they didn't have any concrete evidence to charge him, his inconsistent timeline

and the strained relationship with Amber could just not be ignored. Carrie found herself spiraling into a bunch of doubt. She was torn between trusting the man that she shared her life with and confronting this horrifying possibility that he might have actually harmed her daughter. Six weeks after Amber went missing, Carrie actually made a very difficult decision. She left Dave. She packed up all of her belongings and took her four-year-old daughter Allison with her to a new home. She said she just couldn't share a bed with a man who might have hurt her daughter. It was unbearable for her.

She wrestled with this possibility that he could be involved and maybe it wasn't done intentionally, but maybe there was a confrontation that spiraled out of control. Maybe Amber have pushed just a little too hard about getting the lamb and things escalated. These were thoughts that were going through her head. And I don't blame her for thinking these things, but they also broke her heart. Dave was Allison's father, her other little girl, and they had built a life together. But even if there was a tiny possibility that he was guilty, it was enough to shatter her trust. For detectives, Dave remained a person of interest, but he wasn't a suspect, without any evidence tying him to Amber's disappearance.

they were forced to put him on the back burner. But for Carrie, those questions that were lingering made it impossible for her to return home. Instead, she prioritized her younger daughter's safety at this point just in case. Can you imagine, though, being torn between your partner and your daughter that's missing and having to choose what to do in that certain circumstance?

I mean, it's true. If you felt like you were living with a person who could possibly be involved in your daughter's disappearance, I think the right decision probably would be to, at the very least, distance yourself. Now, let me tell you what Amber's biological father Mo was doing during this time. Now, he was an electrical engineer, and he put his entire career on hold and left Los Angeles, moved into a hotel in Escondido with his partner, Rebecca, and he poured every ounce of his energy and even all of his savings towards his search for Amber.

For Mo, this wasn't a sacrifice. It was what any father would do for their daughter. Both of Amber's parents were dedicated to doing whatever they could to find their daughter. And during this investigation, several tips suggested that Amber might have been seen in Mexico. So what did her mom do? Well, she informed the police that she was going to travel south of the border to search for Amber herself. They quickly discourage her from doing this, warning her of the dangers, because at the time, there was a $50,000 reward that was being offered for Amber's safe return. And the police were worried that if Amber was

Amber's kidnappers were actually in Mexico. Her mom's presence there could provoke them in some way. Carrie was told that she could have been taken hostage and the captors would demand a ransom. But despite these warnings, Carrie was not going to stop. She was like, okay, well, I guess I'll see you when I get back from Mexico. Carrie drove 45 miles from Ascandido to Tijuana and another 60 miles to Mexicali. On multiple occasions, not just one.

She went through the street. She would ask strangers, if they had seen her daughter. And each trip left her exhausted and empty-handed, but she refused to give up. The tips from Mexico ultimately led nowhere, but Carrie's determination was impressive to say the least. She was going to do whatever it took.

So back in Escanito, Carrie adopted a different approach. She obtained a list of those registered S offenders herself, the ones that were in the area, and she began to drive by their homes and question them about Amber's disappearance. Now her tactics were pretty bold, and they kind of even crossed the line into harassment. On one occasion, the manager of an apartment complex actually called 911

after Carrie confronted one of the residents there, who was a registered offender. This is because Carrie was accusing them of being involved in Amber's case. When the police did arrive, they found this grieving mother who was desperate for answers. And even though they did sympathize with Carrie's situation, they did politely ask her to leave the premises. But Carrie stood her ground. To her, every confrontation, every disruptive action was a way to keep Amber's case in the spotlight. She was loud and she was going to remain that way so no one forgot her daughter was missing.

She believed that if her actions led to her arrest, so be it, because that attention would bring even more leads in the search for Amber. But I also can tell there was just so much desperation in her because the cops had already done all this, but I'm guessing Carrie didn't think they went deep enough. and maybe she thought her mother's intuition could pick up on a sign that one of the investigators couldn't pick up on. I mean, the weight of Amber's disappearance affected everyone in her family, even her four-year-old little sister, Allison. She was so young, of course, she didn't understand the words kidnapped or abducted, but those words scared her nonetheless. And she would actually get upset whenever she heard these words.

She wanted to help so badly to find her sister. She would even ask her mom if she could come along with their dogs and look for her. her. But of course, she was so little and being told, no, she just really didn't understand. And for Dave, this made him even more paranoid that something could happen to his young daughter. It seeped in his everyday life. It made him very, very scared for Allison to even play outside or even say hello to neighbors. He couldn't trust anyone anymore. Now the weeks were turning into months, and Amber's loved ones did not want this case to fade from the public's memory. They decided to launch a website, Bring Amber Home.com, which would now be a hub for updates, volunteer efforts, and information about the searches.

The site helped keep Amber's story alive and reach a wider audience. Then in the summer of 2009, Amber's face appeared on the cover of People magazine. This nationwide exposure was bittersweet, though. It brought so much attention to Amber's case, but it also underscored the tragedy of her continued absence. For her family, every flyer, every news segment and social media post was a reminder that Amber was gone, even though it would bring some hope that somebody would see it and it might hold the key to bringing her home. By August of 2009, six months had passed since Amber had disappeared. And at this point, detectives had exhausted every lead. They had chased down every tip and they've come up empty-handed. But Carrie wasn't going to give up.

And I have seen many mothers that are very devoted to searching for their children, but this mom. She was so brave, so determined and strong, she was going to do anything, no matter how weird or unconventional, she was going to uncover the truth. In her search for answers, Carrie turned to the Virginia-based V-K-9

sent-specific search and rescue unit. She connected with the dog handler, Sarah Platt and Julie Jones, who had searched dogs Quincy, a yellow lab, and Jack, a German short-haired pointer. They had a reputation for their precision in tracking. And this team arrived in as Conduct,

that August, bringing them at least a little bit of hope. And that was so important for this family. They wanted to move in a direction where they were getting closer to answers, and they thought this might be it. Carrie provided the handlers with items that had Amber sent on them. They then transferred this to a gauze pad to help the dogs Quincy and Jack lock onto her trail. With the dogs leading the way, the search began. Starting near Escondito High School, Quincy and Jack guided the handlers down a trail

that led to a nearby freeway. And from there, the dogs continued along a 15-mile stretch of State Route 76. Their noses were pressed to the ground with intense focus. The search ended in a remote and rugged area of the Paula Indian Reservation, a place that Carrie had never visited with Amber. So why were these dogs tracking there? The handlers explained that Quincy and Jack were search and rescue dogs, trained to track the living. Their findings were actually unsettling to carry. Could Amber still be out there somewhere?

So because she was determined to dig deeper, Sarah and Julie planned to return the next day with cadaver dogs so they could continue the search. They alerted the police to the area where Quincy and Jack had led them, hoping that the officers would investigate further. But guess what? Even with these findings, not everyone was convinced.

Some officers believed that after six months, Amber's scent would no longer linger in that area. And I guess that's fair. and the lack of physical evidence or witness testimony from Paula's residents only fueled their doubts. Ultimately, they decided to shut down the search before Sarah and Julie could return with cadaver dogs. But I don't think that's warranted. I mean, even if there was a small possibility, I would want them to search. I mean, what's the harm in it?

But maybe it was funding, lack of resources. I am not sure. But this devastated Carrie. She was clinging to this belief that Quincy and Jack had stumbled upon something very vital. She was convinced that Amber's disappearance was tied to the 50-mile radius around Paula Reservation. Yet without police support or additional resources, this search was effectively over, and Carrie was left with nothing but her gut instinct and a bunch of unanswered questions.