11x24 - Water Hazard
Posted: 01/19/24 07:38
Narrator: a -year-old girl
Claimed she had been kidnapped,
But police weren't so sure.
Her memory was too clear, her
Manner too unemotional, her
Heroism too unbelievable...
Until some fibers on her
Clothing forced police to
Captions paid for by the courtroom television network, llc reconsider.
Reconsider.
It happened on a wednesday
Afternoon in freeport, texas.
-Year-old dana stenson walked
To her bible study at church
Just a few blocks from home.
Two hours later, when the class
Was over, dana didn't return
Home.
Her mother went looking for
Her and was advised by the
Teacher that she had never
Appeared in class.
And then police got involved.
I knew it right away.
My stomach went into knots, my
Legs were shaking -- I was just
Certain something had happened.
Narrator: their neighbors
Joined in the search but found
No sign of the young girl.
Dana's father was a local prison
Guard, and he feared that an
Ex-convict had taken revenge by
Targeting his daughter.
That something might have
Happened, one of the offenders
Might have abducted her, was the
First thing that came across my
Mind.
Might have been wrong or right
About it at the time -- I don't
Know.
Narrator: several hours
Passed.
Then, shortly after : p.m.,
A few miles away in
Oyster creek, texas, dana walked
Up to some boys playing
Basketball and claimed she had
Been kidnapped.
This was a deserted road.
It was dark, not a lot of
Traffic.
If you were there at night, you
Would think you were in the
Middle of nowhere.
Narrator: dana was taken to
Police headquarters and reunited
With her family.
She was, like, real calm.
There was a real calmness about
Her, and to me, that is very
Strange.
She had a very flat affect,
And it was extremely odd to me,
Her demeanor.
Narrator: dana told police
That she was in the church
Parking lot and couldn't locate
Her classroom.
Then a white, middle-aged man
Gave her directions.
He walked her towards the
Door...
Then grabbed her and forced her
Into his van, tied her up, and
Put her in a wooden box lined
With carpet.
Dana said he drove the van
Somewhere near the ocean.
She could hear the waves.
Then he sexually assaulted her.
An hour or two later, he
Assaulted her again in a motel
Room.
She said the man had a knife.
And she told him, "don't k*ll
Me, don't do this to me.
Don't k*ll me."
And he said, "I'll let you go,
And you better not tell nobody,
Because I know everything about
You, and I'll k*ll you."
And he pushed her out of the
Van.
I was extremely skeptical
Because the horrible things that
He did to her -- there was no
Emotion when she told us about
These things, so, initially, I
Had a difficult time believing
That.
Narrator: police were
Skeptical.
She said she was kidnapped in a
Church parking lot in broad
Daylight, yet no one saw it.
And the kidnapper released her
In an area not far from the home
Of one of her friends.
She was released in an area
That a young man lived that she
Knew personally, and some people
Described their relationship as
Maybe "girlfriend and
Boyfriend."
Narrator: investigators told
Dana they thought she was lying.
That was the first sign of
Emotion that we saw from her.
And she said, "you can do what
You have to do.
I'm not lying."
And, I mean, she was closer to
Tears then, when she was accused
Of that, or told that, than she
Was during the entire interview.
I couldn't believe why they
Were, like, questioning her,
Interrogating her and stuff and
Saying that she might have made
This up or this might have been
A prank.
Narrator: police confiscated
Dana's clothes for analysis,
Then asked her to return the
Next day for another interview.
And it gave investigators a new
Insight into the case.
Narrator: the day after
Dana stenson's alleged
Kidnapping, she returned to
Police headquarters for a second
Interview.
They wanted to make sure her
Story didn't vary.
This time, investigators saw
Something that wasn't clearly
Visible the night before.
I can see what looked to be
Burn marks or red marks around
Both of her wrists, red marks at
The outset of her eyes, red
Marks around her mouth where it
Appears there's been some type
Of tape or something placed
Around her.
Narrator: dana said these
Were caused by the tape the
Kidnapper used over her mouth
And around her wrists.
[ Muffled screaming ]
Narrator: gradually, police
Began to believe her.
And she told detective
Dietrich in no uncertain terms,
"I am not lying.
Exactly what I told you has
Happened."
Narrator: her parents took
Dana to the hospital for a
Physical examination, but by
This time, potential forensic
Evidence was gone.
She should have gone to the
Hospital sooner.
She didn't.
Had she gone sooner, I'm not
Sure they ultimately would have
Recovered any dna, but we always
Try to, as part of procedure,
Get the victim to the hospital
As soon as possible to be
Checked out.
Narrator: fortunately, police
Had dana's clothes --
A pair of jeans, a pullover, and
Some socks were given to
Trace-evidence analyst
Devin crago-stasicha.
Using tape lifts, she found
Numerous fibers.
It wasn't like I just found
One or two of these carpet
Fibers.
I had multiple of these fibers
From different articles of her
Clothing.
That, to a fiber analyst, is
Amazing.
That's wonderful.
You could not ask for much
Better than that.
Narrator: magnified
Times, devin noticed that there
Were two different types of blue
Fibers, presumably from two
Different sources.
One was a light blue, and it
Was a very sharp, angular,
Triangular shape.
And then there was a lighter,
Kind of a bluish-gray fiber
That was also triangular, but it
Was more round.
The nodes weren't as sharp.
Narrator: triangular, or
Trilobal, fibers are usually
From carpet.
There were other fibers on
Dana's socks.
These were round and small, the
Type normally seen in ropes.
This was consistent with dana
Saying her ankles were tied with
Rope.
[ Muffled screaming ]
Narrator: the investigation
Was taking a -degree turn.
Now the forensic evidence was
Corroborating much of what dana
Was saying.
I was extremely impressed.
Even to the most minute detail,
She remembered, and through the
Things that she went through,
Most adults wouldn't be able to
Remember the things that she
Remembered.
Narrator: dana said her
Assailant was white with blond
Hair, blue eyes, in his mid s,
And had a medium build.
He was driving a white van with
Tinted windows and the word
"Wood" painted on the glass.
She said she was forced into a
Coffin-like box covered with
Blue carpet.
And she remembered something
Else.
My victim described inside
The van, an orange ice chest,
Cooler-type object.
She said that it said "igloo" on
It, and it had some other
Writing on it.
She couldn't remember exactly --
Lowes, home depot, something of
That nature.
And inside that cooler were
Dr peppers.
Narrator: investigators
Decided to go public with dana's
Description of the van.
It hit the papers that
There'd been a kidnapping at the
Catholic church, and that there
Was possibly a white van as the
Suspect vehicle.
Narrator: they were hoping
That someone in the area might
Have seen the van or witnessed
The abduction.
Narrator: two days after
Dana stenson's kidnapping, one
Of her neighbors contacted
Police, saying he might have
Witnessed at least part of the
Abduction.
He said, "I saw a white van
In the area.
It said 'surfside floor and
Tile' on the side of it.
I saw it in and around circling
The church all afternoon.
I saw it park at the church.
I saw it leave the church around
:, :, And it never
Returned."
Narrator: this was consistent
With information dana told
Investigators.
The child in the case was
Able to describe a word.
She remembered "wood" that was
On the side of the van.
Narrator: investigators
Checked the phone book and found
A business called surfside
Installation -- ceramic, vinyl,
Tile, and wood.
The owner of the business was
-Year-old randy lee allen,
Married for years and the
Father of a -year-old boy.
He had no criminal record.
He was told that he may have
Been a witness to a crime, and
Would he voluntarily follow us
To the police department?
His response was, "sure!"
And voluntarily drove towards
The police department.
Narrator: randy lee allen
Said he knew nothing about any
Kidnapping.
He told police he was in a
Restaurant having dinner with
His wife and child around the
Time of dana's abduction.
His wife corroborated his alibi.
The case appeared to have hit a
Dead end.
But police wanted one more thing
From randy allen -- they wanted
To look inside his van.
And he readily agreed.
There was no coffin-like box in
The back of his van like the one
Dana described.
But one thing particularly
Caught the attention of
Detectives.
There was an orange ice
Chest, igloo, with the word
"Home depot" on it that the
Lid's off of.
And inside that ice cooler are
Dr peppers.
Narrator: dana described
Seeing the same kind of ice
Chest in the abductor's truck as
Well as the same color carpeting
In the van's interior.
Investigators also found some
Blue-and-white rope.
Blue fibers from the carpet in
The van seen on the right with
The same shape and size of
Fibers found on dana's clothing.
Both samples were put under
Infrared light, causing the
Molecules to vibrate in unique
Ways.
These can be charted to
Determine a sample's chemical
Makeup.
So if it's a nylon, it's
Going to show up as a nylon.
If it's an acrylic, it'll be a
Totally different pattern.
If it's a rayon, it's going to
Be a totally different pattern.
Narrator: samples from the
Van and from dana's clothing
Were both made of a compound
Called nylon /.
To take the comparison one step
Further, analysts turned to a
Microspectrophotometer.
That is basically a
Microscope that measures color.
We pass light through a sample
And it measures the absorbance,
How much light is absorbed by
Our sample, and that actually
Tells us basically what color.
It gives us a spectra of the
Color representation.
Narrator: the colors in both
Samples were identical.
The same set of tests were
Conducted on rope in allen's
Truck and the rope fibers on
Dana's clothing.
Again, they were virtually
Identical.
When we get the phone call
From the lab that those fibers
Match, we know we have
Randy allen.
We are expecting at that point
He's going to plead.
Narrator: in randy's home,
Police found pieces of lumber
Similar to pieces that would
Make a wooden box.
Police asked randy if he would
Put the pieces back together.
Surprisingly, randy agreed.
While doing so, he made an
Incriminating statement.
When we asked him to
Reconstruct the box inside the
Van, he got inside the van and
He started putting the box
Together, and he said, almost to
Himself...
"Well, she was a little one.
She was a little one, so, yeah,
This is how I did it."
Narrator: investigators
Noticed there was blue carpet
Lining the inside of the box.
Fibers from this carpet matched
The last-remaining piece of
Forensic evidence found on
Dana stenson's clothing.
Finally, police prepared a photo
Lineup and showed it to
Dana stenson, telling her that
Their suspect may or may not be
In the lineup.
Less than five seconds.
Less than three.
Immediately.
As soon as I gave it to her, she
Scanned it, and she pointed to
His picture, and she said, "he's
The man that took me from the
Church and did that to me."
Narrator: randy lee allen was
Confronted with dana's
Identification and the forensic
Evidence.
He confessed and read his
Statement on videotape.
I saw a little girl, grabbed
Her, and started walking her
Towards my van.
Narrator: but one thing
Bothered investigators.
If randy allen was the
Perpetrator, how could he have
Been at dinner with his wife and
Child while the abduction took
Place?
The answer is unbelievable.
Narrator: when
Randy lee allen confessed to the
Abduction and sexual as*ault of
A -year-old girl, his friends,
Business associates, and
Particularly his wife could
Hardly believe it.
She had been married to him
For quite some time.
They had a child together.
She, of course, didn't want to
Believe that he was capable of
This behavior.
No one in his family wanted to
Believe that he was capable of
This.
Narrator: and with good
Reason.
The evidence showed a
Particularly calculated crime.
Prosecutors believe allen was
Cruising the neighborhood near
Dana's church, looking for a
Victim.
He saw dana stenson, who
Appeared to be lost, so he
Offered to show her where her
Classroom was.
Yeah, that's actually right
Over here.
I can take you if you want.
I'm headed that way anyway.
Narrator: as they passed his
Van...
Allen forced her inside, gagged
Her with tape, wrapped it around
Her hands, and tied her feet
With rope.
Then he forced her into the
Coffin-like box with the lid on
Top, making it soundproof.
He drove out near the ocean,
Parked his van, and sexually
Assaulted her.
Then allen put her back in the
Coffin and, incredibly, drove
Home.
He got out of the van, walked
Upstairs, got his wife and his
Child, walked downstairs, got in
His wife's car, and they went to
Dinner.
They were gone at least over an
Hour.
He came back, his wife and child
Went upstairs.
He told his wife he had more
Work to do.
He went and got in the van with
The child still in the box and
Drove off.
Narrator: he took dana to a
Local motel, but this time, dana
Fought back.
She refused to do what he asked
And demanded that he let her go.
This, experts say, altered the
Balance of power in dana's
Favor.
She became demanding.
"I'm not doing that anymore.
I want you to let me go, and I
Want you to let me go now."
And I think, in the end, that
Shook the suspect a little bit.
I wish more of us could
Handle things that way, but most
People aren't going to have that
Kind of strength, and most
People aren't going to show that
Type of resilience early on, and
Are going to need more help
Coping with that long-term.
Narrator: randy allen
Acquiesced, drove her to a
Deserted location, and let her
Go.
Prosecutors believe he had
Intended to k*ll her.
I don't think that
Randy allen ever thought he
Would be caught in this case and
Never considered forensic
Evidence being something that
Could link him back to this.
I think that because I think he
Intended to k*ll his victim.
Narrator: almost all sex
Criminals exhibit some type of
Deviant sexual behavior in their
Teens or early s.
Randy lee allen appeared to be
One of the few exceptions.
I just found it incredibly
Strange, all of a sudden one
Day, he woke up and decided to
Commit such a horrific crime.
When somebody decides to learn
To dive in the water, they don't
Usually jump off of a cliff
First.
They'll jump in off of a pool.
And to me, this was jumping off
Of a cliff.
There had to be more in his
Background -- we just were
Unable to uncover anything.
Narrator: randy lee allen
Lived in the dallas/fort worth
Area of texas at the time when a
Number of young girls were
Abducted.
I feel like there's probably
Other victims.
And that's our department's
Opinion.
The investigators that worked on
This case, the investigators
That have read this case outside
Of our department, the
Prosecutor's office, all believe
There are probably other victims
Out there.
Narrator: but none has been
Found, and randy lee allen made
No more confessions.
In september of , he was
Convicted of kidnapping and
Sexual as*ault and received two
Consecutive terms of years.
I detected no remorse.
The only remorse I detected from
Him was the fact that he got
Caught and was looking at a
Lengthy prison term.
Well, you think hell's too
Good for people like that.
I mean, let them suffer.
You know?
Narrator: "dana stenson" is a
Pseudonym for the remarkable
Young girl who showed courage,
Determination, and whose
Near-photographic memory helped
Solve the case.
And the forensic evidence
Helped, too.
It stuck to her clothing and
All that, her body.
That's amazing.
I can't believe how they can
Pick up something that small and
Make something stick like this,
Which I'm glad it did...
Through science and all that.
It's amazing how the world of
Forensics, how interesting it is
And how from a tiny, tiny piece
Of nothing, they can find
Evidence, you know?
That is very amazing.
I find it very, very amazing.
And like I told you, if I was
Young and I had to do it all
Over again, yes, I think I would
Claimed she had been kidnapped,
But police weren't so sure.
Her memory was too clear, her
Manner too unemotional, her
Heroism too unbelievable...
Until some fibers on her
Clothing forced police to
Captions paid for by the courtroom television network, llc reconsider.
Reconsider.
It happened on a wednesday
Afternoon in freeport, texas.
-Year-old dana stenson walked
To her bible study at church
Just a few blocks from home.
Two hours later, when the class
Was over, dana didn't return
Home.
Her mother went looking for
Her and was advised by the
Teacher that she had never
Appeared in class.
And then police got involved.
I knew it right away.
My stomach went into knots, my
Legs were shaking -- I was just
Certain something had happened.
Narrator: their neighbors
Joined in the search but found
No sign of the young girl.
Dana's father was a local prison
Guard, and he feared that an
Ex-convict had taken revenge by
Targeting his daughter.
That something might have
Happened, one of the offenders
Might have abducted her, was the
First thing that came across my
Mind.
Might have been wrong or right
About it at the time -- I don't
Know.
Narrator: several hours
Passed.
Then, shortly after : p.m.,
A few miles away in
Oyster creek, texas, dana walked
Up to some boys playing
Basketball and claimed she had
Been kidnapped.
This was a deserted road.
It was dark, not a lot of
Traffic.
If you were there at night, you
Would think you were in the
Middle of nowhere.
Narrator: dana was taken to
Police headquarters and reunited
With her family.
She was, like, real calm.
There was a real calmness about
Her, and to me, that is very
Strange.
She had a very flat affect,
And it was extremely odd to me,
Her demeanor.
Narrator: dana told police
That she was in the church
Parking lot and couldn't locate
Her classroom.
Then a white, middle-aged man
Gave her directions.
He walked her towards the
Door...
Then grabbed her and forced her
Into his van, tied her up, and
Put her in a wooden box lined
With carpet.
Dana said he drove the van
Somewhere near the ocean.
She could hear the waves.
Then he sexually assaulted her.
An hour or two later, he
Assaulted her again in a motel
Room.
She said the man had a knife.
And she told him, "don't k*ll
Me, don't do this to me.
Don't k*ll me."
And he said, "I'll let you go,
And you better not tell nobody,
Because I know everything about
You, and I'll k*ll you."
And he pushed her out of the
Van.
I was extremely skeptical
Because the horrible things that
He did to her -- there was no
Emotion when she told us about
These things, so, initially, I
Had a difficult time believing
That.
Narrator: police were
Skeptical.
She said she was kidnapped in a
Church parking lot in broad
Daylight, yet no one saw it.
And the kidnapper released her
In an area not far from the home
Of one of her friends.
She was released in an area
That a young man lived that she
Knew personally, and some people
Described their relationship as
Maybe "girlfriend and
Boyfriend."
Narrator: investigators told
Dana they thought she was lying.
That was the first sign of
Emotion that we saw from her.
And she said, "you can do what
You have to do.
I'm not lying."
And, I mean, she was closer to
Tears then, when she was accused
Of that, or told that, than she
Was during the entire interview.
I couldn't believe why they
Were, like, questioning her,
Interrogating her and stuff and
Saying that she might have made
This up or this might have been
A prank.
Narrator: police confiscated
Dana's clothes for analysis,
Then asked her to return the
Next day for another interview.
And it gave investigators a new
Insight into the case.
Narrator: the day after
Dana stenson's alleged
Kidnapping, she returned to
Police headquarters for a second
Interview.
They wanted to make sure her
Story didn't vary.
This time, investigators saw
Something that wasn't clearly
Visible the night before.
I can see what looked to be
Burn marks or red marks around
Both of her wrists, red marks at
The outset of her eyes, red
Marks around her mouth where it
Appears there's been some type
Of tape or something placed
Around her.
Narrator: dana said these
Were caused by the tape the
Kidnapper used over her mouth
And around her wrists.
[ Muffled screaming ]
Narrator: gradually, police
Began to believe her.
And she told detective
Dietrich in no uncertain terms,
"I am not lying.
Exactly what I told you has
Happened."
Narrator: her parents took
Dana to the hospital for a
Physical examination, but by
This time, potential forensic
Evidence was gone.
She should have gone to the
Hospital sooner.
She didn't.
Had she gone sooner, I'm not
Sure they ultimately would have
Recovered any dna, but we always
Try to, as part of procedure,
Get the victim to the hospital
As soon as possible to be
Checked out.
Narrator: fortunately, police
Had dana's clothes --
A pair of jeans, a pullover, and
Some socks were given to
Trace-evidence analyst
Devin crago-stasicha.
Using tape lifts, she found
Numerous fibers.
It wasn't like I just found
One or two of these carpet
Fibers.
I had multiple of these fibers
From different articles of her
Clothing.
That, to a fiber analyst, is
Amazing.
That's wonderful.
You could not ask for much
Better than that.
Narrator: magnified
Times, devin noticed that there
Were two different types of blue
Fibers, presumably from two
Different sources.
One was a light blue, and it
Was a very sharp, angular,
Triangular shape.
And then there was a lighter,
Kind of a bluish-gray fiber
That was also triangular, but it
Was more round.
The nodes weren't as sharp.
Narrator: triangular, or
Trilobal, fibers are usually
From carpet.
There were other fibers on
Dana's socks.
These were round and small, the
Type normally seen in ropes.
This was consistent with dana
Saying her ankles were tied with
Rope.
[ Muffled screaming ]
Narrator: the investigation
Was taking a -degree turn.
Now the forensic evidence was
Corroborating much of what dana
Was saying.
I was extremely impressed.
Even to the most minute detail,
She remembered, and through the
Things that she went through,
Most adults wouldn't be able to
Remember the things that she
Remembered.
Narrator: dana said her
Assailant was white with blond
Hair, blue eyes, in his mid s,
And had a medium build.
He was driving a white van with
Tinted windows and the word
"Wood" painted on the glass.
She said she was forced into a
Coffin-like box covered with
Blue carpet.
And she remembered something
Else.
My victim described inside
The van, an orange ice chest,
Cooler-type object.
She said that it said "igloo" on
It, and it had some other
Writing on it.
She couldn't remember exactly --
Lowes, home depot, something of
That nature.
And inside that cooler were
Dr peppers.
Narrator: investigators
Decided to go public with dana's
Description of the van.
It hit the papers that
There'd been a kidnapping at the
Catholic church, and that there
Was possibly a white van as the
Suspect vehicle.
Narrator: they were hoping
That someone in the area might
Have seen the van or witnessed
The abduction.
Narrator: two days after
Dana stenson's kidnapping, one
Of her neighbors contacted
Police, saying he might have
Witnessed at least part of the
Abduction.
He said, "I saw a white van
In the area.
It said 'surfside floor and
Tile' on the side of it.
I saw it in and around circling
The church all afternoon.
I saw it park at the church.
I saw it leave the church around
:, :, And it never
Returned."
Narrator: this was consistent
With information dana told
Investigators.
The child in the case was
Able to describe a word.
She remembered "wood" that was
On the side of the van.
Narrator: investigators
Checked the phone book and found
A business called surfside
Installation -- ceramic, vinyl,
Tile, and wood.
The owner of the business was
-Year-old randy lee allen,
Married for years and the
Father of a -year-old boy.
He had no criminal record.
He was told that he may have
Been a witness to a crime, and
Would he voluntarily follow us
To the police department?
His response was, "sure!"
And voluntarily drove towards
The police department.
Narrator: randy lee allen
Said he knew nothing about any
Kidnapping.
He told police he was in a
Restaurant having dinner with
His wife and child around the
Time of dana's abduction.
His wife corroborated his alibi.
The case appeared to have hit a
Dead end.
But police wanted one more thing
From randy allen -- they wanted
To look inside his van.
And he readily agreed.
There was no coffin-like box in
The back of his van like the one
Dana described.
But one thing particularly
Caught the attention of
Detectives.
There was an orange ice
Chest, igloo, with the word
"Home depot" on it that the
Lid's off of.
And inside that ice cooler are
Dr peppers.
Narrator: dana described
Seeing the same kind of ice
Chest in the abductor's truck as
Well as the same color carpeting
In the van's interior.
Investigators also found some
Blue-and-white rope.
Blue fibers from the carpet in
The van seen on the right with
The same shape and size of
Fibers found on dana's clothing.
Both samples were put under
Infrared light, causing the
Molecules to vibrate in unique
Ways.
These can be charted to
Determine a sample's chemical
Makeup.
So if it's a nylon, it's
Going to show up as a nylon.
If it's an acrylic, it'll be a
Totally different pattern.
If it's a rayon, it's going to
Be a totally different pattern.
Narrator: samples from the
Van and from dana's clothing
Were both made of a compound
Called nylon /.
To take the comparison one step
Further, analysts turned to a
Microspectrophotometer.
That is basically a
Microscope that measures color.
We pass light through a sample
And it measures the absorbance,
How much light is absorbed by
Our sample, and that actually
Tells us basically what color.
It gives us a spectra of the
Color representation.
Narrator: the colors in both
Samples were identical.
The same set of tests were
Conducted on rope in allen's
Truck and the rope fibers on
Dana's clothing.
Again, they were virtually
Identical.
When we get the phone call
From the lab that those fibers
Match, we know we have
Randy allen.
We are expecting at that point
He's going to plead.
Narrator: in randy's home,
Police found pieces of lumber
Similar to pieces that would
Make a wooden box.
Police asked randy if he would
Put the pieces back together.
Surprisingly, randy agreed.
While doing so, he made an
Incriminating statement.
When we asked him to
Reconstruct the box inside the
Van, he got inside the van and
He started putting the box
Together, and he said, almost to
Himself...
"Well, she was a little one.
She was a little one, so, yeah,
This is how I did it."
Narrator: investigators
Noticed there was blue carpet
Lining the inside of the box.
Fibers from this carpet matched
The last-remaining piece of
Forensic evidence found on
Dana stenson's clothing.
Finally, police prepared a photo
Lineup and showed it to
Dana stenson, telling her that
Their suspect may or may not be
In the lineup.
Less than five seconds.
Less than three.
Immediately.
As soon as I gave it to her, she
Scanned it, and she pointed to
His picture, and she said, "he's
The man that took me from the
Church and did that to me."
Narrator: randy lee allen was
Confronted with dana's
Identification and the forensic
Evidence.
He confessed and read his
Statement on videotape.
I saw a little girl, grabbed
Her, and started walking her
Towards my van.
Narrator: but one thing
Bothered investigators.
If randy allen was the
Perpetrator, how could he have
Been at dinner with his wife and
Child while the abduction took
Place?
The answer is unbelievable.
Narrator: when
Randy lee allen confessed to the
Abduction and sexual as*ault of
A -year-old girl, his friends,
Business associates, and
Particularly his wife could
Hardly believe it.
She had been married to him
For quite some time.
They had a child together.
She, of course, didn't want to
Believe that he was capable of
This behavior.
No one in his family wanted to
Believe that he was capable of
This.
Narrator: and with good
Reason.
The evidence showed a
Particularly calculated crime.
Prosecutors believe allen was
Cruising the neighborhood near
Dana's church, looking for a
Victim.
He saw dana stenson, who
Appeared to be lost, so he
Offered to show her where her
Classroom was.
Yeah, that's actually right
Over here.
I can take you if you want.
I'm headed that way anyway.
Narrator: as they passed his
Van...
Allen forced her inside, gagged
Her with tape, wrapped it around
Her hands, and tied her feet
With rope.
Then he forced her into the
Coffin-like box with the lid on
Top, making it soundproof.
He drove out near the ocean,
Parked his van, and sexually
Assaulted her.
Then allen put her back in the
Coffin and, incredibly, drove
Home.
He got out of the van, walked
Upstairs, got his wife and his
Child, walked downstairs, got in
His wife's car, and they went to
Dinner.
They were gone at least over an
Hour.
He came back, his wife and child
Went upstairs.
He told his wife he had more
Work to do.
He went and got in the van with
The child still in the box and
Drove off.
Narrator: he took dana to a
Local motel, but this time, dana
Fought back.
She refused to do what he asked
And demanded that he let her go.
This, experts say, altered the
Balance of power in dana's
Favor.
She became demanding.
"I'm not doing that anymore.
I want you to let me go, and I
Want you to let me go now."
And I think, in the end, that
Shook the suspect a little bit.
I wish more of us could
Handle things that way, but most
People aren't going to have that
Kind of strength, and most
People aren't going to show that
Type of resilience early on, and
Are going to need more help
Coping with that long-term.
Narrator: randy allen
Acquiesced, drove her to a
Deserted location, and let her
Go.
Prosecutors believe he had
Intended to k*ll her.
I don't think that
Randy allen ever thought he
Would be caught in this case and
Never considered forensic
Evidence being something that
Could link him back to this.
I think that because I think he
Intended to k*ll his victim.
Narrator: almost all sex
Criminals exhibit some type of
Deviant sexual behavior in their
Teens or early s.
Randy lee allen appeared to be
One of the few exceptions.
I just found it incredibly
Strange, all of a sudden one
Day, he woke up and decided to
Commit such a horrific crime.
When somebody decides to learn
To dive in the water, they don't
Usually jump off of a cliff
First.
They'll jump in off of a pool.
And to me, this was jumping off
Of a cliff.
There had to be more in his
Background -- we just were
Unable to uncover anything.
Narrator: randy lee allen
Lived in the dallas/fort worth
Area of texas at the time when a
Number of young girls were
Abducted.
I feel like there's probably
Other victims.
And that's our department's
Opinion.
The investigators that worked on
This case, the investigators
That have read this case outside
Of our department, the
Prosecutor's office, all believe
There are probably other victims
Out there.
Narrator: but none has been
Found, and randy lee allen made
No more confessions.
In september of , he was
Convicted of kidnapping and
Sexual as*ault and received two
Consecutive terms of years.
I detected no remorse.
The only remorse I detected from
Him was the fact that he got
Caught and was looking at a
Lengthy prison term.
Well, you think hell's too
Good for people like that.
I mean, let them suffer.
You know?
Narrator: "dana stenson" is a
Pseudonym for the remarkable
Young girl who showed courage,
Determination, and whose
Near-photographic memory helped
Solve the case.
And the forensic evidence
Helped, too.
It stuck to her clothing and
All that, her body.
That's amazing.
I can't believe how they can
Pick up something that small and
Make something stick like this,
Which I'm glad it did...
Through science and all that.
It's amazing how the world of
Forensics, how interesting it is
And how from a tiny, tiny piece
Of nothing, they can find
Evidence, you know?
That is very amazing.
I find it very, very amazing.
And like I told you, if I was
Young and I had to do it all
Over again, yes, I think I would