12x12 - Screen Pass
Posted: 01/19/24 07:48
Love you.
Narrator: a -year-old girl
Went missing from her colorado
Home, with little evidence to
Explain what happened.
The investigation dragged on for
Two long years, until an alert
Fingerprint examiner found a
Fingerprint examiner found a serious flaw in the system.
Serious flaw in the system.
September , , was like
Most other days for the church
Family -- diane church got the
Kids off to school, ran errands,
Went grocery shopping, and
Planned to spend a quiet evening
With her family.
The plans for that night,
Originally, was to be at home,
And just do whatever we do --
Probably read them stories and
That kind of stuff that moms do.
Narrator: then, diane
Remembered -- her older sons had
A boy-scout meeting that night.
Diane's other children,
-Year-old sage and -year-old
Heather, wanted to stay home.
Heather didn't want to go and
Hang out with all those crazy
Boys, and so she asked if she
Could babysit that night.
And so, we said, "sure, fine,
Whatever," and we took off and
Went to the cub-scout meeting.
Narrator: heather had taken
Babysitting classes, so diane
Had no qualms about leaving her
In charge.
[ Telephone ringing ]
Later that night, diane called
Home to check in.
I guess it was right before
:, And I heard the tv on in
The background.
And I said, "oh, what's going
On?"
And then she goes, "oh, mom, I
Just let him stay up a little
Bit.
I'll put him to bed."
Narrator: diane and the two
Boys returned home around :.
The house was dark, and, for
Some reason, the front door was
Unlocked.
She assumed heather and sage
Were asleep.
Sage was in bed...
But heather was not.
She was so little and she had
Such a big, fluffy comforter
That I just figured she was
Under the comforter.
So I said, "go look again."
So he goes and looks again and
Comes back and he goes, "no,
She's not in there."
So I went and looked and she
Wasn't in there, and that's when
It all fell apart.
Narrator: diane and her
Children searched the house and
Their five-acre property.
They found no sign of heather,
So diane called police.
And they said, "well, % of
These calls turn out to be
Runaways."
And I just said, "oh, well, this
Is the other %."
[ Siren wails ]
Narrator: when investigators
Arrived, they found the property
Full of friends and relatives.
For forensic technicians, this
Was a potential problem.
When there's a multitude of
People that have been there for
A prolonged period of time,
Pretty much everything and
Anything that could be touched
Has been touched -- footwear
Impressions, tire tracks,
Anything at all that might be
Unusual is more difficult to
Identify.
Narrator: there was no
Apparent sign of forced entry or
Foul play or even of a struggle.
The only thing taken or
Person taken was heather.
She was the only thing missing
From the scene that we could
Identify.
Narrator: the search
Continued throughout the night,
And still, there was no sign of
Heather.
The next morning, diane church
Noticed that the screen on her
Bedroom window was askew.
Evidence technicians found
Three fingerprints on the
Outside of the screen's frame.
The prints, themselves, were
Very fresh.
In this particular case on that
Particular screen, they were
Very distinct prints.
Narrator: but these
Fingerprints could have been
Left by <span tts:fontstyle="italic">anyone</span>-- dozens of
People had been in and around
The house.
But this was a busy household
Just like many of our
Households.
There were hundreds of prints
Throughout the entire house.
Narrator: it was a process
That would take days, perhaps
Weeks, and they were no closer
To finding heather.
What happened to
Heather dawn church became <span tts:fontstyle="italic">the</span>
Mystery for this entire
Region -- people were talking
About, people were worried,
People were scared.
What's your favorite violin
Song to play?
"The devil's dream."
Yeah, that's a good one.
I like that one.
Narrator: the possible
Abduction of -year-old
Heather church was unusual for
Colorado springs, colorado, a
Community with very little
Crime.
I think it heightened all the
Concern about taking safety
Measures with your children, and
Making sure they understood
About "stranger danger" concerns
And things like that.
Narrator: diane church and
Her family lived in a sparsely
Populated area, which meant a
Kidnapper could have abducted
Heather without drawing much
Attention.
It was this -year-old girl
Who was home, and yet her
Brother was left behind.
She disappeared and her brother
Was just still sleeping in his
Bed.
It all was a very suspicious
Situation right off the bat.
Narrator: an fbi profiler
Agreed.
Since there was nothing missing
From the home and no signs of
v*olence, the profiler suggested
Heather's abductor might be
Someone familiar with the family
And their routines.
It's a very high percentage
Of crimes of that nature that
Family members are involved.
So you always look at the
Parents, you always try to check
Out their alibi and/or check
Out their motive and if there's
Any evidence of bad character
At all.
Narrator: the first suspect
On the list was heather's
Father.
At the time, he was separated
From diane church and living on
His own.
The fbi wanted to talk to me,
And for about four hours I had,
Like you see in the movies, the
"Good guy, bad guy" scenario...
Fbi agents asking me all
These...
Questions.
Some of them were really hard to
Imagine.
They were very, very personal.
Things like, how I felt about my
Daughter.
Narrator: but mike church
Said he had an alibi for the
Time heather went missing.
He attended a support-group
Meeting for divorcées, with
Plenty of witnesses.
He left the meeting at :.
There was a short time gap
From the time he left the
Workshop to the time he was
Called at his residence.
That gap had to be filled in.
Narrator: he also passed a
Polygraph test.
One of the detectives did
Come to my work, and he asked to
See me.
At that time, I said, "am I
Still considered a suspect?"
And he said, "mr. Church, yes,
You are."
And I said, "well, I think that
You need to look somewhere
Else."
Narrator: diane church was
Also considered a suspect.
They gave me a lie-detector
Test -- a horrible thing to go
Through to go to the police
Station and be fingerprinted and
Lie-detector test and all this
Kind of stuff.
Narrator: the only potential
Evidence at the scene was the
Fingerprints on the bedroom
Screen.
The prints were compared with
Those in the database of the
Colorado state bureau of
Investigation.
There was no match.
Next, the sheriff's office sent
The prints to the fbi and their
Automated fingerprint
Identification system, or afis.
It's one of the largest
Fingerprint databases in the
World -- at the time, containing
Over million prints.
Our impression at that time
Was that if we submitted those
Fingerprints to the federal afis
System, that we were covering
The broadest spectrum that could
Be accessed.
Narrator: again, there was no
Match.
As a father, I felt like I
Should have been there.
And I wasn't.
So...i was going through a
Failed marriage, and then I
Wasn't there as a father for my
Children.
So I blamed a lot of that on
Myself.
Why...
Why wasn't I there?
My biggest wish was that
Somebody had taken her who had
Lost a kid of their own.
And that was what I clung to.
Narrator: the investigation
Into heather church's
Disappearance dragged on for
Months, then years.
The fingerprints found on the
Bedroom-window screen didn't
Match any in the state or
National databases.
Despite this, the family never
Lost hope.
I think that's what got me
From one day to the next, and
Then have those days that I
Would see her up in the
Mountains somewhere...
Alone and calling for me.
It was agonizing.
So I had to put myself in a
Right frame of mind, and I tried
To get out of those type of
Situations.
Narrator: exactly two years
After heather went missing, the
Family was told that a hiker had
Found a human skull near
Pikes peak, just miles from
Their home.
The skull was recovered in a
Pretty remote area of el paso
County off of rampart range
Road, over miles from town, by
A hiker in a pretty steep
Ravine -- about a -foot
Ravine.
Narrator: the skull was that
Of a young caucasian female.
The news came on, and the
Reporter was holding the skull,
And was saying that "this body
Has been found."
Yada, yada, and all the details.
And...this had happened to me so
Many times since she went
Missing.
It's amazing how many bodies are
Found.
Narrator: dental records
Identified the victim -- it was
Heather church.
At the beginning, I didn't
Want to hear it.
[ Sobbing ]
For like hours, I kept on
Saying, "are you sure?"
I must have said that a hundred
Times.
Narrator: the autopsy
Revealed the manner of death was
Homicide.
The medical examiner was able
To conclude that heather died of
Blunt-force trauma to the right
Rear of the head.
Narrator: in the area where
The skull was found,
Investigators discovered a pair
Of girl's pajamas, but,
Surprisingly, her mother said
They weren't heather's.
With no other clues, it looked
Like the case might go cold...
Again.
But before that could happen,
The newly elected sheriff of
El paso county made the
Heather church case his first
Priority.
And one of his main topics
That he wanted to work was the
Heather dawn church case.
And he asked me if I would look
Into it.
When lou said he was gonna
Open the case up, I thought to
Myself, "what good is this gonna
Do?
What are you gonna find out that
These other police officers and
Detectives...didn't know?"
Narrator: detective lou smit
Turned to the only possible clue
To the k*ller's identity...
The three fingerprints found on
The bedroom-window screen at the
Church's house.
At the same time, latent print
Examiner tom carney took a fresh
Look at these prints, too.
He was new to the el paso county
Crime laboratory.
He came from miami, where he
Learned something not many
Others knew -- the fbi's
Fingerprint database did not
Contain the prints of <span tts:fontstyle="italic">everyone</span>
In the united states who was
Convicted of a crime.
I knew right away that all
These afis systems out there had
Not been searched.
To the best of my knowledge,
Only two afis systems had been
Searched.
I just assumed that it was a
Centralized network, and
Tom carney was the one that
Really opened our eyes on that.
Narrator: generally, the fbi
Stores only the fingerprints of
Criminals convicted of <span tts:fontstyle="italic">major</span>
Crimes, not those convicted of
Minor crimes, like burglary or
Theft.
So carney needed to identify
Every database that had
Fingerprints which were not on
File with the fbi.
I just contacted every state
And try and track down every
System in every state, including
Canada and even mexico.
Narrator: carney identified
Fingerprint databases in
North america that hadn't been
Searched for the prints from the
Heather church case.
I left a note for our
Photographic lab saying, "please
Make sets of the
Heather dawn church crime-scene
Latents, and I'm gonna mail them
Out."
And that's what I did.
Narrator: four weeks later,
Tom carney got a surprise.
Narrator: finally, after two
Long years, colorado
Law-enforcement officials got
The break they'd been hoping
For.
They compared the fingerprints
From the heather church case
With databases not connected
To the fbi's afis registry...
And their efforts were richly
Rewarded.
Actually, it was my wife --
We were standing at home, and
The phone rang and it was the
Department saying that they had
Just made a match.
Narrator: the fingerprints
Matched -year-old
Robert browne, who had been
Arrested in both louisiana and
California and served time in
Prison for car theft.
He had a criminal history in
Both of those states -- nothing
For m*rder, but we knew he was a
Felon.
Narrator: browne's
Fingerprints didn't make it into
The fbi's database because his
Offense was comparatively minor.
When louisiana notified us
That they had matched the prints
To a subject named
Robert browne, we immediately
Went into our files and our
Databases to find out where
Robert browne lived, and we
Found he lived just a
Quarter-mile away from
Heather church.
Narrator: browne worked as a
Tree farmer and was married with
One grown son.
Colorado officials put browne
Under surveillance and arrested
Him walking out of an
Art-supply store.
Based on what I saw, he was
Pretty calm.
He didn't really have a
Reaction -- didn't look
Surprised, didn't overreact.
You could just see in his face,
It was like, "you got me."
Narrator: when questioned,
Browne denied any involvement
In heather's m*rder.
Why are your fingerprints out
There, robert?
My fingerprints weren't out
There.
I'm guaranteeing you that I
Ain't lying to you.
Your fingerprints are there.
Do you want me to show you the
Document that identifies your
Fingerprints?
What I want you to do is
Fingerprint me again and have
Somebody who knows what they're
Doing compare.
We've had four people that
Know what they're doing compare.
They need to do it again.
I've got the same fingerprints
I've had all my life.
Narrator: prosecutors believe
Browne's motive was burglary.
[ Telephone ringing ]
On the night of the crime,
Heather church was babysitting
Her brother, sage.
Her mother called at : to
Her mother called at : to check on them.
Check on them.
After her mother called, heather
Put her brother to bed, turned
Out the lights, and went to
Out the lights, and went to sleep herself.
Sleep herself.
Browne arrived at the church's
Home sometime after :.
The house lights were off, and
There was no car in the garage,
So he probably thought no one
Was home.
Browne entered the home through
A window into one of the empty
Bedrooms.
He most likely wore gloves, but
When he had difficulty removing
The screen, he took them off
And inadvertently left three
Prints behind.
Prosecutors believe heather
Heard the noise and went to
Investigate.
When browne saw her, he realized
Heather could identify him, so
He struck her in the head with
A blunt object, k*lling her
Instantly.
He carried heather's body out
Through the front door, which he
Left unlocked, loaded her into
His vehicle, and drove to the
Mountains, where he dumped her
Body in a ravine.
To avoid the death penalty,
Browne pleaded guilty to
Kidnapping and m*rder, and was
Sentenced to life in prison with
No chance of parole.
It's just, I think...it's
Just a scary prospect to all of
Us, that people can do these
Things and, at least for a
While, get away with it.
Narrator: had it not been for
An alert fingerprint examiner,
Browne's print might never have
Been matched.
The afis systems have to be
Organized into one central
Location where all fingerprint
Files are kept so that you
Don't have to go through so
Many different agencies in
Order to find out the answers
Sometime.
Narrator: once in prison,
Robert browne made a shocking
Revelation -- he admitted that
Heather church wasn't his first
m*rder victim.
He said he k*lled another
Colorado springs woman named
Rocio sperry, who had been
Reported missing in .
He said he put her body in a
Trash dumpster.
The sperry case was a
Classic cold case -- it was a
Missing person, wasn't really
Investigated as a homicide.
Narrator: investigators
Weren't entirely surprised by
Browne's revelation.
The unidentified pajamas found
Near heather's body led them to
Suspect there were other
Victims.
It wasn't surprising to me
That he had done other killings.
I knew from the beginning once
We made the arrest that he was a
Serial k*ller.
I mean, I think that was pretty
Common among investigators that
This wasn't his first time.
Narrator: eventually, browne
Confessed to murders,
Including one he committed while
Serving in the u.s. Military in
South korea.
There had been serial K*llers
Through here before.
You know, you hate to think
That there are others but,
Apparently, he was one.
Robert browne was one.
Narrator: investigators
Around the country are still
Trying to corroborate browne's
Claims.
If true, browne may be one of
The most prolific serial K*llers
In american history, and he
Might still be free if it
Weren't for the local
Fingerprint databases in
Louisiana and california and the
Investigators who knew where to
Look.
What I hope the episode shows
Is, number one, is you don't
Give up because it's a cold
Case -- keep trying.
And obviously, technological
Communication is important --
One department didn't talk to
Another, one system wasn't
Connected to another.
It was very important to have
That communication, both from a
Technological standpoint and a
Personal standpoint.
You just don't know sometime
How just a little clue, just a
Little fingerprint will lead you
Right directly to the k*ller.
They wouldn't have been able
To find browne without those
Forensics.
That fingerprint was...the thing
That...the nail in the coffin
For him.
Without that, after over a year,
I don't know how anything could
Narrator: a -year-old girl
Went missing from her colorado
Home, with little evidence to
Explain what happened.
The investigation dragged on for
Two long years, until an alert
Fingerprint examiner found a
Fingerprint examiner found a serious flaw in the system.
Serious flaw in the system.
September , , was like
Most other days for the church
Family -- diane church got the
Kids off to school, ran errands,
Went grocery shopping, and
Planned to spend a quiet evening
With her family.
The plans for that night,
Originally, was to be at home,
And just do whatever we do --
Probably read them stories and
That kind of stuff that moms do.
Narrator: then, diane
Remembered -- her older sons had
A boy-scout meeting that night.
Diane's other children,
-Year-old sage and -year-old
Heather, wanted to stay home.
Heather didn't want to go and
Hang out with all those crazy
Boys, and so she asked if she
Could babysit that night.
And so, we said, "sure, fine,
Whatever," and we took off and
Went to the cub-scout meeting.
Narrator: heather had taken
Babysitting classes, so diane
Had no qualms about leaving her
In charge.
[ Telephone ringing ]
Later that night, diane called
Home to check in.
I guess it was right before
:, And I heard the tv on in
The background.
And I said, "oh, what's going
On?"
And then she goes, "oh, mom, I
Just let him stay up a little
Bit.
I'll put him to bed."
Narrator: diane and the two
Boys returned home around :.
The house was dark, and, for
Some reason, the front door was
Unlocked.
She assumed heather and sage
Were asleep.
Sage was in bed...
But heather was not.
She was so little and she had
Such a big, fluffy comforter
That I just figured she was
Under the comforter.
So I said, "go look again."
So he goes and looks again and
Comes back and he goes, "no,
She's not in there."
So I went and looked and she
Wasn't in there, and that's when
It all fell apart.
Narrator: diane and her
Children searched the house and
Their five-acre property.
They found no sign of heather,
So diane called police.
And they said, "well, % of
These calls turn out to be
Runaways."
And I just said, "oh, well, this
Is the other %."
[ Siren wails ]
Narrator: when investigators
Arrived, they found the property
Full of friends and relatives.
For forensic technicians, this
Was a potential problem.
When there's a multitude of
People that have been there for
A prolonged period of time,
Pretty much everything and
Anything that could be touched
Has been touched -- footwear
Impressions, tire tracks,
Anything at all that might be
Unusual is more difficult to
Identify.
Narrator: there was no
Apparent sign of forced entry or
Foul play or even of a struggle.
The only thing taken or
Person taken was heather.
She was the only thing missing
From the scene that we could
Identify.
Narrator: the search
Continued throughout the night,
And still, there was no sign of
Heather.
The next morning, diane church
Noticed that the screen on her
Bedroom window was askew.
Evidence technicians found
Three fingerprints on the
Outside of the screen's frame.
The prints, themselves, were
Very fresh.
In this particular case on that
Particular screen, they were
Very distinct prints.
Narrator: but these
Fingerprints could have been
Left by <span tts:fontstyle="italic">anyone</span>-- dozens of
People had been in and around
The house.
But this was a busy household
Just like many of our
Households.
There were hundreds of prints
Throughout the entire house.
Narrator: it was a process
That would take days, perhaps
Weeks, and they were no closer
To finding heather.
What happened to
Heather dawn church became <span tts:fontstyle="italic">the</span>
Mystery for this entire
Region -- people were talking
About, people were worried,
People were scared.
What's your favorite violin
Song to play?
"The devil's dream."
Yeah, that's a good one.
I like that one.
Narrator: the possible
Abduction of -year-old
Heather church was unusual for
Colorado springs, colorado, a
Community with very little
Crime.
I think it heightened all the
Concern about taking safety
Measures with your children, and
Making sure they understood
About "stranger danger" concerns
And things like that.
Narrator: diane church and
Her family lived in a sparsely
Populated area, which meant a
Kidnapper could have abducted
Heather without drawing much
Attention.
It was this -year-old girl
Who was home, and yet her
Brother was left behind.
She disappeared and her brother
Was just still sleeping in his
Bed.
It all was a very suspicious
Situation right off the bat.
Narrator: an fbi profiler
Agreed.
Since there was nothing missing
From the home and no signs of
v*olence, the profiler suggested
Heather's abductor might be
Someone familiar with the family
And their routines.
It's a very high percentage
Of crimes of that nature that
Family members are involved.
So you always look at the
Parents, you always try to check
Out their alibi and/or check
Out their motive and if there's
Any evidence of bad character
At all.
Narrator: the first suspect
On the list was heather's
Father.
At the time, he was separated
From diane church and living on
His own.
The fbi wanted to talk to me,
And for about four hours I had,
Like you see in the movies, the
"Good guy, bad guy" scenario...
Fbi agents asking me all
These...
Questions.
Some of them were really hard to
Imagine.
They were very, very personal.
Things like, how I felt about my
Daughter.
Narrator: but mike church
Said he had an alibi for the
Time heather went missing.
He attended a support-group
Meeting for divorcées, with
Plenty of witnesses.
He left the meeting at :.
There was a short time gap
From the time he left the
Workshop to the time he was
Called at his residence.
That gap had to be filled in.
Narrator: he also passed a
Polygraph test.
One of the detectives did
Come to my work, and he asked to
See me.
At that time, I said, "am I
Still considered a suspect?"
And he said, "mr. Church, yes,
You are."
And I said, "well, I think that
You need to look somewhere
Else."
Narrator: diane church was
Also considered a suspect.
They gave me a lie-detector
Test -- a horrible thing to go
Through to go to the police
Station and be fingerprinted and
Lie-detector test and all this
Kind of stuff.
Narrator: the only potential
Evidence at the scene was the
Fingerprints on the bedroom
Screen.
The prints were compared with
Those in the database of the
Colorado state bureau of
Investigation.
There was no match.
Next, the sheriff's office sent
The prints to the fbi and their
Automated fingerprint
Identification system, or afis.
It's one of the largest
Fingerprint databases in the
World -- at the time, containing
Over million prints.
Our impression at that time
Was that if we submitted those
Fingerprints to the federal afis
System, that we were covering
The broadest spectrum that could
Be accessed.
Narrator: again, there was no
Match.
As a father, I felt like I
Should have been there.
And I wasn't.
So...i was going through a
Failed marriage, and then I
Wasn't there as a father for my
Children.
So I blamed a lot of that on
Myself.
Why...
Why wasn't I there?
My biggest wish was that
Somebody had taken her who had
Lost a kid of their own.
And that was what I clung to.
Narrator: the investigation
Into heather church's
Disappearance dragged on for
Months, then years.
The fingerprints found on the
Bedroom-window screen didn't
Match any in the state or
National databases.
Despite this, the family never
Lost hope.
I think that's what got me
From one day to the next, and
Then have those days that I
Would see her up in the
Mountains somewhere...
Alone and calling for me.
It was agonizing.
So I had to put myself in a
Right frame of mind, and I tried
To get out of those type of
Situations.
Narrator: exactly two years
After heather went missing, the
Family was told that a hiker had
Found a human skull near
Pikes peak, just miles from
Their home.
The skull was recovered in a
Pretty remote area of el paso
County off of rampart range
Road, over miles from town, by
A hiker in a pretty steep
Ravine -- about a -foot
Ravine.
Narrator: the skull was that
Of a young caucasian female.
The news came on, and the
Reporter was holding the skull,
And was saying that "this body
Has been found."
Yada, yada, and all the details.
And...this had happened to me so
Many times since she went
Missing.
It's amazing how many bodies are
Found.
Narrator: dental records
Identified the victim -- it was
Heather church.
At the beginning, I didn't
Want to hear it.
[ Sobbing ]
For like hours, I kept on
Saying, "are you sure?"
I must have said that a hundred
Times.
Narrator: the autopsy
Revealed the manner of death was
Homicide.
The medical examiner was able
To conclude that heather died of
Blunt-force trauma to the right
Rear of the head.
Narrator: in the area where
The skull was found,
Investigators discovered a pair
Of girl's pajamas, but,
Surprisingly, her mother said
They weren't heather's.
With no other clues, it looked
Like the case might go cold...
Again.
But before that could happen,
The newly elected sheriff of
El paso county made the
Heather church case his first
Priority.
And one of his main topics
That he wanted to work was the
Heather dawn church case.
And he asked me if I would look
Into it.
When lou said he was gonna
Open the case up, I thought to
Myself, "what good is this gonna
Do?
What are you gonna find out that
These other police officers and
Detectives...didn't know?"
Narrator: detective lou smit
Turned to the only possible clue
To the k*ller's identity...
The three fingerprints found on
The bedroom-window screen at the
Church's house.
At the same time, latent print
Examiner tom carney took a fresh
Look at these prints, too.
He was new to the el paso county
Crime laboratory.
He came from miami, where he
Learned something not many
Others knew -- the fbi's
Fingerprint database did not
Contain the prints of <span tts:fontstyle="italic">everyone</span>
In the united states who was
Convicted of a crime.
I knew right away that all
These afis systems out there had
Not been searched.
To the best of my knowledge,
Only two afis systems had been
Searched.
I just assumed that it was a
Centralized network, and
Tom carney was the one that
Really opened our eyes on that.
Narrator: generally, the fbi
Stores only the fingerprints of
Criminals convicted of <span tts:fontstyle="italic">major</span>
Crimes, not those convicted of
Minor crimes, like burglary or
Theft.
So carney needed to identify
Every database that had
Fingerprints which were not on
File with the fbi.
I just contacted every state
And try and track down every
System in every state, including
Canada and even mexico.
Narrator: carney identified
Fingerprint databases in
North america that hadn't been
Searched for the prints from the
Heather church case.
I left a note for our
Photographic lab saying, "please
Make sets of the
Heather dawn church crime-scene
Latents, and I'm gonna mail them
Out."
And that's what I did.
Narrator: four weeks later,
Tom carney got a surprise.
Narrator: finally, after two
Long years, colorado
Law-enforcement officials got
The break they'd been hoping
For.
They compared the fingerprints
From the heather church case
With databases not connected
To the fbi's afis registry...
And their efforts were richly
Rewarded.
Actually, it was my wife --
We were standing at home, and
The phone rang and it was the
Department saying that they had
Just made a match.
Narrator: the fingerprints
Matched -year-old
Robert browne, who had been
Arrested in both louisiana and
California and served time in
Prison for car theft.
He had a criminal history in
Both of those states -- nothing
For m*rder, but we knew he was a
Felon.
Narrator: browne's
Fingerprints didn't make it into
The fbi's database because his
Offense was comparatively minor.
When louisiana notified us
That they had matched the prints
To a subject named
Robert browne, we immediately
Went into our files and our
Databases to find out where
Robert browne lived, and we
Found he lived just a
Quarter-mile away from
Heather church.
Narrator: browne worked as a
Tree farmer and was married with
One grown son.
Colorado officials put browne
Under surveillance and arrested
Him walking out of an
Art-supply store.
Based on what I saw, he was
Pretty calm.
He didn't really have a
Reaction -- didn't look
Surprised, didn't overreact.
You could just see in his face,
It was like, "you got me."
Narrator: when questioned,
Browne denied any involvement
In heather's m*rder.
Why are your fingerprints out
There, robert?
My fingerprints weren't out
There.
I'm guaranteeing you that I
Ain't lying to you.
Your fingerprints are there.
Do you want me to show you the
Document that identifies your
Fingerprints?
What I want you to do is
Fingerprint me again and have
Somebody who knows what they're
Doing compare.
We've had four people that
Know what they're doing compare.
They need to do it again.
I've got the same fingerprints
I've had all my life.
Narrator: prosecutors believe
Browne's motive was burglary.
[ Telephone ringing ]
On the night of the crime,
Heather church was babysitting
Her brother, sage.
Her mother called at : to
Her mother called at : to check on them.
Check on them.
After her mother called, heather
Put her brother to bed, turned
Out the lights, and went to
Out the lights, and went to sleep herself.
Sleep herself.
Browne arrived at the church's
Home sometime after :.
The house lights were off, and
There was no car in the garage,
So he probably thought no one
Was home.
Browne entered the home through
A window into one of the empty
Bedrooms.
He most likely wore gloves, but
When he had difficulty removing
The screen, he took them off
And inadvertently left three
Prints behind.
Prosecutors believe heather
Heard the noise and went to
Investigate.
When browne saw her, he realized
Heather could identify him, so
He struck her in the head with
A blunt object, k*lling her
Instantly.
He carried heather's body out
Through the front door, which he
Left unlocked, loaded her into
His vehicle, and drove to the
Mountains, where he dumped her
Body in a ravine.
To avoid the death penalty,
Browne pleaded guilty to
Kidnapping and m*rder, and was
Sentenced to life in prison with
No chance of parole.
It's just, I think...it's
Just a scary prospect to all of
Us, that people can do these
Things and, at least for a
While, get away with it.
Narrator: had it not been for
An alert fingerprint examiner,
Browne's print might never have
Been matched.
The afis systems have to be
Organized into one central
Location where all fingerprint
Files are kept so that you
Don't have to go through so
Many different agencies in
Order to find out the answers
Sometime.
Narrator: once in prison,
Robert browne made a shocking
Revelation -- he admitted that
Heather church wasn't his first
m*rder victim.
He said he k*lled another
Colorado springs woman named
Rocio sperry, who had been
Reported missing in .
He said he put her body in a
Trash dumpster.
The sperry case was a
Classic cold case -- it was a
Missing person, wasn't really
Investigated as a homicide.
Narrator: investigators
Weren't entirely surprised by
Browne's revelation.
The unidentified pajamas found
Near heather's body led them to
Suspect there were other
Victims.
It wasn't surprising to me
That he had done other killings.
I knew from the beginning once
We made the arrest that he was a
Serial k*ller.
I mean, I think that was pretty
Common among investigators that
This wasn't his first time.
Narrator: eventually, browne
Confessed to murders,
Including one he committed while
Serving in the u.s. Military in
South korea.
There had been serial K*llers
Through here before.
You know, you hate to think
That there are others but,
Apparently, he was one.
Robert browne was one.
Narrator: investigators
Around the country are still
Trying to corroborate browne's
Claims.
If true, browne may be one of
The most prolific serial K*llers
In american history, and he
Might still be free if it
Weren't for the local
Fingerprint databases in
Louisiana and california and the
Investigators who knew where to
Look.
What I hope the episode shows
Is, number one, is you don't
Give up because it's a cold
Case -- keep trying.
And obviously, technological
Communication is important --
One department didn't talk to
Another, one system wasn't
Connected to another.
It was very important to have
That communication, both from a
Technological standpoint and a
Personal standpoint.
You just don't know sometime
How just a little clue, just a
Little fingerprint will lead you
Right directly to the k*ller.
They wouldn't have been able
To find browne without those
Forensics.
That fingerprint was...the thing
That...the nail in the coffin
For him.
Without that, after over a year,
I don't know how anything could