Life On The Line

Summary

20/20 Podcast Summary: "Life On The Line" (Oct 11, 2025)

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Overview

This powerful 20/20 episode tells the harrowing true story of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old mother abducted from her Florida home in 2008. Blending firsthand family accounts, chilling 911 audio, and investigative details, the episode traces the search for Denise, the tragic outcome, and the system failures that let her down. It’s a story of immense loss, community, and the drive for change in emergency response.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disappearance of Denise Lee

[00:44–10:49]

• Denise, a young mother of two, vanishes from her home in Northport, Florida.
• Husband Nathan Lee describes arriving home, finding Denise gone, her phone, purse, and car untouched, and their two young boys, Noah and Adam, alone.
  • "It was like she evaporated." — Nathan Lee [04:08]
• Immediate suspicion and confusion; Nathan calls 911 and Denise’s father, Rick Gough, a local detective.

2. The Family and Their Bonds

[07:05–10:49]

• Denise’s background: bright, caring, deeply family-oriented (“Selfless is the number one word. She put them first for everything.” — Nathan Lee [06:45])
• Nathan and Denise’s relationship from teenage years; built a young, loving family.

3. The Initial Investigation & Search

[11:02–16:09]

• Detectives, led by Chris Morales, quickly hone in on the scene.
• Law enforcement, including Denise’s father, coordinate a rapid search.
• Neighbors report sighting a suspicious green Camaro near the Lee home.

4. The Critical 911 Calls

[17:45–23:37]

• Denise manages to secretly call 911 while in captivity:
  • "My name is Denise. I just want to see my family again." — Denise Lee [20:57]
  • She provides clues about her captivity, shows remarkable composure and courage.
• Law enforcement attempts to triangulate her phone signal, but technical and procedural limitations hinder tracking.

5. Identifying the Suspect: Michael King

[26:12–27:02]

• 911 call records and vehicle info point to Michael King, unknown to Denise’s family.
  • “This is our guy.” — Chris Morales [27:02]
• Witnesses and King’s cousin, Harold Muxlow, detail King’s actions: King arrived at Muxlow’s requesting a shovel, gas can, and flashlight, with Denise tied up in his car.

6. System & Human Failures

[29:31–30:36, 67:26–70:01]

• Muxlow, despite seeing Denise pleading for help, does not call 911 himself—his teenage daughter, Sabrina, does so.
• Jane Kowalski, a witness on the road, sees Denise pounding and screaming in the Camaro; her timely 911 call is misrouted and never properly dispatched.
  • “She was giving cross streets, telling police... That should have been the moment she should have been saved.” — Nathan Lee [68:21]

7. The Aftermath and Investigation

[45:44–50:07]

• Police apprehend Michael King after a highway pursuit; Denise is missing from the vehicle.
• Environmental clues (mud on King, items in the car) suggest foul play.
• King claims to be an abduction victim himself, a story investigators immediately question.

8. The Tragic Outcome

[62:03–64:50]

• Denise’s body is found in a shallow grave, four feet deep; she had been sexually assaulted and shot.
• Family and law enforcement are devastated.
  • “She was my firstborn baby girl. I fell apart.” — Detective Cameron [64:32]

9. System Accountability & Reform

[67:26–78:18]

• Focus on failures in the 911 system and individual responsibility (Muxlow).
• Nathan Lee’s wrongful death lawsuit leads to a $1.2 million settlement (sheriff’s office admits no wrongdoing).
• Denise Amber Lee Act passed in Florida, improving 911 operator training and protocol standards.

10. The Trial and Legacy

[71:50–77:23]

• Trial results: Michael King found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
• Denise remembered as a hero for her resourcefulness during captivity and the evidence she managed to leave behind.
• The Lee children, now adults, speak publicly about their mother’s legacy for the first time:
  • “Our mom was always missing... She sacrificed herself to make sure we were safe.” — Noah & Adam Lee [81:44, 82:08]
• Denise’s husband and sister now advocate for public safety and 911 reform.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On realizing Denise is missing:
  “Her car's at her house. Her phone's at her house. Her purse is at her house. Her kids are at her house. And she's not.” — Rick Gough [01:03]
• Courage under unimaginable duress:
  “She was very good at giving indicators to 911. She didn't want to let him know that she was talking to somebody.” — Chris Morales [21:22]
• Procedural failure's human cost:
  “That should have been the moment she should have been saved.” — Nathan Lee [68:21] “That's a major screw up. When I say major, I mean it could have saved her life.” — Detective Cameron [68:30]
• Family perspective:
  “I always write her name in the clay before every event just to like, know that she's there with me.” — Adam Lee [82:05]
• The enduring pain and drive for accountability:
  “It is the sheriff's responsibility to provide the best public safety... Denise wasn't given the best public safety.” — Nathan Lee [78:06]
• Remembering Denise:
  “She took this murderer off the street and made sure we had plenty of evidence. And there's no doubt in anybody's mind that he's a killer.” — Detective Cameron [77:04]

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Important Timestamps

• Disappearance and first 911 call: [00:44–05:16]
• Family & marriage history: [07:05–09:46]
• Suspicious car sighting (Green Camaro): [11:02–17:03]
• Denise’s 911 call from captivity: [20:27–23:37]
• Police identify Michael King as suspect: [26:12–27:02]
• King’s failed alibi and family interventions: [28:22–30:07]
• System failures (Jane Kowalski 911 call): [67:26–70:01]
• Discovery of Denise’s body: [62:21–64:09]
• Trial and sentencing: [71:50–77:23]
• Family’s continued advocacy: [80:05–82:47]

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Flow and Tone

The episode blends heartbreaking family testimony, procedural details, and investigative urgency, alternating between the emotional weight of loss and the analytical assessment of system failures. Law enforcement voices are frank and critical; family voices are raw and searching for meaning; survivor advocates are determined and hopeful.

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Legacy of the Case

• The Denise Amber Lee Act established new training standards for Florida’s 911 operators.
• Nathan Lee and Jane Kowalski now advocate nationally for emergency response reform.
• Denise’s children, speaking out for the first time, and her family’s advocacy, ensure her story drives change and remembrance.

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Conclusion

“Life On The Line” is a searing look at how a single tragedy exposes both the best and worst in our emergency response system and the people within it. Denise Lee’s strength in the face of horror, her family’s relentless search for accountability, and the failures that compounded the loss are told in a way that is both haunting and empowering—ensuring her life and legacy matter well beyond this episode.

Transcript

[Nathan Lee]

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[Chris Morales]

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[Narrator]

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[Chris Morales]

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[Nathan Lee]

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[Chris Morales]

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[Nathan Lee]

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[Chris Morales]

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[Nathan Lee]

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[Chris Morales]

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[Nathan Lee]

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[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I just want to see my kids again.

[Narrator]

Was there any sign of forced entry or a struggle?

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

No. None.

[Narrator]

Nothing.

[Chris Morales]

Nothing.

[Narrator]

So it looked like a woman just vanished?

[Chris Morales]

Yep. With leaving her two precious babies behind.

[Rick Gough]

Ollie kept saying to me, I'll never forget this, Chief. Something's terribly wrong. My daughter is gone. Her car's at her house, her phone's at her house. Her purse is at her house. Her kids are at her house. And she's not ready.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Daddy, I'm ready.

[Narrator]

Oh my goodness.

[Chris Morales]

What can we do? What can we do? What can we help? Where can we go?

[Detective Cameron]

There's no way she would go off and leave them kids at home like this. I know 100% there's something wrong.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I could see through my blinds. A green Camaro going up and down the road.

[Narrator]

She's with her abductor and managing to make a 911 call.

[Jane Kowalski]

Hands coming up and just hitting that window. Wow.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Child in the car and it was banging on the window and crying and screaming like get me out of here. Scream.

[Narrator]

Do you have any idea that a 21 year old mom is missing?

[Jane Kowalski]

No.

[Narrator]

And you're witnessing a kidnapping.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Let me go.

[Nathan Lee]

I've been telling this story all over the country. I've probably told it hundreds, if not thousands of times over the years. It started just like every other day. That turned out to be literally the worst day of my life. I know.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I don't know where mommy is. Northport Emergency. I just got home from work and my wife, I can't find her. She's never done this before. No. No, no, no, no. A Northport man came home and found.

[Jane Kowalski]

His two young children, both under the age of three, home alone and his wife missing. Denise Lee's husband reported her missing and the massive search was underway.

[Chris Morales]

21 year old mother of two has.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Been missing since mid afternoon. Denise Amber Lee disappeared from her home.

[Jane Kowalski]

Around 3:30 in the afternoon on January 17th. Authorities are still calling it an active investigation.

[Nathan Lee]

It's incredibly painful to dive into the story over and over again. But it's something I have to continue to do, you know, make a positive difference, have an impact on somebody's life. Good morning, everyone. My name is Nathan Lee.

[Narrator]

Take me back to that day. What do you remember about getting up and getting going that morning?

[Nathan Lee]

Typically in the morning I would try to be as quiet and, you know, ninja like as possible, you know, getting ready for work and leaving. Because Denise, as soon as she would wake up, she'd be awake. I was working a bunch of different jobs and just trying to make sure that she could stay home with the boys. Started my shift 7am, 11am and the brief conversation I'll remember like it was yesterday. A nice cold front came through Florida in January. So it got down to like the low 70s. And so I'm like, open up the house, turn off the AC so we can save money. And she's like, okay, I'll do that.

[Detective Cameron]

I was going to invite him over to eat. Maybe once a week we would try to do that. And I remember trying to call there, just say, hey, you guys want to come over? And never got an answer.

[Nathan Lee]

My shift ended at 3 o'.

[Rick Gough]

Clock.

[Nathan Lee]

I had a 25 minute drive home and I called her a total of seven times and she didn't answer.

[Narrator]

Was that unusual?

[Nathan Lee]

That was weird. I started getting a little nervous that something wasn't right. I pulled in the driveway, but the windows were shut. I opened the door and the first thing I noticed was how hot it was in the house. I walked in the front door, put my phone and keys down on the chair. I noticed her cell phone sitting on the top of the couch. The AC was off and so I turned that on and I noticed her purse and keys sitting on the counter.

[Narrator]

But no sign of Denise.

[Nathan Lee]

No sign of Denise. Everything looked normal. And that's when I heard Noah starting to wake up from a nap. It was coming out of Adam's bedroom. And so I walked in there and they were both in the same crib.

[Narrator]

Is that typical?

[Nathan Lee]

That was not. That was not normal. Pick up Noah and he's immediately asking me, where's mommy? Where's mom? Where's mom? I literally walked in every room in the house and she wasn't anywhere. I didn't know what else to do. And I called 911.

[Jane Kowalski]

Northport Police emergency.

[Narrator]

We all know those critical three digits to dial in an emergency. 9, 1, 1. And when Denise Lee, a young mom of two, suddenly vanishes from her West Florida home, there are a series of those calls captured in real time. And each can Be the difference between life and death.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Northport Emergency. Yes, I'm at Latourah Avenue. I just got home from work and my wife, I can't find her. My kids were in the house and I don't know where she is. I've looked every single place and I don't know. How old are your kids, sir? My oldest is 2 and my youngest is 6 months. I know. I don't know where Mommy is. Her vehicle's in the driveway. Yes. Does she have any medical conditions? No. Her purse is here. I don't. Her cell phone is here. I don't. I don't know.

[Nathan Lee]

I don't know.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Okay, what is her name? Denise.

[Narrator]

We. Oh, my God.

[Detective Cameron]

There's little video clips of her at the park with the pushing Noah in the swing, her giggling. That was her, you know, that was Denise all the time with the kids.

[Narrator]

I got.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

You ready, Daddy, I'm ready. You ready?

[Jane Kowalski]

She was a stay at home mom. She was like, all about her boys and her family.

[Nathan Lee]

Noah, you ready?

[Rick Gough]

Whoa.

[Narrator]

What was she like as a mom, juggling two little boys?

[Nathan Lee]

Selfless is the number one word. She put them first for everything. Patience. I don't think I ever heard her raise her voice at them.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

One, no smile.

[Nathan Lee]

I remember sitting back and just going, wow. You know, she's an amazing human.

[Narrator]

Denise was pretty young, 21 year old, young mom. Tell me about her life at that point.

[Jane Kowalski]

Oh, she loved being a mom. You know, her family meant everything to her. She was so proud of her kids. Kids and you know, Nathan, they were her life.

[Narrator]

She looks so happy.

[Jane Kowalski]

Yeah, that's her with Noah and Adam. They look like they're about the same size.

[Narrator]

They look about the same size.

[Jane Kowalski]

They're 18 months apart.

[Narrator]

They look like the happy family right here. Take me back to the time when you met those teen years.

[Nathan Lee]

She was a senior in high school. I was a sophomore, technically in college. She was super crazy smart and was taking college courses already.

[Detective Cameron]

She was a brainiac, and it was very smart.

[Narrator]

Denise's dad, Rick Gough, had been a longtime detective with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office at the time.

[Rick Gough]

Rick Goff is a legend at the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. He's been here a long time. I felt like I just had an instant friendship with Rick. Kind of guys cut from the same cloth. Cops, cops.

[Narrator]

Is that Rick?

[Jane Kowalski]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jane Kowalski]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

What was it about her that attracted you?

[Nathan Lee]

She was beautiful, funny, goofy. As we started dating and got to know each other better, the thing that I loved about her the most was how she looked at me.

[Narrator]

Nathan remembers that Denise was just 17 when she first spoke to him, and the two went out on a date.

[Nathan Lee]

I wanted to take her somewhere special because if she was the one, I wanted it to be memorable. And I kind of already knew. Like, it was weird. I kind of already knew.

[Narrator]

You already knew that age?

[Nathan Lee]

I think so.

[Narrator]

So you started dating pretty soon. It's February, Valentine's Day. How did you mark the occasion?

[Nathan Lee]

Yeah, it was pretty awkward. You know, Valentine's Day was not even a month after our first date. And so we went to the mall and we came up with this plan to not go over $40. That was our cap. She found a ring. Not even sure if it was silver or what it was. It had a heart on it with a little stone in the middle. That turned out to be the most special thing, her prized possession.

[Narrator]

Soon you're talking marriage.

[Nathan Lee]

We weren't talking marriage until we found out that somebody was going to be coming into this world.

[Jane Kowalski]

I remember finding out like she was pregnant. And I was kind of shocked because she was like really young. She was really happy that day. I don't think she stopped smiling the whole day.

[Nathan Lee]

We had Noah about five months later, and then Adam was born another 18 months later.

[Narrator]

That's a quick family.

[Nathan Lee]

Yeah, we didn't waste any time. We had no money, but we didn't care. And we were madly in love.

[Narrator]

Then, January 17, 2008, everything changes.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Have you checked the residence?

[Nathan Lee]

Yes.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Every closet, every room, bathrooms, everywhere.

[Nathan Lee]

It was like she evaporated.

[Detective Cameron]

She wouldn't have left them kids for nothing.

[Jane Kowalski]

We knew she didn't leave on her own free will.

[Rick Gough]

Northport is a great little town. It's a beautiful city. The neighborhood that Denise and her husband lived in was just a typical small family Florida neighborhood. You would feel safe living in that community.

[Narrator]

How did they wind up moving to Northport?

[Jane Kowalski]

They were looking for a house to rent and they saw that one and.

[Detective Cameron]

Liked was a brand new house. Never been lived in a cheap, pretty cheap back then.

[Nathan Lee]

The recession was hitting and there was a ton of empty houses for rent. And we found a three bedroom, two bath for like $500 a month. And it was in a beautiful area, all pine trees, wooded area, very secluded, which we thought was a good thing. Being in our own house was really special. It was like, okay, we're a real family. But we loved it. We loved the house.

[Narrator]

But on January 17, 2008, that house is at the center of a missing persons investigation.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Have you checked the residence? The entire residence? The Entire house? Yes. Every closet, every room, bathrooms? Everywhere. Are the children okay? Yes. Well, my youngest one's crying, but they're okay. All right, Nathan, I have an officer en route for you. If she does return home by the time we get their calls back, let us know, okay?

[Nathan Lee]

Okay.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

All right, thank you. Thank you. Bye. Bye.

[Chris Morales]

My name is Chris Morales, and I am the deputy Chief of police for the Northport Police Department.

[Narrator]

But at that time, you were.

[Chris Morales]

At the time, I was a detective with the agency in the Major Crimes Unit.

[Narrator]

You get this call that Denise Lee is missing.

[Chris Morales]

I got a notification from my sergeant and said, hey, I need you two to go out to Latour Avenue. Reference to a missing female, 10 4.

[Jane Kowalski]

Thin build, approximately 5 2, dirty blonde.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Hair, blue eyes, 110 pounds.

[Chris Morales]

Photos were disseminated out throughout the department to members on their computers. And who to be out on the lookout for at that time.

[Narrator]

Do you just wait for the police? Do you call anybody else?

[Nathan Lee]

Yeah. So as soon as I got off the phone with 911, I called Denise's.

[Narrator]

Dad, who happens to be a detective.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Rick.

[Nathan Lee]

Always when he answers the phone, he just starts talking. And the first thing Rick asked me, I'll never forget it. I can't imagine what this must have felt like from his standpoint. He asked me, do you guys want to come over for dinner tonight? And I'm like, rick, we can't. I don't know where Denise is. And he's like, what do you mean by that?

[Narrator]

Did you immediately become concerned?

[Rick Gough]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Why?

[Detective Cameron]

Because he said she wasn't around and the two boys were there home alone when he got home. Absolutely.

[Nathan Lee]

And then he went into cop mode. Is there any signs of force entry? Is there blood anywhere? You know? And I'm like, rick, no. It's like she evaporated. And I felt after talking to him, because I knew if anybody was going to find where Denise was, it was him.

[Detective Cameron]

And then I take off straight to Northport to their house and had to get ahold of my wife.

[Jane Kowalski]

I didn't know what to think. I had no idea what could have happened.

[Nathan Lee]

So very quickly, Denise's mom arrives to take Noah and Adam home. They had taped off the house. Crime scene was there.

[Jane Kowalski]

I brought them home with me. Adam was only six months old. She was still nursing him. I had a friend go to the store, get formula because I knew it was going to be time for him to eat. He was hungry. They were my focus.

[Narrator]

Now, when you first go out there, I would imagine you've got to rule out the Husband.

[Chris Morales]

Any investigator knows that when you have something of suspicion, when it comes to a domestic, a husband and wife, that you're going to be on hypervigilant of, want to focus on that person. Right.

[Narrator]

Cars from the North Port police station are soon on the scene. And Nathan says one of the officers starts to hone in on him.

[Nathan Lee]

And I understand it, you watch a lot of these types of shows, and it's always the husband. But luckily, Denise's dad arrived, and that changed everything. They respected his authority. This was his daughter.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

And.

[Nathan Lee]

And this investigation ramps up very quickly.

[Detective Cameron]

First thing, I go, well, maybe she went with somebody else. You know, her and Nathan haven't tried. Absolutely not. Nathan was her life. There's no way she would go off and leave them kids at home like this. I know 100% me there's something wrong.

[Narrator]

There are multiple law enforcement agencies involved. Who's taking the lead?

[Detective Cameron]

Northward's taking the lead on it to in their jurisdiction, but Detective Morales was the case agent.

[Narrator]

Was there any sign of forced entry or a struggle?

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

No, none.

[Narrator]

Nothing.

[Chris Morales]

Nothing.

[Narrator]

So it looked like a woman just vanished.

[Chris Morales]

Yep. With leaving her two precious babies behind.

[Detective Cameron]

Her phone was there, her keys were there. Her purse was there. So all indications there was something wrong.

[Chris Morales]

I remember Rick Gough was sitting across the street, leaned up against his car with his arms crossed and his head kind of in a way downward of dismay.

[Narrator]

He was distraught. Yeah, you're her father, but you're also in law enforcement. So what goes on for you at this moment?

[Detective Cameron]

Me? I was. Hey, you know, you always hear postpartum depression, maybe after a pregnancy, but it's been six months, so you kind of. Well, maybe she's just lost in the woods out here because the whole house is surrounded by woods and stuff. So I went to Chief Cameron. I called him at the time, and he was the undersheriff. And I said, hey, can we get our helicopter up here? Northport doesn't have a helicopter. Can we get extra people?

[Rick Gough]

Instantly, I felt the panic in his voice. And all he kept saying to me, I'll never forget this, Chief, something's wrong. Chief, something's terribly wrong. He goes, my daughter is gone. Her car's at her house. Her phone's at her house. Her purse is at her house. Her kids are at her house, and she's not. He said, chief, she would never do that. She would never leave her kids. Chief, I said, I'm on the way. I'm bringing the cavalry. We'll help you. We're gonna find it.

[Narrator]

So you had law Enforcement just coming.

[Chris Morales]

In and was hearing it about a sergeant's daughter's missing. They were just, they were coming, going, what can we do? What can we do? What can we help? Where can we go?

[Rick Gough]

I called the dispatchers and I said anybody who's free, any detective, any officer, any motorcycle, doesn't matter what, send him to Northport. You gotta go find Rick's daughter.

[Chris Morales]

We were trying to figure out where is Denise. So we started going door to door, talking to neighbors. Around 2:30, the neighbor, a young female had saw a green Camaro.

[Jane Kowalski]

She said she saw a man in a green Camaro. She made eye contact with him.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I could see through my blinds a green Camaro going up and down the road. And I walked outside just as he was turning around, pulled into her driveway.

[Jane Kowalski]

Real quick and sat in the car. Jennifer Eckhart, who lived next door saw him park in Denise Lee's driveway after he had kind of been prowling up and down the street several times.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

And he sat there for let's say.

[Narrator]

A good 15 minutes.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

And so I went back inside and then about 10 minutes later he left.

[Narrator]

Who's inside? This green Camaro that seemed to be lurking outside.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Pretend it's going to be darker green Camaro.

[Narrator]

Hours go by and with the search on for this mysterious green car, a heart stopping 911 call comes in.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

911, please let me go. I just want to see my family again. From your fryer to the table, it's.

[Jane Kowalski]

A quick trip for crispy fries, but how about a crosstown delivery? McCain's sure crisp fries are designed to go from fryer to container to carrier to passenger seat across town during rush hour. Down a shortcut that wasn't all that short. To a doorstep before they hit the table. And that first bite, the crispiness speaks for itself. To the last bite. McCain's sure crisp fries go the distance.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

See how far our fries can take.

[Jane Kowalski]

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[Narrator]

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[Chris Morales]

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[Narrator]

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[Chris Morales]

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[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

A. Lee, Norfolk 118S107. Any units that were campus in the area.

[Narrator]

Within minutes of Nathan Lee making that 911 call to report that his wife Denise is missing. Northport police are at his doorstep. And after canvassing the neighborhood, they soon come up with their first lead.

[Chris Morales]

We got the information from the neighbor of a green Camaro that was seen in her driveway around 2:30. That was about an hour prior to Nathan getting home. So we were on the questions with Nathan about, do you have friends that have a Camaro, family member, someone at your work?

[Nathan Lee]

I do, actually. I know a guy, worked with a guy, drove a green Camaro, but it turned out it wasn't him.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

It's going to be a darker green Camaro, and it's going to be probably an early 2000s, late 90s model.

[Rick Gough]

All we had to go on at that point was look for any green Camaro you see and stop it. Because that's all we have.

[Jane Kowalski]

We knew that someone had to have taken her.

[Rick Gough]

I put my guys at every intersection I could possibly think of because my fear was, whoever it was, if they got onto the interstate, they could be in Miami and we'd lose them.

[Narrator]

Nearly four hours after Denise's neighbors spotted that green camaro, a new 911 call comes in to Sarasota county dispatch. And it immediately grabs their attention.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

911 was, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to death. Hello? I'm sorry. I just want to see my family. Please let me go. Please let me go. I just want to see my family again.

[Narrator]

Incredibly, the woman on the line is Denise Leigh herself.

[Chris Morales]

When that call came in, we absolutely knew that she was abducted.

[Narrator]

What's your name?

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Ann. My name is Denise. I made your beautiful husband and I just want to see my kids again. Please. I just want to see my family again. While we go.

[Narrator]

She's with her abductor.

[Chris Morales]

She's with her abductor and managing to.

[Narrator]

Make a 911 call.

[Chris Morales]

Denise had found the phone and was able to hide the phone and call 911.

[Narrator]

That's pretty incredible.

[Chris Morales]

It is absolutely incredible and very heroic. She was very good at giving indicators to 911. She didn't want to let him know that she was talking to somebody.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Do you know this guy that's with you? No. You don't know him from anywhere? No. Please. Oh, God, help me. What is the address? The tr. Where are we going? Around. Where? Northport. L9, Sarasota. Just had Denise a Lee on the phone advising she was taken by an unknown subject.

[Detective Cameron]

Chief Cameron came to me, said There was a 911 call and they said, listen, there's a girl on the phone. They think it's Denise.

[Rick Gough]

I said, rick, I have to have you listen to this recording. And I played it for him.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I'm sorry. Please let me go. Hello? Please let me go. Car, please.

[Rick Gough]

He cried and he said, that's her. That was horrible for me and horrible for Rick.

[Detective Cameron]

She's trying to save her life, get back to her kids, you know, it's just tough. It's tough, tough to deal with.

[Narrator]

When you eventually heard that call, that couldn't have been easy for you.

[Nathan Lee]

Yeah, that was tough.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

What's your home address? Do you know? Can you just take me to my house? Can you just take me home on the.

[Detective Cameron]

Can you take me back to my house on the tour, which is the address where she lived. Laying on top of the phone in the backseat, best we can figure, and answering dispatch's questions, then trying to relay it, secretly talking to him.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Can they turn off the radio or turn it down? I can't hear you. It's so loud.

[Nathan Lee]

I know when she picked up that phone, she's thinking, okay, I'm going to be saved because 911 is going to know where I am and my dad, I know, is looking for me and they're going to find me.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I don't know where your phone is. I'm sorry.

[Narrator]

At some point on that call, you can hear the kidnapper realizing his phone is missing and demanding it back.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I don't have your phone. Please, God. Name more matter I don't have. She might have the phone laid down and not hear a thing I'm saying, too.

[Nathan Lee]

The fact that she was able to get all the information she needed, I mean, it was. It was unbelievable.

[Narrator]

She was doing everything in her power to be found.

[Detective Cameron]

Yes, absolutely.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Are you gonna hurt me? Are you gonna let me out now? Don't. Don't. I lost him, Chris. I lost her. The guy grabbed the phone from her.

[Chris Morales]

Unfortunately, you can hear him pull off to the side of the road and then you hear the phone disconnect.

[Narrator]

The clock is ticking.

[Detective Cameron]

Are you hopeful when a 911 call came in? Absolutely hopeful.

[Jane Kowalski]

I was thankful that she was. I thought it was only a matter of time before they found her.

[Nathan Lee]

I was thinking, okay, this is going to be her chance.

[Narrator]

21 year old Denise Lee has just called 911, pleading for her life after being kidnapped from her home. And authorities are trying to pinpoint her location.

[Nathan Lee]

I assumed she called 911. They know where she is. That's what everybody thinks. Turns out that's not how it works.

[Narrator]

Can police pinpoint where she is at that point? With the 911 call?

[Detective Cameron]

They were trying to triangulate the Call meaning from one cell tower to this cell tower to this one, and trying to dial in an approximate area where it was at.

[Chris Morales]

By the time we started to go up on the phone itself with our federal partners who assist us, the phone was dead.

[Nathan Lee]

She was still able to keep the line open and for them to get critical information about this person who had taken her.

[Rick Gough]

We have a phone number that ties back to whatever called into 911.

[Chris Morales]

We were able to take that number and through phone providers, we were able to identify who the subscriber was of that number which came back to Michael King.

[Narrator]

Had you ever heard of this man before?

[Nathan Lee]

No, I've never heard of Michael King before.

[Narrator]

Did his name ring a bell to you at all?

[Detective Cameron]

No, it did not.

[Narrator]

Just completely a random guy?

[Rick Gough]

Yes. Usually there's a connection or a relationship or a motive, some tie in between the parties involved in cases like this. For the life of us, we couldn't figure this one out.

[Chris Morales]

We ran Michael King through databases and came back with Michael King, which had owned an actual green Camaro.

[Narrator]

And so you knew right away that.

[Chris Morales]

This is our guy.

[Narrator]

This is your guy.

[Chris Morales]

This is our guy.

[Narrator]

With police now desperately trying to locate Michael king, another alarming 911 call comes into Sarasota county.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Police emergency operator Bonnell.

[Chris Morales]

Right after Denise had made this 911 call, approximately nine minutes later, we received a phone call from. From a Sabrina Muxloe.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

What's the problem? I just got a call from my dad, and his cousin came over his house with a girl in the car.

[Narrator]

On the line is a teenage girl who tells a frightening story that she's just heard from her own father.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

She was tied up and the girl came out of the. Like, got out of the car and my dad's cousin went and put her back in the car when she got out. Okay, where's your dad's house? It's in Northport. Do you know the address of it? He wants to be anonymous. His cousin left. Okay, what's the cousin driving? A green Camaro. And what does he look like? He's white, medium sized, kind of chubby. What's the cousin's name? Oh, it's Mikey King. Michael King? Yeah. Okay.

[Narrator]

Sabrina's dad is Harold Muxlow, a cousin of Michael King.

[Chris Morales]

Harold, Instead of calling 911, he calls his daughter.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Are you sure you can't give me your dad's address? He doesn't want nothing to do with it. Like he's afraid to call because it's his cousin? I guess. My mom says this Guy's crazy. Okay, so all you can tell me, his name is Michael King. He was just at your dad's house and he had a woman tied up and she tried to get out of the car and he put her back in the car.

[Narrator]

Correct. She was yelling out to Mugsla, call police. Call the cops. Just the idea that she was so actively, you know, some people would have.

[Chris Morales]

Been subdued in the back doing everything she could.

[Jane Kowalski]

He heard a woman's voice. He asked King, what's going on. King brushed him off and he let King drive away unimpeded.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Okay, we've been looking for this female. Yes, we've got the helicopter up. You are just so wonderful to call us and give us this information. Okay. Yeah.

[Narrator]

You learn that his cousin Harold Muxloe didn't call the police even though she was screaming for him to call police.

[Detective Cameron]

I was very angry at him, you know, and he called his 17 year old daughter to stick up for him. Thank God she called 911 and gave us the description of the car and stuff like that herself because he was too much of a coward to do it himself. He had a 17 year old daughter too, and he didn't want to help my daughter.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

911, what's the location of your emergency? I'm not sure exactly what the emergency is, exactly.

[Chris Morales]

Harold, probably feeling guilty, goes to a local payphone up the street and then later calls us to tell us something we already know.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I think there's somebody that's been taken without their that don't want to be where they need to be. And they're in a 95 green Camaro from Northport. I want. Okay, how do you know this? I know. Do you know who the guy is? No. Okay, do you know, other than the green 1995 Camaro, do you know anything else? No. Sure don't. Okay. Do you know the last time you saw him? About 15 minutes ago.

[Narrator]

But it's Sabrina's original 911 call that reveals a chilling detail.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Now, where would he be going with this female? He came over to my dad's house, borrowed a shovel, a gas tank and something else.

[Jane Kowalski]

King came to him with some cockamamie story about King's lawnmower being broken down. And so he asked his cousin Harold Muxlow for a shovel, a gas can, a flashlight.

[Chris Morales]

Once we learned he had stopped at his cousin's house to obtain those items, we knew time was of the essence, that we needed to find her quickly because that window of opportunity was dwindling fast. Breaking news right now north port police.

[Rick Gough]

Are searching for a woman they say was kidnapped.

[Narrator]

With the desperate search for Denise Lee in high gear, 911 is about to get another call.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

91 1, where's your emergency? Well, I'm on 41 going south.

[Narrator]

This one from a woman who's driving and sees something and knows she needs to say something.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

It's like I want to say like a Camaro type of car and there's a kid in the back seat and screaming. And not a happy scream. Like get me out of here scream. Do you want me to turn? Try to follow him.

[Jane Kowalski]

This episode is brought to you by Rakuten. If you're shopping while working, eating or even listening to this podcast, then you.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

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[Narrator]

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[Jane Kowalski]

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[Narrator]

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[Jane Kowalski]

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[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

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[Narrator]

The idea is simple. The brands you love pay Rakuten for sending them shoppers. And Rakuten shares the money with you as cash back. Download the free Rakuten app or go.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

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[Jane Kowalski]

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[Narrator]

N rakuten.com Morning, Zoe.

[Rick Gough]

Got donuts.

[Jane Kowalski]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile.

[Rick Gough]

Commercial like you teach me. So Dana.

[Jane Kowalski]

Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Rick Gough]

Wow, impressive.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Let me try.

[Rick Gough]

T mobile is the best place to.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Narrator]

Nice.

[Jane Kowalski]

Jeffrey, you heard them.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

T mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on.

[Nathan Lee]

Us with eligible traded in any condition.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

So what are we having for launch?

[Jane Kowalski]

Dude, my work here is done.

[Nathan Lee]

The 24 month bill credits on experience.

[Chris Morales]

Beyond for well qualified customers plus tax.

[Rick Gough]

And $35 device connection charge credit sended.

[Nathan Lee]

Balance due to payoff earlier canceled finance agreement.

[Rick Gough]

IPhone 17 Pro 256 gigs 1099.99 and.

[Narrator]

New line minimum 100 plus a month.

[Rick Gough]

Plan with auto pay plus taxes and fees required. Best mobile network in the US based.

[Narrator]

On analysis by Ooklab speed test intelligence.

[Chris Morales]

Data 1H2025 visit t mobile.com.

[Jane Kowalski]

It's a pretty busy road. US 41. It's a. Yeah, it's a very busy road, actually.

[Narrator]

Jane Kawalski finds herself driving down this road in Northport, Florida, unaware that that a young mom of two, Denise Lee, has been missing for three hours now.

[Jane Kowalski]

I'm on the phone with my sister, hands free, talking, and I get up to Cranberry Boulevard, stop for a stoplight. The light had turned red and there's screaming going on. And I turn to the left to look to the car next to me that had pulled up next to me, and the screaming was coming from that car.

[Narrator]

What kind of screams?

[Jane Kowalski]

Horrific, Loud, curling, just horrific screams. I looked over and I see the guy as clear as day, like from here to right there. But he kept turning and trying to push something down in his back seat. And then a hand comes up and it was a Camaro, right? And so it was like two doors, so that there's a little window in the back. And the hands come coming up and just hitting that window.

[Narrator]

Give me a sense of how that hand was hitting the window.

[Jane Kowalski]

Okay, wow.

[Narrator]

What's your instinct telling you about what's happening?

[Jane Kowalski]

Something's wrong. Something's completely wrong. Something's wrong. Someone needs help. So the light turns green and I hesitate because I want to get that license plate. In Florida, you only have license plates on the back. But the light turns green and he hesitates. We don't go, well, there's tons of cars behind us and they start honking.

[Narrator]

He knows the. That you see him?

[Jane Kowalski]

Yeah, he knows because I looked at him and I'm. Because I sort of gave him the look like, what the hell? You know, what's going on in your car? And I finally go forward, thinking that he's going to go forward, but he pulls right behind me.

[Narrator]

So you can't see his license plate now because he's behind you.

[Jane Kowalski]

He's behind me. And that's also sort of scary because I know that he saw me looking at him. So I hang up with my sister. I call 911.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Nine, one, one, where's your emergency? Well, I'm on 41 going south, and I was at a stoplight and a man pulled up next to me and there was a child screaming in the car. What kind of vehicle was he in? It's a blue Camaro. Like Camaro, like in the 90s or early 2000s or something.

[Narrator]

Jane's 911 call goes to a different dispatch, Charlotte county, the same agency Denise's dad works for.

[Rick Gough]

The way 911 phone systems work is when you dial your phone, it will hit the closest tower to where you are at that moment in time. But by the time this woman, when she makes the phone call, she's close to the Charlotte line. The closest tower rings into our dispatch.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

About how old is this child? Can you tell me? I did see the child. I'd say less than 10. Definitely not an infant old enough to bang on the window.

[Narrator]

But of course, it's not a child at all. It's Denise Lee restrained, fighting to get anybody's attention for help.

[Jane Kowalski]

This particular car, the backseat was so small that Denise was probably having to.

[Narrator]

Lay down in the backseat of the car. And at the wheel is Michael King, the man authorities have been desperately searching for.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

And I turn to look at him, and he's a white male, sort of light colored hair, sort of plump. He's behind me now. And I tried to slow down so he could pass me and I could read his license plate. And he's going slower than I am, which is not right because, like we're holding up traffic and stuff. But I think that he saw me look at him. And I'm not trying to be overdramatic here, but he's going even slower now.

[Chris Morales]

She's making it very well known that Michael is aware that she sees him and she knows that something's not right there. So obviously his speeds are reduced significantly.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Okay, he's pulling over to the other lane up.

[Jane Kowalski]

I'm in this lane over here in the right hand lane. And he was behind me. And he cuts all the way over to the turn lane over there. And that's when I'm like, should I follow him? But I'm over here, all this traffic comes in and I can't make the turn.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

And he's going to turn left on Toledo Blade. He's turning left right now. And I'm in the other lane. He's turning left on Toledo Blade. Do you want me to turn, try to follow him, or does he want her to follow him? Okay, can you turn? He just turned on Toledo Bright. I don't know if I can catch up. There's a bunch of traffic and I can't get over. Oh, boy.

[Chris Morales]

He was doing everything he can to avoid her. It is clear that he changed courses, direction because of Jane Kowalski, child in the car.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

And it was banging on the window and screaming and crying and screaming. Like screaming, screaming, screaming. And not a happy Scream like, get me out of here. Scream. The vehicle had a white male. White male driver, blue or black Camaro.

[Jane Kowalski]

Male, had light hair.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

And there was a T. Child screaming in the car. And banging on the window. Okay. And banging on the window. Okay. I've got everybody hollering at me.

[Jane Kowalski]

And just one second. And I could hear stuff in the background. And she kept talking to other people, asking questions, too.

[Rick Gough]

That whole comm center is buzzing with two shifts of people trying to help Rick and trying to find Denise.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Okay, I'm going to just pull over now. Let me get over. Yeah, that would be great. I don't know if there's an Amber Alert out or something like that, but bear with me.

[Narrator]

And you asked her if there was an Amber Alert issued?

[Jane Kowalski]

I did. At one point. I was like, is there an Ambler alert? Yeah. Again, I thought it was a child who had been abducted and I didn't know what was going on.

[Narrator]

Do you have any idea that a 21 year old mom is missing?

[Jane Kowalski]

No.

[Narrator]

And you're witnessing a kidnapping?

[Jane Kowalski]

I had no idea. I was. I didn't know what was going on in the car. That green Camaro turned out to be a traveling crime scene in and of itself.

[Narrator]

When the Camaro turns left here on Toledo Blade, Jane loses sight of it. But with such a precise location and deputies nearby, could this be the moment Denise is finally found?

[Chris Morales]

At that moment, at that time, when Jane Kowalski had called 911 to Charlotte County's dispatch center, there were officers, deputies, special agents all in that area converging into the city. I activated my lights and my sirens.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Central. All units, north port units. FHP has a vehicle stopped.

[Chris Morales]

I yell, driver, don't give me a reason to fire into your vehicle.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I know. I don't know where mommy is.

[Narrator]

You get this call that Denise Lee is missing.

[Rick Gough]

In my 40 year career, the Denise Amberly case was the worst weekend of my life.

[Jane Kowalski]

The authorities say a woman's been kidnapped and they're caught on the trail.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

FHP has the vehicle stopped at 178southbound.

[Chris Morales]

I yell, driver, exit the vehicle. Don't give me a reason to fire into your vehicle. And I immediately said, where is the girl?

[Narrator]

What is he saying?

[Chris Morales]

He says that he was. He was kidnapped.

[Narrator]

He tells you he was kidnapped?

[Nathan Lee]

Yes.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Right here. Please remain still. The test is about to begin. Did you see that girl tied up? No. Let's have the real story. There's something you're not telling.

[Narrator]

She was dropping clues.

[Jane Kowalski]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

For you to find her.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Is this her ring?

[Nathan Lee]

Yes.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

First ring I gave her first Valentine's Day.

[Jane Kowalski]

Everything stopped at that point. All three of us looked at each other like, what did he just say?

[Narrator]

She sees this abduction in progress, and you're witnessing a kidnapping.

[Jane Kowalski]

Northport emergency.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I just got home from work, and my wife, I can't find her.

[Nathan Lee]

Her phone was there, purse, keys. The boys are home by themselves. It was like she just, poof. Disappeared.

[Jane Kowalski]

This is the kind of case that people have nightmares about. A young woman abducted in broad daylight, taken away from her two little babies.

[Detective Cameron]

She wouldn't have left them kids for nothing. I know 100% there's something wrong.

[Chris Morales]

North Port police are searching for a woman they say was kidnapped. Her name is Denise Lee.

[Narrator]

Three hours into the search, a chilling 911 call.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Please let me know why don't you resonate Please.

[Rick Gough]

There was a 911 phone call from Denise from the suspect's phone, and she was talking to the dispatcher.

[Narrator]

As police traced the phone, another call comes in.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

They kept banging on the window and screaming. And not a happy scream, like, get me out of here scream. He just turned on Toledo Bright. I don't know if I can catch up. There's a bunch of traffic, and I can't get over. Oh, boy.

[Narrator]

And there's another 911 call.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I just got a call from my dad, and his cousin came over his house with a girl in the car, and she was tied up. He borrowed a shovel, a gas tank, and something else. What's the cousin driving? A green Camaro. What's the cousin's name? Mikey King. Put out a BOLO to FHP2, please, for a dark green Camaro. Who's he saying is driving that Camaro? Michael King.

[Narrator]

So you know now who you're looking for?

[Chris Morales]

100%.

[Narrator]

And the key is now to track.

[Chris Morales]

Him down, find him, and save her.

[Narrator]

As the manhunt for Michael King is ramping up, Denise's younger sister Amanda is at the movies 150 miles away, unaware of her sister's disappearance, when she gets a voicemail.

[Jane Kowalski]

It was, like, very hysterical. I heard about what happened to Denise. I immediately called my parents, and I was like, what is happening? Like, what's going on?

[Narrator]

What's going through your mind?

[Jane Kowalski]

Just a lot of emotions, like, a lot of worry. You would never think ever that something like that would happen to you, especially with our dad being in law enforcement.

[Narrator]

You're a detective with Charlotte County.

[Rick Gough]

Yes.

[Narrator]

You had worked undercover. Were you processing whether this could have been related to. That you had handled?

[Detective Cameron]

Absolutely.

[Rick Gough]

That's.

[Detective Cameron]

That was the first thing came up on everybody's radar team. And I worked some pretty big people in the day.

[Narrator]

So when you learned that police have zeroed in on a guy named Michael King, did his name ring a bell to you at all?

[Detective Cameron]

No, it did not.

[Narrator]

With Michael King identified as their prime suspect, police raced to his Northport home. So you're making your way to his home with the hope that you'll find her there.

[Chris Morales]

This was the biggest lead that we had.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

We have the house surrounded with the three units on scene. Two of us are employing clothes.

[Rick Gough]

Nobody's coming to the door. They don't see any car.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

There is a TV on, and it sounds like voices in this home.

[Rick Gough]

They gotta go in. If she's in there, go in now, kick the door in.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I want entry made on that house. Therefore, the two marked lobsters at the front make entry. They say uniformed officers make entry.

[Narrator]

When you got here, what did you.

[Chris Morales]

See right away inside, very dark and gloomy inside. They found out that it was pretty much tv, music, and it was probably used to keep volume up high for what was probably occurring in the house.

[Narrator]

There's indication that someone had been there?

[Chris Morales]

Yes.

[Narrator]

But no sign of Denise.

[Chris Morales]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Or Michael King.

[Chris Morales]

Correct.

[Jane Kowalski]

His house was basically empty except for a tv. And that is where we believe he took her.

[Chris Morales]

There was obviously signs of someone being held against their will. They saw a makeshift bed in the master bedroom, a Winnie the Pooh blanket.

[Jane Kowalski]

Her hair tie was left on the floor.

[Chris Morales]

They saw a elongated mirror that was propped up against the wall.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

We do have duct tape wadded up in a bedroom with long strands that look like light brown hair.

[Detective Cameron]

When they found some duct tape and some blonde hair that stuck to the duct tape and stuff like that, you.

[Narrator]

Had to know that that does not sound good.

[Nathan Lee]

Right.

[Rick Gough]

Once we figured out they were no longer there, then we treated it as a crime scene. But at this point, we're still just worried about finding Denise. All of that's secondary. The main thing is, is she still alive? Where are they?

[Narrator]

So you missed this moment and then what next? Where are you hoping to find him?

[Chris Morales]

Pretty much what we were doing was shutting down the city.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

We need something shut down so no one can get to the interstate.

[Chris Morales]

We shut down Northport and was holding a roadblock to vehicles going in and out and looking for a green Camaro.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

We also need the on ramp shut.

[Jane Kowalski]

Down to the interstate.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I need one of you guys making sure nobody gets on interstate unless they're checked.

[Narrator]

What is it like for you as those hours are going by? And no real firm word.

[Jane Kowalski]

The more worried I got, the less hopeful I was.

[Narrator]

The entire search now revolves around finding that one green Camaro. Florida Highway Trooper Edward Pope is scouring i75.

[Chris Morales]

I end up making a U turn right on the median. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pair of headlights appeared, and I realized that it was a green Camaro.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Got a green Camaro heading southbound. I swung around on it. I'm trying to catch up to it.

[Chris Morales]

Immediately, I saw the first three digits of the tag. I knew at this point I had the right vehicle.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

FHP has the vehicle stopped at 178southbound, 178southbound.

[Chris Morales]

I yell, driver, don't give me a reason to fire into your vehicle.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

New units responding to the Interstate North 4232, do you have traffic? 00724L81 to any units that are on a perimeter. Need to stay there. 249 Central. Well, what's that tag on our Camaro? Wow. Green Camaro with a black. Hold on one second.

[Narrator]

It's around 9pm Five hours since Denise vanished. Trooper Edward Pope has spotted Michael King's green Camaro and is in hot pursuit.

[Chris Morales]

I activated my lights and my sirens. He was a little hesitant, but he finally pulled over.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Northport Units, FHP has a vehicle stopped at 178southbound, 178southbound.

[Chris Morales]

It came over the radio. FHP had the car stopped, and immediately I jumped in my car and headed out to the scene.

[Narrator]

You heard about a green Camaro that had been spotted?

[Rick Gough]

Yes.

[Detective Cameron]

I was real hopeful on the radio because I heard him stop in the car. We were hopeful that she was going to be found.

[Chris Morales]

I made several commands for the driver of the vehicle to exit. So after about the fourth command, I noticed he was trying to move the rear view mirror in order to try to find my location. I yell, driver, exit the vehicle. Don't give me a reason to fire into your vehicle. And immediately there was a second pause. The driver's side door swung open. I identified who I was, and I pulled him out of the vehicle at gunpoint. And I immediately said, where is the girl?

[Detective Cameron]

And so I'm like, waiting and waiting and waiting and come across radio again. That sh. She's not in the car.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Michael King is 1012. The female is not 1012 with the vehicle.

[Nathan Lee]

Rick called me and said, hey, they found the guy, but she's not in the car.

[Narrator]

What happened for you at that moment?

[Nathan Lee]

I was like, okay, like, what do you. What does that mean? He's like, I don't know. They're still looking.

[Chris Morales]

I was able to go to the vehicle, and what I could see was a gas can, a shovel that appeared to have been used somewhere. He's standing there concerning is. He's soaking wet from his waist all the way down with water and mud and muck.

[Narrator]

That's not good.

[Chris Morales]

That's not good.

[Narrator]

And you take him into custody?

[Chris Morales]

Yep.

[Narrator]

What does he say?

[Chris Morales]

He says that he was kidnapped. He was kidnapped with Denise.

[Narrator]

He tells you he was kidnapped?

[Chris Morales]

Yes.

[Narrator]

And what do you make of this story?

[Chris Morales]

So obviously it's not believable. Obviously, we know he's. He's lying.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Today, January 17, 2008. It's approximately 11:24pm present Detective Morales, President Michael King. You came to us and you told me that you were a hostage and you were a victim. At that point, my focus was, okay, we need to find where she is, and we seem to like you wanted to assist us. We need to just find out what happened. You understand?

[Narrator]

But before Detective Morales can really begin questioning King, he needs to read him his rights.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us here now? No, I just want an attorney. You want an attorney?

[Chris Morales]

He didn't want to speak anything that can incriminate him, so he lawyers up. So we went ahead and said, okay, tell us how you're a victim. Tell us how you and Denise were kidnapped.

[Narrator]

Police send in a detective who knows King, offering pizza and water, hoping to keep him talking.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I just asked him if I'd come here and talk to you. You sitting in here by yourself? I'm not. I'm not a problem, but, yeah. Think I have bad luck. I ain't picking up nobody anymore. What'd you do? I just picked up somebody. They were on the side of the road, and I didn't think nothing of it, and boom, he just grabbed me right here, screwing right on the floor. That was it. And he was like, don't move. And then put something on my legs and arms. I couldn't even freaking move, man. You're not hurt or anything, right? No.

[Detective Cameron]

No one can believe those stories and how they just turned him loose and out in the middle of nowhere and just made no sense whatsoever.

[Narrator]

Running out of options and time. Police now bring in King's cousin Harold Muxlow, who says he saw a woman with King hours after Denise Lee was abducted. He agrees to talk to King.

[Chris Morales]

We were hoping that Harold would open up to Michael and saying, hey, it's done. It's over. Just tell him where she is.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I'm going after the girl. I see. Where the girl he took off or whatever he did. I don't know. It's crazy. Can't they ask her or anything? Can't they just. Did they let her go? Do you know? I don't even think they found her.

[Narrator]

Muxloe presses King on a crucial detail. Earlier that day, his cousin had come to his house to borrow a shovel, a gas can and a flashlight. The same items found in King's car.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

What do you need a flashlight for? Told me, huh? He said to get that and a shovel. That was it. Why they let you go, not her? I don't know if it didn't, you know, I don't know what's going on, man. I don't know. They should have let her go, too. Well, you're laughing with her. I know it was pretty bad on your side there. If I'm kidnapping my daughter, man, I wouldn't be too happy about it. I don't know. I agree with you. I'd be all over too, man.

[Narrator]

Investigators collect evidence. Fibers, fingernail clippings, DNA swabs. Then arrest King.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

You're under arrest, Michael, for kidnapping. For right now. For right now.

[Narrator]

With King clamming up, investigators turned to his cousin.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I see him in there wrestling with somebody. An Irishman. Girlfriend called the cops. Did you see the person that was in the back? Not very well.

[Narrator]

But when they give him a polygraph, extreme deception indicated.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

So let's have the real story. There's something you're not telling, John.

[Chris Morales]

A lot is changing by the moment.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Here in Sarasota county, we have heard that a suspect is in custody.

[Chris Morales]

Just a short time ago, the Florida Highway Patrol arrested this man, 36 year old Michael King. They've also located that car, the green Camaro, but they did not find Denise Lee in it.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Take these off the front. They going on the back. You're under arrest, Michael. Get it this way, Mike. This is only the beginning. Now.

[Narrator]

With Michael King now in custody, police continue talking to him, treating him as a potential victim.

[Chris Morales]

At that time. If he wants to say he's kidnapped, we were going to talk to him and hopefully him lead us to where she may be.

[Narrator]

Does he take you to a location?

[Chris Morales]

He takes us to a couple locations, yes.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I need Air1 over in this area here. He's led us to this L9. I need you to call me.

[Rick Gough]

We're hopeful and we tell all the rescuers we're still looking for a person, not a body. I was getting information from all agencies and given the Updates, I was 100%.

[Nathan Lee]

Confident we'd find her. I thought she was somewhere. He must have just dropped her off in the woods somewhere or, you know, she's wandering on the side of a road and they would find her.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Okay, get him back up. Start looking for hot spots around that area where the subject went 10, 15. Meanwhile, we're learning more about the man in custody in connection with Lee's kidnapping.

[Narrator]

With the search going on, questions are swirling around man Michael King. To his parents, the accusations are unbelievable.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

We've never had a problem with Michael. You know, it just don't seem like he would do something like this. It's not. Not in Michael.

[Narrator]

This is the first time King's posed.

[Jane Kowalski]

For a mug shot in Florida. The unemployed plumber doesn't have a criminal record.

[Narrator]

Here, police visit King's ex girlfriend who tells them the she's equally stunned.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Do you, in your opinion, think that Michael would ever do something like this?

[Narrator]

No.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I want. No. Do you think he has the capability? No.

[Narrator]

King has an 11 year old son whom he'd been raising on his own. At the time, that boy was living with relatives in another state.

[Chris Morales]

We learned that Michael King was going through foreclosure at the time and he had broken up with his girlfriend. Seemed like a person that was down on his luck.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Did his attitude change towards the end of the relationship? He gave him all. Yeah, he got a little depressed, you know, and I would talk to him because he left a good paying job, he worried about his house and other payments on it and stuff.

[Narrator]

Police turned to King's cousin to try to get some answers.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Vehicle, it was parked across the room. And I see him in there wrestling with somebody, and I heard some girls say, call the cops. And he goes, oh, don't worry about it. And we took him.

[Rick Gough]

Did you see the person that was in the back?

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

No. Very well.

[Narrator]

But the story he's telling now doesn't match what his daughter Sabrina says he told her.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I just got a call from my dad. And his cousin came over his house with a girl in the car and she was tied up.

[Narrator]

Faced with this contradictory account, investigators bring Muxlo in for a polygraph exam.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Why do you think you're in this room, Harold? The little statement that my daughter made, probably. Please remain still. The test is about to begin. Did you see that girl tied up? No. Did you see that girl get out of that car? No.

[Nathan Lee]

Did you see that girl before you.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Gave Mike that shovel? No. We're gonna hit the score button. What's that say?

[Detective Cameron]

Extreme deception.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Extreme Deception indicated. So let's have the real story because I don't think I got it. No, but I don't want to get blamed for this thing. We're not blaming you, but we gotta move forward. There's people out here that need answers. They got a daughter that's gone.

[Narrator]

Finally, Muxlo admits to what he saw.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I seen him rustling by the front door with somebody on the other side of the car. And then he put her in the car. And I didn't see her tied up. I seen her when we get out of the car. It upset me. Clamped it up. I didn't do nothing. Is that it? That was it. Are you sure that that is what was bothering you on that polar gram? Yeah, but I didn't see her tied up.

[Jane Kowalski]

I think most people put themselves in Harold Muxlow's shoes and say, would I do that or would I do something different?

[Chris Morales]

Very disappointed in what he could have prevented and what he could have stopped. I wish there was a law that could charge him and put him away. But unfortunately, in the law, he has no duty to call or stop someone for help.

[Narrator]

During a search of Michael King's Camaro, police discover a home heart shaped ring in the rear passenger seat. The only question is, does it belong to Denise? Investigators bring her husband Nathan here to this interview room to see if he can identify it.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

We have a piece of jewelry here I want you to look at. Okay. Only you will be able to tell us if this is it or not. We're not.

[Chris Morales]

We're not sure.

[Nathan Lee]

Okay.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Ready? I'm ready. Is this her ring? Yes. First ring I gave her. First Valentine's Day. How confident are you that's her ring? 100%.

[Narrator]

What happens for you at that moment?

[Nathan Lee]

Well, I still was trying to keep hope, but really struggle with. With the reality that was starting to set in that we weren't going to find her alive.

[Jane Kowalski]

Now, authorities are still calling it an active investigation. So if you have any information about the suspect in custody, the North Park Police once to hear from you.

[Narrator]

Police press on, and then a new witness is brought into the interrogation room. A man who was with Michael King just hours before the abduction.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Why are you nervous? Tell me, why would you be nervous? You know, it scares me that I actually, you know, met with him that day.

[Chris Morales]

We started doing grid searches with hundreds of deputies and hundreds of special agents throughout the state from exactly where Michael King was stopped, all the way down to the road where he had pulled out onto Tule Blade.

[Narrator]

When the search was underway for Denise Lee this housing development didn't exist. This was all woods. And it was here that a searcher, along with her K9, noticed something unusual.

[Jane Kowalski]

I was a K9 handler for Sarasota K9 Search and Rescue. I was assigned this area with K9's CQ.

[Detective Cameron]

I was at the command post, and Tammy Treadway, who was the handler of cq, was getting late in the day as she's walking the sidewalk, and her dog just took off into the woods.

[Jane Kowalski]

I'm watching his body language, and he's moving in and out of the brush. So I'm just looking around, trying to see if I see anything that's out of place. I happened to notice that there was an area that was cleared. There was grass pulled up and laid in a nice layer across the top of it.

[Rick Gough]

And miraculously, that was it. That was the site.

[Chris Morales]

Very sad news out of North Port. The search for a kidnapped woman has been suspended.

[Narrator]

Michael King put a gun to Denise's forehead and pulled the trigger.

[Jane Kowalski]

The hole that Denise was buried in was not shallow. It was probably about 4, 4ft down. King's DNA was found on Denise Lee's body.

[Narrator]

It can't be easy hearing that she was sexually assaulted, that she was shot in the head. How did you manage to handle that?

[Detective Cameron]

I had to come home and tell her, Nate, they found her and what happened.

[Nathan Lee]

He wanted me to hear from him, not. Not anyone else. So, yeah, that was tough.

[Jane Kowalski]

I remember him telling us that they found her and she wasn't alive and just. Everyone just broke down.

[Narrator]

Rick, you have always sort of portrayed yourself as a tough cop, but how did you manage this?

[Detective Cameron]

I am, by the way. Anyway.

[Narrator]

You are.

[Detective Cameron]

I was a big baby when that happened. I can tell you, like, being kicked in the groin or something, because it's like, I'm not so tough after that. She was my firstborn baby girl. I was a fell apart.

[Jane Kowalski]

I just thought about the boys, knowing Adam, that, you know, they're. They're gonna have to grow up without their mother.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

On behalf of my sons, Noah and.

[Jane Kowalski]

Adam.

[Detective Cameron]

I'd like to thank everybody so much.

[Narrator]

Denise is my soulmate.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

I'm going to miss her so much. I don't know how I'm gonna go through the rest of my life without her.

[Detective Cameron]

Denise is thankful that all your efforts.

[Nathan Lee]

Are brought her home.

[Jane Kowalski]

I'm sure the boys, that's the reason she left with Michael King. She wanted to save the boys and just make sure they were safe, so she left with him.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Right now, we believe it's an absolute.

[Chris Morales]

Random act of Incredible evil.

[Narrator]

Investigators can't locate the murder weapon, but they learned that just hours before Denise's kidnapping, Michael King had been at a local gun range with this man, Robert Salvador, someone King had met while working on plumbing jobs.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

He said he had a gun. It was a nine millimeter. He said he didn't have any ammunition. And I said, you don't have to worry about that because I had a 9 millimeter. And I said, I have ammunition.

[Chris Morales]

The shell casings the of found at the gun range were a match to the casing found at the scene.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Why are you nervous? Tommy scares me that I'm even associated with somebody that could have done something of that nature, that I actually, you know, met with him that day. I shot guns with the guy. Every time I think about that woman's family, my God.

[Chris Morales]

At the time, Robert Salvador was a person of interest, but he was able to dispel us with receipts and proof that during a time that Denise was abducted and was with Michael King, Robert Salvador was nowhere near him. Her murder left family, friends, even law enforcement in shock and disbelief. Tonight, Denise Lee got her final farewell.

[Jane Kowalski]

I remember the line of cars. It was amazing.

[Nathan Lee]

Gosh, the community carried us through it. I think There was over 2,000 people at the funeral.

[Detective Cameron]

And I promise her that those kids.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Will know exactly who their mother was.

[Narrator]

In the midst of the grief, Denise's family and the community are feeling. News breaks about a possible missed opportunity to rescue her.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Could a 911 call have saved a kidnapped woman's life?

[Nathan Lee]

A woman called 911 to say she.

[Chris Morales]

Heard screaming inside a car at a stoplight.

[Narrator]

That woman is Jane kowalski. Remember, her 911 call went to neighboring Charlotte county, not Sarasota county, where all the previous 911 calls had come in. Incredibly, it turns out her call was never dispatched to the deputies searching for Denise.

[Rick Gough]

That never got dispatched over the air, which was just a terrible. The call staker should have typed into the system what she's being told by the caller. She wrote it on a piece of paper and handed it to the dispatcher, which would not be the way it should have been done.

[Narrator]

Jane Kowalski gives them details. She sees this abduction in progress.

[Nathan Lee]

She was giving cross streets, telling police, I see this happening. There's a person, child, whoever, screaming in the car. That should have been the moment she should have been saved.

[Detective Cameron]

That's a major screw up. When I say major, I mean it could have saved her life.

[Narrator]

Was that hard for you? That's your department that you say screwed up.

[Detective Cameron]

Absolutely.

[Rick Gough]

He just said Chief. That was our last chance to get her in his gut and his heart. His family let him down.

[Jane Kowalski]

Officials are defending themselves after some claim that a murdered mother could have been seen saved if 911 workers had been communicating better.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

The assumption is that Charlotte county screwed.

[Jane Kowalski]

Up and could have saved this girl's life.

[Narrator]

And I'm telling you that until the.

[Jane Kowalski]

Facts come out here, that's a.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

That's the wrong assumption to make.

[Narrator]

The sheriff also said that you gave inaccurate information. You have the color of the car wrong. You said it was a child screaming.

[Jane Kowalski]

My answer to that is this, so what? You're not going to go after someone. If I think there's a child that's been adopted. Right. They should have still sent a car. They would have pulled him over. She would have still been in the car. It would have been a, you know, a completely different turnout.

[Rick Gough]

I don't think it would have changed.

[Narrator]

The outcome one bit simply because we had people in the area looking for the exact vehicle. The sheriff at the time, Sheriff Davenport, said it would not have made a difference.

[Detective Cameron]

Oh, he's 100% wrong. I have faith in the people I work with. I've been with that sheriff's office 41 years now. There's no doubt in my mind she would have been rescued.

[Jane Kowalski]

She could have been saved and the system failed her.

[Narrator]

An internal investigation found the dispatchers did receive information about Jane's call, but violated procedure by not immediately dispatching it and were disciplined. One of them suspended for 60 hours. Another 36 hours. Both assigned a day of remedial training and given six months probation. Was that sufficient, Sue?

[Jane Kowalski]

No.

[Narrator]

And now you have to get through a trial.

[Jane Kowalski]

King is accused of killing 21 year old Denise Amber Lee.

[Narrator]

This case was one of the worst.

[Jane Kowalski]

Of the worst and that warranted the death penalty. We had an abundance of evidence and a lot of that was from Denise herself.

[Narrator]

But at trial, Michael King's attorneys make a jaw dropping claim insisting he's not the man responsible for Denise's murder.

[Chris Morales]

Didn't you fire the shot that killed Denise Lee?

[Jane Kowalski]

All three of us looked at each other like, what did he just say?

[Narrator]

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[Chris Morales]

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[Narrator]

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[Chris Morales]

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[Narrator]

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[Jane Kowalski]

The murder trial for the man accused of kidnapping and killing Denise Amber Lee began in Sarasota County. Today, King faces either life in prison.

[Narrator]

Or the death penalty. Nearly two years after Denise Lee's death, her family and friends pour into a Sarasota courtroom. They've come to see the man accused of killing her, Michael King, face a jury. What was that like for you, seeing Michael King in court?

[Nathan Lee]

It was sickening. I try to keep telling myself that you're sitting here and you're gonna get what you deserve.

[Narrator]

Prosecutor Lon Aaron begins by reading Denise's harrowing 911 call.

[Chris Morales]

I'm sorry. I just want to go. I just want to see my family. Those are the last words that Denise Lee said that anybody other than Michael King heard. On January 17, 2008.

[Narrator]

The prosecution builds its case by calling eyewitnesses to place Michael King with Denise in her final hours.

[Jane Kowalski]

State vault, Jane Kowalski. We wanted to transport the jury to being with Denise and the defendant, so much so that they could actually live and breathe what Denise was going through. A hand came up from the backseat and was banging on the window very loudly. Were you able to show the church jury? But even louder than that. I mean, it was very loud.

[Narrator]

Defense lawyers push back.

[Chris Morales]

You can't identify who the person was.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

In the vehicle, can you?

[Jane Kowalski]

I cannot.

[Narrator]

The jury is taken to one of the crime scenes, the Camaro itself.

[Jane Kowalski]

We wanted them to understand that that car was almost as important as the that Michael King played. It took her from her home to Michael King's home, to Harold Muxlow's home, to the place where her life eventually ended.

[Narrator]

Prosecutors present what they believe to be indisputable evidence that Denise was in King's car. What is that a picture of?

[Jane Kowalski]

That is a ring.

[Detective Cameron]

It was clever. She hid her ring in the back seat because she knew she wasn't going to be found. Probably. She pulled hair out by the roots and stuck them under the back seats. She knew about DNA, had to have the roots and stuff.

[Jane Kowalski]

When there's overwhelming evidence, the defense tries.

[Narrator]

To poke holes in the state's case.

[Chris Morales]

No 9 millimeter handgun was found out on Plantation Boulevard.

[Narrator]

That is correct, sir, because we didn't have a gun.

[Jane Kowalski]

That was a whole. That was a big hole.

[Narrator]

Without a murder weapon, prosecutors turned to ballistics and the man who went shooting with Michael King just hours before the murder. At some point, did you meet the police at the gun range?

[Nathan Lee]

Yes.

[Narrator]

What did you assist them with at the gun range?

[Nathan Lee]

They wanted whatever 9 millimeter shells we could find.

[Jane Kowalski]

We didn't have the actual gun. We had the shell casing at the scene of Denise's murder that matched the shell casings where he was shooting earlier with Rob Salvador.

[Narrator]

But on cross examination, the defense's line of questioning catches just about everybody in the courtroom off guard at the gun range.

[Chris Morales]

Before you parted ways with Michael King, you arranged to meet him later that day, didn't you? No, sir.

[Rick Gough]

And didn't you meet him out during.

[Chris Morales]

The evening hours of January 17, 2008?

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

No, sir.

[Chris Morales]

And Mr. Salvador, didn't you fire the shot that killed and took the life of Denise Lee?

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Absolutely not.

[Jane Kowalski]

All three of us looked at each other like, what did he just say?

[Chris Morales]

Judge, I have great concerns at this.

[Nathan Lee]

Point over the behavior that just took place in this courtroom.

[Jane Kowalski]

We objected and we went up to the bench to talk to the judge.

[Narrator]

And the judge agreed with us.

[Jane Kowalski]

Because you can't just say things like if you have no evidence.

[Detective Cameron]

And I'm asking you to disregard such, ladies and gentlemen, because there is no basis in fact from the evidence.

[Narrator]

The defense rests without calling a single witness. Their argument. The prosecution has failed to prove that Michael King was the one who pulled the trigger.

[Chris Morales]

What you have received is an invitation to guess.

[Rick Gough]

Your reply to his invitation must be no.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Thank you.

[Detective Cameron]

All right, thank you, ladies and gentlemen. You may retire to consider your verdict.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Thank you.

[Jane Kowalski]

It is such a serious decision that you're making, and I'm sure everyone wanted to make sure that they could live with it. You have to live with this.

[Narrator]

Just over two hours after they begin deliberations, the jury is back with a verdict.

[Jane Kowalski]

We, the jury, find as follows us.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

To count one of the indictment.

[Jane Kowalski]

The defendant is guilty of murder in the first degree as charged.

[Narrator]

What was that like when you heard guilty?

[Nathan Lee]

Amazing. I knew, okay, you know, Denise won. You know, Denise won.

[Detective Cameron]

She's absolutely a hero. She took this murderer off the street and made sure we had plenty of evidence. And there's no doubt in anybody's mind that he's a killer.

[Jane Kowalski]

The jury that took just two hours to convict Michael King of first degree murder took nearly three to recommend he.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Be sentenced to death.

[Jane Kowalski]

He was just straight faced, no emotion, nothing. I don't think he's capable of feeling emotion.

[Narrator]

But even with King headed to death row row, Denise's family feels they still had some unfinished business. You didn't take this all quietly.

[Nathan Lee]

I wanted people that made mistakes to be held accountable.

[Narrator]

In 2009, Nathan files a wrongful death lawsuit against the Charlotte County Sheriff's office, alleging negligence in the handling of Jane. Kowalski's 911 call cost Denise her life.

[Nathan Lee]

It is the sheriff's responsibility to provide the best public safety that they possibly can to their citizens. And Denise wasn't given the best public safety to their citizens.

[Narrator]

The two sides reach a settlement. The sheriff's office admits no fault, but agrees to pay $1.2 million to the family.

[Jane Kowalski]

I just thought the boys needed something. They had to grow up without a mother.

[Narrator]

Today, those two little boys Denise fought so hard to get home to are all grown up and speaking out publicly for the very first time. It's been 16 years since a jury recommended Michael King be put to death. Today he remains on death row, his appeals exhausted.

[Nathan Lee]

Denise isn't here, so why should he be? The pain and the suffering, the horror he put her through, he should not. He should not be here. But that's not how the system works. It's not a quick process.

[Narrator]

Are you prepared for execution?

[Detective Cameron]

Can't wait. Be the first one on the bus, go in there and first in line.

[Narrator]

Is there anything you want to say to him?

[Jane Kowalski]

I would just like to know why. You know, why her.

[Narrator]

In the years following Denise's death, her younger sister Amanda decides to join the very system many say failed Denise. And then you became a 911 dispatcher yourself.

[Jane Kowalski]

Why you're on the phone with people on the worst days of their lives, going through tragedies, and I think it helped give me the passion to be there for those people and help them.

[Narrator]

Is it a tribute in some way to your sister?

[Jane Kowalski]

Yeah. I wanted to help make a difference in people's lives.

[Nathan Lee]

All right. Good morning, everyone.

[Narrator]

Denise's husband, Nathan, is carrying his late wife's legacy in his own way, telling her story to 911 employees all over the country as a powerful reminder of their life saving work.

[Nathan Lee]

I started the foundation back in June of 2008 after this happened to my beautiful wife, Denise. And since then, I've made it my life's mission to travel all over the country to help you. I want to see Denise continue to matter. Don't forget why you do this. Okay?

[Narrator]

And joining Nathan in this mission is Jane Kowalski, that woman who did everything she could to try to help a stranger. You eventually met Nathan.

[Jane Kowalski]

Yes.

[Narrator]

What did you say to him? What did you want him to know.

[Jane Kowalski]

Well, I mean, just how sorry I am that my call did not get help to Denise. I mean, it's just a total letdown.

[Narrator]

While Nathan has moved forward, having a daughter and finding love again, he recently got back a piece of his past, that heart shaped ring.

[Jane Kowalski]

Now that all of King's appeals are done and everything is over, we don't need this evidence anymore. And I was very happy to be able to release that to him.

[Nathan Lee]

There it is.

[Narrator]

This is the ring that she had.

[Nathan Lee]

Yeah, it's special. I'm really glad I got this back. And, you know, I was really excited to show it to the boys. And that was the first thing they said was like, wow, she had really small fingers.

[Narrator]

Those boys, Noah and Adam, now 19 and 18.

[Nathan Lee]

Every milestone there was, you know, something missing.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

And it was our mom.

[Chris Morales]

Our first day of school, our last day of school, first football game, baseball game.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Our mom was always missing.

[Nathan Lee]

That was always felt like a rock in my chest. I always write her name in the, in the clay before every event just to like, know that she's there with me.

[Narrator]

Some people have called your mom a hero, that she protected you too.

[Nathan Lee]

I always say she sacrificed herself to make sure we were safe.

[Chris Morales]

We came first.

[Narrator]

Your dad spoke with us 2008 after everything had happened. Here's what he said.

[Nathan Lee]

I want to make sure that my kids know that their mom was the most amazing person in the world and have her in them. And so they're destined to be good kids.

[Narrator]

What is that like? I can see you get emotional just seeing that. What do you feel?

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

Proud.

[Nathan Lee]

I feel proud of him all the time. I have people tell me that I was raised right. And, I mean, it's all credit to him.

[Narrator]

Why'd you want to speak out?

[Nathan Lee]

Finally, I'm doing it for her and for my dad because we're a part of her. And I feel like people hearing from us can kind of see how important she was, how amazing she was. Kind of big of a hole that is left because she's not here.

[Narrator]

Denise's family channeling their grief into purpose. Helping to pass the Denise Amber Lee act, which sets new standards in Florida to improve 911 response systems.

[Rick Gough]

As for Michael King, he remains on.

[Nathan Lee]

Florida's death row row, and as of.

[Narrator]

Now, no execution date has been set.

[Rick Gough]

That is our program for tonight. Thanks for watching. I'm David Muir.

[Narrator]

And I'm Deborah Roberts. From all of us here at 2020 and ABC News, good night.

[911 Dispatcher / Various Dispatch Calls]

From your fryer to the table, it's.

[Jane Kowalski]

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