The Hand in the Window: Covert Court

Summary

Podcast Summary: 20/20 – The Hand in the Window: Covert Court

Date: November 5, 2025
Host: John Quinones, ABC News
Episode Theme:
The gripping first episode of "The Hand in the Window" follows the harrowing rescue of a kidnapped woman in Ashland, Ohio. Through exclusive interviews with the 911 dispatcher, responding officers, and the survivor (Jane Doe), the episode unpacks the suspenseful moments leading up to her escape, while introducing deeper mysteries that hint at something even more sinister: the possibility of a serial killer.

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Main Theme and Purpose

Overview:
This episode investigates the chilling September 2016 911 call from a woman held captive in a rural Ohio house. Through real-time dispatch audio, officer testimony, and first-person accounts, it details the race to save her life and the realization that her abductor may be responsible for a series of disappearances. The story lays groundwork for wider investigation in coming episodes.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Meet the Dispatcher: Sarah Miller

• Experience and Training
  • Sarah Miller, a veteran 911 dispatcher of over two decades, describes her role and the necessity to remain calm under pressure.
    • “You have to stay calm and think straight.” (Sarah Miller, 04:33)
• Technical Demands
  • Sarah typically manages 6–8 digital screens per shift, highlighting the complexity and multitasking inherent in her job.
    (04:44)

2. The 911 Call: Jane Doe’s Tense Whisper for Help

• Initial Contact
  • In September 2016, minutes before ending her night shift, Sarah receives a whispering call from a woman claiming to be kidnapped in a house near Ashland’s Fourth Street Laundromat.
    • “Please hurry.” (Jane Doe, 03:30)
• Situation Assessment
  • The caller (Jane Doe) bravely reveals she’s in an abandoned yellow house, her kidnapper asleep nearby; she fears making noise and is using his phone to call for help.
    (03:43–07:08)
• Tactical Questions and Urgency
  • Sarah deftly asks about weapons, escape routes, and the house’s layout, seeking to arm responding officers with vital details.
    • “If he was to wake up, kill her and escape, I wouldn’t know his name, what he looked like, anything.” (Sarah Miller, 05:27)
  • Tension mounts as Jane Doe expresses terror, trying not to wake her captor and describing makeshift restraints.
    • “I kind of freed myself…he had me tied up.” (Jane Doe, 06:44–07:08)

3. Police Response: Locating Jane Doe

• Officers Arrive
  • Officers, including Kurt Dorsey, are dispatched to the scene, initially uncertain of the call’s authenticity due to its rarity in Ashland.
    • “This wasn’t a call that we typically got in Ashland.” (Kurt Dorsey, 10:34)
• Searching in Silence
  • They carefully approach two nearly identical abandoned yellow houses near the laundromat, uncertain which is the right one; all doors are locked.
  • Tension builds as potential noise could alert the kidnapper.

4. The Hand in the Window: A Critical Clue

• Breakthrough Moment
  • Jane Doe pushes past her fear, moves a chair barricading the bedroom door, and appears at the window, signaling officers.
    • “I saw her. Her hand.” (Kurt Dorsey, 18:26)
  • This visual contact ends desperate uncertainty for both dispatcher and police after over 18 minutes of fear and ambiguity.

5. The Rescue

• Unlocking the Door
  • Guided by the dispatcher via phone, Jane Doe unlocks the side door, meeting Officer Dorsey and others. She is rescued after 19 minutes on the line.
    • “She stood there in the doorway fully nude and just looked like she had seen a ghost.” (Kurt Dorsey, 20:46)
  • Officers provide a blanket and lead her out to safety.

6. Aftermath for the Rescuers

• Emotional Impact
  • Both dispatcher and officer reflect on the intensity and trauma.
    • “You still tear up when you hear this. Tell me why.” (John Quinones, 19:40)
    • “It’s just a lot to deal with—unhearing things that you’ve heard.” (Sarah Miller, 19:47)
  • Sarah credits her faith for resilience rather than therapy.
    • “I got God. That’s all I need.” (Sarah Miller, 22:24)
• Police Officer’s Perspective
  • Officer Dorsey is deeply moved, calling the rescue a combination of “divine intervention and a good dispatcher.” (Kurt Dorsey, 23:09)

7. Apprehending the Kidnapper

• Arrest and Interrogation
  • Officers arrest the suspect, described as tall, dirty blonde, and piercing blue-eyed, finding him nude in bed at the scene.
    (24:30–24:56)
  • In questioning, he gives short, evasive answers, claiming to have been living in the house for a month.
    • “What happened? That’s why we’re here, man. We’re trying to figure out what the hell is going on.” (Kurt Dorsey to suspect, 26:11)
• Investigation Unfolds
  • The episode closes on the open question: Who is this man, and might he be connected to other disappearances?

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sarah Miller on the Importance of Calm:
  “Good dispatchers train not to react to emotions. You have to stay calm.” (04:26)
• Jane Doe’s Desperation:
  “I just need to hear if the officers find me or not.” (Jane Doe, 07:29)
• Rescue Visual:
  “Her hand. Jane Doe had put her hand up against the window of the side door. They knew finally where she was.” (John Quinones, 19:07)
• On Relief:
  “The best reward was her getting free. And he’s alive and well.” (Sarah Miller, 22:17)
• Faith and Fate:
  “I think a combination of maybe some divine intervention and a good dispatcher led us to that house and ultimately that door.” (Kurt Dorsey, 23:09)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Dispatcher Sarah Miller describes her experience & preparation: 01:32–02:02
• The 911 call begins: 02:30
• Sarah elicits details, caller’s fear evident: 03:14–07:37
• Jane Doe’s critical question: “Are they on the way?” 07:08–07:29
• Silent suspense as Jane Doe waits: 08:04–09:12
• Officers arrive, assess ambiguous scene: 12:07–14:20
• Jane Doe signals from window (“the hand in the window”): 18:26–19:07
• Jane Doe’s rescue and officers’ relief: 20:46–21:47
• Emotional aftermath for dispatcher and officer: 19:40–23:09
• Arrest and interview with the suspect: 24:30–26:56
• Episode closes on open questions: 27:01–end

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Flow and Tone

The episode is driven by suspense and compassion. The calm under fire of dispatcher Sarah Miller and the methodical yet intuitive actions of Officer Dorsey contrast with Jane Doe’s palpable terror, making for an intense, empathetic narrative. Faith, fate, and professionalism thread through their reflections, giving the story emotional depth and hinting at broader implications for the investigation.

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For Listeners

This first episode stands out for its immersive use of first-person accounts, escalating tension, and compelling hints at a larger mystery yet to be unraveled. It is essential listening for those interested in true crime, criminal investigation, and firsthand accounts of heroism and survival under pressure.

Transcript

[A]

This is Debra Roberts. You're about to hear the first episode of our newest podcast series from 2020 and ABC audio, the Hand in the Window. It's the shocking story following a series of disappearances of women in rural Ohio. When one woman risks her life to call 911 about her own kidnapping. Bravely making the call from her captor's phone, the investigators begin to realize the kidnapper might just be a serial killer. We'll be releasing the series right here on the 2020 feed over the next few weeks. Or if you don't want to wait, you can get new episodes early by following the Hand in the Window on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts now. Here's episode one.

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[C]

I've worked three different locations.

[B]

You like it?

[C]

Yeah. I was made to be a dispatcher.

[B]

Sarah says she's good at multitasking, which she says is a requirement for the job.

[C]

We usually have six to eight screens, depending on what center you're at.

[B]

When Sarah starts a shift, she logs into all those computers, and then she waits.

[C]

You never know when the call will come in or what kind of call it's going to be.

[B]

In September 2016, Sarah was working the overnight shift in Ashland, Ohio, a rural town about 60 miles southwest of Cleveland. Just before 7am the sun was rising over Ashland's cornfields, marshes, and woods. Sarah was about to clock out when one more call came in.

[E]

91 1. What is the address to your emergency Laundromat?

[C]

At first, I couldn't hear. It was real quiet. She was whispering.

[E]

What is it? Fourth Street Laundromat.

[B]

The fourth Street Laundromat. There were just five laundromats in Ashland. The one on Fourth street was near the center of town, a few blocks from Ashland's Main street, which with its brewery, restaurants, bank, and dairy Queen. Police identify the caller as Jane Doe. To protect her privacy, she said she'd been abducted and that the man holding her captive was sleeping Nearby.

[C]

My reaction was to find out where she was at first to get her out of there.

[B]

Jane Doe said she was in a house by the fourth Street Laundromat.

[E]

Do you know what color the house is?

[C]

No.

[E]

Please hurry. And you think it's a yellow house? I think so. Does he own the house? No, he broke into. Does anybody actually live there? I think he's been abandoned.

[B]

A yellow abandoned house by the laundromat. Sarah Miller told another dispatcher to send police officers to the area. The precinct was about five minutes away by car. Sarah knew if those officers were going to find Jane Doe quickly, they needed to get more information.

[E]

Does he have a weapon? He's got a taser.

[B]

He got a Taser. Sarah could hear that the caller's breathing was getting heavier and heavier. She was clearly afraid, but Sarah knew that she could not panic.

[C]

Good dispatchers train not to react to emotions. You have to stay calm.

[B]

You have to remain calm.

[C]

Yes. Have to stay calm and think straight.

[B]

Sarah had been trained to handle all calls the same way. But this call was anything but routine. In fact, it would become the first step in an investigation that would reveal sinister and shocking crimes. From ABC Audio In 2020, I'm John Quinones and this is Is the Hand in the window. Episode 1 Covert Court Dispatcher Sarah Miller needed to keep Jane Doe on the line. He had a lot of questions right away.

[C]

I have to get information for the officers. If he was to wake up, kill her and escape, I wouldn't know what his name is, what he looked like, anything. I knew he was sleeping, so I asked her more questions, trying to get as much as I could before he woke up.

[B]

Sarah asked, what does the kidnapper look like? Jane Doe said he was white, about 6ft tall and around 175 pounds with brown hair. Sarah tried to learn more about Jane Doe's circumstances. What was the layout of the house?

[A]

What?

[B]

Where was she within it? Jane Doe told Sarah that she and her kidnapper had entered the house through a side door which opened into the kitchen. She was calling from a bedroom on the first floor. Sarah asked, is there any way you can escape?

[E]

I don't know without waking him and I'm scared.

[B]

Jane Doe was worried about waking her kidnapper. He'd put a chair against the bedroom door so that it would make noise if the door were opened. Sarah asked, was there a bathroom in the house? Could that be a way to escape?

[E]

If you told me to go to the bathroom, he would do something to you. Yeah, because he had me tied Up. Are you tied up now? Well, I. Yeah, but I kind of freed myself. Is he in the same room with you? Yes. Is it his phone you have?

[B]

Yes. She was in the same room as the kidnapper? Yes. She was calling on his phone. Jane Doe took a deep, pained breath and asked, are they on the way?

[E]

We have officers returning. Please send.

[B]

Enough.

[E]

If you're worried you don't have to talk. You can just set the phone down. Okay? I just need to hear if the officer's finding or not.

[B]

Jane Doe whispered. Okay. At this point, she'd been on the line with 911 for six minutes.

[E]

Do you need an ambulance? Are you bleeding from anywhere? Where you bleeding from? We don't have to talk if you don't need to.

[D]

Okay?

[E]

Shut the phone down.

[C]

When you have a high stress situation and you think someone's in danger if they set the phone down, I can still hear what's going on. I can still tell the officers what I can hear. And that puts her in less danger if then. If he catches her with the phone.

[B]

But you didn't want her to hang up?

[C]

No. No, because then I might not have got her back because I can't call his phone back or he'd have woke up.

[B]

And then the line goes silent for what seems like. Must have seemed like.

[C]

Yes, forever.

[B]

Almost four minutes passed without Sarah hearing anything from the caller. No response. Another minute passed.

[E]

Are you still there? How much longer? What?

[B]

12 minutes into the call. Fearing for her life, Jane Doe desperately wanted to know how much longer her kidnapper had been shifting in his sleep, starting to stir. Jane Doe would later say that her kidnapper had alarms going off on his phone every five minutes to keep him awake. Jane Doe had gotten to his phone, turned the volume all the way down, and that's when he finally dozed off.

[E]

Are there any officers outside? Okay, they're in the area.

[D]

The Ashland Police Division is a smaller police division. We have about 32 officers, 33 if you count the chief.

[B]

Kurt Dorsey was one of the officers who was dispatched to help Jane Doe. He. He had just started his shift that morning.

[D]

We were actually sitting in roll call when the call came out. So we immediately get up and go to our cars and start to drive towards the area of the call at that point.

[B]

Officer Dorsey had been on the force for about eight years. Initially, he wasn't even convinced the call was real.

[D]

This wasn't a call that we typically got in Ashland.

[B]

I've covered countless stories for 2020, but this case, it really struck a chord with Me because it happened not far from where As a teenager, I once picked tomatoes with my family as a migrant farm worker. Who would have thought way back then that this kid who only dreamed of someday becoming a journalist would one day be back here to report on such a shocking crime? Ashland is a town of less than 20,000 people. It's best known for farming, the local christian university, an annual hot air balloon festival, and a popular county fair. On Friday nights, people gather to watch high school football games under the bright lights. Ashland is also a deeply religious place. The town itself has dozens of churches, and it's surrounded by amish country. One police officer told us that Ashland is the kind of place where police have time to respond to small complaints and nuisances Like a bat flying around in someone's house. That September morning in 2016, as officers drove to find Jane Doe, they kept their sirens off. They didn't want to risk waking up her kidnapper.

[D]

When we got out of the cars, we didn't really have a game plan.

[B]

The laundromat Jane Doe mentioned was at the Corner of East 4th street and Covert court. When officers arrived there, they discovered two nearly identical houses right next to each other. Both houses were two stories with pale yellow siding, green window frames, and front porches.

[D]

When the call came in, I was pretty calm at first, but when we got to the set of houses, I started to get kind of nervous and a little bit afraid, actually. There was really no time to formulate any kind of plan. We just started looking.

[B]

Officers didn't know which house to target. Jane Doe's description of a yellow abandoned house didn't narrow things down. Both houses fit that description.

[D]

I began to look through windows and.

[B]

See if we can see anything inside. The houses seemed empty, so there wasn't.

[D]

Much by looking through the windows that told us anything.

[B]

While officers scoped out the two houses, Sarah miller was still on the line with Jane Doe. She asked again if there was any way for Jane to escape. Jane doe said she was standing right by the bedroom door.

[E]

Can you open it? I'm afraid. Without making noise.

[B]

She was afraid of making noise.

[E]

You can get out. You need to get out. Start mostly relation to that.

[B]

Jane Doe said her kidnapper was strong. The officers needed to be right there to help her escape. And as far as she could see and hear from inside the bedroom, they weren't. Officer dorsey started pulling on the doors to both houses to see if any of them would open, but no such luck.

[D]

All the doors were locked in both houses.

[B]

If the officers decided to just barge into one of the houses. They could wake up the kidnapper and put the caller's life at risk. But then Sarah Miller heard this from Jane Doe.

[E]

She heard the side door open.

[B]

Jane Doe took a big risk. She pushed the chair blocking the bedroom door out of the way and rushed to the side door of the house. Big curtains blocked the bedroom windows, but there was also a window in the side door.

[E]

Yeah, I'm looking out at the town. They'll come back. She said. Hurry, hurry. She said to hurry up and come back.

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[B]

Officer Kurt Dorsey was told that Jane Doe had heard him at the side door. That she wanted him to hurry, hurry and come back. Now he knew that this call, as strange as it seemed for Ashland, was real. There was a kidnapped woman fearing for her life inside one of the two houses. Reflecting on that day still makes Dorsey emotional.

[D]

This is like the third time I've talked about it. I was at the second house and I remembered that I had pulled on a door hard and it made a noise that I didn't intend because we're trying to be stealthy but it sort of slipped out of my hand. So I ran around the the house that we were currently at and looked towards the direction of the other house and I saw her. Her hand.

[B]

Her hand. Jane Doe had put her hand up against the window of the side door. They knew finally where she was. 911 dispatcher Sarah Miller had been getting updates from the officers on the ground. What a relief. They're there but it's not over yet. Right? They can't seem to get.

[C]

Yeah, he's not awake yet so they haven't got to him yet. And who knows what kind of weapons he has hidden in the house or so it brings.

[B]

You still tear up when you to hear this. Tell me why.

[C]

It's just a lot to deal with unhearing things that you've heard.

[B]

Once they saw Jane Doe's hand, the officers had to figure out how to get to her without putting her in danger.

[D]

So once I got to the door it was locked and we're still trying to be quiet because we were told that he was sleeping.

[B]

Officer Dorsey asked dispatcher Sarah Miller to tell Jane Doe to unlock the side door. Sarah and Jane Doe had gone back and forth throughout the whole call. Sarah urging her to escape if she could. Jane Doe saying it was too dangerous. Jane Doe had already gotten out of the bedroom. Now she was ready to take another risk as officers stood behind the locked door.

[D]

Once I heard the door unlock I opened it, and she stood there in the doorway fully nude and just looked like she had seen a ghost. The shock on her face was unreal. I'll never forget it. I don't think I've ever felt so much relief to find her.

[B]

Jane Doe was frozen in place. The officers gave her a blanket to cover herself and instructed her to leave the house and finally get to safety. 19 minutes into the 911 call, Jane Doe was rescued.

[E]

Okay, they have her.

[B]

Sarah, you helped save that woman's life.

[C]

She saved herself. I was just doing my job.

[B]

Sarah Miller ended up winning Ohio Dispatcher of the Year for her work on this call. The stress of the call and the huge relief she felt when Jane Doe was rescued, it sticks with Sarah. Even after the decades of 911 calls she's handled.

[C]

The best reward was her getting free. And he's alive and well.

[B]

Do you get therapy after something like this?

[C]

I got God. That's all I need.

[B]

God?

[C]

Yep.

[B]

Your faith? Yep. What does it teach you?

[C]

Teaches me to let go.

[B]

Me too. Do you think. Think God would be proud of you?

[C]

I hope so. I'll ask him someday.

[B]

Officer Kurt Dorsey is also religious. Jane Doe would later say that she sensed a Christian would be sent to rescue her. And her rescue did seem miraculous to Officer Dorsey. So much had to go right for her to make it out alive.

[D]

When I look back at that morning, I think something told me to look at that window. There were two other guys there. They don't recall seeing the hand. And I saw it. I think that a combination of maybe some divine intervention and a good dispatcher led us to that house and ultimately that door.

[B]

Once Jane Doe was out of the house, officers could turn their attention to the kidnapper. They went back inside the house, weapons drawn, and began moving toward the bedroom.

[D]

I remember when I first went into the house, it was sort of a mess. Although it was vacant, it looked like it was being lived in. There was a bed, clothing, and things like that inside.

[B]

The house was so dirty that you could see footprints in the layers of the dust on the stairs. Random items like a shopping cart, a clock, and stuffed animals were scattered around. Officer Dorsey went through the kitchen and then turned back into the bedroom.

[D]

And that's where we found the male lying in the bed. And I gave him orders to show his hands, and we ultimately arrested him. At that point, he was handcuffed and he was nude, so I actually assisted him in putting some shorts on. At that point, we walked out to one of the patrol cars.

[B]

Two of the officers searched the rest of the house, but Officer Dorsey stayed back and waited with the kidnapper. He was tall, with dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Officer Dorsey started to question the kidnapper.

[D]

Do you remember I read you Miranda? You understand all that, your Miranda rights and all that? Okay.

[B]

Dorsey eased into things. He didn't zero in on Jane Doe's abduction right away.

[D]

So, obviously, again, you know, I already told you, you know, you can't crash in an abandoned house. I mean, that's. No, it's just one of those things. I understand that you're homeless. You need a place to crash.

[B]

It's.

[D]

It is what it is, but you still can't do it.

[B]

The kidnapper spoke quietly and gave brief responses, just a few words at a time. He said he'd been living in the house for about a month without being noticed. Then Officer Dorsey started asking the kidnapper about Jane Doe.

[D]

What happened? That's why we're here, man. We're trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Something obviously went on and we're trying to figure out what in the hell is going on right now.

[B]

Yeah, I understand. Again, the kidnapper was responding, but not with any real information.

[D]

Probably. Okay. How did it get out of hand? What do you mean?

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

The other officers came out of the house. That's when Officer Dorsey got a message over the police radio. Bring the kidnapper to the police station.

[D]

I'm going to take you on station, and I think they want to talk to you a little bit more.

[B]

The kidnapper was still shirtless and only dressed in the shorts that officers had given him. Officer Dorsey put him in a police car and drove him to the station. At the police station, investigators had already begun talking to Jane Doe to get details on what she had been through. When the kidnapper arrived, he would be placed in a room down the hall from her. Who was the this man living in an abandoned house who had kidnapped and assaulted Jane Doe? And had he done something like this or worse before? The Hand in the Window is a production of Apartment, ABC Audio and 20 20, hosted by me, John Quinones. Produced by Madeline Wood, Camille Peterson, Kiara Powell Edited by Gianna Palmer. Our supervising producer is Susie Liu. Music and mixing by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Katie Dendos, Janice Johnston, Michelle Margulis, Caitlin Schiffer, Rachel Walker, Annalisa Linder, Joseph Diaz, Jonathan Balthaser, Gail Deutch, Gary Wynn, Stephanie McBee, Natalie Cardenas and Samantha Wanderer. Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming.