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On WhatsApp, no one can see or hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this. So whether you're sharing the streaming password in the family chat, or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast, your personal messages stay between you, your friends and your family. No one else, not even us. WhatsApp message privately with everyone. This is the 2020 True Crime Vault. Your father says, I have a plan to rob a bank. Shouldn't your first reaction be, are you crazy? I asked my dad, are you the devil here to tempt me? He said, yeah, probably. I remember thinking, is this normal? Does everybody do this? The three of family affair. He had recruited his own children to be his accomplices. And they're yelling and screaming and scaring the daylights out of everybody in the bank. Give us all your money. In just moments, they're out. I mean, duh. How long does three people think that they can just rob banks for? You know, it doesn't last forever. You got your kids involved in this and you're asking them to do time for you. Who would want their own child ever arrested, much less doing hard time behind bars? They'll be fine. This guy possesses an addict's brain and a sociopath's soul. You may think that Scott Cat manipulated and used his own children to rob banks, but it doesn't end there. On October 1, 2012, in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston. It was a pleasant afternoon. 1:50pm It's a little bit quiet on this particular Monday. Not a lot going on at all. You know that lazy feeling you get after you have lunch and everything gets kind of quiet and subdued? That was exactly the atmosphere in First Community Credit Union. There were seven people inside the bank, all employees. Yes, sir. In a silver Ford Focus, drove down a street called Cinco Ranch Boulevard toward First Community Credit Union. And the car stopped near the bank, and out come two men. What we're seeing here is the two suspects have arrived on the scene, and they have on orange vests like construction workers or street crossing guards often wear. The first thing that stood out to me were the bright orange construction vests they had on. And I thought to myself for a split second, what are they here to fix? One man has a painter's mask on his face. Another man is wearing a fake mustache. They're wearing blue latex gloves. One of them is brandishing a gun. This is a bank robbery. Give me all your money. Hands up. This is A robbery. The older suspect, he takes control of the room. He's got the weapon. Immediately, the younger suspect pops the teller counter. When he jumps the counter, that's a takeover robbery. One of the men rushes toward a teller and says, give me everything you've got. I've got bills to pay. What goes through a banker's mind when a robbery happens? Fear. Just to do what they say, give them what they need. They have guns. One of the tellers actually is able to slip a pack of bait money into the bag. This is money with the serial numbers recorded, so the cops are able to trace it. It was pretty brave on her part. One of them jumped the counter. One of them rounded up everybody in the office. You can see that he goes directly for the bank manager because she's in char. She's the one that's going to have access to the safe. She becomes instantly aware that there's a robbery taking place. She activates her asylum rod. Several of the tellers were actually still on their lunch break back in the break room. Were you having lunch? What were you doing? I was sitting in there. I was heating up some food. I was talking on the phone. One of my other co workers was in there. She had just come in to have her lunch. They didn't even realize anything was happening, happening until they see a blinking alarm going off. I just kind of stopped and I looked up and I told the person on the phone. I was like, I've got to go. They get everybody together in the safe room and they order them to open the safe. The only thing that tripped them up, they were so flustered, they couldn't get the combos right to open the safe fast enough. Do you remember the thoughts that went into your mind as soon as you realized this is real, this is happening? To be honest with you, I wanted to go out because I didn't know it was happening. My heart was racing. I felt a pit in my stomach. I felt scared for my co workers. They asked somebody where the back door is. Head straight to the back door out the back of the building. Little did they know that they passed right by the break room where these other two employees are monitoring the situation. Like a bolt of lightning ran right past the break room, out this back door. As soon as they busted through that door, the alarm sounded. So this door right here is the back door of the bank. And this is where they busted out the door. That moment it hit me. They just robbed us. It took everything I had to remember, oh, my God, look out the window. And look for them. So these blinds, I did like this real quick. They literally walked down the sidewalk fast as they could until they got to the curb. And then they stopped, and they just kind of casually walked to the car. Bank employees just inside here saw them heading down the alley, and one of them said she saw them get into a silver car, which was the car parked over here. And this is the first time we get the description of a silver vehicle. And they're gone. What seemed like 30 minutes was, I believe they were in and out in less than three minutes because they knew exactly what they were doing. They had done this before. And a successful bank robbery is completed. When you heard that this bank had been robbed, were you at all surprised? I was, because we'd had a previous bank robbery here about six months prior. And I was thinking, well, that guy's in jail. Who's robbing it now? That detective and other Texas lawmen I interviewed for this story had one question. Who were these guys Brazen enough to knock off a bank in the middle of the afternoon during bank hours? And investigators immediately try to find eyewitnesses, noticing that there's a chiropractor who works right next door. He had noticed two men wearing contractor reflector vests as if they were simply taking a break. They were sitting right there next to my backpack against the wall. Yeah, they were actually. Can I. Yeah, they were actually right here. And that's unusual for anybody to be sitting here in the middle of the day. So I said, you know, hey, how you guys doing? And they said, fine. And I told the little guy, I said, nice mustache. And he kind of giggled a little bit. Could you tell that the mustache was fake? Oh, it was fake. Oh, you could tell. And then the FBI actually came back, and they're the ones who told me that those were the guys who robbed the bank. A closer look at the older bank robber reveals that he's got a walkie talkie. Because of the walkie talkie, we believe that there is someone on the outside of the bank giving them a hand. So they had those trash bags. How much money did they actually get put in there? A little over 29,000. Pretty good haul. I've had bank robbery where they've had three or four thousand total. Can you imagine what these employees went through? Oh, my goodness. I mean, you start walking into a bank with a weapon, and you start pointing that at people and ordering them to cough up the money. I mean, that can change your life forever. The sheriff's detectives are about to make a Series of really jaw dropping discoveries about these robbers. For one thing, this isn't the only bank they've robbed. There was a robbery with similar MO at the Comerica Bank. And another thing, those robbers, one older, one a little bit younger, the way they work so well together, almost like they were family. That was noticed by all of the employees there, that there was something special about that relationship. They could have been father and son. The quest to identify the people who robbed the bank in Katy, Texas, the robbers with the family resemblance sparks curiosity even among the most seasoned detectives. Our only thought was, you know, we gotta find out what this story is. It'll eventually lead from the Lone Star State all the way to the Pacific Northwest and back in time to when a man named Scott Catt met Beth Worrell. Scott and Beth grew up 40 miles south of Portland in a picturesque town called McMinnville. Beth was a champion swimmer. Scott played on the football team. She came home and told us that she'd met this wonderful blonde, handsome cowboy. Beth was, oh, very, very loving. Good mommy, terrific mother. She kept him sane. She knew how to bring him back from some of his crazy times. They lived in a nice house with four bedrooms. They had two beautiful children. Life was good. And then she got sick. She went for a regular mammogram and she called me and said, they want to do some more tests. I remember going from crying to laughing to crying, to talking about going wig shopping to it's all going to be okay. You have a two year old and a five year old and I mean, I think we were really positive that it was going to be just a bump in the road. And that wasn't the case. She didn't live long after that. It just went rampant through her. Do you have any memories from your mother? Just one. When she was sick, I just remember her being carried down on a stretch of bright orange. It was the brightest orange I've ever seen in my life. That's it. Just that one memory. That's all I remember. Doesn't sound like so much fun. No, no. But I still have that. That image of her in my head. I can still see her, you know, Even if she was on a stretch out, I could still see her. Her face, which is cool. In the years after Beth died, Scott goes to pieces. He begins drinking. He's doing drugs. He falls into a depression. He does let alcohol get ahold of him. He turns to cocaine. He begins to slide and lose his footing. But somehow, despite his life falling apart, he manages to hide it all from the kids. To his credit, Scott picks up where Beth left off. He's playing the role of mother and father and doing a very fine job of it. My dad was right there for everything. It was always just us three. He cooked for them. He cooked lavish meals for them. He was the president of their swim club. We go before school, we go after school, Swim meets on the weekends. I mean, it consumed our life, but we loved it. We were part of a team. It was our swim family. And my brother was always there, and he was my favorite person in the world, and he still is. We were very close. My sister is the only consistent thing I've had my whole life, and I'm the only consistent thing that she's had, too. I can just look at her and know what's on her mind, what she's worried about. Despite the fact that outwardly it seems like a solid cat family foundation, the fact is there were cracks. His Persona outside the house was dad of the year, volunteer of the year. He said all the right things. He did all the right things. He took his kids to church. And then once he was home and he was alone, I think the real Scott came out. There wasn't really a disciplinarian. I mean, there was no one there hounding us to do homework or keep up our grades. Did you guys start drinking in the house you were in? How old were you when that started? High school. And then he told me he got his dream job in Texas. A Texas recruiter calls him and says there's an engineering job with the Houston area oil company. So many bad memories here. He wanted to get away from it. It would be a fresh start for everybody. And no matter how good Scott's jobs are, it always feels like the family is just a little bit short of money. And so Scott goes to his son Hayden with this insanely outlandish idea. Hey, we're gonna rob banks together. He says, I made a decision that this is what I want to do. I want to rob banks for a living. When he approached me and said, would you be willing to do something to get some money more illegal than selling drugs? And I said, yes. Your father says, I have a plan to rob a bank. Shouldn't your first reaction be, are you crazy? Looking back on it, I can't believe that wasn't my time. First, first reaction. Why did you go along with it so easily? I had a real struggle and a real internal struggle. I knew it was wrong, but I was really motivated by the money. Now, it's bad enough that Scott asks his own son Hayden to commit this felony with him. But then he ups the ante. He used Hayden to convince Abby to going along with the plan to rob banks. How did you react? Well, the way that he presented it to me was like, we need you in order to be successful. And then it was just like, okay, you know, why do they need you? Well, so that they didn't have to drive. Did you have any hesitation about this? Really? There was no question I was gonna do it. There was no questions. I had no questions. They told me they needed me, so I did it. And the way Scott explained it to me was that he didn't see this as a chance to teach his kids about crime. It was a chance to teach his kids about self esteem. And this is how the Kat family decides to start robbing banks together. Hayden and Scott, they're going to be the stick up men inside the bank. Abby is going to be the getaway driver. Simple plan. What could possibly go wrong? Right? The morning of the first bank, I asked my dad, you know, are you the devil here to tempt me? And his answer is what really scared me. 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Today on iOS and Android, that's June's Journey. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing. Mint Mobile Unlimited Premium wireless. Everybody get 30, 30. Better to get 30, better get 20, 20, 20. Better get 20, 20. Everybody get 15, 15, 15, 15. Just 15 bucks a month. Sold. Give it a try. And mintmobile.com switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. New customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of network's busy. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com in Katy, Texas, just outside Houston, Scott Cat has recruited his two kids, Abby and Hayden, to join him in the family business robbing banks. A father who is a structural engineer, 50 years old. His 20 year old son and his 18 year old daughter, both of whom look like classic American kids. And somehow he had recruited his own children to be his accomplices. No one had ever thought of that before. This is the only one I've heard of. Well, it's the only one I've worked. When Scott first came to Texas, he called Hayden and said, I love Texas. There's a bank on every corner. These are big banks. They're beautiful banks. There are banks after banks after bank. Scott will later tell a reporter that this is his way of motivating. His kids needed to do something where they would get a reward and feel good about themselves. And so somehow Scott thought, if I teach them how to rob banks with me, they'll feel this sense of accomplishment they can't get in high school. And for their first family outing, they choose the Comerica Bank. Picture this, a Thursday morning in August 2012. A strip mall. It's got it all. It's got the donut shop, it's got the Radio Shack, it's got the wedding dress shop, and it has a bank, a Comerica bank, wedged in with all of the other businesses. Now, the getaway driver is Abby, and she's just recently gotten her license. Barely knew how to drive stick. Now, this is something they definitely don't teach you in driver's ed. How long did it take you to drive from your house to the bank? Oh, a minute. Two blocks away. You robbed a bank two blocks away from your own house? Does your dad do like a mental checklist for everybody? Like, remind everybody what their jobs are going to be? You know, like, okay, well, drop us off here and then, you know, we're going to walk here and then, you know, pull around back and you pick us up here. The doors fly open, in comes two armed bank robbers. They both have pistols. They're both wearing white painter's overalls, they've got white latex gloves. And they're yelling and screaming and scaring the daylights out of everybody in the bank. Give us all your money. He walked in first and said, nobody move or put your hands up or. I really don't even know. He was kind of like the muscle with the gun. And I was the money guy, making sure I got all the money. They demand money from the tellers and from the safe. Robbing somebody at gunpoint was not something I would think I would be capable of. But when I opened the door to that greed, it wasn't an issue anymore. And in fact, I was probably willing to do more than that. Were people scared? Absolutely. That's been one of the hardest things to deal with, is the look of fear on some of those people's faces. I was actually shaking so bad that the employees grabbed the bag and started throwing money in for me. The employees at the Comerica bank also noticed that at least one of them was wearing a walkie talkie. These employees actually heard communication coming across on that walkie talkie. The tellers hear a female voice coming out of Scott's walkie talkie, counting down the time. 30 seconds, 1 minute, minute, 32 minutes. Because at the 3 minute mark, they had to go. That was Scott's rule. That was probably like the most nerve wracking part of it was just like, just come out, you know, just get out of there. Because my dad kept, well, hold on. And it's like, hold on for what? What do you mean, hold on? Now they're ready to hightail it out of there. But guess what? The back door is locked. They can't get out. And this was a very tense moment. They went to run out the back door and ran right into it because it was locked and they have to get a teller to unlock it for them. High drama was not as carefully planned as we thought. Did you just drive right back home, the two blocks home? Yeah, I did. It was a stick shift, and I could barely, like, do the stick. You know, when you take off, you got to make sure you take off without killing it. And I was like, they walked away with $70,000, which is a huge haul in the bank robbery business. Most bank robbers are lucky to get away with two or three thousand dollars. I assume you'd never seen so much money in one place in your life. No, it was quite overwhelming. The cash in your hand totally changed my mindset, my thinking. All I did was feed the greed. All I wanted was some more now. So you were willing to rob again? I was, yeah. Now you think that most people after a major score like this would lay low for a while, get off the radar, not make any extravagant purchases. That's not the cat family. They used that money to purchase vehicles with it. And then there was some partying Going on. What kind of vehicles? I believe they have a motorcycle and they have a Tahoe and they have a Ford Focus, things like that. I went and I got my nails done. I remember that. And I just drove around and did my. That was kind of my thing. And I definitely looked at my dad differently after that, though, that's for sure. I remember thinking, like, is this normal? Like, does everybody do this shopping, cars, partying, really nothing to show for it. Was there anything left over? I don't believe so. They didn't manage their money well because two months later, you need to rob another bank. How long could you last with $70,000? The problem for them wasn't so much the pre planning, it was the post planning that was the problem for them. And are you thinking to yourself, what is happening here? It was kind of like a dream. It was kind of unreal. And soon they realized the money was gone. Within just two months, the Kat family is already running out of money. And they begin plotting their next heist. But this time their luck runs out even faster than their cash. They were trying to take shots of alcohol and they couldn't even get the alcohol down because they were so nervous. And I'm like, mmm, this is not. We need to just not my dad very, very much. No, we have to, we have to. We have no money. We have. After the Comerica bank robbery, the robbers walked off with $70,000 and in no time at all, it was all gone. So imagine you're a father who has just pulled off a bank heist using your two children. You might say to yourself, wow, what did I just do there? You'd think maybe that's what Scott would have thought. Oh. But no, he had no inclination to keep his kids out of it. He thought they were a great team. So they start looking around and what do they see? They lock in on the First Community Credit Union. Why this particular bank? Well, there are a number of reasons, but one of them is the bushes right in front of the bank that block the view from the street. So after you robbed the first bank, your job was to go scope out the second bank. What was that like? I was very nervous to do that because I felt like everybody knew what I did. Everybody could feel why I was in there, could feel my vibe. And that was super scary and nerve wracking. When any of us walk in a bank to cash a check, whatever, were caught on camera, surveillance cameras actually capture Abby on her stealth reconnaissance mission of this bank, let me tell you, she is not opening an account. It's Abby Kat doing a little recon before the robbery. We wanted to know some of the details going into it, I guess about how we were going to enter and how we were going to exit. And when she gets back, she, her brother and her father sit down and essentially draw up maps to use as a guide for once they get inside the bank. Now the next step in the planning is to change their disguises. They swap out those white painter overalls they used in that first robbery for something else. Some reflective orange vests, some mustaches, glasses, hats. They were doing some construction in the area and that was our disguise, I guess, to maybe walk around and mill about a bank without drawing too much suspicion. So it seems a safe bet would be to purchase those contractors reflective vests. So Abby and Hayden go to the Home Depot. And you chose Home Depot because Proximity to our house. And you didn't think that someone could trace that? I didn't think there would any be anyone following up behind us. And like Scott did on the first robbery, he had Hayden the night before the second robbery, go out, steal some license plates from a car in a adjoining parking lot, tape them to the license plates in the car they were going to use to hide the real license plates, but to be able to rip them off as soon as they could when the robbery was over. Now it's the day of the robbery. October 1, 2012. And as they prepare to leave the house, Abby says her gang is not exactly brimming with confidence. They were trying to take shots of alcohol and they couldn't even get the alcohol. Alcohol down because they were so nervous. And I'm like, this is not. We need to just not my dad very, very much. No, we have to, we have to. We have no money. We have to. Were you scared? Yes, I was scared. And it's just something you just like want to be over with. You remember feeling nervous? You know, I remember feeling nervous and anxious. A lot of adrenaline. Did you announce that it was a robbery? We did. We would shout something or yell something initially. It's definitely not like the movies, or at least that ours wasn't like that. Were people scared? Absolutely. I remember a few people's face. Still total shock. Terror. Yeah, they were scared, terrified. Caden jumped behind the counter and then asked for the money to come out of the different hills. Scott was able to get the employees huddled into the bank vault and they removed some money out of the bank vault as well. In just moments. They come in, they've gotten the money, they're out, they head out of the credit union. And of course, Abby is ready and waiting. My dad's just like, go, go. You know, and he was saying, don't go too fast, right? Oh, yeah. He did not want you to speed. Yeah. By the time we got on the highway, he was fine. He just, he relaxed a little bit and we drove home. You guys went home? He had a pile of cash in the house. Yeah, sure. You could keep doing this, right? You didn't get caught. Yeah. In their minds, they made a clean getaway. Little did they know how many things they did wrong. They thought they had pulled off another perfect crime. Until they got home and realized that one of the license plates that had been taped on had fallen off somewhere. It was found in the alley laying next to a dumpster, right where Abby had been parked. The license plate had Scott's fingerprints on it. Why didn't you just screw the new plates on? That was for being able to remove them quickly. So smart, but not smart enough. Sure. Then the second mistake they made was in the planning. They had no idea that bank employees were still having their lunch in the break room. And as they were watching the closed circuit tv, they were actually writing down a description of the bank robbers. But the biggest clue of all is something that a very astute police detective spots as he's going over that surveillance tape. I mean, it's so small that you wonder that anybody noticed it at all. He's looking at those reflective contractor jackets and he notices, well, they look like somebody just took them right out of the package because they have nice creases in them. What did that mean? That they were just purchased. And we were able to isolate those vests at Home Depot. The purchase of those vests were made with Scott's debit mastercard and it wasn't a stretch to get him identified after that. Then they looked at the Home Depot security video of the purchase made, and they saw that it wasn't a Scott Cat. It was a young man and a young woman. But they don't know who those two people are on the surveillance. Now, we use the modern day tools that cops like to use, and one of them is social media. Cops look for Scott Catt on Facebook, and on Facebook, they saw Scott cat's photo with his two children, Hayden and Abby, who looked exactly like the two purchasing the orange vests. Suddenly, Detective Martin had the entire cat family sort of at bay. Did you think that that would be the thing of everything that gave you guys up? Not even a little bit. They go back and look at more Video and they find Scott Catt buying painter's mask. So at that point, they've got it all. A man and his two children are now in custody tonight accused of robbing. It wasn't until they took the Katzes into custody that the police really realized how horrible a father Scott really was. Abby called and she was yelling at me, I'm in jail and I need $10,000 to get me out of here. Get me out of here right now. And I said, you have to get that money from your father. She says, he's the reason I'm in J. On the morning of November 9th, just after sunrise, members of the sheriff's department show up at the cat's apartment to arrest Scott, Hayden and Abby. They have no idea that Scott and Hayden were planning to do a robbery that very day. And they were just waiting for Abby to show up in the getaway car. Shortly after that, Scott comes walking out of the apartment and detectives were able to take him into custody. It's been about a month since the first community bank heist. They say you're being arrested for bank robbery. And Scott looks at the cops and says, which one? We then went inside the apartment. I arrested Hayden without incident. All of a sudden our door gets kicked in and you're surrounded by police officers, guns, weapons. My world came crashing down at that point. What a wild story this is. 50 year old Scott Katz behind bars awaiting trial. What is it like to see your son associated with that horrible. How can I wrap my brain around this? It was so unbelievable. And all I could think of was I was glad their mother was gone so that she didn't have to see this. The police get a search warrant and they go to their residence and they were absolutely shocked based on what they found. We found some bank straps. A bank strap is a little paper strap that wraps around a certain quantity of money. Apparently they just would pull cash out of those bank straps and when the cash was gone, they didn't throw the bank straps away. They find no cash. $100,000. There's nothing. No cash. Incredibly, they also found crumpled sheet of paper, which was the script that Scott had written out for Hayden when he came into the bank robberies. It says, this is a bank robbery. All we want is the money. 20s, 50s, 1/ hundreds, no alarms, dye packs or GPS or you family and co workers will be hurt. But now as they're bringing Scott and Hayden in for questioning, they want them to be able to help them answer the biggest mystery of all. Why would Scott enlist his own kids? To rob banks with him. You're gonna figure out. I'm gonna be forthright. Okay? I'm gonna be forthright. We began talking with Scott in such a way where we were just having a conversation with him. Was there some things that you did without the kids? And then the. And then the kids got involved. I'll get it. I'll give her the whole thing. I swear, I'll give her the whole thing. How much did he tell the officers? He spilled the beans. He waived his right to counsel, and he just told investigators exactly what happened. I was always thought that a bank was federally insured. I thought that if there is a bank robbery, we're told to just give the money and get the guy out of there. So in my mind, I thought that's kind of, you know, easy pickings, I guess. In my mind, I thought that it was, you know, no victims. Yeah. It seems Scott didn't recognize the legal magnitude of bank robbery. This was all kind of casual. Aggravated robbery in the state of Texas is a big deal. God help me to understand. How did you broach this topic with the kids? Well, I think you have to go way back to the very beginning when the mother passed away. You gotta understand, it was just the three of us. You know, it kind of segregated us. You know, kind of made it so that you really couldn't get close to us. He had manipulated them to think he was the only person that could take care of them, and they would do anything for him. Going through that kind of very segregated kind of grieving puts them more at risk to future manipulations from that individual who now controls them psychologically, physically, financially. Tell me how that first. First time went down. You know, you sat around the dinner table and said, let's go around the bank. Or I guess that wasn't around the dinner table, but it was, you know, it was a little Friday night gathering. You know, just sitting around watching movies or something. I really don't remember the details of all that. I mean, how it happened. But Scott's own words were that he was completely responsible for manipulating his children. It was all my manipulation of the two of them and her. And I did this whole spiel about how easy it was going to be and how he didn't have to worry about it. These poor kids need him so badly that they choose wrong instead of right. Not so much because they're evildoers, but because they loved their father. And he took advantage of that unconditional love. He doesn't know anything about unconditional love. He Loves Scott Catt. Scott was the first one that we interviewed. And then we interviewed Hayden. Okay, Hayden, before we start, when Hayden's initially approached by law enforcement, he said he didn't want to talk to them. And have you talked to your father? Yeah. Then did your father give you any advice? Just to cooperate. But after having a conversation with his father, Scott, he then decided to tell them the truth. It's a great example of how much control Scott has over Hayden. Is anybody forcing you to do this? No. You're doing this on your own? Yes. Because you want to cooperate, is that right? Yeah. Okay. How did it feel to confess? To be honest with you, I was still full of some pride. I was still full of some arrogance. Oh, so you felt good about it because. Because you were bragging. Yeah. Not surprising he feels that way. Remember Scott told him bank robbing would boost his self esteem. So he approaches you about this and then tell me, how did it progress from there? Well, you know, I was scared. You know, I was really scared at first. It's so heartbreaking when you think about it. The point here is that Hayden does what daddy says. He definitely, as far as, like, what to look for in a bank, he, you know, I mean, told me, you know, what to look for and stuff. Fear was our biggest tool, I think. So y' all would have to use. Just use. Fear would help y'. All. Yeah, I mean, that's all I needed. But one of them, there was a girl that was, you know, she thought she was. Was gonna die. And, you know, we felt bad about that. You know, like, no, no, honey, we're just here for the money. You can see this in that grainy surveillance video. The absolute horror and terror that's all over their faces. You can only imagine what kind of fear they must have felt. You may think that Scott Cat manipulated and used his own children to rob banks, but it doesn't end there. Scott confessed, Hayden confessed, and then Abby was brought into the interrogation room. You know, he's always been there for me. He's been the only person that I have. So it was just like, okay, almost, you know, if you thought a parent manipulating their children into to robbing banks was bad, well, wait till you see what happens now that they've been caught. This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two factor authentication, strong passwords and a VPN. You try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of Millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off terms. Apply at Capella University. Learning online doesn't mean learning alone. You'll get support from people who care about your success, like your enrollment counselor, who gets to know you and the goals you'd like to achieve. You'll also get a designated academic coach who's with you throughout your entire program. Plus, career coaches are available to help you navigate your professional goals. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at capella. Edu. You hear of bank robberies every day. The geezer bandit, Barbie bandits, and they're a dime a dozen. But it is very rare that you hear of a father reeling in his own children to rob banks with him. A man and his two children accused of robbing banks. It made for great headlines. The family affair on the family. The family that robs together stays together. Oh, son, if I didn't know better, I'd say that was you. The family stole thousands of dollars. Abby. Cat drove the getaway vehicle. People were fascinated with Breaking Bad. What the hell is wrong with you? We're a family. I think they kind of see some of the same thing with this particular story. How did such an ordinary looking, normal family turn into bank robbers waving pistols and driving getaway cars? And you're asking them to do time for you? It says it right here. Where did you get this? I talked myself into robbing banks. I'm just. I'll just rob banks. Probably better at that. Anyway. Investigators were very pleased, obviously, when Scott started talking about the robberies in Texas, but they were totally taken back when he started talking about robberies in another state. Now, detectives have those bank straps they found on the floor of Scott's apartment, and some of them come from Oregon. So now detectives are suspicious that, well, maybe Scott robbed banks there, too. Okay, I'm just trying to think about the first one. We had a big chalkboard, and he was writing on this chalkboard. First Federal Savings and Loan bank robbery one in Oregon. Number two was. Another one was in McMinnville. Bank robbery two, three was in Portland. Wow. Why would he volunteer that? I don't know. Maybe he had a guilty heart. I think that's all about. It's going to help him. In his mind, he's gonna come clean and he's gonna end up with less of a sentence. And in that one, same thing Some sort of COVID with a painter's mask, a hat, and sunglasses. The painter's mask thing is pretty consistent. It was with me because of my goatee. Not only is he confessing to the crimes that they're aware of, but he's now confessing to others that they didn't even know about. Starting off, believe it or not, in the same bank where Scott Katz's dad retired, the newspaper printed a classic grainy photo of the robber standing in front of the teller. And Scott's mother saw it in the newspaper. And I said, oh, son, if I didn't know better, I'd say that was you. And he grabbed the paper from me, and he looked at that I remember so vividly. And he said, yeah, it does, kind of. And that was it. No more conversation. And you had no idea that he was doing this in Oregon and then that he was doing this in Texas? I swear to God, I got lucky on that one. If I'm surprised about anything, it's the fact that he was able to remain undetected. You would think that someone in his hometown would have known him. These first five were in Oregon. How many of those did either Hayden or Abby know about? None. And now Abby's about to learn everything. Also, Scott Cat leaves the interrogation room, and the next person in is Abby. She's also under arrest. And the first thing she sees in that interrogation room is this whiteboard with the list of all the bags that her father robbed in Oregon. You looking at the board? Yeah. I saw on the whiteboard that he had wrote out some things, but I'm sure it was more than that. It struck her the enormity of what her father had done and what he had persuaded her to be a part of. You know, he's always been there for me. He's been the only person that I have. So it was just like, okay, almost, you know? And even then, she says to the investigators, he's my dad and I love him. I mean, how's your dad? I didn't know him until today. I mean, he's a pretty good guy other than what he got mixed up in here. Good father. So, I mean, a pretty normal and happy childhood, Normal everyday kind of family. I guess. Despite the horrendous things that a parent can do to a child in so many circumstances, that child will still find a reason to believe in that parent and to make an excuse for that parent, no matter what. I've trusted him my whole life, and I just continue on to do so in the position that I was put in. It was more like why I have to do it to protect my family. That if you didn't help them, then they would do it themselves and get arrested. Exactly. If there is a victim in a group of bad guys, she would be a victim. He didn't approach her initially. He used Hayden to convince Abby to going along with the plan to rob banks. What exactly did they ask you to do to help? Just drive. Okay. Drive. When you say drive, I mean, like. Like getaway drive. The getaway the getaway car? Yeah. Did they ask you to do anything else? No, Never. And never. Not once she's being made to believe. Ah, it's nothing. You just drive in the car, kiddo. You just said it. I mean, we need a getaway driver to drive because we're gonna rob a bank. Yeah, but what anyone knows who follows crime and justice is that you can just be the passenger in a getaway car and still be equally responsible to anyone who's inside that bank. Did it seem like Abby was comfortable in her role as. As getaway driver? Absolutely not. I know that it was only the influence of me and my father that pushed Abby to that. I don't think anybody in their right mind would really understand how you get your children involved. I mean, getting your two children involved in robbing banks with firearms. But it made you feel better when I told you the guns were raped. Yeah. I mean, of course, just knowing that no one would get hurt until they told you they weren't real, you thought they were real, right? Yeah. Did you ever think that your dad would get hurt or Hayden would get hurt, or they might hurt someone during this? Honestly? No. No, I don't think they would hurt anyone. And I don't think anyone would hurt them. But that's not true. But it shouldn't come as a big surprise for you that you're gonna have some legal consequences. No, no, it's not. No, I know. I understand now. Now both of these kids are facing big trouble and big prison sentences at the same time. Scott is starting to scheme. He's trying to get them to do more time so that he can do less time. Why don't you read something for me? This is your letter to Abby, by the way. Where did you get this? Now, they're only indicted for their second robbery in Texas. That heist at the First Community Credit Union. How many sins must I confess? And they're facing five to 99 years in prison. Texas, like most states, has an accomplished liability law. If you intended to be part of the Robbery, you can be charged with the exact same crime as the person who was at the center of it. Now, these are kids from a middle class family, and now they're in this Texas jail. Hayden and Abby's lives are already completely changed. I never thought about jail or any of the repercussions from walking to the bank. This has been life shattering for me. And I feel like now I've lost my mom and now I've lost my dad because. Because most parents don't do that. So no parents are supposed to keep you away from trouble. Yeah, that's hard to deal with, to grasp onto. It's 2013, and I sit down with Scott Cat for a series of interviews for 2020 while he's awaiting trial. Scott, a little more to your right. Just a little more. Everybody good? What I'm struggling with is how your kids got involved, how they are sitting in jail right now. Is that a mistake? Is that an error in judgment? Or is that just. What is that? It's all the above. You know, it's probably an errand judgment on all of us and especially my part. You're sacrificing your children for your own needs. So are we looking at some sort of a narcissistic personality, antisocial personality, borderline personality? Maybe a combination of all of those things? When I went to interview them, Scott said, I would only rob banks for my family. He wants you to believe that everything he does is in the interest of the entire family unit. That is really a bunch of baloney. This was in his blood. This guy possesses an addict's brain and a sociopath's soul. What would your mother have said about all of. Of this? It probably never would have happened if my mother was here. What would Beth say, Your first wife, what would she say about you dragging your kids into, as you said, your sex? I can't even imagine. Can't even imagine. I'm just. I'm really ashamed. You would expect that a father who's convinced his kids to join in a bank robbery would, after they get caught, say, look, I'll take the heat. And that's how he starts. If you were offered a deal where you had to spend 25, 30, 40 years in prison in exchange for both of your kids going free, would you take it for them going free? Absolutely. What about life in prison? Sure. But as time goes on, he starts talking to them about what they can do to help him. And even though all three of them are locked up in the Fort Bend County Jail, they're all in Separate cell blocks, and the only way they can communicate is by handwritten letters. Now, at this point, Abby's lawyer gives us letters that Scott sent his kids. Now, apparently, he was trying to encourage his kids to do a hard time so that he can do less of it a month later. Hey, Scott. How are you? I speak to Scott again. This time I'm allowed to be face to face. Let's go. All right, Rolling. Why don't you read something for me? This is your letter to Abby, by the way. Where did you get this? We wrote this to Abby. As long as you, Abby, are ready to do some time, I think it will better my chances. I hope. Here you are asking her essentially to do time for you. Yeah, I was trying to manipulate. I'm trying to get something. Who are you manipulating? I'm trying to get everybody something that they can live with. You told me that you would be willing to spend life in prison in order that your kids do not spend time in prison. You got your kids involved in this, and you're asking them to do time for you? It says it right here. I do believe that you doing prison time will be good for me. And I know that wasn't an easy choice for you. And that's what she said to me in the previous letter, that she was willing to do that. Wouldn't most parents say, I will take the entire blame here? I would love to, but they have so much evidence on everybody that. What? What are we supposed to do? Again, it seems like Scott is manipulating his kids and us. He encourages Abby to talk more about his addiction and his dual life. Why does he do that? To gain sympathy. You tell your daughter. So if and when you do your interview, exaggerate about me. Tell them I led a dual life involving drugs, alcohol, and women, and we can with them a little. Ha ha. It was a joke. I was joking around. Everything that he was doing and telling them was all for the sake of himself, for his own image. He has done research on what would make them have a better story to sell. So being a drug addict, being an alcoholic, your audience would look at that and excuse it and maybe feel sorry for him. You clearly told your kids to manipulate us just like you were manipulating them. I wanted to get some sort of. Wow. Some sort of movement on my case. I was gonna do anything to get that. I'm just so angry about what this dad did to his children. Angry as I am at Scott. Cap, there was a moment I broke down in tears. And that is when, against all the rules, the sheriff allowed Hayden and Abby to see each other. The serial bank robber, who disturbingly recruited his own son and daughter to help him during a string of holdups has learned his fate. Scott would have almost certainly been convicted at trial. He was facing up to 99 years. He would have been convicted on all counts and got a maximum sentence. He did a very smart thing, taking a plea deal. How do you plead to the offense? Are you pleading guilty freely and voluntarily? Yes, sir. I hereby find you guilty of the offense of aggravated robbery, which is a first degree felony. Ronald Scott Catt took a deal to avoid trial and the potential of life in prison. He was sentenced to 24 years behind bar. After the sentencing, a reporter asks Scott about the impact that his actions have had on his kids. And he seems to get genuinely emotional. They're pretty strong. They'll be fine. It won't be easy for them, but they've worked hard. They know how to do it. Hayden Catt took his own plea deal and was sentenced to 10 years behind bars. What do you expect prison life to be like hell? As close to hell on earth as you can get. Abby took a plea deal for five years behind bars. How do you plead with the offense? Five years for an aggravated robbery conviction is a good deal for her. It's clear that prosecutors and the judge believed she was the least culpable of the three. It breaks my heart that ultimately I'm the one that sent my sister to prison. Do you think that you two can be close again after this? Oh, this will never come between me and my sister. And she forgives you? I haven't asked her to forgive me. I think that the possibility that she might not is too scary a thought for me to think about. If your father were right here, Hayden, what would you say to him? You know, I'd tell him that I forgive him and that I don't want him to carry this burden around with him for the rest of his life. And his sister tells me she feels the same way. Is what your dad did to you is that forgivable? I've forgiven him. You have forgiven him? I have to forgive him so I can start to live a normal life. I don't want hate, anger, any of that in my heart. Now, the three of them, father, son, and daughter, are in the same jail, but they're separated. And for Abby, who tells me that her brother is her best friend and her soulmate, being separated from Hayden is devastating. I think we both hate to see each other in this situation, and there's just nothing we can do for each other. You know, I just. I feel like I can't help him and I can't comfort him and makes me sad. Um, okay. I want to show you something. So as we're sitting there interviewing Abby, we've got a surprise for her. Okay. So, boom. Just boom it. So you may notice something's happening. Yeah. Sheriff Troy Nels makes this unprecedented gesture. He's allowing Abby and Hayden to meet. This just doesn't happen. So with the help of the sheriffs, we asked if we might be able to bring Hayden in here for you to see him, if you're okay with that. I thought you might like that. So they're going right out and he's gonna sit here. Look at that smile. How long has it been since you've seen him? Since I've talked to him. A year. Jailhouse rules are strict. Hayden has brought in shackled hands in feet, and the rules say no touching. But Hayden and Abby just can't seem to help themselves. Hi, Abby. Can you. Are you doing okay? Yes. Okay. I'm just happy to see you. Yeah, me too. Abby, I'm sorry. Okay. I don't blame you for anything. Just know that I love you. Forever. I love you, too. I don't blame you for anything. Nothing. Okay. And I want you to know that. Okay. We can see the future now, at least. Yeah. And it's gonna be okay. We'll get to be normal brother and sister again, right? I love you. I love you, too. Can I give him a hug? No, I can't hug you. No. No. It's gonna be a long time until I see you. I know. Tom got. I know I can take care of myself, so I just worry about you. Abby, I'm fine. Okay. And then we get the sign from the sheriff. They can hug. You guys want to give each other a hug? The sheriff says it's okay. Really. It could be 10 years before they see each other. Other again. And if you listen closely, that's the sound our mics pick up of their hearts beating. When I heard that heartbeat, I said to myself, please, please somehow let them move ahead and break the chains of that father and live to have happy lives. I know it's just going to be a couple years. And when they asked me, is it okay for Abigail to hug her brother Hayden, I felt, why not? She needed that. They were kind of desperate souls there at that point in time. I don't want you to go. I know. Thank you for the hug. I needed it. I know. All right. We're gonna have to come back. All right, Abby, Be strong. Love you, Abby. I love you, too. I'll see you soon. Okay. By allowing them to touch and hug, that way I felt was in many ways, the beginning of some sort of a healing. There is a life thread between those two kids, and even between the two kids and their father still. You know how a lot of people see a program on television and they go, oh, that's so sad, and then they forget about it? That's not what happened. Turns out a 2020 viewer who actually works at the jailhouse saw the program. Tonight on 20 20, the unbelievable story of a father who turned his own kids into hardcore criminals saw Abby and decided to open up her heart and her house to her, taking her in after her sentence was up. Abby, this is your new house. Fairy tale ending, right? Not quite. Let me tell you something about the prison system. You do not want to end up in a Texas prison. The temperatures go up over 100. When they say hard time, they mean hard time. After their sentencing, Scott and Hayden are shipped off to a Texas state prison. And Abby was almost sent to state prison as well. But then, in a real act of mercy, Fort Bend County Sheriff Nells did something pretty incredible. He arranged for Abby to stay in the local jail. I just feel that she's more of a victim in this, and I'm going to do my part to try to help see her become a productive member of society. So this was a really good break for Abby Catt, not to have to go to state prison and deal with hardened criminals. We had her enrolled in the GED program. She was learning how to sew. We were doing everything we could to set her up for success. It takes a little bit of time, too, to learn this, doesn't it? Yes, but I learned very fast, and we get a lot done in here. I don't think it's every day that you see a sheriff intervene and say, listen, have some mercy here. Can I check your. Your work to go out on a limb for a double bank robber. That never happens. So here's a second chance, another opportunity for you, and I thank you for that. So make me proud while you're here. All right? All right. Very well. Thank you. I've been here for just over two and a half years since the last time you saw me. A lot has changed emotionally. I'm doing a little bit better, and I have become a better and stronger person in here. Abby apparently had no visitors while she was in jail, but her aunt and grandmother traveled from Oregon to the jail in Texas to visit Abby. And that's the first time they have seen her in three years. It was so emotional seeing Abby look at you. I had so much hope for her, and all I could do was just give her a big hug and tell her how much we loved her. Oh, I love you. But this visit is also a cause for celebration because Abby learns that she got parole, and that means she's going to be released in just a few months. Do you know how lucky you are? Yes. Okay. You've been given an opportunity here that many others don't ever get to start a new life. Abby's new life on the outside is going to start with a woman she met on the inside, A volunteer sewing teacher named Susie Gregory. See how you. Now, Suzy Gregory is a married mother of two grown sons, and she watches the original 2020 piece that he still didn't have. My best interest through all of this becomes very emotional about it, and she was open enough to try to give Abby a second chance. We watched the 2020 show, and I said, this is just wrong. She should not be in jail for this. And I just felt like God put me in that sewing room for Abby. I couldn't balance robbing banks, driving a getaway car with the sweet little girl in the jail. They didn't equate. There's something wrong with that equation. I said, how would you feel if I would find someone in our church that would be willing to take you in when you got out? She said, well, could I meet them first? And I said, well, I was kind of thinking about Steve and I. And she said, oh, I would love that. Thank you. You're welcome. It's pretty extraordinary that a volunteer sewing teacher at the county jail finds it in her heart to open her home to Abby. Gives you hope about the human race to put herself out there to try to help Abigail. Just incredible. Not anyone would just do that. It's an amazing story. Abigail Cat will be released today, and it's an exciting time for her. This is a big day, a new beginning. Go ahead. Well, two years and 10 months. I walked her out of the facility and told her, you have a second chance. I believe I even told her not to let me down. I put myself out there for her like several other people did as well. I gave her my phone number, said, abby, call me anytime. I feel great. I'm ready to go. It was the first day of the rest of her life. She had people who really cared about her. She had a plan to go to college. She really wanted to do the right thing. So who are you calling now? Everybody. Everybody, time to go home. The idea that Suzy took her in, there's a certain risk with that. Yay, we're home. Finally. Abby, this is your new house and here's your room. Make yourself at home. It's not uncommon for people like Abby to get out of jail and in a short period of time, stumble. Abby did well after being released from jail, and then I think her demons started to creep in. Abby's future looked so bright, it didn't work out that way at all. And I put the blame squarely at her father Scott Katz's feet. In your wildest dreams, did you think that within a year you'd be back in doing time? No. This episode is brought to you by Greenlight. Get this, adults with financial literacy skills have 82% more wealth than those who don't. From swimming lessons to piano classes, us parents invest in so many things to enrich our kids lives. But are we investing in their future financial success? With Greenlight, you can teach your kids financial literacy skills like earning, saving and investing. And this investment costs less than that. After school treat start prioritizing their financial education and future today with a risk free trial@greenlight.com Spotify greenlight.com Spotify this episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. It's Brad Milke, host of ABC's Daily News podcast. Start here. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. It's been years since I've last seen Abby and the last time we saw her we thought that things were looking up. Well, it didn't turn out that way. The last time we saw Abby, she was walking into a loving home with everything mapped out for her to start all over again. Take me back to 2015. What was it like living with Susie? It was amazing in some areas. In other areas it was so different. What was different about it? Some of. Kind of. Some of the rules. And she came from jail. Could any rules be any worse than in jail? Right, but I didn't want any rules. Our number one requirement was that she attend church on Sunday morning. We said school night. You really need to be in by 10 o' clock because you're going to have to get some homework done on the weekends. You need to be home by midnight. Those were our rules. And she just started not coming home at all at night or coming home at 2 or 3 in the morning. My problem was is that the only people that I knew were the people I had met in that in the jail. I'm bored. I need someone to hang out with. And slowly, that kind of takes you down the wrong path. Where did this wrong path lead you? You know, maybe there was a little drugs involved here and there, just ripping and running. After Abby was not coming home for several days on end, we told her we would change the locks if she didn't come home. She didn't. So we changed the locks. I would say in the end, I just left. It was really hard. I really considered Abby to be the daughter of my heart. We let her see a family that cared for each other, that didn't rob banks. But it just seems like the more I reflect on it, I feel like she just wasn't ready for it. People think leaving prison, hallelujah, you're out, you're free. It's a new life. But people don't understand. That's a whole different set of challenges. Trying to reintegrate back into society. Abby ends up in Laredo, Texas. She gets a job driving a pilot car for wide loads. Laredo is a border town 150 miles south of San Antonio. Thousands upon thousands of trucks go by there every day. And that's where you met Ricardo Gonzalez, right? Yeah. A little eye roll there. Yeah. Why? Because I'm just gonna say he's just not a good person. When you look at Ricardo's rap sheet, which is really quite long one after another arrest, he's got convictions for theft, aggravated robbery, terroristic threat of a family. We all hung out and partied. And can I ask what that means? Cuz I'm know what that means. Anymore partied? You know, there's, well, obviously alcohol and maybe some cocaine and, you know, some weed, stuff like that, Whatever. I don't have another choice. You know, that's kind of how I felt. I don't have another choice. We'll see where this goes. Where did it go? Jail. It's 1:30am in August 2016, and Abby goes with Ricardo Gonzalez to a Stripes gas station in Laredo. I was high, passed out. I had parked at the Stripes while he was gonna put gas in the car. And I ended up falling asleep right away. What happens? Next thing, I was woken up by the police knocking on my window, pulled me out of the car and onto the ground and handcuffed me. So they say, do you realize that he's over here robbing people in the store? And I said, no, I didn't realize that. I'm sorry. She ends up in the car with a guy who allegedly holds somebody at gunpoint. Well, that's clearly a parole violation. Clearly, she's back in trouble again. Come on. Wow. Deja vu all over again. Ricardo pleads not guilty to aggravated robbery, and his trial is scheduled this fall. Abby is never indicted for the hold up at the gas station. However, she has violated her parole. She had not been regularly reporting to her parole officer for the previous crime, and she gets held in this jail for over a year. When you're sitting in that jail in Laredo, did you think about Sheriff Nell and, you know, you had promised him that you'd stay on track? Of course. Did that go through your mind? Of course. And not just him, but everybody that was involved and myself, too. I was disappointed in myself just as much as everybody else was disappointed in me. But it's always better to be in jail than it is to be dead. Did you ever think growing up that that's the kind of thing that you would say to yourself in your head, it's better to be in jail than being dead? Oh, no. I would always say I would never go to jail. What happened was reality. It's not an easy fix. But going back to a behavior that is inappropriate is really just part of the long healing process. The person who has set all of this in motion, Scott Catt, declined to do another interview, But Abby says that she has visited him in prison and still forgives him. I think sometimes I blame myself more than him. But he invited you to go on a bank heist. I know he loves me. I know he loves me as his daughter. So it's hard sometimes to really get what happened. How often do you think about your brother? Every day. Every day, you know? Yeah. Both of them, Every day. I'm definitely waiting on them to get out. If you could send a message to Hayden, what would you say? I love you. Anything else? No, just. I love you. Waiting on him to come home. For sure. Waiting on Hayden to come home. I just want him to be okay when he gets out. Cause I know how hard it was for me. Just worry about him because he's really got to be strong when he gets out. He has no idea he has to be so strong. Life out here is just different from in there. Right after our interview with Abby, we got a chance to bring her together again with Sheriff Troy Nels, who tried so hard to Help her after her first arrest. I want to have an opportunity to say a few things to to her. Now turning into the small road that leads to this prison in the middle of. It's like prairie land. It's been about six years since I last saw Hayden. He had just taken a plea deal for a 10 year prison sentence. And I'm here to see how he's doing behind bars. Aiden. Hey. Hey. How are you? Good. How you doing? Good. You're looking good. Thank you. Very tan. Been working outside. Feel good. How's things? Great, actually. Really? Yes, sir. I mean, last time we spoke about almost six years ago, you said that you expected prison to be as close to hell on earth as anything you can imagine. Doesn't seem like it's been that. Not at all. You know, I came in here very lost, very broken. In here I found a piece that was missing. I found a faith, a faith in Christ. I feel more free and I feel more alive in here than I did out in the world. And I see now that I was basically the walking dead out there. You know, in many ways your father was with you, but abandoned you still. The last time we spoke, you were pretty forgiving of him. Do you feel the same way now? I do. You know, I think that he did the best job with me and Abby that he could. He lost his way, that's for sure. Have you been in contact with him? Usually every week through our letters. What do you talk about? I think that he's found the same faith and redemption that I have here as well. Do you really think he's changed? I do. What about Abby? Have you kept up with your sister? You know, I don't hear from Abby as much as I would like to, but I love her so much and I can't wait to show her what these six years have meant to me. Do you think that Abby can turn her life around? Absolutely. The best thing that we have right now is we're both young and we've learned huge life shattering lessons at a young age. I really feel like it's put us ahead of our peers. You feel like you're ahead of your peers? Absolutely. So in the next three years, I'll be going home and I can't wait for it. I'm going to attack life with everything I got. As for Abby's future, there is big news in her life. She's now 25 years old and she went to work in a fish processing plant. There she met her now boyfriend, Trendzel, and they're now expecting a Baby. Look at that. That's amazing. Do we know the gender? Oh, boy. I'm six and a half months pregnant currently with my first child. Everything changes once you find out you're pregnant. But you can't be selfish anymore, that's for sure. I think she is going to be a very wonderful mother. Too easy, probably. I don't go to the store to buy myself things anymore. I go to the store to buy him things. And that feels so awesome. That's cool. We had a chance to reunite Abby with the sheriff who helped her years ago. Can I give you a hug? I just want to see a bright future for you. I just wanted to tell you I thank you for everything that you have done for me. Obviously, I let a lot of people down and I apologize to you if that was embarrassing to you. I learned from it all and I came out a stronger woman. And I thank you for believing in me then and believing in me now. Abby. Zant has invited Abby to live with her once her baby's born. You seem to have had so many chances, right? With Sheriff Nels, with Suzie. What makes you think it's going to actually be different this time? My son and my rest relationship, those are two things that I can't lose. So that's it? You're saying the stakes are too high this time? Yeah. I have too much. There's two people that need me. You start to put your life into perspective and like the person you are and the people you want to be around. And now we just have our son and he's gonna be with us. And that's all we need. Thanks for listening to the 2020 True Crime Vault. We hope you'll join us Friday nights at 9 on ABC for all new broadcast episodes. See you then. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. It's Brad Milkey, host of ABC's Daily News podcast. Start here. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. 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