Podcast Summary: The Hunter – Episode 5, "The Chase: 'I was not going to rest'"

Podcast: The Hunter
Produced by: BBC Studios
Air Date: November 3, 2025
Host: Anaya Echo Hawk

Episode Overview

This episode, “The Chase: ‘I was not going to rest’,” tells the harrowing chapter of Lydia Lerma’s international pursuit to bring her son’s abuser, Andrew Vanderwaal, to justice. Lydia’s drive for closure takes her across borders and into personal and communal reckoning with trauma, injustice, and persistence. The narrative builds from a high-stakes car chase in Mexico to intimate flashbacks of Lydia's upbringing and trauma, culminating in the long-awaited arrest of Vanderwaal. Throughout, the episode explores themes of survival, the burdens of silence, the complicated machinery of justice, and the unwavering power of a mother’s love.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. High-Stakes Pursuit in Mexico

• Opening Car Chase ([00:31]-[03:52])
  • Lydia, her boyfriend Russ, and her tribal brother Ivan tail Vanderwaal through the streets of Guantanamo (Mexico) in a tense, adrenaline-fueled chase.
  • Lydia’s deep anxiety is palpable: “He’s driving crazily through the town and I’m following him.” (Lydia, [01:15])
  • To avoid recognition, Lydia dons a baseball cap and tries to stay hidden: “I don’t want him to look in his rear view mirror and see me ... I’m trying to disguise myself.” (Lydia, [02:10])
  • Russ reassures her: “‘I stalk and hunt for a living. And he’s like, this is what I do. And if I can hide from an elk, I can hide from Vanderwaal... I’m a hunter too.” (Lydia, [03:31])

2. Personal Trauma and Motivation

• Lydia’s Past and Recognition of Trauma ([05:06]-[12:30])
  • Lydia recalls her troubled adolescence—shuffling between abusive homes, falling into substance use, and surviving sexual abuse by her cousin Fred.
  • On her relationship with her father: “He would hit me closed fist, and he would pin me down, and he would be hitting me, and my face is all bloodied and swollen, my lips cut, you know, I couldn’t go to school for the rest of the week.” (Lydia, [06:16])
  • Her cousin’s violation: “He’s sexually assaulting me ... my memory of what happened is actually of me standing at the end of the parking lot watching it happen.” (Lydia, [07:59])
  • The deep grief of not speaking out: “I wish I would have said something because I could have saved so many people from going through what I went through. But it ... I didn’t.” (Lydia, [12:18])
  • Host Anaya brings context: Indigenous communities suffer disproportionate rates of sexual violence—"22% of indigenous women and 15% of indigenous men experienced childhood sexual abuse." (Anaya, [10:54])

3. Echoes and Continuation of Abuse

• Responsibility and Guilt
  • Lydia reflects on generational trauma and the weight of not acting sooner: “I knew my son wasn’t the first, but I hoped he was going to be the last.” (Lydia, [14:00])

4. Critical Decision: Letting Law Enforcement Take Over

• The Turning Point ([14:43]-[17:02])
  • Lydia debates intervening directly—if Vanderwaal suspects them, he may disappear again.
  • “If he was not arrested by the end of February, I was going to be there March 1st, and that’s when the zip ties were going to come out.” (Lydia, [16:49])
  • She reluctantly pulls back and sends gathered information to the FBI, establishing a personal deadline linked to her birthday.

5. Community Response and Law Enforcement Dynamics

• Fort Collins' Reaction and Changing DA ([17:20]-[19:03])
  • Lydia’s credibility grows as her actions become known; her victim advocate Kim Jordan reacts: “Never seen anything like that … good for her.” (Kim Jordan, paraphrased [17:41])
  • New DA Bob Persephild is supportive: “The non DA part of me was like, good for you. Go find that bastard. I’m not the most official district attorney prosecutor that there ever was.” (Bob Persephild, [18:22])

6. The Agony of Waiting

• Strain and Perseverance ([19:03]-[24:50])
  • Lydia and Russ grapple with helplessness as extradition drags, preparing for vigilante action if authorities don’t act.
  • Laying out contingency plans: “We studied the checkpoints on the rural roads of Mexico… They were willing to do that for me.” (Lydia, [20:33])
  • On being prepared for danger: “When the shit goes down, do I want to depend on Billy Bob to protect me? No. No one’s gonna protect Lydia but Lydia.” (Lydia, [22:25])
  • Waiting intensifies: “It’s excruciating pain to have to wait... There’s nothing good, it’s all bad.” (Russ, [24:27])

7. Resolution: Vanderwaal Is Arrested

• Justice Arrives ([25:12]-[27:41])
  • After Lydia’s deadline passes, the FBI finally arrests Vanderwaal. The relief is overwhelming.
  • “February 19th. I have a text message that reads, happy belated birthday. And I knew it was from Special Agent Perez. And I was so grateful. I was just screaming for joy.” (Lydia, [25:37])
  • Lydia thanks friends, family, and the “hand trembler” Janita Kennedy for her psychic insight and prayers.
  • Russ’s relief: “I’m hoping the girl I love just comes down and has just a little bit of peace and of mind.” (Russ, [27:41])

8. Celebration and Family Closure

• Lydia’s son expresses gratitude online: “Thank you everybody for sharing my mom’s post and the FBI for capturing Andrew Vanderwaal.” ([29:06])

9. Legal System Complexities and New Threats

• Back to Court – New Complications ([29:10]-[30:55])
  • Vanderwaal’s prosecution faces a snag as his public defender is conflicted out; he receives a seasoned private defense attorney, Troy Krenning, funded by the state.
  • “So it was kind of a slap in the face that that's how our system works is that Vanderwaal gets this private attorney that’s paid for by us, the taxpayers.” (Lydia, [30:13])
  • DA expresses concern about Krenning’s skill and how Lydia’s past actions could be used against the case.

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• “I was not going to rest until I had closure, and not only for my son, but I needed that closure… I needed to know that this man was not going to be out there doing this to other children.” – Lydia ([17:02])
• “No one’s gonna protect Lydia but Lydia.” – Lydia ([22:25])
• “If he was not arrested by the end of February, I was going to be there March 1st, and that’s when the zip ties were going to come out.” – Lydia ([16:49])
• “It was only because of social media that he was captured. You guys shared my posts. You shared my videos.” – Lydia ([26:27])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intense car chase in Mexico: [00:31]-[03:52]
• Lydia’s troubled adolescence and sexual abuse: [05:06]-[12:30]
• Rates of abuse in Indigenous communities: [10:54]
• Lydia’s emotional guilt and promise to not let her son carry the burden: [14:00]
• Decision to back off and let law enforcement act: [15:01]-[17:02]
• DA Bob Persephild introduced: [18:02]-[18:53]
• Lydia and Russ prepare vigilante contingency: [20:33]-[24:50]
• Arrest of Vanderwaal; family reactions: [25:37]-[28:44]
• Legal obstacles & defense attorney conflict: [29:10]-[30:55]
• Final fears about legal case jeopardy: [30:55]-[32:25]

Tone and Language

The episode oscillates between tense, edge-of-seat suspense (during the chase) and raw, vulnerable reflection (in Lydia’s recounting of trauma). The language is candid, unfiltered, and emotionally charged, especially in Lydia’s own words and the host’s contextual asides.

Conclusion

This episode is both a testament to the resolve of a mother and a riveting examination of the intersections between personal trauma, the fraught process of justice, and the importance of community. The narrative closes with the hope of closure tempered by new uncertainties as the legal system takes over—Lydia’s race for justice is, for now, at a crucial turning point.