The Hunter — Episode 3: "The Prey: I Need to Get Eyes on This Guy"

BBC Studios | Release Date: July 8, 2025
Host: Anaya Echo Hawk

Episode Overview

Episode 3 of The Hunter unravels the gripping journey of Lydia Lerma, a mother who transforms her hunting instincts and relentless willpower into an international search for Andrew Vanderwaal, the man who abused her son and absconded from justice. The episode delves into Lydia’s parallel worlds of literal and figurative hunting, her cultural background, the heartbreaking social consequences for her and her son, and her tireless advocacy when the justice system seems paralyzed. The narrative blends personal resilience, institutional frustration, community stigma, and the role of both new and traditional media in the fight for justice.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Lydia's Hunting Heritage as Metaphor and Practice (00:20 – 02:43)

• The episode opens with Lydia and her partner Russ examining maps—normally used for hunting game, now repurposed to track a fugitive.
• Lydia’s Apache heritage is discussed as central to her identity and approach:
  • [01:05] Lydia: "I don't get any pleasure or joy out of killing an animal... This is how I can honor the animal and my ancestors and my children and my family and myself."
  • She frames her efforts to feed her family as an extension of care, tradition, and survival.
  • Lydia learned hunting gradually, overcoming initial failure (“vegetarian is the Native American word for bad hunter” [01:36]) and now only feeds her family self-harvested meat.
  • Her strategies—thinking like the prey, focusing on hiding places, water sources—set the stage for her pursuit of Vanderwaal.
• Key Insight: Lydia’s hunting acumen, patience, and tracking skills translate directly into her quest for justice.

2. Transition to the Pursuit of Andrew Vanderwaal (02:43 – 06:12)

• With Vanderwaal’s disappearance, Lydia shifts her hunter’s focus to a human target:
  • [02:50] Lydia: "Because I was not going to rest until I found Vanderwaal."
• Journalist JC Marmaduke begins to cover the story after discovering the fugitive’s absence from court.
  • [03:47] JC: "In my short career as a journalist, I'd never seen this happen where someone, you know, just failed, just stopped appearing for their court dates."
  • Through JC’s reporting, Lydia’s story is amplified beyond her immediate community.
  • JC’s personal history with abuse intensifies her commitment:
    • [04:50] JC: "It felt very personal to me. I was sexually abused as a child by someone I trusted."

3. Systemic Failures and Institutional Frustration (06:12 – 11:53)

• Detective and victim advocate Kim Jordan underscored the limits of police resources:
  • [06:49] Kim: "Police don't usually actively search for somebody who has a warrant for their arrest. They just don't have the resources to be out on the street banging down doors."
  • Initial efforts to locate Vanderwaal are minimal, leading to victim frustration.
• Lydia independently investigates Vanderwaal’s connections using social media and personal belongings.
  • She pieces together a list of possible hiding locations (Los Banos, MI, OK, TX).
• Lydia faces warnings from prosecutors not to post or “fish for victims” online:
  • [11:23] Lydia: "He kind of lays into me, like, to back off on all the digging and to let him do his job."
  • She bristles at the suggestion to “cool your jets,” responding defiantly: “Fuck them.”

4. Social Stigma, Isolation, and Suicidal Thoughts (12:07 – 16:23)

• Lydia maintains family structure for her son’s wellbeing despite traumatic circumstances.
  • [12:07] Lydia: "My job was to keep the structure at home and the routine... I needed that structure."
• Family faces ostracism and judgment from friends and community:
  • [12:54] Lydia: "They don't know how to deal with it... My child didn't do anything wrong."
• Lydia draws a parallel to her own childhood experiences of racism and isolation due to her Apache heritage:
  • [13:57] Lydia: "My mom wouldn't let me have long hair for the longest time... she wanted me to assimilate as much as I could."
  • Recounts a painful friendship lost due to racial prejudice.
• Lydia reveals dark moments:
  • [15:41] Lydia: "There wasn't a day or a time that I went in or out of the store and didn't think about grabbing that firearm and put it to my head. It was that painful. I contemplated that every single day."

5. The Turning Point: Vanderwaal’s Car Abandoned at the Border (16:23 – 18:40)

• Four months after Vanderwaal's disappearance, Lydia learns from a newspaper article—not police—that his car was found at the El Paso, Texas border.
  • [17:20] Lydia: "I was fucking livid... They should have contacted us."
  • [18:02] JC: "Jaw dropping to think that... if the police didn't tell them independently and they had to find out from my story, like, when were they going to be informed?"
• Spurred by anger and frustration, Lydia mobilizes her "Facebook army" to assist in the search.
  • [18:40] Lydia: "I need people's help. I needed my Facebook army to help me track this man down."

6. Going Public: Breaking the Silence and Rallying Support (18:56 – 24:15)

• On Mother’s Day, Lydia records a powerful video plea, shedding light on her pain and calling for collective action:
  • [19:16] Lydia (video): "I was just shaking. I was so mad at the system. I'm not going to sit back anymore."
  • [19:28] Lydia: "But you know what? My son did nothing wrong. He did absolutely nothing wrong. He's a child and he was just a little boy."
  • [20:17] Lydia: "I spent months where I could not sleep unless my son was next to me because that was the only way I knew he was safe... I failed my child."
  • [20:46] Lydia: "So I'm gonna stand for my son now. And I'm asking you guys to stand with me and please help me get the word out..."
• The plea is translated into Spanish and spread across American and Mexican towns where Lydia suspects Vanderwaal may be hiding.
• Lydia stays active in local and national Facebook groups, posts updates, and encourages the public to contact authorities if they see Vanderwaal.
• Russ, her partner, supports but is out of his depth with online efforts:
  • [22:14] Russ: "Yeah, there's no way I can help her with any of that stuff. It's Lydia that did the digging..."
• Lydia's campaign prompts messages from strangers, tips, and confessions of similar abuse experiences.
  • [23:06] Lydia: "I appreciate you guys being so open and honest about what has happened to you on your personal life lives. And it makes me feel not so alone."
• JC Marmaduke mirrors what Lydia’s activism means to other survivors:
  • [23:40] JC: "It really affected me the way that Lydia was advocating for her son because it's kind of what any kid who has been hurt in that way would want as someone to advocate for them. And I didn't have that."

7. Spirit, Healing, and Hope (25:16 – 28:13)

• Lydia seeks spiritual healing for her son via a traditional Apache ceremony with medicine men and crown dancers on White Mountain Reservation.
  • [27:04] Lydia: "I had this amazing feeling with the elk crown dancer... There's something very powerful about the elk here in North America... I could feel that energy of that safety and that love and caring..."
• Despite the ceremony, tips about Vanderwaal prove unhelpful—frustration mounts as holidays pass with the fugitive still missing.

8. A Break in the Case: Crowd-Sourced Justice (28:54 – 32:25)

• Lydia is contacted via Facebook by someone in Mexico who reports seeing Vanderwaal—now using the name “Charlie”—in Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua.
  • [29:06] Lydia (reading tip): "I know I would desperately want to find him if that happened to my child. He is in the town of Quahudamoc, Chihuahua in Mexico. He goes by the name of Charlie."
• The FBI guides Lydia in engaging the tipster to gather more info.
• With law enforcement’s progress slow, Lydia makes a fateful decision:
  • [30:58] Lydia: "I was going to quit my job, cash out my retirement, and I was gonna head to Mexico to track him down."
  • When January 17, 2018 (exactly one year since his disappearance) arrives with no resolution:
    • [31:15] Lydia: "I can't focus on my work. I can't... I need to get down there. I need to get eyes on this guy."
  • Russ’s support is resolute:
    • [31:40] Russ: "As soon as I said, well, let's go to Mexico. That's the license she needed. Okay, let's go get something done."
  • They buy tickets and fly out that night. Lydia informs the FBI:
    • [32:25] Lydia: "And I told them, hey, this is what's going on. I'm heading to Mexico. See ya."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If I was this giant elk and I don’t want a hunter to get me, where am I going to go?”
  — Lydia Lerma, describing her approach to both hunting and tracking down her son’s abuser ([02:10])

• "Fuck them."
  — Lydia, defiant after being told to "cool her jets" and stop her digging ([11:23])

• "My child didn't do anything wrong...my child is getting help, and we're going to be okay."
  — Lydia on her son facing social stigma ([12:54])

• "There wasn't a day...I didn't think about grabbing that firearm and put it to my head. It was that painful."
  — Lydia, on the depth of her struggle ([15:41])

• "They should have contacted us...I was so angry. I'm like, these bastards."
  — Lydia, learning of the vehicle discovery from the press ([17:20])

• "I need your help to track this guy down."
  — Lydia, mobilizing her network ([18:20])

• "I'm sick and tired of people putting a stigma on victims. I'm sick and tired of people shaming us into silence. That's what these predators do. They shame us into silence."
  — Lydia, Mother’s Day video plea ([19:28])

• "I need the world to see who he is because he is on the run...you will pay for what you have done, because I am not going to back down."
  — Lydia, on the reason for her campaign ([22:22])

• "I want to go to fucking Mexico." / "Let's go."
  — Lydia and Russ, deciding to take action themselves ([31:15–31:40])

Important Timestamps

• 00:20–02:43 — Lydia’s hunting methodology and heritage
• 03:05–05:51 — The story breaks in the press; JC Marmaduke's personal connection
• 06:12–07:24 — Police resource limits, victim advocate perspective
• 10:05–11:53 — Lydia’s amateur detective work and resistance from authorities
• 12:54–15:32 — Social stigma, Lydia’s own childhood echoes, mental health struggle
• 16:41–18:40 — Breakthrough: Vanderwaal’s car found at the border, Lydia’s anger
• 18:56–22:41 — Lydia’s viral plea, public response, and ongoing online campaign
• 25:39–27:04 — Healing ceremony for Lydia’s son
• 28:54–30:58 — First credible tip from Mexico
• 31:15–32:25 — Lydia and Russ resolve to travel to Mexico

Episode Tone and Style

The episode is urgent, raw, and deeply personal, steeped in Lydia’s determination, pain, and resilience. Narration and interviews are interwoven with direct speech — often blunt, emotional, and at times laced with expletives that underscore the stakes. The balance of meticulous investigation and pure maternal instinct amplifies the drama as Lydia moves from victim to activist and, finally, to self-appointed hunter.

For Listeners New to the Story

Episode 3 immerses you in the complex aftermath of child sexual abuse, the inertia and gaps of the justice system, and the extraordinary lengths one mother will go to for her child. Whether exploring family heritage, battling stigma, seeking healing, or leveraging digital platforms and international networks, Lydia’s journey is a testament to the power of love propelled by righteous anger.

End of Summary