[sniffs] [inhales sharply]
No. Sweetie, stay with me. Mom, my stomach hurts. Mine too. This'll all be over soon.
[grunts] Don't be scared. Mommy's gonna fix everything.
Please, it's been days. Have you made your choice?
He needs to eat. Have you made your choice?
Yes.
So you're saying that this car is tied to a missing person's case? What?
A mother and young son disappeared when they were visiting family upstate. FBI is assisting in the search, but this is the first real lead we've gotten. The plates are a match to the Palmers'.
Well, wherever they went, they left their luggage behind. Park ranger found it a few days ago abandoned by a trail. I just got around to logging the plates in this morning. You've been sitting on the information for 48 hours?
That's the two of them there, OK?
And every second counts, so if there's anything else you might have overlooked-- Like I told you, the car was abandoned. We towed it. Heads up. Got a vertical gash on the sidewall of this flat. It's about two inches long. Any chance they just hit a curb?
No, I don't think so. This kerf is deep and narrow, and there's no radial scuffing. Somebody slashed it. We need the exact location where this was towed from.
I'm Agent Bell. This is Agent Ramos and Scola. SUV was over this way. Tire was flat, so I cut whoever owned it some slack, gave him time to find a spare. When was this?
Thursday. After a couple days, I called for a tow. A man's gotta have limits to his goodwill. Mr. Bream, do you think it's possible that the Palmers got lost on the trail?
Over the years, some folks have been known to go in and never come out. What does that mean?
Nature can be cruel, that's all. You said you were working that day. You see these people?
No, not that I recall. Any cameras in the park?
Not unless you're looking for Hessel's hairstreak. What?
It's a butterfly on the endangered species list. Beautiful creature. They're dying off. Ah, suppose some things are too fragile for this world. Hanford University put up this camera last year to track 'em. Pretty sure that it records.
All right, we're gonna need to get our hands on that footage. And while you're at it, a list of your whereabouts this past week.
We finally caught a break in our missing person's case. We now know that Valerie and Troy Palmer detoured on their way from Long Island to Utica. We located their vehicle here, tires slashed, seemingly abandoned. But maybe they went hiking and got lost or hurt, although something tells me that tire didn't slash itself. Either way, we are swimming with questions, and we need to start fishing for answers. Yeah. State police expanded the search grid to include the trail. No trace of the family. But?
They found Valerie Palmer's cell phone in a ditch, smashed pretty good. [sighs] I do not like where this is going. Hey, got that butterfly cam video cued to the day the Palmers went missing. Let her rip. OK, here they are. Mother and son stopping for a hike, right?
Tire looks fine. Scrub forward. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who is this?
Whoa. That explains the tire. Think that's enough for an ID?
Got a little profile there. Maybe. What about the Palmers? Yeah. Scrub forward. OK. OK. Oh, here we go. Mother and son return from the trail after about an hour. They see the flat. And here goes. Is that our, uh, tire slasher? He circles back. Looks like he's offering to help. So the tire slasher vandalized the Palmers' vehicle, then poses as a Good Samaritan to offer them a ride. Yeah, plan comes together for our bad guy. So this is not just a missing person's case-- the Palmers were abducted. Let's see if we can get lucky and get an ID with what we got there. OK. Yeah, resolution is too low for facial rec on the driver. What about the car? Running the plates. Stolen. Yeah? OK. NYPD, look into the stolen vehicle. Here's something. Hmm?
That Nissan passed a plate reader 15 minutes ago... Yeah?
Entering Caleb Smith State Park. Get a team there now.
That's the vehicle. [sighs] Clear. Pop the trunk.
Jubal, we found the sedan. There's blood in the trunk, and Troy Palmer's hat.
Guys. Looks like we got a set of boot prints.
Well, our suspect could have gone anywhere. All right. What do you want to do, Maggie?
[sighs] We're going in. Let's split up. Stay on your comms. Go dark.
[owl hooting] [birds chirping]
What's wrong?
I just feel like I'm being watched here.
Suspect is fleeing south on foot. I'll try to cut him off.
FBI!
Scola, Eva, I've got eyes on the mother. We're too late.
You see him? He's gotta be close by. We need to set up a cordon. I need a helo and a K-9.
We have another body, young male.
Hey. So the best I can tell, your victims were killed in the last 24 hours. Ligature marks on their wrists and ankles suggest they were bound for several days. Bodies were washed with soap and bleach, so no trace DNA, and rape kits came back negative for both. It's not a lot to go on. Well, autopsies were more revealing. Both mother and son show signs of organ shrinkage pointing to starvation, plus darkening of the buccal membrane and poor skin turgor, classic signs of dehydration. So he abducted them and then starved them. To start with. You know, I can email you my report. I'm already here. Right. I just figured with what happened to your sister. Thanks, Neil. Um, it's OK. I'm good. Boy was killed quickly, slit throat. Mom, not so lucky. Cause of death, penetrating sharp-force injury to the chest. She was stabbed in the heart?
At least 20 times. Violent and rageful. What do you know about the weapon?
Wounds suggest a nonstandard profile and thickness. A specialty blade? Or combat, maybe?
Edge geometry's multipurpose. I think we're looking more for-- A dive knife. Right. Actually, how do you know that?
For the same reason I know I need to get back to the beach. Thanks.
No sign of our suspect since he slipped the cordon last night, but the cadaver dogs did hit on another pair of graves. Got adult female, adolescent male. You were right, Maggie. You want to tell me what's going on here?
Yeah. There was a case back in 2002-- a serial killer took 17 lives before the bureau caught the guy. The details match the Palmer murders. I mean, from the way they were tied up, they were starved, and even the weapon, a dive knife. You think this is all connected?
I do. Maggie. Give me a sec. Yeah. Hey, Peter, thanks for coming.
What's up?
I don't really know how to say this. Just say it. The South Shore Ripper is back. Maggie, I caught the Ripper a long time ago, and he's dead. [whistles] Hey, guys. Dogs got another hit.
Six new bodies including the Palmers. So if the Ripper is dead, how is he still killing?
This is the face of pure evil. Howard James Metcalf, AKA the South Shore Ripper. 24 years ago, he terrorized the city, abducting pairs of victims, always a mother and a son. He held them captive, bound them, and starved them until he eventually killed them. He had evaded capture for two years, killing 17 victims that we know of. One victim escaped. Abel Gaskin. Goes by Abel Shaw now. And Abel led us to Metcalf?
No, but when he escaped, Metcalf got spooked. He set the home that he had been holding them in on fire, destroying any evidence we could have used against him. State police were able to track him down thanks to the BAU profile, but Metcalf hanged himself in his holding cell that same evening. So the case was never adjudicated, but the killings stopped after Metcalf's death. Has to be the guy. Well, Peter Olsen was the profiler, and he thought so, but now we have six new victims, same MO. All we know for certain is that there is a killer out there that has to be stopped.
State police found two graves, both the same-- middle-aged woman and young boy. The most recent set was killed inside of a month. The oldest exhibited advanced decomp with adipocere formation, so about five months. Can you tell us the cause of death?
The same as the Palmers. Boys had their throats slit. Women were stabbed in the chest repeatedly.
Can you give us a minute, please?
Yeah.
Come on, tell me you see it. The victims, the Palmers. Mothers and sons. Has to be a copycat. Valerie Palmer was stabbed in the heart so many times that Mosbach said he lost count. That's overkill. Mm-hmm. Peter, the FBI never went public with that detail, and the South Shore Ripper never made it to trial. Now, the only way somebody could recreate these killings is if it was the same-- The Ripper hung himself in his cell. We arrested him. He punched his own ticket. I understand why you'd want to hold on to that. What is that supposed to mean?
The only victim to get away from the Ripper said you got the wrong guy. The victim was a 12-year-old boy who had just seen his mother murdered. He was traumatized. I know, but what if he could have led us to a different suspect?
Or an accomplice?
My profile clearly said one killer, not two. Then how do you explain this?
All these years later, we've got new murders with the same MO. The Ripper was in it for the pain. Once his victims couldn't feel it anymore, he tossed the bodies into a dumpster. They were trash to him. Precisely. These new victims were buried. The MOs are not the same. It's been 24 years, Peter. The killer could have evolved.
Maybe your theory needs to as well.
We've been comparing the two cases. Back in 2002, the Ripper used a standard dive knife. And the new victims were killed with the same. Problem is, these knives are widely available. Right. What about the gravesite?
ERT find anything usable there?
Negative, but analysis of the trace fibers found embedded in the Palmers' wrists and ankles came in. It looks like the killer bound them with half-inch-diameter rope featuring a 12-strand, double-braid construction and a unique dye pattern that's consistent with marine rope. It's manufactured specifically by this small company in Ohio, TideTurner. It's only sold in three stores in the tristate area. All right, let's get a list over to Eva and Scola. I want a full report on anyone who has purchased that rope in the last year. I don't want to be the one to say this, but if Peter Olsen got it wrong two decades ago-- Well, then Maggie will get to the bottom of it. She and Peter are sitting with Abel Shaw now. Look, if this is the same killer, maybe the lone survivor can give us some insight. I was 12, and the Ripper held me and my mom in a basement, no food, just enough water to keep us alive for five days.
Sorry, I try not to think about it anymore. Is this really necessary?
I know that this is difficult. We would not be asking you if it wasn't important. It's OK. It's OK. [exhales] After the third day, he said that we had to choose who would live and who would die. My mother...
Uh, she always protected me, and so she volunteered. I know that this is cold comfort, but, uh, the Ripper found excitement breaking down his victims. Choice was irrelevant. He was always going to kill you both. Then he grabbed the wrong woman, 'cause when he... started stabbing her... [gasps] She fought back and bought me time to run, to survive. After you escaped, you said that Metcalf wasn't the man that killed your mother. Now, that was 24 years ago. Do you still believe that now?
Of course. Wait, why are you asking?
He's killing again, isn't he?
Someone is killing, yes, but-- This is your fault. Abel said you had the wrong guy. The real killer's been running free this whole time because you wouldn't believe him?
Erica, it's OK. No. No, none of this is OK. You know, Abel changed his name so the real killer couldn't track him down. He always could have contacted the bureau. We would have helped you. Oh, so you would have believed him then?
Erica.
I miss my mother every day.
Can you tell us anything about the man that you remember?
I'm sorry. Even now, the feeling, it's clear as day, but my memory is fuzzy. It has been since I escaped. Wait, except the thing from EMDR. Yeah. It's a therapy used for PTSD. And it helped. It also unlocked something that I had repressed--a smell. We were starving, and he would cook every night. Fish. And that smell tormented us. It's probably nothing. Mm, anything you remember is helpful.
So you still think Metcalf is the Ripper?
The boy experienced a peritraumatic dissociation. It's a coping mechanism, nothing more. OK, what about the new memory, the smell of the fish?
I mean, you can't just ignore that. [sighs] Maggie, I wrote the Ripper's profile. I knew who we were looking for. Metcalf checked every box. [sighs] Peter, what if-- look, hear me out. What if you have a blind spot?
OK, what if your ego caused you to jump the gun 24 years ago and... Mm-hmm. Now it's impairing your judgment? And what if you just want me to have erred so you can fix a failure of your own?
Wow. No, all I'm saying-- Wow. You know what?
This has nothing to do with my sister. All I'm saying is we've all got blind spots, Maggie. At BAU, we analyze hundreds of data points, from the crime scene to victimology, to gain insight on the offender based on their behavior. Behavior. I know what BAU does. I also know that profiling is not a hard science. Well, it's a proven skill, fortified by statistics. OK. Then look me in the eye right now and tell me there is no statistical chance that you made a mistake.
You're just gonna leave? No, I am going to my car. I brought my case notes, and we can go over all the old suspects again. [exhales]
You Jack?
Jack moved to Boca. It's my shop now. Can I help you? Yeah. FBI, Special Agents Ramos and Scola. Yeah, I made you as Feds the second you stepped in. Oh, we were going for fishermen. Maybe you could help us out. We're canvassing some marine supply shops in the tristate area as part of an investigation, and your store popped up as one of the few that supplies TideTurner rope. Ah, don't remind me. Had to take it off the shelves, it was such a dud. You haven't sold any recently?
No, sir. In fact, I used my leftover stock to dress some white-tailed deer I hunted last fall. TideTurner might be crap for boats, but it's great for stringing up a carcass. Well, would you have records of any customers who might have purchased that brand of rope?
[sighs] I got five years of receipts downstairs in case the tax man comes calling. You're welcome to look. Sounds good.
All right. Frederick Monk?
Died in '09. Stroke. OK. Next, William Hoffman.
Uh, incarcerated in 2014 for aggravated sexual assault in Santa Cruz. Where is he now?
Died in prison last year. Nope. And he had an IQ of 70. OK. All right, let's try Reggie Kramer with a K. Hold on. Kramer dated Mary Vandt?
That's the Ripper's first victim. Please, just forget about Kramer. So he's still alive. Uh, lives in Massapequa. Says here that he found his own mother murdered when he was 15. OK, well, that's the same age as the boys the Ripper abducted and killed. The Ripper was organized, methodical, fastidious. When I interviewed Kramer in 2002, his house was a pigsty. There's absolutely no way. Wait. Hey, guys, there's more. Kramer owns one of the bait-and-tackle shops that Scola and Eva are canvassing. [exhales] Sales receipts are in a couple of boxes back there.
You ever thought about tidying up down here a bit?
Yeah, you could digitize, join the 21st century. Look.
Maggie. Hello?
Service down here is terrible. Better luck upstairs.
Yeah, go ahead.
Scola?
Maggie, yeah, what's up?
Hey, we're looking at the suspects of the old Ripper case, and one of the names stood out.
Those boxes are just around the corner. Yeah, keep going. Yeah.
His name is Reggie Kramer. He owns one of the stores on your list. Wait, Kramer? Kramer?
We're-- we're here now.
You sharpen your own knives, Mr. Kramer? Yeah, just a little something I like to do to relax.
You'd like to see my handiwork?
Drop the knife. Now. Hey! Put the knife on the ground right now. Slowly. Keep your hands where I can see them. OK, let's all take a deep breath. No one has to get hurt. Now turn around. Hands behind your back.
Now I can show you my handiwork.
Five days ago, Valerie and Troy Palmer were abducted from a trailhead just outside of the city. If you say so. Suspect matches your height and your build. There's a lot of people on this planet. And where on this planet were you five days ago, Mr. Kramer?
Oh, you know, here and there. OK. I can't say for certain. Have you ever visited Caleb Smith State Park?
Oh, many times.
You want to know a secret? Sure.
White Pools.
Best fly fishing on the whole Nissequogue.
He's toying with them. More like a test. Serial killers are motivated by domination, manipulation, and control. Right, control. He's cuffed to the table. He could be hogtied to the floor. As far as he's concerned, he could still win the chess match. That is exactly what we want. Why is that? It's the only way Maggie can put him in checkmate. Your mother, Darlene, died when you were young, right?
You're being obvious, Agent Bell. How so? She was murdered. You think there's a connection. Isn't there?
You were 15 years old, and you were the one that found the body. She was in the kitchen, strangled with her apron. Rick did it. Yeah, your stepfather. At least that's what the police said. You think the police got the wrong guy?
Do you?
Do you miss her?
Well, she wasn't a very good mother. [chuckles] Well, then again, I wasn't a very good son. The thing I find interesting is you have not once asked why we brought you in. Well, I suppose I'm just waiting for you to show your hand. OK, here it is. Three pairs of bodies, all mothers and sons, all found in a remote wilderness wildlife refuge that you just admitted to visiting. And they were tied up with rope like the one from my shop. And stabbed to death with a dive knife like you own. Murdered in their prime, just like Mom. Right again, Reggie. Maybe they weren't good mothers or good sons. Are you the South Shore Ripper?
What do you think?
I just have one more question. Why these women?
Women like that, yeah, they would never be with someone like me. Oh, they look at me, and they see a monster. Well, this monster gave them what they deserved.
Start at the beginning.
Whew. Great work. I'll let the Eastern District know their life just got easier. Don't bother. Kramer's not our killer. He just wants us to think that he is. Hold on. Are telling me this guy just took the rap for six murders that he didn't commit?
Why would he do that? To feel important. OK, all due respect to the BAU and its methods. We're gonna need more than that to throw out a confession. Kramer claimed that he was attracted to his victims. The rape kits came back on the Palmers negative, and nothing in the evidence supports psychosexual motive. I think that our killer is angry and grievance-driven. OK, fine. But I am holding Kramer. Let's keep running down leads. We've also got the park ranger, Clyde Bream. I mean, given the timeline, he deserves another look. Bring him in.
Peter.
I don't want to keep dwelling in the past, so how do you feel about building a new profile with only the current cases?
Sounds good to me. Good call on Kramer. All right, let's begin with victimology. We know that our current killer abducts mothers and sons. He's repetitive, ritualistic. All six victims are white. Since serial killers rarely kill across race, we can assume he's white too. The abductions are clustered near the hiking trails in this park. Mm. We know he lives in or around Long Island. OK. Crime scene analysis shows that he is organized, but not just cleaning and disposing of the bodies. He plans the abductions, the captivity. It shows patience and maturity. But he has to be able to dispose of the bodies, so we're probably looking for somebody who's younger than 50. Very good. The signature. All right, we know that he deprives his victims of food and light. And assuming that he's giving his new victims the same impossible choice, it underscores his need for power. Right, power that he carries through until he has an emotional release where he violently kills the mother. But then with the boy, it's more mechanical. It's quick. [sighs] Peter, everything we've come up with just looks like your profile back in 2002. Well, I still can't get around the change in the postmortem MO. Because he used to dump the bodies, but now he buries them? What were you saying before?
Uh, he's evolving, he's-- Yeah, I think something's changed. Mm. Mm-hmm.
[exhales sharply] It's right in front of us. What?
Our killer is ritualistic because he needs to fill some psychological need, right?
He's working through something. OK. He's hiding his self-loathing. Peter, you were right. The Ripper is not the killer, but he's not a copycat either. Our killer knows the intimate details of the Ripper's methods because he witnessed them firsthand. Oh, my God. Yeah, and if you saw your mother attacked, wouldn't you be ashamed?
I don't get it. Why are you looking for my husband?
We believe that Abel has picked up the mantle for the South Shore Ripper. What?
By committing these murders, he's re-enacting his trauma. No, that is not possible. Abel would never do that. Erica, I know this is a lot to take in, but sometimes a killing follows a precipitating event. The first pair of murders happened about five months ago. So did anything happen to Abel around that time?
Abel's been stressed, but--but everyone would be in our situation. What's your situation?
I'm pregnant. The doctor said it was impossible, but then we were blessed with this miracle baby boy. How did Abel react to that news?
He was nervous. He's been through so much. How far along are you?
[exhales] A little over five months. Five months. We've already been to your house. Abel isn't there. Do you know where he is right now?
He went fishing. He stopped going years ago, but when he found out he was gonna be a dad, that's how he's been blowing off steam.
He's using fishing as a pretext to abduct another family. All right, listen up. Maggie and Peter are convinced Abel Shaw has already abducted a new set of victims. Jubal, it looks like a mother and son from Southampton vanished yesterday. Audrey and Bryce Cahill. Kid's 12. Fits the bill. Car was found abandoned at Rogers Beach near Quogue. One tire slashed, phones found smashed down the road. OK, so this has gotta be our guy. Uh, we can't track the Cahills. Can we track Abel?
Nothing on his phone location. All right, so we need to do this the old-fashioned way. Where could Abel have taken them? What do we know about him? Where does he eat? Where does he sleep? What does he do for a living?
Uh, I can help with the last one. Abel manages a significant real estate portfolio, some commercial, mostly residential. So he could be holding his victims at one of his properties. But which one?
Well, I can cross-reference utilities against property tax records, see if any of them are vacant. Yeah, do it. I might have a shortcut. OK. In 2002, the Ripper held Abel and his mother captive in the basement of an abandoned home in East Meadow. That home was located on a corner at 1827 Lucille. OK. On the night that the Ripper was caught, he burned it to the ground. Years later, someone else bought the lot and built a new home on it. Only this time, the front door was facing the adjacent street. Same exact property has a new address, and guess who owns it now. Abel Shaw?
Yes, as Abel Gaskin. It's the only property still registered under his birth name. If Abel is trying to recreate the Ripper's crimes-- It makes sense he would use the same kill box. Get Maggie on the line. So we found his kill box, so now what? Are we gonna breach and arrest? No, it's way too risky. Abel's capture phase lasts about five days. They could still be alive. Thank you. We're certainly not sitting around, though, either. No, the team did a trash cover and discovered that he uses a seafood delivery service. Right, so he cooks food to taunt his victims, just like the original Ripper. Yeah. They're making a delivery to the house in an hour. That's our in.
That's him. Hit it. [explosion] [grunts]
OK, go downstairs and check the basement. I got him.
Ready? Yeah.
Audrey? Bryce?
We're too late.
Maggie. Yeah?
No Cahills in the basement. Where are they?
Did you kill them?
Why would I do that?
They haven't chosen yet.
SWAT raided every property in Abel's portfolio. Still no sign of the Cahills. If they are still alive, he's gotta tell us where he's moved them. Well, that'll be tough. He's fixated on them completing the ritual. Abel's compulsions are motivated by his shame and remorse. So why don't we confront him?
Use that against him. Do it.
You coming? No. You saw Abel for who he really is. It's your case now.
Guess what, Abel. You washed the bodies. You didn't clean the basement. ERT found prints and DNA. We're gonna tie you to all six murders, and the only way that you can help yourself at this point is by telling me where you're hiding Audrey and Bryce Cahill.
It's over. You can't hurt them anymore.
I've been studying your patterns, Abel. All you're doing is repeating what happened to you when you let your mother die. Well, except you did wash the bodies, then you laid them to rest. You know what that tells me?
It tells me that you're ashamed, that you're remorseful.
You don't know what you're talking about.
You still have a chance to save Audrey and Bryce and redeem yourself. Be the hero that you wanted to be all those years ago.
Tell me where they are. [breathes deeply]
Not until they choose.
I thought he was supposed to be remorseful. I'm no longer sure abandoning his mother is the root of his shame. How are we supposed to know what the root is? Well, Maggie will have to reprofile him on the fly. It is over. No, it isn't. Well, how do you figure? I mean, short of putting the knife in Bryce's hand yourself.
There was a second choice that day. The Ripper put the knife in your hand and gave you the choice-- you kill your mother, or he's gonna kill you both.
None of the other kids could pull it off. They couldn't go through with it, but you were different. You made the choice to kill your own mother.
That's why Metcalf let you go, because he saw you for who you really are. You're a killer, just like him. Don't. And you didn't want to identify him, because you didn't want everyone else to know your shame. Shut up. Shut up, OK?
I mean, when he died you must have thought this was all done, right?
You could just put it all behind you?
Till your wife got pregnant.
That wasn't supposed to happen. So when she comes to tell you that she's gonna have this miracle baby, a baby boy, you panicked. I panicked. I mean, why wouldn't you?
What if this precious baby is like you?
Broken? I'm not broken. You have made all of these people live your exact nightmare for one thing alone. You wanted to find one other person who made the same choice as you, so that you wouldn't feel alone. [sniffles] I can free them. I can free them from the lies that they tell themselves about who they really are. No. Nobody else has made that choice, and nobody's going to. Not even Bryce. You don't know that. I know. No. Yes. And you know what?
I think deep down, you know that too. You weren't there. You didn't see the look on that kid's face when I gave him the knife. He's gonna do it. He swore he would do it. I bet he already has. You don't tell us where they are, how are you ever gonna know for sure?
Checkmate.
Go around the sides. Yep. It's locked, Scola. [glass shatters]
Pull it! Oh, my God.
OK.
Give me a hand. Bryce. Come on. Hey, wake up, Bryce.
I've got a pulse. It's faint, but she's alive. Your mom's gonna be OK. So are you. I--I didn't do it. I couldn't.
Hey. Hey. Look, uh, a couple of things I said back there-- No, no. I'm the one who needs to apologize. Your original profile was spot-on, and I shouldn't have pushed-- Oh, no, no, no, no, no. You were right in the end. I missed some things. You sensed them, and you never stopped questioning.
You know, ever since Erin died, I've-- I've been trying to separate what happened to her with what I do. Mm-hmm. I can't. I don't think I'll ever be able to. So I'm choosing to use it as an edge to save whoever I can.
You once told me that you no longer recognize the world around you. But I think you see the world exactly for what it is, all the bad and all the good, and you just refuse to give up on it. And, uh, well... [chuckles] I'm lucky to know you, Maggie.
Thank you. See you around.
[wolf howls] und.