(HE)
NOW A TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS'
EXCLUSIVE: THE HIGHWAY
KILLINGS.
30 YEARS AGO THIS
MONTH.
...THE DAWN OF ONE OF
THE MOST HORRIFIC
CRIMES THIS REGION HAS
EVER SEEN.
(MM)
11 WOMEN GO MISSING IN
SIX MONTHS,
NINE OF THEM FOUND,
MURDERED.
(HE)
IT'S AN UNSOLVED SERIAL
KILLING THAT HAS FAMILY
MEMBERS OF THE
VICTIMS,
STILL SEARCHING FOR
ANSWERS.
white: (0202) do you have any
hope
this will be solved?
judy; You always have hope, you
always have to have hope because
without hope you have nothing
(0209)
(MM)
NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN
CHARGED FOR THE
MURDERS,
LEAVING A CLOUD OF
MYSTERY HANGING OVER
SOUTHEASTERN
MASSACHUSETTS FOR
THREE DECADES.
(HE)
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE HAS BEEN RE-
EXAMINING THE MURDER
SPREE AND IS HERE NOW
WITH THE DETAILS.
THIS WAS THE KILLER'S GRAVE
OF CHOICE:
CALLOUSLY DUMPING WOMEN'S
BODIES ALONG THE HIGHWAYS
SURROUNDING NEW BEDFORD.
IN THESE WOODS...
INVESTIGATORS FOUND THE
REMAINS OF NINE WOMEN
BETWEEN THE AGES OF 19 AND
36 YEARS OLD.
JULY 30th 1988 DAWNED
STEAMY AND HOT.
JUDY DESANTOS AND HER
FAMILY WERE ON ROUTE 195 --
RETURNING FROM A DAY AT A
PUBLIC POOL TO COOL OFF.
AND CLEAR THEIR MINDS.
THAT'S BECAUSE JUDY'S
SISTER NANCY PAIVA HAD BEEN
MISSING FOR WEEKS.
AS THEY PASSED THROUGH
DARTMOUTH
JUDY SPOTTED A MEDICAL
EXAMINERS VAN ON THE SIDE
ROAD.
Judy DeSantos
Sister of Victim
I just knew it was her. I just
knew it
was her.
SHE BEGGED HER HUSBAND TO
PULL OVER.
BUT THEY DROVE PAST.
Judy DeSantos
Sister of Victim
They think: 'you're crazy,' and
it
turned out it was her
White: you were right
I was right it was her
THE BODY OF NANCY PAIVA
WAS PULLED FROM THE
WOODS THAT AFTERNOON.
VICTIMS PICTURES
SHE WAS ONE OF 11 WOMEN
WHO WENT MISSING BETWEEN
APRIL AND SEPTEMBER 1988.
Maureen Boyle
Author "Shallow Graves"
They were mothers just about all
of
them had children with the
exception of one.
MAUREEN BOYLE COVERED
THE HIGHWAY KILLINGS AS A
REPORTER,
AND IS THE AUTHOR OF THE
BOOK "SHALLOW GRAVES" THAT
CHRONICLES THE CRIME
SPREE.
SHE SAYS MOST OF THE
WOMEN WERE LAST SEEN IN
NEW BEDFORD.
Maureen Boyle
Author "Shallow Graves"
one link between all the victims
was
their heroin addiction. That was
the
key in the case.
It was a hot summer, so the
conditions of the bodies made it
difficult for medical examiners
to
determine a cause of death.
Except, with two victims.
Investigators say, they had been
strangled.
Judy DeSantos
Sister of Victim
I talk to her.
w; what do you say?
j; help me. help me. help me
understand, help me get through
the
day, help my nieces get through
the
day [let breath]
THAT HELP MAY LIE WITHIN
THESE BOXES.
THIS IS WHAT THE EVIDENCE
LOOKS LIKE... TODAY.
STORED IN A SECURE FACILITY
BY THE MASSACHUSETTS
STATE POLICE.
Maureen Boyle
Author "Shallow Graves"
White: Is the hope for closure
for
everyone fading?
Boyle: No.
White: Why do you say that?
[butt to]
Boyle: (2738) "We are seeing
this
more and more throughout the
country where has been cases,
people have been murderd in the
70s and finally the killer has
been
identified."
FOR JUDY DESANTOS...
Judy DeSantos
Sister of Victim
I'll never give up on her,
never.
HER INSTINCTS WERE RIGHT ON
JULY 30 1988,
AND SHE CONTINUES TO TRUST
THEM TODAY.
Judy DeSantos
Sister of Victim
White: What does you gut tell
you
now, is the person who committed
the crime still alive?
j;
Yes. I think so.
white: theyre out there.
j; I think they're out there.
(tw)
DESANTOS TELLS ME SHE USED
TO WALK THESE WOODS...
SEARCHING FOR THE TWO
WOMEN WHO WERE NEVER
FOUND.
AFTER EVERYTHING THAT HAS
HAPPENED EACH OF THEM, SHE
SAYS, HAVE BECOME A PART OF
HER.
WITH THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS TIM WHITE
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
(HE)
THIS TARGET 12
EXCLUSIVE: THE HIGHWAY
KILLINGS... CONTINUES
NEW ON EYEWITNESS
NEWS AT 6.
WE'LL LOOK AT SOME OF
THE SUSPECTS THAT
POLICE IDENTIFIED...
AND WHAT HAPPENED TO
THE CASES AGAINST
THEM.
(MM)
NEW DETAILS NOW IN A
TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS'
EXCLUSIVE:
THE HIGHWAY KILLINGS.
(HE)
30 YEARS AGO MARKED
THE BEGINNING OF A REIN
OF TERROR:
11 WOMEN, MISSING...
NINE BODIES
RECOVERED.
(5805) I know that had it been
anybody else, had it been anyone
higher up on the food chain, it
would
have been handled differently
(5815)
AT FIVE WE REVEALED
HOW THE KILLER HAS
NEVER BEEN BROUGHT TO
JUSTICE.
(MM)
NEW AT 6: WE LOOK AT
WHO POLICE HAD ON
THEIR RADAR SCREEN,
AND WHAT HAPPENED TO
THE ACCUSED.
(HE)
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE HAS THE
EXCLUSIVE DETAILS
THE WOMEN WHO WENT
MISSING HAD TWO THINGS IN
COMMON:
THEY ALL HAD A DRUG
ADDICTION AND WERE FROM,
OR AT LEAST LAST SEEN, IN
NEW BEDFORD.
BUT WHAT HAS REMAINED A
MYSTERY...
EACH OF THE NINE BODIES
RECOVERED WERE FOUND
JUST OUTSIDE NEW BEDFORD'S
CITY LIMITS,
LEAVING INVESTIGATORS TO
WONDER IF THAT WAS ON
PURPOSE.
IT'S A MOUNTAIN OF CLUES.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT EXCLUSIVE
VIDEO AND IMAGES PROVIDED
TO TARGET 12 BY THE
MASSACHUSETTS STATE
POLICE.
CAREFULLY CATALOUGUED
EVIDENCE ON FOUR PALLETS
STACKED SIX FEET HIGH FROM
A 30-YEAR-OLD UNSOLVED
SERIAL KILLING.
AND THIS IS JUST A FRACTION
OF THE CASE FILES FROM THE
BRISTOL COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEYS OFFICE,
DECADES OF WORK ATTEMPING
TO CONNECT THE DOTS WITH 11
WOMEN...
ALL WHO WENT MISSING
BETWEEN APRIL AND
SEPTEMBER 1988.
Maureen Boyle
Author "Shallow Graves"
(1734) It was very frustrating
for law
enforcement at the time
MAUREEN BOYLE COVERED
THE MURDERS AS A REPORTER
AND IS THE AUTHOR OF
"SHALLOW GRAVES" WHICH
CHRONICLES THE CRIME
SPREE.
Maureen Boyle
Author "Shallow Graves"
when you sort of peel back the
layers of the community and the
drug world and the womens lives,
there was just so many suspects
out
there
JUDY DESANTOS SISTER NANCY
PAIVA WAS ONE OF THE NINE
WOMEN WHOSE REMAINS
WERE FOUND.
HER BODY, DISCOVERED
ALONG ROUTE 195 IN
DARTMOUTH IN JULY 1988.
Judy DeSantos
Sister of Victim
I'll never give up on her,
never.
(5252)
FOR FAMILIES, THERE WERE
GLIMMERS OF HOPE. AS
POLICE SET THEIR SITES ON A
SUSPECT:
ATTORNEY KENNETH PONTE.
Maureen Boyle
Author "Shallow Graves"
(2232) He knew all of the women
found dead, or he had ties to
all of
them.
PONTE WAS CHARGED WITH
MURDER OF ONE OF THE
WOMEN, WHO
BUT THE CASE AGAINST HIM,
WAS THIN...
AND THE CHARGES
EVENTUALLY DROPPED.
PONTE DIED IN 2010.
Maureen Boyle
Author "Shallow Graves"
White: (2447) do you think a lot
of
secrets died with ken ponte?
mb; (2449) Yeah I think so.
[butt to]
(2459) If he was not the killer
he
could have helped the
investigation
early on. but chose not to.
(2508)
ANOTHER SUSPECT, ANTHONY
DEGRAZIA WAS NEVER
CHARGED...
BUT WHILE UNDER
INVESTIGATION, HE TOOK HIS
OWN LIFE IN 1991.
TARGET 12 INTERVIEWED HIS
MOTHER AT THE TIME.
"Show me what evidence you have.
It's very easy to defend a dead
man,
a dead man can't defend
himself."
10 YEARS AGO SOME OF
EVIDENCE UNDERWENT D-N-A
TESTING,
AND IS NOW IN A FEDERAL
DATABASE.
LIKE INVESTIGATORS, JUDY TOO
SEARCHED FOR ANSWERS.
WANDERING THE WOODS,
SEARCHING FOR THE TWO
WOMEN WHO HAVE NEVER
BEEN FOUND.
Judy DeSantos
Sister of Victim
white: why did you do that?
j; (0322) You have to. They
become
your family. Everyone of them
girls
is a part of me now. All of
them.
(0334)
BOYLE SAYS DETECTIVES
WONDERED IF THE BODIES
WERE INTENTIONALLY DUMPED
JUST OUTSIDE NEW BEFORD
CITY LIMITS,
TO AVOID GIVING NEW BEDORD
POLICE JURISDICTION OVER
THE CRIMES.
A MYSTERY THAT MAY ONLY BE
ANSWERED,
IF THE KILLER IS EVER CAUGHT.
WITH THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS TIM WHITE
EYEWITNESS NEWS
(HE)
OUR INVESTIGATION INTO
THE HIGHWAY KILLINGS
CONTINUES ON WPRI-
DOT-COM.
(MM)
YOU'LL FIND A COMPLETE
TIMELINE OF THE CASE...
AND A SECTION
REMEBERING EACH OF
THE 11 VICTIMS.