RIGHT
RIGHT NOW
RIGHT NOW WE DO NOT KNOW THE CHILD'S CONDITION.
CHILD'S CONDITION. POLICE SAY THE DRIVER, IS
COOPERATING.
COOPERATING. >>> TONIGHT, A KARE 11 NEWS
INVESTIGATION, MYSTERIOUS
INVESTIGATION, MYSTERIOUS THREATS IN THE MAIL.
SENT A FORMER HIGH SCHOOL
CLASSMATES AND THEIR FAMILIES.
VICTIMS SAY, IT'S BEEN
TERRORIZING THEM, FOR YEARS.
>> IT WAS SCARY.
>> THREATS IN THE MAIL.
>> IT GETS WORSE.
>> LATER, ON SACRIFICING THE
CHILD.
CHILD.
CHILD. >>
CHILD. >> IS SACRIFICING A CHILD?
>> HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GETTING
THESE LETTERS?
THESE LETTERS? >> OH, HUNDREDS.
>> WE WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER.
>> THE STORY STARTS WITH THESE
YEARBOOKS.
YEARBOOKS. DECADES AGO.
DECADES AGO. JACKSON JUNIOR HIGH, AND LATER,
AT CHAMPLIN PARK HIGH SCHOOL.
IN THE TWIN CITIES SUBURBS.
>> THIS IS OUR EURO.
>> DON COOPER SAYS SHE BARELY
REMEMBERS THE BOY IN HER 1995
HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK.
HIS NAME, MATTHEW DALE.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING
ABOUT HIM?
ABOUT HIM? >> NO, JUST THAT HE WAS QUITE.
>> BUT 15 YEARS AFTER THEY
GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, OUT
OF THE BLUE, SHE GOT A STRANGE
MESSAGE FROM HIM ON FACEBOOK.
>> IT WAS SORT OF LIKE I KNEW
YOU BACK IN JUNIOR HIGH.
AND NOW YOU WANT TO STEAL MY
MONEY FROM ME.
AND THERE WAS ALL THESE WEIRD
COMMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
>> SHE SAYS SHE BLOCKED HIM AND
FORGOT ABOUT IT.
UNTIL ONE DAY, THREE YEARS AGO,
WHEN SHE WENT TO THE MAILBOX
AND FOUND THIS.
ALONG HANDWRITTEN LETTER,
LISTING THE NAMES OF MORE THAN
30 FORMER CLASSMATES AND A
FRIGHTENING PLAN FOR THEIR
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. >> IS SAYS THE PLAN FOR DON
COOPER IS FOR ONE OF HER
DAUGHTERS TO GET PREGNANT BY ME
WITH A BABY DAUGHTER.
RAISE THE BABY DAUGHTER FOR
PLUNDER AND EXTORTION, AND THEN
WHEN ALL THE PLUNDER AND
EXTORTION IS ALL DRIED UP,
TAKING THE DAUGHTER AND
SACRIFICING THE DAUGHTER TUMA
LOCK IN THE WAY THAT IS A
PLEASING TO HIM.
>> SO WHEN YOU READ THOSE WORDS,
>> IT WAS TERRIFYING.
>> AND DON DISCOVERED, SHE IS
NOT ALONE.
NOT ALONE. >> SOME OF THE PEOPLE I WENT TO
HIGH SCHOOL WITH, THEIR
DAUGHTERS ARE EIGHT YEARS OLD,
NINE YEARS OLD, AND HE IS
WRITING THEIR NAMES IN THE
LETTERS.
LETTERS.
LETTERS. >> SIMILAR THREATS AND LETTERS,
POSTCARDS, EVEN TEXT MESSAGES.
SOME OF THEM SENT DIRECTLY TO
THEIR CHILDREN.
THEIR CHILDREN. >> I MEAN, SHE WAS LIKE 12 WHEN
THIS STARTED.
THIS STARTED. >> KRISTIN CHOCOLATE WAS SO
ALARMED, SHE BOUGHT HER
DAUGHTER MACE.
DAUGHTER MACE. AND THIS PERSONAL TEASER.
AND OF COURSE, SHE CONTACTED
POLICE.
POLICE.
POLICE. SO DID SHIRLEY, AND VERY ERTL.
>> I AM FED UP.
THIS IS GOT TO THE POINT WHERE
IT'S OVERWHELMING.
IT'S OVERWHELMING. >> THEY SAY WHAT STARTED AS
THREATENING LETTERS TO OLD
CLASSMATES, HAS EXPANDED.
>> YEAR AFTER YEAR.
AND NOT JUST TO GRANDPARENTS
LIKE THEM.
LIKE THEM. HE IS ALSO DONE RESEARCH TO FIND
AUNTS AND UNCLES, EVEN IN-LAWS.
A PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP FOR
FAMILIES WHO HAVE GONE THE
THREATS HAS MORE THAN 100
MEMBERS.
MEMBERS.
MEMBERS. BUT SO FAR, POLICE HAVE NOT
BEEN ABLE TO STOP THE MESSAGES.
>> IT'S LIKE THEY CAN DO
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. THEIR HANDS ARE TIED.
>> THEY ARE SORRY THERE IS
NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNTIL HE
DOES SOMETHING.
DOES SOMETHING. >> SO WHY HAVEN'T AUTHORITIES
STEPPED IN?
STEPPED IN? RIGHT NOW, HE LIVES FAR AWAY IN
WASHINGTON STATE.
WASHINGTON STATE. AND MINNESOTA AUTHORITIES SAY
THEY DON'T WANT TO BRING HIM
BACK HERE.
BACK HERE. AUTHORITIES THERE SAY, THEY ARE
AWARE OF HIM, BUT POSSIBLE
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES MAKE IT
HARDER TO BRING CRIMINAL
CHARGES.
CHARGES.
CHARGES. SINCE THERE ARE VICTIMS
NATIONWIDE, SOME FAMILIES HAVE
CONTACTED THE FBI HOPING FOR
FEDERAL CHARGES.
FEDERAL CHARGES. THE BUREAU WON'T COMMENT ABOUT
WHETHER THEY ARE INVESTIGATING.
>> THIS IS HARASSMENT.
I MEAN IT'S AN ONGOING SYSTEMIC
THING THAT HE IS DOING.
TO INSTILL FEAR AND HUNDREDS OF
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. IT'S ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> AND NOW, DON COOPER SAYS
THERE ARE NEW WARNING SIGNS.
SHOWING AN ATOMIC BOMB.
WITH A NOTE SAYING YOU HAVE A
YEAR BEFORE THIS WHOLE THING
KICKS OFF.
KICKS OFF. >> IT'S CRAZY TALK UNTIL IT
BECOMES REAL.
BECOMES REAL. AND THEN IT'S BAD.
SO I THINK IT'S BECOMING
SCARIER BY THE DAY.
IT'S NOT EVEN A MATTER OF WHAT,
IT'S WHEN.
IT'S WHEN. WHEN DO SOMETHING THAT
HAPPENED?
HAPPENED?
HAPPENED? IT'S ESCALATED TO A POINT NOW,
WHERE IT'S DIRECT THREATS.
>> THIS HAS GONE ON FOR A
REALLY LONG TIME.
IF YOU COULD SAY SOMETHING TO
AUTHORITIES RIGHT NOW, WHAT
WOULD IT BE?
>> STOPPED HIM BEFORE IT'S TOO
LATE.
LATE.
LATE. >>
LATE. >> AND FINALLY, SOMEONE IS
DOING SOMETHING.
DOING SOMETHING. OVER THE WEEKEND POLICE IN
BELLINGHAM WASHINGTON ARRESTED
MATT DALE ON SUSPICION OF
STALKING AND HARASSING A WOMAN
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. WE
THERE. WE WILL BE FOLLOWING
DEVELOPMENTS IN THAT CASE.
BEFORE HIS ARREST, KARE 11 HAD