two leading candidates for senate. two very different visions for california. steve garvey, the leading republican, is too conservative for california. he voted for trump twice and supported republicans for years, including far right conservatives. adam schiff, the leading democrat, defended democracy against trump and the insurrectionists. he helped build affordable housing, lower drug costs, and bring good jobs back home. the choice is clear. i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message. ya, she was my best friend. i just dropped. i just couldn't believe it. sonya she was my best friend, i just dropped. i couldn't believe it. she was

only 19. >> when you get the news that a body has been found, it turns out to be someone you know. >> yeah, no one was expecting what happened. >> this is out in the wilderness, and the tundra, why is she out here like this? >> it is very hard. >> there's nobody that would want to harm her, an suv or truck had driven through there. >> we thought the person driving that vehicle could potentially be the person that killed her. >> all of a sudden, you guys are looking for a shooter out there. and there is a note. >> yeah. i watch every movie you make, i will also show you in the head if you get close. >> it's like something out of a movie. >> it is. >> he knew who was looking at for victims. >> i didn't know who to trust. it's nothing that i want to remember. >> ♪ ♪ ♪

>> when people talk about alaska, they say it is the last frontier. and they use words like wild, untamed, beautiful. those people are probably not talking about nome, alaska. we are just a couple of degrees south of the arctic circle, in a golden rush town whose big money days are probably behind it. wet grimmer and grayer, then your picture postcard vision of alaska. >> the motto here, there is no place like nome. it's probably true, it's the end point of the famous sled dog race. right now we are closer to russia than the rest of the united states. only about 3800 people live here, so by lower 48 standards this is a small town. around here, it is definitely the big city. and like any city, nome has

seen its share of evil. >> where did sonya go? sonya what! sonya! >> we sonya ivanoff saw nome as a way station on the route to somewhere warmer. that's according to her best friend, timayre. we >> she definitely knew that she wanted to go to hawaii, she was tired of the cold weather in alaska. she was determined to make money , and go to college. >> reporter: fresh out of high school in 2002 sonya came to nome from unalakleet, a native village 150 miles to the southeast. unalakleet it's on a little spit, so you have the ocean on one side and a river on the other side. >> it looks like an island, but it is not, it is connected by land. >> reporter: sonya was the fourth of six kids.

older sister christina, and her husband tom thank say if you think nome is small then unalakleet is miniature. >> everybody knows everybody in a place unalakleet like. >> unrelated to pretty much off the town. >> so everybody knew her? >> yes. >> our first contestant is sonya ivanoff [applause] . >> reporter: not long after she arrived in gnome she brought something unique to alaska, the native -- pageant. it is not a traditional beauty pageant, no one's wearing a bikini or anything like that? >> no it's native close. >> dan hoped said that sanya hopes to win scholarship money for college. >> she was proud of her heritage wasn't she? >> yes she was. >> reporter: you are proud of her? >> yes.

>> reporter: she found work at the admitting desk of a local hospital, in a few months later in the summer of 2003 her bff timayre also left unalakleet for nome, so they roomed together. without a car between them they walked everywhere. >> reporter: is it safe to walk around night in gnome? >> we thought so, we felt safe walking in nome. it felt like home to. >> reporter: well, these were kids from a small village. and sonya's sister and brother in law worried that she did not have the radar necessary for nome. you saw her down at one point in time? >> i did, i did not know who she was hanging out with. that's exactly what i said, i don't know who you are hanging out with. if you went missing, i would not know where to start to look. >> reporter: there is a crisis of indigenous women going missing in the u.s.. the numbers are hard to pin down, but it is clear and

alaska, the problem is worse. the fact that native american women disappear at a much higher rate in alaska, than almost anywhere else is not a secret. but, it was probably something that she did not know or think about. >> no, no. >> and at the time we never thought about it. we never thought about it. the amount of missing women. >> reporter: soon, they would think about nothing else. sunday august 10th, 2003. sonya and timayre, we're doing their thing, hanging out with friends on a town that seems to run on alcohol, they were sober. timayre remember that sonya had just one beer. >> it was still kind of early, we went out around 11:00, and that is early for highschoolers. to a friends house, they were playing forward games there. >> reporter: it was summer in alaska, the sun sets just

before midnight. around 1 am monday, timayre had to be at work in six hours, decided to crash at a friend's place. sonya sonya was not doing at work until tuesday afternoon, so she had all the time in the world. >> she felt like being out, it was a little miss training, she loved the rain, anything with the rain. when we parted ways, i walked towards my friends house and she continued walking down the street but it was toward our house area. we always had the saying piece out powell, and then we go like this, and then like this and peace out. we did that she jumped in the rain, and started walking. >> reporter: timayre watched your vast friend walk off into the light rain, that she loved so much. >> that was the last time you saw her? >> yes. >> reporter: coming up, >> i did not know what to do i, did a lot of calling around and

nobody had seen her or anything. >> reporter: what had happened to sonya? >> when she did not go to work, that's when we started looking. asking people, if they had seen her. >> i went to the police station. >> i just told them i had not seen sonya, and they kind of took it like it was a joke or something. >> reporter: when dateline continues. when dateline continues. along with clearer skin skyrizi helps me move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and is just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement-and that means everything! ask your doctor about skyrizi today. learn how abbvie could help you save.

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♪ ♪ ♪ timayre and sonya where the type of best friends who were almost never out of touch. they lived together and shared makeup, clothing, even a beds. except on that monday morning when timayre got home around five a.m. to get ready for work, the bed was empty. it sonya was not there. >> we did not have cell phones back in the day, so i figured she was just at a friends house.

>> reporter: timayre headed to the aurora in where, she worked the front desk. >> i did not hear from her at work the whole day. usually she would call me, but it wasn't super not normal. >> reporter: it was not super normal either, timayre was worried enough to make some calls to try to find her. >> i did call her sister to see if she had stayed over there, but her sister had not seen her. >> reporter: tom and christina remember thinking that there was nothing to think about, her silence could be a byproduct of teenage drama. >> my wife and i discussed it and we were like well, maybe sanya doesn't want to be around timayre today. >> sonya that was monday, she was not dude at work in till tuesday. so christina and tom were right, she was just somewhere else other than with timayre. but timayre was getting more concerned. by evening, she knew she had not just slept late somewhere.

what really worried her, was sonia's makeup bag which had not been touched. >> i think more in the evening when i had not heard from her i started to worry. because, it is not normal for her to not go home and do her hair and makeup. >> reporter: tuesday morning, still no sonya. timayre went to work, and as soon as she could phoned nome police. and asked an unlikely question. was sonya ivanoff in the slammer. the dispatcher told her that no one with that name was in custody. >> i did not know what to do, i did a lot of calling around, nobody had seen her or anything. >> reporter: by the time timayre 's shift had done, her concern high ground to panic. around 5:15 she walked into nome pd, the historically quiet agency and had a rap for not always taking seriously crimes

against alaska natives. >> i think i was hysterically crying, we do not have official officers like nome does. i did not know how to begin, i just told them that i had not seen sonya, and they kind of took it like it was a joke or something. >> are you sure she's not out partying? >> reporter: the police are like, definitely nothing to worry about. >> i felt like they kind of shrugged me off, and i just felt like they did not take me serious. i was only 18, i don't know if they thought it was a prank. >> reporter: or just overreacting. >> i believe they felt i was overreacting. >> reporter: but they took the report? >> yeah, they wrote something down. >> reporter: tuesday evening, tanya tommy christina heard that sonya never showed up at work. >> when she did not go to work, that is not sonya. that is one we started looking.

>> asking people if they had seen her. people that we knew that she might have been with. >> spent the night in the car, looking, scanning. >> reporter: they also tried to think of people that she might be with and settled on a guy named -- >> he was definitely interested in sanya. >> oh yeah, >> reporter: did they get along ? >> they did, they were good friends, we thought they were going to be girlfriend boyfriend but sonya sonya he wasn't her type. >> reporter: even so, tom thought, maybe they were together somewhere. >> i actually went to the police station, i was there just looking for information. maybe they knew where his camp was. >> reporter: and they say what? >> they were unconcerned, let's just say. that >> reporter: you don't have a feeling the police were working that hard on it? >> no, it had only been a day.

no one was -- >> less than 24 hours. timayre was the only one who had the alarm high, everyone else was just warming up. >> reporter: nome police did seem to step it up after her boss called and reported her missing. an officer, byron wright burn, came to talk to timayre and asked about sonya's mental health, and how they got along. that conversation was recorded. >> generally, overall in her mood is? >> happy. >> reporter: you guys aren't doing anything? >> we argued and we -- >> reporter: on the recording, you can hear timayre's concern. >> i can't stand just sitting there, because she is not there. >> reporter: she is somewhere. >> reporter: that afternoon, the police chief asked the fire department to help with the search. >> that is when it really hit,

reality, when we saw the search and rescue boats. timayre went out looking for us tanya. >> i was driving around with my friend maya, and we pulled up to the hospital, i think it was one of sonya's coworker. said to bring me down by the police station. and, when i got there, there was a big gathering of people and i was like oh great they found her. >> reporter: she was half right, they had found sonya, but it was not great. coming up. >> gathering up cameras, and bags, and whatever we thought we needed to document. we drove here. >> reporter: down a lonely road, by an old coal mine, a heartbreaking discovery. >> they brought us to our porch, and that is when they

told us. >> i think i just dropped, i could not believe it. >> reporter: when dateline continues. reporter: when datee continues. let's go! drive! we got to go! someone's in a hurry. annnd doo-do-do-doooo-do! one mississippi. two mississippi. -can we go!? -yeah! faster! oh, no sirree. you see, i get discounts for my safe driving with snapshot from progressive. you should see my savings -- they're nuts. you told us he was a skilled wheelman. no, i'm a wheelman. it's a family name on my mother's side. -what? -irish. [♪♪] looking for a moisturizer that does more than just moisturize? try olay regenerist for 10 benefits in every jar. olay visibly firms, lifts, and smooths wrinkles, by penetrating the skin, to boost regeneration at the surface cellular level. try olay. introducing finish ultimate. engineered for the toughest conditions. dry burnt-on stains. old dishwashers. very hard water. new finish ultimate, with cyclesync technology, helps deliver the ultimate clean. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: it was wednesday evening, two and a half days since sonya ivanoff had last been seen. nome police told tom and christina to sit tight. >> we quit looking, just because they told us to kind of wait at home. >> reporter: there was no way to prepare for the story that was coming. around 8:30 pm, a volunteer firefighter helping with the search, followed fresh tire tracks down a rarely used road, and found something. he immediately went to the police station. officer brian -- accompanied the firefighter back to the scene. >> so we gathered up cameras,

and bags, and whatever we thought we would need to documents, and we drove here. the way the spot would be over there, where all they -- are well. >> reporter: this was on a trail, often old gold mining shot called dredge five road. we >> tried not to disturb any evidence, or make new tracks. i saw the body, was a naked woman but i could not see the face. i knew most likely it was sonya . >> reporter: the chief of police went to tom and christina's. he brought us to our porch, outside, and that is when he told us. they had found sonya, and she was not alive. >> reporter: tom called sanya's parents, it was the hardest

phone call he never made. outside nome pd was timayre. i >> i think i just dropped. i just could not believe it. >> reporter: family and friends reeled, a murder investigation began. out entourage five road, officer -- knew the tiny nome nome pd could not handle the case alone. >> had to get tarps to cover the trail also and the evidence that might be there won't get blown away, or if it rained or snow it will not get washed away. we wanted to preserve the scene as best we could, for the bureau investigation team that would come up. >> reporter: so they covered everything, the road, the trail and sonya's's body. they worried about whether and grizzly bears. officers took shifts building

guarding the site. it would be awhile before the cavalry came. so incredible, alaska is a little different than the lower 48 isn't it? eric burrows is the case officer for the alaska bureau of investigation. >> in the investigative world they talk about the first 24, 48 hours how important they are to a case. which is true. but in many cases, and cases i had to respond to and other troopers, the first 24 to 48 hours might just be getting to the scene. >> reporter: sounds like a good place to commit a murder, if you are a murderer. >> it's called the last frontier state for a lot of reasons. it is not like the big city at all. >> reporter: the crime lab and its investigators are based in anchorage, more than 500 miles from nome. criminalist carrie -- got the first flight out. as soon as she got the scene, she saw clues.

>> there is a blood pool close to her family, you could tell a vehicle had driven through that. the tire had obviously gotten blood on it. we could tell that one of the treads looked different than the other treads. >> reporter: so three of one kind of tire, and one of another? >> yes, there was at least one tire that look different than the other. >> reporter: they found more evidence that vehicle had recently been down that road. >> there was a paint trans for on that branch, on that same road, it was a little bit higher to suggest suv or truck or some kind have driven through there. it was a very faint, light blue paint transfer. >> reporter: so you are looking for a blue vehicle, with miss matched tires, that is probably your killer? >> yes. >> reporter: cathcart got to sanya's body, naked except for one stop. bruises on her face and chest,

a single bullet wound to the back of her. head any doubts as to whether this was a murder evaporated. then i am guessing, police come to you and say, who could possibly have done this? who didn't like her? what problems was she having? >> yeah, she had no enemies. i mean, there were other girls who are possibly jealous of her, but nobody in general that i could think of that would want to do something horrendous, or hurt her. >> reporter: even the night timayre reported sonya missing, the night police seemed so disinterested, no police asked her to write up a list of sonya's friends. now that she had been found dead, the one the cops were most interested in was -- daniel angus sock. he always had a hot headed i'm tougher than you kind of saying

but underneath that he was a teddy bear. >> reporter: says his teddy bear core was not always evident. >> he had a girlfriend, believed to have a child together. there were domestic violence issues between him and his girlfriend. he had a temper. of course, all of this was already known by the nome police department. so, he becomes a person of interest that they want to talk to. >> reporter: that was not just because of his temper, or his interest in sonya. police also learned, he drove a blue truck with one tire that did not match the other three. it's not just one of the tires was mismatched, it was the correct tire? >> correct, yes exactly. >> reporter: that could not be a coincidence, or could it? >> coming up. >> pulled a tarp out

significant amount of dry blood on it. there was also three rifles, one of them had blood on the end. he had blood on his tennis shoes. >> reporter: the evidence against daniel angusuk seems to mount, was this sonya's's killer? when dateline continues when dateline continue

i am richard lui with your ourselves stories. the u.s. launch for teletype east drags against iranian link targets in iraq and syria, obi- wan bombers among the warplanes dropping munitions on 85 sites believed to play a role in recent attacks in u.s. coalition forces. fulton county district attorney pursuing donald trump's election subversion case, in georgia, has confirmed an intimate relationship with the top prosecutor on the case. trump and his co defendant alleges the relationship was improper, and seeking to disqualify the dea, now back to

dateline. dateli ne. ♪ o♪ ♪ sonya ivanoff sonya ivanoff did not live till her 20th birthday. i killer had made sure of that. her family had made sure that sonya was brought home to unalakleet four, the final goodbye. we >> are not going to have an open casket, because of her bruising and -- and she liked her makeup. she liked to look good. so, i did her makeup and, that is how we were able to do and open casket. >> reporter: you did it? >> i did it. [crying] >> reporter: i recognize that as an active love, but that had to be brutally difficult. >> it was very hard.

>> reporter: it was all hard. >> there were so many people, not just from the village, but surrounding villages [crying]. we held her service, it was at the school gym. >> reporter: that would be the same jam in unalakleet where sonya had drained her first jump shots. >> reporter: what did she like about basketball? >> i think the camaraderie with her team way mates, is what she enjoyed. >> she was super, tall she was 5:11. >> reporter: well her family mourned sarnia, law enforcement kept working. cathcart process the scene, aside from the tire tracks and blue paint transfer, she found no usable forensic evidence. even sonya's close for missing. >> there was no foreign dna, nothing under her fingernails that was not hers, there was

just a lack of evidence. >> reporter: rape kit was negative? >> it was negative. >> reporter: meaning no evidence of sexual assault but what evidence they did have pointed straight to angusuk, on the floor of his truck were obvious drops of blood. using a chemical that lights of green in the presence of blood, they saw a lot more. >> they told his truck to nome pd, we examined a tarp, it appeared to have a significant amount of dried blood on it. >> reporter: as if someone had driven through a pool of blood? >> right. there was also three rifles, just behind the driver 's seat. one of them had blood on the but and of the rifle, he had blood on his tennis shoes. >> reporter: as cathcart worked on the blood evidence, byron -- his recorder on hand, went to angusuk's apartment.

>> last time i saw her physically was on her lunch rake, and i said hi to her. that was the last time i seen her. >> reporter: he told red burn that he was 70 miles outside of time the night that sonya disappeared. >> i took off sunday afternoon, a little bit after three and did not get back until monday evening. >> reporter: he said he was hunting with friends, who could backup his story. then red burn notice something that looked like evidence. >> did you notice the scratch on your back? >> reporter: he said that came courtesy of his baby mama. red burn took him to the hospital. >> great, do you want to just drop your pants. >> reporter: where his body was examined, with the help of a nurse. >> just going to check -- if there's any secretions. >> reporter: red burn told him

that the nurse would take a sample of his dna. >> so we can compare it to whatever -- and if the two don't jive, that is good for you. and if they do jive, then that is not good for you. >> i was not even in town when anything happened. >> reporter: officer rodburn told him that his truck matched the forensic evidence found at the scene. >> there have been some things come up that make you, and your vehicle interesting. >> what is that? >> it turns out, it is about there is a bunch of tire impressions out there. they are similar to the tires you wear on your car. >> the two missed match tires? i have miss matched tires. >> there is blue paint at the

crime scene, okay? >> reporter: the most important questions for angusuk was about all the blood that they found. >> any reason that people will be finding blood in the vehicle? >> no. >> reporter: later on he explained how their might have been blood, he said he ran over a rabbits which did not die immediately. >> -- >> reporter: his story, that blood on his shoes and truck was from the rabbit. or, if not the rabbit, maybe a porcupine, he said he shot one while hunting. >> we did not think it was a credible story. we thought it was made up. >> reporter: it had a mismatch shire, it was a blue truck, he knew sanya, and he knew the area. >> yes, correct everything lined up. >> reporter: police had the

perfect suspect, i mean didn't they? coming up you sent this case in a whole new direction. >> i just gathered information. >> reporter: an intriguing new clue, a witness who saw sonya that fatal night. >> she speaks to the driver, gets into the passenger vehicle, and then they head that way, north. >> reporter: when dateline continues. when dateline continues. only sleep number smart beds let you each choose your individual firmness and comfort. your sleep number setting. and actively cools and warms up to 13 degrees on either side.

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sonya ivanoff was seven years younger ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ sonya ivanoff was seven years younger than her sister christina. when sonya was alive, christina and our husband tom felt protective of her. after her death, they felt a burden on them to find her justice. so one week after the murder, you showed up at the police department with a picture of sonya and stuck it on the wall. >> i wanted to put it up on the wall. my intention was, we did not want to lose focus of this is

who you are working for. >> reporter: tom's gesture did not go over well. one officer shouted at him, and wanted him to leave. >> they just redid the police station with new drive all, and he is in my ear yelling at me. >> reporter: that did not keep tom from visiting the nome pd again, and again. >> i would go every day about 8:00 in the morning. i wanted to make sure that they knew that we were still here. >> reporter: although, they did not tell tom nome pd roars already confident that they already had their man, angusuk. at least they were confident until the blood work came in. >> reporter: the blood on his gun, truck, and shoes are not human, none of it? >> yes all the blood was animal blood. >> reporter: the tire treads at the scene, do not match the tires on his vehicle? >> the tire tracks did not match either.

>> reporter: and the blue paint, on his truck, was not the same as the pain that rubbed off on a bush. his story had seen literally, and believable. and yet, turns out he was telling the truth. >> he was telling the truth. >> reporter: every odd detail, actually checked out. >> they found the porcupine right where they said it was? >> within a mile or so. >> reporter: so he is off the hook? >> he's off the hook. >> reporter: that kind of leaves you with no one? >> yeah back to zero. >> reporter: after he was cleared, no other blue truck with mismatch tires popped up. the case was all hands on deck in the beginning, that did not last, it was just what the family had feared the investigation started to slow down. a week after sonia went missing, only two of the officers remained on her case. byron rodburn, who had interviewed angusuk early on.

and brian -- one of the first officers at the scene, when her body was found. >> i thought they would assign one of the officers who were there a little longer, but when they said that i was assigned to that case, sonya sonya's's case, i was humbled. i felt honored. >> reporter: christina and tom were encouraged, because bryant was a friend. then almost immediately started feeling frustrated. he said right byrne, who worked days was not sharing any information with him, and he was stuck on the night shift not a great time to interview potential witnesses. >> after 3 am, after the bars close, i walk alone and i thought how am i going to work on this? >> reporter: eventually, he describes himself as a laid back type being, did something

very type a. i >> told my dispatcher [bleep] this, i'm tired of not knowing anything. i'm going to start the whole case over. i got the folder who had all the information. >> reporter: that review of the file, that was all in the middle of the night? >> yeah. >> reporter: maybe working the night shift was good for you? >> yes, and maybe not knowing anything was good for me to, basically i just thought while i'm going to do my job. >> reporter: in the case file was a hand written note about a tip that had not been checked out. >> i don't know when that note was right in, or who wrote it, but it was right in and i thought man, we got to look into this. >> reporter: a woman named florence i called in after hearing about sonya's death. saying she had important information. he decided that he would talk with florence, so nearly four

weeks after the vanishing he was back on the day shipped. he grabbed a tape recorder. and ralph -- . >> reporter: you sent this case in a whole new direction. >> i just gathered information. >> reporter: the witness's full name was florence harbors, she said the night that sonya disappeared she and her sister were on her porch smoking, when sonya walked right past them. they said that her sister knew sonya a bit so they all waved. florence also said she saw a car that night, and although she could not tell who was behind the wheel, it was clear that the driver had an eye on sonya. >> he started slowing down, slowed down -- >> reporter: the car drove off, only to reappear at the next corner where it intercepted sanya's path. florence was close enough to hear sonya's's voice.

>> she said what's going on? he started to roll his window down. >> she speaks with the driver, gets into the passenger vehicle and then they head that way, north. >> reporter: that is the direction of dredge five road, where her body was later found. florence said she looked at the time. >> i went inside and checked, because my sister had a watch. it was 1:26 a.m.. a little less than half an hour after sonya told timayre timayre peace out. so if florence's story was true, hers of the last reported sighting of sonya. that alone was significant, much more significant was this, according to florence it was not just any car that sonya ivanoff had gotten into, it was one that sonya had to have

recognized. coming up. >> someone with that kind of information, they have to be courageous to speak up. >> reporter: the tip that turns this case upside down. >> we had to essentially start the investigation over. >> reporter: gunfire on the tundra, he says, a shot rings out, and another one, all the officers are concerned, flipping on their lights, they are responding to the scene as quickly as they can. >> reporter: was the killer hunting a new target? when dateline continues target? when dateline continue or sharp, stabbing pains. ♪♪ this painful, blistering rash can disrupt your life for weeks. a pain so intense, you could miss out on family time. the virus that causes shingles is likely already inside of you. if you're 50 years or older, ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles. air wick.

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september 2003, as the fall chill settled into nome, ♪ d♪ ♪ >> reporter: september 2003, as the fall chill settles into nome, the investigation into who killed sonya ivanoff seems finally to be getting a little warmer. all because of a tip, that was nearly ignored. >> i thank god for cigarette

smokers who do not smoke in their house. >> reporter: the smoker was florence hasse, who had been outside at just the right moment to see sonya getting into a car. it happened right here, and it upended this investigation. not just because sonya got in the car, but because of what florence saw on the car actually, on the door. it was a decal. the decal said nome police department. >> the police officer stopped -- >> reporter: florence was called to the cops, about one of their own, could not have been easy to make. >> someone with that kind of information, they have to be courageous to speak up. >> reporter: right after that, you tell your chief, we cannot investigate this anymore eight points right back to nome pd. >> we need to let the troopers

know, to be transparent. they have deeper pocketbooks, and more manpower. >> reporter: and, they are not implicated in the murder. >> exactly. >> reporter: the nome police chief called in the alaska bureau of investigation to take over the case. tom and christina, did not know any of the details, but they definitely saw that the troopers had returned. >> there was people everywhere. >> reporter: one of the things that strikes me, you get the feeling you can drive to wine and of nome and the other and just a couple of minutes, it is a real small town. case officer eric burrows knew one thing, before he landed in nome that sonya's left very little infinite evidence behind. that made him. thank >> reporter: you thought your murderer was evidence of where. >> from the very beginning yes, because of the missing clothing. this is not a scene like in a hotel room, or bedroom where you

might expect to find somebody on clothes, this is out in the wilderness, the tundra. you take the clothing because there's transfer, blood transfer, fiber transfer. >> reporter: you get rid of the clothing because the murderer might have left something on it? >> absolutely. >> reporter: burrow's first priority was to find out who was driving the car that florence said it had seen. how many vehicles have a similar, look who is authorized to take out vehicles, take home when they are not on duty? >> they had three or four expeditions and they had they only had three so no one had a take home video. when there was a shift change, they might go pick up the officer at his house and bring him to work, transfer him that way. >> reporter: this investigation to suddenly everyone in no may potential suspected, two

officers that are on duty that night. >> correct, all we had was tire tracks, to now we have two suspects, and to credible witnesses. >> reporter: the two officers on duty were matt owens and -- each driving his own cruiser. owens had been on the force for about three years, and he was the officer who got up quickly when tom tried to hang sonya's photo. -- also had three years on the force and he was the officer that timayre described is not taking her seriously. >> we needed to, essentially, start the investigation over with. starting with the two officers, it was arranged for the two officers to come in for an interview, a polygraph. >> reporter: and then, before either officer could get to anchorage, one more strange thing happened in nome. one of the towns three police suvs,

disappeared. it was shortly after midnight on september 20, third when as sergeant noticed the cruiser called 3 to 1, was not at the police department. he radioed matt always, to see if he knew where it was. he said he did not. and, when he could not find it anywhere else. the sergeant called the chief. it was late september, when the sun here sets around nine pm, so they were looking in the dark for the stolen cruiser. >> reporter: pretty soon, there is a fairly large mobilization for nome, and that search leads here? >> yes. >> reporter: at 2:51 a.m., officer owens called in. >> he radios that he finds the vehicle, a place called the -- pit. it is a gravel pit. it is actually, just across the road from where sonya's body was

found. >> reporter: two minutes later he called the in again, this time urgently. he radioed shots fired. so now, all the other officers are starting to flip on their lights, and responding to the scene as quickly as they can. >> reporter: by the time the next officer arrived, everything was quiet. owens later recounted what happened. >> he says, a shot rings out, and then another one, and he runs off into the tundra. >> reporter: after the other officers arrived, owens came out of the pit and made his way up, and that is when he confessed something to the chief, something other officers would not half. he said he was really scared, and thought a lot about his four year old signed growing up without a father. he realized something, maybe he was not cut out for police work. they searched, but could not find any culprit. and, ominously they could not find the remington shotgun that was kept in the back of three

to wind. they did find broken glass, someone had thrown a rock through the driver side window. a csi did not find any fingerprints, or dna, but there was one obvious piece of evidence. underneath the broken glass on the driver seat, was an avalos for the cause. one more thing, it was from sonya's killer. coming up. >> as you can see it was easy for me to take your car keys, right there. it was not her fault, she thought i was a pig. >> reporter: inside that envelope, an ominous threat. >> you leave me alone, and i will leave you alone. i will also shoot you in the head if you get close. it's >> reporter: like something out of a movie. >> it is. >> reporter: when dateline continues.

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>> reporter: nome where the northern lights have seen strange sites. this among them. >> i watch every move you make. >> reporter: investigator eric burrows is reading from my notes found inside nome police unit 3 to 1. >> pigs! i hate cops! >> reporter: it is a message, apparently typed by sonya ivanoff's killer, and it is not a thank you note. >> you leave me alone, and i will leave you alone. i will also shoot you in the head if you get close. >> reporter: it's like something out of a movie. >> it is. >> reporter: the note suggested the killer had stolen a nome police vehicle the night of the murder, and used it to lure sonya to her dad. >> as you can see it was easy for me to take your paid harkey's right there. it was not her fault, she

thought i was a paid. she was just a person, and i just wanted to see if i could that night. >> reporter: if they know was not convincing enough, they author included proof, a souvenir of the murder. >> inside the envelope was a centrally, a sort of i.d. with sonya's picked her picture on. it >> >> reporter: learned that a theft of a police vehicle was not out of the realm of a possibility. what we found out was that they are not necessarily controlled. they could be left in front of the police department, unlocked, with keys in the ignition. >> reporter: at the same time he was skeptical of the note, and the story that it told. >> there is not that many officers in nome, everybody knows who they are. the evidence says that she leans into the vehicle, and talks with him like she knows him. >> reporter: if it is some unknown person who has stolen the vehicle, she is not going to react in that way, that she

was familiar with the person. >> correct, she would not have got in the vehicle willingly. >> reporter: burrows suspected the note, and 3 to 1 episode might be an attempt to take the heat off line or both of the officers who were on duty that night. matt owens and stan -- both scheduled to head to anchorage to be interviewed and polygraphed on august 24th, the day after the 3 to 1 incident. owens says he was shaken up by getting shot at, so instead of getting on a plane he went to see a therapist. that meant officer stan -- was the first to sit down with the abr. >> -- [inaudible] >>, i don't remember which one could've been a new expedition. >> reporter: investigators dug for details. >> do you remember anything that night from sunday the tantamount to the 11th,

anything that shift. >> that night we were busy. >> reporter: he said he handled a domestic violence call with matt owens, the suspect tried to fight the officers and he had to be pepper sprayed. >> after the fight, did that take up the rest of your shift, or was there anything else going on? >> i think that finished all the paperwork before the bar closed at 1:30, quarter to. >> reporter: remember, the eyewitness saw sonya get into a police car at 1:26 a.m.. >> stand says he was in nome pd, the main reports at the time of his disappearance's disappearance. >> reporter: that is verifiable? >> as verifiable as you can with what is right in the dispatch log. >> reporter: he said that he had not killed sanya and that he did not see her that night. >> who else could have done this, besides yourself.

>> the other officer no officer. >> reporter: meaning it was no one at the nome pd. >> reporter: five days later matt owens made the trip to anchorage. >> how is the? flight >> it was a little, rafah little turbulence. >> reporter: as they had with -- a.b. i investigators asked him about the night that she was seen getting into a police car. >> i want you to write down your shift from august 10th to 11 for me. >> reporter: his recollection of the night that she disappeared was not that different from -- , he said it was just another night in nome, some patrolling, some paperwork, and the domestic violence call that they went into that turned into a brawl. >> he hit me upside the jaw, a pretty dim hard. and i am trying to restrain him. >> reporter: like -- , he said they brought the suspect to jail, and then went their separate ways. >> do you know what time that

was? >> reporter: it is in the dispatch log sir. >> reporter: he said he went out on patrol, barr closes around two a.m., around later he drove -- home, and then returned to the police station. >> just walk back, and was going to sit down and write a report, and heard what sounded to me like a gunshot. >> reporter: he said he went back out and patrolled nome for about an hour, trying to figure out where the gunshot sound came from. he could not find it. then dispatch sent him on a call, and then he came back to the pd. at seven a.m., when his shift ended, he said he picked up the sergeant. >> pick them up, drove to my house, i got out he got in the driver seat. >> reporter: nothing that always said put him anywhere near sonya ivanoff. even so, -- >> did you pick up sonya when you're on duty that?

night >> she never been in my patrol car, or anything like that? we are not the ones that are doing this. >> reporter: both officers stories lined up, both maintained their innocence. investigators felt certain, that one of them was lying. coming up. on august 11th, 2003, did you give sonya ivanoff a ride in a patrol car? in august of this year did you shoot sonya ivanoff. >> reporter: two officers put to the test, which one was telling the truth? when dateline continues when dateline continue mptoms? it may be time to see the bigger picture. heart failure and seemingly unrelated symptoms like carpal tunnel syndrome, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeat could mean something more serious, called attr-cm a rare, underdiagnosed disease

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join the millions of people taking back their privacy investigator: you need a drink of water or anything or a break? josh mankiewicz (voiceover): officer matt owens didn't ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ta >> reporter: denaturing water. >> reporter: officer madeleine's did not know, it but while he was talking to the av i anchorage, eric burrows was checking him out vatican nome. what >> reporter: was his reputation with the pd? >> his reputation was, that he did not necessarily follow the rules. they felt he would do the right thing in a tense situation, with shots fired. he would be adequate for backup. he did not always do the right stuff, but was an okay guy. burrows also learned that he liked the night shift, and requested to stay on it.

and, on those night shifts he likes company. he would often bring a friend with him for an unauthorized ride along. >> speaking to owens on multiple occasions, about not doing that anymore. >> reporter: did that seem to make any difference? >> no. >> reporter: burrow said her that owens like to pick up women, and after interviewing some of them he seem to be using his patrol unit like a dating app. >> reporter: we're talking about women in the vehicle as a ride along, but it's really more than that right? they are not just of serving the scenery. initial information >> that we had was that he was having sex with them on duty. >> reporter: the stories you heard, the women were doing this willingly? or he was using -- his standing or to coerce them. >> probably being done with

under their volition. some of the women in his patrol car walking a ahead of ron. the story that persists were not complete strangers. sonya worked nights at the hospital. >> reporter: so if you were to bring in somebody that needed to get stitched up. >> questioning owens.

sonya it's a person you would know if you saw her on the road? was she a complete stranger to you? >> she is somebody, i know who she is. >> reporter: oh wins and made it that he knew sanya from the hospital, but said that was all . >> -- there wasn't interest down, there i would go up to that air station and say hey can you -- , i only spoke -- words to the girl in my life. >> reporter: he also admitted that he brought civilians on ride-alongs. pick up women or meet women, or give people a ride? >> no, that is definitely not unusual to give people a ride home. both male and female. >> reporter: it was not the man, that the av i wanted to know about. >> if somebody come up and said that they know that you have picked up girls before, on duty, and you are picking up

girls and having sex with them. >> on duty? >> [bleep] that would be crazy. i am not going around to picking up women. >> not even wants? >> not that i know of, i don't remember one single time. >> reporter: the interview is really part one. in turn, press coy and owens were each strapped to the polygraph. >> is your last name owens? >> reporter: then came the money questions. >> on august 11th, 2003, did you give sonya ivanoff a ride in your patrol vehicle? >> in august of this year did you shoot sonya ivanoff? >> no. >> thank you matt for going through the. >> see what it tells you. >> reporter: what, do you suppose that would be?

coming up >> there even females i have given rides to you, yes. >> reporter: more questions for officer always about the women in his patrol car. >> why do we need to talk about my sex life? >> my sex life does not happen -- . >> reporter: and those gunshots on the tundra? does any part of the story about getting shot at make any sense to you? >> no. >> reporter: when dateline continues. reporter: when datee continues. y. it's tough to breathe and tough to keep wondering if this is as good as it gets. but trelegy has shown me that there's still beauty and breath to be had. because with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open and prevents future flare-ups. and with one dose a day, trelegy improves lung function so i can breathe more freely all day and night.

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stan piscoya and matt owens, the two known police officers on-duty the night sonya ivanoff was murdered, stan pesquera and matt collins -- the two known place officers on duty that night sonia ivanoff was murdered, had both agreed to be polygraph. >> fly to encourage, does an interview with you guys, takes a polygraph and is cleared. >> that's clear. >> that left owens. >> how does owens do in the polygraph? >> he failed. >> you can pass those polygraph. [bleep] >> the mood in that room changed. investigators read owens his rights. >> you have the right to remain silent. you understand the? >> owens continued to say he had nothing to do with sonya's murder. and he did admit he'd given rise to other women.

>> females, yeah. >> investigators saw a pretty clear pattern of behavior that matched sonya's disappearance. owens did not. >> he didn't understand by that looked exactly the same to you? >> he said, what does my sex life with women have to do anything to do with getting in a vehicle? >> why is my sex life a part of this vest investigation? why do we need to talk about my sex life? >> your sex life is pertinent. >> my sex life does not have an issue. >> owens also denied having anything to do with the theft of vehicle 3 to 1. >> that cop car? >> absolutely don't trigger that. >> does any part of the story he tells about finding that police vehicle and being shot at make any sense to you? >> now. it doesn't. >> brake lights are my flash,

if some was pressing on the brake pedal. within a minute, you are down behind the vehicle. the tailgate and the shotgun is missing. >> someone stop the vehicle immediately, got out, got the shotgun. and there aren't? >> right. training police officer has done, this is not a normal situation. this is a dangerous situation. >> come up on the driver side, checking garage pits? >> not exactly. >> he doesn't clear the vehicle, he doesn't pull out his flashlight. he doesn't pull out his firearm. even though he says he just saw brake lights. >> which would be standard protocol? >> absolutely. >> burrow says that what else he claims after being shot at also makes no sense. >> he runs off into the tundra. there's all kinds of abandoned equipment, rocks, piles of gravel in the immediate area, great for taking cover and really turning fire if necessary. >> still, no matter what

investigators believed, they needed proof. and they didn't have it. >> he's not facing any charges? >> not at this point. >> owens had not been charged with any crime. you've been so, his life was in free fall. he returned here to nome, but not to work, the police department have put him on administrative leave. he was in the middle of a messy divorce and a costly battle for his four-year-old son, and living in a friends spare room. more portly, owens was the prime suspect for the biggest murder case that nome had ever seen. the ebi continue to investigate. they spoke to his soon ex-wife, who mentioned a phone call from matt. >> owens calls his ex-wife. he has their son and he says he needs to drop off their son because there is a missing girl. he has to go into work early and it doesn't look good. >> she said the date of the call was easy to remember. because it was august 12th,

owen's birthday. as for the time, she said it was before she left work, around 4:30. >> at that point, when he makes that call, sonia hasn't been reported missing it. >> yes. >> the walls were closing in. burrows heard from a woman he spent time with, who said that he wanted her to leave alaska soon with him. the ap i wasn't going to let that happen. october 25th, 2003, two and a half months after sanya ivan off was killed, met owens was arrested for her murder. the next morning, tanya and christina went for his arraignment. >> we weren't prepared for anything we got. >> which was what? >> man, we met with hostilities. >> because a police officer has been arrested for murder and people are angry at you? >> they were angry.

he didn't do this. >> officer says it was members of his mostly white church who spoke up on his behalf. >> they had their opinions and voiced them. they weren't afraid to voice their opinions. the lack of respect on their part was easy to understand if you are native. >> for timber and, just out of high school one his friend was killed, a woman's arrest was stunning. >> you instantly recognize that name? you knew him? >> i mean, i know him as a police officer. >> did that make any sense to you? >> no. it didn't. i was confused because these guys are supposed to help us. they're supposed to protect us. they're supposed to be the ones keeping us safe. >> two days after his arrest, meadows was fired by the nome pd. it wasn't long before some of the women from nome came forward to say that for quite awhile matt owens had been doing the opposite of

protecting and serving. coming up -- now, we start getting a different set of women coming forward, they want to say something. because they felt safe. >> these are women who were in the patrol car, not by their own choice? >> that's correct. >> new accusations and -- new evidence. >> we start digging, literally, we treat it like panning for gold. >> what would investigators find? when dateline continues. nd? when dateline continues. looks right. nooo... nooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty absorbs spills like a sponge. and is 2x more absorbent so you can use less. bounty, the quicker picker upper. [music playing] and is 2x more absorbent so you can use less. today, you can give a gift like no other. a gift that can help st. jude children's research hospital save lives. i think it's the most worthwhile place to put your money when it comes to childhood cancer. if it weren't for st. jude, i wouldn't be sitting here today.

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i'm richard louis with your hours top stories. the u.s. launched air strikes on friday against syria and iraq. they were used by iranian forces and iranian-backed militants. the attack was the first of a series of retaliatory strikes in response to the killing of three u.s. soldiers in jordan last sunday. fulton county d.a., fani willis, acknowledge having a personal relationship with special prosecutor, nathan

wade, on friday. donald trump sought the removal from his georgia election interference case, but willis argues the relationship does not mark disqualification. now, back to dateline. t mark d. now, back to dateline. ♪ ♪ ♪ the arrest of officer matt owens shocked many citizens of nome. by no means all of them. maybe i investigators soon began hearing troubling stories about owens long nights on patrol. >> now, we start getting a different set of women coming forward who want to say something because they felt safe. >> these are women who wound up in his patrol car? not by their own choice. >> does cracked. in one case, one of them was arrested and then he sexually assaulted her. it could have been arrested or just, like, hey, do you need a ride to your home? he's on the grave ship, the middle of the night. >> owens denied the sexual's

assault allegations, including those from a woman who says that after he forced her to have sex, owens told her, no one will believe a drunk alaskan native over a police officer. here's the really awful thing -- owens may actually have judge the situation accurately. the six women who came forward after his arrest told stories that ranged from stalking to rape. one said she had gone into the place department to file a complaint. another said she mentioned owens behavior to someone else at the pd and nothing ever happened. >> eric burrows was running a murder investigation with a lot of missing pieces. for example, investigators found the shotgun front unit 3 to 1, but got no usable forensics from it. and the cruiser itself, no dna that would connect owens to the theft or to sanya. they hadn't found the clue that sonya was wearing that night she died or the weapon used to

kill her. and each minute saying piece was a problem. >> when you are conducting investigation, i describe it like this. imagine you have three or four jigsaw puzzles and they are all the pieces thrown into a box. you don't have any idea what the picture is. you're trying to grab all of these pieces and you hope you can get enough of the right pieces to make a picture that everyone can see and understand him. >> the hunt for missing pieces sent burrows and his team to an actual hunting camp called coffee creek. 70 miles north of nome. matt owens was known to go there. >> he was observed burning some gloves that were virtually new. >> burrows wondered if owens torched his gloves, what else could be found there? >> we start taking up in the fire pit, literally, we treated like plant panning for gold and we had some water, we put some ashes in a bucket, swirl it

around and get rid of the ashes and see what we can see. i found an islet to issue. >> where that laces go through? >> with the laces go through. it had obviously been in the fire, it was crowded, but i could make it out. >> sonia was wearing sketchers? >> she was wearing sketchers shoes the night she disappeared. >> they moved the entire ash pit two nome and went through it for days. the result? more highlights from sketchers. metal parts from a bra and a metal button with a local tilt and burrow's turn to christina for help. >> he came over to the house and showed me a picture of stuff they had found in a fire pit. >> could you identify any of that stuff? >> i did. they were the brown jeans mr. war. >> presumably, anyone could have burn stuff there? it doesn't have to be met owens. >> it's not the smoking gun evidence that says, matt, this

is yours. >> then, in the same burn pit, they found a key. it could be connected to owens. it was for his uncles post office box. a hunt for the murder weapon was equally painstaking. >> we knew from the autopsy that the bullet was a 22 round. >> which means is from one of several possible guns? >> right. >> at the crime scene, investigators cut back the plants. >> we found the bullet casing, or the shell. >> which told you what? >> it's an automatic, as opposed to revolver, where it's going to stain the weapon. >> that narrowed down the list of it. nome police officer, read, burn subjected that investigators look for the gun in the nome police evidence room. >> so, we go up to the nome pd evidence room, the evidence locker, in the evidence room keys, and surgeons mailbox, anyone can get it. >> anybody could help

themselves to anything in the evidence room and not get caught? >> as long as they get into the place department, yes, essentially. >> in evidence, they found this. a jennings 22. >> firearms analysis gave us a list of guns, a jennings 22 was one of the guns on the list. >> was it possible owens or someone else had secretly borrow the gun and then replaced it after the houston to commit a murder? that was possible, yes. however, it was hardly, forgive me here, a smoking gun. no friends explained matt owens to the jennings and the service weapon it wasn't a 22. investigators did manage to tie up one loose and, the truck with the mismatch tires. >> so, this guy and his girl just happened to park out here because they needed to answer nature's call. and they are, what, just a few yards away from sonya's body?

>> correct. >> it was entirely unrelated to that letter. while investigators were working the case, matt owens was working on bail. >> officer matt owens is locked up on a murder charge. and gets bail. >> ridiculous. telling 3500 people. >> it was sickening. >> after two months in jail, oh it's got what he wanted, supervised release. he also hired a respected and aggressive attorney and began to prepare his defense. >> this isn't reporting. this is harassment. we let you take a picture, now beat it. >> coming up -- >> we were working the night on he was murdered, right? >> officer owens takes the stand. and that defense points at someone else. >> he has obvious and huge motive. >> was the ron cut on trial? when dateline continues. datel. shrimp. r

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vicks vapostick. when sonya stepped into that patrol car that night, it was like she was stepping into her own coffin. sonya stepped into that patrol car and it was like she was stepping into her own coffin. >> the trial of former known pleas officer, matt owens, began on january 18th, 2005. 17 months after sonya ivanoff's murder. investigators assembled evidence like pieces of a puzzle. now, it was prosecutors job to show the finished picture to

the jury. he put out nearly 70 witnesses, playing out a circumstantial case against a man who wants trusted a badge. there was matt owen's call to his wife about a missing woman. before sanya was reported missing. his incredible story about finding 321, and how owens had apple time to kill sonya and cover his tracks. >> on the morning that sonya died, the defendant is unaccountable for over five hours. timayre testified about the last time she saw her best friend. >> when you, left julie together? >> yes. >> three witnesses testified they had seen sonya passing by on foot that night. chasing her path from the time she left timayre and until -- saw her get into a police car. >> where was sonya when the

window came down? >> the passenger side. >> what was the strongest part of your case, do you think? >> coffee creek. >> where owens was seen tossing gloves into a burn pit. >> they went through it and they came up with physical evidence. >> the jeans but, and the sketchers eyelids. and the key linked to matt owens. after the [inaudible] the defense tried to put it down. owens attorney called the witness who said he saw sanya speeding pass in a blue pick up on monday night. half a day after the prosecution's timeline had her dead. i had gone down to subway, when we went in the door, there is a missing person on the door. it struck me, that look like a girl that was in that pick up. >> and you said, no one will make me say it was her. >> i don't know if i said it that way. but i won't say it was her. i've already pointed that out.

i said, yeah, i wasn't 100 percent sure that it was her. >> under cross examination, the states firearms expert admitted the gunfire in the evidence room was probably, but not absolutely the murder weapon. as for the mail box from coffee creek, the defense put on the mailbox owner, who said owens never had a key. that, staring down the barrel of a murder charge, matt owens took the stand in his own defense. >> we were working the night sami was murdered, right? >> he told the jury his ex wife had her dates wrong. his call about the case was a week later than she thought. he did acknowledge and interests in sanya. he had admitted looking her up on the police computer. >> i think from day one, when he had a sonya's name run by the dispatcher, she was a young, attractive girl. i think he wanted to know about her. maybe something could happen. >> on the witness stand, owens

admitted he had run sanya's name, just to make sure she was of legal drinking age. >> that was a matter of curiosity because you can see her in the bar. she wasn't at the bar in the time. >> there is a disagreement the officer and i thought about her age. >> the sex-based allegations to the six women who came forward were all ruled inadmissible. owens don't have to answer for them at trial. under oath, villains is a stud that he didn't kill sanya ivanoff and he had nothing to do with 321. his attorney presented an ultimate theory of the case. a cop may have killed sonya. but it wasn't meadowlands. the defense suggested that officer red burn should have been a suspect. >> and who wasn't communicated and coordinated in the ivanoff case? >> he was the one who thought the murder weapon maybe found

in the evidence room. >> a motive, the defense argued, to frame that once. argued, to frame that once. matt owens. what ride burn carried a grudge about that he said. and he was even angrier, because a winds was having an affair with haradburn's daughter. >> he is furious about the relationship with jennifer. >> reporter: the defense did not offer any solid evidence pointed to a red burn. and in case, the jury did not find him to be a convincing suspects, the jury offered they original one for good measure. >> who does she have relationships with that could lead to homicidal action? well angusuk comes right to mind. >> reporter: in his closing g argument, prosecutors told -- was matt owens and only matt always. >> i have heard the case, of a

cop who was killed. >> reporter: after more than 40 hours of deliberation, the judge called everyone back to the court room. >> counsel, i received a note from the jury which reads the h jury is deadlocked, and cannot reach a unanimous decision. >> reporter: the judge declared a mistrial. matt owens walked out the door, while sanya's parents hearts eight. >> it's hard. to go through a second trial was hard. something, you do not want anyone to go through. >> reporter: after the trial, oh and so tierney's asked for a change of venue, and so when the second trial began. seven months later. it wasn't a plane ride above the arctic circle. >> the person who was a virtual

carbon copy of the first. trial no telling if it will result in an identical outcome. then after prosecutors and defense put on its witnesses eric burrows got a phone call about new and possibly explosive evidence. >> you had never heard? that >> never had heard. that >> reporter: he relayed the new information to the prosecutor. he said, you need to get on a plane and you need to go down to nome. ice and we've already arrested, what are we going to do with this? >> you let me ithandle that par you do your investigative part. >> reporter: coming up. >> it was one of those jaw- dropping moments. the race is on to find a crucial new witness. >> reporter: then, tears in the courtroom. this time, there would be a verdict. t. when dateline continues when dateline continue ice works fast.

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switch today! investigator eric burroughs hurried back to nome, ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: investigator eric burrows hurried back to nome, trying to gather new evidence in the last moments of a murder trial. he knew he faced long odds. but he also nome gave him one big advantage. nome it's a small town, sometimes it seems that everyone dose every.

wind take officer brian -- he was friends with sonya's family, also the first to uncover evidence that a police officer might have been involved in her murder. cheering on one second trial, -- chatting with a neighbor and the neighbor told him something potentially explosive about matt owens. >> he asked, did it ever come up at trial that charlotte -- salma sonya's i.d. in matt's bedroom? it was one of those jaw moments. >> reporter: -- had rented a room, after his wife split. burrows believed that charlotte was talking about the same gym card found in police car 3 to 1 it. could tie a wins to the murder, and the subsequent cover-up. if true, that could be huge for the prosecution. that is, if the judge will allow it into evidence.

>> reporter: i mean it is third- party hearsay right? >> yes. >> reporter: burrows had to trace the new information back to its source. he first spoke to officer -- across the street neighbor a guy named -- >> it came up that she had seen in the area, where math was in the house. yeah she saw a woman's wallet, and sonya ivanoff's i.d. card. >> reporter: crucially important was when she saw sonya's i.d.. meaning, both for sonya's pool i.d. showed up on the seat of car 3 to 1. >> reporter: you have to go find charlotte, and get her to repeat it on the stand. >> ultimately yes. >> reporter: they were old family friends of owens,

worried that charlotte would just deny everything, so he obtained a warrant. >> well charlotte, i may have opened my mouth and spoken out of turn -- >> reporter: which allowed him to recorded a phone call from nearly -- to charlotte. the conversation that i >> you are concerned that you had seen, along with matt's other stuff you had seen sonya's i.d.. my recollection is i'm going to go tell the lawyers today. >> reporter: charlotte says she never told anyone but nearly, because she thought she had seen in the paper that the cops already had the i.d.. >> i don't think any more about it than. >> reporter: here is what is crucial, she did not deny seeing the i.d.. the prosecution asked the judge to put charlotte on the witness stand, and the judge agreed. except, just as burrows hide feared, when charlotte testified -- >> did you see mr. owens with

any identification of sonya ivanoff? >> reporter: >> reporter: she denied everything. >> did you see him with a wallet ? >> no. >> reporter: so the prosecution played the tape of the conversation, then the attorneys laid out their arguments. >> she got into a nome patrol car, driven by the defendant. >> this is the wrong man, the wrong cop. >> reporter: once again, the case went to a jury. this time, there was a verdict. >> we the jury duly sworn, find defendant matthew owens guilty of murder in the first degree. >> reporter: for sanya's family there were tears, not quite of joy, but maybe of relief. >> we're happy we got the guilty verdict, of a cold blooded killer. >> reporter: investigator

burrows believes that always had his eye on sonya for a while. when he saw her walking alone that august night he thought, now is my chance. >> he gets her to get in the vehicle, like he has done with so many others. he probably starts proposition- ing her about sacks. somewhere in there she says not only no, but i am going to tell. >> reporter: matt owens picked the wrong victim. >> she was outspoken, if you made her mad she would tell you. >> reporter: whatever oh inside planned, she was not going to just sit there and suffer? >> no, no. >> reporter: oh wince was sentenced to 101 years in prison. he would not speak in-camera, but in a statement sent by his brother told us that he did not kill sonya ivanoff, and denies a key in engaging and stalking rogue using women in any way. he also said that he could not get a fair trial in the nome area.

ever since the murder, her story has echoed through nome. michael -- is the police chief there now. when he arrived in 2018, he had never heard of matt owens or the murder of sonya ivanoff. that changed quickly. >> we went to a city council meeting, and we had people standing up telling about how they did not trust the police department. that they remembered that a police officer had murdered and alaska native lady in town. i thought that we had a lot to gain the trust of these folks. >> reporter: not only did he have to overcome that history, he took over the department of a dismal record of handling sexual assaults. an internal review found 460 open cases open in gnome mostly relating to native women. moving to a new building, he says it's a new agency to, one

that knows they have to serve all of the people of nome. there is a full-time investigator focusing on sexual assault, and a native alaskan advocate. although no natives are sworn officers, he says he wants to change that. like the people in nome who have never forgotten sonya's story. christina and tom, also have trouble trusting. they raise their children with warnings. >> to be very cautious, with anybody. >> reporter: including police officers. >> my message is evil comes in different forms, you always got to watch out. >> reporter: he timayre says that she is still haunted. >> i had to stop going to college, because any police, anyone in uniform scared me. i did not know who i could trust. >> reporter: she has moved back to unalakleet, she feels a

little safer there. even so, you do not get over losing your best friend. you have some guilt about this, don't you? >> yes. [crying] [crying] i think, what if i would have just stayed with her. we should have just walked home together. >> reporter: you said it yourself, you felt safe, she clearly did to. i mean, this is not on you. >> reporter: >> it is just something that i really regret [crying] . >> reporter: >> reporter: you did not do anything wrong here. [crying] >> thank you. >> reporter: let's go get some more action >>. >> reporter: sometimes timayre takes herself back to the before times. when she and sonya were both alive and carefree. >> she brought that camera on a

lot of boat trips. >> reporter: she watches, and rewatches, the one tape that she still has. >> she was tall, and beautiful, and made everybody laugh. >> she was a loving and caring person. goofy. she had a big heart. and we sure do miss her. >> sonya where did you go? ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ hello, i'm andrea canning, and this is dateline. when >> reporter: they danced on their wedding day as beauty