Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20240622

Imagine, your mother a fugitive, your father a stranger. Your home, your name, your past was any of it real . The first thing i felt, just pit in my stomach. I just felt like it was my fault. A mothers crime. A fathers pain. What kinds of emotions did it stir up when you would see that crib . It would just make me cry. A daughter forced to face the shattering truth. I was shocked and i was just terrified. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Andrea Canning with finding savanna. In 20some years, will i recall how you tucked and curled against my neck and chest . Reporter a fathers love. Harris todd once tried to put it into words. In 20some years will i recall how i often held you long after you had fallen asleep, listening to you breathe . Reporter tried to express what it meant to cradle his baby daughter savanna. And you, what will you remember of these wondrous days as a baby girl along with your old father whose entire life you now are . Reporter back in 1994, harris could not imagine that these wondrous days would abruptly end. That the next 20 years would turn a fathers love into a fathers nightmare . Losing you took most of the life out of me. And sometimes i feel like im already dead and just havent fallen over yet. Reporter it all began in charleston, south carolina, when harris, a financial advisor, met a beautiful Flight Attendant named dorothy lee barnett. Everyone knew her as lee. Reporter when shes at her best, shes a very vivacious and attractive and alluring person. Very lively and interested in a lot of things. She was very outgoing, very friendly. She lived life to its fullest. Reporter patty roth was a fellow Flight Attendant and one of lees best friends. They had traveled the world, but patty said lee ultimately wanted a conventional life. Lee and i both wanted marriage. We wanted children. We wanted animals. We wanted the picket fence. Reporter harris thought that he could build that life with lee, but early in their relationship he noticed some problems. He said she was overly emotional and sometimes quick to anger. Still, he thought love would conquer all. I suffer from the misconception that i can fix things. That i can make things better. Reporter they married in december 1991. But within months, harris said, it became apparent that his fixing skills were no match for lees behavior. I mean, i never knew what was going to face me when i came through the door after work. And it could be nothing, and it could be nothing but screaming and yelling and throwing pots. Reporter things got so bad harris told lee he wanted a divorce. He said, lee told him that she was pregnant. Everything fell apart when she told him that she was pregnant. Reporter patty said what actually made the marriage go sour was harris refusal to have children. He wanted her to terminate the pregnancy, and that was just not an option for lee. It broke her heart. Reporter lee says that you didnt want her to have the child . Not at all true. I never said that. Not once. Reporter either way, the marriage was over. Harris left lee when she was still in her first trimester. And lee initiated divorce proceedings. When baby savanna was born in may 1993 she asked for full custody. I felt at the end of the lee would have her child. Harris would have visitations. Reporter but to everyones surprise, harris countersued. You decided you wanted full custody . From my point of view, i decided that before the baby was born. It was like a responsibility that i suddenly realized had, if you will, been thrust upon me. Reporter the fight for savanna turned into an epic battle. A family Court Showdown that became one of the longest and most contentious that charleston had ever seen. There will be mothers everywhere saying shame on him. How can he, you know, try to rip that baby from her arms when shes still nursing. Shes built this bond. I wasnt trying to take her away from her mother. I just felt that i was the more stable parent. Reporter at the hearing, harris and others testified that lees behavior was erratic, sometimes violent. One psychiatrist testified that lee had a mood disorder. According to harris lawyer, graham sturgis, lees emotional outbursts were on full display in the courtroom. So much so that the judge had to take action. As the case wore on, it was clear that her level of anxiety and frustration rose until the judge required that a bailiff stand behind her chair with his hands on her shoulder to keep her seated. Reporter some people might say that she felt that her baby was slipping away from her. And that any mother might start to lose her mind a little bit in court. I think theres truth in that, but its also indicative of her inability to control her behavior. Reporter but on lees behalf, two other psychiatrists testified she had no mental or emotional disorders, and was a perfectly fit parent. And as for her allegedly manic behavior . Patty and other friends testified they had never seen it. I saw lee almost every day for a couple years, and i did not see any episodes like that. She was full of life. She had a lot of energy, absolutely saw no depression. Reporter after 2 1 2 weeks of acrimonious testimony, it was up to the judge. Harris was with the toddler when the phone rang. Savanna and i were in the yard, and it was a warm day, and she was barefoot walking on the grass. Reporter what do you hear on the phone call . The judge awarding me full and sole custody. Reporter harris was too emotionally depleted from the vicious custody battle to jump for joy, but he was surprised by what he suddenly felt. That overwhelming sense to protect and care for a child. I didnt anticipate the depth. Reporter were you feeling an intense bond with savanna at this point . Oh, tremendous. Id never been happier in my entire life. Reporter but lee was reeling from the verdict that allowed her to see savanna only every other weekend. The judge wrote in his ruling that the psychological and emotional problems experienced by the mother, if left untreated, will create conflict and havoc in the childs life. She was angry. She thought it was corrupt. Reporter babs mccambridge was lees friend and savannas babysitter. She went with lee to pick up savanna for a visitation weekend two weeks after the verdict and said she was horrified when harris handed over baby savanna. She had black and blue marks on her forehead. She had blood on her nose. Lee sat in the back seat with the waeb, and she was crying. And we went to the emergency room. Reporter did you ever harm virgin savanna . Heavens, no. She fell when she was with my mother at the house. Thats all it was. Reporter the emergency room report supported what harris had told lee. Savannas injuries were consistent with a minor fall. The e. R. Doctor wrote he found no signs of abuse. I mean, i would never have let a hair on that babys head be harmed. Reporter but lee was convinced harris was an unfit parent and refused to return savanna until harris forced her to do so by Emergency Court order. The situation seemed to stabilize for a time. But then came april 24th, 1994. A date harris would remember forever. Savanna had been with lee for a weekend visitation, and once again, lee failed to bring the baby back. But when harris went to lees home nobody was there. And then all calls were fruitless. Nothing turned up. Reporter was there a moment where you thought, im getting really scared here. I think that maybe my daughters not coming back . No, i didnt even imagine anything that horrible. Where had they gone . When we come back you have that just instant horror of where is she . A fathers misery would soon become a worldwide mystery. Im john walsh. 1yearold savanna lee barnett is missing. Did you worry that savanna could be in danger . Yes. Ill take those odds. Be unstoppable. The allnew 2015 ford edge. Like it used to . Ould bounce back new neutrogena hydro boost water gel. With hyaluronic acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. For supple, hydrated skin. Hydro boost. From neutrogena. Brandois heaven in a jar. Thats because our ingredients come from. Farmers committed to responsibly sourced oils. Blended with ingredients like cagefree eggs. Mmm. Heaven. Real ingredients. Thats how were working to bring out the best. Everyday, millions of amazing photos and videos are shot with iphone. Thats because the iphone makes it easy for everyone to shoot amazing photos and video. If its not an iphone, its not an iphone. Harris todds exwife lee had failed to return their baby daughter savanna after a weekend visitation. So he went to her house to get the baby back. But the house was not only empty, it was completely cleaned out. You have that just instant horror of where is she . Reporter harris immediately notified all missing childrens agencies. Since parental abduction of a child is a federal crime, fbi agent chris quick was assigned to the case. I wasnt thinking this was well thought out initially and that, you know, wed have this case resolved in a week, two weeks. Reporter did you worry that savanna could be in danger . Yes. Is she this woman whos really caring for her child and going to take care of her child . Or is this the woman who does harm to the child . Reporter if lee had family or friends who had any information about her whereabouts, they didnt volunteer it. So agent quick put a trace on their phones. Any calls from lee . No. The thing that trips up most people that are running from the law is not having that discipline to talk to old friends or going back to places that theyre familiar with. And as this case went on we realized that dorothy lee had that discipline. Reporter quick discovered that lee had inquired about a job in australia or south africa and that her mom owned a home in the Central American country of belize. So he put tabs on flights to those countries. They turned up nothing. Reporter did you assume that maybe she had changed her identity . Yes. Like a new license, maybe a new passport. Reporter lee seemed to have vanished without a trace. But out of the blue, a message appeared. Savanna and i belong together. And nobody besides god has the right to destroy that. We had found out five days or so after the kidnapping, relatives the and associates received a letter and a videotape from dorothy lee. And it states, to whom it may concern, i recently lost custody to my beautiful 9 1 2monthold nursing baby. This happened because of a truly evil person, b. Harris todd, and a totally corrupt family court system. Reporter now agent quick knew this child abduction was not a spur of the moment decision. Lee had a well thoughtout plan. I promise and swear on my life that i will continue to take care of my daughter. I will keep her safe. I will never allow anybody to harm her again. I mean, that was an attempt to embarrass and destroy me. But its not surprising. You know, she is building a case for whatever else, to justify what she did. I just hope you know that i love you. Reporter though he had nowhere to send it, harris made his own home video, a message to savanna. I just hope youre safe and clean and healthy out there wherever you are. Reporter it took a lot out of harris to shoot that video in savannas room. Every morning i would come in and wake her up, feed her, dress her, and wed head off. And you know, i couldnt bear to see the crib empty. Reporter what kind of emotions did it stir up when you would see that crib . Mostly tears. And it would just make me cry. So i left the id keep the door closed. When i walked down the hall, id just touch the door. That was about all i could do. Reporter but harris also began to take action. He wrote to john walsh of americas most wanted who recorded a Public Service announcement for him. Im john walsh. 1yearold savanna lee barnett is missing from isle of palms, south carolina. Reporter and he appeared on unsolved mysteries which dedicated an entire segment to his case. I wake up now every morning with a broken heart. Reporter harris tv appearances generated hundreds of leads. Those leads came from everywhere, anywhere from california, georgia, alabama. We would follow those up and try to determine if that was dorothy lee or the child. Nothing. Nothing panned out. April 24th, 1996. Youre gone two years now, which is unimaginable. I dont know how old youll be when you see this, if you ever see this. Ill be here for you whenever you do come back. Reporter then finally, four years into his search, harris thought that moment had arrived. Someone had seen a little blondhaired girl about 5 years old, walk into a Grocery Store in mexico. The woman who called in was there when the little girls mother came to the door and said, savanna, come on. You need to come home. Reporter coming up mexico . Private detectives are on the case. The lady said that, yes, the little girl comes in here by herself because her mother has bad headaches and doesnt come out sometimes for days. Reporter did that sound like lee to you . It did, yes. Had mother and daughter been found . Is greater than one. So go ahead, inhale life, excite your senses, seize the day and the night. Flonase. Six is greater than one. This changes everything. Every Auto Insurance policy has a number. But not every Insurance Company understands the life behind it. Those who have served our nation. Have earned the very best service in return. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Get an Auto Insurance quote and see why 92 of our members plan to stay for life. 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Because these kids will grow up with windows 10. Get started today. Windows 10. A more human way to do. So this is where i keep all the files and notebooks that ive amassed over the years. I have got everything in here from maps and letters and copies of everything. Reporter are there a lot of dead ends here, too . Oh, there are plenty of dead ends. Reporter but after four years of searching, harris todd thought hed found his daughter in a small town in mexico. Especially after a source gave a description of the girls mother. The lady said that, yes, the little girl comes in here by herself all the time to play games or whatever because her mother has bad headaches and doesnt come out sometimes for days. Reporter did that sound like lee to you . It did, yes. Mmhmm. Reporter harris hired private detectives to check out the lead. What was the report you got from the detectives . They found absolutely nothing. You know, they checked everything out. They went everywhere, and they never found the little girl, for that matter. Reporter perhaps lee and savanna had been there and left. Or maybe it wasnt them at all. Either way, it was another dead end. You run through the cycle of excitement and disappointment enough times and you just say, well, look, do you really want to put yourself through that again . Because theres a wealth of pain associated with this, and i can only dip into it so often and survive. Reporter how much do you think youve spent on your search . I spent everything i had and everything i could borrow. Graham sturgiss, my attorney, told me that i better quit spending enough money or there wouldnt be anything for her to come back to. Reporter fbi agent chris quick knew the chance savanna would come back was getting smaller and smaller. You were kind of grasping for straws. To some extent, youre right. Reporter must have felt cold . Oh yeah, definitely. Definitely. After the three or four years, its considered a cold case. Reporter harris tried to move on. Tried to fill that gaping hole in his life. One thing that helped, he said, was his niece, who was just three years younger than savanna. I spent an awful lot of time with her. I mean, from a very early age. I did homework with her every day. Would walk her to school, pick her up from school. Reporter did you think to yourself i should have been doing this with my daughter . Yeah, i thought about it. You know, when you go see your child in the thanksgiving play, you see them singing the christmas pageant. Well, i was watching my niece instead of my daughter. But i was thinking about my daughter at that time. Reporter time marched on. Harris continued working as a Financial Adviser at merrill lynch. He had a few relationships, but he never remarried. After ten years the fbi assigned a new agent, ed klimas, to the case, but nothing new turned up. I believe that the chances of success for this case were probably very slim at that point. That they had disappeared to a foreign country that we would never be able to locate them. Reporter about the only thing that changed were the images on the missing persons posters. From the baby harris had loved to a computer simulated image of a teen he barely recognized. If i die before i wake from this nightmare reporter hed stopped filming his messages to savanna long ago, but he wrote one last poem. And please do keep an eye out across the fields. Watch the end of the long driveway. Someday my daughter will be there asking for me. Reporter had you give up . No, but one has to face reality. I mean you just say, well, look, here it is. Shes 16. Shes 17. Shes 18. And you dont know where she is. So reporter perhaps the only sign that harris had not abandoned all hope was savannas room. It stood just as she had left it almost 18 years before. Then you get an email totally out of the blue. I did. Reporter what did it say . It said essentially, i have information about your daughter. But again i learned to temper my expectations over the years. Because the well had long since gone dry. So all of a sudden the bucket goes down again and this time it comes up and theres water in it. Coming up were you just floored . Completely floored. That mysterious email. Turns out someone else had been doing some detective work, too. They tracked you down. They told me, we feel like you have a right to know your daughter. At outback, steak and unlimited shrimp is back for just 15. 99 for a limited time. Try unlimited garlic herb butter. Or crispy shrimp for just 15. 99 and let the bold flavors. Speak for themselves with unlimited shrimp at outback just about anywhere you can use splenda®. No calorie sweetener. Splenda® lets you experience. The joy of sugar. Without all the calories. Think sugar, say splenda® a hamelted cheddarger, with crispy hash browns and an egg your way. Now thats a burg. explosion groans you want that to go again sweetie . The thing burger. Welcome to dennys. Fantastic 4, only in theaters. Looking for one of these . Yoplait. Smooth, creamy, and craved by the whole family. Almost 18 years had gone by since harris had seen his daughter savanna. So it was hard to comprehend the email that arrived in the Early Morning hours of november 27th, 2011. A single line that said id like to speak with you with regards to your daughter. Was there that little bit of hope . Oh sure. There always is. Reporter that maybe this is real . Yes, yeah. Reporter the email was from a couple living in a beach town on the Sunshine Coast of australia. They claimed to have known lee and savanna for more than 12 years. Harris immediately wrote back. Do you have any pictures . Anything that you could send me to corroborate this . Its a horrible thing to have to admit that i have no idea what my daughter would look like at reporter but you would know what your exwife would look like . I would. Reporter the photo arrived a couple of days later. And there was no doubt. That was his exwife, dorothy lee barnett. And there on the opposite side stood a tall girl, nearly a woman. Would that be savanna on the left . Hi, harris, the couple wrote, that beautiful girl on the left is indeed your daughter savanna. Were you just floored . Completely floored. You know, how wonderful is it to have a picture of your grown daughter, to just see, you know, how pretty she is and she had a big smile, and i could recognize my smile in her smile. Reporter i would just be staring at that photo constantly. I was at a loss for a while. I had to refrain from looking at it very much, because it was just too much after all these years. Reporter the couple told harris they had met his exwife and daughter in 1999. They knew them as alex and samantha. Lee was married to a South African named Juan Geldenhuys with whom she had a son. Although lee never spoke about her past, the couple had long suspected that savanna was not juans biological daughter. What did the couple tell you about how they had discovered this secret . You know, i think it was a gradual process on their part. Reporter the couple told harris lee and her husband divorced in 2008 and that recently they themselves had had a falling out with her. They had always wanted to know more about their friends mysterious past so they decided to do some investigating of their own. Lee had once mentioned that she had a home in belize. Armed with that, savannas birth date and other tidbits of information they had picked up over the years, they searched the internet and discovered lees secret. Theyre real detectives. I think so. Reporter they figured it out. They tracked you down. And then, essentially knowing the wrath that they would face if my exwife ever found out that they did it, they went ahead anyway. They told me, we feel like you have a right to know your daughter. Reporter harris gave the couples information to fbi agent ed climbs a. And now that they knew lees alias, the fbi was finally able to figure out how she had left the u. S. Without being detected. She had set her abduction plan in motion by getting a fake birth certificate about two months before taking savanna. Dorothy lee barnett goes to become fictitious person named alexandria maria canton. She went to texas to obtain a texas drivers license, then used the information from that to obtain a United States passport. What we learned was she had left the United States, went to malaysia, and then from malaysia went to south africa where she met geldenhuys. From there in 1999, she moved to botswana. In 2003, she moved up to new zealand. And then after a couple of years she moved to australia. Reporter an 18yearold mystery solved. In the movies, on tv, they find the person and they rush out to make the arrest. Storys over. Did that happen in this case . No. We had to get the state department involved. Department of justice involved. And we had to get a provisional arrest warrant that the australians would accept because we have to abide by their laws. Reporter harris wanted to fly to australia right away, but the fbi asked him to let bureaucracy take its course. Harris had waited 18 years. He figured he could wait a bit more. I think some people, though, may say that a real father would have gotten on that plane the moment he found out about where his daughter was. If id showed up in australia without any backup and run into my exwife or my daughter, i would have had no Legal Backing at that point. They could have caused, you know, an altercation. He could have been in trouble with the local authorities. Alexandria and Samantha Geldenhuys could have fled. And then wed be back to square one. Reporter a year passed. Then almost two. That was too much even for a patient man like harris. He bought his plane tickets and told the fbi he was going no matter what. You werent going to wait any more. I wasnt going to wait. And it just so happened that suddenly the paperwork went from the bottom of the stack to the top. Reporter harris determination may have forced law enforcements hand. On november 4th, 2013, two days before he landed in australia. Lee was finally arrested. She didnt appear surprised. She was very cordial. And she seemed to be very calm. So she expressed a willingness to talk to us. Reporter lee also asked if she could make a phone call to savanna. Coming up i couldnt fathom what was going on. An astonishing moment of truth for savanna. The first thing that popped into my head, does that mean that my dad isnt my dad . And her father. I kept thinking ill get to see her. Der our digestive system sometimes acts up. 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Opioids block pain signals, but they can also block activity in the bowel. Im really struggling to find relief. Ready to paint a different picture . Yes talk to your doctor about oic and prescription treatment options. I can do that when Australian Police and the fbi showed up at lees doorstep she didnt seem surprised. But her 20yearold daughter was about to receive the shock of her life. I couldnt fathom what was going on. It happened so fast that, you know, it keeps replaying in my mind. Reporter savanna, or samantha, as she knew herself, was away at college when her boyfriend brad handed her the phone and said her mom was on the line. She talked about that moment of truth with australias 7 network. And brad said, shes crying. And its not like mom to cry. Shes a very strong woman. So she said, look, im being arrested. And of course, i went, oh my goodness, you know . Id never expect out of anyone in the world my mom would have done anything. It was a brief conversation about how she was married previously in america and she conceived me with him, and then something became unsafe, and she just took me and ran. So the first thing that popped into my head, i said, does that mean dad isnt my dad . Reporter as far back as savanna could remember, Juan Geldenhuys had always been by her side. She believed he was her biological dad, something lee kept reinforcing. Mom would relay things, you know . Like, you sleep like your dad. Or you know, you look like your dad. So ive always grown up with that. Reporter but tragedy struck in 2011 when juan, by then divorced from lee, fell sick with cancer. The man savanna thought was her dad died just a week before lee was arrested. He fought very long and very hard, but it was inevitable. But im happy because the last words i said to him was i love you and the same with him. Reporter savanna said she had barely begun to mourn her fathers death when the news came that she was someone elses daughter. Ive never heard harris todd. Ive never heard savanna. I found out that i was biologically related to him, and hed been helping the authorities to find my mom and i. Reporter imagine finding out that your mom was an International Fugitive wanted by the fbi. Imagine realizing that you were living a life you were not meant to live. And savanna said it was a good life. I grew up in mainly cape town, south africa. And that was just great. We used to go down to a beach in cape town and just spend family. Moms very into going to the beach and having fun there. Reporter she remembered going to game reserves in botswana and competing in swim races in new zealand. I had a lot of friends. I had animals. I was educated. I had dancing. Did piano. I had a mom. I had a dad. I had a brother. I had a house. And i was given everything they possibly could afford. It was just it was normal. It was so normal. Reporter so normal. And, as savanna now discovered, so different from the chaos of her first year as a baby back in charleston. She scoured the internet for articles written in the u. S. About the life she never knew. Read about the custody battle. About how harris and others described her mom as mentally ill and violent. Ive never, ever seen anything like that in my entire life. Shes not got a mental illness. Shes not violent. You know, unless she did this whole 180 and changed her entire attitude, then thats not who she is. Reporter so who was the mother that savanna knew . The most important thing i think is her compassion and the ability to encourage anyone and everyone. Everything i am is because of the support, love and nurturing that i have had. Reporter she was afraid, she said, that with the revelation her mother was a fugitive, lees australian friends would abandon her, but they did not. Everyone stepped up and they said, what can we do, you know . I had about 20 People Living at the house trying to help me with everything. And you know . So it really, really shows that everything that shes given to them, theyre giving back to her. Reporter word of lees capture had reached charleston. Savanna was flooded with supportive emails and phone calls from lees former friends and from family. She had often wondered about her relatives in the United States, like her grandmother and her uncle. Now suddenly she was meeting them for what seemed like the very first time. Beautiful house and my beautiful granddaughter. Hello. Oh my goodness. Looks like her mommy did. Reporter now, the biggest reunion of all seemed like it was about to happen, too. Lee was in an australian jail fighting extradition back to the u. S. , and the man she wanted to keep away from savanna all those years was just a few miles away asking to meet his longlost daughter. The fbi interviewed my daughter, and they informed her of me. I was told that she was looking forward to meeting me. Reporter but savannas priority was to get her mom out of jail, not meet the man who helped put her behind bars. So i slept on it for a couple of nights, and i created an email. And i just said i appreciate everything, but right now i cant even sit down to eat, you know . So i appreciate him coming over. But im sorry, you know. Thats pretty much what it was. Reporter there would be no emotional meeting between father and daughter at least not in australia. If harris was disappointed, he didnt show it. Hed learned long ago to keep his emotions at bay. Was it heartbreaking for you that you went all the way over there and she wasnt ready to see you . No. Reporter but were talking about your daughter and seeing your daughter and hugging her and telling her, im your dad. Yeah. Well, i didnt give up on that. I was there for about a month. And it wasnt until the third week that i finally realized that that just wasnt going to happen. Reporter so harris flew home, wondering if hed ever see his daughter. After nine months in an australian jail, lee was extradited and flown back to charleston to face three federal counts of International Parental kidnapping and passport fraud. And hot on her heels was savanna, returning to the city of her birth. Going home to defend the mother who raised her and perhaps to meet the father she never knew. Emotionally, i think that its a decision i will make when im ready. Coming up at last. I need to see for my own eyes what kind of person he is. A moment 20 years in the making. When she came to the door, i held my hand out. I didnt know whether she wanted to shake my hand or not. Mum. Just tap it. I did Yo Gabba Gabba turn to roc® retinol correxion®. One week, fine lines appear to fade. One month, deep wrinkles look smoother. After one year, skin looks ageless. 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Or shes stolen a kid and no one knew whether i was safe or not. So first off, me coming back happy, healthy and grounded would have to raise some questions, you know . Reporter samantha has gone on record as saying she never saw anything wrong with her mom. She had a loving childhood. Great relationship. It really flies in the face of everything that we heard early on. Well, theres a saying. We dont know who discovered water, but were certain it wasnt a fish. And a lot of times you can be raised in an environment and not necessarily know what it was until you happen to get outside of that environment and look back in. Reporter savanna returned home to a big welcome as lees old friends gathered around to see her baby daughter all grown up now. To patty roth, lees close friend who had held savanna the minute she was born, and pattys daughters who would have been her friends. And to charleston, the beautiful city that could have been savannas home if life hadnt taken such a turn that ultimately led here, the charleston jail where her mom was awaiting trial. We dont know whats going to happen. Im looking forward to going to trial, to be honest. I think were going to give it all we got and thats all we can really say, right . It is. Thats it. So we can only hope. And she said to me, ive done this all for you and ive succeeded, you know. She doesnt care what happens to her. Reporter lees defense for what she did had not changed from the allegations she had made 20 years before, namely that harris had abused savanna that time when she picked her up with the bloody nose. Lead prosecutor Nathan Williams said he reinvestigated the incident but, like the original inquiry, found no evidence to support lees charge. The first doctor said there was no problem with it, they didnt think a Second Opinion was needed. The defendant in this case got a Second Opinion from their pediatrician, who said the same thing. And so there was an indication that she was looking for an answer that wasnt there. Reporter not only that, williams investigation revealed that lee had started to plan her escape even before she accused harris of harming baby savanna. We know contemporaneously, with this allegation of abuse that was unfounded, she was also getting false documents, false drivers licenses, false passports and setting the table to flee the country with her child. To try to rationalize it and claim that it was based on something that isnt true, to me, is a clear indication of guilt. Reporter dateline asked lee for an interview, but she declined. In the end, she pleaded guilty to all the charges against her. Savanna spoke at the sentencing. She began by giving her name. I didnt know which one to give. So i gave all of them. And i said, samantha mulga geldenhuys. I said savanna lee barnett, savanna catherine todd. And i spoke the truth. I spoke from the heart. I remember saying that she gave me every opportunity. And shes given me the most incredible life. Reporter the judge sentenced lee to 21 months in prison. What did you think should be the punishment for lee . Over a third of my life was essentially taken from me. The most important thing in my life. Even if my daughter disagrees with it, i think her mother deserved to spend more time in jail for what she did. If for nothing else than a warning to any other abductive parent. Reporter theres been a lot of claims of revenge, that you put on this facade of trying to find your daughter when it was really about finding lee and making sure she paid. No. Im not seeking revenge, not seeking revenge. All i wanted was my daughter, thats all. I love my daughter. And unfortunately, my exwife took her. And its not revenge to want my daughter back. Reporter the daughter harris lost 20 years ago had been in charleston for several weeks. Seemingly meeting everyone who had played a role in her past except him. But then a little after christmas, 2014, he got the email hed been longing for. Savanna wanted to meet. Just one rule, she said. No talk about her mother or the case. And no photos. Im not going to be ditching my mom by any means. But i wouldnt expect them to ever see each other again. But i need to have a mature, adult relationship and see for my own in my own eyes, and gauge myself what kind of person he is. Reporter harris happily agreed, and a few days later, here they were, father and daughter facetoface on the doorstep of the house that once was savannas home. When she came to the door, i dont know whether she wanted to shake my hand or not. But so i held my hand out. And she said, no, i want a hug. Reporter that must have felt so good when she said that. Oh, shoot, felt great. Reporter harris led savanna to what was once her bedroom, with its little wooden crib and baby toys. A place where time had stood still until now. To be honest, i was trying to make sure that i didnt fall apart. I didnt want to just stand there and cry or anything like that. Heres a daughter who remembers nothing about her father. Heres a father who remembers everything about his daughter and has longed for her for years and years. Well, its very hard to put those two things together. Its reporter its like two different worlds coming together. Right. You know, life is not like a hallmark movie. It was natural. No, there was no uncomfortable. There was no awkwardness. I think that im a naturalborn speaker. And it seemed to be that he is too. I learned very much a lot about him and my family on his side. And yeah, it was very pleasant. Reporter lee was released from prison in may and has to spend two years of probation in the charleston area. Shell have to build a new life in the u. S. As a convicted felon. She may never be allowed back into australia. But savanna returned there, to the place she calls home, to continue her college studies. Since her visit she has not been in touch with her father. But if there is anything that harris has learned in the last 20 years, it is that there is always hope. You know, my daughters her own person now. She can make her own decisions. And whether my daughter wants to contact me or not, she knows where i am. And she knows i want to hear from her, whatever happens. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Well see you again thursday 9 00, 8 00 central for datelines thursday night mystery. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, good right now at 11 exclusive vide carjackin he sus lsotries to kidnap two children in a bizarre im. Right now, exclusive voof an attempting carjacking. The suspect tries to kidnap two children in a bizarre car spree. They have the suspect, where are the victims . This all unfolded at a park in blossom hill neighborhood