problems. you had the proliferation of the high powered weapons. you had crack cocaine hitting the streets. all the forces had a tremendous homicide rate and the officers were overwhelmed. >> reporter: and now, the cops had their hands full with a heinous crime in the san fernando valley. sherry ras sympt amprassmussen in her home and then, a few weeks later, a possible lead. former crime scene investigator, yolanda mclarry was a consultant for nbc news. >> in the same vicinity, another woman was approached at her residence by two males at gunpoint, and involved a home invasion situation robbery. so, police early on thought the it was a possibility the two men may have something to do with the murders. >> reporter: a sketch was released of the two men. but still, detectives had no