Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20200427

Are 911 and there is no 912. [ sirens ] reporter th this is a moment that is going to change this nation. This is a moment that forges character. 9 11 was nothing compared to this. People come in, they get intubated, they die. The cycle repeats. We are new york tough. We are tough. You have to be tough. This place makes you tough. Were going to overcome this. And america will be the greater for it. Times square normally a manic mass of people, now almost to l totallydy voed of them. This is a city many of us feel we know, the one that they have sleeps. Now look at it. Once again, it is ground zero. This is going to be weeks and weeks and weeks. This is going to be a long day. And its going to be a hard day, and its going to be an ugly day, and its going to be a sad day. This is a rescue mission that youre on. The mission is to save lives. This hospital in queens, the site of an apocalyptic surge in one of new yorks poorest neighborhoods. The most powerful country on earth, overwhelmed. America went from just 15 cases of coronavirus in the last week of february to having the worlds highest number of deaths. Now tens of thousands of people. We saw that disaster unfold on the front line. It was a journey that started in new rochelle, a suburb of new york. The National Guard deployed, a containment zone established. But it didnt stop spring breakers, weeks later, flooding floridas beaches. Now its the horrifying numbers of the hungry that fill our screens. Millions out of work and in search of a meal. The specter of a 21st century great depression. Theres no magic bullet, no magic vaccine. Its our behaviors, each of our behaviors translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic. . The next selfdays to a week or so, well continue to see things go up. The next week is going to be our pearl harbor moment, our 9 11 moment. Its going to be the hardest moment for Many Americans in their entire lives. How quick and stark it was, the sight of a Field Hospital in central park. A tourist hot spot, now called the hot zone. At the start, hospitals couldnt find enough space for the sick. The city still cant find it for the dead. Its hell. Biblical. I kid you not. Covid positive. 303, receive, respond. Were on shift with captain a. J. Briones in yonkers. Hes a paramedic working seven days a week, and its nonstop. Everybody calls us the front line. But really, were the last line. Somebody whos really sick, you have to get there as quick as you can, but you also want to be safe. The thing that we talk about is, were 911. There is no 912. A. J. s team is getting three times the usual number of callouts because of coronavirus. These days theyre the first and sometimes the only Emergency Responders that go into peoples homes. Its an eerie feeling here. Were waiting outside. Hes gone inside to see the patient whos struggling with breathing. You get a real sense of just how much pressure, how much work these paramedics are having to do, often on their own. Theyre at risk. Theres every chance they too could get exposed to covid19. Back in new york city, we go inside brooklyns biggest hospital. An e. R. Thats become a war zone. Where theres a constant crush of covid19 casualties. So were now in the Critical Care area of the emergency department. Everyone thats in here today is here due to breathing problems. Almost uniformly all have coded. Were seeing such a large increase on a daytoday basis on the number of patients presenting in critical condition, requiring really all the resources that we have to provide in order to help them. Dr. Atan dickman says there are normally 17 beds in this room at maimonides Medical Center. Today there are 32 patients and the numbers are rising rapidly every hour. This pandemic demands more people, more space, and more staff willing to confront a lot more danger. So we have opened up new icus, new intensive care units, new medical units in order to accommodate for this increased demand of patients who are coming in so ill. Everywhere in the hospital is now effectively an intensive care unit. And theyre seeing every type of person in this ethnically diverse borough. This is an intense, demanding, and desperate atmosphere in here. The patients keep coming. And its not just the elderly, its the young too. And theyre all struggling. Its a daunting new frontier for medics. Even for the most experienced. Were obviously seeing a large number of critically ill patients. Yeah, some of the sickest patients ive ever seen in my whole career. Not only do they have coronavirus, they also have their diabetes thats out of control. So its particularly hard. And were learning how to do it. Its a very sharp learning curve. And an often brutal experience for those with existing Health Conditions. Really, the main effect that were seeing is a significant effect on impairing the lungs ability to provide the oxygen the body needs. Then it spreads. It affects the heart, it affects the kidney. Ultimately, unfortunately, oftentimes taking the ultimate toll. Throughout this crisis, there has been a shortage of personal protective equipment. Maimonides was well prepared. But across the city, supplies are on a tightrope. How concerned are you about the days, the weeks, the months ahead . I think were in for a significant period of seeing a lot of very, very ill patients. And this is going to put a strain on the system. We want to make sure that we have enough supplies, including ppe for the staff, including ventilators, highflow oxygen devices. At this time we do have sufficient supplies, but thats something that were monitoring very, very closely. Their work starts on the streets. Triage tents at the front for the living. Refrigerator trucks at the back to carry the dead. But here is where brave doctors and nurses work every minute, risking their lives so others can avoid that fate. America imposed travel restrictions on china pretty quickly. It has now tested more people for covid19 than any other country, too. But that aggressive screening didnt happen early enough. Regulatory hurdles, technical flaws, and lapses in leadership meant it spread undetected for weeks. President trump, meanwhile, has gone from skepticism to optimism to sounding the alarm. One person coming in from china, and we have it under control, its going to be just fine. Is this just like flu . Because people die from the flu. When you have 15 people and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, thats a pretty good job weve done. Its going to disappear one day, its like a miracle, it will disappear. This is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic. But this is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks. We took good care of every place. We didnt we didnt miss a trick. But could he have seen what was coming . Eric lipton and a team of journalists at the New York Times claim Health Officials concluded that it was time to move to social distancing back in the third week of february. But that recommendation wasnt made directly to mr. Trump then. There was a consensus that was reached among the medical advisers that the time had come to flip the switch and to go to whats called mitigation, which means, social distancing, closing schools, closing businesses, causing intentionally causing economic harm to the United States, which is something President Trump really didnt want to do. The time had come by the third week of february to make that difficult choice. Because you were going to save potentially 1 million lives if you did that. Trump was unwilling to do that until march 16th. That was a week or two late for places like new york, michigan, massachusetts, new jersey, connecticut, louisiana. Places where there are more deaths than there needed to be, if the United States had switched to mitigation sooner. How can i help you . Small groups, yes. If you just give me a call to let me know when youre coming, because we are a little busy and i want to make sure somebody is here to sit down and speak with you properly. Gerard neufeld funeral home was at the heart of managing the mounting death toll, and it still is. Demand is just unfortunately a lot of deaths all at the same time. So were trying to manage services for all the families in a proper way, whatever they want to do. So its just a lot of families all at the same time. So were trying to get fit in schedules, trying to keep track of whos you know, which day which familys going to go, and go from there. People are unfortunately passing away in big numbers. Because they live in this area, and im the only funeral home left in this area, theyre coming to me. So so im trying to accommodate them best i can. And every day, more and more bodies come . Yes. Yes. I mean, we left the office last night, and i think we had about 12 services or so scheduled. And shortly after i left the office, within two hours, i had three more services. And then this morning, as soon as we came in, we put on three or four more services. So thats whats happening. And its only 12 00. Robert lugo has just lost his grandmother, anna. Her family suddenly robbed of the chance to grieve together. My grandmother died alone. That was my grandmother. She died alone. We didnt ever get to say bye to her. And i understand thats part of the death process but she was there, she was in the hospital, she was feet away. We couldnt even see her, we couldnt talk talk to her, we couldnt even give her a boost of morale to say, hey, you know, youre going to come out of this, or we need you to come out of this. Like there was nothing. What would you say to those people who dont think coronavirus is a serious threat . If you dont think that its a serious threat, here i am. I lost my grandmother. And im in the midst of less than a week. Roberts family had just celebrated her 80th birthday. They call her the glue. Now they, too, are infected. She was exposed to the virus. They also became exposed to the virus. And half of our Family Members right now are in quarantine because they tested positive. With collective mourning forbidden and traditional rituals removed, death is marked by a drivethru. The crematories really arent letting anybody in. The cemeteries are limited for the most part to people staying in their cars and just watching the burial from the gravesite. Joe negotiates at the gates. Carrying the candles for the families that cant. Sometimes its so brief, it almost leaves them still feeling hollow. Like, what just happened . They dont have enough time to process it. You know, and its heartbreaking. Its really sad. In these alien times, there is no group goodbye. Yeah, yeah ill let you know. Right, bye. Its a little after dawn when we witness how great and grim the scale of the problem is. On this truck, bodies of the dead. This is hart island, where coronavirus victims are among those being temporarily buried in mass graves. Unclaimed by a Family Member or unable to afford a private funeral. There are normally 25 caskets a week placed here. Now its nearly that many every day. In the center of the city there are makeshift morgues everywhere. Some places are running out of body bags. The authorities acknowledge the death toll is likely higher than the official figures, but no one knows just how much. This team at Long Island Jewish Medical Center work in a morgue, processing and examining those killed by coronavirus. I really admire our colleagues on the front lines that are dealing with the patients that are coming in with the covid19, triaging them, managing them, treating them. But i think people also need to realize that theres another front to this war, and thats the front with the dead. Its not just the sheer volume of cases thats challenging. Theyre also trying to find a new way of communicating with relatives. Its always hard working with the families at this point in time, but even more so now, when, you know, theyre not able to see their loved ones in their last moments. They have to proim vise to try and support the bereaved. A chance to see those they lost with video calls. This time it was a facetime. So i did first let her see me, explain, you know, what shes going to see, asking her if its okay that, you know, are you able to see this . Because we couldnt ke it was body bag and youre seeing her face. So that was difficult. It must be very surreal and distressing for a family to have to look at their loved ones on facetime. Im not going to lie, i croixed. It was tough. If we could do at least one small thing to make this hard time for them a little bit easier, thats what were going to do. No matter how crazy your day is, how much work we have to get done, were going to do our best for our families that were dealing with, dealing with their families. Carrying out lots of postmortems will be crucial to understanding the virus, and ultimately saving lives. Lisa normally deals with all the administrative issues. But there are so many bodies, she now has to help move them too. The three of us were outside, and we just collapsed on a crate, and we were just done. You know, were exhausted, were physically exhausted. Were mentally exhausted. They expanded their morgue. Others havent been able to. It is a structure that simply wasnt built for this level of strain. What does it mean to be a Good Neighbor . It means being there for each other. Thats why state farm is announcing the Good Neighbor Relief Program we know our customers are driving less, which means fewer accidents. So state farm is returning 2 billion dollars to auto policyholders for the period ending may 31st. And well continue making real time decisions to best serve you our customers. Because now, more than ever, being a Good Neighbor means everything. Like a Good Neighbor, state farm is there. Swithout even on yoleaving your house. Being a Good Neighbor means everything. Just keep your phone and switch to xfinity mobile. You can get it by ordering a free sim card online. Once you activate, youll only have to pay for the data you need starting at just 12 a month. There are no term contracts, no activation fees, and no credit check on the first two lines. Get a 50 prepaid card when you switch. Its the most reliable wireless network. And it could save you hundreds. Xfinity mobile. Youve seen how coronavirus is hitting the northeast. But what about the deep south . Louisiana has its own crisis. A state that has already seen its share of hardships. Heres more from our partners at sky news and correspondent cordelia lynch. Across america, what we can now see is that certain groups are disproportionately affected. In louisiana, 70 of those who have died are africanamericans. Yet they represent only 32 of the population. In the lower ninth ward, destroyed by hurricane katrina, theyre bracing for another disaster. Anitas mother, mary, has fluid on her lungs. But she took her out of hospital, fearful she might also get coronavirus. To make sure she dont die from it. Because another thing, you know, your people dying from it and theyre alone. Theyre alone. Who want to go out like that . You cant have a proper burial for them. You know, and its its sad. So we just said well stay here with mom until this pass over. Its quite a risk you took. Right, its very risky for her, and for us just as well, because its a monster. We cant even see it. But we know its here. So basically thats all weve been doing. Keep the house bleached, clean, everything. So we can have more time with my mom. Shes 75 years old. How scared are you for your mom . Im scared to death. Like she come out and catch a little fresh air . But i let her catch a little fresh air because she still have to live. She cant stay in that day in, day out, day in, day out. Come catch a little fresh air, then we go back in. Black people are more likely to suffer comorbidities, two diseases, like obesity and diabetes. They also work in riskier, frontfacing service jobs. Those factors have played a huge role in this pandemic. Its the perfect storm of problems here. Poverty, poor access to health care, and poor health. When you speak to people, theyll also tell you that this is a place of big families who live close together and love to hug. That has been a hard thing to shake. The famous mardi gras is, too. City officials pressed ahead with it in late february. A heaving pass of people on the streets. Two months later, new orleans had the highest death rate in america. But that was long before a National Emergency was declared. Thank jesus this is long after. An Easter Sunday service in baton rouge. We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal and are endowed with rights from their creator. Certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And this freedom that i have does not come from my governor, it comes from my god. A fierce, uncompromising show of american individualism. This morning we had 1,425 people in attendance. People came here from 20 different states this morning to worship with us. The reason being is people have deep convictions about going to church. Especially on Easter Sunday. Easter sunday is the greatest christian holiday of the year because we celebrate our resurrected savior. Every churchs doors are shuttered in america. As you know, worshipping god behind the screen on a television is not the same as worshipping god in person. What do you say to those people that accuse you of being irresponsible, putting lives at risk . I say to them, dont be a hypocrite. Anybody thats on that road right now, anybody thats in a retail store such as walmart, such as a liquor store, if you go to those places but will not come to church, youre twofaced. Youre a hypocrite. It is hard to comprehend when you hear stories like this one. The franklins lost four members of their family in just 12 days. Every other bed was one of the Family Members. Four Family Members in the same icu at the same time. It was first my uncle passed. Then a few days later my grandmother passed. Then a few days later my dad passed. And a few days later after that my other uncle passed. Youve dealt with so much loss in such a short space of time. How are you coping . The whole virus is just unbelievable. And whats the hardest for me is some people really think that it doesnt exist and its not real. And weve buried four Family Members. Weve buried my husband and two of his brothers in the same funeral, three caskets in a row. And i just want the world to know that this is real. Do you think that probably to some extent new orleans and louisiana as well has played a role . People fearing they wont have enough money to go to the doctors . I think Health Conditions has a huge part of it in some cases. But people in new orleans are very culturally superstitious. People dont like hospitals here. You have to be really sick to go to a hospital in new orleans. Yeah. My dads fiancee forced him to go. Especially africanamerican families. We have big stigmas about hospitals. Local author Maurice Ruffin sees a past and present marked by disadvantage. Why do you think louisiana is suffering as much as it is . Well, i think that part of its economic disparity. The south has less money than the northern part of the country. Here in louisiana in particular theres this legacy of systemic racism that has been brought forth by the president. That means a lot of africanamericans in the city and state dont have good Economic Opportunities to get education or health care and those things have played forward throughout this entire pandemic. The homeless in the city have lost their shelters and soup kitchens. Some only just lost their homes after losing their jobs. Now they stand six feet apart, hoping to get food. And that hunger, that insecurity, is everywhere. Just look at this. San diego and a seemingly endless line of cars wait for a meal. With more than 22 million unemployed, the desperation dwarfs anything in recent history. 3, all the way to 3, 3. The food bank, feeding america, has seen a 40 increase in demand. It expects a shortfall of 1. 4 billion. The government has tried to ease the financial pain, sending 1,200 checks to americans as part of an historic stimulus package. Early evidence suggests most of it is being spent on food. There will likely be a tale of two pandemics in america that emerges in the next few months. One about those who were scared, disrupted, but thanks to luck and advantage, they will survive. Physically, emotionally, financially. There are the others, though, who will be left with deep scars. This crisis will change the course of their lives. New orleans is a city divided by the haves and have nots. It is now being stalked by a virus. Once again, the poorest people are carrying the heaviest burden. Its tough to quit smoking cold turkey. So chantix can help you quit slow turkey. Along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. With chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting so when the day arrives, youll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. When you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or lifethreatening allergic and skin reactions. Decrease alcohol use. Use caution driving or operating machinery. Tell your doctor if youve had Mental Health problems. The most common side effect is nausea. Talk to your doctor about chantix. From fires and hurricanes in 90 years at farmers we thought wed seen it all. The most common side effect is nausea. To animal antics we could laugh about later. But we havent seen this. So, farmers is reducing auto premiums by 25 , extending payment due dates, and expanding coverage for the delivery drivers who are carrying us through. And then well do the next thing, and the thing after that, until this is another thing weve seen and done. New crest pro active defense. Youre doing more to keep your body healthy for the future. Shouldnt your toothpaste do the same for your mouth . Now with crest pro active defense, future proof your whole mouth. Its active Defense Technology neutralizes bacteria to shield against potential issues. Crest. Unlike some countries, america has no experience of such a Testing Public Health emergency. In a cramped new york, hospitals are so full theyre ferrying patients around in groups in a vehicle normally used for mass casualties. Nothing . Did you get her last name . What have the last couple of days been like for you . Like lost time for me. Trouble breathing . What about nausea . Any nausea or vomiting . Any nausea or vomiting . None. The United States is a Global Leader in science, technology, and medicine. But it wasnt prepared for a pandemic. No one really was. And it has never had to collectively sacrifice quite like this. In just one week, the worlds superpower was asking nurses to make their own gowns and masks. Inside st. Josephs Medical Center in yonkers, theyre still processing it. I always trusted our government to be able to provide the stuff we need. Im sorry, you know . And then when you hear the difference in the government and people speaking for the government, doesnt make sense. We need nursing staff, we need physicians, we need ppes. America is not italy, but you know, it turned out that we were much worse. So its definitely something that we think about, and its hopefully going to change in the future. Because this this is unnecessary. And just sad, at this point. Why do you think americas suffered so much . We were unprepared. We were unprepared for this. The decisions made by state governors had been critical. Some moving quickly, others not moving at all, with some highstakes consequences. But there are those who still feel the buck stops with the president. I think he needs to accept his responsibility in this and now try to fix it. But dont blame everybody else and all the other people and the other governors and mayors and things like that when Early Intervention . I think he could have prevented some of this. You feel let down by donald trump . Yeah, for sure. I mean, its a the administration i guess just had no plan for this. So its hard when you are going through this and youre in the midst of it and theres really no support coming from anywhere except, you know, this local community. Are you having chest pain . Yes. Yes, okay. So they want to make sure everything in your lungs are okay. So this is a special kind of film that were ordering to look at it, okay . What is clear inside st. Josephs is the inherent goodness of this country. The selflessness and the heroism of its people, however politically divided it may be. What are the things that stick in your mind the most . I guess stories. Stories of the nurse saying, i had the day off yesterday, and tears just kept coming to my eyes, and here she is back again to work through the day. Families being separated from their dying loved ones. I just to me, thats inconceivable. Knowing that unfortunately there will be a lot of people that dont survive this. At least 75 of the people who go on ventilators are not coming off. This team has seen things they couldnt possibly coach their hearts or minds for. How much death have you personally confronted . Weve never seen anything like this. Personally in one 12hour shift, i pronounced six people dead, just me. That didnt include the other physicians who had deaths as well. Thats a staggering number. Its a staggering number. Ive never had anything like that in my entire 20 plus year career. The psychological impact on medical staff will likely be felt and studied for years to come. When you feel like youre just stretched so thin. Where it feels like theres no theres no way that you could take care of the patients that are here in the way that youre trained to do so. Thats really the hardest part. Because all of us here, i mean, we went to school, we learned all the things youre supposed to do on a regular basis. And when the capacity is overloaded and you just cant you cant make those things happen, it really it weighs on you. And you know there are people that are that are going through some serious hard times and possibly their last moments on this earth. And you just want to be able to stand there with them and hold their hands. And its impossible. This was new to everyone. Dislocating. Bewildering. Will reshape the country and many families. There are just so many stories of loss and isolation. Ive just been told they had a wife and husband, a sister and brother. They came in together. They had to place them apart. And they all died, alone. And yet some states are already starting to reopen. Usa, usa, usa, usa open texas now the fact is america is a decentralized country that champions individual liberties. Protests in texas, michigan, and minnesota show people are impatient to get back to normal life. Others want to keep the brakes on. What mr. Trump has had to wrestle with is that choice is theirs to make. When somebodys the president of the United States, the authority is total. And thats the way its got to be. Total . Your authority is total . Its total. And the governors know that. What, are you going to grant me what the constitution gave me before you were born . Its called the 10th amendment. I didnt need the president of the United States to tell me that im governor. I think that states are much more leery of relying on the federal government now. Theyve formed the western states in the west coast and the northeast have formed their own consortiums that are going to make decisions together about when to reopen. I think theyve learned a lesson about relying on leadership from the white house and that they are going to largely try to do this on their own. And it doesnt really matter, almost, what trump is going to say. The United States was challenged by a complex foe undaunted by its borders and military might. It didnt mobilize a global response. Few expect that of anyone anymore. No amount of money or power protected america. Like so many other nations, it was flatfooted. What does seem distinct here, though, are the extremes. Of the spread, inequity, and politics. Lives have been ruptured. But that trauma has also brought a unity of purpose. Weve seen an abundance of courage, kindness, and compassion. There was no single Guiding Light for the world to follow. Drastic, draconian action isnt easy in any democracy. This one wont ever be the same again. Isnt just a department. Its a voice on the other end of the phone. A note to say youre on our mind. A willingness to come to you. The world and how we interact with each other is changing. But that will never change who we are at lexus. Now, more than ever, you and your needs come first. Find out what Service Options are available in your area at lexus. Com people first find out what Service Options are available the calming scent of lavender by downy infusions calm. Laundry isnt done until its done with downy. Were returning 2 billion dollars to our auto policyholders through may 31st. Because now, more than ever, being a Good Neighbor means everything. Like a Good Neighbor, state farm is there. I was overwhelmed. And i didnt know where to begin. I came across sofi and it was the best decision of my life. I feel cared about as a member. Theres no extra costs for it or anything like that. Its all kinda like, through the app. Were getting a super competitive Interest Rate on our money. Were able to invest through the same exact platform. I really liked that they didnt have any hidden or extra fees. Sofi has brought me peace of mind. Truly thank you for helping me prepare for whatever the future has in store. Its all because sofi let us see light at the end of the tunnel. So thank you. Thank you. Thanks for watching and thanks to our partners at sky news. Im joshua johnson. Theres much more straight ahead here on msnbc. All right, lets do it. Yeah. laughing were returning 2 billion dollars to our auto policyholders through may 31st. Because now, more than ever, being a Good Neighbor means everything. Like a Good Neighbor, state farm is there. Thousands of women with metastatic Breast Cancer, which is Breast Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. Ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr her2 metastatic Breast Cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. Ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. Patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. Ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can lead to death. Tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough, or chest pain. Before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. Common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. Be in your moment. Ask your doctor about ibrance. Tums ver bell rings la stick when heartburn hits fight back fast. With tums chewy bites. Beat heartburn fast tums chewy bites swithout even on yoleaving your house. Just keep your phone and switch to xfinity mobile. You can get it by ordering a free sim card online. Once you activate, youll only have to pay for the data you need starting at just 12 a month. There are no term contracts, no activation fees, and no credit check on the first two lines. Get a 50 prepaid card when you switch. Its the most reliable wireless network. And it could save you hundreds. Xfinity mobile. Marvel comic book archvillain. Hes bright. Hes clever. Hes almost like a marvel comic book arch villain. Hes bright. Hes clever. Evil as can be. On a beautiful, sprawling farm, seeds of danger. We heard this big explosion. Hes just laying on the ground. This loving father of three, the farms heart and soul, killed in a ball of fire. They were saying it wasnt an accident. Our assumption was it was a pipe bomb. Someone claims the dead man had reaped what hed sown. He had messed with a drug cartel. Maybe the truth lay with the farms owners, a wealthy clan known for harvesting rice and resentment. I wish that there werent so much hate and anger in our family. One Family Member seemingly held a grudge against the victim. Hes always the one that had something mean to say. He was always the one that hated him. Another came gunning for investigators. Who chases the police . But who was hiding the darkest of secrets . Got chills going up the back of my neck. This is not happening right now. A blank sheet of paper hiding a diabolical clue. I fell to my knees and started screaming. There is an eden in the american west. A wide, 234r59 flat earthen cornucopia whose bounty daily fills the bellies of millions. Great farms employ legions of workers and enriched with their profits, families pass the land down father to son, generation after generation. They live modestly here in californias central valley. Multimillionaires in crop dusters and battered pickup trucks, deeply conservative, selfreliant, tough enough to thrive in a dangerous business that takes guts and brains, too often lives. Here among the churning, thrashing machinery the power that helps grow the food of life, death can take a man unawares, even on a sleepy summer day. We just looked up and there he was. Like today. A little boy burst from the field of sun flowers next to brandys place. He was beet red, sweaty, he was just covered in mud head to toe. He had his tennis shoes in his hand. Carrying his shoes. He was running barefoot . He said he took them off. I think he got stuck in the mud in the sun flowers. Brandy and her kids live in a rambling house next to one of those big farms. Idyllic life out here quiet, predictable, until the saturday afternoon that little boy appeared. Like magic from the sun flower field. No more than 7 years old or so. So what did he say . He said that his dad was on fire and he needed to call for help. On fire . How could that be . He was serious. He was serious. He was very serious. Once he started to talk, was he making sense . Yes. He was able to talk the whole time, answer whatever questions i had. There was no hesitation. Brandy called 911, passed along details as relayed by the little boy. What is the little boy saying exactly, that his dad okay. Hes saying his dad turned something on for the water, im guessing maybe like an irrigating pump. And it blew up like a bomb. As they waited for the Fire Department to arrive, brandy began tending to the boy, fabian ayala. Gave him some water to drink. Then i took the water and rinsed all the mud off and checked under his shirt to see if there was any major injuries or not. Were you hurt . No. Not at all . Uhuh. This is fabian three years later, his family by his side, he told us about the last day he spent with his dad. He would take me out when he had something to do. Fabians dad roberto was a farm manager, a demanding, sun up to sun down job so to squeeze in quality time with his family hed often take one of his three kids with him. A proud man. Always pictured with his chest out, his chin up. On july 16th, 2011, that saturday, roberto needed to flood a rice field by turning on a series of high voltage Irrigation Pumps. Fabian by his side in his pickup truck, roberto drove the quarter mile distance from one pump to the next. And then he stopped, got out, walked to the big electrical box. He was just going to the rice field when there was this big explosion. I go out and see what happened. He was just laying on the ground. So what did you do . I yelled his name out and he wasnt answering so i went to try and get help. So what did you do . You ran . Yeah. Through what . The field. The flower field. Yeah. Big, tall yeah. Youre running through them trying to yeah. How far did you have to go . I dont know. Pretty far. Far indeed. More than two miles running, running, running blindly through the field of golden flowers that closed in about him. And i saw the house and i just went toward it. Do you remember what you said to them . Something happened to my dad. He was that way and can you help me and they said, yes. They called the Police Department and they came as quick as they can. When firefighters reached the Irrigation Canal from which little fabian had run for help, it was obvious there was no life left to save. Roberto ayalas body must indeed have been on fire just as fabian said it was. Why became clear when they found burn holes about an inch wide near the bottom of his feet, an obvious sign of electrocution. An electrical box used to turn on a high voltage Irrigation Pump had apparently shorted out and exploded with such intensity metal fragments blew out the windows and covered the passenger side of robertos new ford f250. A miracle little fabian wasnt killed, too. Translator we received a phone call that something had happened. Reporter robertos wife fabiola. Translator it was when we received the call from the Police Department and they said they had fabian and fabian was okay but they couldnt tell us what happened to roberto. We thought he was in the hospital. Reporter and you didnt know what happened . Translator we didnt know what had happened. We called the hospital and the hospital didnt know anything about what had happened. About an hour, hour and a half later, they arrived with fabian. It was my dad. My brother just started screaming that he was dead. What was it like to see fabian in that situation . I think someone, being older, wouldnt be able to handle it as well as my brother did. Reporter pretty amazing, wasnt it . To run all that way. I wouldnt have been able to run that much. I wouldnt even know what to do. To stay strong the way he did. I just i wasnt there and i couldnt control myself. I dont know how he did it. Reporter farm accidents are as old as the wheel. Bad things just happen sometimes. Still, sheriffs investigators scoured the area, taking photos and collecting every bit of debris they could find, whether it looked like it was from an electrical box or not. One of our jobs for the jurisdiction is to investigate all industrial accidents. Reporter because, said the sheriffs detective, in Colusa County the sheriff does double duty as the county coroner. Osha eventually will take over that investigation if it is determined to be that type of thing. Reporter there was an autopsy, too, routine of course. Told us that the victim had been electrocuted. He had been burned and he had been near an explosion. Reporter pacific gas and electric sent a team over, which confirmed it looked like an accident and, sadly, not unique. He said, well, weve seen stuff similar to this. What might happen is the operator will get into the panel with a tool for some reason and cross the leads with that tool and cause a plasma type of explosion and that could have been what happened. Here, the other thing he did say is weve never seen anything this big. Reporter this is what the electrical box would have looked like before the explosion about the size of a high school locker. And after the explosion, that box was nowhere to be found. All that was left was a splintered post where it once stood. Hard to know what to make of that. Coming up, along with the crops, growing resentments at the farm. Robert told paul that he was going to get my share of what my dad was going to leave me at the ranch. Your intention was to fight him . Oh, yeah. The Investigation Continues as explosives experts try to determine what exactly happened to roberto. We came across a piece of metal. That piece of metal said to him there was something more going on. First clue unearthed. When dateline continues. Water lets skip the rinse. New finish quantum with activeblu technology, designed to clean without prerinsing. Switch to finish and skip the rinse to save water. And here we have another burst pipe in denmark. If you look close. Jamie, are there any interesting photos from your trip . Ouch, okay. Huh, boring, boring, you dont need to see that. Oh, here we go. Can you believe my client steig had never heard of a home and auto bundle or that renters could bundle . Wait, youre a lawyer . Only licensed in stockholm. What is happening . Jamie anyway, game show, kumite, cinderella story. You know karate . No, alan, i practice muay thai, completely different skillset. Im a talking dog. The other issue. Oh. Im scratching like crazy. Youve got some allergic itch with skin inflammation. Apoquel can work on that itch in as little as 4 hours, whether its a new or chronic problem. And apoquels treated over 7 million dogs. Nice. And. The talking dog thing . Is it bothering you . No. Itching like a dog is bothering me. Until dogs can speak for themselves, you have to. When allergic itch is a problem, ask for apoquel. Apoquel is for the control of itch associated with allergic dermatitis and the control of Atopic Dermatitis in dogs. Do not use apoquel in dogs less than 12 months old or those with serious infections. Apoquel may increase the chance of developing serious infections and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or preexisting cancers to worsen. Do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. Most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. Feeling better . Im speechless. Thanks for the apoquel. Awww. Thats what friends are for. Ask your veterinarian for apoquel. Next to you, apoquel is a dogs best friend. Swithout even on yoleaving your house. Just keep your phone and switch to xfinity mobile. You can get it by ordering a free sim card online. Once you activate, youll only have to pay for the data you need starting at just 12 a month. There are no term contracts, no activation fees, and no credit check on the first two lines. Get a 50 prepaid card when you switch. Its the most reliable wireless network. And it could save you hundreds. Xfinity mobile. Lester holt voiceover when people hear the words fortunes and california in the same sentence, when people hear the words fortune and california in the same sentence their minds generally go to some internet sensation like google or apple. But just 50 miles from the Silicon Valley is the San Joaquin Valley where fortunes were made long before the arrival of micro chips and semiconductors. The farm Roberto Ayala ran, worth tens of millions of dollars, all going to just one extended family, the moores. They were very, very private. Reporter this is mary, part of the greater moore clan. Her family, like many of the big Farming Families around here, keeps its wealth private, too. I knew that there was money there, but they didnt flaunt it in any way and you werent told about it. You just knew that it was there. Reporter she learned early, she said, that the family fortune was also a tool to keep the descendents in line. My dad would say like when i was in high school, if you ever get into drugs or do anything im kicking you out of my will. Reporter though she could never have inherited the land, that birthright was passed from father to son, not daughter. The custom started with the moore family patriarch, who handed the farm down to his two sons, roger and dusk now in their 70s. Each of them had a son born just a year apart, paul and peter, who were in line to one day run the farms as partners. Cousins but raised more like brothers. Here they are in 1978 in cut offs fishing bare handed, latter day huck and tom. In 1980 they were on the same High School Football team. Rogers son, paul, was smart and handsome and a playboy, while guss boy peter just two rows down was tough and blunt, hot headed, really. Pete has a reputation, i think, over in Colusa County. His mouth basically has given him a reputation because of the things that he has said. Im a little different than the rest of them. Reporter oh, boy. So he is. Calls them as he sees them even when it comes to his own family. There is too much money involved and everybody is afraid of what they might lose if they say something, even if its right. Reporter there was one Family Member pete did have a deep connection with. His grandfather, the family patriarch. He he was special. Reporter he taught peter about farming, about tending the orchards. He had demacular degeneration, so i was his eyes. Reporter but when his grandfather, his patron, died, petes life changed quite suddenly. After we buried my grandpa, in short order i was pretty much told by my dad and my uncle that they didnt need my help anymore. I dont know whether it was animosity because i had gotten so close to their dad or what it was. Reporter after a particularly ugly fight with his dad, pete was exiled from the land of plenty, moved north of this eden into town and started a landscaping business. My wife and i had nothing, i mean, when i say nothing, i mean nothing to do with the moores. Reporter and paul . Paul remained the family golden boy. His doting grandmother made sure he never went without. Paul married a local beauty. This is his wedding video. And he waited for the day when hed reign over the land. But he was never involved in the Big Questions when and what to sow, what to reap. Those multimillion dollar decisions were left up to Roberto Ayala, who had once been a lowly field hand, but anyone could see roberto was a natural farmer and gradually trust and responsibility and the owners affection came to rest with him. Paul and i were the boys in the family. Reporter yeah. We should have been the next in line. It wasnt fair. It was a slap in the face. Reporter and to make matters worse, roberto brought his brother eduardo in as his assistant. The cousins, their birthright withheld, fumed. Paul would come over and tell me horrible stuff about ed and robert, that robert was saying about me, like he said that robert was told paul that he was going to get my share of what my dad was going to leave me of the ranch. Reporter fair to say though that your nerves were a little bit raw about ed and robert. Oh, no. I was mad. Im going to be honest with you. There was a lot of animosity. Reporter so much so that one day pete jumped into his truck and drove down to the farm and called roberto out. I told him, well lets go. Reporter your intention was to fight him. Oh, yeah. It settles things. Reporter but roberto politely declined. He had a farm to run. The next time pete heard anything more about Roberto Ayala, it was that he was dead. What did you think when you heard that he was dead . Well, i was told it was an accident. Reporter which is certainly what it was. At least according to the experts from pg e. But just to be sure, the detective called explosives experts from a neighboring county. Just to ask them, hey, have you ever heard of an Electrical Panel like this blowing up . And they hadnt. And at their own insistence came out to look at what we had and formed the opinion that it was possibly an explosive device. They, in turn, called atf and fbi. Reporter to some, that felt like jumping the gun. Last thing he wanted was the big city feds treating him like a country cop crying wolf. Now ive got atf and fbi showing up. I was a little overwhelmed. I was a little concerned that maybe, you know, were calling these big agencies for help and really what we have is an accident. We had bomb guys saying it was a bomb, but theyre bomb guys. Reporter right. Were not a hundred percent convinced its a bomb yet. Reporter then, three days after the explosion we got a visit from paul moore. Reporter paul, petes beloved cousin, the handsome golden boy of the pair told the detective he found something out at the scene of the accident, something that shouldnt have been there. He came across a piece of metal that he found. It looked like galvanized iron or metal and that piece of metal said to him that there was something more going on. Reporter did he have any other ideas about what may have happened . He did. He told us his cousin pete had made some threats toward the victim and the time leading up to the incident. Reporter and there was more. Paul showed the detective texts he received from peter sent from the very rice field where roberto was killed. That text was dated and timed the day before. Coming up the focus shifts from the nuts and bolts of electrical explosions to an explosive personality. He was always the one that had something mean to say. He was always the one that hated him. That was the only person that i could think of. Why did you hate him if he was arrogant. He flaunted stuff in my face. Pete had a reputation for being a real hot head without hardly an effort pete could tick you off. Reporter when dateline continues. Its a small finger. A worm like, a dagger . A tiny sword . Bread. Breadstick . A matchstick a lamppost coin slot no . Uhhh. 10 seconds. A stick a Walking Stick eiffel tower, Mount Kilimanjaro ding time sorry, its a tandem bicycle. What . 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Youll also be able to access videos and a free brochure that show the different movements of td. Visit talkabouttd. Com or call to learn more. We were so relieved to learn there are treatments for td. Learn more at talkabouttd. Com. Keith morrison voiceover District Attorney john pointers one of colusas most popular raconteurs. The District Attorney is one of colusas most popular. Been in Office Nearly 30 years. Knows where the skeletons are buried and knows just about every prominent family in the county including the moores. If i said they were odd, that would be a pretty good way of summarizing it. Odd. Yes. Odd how . You dont hear a lot about a lot of families but you hear about the moore family. Reporter because they complain publicly about other wings of the family or at least complain in such a way that people complain in a way that other people found out about it. Reporter now the two cousins . Pete ive known for years almost since ive been here. Had a reputation for being a real hot head. A lot of mouth. He couldnt back it up. But he had a lot of mouth. Without hardly an effort pete could piss you off. Reporter so when paul came to the authorities and said, i think pete is responsible for this, did the suspicion seem plausible . Yes. Reporter yeah. It did. We knew pete didnt get along with his family. We knew pete had a hot head. We knew pete had access to the property. Reporter and for paul to denounce peter who was like his brother, sad, perhaps, but made sense to the das office, which signed off on the warrant to have petes house searched. It was just a few blocks away. Went out to grab a bite to eat. When we came home we saw them all at the house searching the house. Mary ellen is peter moores house. Couldnt believe it. Reporter did you think it had something to do with what happened to roberto . Well, i didnt think that at first. I said, what are they doing at our house . I got out of the house and said what the is going on here . Two cops came over and grabbed me and escorted me to the front of my house. Reporter mary ellen and peter asked investigators what was going on. They were handed the search warrant stating investigators were looking for anything connected to bomb making. I said how do you know it was a bomb . We dont even know it was a bomb. Reporter that was the first you heard of such a thing . Because we thought it was an accident. Reporter did they seem to be accusing the two of you . Yes. Reporter both of you. Yes. Reporter were you frightened . Oh, yes. Reporter what were you afraid of . That they thought we did it. Reporter around colusa the raid on peters house just days after robertos death was big news. The neighbor began sending out real time updates on facebook. There was a parade of cars driving around the whole neighborhood. As these detectives were asking their questions and as they were ripping my house going through my house. Reporter when they left . They took our computers and our cell phones. We had a business. Nobody could call us. Reporter meanwhile the whole neighborhood was watching this. Yes. Reporter so the search, said the detective, didnt yield a thing. We didnt find anything as far as bomb making materials, instructions on bombs, even anything in remotely close to that like gun powder. Reporter sure. Or anything like that. Reporter so if pete was doing something he wasnt doing it at his house. Not that we could find any evidence of. He denied he had anything to do with it. Yes he did. Reporter though pete couldnt and didnt try to deny his hatred for Roberto Ayala. Why did you hate him . He was arrogant. He flaunted stuff in my face. Reporter still the man had as if this were some biblical epic stolen his birthright. Lots of people around town knew about that especially the ayalas so when they heard peter moores house was being searched. I thought it was pete all along. Reporter why . He was always the one that had something mean to say. He was always the one that hated him. That was the only person i could think of. Reporter there was a lot of town talk going on. A lot of gossip, rumor. About a week after his house was searched pete got a visit from a friend who had heard some things. I was working one day and he saw me and he backs up and he goes what the hell are you doing . I go im working. He goes no youre not. He goes you go get in your car. You get to sacramento, get an attorney, pete. Theyre coming after you. Youre their number one suspect. Coming up i didnt know what to think. I had never seen anything like that before in my career except on something similar though people in the cross hairs, investigators are about to learn their victim may have made a very different and deadly enemy. The letter implied that roberto had messed with a drug cartel. When dateline continues. C. Hold on one second. Sure. Okay. Okay safe drivers save 40 guys guys check it out. 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Apoquel may increase the chance of developing serious infections and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or preexisting cancers to worsen. Do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. Most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. Feeling better . Im speechless. Thanks for the apoquel. Awww. Thats what friends are for. Ask your veterinarian for apoquel. Next to you, apoquel is a dogs best friend. I got this Mountain Bike for only 11. Dealdash. Com, the fair and honest bidding site. An ipad worth 505, was sold for less than 24; a playstation 4 for less than 16; and a schultz 4k television for less than 2. I won these bluetooth headphones for 20. I got these three suitcases for less than 40. And shipping is always free. Go to dealdash. Com right now and see how much you can save. These folks, they dont have time to go to the post office they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps. Com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the Amazing Services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps. Com tv and never go to the post office again White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator dr. Birx told Nbcs Chuck Todd social distancing policies will likely persist through the summer. She said the u. S. Needs a breakthrough innovation in t t testing. Doctors say the u. S. Has reached a plateau of new coronavirus cases but still could see a million confirmed cases as soon as this week. Now back to dateline. Lester holt voiceover the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms has become something of a legend reporter the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms has become something of a legend at solving puzzles, these little bits and pieces, fragments of this and that were about all that was left around Roberto Ayalas body the day of the explosion. A story in there somewhere thought the atf. Agent brian parker was assigned to find out what it was. What does this tell you overall . There was an incredible amount of force in the explosion. Reporter most of these pieces were once part of the electrical box. You have washers. Different types of hardware in here, screws, nuts, wire. Reporter other pieces just trash. But a few fragments, just a handful looked like they were pieces from a different puzzle. Odd. Cells from a 9 volt battery, galvanized steel ripped apart. Reporter parker sent off the misfit bits and pieces to the west Coast Crime Lab for analysis. To determine whether or not there was explosive residue present on some of the fragments that were collected out at the scene. Reporter like gun powder, gasoline, nitroglycerin . Correct. Reporter then there was this discovered on the fifth day the investigation. The panel box door found 160 feet from the site of the explosion. About four feet tall about two feet wide. Probably weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 pounds. This where the large hole is would be the bottom of the panel. Reporter the forensic scientists of the atf continued their battery of tests hunting for bomb residue, fingerprints, dna and all the while the detective david psalm was on peter moores tail waiting for him to make a mistake. Did he go to ground . Did he leave . What did he do . He didnt leave. Reporter what were people saying around town that you were hearing . We were hearing that people were saying they thought pete did it. They were following us everywhere. Reporter didnt make a secret of it either said mary ellen, from them or the neighbors. Reporter how did they start to look at you . Like we were guilty. After they raided my house, i spent days crying. Days and days, you know, id be at work and just crying because you dont know whats going on. You dont know who to trust. Reporter how much were you watched . Id wake up in the morning to people outside my house. They watched me get up every day, go put a shirt on, and go out and be in the publics eye when everybody thinks youre a murderer. Reporter even some of petes own relatives seemed convinced of that though his sister mary stuck by him. Im amazed at how much talking goes on there with no actual evidence of, you know, a lot of gossip and people in your business. Mary placed a call to one of the investigators, told them they were going after the wrong guy. He was extremely rude and said you and your family just need to accept it your brother did this. I just broke down in tears because i thought they just didnt like him as a person and i think they just, to me, my opinion was they wanted it to be him. Reporter four weeks into the investigation, peter moore was not just the top suspect. He was the only suspect. They had no physical evidence, though, that a murder even occurred. But they continued to watch and wait and the weeks slipped by. Then a month after the explosion there was news from the atf crime lab. They had found something. There was the presence of explosive residue on the metal fragments we submitted. Reporter so it was a bomb, a murder. Then the very next day im sitting in my office talking about what were going to do next and the civil deputy walks in with a big manila envelope and he says, i think this is for you guys. It says Colusa County sheriffs office, colusa, california, no street address and in the upper lefthand corner says ayala case and then there are eight stamps on it. It was pretty light. It was way too much postage. Reporter because inside was just a single sheet of paper. An open letter to the cops. What did that letter say . Basically it was claiming responsibility for the bombing. The letter full of misspellings and bad grammar had been written on a label maker then photo copied. Its author claimed to be a military trained contract killer had been hired to kill roberto over a mexico deal gone wrong and that it was ms13 behind it. Reporter what the heck is ms 13 . Its a violent el salvadorian criminal street gang. Reporter and that roberto was supposed to be a target of this group . The letter implied roberto had messed with a drug cartel and that ms 13 had been contracted. The author of the letter taunted the detectives writing the lab results would find military grade powder but no dna which was true so far. The point of the letter wrote its author was a warning. Robertos brother eduardo was next on the hit list. The writer said he had turned down the job to kill eduardo. But a second assassin would soon be on his way. Do you think it was a hoax . Do you think it was real . I didnt know what to think. I had never seen anything like that before in my career except on something similar on tv. Reporter one thing about that strange letter was all too obvious. Whoever wrote it had inside knowledge because nobody besides the cops knew what the atf had discovered. We hadnt told anybody it was a bomb so for somebody to just write a letter claiming responsibility for a bombing that lended credence to the fact that the author of that letter was the real thing. Weird. All too weird. Detective salm and the others went home for the weekend to digest what they had read and seen. Then monday morning his phone rang, 7 00 a. M. Hey, we got another one of those letters. I came to work. There was a second letter sitting on my desk. This one was slightly smaller manila envelope or half size. But configured the same way. Label maker, address, aayala case, and way too much postage again. Reporter huh. What was inside that one . It was a diagram of a bomb. Coming up, invitation from a killer. The letter said if you have any questions, place an ad in the Sacramento Bee and make sure its the last ad. And another victim in the cross hairs . Keeping that stuff confidential was important to integrity. A mans life might be in jeopardy. We gave him as strong a warning as we could. When dateline continues. Youll ask. What pain . Advil liquigels minis. How do we make a scented oil plugin that doesnt smell fake . Start with the essence of nature air wick scented oils are infused. With essential oils that are 100 natural. To fill every corner with the fragrance of nature. Air wick. Keith morrison voiceover on august 15, 2011, 30 days on august 15th, 2011, 30 days after Roberto Ayalas death investigators received in the mail this hand drawn picture of a bomb. What did you think when you saw that diagram . Shock. We were amazed. Absolutely amazed. I had never seen anything like that before. The device as shown in the diagram was a twoinch pipe bomb placed next to a one liter soda bottle full of gasoline spray painted black. A large bolt tied off with a fishing line and acting as a drop weight would fall on a rat trap causing it to strike a firing pin. Kind of like a Rube Goldberg device. The author also said there was a second secret triggering device as backup. Either way the bomb was designed to go off when Roberto Ayala opened the door of the electrical box. Could have been almost anything. Now suddenly agent parker saw how they all fit. Those confusing bits and pieces hed been poring over for the past month. It was almost like someone had sent us the cover of the puzzle box. Reporter so now they matched the bits to the diagram. The first thing i looked for was this bolt and there it was. The thing that made it exceptionally clear was the fact that the bolt still had some fishing string attached just under the head of the bolt which was how it was depicted in the diagram. It would have been hanging from that string as a weight. Correct. Right. So that was very clear that that bolt was in fact part of our device that was described in the letters. Reporter and there were fragments of a plastic soda bottle, black paint still clinging to it again just like the diagram. There was a spring that was similar to a rat trap spring. There was gasoline on the victims clothing. We recovered pieces of a ninevolt battery, that we were able to determine that had no business being in that panel. Reporter so if you found the writer of those letters you had found your killer. That was our opinion. Yes. Reporter along with the diagram was a second letter in which the bomber repeated his earlier claim that he was a reluctant assassin. After a career of killing he wrote, i wanted to save a life before i take my life. The bomber repeated his warning. Robertos brother eduardo was next. In fact, the whole ayala family was in mortal danger. He said i wanted to make sure you get this letter and have time to help these guys. Reporter it was sent as if ive been assigned to do something i dont want to happen. I want you guys to prevent it. That was basically the gist of the letter. Reporter did you warn ed . Not exactly. There are things in the investigation we could not release. There was information about the letters that we could not release. Keeping that stuff confidential was important to the integrity of the investigation. Reporter but a mans life might be in jeopardy. We did talk to ed. We gave him as strong a warning as we could without going into specific detail. Reporter one of those details was that the killer had been given a deadline. The letter said i was given eight weeks to do this job and it will be reassigned in five weeks. I wanted to give you guys time to help these guys and do something about it. Reporter so you at least had some time. Maybe. Maybe. He tells me that they had received a letter and the letter had mentioned me. Reporter robertos brother eduardo. They said, be careful. Watch yourself. Reporter but it wasnt just eduardo in the cross hairs. The letter writer claimed whoever was now driving robertos now repaired pickup truck, that white f250 the bomber wrote, is in great danger. And who was that person . Roberto ayalas son, jesus. The threat against the ayalas was looking very real. It was real. It didnt just look real. It was real. A lot of sleepless nights. Reporter because this exmarine not only had a farm to run, but now as he saw it, a murder to solve, and now two families to protect. Going through my mind was just look out. Take care of the take care of my brothers family. Primarily take care of my brothers family. Take care of my family. Look out for myself. Look over your shoulder. Reporter the first thing eduardo did was hide the pickup truck. Now with the truck out of sight would the killer or killers just find a different or better place for a bomb . Once everybody was asleep all i could do was think and think and run things through my mind. Its somebody sneaky and violent enough to plant a bomb to kill somebody and he did it to one person. Theres nothing that is going to stop him from doing it to somebody else. Reporter in this second letter the bomber left open one possible line of communication. The letter said if you have any questions, place an ad in the Sacramento Bee, august 21st issue help wanted. Make sure its the last ad. Reporter and so they placed this classified ad. And waited for a killer to call. Coming up, a sons all too close call with death. I didnt get to ride that day. You might otherwise have been there. I probably would have been the one to get off. And another member of the moore dynasty comes forward with a fresh piece of evidence. Would an answering machine message finally solve the question about a motive for murder . When dateline continues. With this one little nexgard chew comes power, confidence, reassurance youre doing whats right, to protect your dog from fleas and ticks for a full month. 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Next to you, apoquel is a dogs best friend. Keith morrison voiceover who ever heard of such a thing . Letters from a purported killer, plus a diagram who ever heard of such a thing . Letters from a purported killer, plus a diagram of what certainly looked like the actual bomb that killed Roberto Ayala. Was it real . A ruse . A lucky guess . If it was for real, who sent it . Was it from the lead suspect, peter moore . Or a hit man as the letter claimed, or was it from somebody who wasnt even on detective salms radar . Whoever it was, five weeks into the case it was the only lead investigators had. They played along with the guy, placed an ad as requested in the Sacramento Bee. And sure enough, somebody responded. Cops rushed to see him, perhaps arrest him. He was pretty surprised when he got a visit. False alarm. It was just an unlucky guy looking for a job. The killer, though . The killer never called. So the whole ms 13 thing, the mexico deal gone wrong was just some sort of game. The real bomber was playing it. The trouble was, nobody knew the rules or the purpose or where the game might end. More than one way to find a guy brazen enough to send that material to the cops. We had the letters we wanted to get analyzed. We wanted fingerprints. We wanted dna. Reporter the letters and envelopes came back clean just as the bomber said they would. What was going on . To investigators one theory seemed the least likely, that roberto was mixed up with a drug gang ms 13. The ayalas are a classic bootstrap story. Roberto a very religious man who worked his way up from field hand to farm manager, oversaw the daytoday operations of a multimillion dollar spread. He knew the land. He knew the machines that worked it. He was utterly committed to that work. What did working that farm mean to your dad . That was everything. It was our whole, even our lives and his life, our whole life revolved around it. We were always there and growing up. Reporter first jobs as kids, right . Yeah. Learned how to drive on the farm, how to pretty much do everything on the farm. Reporter tell me about your dad. What kind of a guy was he . He was a hard worker. Someone to look up to. We admired him. Reporter and it did not go unnoticed on the moore farm. Over the years, owners roger and gus came to rely a great deal on roberto. They treated roberto more like a favored son than just an employee. How important was family to roberto . Probably the most important thing. It all revolved around this. We didnt have much, but everywhere he went, we went, too. We were always together. Whatever went wrong, he was the one to go to. He was the one to keep everybody together. Reporter latino culture celebrated coming of age ritual called the quinceanera, when a girl turns 15. So when robertos daughter turned 15 he went all out. It was his only i was the only girl so he did everything he could to make that day the best. What kinds of things do you do . You have to have your father daughter dance. You just feel like youre the only person that exists at that moment. Like you just feel important. You really do feel like a princess. Reporter probably wont ever forget that. But of course for teenagers there is another rite of passage. Butting heads with parents. Which that last morning may have, pure chance, saved jesus life. We always went to work together. For some reason we had an argument that morning so i didnt get to ride tag along with the ride that day. Reporter you might otherwise have been there. I would have probably been the one to get off to go check that. Reporter why would anybody want to hurt him . I cant find a reason why somebody would want to do it, to want to kill him. Reporter and this bomber, whoever it might be, came very close to also murdering fabian. If you want my button pushed, bring a child into it. Reporter the d. A. John pointer found fabians plight to be particularly heartbreaking. I couldnt imagine 7 years old and seeing my dad blown up. Reporter and running all that way. People dont understand, it was like maybe a couple miles as the crow flies. But to run through what we call colusa mud which is the rice fields and its just, i mean, he had to take his shoes off. He was literally covered with it. You could hardly walk through it. For him to run all that way, it was amazing. I remember asking if he knew what 911 was. And he told me, and he was right, i asked him if he knew how to use a cell phone, and he said yeah. I asked if your dad had a cell phone. He said yes he did. I asked, why didnt you use a cell phone . Why didnt you call for help . And he was reaching out like this and he said, i cant. Its in his pocket and hes on fire. Yeah. That stays with you. Reporter and now these taunting letters from robertos killer almost taking prideful delight in how he killed the man and almost murdered the boy. Who could it be . Who would do such a thing . And why . Then four days after the diagram showed up, one of the alpha males of the moore clan walked in the front door. Roger moore. Pauls dad. And like his son, wanted to help catch the killer. And told the detectives he had important evidence to share. It was an audiotape, answering machine messages his nephew pete left on his phone. Coming up investigators discover a brandnew suspect. We may have somebody else to look at. But who are the hunters . And who are the hunted . And all of a sudden the tire went flat. As police go after more evidence, someone comes after them, leaving a taunting message out in the fields. Here i am, im doing this to you now, come find me. When dateline continues