the change was he killed people to get the documentation in order to take over the property. reporter: and not only was he stealing their property, he would steal everything in the house cars, boats, right dowg to the toothbrush and the underwear and their dogs.to he took on their entire lives? yeah, right down to the change in their pocket. reporter: four years after fleeing from the states, wild bill was finally in police custody, charged with heinous crimes the murders of bo icelar and cher hughes. there are dozens, if not a hundred people in this town, in bocas, that all knew cher, that all knew bo, and they re all thinking, wow, man, this guy fooled us all. he fooled everybody. reporter: he got away with murder. he got away with it for awhile. yeah. reporter: little did everyone know that wild bill had actually gotten away with a lot more. what else would they discover what he was brought back to panama?
reporter: in the tiny ex-pat community of bocas del toro, all eyes were on one of their own wild bill cortez. in four month s time, he d snapped up the homes of two people who d mysteriously vanished bo icelar and cher hughes. now cher s husband keith was telling anyone who d listen that the disappearances and property transfers were no coincidence. i right away thought that bill has done something. i was telling people in bocas, obviously, of the suspicions. and, in a small community, we re all saying the same thing. reporter: and bill s still living nearby. and bill s still in the area. and he told people he was going to come and shut me up. reporter: he told people
friends in bocas wracked their brains for answers, and they started thinking about another american from their group who d also left abruptly. had anyone heard from him? what if cher wasn t the only person missing what if there were two? i just woke up one morning. just like one of those weird things. and i just knew. coming up, another american who apparently just walked away leaving his home and a lot of questions behind. just gave me a really weird vibe. and with the sleep number 360 smart bed you can both. adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. so, can it help us fall asleep faster? yes, by gently warming your feet. but can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to
he got away with murder. move to an exotic land and buy your very own private island. she wanted to travel. she wanted to see the world. sarah hughes had the dream and she made it come true in the most unlikely place, the tiny far away island of bocas del toro panama. she would take a picture of
- when you re volunteering, it s not my job. r that s because right where you live, there s a need for your time and skills and effort and talent. please consider volunteering and feeling that feeling that you helped someone today. a crisis was brewing. cher hughes was missing for two months. now her family and friends wondered if her disappearance had anything to do with another american who left the island abruptly, four months before cher. a man named bo icelar. bo was quiet. introvert. he was a really great guy. bo kept a low profile since moving to bocas from santa fe, new mexico in 2004.