This is not just this ragtag is group of people. Anything can happen. Eo there are no guarantees. Can a father turned f negotiator help bring them home . We prepared him for the h worst. Im getting worried. Et im getting so worried. A lot of people were praying for them. A lot of people were. Hello and welcome to dateline. They were on a dream vacation when suddenly a mother, her teenage son and a cousin were all kidnapped by a group of men with guns wanting money and lots of it. Would the worldwide hostage drama be resolved before it was all too late . Here with heart of darkness is keith morrison. Reporter they lay in wait, unseen under a thick green nd canopy, armed to the teeth. Immersed in their defiant extremist belief, hunting, stalking, deadly, in this particular heart of darkness. It was the summer of 2011, a jungleclad island in the southern tip of the philippines where they prepared the place. And the news of the terrible deed committed here flashed halfway around the world and came crashing down, out of nowhere, on a modest workingclass family in lynchburg, virginia. I got a phone call from my mother. The first thing she said was gerfa and kevin were kidnapped in the philippines. Reporter kidnapped . Sherry hutter tried to wrap her head around the inconceivable. Gerfa was her aunt. Kevin, gerfas 14yearold son. They were due home from a philippine vacation. Instead, they were in the clutches of something horrific. I felt like i was in a dream like it wasnt real. And i just was thinking, what . Reporter gerfas husband, Heiko Lunsmann, had stayed behind in lynchburg and was at work when he heard. You must have been terrified. Yes. It was impossible to think aboup it. But pictures dont lie. Reporter they didnt. There they were, on philippine television. Incomprehensible images, gerfas and kevins passports, their halfpacked suitcases. The stricken relatives theyd been visiting on tictabon, a small island at the tip of the southern philippines. Gerfa, kevin and one of gerfas young cousins, said the news reports, kidnapped by boat in the dead of night. I was thinking, no, that doesnt happen to us well, nobody thinks its going to happen to us, right . Yeah. H but my wifes heart is in the philippines. Thats her family. Reporter gerfa was born in r the philippines, had always felt safe there. Her older sister married a u. S. Navy sailor and moved to america in 1985. Brought then 16yearold gerfa with her, hoping to give her a chance at a better life. She was so excited about the opportunity. I remember she worked at Little Caesars pizza and that was the greatest thing, to get a job. Reporter she had a son, t josh, went back to Community College to improve herself. And there she met a german immigrant named heiko. And from then on that was it. They were a family. T she become a lab technician, heiko a maintenance man. They bought a house in a leafy neighborhood of lynchburg, virginia and had kevin. And the immigrants son became an allamerican kid. He was 14 that summer of 2011. Smart, studious, and looking forward to the start of high school in the fall. Hes this normal american kid who likes pizza and hot dogs and burgers, hang out with his friends, play video games, ride on his skateboard. La reporter they lived frugally, saved their money. Which is how eventually heiko could afford his used mercedes sports car and gerfa and kevin that vacation trip to the philippines. Life was good. But now it was very bad indeed. When i first heard they were kidnapped, the first thing that came to my mind was oh, my gosh, its abu sayyaf. Reporter abu sayyaf, a small but extremely violent militant m group. Over the years it claimed affiliation first with al qaeda, then isis, as it fought to establish an independent islami state in the southern philippines. Its bread and butter in its ne fight against the government . Kidnap for ransom. Ai abu sayyaf had taken american hostages before. Some were released eventually. But some were beheaded. Heiko was frantic, had no idea what to do, where to turn. And then, that very day, the cavalry came riding in. My boss from work called. Come on over to work. The fbi is here for you. What was it like to know the fbi is paying attention to this . Its really real now. This is the real thing. Re we never know how families are going to react, obviously. But almost in every case theyre in a state of crisis. Reporter mark thundercloud was the leader of a special fbi hostage negotiating unit, formeo precisely for an emergency like this. More than a dozen agents descended on the lunsmann house, covered the windows, set up a Surveillance System in heikos kitchen, and got ready for what they knew was coming, a demand for ransom. Hes negotiating really with someone whos selling his family. The fbi told me that my wife and son are merchandise for them. Thats kind of hard to hear. Yes. We try to be very transparent with the families in these y cases. We try to prepare them as best as we can. Pr did you prepare heiko for the possibility they would be executed . Yeah, we prepared him for thw worst. Reporter now there was nothing else to do, except wait. And then [ phone ringing ] the phone rang. Ri hello. Hello. Yes . This is Long Distance from philippines. Is this mr. Heiko lunsmann . A terrorist on the line. And the pawns in question are his beloved wife and son. The life and death negotiations have officially begun. Coming up we need 10 million u. S. Dollars for the release of youro family. 10 million, from me . Are you losing your mind . Dad, we need you to send the money. Im getting worried. Im getting so worried. When dateline continues. When dateline continues coldeeze® can shorten your cold by 42 . 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Pronamel is formulated to help deliver minerals to the tooths surface to help reharden and strengthen your enamel. Introducing the future of fitness. Its every class you can imagine, live. Welcome back to the mirror. Youve got this john. And on demand. Its boxing. Cardio. Yoga. And more. Its an interactive, goal crushing. Whole family. Whole body fitness machine. Its so cool the future of fitness is at home. The mirror. Is this mr. Heiko lunsmann . Yes, thats me. Oh, okay. We would like to inform you that your family here with us in our custody. Reporter two days after his wife and child were kidnapped by abu sayyaf in the philippines, Heiko Lunsmann got his first ransom call. On the phone, a man who called himself mr. So. He called me mr. Lunsmann. I wanted to know what i can call you. I dont want to call you kidnapper, terrorist. Just give me a name. Reporter mr. So was calm, businesslike, like hed done it 100 times before. In fact, he was the voice for a violent separatist group known for executing prisoners, beheadings usually. We would like to tell you that we need 10 million u. S. Dollars for the release of your family. Can you hear me . And i just was thinking, are you losing your mind . Who do you think youve got . Just couldnt believe it. 10 million. From me. Reporter why would they think heiko had 10 million . Perhaps theyd watched the internet. In lynchburg the kidnapping was big news. Tv crews set up shop across the street and captured heiko driving his used mercedes coupe. There you were in your fancy car. Yes. You must be worth millions. That was a wrong, wrong impression. Im not a rich person, but i will give whatever i can get together. Okay . We need 10 million u. S. Dollars for the release of your family. Okay . Reporter heiko was lucky in this. When mr. So made his demands, some of the most experienced fbi hostage negotiators in the country were right there, listening in. Ready to point out the right way for heiko to respond. Literally. These are for general visual prompts that we want heiko to think about. We have all the questions related to kevin and gerfa that we think are important for heiko to consider. And while were doing them were going to write notes down and pass them to heiko. He would read it and hopefully introduce it to the conversation. Wheres my wife . Can i talk to her . If shes okay . Wheres my son . Yeah, no, uh, your son is she with you . Can i talk to them . I want to know if theyre okay. Reporter mr. So didnt say. Meanwhile, fbi agents in the philippines were working sources on the ground. Word was that gerfa and kevin had been taken to one of abu sayyafs strongholds basilan, a large island about four hours by boat from where theyd been kidnapped. To a base camp deep in what was nearly impenetrable jungle. We travelled to basilan to talk with the politicians there, who may have had some influence over this group. Reporter heiko had the fbi to help. But government money . No. They dont pay ransom. The government doesnt pay ransoms. Right. Any decisions that are made regarding ransoms are really made by the family. But it was actually to me no choice. I know i want to pay something. Just to make sure theyre safe. Reporter the week after the kidnapping heiko wired a ransom payment, close to 5,000, to a bank account in the philippines. I was thinking, pay them money and its over. But they started wanting more and more and more. Reporter more weeks went by. Mr. So reduced his demands from 10 million to 2 million. Then 1 million. Still impossible, of course. So the kidnappers turned up the heat. They put kevin on the line. Dad yeah. How are you doing over there . Are you there . We need you to send the money. I know that, and im ready, but all i have over here i will send, and they know it. Dad dad, just send the money. Thats all they want. Reporter heiko maxed out his credit cards, borrowed money from whomever he could. But it never seemed to be enough. As the incident grows from weeks into months, we end up with so many boards that we have to work our way down this hallway. Reporter Daniel Girsch was one of the hostage negotiators assigned to guide heiko. And it gets to the point where we dont think that were making progress. Heiko feels like were not making progress. I just think you just hope. Thats all what you have, hope. Reporter but hope was hard to hang on to. The kidnappers kept threatening beheadings. Even worse, they put gerfa on the phone and beat her while she talked to heiko. Sweetheart, what are you doing over there . I know, honey. Im just so just tell them i dont have a million. Please do that. I want this to stop. I know, i told them that you dont have anything but they just like asking. How are you doing, gerfa . Stop that [ crying ] i am getting worried, im getting so worried. [ crying ] reporter a few seconds later the line went dead. Oh my god [ bleep ], im smoking, i got have a [ bleep ] cigarette, or im gonna [ bleep ] heiko, heiko you need to be ready. Your frustration must be pretty frustration was immense. If hes not calm, then our hostage takers arent going to be calm. So oftentimes i would have to tell heiko to, you know, be quiet, let the hostage taker speak and then we would have a chance to respond. Reporter and then what . How long before they tired of the game and killed the two great loves of his life . Ive worked these cases that will last years instead of months. And i was thinking, no, im not making it for years. I mean, there is no way. Reporter heiko didnt have to wait that long. Three months after gerfa and kevin were taken, there was a very different phone call. And for heiko it was terrifying. Coming up she called me really, really sad and crying. I felt her dark place, being a mother myself. And it was awful. When dateline continues. Give you my world how can i, when you wont take it from me you can go your own way go your own way your wireless. Your rules. Only with xfinity mobile. Reporter it had been three months since an islamic Paramilitary Group had kidnapped Heiko Lunsmanns wife and son. Hed already sent the kidnappers more than 20,000. A fortune for him. And then the phone rang again. And it wasnt mr. So. Instead well. Even veteran fbi agent dan girsch was astonished. We received the tremendous news that gerfa was released. Obviously, heikos very excited. I could see and hear just joy. Joy. Reporter heiko could scarcely believe it. As the news flashed across the philippines and to lynchburg, virginia. His wife, gerfa, was alive. And free. And safe. So, inexpressible joy. And then gerfa called him. And heiko realized the nightmare was just beginning. She called me really, really sad and crying. So my first question to her was wheres kevin . Reporter he could hear the terror in her voice. Abu sayyaf still had kevin and her cousin. They could kill them at any time they wanted. And i felt her dark place, just being a mother myself. And it was awful. Reporter and before long her terror deepened. When she learned her cousin got out, too. Which meant that there in that awful place her 14yearold son, no one left to protect him, was all alone. I remember seeing that picture of her that was in the news. And she just looked so sad. Like she just looked so sad and helpless. Reporter this is gerfa. And here, even five years later, the memory is brutal. We brought her back here to the philippines and asked her to tell us her story. The story that began at 2 00 oclock in the morning, at the end of a happy family reunion, on a beach just about like this one. It does take you back. You know, you can hear the water, the waves. You can feel the wind. You see the evening sky. The stars. It was a beautiful thing. It was a beautiful morning. Yeah. Suddenly i saw from the left side two men running really fast, like, on the sand with some kind of rifle. My first impression, it was some kind of robbery. I screamed for help. I was terrified. I never screamed that loud in my life. Reporter gerfa rushed back to her hut and grabbed kevin. Together they ran toward the beach. But they didnt get far. In an instant they were surrounded by several armed men in military fatigues. Kevin was looking at me. He was in front of me. And when suddenly someone kick him from behind. That violence right there they were rough right away. Its like, why did they why did they kick my son . Reporter a motor boat suddenly appeared. The men pushed kevin and gerfa into it. Shocked and frightened, gerfa looked up to see her cousin, not quite 22 years old and the father of a newborn, holding on to the boat, trying to prevent it from leaving. He didnt care about his safety. He didnt care about his life. And he was begging him to let him in. He said, this is my family, i want to be with them. My fate will be the same. Reporter so they took her cousin too. Gerfa watched the shore disappear into the darkness. In a matter of a moment you went from a feeling of incredible peace to the Worst Nightmare you could ever imagine. Chaos. Complete chaos. And you try to control yourself, trying to stay calm. And how do you do that . Reporter it was early morning, right after sunrise, when they arrived at an island. They were made to sit hidden in the mangroves. Take me, gerfa pleaded with the kidnappers, let the boys go. But in response, one of the men raised his machete. He looked at me and he said, did you want me to cut your sons your infidel sons head . Behead him. Behead him. I knew right then it was religious. Yeah, these guys are fanatics i knew it was more serious. This is more hostile. You could see the hatred in their eyes . Ive never seen so much hate. Reporter gerfa had heard about abu sayyaf and their kidnappings. But she never thought for a moment that she could be a target. We sat there just shaking. And i couldnt stop it. The fear of death is so strong. We were surrounded by these armed men. There was no rescue, there was no sign of rescue. We were on our own. Reporter night came. They were prodded at gunpoint to their feet and into the jungle. And its own particular darkness. I constantly followed kevin. The minute hes like three feet away from me hes gone. Its like hes gone in the dark. Reporter and then a light, just a flash really, a car in the distance. The kidnappers seemed terrified by it and gerfa was gripped by a fear more terrible than any in her life. Immediately someone stood really close to kevin. And i saw that silver rifle, the tip of it just went close to his forehead. And at that point i just realized, i was like, oh my gosh, i might lose my son that night. Coming up were you ready to die . I was ready. I said, lord, thank you for the beautiful family you gave me. I said, if you want me to come home, im ready. When dateline continues. When dateline continues fights pain in two ways. Advil targets pain at the source. While acetaminophen blocks pain signals. The future of pain relief is here. New advil dual action. And now your copilot. Still a father. But now a friend. Still an electric car. Just more electrifying. Still a night out. But everything fits in. Still hard work. Just a little easier. Still a legend. Just more legendary. Chevrolet. Making lifes journey, just better. Hello. Im dara brown. Heres whats happening President Trump held a rally in nevada saturday night. Most supporters in the crowd were unmasked and packed together without practicing social distancing. The campaign made a last minute venue change due to the States Coronavirus restrictions. And peace talks resume between the taliban and Afgh