Commune. We were all having meals together. There were lots of parties. A Swimming Pool. A fleet of cool cars. It seemed like a kids fantasy. It was called Angels Landing. A special place for a chosen few. A community of free spirits, but also, someone come to suspect, troubling secrets. She fell and hit her head and drowned. It started with a strange sudden death. Then another and another. He had been crushed under a vehicle while working on it. All ruled accidents, but were they . It didnt smell right. For investigators a journey into the supernatural. He would say, even though we couldnt see her, she was there. Who or what had a grip on this place . Amber was the angel of death. Amber was the angel of death. She would come around when someone was going to die. A tale of dark power and diabolical prophecies. He predicted my mom was going to die. You might as well be telling me to goley on the moon. That wasnt something that could happen. The thought of leaving was scarier than the thought of staying. I never once thought about leaving. I thought about killing myself but i didnt think about leaving. Rolling out fast downtown grid toward the wide open flatlands north of wichita, kansas, it would be easy to slip past the clusters of homes and wheat fields, not notice them at all. Maybe that was the point. The nondescript compound did have a whimsical name. Angels landing, and it was home to a large put together family, a commune, really, including two sisters. We had a great relationship. I had everything i wanted. But Angels Landing gnawed at a county detective. For years he could not shake the place or the people who lived there from his mind. You thought there was a criminal scheme going on. It didnt smell right. It was a game of cat is that mouse. After a did he go aid long obsession, his hunch would be proved right. It turned out to be far more sinister than anyone could imagine. We had kept this a secret for ten years. And no one knew. He would uncover a supernatural tale of angels and demons. An investigation into the saga of a traveling family dabbled in most of the seven deadly sins. Amber was the angel of death. Did you believe it . Yes. He could see the future. Lies, plenty, lust, greed, murder. Angels lasting had all of that and more. All i could think about was how are they going on believe me . This is such a crazy story. What if they dont believe me . Growing up near kansas city, missouri, the two sisters sarah and emily had about as normal a life as any suburban girls in the midwest. My sister and i used to play together when we were younger. My mom, it seemed like she was always home with us and my dad was always there for dinner and things like that, it seemed like. Their dad built houses. Mom, jennifer, a realtor, sold them. And the girls were close despite a sevenyear age gap. We would go fishing together. She would take me to the pool every day during the summer. Things like that. We were close but we fought like siblings. Sarah was 16. Emily just 9 and a star student. I was teachers pet and i was usually one of the top in my class. So you were always prepared. Yeah. I was a suck up. You said that. I didnt. [ laughter ] totally was. I didnt know it then but i was. Everything was easy sailing for the girls until their parents lives went in different directions. That must have been traumatic, huh . It was. It was really a surprise. How did your mom tell you girls . We were driving in the mini van one night and she said, girls, ive decide that had your dad and i are going to separate. And i didnt know what that meant. They ended up sleeping if separate bedrooms for a few days and then she said they were getting divorced. I knew they were getting divorced. I dont know why. They never fought in front of us or anything. Thats always tough for kids. That summer, their mom was showing houses to a new client. A man named lou castro with his long hair and western hat looked for all the world like well healed young cowboy. He seemed really charismatic and outgoing and friendly and like he had a lot of money. He would tell everybody that he had cattle in south dakota. That he was trading socks. He told me he had a bunch of cars in texas somewhere. That he owned a mansion down there. This softspoken man was looking for a Country Property for his somewhat new agy family commune just ground south dakota. A young married couple, their baby girl and a young woman from north dakota. Jennifer found them just the right parcel. Even after turning over the keys, there was something about that lou castro guy that emilys mom found irresistible. He had become more than a client. At first he was just somebody mom was doing business with. They would go to lunch often. As you look back, what do you think went on with your mother . I dont know. Something was going on. Something was. And something was going on with lou, too. No sooner had he settled down in greater kansas city than his family commune was on the move again. And guess who was going with them. Jennifer, the realtor, and her two girl. What did your dad think . My dad was devastated. Just like that, in the fall of 2001, emily, sarah and their mom were packing up a uhaul and heading out for a fresh start on life. You have to leave your play mates, your class kids. At first i was really upset. Then it seemed like a new adventure and thats what mom needed to do. The new home for all three was a ten acre mini farm north of wichita. They moved in with lou and his family commune in a spread they called Angels Landing. The girls mom bought the adjoining ten acres and built a second house. After they added a Swimming Pool and a place for amp tvs, they put up a third house. We were all having meals together. On we didnt really do chores. While the girls mom resumed her real estate business, lou organized the down time. He would throw parties about every weekend. There was a lot of drinking. Other people would write their kids over. We would go swimming. I would take care of the little kids west played pool. Pretty normal. A little lavish but pretty normal stuff. Lou loved toys with engines and there were a couple of workshops big enough to garage his enormous radio controlled planes and a fleet of snazzy cars. Going to a dealership and buying a corvette was like going to a toy store and picking out a model car. That is how quickly he would just and go pick them out and say, all right, i want it. Corvettes in dodge viper . We had suburbans, tahoes, trail blazers, big trucks. They had vanity plates. Angel one, angel two, and so on. A lot of is it a kids dream. Yeah. I got everything i wanted. While the sisters did stay in touch with their dad who had moved nearby, lous promise of what have your heart desires found sweet spot. Lou asked me what i wanted for my birthday. I would love to have a horse but i know it is expense sgrif too much work so we wont do it. No, if you want a horse, you will get a horse. You were the little girl who got a horse for your birthday in. I was. I got three horses. You were the princess of the house. That didnt always sit well with sister sarah so the other young mom in the family, brians wife trish, sometimes stepped in to the referee their sibling rivalry. There were ways to do things and you did it her way and thats what you expected. What did you think of trish . She was wonderful. I loved her like another mom. So she was really substitute mom in a lot of big things. She was. So the sisters will never forget that awful day in june 2003. Emily, just 11 years old, found herself standing by the Swimming Pool. Trish was floating in the shallow end of the pool face down. A beach sandal floated on the water. Trish was dead. Coming up, the horror of losing one of their own. For emily and everyone else, the sunny life at angels handling had changed in an instant. It was very traumatic. And later, more shocks in store. Mysterious accidents, dark threats involving the spirit world and one seemingly demonic transformation. He wouldnt blink. He would get this terrible grin that just looked evil. When angels and demons continues. D demons continues. Its gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old bargain detergent. Tide pods plus downy free. Safe for sensitive skin with eczema and psoriasis. The only thing a disaster cant destroy is hope. Donate now at redcross. Org just two years after leaving missouri to make a living with moms friends in wichita, kansas, the two sisters were still living in the family commune called Angels Landing. Lou who had money and spare time was the patriarch and trish who was married to brian and had a baby daughter took care of the home. Trish kind of was the one that would be there before we went to school and after we went to school because my mom had to work. Did you like her in. I loved her. I loved her. So what happened in june 2003 of Angels Landing came as a sudden life altering shock. The day began normally enough for the sisters. We all had gone to lunch. Trish and her daughter, a friend of mine and her baby, and then lou and my sister. And then we came back to the house after lunch, and trish and emily and the baby were going to clean the pool. That was the plan for the afternoon. Right. And lou and i would go to davis moore. The car dealer. Correct. So you go to the car dealer swhip lou . Uhhuh. Back at the Swimming Pool, something truly awful had happened. I called 911. Stheld operator that trishs toddler had fallen sue tinto th pool. When trish tried to save her, she fell backward. She fell and hit her head and drowned. And the baby was in trouble in the pool. Right. You rescued the baby but you couldnt help. Right. Emily got baby out of the pool. Because she was just a williams of a thing, try as she might, she could not lift trishs body out of the water. Hopeless. Across town, sarah and lou were checking out cars at the dealership when sarahs phone rang. I received a phone call from emily. And she says that trish fell in the pool. I need you to come home. Did she say that trish was dead . Yes. So this is shocking news. You all just had lunch a few hours before. And now youre hearing that trish is dead. Uhhuh. They raced back home to Angels Landing where police and emts were on the scene. There was no reason to think she was under the influence of anything at this time. They had pulled her fwrod the pool and taken photographs. A single beach sandal floated on the surface. Pieces of her hair clip were in the pool. It had snapped apart when she banged her head. And there were small bruises and a cut on trishs forehead. The medical examiner determined her death was due to a freakishly bad accident. Trish was just 26 years old. Trish was gone. Yeah. The family was in a state of shock. Trish had been the mother in the house the way you talk about her. Yeah. For you, too. Absolutely. It was really hard. It breaks my heart. And it was hard for lou. Trish was someone he regarded as his best friend. Lou had met trish in the mid 1990s in south texas after serving in the navy as a plane mechanic. For eight years they were inseparable travelers, moving on to south dakota and ending up in wichita. It was very traumatic. As the family commune tried to come to terms with the tragedy, trishs husband brian embraced his little daughter closer. Gradually they all got on with their lives. Then with a . Youre going back to school that doing the usual things . Exactly. Still it was hard for the family to put trishs death behind them. And Something Else was troubling them. Sxlim sarah had a protection trish wasnt the first person in the family commune to die. They had recently met a teenager on the fringe of the commune and he told a story with painful echos. Coming up a tale of tragedy and mystery. I knew something wasnt right. And then he just told me. Hey, your mom and sister are missing. Two members of the commune vanished into thin air. When angels and demons continues. S and demons continues. Inside, it turns liquid to gel. For incredible protection, that feels like nothing but my underwear. Always discreet. Since youre heading off to dad. I just got a zerowater. But weve always used brita. Its two stagefilter. Doesnt compare to zerowaters 5stage. This meter shows how much stuff, or dissolved solids, gets left behind. Our tap water is 220. Brita . 110. Seriously . But zerowater let me guess. Zero . Yup, thats how i know it is the puresttasting water. I need to find the receipt for that. Oh yeah, you do. burke stomer happy anniversary. customer for what . burke every year youre with us, you get fifty dollars toward your home deductible. Its a policy perk for being a farmers customer. customer do i have to do anything . burke nothing. customer nothing . burke nothing. customer nothing . burke nothing. customer hmm, that is really something. burke you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. See ya. kid may i have a balloon, too . burke sure. Your parents have maintained a farmers home policy for twelve consecutive months, right . We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum burke start with a quote at 1800farmers. Our bargain detergent couldnt keep up. With us. Turns out its mostly water. So, we switched back to tide. One wash, stains are gone. Daughter slurping dont pay for water. Pay for clean. Its got to be tide. At angels happeneding, the family commune was slowly menning after the devastating loss of trish hughes who had drounl in the Swimming Pool. They saw her husband a broken man left to raise a daughter. Brian loved trish more than anything in the world. And he loved his daughter immensely. He was a really good person. He missed his wife. Brian was sad. As they coped with the loss. They, emily and sarah had a flash back and pieced together another incident when tragedy struck the family, about two years before. I wasnt there. Im glad i wasnt there. That would just be more that i had lost. Not long before trishs death, the sisters met 15yearold cody griffin from texas who had also once been on the fringes of the family commune. He had been close to trish and lou. They were really good friends. They would do a lot together. Codys mom was something of a flower child. She was extremely loving, very free spirited. Everything was spontaneous. There was no planning. She could say, lets get in the car and drive somewhere. Could have been a hippie. Maybe. Just extremely loving, very accepting. There was no, youre right or wrong because of who you are. She just loved everybody equally. Was she a disciplinarian . To an extent. She didnt let us get away with terrible things. But at the same time, i mean, she let us make our own mistakes. When cody was growing up in Corpus Christi in the mid 1990s, his mom mona was going through a difficult divorce and financial trouble. She, cody is that codys youngster moved in with their good friends, trish and lou in the apartment complex. I can remember lou taking to us baseball practice. My sister, picking her up from cool and stuff like that. His mom mona and trish took turns cooking for what was the beginning of the commune. So it was living together. When they decided to they wanted to pick up sticks and move to south dakota, mona wanted to go, too, and to take cody and his sister lindsey along as well. It was just like yesterday. And i told her, no, im not leaving. And i had gotten extremely upset. The very thought of being so far away from his dad was so much for cody. What did she say . Yes, you are . Youre going with us . No. She let me make decision. She wouldnt want me to do something i didnt want to do. In late 1998, gleen and codys younger sister lindsey ended up leaving and settled near south dakota where one christmas, cody paid them a visit. It was an extremely small home. It was in the mountains. We cut our own christmas tree. Off the grid kind of a cabin . Yeah. It was a tight squeeze for sure but the family commune was growing. It was here that trish met and married brian, the auto mechanic and they had a daughter. Mona, codys mom, had also found a boyfriend a rapid city realtor and experienced plane pilot. You were okay with that . Of course i wanted my mom to be happy. I looked forward to meeting him. Did you ever meet him . No. One friday in february of 2001, mona and her boyfriend decided to take daughter lindsey on an exciting birthday trim to nebraska. Exciting because monas boyfriend would fly them there himself. They took off from rapid city. But not long after, something went terribly wrong. How did you find out about the plane . Moy dad called me inside. He just looked at me. I knew something wasnt right. Then he just told me, hey, your mom and sister have been missing. Your dad must have been ripped up, huh . There is nothing you can say. He didnt, there was no way that he could explain to his son that his sister and mom are gone. And imagine you hope somebody has crawled out of wreckage and theyre waiting for search and rescue to find them. Thats the only thing could i pray for. He was a praying for a miracle, moanas sister lease a got a phone call from another sister. And shes crying hysterically and she said that mona and lindsey had left on a plane and the plane had never reached its destination. And they didnt know where it was. Monas boyfriend hadnt foiled a flight plan so the plane could be anywhere. Rugged territory. Correct. In the bad lands area, we assume. Or nebraska. We really had no clue. But in south dakota, luke castro, a former navy plane mechanic, was on it. When lisa paid a short visit to help find her sister and niece, lou was in constant touch with search and rescue. . Softspoken, nice, funny, friendly. He seemed very concerned. Very distraught over moana and lindseys disappearance. Very helpful. He was very gracious. Whatever we wanted. So thank goodness we had luke at the helm. Yes. He seemed to have plenty of time. He seemed to know everybody. They knew him. We were grateful that there was somebody that had taken control and was keeping us in the loop also. At a gathering of school friends, he seemed especially popular with the girls. They were mesmerized by him. Was he telling stories, jokes . Laughing. He knew them all quite well west could tell. Was there something a little creepy about it . I dont want to plant an idea here that didnt exist. They all knew lou but they didnt know lindseys mom. I just found strange. Six weeks after the plane went missing, lisa and cody got the news they were dreading. The wreckage had been found. There were no survivors. I went to the internet to see what was posted by the newspaper and it was just debris. So you know, during the six weeks, five weeks that we were aware of the plane crash and during the search, there is a little part of you that still hopes. Somebody is under a tree with a little camp fire going . Exactly. Intellectually, you know pits not possible. But emotionally, you are still hoping that some unforeseen reason, some miracle will occur and youll get that call where they say, we found them and theyre alive. When did you find out they found the wreckage . My dads birthday is march 13. And