548 Days: Abducted Online (2023) s01e03 Episode Script

548 DAYS
ABDUCTED ONLINE
PREVIOUSLY
PATRICIA: Steven was obsessed with us
not being found.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
PATRICIA: We went to San Martín de Pangoa.
It's in the jungle. We had no electricity.
We went weeks without bathing,
without any hygiene.
Steven became more and more violent.
And suddenly, everything changed.
I was pregnant.
ALBERTO: The media and the police
lost interest in the case.
We had to go to Peru.
It was a needle in a haystack.
MAYI: Obviously, if you're running away,
someone like Patricia is a problem.
Steven once said
"What if we just kill her?"
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONCLUDES)
(SOFT MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
ROSA: Waiting
from so far away
just waiting for news from Peru.
It's like hell.
You don't know what happened to her.
You can't live with that.
It was our last chance.
If it didn't work out
I'd probably lose my daughter forever.
548 DAYS
ABDUCTED ONLINE
CHAPTER III
THE RESCUE
(SOFT MELANCHOLIC MUSIC CONCLUDES)
(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
ALBERTO: Hi, Olinda. It's Alberto.
I just arrived in Lima.
If you want, we can meet later.
Just to meet in person and plan the week.
OLINDA: When he arrived here in Peru,
despite his pain,
he was strong enough
to comfort another person.
MAYI'S MOTHER
He wanted to help me as well.
For me, it was very comforting,
feeling the strength of someone
who was going through the same as me.
That's how we started our struggle
to find our daughters together.
We've arrived at the Spanish consulate.
I'm seeing the consul to exchange ideas
and discuss with him what will be
our angle with the prosecutor.
ROSA: In that meeting,
the consul suggested
that we drop the cult strategy
PATRICIA'S MOTHER
and report it
as a human trafficking case.
ALBERTO:
We found a receptive prosecutor.
A prosecutor who wants to help
and that understands us.
PATRICIA'S FATHER
She was going to help us.
She considered that the human trafficking
angle might work.
She asked the police right away
to start investigating.
NATIONAL POLICE OF PERU
DIRINCRI HQ
LUIS: I first met Alberto when he first
came to the Missing Persons Division.
He was very excited.
Finally he was getting justice,
to an extent. We started a dossier.
DIRINCRI AGEN
We started a dossier, we started
an investigation against this man.
That gave him hope of finding Patricia.
CHRISTIAN: Since I'm also a father
and because of everything
that I see every day,
when I get home and see my son,
and I think, "I hope I never have to"
DIRINCRI AGEN
"experience the pain of reporting
my son as missing like so many people do."
The report had been filed.
The next step was finding this man.
We had no idea where he was.
I'm in the same condo Patricia
and the group stayed in for a while.
CHRISTIAN: We were at an impasse.
We had no clues about Steven.
This is the school the kids attend.
- Well, attended.
- CHRISTIAN: He left no trace.
He even withdrew his kids from school
and health services.
So, we asked
for the judge's authorization to monitor
the communications of every person
in the group.
We received a list
of about 18 different numbers.
ALBERTO: Steven was terrified
of being located, so kept his cell off.
We had no way of locating them.
All we could do was wait
for this guy to make a mistake
and turn on one of those phones.
450 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
493 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
(INTENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES)
It was terrifying.
What scared me the most was what
he could do to Patricia in retaliation.
Because in a way
it was us, Patricia's family,
who was fucking up his life.
MAYI: In that time,
they used to argue a lot.
They were like oil and water.
I remember he once said,
"I'm thinking
maybe I should just kill her."
STEVEN'S WIFE
That's how he said it.
"What if we kill her?"
(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
And I just stared at him.
I didn't say anything.
I had nothing to say.
If one of us had supported him on it,
agreed with him with his rage
against Patricia,
who was to blame for our situation,
I think he would have tried
to make her disappear.
To kill her.
So, I asked him,
"What were you considering?"
"What were you thinking?"
POLICE INVESTIGATION
NOELIA:
We knew Steven Manrique
was controlling and manipulating Patricia.
But we had no idea who he really was.
But thanks to the Peruvian police's
investigation,
we learned more about him.
Steven was born in Lima in 1983
to a low-income family,
a dysfunctional and broken home,
and in a violent environment.
At school,
the other boys used to bully him,
so he only hung out with girls.
His teachers said
that he would change those girls
just by talking to them so much.
It was his father
who gave him the Holy Cross of Caravaca,
a book which opened the door for him
to a world of magic,
and taught him to have faith
in a belief system
that's a mixture of philosophy,
culture, esoterism, and occultism
and led him to join a gnostic group.
However, he didn't stay long.
He was expelled for borrowing ideas
from various other cults
and for claiming to be Prince Gurdjieff.
All of this
led him to start his own thing.
(INTENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES)
As time went by, things didn't improve.
(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
PATRICIA:
One day, we ran out of money.
So, from San Martín de Pangoa,
we moved to an apartment in Alto Celendín.
PATRICIA:
A place right in the middle of the jungle,
a tiny village of about 30 houses.
People there are mostly drug traffickers
and fugitives from the law, like us.
- (SOMBER MUSIC CONCLUDES)
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
PATRICIA: The house was barely a house,
it was four walls, a ceiling, and a floor.
It didn't have anything.
There was no running water,
no electricity, no food.
And I was upset. Very upset.
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
- (THUNDER RUMBLING)
MAYI: The area was full
of puddles everywhere.
It was very muddy, you had to wear boots.
We all got fungus.
Everyone, even the children.
It was horrible.
PATRICIA:
My legs were covered in bug bites.
Our heads were all infested with lice,
to an incredible degree.
I could literally see
lice falling off my head,
and the children could pick lice
out of their hair without even looking.
(FLIES BUZZING)
PATRICIA: It wasn't the best place
to raise children.
And it was definitely not the best place
for a pregnant woman.
Steven put us in danger.
Us and our babies.
I wasn't the only one that was pregnant.
Mayi was also expecting a baby.
MAYI: A kid is a blessing.
It's a gift that life gives you.
But personally, in that moment,
it wasn't a gift.
So, it's
I was very selfish.
I didn't take care of myself.
I worked really hard.
I didn't take care of myself.
At some point, I said, "God
"if this baby is meant to be born,
then it will be born."
And I didn't take care of myself.
(DIAL TONE RINGING)
- OLINDA: Hello. Hello?
- (MAYI SNIFFLING)
- OLINDA: I can't hear anything. Hello?
- (MAYI SOBBING)
OLINDA: Maryori?
- (MAYI SNIFFLING)
- OLINDA: Is that you?
MAYI: One time I called my parents.
Just to hear their voices.
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
OLINDA: (SOBBING) My baby
My baby
Please say something.
- (MELANCHOLIC MUSIC CONCLUDES)
- (DIAL TONE RINGING)
- (INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
- OLINDA: Hello.
-Hello?
- (MAYI SNIFFLING)
- OLINDA: I can't hear anything. Hello?
- (MAYI SOBBING)
OLINDA: Maryori?
Is that you?
AGENT CAPCHA CALLING
(BUZZES)
MISSED CALL
AGENT CAPCHA:
ALBERTO, ARE YOU THERE?
GOOD NEWS!
THEY TURNED ON THEIR PHONES.
WE FOUND THEM!
523 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
(INTENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES)
At that moment,
Alberto and I hugged. We had hope.
At last we found a light
to guide our path.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
That light was shining upon Pangoa.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
ALBERTO: They had connected
to the network very recently.
This meant they were in that area.
And they were alive.
CHRISTIAN: We thought they were in Lima,
but now we knew
Steven was moving the girls.
He's isolating them even more.
That really worried us.
We discussed the situation
with our superiors and they sent us there.
"You two go. You're the ones
who best know the case,
"so go there and investigate."
ROSA: We had a location.
They were thought to be there.
The next step was going to the area
and investigating.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC INTENSIFIES)
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)
FORWARD
ROSA: Alberto forwarded me a photo
with a text message from Capcha saying,
ALBERTO:
"We're going to rescue your daughter."
Just that.
LUIS: We wore civilian clothes.
Normal street clothes.
We tried to blend in.
But we were not from the area,
so it wasn't going to be easy.
The locals didn't trust us much.
It's a red zone, as we call it.
A zone plagued by narcoterrorism.
A place like that is very dangerous
for a police officer.
Their life is in permanent danger.
LUIS: We knew the search for Patricia
wouldn't be easy.
We didn't have much time.
We were given ten days to search the area,
and Pangoa is massive place to cover.
It's a jungle.
It's unmeasurable.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC FADES)
535 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
536 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
LUIS: We always had a clipboard with us
when we were searching for them.
10,000-SOL REWARD
LUIS: So we could ask the locals
if they knew any of these people.
After three or four days,
we didn't have any new information.
Alberto asked for any information or clues
about his daughter's whereabouts.
We didn't know what to tell him.
MY FRIEND, ANY NEWS?
HI, ALBERTO. SORRY, I DON'T HAVE ANY NEWS.
LUIS: It was quite stressful for us.
We'd been everywhere in town,
basically going door-to-door.
It was very strange.
A white person in an area like that
would definitely stand out.
But we had nothing. They just vanished.
(DOGS BARKING)
LUIS: I said to Christian,
"We won't get any clues in town.
"It's time to go up the mountain.
They're not here."
We decided to go to a very wild area,
up in the mountain, in the jungle.
We also decided to divide and conquer.
Christian and I would search separately.
The area was a bastion
of drug trafficking.
It would be very difficult
for the police or the army to enter.
I'd been walking for a while.
When I was about to head back,
two people approached me.
- (GUN COCKING)
- LUIS: They surrounded me at gunpoint.
"Wow. My time has come," I thought.
I took out my ID and told them who I was.
"I'm a cop. I'm searching for this person.
You may have seen her, a white woman."
But then they knocked me down.
They kicked me.
And they searched me for weapons.
I told them I don't carry weapons because
my job is to search and investigate.
I felt the rifle on my head.
They told me to shut up.
Being told you're going to be shot
is a horrible feeling.
I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
I heard one of them making a phone call.
They were asking about me.
I thought that was the day I'd die.
And they said, "Get out of here. We don't
want to see you again, snitch. Bastard."
10,000-SOL REWARD
FOR THE LOCATION OF THIS GROUP
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONCLUDES)
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
- LUIS: I made my way back.
Honestly, I was desperate and scared.
Christian asked, "What happened?"
I said, "Let's leave this place.
I don't want to be here anymore."
I thought about calling my boss
and explain what had happened.
But then I thought that if I told my boss
about what happened,
the operation would be called off.
I couldn't stop thinking about
Alberto.
How I'd failed him.
In the end, I decided not to call.
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
MY DEAR FRIEND.
DO YOU REMEMBER I MADE YOU A PROMISE?
I'M KEEPING IT.
"I will find your daughter,
one way or another,
"I won't come back until I do."
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC CONCLUDES)
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
- (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
PATRICIA: When I was eight months
into my pregnancy, everything was so hard.
I was still doing all the house chores.
I was exhausted.
On top of that, since I was pregnant,
I needed food, but we were barely eating.
There was no food. I suffered
from a terrible chronic malnutrition.
In fact, a neighbor thought
I was three-months pregnant, not eight.
MAYI: We would normally eat
rice and potatoes.
That's why they were malnourished.
I feared for the life of my children.
PATRICIA: All we did
was try to get by and survive.
But for me,
the worst part wasn't being hungry.
One day, out of nowhere,
Steven told me he was leaving.
He was taking Mayi and Paola with him.
He said they were going to work
and I had to stay there,
alone with the children.
Her eyes said, "Please don't go."
Her eyes begged.
"Don't leave me alone."
She could feel the baby was coming soon.
PATRICIA: I begged them to stay.
I didn't beg for all three to stay,
but at least one.
I didn't care who,
but I needed at least one person with me.
I thought about my son.
About my children.
I needed to make money
because Steven wouldn't give me any.
He wouldn't give me any money,
he wasn't able to. And I knew it.
PATRICIA: And, in the end, they left.
I felt alone.
I was terrified, really scared.
I felt like something wasn't right.
(SOFT MUSIC CONCLUDES)
I felt like the baby was coming very soon.
I felt like
they wouldn't come back in time.
- (CHILDREN CHEERING)
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
LUIS: We went to a park
where we saw a lot of children.
Children tend to play with other children.
They usually know each other.
But nobody knew
the kids we were looking for.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
CHRISTIAN: Until a lady
with a little girl passed by.
LUIS: When we asked the lady,
she said she had never seen
any of those people.
And then her granddaughter
leaned in to see the photos.
LUIS:
The girl immediately recognized Paola.
"The crazy lady
in the pink boots," she said.
And the lady said to the girl,
"Don't be rude. What crazy lady?"
"She's the only lady in pink boots."
CHRISTIAN: "Are you sure it's her?"
"Yes, it's her.
She always crosses the bridge
"with a pot with food. She crosses
the bridge every night after 10 p.m."
"She has long hair and walks funny.
She looks a like a crazy lady."
Christian and I knew
that children always tell the truth.
We kept watch 24 hours a day.
But we had no information,
so we were worried.
And then, a miracle happened.
CHRISTIAN:
I saw a pair of pink boots walk by.
Just like the little girl said.
The lady walked with a stoop,
staring at the floor,
never talking to anyone.
She looked like a robot.
LUIS: And he told me, "Don't turn around.
Just stay there, don't move."
I asked him, "What happened?"
"Paola's behind you."
"I can't believe it," I said.
"She's behind you. Don't turn around yet."
"Paola's passing by,
she's about 15 feet away from you."
He was right.
I turned around and I saw Paola.
And then we tailed her.
LUIS: I was a lot more hopeful now.
If Paola was there, Steven was there.
If Steven was there,
we'd be able to find Mayi
and Patricia.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC INTENSIFIES)
LUIS: She walked for about 40 minutes,
until she left the town borders.
That was bad news.
In the countryside, it's easier
to notice you're being followed.
CHRISTIAN: It seemed like
Paola noticed us,
because she started walking faster.
We had to find some cover.
We bought some alcohol
and pretended to be drunk,
or something like that.
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (DOGS BARKING)
LUIS: Thirty minutes outside the town,
we saw her going into a house.
A pensión, as it's called here.
Basically a house with rooms for rent.
And we set up surveillance.
LUIS: We had to get inside somehow.
We were too conspicuous outside.
So, we talked to the owner,
and said to her,
"We're teachers, we're here for work,
"and we need to rent a room."
- (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONCLUDES)
- (INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
LUIS: "I have a free room," she said.
"But there's a problem.
"The couple in the room next door
is a bit odd,
"the man never leaves the room,
it looks like he's hiding or something."
I said to the lady,
"I see. Does he cause trouble?"
"Not really," she said.
"He's just odd. He's got long, curly hair,
"wears glasses,
and never leaves the room."
We were very lucky.
The wall separating our room and Paola's
was made of adobe.
I could hear what they said quite clearly.
CHRISTIAN:
He heard the voices of two women
and a man in the room, including Paola's.
But we couldn't locate
the children or Patricia.
(MUFFLED YELLING)
MY PARTNER FOLLOWED HER.
CHRISTIAN: We knew Paola left
at 5 a.m. to go to work.
She worked in a restaurant until 9 p.m.
She left at 5 a.m. and worked until 9 p.m.
We had Paola's routine.
But we didn't know
what the other people in the room did.
LUIS: On the fourth day,
I was surveilling,
when Mayi suddenly arrived.
I recognized her right away.
I could see she was five
or six-months pregnant.
MAYI: I didn't realize
someone was watching us.
I was so lost in thought.
I was suffering from depression too,
so I just didn't notice.
MAYI'S THE OTHER WOMAN.
MAYI: I was almost on autopilot.
SHE'S PREGNAN
LUIS: After Mayi went inside the room
with Steven,
- I called Olinda right away.
- (INTENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES)
OLINDA: So, she's living alone
with Steven, without the children.
LUIS: Sorry, ma'am. We don't have
any information about that yet.
- OLINDA: There's no children?
- LUIS: No children.
She was so happy when Mayi was found,
but she couldn't express her happiness
because her search partner was with her,
and he hadn't had the same luck.
"Alberto, they saw my daughter!"
And he said, "I asked them,
"and they haven't seen Patricia."
And then he broke into tears.
They told him they hadn't seen Patricia.
Or the children.
They hadn't seen the children either.
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
I thought that, probably
that meant she wasn't with us anymore.
But then I convinced myself
that she was alive.
"My daughter has to be alive
and we have to find her."
LUIS: We always wondered
why Patricia
was in a place like that.
A girl with a comfortable life in Spain.
Why would she go to Pangoa?
AUGUST 8, 2016
I HAD A DREAM LAST NIGH
I HAD OUR NEWBORN BABY IN MY ARMS.
IT WAS A GIRL.
YOU WERE BY MY SIDE AND I FELT SAFE.
I COULDN'T STOP CRYING OF HAPPINESS.
ONLINE
TYPING
WHAT A WONDERFUL VISION.
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC CONCLUDES)
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
(WOMAN VOCALIZING)
(PATRICIA WAILING, GROANING)
- (SCREAMS)
- (SQUEAKS)
(SIGHS) I was alone with the children.
They were scared to death,
they didn't know what to do.
I was terrified too.
But what worried me the most was my baby.
I didn't know if the baby was breech,
or if it was well-positioned.
I had no idea.
- (PATRICIA WAILING)
- (INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
That was the first time in my life
that I thought I was going to die.
(PATRICIA WAILING)
(PANTS HEAVILY)
(SCREAMS)
(DOOR KNOCKING)
PATRICIA: The neighbor heard my screaming
and came to see what was going on.
But Steven had ordered the children
not to open the door for anyone.
And I told them to let her in
because I would die if they didn't.
(PATRICIA GROANING)
(PANTS HEAVILY)
(SCREAMS)
(SCREAMS, BREATHES HEAVILY)
(GASPS)
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
- (CRIES)
- (INTENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES)
- (SPIRITED MUSIC PLAYING)
- PATRICIA: When I heard her crying,
I could finally breathe in relief.
"The baby's fine, it's all good."
And they told me it was a girl.
(BABY CRYING)
PATRICIA:
When I had her resting on my chest,
it was the happiest moment of my life.
(COOS)
I'll never forget it.
I'd been waiting for that moment
for eight and a half months.
I'd never imagined that at 19,
I'd give birth
in the middle of the jungle,
and in such conditions,
with the help of four children
and a woman who wasn't a midwife,
who didn't know much about it.
But
she did a fucking great job.
(SPIRITED MUSIC CONCLUDES)
545 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
547 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
- (DIAL TONE RINGING)
- (INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
ROSA: Do we know anything yet?
ALBERTO: No news yet.
ROSA: What are they waiting for?
Why don't they just go in?
ALBERTO: This is how it works.
We had to make sure
the man in the room was Félix Steven.
A MALE VOICE INSIDE
LUIS: If we go in, and it's not him
What if he won't tell us
Patricia's whereabouts
Capcha and Huarcaya
had no idea if Steven was in the room.
They couldn't see him.
They never saw him leave the room.
MAYI: He grew out his hair and beard
so he would look older.
He lived like a shut-in.
He was in bed practically all day.
I mean, he didn't work.
Paola and I were the ones who worked.
I worked while I was pregnant.
I would come back home
completely exhausted.
However, every night,
we had to pray our mantras to protect us.
We had protection mantras.
WE CAN HEAR VERY LOUD MUSIC.
THE MAN IS SHOUTING.
MAYI: We did it because we loved him.
That's right. Blindly.
LUIS: I woke up
in the middle of the night.
- They listen to Indian music, right?
- FEMALE VOICE: Yes.
LUIS: An odd music
with drums and all that.
FEMALE VOICE: Right.
LUIS: Ma'am, we can't sleep,
we're like zombies.
I even try to control my breathing
so he doesn't realize I'm in listening in.
FEMALE VOICE: Did you see him yet?
LUIS:
He won't even go to the bathroom.
LUIS: It was 3 or 4 a.m.
Steven was talking,
and he said, "We're leaving tomorrow."
"Paola, you leave first,
"then Maryori. I'll go last.
"We're leaving."
He said, "I feel something bad
is about to happen."
MAN PLANS ESCAPE AT NIGHT.
CHRISTIAN: Steven said
he'd had some sort of revelation.
He told them,
"I think we're being followed."
MAYI: The idea was to go farther,
to visit indigenous communities.
Finding us there
would have been tremendously difficult.
I said, "We have to make a move here.
"We have no choice.
"We have to strike.
Whether Patricia's here or not."
OLINDA: Hello?
- LUIS: Ma'am, how are you?
- OLINDA: Good afternoon, how are you?
- LUIS: Can we talk right now?
- OLINDA: Of course, don't worry.
LUIS: We have to make our move now.
They could flee at any moment.
They have suitcases ready.
You can hear them closing
the suitcases loudly, like, "Pah, pah!"
- They sound like briefcases.
- OLINDA: I see.
LUIS: We won't have time to find Patricia
or to find out her whereabouts.
OLINDA: I hope she's just staying
somewhere with the children.
LUIS: Yes, I hope so too.
OLINDA: I'll be waiting for news.
Please, call me at any time.
- LUIS: Yes, ma'am.
- OLINDA: I'll be praying for you.
Hopefully everything goes well. Thank you.
And then, I told him to go in
once and for all.
Alberto said the same thing.
"They should go in already," he said.
They couldn't wait any longer.
I wanted it to end,
to find out what happened, to find her.
I wanted it to end.
I was very scared he could escape.
I couldn't wait for them to go in
and at least find out
something about Patricia,
about the children, and obviously,
I couldn't wait
for them to put this guy in jail.
WE HAVE TO GO IN!
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
LUIS: We called Lima for reinforcements.
(POLICE SIREN WAILING)
HQ sent us a back-up team.
We set up the operation.
We did it immediately.
We were racing against the clock.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC FADES)
CHRISTIAN: Since we had established
Paola's routine,
we knew she left at 5 a.m.
So, we waited for her to leave
to split them up.
We didn't want them
to be all together when we went in.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
CHRISTIAN: We coordinated
with the other teams. They handled Paola.
By chance, Maryori opened the door
and went to the bathroom.
MAYI: I was washing some clothes
when someone approached me
and asked for ID.
My national ID.
POLICE
MISSING PERSONS
I realized they had found us.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONCLUDES)
547 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
548 DAYS WITHOUT PATRICIA
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONCLUDES)
MALE OFFICER 1: Get up!
- Get up.
- MALE OFFICER 2: Get up.
- Get up!
- No!
I'll beat you up if you don't get up!
MAYI: Calm down.
Calm down. Just calm down.
- MALE OFFICER 2: Relax. Grab your stuff.
- MAYI: You can't do that.
CHRISTIAN:
Come on, my friend. Please, do not resist.
- MAYI: Calm down.
- CHRISTIAN: ID, please.
Please show us your ID, sir.
- Calm down. Will you calm down now?
- STEVEN: Okay.
You need to be calm.
- MAYI: Leave him alone.
- MALE OFFICER 1: Sit there, please.
MALE OFFICER 2:
This is a police operation.
- Why do you think we're here?
- STEVEN: I don't know.
- I woke up sick this morning.
- MALE OFFICER 2: What's your name?
- STEVEN: Esteban.
- MALE OFFICER 2: And your last name?
CHRISTIAN: He gave us
a fake name at first.
MALE OFFICER 2: Esteban what?
CHRISTIAN: He was very confused.
MALE OFFICER 2: Esteban what?
CHRISTIAN: To the point of tears.
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
We asked him, "Where are Patricia
and the children?"
We asked him that.
"Who's Patricia? What children?
I don't know them."
Come with us. Please. Cooperate.
Sit here with me.
CHRISTIAN: That was his stance.
Later on, he gathered enough courage
and told me,
"You can't arrest me.
Where's the prosecutor? The judge?"
Sit here for a while with me,
I'm not resisting, sir.
MAYI: They couldn't accuse him of anything
because we were all of legal age.
We were living that way voluntarily.
Nobody was forcing us.
We were there because we wanted to.
It was our way of life.
- Sit with me just for a minute.
- Listen to me.
CHRISTIAN:
We're DIRINCRI, just so you know.
Put on your sandals,
you're coming with us.
ROSA: Something in the video
stood out to me.
They take him out of bed,
and he puts his feet on the ground.
And then Mayi takes off her shoes
and gives them to him,
so he won't have to step on the floor.
CHRISTIAN: Please, put on your sandals.
Please, put on your sandals.
Mr. Ezequiel, the local guard,
please can you?
ROSA: In that moment, I understood
to what degree he had them
under his control.
MAYI: I felt bad because it wasn't fair.
I felt sorry for him.
I felt bad that a master like him
who'd come to give his life
for the sake of humanity,
to save a lot of people,
to bring us knowledge
was going to jail.
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
- CHRISTIAN: Let's go. Now.
- Just give me a second.
One second!
Just a little while!
(DIAL TONE RINGING)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
(DIAL TONE RINGING)
(DISCONNECT TONE)
ROSA: Fuck, Alberto, call me already!
I can't believe you're not picking up.
ALBERTO: Rosa, I can't call you right now.
All I know is the guy has been arrested,
and that they are questioning Paola
and Mayi
to find out Patricia
and the children's whereabouts.
LUIS: Alberto, I can't give you
any more details yet.
All I can say is we now have Paola
and she gave us a location in the jungle.
We're going there now.
I'll keep you posted.
(POLICE SIREN WAILING)
As you see, it's in the middle of nowhere.
We have to endure these extreme conditions
to reach and rescue the kids
and the Spanish woman.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC CONCLUDES)
FEMALE OFFICER: Hello, little one.
How are you?
Hello.
How are you? What are you doing?
What are you up to?
Are you playing?
LUIS: When we arrived, we saw
some children living in total neglect.
MALE OFFICER: How are you?
There's nothing wrong,
- we came to see you.
- FEMALE OFFICER: Sit down, please.
LUIS: They were half naked.
Their heads were full of lice.
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
They were very poorly fed.
They were skinny.
That's okay, kid.
- CHILD: Okay.
- LUIS: It's okay.
They came to us, stared at us,
they hugged us.
- Have you had lunch yet?
- CHILD: No.
LUIS: They asked if we had
any crackers or candy.
They could only think about food.
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
They were alive.
They were alive. All of them
They were living
in such awful conditions
What's going on?
OLINDA: It pained me deeply
to see the condition
in which my Estefano was found.
You could see all his bones
along his back. (SOBS)
You could only see his head.
And his arms were so thin.
He had a huge belly.
But they were alive.
That was
I was very happy in that moment,
when they told me they were alive.
MALE OFFICER: Patricia?
FEMALE OFFICER 1: Give it to me, Estefano.
MALE OFFICER: Patricia?
GIRL: There's no Patricia here.
What are you talking about?
LUIS: Nothing, don't worry.
FEMALE OFFICER 2: Where is Narita?
GIRL: There's no one here called Patricia.
FEMALE OFFICER 2: Don't worry, honey.
They already know
But we didn't see Patricia.
We shouted her name all around the area.
- FEMALE OFFICER 2: Where was Narita?
- MALE VOICE: Patricia!
GIRL: There's no one here called Patricia.
MALE OFFICER: Patricia!
- LUIS: It's okay.
- MALE OFFICER: It's okay.
GIRL: What's going on?
FEMALE OFFICER 2: Don't worry, come here.
GIRL: Please, don't take away my aunt.
MALE OFFICER:
No one's taking away your aunt.
We just came to visit you guys.
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC CONCLUDES)
PATRICIA: That day, I was working
in a plantation near the house.
But suddenly I heard someone
calling my name.
"Patricia! Patricia!"
I hadn't been called that in a while.
LUIS: I saw a woman
who was extremely thin.
She could barely even walk.
And he asked, "Are you Patricia?"
And I said, "Yes, it's me."
I said, "I'm with the police.
We're here to rescue you."
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
"Is that your baby?"
I just said, "Yes."
And he asked me her name.
"Naomi," I told him.
The first thing that came to mind was
"Alberto, you're a granddad." (CHUCKLES)
PATRICIA: I felt
that it was over.
No more suffering, no more starving.
Our time there was over. I was at peace.
ROSA: When I saw the pictures
of the rescue, I couldn't see her.
They told me she was okay,
that she had been rescued,
but for me that wasn't enough.
I needed to see a photo of my daughter.
I had to see her with my own eyes.
I needed to see that she was really there.
Finally, I saw her.
- CHILD: Aunt!
- GIRL: There she is.
MALE OFFICER: Hi, sweethearts.
How are you?
"My daughter's alive!"
It was a very happy moment,
but at the same time,
when I saw what she looked like
She was so thin,
in such a bad state physically
it also made me cry.
I couldn't help but think
about all she'd been through
in the last year and a half.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
ROSA: To think about everything
my daughter must have been through
in those 548 days.
(DIAL TONE RINGING)
- OLINDA: Hello?
- LUIS: Miss, is Alberto with you?
- OLINDA: Yes.
- LUIS: Can I ask you a favor?
- OLINDA: Okay.
- LUIS: Please, tell Alberto to be calm.
ALBERTO: Capcha was speaking with Olinda.
I didn't know what about.
But she seemed very quiet.
OLINDA: I'll tell him. He's next to me.
And, when she hung up, she told me,
"Alberto, dear,
I have to tell you something."
- "Congratulations. You're a grandfather."
- "What?" (CHUCKLES) "Grandfather?"
She says, "Yes, Capcha told me
"Patricia's had a baby girl."
I was like, "Really?"
"Olinda, I'm a granddad," he said.
(CHUCKLES)
My hair grew even whiter,
all of a sudden. Just like that.
It was an incredible moment.
Incredible. Very happy.
Not only had we found Patri
not only had we saved one person
Well, two.
Well, many more, because we saved
all the children and the girls.
But the feeling of having back,
not just one daughter, but two
I have no words.
FEMALE OFFICER: You're okay, right?
- LUIS: Where's Naomi?
- GIRL: Naomi's in her crib.
FEMALE OFFICER: And the baby?
Yes, go on.
Hold on, don't wake her up yet.
Don't wake her up. Be careful.
(CHILDREN CHATTERING)
FEMALE OFFICER: You're waking her up!
Where's the little one?
GIRL: She's here. She's sleeping.
FEMALE OFFICER: Careful.
She's so tiny.
(SOFT MUSIC CONCLUDES)
RURAL POLICE STATION
SAN MARTÍN DE PANGOA
CHRISTIAN: I'm about to write
the report about your identification.
I don't refuse to provide my identity,
I want a lawyer.
CHRISTIAN: This is being recorded.
LUIS: We knew who we were up against.
Steven was a very manipulative person.
CHRISTIAN: Where are you?
Are you in the street?
LUIS: At some point,
we kept him busy at the station
while we checked on the victims.
So we left him with two of our colleagues.
When we came back
one of our colleagues told us
that what we were doing was wrong,
that he was a messiah.
A person touched by God.
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
LUIS: And that sooner or later
we'd be cursed,
and that if we had the chance
to help him, we should do it.
We started arguing.
We had to take him outside.
Because we knew that he'd won him over,
that he'd manipulated him.
LUIS: This recording
is to protect your rights.
One of the things that can define
Steven Manrique and his personality
is a moment at the station in Pangoa,
when the officers asked the group
if they needed anything.
Steven Manrique asked for a stylist.
So, he could pose for the cameras
with a nice haircut and clean shaven.
However, when they asked Patricia
what she needed,
she simply said,
"I need diapers for my baby."
MALE INTERVIEWER: Rosa, could you read
this document for us, please?
"Expert witness report.
"She displays lack of affection,
"which makes her dependent
on anyone who shows her affection.
"She is susceptible to manipulation
in exchange for emotional affection.
"She puts her spouse's needs
before her own.
"She validates physical
and psychological aggression
"with arguments she perceived as rational
to justify her partner's behavior.
"She displays low self-esteem,
dependency, and insecurity.
"She can be submissive
and incapable of reflection.
"She expresses disparaging ideas
towards herself and women in general,
"who she considers subordinate
to the commands and needs of men.
"She shows a lack of judgement
and a sense of purpose.
"She also shows psychological,
emotional, and spiritual immaturity."
MALE INTERVIEWER:
Who are they talking about?
My daughter.
This is what Steven did to her.
It's what he turned her into.
PATRICIA:
It's really hard to leave the group.
It's practically impossible without help.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
ROSA: We had her body back,
but her mind hadn't switched back on yet.
I was still under Steven's influence.
I still thought about him a lot,
about the things he said.
(CROWD CLAMORS)
PATRICIA: But with time,
I was able to reflect on a lot of things
and to slowly assimilate them.
I realized who Steven really was,
and that I needed help.
Even though I'd come to this realization,
that was just the first step.
There was still a lot to recover.
AFTER THE RESCUE, THE GROUP WAS SEPARATED
AS RECOMMENDED BY PSYCHOLOGISTS.
THEY RECEIVED SPECIALIZED THERAPY
FOR VICTIMS OF CULTS AND COERCIVE GROUPS.
That was the old Patricia.
She's no longer the girl
described in this document.
For me, there's nothing to forgive.
Everything that happened
is now in the past.
We'll start over.
Without blaming.
Without questions.
Without questioning anything.
We move on.
THREE YEARS AFTER THE RESCUE
(EMOTIONAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(CHUCKLES)
- PATRICIA: How are you, Mayi? (SOBS)
- MAYI: You look beautiful!
My family's grown. (CHUCKLES)
Now, I also have a family in Peru.
They're my Peruvian family.
LUIS: How are you, brother?
ALBERTO: Very happy to see you.
LUIS: "Capcha," he said. He hugged me.
"Thank you so much."
"No worries, brother.
"I promised I'd get your daughter back,
and I did it, my friend."
- CHRISTIAN: Alberto, how are you, brother?
- How are you?
ALBERTO: I can't thank them enough.
I'll be thankful to them all my life,
and it won't be enough.
(SOBS)
OLINDA: I've been through so much.
My friends tell me, "Olinda,
"I would have died. You were so brave."
I tell them that I never felt
like I wanted to die
and that I had to keep
finding strength somehow
to find my daughter. And I found her.
(CHUCKLES, SOBS) Mothers never die.
MAYI:
It's as if I'd been in total lethargy.
It's liberating, to be honest.
Knowing I'm no longer like that,
that I've changed. For the better.
- PATRICIA: I missed you so much, Mayi.
- MAYI: Me too.
PATRICIA: Very much.
MAYI: I'm very grateful
that life has given me
this new opportunity,
this new beginning.
It's like being born again.
Make the most of the time you have
with your children
because time never comes back.
And you can't get it back.
This is my second chance,
and believe me, I'm making the most of it.
(CHUCKLES)
ROSA: I'm very proud of my daughter.
So proud.
She's been able
to get her life back on track.
I never thought that our life could take
such a radical turn in such a short time.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
I'm myself again.
I wear black clothes again.
- I do what I want with my hair.
- (CROWD APPLAUDS)
I eat what I want and as much as I want.
I do whatever I feel like.
And above all,
when I have a problem
or when I don't feel well,
I have the confidence to talk about it
with my parents,
with my brother, with whoever I need.
PATRICIA IS STILL IN THERAPY.
SHE LIVES IN ELCHE WITH HER PARENTS
AND DAUGHTER, WHO SHE'S RAISING HAPPILY.
SHE GOT A DEGREE IN SOCIAL INTEGRATION
AND WORKS IN A FOUNDATION
THAT HELPS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
PATRICIA: Luckily,
my story had a happy ending.
But sadly,
there are many women and families
who didn't have the same ending.
STEVEN GOT A 20-YEAR SENTENCE
FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING
FOR LABOR AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION.
HE WILL SERVE THE FULL PRISON SENTENCE,
SO HE WON'T BE FREE UNTIL 2038.
HE REFUSED TO APPEAR IN THIS DOCUMENTARY.
DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF THE INTERNET,
THE NUMBER OF ABDUCTIONS BY CULTS
HAS SKYROCKETED WITHOUT THE NEED
FOR PHYSICAL CONTACT.
ABOUT 1% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION,
ABOUT 400,000 PEOPLE IN SPAIN,
ARE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY CULTS.
WITHOUT LAWS AGAINST COERCIVE PERSUASION,
CASES LIKE PATRICIA AGUILAR'S
WILL REMAIN AN INVISIBLE ISSUE.
(EMOTIONAL MUSIC CONCLUDES)