A missing mother and a race against time | Forensic Files

48 year old cameraman Patrick McDermott was the on and off boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John
in 2005 he boarded an overnight fishing charter off the coast of Los Angeles when the boat disembarked the following
day Patrick was nowhere to be seen in season 2 of suicide poppy Damon and Alice fines dig deeper into Patrick
McDermott's case than anyone has before they explore Patrick's life his disappearance and the media storm that
followed with exclusive interviews from Patrick's France private investigators Marine safety experts and a witness from
that fateful Boat Trip Poppy and Alice strive to answer the question did Patrick die at sea or did he disappear
deliberately to begin a new life The Disappearance of Patrick McDermott is both a true crime Quest For answers
and a deep dive into media ethics and journalism in the digital age Suicide Season 2 The Disappearance of
Patrick McDermott is available to listen to now for free only on Spotify stay tuned to the end of today's episode
to hear the trailer new episodes are released every Wednesday so be sure to hit the follow
button on Spotify so you don't miss an episode [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often
distressing incidents if you feel at any time you need support please contact your local crisis center
for suggested phone numbers for confidential support please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on
our website on Thursday January 17 2008 Ricky Goff placed a call to his 21 year old
daughter Denise Amber Lee he wanted to invite Denise her husband Nathan and their two young Sons over for
dinner that night Denise did an answer so Rick left her a voicemail as it need 4pm Rick's cell phone rang
it was his son-in-law Nathan Lee Rick figured Nathan was calling to accept the dinner invitation
he was shocked instead to hear Nathan say Denise is missing [Music] [Music] [Music]
the weather on Florida's West Coast was worn that day in the city of Northport a few miles
Inland from Venice Beach 23 year old Nathan Lee was working his job as a meter reader for Florida Power and Light
at 11AM he called home to speak to his wife Denise foreign they were on a tight budget Nathan asked
Denise to open the windows instead of turning on the air conditioning Denise reassured him that she already
had [Music] as 3pm neared and Nathan's shift was ending he called the Nace again
she didn't pick up Nathan tried eight more times during the 25-minute drive home but Denise never
answered although unusual Nathan assumed Denise was just busy it wasn't until he pulled up at their
house that he sensed something wasn't right all of the windows were closed the front door was locked
after entering Nathan heard his two-year-old and a six-month-old Sons he found them in their bedroom sitting
up in the same crib Denise didn't typically put the boys in bed together she was also an attentive
mother yet both boys diapers were soiled Nathan searched the house for Denise but
she was nowhere to be found while everything appeared in place Nathan soon discovered that the windows
had only been pushed closed not latched and locked like the front door Denise was security conscious she
wouldn't leave the house accessible if she had to hurry out for some reason nor would she have left her young Sons
alone [Music] Nathan called 9-1-1 to report his wife is missing foreign father Rick Goff
Rick was a 25-year law enforcement veteran and currently worked in a neighboring County as a sheriff's
lieutenant he knew that when someone goes missing the First Person of Interest was almost
always their spouse yet he firmly believed Nathan Lee had nothing to do with his daughter's
disappearance the young couple had been head over heels in love since meeting at Community
College within weeks of their first date Nathan bought Denise's silver ring with a hard
on it for Valentine's Day she never took it off not even after receiving her engagement ring years
later Nathan and Denise were raising their boys in North Port estate a new housing
development in a relatively rural isolated area Rick Goff hadn't been thrilled when his
daughter and her husband moved to the property he thought it felt a bit like a ghost
town but the three-bedroom house was brand new and the rent was affordable until recently Nathan had to juggle
three jobs to support their growing family Denise stayed home to raise the boys putting her College Ambitions
temporarily on hold police arrived at the Lee's rental house on LaTour Avenue there were no signs of forced entry or
Foul Play and nothing had been stolen or displaced Denise's purse Keys car and cell phone
were all at the house with no indication as to where she might have gone police officers began door
knocking the Lee's neighbors for information was a teenager who'd been staying with
relatives one house over from the leagues that afternoon she'd been in a front room watching television
at around 2PM Jennifer's attention was drawn to a window that overlooked the quiet Street
a car was slowly cruising up and down LaTour Avenue as if its driver was looking for a specific address
when the car passed by a fourth or fifth time Jennifer went outside to see if the
driver was lost just as Jennifer exited the house the car pulled into Nathan and Denise Lee's
driveway Jennifer made eye contact with the driver who was the sole occupant of the
vehicle he was white with a heavy set face light colored eyes and blondish hair Jennifer returned home assuming the man
was a friend of the leagues the car remained parked in the Lee's driveway Jennifer never saw anyone get in or out
of the vehicle about 10 to 15 minutes later at around 2 30 she noticed that driving away
this encounter occurred an hour before Nathan Lee returned home from work to discover Denise had vanished
a bulletin was issued asking all police officers in the area to be on the lookout for the car Jennifer had
witnessed a two-door 1990s model Chevrolet Camaro it was dark green with a protective
black vinyl or leather casing attached to its front known as a car bra wasting little time police informed
locals in the media of the situation to bolster their chances of finding the Camaro
entrance ramps to the Interstate 75 highway were monitored to prevent the suspect vehicle from fleeing Northport
if it hadn't already Highway Patrol officers stopped traffic to conduct on-the-spot vehicle
inspections a search helicopter swept overhead while police dogs were used to scour the land
below authorities in neighboring counties pulled their resources to help find Denise as she was the daughter of one of
their own Avon federal law enforcement assisted in the investigation then at 6 14 PM A call came through to
9-1-1 [Music] a panicked woman on the other line cried out I'm sorry I'm sorry I just want to go
the dispatcher tried to communicate with the caller repeating the word hello several times
but the woman ignored her instead talking to someone else nearby it was a man why did you do that he asked
the woman continued to apologize she begged to be released and see her family it sounded as though she and the man
were in a moving vehicle her radio was playing music loudly in the background making it difficult to
hear what was going on the dispatcher continued to ask questions which went ignored
the woman repeatedly begged to be let go the man retorted I was gonna let you go then you go [ __ ]
around he complained about having to drive a different route because she had done
something quote in front of my cousin Harold the dispatcher asked for an address
while simultaneously putting a trace on the call the woman asked the man where they were
going didn't you see the man responded exactly four streets well five streets over from
your house [Music] the phone pinged off the Northport cell phone tower the dispatcher asked for the woman's
name please my name is Denise I'm married to a beautiful husband and I just want to
see my kids again she stated it appeared as though she could hear the dispatcher but had made the call
discreetly and didn't want the man to realize her responses were phrased to mislead
the man into thinking she was talking to him directly what's your last name the dispatcher
asked the woman responded Lee a man then seemingly caught on to the deception he suddenly asked
what did you do with my cell phone the cars radio stopped right before the call abruptly
disconnected the woman was heard asking the man um [Music] the coal lasted almost six minutes
given Denise Lee's case was receiving wide-scale media and police attention the possibility the call was a hoax was
considered the recording was played to Rick Goff who immediately identified the female
caller as his daughter while devastating to hear her in trouble the call offered Denise's loved ones a
glimmer of hope she was still alive authorities tried to trace the call but it had been made using a cheap prepaid
phone this meant it wasn't fitted with the GPS tracking device that investigators could
use to pinpoint the phone's exact location they could only uncover which Towers it
had pinked however they were able to identify the phone's owner via its number it belonged to a 36 year old unemployed
plumber named Michael King had no criminal record aside from a few traffic fines
the name meant nothing to Denise's family they had no idea who Michael King was and couldn't imagine why he would
Target Denise [Music] Harold maxlow lived on colic Street about four miles south of the Lee's home
he was completely unaware of the investigation unfolding nearby sometime between 5 30 and 6 PM Harold
heard a knock at his front door it was his cousin 36 year old Michael King Michael explained that his lawnmower had
become stuck in his yard and he needed some equipment to dig it out he asked to borrow a shovel a gas can
and a flashlight Harold invited Michael inside the two men chatted for a while before
Harold handed the tools over Michael then carried them over to his Green Chevrolet Camaro and said goodbye
to his cousin as Harold turned to walk back inside he heard a woman's voice scream called the
cops The Plea had come from inside Michael's vehicle Harold spun around what the [ __ ] are you doing he asked
Michael nothing his cousin replied don't worry about it Harold figured Michael was having an
argument with a girlfriend Michael had been known to have some tempestuous relationships since his
marriage ended almost seven years earlier Harold began to walk towards his house
but his curiosity got the better of him he turned around and headed back down the driveway towards Michael's car
he could see a female silhouette with shoulder length hair in the back seat it was too dim to see any of her other
features Michael had clamp it into the car and was crawling over the console he pushed the woman's head down so she
was out of sight one of the woman's knees rose up as though she was struggling against
Michael then climbed back into the driver's seat started the engine and it drove away
Harold maxlow wasn't sure what to do he wasn't certain that anything was seriously wrong but the incident didn't
sit right with him he decided to drive over to Michael's house to see if his story checked out
if he found Michael there and the lawnmower was indeed stuck in his yard then Harold would know his cousin had
been telling the truth Michael only lived about six miles away in another part of Northport so it
didn't take Harold along to drive over Michael's Camaro wasn't parked in the driveway and when Harold rang the
doorbell no one answered there wasn't a lawnmower inside Harold was reluctant to alert the
authorities instead he phoned his 17 year old daughter Sabrina and informed her of
what had taken place Harold told Sabrina not to call the police but as soon as they ended their
call Sabrina didn't hesitate she phoned 9-1-1 at 6 23 PM just the minutes after the Frantic call placed by
Denise Lee realizing the significance of Sabrina's call the dispatcher said you are just so wonderful to call us and
give us this information Sabrina didn't know where Michael King might have taken Denise but
investigators now knew for certain that he was behind the abduction based on the items he had borrowed from
his cousin they also realized that time was of the essence foreign will be back shortly thank you for
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Port towards the city's South a woman named Jane Kowalski was driving South along
U.S Highway 41. she came to a stop at a traffic light while waiting for it to turn green Jane
suddenly heard a horrific high-pitched scream it had come from the car in the lane
next to James it was a dark-colored Camaro Jane made eye contact with the Camaro's
male driver and gave him a quizzical look as though to ask what was going on he was using one hand to push something
down in the back seat [Music] a small hand then stretched up from the back seat and began frantically hitting
the passenger window trying to get attention Jane believed she might have been witnessing a child abduction
[Music] as the traffic light turned green she drove forward slowly so that she would
be able to see the Camaro's license plate as it passed her but the driver seemed to know that she
was still watching and he drove slowly too he then changed into her Lane so he was
driving directly behind Jane as the Camaro only had a license plate on the rear Jane couldn't see it as long
as it stayed back realizing the driver wasn't going to let her see his license plate Jane dialed
9-1-1 on her cell phone it was exactly 6 30 PM mere minutes after they had received the calls from
Denise Lee and Sabrina maxlow when an operator answered Jane immediately began providing a
description of the incident along with up-to-date details about her location she was driving just 45 miles per hour
the Camaro continued to creep along even more slowly behind her the two vehicles were holding up their
entire Lane of traffic even though Jane believed that the victim was a child and described the
Camaro as blue instead of green the operator knew they had another eyewitness to the Denise lay abduction
[Music] she called out the information to someone else in the center as Jane provided updates about the Camaro's
movements suddenly the Camaro swerved and pulled into a lane that was turning off the
highway and left onto Toledo Blade Boulevard Jane asked if she should follow it by the time the operator asked if she
was able to there was too much other traffic in the way the Camaro had turned and Jane could no
longer see the vehicle despite numerous patrol cars circling the area where the Camaro was last seen
none of them spotted the vehicle at 6 50 PM another tip-off was made to 9-1-1 via a payphone
Harold maxlow had a change of heart and decided to anonymously report what had happened earlier with his cousin
by this time investigators were well aware of Michael King's involvement in the Denise lay abduction
by now she had been gone for roughly four hours armed with a search warrant they arrived
at King's residence on Sardinia Avenue it was a modest single-story home with a large garage and a wide driveway
King's Camaro wasn't parked outside but police officers could hear voices coming
from inside the house they gained access and were confronted with the barely lived-in sparsely
furnished space the voices officers heard emanated from a television that bled from the front
room in the kitchen a roll of silver-colored duct tape was lying on a counter a garbage bag in the pear tree had some
pieces of duct tape in it with long light brown hairs stuck to the adhesive the dining room featured several
rectangular mirrors hanging side by side on a wall then there was one empty set of hawks
it appeared one mirror had been removed it was found in the main bedroom where a
clock radio was also switched on and blasting music the mirror was propped against the wall
directly across from the mirror a Winnie the Pooh blanket lay on the floor along
with some pillows a second yellow blanket had been draped over the bedroom window
also on the floor was a wadded up strip of duct tape with more light brown hairs
attached swabs taken from the end of the duct tape matched to Michael King's DNA
profile the hairs belonged to Denise Lee the Winnie the Pooh blanket featured semen stains that tested positive for
King's DNA as well [Music] there was blood on the blanket too obtaining a DNA profile for it proved it
difficult but Denise couldn't be excluded from the result despite these key findings neither
Denise Lee or Michael King were found at the property the search continued a Statewide alert was issued as petrol
stations were checked to see if anyone matching King's description had filled a gas tank that night
surveillance footage was obtained but didn't provide any leads police continued to comb The Straits
looking for King's Green Camaro Deputy Christian Weimer and state trooper Edward Pope were monitoring
Toledo Blade Boulevard the street that witnessed jankowalski had seen the Camaro turn onto two and a half hours
earlier they were stationed near the turn off to Interstate 75 highway at 9 10 pm they spotted a 1995 Green
Camaro that matched Michael Kings right down to the black Cabra attached to the front
it was headed for the on-ramp of Interstate 75 Southbound state trooper Pope took off after the
vehicle its license plate matched Kings turning on his car's lights and Sirens Pope forced the Camaro to pull over
hope exited his own vehicle and got out his gun he ordered the Camaro's driver to step
out of the car the driver ignored him Pope repeated the order four more times but the driver didn't budge
Pope repeated himself yet again finally the driver's side door opened a few inches
hope threatened to shoot into the vehicle if the driver didn't exit immediately the door opened fully and the man behind
the wheel began to get out in the strangest way Pope had ever seen he laid down across both front seats and
a wriggled out backwards it was Michael King he was wearing blue jeans a camouflage
style t-shirt and black sneakers he was soaking wet from his waist down Pope ordered King down on the ground
then cuffed him and patted him down the soles of his shoes were muddy in his pocket was a wallet which
contained his driver's license there was also an empty earplug container and a cell phone which had its
battery and SIM card removed inside the Camaro Pope found a blue flashlight a wooden bed railing and a
packet of baby wipes the battery for the cell phone lay on the passenger side floorboard and a 5
gallon gas can sat on the passenger seat in the back seat was a yellow blanket and a muddy shovel
there was also a small silver ring with a hard on it Denise Lee wasn't there [Music]
after being arrested Michael King said he would be represented by legal counsel and refused to answer any further
questions Harold maxlow was taken to the interrogation room to see if king would
speak candidly with his cousin their encounter was filmed King told Harold that he'd been hijacked
while driving and to that both he and Denise were kidnapping victims he'd tried to call 9-1-1 but was unable
to kidnapper blindfolded King so he couldn't see where Denise was left King subsequently agreed to take the
police to an area near his home where he said the carjacking had taken place a search of the area revealed nothing
investigators didn't buy a King's Story for a second he was charged with kidnapping and held
in protective custody King's Camaro was moved to a police garage for further examination
Harold maxlow identified the gas can flashlight and shovel found in the car as the ones he'd lent his cousin earlier
that evening a palm print on the outside of the driver's side window matched Denise Lee
as did several hairs recovered from the back seat these appeared to have been deliberately
pulled from her head when Denise's husband Nathan was shown the silver ring found in the back seat
of King's car he broke down in tears it was the ring he'd given Denise for their first Valentine's Day together
it sat tired on Denise's finger and he knew that the only way it would have come off her hand was if she
deliberately removed it Nathan was certain Denise had left it there along with her hairs as evidence
for investigators to implicate King in her abduction a large-scale search and rescue mission
for donation ballet commenced it carried on into the following day of Friday January 18.
more than 100 officers some with police dogs performed a grid by grid search expanding from the location where King
was arrested some deputies searched on Horseback through the thick underbrush others took to kayaks and boats to scour
bodies of water investigators were hopeful of finding Denise alive King's Camaro hadn't been bloody
northport's police captain reassured the media there is no reason to believe Denise is
not alive case File will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this
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you support casefile to continue to deliver quality content that night some canine officers were
drawn to an abandoned construction site it was just off Interstate 75 near the Toledo Blade Boulevard exit
it was a rural area not visible from the road trees and thickets of Palmetto bushes
dotted the landscape some recently Disturbed soil was discovered nearby were two small piles of sand that
didn't match the rest of the area on closer inspection the piles of sand were spotted with blood
an examination indicated there had been Blood on the ground the sand was then shoveled on top to absorb the blood
the next morning in the light of day a forensics team began Excavating the Disturbed patch of soil
marks in the earth were consistent without having been dug with a shovel after digging three feet and one inch
into the ground the team uncovered something lying in a puddle of water [Music] it was Denise Amber Lee's naked body
two pieces of duct tape were stuck in her hair she had been killed with a single
gunshot wound near her right eyebrow a single nine millimeter shell casing was found in some nearby grass a day or
two later an autopsy would reveal more than 20 internal and external bruises underneath
consistent with being restrained there was also evidence that she had been raped
[Music] a couple of hundred yards away investigators recovered a shirt belonging to Denise a bra with a broken
strap a pair of women's underwear and Denise's size and preferred style and a pair of boxer shorts that were Nathan
Lee's Denise was known to wear them at home as shorts on warm days the shorts also contained Michael King's
DNA forensic testing would fall into traces of Denise's Blood on the hood of King's
Camaro and on the blanket in the back seat [Music] within days of finding Denise her family
held a press conference to thank the police and the public for their help her father praised Denise's quick
thinking from the moment she had been attacked at home stating she was a strong lady who made sure that
her children were safe even though she was faced with adversity because of her ability to think on her
feet she was able to provide information to the investigators that will help convict the perpetrator that did this to
her Denise's husband Nathan told the assembled crowd on behalf of my sons I want to thank
everyone from the bottom of my heart for all their efforts to bring her home Denise was my soul mate and my best
friend and I will never ever forget about her my sons will always remember who she was
I will miss her so much those who were closest to Michael King were stunned to learn what he was being
accused of friends family members and former colleagues described him as a nice guy
who was happy-go-lucky he didn't drink or do drugs had no history of domestic violence and was
regarded as a hard worker but he had experienced some misfortune originally from Michigan King was in a
sledding accident at age six and suffered a head injury his family said he changed after that he
suffered headaches which were exacerbated by stress he struggled at school and had to repeat the first grade
by the time King was eight he still couldn't write all the letters in the alphabet
a social worker recommended he enter a special education program King also became more impulsive after
the accident when he was 13 he decided to act out a scene from a cartoon that featured a bow
and arrow he nearly killed his brother in the process at 17 he saw the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
imitating the film's villain Leatherface King acquired a chainsaw he began chasing family members with it
his facial expression entirely blank but King found a vocation in plumbing got married and had two children
in March 2001 King had been almost 30 years old when he came home from work one day to discover his wife was missing
King went to the local sheriff's department and filed a missing person's report it soon emerged that his wife was safe
and well she had left King for another man who she'd met on the internet the couple divorced and King received
full-time custody of their son his wife retained custody of their other child King purchased the three-bedroom house
on Sardinia Avenue and had a series of romantic relationships with different women
[Music] not long after King moved into his house a feud broke out between him and his
next door neighbor she accused his son of damaging her family's inflatable pool the neighbor installed a wooden fence
between the two properties which upset King he reportedly took Revenge by keying the
neighbor's car slashing its tires pouring battery acid on her pool cage and throwing eggs at her
the neighbor filed reports with Northport police King denied the allegations and there
was no evidence against him others in the area also disliked King he was known to deliberately Screech his
tires loudly as he drove some said he would walk around to the neighborhood alone at night peeping into
people's windows King was alleged to have exposed himself to one woman outside a hair salon
another woman said he had raped her neither of these incidents resulted in any charges
[Music] for four years King worked at the same plumbing company until he abruptly left
in June 2007. his boss would later tell police King was a habitual liar he and his 13 year old son traveled back
to Michigan that same month King's house in Northport sat empty and unoccupied for months
by December 2007 his lack of steady income meant he was facing bankruptcy and foreclosure on his home
he also broke up with a girlfriend at the beginning of 2008 he returned to Florida in the hope of sorting out his
financial problems and keeping his house family members said King began acting oddly around this time as though he were
dazed or even catatonic he also seemed paranoid on Sunday January 13 2008 less than a
week before Denise Amber Lee was abducted other residents on Sardinia Avenue suddenly saw Michael King at his
home again he was with a blonde woman his neighbors didn't recognize this was likely his new girlfriend who
later told investigators that King's Behavior had been growing even more extreme
two days before he took Denise he told his girlfriend that he thought the neighbors were spying through his
windows he also allegedly owned a nine millimeter handgun investigators couldn't find the gun
anywhere or find any evidence of its existence it was suspected King had disposed of it
at some stage no ammunition was ever found in his possession either despite the lack of a murder weapon
investigators had forensic evidence tying Michael King to Denise Lee as well as multiple eyewitnesses and
circumstantial evidence King was charged with first degree murder and involuntary sexual battery in
addition to the kidnapping charge Michael King's trial began in late August 2009 more than 18 months after
Denise amberley's abduction and murder the prosecution didn't know how or why King had targeted Denise
when a member of the public reported seeing both Denise and King at the same post office earlier on the day of the
attack it was theorized that King had followed Denise home from there but this sighting was later debunked as
mistaken a woman who lived in the same street as Denise Lee thought she recognized King
as a plumber who'd come to look at her house when it was for sale the previous summer
with no confirmed link between the two it was posited that King had simply trolled the neighborhood looking for a
victim for some reason he had chosen Denise and gained access to her home while she was
there alone with her two young Sons Nathan Lee noted that King's 1995 Green Camaro looked very similar to the 1995
green Dodge Avenger he drove perhaps when Michael King pulled into their driveway Denise had mistaken him
for her husband upon realizing she was in danger she kept her children safe by placing them
together in a cot in their bedroom she then hurriedly closed all the windows and locked the front door
the prosecution had plenty of physical and DNA evidence to back up their case including the silver ring and strands of
hair they believed the niece had deliberately left in King's car numerous Witnesses who could place
Denise in King's car also testified for the prosecution including King's cousin Harold maxlow
all of the 9-1-1 calls received that night were played for the court including the one Denise had made
herself Harold maxlow confirmed that the male voice on Denise's core was Michael King
the defense didn't call any Witnesses instead they tried to implicate a friend of Kings named Robert Salvador
police initially thought Robert was King's accomplice after they learned the two were together shortly before Denise
Lay's abduction they had gone to a gun range that morning to practice target shooting
King brought along a nine millimeter handgun while Robert supplied the ammunition
they finished at 1pm around 90 minutes before Denise was taken [Music] Robert had Alibis confirming that he
wasn't with king during or after her abduction the defense attempted to place the pair
together when Denise was killed and accused Robert of executing her Robert vehemently denied this
the judge subsequently instructed the jury to dismiss several of these questions stating
there is no basis in fact from the evidence for the asking of these questions [Music]
the jury deliberated for two hours before reaching a verdict guilty on all counts
Denise's husband parents her twenty-year-old sister and 15 year old brother all cried as it was delivered
King stared straight ahead the jury also recommended he receive a death sentence
it was a sentence Denise's family were in favor of Nathan Lee told The Tampa Tribune quote
one thing that really bothers me is he can think about Denise whenever he wants to
I don't want him to have those memories I want him gone a penalty phase was held to determine
whether King was competent to receive a death sentence the defense argued that the sledding
accident he'd suffered as a six-year-old caused the permanent brain damage a psychiatrist who performed a scan on
King said his frontal lobe showed indications of abnormal activity consistent with the traumatic brain
injury he explained that individuals with frontal lobe injuries can sometimes exhibit poor judgment risk-taking
behavior and poor impulse control King's siblings testified about some of his dangerous Behavior as an adolescent
the psychiatrist also said that a recent verbal IQ score King had taken placed him in the borderline range of having an
intellectual disability the prosecution's expert psychologist also had king take an IQ test
while his results also placed King in the borderline range he counted that King's ability to concentrate and
comprehend were stronger than the results indicated the trial judge ruled that King was
competent and sentenced him to death by lethal injection for the murder of donation ballet
King later appealed his conviction but it was upheld as of late 2022 he remains on death row
in Florida the conviction of Michael King wasn't the end of the Denise Amber Lee case
many questions remained as to whether she could have been saved given the number of 9-1-1 calls received as the
crime was taking place particularly significant was the 9-1-1 call from Witness jankowalski
she provided real-time updates to emergency dispatch while attempting to follow King's Camaro along U.S Highway
41. she also gave the dispatcher her contact information in case anything further was
required Jane didn't hear back from law enforcement after making her call the following day she saw a news footage
of Michael King's arrest she recognized him immediately as the driver of the Camaro she'd seen
at the time Jane believed she was witnessing a child abduction it wasn't until then she discovered King
had actually taken a grown woman Jane told the television program Dateline of her distress upon realizing
the crime had been real she decided to call the Northport Police Department telling them
I'm the 9-1-1 caller who called in do you need any more information from me the Northport police were baffled
they had no idea what Jane was referring to and had no record of her call because of Jane's location when she rang
her call had been routed to neighboring Charlotte County not Sarasota County where Northport was situated
for some reason Charlotte County Sheriff's Department the same Department that Denise's father worked for had
failed to pass the message along [Music] an internal investigation revealed that
the 911 operator who'd taken the call realized it was related to the Denise Anthony case and had been urgent
however she hadn't entered the information into a computer database as per protocol
instead she called it out to police dispatchers who sat across the aisle from her and passed over a handwritten
note they heard her but hadn't sent the tip out due to the particularly chaotic circumstances of that night
one dispatcher thought she couldn't send it out due to mistakingly thinking her radio wasn't working
others assumed their colleagues passed it along Jane Kowalski's crucial information had
simply slipped through the cracks at the time multiple sheriff's deputies had been stationed along the road that
Michael King was driving along while Denise was still alive in the back seat one Deputy realized he had likely been
stationed at the Toledo Blade Boulevard intersection at 6 35 PM around the same time that King drove through it
without the tip-off being passed along he hadn't noticed king's car the investigation led to the call
Operator requesting a voluntary demotion to a desk clerk position after 15 years
in the job four call operators had to undergo remedial training two dispatchers were suspended for
failing to send out patrol cars in response to the call one for 60 hours and the other for 36.
while the Charlotte County Sheriff publicly announced the suspensions he did not apologize for the errors
Denise's father Rick Goff has struggled with the knowledge that such a mistake was made by the same Department he'd
spent 25 years working for she's beating on the window so hard and screaming trying to get help which is
the smart thing to do because by that time she knows she probably wasn't coming back he told television program
Dateline as far as I'm concerned we blew it and I say we because I'm part of that
Sheriff's Office Rick began to lobby for improved training for 9-1-1 call takers which led
to the Denise Amber Lee act being signed into Florida law the ACT provides for voluntary training
for emergency line operators Rick and other members of Denise's family continue to advocate for
mandatory training and certification for all 9-1-1 operators Nathan Lee told Dateline that if Jane
Kowalski's information had been passed on quote there's not a doubt in my mind Denise
would still be here not a doubt in my mind in the wake of his wife's murder Nathan
found it difficult to return to his job as a meter reader the position gave him too much time to
walk and think he found the constant rumination painful six months after his wife's death Nathan
established that Denise Amber Lee Foundation to advocate for improvements to the 9-1-1 system
the non-profit was a way to create some good for his family's enormous loss by using their tragedy to impart valuable
lessons Nathan has traveled all over the United States to share Denise's story with call
takers speaking on 9-1-1 reform is now his full-time career in 2008 Nathan told the Saint Petersburg
times that he believed his wife's Fierce fight for survival was due to her desire
to be reunited with their sons quote she had a lot of reason to get out of that car
I know the main thing on her mind was getting to see those kids again although he believes it is a blessing
that their sons were too young to remember the circumstances surrounding their mother's death it was painful
knowing that they wouldn't remember her either over the years he has taken them to
visit Denise's grave and played home movies featuring her for them Nathan has been able to take some
comfort in knowing their mother will always be there in some way telling Dateline producers
I'm not worried about them they've got part of Denise in them and that's the most comforting thing I can think about
[Music] [Music] [Music] in 2004 Olivia Newton-John and her handsome cameraman boyfriend seemed to
be madly in love with each other but less than a year later this seemingly besotted couple had split and then quite
suddenly Patrick McDermott vanished his disappearance was so sudden so total and
so mysterious that some people think he faked his own death so here's a guy that's poor okay that's hurting owes
back child support and I believe that the pressures of that and the pressures of oh my God I'm gonna have to go to
jail and my son's gonna have to see me in jail and I think it was just too much for him months after he vanished alleged
sightings began apparently McDermott was in Mexico and I was sitting there at the bar
having adult beverages and this guy was walking around going table to table with
like an artist rendering of an image of Patrick and he came to our table and he goes do you recognize this person I go
you know what I think he's staying at my surf camp in season one of suicide we brought you nine different stories of
death Road Through the Ages now in season two we're investigating The Disappearance of one man Patrick
McDermott so I'm interested to give you a question too because you said that you
were doing an article there or journalism piece on people who had faked their death like do you really think
that Patrick McDermott faked his death join me poppy Damon and me Alice finds as we unravel the mystery week by week
in suicide only on Spotify you're like where is he and that's horrible for somebody that that you know you cared
about where is he that suicide beginning with a p only on Spotify

Case 233: Denise Amber Lee

When Nathan Lee arrived at his home in North Port, Florida, on January 17 2008, he immediately knew something was wrong. His two young sons were home alone, and his wife, 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee, was missing.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

The episode investigates Patrick McDermott's disappearance and Denise Amber Lee's abduction, highlighting media ethics and emergency response failures.

Key points

The Disappearance of Patrick McDermott. A deep dive into the mystery surrounding Patrick McDermott's disappearance and its media implications.
Denise Lee's Disturbing Call. A chilling 911 call reveals Denise Lee's desperate situation and raises alarms about her safety.
Witness to a Possible Abduction. A woman hears a scream and suspects a child abduction in a nearby car.
Michael King's Arrest. Michael King was arrested after a tense standoff with police, leading to shocking discoveries.
Discovery of Denise's Body. Denise Amber Lee's body was found in a disturbed patch of soil, revealing a tragic end.
King's Trial Verdict. Michael King was found guilty on all counts, with the jury recommending a death sentence.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Denise is missing.

Nathan's shocking realization after calling his wife.

2:34WatchNov 26, 2022

Tension

80/ 100High tension

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