Catch Her if You Can | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] My intention was never ever to hurt anybody. >> Esther Reed is a highly intelligent
individual. >> My mom used to say that I could tell Ice to Eskimos. I could really do that.
>> The problem with Esther Reed is you don't know what's real and you don't know what's not real.
>> That's something that can definitely be used to manipulate and to hurt people. I
certainly could do it. >> Like the character and catch me if you can. >> I was also wondering if I could write
you a personal check. >> Esther Reed was able to manufacture identities and convincingly live in
those identities. >> Harvard Medical School. She was able to fabricate fraudulent
marriage certificates and birth certificates. >> That is a woman I knew in college as
Natalie Fischer. >> She told me that she was going by Bowman. >> This is a woman that completely
reinvented herself from being a chubby Montana high school dropout to an attractive Ivy League co-ed able to con
her way into Harvard into Colombia going to military balls at West Point. She is
certainly not above using her feminine ws to get whatever she wants. And then she picked the wrong identity.
>> In the summer of 2006, I received a phone call stating that there was someone in New York City calling herself
Brook Henson. >> South Carolina authorities sent the NYPD detectives to check her out.
>> The next day, she was gone. That was Esther Reed and not Bro Henson. I'm interested in finding out if Esther
Reed knows anything about Brook Hensson's disappearance. >> My name is Steven Rom. I'm a private
investigator and I am currently hunting for Esther Reed. >> The only life she has ever known has
been someone who steals identities and commits major fraud schemes. >> She's getting wire transfers from
overseas, communicating with people at West Point. Law enforcement is concerned, you know, maybe this is a
spy. We want to shut it down as quickly as possible. >> It just snowballed. >> I think Esther Reed has the ability to
be as cold blooded as she needs to be. >> The shooting happened this morning at the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park.
>> It was never supposed to happen that way. >> Catch her if you can. Tonight's 48 hours
mystery. [Music] [Applause] [Music] They say she stole a missing girl's identity. Now she's missing, too.
I became a different person in name only. I'm basically the same girl. >> Could you tell me who you are? What is
your name? >> Esther Reed. >> Are you sure? >> Yes. Well, in first grade I was Esther
Elizabeth Herford Reed. I think when I was about 18 I was Elizabeth Reed. Then I was Natalie Fischer. Then I went by
the name Natalie Bowman. Then Brooke Henson. And finally Jennifer Meyers. Esther Reed granted 48 hours her first
interview. The circumstances of how we found Esther will become clear as we unravel this mystery.
>> Esther Reed is cunning. She's calculated and she's intelligent. It's a perfect
combination for a con artist. >> Right now, she must be uh living a a life trying to keep one step ahead of
the law. Private investigator Steve Rom working for 48 hours and US Marshal John
Bridge were each searching for the elusive Esther Reed. >> She really is very much on the run now.
I think in a way that she never was before. After stealing many identities and running numerous brilliant scams, this
master conwoman has earned a spot on the US Secret Services 10 most wanted list.
>> She lived this life as other people. She was not Esther Reed from 1999 on. >> Walt Wilkins, a US attorney, has
investigated Esther's background. >> How good is Esther? She's good. She's real good.
Trying to understand the riddle of Esther Reed, we traveled to her hometown of towns in Montana.
>> It's a very small town in the middle of Montana, and if you blink, you miss it.
>> Edna Stro is one of Esther's eight older siblings. >> We used to play in the creek a lot. I
mean, that was the big thing, especially if you could do it without mom finding out. The box.
>> Edna has not seen Esther in person for nearly a decade, but she agreed to show
us the family home. >> Now, what do we have here? >> This is a surprise trunk. The people
that bought the house were cleaning out the attic, and they found a trunk. >> You want to see what's inside?
>> I do. I really want to see what's inside. >> Why don't we turn this? >> I'm curious.
>> The trunk is the first in a trail of clues our investigation will uncover. >> This is Esther's dress.
How old would you guess Esther is in this room? >> I'd say she's like four or five.
>> Looks like a very happy young girl. >> She was She was always smiling. >> This was a photograph. It was inside
that box. >> Yes. I was a very happy kid. Very, very happy. >> What goes through your mind when you
look at that? It's hard cuz this period of my life was great. It's just a shame what happened and how
I disappeared. >> Why did you disappear? >> I just was so afraid of the world. >> After Esther's parents divorced, she
felt like an outcast. >> What do you think Esther saw when she looked in the mirror?
>> Somebody she didn't want to be. someone she didn't like, someone I I think she
would have done anything to escape from if she could have. >> Jim Tero was Esther's English teacher
and debate coach. >> She was very, very smart, a kid with so much potential. Do you feel as though
you're intellectually gifted? >> I would say yes. I assimilate information quickly. I remember it. I'm
able to problem solve things like that. >> She used to argue with you. Yeah, she
practiced on me. Did she win those arguments? Generally, >> she did. >> EJ Reed is Esther's brother. They were
very close. And EJ felt Esther's brilliance every day, especially when the two played chess.
>> She blew me away. I mean, I couldn't even hold a candle to her. Your sister always thinks a few moves ahead. She's
definitely always thinking a little bit ahead. But as smart as she was, Esther dropped
out of high school and moved with her mom to Seattle. Then in 1998, Esther's mother passed away.
>> My mom always just loved me. If she was there, it was fine. And when she died, it wasn't fine
anymore. Nothing was fine anymore. >> She didn't like who she was and where she was going. She would say, "I just
wish I was someone else." >> Esther's metamorphosis from small town girl to big city conwoman had begun. And
so did her life of crime. >> I have lost my only compass in life. I've lost my only support system. And
I'm spiraling out of control. And I have nowhere to turn. >> The next matter, State of Washington
versus Esther Reed. Would you explain to me just briefly? During this period, Esther stole a coworker's purse.
>> How do you plead? >> Guilty. >> Esther even took Edna's purse and drained her checking account of
thousands of dollars. >> It was like somebody slugged me in the stomach. >> Edna was steamed.
>> I just told her, "You can't live like this. You have ripped me off." And you know who are you? We have a very toxic
relationship. I think I push her buttons and I think she pushes my buttons. What
was the last thing the two of you said to each other before you parted? >> We just hugged each other and said, "We
loved each other." And then she said, "I promise I will keep in touch." And she did for a while.
>> When did you next see your sister? >> I never saw her again. >> Esther Reed had ceased to exist.
[Music] [Music] [Applause] by 1999. Esther Reed knew she needed to leave town. >> I was really, really angry and my life
was falling apart. Now a convicted criminal with family problems, 21-year-old Esther decided it was time
to ditch her old life and find a new identity. >> I decided, okay, I'm just going to move
on. In the beginning, I thought I just needed a driver's license and I could just have a name and that would be okay.
>> And it was at that time, around that time, you made the decision to become Natalie Fischer.
>> Yes. very soon after that. It's going to sound really bad, but she's wicked smart.
>> Meet the real Natalie Fischer, the sister of Esther's old boyfriend. >> Did she seem friendly to you?
>> Yeah, she seemed like she was a nice person, but she's quiet. >> Quiet, but cunning. Before long, Esther
had gotten a hold of Natalie's social security number and began using it to rip her off. I got a phone call from the
collection agency representing AT&T and they informed me that I owed them like $400 or $500. Esther got a driver's
license in Natalie's name and proceeded to live as Natalie. Esther left Seattle in 2000 and spent much of the next two
years traveling cross country in a car like this, staying in cheap motel. But despite her life of vagrancy and petty
crime, a part of Esther still wanted to find a path to success and a place where
she truly belonged. [Music] I hated the name Esther. I never liked it. So, I was never attached to that
name. My intention was to have a life that I could live. And I tried my best not to hurt people.
Forced to live by her wits, Esther needed a way to make money any way she could. She perfectly forged these JC
penny receipts and used them to return items for more than they were worth. Esther pocketed tens of thousands of
dollars. >> Thank you. >> I'm not going to discuss money of any sort. >> Okay. But you managed to make some money
somehow. >> I managed to survive. >> She did more than survive. She transformed herself by losing weight and
having cosmetic surgery. >> Who is this woman? >> That is a woman I knew in college as
Natalie Fischer. >> She was a very nice person. She's very friendly. >> Two years later, she met Brandy Olsen at
a debate camp in Tempe, Arizona. Brandy says Natalie Fiser always had plenty of money and a ready explanation of where
it came from. >> She had a very well-paying job as a professional chess player. She said,
>> "How do you make money in chess?" >> Well, she told us that the prizes if you
won a tournament were pretty substantial, upwards of $10,000. [Music] >> She always seemed to have money.
>> Where'd she get it? She was getting it from opening up credit cards and other
people's names. >> US Attorney Walt Wilkins. >> She was living a relatively good
lifestyle. Um, at least that's what our evidence suggests during that time. >> It's our only hope if you live in
Newcastle. Brandy was on a college debate team and Natalie used her new friend to meet people at debate
tournaments. >> She wanted to go back to college and she had been interested in a debate so she
was going to start getting into that. >> Esther's ruse worked. >> Is a minority of some sort.
>> She met debate coach John Brushki and in 2002 he invited Natalie to attend Cal
State Fullerton. whether it's embracing Nze or not, what I'm saying >> and asked her to join his team. She
agreed, but by the time she got there, she had a different name. >> Natalie was very guarded about her past.
Uh I mean, I once in fact asked her the question, I you know, is your last name Fischer or Bowman?
>> While you were at Cal State Fullerton, you make a decision to change your identity from Natalie Fischer to Natalie
Bowman. Why? >> I knew I couldn't be Natalie Fischer. That's because Natalie Fiser was
monitoring her credit report and realized someone was stealing from her. Esther needed to refine her scam and get
someone's social security number. >> So, I got the idea that you could use a missing person's. That's why I started
college as Natalie Bowman. I thought she was missing. I was just going to go to college, you know, get on with my life.
If there's anyone who knows what Esther was going through, it's Frank Abagnail. >> You live this life. Esther Reed is
living this life. What is it like every day? Are you looking over your shoulder?
It's horrible. It's an extremely difficult life to live. >> His exploits as a young con man inspired
the movie Catch Me If You Can. >> I'd like to cash this check here and then I'd like to take you out for a
steak dinner. Abagnail spent years posing as a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. He says he knows why Esther
loved to debate. >> There's no greater debate person than a con man who has the answer to every
question instantly. >> So someone like Esther has to be a good actor. >> You're acting. You're playing role.
You're not really that person. You're just pretending to be that person. Esther has creativity. She has talent.
She's intelligent. She has a personality. Uh, so she has a lot of things going for her.
>> She paid for everything with cash and she always had money and she was very generous with her money.
>> Beta Shagi, who was Esther's roommate at Cal State Fullerton, had no idea her
close friend was an impostor. This is a picture of my mother when >> Ba trusted Esther completely and they
bonded after learning both their mothers had died of cancer. >> She said, "Oh my goodness, I haven't met
another person who's lost their mother at such a young age like I have." She seemed to feel like I understood where
she was coming from. >> But back in Seattle, 3 years had passed since Esther's family had heard from
her. It's the betrayal and that she has left everybody hanging, that she doesn't
even have the consideration to call and say, "I truly am okay." >> The family filed a missing person's
report, and Edna wondered if she'd ever see Esther again. What are you thinking to yourselves?
>> That somebody had hurt her and that she was dead. >> Esther was very much alive and she was
moving on to another identity. In the spring of 2003, Esther ditched the name Natalie Bowman, left Cal State
Fullerton, and hit the road. She told Beta she was being stalked and had to change her name yet again. Beta believed
her. >> And what was going to be her new name? >> The one that she ended up picking was
Brooke. And I said, "Oh, I like that one." And you know that you could pass for a Brooke. And then I said, "Well,
what's your last name going to be?" And she said, "Hensen." In Brook Henen, Esther felt she'd found the perfect
cover. It proved to be anything but. [Music] For some reason, new people are not as
frightening as people I know. like people I get used to then I start to see a look on their face that wasn't there
before or maybe she's treating me different now. So new places for some reason were safer for me.
>> After her first taste of college life in California under the name Natalie Bowman, Esther Reed wanted more.
>> She was clearly qualitatively better than other students in the class. >> In fact, Esther wanted to go to Harvard.
She asked her professor Mitch Avala to write her a letter of recommendation, but there was a catch.
>> Well, she asked me to write it uh for her under another name. >> I asked him and he said yes.
>> What did you tell him so that he'd say yes? >> I know. I told him I was in danger and
had to change my name. I don't remember why. >> She claimed at the time that she was
being stalked. >> A lot of debate is a lot of BS. You learn how to come up with creative
arguments. You craft them. You research them, you develop them, and you present them. And that's sort of what I did.
>> It was Esther's most ambitious identity theft yet, and one she thought was foolproof.
>> What was that name? >> Brooke Henson. >> Brooke Henson. A young woman from South
Carolina who was missing presumed murdered. I really thought that I could live my life as Broken and they wouldn't
know and I would have a new life. In 2004, Esther fulfilled her childhood dream. She applied and was accepted to
Harvard University. It's extension school anyway. >> She went at someone else that surprises
me. But that she made it doesn't surprise me in the least. Esther had big plans for her new
identity. As Brooke Henson, she wanted to attend law school. >> She'd been wanting to be a lawyer since
she was very small. >> Esther had fooled Harvard, but she wanted more. She'd scored well on the
SAT and soon set her sights on another Ivy League school. >> I applied to Colombia and I was
incredibly shocked when she called me and said, "You've been accepted." The high school dropout from towns in
Montana was in the big leagues. >> What was it like for you to walk the campus of Columbia University as a
full-fledged student? >> I had a feeling that this was going to be the start of my life and I was
incredibly excited about that. >> Esther financed her new life by acquiring more than $100,000
in fraudulent student loans. I never ever borrowed a penny that I did not intend on paying back. I intended to be
Brook Hansen for the rest of my life. >> After months with no contact, Esther was
now back in touch with her friend in California, Beta Shagi. >> She told me that she really loved New
York. >> Beta went to visit her on July 4th, 2005. >> Did you call her Brooke or Natalie?
>> No, Natalie. Always called her Natalie. still unaware that her best friend was a
con artist. >> It was a blast. We went everywhere. We went to cafes. We took a ferry out to the Statue of
Liberty and we took some pictures. She didn't like taking pictures, so I really had to talk her into even getting
this these pictures with me. >> She didn't like to take pictures. >> No, she didn't.
>> How come? Well, she told me she just didn't like the way she looked in pictures.
>> That same 4th of July >> was also the sixth anniversary of the real Brooke Henson's disappearance.
>> According to the police, there's still not a trace of evidence. >> Her aunt, Lisa Henson, held a vigil.
>> Something needs to be done to find out what happened. Somebody needs to come forward. I miss her.
>> I know you do, baby. We all miss her. There may have been foul play involved in her disappearance.
>> South Carolina investigator John Campbell had nearly run out of new leads. >> We would get the occasional sighting,
but we would never be able to substantiate it. It was like she dropped off the face of the earth.
>> Back up at Colombia, the fake Brooke Henson was making the most of her new life. She had a 3.22 22 GPA, an
apartment near Central Park, and was dating a West Point cadet. Among the textbooks, you were studying
psychology and criminology. >> Yes. >> And logically, someone would say, "What perfect two courses for a conwoman to
take to hone her craft?" >> "What perfect two courses for a lawyer to take?" In July of 2006, feeling confident after
2 years at Colia, >> I knew I wasn't doing anything wrong enough to get caught, >> Esther applied for a job. Doing a
background check, the employer Googled Brooke Henson. He discovered she was a missing person and quickly called South
Carolina authorities. >> It didn't make any sense to me that that there was somebody alive in New York. It
was actually Brooke. Detective John Campbell was shocked and skeptical. >> I didn't think it was possible that
Brooke had gone to New York and somehow got into an Ivy League school after she'd been a high school dropout.
>> But then again, that's exactly what this high school dropout had done. >> A lot of kids who are incredibly bright
drop out of high school because we're bored. >> Campbell asked a New York detective to
make contact. >> And what'd you tell him? Um, I tell my man, Brooke Henson, >> and ask her some questions that Lisa
Henen, Brook's aunt, had prepared. >> What is your brother's best friend's name? What's your late uncle's first
name? Things like that. >> Remarkably, Esther got nearly all the answers right. >> So, I really had hope then.
>> Then Lisa saw a photo. Is this Brooke? >> No. >> You're certain of that? >> Absolutely. positively. She is not Broo
Henson. >> But Lisa and Detective Campbell wanted more information. >> Technically, she is a suspect until we
can clear her. >> I started thinking either she had something to do with Brook's
disappearance or she knew somebody who was involved in it. >> Campbell asked a New York detective to
call Brooke and request a DNA sample. What are you going through at that moment? Are you panicked?
>> Sure. >> Esther decided to flee. She quickly went out and rented a U-Haul truck.
>> I came back and the New York City police were at my door and um I went upstairs,
grabbed my dog and my suitcase. Then I left. The only thing I couldn't leave was my dogs.
>> As Esther's cons made headlines, she went underground. 48 hours then set out to find her,
hiring renowned private investigator Steve Rom. How do you begin? Well, we begin by finding out everything we can
about her background, her aliases, places where she's lived. >> Rom first heads to Esther's old
apartment in Manhattan. >> Thank goodness her landlord saved all of this. >> Oh, baby, baby, baby.
>> Steve Rom strikes gold. >> This is Brook Henson's certified birth certificate. a paper trail of Esther's
life as Brooke. >> She left behind her credit card bills, her bank statements, her phone bills.
Countless, countless leads. We've got evidence here of massive financial frauds.
>> And some of her targets were the men she was dating. >> How many men do you think Esther Reed
has gone through? >> I'm aware of about a dozen. >> What was it about Esther that made her
so attractive to men? She's she's a master of manipulation and she can socially engineer anyone into liking
her. At least five of Esther's boyfriends were cadets and midshipman from West Point and Annapolis.
There are fears that Esther has been taking her scams to a whole new level. Law enforcement is concerned that she
might be involved in espionage. [Music] When I made the decision to leave New York, I never spoke to anyone I knew
ever again. >> It was July 2006. Having shed her identity as Brooke Hansen, Esther Reed escaped from New
York. Where'd you go? >> Just to a hotel over in Jersey. I took a cab. I just knew I needed time to think.
>> And then she was gone. But the authorities were closing in. A federal grand jury in South Carolina handed down
this indictment, charging Esther Reed with felony identity theft and student loan fraud. With the full investigative
powers of the Secret Service now deployed, it seemed likely that Esther would be apprehended quickly.
>> When it came in as a potential identity theft case, the Secret Service became
immediately involved. >> US Attorney Walt Wilkins. The fact that Esther got a passport under the name
Brooke Henson, was that kind of a fatal mistake for her? >> If someone is able to attain a US
passport fraudulently, we're going to take that very seriously. Either they're going to find her or I'm going to find
her. >> Hot on Esther's trail is 48 Hours private investigator Steve Rom. He tracked Esther all the way from Vermont
to Florida to California. >> I would be very surprised if we don't find her. If I didn't genuinely believe
that, I wouldn't be daring enough to say it on television. >> Pouring over Esther's old cell phone
records, Rom decided to head for Chicago. There are a lot of significant leads in the Chicago area. We know she
lived there. We know she did whatever she does there. >> Those records led us to this man, Steven
Fouts, a convicted sexual predator. We caught him going into his favorite bar. >> Steven Fouts, that you
>> There were more than 100 phone calls between you and Esther Reed on your cell
phone and hers. Fouts claims a woman named Wanda used his cell phone to make those calls to Esther.
>> She had my telephone. All right. You believe that? Do you believe that? >> No, I don't.
>> The Fouts lead is a dead end. So, Rom next zeros in on Steven Donald, an old boyfriend of Esther's also in Chicago.
>> He may know her current location. He certainly has a lot of information we don't yet have. After observing Donald
in his apartment, Rom Bomb coaxes him outside. We then decided to move in ourselves.
>> Here we go. Do it. >> Steven Peter Van, >> are you in contact with Esther Reed
today? >> No, of course not. >> Do you have any idea where she is? >> No. You understand that she may be
involved in illegal activities and that those who associated with her will be likely questioned and I'm giving you an
opportunity to tell us what you know about her. >> You tell the federal authorities I'd be
more than happy to speak with them as they are a uh fine upstanding professional group of people.
>> But Donald goes back on his word. Authorities say he refused to cooperate. And while Rom was in Chicago, Esther was
still at large. >> I don't believe Esther's been in contact with any of her uh family or friends. Um
I honestly believe that she pretty much left everyone behind. >> Joining the hunt on the federal side is
US Marshal John Bridge. because she's able to change her identities. It presents a unique challenge in figuring
out what identity she's now using. >> To uncover that new identity, he has to match wits with Esther.
>> There's an old saying, you can't connect the dots until you collect the dots.
>> And when the dots are connected and Esther's pattern becomes clear, authorities are alarmed. Esther is
dating a series of military men, but no one knows why. >> We investigated along with the military
a potential security risk that Esther Reed might impose to the United States. >> That she could be a spy,
>> that she could be a spy, that she could um obtain information and and and counter espionage, sell the information
to to other countries. Fueling the suspicion was the fact that Esther had received several wire transfers of cash
from a man in Germany. We were certainly concerned about any international wire transfer, especially coming from
Germany. >> In the States, investigators focused on Kyle Bringingle, a West Point cadet with
whom Esther was romantically involved. >> Kyle Bringing, who is he? >> Military Academy candidate. military
academy graduate. This is again somebody who should he choose probably can rise through the ranks to the very top of the
military. >> With Kyle Pringle, you have IM in which you're asking about what he's studying.
If he could provide you with some of this information, including potential battle plans. Why did you ask him for
that? >> I cannot imagine I would ever ever ask Kyle for a battle plan. But her instant
messages with Kyle say otherwise. Kyle, training briefing. Got lots of maps and timelines. Esther, is it for a
class or something real? Kyle, yeah, for my military science class, just like what I'll do as an infantry platoon
leader. Esther, I want to see it when you're finished. Kyle, I'll send it to you.
This is a classic method of espionage using using sex and using intimacy to get this sort of information. I mean
this is Mahari 101. >> Are you a spy Esther? >> No. >> Never. You can die for being a spy. I
would never even consider doing that. >> Again, her ims to Kyle Bringingle conflict with her story.
Esther, I'd so love to be James Bond. Kyle, really? You want to be a spy? Esther? Oh, please. That would be a
dream job. >> Either I was drunk or we were joking. I have no idea why I would say that.
>> Why should I think you're just BSing me right now? That the the master conwoman
is just conning me and conning this audience. >> I am never very clear on why people
consider me a con artist. I don't think everyone who tells a lie is a con artist.
>> Frank Abagnail, who himself used sex to get information when he was a con man
thinks he knows why Esther was romantically involved with so many military students.
>> She's using the sex to meet them, but that when she gets to meet them, she can
question them all day long in a very way that they don't realize they're even being questioned about, you know, how do
I do this? When you go do this, what do you have to do? It's to round out her military character. I don't think Esther
is into espionage. >> But Esther didn't limit her relationships solely to military men.
>> The one thing she's religious about paying her bills for apparently are for e-harmony.com and match.com. She's
trolling the internet for the next boyfriend, for the next sucker. >> And she found them everywhere. Traveling
all over the country, Esther was hooking up with men in Connecticut, New York, and Florida.
So, the $64,000 question, where is Esther Reed? Steve, >> don't know yet. >> Do you feel like you're getting close?
>> Very close. >> In February 2008, investigators get a huge break. They link Esther to a car
purchased in the greater Chicago area. >> All we have is a license plate number,
and we're just hoping and waiting that eventually law enforcement will find this particular car.
They do, but in a way no one ever expected. >> Police searched on the ground and from
the air for a suspect they believe shot several people inside this Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park.
[Music] Despite being hunted by the Secret Service and US Marshalss, Esther Reed
could be anywhere right now. >> Investigated by a US attorney and hounded by private investigator Steve
Rom. And >> I think Saddam Hussein changed his sleeping arrangements less often than
she did. >> Esther Reed was still at large more than a year and a half after her escape from
New York. still changing identities to keep one step ahead of her pursuers. >> After Brook Henson and I uh decided
we're not playing with real people, I'm going to create an identity. So, I didn't think I could get in any trouble
for that one. >> What was the name that you became? >> Uh Jennifer Myers. >> Jennifer Myers. And where did Jennifer
go to live? >> Um I traveled. Unbeknownst to Esther, investigators uncovered her new identity and US
Marshal John Bridge was closing in fast. >> We had information that Esther was in
the area of Tinley Park. >> And Tinley Park, a suburb of Chicago on February 2nd, 2008, was the worst place
in the country for Esther to be. What were you doing there? >> Staying in a hotel. The shooting
happened this morning at the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park. Cops were searching everywhere in town after five
women were brutally murdered in a Lane Bryant store. The killer was still on the loose.
>> I had just gotten lunch and I noticed there was tons of police and I was like,
"What the heck is that?" >> Police began cruising parking lots, running checks on all outofstate license
plates. Just by chance, they came across Esther's car. >> I was uh awakened by a door knock. You
open the door and who's standing there? >> Um the police. And actually I thought
they were doing, you know, a manhunt looking for the guy. So I said, "Sure, come on in." He asked me if I had
identification. I said, "Sure." He checked my identification and it came back invalid. And he said, "Let's just
take you down to the station. We'll figure it all out." It was overwhelming. There was an absolute panic.
>> Finally, Esther is forced to admit her true identity. She is arrested and charged with multiple counts, including
identity theft and student loan fraud. [Music] After nine long years, Esther spoke with
her sister Edna from a jail house phone. >> I told her I loved her. She told me she
loved me and that she missed everyone. And I said, "Then why were you gone so long?" And she said, "I don't know. I'm
still very frightened how I will handle a family I can't deal with. It's pain. I mean, every time I talk
about it, it's pain. I just I want to be a happy girl. >> I think Esther is a lost soul.
>> And Fitz was Esther's defense attorney. >> Esther has an underlying psychological
disorder. It's stems from a social anxiety disorder. She feels like people are out to get her.
>> Social anxiety disorder is a very common phobia and defined as an excessive or
irrational fear of being watched, judged, and criticized by others. How convenient. Social anxiety disorder.
Boy, it seems to explain all the bad decisions you made in your life. I've been diagnosed by some of the top um
psychiatrists in the field. >> You could be acting. >> I could be. >> They studied it.
>> I could be, but they happen to be the top experts. >> This is a woman who has spent years
manipulating people. What makes you think she's not just manipulating you? >> Well, she she could be manipulating me,
but from my perspective as her attorney, I have to believe her. >> Esther's defense will never be heard at
trial. 6 months after her capture, she admits to the fraud and identity theft charges, but refuses to detail her many
scams. Are you a criminal, Esther? >> Sure. I mean, I'm a felon. I just pled guilty to four felonies.
>> Esther, now 30 years old, is sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. >> In your opinion, was Esther Reed a spy?
I don't believe she was. My thoughts are that she was merely um looking into possibility of broadening her her her
criminal schemes. >> Federal investigators concluded that Kyle Pringle did nothing wrong and the
Lane Bryant killer has never been found. >> Do you think Esther Reed knows the difference between right and wrong?
>> I hope she does today and I hope that she realizes what she's done to the Henson family.
Brooke Henson's aunt Lisa had to live with the pain of not knowing what happened to her niece who remains
missing. I don't think she ever considered anybody that this would affect. She was
all about Esther. A mother lost her daughter. And if I could fix it, I would. I don't know how to make him better.
>> Esther agreed to this interview after her sentencing. >> There's one question on everyone's mind.
People wonder, "Why couldn't you just do this as Esther Reid? You had such intellect, such talent, such ability.
Just do this as yourself." >> Esther Reed wonders why I couldn't have. I just wanted to go to college. I wanted
to go to college and have a family where I wasn't constantly plagued by these toxic relationships that I couldn't make
work. [Music] After nearly a decade of running from her family, the law, and herself, what
will become of Esther Reed? >> I think Esther Reed has remarkable potential to do something. God knows
what it is. I suspect she'll find what it is. I suspect if it doesn't exist, she'll create it.
>> Who are you going to be in this new life? I don't know if I'll stick with Esther Reed or if I'll change my name
legally. This is for me the start of my life. There's a slight waiting period which I intend to endure with optimism
and excitement and then I intend to go on and be something great. >> No BS. >> No BS.
[Music] [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music]

Con artist Esther Reed reveals how she scammed her way into the Ivy League, outsmarted the feds and spent nearly nine years on the run. "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Peter Van Sant has her story. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Esther Reed, a master con artist, stole identities and committed fraud, evading capture until her arrest linked to a shooting incident.

Key points

The Many Identities of Esther Reed. Esther Reed transformed herself from a small-town girl into a master con artist, adopting multiple identities.
The Search for Esther Reed. Private investigator Steven Rom is on the hunt for the elusive Esther Reed.
The Disappearance of Brooke Henson. Esther assumed the identity of Brooke Henson, a missing girl, leading to a complex investigation.
Esther's Life of Crime. After her mother's death, Esther spiraled into a life of crime and identity theft.
Caught in a Web of Lies. Esther's deception led her to Harvard, but her past was always lurking.
Esther's Identity Crisis. Esther Reed sheds her identity as Brooke Henson, leading to a life of crime.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Esther Reed is cunning. She's calculated and she's intelligent.

Description of Esther's character.

3:46WatchDec 25, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.