Sneak peek: Justine's Voice | Forensic Files

Auburn California above the fog and below the snow the perfect place rural steep
Cliffs wooded areas dirt roads there are a lot of places to bury a body [Music] what were you doing that brought you
here in 2003 I was conditioning a horse to do endurance those Labor Day weekend Saturday that I came up on a my just my
normal training ride right about here yeah I saw a freshly dug hole in the brush the rest of my ride I kept trying
to justify why it was there it sort of haunted you it sounds like did it did we had just come home from our summer
house up in the sieras I barbecu at dinner were Donal and at vandero their daughter Justine and her
boyfriend Danny no one had any idea what nightmare was about to unfold after that
meal I gave her a kiss on forehead said good night I love you I spoke to her on the phone I told her that I loved
her I was leaving for work at 5 5:30 in the morning Lynette walks into Justine's
room Justine is not there the dog is on the bed the front door is open and her car is
gone 17 years old disappears leaves everything behind without trace it felt Sinister we're going to find her we
searched and searched everywhere there were searches at the banders shoots organized and then there were searches
that we did on her own with our search and rescue teams I try to imagine what it was like
and what it's going to be like when she comes back Danny and his roommate Brandon were on the sheriff's radar
quickly friends started to come forward about how jealous Danny was of Justine they were interviewed that first day
they said oh no we were home all night there's a belief right away that they are concealing something about Justine's
disappearance okay how a SE have you ever seen anyone die Brandon tone changes story changes he
confesses Brandon claims that Danny killed Justine she's laying down and he's over her and his hands were not
released but she he explained that Danny was choking her and that he helped bury
her let's go at the end of the interview Brandon led the investigators to the location of Justine's body Justine
Vander sho's body discovered buried in a shallow grave the Auburn Journal had a photo of just the brush where Justine
had been buried and I went oh my gosh I saw freshly dug hole 3 days prior to her
disappearance I immediately you know contacted the sheriff's department that was a big piece of evidence that's
absolutely coldblooded premeditated the vandero family says they are relieved the decision was made
to accept please to murder from both defendants and give them a life sentence hopefully we can all move on from here
no one would have ever imagined that 20 years later we would still be fighting for justice for Justine and her family
in 2020 Brandon Fernandez filed a petition to get out of his murder conviction if Brandon's petition is
granted one of Justine's Killers will walk free we're fighting for her that's why we're here she doesn't have a voice
so we're her voice

All new: After a teenager is strangled and buried alive, her family takes on the fight to keep her convicted killers behind bars. "We're her voice" says Justine's sister. "48 Hours" contributor Natalie Morales reports Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "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.

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Brief Summary

Justine Vander's murder case reveals chilling details about her disappearance and the fight for justice against her killers.

Key points

Justine's Mysterious Disappearance. Justine Vanderhoeven, 17, vanishes without a trace, leaving her family devastated.
Confession of a Witness. Brandon confesses that Danny killed Justine, leading investigators to her body.
A Fight for Justice. The Vanderho family continues to seek justice for Justine, even 20 years later.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I saw a freshly dug hole 3 days prior to her disappearance.

Realization of the evidence found after Justine went missing.

3:08WatchFeb 13, 2025

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