The Disappearance of Kelly Dwyer | Full Episode | Forensic Files

foreign it was somewhat unusual for someone to just vanish out of thin air especially
on the east side of Milwaukee Kelly Dwyer she is young woman that is out trying to
discover herself you see this bright-eyed smiling beautiful girl who really seemed to have a lot of life and
vitality we got to spend quite a bit of time together in the yoga room it was rare
not to see her and I had just assumed she was on an adventure of some sort October 12 2013
she did not show up for work co-workers were absolutely the first to respond Kelly was very tied to her cell phone
always posting on social media always texting when they called Kelly's cell phone it
went straight to voicemail Kelly Dwyer is missing Flyers started going out all of the
sudden in the community it was Boom everybody knew that she was missing there's a sense of urgency here
absolutely absolute sense of urgent today authorities and volunteers hunted for clues in her disappearance
I think that people saw those images and realized you know this could be my daughter this could be my best friend
Kelly Dwyer was an acquaintance of mine we would meet up at allium a local bar and we would touch face frequently
throughout the week we learned that she was on a number of websites where one would meet men
she was bright she sweet just kind-hearted good person she was on websites that could expose you to people
very quickly that are strangers some of her friends made comments and she might be with one of those people
right now Ms Dwyer was meeting people that could have put her In Harm's Way [Music]
thank you foreign [Music] it's like she vanishes her social media goes dead her debit card goes dead
the phone is dead like the rest of Milwaukee assistant district attorney Sarah Hill found Kelly
Dwyer's sudden Disappearance in 2013 baffling in an age of an electronic footprint if
you will it's not there it's like she just isn't anymore the night of October 10th started out
like any other for Kelly she'd been on a date with a man named Chris Saco Kelly came to Chris's apartment building they
go to get a few drinks and have a nice night out at a place called Alia a cute little bar that was kind of across the
street from the apartment building I remember her and I having a small conversation of so what do you have to
do tomorrow and she goes I actually have off Chanel Royston was at the bar that night Kelly told her what she planned to
do the next day I want to wake up in the morning I want to do yoga I want to do laundry and just have an easy day
they picked up a pizza from Ian's a little pizza place that's like a block away brought it to the bar we were all
sitting outside on this very long communal picnic bench we're all nibbly on the pizza you know they're sharing it
with us Kelly and Chris decide to call it a night a little after two in the morning they
head back to um [Music] Kelly and Chris had been dating for about a year after being introduced
through a mutual friend Kelly had moved to Milwaukee in 2008 and gone to college
when we're in our early 20s that's definitely a time of exploration when you're trying to find your own footing
as an adult that's it biceps behind the ears lower your chin she always greeted me with the
hugs Emily's journey of self-discovery had led to yoga class an instructor Ryan Hader she was always excited to see me
and excited to get her butt kicked in my class keep your upper back strong and her energy was just infectious Kelly
worked part-time as a nanny and as a salesperson for an athletic apparel store were her tight-knit co-workers
were the first to sound the alarm when she missed a shift they worked together and they played together it's like
she found her tribe when was the last time that you saw Kelly Dwyer it was just before her birthday she was like
something big is going to happen I can feel it this feels really important to me
Kelly had just turned 27 and her relationship with 38 year old Chris Sacco seemed to be taking on greater
meaning for her based on what her friends said it certainly appeared to me that she was extremely interested in him
maybe even in love with him Chris's mother Joyce Frye he was always into sports he always had a lot of
friends he was a very good golfer my dad took him out to the driving ranges I think he put a golf club in Chris's hand
when he was about three Chris graduated from Boston University with a degree in international business but his love of
sports led him to his dream job he was a major Yankee fan and they did hire him in their I.T staff and he just
thought that was there could never be anything better and where was his office it was at the Ballpark
that's at Yankee Stadium that's where his office is so he was in heaven yeah he really was
but Joyce says Chris left New York in search of New Opportunities eventually Landing in Milwaukee in 2009 and winding
up at the relocation management company where she worked he was the CIO Chief Information officer
I became involved in Kelly Dwyer's missing person investigation Catherine Spano then a detective with the
Milwaukee Police Department would learn about Kelly and Chris's relationship she
says Kelly's reasons for dating Chris were obvious he was educated he was bright he was smart he had a job that
paid him well he had a nice car a beautiful condo down on the east side while some friends thought Kelly might
have been in love with Chris it seems zako might not have been on the same page Chris Sacco described his
relationship with Kelly Dwyer as friends with benefits but it did seem Kelly was
keeping her options open Mr Mr Largo didn't make promises to her that he was being exclusive with her and she also
dated some other people Royston recalls another time not long before Kelly went missing it was a very
easy night here at the bar Chanel was out at the allium bar when Chris and Kelly invited her back to Chris's
apartment at closing time I went across the street with him for a nightcap walked out to the balcony to smoke a
cigarette Chris then joined me he was smoking marijuana Kelly was inside I don't know exactly what Kelly was doing
Chanel says she got a bad feeling I just had this urge that I needed to leave though she'd just arrived she told Chris
and Kelly she suddenly realized how late it was and that she had to work in the morning I looked at Kelly I said I need
to leave and she looked up and said are you sure I said yep it's okay it's just late
later than I thought I need to go home and I walked out what was it what was your sixth sense telling you I don't
know it just you weren't supposed to be there bad space bad juju you don't need to be here
Chanel wasn't the only one to get the sense that all might not have been right in Kelly's world
Kelly like many women her age had been active on several dating websites even though she was seeing Chris and I'm
thinking that that was the main person she was seeing she was dating other people there were other people and other
men involved and her friends were concerned she made a few statements they were usually prompted by the friends
observing bruising on her wrists or her neck and wondering why she has those bruises
she told one friend she kind of laughed about these bruises on her neck and wrists and laughed it off as a as a
crazy night right and changed the subject yes as police face the daunting task of
finding Kelly would her love life provide their first clue there are some evil people out there
oh [Music] 9129 I'm 23. so on Monday October 14th I started my shift at 4 pm I learned that Kelly Dwyer a young woman
have been reported missing and had not been seen or heard from since the previous Friday
[Music] as Kelly Dwyer's family and friends continued to search for her Milwaukee
detective Tammy tremel McLean arrived at the scene of Kelly's last known whereabouts three days earlier Chris
Sacco's apartment building they come right through this door and he actually holds the door open for her
you can see that on the video yes you see two people that are chatting walk past that camera there's another
camera that catches them turning the corner to the elevator and you can see Kelly in her typical I
think outgoing fashion she's gesturing with her hands a little they bend the corner and then that's the last time
that she is ever seen Alive by anyone now it was time to talk to the other person in that video tremel McLean sat
down with Saco in his 18th floor apartment he came off as a pretty nice guy he said she would hang out with him a
couple times a week he used the word party they party together somewhat shockingly zako didn't hold
back telling police exactly what he meant by party as he described how he and Kelly had ended their evening they
walked back and they do the lines of cocaine they have a couple more drinks he says there was sex and they both
passed out on opposite ends of his couch said Kelly left around nine o'clock the
next morning adding that he heard the front door click shut behind her there was only one problem with that
while I'm speaking with him I get a text message from one of the other investigators who had been watching
video downstairs with the manager and he simply just says in the text she doesn't
come out as tremel McLean focused on how Kelly could have slipped out of this high
security building undetected zaco seem more interested in shifting Focus away from himself well you know she's messing
around with a lot of other guys there's some other guy you know kind of trying to take the attention away from himself
that may have been sako's intention but that's not what happened in your bones in your gut based on your instinct and
your training and experience you felt like you were looking at a suspect yes police need s needed a way to search
zako's apartment for evidence because he had told tramel McLean he'd use drugs there they were able to get a search
warrant what'd you find lines of cocaine on top of a magazine some canisters of marijuana in the refrigerator
painkillers pills and a marijuana pipes smoking pipes they should tell you how cold it is in
this place before that Saco was arrested for drug possession during his interview
he seemed flip even when asked routine questions about his medical history anxiety nothing like that I had anxiety
okay but no uh I'm not taking anything for it okay no problem but no bipolar it's schizophrenia
suppose that's all open to interpretation of somebody sako's interrogation finishes abruptly
but while they had zako in custody police get a warrant to search his cell phone hoping to find clues in Kelly's
disappearance they were stunned to find a video of zako and Kelly Dwyer engaged in a sex
act where Kelly appears to be in distress she can't breathe she's straining for breath when was this video taken that
video was taken approximately three weeks before she went missing and there was more incriminating
evidence disturbing pictures of Kelly on zako's phone still photographs that are
very concerning as well because she appears to be unconscious on his bed police could not link those images to
Kelly's disappearance and despite Saco being a person of interest they could only charge him with drug possession
but that search of his apartment LED police to a bizarre Discovery in his bathroom during that first search
warrant the police observe the shower curtain hooks with the torn fragments of shower curtain not knowing what a torn
down shower curtain could mean and concern that Kelly is never seen exiting the building
that they then bring in a canine to conduct a sniff for the odor of decomposing human remains and that
police cadaver dog Molly would deliver some stunning results there's an indication of the outside of
the apartment door in the parking garage on the level he parked his car on the dumpster door on the 18th floor
Molly alerted on the hallway guest bedroom guest bathroom she went on to the master
bedroom got up onto Chris zako's bed she seemed to be sniffing vigorously on top
of his bed and gives her final formal trained alert for police that moment changed this case forever they now
believed Kelly was dead and her final moments had been in Chris Sacco's apartment and if Kelly died on that bed
where did the body go that's what we needed to find out and Chris zako had those answers and at
that point it was turning into a homicide investigation to charge Saco and not knowing where
Kelly's Body could be police search zako's home electronics for more clues they examined an external hard drive and
some discs that were found in his spare bedroom what's on that hard drive that hard
drive has a number of Hardcore child pornography videos very extremely extremely disturbing
zako disavowed any knowledge of the child pornography police found if you're an I.T guy you collect stuff so you
collect old hard drives you collect discs you collect you know you just collect I.T equipment and that
particular hard drive was from his former place of work in Boston he didn't know it was there
and you believe him I do believe him yeah it had been two weeks since Kelly disappeared zako was arrested again this
time for possession of child pornography by early November 2013 he was out on bail and awaiting trial on the drug and
child porn charges girlfriend uh no I mean I date multiple people but before zako had lawyered up in that first
interrogation it would turn out he'd said something that would come back to haunt him
okay so nobody you can send to your girlfriend right now there's a couple girls that I would like to be my
girlfriend but it hasn't been that seriously yet I guess yeah he began dating a young woman in 2009 he
was living two different lives do you think Chris zako had something to do with Kelly Dwyer's disappearance
watch more of the police interrogation on Facebook at 48 hours [Music] towards the end there was more touching
more of the smiling towards each other there was more affection there than there had been towards the beginning
according to Chanel Royston before Kelly Dwyer disappeared it seemed her relationship with Chris Saco was
evolving did Kelly ever tell you that she was falling in love with Chris she never told me but you could tell you
know how she would look at him that she was looking for something more and I think
that she did love him at that point it turns out Sako may have been in love as well
with someone else he was in a very serious relationship with a woman who he was dating at the time that he was
seeing Kelly and this young woman knew nothing about the relationship with Kelly and did Kelly have any idea about
this other woman and arrested on the news reported to police that his sister Megan had been dating
zako for more than three years when I went to interview the long-term girlfriend Megan I had a lot of
photographs from the search warrants with me and I was able to have her identify different objects within the
apartment they learned that a number of things were missing you described that guest bathroom
there should have been a shower curtain there should have been a little rug and some matching decorative towels all of
those things were gone and she was surprised to see that she identified the shower curtain hooks
that were bent and torn identified the fact that they were not like that when she had last been in there and it's in
that very bathroom where the sniffer dog had alerted exacting human remains exactly
Megan also identified one more missing item there had been a large traveled golf bag lying in front of the TV that
had been there for weeks and weeks that they literally would have to step over to get into the bathroom and that was
missing a travel golf bag possibly like this one is commonly used by golfers to protect
their clubs it's all padded correct very large very large it was padded it was silver and she thought it was maybe two
two and a half feet wide detectives wondered if Sako had a more Sinister use for the bag could Kelly's Body have fit
inside that travel yes absolutely absolutely but how did zako get that bag out of his
apartment there is no video of zako leaving on any of the 28 surveillance cameras in the building there's no
camera on the elevator so he could take her body in the travel golf bag out of his apartment into the elevator down to
the first floor and out that door to the garage without being captured on any cameras but there are cameras inside the
garage and yet no image of zako with that bag the garage is the only area where the cameras would be motion
activated some of the investigators think hey just got lucky with it it took months of painstaking work for
Milwaukee PD investigators to piece together Chris Sacco's movements on the days after his date with Kelly Dwyer
Lieutenant Eric gulbranson worked the case as both a homicide and Cold Case Detective
[Music] say um we have Chris Sacco standing by the driver's side door when he leaves that building at 1008 a.m
Kelly Dwyer's phone it goes dead what do you think happened to the phone at that moment broken
powered down thrown in the water the river is very close by zako is next seen back in his garage 16
minutes later standing by the trunk of his car if you look closely in that image there's a little gray or silver
object lying in the vehicle above the trunk level I think that's consistent with the travel golf bag so you believe
Kelly Dwyer is in the trunk of his vehicle I do investigators believe that because the
cadaver dog Molly told them so the cadaver dog not only hits on all of those things in the apartment but the
dog hits on the car also in the trunk and on the door handle and inside the vehicle
[Music] over the next eight hours video show zako coming and going several more times
loading items into his car before finally leaving for the day at 6 16 p.m he said he decided to take his summer
sports equipment to his mother's house on a Friday night around 6 30. sure yes he came over to drop off some golf clubs
and his baseball equipment and so there's nothing in your mind unusual when he showed up with this sporting
equipment at your place not at all there's a golf bag that investigators say went missing a bag that they claim
Kelly Dwyer's body was in did you ever see this golf bag never [Music] 7 30 p.m and zako is now due at his
girlfriend's house for a Friday night dinner but investigators learned he didn't
arrive until about 8 45. there's time that's unaccounted for and we believe he was possibly looking for areas to
dispose of the body during that time unfortunately detectives weren't able to trace saco's movements from his phone
records was his cell phone on or off it was off [Music] when zako did finally arrive for dinner
his girlfriend told investigators he wasn't quite himself he was quite late and he seemed a little bit ruffled a
little bit nervous he's fiddling with his phone claiming it doesn't work when they went to bed she described them as
being Restless she described them as sweating profusely to the point where she actually had to change the sheets
she found that very unusual and Saco may have had a very good reason to sweat that night
his car is parked near his girlfriend's house overnight we believe that body is absolutely in that trunk locked inside
that golf bag he could not have left that body in his apartment because that's the first place everybody went to
look for Kelly the following morning investigators say zako rose with the sun still faced with
a nightmare he was desperate by Saturday he had to get that body out of that vehicle
[Music] [Music] one day after Kelly Dwyer disappeared Chris Saco left his girlfriend's
apartment and hit the road where he went that morning would be the first in a series of Clues as to what may have
happened to Kelly Dwyer Chris AKO had gone to a place called The Mouse House what's the mouse house it's a cheese
place foreign this is The Mouse House 80 miles from Milwaukee near Madison Wisconsin
one cheese shop and a state full of cheese shops why would he drive up toward Madison to
buy cheese it's a very good question very good question Sacco says he drove 160 miles round trip to buy a half pound
wedge of cheese for his girlfriend's parents but the investigators say that he did it
to finally dispose of Kelly's body somewhere in the rural Wisconsin Farmland between Madison and Milwaukee
in case he was spotted do you believe zako actually went to The Mouse House to create an alibi of sorts I do I
certainly do [Music] police believe that after dumping Kelly's Body zako made his way to this
shopping center on his drive back to Milwaukee investigators say that he walked into a
Sports Authority and used his credit card to buy a brand new pair of sneakers why is he buying new sneakers he may
have purchased those sneakers to replace ones that he used in in dumping the body like
he might have been concerned that evidence got on those sneakers so he had to have new ones to put on here's the
slip up I don't know if maybe he just had a momentary lapse of judgment but that created a paper trail for him that
paper trail was a single credit card receipt which gave detectives a critical piece of the timeline we know through
the investigation that he purchased the cheese at 9 55 a.m and we know that he purchased the shoes at 12 11 pm
the distance between the mouse house and Sports Authority is 54 miles and it should take 47 minutes to get there but
yet we have 90 minutes unaccounted for at that time 90 minutes certainly enough time detectives believed for zako to
locate a secluded spot off the highway but for them to find that spot would be like finding a needle in a haystack
and without Kelly's Body there was no physical evidence of a crime to charge zaka with only circumstance and
suspicion did you want to take it to trial then it was tough what was missing what was missing was her body
eventually Chris Sacco did go on trial in November 2014 not for murder but for the child pornography possession
uncovered with the initial investigation search warrants what's the result of that truck he's
convicted of all but one count one month later zako pleaded guilty to additional drug charges and was
sentenced to a total of 19 years so are you done with Chris Sacco is that it or is the potential murder
investigation still hanging over his head what actually happened with Kelly [Music]
authorities have just identified the remains of 27 year old Kelly Dwyer detective where are we we are on a dead
end Country Road and we are about 45 miles west of Milwaukee and it's quite overgrown here but this is the specific
area where Kelly Dwyer's body was found [Music] for a year and a half Kelly Dwyer had
been here hidden under these trees just six miles from busy I-94 before her remains were discovered by a
local man out for a walk he catches a glint of light Hitting off of something that's whitish in color
and when he takes a closer look he sees what appears to be a human skull six days later using dental records
those remains were confirmed to be Kelly Dwyer what could not be confirmed though
was just how she died there was nothing on that skeleton to tell us what the cause of death was there was no physical
evidence found at the scene either no shower curtain no cloth no towel no clothing and no travel golf bag but
detectives say there was one clue Left Behind the position of Kelly skeleton her feet and legs were more over in this
area with one of her legs completely turned very contorted same thing with her left arm it was behind her back as
if she had been scrunched into some kind of a container like a golf travel like a
golf travel bag exactly exactly it would appear that police now had enough evidence to bring Chris Sacco back to
court for the death of Kelly Dwyer it is just too much of a coincidence that her body is found somewhat near
where he was shopping on the day after she goes missing but assistant district attorney Hill
wanted more than coincidence to build an airtight case we wanted to make sure that we had uncovered all of the
evidence we would be able to uncover when you have a case that's going to be largely circumstantial it's absolutely
essential you do that and with Sako already in prison there was no rush it took another two years of
investigative work before the state of Wisconsin charged Chris Saco in the death of Kelly Dwyer
and another year and a half to bring the case to trial how strong is the evidence against Chris
Saco learn why investigators say Kelly's killer picked the perfect spot at 48hours.com
[Music] good morning ladies and gentlemen this case is about a young woman named Kelly
Dwyer almost five years after Kelly Dwyer went missing Chris Sacco goes on trial for her death
but surprising to some not for murder Chris Darko was charged with first three Reckless homicide
hiding a corpse and strangulation Suffocation with the media restricted behind courtroom security glass
prosecutor Sarah Hill presents the state's theory of how they believe Kelly died you will hear evidence that the
defendant Mr zako was basically having sex with Kelly Dwyer and he winds up killing her
I think Chris Sacco enjoyed taking women to the brink of death for his own sexual
gratification in fact investigators interviewed several women who said that zako engaged in this type of behavior as
far back as High School and that it was that Reckless conduct that wound up killing Kelly Dwyer and
then Mr zako had to do something about it Chris uses that shower curtain and wraps
her up puts her into the golf bag and goes down to his parking garage the police have no evidence to believe that
Ms Dwyer exited the apartment in either a shower curtain or a golf travel bag O's defense attorneys Craig mastantuno
and Rebecca Coffey say the state has it all wrong someone did Kill Kelly Dwyer but it
wasn't Chris Sacco this case is more about the state wanting Mr zako to be guilty than having the evidence to prove
it is there any eyewitness to this alleged crime there was no eyewitness no is there a CSI moment some definitive
piece of DNA there was no DNA evidence the prosecution contends that while the security camera video clearly shows
Kelly walking into zako's building she is never seen walking out she very well could have left the building in a way
that wasn't reviewed the defense argues there is video from several cameras they never had a chance
to examine because it was not preserved as evidence when the defense went to review all of the video evidence that
video was missing missing travel golf bag police insist is in the back of saco's car we've looked
at that picture there is no silver bag in his trunk there is no video of him carrying a bag that would have been a
very large bag to fit a woman who is five foot seven there was no video of that because that didn't happen the
cadaver dog evidence seems significant canine Molly alerts on the bed in the master bedroom and she also alerts in
the garage there's no way whatsoever to verify what the officer says this dog alerted to it wasn't even filmed and so
it's entirely dependent on a police officer describing what she believes her dog was alerting to
and the defense also has an explanation for that video on sako's phone where Kelly appears to be in distress the
government found a video that Kelly Dwyer and Chris zackle made together they are calling it strangulation or
Suffocation a consensual sexual act is what it depicts that type of sex is depicted in mainstream Motion Pictures
like 50 Shades of Gray as being engaged in with two consensual adults if Chris zocco did not kill Kelly Dwyer who did
I don't know I don't think that we know I think that we know that it could have been a number of other people
the defense says that's because Kelly dated men she had met online and is this suggestion that she met up
with one of these individuals and that that could be the cause of her disappearance
yes yes yes to support that theory the defense presented a witness who says that he saw
Kelly after she was reported missing someone who credibly said I saw her that weekend in the car of another individual
his observation of this individual was very brief at a stoplight I was sure it was her
it looked exactly like her he went to the district station and said I saw the woman that is being looked for that's on
the posters that's on TV did anyone ever follow up with you about that information
you think he's just mistaken I think he's mistaken I I don't only trying to mislead anybody I just truly truly
believe his mistake [Music] after nine days of argument and testimony the case seemed to rest on one
thing the quality of the evidence ladies and gentlemen the defendant killed Kelly
Dwyer every piece of circumstantial evidence supports that despite the tragedy of Ms Dwyer's demise it's not
just as to find Chris disciple guilty based on conjecture it's just as to find him not guilty all of the factors
pointed to him there's no other person that could have done it it took the jury only three and a half
hours to reach the same conclusion we the jury finally defendant Chris zako guilty of first degree Reckless homicide
is charging caught one of the Year finally after five years of waiting and wondering there is Justice for Kelly
Dwyer as for Chris Saco he did look at me when he was being removed what did you see
he was devastated and what was Chris's sentence 31 years sat on top of the 19 years
Chris AKO is a person who's demonstrated that he poses a danger to society particularly to women and if someone is
dead as a result that someone was a vibrant and trusting young woman just beginning to find her
way in the world she was a loving person who truly cared about people and loved so much that she didn't really find much
fault in anyone [Music] there's this sense of profound loss loss for her family her friends you see
a loss of a light because of one person's selfishness and that's a tragedy tragedy is the best word for it
[Music] foreign [Music] children there's no sign of life there's no sign of death anything you want to
say Lori Lori Velo hasn't said a word about where her children are now her mother and sister are speaking out
Janice do you think they're in a bunker somewhere I think that's possible 48 Hours next on CBS
CBS News original reporting

A young woman vanished after a night out in Milwaukee in October 2013. Did a meeting set up on a dating app lead to the disappearance or was it someone she knew? "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

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

Kelly Dwyer vanished in 2013; Chris Sacco was later convicted of her reckless homicide after her remains were found.

Key points

Kelly Dwyer Goes Missing. Kelly Dwyer, a vibrant young woman, disappears without a trace, leaving friends and family in shock.
The Night of Disappearance. On October 10, 2013, Kelly had a date with Chris Saco, but she never returned home.
A Disturbing Discovery. Police find incriminating evidence on Chris Saco's phone, including a video of Kelly in distress.
Cadaver Dog Alerts. A cadaver dog indicates the presence of human remains in Chris Saco's apartment, changing the investigation.
Unaccounted Time. After Kelly's disappearance, Chris Saco has unaccounted time that investigators suspect may involve disposing of her body.
Chris Saco's Nervous Behavior. Saco's girlfriend describes him as restless and sweating profusely the night Kelly disappeared.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It’s like she vanishes; her social media goes dead.

3:18WatchDec 2, 2022

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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