13x50 - Best Foot Forward

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: up next, an exotic

Dancer vanishes.

It was driving me crazy that

She didn't come home.

Narrator: was a jealous

Boyfriend involved...

He was kind of vague.

Narrator: ...or was she

Simply a runaway?

She could have met someone

Who had money, someone who would

Improve her life.

Narrator: but a police

Cadaver dog and a b*rned key

Point to a violent

Confrontation.

I watched "forensic files,"

"Csi."

I just felt like there's no

Hope.

Hope. There's no hope.

There's no hope.

[ Hip-hop music plays ]

Attention, all strippers.

Here's a song you can work it

Out to.

[ Rapping ] ♪ as soon as this

b*at come in ♪

♪ You let the freak come out

♪ Let it take total control when

You grab a pole ♪

♪ Move it fast, move it slow

♪ Make it part of your show

Narrator: instead of

Finishing high school,

Shamaia smith dropped out and

Worked as a dancer at the

Kahoots gentlemen's club in

East hartford, connecticut.

♪ I'm in love with a

Stripper ♪

I didn't approve of it.

I've always talked to her about

Getting a job.

It's a lot safer.

Narrator: one night,

Shamaia didn't return home after

Work.

Concerned, her family called

Police.

She's a very respected young

Lady, and all we want is her to

Come home safe and sound.

Narrator: in a search for

Answers, police questioned

Shamaia's boyfriend.

The boyfriend reportedly had

Some drug involvement.

He was living with shamaia smith

At her parents' home when she

Went missing, and he had seen

Her the day she went missing.

Narrator: he told police she

Left for work around : p.m.

But said he didn't know who had

Given her a ride.

The boyfriend's story -- that

Your girlfriend is leaving and

Meeting a stranger -- this would

Lead most people to conclude

That maybe the story wasn't

True.

Narrator: shamaia's family

Gave police a potential clue.

Someone had left a message on

Shamaia's cellphone at

: A.m., Before shamaia left

: A.m., Before shamaia left for work.

For work.

The significance of this

Message was enormous.

It gave the police and

Investigators another avenue to

Go down.

No one knew who this person

Was.

I didn't know.

I just knew something...

Something wasn't right.

Narrator: the number was

Traced to a wealthy local

Businessman -- -year-old

Kenneth otto.

We found out that mr. Otto

Was an upstanding person.

He had a family, a wife and

Kids.

He was a somewhat successful

Industrial business owner, had

No prior criminal record, and

Liked to hang around strip

Clubs.

Narrator: ken otto was a

Regular at the kahoots club

Where shamaia worked, and he

Admitted he had given shamaia a

Ride to work that afternoon.

He said that he called

Shamaia, and when he called her,

She requested that he bring her

To work 'cause she didn't have

Any transportation.

So he agreed to bring her to

Work.

He said that he last saw her

Going through the front doors of

The kahoots and that he drove

Off.

Narrator: but police found

Another customer who insisted he

Had given shamaia a ride to

Kahoots that afternoon.

His name was harold brown,

Another regular customer.

He claimed he not only dropped

Shamaia off at the club, he

Stayed and went inside for a few

Hours.

He also claimed he drove shamaia

Home later that night.

But according to her family, she

Never made it inside.

So police now had two men --

Both insisting they were the

Last ones to see shamaia alive.

And shamaia's boyfriend was

Still a suspect.

But where was shamaia?

Narrator: two customers of

The kahoots gentlemen's club

Both claimed theydrove

Shamaia smith to work on the day

She disappeared.

One of those men, ken otto, took

A particular interest in

Shamaia.

Other dancers at the kahoots

Said that kenneth otto would

Spend more time with shamaia.

He would give her extra

Attention, sit next to her, buy

Her drinks, talk with her.

Narrator: ken otto also

Admitted he'd given shamaia $

To continue her education.

And I told her, "nobody's

Gonna give you $ just for

Nothing.

You had to do something."

And I was like, "just promise me

You won't never go alone with

Anybody again like that because

People, you just don't -- you

Can't trust everybody."

Narrator: in ken otto's

Version, he claimed shamaia

Walked into the club on the day

He gave her a ride.

But the club's security tapes

Disputed that.

We viewed the

Video-surveillance tapes from

Kahoots and found that she never

Entered the establishment on the

Day that she went missing.

Narrator: in harold brown's

Version, he not only claimed

That shamaia went into the club

After he dropped her off, he

Also said he went in, too, and

Stayed for several hours.

Again, the security tapes didn't

Show shamaia orharold brown in

The club that day.

But the security tapes from the

Day before explain brown's

Confusion.

It was determined that he

Brought her home the day prior

To her going missing.

Narrator: brown had simply

Gotten his dates confused.

It was apparent that he was

Being truthful.

There was no motive that we

Could establish why he would

Commit a crime.

Narrator: so police focus

Their attention on ken otto,

Since he'd left a message on

Shamaia's phone several hours

Before he admitted picking her

Up.

On a hunch, shamaia's sister

Decided to try subterfuge.

She called ken otto and left a

Message on his voicemail.

I called him to pretend to be

Shamaia.

I was like, "hey, kenny.

It's maia.

Just wanted to know if you

Wanted to hook up.

Just call me when you get this

Message."

And she never received a

Phone call back.

And that was very telling,

Because now you ask yourself,

"Why wouldn't he call her back

Then and ask how she's doing?"

Narrator: when police asked

Ken otto directly if he'd ever

Had a sexual relationship with

Shamaia, he said that wasn't

Possible.

He told us that he was unable

To perform sexually due to some

Surgery, a condition that he

Had.

He has erectile dysfunction

And was not very -- I'm trying

To think of a word.

[ Chuckles ]

Successful.

Narrator: investigators check

Shamaia's cellphone records and

Discovered that five days before

Her disappearance, she made two

Cellphone calls that bounced off

A tower directly across the

Street from a -acre piece of

Land owned by ken otto.

We thought maybe there's a

Possibility she might be there,

Being held against her will.

We had officers on the

Ground, and I directed that they

Go into the property and confirm

That there was no one there in

Need of assistance.

Narrator: police ask

Ken otto if they could search

The property.

He agreed to consent search

Of his property on easter

Sunday.

Narrator: when police

Arrived, they noticed

Construction equipment, a

Trailer, some vehicles, and a

Fire pit.

There was some heavy burning

In the fire pit.

There was a smell of fuel.

Narrator: but something else

Bothered investigators.

Apparently, otto didn't mind the

Police looking around, but the

Cadaver dogs were another story.

He became very upset when the

Dogs arrived.

It appeared to me that he was

Worried we were going to find

Something.

There was a wood chipper on

The property.

There's history of cases in the

Past where people have used wood

Chippers to dispose of human

Bodies.

Narrator: at this point,

Convinced he'd cooperated as

Much as he needed to, otto asked

The police to leave.

You know what?

I need you to wrap this up.

I, uh...i didn't know you were

Coming out here with all these

Guys and dogs and stuff.

So, yeah, wrap this up.

All right.

Now.

All right.

When someone grants a consent

To search their property,

They're entitled to revoke that.

Narrator: but by this time,

The cadaver dogs had already

Picked up a scent in the fire

Pit.

One of the dogs found a chunk of

Flesh.

It appeared to be animal flesh.

Narrator: once again,

Ken otto had an explanation.

You might find a beaver

There.

Excuse me?

A beaver.

I sh*t one awhile back and

b*rned it in the pit.

Okay.

There was no obvious evidence

Of a beaver being in the fire

Pit.

Ken otto explained that he liked

To k*ll animals and chop them up

And spread them in the sand.

It was disappointing that

Mr. Otto revoked his consent,

But we knew we would be back.

Narrator: two weeks after

Shamaia smith's disappearance,

Investigators no longer

Considered her boyfriend a

Suspect.

The boyfriend saw shamaia

Leave the house and walk out,

And that was the last time that

He saw her.

I believe that the boyfriend was

Telling the truth.

Narrator: investigators were

More interested in shamaia's

Relationship with ken otto, a

Customer at the kahoots

Gentlemen's club, and a piece of

Land he owned in rural

Connecticut.

It's about acres large.

It's landlocked -- that means

It's surrounded by other forest.

There's one road, which is a

Dirt road access to it.

Narrator: by his own

Admission, otto was the

Last-known person to see shamaia

Alive when he picked her up at

Her home on the day she

Disappeared.

Otto allowed police to conduct

An initial search of his

Property but asked them to

Leave when he realized they

Brought cadaver dogs.

In order to perform a more

Detailed search, detectives

Needed both a warrant and lots

Of heavy equipment and manpower.

There were two jurisdictions

Involved in this.

There was a substantial

Rainstorm that came during that

Week that hampered the efforts,

And they all came together,

Causing an eight-day delay.

Narrator: not only could the

Rainstorm have washed away any

Evidence, but eight days gave

Otto plenty of time to clean up

A possible crime scene.

All of our fears are realized

When the police go on the

Property.

Ken otto is in a full-size

Tractor, attempting to bury the

Frame of his -foot trailer

That was demolished and b*rned.

Mr. Otto's property looked

Like man-made hell, a person

That was in the process of

Destroying everything -- trees,

Digging holes, destroying the

Dirt road that goes into the

Property.

Narrator: but the one thing

Otto hadn't yet destroyed was

The fire pit.

I was very happy to see that

The fire pit hadn't been

Disrupted all that much.

Narrator: almost immediately,

Detectives got a break.

In the embers they found a house

Key.

I took the key, cleaned it

Up, placed it in the door lock

Of shamaia smith's home, and it

Unlocked and opened the house.

So it was shamaia smith's house

Key.

Narrator: but this didn't

Prove otto k*lled her.

In the fire pit, police also

Found a spent b*llet and three

Shell casings from a .-Caliber

Handgun.

On the ground, near the

b*rned-out trailer,

Investigators found a mop, a

Vacuum cleaner, and a large

Piece of carpet.

Serologists looked for blood

Even though it had been sitting

In the rain and mud for days.

It's definitely a

Forensic-science nightmare,

Especially when you're dealing

With mother nature tampering

With the evidence and really

Just presenting extra

Challenges.

Narrator: the carpet was

Marked with a grid of -inch

Squares, which were then swabbed

With phenolphthalein and

Hydrogen peroxide -- a chemical

Combination which turns pink

When it comes in contact with

Blood.

I started getting areas that

Were positive with my screening

Test.

And so that got me a little

Excited, and I was ready to

Forge ahead on this thing.

Narrator: each area that

Tested positive was marked with

A piece of tape.

Slowly, an unmistakable pattern

Began to emerge.

It ended up being an area

That was feet by foot in

Size.

To everyone who saw it, it

Was a body.

It appeared to be a human body.

Narrator: the outline was in

Human blood, but when it was

Tested for dna, investigators

Got a setback.

No dna was present.

It was just too much bacterial

Contamination.

Narrator: investigators were

Beginning to wonder if they

Would ever solve this case.

I'm looking for the worst but

Hoping for the best, and the

Worst is she's not coming home.

So I tried to prepare myself for

Whichever comes my way, but when

You're in a situation like this,

You really can't prepare

Yourself.

Narrator: in the search for

Shamaia smith, investigators

Collected dozens of what

Appeared to be bone chips from

The fire pit on ken otto's

Property and sent them to the

Forensics lab.

This skeleton was b*rned so

Significantly that it was nearly

Destroyed as if it would have

Been in a commercial cremation.

The fragmentation was so severe

That you had pieces that were

The size of a fingernail.

It really is like a needle in a

Haystack.

It's an anthropologist's

Nightmare.

Narrator: after close

Examination, forensic

Anthropologists concluded the

Majority of the bones were

Human, but that didn't mean

Police were any closer to

Knowing if the bone chips were

Shamaia's.

There was a lot of thermal

Destruction.

This would suggest a tremendous

Fire that lasted for as much as

Days.

I had never worked with

Samples that had been so charred

And so burnt before, so I was

Very hesitant as to whether I

Would be able to generate a dna

Profile from these remains.

Narrator: but in a case with

So few lucky breaks, the

Forensic anthropologists finally

Got one.

They found a piece of a foot

With soft tissue.

There was still organic

Material.

There was still definitely the

Potential of getting dna out of

That foot.

Well, the other big challenge

Was that we didn't have a known

Sample from shamaia smith.

So what we had to do in that

Case was take those dna profiles

We generated from the tissue and

Burnt skin and bone and then

Make a comparison to

Shamaia smith's biological

Mother and biological father.

Narrator: dna tests revealed

That the bone and tissue found

In ken otto's fire pit...

Wasfrom shamaia smith.

We have enough evidence to

Establish that the reason he

Destroyed all that evidence is

Because he violently caused her

Death.

Narrator: two months after

Shamaia's m*rder, ken otto was

Arrested at a local airport.

He was carrying a briefcase

Containing $,.

He had toiletries, his

Passport, and various other

Items.

And he also had a small bag

With some condoms in it and some

Cialis, which is basically

Viagra, a generic viagra.

I have no doubt that he would

Have bought a ticket and flown

To parts unknown.

Taking mr. Otto into custody

Was a pretty proud moment in my

Life.

Narrator: by his own

Admission, ken otto picked

Shamaia up for work.

But the evidence shows that

Instead of taking her to the

Kahoots gentlemen's club, he

Drove miles to his property

On the outskirts of town.

No one knows what happened after

That.

I'll take you to work.

Just sit down for a second.

I have to go to work!

Sit down. Just --

Narrator: but prosecutors

Believe that at some point otto

sh*t and k*lled shamaia inside

The trailer with a .-Caliber

Handgun.

Then he rolled her body in a

Piece of carpet, creating the

Bloodstains later found by

Forensic analysis.

Then he b*rned shamaia's body...

For days in the fire pit.

When cadaver dogs picked up the

Scent in the fire pit, otto

Asked police to leave, and he

Had eight days to carry out the

Most extensive cover-up

Investigators had ever seen.

But he couldn't destroy

Everything.

Investigators found shell

Casings, a spent b*llet,

Shamaia's house key, hundreds of

Bone fragments, and even part of

Her foot, which all told the

Gruesome tale of a needless

m*rder.

I think she was very naive

About everyone she knew.

Like, she just put her trust in

Everyone, and you cannot do

That.

Narrator: ken otto was tried

And convicted of shamaia's

m*rder and tampering with

Evidence.

At the end of the day, he's a

Cold-blooded k*ller.

For that reason, mr. Otto -- you

Can stand up -- on the count of

m*rder, I sentence you to the

Custody of the commission of

Corrections for a period of

Years.

I was ecstatic when I heard

The jury decision that he was

Guilty for m*rder.

It was a great feeling to, you

Know, not only to bring the case

To an end, but also, again, for

The family -- you know, to have

A good outcome for the family

Was very important to me.

The whole thing was really

Frustrating, and I'm thinking,

"Okay, well, maybe this man may

Get away with it."

But...i was determined.

I was gonna fight to the end.

We were all gonna fight to the

End so my sister could rest in

Peace and she can get the

Justice she deserves.

Narrator: for virtually

Everyone involved, the most

Difficult aspect of the crime

Was determining ken otto's

Motive.

Mr. Otto exhibited sadistic

Behavior with his treatment of

Animals, and he may have been

Deciding to carry that kind of

Behavior to a higher level and

Harm a human being.

I couldn't understand why he

Would do what he did.

We all have unanswered

Questions.

We couldn't even have a proper

Funeral for her because there

Was nothing to have.

It may look like a pile of

b*rned fragments that are

Completely unrecognizable, but,

In the hands of a trained

Forensic anthropologist, they

Will find something uniquely

Human, and they will tie him to

That victim.

Mr. Otto thought he was gonna

Outsmart us, and he was pretty

Sure of it, and he was gonna do

Anything he could to try to

Outsmart us.