Birds of Prey

Narrator: MOSES LALL AND LILA BUERATTAN DISAPPEARED ON SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1994. WHEN A PERSON DISAPPEARS WITHOUT A TRACE, OFTEN, THE MOST CRITICAL INFORMATION IS HIDDEN IN THEIR ACTIONS AND WORDS FROM THE DAYS BEFORE THEY VANISHED. MOSES AND LILA'S LAST-KNOWN WHEREABOUTS MAY HOLD THE CLUES TO WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM. A YOUNG MAN FROM GUYANA AND HIS AUNT OPERATE A VALUABLE EXOTIC-BIRD FARM IN LOXAHATCHEE, FLORIDA. THEIR REPUTATION WAS GOOD. THEY RAN AN HONEST BUSINESS. Narrator: BUT ONE SUMMER DAY, THE PAIR'S UNEXPLAINED ABSENCE SENDS A WAVE OF PANIC THROUGH THE AVIAN COMMUNITY. LILA! Voren: EVERYBODY WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE BIRDS. Narrator: IN ITS WAKE, A SCENE OF HORROR IS DISCOVERED, AND A BIZARRE MYSTERY UNFOLDS. Wescott: WHY DID THESE PEOPLE LEAVE? IF THEY DIDN'T LEAVE OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL, WHERE ARE THEY? Voren: A LOT OF PEOPLE KNEW HE WAS SITTING ON A TON OF CASH. Narrator: THEN, AN INTRIGUING LEAD 400 MILES AWAY CHANGES EVERYTHING. THE OFFICER CALLED ME, AND HE SAID, "WE GOT YOUR GUY." -- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS Narrator: IT'S THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1994, IN TROPICAL LOXAHATCHEE, FLORIDA, A RURAL FARMING TOWNSHIP NEAR WEST PALM BEACH KNOWN FOR ITS SPRAWLING RANCHES. THOUGH NOT AS CONSPICUOUS, THE AREA IS ALSO HOME TO SOME OF THE NATION'S LARGEST EXOTIC AVIARIES, OR BIRD FARMS, A VALUABLE COMMODITY KEPT SECRET BY THE BIRD-BREEDING COMMUNITY. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE WAY OUR BUSINESS IS RUN. I MEAN, AFTER ALL, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU OWN SITTING IN YOUR BACKYARD, VIRTUALLY UNINSURABLE -- THAT IF THE WRONG PEOPLE FIND OUT ABOUT IT, YOU CAN BE WIPED OUT WHENEVER YOU LEAVE. Narrator: ONE SUCH RANCH HOUSES OVER 700 LARGE EXOTIC BIRDS, LIKE PARROTS AND MACAWS, WORTH OVER A HALF-MILLION DOLLARS. IT'S OPERATED BY A GUYANESE NATIONAL, 31-YEAR-OLD MOSES LALL, AND HIS 35-YEAR-OLD AUNT, LILA BUERATTAN. Voren: I FIRST BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH MOSES AND LILA WHEN THEY MOVED INTO THE AREA TO SELL EXOTIC BIRDS TO THE PET MARKET WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. Narrator: ALTHOUGH NEW TO THE AREA, THE LALLS HAD BEEN SELLING EXOTIC AMAZONIAN SPECIES TO BIRD LOVERS AND PET STORES ACROSS AMERICA FOR YEARS. Voren: THEIR REPUTATION WAS GOOD. THEY WERE NEVER KNOWN FOR NOT GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY PAID FOR. THEY WERE NOT VERY FRIENDLY, BUT THEN AGAIN, THEY RAN AN HONEST BUSINESS. Narrator: TIM TEGREENY, OWNER OF BIRD HAVEN IN FORT LAUDERDALE, HAS BEEN SELLING SEED TO THE LALLS FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, SINCE THEIR MOVE TO SOUTH FLORIDA. THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GOOD CUSTOMERS. THEY WOULD SPEND AROUND $1,200 A WEEK JUST ON FOOD ALONE. WE WERE PROBABLY DROPPING OFF ALMOST 30 BAGS OF FOOD EVERY TWO WEEKS. Narrator: ON THIS PARTICULAR MORNING, A DELIVERY MAN FROM BIRD HAVEN IS HEADING 46 MILES TO THE LALL FARM IN LOXAHATCHEE FOR THEIR ROUTINE DROP-OFF. BUT WHEN HE ARRIVES, HE'S MET WITH SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. Tegreeny: I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM DARYL, WHO HAD TAKEN THE DELIVERY THAT DAY, AND HE SAID THAT NO ONE WAS THERE AND THE GATE WAS LOCKED. LILA?! LILA?! Narrator: NATIVES FROM GUYANA, A SMALL CARIBBEAN COUNTRY IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN TROPICS, THE LALL FAMILY, WITH JEAN AND HER HUSBAND AT THE HELM, HAD A LONG-STANDING REPUTATION IN THE EXOTIC-BIRD TRADE. [ SPEAKING GUYANESE CREOLE ] Interpreter: WE DEALT WITH MACAWS, PARROTS, MONKEYS, REPTILES, AND ALL WILDLIFE. MY FAMILY EXPORTED BIRDS FOR 41 YEARS. Narrator: TO KEEP THE FAMILY BUSINESS GROWING, THE LALLS DECIDED TO OPEN A QUARANTINE FACILITY IN NEW YORK, WHERE THEY COULD SHIP LARGE QUANTITIES OF BIRDS. MOSES, ONE OF THE LALLS' EIGHT CHILDREN, WAS ENLISTED TO RUN THE OPERATION. Interpreter: HIS PASSION WAS TO DRESS NICE AND BE LIKE TOM JONES. HE WANTED MUSIC ALL THE TIME, BUT THEN I SAID, "WE'RE IN THE BIRD BUSINESS. WE HAVE TO GET A QUARANTINE STATION." I BOUGHT A FACILITY FOR THE BIRDS IN NEW YORK BY THE NAME OF QUEENS MALABAR AVIARY. MOSES IS WORKING THERE WITH LILA. Narrator: CLOSE IN AGE, MOSES AND HIS AUNT LILA COMPLEMENTED EACH OTHER. WHILE MOSES TOOK CARE OF THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THINGS, LILA CARED FOR THE BIRDS. Interpreter: OH, THOSE BIRDS WERE SO SPECIAL TO HER. SHE LOVED THEM DEARLY AND SPENT ALL HER TIME LOOKING AFTER THE BIRDS. AND THEY WOULD IMITATE HER. AND WHEN THE BIRDS WOULD TALK, YOU WOULD THINK IT WAS MOSES AND LILA TALKING. Narrator: WITH APPROXIMATELY 800 EXOTIC BIRDS COMING INTO NEW YORK FROM GUYANA EACH YEAR, MOSES AND LILA'S FLOCK STARTED TO EXPAND EXPONENTIALLY. Interpreter: HE WASN'T SELLING ALL THE BIRDS. HE WOULD HOLD SOME BACK, SO HE ENDED UP WITH A LOT OF BIRDS. HE SAID, "MOMMY, I WANT TO GO TO FLORIDA." Narrator: WITH THE HELP OF HIS MOTHER, MOSES AND LILA MOVED THEIR BIRDS SOUTH, WHERE THE ANIMALS COULD THRIVE IN A MORE NATURAL HABITAT. [ BIRDS CHIRPING ] [ BIRD CHIRPS ] LILA WAS THRILLED FOR THE BIRDS. I THINK SHE WAS MORE OF AN ANIMAL LOVER. I THINK THAT'S WHY SHE DID IT. I KIND OF SAW IT AS HARD FOR HER TO GET RID OF THE BIRDS. THEY BECAME HER FAMILY, IT SEEMED LIKE. Narrator: BUT THINGS WERE ABOUT TO CHANGE. Voren: THE EVOLUTION OF THE BIRD BUSINESS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES WAS BASICALLY DRIVEN BY THE WILD BIRD CONSERVATION ACT OF 1992. Narrator: TO PROTECT ENDANGERED SPECIES, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PLACED A BAN ON IMPORTING MANY EXOTIC AND RARE BIRDS, INCLUDING PARROTS AND MACAWS, THE LALLS' BREAD AND BUTTER. Interpreter: AND FEBRUARY '93 WAS THE LAST SHIPMENT I BROUGHT TO MIAMI FROM GUYANA. Narrator: IF THE LALLS WANTED TO CONTINUE SUPPLYING THE AMERICAN PET MARKET WITH LARGE BIRDS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR BUSINESS MODEL FROM IMPORTATION TO BREEDING. Voren: RATHER THAN THROWING UP THEIR HANDS, THEY DECIDED TO FIND A WAY TO GO AHEAD AND REMAIN IN THE SAME BUSINESS BY BECOMING A BREEDER. EVERYBODY THOUGHT WHAT A CLEVER PLAN IT WAS. Narrator: AS MOSES BECAME EVEN MORE CONSUMED WITH RUNNING THE OPERATION'S BUSINESS, LILA FOUND HERSELF OVERWHELMED WITH HER EXPANDED DUTIES ON THE FIVE-ACRE RENTAL PROPERTY IN LOXAHATCHEE. SO THEY DECIDED TO HIRE A FAMILY ACQUAINTANCE, DALJEET GOBIN -- WHO EVERYONE CALLED "HARI" -- TO HELP OUT AROUND THE FARM. Tegreeny: HE WAS VERY FRIENDLY, NEVER HAD A PROBLEM TALKING TO YOU, THAT KIND OF A THING. I THOUGHT HE WAS FAMILY. Narrator: STILL, LIFE ON THE FARM WASN'T AS EASY AS THEY HAD HOPED. MONEY WAS TIGHT, AND MOSES FELT HE NEEDED TO BRANCH OUT, SINCE HIS GUYANESE SUPPLY OF BIRDS WAS CUT OFF. Interpreter: I WAS HELPING, BUT I COULDN'T HELP ANYMORE. THERE WAS NOTHING TO DEPEND ON, SO HE TRIED TO BUY REPTILES. Narrator: MOSES SET HIS SIGHTS ON IMPORTING RARE TORTOISES FROM AFRICA TO BRING IN EXTRA REVENUE. Interpreter: HE WAS TRAVELING TO AFRICA ALL THE TIME. THAT IS HOW HE MET EYOUM. Narrator: MOSES MET FELIX ROLAND EYOUM ON ONE OF HIS TRIPS TO AFRICA. EYOUM, ALSO IN THE REPTILIAN TRADE, ARRIVED AT THE RANCH IN LOXAHATCHEE IN 1993 ON A TOURIST VISA. HE HAD COME TO HELP WITH THE ANIMALS. Interpreter: WHEN I WENT TO MIAMI, I VISITED MOSES IN PALM BEACH, AND I SAW A BLACK FELLOW. I SAID TO MYSELF, "WHAT IS HE DOING WITH SO MANY PEOPLE AT HIS HOUSE?" HE SAID, "MOM, THIS MAN COMES FROM AFRICA. HE'S A FRIEND FROM THE PLACE WHERE I BUY THE REPTILES." LILA?! Narrator: ON THIS BALMY JUNE MORNING, AFTER DARYL, THE SEED-DELIVERY MAN, REPEATEDLY CALLS FOR SOMEONE AT THE LALLS' HOUSE TO RECEIVE THEIR WEEKLY SUPPLIES, HE DECIDES TO JUMP THE FENCE TO INVESTIGATE. KNOWING THE BIRDS ARE RARELY, IF EVER, LEFT UNATTENDED, HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE NOTHING IS AMISS. Tegreeny: ONCE YOU WALKED AROUND THE BACK OF THE HOUSE, THERE'S ALL THIS PROPERTY BACK THERE WITH ALL THE BIRDS. LILA! HE SAID HE FELT KIND OF FUNNY, 'CAUSE THERE WAS NOBODY THERE. Narrator: THE DELIVERY MAN WONDERS, ARE THE LALLS JUST GONE TEMPORARILY, OR HAVE HUNDREDS OF VALUABLE BIRDS BEEN ABANDONED? Tegreeny: AND HE HAD ASKED ME WHAT TO DO, AND I SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT? JUST THROW THE FOOD DOWN BY THE FENCE. "I KNOW THEY NEED IT. AND THEY'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE IT IN THEMSELVES." AND HE LEFT. Narrator: COMING UP, AN EXTREME CASE OF ANIMAL NEGLECT STUNS A COMMUNITY. Tegreeny: YOUR INITIAL REACTION IS, "WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE ONES THAT ARE STILL ALIVE?" YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE. Narrator: ON JUNE 9, 1994, A SEED-DELIVERY MAN HAS JUST LEFT 1,500 POUNDS OF BIRDSEED OUTSIDE THE LOCKED GATE OF A RANCH WHERE 31-YEAR-OLD MOSES LALL AND HIS 35-YEAR-OLD AUNT, LILA BUERATTAN, RENT PROPERTY TO HOUSE HUNDREDS OF VALUABLE EXOTIC BIRDS. NEITHER MOSES, LILA, NOR THE TWO HIRED HANDS LIVING ON THE PROPERTY -- HARI GOBIN AND FELIX EYOUM -- ARE THERE TO RECEIVE THE DELIVERY. THE DRIVER ALSO NOTICES THAT THERE ARE STILL BAGS LEFT OVER FROM THE PREVIOUS DELIVERY. THE DRIVER WOULD REMARK TO ME HOW IT'S REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE THEY WOULD BE DOWN TO THEIR LAST BAG OF FOOD WHENEVER HE ARRIVED ON A WEEKLY BASIS. Narrator: WORD SPREADS QUICKLY THROUGH THE AVIAN COMMUNITY THAT MOSES AND LILA'S BIRDS MIGHT BE IN JEOPARDY. Voren: THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT IT IS BECAUSE MOSES AND LILA WERE SO UNSOCIAL -- AND I DON'T MEAN THAT IN A NEGATIVE WAY -- NOBODY SEEMED TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THEM AT ALL. EVERYBODY WAS CONSTANTLY ON THE PHONE, WORRIED ABOUT THE CONDITION AND THE HEALTH OF THE BIRDS. Narrator: AS THE DAYS PASS AND THERE IS STILL NO SIGN OF THE LALLS, HARI, OR EYOUM, LOCAL BREEDERS ATTEMPT TO GET THE FLORIDA FISH AND GAME CONSERVATION COMMISSION INVOLVED. BUT THE LOCALS SAY THEIR CALLS ARE IGNORED, SINCE THE LALLS WERE NOT A REGISTERED BREEDING FACILITY. Voren: WE THEN CALLED THE PALM BEACH COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL, AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY DO NOT OVERSEE EXOTIC BIRDS. WE THEN CALLED THE PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND WAS TOLD TO CALL ANIMAL CONTROL. Narrator: SIX DAYS AFTER IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE LALLS' 700 BIRDS MIGHT BE IN PERIL, TIM TEGREENY SENDS HIS DELIVERY MAN BACK TO THE RANCH. NOTHING CAN PREPARE HIM FOR WHAT HE'S ABOUT TO WITNESS. AND ALL THAT FOOD WAS STILL SITTING THERE. AND DARYL JUMPED THE FENCE AGAIN, KIND OF WALKED THROUGH THE PROPERTY, AND THEN THAT'S WHEN HE SAW A LOT OF THE BIRDS CANNIBALIZING EACH OTHER. THERE WERE DEAD BIRDS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CAGE. THEY WERE PLUCKED OPEN. THE BIRDS HAD BEEN EATING OFF OF THEM. HELLO? Narrator: FLORIDA'S FISH AND GAME CONSERVATION COMMISSION IS IMMEDIATELY CALLED TO THE PROPERTY. IT IS A SCENE STRAIGHT OUT OF A HORROR FILM. ABOUT 400 EXOTIC BIRDS, LIKE PARROTS, MACAWS, AND AFRICAN GREYS, ARE DEAD, AND OVER 300 MORE ARE CLINGING TO LIFE. IT'S PLAIN TO SEE THE LALLS HAVE EITHER VOLUNTARILY OR INVOLUNTARILY ABANDONED THEIR VALUABLE INVESTMENT. WE HAVE A SITUATION OUT HERE ON VELAZQUEZ ROAD. THE PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT NOW HAS CAUSE TO RESPOND. IT WAS RIGHT AFTER THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AGREED TO GO THERE THAT WE ALL GOT THE PHONE CALLS. "OKAY. WE NEED TO GO OVER THERE, AND WE NEED TO HELP." Narrator: BIRD EXPERTS AND VETS ARE SUMMONED TO THE RANCH IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO SAVE THE HUNDREDS OF AILING SURVIVORS. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT I ACTUALLY DID WHEN I GOT THERE WAS GO IN THE HOUSE. THERE WERE QUITE A FEW AQUARIUMS -- 10-, 15-, 20-GALLON AQUARIUMS WITH WOOD SHAVINGS IN THEM LINED UP ALONG THE WALL. ALL OF THEM, UNFORTUNATELY, HAD DEAD BABY BIRDS IN THEM. Narrator: YET IT'S THE CHILLING SCENE OUTSIDE THE HOME, IN THE AVIARY, THAT LEAVES THE MOST INDELIBLE MARK. THERE WERE MANY DEAD BIRDS, MANY STARVING BIRDS, MANY BIRDS THAT WERE ALMOST DEAD OF STARVATION. MY MAIN CONCERN WAS HELPING WITH THE FEEDING AND SAVING THE BIRDS THAT WERE STILL ALIVE THAT WERE BEING HOUSED OUTDOORS. YOUR INITIAL REACTION IS, "WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE ONES THAT ARE STILL ALIVE?" YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE. YOU KNOW, NO ONE EVER THOUGHT ANYTHING LIKE THAT. Narrator: BUT FOR FORMER PALM BEACH COUNTY HOMICIDE DETECTIVE GLENN WESCOTT, THE PEOPLE ARE FOREMOST ON HIS MIND. Wescott: WHY DID THESE PEOPLE LEAVE? IF THEY DIDN'T LEAVE OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL, WHERE ARE THEY? Narrator: HE WANTS TO KNOW WHO HAS BEEN LIVING AT THE HOUSE AND WHAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THEM TO LEAVE THEIR INVESTMENT BEHIND. Wescott: AFTER SPEAKING TO A FEW OTHER PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY HAD CONTACT WITH EVERYBODY AT THAT HOUSE, THE REPUTATION OF MOSES WAS THAT HE WAS KIND OF A WHEELER-DEALER. Narrator: SEVERAL WITNESSES SAY THAT MOSES HAD BEEN PLANNING A TRIP TO AFRICA TO PURCHASE REPTILES. PERHAPS THAT'S WHERE HE IS. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TWO RANCH HANDS? AND WHERE IS LILA? Wescott: LILA, ON THE OTHER HAND, HIS AUNT, WAS VERY DEVOTED TO THE CARE OF THE BIRDS. SHE WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO BE NEGLECTED. THE CONSENSUS WAS THERE WAS NO WAY LILA WOULD WILLINGLY WALK AWAY FROM THOSE ANIMALS. SO AT THAT POINT, WE DETERMINED THAT WE WERE, IN FACT, DEALING WITH SOMEBODY WHO MAY HAVE LEFT NOT OF HER OWN FREE WILL. Narrator: THE DEPUTIES AT THE SCENE START LOOKING FOR CLUES IN A HOUSE WHICH SEEMS MORE FIT FOR ANIMALS THAN PEOPLE. THERE WAS NO FURNITURE IN THERE -- AT LEAST NOT IN THE LIVING ROOM. ROOM WAS PRETTY BARREN. THERE WERE PAPERS ALL OVER THE COUNTER. THERE WAS FOOD IN THE REFRIGERATOR. THERE WERE DISHES IN THE SINK, BUT THERE WAS NO WAY FOR ME TO DATE HOW LONG THE DISHES HAD BEEN IN THE SINK AT THE TIME WE WERE THERE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY VIOLENCE INSIDE THE HOME. WE FOUND NO BLOOD. IT LOOKED LIKE SOMEONE WALKED AWAY. Voren: THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF ANY STRUGGLE OR ANYTHING ELSE. BUT THEN AGAIN, HOW WOULD THERE BE SIGNS OF A STRUGGLE IN A ROOM THAT IS ALMOST DEVOID OF FURNITURE? Narrator: THEN A SURVEY OF THE PROPERTY TURNS UP A HARROWING CLUE. Wescott: IF YOU WENT 200 YARDS TO THE REAR OF THIS PARTICULAR HOUSE, THERE WAS A HUGE AVIARY SET UP -- I'M GONNA GUESS 300 CAGES ON EACH SIDE, AND THE CAGES WERE FOUR OR FIVE HIGH. BEHIND THAT WAS WHERE WE FOUND A SHALLOW GRAVE. Narrator: ALTHOUGH ANXIOUS TO KNOW IF THE VICTIMS ARE BURIED THERE, WITHOUT A WARRANT, THE DEPUTIES WILL HAVE TO WAIT. IN THE MEANTIME, DETECTIVE WESCOTT GOES BACK TO THE STATION TO FILE A MISSING-PERSONS REPORT FOR LILA. A MISSING-PERSONS REPORT WAS FILED THAT DAY BY ME. I ENTERED HER CASE NUMBER SO IT WOULD GO OUT NATIONWIDE. Narrator: THEN THE DETECTIVE REACHES OUT TO THE MISSING WOMAN'S SISTER, JEAN LALL, WHO LIVES IN GUYANA. JEAN IS ALSO MOSES' MOTHER, AND THE DETECTIVE IS EQUALLY KEEN TO LOCATE HIM. [ SPEAKING GUYANESE CREOLE ] Interpreter: WHEN WESCOTT CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD LEFT BEHIND THE BIRDS -- THAT IS WHAT THEY SAID -- THAT MOSES AND LILA GOT AWAY AND LEFT THE BIRDS -- I SAID, "I DON'T BELIEVE THAT." Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE DEPUTY'S REPORT, JEAN TELLS THE DETECTIVE THAT HER SISTER MUST BE DEAD. THAT IS THE ONLY EXPLANATION FOR HER ABANDONING THE BIRDS. Interpreter: IF MOSES WAS AWAY, LILA WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE. Narrator: MOSES' MOTHER CONFESSES THAT SHE HAS HAD AN UNEASY FEELING SINCE THE LAST TIME SHE SPOKE TO HER SON, ALMOST TWO WEEKS EARLIER. [ TELEPHONE RINGS ] HELLO? Interpreter: ON THE 3rd OF JUNE, 1994, HE CALLED ME IN GUYANA. WHEN I CAME HOME, I CALLED HIM BACK, AND I SAID, "YOU CALL?" HE SAID, "YES. "I CALLED TO TELL YOU THAT I AM GOING TO AFRICA TO BUY SOME REPTILES." I SAID, "HOW IS LILA?" HE SAID SHE WAS COOKING SOMETHING IN THE KITCHEN. Narrator: ACCORDING TO JEAN, HER SON DID NOT SOUND LIKE HIMSELF. I'VE BEEN A LITTLE TIRED FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS. Interpreter: HE SOUNDED TIRED, BUT I KNOW HE HAS BEEN STRESSED OUT ABOUT THE BUSINESS AND MONEY. BUT HE SAID THAT HE'S ALL RIGHT NOW. "I HAVE SOME MONEY TO GO TO AFRICA TO BUY SOME REPTILES." Narrator: AFTER THAT PHONE CALL, JEAN SAYS SHE HAS BEEN TRYING REPEATEDLY TO CONTACT MOSES AND LILA AT THE RANCH. BUT THEY NEVER ANSWER. Interpreter: I TRIED TO CALL HIM MANY TIMES, BUT THE PHONE JUST RANG AND RANG. I SAID, "EVERYONE MUST BE IN THE FIELD WORKING, AND NOBODY'S PICKING UP THE PHONE." THAT IS WHAT I SAID TO MYSELF, BECAUSE I'D BEEN CALLING FROM THE 3rd TO THE 15th, AND NO ONE WAS ANSWERING. Narrator: THE QUESTION REMAINS, DID MOSES EVER MAKE IT TO AFRICA, OR DID SOMETHING HAPPEN, WHICH PREVENTED HIM FROM GOING? WHEN YOU PULL UP ON A FARM AND YOU FIND ALL THE ANIMALS DEAD OR DYING, THAT WOULD CONCERN YOU, ESPECIALLY WITH THE VALUE THAT I LATER FOUND OUT THOSE BIRDS HELD. WHO WALKS AWAY FROM THAT? Narrator: COMING UP, DIGGING DEEPER, INVESTIGATORS UNEARTH A SHADY CAST OF CHARACTERS AS SUSPICION OF FOUL PLAY MOUNTS. Wescott: IF THEY WERE ANGRY WITH MOSES, MOSES COULD'VE BEEN GOT VERY EASILY. BUT WHY LILA? Narrator: ON A FIVE-ACRE RANCH JUST 10 MILES WEST OF THE UPSCALE COMMUNITY OF WEST PALM BEACH, AUTHORITIES FIND HUNDREDS OF BIRDS DEAD FROM STARVATION, WHILE HUNDREDS MORE CLING TO LIFE, AND A SECRETIVE COMMUNITY OF EXOTIC BIRD BREEDERS IS REVEALED. THEY'RE VERY SUSPICIOUS. THEY'RE VERY PROTECTIVE. I UNDERSTAND THE REASON THEY'RE PROTECTIVE, BECAUSE NOW I KNOW THE VALUE OF THE ANIMALS THAT THEY RAISE AND BREED. BUT THEY'RE VERY MUCH A CLOSED SOCIETY. Narrator: STILL, WITHIN HOURS OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE DYING BIRDS, TIPS AND INFORMATION FROM THE ELUSIVE BIRD COMMUNITY ABOUT THE MISSING OWNERS, MOSES LALL AND HIS AUNT LILA, START TRICKLING INTO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. I GOT A VERY STRANGE CALL FROM A GENTLEMAN IN DELTONA, FLORIDA. HE CALLED ME OUT OF THE BLUE. I MISSED HIS CALL BY MERE MINUTES. AND WHEN I CALLED HIM BACK, HE STARTED PUMPING ME FOR INFORMATION. HE WAS TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT I KNEW ABOUT THE CASE, AND I WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT HE KNEW AND WHY HE WAS CALLING ME. HE'S PROBABLY THE FIRST PERSON THAT SAID, "YOU KNOW, MOSES WASN'T ALWAYS ON THE UP-AND-UP. "EVERYTHING MOSES DID WASN'T COMPLETELY 100% LEGIT." Narrator: ACCORDING TO POLICE REPORTS, THE STORY STARTS TO UNFOLD WHEN SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS COME FORWARD, SUGGESTING THAT MOSES OWED PEOPLE MONEY. PERHAPS MOSES IS ON THE RUN AND NOT IN AFRICA AFTER ALL. OR MAYBE HE WAS KILLED FOR UNPAID LOANS. EVERYBODY KNEW THAT MOSES WAS GETTING READY TO GO TO AFRICA. IT WAS NOT A SECRET. IF YOU OWE ME A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS AND I KNOW THAT YOUR PROPERTY HAS 3/4 OF A MILLION DOLLARS IN ASSETS THAT CAN'T BE TRACED -- YOU CAN'T IDENTIFY THE BIRDS UNLESS THEY'RE CHIPPED, WHICH, BACK THEN, A LOT OF THEM WEREN'T -- YOU CAN MOVE THOSE BIRDS. YOU CAN MOVE THEM ANYWHERE YOU WANT IN THE UNITED STATES. SO IF THEY WERE ANGRY WITH MOSES, MOSES COULD'VE BEEN GOT VERY EASILY. Narrator: BUT THE DETECTIVE FINDS THIS THEORY FLAWED. Wescott: WHY NOT JUST TAKE MOSES? WHY LILA, AND WHY ALLOW YOUR ASSET TO PERISH? Narrator: AND JEAN LALL, MOSES' MOTHER, DOES NOT BELIEVE HER SON WAS INDEBTED TO ANYONE OR INVOLVED IN ANY SHADY DEALINGS. Interpreter: IF HE HAD ANY TROUBLE WITH MONEY, HE COMES TO ME, AND I WOULD SAY, "HOW MUCH?" AND THEN I WOULD SEND MORE MONEY ON TOP OF WHAT HE ASKED FOR. HE NEVER BORROWED ANY MONEY. THAT WAS A DREADFUL LIE. Narrator: AS THE DETECTIVE DIGS DEEPER INTO THE LALL FAMILY'S AFFAIRS, HE LEARNS ABOUT THE TWO HIRED HANDS, FELIX EYOUM AND HARI GOBIN, AND HOW THEY HAVE ALSO MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHED FROM THE RANCH. WESCOTT SOON LEARNS THAT ONE OF THE MEN, HARI GOBIN, IS NO STRANGER TO AUTHORITIES. [ SIREN WAILING ] A YEAR AND A HALF BEFORE AUTHORITIES WERE CALLED TO THE RANCH IN RESPONSE TO THE DEAD BIRDS, SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES WERE DISPATCHED TO THE SAME RESIDENCE FOR A VERY DIFFERENT REASON. THERE WAS A REPORT OF A SUICIDE ATTEMPT WHICH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE PERSONNEL RESPONDED TO, INVOLVING DALJEET "HARI" GOBIN. AND, APPARENTLY, HE HAD MADE HIS INTENTIONS TOWARDS LILA KNOWN, AND SHE JUST SPURNED HIS ATTENTIONS, AND HE ALLEGEDLY ATTEMPTED TO HARM HIMSELF IN SOME WAY. Narrator: THEN, A YEAR LATER, THERE WAS A SHOWDOWN BETWEEN MOSES AND HARI. DON'T DO IT AGAIN. PERIOD. ACCORDING TO JEAN, I BELIEVE SHE SAID THAT HE WAS JEALOUS OF MOSES, OF HIS HAVING A BUSINESS GOING AND THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE ONE. Narrator: JEAN BELIEVES IT ALL STARTED IN LOXAHATCHEE, WHEN MOSES STARTED SELLING A LOT OF BIRDS TO TRANSITION INTO THE REPTILE TRADE. Interpreter: HE HAD $40,000, AND HE KEPT IT IN THE HOUSE. HE WAS GOING TO BUY REPTILES IN AFRICA. Voren: HISTORICALLY, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN YOU PAY CASH FOR YOUR BIRDS OR ANIMALS, AND THAT'S IT -- KIND OF LIKE HORSE TRADING. YOU DEAL WITH CASH. YOU DON'T DEAL WITH CHECKS. Narrator: THINKING HIS MONEY WAS SAFE, JEAN SAYS MOSES LEFT FOR AFRICA TO SECURE THE SHIPMENT. BUT WHEN HE RETURNED, THE MONEY WAS GONE. Interpreter: WHEN MOSES CAME BACK, HE CALLED ME IN GUYANA, AND HE SAID, "HARI STOLE THE MONEY." SO I SAID, "HOW MUCH MONEY?" HE SAID, "$40,000." Narrator: MOSES WAS ABLE TO TRACK HARI TO AN ACQUAINTANCE'S HOME IN QUEENS, NEW YORK. ACCOMPANIED BY THE NYPD, MOSES WENT TO CONFRONT THE ALLEGED THIEF. Interpreter: THE POLICE WENT WITH MY SON MOSES. HE GOT BACK MOST OF THE MONEY, AND THEN HARI BEGGED MOSES TO BRING HIM BACK. Narrator: JEAN SAYS MOSES AGREED NOT TO PRESS CHARGES BECAUSE HE NEEDED HARI BACK ON THE FARM IN LOXAHATCHEE TO HELP LILA WHILE HE WAS AWAY ON HIS FREQUENT BUSINESS TRIPS. EVEN THOUGH JEAN SAYS HARI MADE LILA FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, MOSES BELIEVED LETTING HIM COME BACK WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. THAT WAS A MISTAKE THAT... Interpreter: THAT WAS A MISTAKE THAT HE MADE. HE SHOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT THAT GUY BACK. Narrator: KNOWING THIS INFORMATION, DETECTIVES WANT TO QUESTION HARI MORE THAN EVER. EVERYONE KNOWS MOSES WAS PREPARING FOR ANOTHER TRIP TO AFRICA. MAYBE THIS TIME, HARI MADE SURE HE WOULD GET AWAY WITH MOSES' MONEY BY DISPOSING OF WITNESSES. BUT THEN, WHY KILL LILA? AFTER WE HAD DISCOVERED THAT MOSES AND LILA WERE MISSING, I HAD PUT OUT WHAT'S CALLED A "BE ON THE LOOKOUT" -- BOLO -- FOR HARI, AND I'D PUT IT OUT NATIONWIDE. Narrator: TWO DAYS AFTER DISCOVERING THE ABANDONED BIRDS AND WHAT APPEARS TO BE A GRAVE SITE ON THE VELAZQUEZ BOULEVARD PROPERTY, DETECTIVE WESCOTT IS ABLE TO GET A SEARCH WARRANT. THE CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS RECONVENE AT A MOUND OF DIRT ON THE LALLS' RANCH. THEY DUG IT UP, BELIEVING THAT, POSSIBLY, THE VICTIMS WERE IN THERE. Narrator: SEVERAL INCHES BELOW THE DIRT, INVESTIGATORS HIT ON A LARGE, PLASTIC CONTAINER. Van Houten: THEY DID FIND A MAKESHIFT COFFIN. Narrator: DRIVEN BY HOPE AND FEAR, THEY WORK QUICKLY TO PRY OPEN THE BURIED BOX. BUT INSTEAD OF HUMAN REMAINS, THEY FIND ANIMAL CARCASSES. Van Houten: IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CRIME OR THE MISSING PERSON. Narrator: DETECTIVES RETURN TO THE SHERIFF'S STATION. JEAN LALL HAS JUST ARRIVED FROM GUYANA, AND SHE WANTS ANSWERS. WHERE IS MY SON?! COMING UP, A SURPRISING BREAK FROM A NEIGHBORING STATE COULD LEAD INVESTIGATORS TO THE MISSING MAN. THE OFFICER SAID, "WE GOT YOUR GUY." Narrator: GET MORE "DISAPPEARED" ONLINE AT... Narrator: IT'S JUNE 17, 1994. TWO DAYS HAVE PASSED SINCE AUTHORITIES BEGAN LOOKING INTO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MOSES LALL, HIS AUNT LILA, AND THEIR TWO HIRED HANDS -- FELIX ROLAND EYOUM, AN AFRICAN REPTILE DEALER, AND DALJEET "HARI" GOBIN. WHILE INVESTIGATORS TRY TO FIND A CONNECTION BETWEEN MOSES' BUSINESS DEALINGS AND HIS DISAPPEARANCE, NO ONE CAN FIGURE OUT WHY LILA IS GONE. Tegreeny: I KNOW SHE WOULD'VE NEVER LEFT THOSE BIRDS LIKE THAT. I MEAN, THAT WAS JUST HER THING. SO, DEFINITELY, SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO THE POINT WHERE EITHER SHE CAN NEVER GO BACK THERE OR SOMETHING WORSE. Narrator: JEAN LALL IS MEETING WITH THE LEAD DETECTIVE ON THE CASE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND TRIES TO CONVINCE HIM THAT SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED TO HER SISTER. SHE TELLS THE DETECTIVE THAT SHE'S HAD A SICK FEELING EVER SINCE THE LAST TIME SHE SPOKE TO HER SON MOSES ON THE 3rd OF JUNE, BEFORE HIS PLANNED TRIP TO AFRICA. [ SPEAKING GUYANESE CREOLE ] Interpreter: I TOLD WESCOTT, "EVERY TIME I CALLED FROM GUYANA SINCE THE 3rd, "THE PHONE JUST RINGS. DID YOU CHECK THE PHONE LINES TO SEE IF THE WIRES WERE CUT?" Narrator: INVESTIGATORS WILL LATER DISCOVER SOMEONE HAD IN FACT CUT THE PHONE WIRES. AND RECORDS WILL INDICATE THAT NO CALLS WERE MADE FROM THE RESIDENCE AFTER JUNE 4th AT 9:00 A.M. THERE WAS DEFINITELY SUSPICION OF FOUL PLAY. Narrator: BECAUSE IT'S BEEN 2 1/2 WEEKS SINCE FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAVE HEARD FROM MOSES AND NO EVIDENCE HAS BEEN FOUND TO INDICATE HE IS IN AFRICA, DETECTIVES FILE A MISSING-PERSONS REPORT FOR MOSES LALL ON JUNE 20th. THE NEXT DAY, INVESTIGATORS ALLOW THE LALL FAMILY ONTO THE VELAZQUEZ BOULEVARD PROPERTY. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, JEAN LALL NOTICES THAT ONE OF HER SON'S DODGE CARAVANS IS MISSING FROM THE PROPERTY. Interpreter: I TOLD HIM, I SAID, "MOSES HAD TWO VANS. WHERE ARE THEY?" HE SAID, "HOW WOULD I KNOW? ARE YOU ASKING ME?" I SAID, "HE BOUGHT THE OTHER ONE IN NEW YORK." Narrator: DETECTIVE WESCOTT SENDS OUT A "BE ON THE LOOKOUT" FOR A WHITE MINIVAN WITH NEW YORK PLATES. IT TAKES ONLY HOURS TO GET THE BREAK HE'S BEEN WAITING DAYS FOR. I REMEMBER SITTING IN MY OFFICE, GETTING A PHONE CALL FROM A GEORGIA POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE OFFICER CALLED ME, AND HE SAID, "WE GOT YOUR GUY." Narrator: ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 6th, THREE DAYS AFTER JEAN LALL HAD LAST HEARD FROM HER SON MOSES, A MAN WAS FOUND STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH A FLAT TIRE IN RICHMOND HILL, GEORGIA -- 400 MILES NORTH OF LOXAHATCHEE, FLORIDA. A POLICE OFFICER STOPPED TO SEE IF THE DISTRESSED TRAVELER NEEDED ASSISTANCE. SIR, WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM TONIGHT? FOLLOWING PROTOCOL, THE OFFICER ASKED TO SEE THE MAN'S DRIVER'S LICENSE. THE LICENSE THAT HE SHOWED THE POLICE OFFICER IN RICHMOND HILL WAS A NEW YORK STATE LICENSE UNDER THE NAME OF MOSES LALL, AND IT WAS SUSPENDED. Narrator: MOSES WAS ARRESTED FOR DRIVING ON A SUSPENDED LICENSE, AND HIS MINIVAN WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUNDMENT LOT. BUT WHEN HE WAS LATER RELEASED FROM JAIL, MOSES LALL WENT ON THE RUN, LEAVING BEHIND HIS MINIVAN, WHICH WAS FILLED WITH ANIMALS. HE HAD APPROXIMATELY 15-20 AMAZON PARROTS, AND HE HAD 100 EXOTIC TURTLES. [ PARROTS SCREECHING ] Narrator: WHEN DETECTIVE WESCOTT LATER TELLS JEAN LALL, MOSES' MOTHER, ABOUT HER SON'S ARREST, SHE FINDS THE NEWS VERY HARD TO BELIEVE. Interpreter: HE SAID THE POLICE FROM GEORGIA CALLED HIM AND TOLD HIM THAT MOSES IS ON THE RUN. I SAID, "THE NAME IS ON THE RUN, BUT NOT THE PERSON." Narrator: COMING UP, ONE OF THE FOUR MISSING LOXAHATCHEE RESIDENTS IS TRACKED DOWN, AND A TERRIFYING TALE COMES TO LIGHT. HE HAD WITNESSED MOSES AND LILA BEING LED AWAY AT GUNPOINT AND WAS HIGHTAILING IT OUT OF THERE. Narrator: AFTER ONE MONTH OF SEARCHING FOR TWO MISSING BIRD BREEDERS FROM LOXAHATCHEE, FLORIDA -- MOSES LALL AND HIS AUNT LILA BUERATTAN -- THERE'S A HUGE BREAK IN THE CASE, AND THE COMMUNITY IS AGHAST. "DID YOU HEAR? "THEY FOUND MOSES IN GEORGIA ON AN EXPIRED LICENSE, AND THE FOLLOWING MORNING, HE WAS GONE." Narrator: IN AN ATTEMPT TO TRACK DOWN MOSES, WHO THEY BELIEVED WAS HEADING NORTH WHEN DETAINED, INVESTIGATORS CALL HIS ASSOCIATES IN NEW YORK. BUT INSTEAD OF FINDING THE MISSING BIRD BREEDER, DETECTIVE WESCOTT CONNECTS WITH ANOTHER MISSING MAN -- FELIX ROLAND EYOUM. AND WHAT EYOUM TELLS THE DETECTIVE WILL TURN THE HUNT FOR MOSES ON ITS HEAD. [ TELEPHONE RINGS ] Narrator: EYOUM SAYS HE WAS IN QUEENS, NEW YORK, ON JUNE 4th WHEN HE RECEIVED A SURPRISE PHONE CALL FROM DALJEET "HARI" GOBIN. HE HAD GOTTEN A CALL FROM HARI, SAYING THAT HE HAD ARRIVED AT THE FARM, WITNESSED MOSES AND LILA BEING LED AWAY AT GUNPOINT, AND WAS HIGHTAILING IT OUT OF THERE BECAUSE HE WAS FEARFUL FOR HIS LIFE. BACK SEAT. HURRY UP. Narrator: ACCORDING TO EYOUM, HARI SAID THE PERPETRATORS WERE TWO UNIDENTIFIED CAUCASIAN MALES IN A WHITE PASSENGER VAN. Van Houten: IT MAKES NO SENSE THAT GOBIN WOULD NOT HAVE CALLED THE POLICE RIGHT AWAY AND TOLD OF A KIDNAPPING. DON'T MOVE. Wescott: IT SEEMED ODD. IF HIS PROFESSED LOVE FOR LILA WAS TRUE, THEN HE WOULD'VE CALLED SOMEONE OR TRIED TO INTERVENE. Narrator: WHEN WESCOTT ASKS EYOUM WHEN HE LAST SPOKE TO MOSES OR LILA, HE SAYS IT WAS THREE DAYS BEFORE THE ALLEGED ABDUCTION, THE DAY HE LEFT THE RANCH IN FLORIDA TO HEAD TO NEW YORK. IF EYOUM'S STORY IS ACCURATE, THIS WOULD MEAN MOSES WOULD'VE HAD TO SOMEHOW END UP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN GEORGIA TWO DAYS AFTER HE AND LILA WERE SUPPOSEDLY ABDUCTED. INVESTIGATORS NEED PROOF THAT THE MAN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY WAS INDEED MOSES LALL. THESE ARE PRINTS FROM RICHMOND HILL? YEP. JUST GOT THEM. THANK YOU, SERGEANT. Van Houten: RICHMOND HILL POLICE SENT A COPY OF FINGERPRINTS DOWN TO THE PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, ALONG WITH A POLAROID PICTURE OF WHO THEY BELIEVED WAS MOSES LALL. NARRATOR: DETECTIVE WESCOTT ASKS MOSES' MOTHER, JEAN, TO COME TO THE STATION TO IDENTIFY THE MAN IN THE MUG SHOT. I NEED TO SHOW YOU A PICTURE. CAN YOU TELL ME IF THIS IS YOUR SON? Interpreter: WHEN I WAS SHOWN THE PICTURE, I SAID, "THIS IS NOT MY SON." THIS IS HARI GOBIN! Narrator: HARI GOBIN HAS PULLED THE ULTIMATE CON. HE SUCCESSFULLY ASSUMED MOSES' IDENTITY, SENDING INVESTIGATORS ON A WILD GOOSE CHASE. Officer: ALL RIGHT, MR. LALL. YOU'RE CURRENTLY BEING PLACED UNDER ARREST FOR DRIVING WHILE LICENSE IS SUSPENDED, OKAY? UNBEKNOWNST TO ME, ON THE DAY THAT I PUT OUT THE BOLO FOR HARI, HE HAD ALREADY BEEN ARRESTED AND RELEASED FROM CUSTODY IN GEORGIA. Narrator: HARI WAS ABLE TO BAIL HIMSELF OUT OF JAIL SHORTLY AFTER BEING PHOTOGRAPHED AND FINGERPRINTED BY TELLING POLICE HE NEEDED TO FEED HIS ANIMALS THAT WERE TRAPPED IN THE VAN. Officer: OKAY, AS LONG AS YOU'RE COOPERATIVE, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET YOUR BOND SET UP. WE'LL GET YOU OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, OKAY? HE POSTED BOND PRIOR TO HIM BEING IDENTIFIED THROUGH FINGERPRINTS. Narrator: THE IMPOSTER ESCAPES. NOW INVESTIGATORS KNOW IT IS HARI GOBIN, NOT MOSES LALL, WHO IS ON THE LAM. AND THEY MUST DETERMINE WHETHER HE IS A WITNESS OR A PRIME SUSPECT. INVESTIGATORS CIRCLE BACK TO THE RANCH IN LOXAHATCHEE. THEY GET A WARRANT TO COMB OVER EVERY INCH, INCLUDING A POND, WHERE IT IS RUMORED MOSES AND LILA'S REMAINS WERE DUMPED. WE PUT DIVE TEAMS IN THE POND BEHIND THE RESIDENCE. Tegreeny: THERE WAS A GATOR IN THERE. SOMETIMES, WHEN YOU WOULD DELIVER, HE WOULD BE UP AND, YOU KNOW, SITTING UP OUT OF THE WATER A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF JUST WATCHING YOU. Wescott: WE WERE CONCERNED, OF COURSE, FOR THE DIVERS, BUT WE WENT DOWN, AND WE LOOKED FOR BODIES. Narrator: THE SEARCH GARNERS NO NEW CLUES AS TO THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE THREE MISSING RESIDENTS OF THE RANCH. THE MANHUNT FOR HARI GOBIN BEGINS IN EARNEST. Wescott: I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT DALJEET "HARI" GOBIN IS THE KEY TO THIS CASE. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT HE MAY HAVE INDEED WITNESSED OR HE MIGHT'VE BEEN A PART OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MOSES AND LILA. Narrator: AND ALTHOUGH EYOUM IS COOPERATING FULLY WITH INVESTIGATORS, IN THE END, HIS TIMELINE IS QUESTIONABLE. ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATORS, WHETHER MOSES AND LILA WERE MURDERED BY THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES OR ABDUCTED BY TWO UNKNOWN STRANGERS, THE MOTIVE IS STILL UNCLEAR. BUT LOCAL BIRD BREEDER HOWARD VOREN IS CONVINCED THAT IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT MOSES OR THE BIRDS. IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. Voren: TO ME, IT WAS VERY SIMPLE. A LOT OF PEOPLE KNEW HE WAS SITTING ON A TON OF CASH. Narrator: IN THE FEW MONTHS LEADING UP TO HIS DISAPPEARANCE, HOWARD VOREN SAYS MOSES HAD BEEN SELLING OFF LARGE QUANTITIES OF BIRDS. Voren: THINGS WERE NOT AS SUCCESSFUL AS THEY HAD HOPED, AND RUMOR WAS THAT HIS NEW PLAN WAS TO LIQUIDATE THE BIRDS. I PERSONALLY KNOW OF $80,000 WORTH OF BIRDS THAT WERE LIQUIDATED FOR CASH. SO ALL IT TAKES IS THE WRONG PERSON KNOWING YOU'RE SITTING ON THAT MUCH CASH, AND THAT CAN GET YOU KILLED. Narrator: ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATORS AND FAMILY, NO CASH WAS EVER FOUND INSIDE THE RESIDENCE AFTER MOSES AND LILA WENT MISSING. AND WITHOUT A CREDIBLE WITNESS OR PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, THE CASE GROWS COLD. EVENTUALLY, DETECTIVE WESCOTT RETIRES FROM THE PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. Wescott: THIS CASE HAS PROBABLY HAUNTED ME SINCE 8:00 ON JUNE 15, 1994. THERE'S PROBABLY NOT A WEEK THAT GOES BY THAT I DON'T THINK ABOUT THIS CASE. AND I'VE NEVER RECEIVED CONFIRMATION THAT MOSES DID ANYTHING WRONG, I MEAN, OTHER THAN NOT PAY HIS TAXES. AND LILA WOULDN'T LEAVE HER BABIES. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT IS ALWAYS THE END FOR ME. PEOPLE DON'T JUST WALK AWAY. Narrator: IT IS BELIEVED FELIX ROLAND EYOUM RETURNED TO AFRICA AFTER SERVING TIME IN PRISON IN 1995 FOR ILLEGALLY IMPORTING PANCAKE TORTOISES. HARI GOBIN'S EXACT WHEREABOUTS REMAIN A MYSTERY. THEN, IN 2001, COLD-CASE HOMICIDE DETECTIVE JOHN VAN HOUTEN REOPENS THE LALLS' CASE. HE STARTS AT THE VERY BEGINNING, AND, LIKE MANY, HE BELIEVES THE ANSWERS LIE WITH HARI GOBIN. Van Houten: HE HOLDS THE KEY, WHETHER HE'S INVOLVED, WHETHER HE'S A WITNESS, OR HE IS THE ACTUAL SUSPECT. HE'S THE PERSON THAT WE NEED TO FIND. FOR YEARS, DETECTIVE VAN HOUTEN SEARCHES IN VAIN FOR AN ELUSIVE MAN WHO HE BELIEVES HAS BEEN LIVING IN AND AROUND NEW YORK CITY. AND FINALLY, IN 2011, HE GETS A CREDIBLE LEAD FROM AN FBI INFORMANT. Van Houten: I THEN LEARNED, THROUGH AN INFORMANT, THAT DALJEET GOBIN WAS USING THE NAME OF ROY SMITH, AND HE WAS LOCATED IN JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY. AT THAT POINT, I REQUESTED SOME FEDERAL AGENTS TO HELP ME. THE INFORMANT AND HIS ASSOCIATES ARE ABLE TO SHED MORE LIGHT ON A MAN AUTHORITIES KNOW LITTLE ABOUT. Van Houten: HE HAS BRAGGED ABOUT "TAKING CARE OF THEM," REFERRING TO KILLING THEM. AND I BELIEVE PEOPLE ARE SCARED TO COME FORWARD, CONCERNED FOR THEIR OWN LIFE, BECAUSE OF HIM BEING SO CONFRONTATIONAL AND A BULLY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. Interpreter: I WOULD BE SCARED OF HIM. I DON'T WANT TO SEE HIM COME NEAR MY PLACE AT ALL. HE HAS THIS EVIL LOOK IN HIS EYES. Narrator: 17 YEARS AFTER DALJEET "HARI" GOBIN SKIPPED BAIL IN GEORGIA, AUTHORITIES FEEL THEY ARE FINALLY CLOSING IN ON HIM IN A GRITTY NEW JERSEY NEIGHBORHOOD. HELLO? Van Houten: WE HAD GONE TO A WORKPLACE. HE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING THAT DAY, AND WE WENT THERE ANYWAY, JUST TO CHECK THE RECORDS AND SPEAK TO THE BUSINESS OWNER. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GENTLEMAN BEFORE? Man: YEAH, YEAH. THAT'S ROY SMITH. HE WORKS HERE. AS IT TURNED OUT, WE MISSED HIM BY APPROXIMATELY 4 MINUTES. Narrator: IT'S A CAT-AND-MOUSE CHASE THAT DETECTIVE VAN HOUTEN BELIEVES HAS NOW SHIFTED TO THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA. Van Houten: AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR DALJEET GOBIN, A.K.A. HARI GOBIN OR ROY SMITH OR "BLACKIE" -- WHATEVER NAME HE WANTS TO USE. AND HE IS APPROXIMATELY 5'7", 190 POUNDS. ACCORDING TO FRIENDS AND INFORMANTS, HE'S PUT ON A LOT OF WEIGHT. Narrator: AND FOR A GRIEVING MOTHER WHO MYSTERIOUSLY LOST A BELOVED SON, HER YOUNGEST SISTER, AND A REPUTABLE FAMILY BUSINESS ALL ON THE SAME DAY, REST WILL NOT COME UNTIL THIS CASE IS SOLVED. Interpreter: THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT SAY THAT THEY KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH. BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH. I DON'T SLEEP AT NIGHT. I JUST LIE AROUND. TO LOSE TWO PEOPLE AT ONE TIME -- SOMEBODY OUT THERE MUST KNOW. I AM WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO SAY THAT THEY FOUND A BODY AND THAT IT WILL BE EITHER MOSES OR LILA. THEN I CAN REST IN PEACE.