Investigators say they’ll by no means quit in search of the physique of Sara Anne Wooden. The 12-year-old was kidnapped in 1993 in central New York. Despite the fact that her killer, Lewis Lent, is behind bars, authorities say he refuses to present her household the peace of understanding the place Sara is. “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty has been on the case from the start and experiences on the never-ending seek for Sara.
Dusty Wooden: My sister’s life ended. … And I couldn’t cease that. … Somebody harm her and took her life. … I do know on the time I felt like may have accomplished one thing however I couldn’t.
It’s been a little bit over three a long time since his 12-year-old little sister disappeared, however for Dusty Wooden, recollections of Sara haven’t pale with time.
Dusty Wooden: She was an exuberant individual. She was excited to be alive. Each image you see of her, it’s like an enormous beaming smile, these brilliant blue eyes.
Dusty says the 2 of them had loads in frequent.
Dusty Wooden
Dusty Wooden: I’m an extrovert. She’s fairly extroverted. … She’s not an individual within the background. She caught out.
Dusty Wooden: … she was humorous … I think about she can be humorous now.
On August 18, 1993, Dusty, then simply 16 years previous, was having fun with a lazy summer season day together with his household in Sauquoit, a small city in central New York.
Dusty Wooden: That day we had gone purchasing, uh, we had come house. We simply hung round the home. … We lived within the nation, so there … wasn’t a whole lot of stuff to do.
Sara had made plans to experience her bike to Trip Bible Faculty on the church the place her father was a pastor. It was nearly a mile down the street.
Dusty Wooden: The final time I noticed her she was singing Dolly Parton.
Erin Moriarty: Do you bear in mind what music she was singing?
Dusty Wooden: “Working 9 to 5.” Yeah.
Dusty Wooden: She and I had been on the entrance door and … so I used to be listening to her as she’s “Working 9 to 5” (singing) … after which, uh, she bought on her bike and was like, “see you later.”
THE SEARCH FOR SARA ANNE WOOD
When Sara didn’t return house later that afternoon, Dusty and Sara’s dad and mom started to fret.
Dusty Wooden: So, I bear in mind … getting a telephone name from my dad and mom at my good friend’s home. “Hey, did you see Sara?” And me being like, “no.” And so at that time we rode our bikes … and got here house and didn’t see her.
Quickly after, that’s when a neighbor got here throughout Sara’s bike hidden within the bushes on the facet of the street – lower than a half mile from the household’s house. Police had been known as. Round 6 p.m., New York State Police Trooper Timothy Blaise, who’s now retired, arrived on the scene.
New York State Police
Erin Moriarty: So, Tim, the place was her bicycle discovered?
Timothy Blaise (pointing in direction of woods): It was off the grassy space; it was in the place the shrubs are. And there was additionally some college paperwork that was round some papers had been blowing round.
Erin Moriarty: And on the time, did anybody bear in mind seeing a truck or a toddler being grabbed or something?
Timothy Blaise: No. No.
Erin Moriarty: I imply she simply vanished.
Timothy Blaise: Yeah, effectively, as you possibly can see, I imply there’s no person right here actually to see something you already know.
By early night, the large seek for Sara started.
Dusty Wooden: We’d be out within the woods trying to find her at midnight, 1 o’clock within the morning hoping that we discover her in possibly a gap or she fell down in one thing.
“48 Hours” was invited by Sara and Dusty’s dad and mom, Bob and Frances Wooden, to witness these early days of the investigation in hopes that the media consideration would assist discover Sara. It might grow to be one of many largest searches for a lacking little one throughout that point.
Pastor Bob Wooden (1993): The primary day was the worst — the primary night time.
Pastor Bob Wooden (1993): The primary night time, in fact, you already know, I used to be up on the street all night time — out within the woods all night time. The second day I used to be on the street all night time, watching.
Bob Wooden’s tiny church was changed into a state police command put up.
Main Pylman (1993): The extra individuals we are able to attain early on, whereas the factor continues to be contemporary of their minds, the higher probability we stand of possibly turning one thing up that — that’ll assist us.
Main Pylman (1993): The large factor, so far as the uniformed troopers are involved, is the door-to-door.
Main Pylman (1993): The factor that retains everyone going is the uncertainty, not understanding whether or not she’s useless, whether or not she’s alive, whether or not she’s a mile away or whether or not she’s 120 miles away.
Pastor Bob Wooden (1993): All I’m doing is praying and inspiring individuals as a result of they’re doing all of the work.
Searcher (1993): Whenever you’re coping with a toddler, if — it hits you personally. It hits me personally. You are likely to commit 110 p.c. … I hope we discover this lady.
Main Pylman (1993): What we want is a break — a superb strong lead that we are able to take and end this case up with.
And Bob Wooden believed police had been going to get that break if sufficient individuals may see his daughter’s face.
Pastor Bob Wooden (1993): Any individual stops in one in every of these shops and gases up, 10 minutes later you’ll see my daughter, they might make the telephone name we have to get.
Frances Wooden (1993): You see this little individual right here? That is my child. … No matter I’ve to do, I’m going to do to search out this little lady, right here.
CBS Information
Sara’s mom, Frances, made a public plea.
Frances Wooden (crying): And whoever is behind this, I don’t hate you. I don’t hate you. I simply need my daughter again. That’s all. I simply need her right here, proper right here with us.
Investigators had been decided to search out out what occurred to Sara, and they didn’t shrink back from trying wherever or at anybody.
Dusty Wooden: Our whole household was centered on getting Sara again. … So if you wish to examine me … I’m OK with that. … Sara has bought to come back house. We’ll do no matter it takes, interval.
THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY
Det. Reece Treen: When this occurred, individuals realized this might occur to anyone. It may very well be their youngsters.
Retired New York State Police detectives Reece Treen and John Fallon had been state troopers when Sara Wooden disappeared in 1993.
Det. John Fallon: My daughter was solely 5 miles from there when this occurred at her grandparents’ home at 3 years previous. It’s house.
Treen and Fallon had been a part of the military of investigators from across the assigned to seek for Sara.
Det. Frank Lawrence: We had no automobile. She didn’t simply go into skinny air.
They might be a part of Frank Lawrence, one of many lead detectives.
Det. Frank Lawrence: One thing or somebody needed to have taken her.
But, regardless of the weeks of media consideration that Sara’s case obtained, Lawrence says legislation enforcement nonetheless had little or no to go on.
Det. Frank Lawrence: Any individual took her we didn’t know. So, whenever you don’t know, you must eradicate every thing, each risk and also you begin native.
And that included questioning the individuals closest to Sara — her brother and her dad and mom.
Erin Moriarty: You had to take a look at the Woods.
Frank Lawrence: The Woods had been checked out.
Erin Moriarty: I imply wasn’t that powerful although?
Det. Frank Lawrence: They need to. It’s very — it’s all the time tough to try this, you already know, particularly on this case trigger they’re such good dad and mom.
Det. Frank Lawrence: Bob Wooden was there each day. On daily basis. I had a tough time going each day. (emotional)
As soon as the Woods had been eradicated, Lawrence says they turned their consideration to investigating identified and suspected intercourse offenders.
Det. Frank Lawrence: Each one in every of them needed to be spoken with and eradicated. … And we did. We did.
And so they nonetheless had nothing regardless of the lengthy hours and heavy manpower till a bitterly chilly day in January 1994 – 5 months after Sara disappeared. Officer Timothy Blaise was working within the command middle when a message got here in through teletype – a tool that police departments used on the time to share info.
Officer Timothy Blaise: One came visiting about an tried abduction in Massachusetts that I handed off to Frank.
One other 12-year-old lady named Becky Savarese was nearly kidnapped as she walked to high school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts — 100 miles away.
Becky didn’t reply to “48 Hours”‘ most up-to-date request for an interview, however again in 1994, she did communicate with “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty and instructed her her outstanding story.
It was 7:10 a.m. on Jan. 7 at one of many busiest intersections on the town.
Becky Savarese (1994): I used to be developing right here.
Becky Savarese (1994): I used to be listening to my music, he, he was on the facet of me. He’s…
Erin Moriarty (1994): Like, the place I’m … ?
Becky Savarese (1994): Yeah. He was saying stuff earlier than I didn’t know what he was saying so I took my earphones out to um hear what he was saying after which he mentioned, “Do you see the gun I have”? And I used to be like “Yes, I see the gun you have.” He’s like “Just do everything I say, everything will be perfectly OK.” I used to be like, “Alright.”
CBS Information
Erin Moriarty (1994): He had it up in opposition to you?
Becky Savarese (1994): He, he he had it an inch away from me.
Erin Moriarty (1994): Had been you scared?
Becky Savarese (1994): No.
Erin Moriarty (1994): You weren’t scared?
Becky Savarese (1994): I wasn’t scared. (laughs nervously)
Becky Savarese (1994): We turned down right here to the place his truck was parked.
Erin Moriarty (1994): Now he desires you to go within the truck that’s over there..
Becky Savarese (1994): Proper, proper.
Erin Moriarty (1994): However you aren’t intending to enter that truck.
Becky Savarese (1994): No. If I bought away, I didn’t care if he shot me, I, I simply knew I used to be not going to get into that truck.
Erin Moriarty (1994): Why, why do you know that, was that one thing somebody instructed you or…?
Becky Savarese (1994): I, I simply felt it inside me and I knew I used to be not going to get into that truck.
That’s when Becky got here up with an concept that probably saved her life. She faked an bronchial asthma assault.
Becky Savarese (1994): I began to pretend that I used to be like shedding breath. After I was attempting to take my backpack off uh, he tried to seize it from me and he bought my backpack as a substitute and I simply ran.
Becky bumped into a person clearing snow off a sidewalk who known as the police. At about the identical time, a witness known as in with three digits from the truck’s license plate. Investigators started trying to find the automobile.
Det. Frank Lawrence: I bear in mind it effectively as a result of it was a blizzard. It was not good on the market. It was dangerous.
Regardless of the snowstorm, a Pittsfield officer noticed a truck with these three digits in its license plate sitting in a driveway in a residential space. The officer shortly known as for backup.
Det. Reece Treen: And so they … knocked on the door and mentioned, “Yeah, who was driving this truck earlier?”
The home-owner instructed the officers a good friend named Lewis Lent had borrowed the truck and he simply occurred to be sitting within the kitchen. When police entered the home to query Lent, he denied understanding about Becky, however willingly agreed to come back right down to the police station.
Erin Moriarty: Had Lewis Lent, that title, Lewis Lent, ever come up earlier than?
Det. Reece Treen: No, not in our investigation.
Erin Moriarty: Had he ever been linked to a disappearance of a kid?
Det. Reece Treen: No.
Erin Moriarty: However he did have a legal historical past?
Det. Reece Treen: Yeah, some minor issues like dangerous checks and solid checks, issues like that. However nothing that approaches this.
And when investigators searched Lent’s automobile, they knew that they had the correct man.
Det. Reece Treen: They discovered, Rebecca’s backpack. They discovered a gun. They discovered … duct tape and a clothesline rope. … principally his, his kidnapping abduction equipment.
Though the tried abduction was 100 miles away in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, everybody questioned if Lent may have additionally taken Sara.
Det. Frank Lawrence: I bought a name from the lieutenant … He says effectively go house and pack a bag and also you’re going to Pittsfield.
QUESTIONING LEWIS LENT
Nearly 12 hours after the tried abduction of 12-year-old Becky Savarese, New York State Police Detective Frank Lawrence struggled via a snowstorm and eventually arrived at Pittsfield, Massachusetts — keen to talk to Lewis Lent. However he must wait his flip.
Det. Frank Lawrence: There’s similarities, however it’s a Pittsfield case, OK. … They might speak to him then … we’d get him in between.
Erin Moriarty: And he was keen to speak to you?
Det. Frank Lawrence: Yeah. He talked to us.
And through their conversations, Lawrence says he and two different New York investigators made positive Lewis Lent understood why they had been there.
New York State Police
Det. Frank Lawrence: I really confirmed him this poster. And I mentioned to him, “Lew, this is who I’m here to talk to you about.” (factors to a photograph of the poster proven above) So he knew that ultimately we’re gonna be speaking about this, OK?
Erin Moriarty: How did he react? Did he –
Det. Frank Lawrence: He, he was, he was — he was flat.
Erin Moriarty: Flat?
Det. Frank Lawrence: Yeah. He was flat to the entire thing.
Erin Moriarty: Did that make you suppose he had no concept who she was?
Det. Frank Lawrence: I didn’t actually care. … I used to be gonna discover out. That’s what we had been there for.
However getting Lewis Lent to confess something was not going to be simple. Though Becky Savarese and a witness picked him out of a lineup, it took Lent till the following morning to confess he had tried to take her.
New York State Police
Lewis Lent was arrested and charged with kidnapping and assault with a lethal weapon. However New York investigators weren’t accomplished with Lent. They began to ask him questions on different lacking children.
Det. Frank Lawrence: We talked to him. We spent a whole lot of time with him.
And that’s when Lawrence says he and New York investigators got here up with a method.
Det. Frank Lawrence: We … came upon that he was non secular.
So, he says, they introduced a Bible into the interview room.
Det. Frank Lawrence: That Bible sat on the desk in entrance of him … Any time he would wander, OK, we might use the Bible and we’d go “Lew you gotta tell the truth. And it comes from the heart and you gotta tell us the truth.” … We might return to the Bible.
And Lawrence says the technique appeared be working as a result of because the hours glided by, Lent began to disclose issues about himself and a few very disturbing plans for the long run that concerned kidnapping younger victims.
Det. Frank Lawrence: He instructed us about his “master plan.” … As soon as he discovered the suitable weak people, he was gonna carry ’em again to his home and put ’em in, — I describe it as a coffin, however hold them alive. So he may use them and have them at any time when he wished them.
Investigators would later discover the start of his horrifying development mission once they searched Lent’s bed room and located a picket partition wall. And issues solely bought worse.
Det. Frank Lawrence: He wished to speak about Jimmy Bernardo.
Jimmy Bernardo was a 12-year-old boy who had gone lacking three years earlier in Pittsfield. A month later, hunters would discover his physique. The case had stumped native investigators for years, however now Lent was about to inform everybody what had occurred to Jimmy.
Bernardo household
Det. Reece Treen: He was driving his bike via a strip mall in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Lewis Lent was a janitor on the cinema middle there in Pittsfield.
When Jimmy stopped in entrance of the cinema to attend for a good friend, that’s when Lent mentioned he provided him cash to assist him clear the film theatre. Jimmy agreed.
Det. Reece Treen: After which as soon as Lent bought him inside, he overpowered him and kidnapped him.
Lent instructed investigators he drove Jimmy 200 miles to a rural and remoted space close to his hometown of Reynoldsville, New York. Then he mentioned he strangled Jimmy to dying and left him there.
Det. Reece Treen: He had particulars that solely the killer and the police knew.
As horrific as that revelation was, investigators saved urgent him about Sara Wooden.
Det. Frank Lawrence: The extra we talked about Sara, we’re probing, he’s responding.
After which 5 months after she went lacking, Lewis Lent lastly confessed. Lent admitted that he had kidnapped, raped after which murdered Sara Anne Wooden.
Det. Frank Lawrence: She was weak. He was searching and he discovered a sufferer.
And identical to Jimmy Bernardo, Lawrence says Lent’s account matched particulars solely identified to investigators. Lent knew specifics about what Sara had been carrying and particulars about her bike that had not been made public.
Det. Frank Lawrence: He knew that the chain on the bike was damaged. … And he additionally mentioned that the bike was a little bit bit huge for her. I didn’t know that. I came upon later that it was …
Then Lawrence says Lent drew them a map displaying the place he mentioned he buried Sara’s physique.
Det. Frank Lawrence: That is only a copy, clearly. (referencing the map proven above).
Erin Moriarty: Proper. However that is really what Lewis Lent did.
Det. Frank Lawrence: Drew. He drew that. … I handed him a chunk of paper and that is what he drew.
Erin Moriarty: And the place did he say he put her?
Det. Frank Lawrence: Off Route 28, up by Blue Mountain Lake.
Blue Mountain Lake is positioned in a distant, woody space close to Raquette Lake in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Inside hours, police from throughout New York state had been dispatched and searched the world. Bob Wooden was there, together with Dusty, who was a senior in highschool.
Dusty Wooden: It was very chilly. It was ridiculous. And it was tons of snow. … I bear in mind a whole lot of assist. Lots of people. (emotional)
Erin Moriarty: Was this a time whenever you thought you would possibly be capable of carry Sara house?
Dusty Wooden: Yeah.
New York State Police
For over 50 days they looked for Sara within the Adirondacks.
Timothy Blaise: It was 30 beneath zero. We may solely keep outdoors for 20 minutes at a time.
Timothy Blaise: We had been in waist excessive snow. We had shovels, we’re digging, we’re in search of any proof in any respect having something to do with Sara. … You already know we had been hoping any person would give you one thing, that had one thing to do together with her. That simply didn’t occur.
As investigators continued to search for Sara’s physique, Lent would face homicide expenses in each Massachusetts and New York.
Dusty Wooden: It was a uncommon event the place everybody was laser centered on one occasion which was discover Sara … carry him to justice.
THE TWO SIDES OF LEWIS LENT
Earlier than Lewis Lent may very well be tried for Sara Wooden’s homicide in New York, he first needed to face expenses in Massachusetts.
In 1995, Lent went on trial and was in the end convicted for Becky Savarese’s tried kidnapping and was sentenced to 17 to twenty years. Nearly a year-and-a-half later, after taking a plea, he was given a life sentence for murdering Jimmy Bernardo.
After which on June 6, 1996, Lent arrived at Herkimer, New York, to a media frenzy.
DA Jeffrey Carpenter: The District Lawyer wished justice for Sara Anne Wooden and her household.
Jeffrey Carpenter is Herkimer County’s District Lawyer. He wasn’t in workplace when Sara Wooden was murdered, however he has studied Lewis Lent’s case information. He says the DA’s workplace thought Lent was going to plead responsible to killing Sara. However with out warning, Lent modified his thoughts.
DA Jeffrey Carpenter: It’s my understanding that when he entered the courtroom, and he noticed sure members of the general public, particularly I believe her household, he selected that day he didn’t need to enter a plea.
AP
Days later, Lent would change his thoughts once more, and eventually entered a responsible plea.
Erin Moriarty: What do you bear in mind of him sitting there?
Dusty Wooden: I couldn’t consider … how small a person. You already know, I couldn’t consider it. Not imposing.
Nearly 4 years after Sara Wooden was kidnapped and murdered, Lewis Lent was sentenced to 25 years-to-life. He was despatched again to Massachusetts to serve the remainder of his life in jail.
Dusty Wooden: He won’t ever trigger hurt to anybody else.
But it surely was not over for the Wooden household and New York State police investigators. They nonetheless wanted to search out Sara.
Det. Reece Treen: He alters his story so typically. It’s laborious to — laborious to inform what’s the reality and what’s fiction.
In truth, Treen says Lent’s authentic story that he buried her within the Raquette Lake space turned out to be a lie.
Det. Reece Treen: He cashed a verify on August 18th … in Pittsfield at 6:18 p.m. So he didn’t bodily have time to abduct Sara at round 2:30 p.m. after which drive to the Adirondacks, dig a grave, bury her, after which drive again to Pittsfield … to money a verify.
So, investigators continued to go to Lent in jail, hoping, that over time, he would reveal the place he buried Sara … and even perhaps disclose the murders of different victims.
Det. Reece Treen: I do consider that there’s different ones that — that he’s answerable for, different murders of youngsters.
Detectives Fallon and Treen say they visited Lent in jail about 20 instances.
Erin Moriarty: Isn’t it tough at instances although … for the 2 of you to not simply leap throughout the desk and seize him?
Det. John Fallon: No. … One of many issues you must do is you must depart hate outdoors of the room whenever you go in.
They didn’t push him, however throughout their conversations, Lent revealed that he typically suffered from blackouts and claimed he had an evil alter ego that he known as “Steven.”
Det. Reece Treen: He has this dichotomy — that is the phrase he used. … He has a extremely good facet that research the Bible and truly was a touring minister … however then he has this evil facet. And he has these uh, uncontrollable compulsions. That is the best way he put it, to do horrible issues, that he couldn’t cease.
One way or the other Lent managed to cover that “evil” facet from practically everybody he knew. Again in 1994, “48 Hours” correspondent Richard Schlesinger interviewed a few of Lent’s buddies.
To Phil Shallies, who’s legally blind, Lent was a superb Samaritan.
Phil Shallies (1994): He simply came visiting and mentioned, “Well, I’d be glad to give you a hand. I hear you’re doing work on your foundation.” He mentioned, “I’d be glad to help you out.” We constructed a border all the best way round. We put in in all probability a whole lot of hours working collectively in that cellar. It was positively laborious work.
Richard Schlesinger (1994): He — and he did that each one out of the goodness of his coronary heart?
Phil Shallies (1994): Sure, he did.
To Frank Colet, the dean of scholars at a Bible college that Lent attended, he was a gentleman.
Frank Colet (1994): He was clever, he was unassuming, he was quiet. One factor about Lewie that everybody remembered was he all the time had his hand out to — to shake your hand to — whenever you had been assembly him. And in the event you didn’t be careful, he’d provide you with an enormous bear hug.
Richard Baumann (1994): He had a whole lot of youngsters with him, younger children. The youngsters would play video video games after which they might are available in and go to the flicks and he would carry them house.
To Richard Baumann, who employed him, Lent appeared like a mentor to youngsters, who known as Lent “the Big Brother.”
Baumann owned the movie show the place Lent labored as a janitor for six years, and he thought he knew Lent very effectively.
Richard Baumann (1994): I — I employed him. I labored facet by facet with him. (breaks down and cries)
Richard Schlesinger (1994): What’s — what’s — inform me what’s occurring?
Richard Baumann (1994): I simply really feel as if I could have missed one thing that he might need mentioned or accomplished that might have keyed me.
Richard Schlesinger (1994): That will have let you already know?
Richard Baumann (1994): Simply — simply give me a clue that there was one thing improper with this man.
Julia Cowley: Individuals have bother understanding which you can have this very non secular, God-fearing, good well mannered man in distinction that to his different facet the place he’s … searching and preying on and killing youngsters. … these can exist in a single individual.
Julia Cowley is a retired FBI agent and profiler who labored on circumstances just like the Golden State Killer. She now hosts a true-crime podcast known as “Consult: Real FBI Profilers.”
Cowley has by no means met Lewis Lent, however at “48 Hours”‘ request, she reviewed his background and studied his confessions. She says that what appeared to be Lent’s need to assist individuals may even have served a egocentric objective.
Julia Cowley: By serving to all these individuals, it is a technique to possibly conceal who he actually is, to realize individuals’s belief. Whenever you try this, you possibly can manipulate them. You possibly can management them. … It’s strategically motivated versus being motivated by true emotion.
Identical to different serial killers she has studied, Cowley says Lent is totally self-centered.
Julia Cowley: His wants come earlier than anybody else’s clearly. He had no regard for his victims, he has no regard for victims’ households.
One thing Reece Treen says he has seen firsthand.
Det. Reece Treen: He is aware of what feelings are that different individuals have … however he doesn’t really feel them himself. … One of many issues that he mentioned up to now that’s that the murders … ruined his life. … He’s remorseful that he bought caught, that it ruined his life, however he doesn’t suppose by way of it ruined anyone else’s life. He simply doesn’t suppose that method.
Erin Moriarty: Lewis Lent so shortly admits to kidnapping and killing … Sara Wooden. Why not inform all of it? Why not give all the main points?
Julia Cowley: It’s only a secret he desires to carry onto. It’s his. It’s the one factor he has that’s his personal that he can management. … And … a little bit of sadism. Realizing that relations need solutions … persevering with to harm them is one thing I believe that he feeds off of… It’s — it’s — there’s some enjoyment in there. … most killers don’t inform us every thing. … They not often give the complete story.
As an alternative, Lent reveals what he desires when he desires, on his personal timetable. In 2013, he revealed one thing new.
DA Jeffrey Carpenter: I’ve described it … as talking on to the satan. He actually is the satan.
FAMILY HONORS SARA ANNE WOOD
As Detectives Fallon and Treen continued to query Lewis Lent about Sara Wooden and different potential victims, in 2013 he made yet one more confession.
Det. John Fallon: He ended up admitting to uh, killing Jamie Lusher.
9 months earlier than Sara was kidnapped, Jamie Lusher, a 16-year-old teen with disabilities, disappeared in Westfield, Massachusetts — simply 40 miles from the Pittsfield space,
Handout
Det. Reece Treen: Once more he was driving his bike um, via a parking zone of a Pleasant’s restaurant.
His bicycle was later present in a wooded space shut by. Lent instructed investigators that after he kidnapped and murdered Jamie, he discarded {the teenager}’s stays in Greenwater Pond in Becket, Massachusetts.
Det. John Fallon: We had divers go really with the Massachusetts State Police divers. … they usually all dove the pond. … and, uh, nothing was discovered.
As he has accomplished many instances earlier than, Lent would later recant his confession. Authorities determined to not cost Lent with Jamie’s homicide — hoping that at some point he’ll make them his physique.
Det. John Fallon: At this level, we’re not occupied with additional prosecution. … He’s not going wherever.
At a press convention shortly after the confession, Jamie’s sister talked in regards to the grief she endured since her brother went lacking.
JENNIFER NOWAK (Jamie’s sister to reporters | emotional): Anyone that is aware of me is aware of that I discuss this, I take into consideration this each day.
It’s this searing heartache, partially, that retains authorities motivated to search out the lacking. So, quickly after Lent confessed to killing Jamie, District Lawyer Jeffrey Carpenter bought permission to take Lent — who was serving his life sentence in Massachusetts — out of jail and again to New York. This time they drove him round hoping he would reveal something that might assist them discover Sara.
DA Jeffrey Carpenter: So actually what did we now have to lose? … We needed to do it. … We drove to the Massachusetts border. We drove to the Vermont border. He took us to the place she was kidnapped. He took us to the place he claimed he murdered her.
However after three lengthy days and over 600 miles of driving, Carpenter says, New York authorities ended the operation.
DA Jeffrey Carpenter: The consensus was, he completely knew the place she was. He simply was not gonna inform us.
Earlier than Carpenter despatched Lent again to Massachusetts, he recorded this dialog with him:
DA JEFFREY CARPENTER: You already know, we spent a while right here the final couple of days. I hope you’re feeling such as you had been handled with respect.
LEWIS LENT: Oh, all the best way.
DA JEFFREY CARPENTER: Yeah. Handled effectively?
LEWIS LENT: Sure.
DA JEFFREY CARPENTER: Effectively that was our finish of the discount proper?
LEWIS LENT: Sure.
DA JEFFREY CARPENTER: Proper?
LEWIS LENT: Yep.
DA JEFFREY CARPENTER: What was your finish of the discount?
LEWIS LENT: Do the perfect I can to search out Sara.
DA JEFFREY CARPENTER: Yeah.
LEWIS LENT: Yeah.
DA JEFFREY CARPENTER: Is that what we’ve accomplished?
LEWIS LENT: That’s what we’ve accomplished. … I’d say that, uh, that I attempted. I used to be completely positive that I knew the route however when it got here right down to it, I may solely get partial of what I, the place I really, the place I really went.
Erin Moriarty: What was going via your head whenever you had been speaking to him?
DA Jeffrey Carpenter: Anger. … He doesn’t neglect particulars. He remembers particulars. He remembers many issues till he desires to faux he doesn’t bear in mind.
A decade after that fruitless search, in November 2023, investigators had been again out trying once more — this time on the Inexperienced Mountain Nationwide Forest in Vermont after Treen recognized an space with landmarks that Lent had talked about throughout their many conversations.
Det. Reece Treen: Simply too many issues matched up. … Quite a bit — loads, a whole lot of packing containers had been checked.
What’s extra, search and rescue canines taken to the world had alerted to a potential physique there.
Det. Reece Treen: So we had been hopeful, optimistic, that we might discover one thing there. … And we by no means, by no means discovered something.
However authorities saved trying. Earlier this 12 months, detectives went again to the cellar that Lent labored in with Phil Shallies to see in the event that they missed one thing in 1994. The search turned up no new proof.
Erin Moriarty: Do you’re feeling in a method that you just may be operating out of time? Lewis Lent is in his 70s.
Det. John Fallon: It’s a priority. However that’s one in every of many issues we are able to’t management.
Whatever the challenges, authorities say they’ll by no means cease in search of Sara Wooden and Jamie Lusher.
Dusty Wooden says he chooses not to consider Lewis Lent.
Dusty Wooden: On daily basis I’m much less indignant as a result of I commit my vitality to optimistic issues.
CBS Information
Yearly, Dusty and a few relations take part within the Journey for Lacking Youngsters, a 78-mile bike experience that was created in Sara’s honor by Bob Wooden.
The riders wore turquoise and pink – the colours that Sara wore when she was kidnapped. Riders cease at faculties alongside the best way to speak about abduction prevention.
Dusty Wooden: An important factor for us as a household is to guard children … and be sure that if there’s something that may be accomplished to guard them from monsters like Lewis Lent, that or not it’s accomplished.
Riders pay silent tribute to these youngsters whose households maintain out hope that they are going to be discovered alive, and to youngsters who went lacking and are by no means coming house … like Sara Anne Wooden.
Dusty Wooden says he and his household are grateful to their neighborhood who’ve supported them for the reason that starting.
Dusty Wooden: There’ll be by no means a technique to repay the kindness, of strangers that opened up the potential for giving the very best probability to my sister.
He’s unsure if they’ll ever discover his sister’s physique, however he’s at peace.
Dusty Wooden: I’m ready for the day I see Sara in heaven. And I do know that day is coming. And that makes me really feel good
If in case you have details about the place Sara Wooden or Jamie Lusher are, please contact New York State Police Troop D Headquarters at 315-366-6000.
To learn to educate youngsters about abduction prevention, please go to the Nationwide Heart for Lacking and Exploited Youngsters web site.
REMEMBERING PHIL JONES
In reminiscence of longtime CBS Information correspondent Phil Jones. Jones, additionally a “48 Hours” correspondent, reported on Sara Wooden’s case in 1993.
Produced by Chris Younger Ritzen. Michael McHugh is the producer-editor. Ken Blum is an editor. Marc Goldbaum is the event producer. Michael Loftus is the affiliate producer. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the manager story editor. Judy Tygard is the manager producer.
