Jess McHugh (Host/Narrator)

But what no one realized, not Tom or Dex or NCIS or even the FBI, was just how deep this deception went. None of them could begin to fathom it. Lies tend to be fragile, temperamental things. Small ones may flourish, but the big ones die, wilting under their own weight. Except in this case, the bigger it grew, the more real it became.

But what no one realized, not Tom or Dex or NCIS or even the FBI, was just how deep this deception went. None of them could begin to fathom it. Lies tend to be fragile, temperamental things. Small ones may flourish, but the big ones die, wilting under their own weight. Except in this case, the bigger it grew, the more real it became.

To this day, much of this story is shrouded in mystery. There's no detailed public record of what really happened. What's more, most of the people caught up in all of this haven't spoken publicly or even to each other. So the story itself remains compartmentalized, like rooms in a mansion with no doors between them.

To this day, much of this story is shrouded in mystery. There's no detailed public record of what really happened. What's more, most of the people caught up in all of this haven't spoken publicly or even to each other. So the story itself remains compartmentalized, like rooms in a mansion with no doors between them.

Jess and I have spent the last year or so finding our way into these rooms and listening. Coming up this season on Deep Cover.

Jess and I have spent the last year or so finding our way into these rooms and listening. Coming up this season on Deep Cover.

Deep Cover The Truth About Sarah was produced by Amy Gaines McQuaid and Tali Emlin. Additional production support by Sonia Gerwit.

Deep Cover The Truth About Sarah was produced by Amy Gaines McQuaid and Tali Emlin. Additional production support by Sonia Gerwit.

Original scoring and our theme were composed by Luis Guerra. Our show art was designed by Sean Carney. Fact-checking by Annika Robbins.

Original scoring and our theme were composed by Luis Guerra. Our show art was designed by Sean Carney. Fact-checking by Annika Robbins.

And I'm Jake Halpern.

And I'm Jake Halpern.

How we found her. Where we found her. We'll get there. You're going to hear from her throughout the rest of the season. But for now, we just want you to hear some of the very first things that she said to us in person. So that you get a read on her. Just like we did. We started with small talk. Like, read any good books lately?

How we found her. Where we found her. We'll get there. You're going to hear from her throughout the rest of the season. But for now, we just want you to hear some of the very first things that she said to us in person. So that you get a read on her. Just like we did. We started with small talk. Like, read any good books lately?

As I sat there listening to her, I noticed Sarah was doing this a lot. Ending a sentence by saying, right? It's kind of subtle. She doesn't yank you through her version of events. It's more like she was feeling around for things that we might have in common. And if we nodded along, she'd say, right?

As I sat there listening to her, I noticed Sarah was doing this a lot. Ending a sentence by saying, right? It's kind of subtle. She doesn't yank you through her version of events. It's more like she was feeling around for things that we might have in common. And if we nodded along, she'd say, right?

When she talked about her old life as a social worker, I got this strange sense that I was seeing the Sarah Kavanaugh that won over everybody's hearts. Because let's be clear, the people we interviewed for this story, once upon a time, they all loved Sarah. And listening to her talk, I started to understand why. She knew, in her own words, how to be present in a way that silently says, I get it.

When she talked about her old life as a social worker, I got this strange sense that I was seeing the Sarah Kavanaugh that won over everybody's hearts. Because let's be clear, the people we interviewed for this story, once upon a time, they all loved Sarah. And listening to her talk, I started to understand why. She knew, in her own words, how to be present in a way that silently says, I get it.

It's weird to say, but I found her really likable. By the time we met in person, I'd been talking to her over the phone for nearly a year. And I'd been hearing about all the terrible things she'd done for just as long. Sarah, she seems pretty aware of her effect on people, then and now. Of all the ways, big and small, said and unsaid, that people come to trust each other. To trust her.

It's weird to say, but I found her really likable. By the time we met in person, I'd been talking to her over the phone for nearly a year. And I'd been hearing about all the terrible things she'd done for just as long. Sarah, she seems pretty aware of her effect on people, then and now. Of all the ways, big and small, said and unsaid, that people come to trust each other. To trust her.