The Hand in the Window: Covert Court
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is Deborah Roberts. You're about to hear the first episode of our newest podcast series from 2020 and ABC Audio, The Hand in the Window.
What shocking story unfolds in rural Ohio?
It's the shocking story following a series of disappearances of women in rural Ohio. When one woman risks her life to call 911 about her own kidnapping, bravely making the call from her captor's phone, the investigators begin to realize the kidnapper might just be a serial killer. We'll be releasing the series right here on the 2020 feed over the next few weeks. Or if you don't want to wait, you can get new episodes early by following The Hand in the Window on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Now, here's episode one.
As a 911 dispatcher for more than two decades, Sarah Miller has made a career out of staying calm under pressure.
I've worked three different locations.
You like it?
Yeah, I was made to be a dispatcher.
Sarah says she's good at multitasking, which she says is a requirement for the job.
We usually have six to eight screens depending on what center you're at.
When Sarah starts a shift, she logs into all those computers and then she waits.
You never know when the call will come in or what kind of call it's going to be.
In September 2016, Sarah was working the overnight shift in Ashland, Ohio, a rural town about 60 miles southwest of Cleveland. Just before 7 a.m., the sun was rising over Ashland's cornfields, marshes, and woods.
How does a 911 call lead to a kidnapping investigation?
Sarah was about to clock out when one more call came in. 911, what is the address to your emergency? I just thought it was a street laundromat.
At first I couldn't hear her. It was real quiet. She was whispering.
What is it? Fourth Street Laundromat. The Fourth Street Laundromat. There were just five laundromats in Ashland. The one on Fourth Street was near the center of town, a few blocks from Ashland's Main Street, with its brewery, restaurants, bank, and Dairy Queen. I just thought it was a street laundromat. Police identify the caller as Jane Doe to protect her privacy. She said she'd been abducted and that the man holding her captive was sleeping nearby.
My reaction was to find out where she was at first to get her out of there.
Jane Doe said she was in a house by the 4th Street laundromat. Do you know what color the house is? Yellow. I'm sorry. And you think it's a yellow house? A yellow, abandoned house by the laundromat. Sarah Miller told another dispatcher to send police officers to the area. The precinct was about five minutes away by car. Sarah knew if those officers were going to find Jane Doe quickly, they needed to get more information. Does he have a weapon? He's got a taser. He's got a taser. Sarah could hear that the caller's breathing was getting heavier and heavier. She was clearly afraid, but Sarah knew that she could not panic.
Good dispatchers train not to react to emotions. You have to stay calm. You have to remain calm. Yes, you have to stay calm and think straight.
Sarah had been trained to handle all calls the same way. But this call was anything but routine.
What challenges does a 911 dispatcher face during a crisis?
In fact, it would become the first step in an investigation that would reveal sinister and shocking crimes. From ABC Audio in 2020, I'm John Quinones, and this is The Hand in the Window. Episode 1, Colvert Court. Dispatcher Sarah Miller needed to keep Jane Doe on the line. a lot of questions right away.
I have to get information for the officers. If he was to wake up, kill her, and escape, I wouldn't know what his name is, what he looked like, anything. I knew he was sleeping, so I asked her more questions, trying to get as much as I could before he woke up.
Sarah asked, what does the kidnapper look like? Jane Doe said he was white, about six feet tall and around 175 pounds with brown hair. Sarah tried to learn more about Jane Doe's circumstances. What was the layout of the house? Where was she within it? Jane Doe told Sarah that she and her kidnapper had entered the house through a side door which opened into the kitchen. She was calling from a bedroom on the first floor. Sarah asked, is there any way you can escape?
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:09
2
What shocking story unfolds in rural Ohio?
0:09–1:54
3
How does a 911 call lead to a kidnapping investigation?
1:54–4:19
4
What challenges does a 911 dispatcher face during a crisis?
4:19–13:28
5
What details does Jane Doe provide about her abductor?
13:28–16:40
6
How do police officers respond to the 911 call?
16:40–28:21