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20/20

The Hand in the Window: Covert Court

05 Nov 2025

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 9.768 Deborah Roberts

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.

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Chapter 2: What shocking story unfolds in rural Ohio?

9.808 - 33.996 Deborah Roberts

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.

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34.637 - 49.511 Deborah Roberts

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.

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52.754 - 61.123 Unknown

As a 911 dispatcher for more than two decades, Sarah Miller has made a career out of staying calm under pressure.

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61.163 - 63.406 Sarah Miller

I've worked three different locations.

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64.006 - 65.528 Unknown

You like it?

65.548 - 67.33 Sarah Miller

Yeah, I was made to be a dispatcher.

68.131 - 73.997 Unknown

Sarah says she's good at multitasking, which she says is a requirement for the job.

74.315 - 77.444 Sarah Miller

We usually have six to eight screens depending on what center you're at.

78.366 - 84.905 Unknown

When Sarah starts a shift, she logs into all those computers and then she waits.

Chapter 3: How does a 911 call lead to a kidnapping investigation?

114.004 - 125.925 Unknown

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.

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125.945 - 128.408 Sarah Miller

At first I couldn't hear her. It was real quiet. She was whispering.

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128.688 - 156.957 Unknown

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.

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157.537 - 163.382 Unknown

She said she'd been abducted and that the man holding her captive was sleeping nearby.

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163.402 - 167.405 Sarah Miller

My reaction was to find out where she was at first to get her out of there.

169.127 - 208.98 Unknown

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.

210.293 - 233.762 Unknown

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.

236.044 - 245.937 Sarah Miller

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.

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Sarah had been trained to handle all calls the same way. But this call was anything but routine.

Chapter 4: What challenges does a 911 dispatcher face during a crisis?

259.972 - 296.706 Unknown

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.

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296.726 - 308.577 Sarah Miller

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.

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309.164 - 339.235 Unknown

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.

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She was calling from a bedroom on the first floor. Sarah asked, is there any way you can escape? I don't know. Without waking him, I'm scared. Jane Doe was worried about waking her kidnapper. He'd put a chair against the bedroom door so that it would make noise if the door were opened. Sarah asked, was there a bathroom in the house? Could that be a way to escape? Yeah, but I kind of freed myself.

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389.405 - 423.181 Unknown

Is he in the same room with you? Yes. Is it his phone you have? Yes. Yes, she was in the same room as the kidnapper. Yes, she was calling on his phone. Jane Doe took a deep, pained breath and asked, Are they on the way? Are they on the way? We have officers resuming. Please let me know. If you're worried, you don't have to talk to me. Just set the phone down, okay?

423.201 - 465.869 Unknown

I just need to hear if the officer's finding you or not. Jane Doe whispered, okay. At this point, she'd been on the line with 911 for six minutes. Do you need an ambulance? Are you bleeding from anywhere? Not anymore. Where were you bleeding from? We don't have to talk if you don't need to, okay?

465.889 - 466.83

Okay, we'll come out. Okay, set the phone down.

468.633 - 480.067 Sarah Miller

When you have a high-stress situation and you think someone's in danger, if they set the phone down, I can still hear what's going on. I can still tell the officers what I can hear. And that puts her in less danger than if he catches her with the phone.

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But you didn't want her to hang up?

Chapter 5: What details does Jane Doe provide about her abductor?

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The officers needed to be right there to help her escape. And as far as she could see and hear from inside the bedroom, they weren't. Officer Dorsey started pulling on the doors to both houses to see if any of them would open, but no such luck.

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829.893 - 832.256 Kurt Dorsey

All the doors were locked in both houses.

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833.618 - 866.744 Unknown

If the officers decided to just barge into one of the houses, they could wake up the kidnapper and put the caller's life at risk. But then, Sarah Miller heard this from Jane Doe. She heard the side door open. She heard the side door open. Jane Doe took a big risk. She pushed the chair blocking the bedroom door out of the way and rushed to the side door of the house.

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867.605 - 920.586 Unknown

Big curtains blocked the bedroom windows, but there was also a window in the side door. Yeah, I'm looking out and they're telling me to come back. She said, hurry, hurry. She said to hurry up and come back. How's everybody feeling tonight? The New York Times hails Is This Thing On? is one of the best films of the year. I've been doing stand-up. Is it like a hobby?

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I'm about to quit my job and go into work. What I like about you, it comes out of your head, you put on a piece of paper and you get up there. It's like therapy. Starring Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andrew Day, and Bradley Cooper. Doing this helps. How does it help to have a room full of people laughing at you? Is This Thing On? Now playing in select theaters everywhere January 9th.

940.025 - 946.553 Unknown

Rated R. Under 17, not admitted without parent. Avatar Fire and Ash has arrived.

946.573 - 948.676 John Quinones

I am the fire!

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Get your 3D tickets now for the greatest chapter of the biggest saga in history. Whatever happens, protect this family. Stop! Critics rave. It's by far the best Avatar movie.

961.068 - 965.533 Deborah Roberts

If your father and I do not return, you go as far and as fast as you can.

Chapter 6: How do police officers respond to the 911 call?

1000.302 - 1002.544 John Quinones

Eastern on ESPN and the ESPN app.

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Tell Me Lies returns with an all-new season. I'm willing to forgive you after everything you've done.

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1008.602 - 1011.446 John Quinones

Everything I've done? What about everything you've done?

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On January 13th.

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1013.369 - 1017.195 John Quinones

Every single time you try to make something better, you end up making it so much worse.

1017.295 - 1018.136 Unknown

Every betrayal.

1018.277 - 1019.338 John Quinones

Why are you doing this?

1019.358 - 1051.405 Unknown

Has consequences. Because I want to hurt you, and I don't know how else to do it. Tell Me Lies. New season January 13th. Streaming on Hulu and for bundle subscribers on Disney+. Terms apply. Officer Kurt Dorsey was told that Jane Doe had heard him at the side door, that she wanted him to hurry, hurry, and come back. Now he knew that this call, as strange as it seemed for Ashland, was real.

1051.445 - 1064.657 Unknown

There was a kidnapped woman, fearing for her life, inside one of the two houses. Reflecting on that day still makes Dorsey emotional.

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