As the media storm grows in Brazil, Kat takes desperate action. Meanwhile, a video surfaces, offering a glimpse into her methods.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What happened during the police welfare check at the Leander, Texas house?
It was past midnight. a police car turned into a quiet cul-de-sac in Leander, Texas. Two officers got out and walked up to one of the houses. The place was big and expensive looking, with white stone walls and a double garage. A young woman with bleach blonde hair answered the door. The police officer said they were here to do a welfare check.
There had been some calls about two Brazilian women reportedly living at this address. The young woman told the officers her name was Leticia. She assured them she was fine. No one was holding her against her will. One of the officers pulled out his phone and found the number for the owner of the house. Right away, Cat picked up the phone.
She was away on vacation, but she said Leticia was a friend who was doing some work for her. These reports were just people causing trouble on social media. The police officers looked closely at Leticia. They told her to take care, turned around and walked back to their car. Leticia closed the door as the cruiser pulled away.
She wasn't to know yet, but that wouldn't be the last time the police would take an interest in what had been happening at this house. In fact, for everyone living there, that visit was just the beginning of a whole new level of chaos.
Last year, long crime brought you the trial that captivated the nation. And one question still lingers. Did Karen Reid kill John O'Keefe? This isn't just a retrial. It's a second chance at the truth. Listen to episodes of Karen, the retrial, exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+.
When Luigi Mangione was arrested for allegedly shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, he didn't just spark outrage. He ignited a cultural firestorm. Is the system working, or is it time for a reckoning? I'm Jesse Weber. Listen to Law & Crime's Luigi exclusively on Wondery+.
From Wondery, I'm Chico Felitti, and this is Don't Cross Cap. Episode 5, closing in. It was the day after the police welfare check. All over Brazilian social media, people were waiting for news. People like Silmara Izuca.
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Chapter 2: Who is Silmara Izuca and how did she get involved?
I was part of the telegram Kate told his group chat that had thousands of members. And that group was just crazy.
She was living in Los Angeles at the time where she worked as an actor. She'd heard about the missing women just a few days before.
I was on Twitter just scrolling down and then I saw a thread of a friend of Desiree. And then he was asking for help. And then when I closed Twitter and I opened my Facebook, I saw a post of Leticia's father just popped up.
The pain he was going through struck a chord. As a Brazilian living in the U.S., she couldn't help but think about her own parents back home.
What if it was my parents needing help? They don't speak English, trying to find me here in the U.S. I would love to know that someone tried to help my parents, you know, translating or with the calls.
So Silmara made a decision.
I comment like, hey, I live here in the U.S., I can help you. I can call the police. Hi, I'm calling because I would like to follow up with any updates about the two missing Brazilian girls.
Okay, so I've seen also one out there yesterday. So, last time around midnight or 1 o'clock, everyone was fine.
Sorry, what? For a moment, Silmara was thrown.
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Chapter 3: How did Kat respond to police involvement and social media scrutiny?
She told Desiree to get to the airport. Like, immediately. In less than three hours, Desiree and Leticia were on the plane. They were on the run.
What if your mind could trick your body into feeling sick? Or even worse? In Hysterical, I investigate the bizarre medical mystery that unfolds in a high school in upstate New York. It starts with one girl developing strange, violent symptoms. And then another. And then another. Rumors begin to swirl. Is it something in the water, inside the school, or is it all in their heads?
Hysterical is my search for answers, and along the way, I uncover surprising connections to unexplained incidents around the world, events that challenge everything we think we know about our bodies and our minds. Named Podcast of the Year at the Gambies, Hysterical is a mind-bending, unforgettable ride. Binge all episodes right now exclusively and ad-free on Wondery Plus.
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Last year, law and crime brought you the trial that captivated the nation. She's accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, with her car. Karen Reid is arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The six-week trial resulted in anything but resolution. We continue to find ourselves at an impasse. I'm declaring a mistrial in this case.
But now the case is back in the spotlight. And one question still lingers. Did Karen Reid kill John O'Keefe? The evidence is overwhelming that Karen Reid is innocent. How does it feel to be a cop killer, Karen? I'm Kristen Thorne, investigative reporter with Law & Crime and host of the podcast, Karen the Retrial. This isn't just a retrial. It's a second chance at the truth.
I have nothing to hide. My life is in the balance, and it shouldn't be.
I just want people to go back to who the victim is in this. It's not her.
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Chapter 4: What actions did Kat take after fleeing Texas with Desiree and Leticia?
My wife, my lover, my best friend, person that...
Kat told him who she thought was truly to blame for their situation.
For Kat, it was Zach's family who were the real manipulators. So they invented that I was a whore, the cam girl and stuff, because they didn't want you to go, right? So they invented all these stories, and they continue inventing all those stories. And do you think they're manipulative people, your family? Do you think your father is a manipulative person? Extremely.
Do you think your father has some mental issues?
He's definitely not 100%.
Kat had long been uneasy about Zach's father. In fact, at one point, seemingly under the effects of ayahuasca, she threatened him on Instagram.
His father has no meaning. Kill him. Kill him. Kill, let's just say. Kill him. Kill his father. Whose father? Kill Zachary's father.
But now she believed it was Zach's family who had leaked her address in Texas and forced them to go on the run. She asked Zach what he thought about the allegations against her.
It's the most stupid thing I've ever heard in my life, that Kat Torres can kidnap two grown women. Then Kat brought up Desiree and Leticia.
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Chapter 5: What is revealed in the video showing Kat and the missing women?
Leticia is, for you, somebody that's very loyal and perfect, a very good friend for you. They're both good girls.
How do you think Leticia feel right now that people are saying she's a prostitute and she makes sex for money in Texas? How do you think she feels right now about that?
Like, outraged. Just in awe of how people can be so stupid and think that of her. It's so wrong to think that of anyone.
Zach didn't seem too comfortable being on camera. But then again, he also seemed convinced that nothing Kat was doing was a problem.
What do you think the police is thinking about all this bullshit? What do you think they're thinking?
I think they're tired of it. And they don't want to deal with it. They have better fucking things to do than to be called from people not even from another fucking country that don't know anything, hardly speak English, and just speaking bullshit to the police here that have so many better things to do.
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Chapter 6: How does Kat express her frustration and paranoia in live streams?
Right? I think the police in America has more dangerous people to go after than us, than me, right? I can be pretty much dangerous when I'm angry, but I think they have worse people to catch.
It's hard to know how much Zach really knew at this point. But one thing is clear. He had become isolated from his family and increasingly dependent on Kat. Just like Toticia and Desiree.
And when people cross me, how do I behave?
Very scary. I try not to cross you as much as possible.
Very angry, right?
Hey, I'm Cassie DePeckel, the host of Wondery's podcast, Against the Odds. In each episode, we share thrilling, true stories of survival, putting you in the shoes of the people who live to tell the tale. In our next season, it's February 14th, 1979. Elmo Wartman and his three children are stranded on a remote Alaskan island after a massive storm destroys their sailboat.
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Chapter 7: What is the significance of Kat blaming Patricia and others?
Miles from help, they have to face the brutal cold with barely any food, only a sail for shelter, and a leaky plastic dinghy. Desperate to survive, they build a raft and try to reach safety. But as starvation and frostbite take hold and days stretch into weeks, their endurance is pushed to the limit. Follow Against the Odds wherever you get your podcasts.
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A few days after that conversation, Kat, Zach, Desiree, and Leticia were on the road again. This time, they all left for Maine, staying at another remote lake house. Then, a few days after that, Kat decided they should move yet again, this time to Miami. According to her book, it was at this point Desiree's faith in Kat began to waver. By the way, her words are spoken by an actor.
She kept saying things like she was the incarnation of Jesus Christ, that she was superior to all other humans, and that she was above the law and would never be arrested.
Kat told Desiree even if she did get arrested, she would use her magic to make the handcuffs fall off. Desiree was terrified of Kat, but she was also afraid of the police. She knew the sex work was illegal and was scared she could be in trouble with the law. She was stuck.
I felt like a fugitive, jumping from town to town so we wouldn't be recognized. It was a horror show. At one point, I asked myself, why am I still here?
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Chapter 8: What new developments occur at the lake house in Connecticut?
But while on the road to Miami, something unexpected happened. A detective sent a message to Kat's phone asking for a video call. They were following up on the welfare check. And Kat instructed Desiree in detail what to say to the detective.
Kat told me exactly what to say to the police. And she threatened me, telling me I had to stick to the script.
In a video obtained by the BBC, you can see cell phone footage of Cat, Desiree and Leticia in a moving car when the detective calls. It's unclear who took the video, but you can see Cat in the front passenger seat. She sounds calm, confident even.
She turned the camera directly to her and said, Listen, detective, I was struggling with depression, and Desiree wanted to support me during this difficult time. She's my friend, so that's why we're together in this. Kat told the detective that she was feeling better now. You need to help us, she said. There are people accusing me of things I didn't do. We are the ones at risk.
Kat ended the call confident as ever. Desiree and Leticia hadn't said a word to raise suspicion. But the strain was starting to show. The day after they got to Miami, Kat suddenly decided they needed to go back to Maine. Once at the airport, she got into a fight with Zach, who had been drinking. She told him she didn't want a drunk to be the father of her children.
She may have been thinking of her own father. Then, she demanded he give back everything she had ever given him. Zach turned around and left barefoot, in his shorts, with no money, no documents. After Kat and Desiree arrived back to the rental in Maine, Kat realized she had left one of the windows cracked open. Her Kat had run away. In her book, Desiree says Kat turned on her.
She destroyed everything she saw in front of her. She kicked and threw things at me. She said it was my fault that her marriage failed and that the cat ran away. That it was all because of me.
The following morning, on November 1st, 2022, Desiree woke up to Kat's dog jumping on her back. The dog was terrified because Kat was screaming at someone on the phone. When the screams ended, Desiree got out of bed to see what was happening.
Kat was on the phone with local police, complaining about Zach's death. You just have to go to his address and stop this old fucking crazy man.
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