Where this was said
The Anniversary Call — Marietta Holds the Line
At 33:35 · chapter starts 33:23
June 25, 1974. Exactly one year to the minute after Susie was taken, the kidnapper calls Marietta. She is prepared. For a full hour, Marietta sobbed, pleaded, negotiated, and called his bluff — at one point demanding proof that Susie was still alive, which he could not provide (claiming he'd used 'psychotherapy to wipe her memory'). She asked how he knew Susie was even in the tent; he said he had been lurking, heard the sisters talking, waited for them to sleep, and then took her. She told him no court would force a child to testify, removing his stated reason for not returning Susie. The kidnapper even became emotional on the phone. No trace was successful — but a few days later, a Montana rancher's disputed phone bill would hand investigators the break they needed.
On the exact one-year anniversary of Susie's kidnapping, the killer called Marietta. She kept him on the phone for a full hour — sobbing, negotiating, calling his bluffs — even telling him no court would force a child to testify against him. It was a masterclass in keeping calm under the most unimaginable pressure.
A Montana rancher noticed a mysterious hour-long call on his bill made at 3:25 AM and went to dispute it. A phone company employee recognized the Jaeger name as the recipient and called police. Investigators then traced distinctive Goodyear tire tracks near a tapped phone line to Meirhofer's truck.
