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NCISS News and Updates

NCISS Past President, Bob Heales, featured on 20/20

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On January 12 ABC News 20/20 aired a documentary about the abduction and murder of 22 year old Dru Sjodin, titled
Missing From the Mall. Some of you may remember the story from 20 years ago and Bob worked for several months
with local law enforcement through the winter to organize searches until Dru was found in a ravine 5 months later. Bob
recalled, “It gained national attention at the time. It’s a heartbreaking story that I have thought about every day since
she went missing on November 22nd, 2003 not far from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. I knew Dru, her
boyfriend, and many of her friends from our area. I was a pallbearer at her funeral and she was laid to rest in a country
cemetery not far from me in Crosslake [Minnesota].”

Bob was interviewed last summer along with Dru’s brother and several of the law enforcement involved in her case. It is
hoped the documentary will help teach safety and awareness for women and children, and adds to Dru’s legacy. The Dru
Sjodin National Sex Offender Registry, which Bob and NCISS worked with members of Congress, was signed into law by
President Bush in June 2006. Dru’s mother has worked tirelessly ever since helping to educate women and children and
save lives. Her killer faced federal charges and was sentenced to death in 2006. Sadly, this past year the Biden
Administration removed him from death row and resentenced him to life in a Florida prison. He wanted to go back to
prison for life anyway, since he was uncomfortable on the outside. He just didn’t know it would become federal by
taking her across state lines. Tragically, he was rewarded and got what he wanted.

“As a result of my involvement, I almost immediately got involved in another missing person case after Dru was found.
Locally, 21 year old Erica Dalquist went missing 18 months earlier after accepting a ride home from a bar. My team and I
found her remains in a remote area just 2 weeks later, exactly 4 weeks after Dru was found.”

The episode is available on Hulu, and also this link:
- https://abc.com/shows/2020/episode-guide/2024-01/12-missing-from-the-mall

See the full ABC News story here:
- www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/how-investigators-nabbed-a-serial-rapist-in-the-death-of-a-college-student/ar-
AA1mRxEn

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