This is Deborah Roberts. You're about to hear the first episode of our newest podcast series from 2020 and ABC Audio, Devil in the Desert.

In this series, ABC News's Matt Gutman will explore the twists and turns of a case that started with a grisly kidnapping and a troubled marriage and ended with an international manhunt and even a prison break.

It's a fascinating story you're not going to want to miss. We'll be sharing the entire series

right here on the 2020 feed over the next few weeks. Or you can get new episodes early by following

Devil in the Desert wherever you listen to podcasts.

Now here's episode one.

Hi, I'm Brad Milkey. I'm the host of the Crime Scene Weekly, a new show from ABC Audio about the biggest headlines in true crime.

This week, in the heart of Washington's wilderness, a tragedy has shattered a family.

Three young sisters are dead and their father is on the run.

I'll talk to ABC News correspondent, Kena Whitworth, to get the latest.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode contains graphic descriptions that may not be suitable for all listeners.

On the morning of October 2, 2012, Steve Williams was driving through the desert on his way to work.

He was on Highway 14, a barren stretch of road, just north of Rosamond, California. My shift hadn't quite started yet, or it was

just about to start, and it was a crisp, cool morning. Steve Williams was a police sergeant

in Kern County, about 100 miles north of L.A.

A third of Kern is covered by the Mojave Desert, an expanse of sun-bleached land, spindly Joshua trees, and scrubby brush.

It was early in the morning, around 7 a.m.

I think there was just a little bit of light cloud cover, and I remember that the sun, I don't think it had quite hit the horizon yet, and so it was light but not bright.

In the half light of dawn, something caught the sergeant's eye.

A figure standing by the side of the road.

It was a woman, mid-40s, blonde hair, yoga pants, but something wasn't right.

...