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The FOX True Crime Podcast w/ Emily Compagno

The Slumber Party Nightmare: The Kidnapping & Murder Of Polly Klaas

The FOX True Crime Podcast w/ Emily Compagno

Fox News

True Crime

4.8708 Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2023

⏱️ 97 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For young girls, slumber parties are a childhood essential. On October 1st, 1993, 12-year-old Polly Klaas and two of her friends had planned a sleepover after school. It was a night filled with dancing, goofing off, and playing games, but it would soon take a turn for the worse. As the girls got ready for bed, a stranger broke into the home, bound the trio of girls, and kidnapped young Polly at knifepoint, beginning a more than 60-day mystery that captivated the nation.   Retired FBI Agent Eddie Freyer was the lead investigator on the case. He shares the efforts that both local and federal law enforcement made to locate Polly and bring her home. Later, he explains how the case would go on to leave a lasting impact on America's criminal justice system. Eddie started his law enforcement career when he joined the FBI in April 1972 (J. Edgar Hoover was still the Director), and worked in the Pittsburgh Field Office. He became an agent in 1976 and was transferred to the Phoenix Office until 1979 when he came to California and was assigned to the San Francisco Field Division. There he worked on financial crimes, special operations, and bank robberies. He was transferred to the Santa Rosa Resident Agency in 1989 as the Senior Agent. Eddie finished his FBI career as the Senior Team Leader of the regional SWAT team, retiring after the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. Eddie was the lead investigator of the 1993 Polly Klaas kidnapping/murder case in Petaluma, California. He also created the High Sierra SWAT Team Challenge in 1996 which later became Urban Shield. Eddie instructed at several locations in the Bay Area including, Santa Rosa Training Center, Alameda Regional Training Center, and Mendocino College. Eddie also worked in the private industry as a security consultant. Eddie developed public safety curriculum for a high school career tech program between 2008 and 2009 in the north bay which was offered in 11 area high schools. In 2009, Eddie accepted an assignment with the US Army and was deployed to Iraq for one year where he worked on anti-terrorism targeting and rule of law programs.  Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.1

Slumber parties are a childhood staple for young girls. For 12-year-old Polly class, that Friday

0:36.1

lunch hour would be the planning period for a sleepover

0:39.0

with her two friends, the perfect way to end a long week of school.

0:43.5

As that school day ended at Petaluma Junior High, the trio of seventh graders headed to the

0:48.9

class family home. The get-together bore all the hallmarks of a middle school slumber party.

0:55.1

The girls jammed to music, played board games, and even planned their Halloween costumes for later that month.

1:02.0

The night progressed as any other sleepover would.

1:05.7

As the girls got tired and ready themselves for bed, Polly went to grab sleeping bags for her friends.

1:12.2

Little did they know what stood in the hallway would mark the beginning of a nightmare.

1:18.1

I'm Emily Campano, and this is the Fox True Crime podcast.

1:22.4

Music As 12-year-old Polly opened her bedroom door, a man armed with a knife approached the girls from the hallway.

1:53.0

He ordered the girls not to scream and threatened to cut their throats.

1:58.0

The stranger proceeded to bind the girls with cloth and cords and placed pillowcases

2:03.5

over their heads. Polly began to cry, prompting the man to reassure the girls that this was a

2:10.1

robbery and that he would not harm them. The man then picked up Polly and ordered her friends to count to 1,000, and that when they were done, Polly would be back.

2:25.7

But Polly would never return to her childhood home.

2:30.3

The night of October 1st, 1993, began a 60-day kidnapping mystery that captivated the nation

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