5. Surveillance or Law Enforcement

Surveillance Footage Helps Find Missing Boston Woman Alive

In January 2019, 23-year-old Olivia Ambrose had been seen leaving Hennessy's, a bar near Faneuil Hall, on Union Street in Charlestown. She was seen leaving the bar at 11:04 p.m. that Saturday night with a man who the police report that had nothing to do with her disappearance. She had been enjoying a night out with some friends and her twin sister, Franny, eating and to see a rock band perform at the bar that night. This had been her last known whereabouts before allegedly disappearing afterwards. 

About 40 minutes after she was seen leaving Hennessy's, two men were seen and they were invited Olivia Ambrose to walk near Congress and State streets with them. One of the men was seen walking a little ahead of Ambrose and the other man had his arm around her and seemed to be directed her towards MBTA's State Street Station. This was all reported from the police. 

The man that had his arm around Ambrose is believed to be a man named Victor Pena. Pena was seen leaving the Bunker Hill Community College Station in Charlestown with Ambrose just after midnight the next night (Sunday). The other man is no longer listed as a suspect to the police. Franny, Olivia's twin sister, reported Olivia as mission on Sunday evening at 5:20 p.m. when she got nervous at her sister not picking up phone calls. 

The police were able to use video surveillance to see "Olivia leave Faneuil Hall, walk up Congress Street with her alleged kidnapper's arm around her, head into the State Street T Station, exit at Community College Station, and walk toward the suspect's apartment in Charlestown." Franny used an app that allows a person to see the location of theirs friends, and she noticed that Olivia's location was last updated near the intersection of Corey Road and Walford Way in Charlestown. 

The Police found Olivia in Charlestown at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday in Pena's apartment which is on Walford Way, and thankfully, she was alive. The video surveillance was a crucial tool used to locate Olivia and her kidnapper. Upon finding her, she was immediately taken to the hospital for care.

Pena is a 38-year-old from Charlestown and, terrifyingly, he has a history of kidnapping and rapping women. Updated in April 2019, he was being held without bail for at least 120 days. The judge had ruled that there were no conditions that could be met to keep the victim safe if he were released.

Police are really crediting surveillance videos and them including lengthy digital traces of evidence that enabled them to crack this case.

Sources:
NBC Boston
Boston Globe
NECN