. denis lied to mr. big. denis ratte, wendy's husband. >> the jones family. >> that's true, but isn't the truth more important? spray. a daughter. i can be swayed by the evidence whether it is going to be for or against my dad. it was late summer, a hot morning in saskatchewan when wendy and denis ratte drove off to run some errands. time for denis to come clean. she went back to prince george, had a heart to heart with him and then called lois. it cleans grease five times faster on easy messes, just spray, wipe, and rinse. >> and especially hard on the family's finances. but then police showed him the video. i'm going to tell you honestly what happened. and so, of course, he did. >> in his confessions, denis said he had a reason that would seem so twisted neither police nor anyone else believed it. 555 Followers, 615 Following, 901 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Gabriel Ratt (@grattehandy) grattehandy. he wasn't there. by nightfall, there was still no sign of wendy. and it hadn't been. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. oops. coming up -- and gabriel isn't the only one with doubts. didn't get that at all. anyone would say it's 100% certain that my dad did it. so the obvious question -- did you have the feeling that this is a woman who might have just up and left? >> it was just the natural assumption that someone of that style, that democrat graphic demographic wouldn't go missing unless it was to someone she knew closely. dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. intentionally misspelling the family name, exchanging the rattes for the rats. >> wendy wanted her children to have the emotional stability she couldn't seem to manage even in her solid middle-class upbringing. It'd take an elaborate, undercover mission to finally crack this case. >> had wendy become highway victim number 16? is it possible, though, that you're liing in denial? it continuously scans the market to compare your plan against any new options year after year, so you don't have to stress about picking your health insurance plan. >> a month before she, disappeared, wendy decided she needed some distance from denis. was it possible, she wondered, that it was guilt? he'd say, "oh, we're going for a walk now." >> translator: yeah, okay, okay, yeah. >> and then finally she and the family seemed to find it. and we decided an undercover operation may be the best to move this forward. >> uh-huh. it was a surprise to me. have a good weekend unless have you other plans. they created from scratch a fake criminal organization complete with detectives posing as, crooks. afternoon, anna's worry grew. of all the lies you could have said for why, you had to involve me again. that's a piece of the tarp. >> what would he know? one of the worst things about a cois how it can make you feel. she just vibrated. don't forget. with serious security. try new vicks vapocool drops in honey lemon chill. along the way, and left the van in this grocery store parking lot. coming up -- a sting by investigators worthy of the big screen. >> oops. i even cried when i did it. Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary News Parents guide Add content advisory Details Language English Production company NBC News See more company credits at IMDbPro Technical specs Runtime we were talking quietly. you get a sense that you know these people when you're looking for what happened to them? they said they needed to see him right away. >> translator: there was mud, right? so denis did what he always did when times were rough. after a couple of months by august, he was helping to smuggle illegal cigarettes and kohl. they stopped by a coffee shop, one of denis and wendy's favorite meeting spaces. >> i thought, well, maybe -- maybe she's there. he said, "when she does that, she's shawna." During the trial, the jury watched a video recorded with a concealed camera, where Ratte took the officers to the scene of the shooting, in the back yard of the family's home, and then to a wooded area east of the city where he told them he dumped her body, which has never been found. wistful when anna, the bride, danced with her father. and his meeting with the crime boss, he said, was a chance to finally make the investigation stop. he was meeting mr. big, the man he believed to be an all-powerful crime boss. the honest truth. Play. but "dateline nbc" reviewed an rcmp summary of the mission. we find new ways of speaking, so you're never out of touch. she had done it before. she was the brains of the operation. >> when "dateline" continues. >> and denis, anna remembered her father going for long walks in the woods alone, seemed devastated, lost, in denial. it took everything for me to do it. >> was wendy just the latest of a long list of women who had disappeared or had been found dead along this stretch of road? coming up -- another potential clue is about to surface from wendy's past. they're going to look at you. >> i always thought of our family as a perfect little family. they're unsure of the procedure. to ensure as much as possible that the suspect doesn't lie to gain respect. Harpaz is willing to travel to some far off places in search of a story. approached denis in prince george. >> for me as a reporter, it became sickening after a while to hear the police issue another release that another girl had gone missing. could she have up and joined them? i didn't want to leave a mark, right? being honest. >> i had to believe him. Dateline Latest Episodes NEW S31 E19 | 02/26/23 The Window NEW S28 E29 | 02/24/23 Before Daylight S31 E18 | 02/17/23 Footprints in the Snow S31 E17 | 02/10/23 Who Killed Mindy Morgenstern? Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. >> i broke down. she didn't want to be tied down. >> that's when we looked at passing it off to the unsolved homicide unit. that it was betrayal, and you put years of devotion into someone, to be cut down like that. so we're using a speakerphone in the store. finally in 2007, a decade now since wendy vanished, thomas decided that if she wanted to get closer to denis to find out what he knew once and for all, she would need some help. the emissaries of divine light. and also past the sights of unsolved She then turned to her father and asked why he chose to murder his wife and her mother instead of getting a divorce. >> dark now, anna and her father took the family's old truck and drove to prince george to look for her. >> translator: okay, you -- you move over there like that. a macbook pro for under $16. >> upon our review, we came to the same conclusion as judy did, that denis ratte was the suspect in his wife's disappearance. wondering what was going to happen, what's going to take place. >> oh, my gosh! save the little girl. when he tried to return to work, tough as he was, he just couldn't. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. unlike ordinary memory supplements- neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. was it wendy? and she was not a person i'd ever met, and we knew she was not well and needed care. It'd take an elaborate, undercover mission to finally crack this case. and he began to confess again. it's there to seek the truth. >> it wasn't just, how's anna, what's gab doing now, it was always anna and gab. a horrifying surprise for passersby. but as anna looked around, her eye caught something familiar. a terrifying specter haunted the lonely highway that passed through prince george on its way into the wilderness. that's not wendy." 901 posts. >> it was very hard. Gabriel Ratt is on Facebook. i was up to my neck in investigation trying to find mom. >> you hear right, truthful. >> you look at the full circumstances of it. >> translator: you know, it's hard. >> it struck me there as going -- >> why didn't he tell me that the first time? but karen said they didn't have time to make an official diagnosis. >> that's the part of me that is the dreamy, hopeful, optimistic side. her father was guilty. Accident, Suicide, or Murder Hollywood Horror. that was his source of pride. so he says, i made up a story that i thought they would find me some kind of alibi or something, he says, and they'll fix it so that the cops would get off my case. so i thought, what about 15 minutes. >> he said that day that she disappeared, friends of his saw the family from down the street that she had had kicked out. our neck gaiters, face masks, and one-piece shield masks are certified 99.99% anti-microl with nano-silver technology. >> the look in his eye on that tape was -- >> that's all you needed? there was nothing to indicate that she was in any way connected to any of the missing or murdered women along highway 16. once neighbors of the rattes, not exactly friends. and they might have -- she made about a enemy for sure. >> when "dateline" continues want to brain better? . we sold an ipad worth $505 for less than $24. like why aren't we looking for her? >> when "dateline" continues these are real people, not actors, who've got their eczema under control. maybe a phone call to wendy's family back in the states. not distraught by any means. without it, there's no way to tell whether the suspect is telling the truth or is lying. >> i didn't know what else to do. that she would not leave her children. but that's in a person's youth which is much different than when you're married with children. it had been years since she took the van to run errands for her husband and never return, but the pain of her parents failed to return. the joneses, appearing in the newspaper accusing the family of mistreating their animals and using their land as a garbage dump. certainly there was some differences. >> we're always mindful of false confessions -- >> allegations are made all the time, i suppose. >> we had to look at all, possibilities. well, maybe she went there. we try to talk with each other every once in a while. he said, no, and especially not first thing in the morning outside my window. Snapped Georgina Misener. rinse. boomer naturals, we've got you . and reliable coverage, nationwide. >> he prided himself on being able to read people and know when -- when to held 'em, when to fold 'em. It's not yet certain if Harpaz will be back with a camera crew to film a piece for Dateline NBC, a newsmagazine driven by stories of true crime, investigative reporting, and social justice. >> she came in carrying this folder of news clippings and possible leads that were connected to her mother. >> because it had been over ten years. >> and yet they hit it off. >> probably. that's universal. >> oh, yeah. CLIP 06/06/22 . i won these bluetooth headphones for $20. >> but there was something anna didn't know. Or, did danger lurk closer to home? this was one of those people who was not going to let this go. he even transport guns, or so he thought. >> and i hear this story and think for crying out loud, she's done it again. >> she was able to get a fairly big news story happening which made the city react and get them kicked off the property. this time for almost two years. Wendy Ratte was 47-years-old when she disappeared while shopping in downtown Prince George in August of 1997. >> it was not only damaging for the joneses, it was humiliating. Husband Denis Florian Ratte is now serving a life sentence without eligibility for parole for 15 years after a jury found him guilty in November of second degree murder in her death. and brand new cars for less than $900. >> some of the victims we see are hitchhikers, also involved in drugs and organized crime or some of the folks that are sex trade workers. >> didn't help that from one interview to the next, denis appeared to change vital information about the day his wife went missing. she religion bounced searching for somewhere to belong. for all those years he told her, the police just wouldn't leave him alone. >> the jones family matriarch sent a scathing letter to the "prince george citizen," bad-mouthing wendy and her family. >> yes. -sorry. >> yeah. and the joneses could have a motive. on November 14, 2020. with us as always. a little sweater and jogging pants. coming up -- the investigation is transformed when detectives run up against a fresh and frustrating piece of evidence. >> the day after his meeting with mr. big, denis took two other undercover officers to the scene of the crime. -- >> that's cold. hope you got dental. >> when "dateline" continues. 13 years after wendy ratte disappeared. >> the joneses ruled out as suspects in the disappearance of wendy ratte. >> what? a stand mixer for less than $20. >> the proof -- first, she says, the chilling details of his alleged cold-blooded murder. -i did. i'm craig melvin. >> but denis' sister dion said that what she observed in saskatchewan when anna and gabriel were still young weren't just mood swings but something far more complicated than that. she was a completely different person. i asked, you know, do you hear gunshots all the time. >> translator: okay, where? >> translator: it was all true. Or, did danger lurk closer to home? >> everything else i did was just mechanical motion. when we use it to improve things, then that change can last within us. >> so gabriel wondered what hard evidence had police found that proved his father was guilty of murder. standard practice in unsolved cases. her father insisted he had nothing to do with it. >> translator: she didn't suffer. >> all i remember is the glint in his eye when he told me he was working again and how proud he looked. she was uninterested in anybody else besides herself. stress less and live more. now suddenly worried, denis, just as planned, had no one else to turn to except his new friends. in fact, in the very first week of the investigation, thomas had questioned him three times. he had absolutely no reason, he said, to hurt wendy or have anything to do with her disappearance. the van was locked, but denis had an extra key. It'd take an elaborate, undercover mission to finally crack this case. the goal -- to lure denis ratte into their midst and gain his trust so as to find out what he really knew about his wife's disappearance. but, when used at the first sign, abreva can get you back to being you in just 2 and a half days. an herbal stress reliever ashwagandha, that helps you turn the stressed life into your best life. so you can experience few or no symptoms. >> and he didn't. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. >> what was it like to hear that? Wendy Ratte was 47-years-old when she disappeared while shopping in downtown Prince George in August of 1997. so i think that went on to the visa, as well. >> i've been involved in investigations where we've been able to clear a person of any wrongdoing. >> anna knows all too well the truth will never replace her mother's soothing voice. i just didn't want to believe it. i've asked him more than once, why did you confess when you knew you were in front of a police officer? >> denis could no longer be the family's strong, stable protector. >> translator: i said it there? >> you looked out there and you saw everybody else who -- in the family who disagreed with you. this was a person in your community. >> what did all of that feel like? >> shattering. Denis Ratte then leaned forward and listened intently, as Sieppert begged him to reveal where he left the body. she found some peace in that, and one day she said "let's hold hands and speak with oshanna." don't do it. >> our primary suspect and only suspect, husband denis ratte, had just about finished their investigation. she even called herself that in a letter she wrote her parents when she was just 23. there's no way he would have taken that kind of chance. Comment must not exceed 1000 characters 57.1K 9,401 Share Copy Link More. if you're honest, things will be great. >> denis ratte pleaded not guilty and recanted the confessions he made both to mr. big and to the police after his arrest. call or click now to enroll or see how your plan compares. so i went and knocked on the door, and they said no, there is nobody here. i'd never seen her yell at him like that before. >> because i think maybe then i could hear her. but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. that's one of your clear first steps in any disappearance or murder case is what's the motive. >> for wendy, very caring, loving mother. which left wendy's husband, denis. there had been no satellite watching denis on that august day back in 1997. it looks like your blood pressure's a little high. so i remember standing in line to go to the cinema, just, feeling awful, feeling the weight of what's happening and having it feel so odd that we're doing that. they're quite adamant. 555 followers. >> thomas decided to focus her investigation closer to home. >> he said she left with no money, but then in the following statement, he claims that she he gave her money. >> but the gun barrel, the bits and pieces of things, the stash places, the driver's license and. and don't forget, we offer a full 90 day money back guarantee on your first bid pack purchase. now 20 and living with a boyfriend hundreds of miles from prince george, she was determined to keep the search for her mother alive. >> dionne who had warned denis not to take the lie detector test got a call from her vastly relieved brother. you win." helps you brush in vital minerals to actively repair and strengthen enamel. He is a director and writer, known for Karmina (1996), La vie aprs l'amour (2000) and L'automne sauvage (1992). that's a piece of the tarp. >> this is the difficulty with missing person files. >> rumors of suspects nabbed by a mr. big sting had every right to cry foul said criminologist cory keenan. you're looking for a grout brush, this is -- garth, did he ask for your help? everything makes sense. >> translator: i got to put myself back there. i thought, great, he got a job. how as a teenager she ran away from home, experimented with drugs. businesses today are looking to tomorrsetting the course.ating. one that's more than just fast. Denis Ratte arrives at a moment of truth in meeting "Mr. Big", the man he believed to be an all-powerful crime boss but was really all part of an undercover operation. denis took a job at a local lumber mill. >> doctors thought wendy suffered from drug-induced manic depression. >> he said that's not wendy, that's shawna. Gabriel Adrian Avila was the culprit responsible for the rape and murder of the 22-year-old graduate student. police said, "prove it." so, uh, yeah, just a silly mistake. >> oh, and there was no question, said gabriel, his mom did feel threatened by the joneses. the main person that they alluded to wasn't even in the area. >> better? >> he got a little desperate and started gambling more and more to try to get money for the family. >> he said, i couldn't just tell them i did nothing. and gambled too much and started losing money. >> i walk there, right in there. >> and something else bothered him. there was a swamp there. Keith Morrison reports. >> his failings had been put on display. 837 miles of exquisite natural beauty winding its way past dramatic snow-capped mountains and breathtaking vistas of lush forests. the highway of tears. but even when i was there. a macbook pro for under $16. >> there. so you've got this elaborate setup. when wendy ratte disappeared, there was a hint, i would say even a strong whiff of suspicion that this was another highway of tears case. >> sure, and if your physicality and your ability to provide for your family are taken from you, that's got to be hard on the ego. there's no evidence. >> but a failed lie detector test was not enough evidence to arrest denis, let alone charge him with a crime. >> in the classroom. my hand was so good that no one was going to beat it. he was patient. she was drawn to spirituality and for a time to a little known religious group who called itself the emissaries of divine light. wendy ratte. He never did, and Sieppert urged the judge to keep her father in prison until he was dead. you'll thrive. maybe then she could speak to me. >> a technique's ingenuity is also an achilles' heel. we all see it. the police. >> just disappeared from her life. >> a mother of two disappears. >> translator: the last one, i didn't -- >> translator: honesty. Disable anytime. >> it's not unusual for us to over that kind of time frame because of animal activity and things of that nature not to find either any remains or very few remains. >> translator: yeah, but, denis, we know that you killed her. >> in fact, the mr. big undercover technique has been repeatedly upheld by canada's supreme court. so bounce forward, with comcast business. 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