Capture The Queen

She's Young, She's A Con, And She Is Evading Law Enforcement

(CBS)  As an adjunct student, Esther didn't need a transcript to be admitted. But she made another curious move, switching her name from Natalie Fisher to Natalie Bowman.

"She had told me that her name was Natalie Fisher and she discovered that she was adopted," remembers Esther’s roommate, medical student Bita Shaghagi. "When she found her biological parents and their last name was Bowman, which is why she told me that she was going by Bowman."

Bita found Esther aloof at first. But their relationship blossomed when Bita revealed that her mother had died of cancer, just like Esther's.

In time, they became as close as sisters. Bita says "Natalie" was everything you'd want in a friend. "She was great to talk to. Very good listener. I just miss her…I really love my friend."

Esther seemed to have found a place that was right for her at Cal State: she took her studies seriously and excelled on the debate team. But in the spring of 2003, Esther surprisingly retreated, leaving Cal State and going back on the road to make more mystery money.

"And what was she doing in that time?" Van Sant asks Bita.

"We assumed that she was playing chess. That's what she told us, that she was traveling around playing chess tournaments," Bita explains.

Bita and Esther remained friends but later that year, Esther told Bita she had to change her name again. Her story this time? She claimed she was being stalked by a family member.

The new name would be "Brooke Henson." A new stage of Esther’s strange game was about to begin.

"How does Esther Reed find Brooke Henson's name to begin with?" Van Sant asks Det. Campbell.

"It’s not hard to find Brooke Henson's name," the detective replies. "You can go look through missing persons Web sites, find somebody you look like. That person's been missing for seven or eight years. They're probably dead. They're not using their identity. I think I'll help myself to it."

The elegance of Esther's game has piqued Campbell's interest. He wonders if she's connected to Brooke's disappearance. Campbell says he'd like to catch her. "Technically, she is a suspect until we can clear her," he explains.

48 Hours also wanted to find Esther to learn how someone can stay underground in a post-9/11 world. We hired private investigator Steven Rambam, a specialist in missing person's cases who has hunted everyone from deadbeat dads to fugitive Nazis.

Rambam first headed to Esther's last known address, the Manhattan apartment where she was living as Brooke Henson.

When Esther fled in 2006, her landlord photographed her abandoned belongings. Most have been discarded, but Rambam recovered one crucial box - a treasure trove of documents from Esther's life as Brooke.

Starting with these documents, Rambam traced Esther's past movements, identities, and romances.

Might one of these former flames know where Esther is now? One of them is in Chicago, a former debater named Steven Donald.

Back in 2003, when Esther left Cal State Fullerton, she came here to visit Donald. Now, Rambam and a 48 Hours undercover crew visited him, too.

Rambam coaxed Donald into taking a walk. "Some of what Steven Donald tells me we’ve heard before. She’s a world class chess player. She makes over $100,000 a year at it. She’s a self described genius," Rambam explains.

Donald seemed nervous, telling Rambam Esther had a sketchy associate, known only as "Tony," who served as her protector and her muscle.

"She believed that Steven Donald owed her money. And told him that if he didn't give her the money, she'd have a guy by the name of Tony come and collect it," Rambam explains.

But Donald did not want to discuss any of that with 48 Hours, telling Van Sant on the street, "Peter, I already told your friend and pretty much anybody else who's asked that I don’t wish to speak to CBS News."

Donald did tell Van Sant that he is not in contact with Esther and that he doesn't know where she is.

Rambam also obtained Esther's cell phone records from 2003, which lead to another Chicago man named Steven Fouts.

"Steven Fouts is a convicted sexual predator, who admitted to being the owner of a cell phone that Esther Reed called repeatedly…and that repeatedly called Esther Reed," Rambam tells Van Sant.

Fouts claims his phone was borrowed by a friend called Wanda, but he offers no proof.

Travis...furthermore, the 2007 treaty between USA and Great Britain does include Isle of Man. Check page 13 of the following document...
http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/KFile/371332_CMND_7146.pdf

Travis...I wasn''t talking about the Isle of Man, I was talking about the government''s investigation.

[mona210-2009]

And just to weigh in on hearseluv''s and luvtrucrime''s debate over why Esther is getting more attention than Brooke, I agree that Esther story is unfortunately more interesting. It''s also ongoing, where as it''s pretty clear that Brooke is dead. Yes, it was extremely insensitive of Campbell to refer to her as "not good enough", but people would be making the same assumption about Esther if she hadn''t proven otherwise. Esther''s case would resemble Brooke''s - a missing person most likely dead and just as likely never to be found - if she hadn''t committed the crimes that people are finding so fascinating (before somebody reams me for my choice of words let me say that fascinating, just like compelling or intriguing, is not automatically positive - Esther Reed can be fascinating the same way OBL was intriguing to Time or Newsweek or which ever magazine it was). I''m sure that there are more missing persons cases out there than can be counted that are just as deserving of attention as Brooke''s, but not getting any period. At least Brooke is getting some national media now.

[mona210-2009]

When I first learned of Esther/Brooke''s story on CNN last winter I read a few articles online about it and I wish Van Sant had talked about/to more of Esther''s family. I remember getting the impression from the articles that her family was quite dysfunctional - Edna Strom was not her only 1/2 or step sibling - and that she had possibly been abused by family before her disappearance and by a boyfriend after. Not that this would excuse what she''s done, but it would provide a better motive than poor self-esteem.

[lauren0211]

Esther, are you reading this? Do the right thing. Stop running. It can be a lonely world out there.
There are some people who still care about you.
I wish you well, and hope you are ok and out of harms way. It is time to stop and think.

[travis_towle]

coldsteel71 - I do know what I am talking about - do a search on my name on Google... hummm that site IRAradio.com of mine was shut down by the FBI in 2001 %u2013 how would I know about an island with no extradition huh %u2013 probably because most of the IRA & Orange boys are there hiding along with other government avoiders in plain site with no fear of extradition right? So keep your comments about my comments and me not knowing facts to yourself or do your own research.

[hearseluv]

luvtrucrime, I can say a lot about Brooke.
1. She is missing
2. She is loved by her family and they are doing everything possible to find her
3. The TRPD didn''t care about Brooke in 1999 and Jon Campbell proved that with his laugh and statement Campbell says, "I don''t think Brooke was good enough to run away, to disappear entirely with a tenth grade education and drop off the face of the earth and not leave any trail." (Btw..he is no longer with the TRPD)
If you wasn''t so wrapped up in Esther you would know the answers to your questions.

[luvtrucrime]

ok, but what can you say about brooke? there seems to be so little information. why are the police not hammering away at the boyfriend that she fought with the last night she was seen? what is his history? are they looking for any other suspects? who saw them fighting and was that person(s) questioned?
and a question about esther reed. is she the next sante kimes?

[hearseluv]

What is wrong with you people???? Brooke Henson is MISSING!! Her family is no closer to knowing the truth today than they were 8 years ago. Who cares about Esther Reed???!!!! Her family knows she is alive. I''m sick of hearing about Esther. It''s time people stopped glorifying this con-artist. She is a CRIMINAL!

[rashid821]

This is a fascinating story! I bet it would be a box office hit when done on a big screen.

Travis...you have no idea what you are talking about. Until you have your facts straight, you should probably keep your comments to yourself.

[diallosma]

I just wanted to share a little of my story to show CBS just how someone could stay on the run for years. At 18 I started making money by illegal means. At 20 I got caught but after I bailed out I changed my name and "went on the run." Vermont you can get a license in one day but you can in North Carolina too. So I got a license in N.C. but got a new one same name in Kentucky. Made up SSN and lease will get you an ID in almost any state (I won''t share the details :)) Every time I moved I changed SSN and disconnected phone and left no forwarding address. As simple as that I was a fugitive for 3 yrs. Like the man said "it''s a lonely life." I did get caught but it was after I had quit the illegal stuff and had my son. It was inevitable just a matter of how and when the right time was. She will get caught eventually but most likely it will just be because she''s tired of looking over her shoulder.

[luvtrucrime]

hmmmmmm! now which one of you writing a comment is esther reed?

[ken_sch]

The thing that get''s me is that people would buy the story that she was making all this money playing in chess tournaments.

[kurtisvlaurl]

At the 2007 Oregon Country Fair (Veneta, Oregon) there was a woman whose faced looked a lot like Esther Elizabeth Reed''s face at the clothing optional sauna and showers. She was beautiful. I really thought it odd she was with an old man. It didn''t register with me then why a woman young and beautiful would be with such an old man?, but I guess it makes sense if she was conning money for a living. At least that didn''t stop her from giving me an elaborate massage.

I am highly disappointed with the story about Esther Reed/Brooke Henson. You did not cover the Brooke aspect in enough detail. You asked viewers to come forward with any information that could help to find Esther. Why was there no such request for information that could lead the police to Brooke? There was also no mention of the $12,000 reward money available for information that leads to finding Brooke. Esther''s family knows that she is ALIVE and a FUGITIVE. Brooke''s family is no closer to getting her disappearance solved. Jon Campbell''s comment about Brooke being a dropout and not being "good enough" to disappear should not have aired. After all, Esther is also a high school dropout. What makes Esther better than Brooke? The story seemed to treat Brooke as a footnote in Esther''s status as a criminal. It is Esther who should have been used as a footnote in the disappearance of Brooke. You could have done so much more to help find Brooke. Here is an idea, Make another show to showcase Brooke. I''m sure you have enough footage that was cut from Esther''s show. Why didn''t you use your high dollar detective to help find Brooke? Help Brooke''s family - FIND BROOKE!