What is the episode about?
Hossein Nayeri is the focal point in this second episode of the podcast series Devil in the Desert , produced by ABC News. The episode titled 'Cat and Mouse' delves into the immediate aftermath of the brutal kidnapping and torture of victims Mary and Michael in October 2012. Hosts Matt Gutman and Brad Mielke reconstruct the first critical hours after Mary was found with bound hands in the relentless Mojave Desert. Listeners gain a unique insight into how California police began to connect the sadistic acts to a man with deep roots in the state's medical marijuana industry.
The case behind the episode
The case of Hossein Nayeri began when three perpetrators broke into the victims' home and abducted them to a remote area in the desert. Here, Michael and Mary were subjected to extreme violence, including the use of stun guns and a blowtorch, while the perpetrators demanded a ransom they mistakenly believed the victims had hidden. The investigation described in the episode reveals a cynical and well-planned crime, with Hossein Nayeri suspected of being the mastermind behind the operation. Along with accomplice Ryan Kevorkian, the group initially managed to escape, triggering an international manhunt that spanned several years and involved both undercover agents and wiretaps of family members.
About the podcast
Devil in the Desert is a six-part documentary true crime series that draws on the extensive archival material from ABC News' 20/20. The series stands out by bringing listeners up close to the investigation through exclusive police recordings and secretly recorded conversations from an informant who was previously close to Hossein Nayeri. Matt Gutman, ABC News' Chief National Correspondent, leads the narrative of how a dedicated wife ended up becoming the police's most important weapon in the fight to bring Nayeri to justice.