Katie Beers (19 page)

Big John got a long metal pole and attached one end to the clothing bar and the other end to a hook. He dropped a dumbbell weight on the slab and started cranking. What was he
doing
?

The opening to the hole in Big John’s closet that led to the cell where he locked me for 17 days. (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

A cross-section of the tunnel Big John built leading to the bunker. It was 2’ wide by 21” high and 5’ long. (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

A camera hidden behind an air vent enabled me to see police searching for me, but they couldn’t hear me screaming for help. (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

Detective Lieutenant Dominick Varrone headed the kidnap task force. You can see my pictures, Sal’s and Big John’s on the boards behind him. (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

The coffin-sized box where John chained me within the bunker. “This is your new home,” John told me. “You are going to live here.” (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

John Esposito’s living room. You can see the baby monitor on the table. He told police it was hooked up to the main house. The other end was actually inside the bunker with me. (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

Located in the “outer” box was a video monitor for John to watch the driveway and a mini-tape recorder. I didn’t know then that he was making audio tapes of my captivity. (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

Inside the bunker, a commode was hooked up to nothing. John used it as an excuse to take me out of the small box and touch me. (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

The plywood prison was 6’ wide by 6’ high and 7’ long. Big John poured a slab of concrete and built a carport over it. Police dug it up after I was found. (Suffolk County Crime Lab)

Detective Lieutenant Dominick Varrone behind the wheel driving me to freedom. (Courtesy Newsday)

My first night of freedom, January 13, 1993. It’s a day I celebrate each year like a birthday. The start of my new life. (Courtesy: Newsday)
Newsday Cover, January 14, 1993
(Courtesy: Newsday)