48 Hours - Getting Away with Murder

Imagine the heartache when a loved one suddenly disappears but investigators can't figure out what happened, or even if there had been a crime at all? And what about deaths that authorities have dismissed as accidents but the families are sure were calculated killings? “48 Hours" Correspondents Erin Moriarty and Peter Van Sant report. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 9/6/2001. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.

Duration: 36m
Broadcast on: 10 Dec 2025
Audio Format: other

[Music] When you have someone who is missing in your life, there is no answer. [Music] They meet in a brownstone in Brooklyn, New York. I consider us all part of this lonely hearts club. The sad souls, but no one wants to be here. They didn't pay attention to her. She didn't count. Everyone here is related to a missing person. But we know that she did not, could not, and would not disappear voluntarily. And every story they tell is heartbreaking. I still feel that maybe somebody's holding her and that maybe one day they'll let her go or she'll escape. But perhaps no story is more mysterious and frightening than this woman's. I love Christine. I would choose to be with Christine over anybody. Her name is Cathy Kukka, the organizer of the group. Her sister Christine disappeared. And by now, Cathy has accepted the sad fact that her missing sister was probably murdered. What she won't accept, she says, is somebody getting away with that murder. And Cathy says she knows exactly who it is. Like, this is so horrible that, you know, I know people try to understand. But it's so horrible that people can't understand. I think the hardest part is that someone could take someone away from me. That meant so much to me and he didn't mean it and she didn't mean anything to him. Marshall, who is your favorite auntie here? In 1998, Cathy's sister Christine was 28 years old. You love your auntie, you love her? A college honors student. She worked as a waitress. She had such beautiful long run hair. And dreamed of becoming a civil rights attorney. And a lot of freckles on her nose. Well, she actually tried to scratch him off. She had a scar on her nose. Somehow, she still found time to call Cathy every day. She was such a caller because she was really a caller, always calling. I talked to her a million times. When she was with my mom, she was little. She called her mother back home in Wisconsin at least once a week. She was always forthright, honest, and she trusted. But in the weeks before her disappearance, the main topic of conversation was always the mysterious new man in Christine's life. And he was flirting with her and she was flirting back. His name is Darshanand Persad, known to everyone as Rudy. He was Christine's chemistry instructor at college. Did this sound like a big deal? Um, no, no, initially not a big deal, just that she had a crush on him. According to Christine's family, she and Rudy didn't date while he was her teacher. But when the semester ended, the relationship began. Oh, well, she thought he was so sweet and nice and like clean cut. But when Christine brought him home to meet her roommates, not everybody was as taken with Rudy. What was your first impression of Rudy?

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