Without a Trace

48 Hours

CBS News

True Crime, News, Tv & Film, Cbs

3.9 • 7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Esther Reed was a small-town girl from Montana, but from 1999-2008, she lived a double life. She assumed at least four different identities and went by the names Natalie Fisher, Natalie Bowman, Brook Henson and Jennifer Myers. She conned her way into Harvard and Columbia universities and stole over $100,000 in student loans. She evaded authorities for years but her crimes would eventually catch up with her. “48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 11/12/2011. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	NPR's Throughline podcast sort of feels like stepping into a time machine.
0:06.1	Each episode, our Peabody Award-winning show travels beyond the headlines to answer the question, how did we get here?
0:13.7	Listen to one of Apple's favorite podcasts of 2024 by searching for ThruLine on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app.
0:35.7	My intention was never ever to hurt anybody. My intention was never ever to hurt anybody.
0:40.3	Esther Reed has a highly intelligent individual.
0:48.3	My mom used to say that I could tell Ice to Eskimos. I could really do that.
0:53.3	The problem with Esther Reed is you don't know what's real
0:56.8	and you don't know what's not real.
0:58.3	That's something that can definitely be used
1:00.0	to manipulate and to hurt people.
1:01.8	I certainly could do it.
1:04.9	Like the character and catch me if you can.
1:06.9	I was also wondering if I could write you a personal check.
1:09.9	Esther Reed was able to manufacture identities and convincingly live in those identities.
1:14.6	Oh, the medical school?
1:16.6	She was able to fabricate fraudulent marriage certificates and birth certificates.
1:21.6	That is a woman I knew in college as Natalie Fisher.
1:24.6	She told me that she was going by Bowman.
1:26.6	This is a woman that completely reinvented herself.
1:30.3	From being a chubby Montana high school dropout to an attractive Ivy League co-ed,
1:37.3	able to con her way into Harvard, into Columbia, going to military balls at West Point.
1:43.3	She is certainly not above using her feminine wiles
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -23 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CBS News, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of CBS News and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.