Kriti Mehrotra
NBC’s ‘Dateline: Into the Night’ chronicles the 2016 disappearance and murder of 23-year-old Kaylee Sawyer, who, after an argument with her boyfriend, Camron Reimhofer, stormed off into the night, never to return again. Her disappearance led to an intense manhunt for the suspect after it came to light that in just a few days, he went from having no criminal record to embarking on a two-state crime spree, destroying the lives of many along the way. Thankfully, though, the assailant, Edwin Lara, was swiftly caught and brought to justice. So now, if you’re here curious to know more about him and his whereabouts, we’ve got you covered.
Who Is Edwin Lara?
Back in 2016, Edwin Enoc Lara, born in 1985, was working as a part-time security guard at the Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon, where he was allowed to drive a security patrol vehicle. It is still unknown how or why, but in the early hours of July 24, he somehow managed to get Kaylee Sawyer in the trunk of the vehicle and trapped her inside by using child locks. Then, according to various reports, he took her to a remote area on campus, where he brutally raped and murdered her before driving away to dump her body elsewhere.
Edwin seemed a bit quiet to his wife as the day went on, so she questioned him about it the following morning, and that’s when he broke down and made up a story about accidentally killing a woman. He then grabbed his wife’s 9 mm gun and left the house. During the next nearly 24 hours, Edwin kidnapped and carjacked 19-year-old Aundreah Elizabeth Maes, making her drive to California, where he first shot a man, Jack Levy, in the abdomen in a motel before stealing another car, with a woman and her two grandsons still inside.
Edwin told all his hostages that he killed Kaylee in Bend and fired at Jack. Then, he dropped off the woman and her two grandsons at the side of the road, unharmed. He kept Aundreah next to him at all times and even made her record a video of him to post on Facebook, which he told her to caption “Murderer on the loose and kidnapped.” In it, he spoke about all his crimes and asked the authorities not to kill him. He even recorded a live Facebook video during his run from the police. Here’s a clip of it.
After posting the video, next, Edwin called his wife Isabel, who pleaded with Edwin to turn himself in. Soon after, he called 911 and told them that he wanted to turn himself in. Some minutes later, he pulled over as the police surrounded his car and ultimately apprehended him.
Where Is Edwin Lara Today?
During his interrogation, Edwin admitted that he always had the “urge to kill,” but was able to control it because of his wife, Isabel Ponce-Lara. But little did he know that Isabel, a Bend Police Officer herself, had gone to the authorities to report Edwin’s confession as soon as he left their home. That way, the officers already had more than enough evidence against him. After all, they had recovered a blood-stand rock and Kaylee’s purse, containing her high heels, black wallet, passport, and credit cards from the couple’s shed. Then there was also the fact that they found large amounts of dried blood in Edwin’s car.
Edwin was initially indicted on four counts of aggravated murder in Kaylee’s abduction, rape, and killing case. But in January of 2018, to avoid the death penalty, he pleaded guilty to one count each of aggravated murder and robbery, getting sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He did not ever admit to sexually assaulting the 23-year-old. Therefore, today, Edwin Enoc Lara, at the age of 35, is incarcerated at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton, Oregon. It is an all-male, medium-security state facility, where Edwin will remain for the rest of his natural life.
Read More: Where Is Aundreah Elizabeth Maes Now?
