In 1971, John List left a note with the bodies of his mother, wife, and three children in his mansion ballroom, funeral organ music blaring from a central sound system, and disappeared. Eighteen years later, all detectives had to work from is an outdated photograph of List. In 1989, the popular television series America's Most Wanted commissioned an age-scaled bust of List to aid viewers in identifying the confessed murderer. Dr. Frank Bender, nationally-recognized artist and sculptor, worked with forensic psychologist Richard Walter to develop a profile of the aging List.

An einem Sommertag wird das Haus des Polizisten Matt Bachmeier durch ein Feuer komplett zerstört. Die Ermittler vermuten Brandstiftung, zumal an eine Wand des Hauses in großen Lettern die Worte „Rios lebt“ gesprüht wurden.