In November 2000 Michelle René, a bank manager, was held hostage with her 7-year-old daughter Bree and forced to rob the bank where she worked in Vista, California. Take a behind-the-scenes look at some of the evidence that helped investigators crack the case.
Single Mom
In 2000, Renee was a single mother working as a bank branch manager. 48 Hours’ Tracy Smith asked her about her life at the time.
“You know, I was…in that single mom woman,” Renee said. “I managed a bank and made a career out of it. I liked where I lived. I really loved my job.”
Hacking
Renee lived in Vista, California with her daughter Bree and a roommate. On the night of November 21, 2000, Renee and Bree were at home on the couch when three masked gunmen dressed in all black burst into the house through the back door. They pointed the weapon at the heads of Renee and the 7-year-old and knocked them to the floor.
They were held captive with adhesive tape
The gunmen tied up Renee and Bree with duct tape. Renee remembered hearing Bria ask, “Are you going to kill my mom? Are you going to kill me?’ One of the men said, “No, not if your mother does everything we tell her to do.”
Rene says that one of the masked men who talked the most turned out to be the mastermind. He told her that they had been following her for months. They knew where Renee worked and wanted her to rob their bank the next morning
Dynamite
The intruders held Michelle and Bree Renee and their roommate hostage all night. They went over a game plan to rob the bank and threatened to kill them if Michelle didn’t follow their instructions. In the morning, the men covered Renee, her daughter and their roommate with what they said was dynamite.
“you will fall apart”
The intruders showed Renee something that looked like a doorbell. She says she was told it was a detonation device and if she got it wrong, they could set off the dynamite. According to René, the ringleader told them, “If you try to escape, you’ll fall apart. If you try anything funny, you’ll all be killed.”
Behave yourself
Michelle René drove her Jeep to shore with the ringleader in her back seat. He held the gun to her side as she drove and told her, “Do whatever you would normally do.”
With dynamite on her back, Renee waited for the Brinks truck. She had her usual briefcase, but inside it was a duffel bag that she had been told to fill with money from the vault. As soon as the Brinks truck arrived, she grabbed her briefcase and headed for storage. She stuffed the money into the duffel bag as quickly as possible
Take the money and go
A few minutes later, Renee emerged from the bank with $360,000 and handed it to the warden, who was waiting in his Jeep. He told her where to go, took the money and said, “…go straight home. Don’t go to the bank. Don’t call the police. Nothing.”
Renee ran home to find Bree and their roommate safe and sound. The men took the dynamite off their backs and left the house. But the mastermind forgot about the dynamite on Rene’s back.
Fake dynamite
Renee, Bree and their roommate ran to the nearest neighbor, who called 911, and authorities soon arrived. The group of bombers quickly determined that the dynamite they had been threatening had been fake all along. It appeared to be nothing more than cut up brooms painted red, tied with wire and tape, made to look like real dynamite.
Survive trauma
After the kidnapping and robbery, Renee and her daughter were sent to a hotel. They will never again live in the house where they were held hostage. But investigators later asked Michelle to return to the house and walk through the events of the night of the break-in and the bank robbery the next morning.
Photo of reconstruction with dynamite
Prosecutor Tom Manning said Renee’s story of what happened matched that of her roommate and Bree. Investigators also recovered the fake sticks of dynamite and re-tied them to the backs of Michelle, Bree and Kimbra. They were photographed to later be used in court.
“get this card”
During the hostage-taking situation, Rene recognized the mastermind in his eyes – he had been in the bank a few hours before the break-in, pretending to be a customer. He talked to Renee about opening a new account and even left his business card. After the robbery, she says she told investigators, “Check my desk. Get this card.” The name on the card was Christopher Butler.
Traffic stop, arrest
Christopher Butler and Lisa Ramirez were arrested during a traffic stop on December 1, 2000. In the trunk and glove compartment of the car, police found several incriminating evidence, including Michelle Rene’s credit cards, bank money straps, a BB gun that looked like the real gun Rene described , a duffel bag used to remove money from the bank, black clothing and ski masks similar to those described by Renee.
“Money One”
During the hours they were hostages, Renee heard the ringleader talking to the woman on the walkie-talkie. Renee said they called each other “Money One” and “Money Two.” Renee says she recognizes the voice. It was Lisa Ramirez and she had been at the bank with Christopher Butler earlier that day. In an interview with investigators, Ramirez confirmed that it was her voice on the walkie-talkie.
Christopher Butler
During police questioning, Butler denied involvement in the bank robbery and tried to protect Ramirez. But Ramirez implicated Butler and the other suspects. She also told police that it was her idea to use fake dynamite and kidnap the bank manager to pull off the bank robbery.
Christopher Huggins
During the interview, investigators also identified two other men who were holding Michelle and Bree Renee hostage. One such person was Christopher Huggins. His arrest records confirm that investigators recovered $93,000, part of his share of the stolen money.
Robert Ortiz
A fourth suspect, Robert Ortiz, was on the run. Investigators determined it was the masked man who put the gun to Bree’s head, and evidence showed he was the one who helped the men acquire the weapons. Ortiz was arrested in February 2001 in Wisconsin.
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/michelle-renee-evidence-kidnapped-threatened-with-dynamite-photos/
