A Brave Child Speaks Up

On May 23, 2000, a brave 12-year-old girl walked into the Weld County Sheriff's Office in Colorado and relayed a story that is all-too-familiar to sex crimes investigators.

The girl told investigators that for the past year-and-a-half, her stepfather had been sexually assaulting her.  In gruesome detail, this girl told authorities what he did to her and provided one key piece of information: the stepfather, Eric Dahlman, had used condoms during the sexual assaults.

Based on this young girl's testimony, cops raided Dahlman's Ft. Lupton home and found evidence confirming the girl's story.  The most damning evidence were used condom wrappers inside the house, even though Dahlman claimed he hadn't been sexually active in a while.  Before cops could catch up to Dahlman, though, he was on the run.

Detective Tracks Dahlman's Movements

Detective Robbie Korgan-Reed became the lead investigator on this case, tasked with tracking Eric Dahlman and she'd soon learn that was not an easy task. 

For 10 months, there was no sign of Dahlman, but a call from law enforcement in Missouri would give Detective Korgan-Reed the jump start she'd need.

Apparently, Dahlman had been living in a motel in Mt. Vernon, Mo. but was behind on his payments. When cops arrived to evict him, they say he fled out a bathroom window. 

Focusing the investigation on Missouri, the determined detective began searching the areas she figured her fugitive would frequent. Her first step was contacting the Missouri Department of Conservation because she knew Dahlman was an avid fisherman.  Sure enough, he'd applied for a one-day license on March 27, 2000, just five days after he'd fled Colorado.  But that's where the trail from Missouri ended.

Had Dahlman Fled West?

For two and a half years, the trail for Dahlman was cold as ice until another sighting took the investigation back west.

An acquaintance of Dahlman's was vacationing in New Mexico with her family and wandered into a gift shop at the White Sands National Monument.  That's where they say she saw Eric Dahlman. He was tanned, but besides that, he looked the same. The witness also mentioned that Dahlman was in with an Indian woman. 

By the time that information reached Det. Korgan-Reed's desk, it was old information.

Dahlman's Alleged Antics End His Run From Justice

In early May, the Nixa, Mo. Police Department received a call from a woman, claiming her boyfriend, a man named Eric Hinchley, had molested her daughter.

Detective John Huff began his investigation into the man. Huff was provided a date of birth and Social Security Number for Hinchley, and when none of the information matched up, Detective Huff there was more to this story than he originally thought.

The investigation continued and finally, on June 16, 2008, the Nixa Police Department caught up with the mysterious man.  Again, he provided a suspicious identification that Huff didn't buy for a second.

Huff tells America's Most Wanted that he gave the man 10 minutes to come clean with his real name, and it was only then that Detective Huff learned the man he was staring at was Eric Dahlman.  Shortly after that, he realized that the man he had in custody had appeared on AMW. Now, Dahlman faces charges in a number of states.