Devil in the Desert

A neighbor who sees something odd outside her window leads investigators to their first clue.

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In October 2012, a man is found brutally tortured in the Mojave Desert — setting off a decade-long chase to bring the perpetrators to justice.

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In 2012, a woman was found with her hands bound in the Mojave Desert. She led authorities to a grisly crime scene where a barbaric attack had taken place. This moment marked the beginning of an international manhunt and a sting operation that turned a once-devoted wife into an informant.

Authorities zeroed in on the so-called mastermind behind the attack: Hossein Nayeri, a charming man who had ties to the emerging medical marijuana industry in California. Told with police tapes, secretly recorded informant calls and footage of a prison break, “Devil in the Desert" unravels a crime so brutal that it still haunts investigators today.

"Devil in the Desert" is a six-part series from 20/20 and ABC Audio. Follow the show for weekly episodes on Tuesdays.

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