Jessica Gonzales did everything the system told her to do. She got a restraining order against her estranged husband. Colorado law said police had to enforce it — the word "shall" was written right into the statute.

So when her three daughters went missing on the night of June 22, 1999, Jessica called Castle Rock police. And called them again. And again — nine times over the course of ten hours, showing officers the order and telling them exactly where her husband was. Each time, she was told to wait.

This episode kicks off a new Question Arc: if we can recognize danger before it becomes deadly, why don't we act on it?

Jessica's case is where we're starting — not with the Supreme Court decision that would eventually make Castle Rock v. Gonzales a landmark case, but with the night itself, hour by hour, exactly as she lived it.

We're holding the rest for Part 2. Because before we ask what the law required police to do, you need to understand what they actually did.

TW: Child Murder

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