Dateline: Into The Night – Who was Edwin Lara and what do we know about his crimes? Details from the true crime episode, explored

Dateline turned its lens on one of Oregon's most harrowing cases in Into The Night, spotlighting a name that's become impossible to forget: Edwin Lara. In July 2016, Lara, a seemingly ordinary campus security guard, took a dark turn that left a community in shock and a family in mourning.

In 72 hours, he went from a trusted authority figure to a man behind a chilling killing and a multi-state crime spree.

So who really was Edwin Lara, and why was he on Dateline? What exactly happened in those terrifying few days? The answers are as disturbing as they are unforgettable.

Dateline: Into The Night – The quiet man behind the badge

For those who knew Edwin Lara, nothing about him screamed danger. He worked security at Central Oregon Community College and lived in Bend, Oregon, with his wife, Isabel, who was in training to join the police force.

But on July 24, 2016, Lara's uniform and patrol car became a trap for 23-year-old Kaylee Sawyer, who was walking alone after a late-night argument with her boyfriend. In what appeared to be a routine offer of help, Lara convinced Sawyer to get into his car.

Only later did police discover the child locks were engaged and a security divider had her sealed inside. That night, Lara drove her to a deserted lot, s*xually assaulted her, and killed her.

According to Dateline, her body was discovered two days later off a highway in Redmond. Lara, meanwhile, had already fled. He didn't tell his wife the truth but admitted he'd "hit a woman with his car."

She immediately went to the police. When law enforcement searched their home, they found blood-stained items, Sawyer's purse, and a clump of her hair. By the time they located his phone signal, Lara had made his way to Salem.

Dateline covers a trail of violence from Oregon to California

After escaping Bend, Lara didn't disappear quietly. In Salem, he carjacked a woman named Aundreah Maes at gunpoint. He told her he was a police officer and even showed her news coverage of Sawyer's murder.

Lara kept Maes hostage as they drove south toward California. In a hotel stop in Cottage Grove, he handcuffed her, gave her sleeping pills, and made s*xually suggestive advances. Fearing police were closing in, he fled again - with Maes still in tow.

As per Dateline, in the early hours of July 26, in Yreka, California, Lara tried stealing a car from an elderly man named Jack Levy. When Levy resisted, Lara shot him in the stomach. The chaos continued as Lara dragged Maes on foot to a gas station, where he hijacked a car with a grandmother and two teens inside.

During the ride, he casually confessed he had "an urge to kill" and admitted to both the Oregon murder and the Yreka shooting. After dropping the family off, Lara pressed on southbound with Maes, leaving behind a wake of terror.

“I Came to Throw Down”: The arrest and aftermath

According to Dateline, when California Highway Patrol finally caught up with him, Lara didn't resist. He dialed 911 himself. In that 13-minute call, Lara told dispatcher Rebecca Dutton he was wanted for killing Sawyer and driving at 120 mph.

He claimed it was an accident, then apologized to Sawyer's family, adding he'd tell police where her body was. But his tone lacked remorse.

He even described what he was wearing - body armor and advised officers to search him thoroughly. When Sgt. Adam Battle arrested him, Lara made a bizarre statement: "I came to throw down."

As Dateline puts it, later in court, Lara pleaded guilty to the murder and kidnapping charges. In 2018, he received a life sentence in Deschutes County. A year later, he was handed another life sentence at the federal level for the carjacking and kidnapping of Maes.

Fallout and justice for Kaylee

While Lara remains behind bars for life, Kaylee Sawyer's story didn't end in silence. Her family pushed for accountability and change. Central Oregon Community College faced a federal lawsuit and paid $2 million to her loved ones for failing to vet Lara properly and for allowing their security vehicles to resemble police cruisers. That trust is what got Kaylee into the car that night.

In 2019, Oregon passed "Kaylee's Law" to prevent this from happening again. The law bans campus security from using patrol cars or uniforms that can be confused for real law enforcement. It also mandates GPS tracking and video monitoring in such vehicles.

As Deschutes County DA John Hummel once put it, Lara:

"confessed to virtually everyone he encountered"

And yet, the question of why remains unanswered. Lara once said he had an "urge to kill." Lt. Eric Beckwith, who worked the case, summed it up in one line:

"It's the most evil person you've ever met."

Edwin Lara's crimes, spotlighted in Dateline: Into The Night, serve as a grim reminder of how evil can hide behind a uniform. His calculated actions shattered families and forced a community to face hard truths.

While justice was delivered, the scars left behind by Lara's choices continue to still ring even today.

Also read: Dateline: Into The Night – Who was Kaylee Sawyer and what happened to her? Disturbing details of the 2016 homicide, revisited.

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