Suvechha Sarkar
The life of 9-year-old Katie Beers changed forever when she was abducted in December 1992. For 17 agonizing days, her whereabouts remained a mystery. What initially seemed to be a possible stranger abduction eventually revealed a far darker and unsettling truth. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Killer Carnies: Dungeon of Doom’ examines the details of her kidnapping and a shocking confession that ultimately saved her life. It also features interviews with Katie and the officials who tirelessly worked to bring her home.
Katie Beers’ Early Life Was Shadowed by Abuse and Abduction
Katie Beers grew up in Long Island, New York, in the early 1980s and 1990s. Her biological mother was Marilyn Beers, who left Katie in the care of her godmother, Linda, and her husband, Salvatore Inghilleri, AKA Sal. She recalled her earliest memory of her childhood, which was doing chores for them and even running to do laundry when she was just 4. Katie was close to her half-brother, John Beers, who lived with Marilyn. When Katie told him about her condition at Linda’s home, he told their mother about it. In Spring 1992, Marilyn took her away to live with her. However, it reportedly led to a tense battle between her and Linda over who got to take care of Katie.
During that time, Katie was introduced to John Esposito, AKA Big John, who was a part of the Big Brother Big Sister Program in Long Island. The program helped kids who lacked either a mother or a father figure by providing them with a role model. Katie was admittedly happy in the beginning whenever she was with John. He would even take her and her brother to Spaceplex, an indoor arcade. Two days before her birthday, on December 28, 1992, Katie went out with John and was supposed to go to the arcade. Shockingly, she went missing, and John informed the managers at Spaceplex about the situation. Around 5:15 pm, Linda received a phone call from Katie herself. In a tense voice, she said that a man kidnapped her. As the arcade prepared to close around 9 pm, with no sign of Katie, the owner finally called the police.
When officials arrived, they first questioned John, who reportedly informed them that he had taken Katie to a toy store earlier in the day. After that, they went to a nearby store to buy a Slurpee, before returning to their residence on 1416 Saxon Avenue in Bay Shore, Long Island, where they played video games. He claimed that in the end, they arrived at Spaceplex, where Katie was abducted. Initially, the toy store receipts and accounts from the arcade staff corroborated John’s statements. On the other hand, when experts analyzed the phone recording that Katie supposedly made to Linda, they discovered that it was a pre-recorded message. Detectives also found that the call came from a payphone near the arcade.
Katy Beers’ Rescue Revealed a Shocking Existence of a Secret Bunker
In the meantime, there were allegations raised against Sal for sexual assault on Katie when she was living at his house. Hence, authorities searched Sal’s home, but found nothing suspicious. Similarly, they also executed a search warrant at John’s house, which led to a dead end. However, everything changed on January 13, 1993, when John reached out to his attorney and confessed that he had abducted Katie, and she was at his home. John led the police to a dungeon, concealed by a 200‑pound concrete trapdoor meticulously hidden behind a removable bookcase. Upon removing those layers, it opened into a tunnel that led to a 6 × 7 feet space with a low ceiling and then a large bunker room. When Katie was finally rescued, she revealed that on December 28, John lured her into his house with video games and then captured her.
Katie explained that he forced her to enter the bunker room through the tunnel. According to her words on the show, John sexually assaulted her in the dungeon-like room multiple times and allegedly said he wanted to marry her. She continued that he also threatened to take her picture when she was asleep to send it to the police to make them believe that she had died. It turned out that she never went to Spaceplex on that fateful day. John was arrested on the same day and charged with first-degree kidnapping, first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree sodomy, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful imprisonment.
Similarly, Sal was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The charges stemmed from the allegations about the abuse that Katie was made to endure at his residence. He was convicted in 1994 of all charges and received a 12-year sentence reflecting the gravity of his crime. Upon his release in 2006, Sal was required to register as a sex offender before he moved to North Carolina. In 2007, he was arrested again for failing to follow the stipulation. Ultimately, on February 21, 2009, Sal passed away in a Long Island prison at 55 years of age.
Katie Beers Has Embraced Her Life as a Mother, Author, and Speaker
After her rescue, Katie’s life took a new and hopeful direction. Following the horrific incident, she was placed in foster care. Her foster parents in East Hampton, Long Island, welcomed her with open arms, raising her just like their daughter. Katie slowly began to rebuild her life, surrounded by care and stability that she had not known before. She successfully graduated from high school and then moved forward with determination to pursue a college degree in Business Management. During her college years, Katie met the love of her life and her life partner, Derek. They eventually came closer and tied the knot, embarking on their forever journey.
Katie even got the chance to witness her foster father walking her down the aisle. Together, she and her husband have built a family welcoming a handsome son and a beautiful daughter into their life. Becoming a mother gave her a sense of fulfilment she had long dreamt of. Since Katie was 10, she wanted to share her story. When Carolyn Gusoff, who once covered her abduction, approached her about her follow-up on her journey, Katie suggested writing a book together instead. That collaboration ultimately led to the creation of the book, ‘Buried Memories: Katie Beers’ Story,’ published on January 13, 2013.
Today, Katie is not just a survivor but also an author, motivational speaker, wife, and mother. In November 2019, she spoke about her connection to The Child Advocacy Center and organizations that now reflect her life’s mission: to help protect and support other children facing trauma. While speaking about her traumatic past, Katie admitted, “You never fully recover. It’s with me every day, but it’s something I’ve learned to cope with.” As of writing, Katie is embracing every little joy of her life and is using her voice to inspire others.
John Esposito Passed Away from Natural Causes in Custody
On June 16, 1994, John Esposito pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping. In return, the prosecutors dropped the other charges against him, which included sexual assault, to spare Katie from testifying. On July 26, 1994, he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. Despite not being formally charged with rape, both Katie and the sentencing judge reportedly affirmed that sexual abuse occurred during her captivity. He applied for parole several times from 2007 onwards, but they were denied. During his parole hearing in 2007, John reportedly made his first admission of sexual misconduct and acknowledged that he kissed Katie.
John’s last parole was reviewed during his hearing on September 4, 2013. Shortly after that, on the same day, he passed away, reportedly of natural causes. During his death, he was 64 years old, and the authorities confirmed that no foul play was involved. Reflecting on the matter, Katie wrote, “I have to say that I’m not saddened by John’s passing – I’m saddened for his remaining family – they lost John a long time ago, but now they’ve lost him forever.” Katie’s words captured the finality of a chapter that once defined her life but no longer controls it.
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