Alexander Pierce stood in the hospital corridor outside Victoria's room, cell phone pressed to his ear as he absorbed the news.

"You're certain it's her?" he asked the FBI agent on the other end of the line.

"One hundred percent," came the reply. "Clear facial match in multiple video segments. We're preparing to release the footage to the media within the hour."

"I want to see it first," Alexander insisted. "Send it to my secure email ...