Saturday, Jan. 19 was the last day anyone saw Brianna Denison before she vanished.

The day started with Brianna puttering around her mom's house in sweats, doing laundry, staying grungy. Later, she and her mom Bridgette went to the movies and caught "27 Dresses," a chick flick they both enjoyed. That evening Bri was supposed to head out for a second night of music and parties with her friends. But she had both a cold and some second thoughts.

Bridgette Denison: She was thinking about not going out. And I said, "You can be sick tomorrow. You really like this band."

Brianna got her things together. At about 9 pm, she went into her mom's bedroom and gave her a hug goodbye.

Bridgette Denison: She had a big bag on and she was still in her grungy clothes. And I’m, like, you know, “What are you doing?" and she said that she was going to change at her friend’s house to go out.

And then a final exchange: Bri, who was once again planning to spend the night at her girlfriend KT Hunter's place, asked her mom if she wanted Bri to check in with her at the end of the night.

Bridgette Denison: Because she always called or text to let me know she was home.

Josh Mankiewicz: And you said?

Bridgette Denison: I said "no" because I knew where she was staying.

By 10 pm that night, Bri and her friend KT were at the concert -- and having a blast.

KT Hunter: She wanted to get close to the front and enjoy it. We pushed our way to the front. We had so much fun dancing and stuff.

At some point between 12:30 and 1 a.m., KT and Bri hooked up with another girlfriend, Jessica Deal. All three left the concert together on a shuttle bus.

Jessica Deal: I actually got a picture of her when we were driving. We were riding the bus. And that was the last picture, I think, that was taken of her.

The bus took them back to downtown Reno. It's familiar turf for the young women who went to college nearby -- and for Jaclyn O’Malley, crime reporter for the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Jaclyn O’Malley: Downtown Reno is not necessarily a safe place to be at night. A lot of drug trouble. Meth addicts. Robbers.

Bri and her friends were dropped off at the Sands Regency Casino Hotel, ground zero for the college party crowd that weekend.

Jessica Deal: Every room was filled with college students. It was just really fun to walk around and see everyone mingle.

As KT recalls, it was all good fun -- and good vibes.

Josh Mankiewicz: During that time, meet anybody new? Anybody that later seemed suspicious to you?

KT Hunter: There was nobody we met or anything that seemed suspicious.

Bri, 19, and her friends were drinking. KT says Bri had a couple, but she wasn't out-of-control drunk that night -- because, KT says, Bri was never out-of-control drunk.

Josh Mankiewicz: She knew what she was doing?

KT Hunter: She was-- most of the time-- wouldn't even drink with her friends when she went she out. But she was perfectly sober.

About 2 a.m., Jessica decided to leave the party and head back to KT’s place to crash. She said good night to her friends, went outside, and decided to flag down a guy driving an SUV in the parking lot -- a total stranger -- to get a ride home.

Jessica Deal: I could have probably easily walked. But it was freezing. So I just got a ride from the parking lot. Someone was leaving. It was a bad idea.

KT and Bri had breakfast at a casino diner. Then a friend dropped them off at KT’s home. It was about 3:30 a.m. At the house, Brianna made a fateful decision: instead of sharing a crowded bed with Jessica and KT as she had the night before, she opted for the living room couch.

KT Hunter: She wanted to text her boyfriend and maybe even call him because they were fighting at the time. … So, she's, like, "you know what? I'll just sleep on the couch.” So, I get her pillows, blankets, and she kind of just goes on the couch.

The couch was a few feet from the front door. And the front door was glass-paned, giving anyone on the street an easy view of the couch. And that night, the front door was unlocked, which was not unusual at 1395 Mackey Court.

KT Hunter: It was kind of like a hotel. We all lock our individual doors. But the living room's kind of just the lobby that we just kind of left it unlocked in case someone forgot their keys.

Around 4 a.m., KT said good night to her friend and went into her bedroom, right next to the living room.

KT Hunter: And I’d -- last words were, "if you need anything, just come in my room."

At 4:23 a.m., Brianna text messaged her boyfriend in Oregon. Exactly what happened after that in the pre-dawn hours of a 24-hour town -- a town with a big heart and a seedy center -- exactly what happened to a lovely college sophomore that morning of Jan. 20 was a mystery because by 9:00 a.m., the couch was empty. Brianna Denison had vanished.

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