Vegas dancer vanishes right before big show premiere - 20/20 ’Death of a Showgirl’ Part 1

[0:03] A Vegas showgirl is a girl who has beauty, who has talent, [0:07] who can be seductive. [0:09] You have so many women with their unique talents, [0:12] and they're bringing them to this city. [0:14] A Vegas showgirl is glamorous. [0:16] She's beautiful. [0:17] She's sexy. [0:18] She is Las Vegas. [0:22] Debbie breathes dancing. [0:24] She landed a spot on one of the strip's biggest [0:26] shows called Fantasy. [0:29] Sometimes being pretty puts you at risk. [0:33] I can tell you from personal experience [0:35] how scary Vegas can be. [0:39] Debbie was never late to practice. [0:42] She was always on time. [0:44] But then the last practice before the opening act, [0:48] Debbie didn't show up. [0:51] Red flags immediately started popping off. [0:55] We have an employee that's been missing for about 24 hours now. [0:59] We have to find her. [1:01] Could she have been taken? [1:02] Could she have been kidnapped? [1:03] Everyone knows that she would not have missed [1:06] the final dress rehearsal. [1:08] This was her dream. [1:10] And for her to not show up to rehearsal that day, [1:13] it just wasn't right. [1:16] It wasn't going to turn out good. [1:23] My name is Celeste Flores Narvaez. [1:28] My sister's name is Deborah Flores Narvaez. [1:33] She loved dancing. [1:35] It was her passion. [1:40] She loved being in the spotlight. [1:43] She loved performing. [1:45] And she loved showcasing her ability and her creativity. [1:54] Debbie decided that I'm going to pursue my dream of dancing [2:00] and acting and modeling. [2:04] And she moved to Las Vegas. [2:18] Las Vegas is a city of lights and spectacle and major entertainment. [2:26] Debbie wanted to conquer the world. [2:28] I remember right when she moved to Vegas, she was posting auditions. [2:32] She was posting tryouts. [2:33] She could do jazz. [2:34] She could do hip hop, ballet. [2:36] She was so graceful, but she had so much personality in her movement. [2:41] Debbie's ultimate goal in Las Vegas was just like the rest of us, [2:45] to star in a big Las Vegas show. [2:50] She wanted to learn ballroom, theatrical arts, and also a Vegas showgirl style. [2:57] She looked good in her costume, in a real tight bikini, a real sexy body. [3:02] Sex sells in Las Vegas. [3:04] If you're not sexy, you're not going to get hired. [3:09] Debbie had that Vegas showgirl quality, and she was a hard worker. [3:13] So when Debbie lands that coveted role as a background dancer on Fantasy, [3:17] it is a dream come true. [3:19] When Debbie got a part in Fantasy at the Luxor, she called all of us. [3:23] She was so excited. [3:24] She couldn't stop talking about it. [3:27] Fantasy is an institution in Vegas. [3:30] It's one of the strip's most popular burlesque shows. [3:33] It's lasted decades, and it features dance performances with top musical artists. [3:38] I was so proud of her, so proud of her, because she just felt as if she was now [3:43] on the same playing field as many of us featured in major productions in Las Vegas. [3:51] Debbie's ambition doesn't stop at Fantasy. [3:54] Well, she starts out as a background dancer. [3:56] Debbie quickly earns her way to the front of the dance line and has a solo alongside [4:02] Grammy-nominated artist, Sisko. [4:05] Debbie called and told me she was excited because she was going to be doing the show [4:09] with Sisko. [4:10] And we all know Sisko as this dynamic entertainer. [4:14] He's so talented, so popular, and his song, The Thong Song, was everywhere. [4:21] The Thong Song was the biggest hit top 100. [4:35] Dancing as a soloist with the pop star Sisko is the biggest break of Debbie's career. [4:46] Debbie and Sisko, shown here, practice for weeks to perfect their routine. [4:51] They practiced to make sure that they got the roll down. [4:56] There's a part where I think he has to, like, smack her on her butt. [5:02] And he kind of, like, patted it, and she was like, no, no, no, no, no. [5:05] You got to smack it. [5:07] They had practice that day, and then they took a break. [5:20] Everyone went home, and they were to reunite back that night so they could have a final [5:26] practice before the red carpet opening. [5:30] The final rehearsal is going to be at midnight, very, very normal for a Las Vegas show. [5:38] And Debbie didn't show up. [5:39] I'm like, this is not right. [5:48] It's not right at all. [5:49] There's no way she's going to give up her dream opportunity and not show up for rehearsals. [5:55] It was just so surprising because Debbie is a very timely and professional person. [6:00] Everybody was looking for her, all the dancers. [6:03] Debbie doesn't just miss midnight rehearsal. [6:05] She can't be found. [6:07] And when she doesn't show up to the premiere, the show has to replace her. [6:12] I get a call from my mom, and she says, hey, I'm worried. [6:15] I haven't heard from your sister. [6:18] I've been trying to call her. [6:20] I immediately called my sister, and it went straight to voicemail. [6:26] And I sent her a Facebook message, and I said, hey, mom and dad are looking for you. [6:33] Just please call them back. [6:38] As fantasy goes on without her, Debbie has not been heard from for 24 hours. [6:43] Nobody knew anything. [6:44] I decided to call her roommate, who then told me, I put a missing report out on your sister. [6:50] I haven't heard from her. [6:52] This is serious. [6:53] Missing report? [6:56] And who is the person you defile it on? [6:59] My roommate. [7:01] Okay. [7:02] How long has it been since you saw this person? [7:05] 28 hours. [7:06] Sunday night. [7:07] I don't know. [7:08] Like 7 o'clock. [7:09] And what is this person's name? [7:15] Debbie Flores. [7:18] I started getting anxious. [7:25] I went on her Facebook, and I put a message out saying, if anybody's heard from my sister, [7:33] just let me know. [7:34] Debbie without a phone or her social media was unheard of. [7:40] She was so very active on social media. [7:43] She had a Facebook account with so many fans, and she took pictures every night. [7:49] And that was a dangerous thing to do because you're letting thousands of people know where [7:54] you work. [7:55] It can be very, very, very dangerous for many showgirls in Las Vegas. [8:01] These women are exposing themselves physically to much of male audiences. [8:09] I was certain that someone had snatched her. [8:11] One of her fans, maybe someone was rejected and decided to maybe seek revenge. [8:18] She's a beautiful woman. [8:19] She's a dancer. [8:20] She's missing. [8:21] Surveillance footage of Debbie leaving her apartment, walking out into the Vegas night [8:28] where she disappears without a trace.