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Disturbing True Crime Stories For Sleep / Relax With Rain Sound | Black Screen | Vol. 4
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Jun 5, 2025
Disturbing True Crime Stories for Sleep | Relaxing Rain Sounds | Black Screen 🖤 Unwind with spine-chilling true crime stories paired with soothing rain sounds and a black screen — perfect for nighttime listening, relaxation, or falling asleep. These real, disturbing cases are narrated in a calm tone, helping you relax while satisfying your curiosity for true crime. Whether you're trying to sleep, study, meditate, or simply relax in a dark room, this video provides the perfect mix of eerie storytelling and peaceful ambience. What You’ll Hear: • Real, disturbing true crime stories • Gentle rain sound to help you relax • Black screen to reduce eye strain and save battery 🎧 Best For: • Sleeping to true crime • Background audio for studying or working • Nighttime relaxation and focus • Fans of ASMR and dark documentaries No visuals, no ads during playback – just pure atmosphere and immersive storytelling. 👇 Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more weekly uploads of true crime with a twist of calm.
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hello everyone welcome back to Crypted Stories i know many of you use these
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videos to fall asleep so before you drift off it would be a fun idea to leave a comment letting me know that
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where are you watching from around the world also like and subscribe our channel if you like the video now adjust
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your volume and relax yourself story one wisconsin is a quiet rural town
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surrounded by corn fields and forests it was the kind of place where everyone knew each other and nothing ever really
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happened but in the 1950s this sleepy community would become the center of one
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of the most gruesome and disturbing crime stories in American history it all began on the morning of November 16th
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1957 bernice Weren a well-liked woman in her late 50s owned the local hardware
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store in downtown Planefield she was reliable hardworking and dependable that
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morning the shop never opened by noon customers began to wonder the front door
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was unlocked but the store was empty her son Deputy Sheriff Frank Warden became
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concerned he knew something was wrong when he entered the store the cash register was missing and there were
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faint smears of blood leading toward the back door he found an open receipt book on the counter the last entry was for a
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gallon of antifreeze written under one name Ed Gam Edward Theodore Ga was known
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around town as an oddball he lived alone on a60 acre farm just outside Planefield
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locals thought he was eccentric but harmless polite soft-spoken even helpful
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he did odd jobs babysat local children and ran small errands most people pied
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him his father had died when Ed was just a boy and years later his doineering
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mother Augusta passed away too after her death in 1945 ed became increasingly
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isolated he boarded up her bedroom and lived in a small corner of the massive decaying farmhouse when deputies arrived
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at Gain's farm later that day to question him what they found would scar even the most hardened investigators the
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house was a nightmare inside the farmhouse was dark and filthy piles of garbage moldy food and stacks of old
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magazines everywhere but that was just the surface hanging from the ceiling in a shed near the house was the gutted
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decapitated body of Bernice Warton she had been strung up like a deer slid open
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from her sternum to her pelvis her head was found in a burlap sack her heart was
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in a plastic bag near the stove and that was only the beginning police continued
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to search the house flashlight beams cutting through layers of dust and cobwebs what they discovered next defied
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belief human bones holes made from skulls a chair upholstered in human skin
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a box containing noses a belt made entirely from human nipples a lampshade
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stitched together from facial skin a corset made from a woman's torso flayed
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from shoulders to waist investigators uncovered nine vulvas in a shoe box
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fingernails lips organs preserved dried or simply tossed into jars some remains
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were identified as belonging to women who had vanished from surrounding counties in the previous decade others
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were never identified at all in the center of the horror was a suit a
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woman's suit made of stitched together human skin edgang confessed to wearing
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it at night he said he would walk around the house pretending to be his mother he
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wanted to become her he missed her needed her when interrogated Ed calmly
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admitted to everything he confessed to killing Bernice Weren and another local woman Mary Hogan a tavern owner who had
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gone missing in 1954 her remains were also found in Gaines Homer skull in a
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paper bag her face in a brown paper sack but Gain insisted he didn't kill the
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others he said he dug them up he had a map of local cemeteries and claimed that he would go grave robbing at night
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sometimes with a friend though he said the friend never knew what he did afterward he admitted to exuming the
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corpses of recently buried women who reminded him of his mother the trial shocked the nation reporters flooded
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into Planefield turning the town into a media circus psychiatrists were called
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in ed Gain was ruled legally insane and sent to the Central State Hospital for
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the criminally insane he would spend the rest of his life in psychiatric care the
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public however couldn't look away the grotesque details of the case haunted people ed Gang wasn't just a murderer
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was the embodiment of a nightmare his crimes transcended the usual boundaries of violence they crept into the realm of
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the macob and the unthinkable and Hollywood noticed Gain's horrific acts
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would go on to inspire some of the most iconic horror characters of all time norman Bates and Psycho Leatherface in
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the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Buffalo Bill in the Silence of the Lambs all of them
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borrowed parts of Ed Twisted Psyche despite the sensationalism the core
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truth remains of game was a lonely disturbed man whose mind was broken by isolation abuse and obsession he lived
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with the corpse of his mother inside his head after her death his grip on reality dissolved completely on July 26th 1984
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Ed Gain died of respiratory failure at the Menota Mental Health Institute he
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was 77 years old he was buried beside his mother in the Planefield Cemetery
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ironically his gravestone was repeatedly vandalized and eventually stolen only a
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patch of grass marks his final resting place now in the end Ed Gang wasn't a
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monster in the woods he wasn't the faceless killer of urban legends he was a quiet man living alone behind closed
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doors in a house of horrors and for years nobody knew story 2 on a humid
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June afternoon in 2011 the quiet suburb of Spring Texas was shattered by a
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discovery that would soon captivate and horrify the nation the Anderson family's home nestled in a peaceful culde-sac
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looked like any other in the neighborhood two stories a trimmed lawn a swing set in the backyard but behind
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the closed doors of that house an unimaginable tragedy had unfolded 17-year-old Andrew Anderson walked in
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through the garage door expecting a normal day he had spent the night at a friend's house when he stepped inside he
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was hit by a silence that didn't feel right the house was too still he called out for his parents then for his little
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sister but there was no answer that's when he noticed the smell metallic heavy
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wrong andrew climbed the stairs and opened the door to his parents' bedroom what he saw would haunt him forever his
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mother Lisa Anderson lay on the bed her body stiff blood pooling beneath her
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head his father Craig was nearby on the floor in a similar state both had been
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shot the family dog whimpered in the hallway blood spattered on its fur
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andrew fled the home barefoot and called 911 from a neighbor's house police
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arrived within minutes and began to clear the home they found Lisa and Craig Anderson dead both had been shot at
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close range execution style down the hall they found Andrew's younger sister
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8-year-old Emily in her bed she too had been shot tucked under her covers like
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someone had tried to make her look like she was sleeping there was no sign of forced entry nothing was stolen the only
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signs of a struggle were in the master bedroom but the rest of the house was eerily untouched whoever had done this
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had moved quickly efficiently and they had done it while Andrew was gone just hours earlier detectives began canvasing
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the neighborhood and questioning anyone who might know anything about the family's movements in the days prior
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lisa was a school teacher craig worked in it they were active in their church known and respected there were no major
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conflicts no apparent enemies but the investigators kept circling back to one
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person the family's oldest daughter Ratchel rachel Anderson was 16 years old
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and had not been home that night that alone wasn't suspicious she often stayed
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over at her best friend's house a few blocks away but when officers asked her where she had been her answers were
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vague she was nervous jittery unable to keep her story straight eventually she
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admitted she had been with her boyfriend Thomas Tommy Fields tommy Fields was 19
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a high school dropout with a long list of red flags he had a reputation for violence his social media was filled
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with dark posts fascination with guns and pictures of him holding weapons he
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had already been in trouble for stealing cars and had once threatened a teacher when officers brought him in for
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questioning he denied any involvement but his cold demeanor unsettled the detectives he didn't ask what had
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happened to the Andersons he didn't ask about Rachel the police obtained a warrant to search Tommy's phone and home
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what they found opened a chilling window into the days leading up to the murders
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text messages between Rachel and Tommy revealed a plan not a vague fantasy but
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an actual plan they spoke about killing her parents they joked about how much
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easier life would be without them rachel complained about her mother's rules how
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her father never let her go out how they were ruining her life at first investigators thought it might just be
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angry teenage venting but then came the messages from the night of June 2nd rachel had texted Tommy "They're asleep
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it's time." That was followed by a ping from Tommy's phone near the Anderson residence at 217 in the morning the
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approximate time investigators now believe the murders occurred under mounting pressure Rachel finally broke
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in a tearful confession she admitted she had unlocked the back door for Tommy while the family slept he brought a 22
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caliber pistol one he had stolen from his uncle she stayed in her room while he entered her parents' bedroom and shot
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both of them then he walked down the hall and shot Emily he had insisted it
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was necessary that Emily might wake up and identify him rachel claimed she had
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begged him not to hurt her sister but when she heard the shot she knew it was too late rachel said she had planned to
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run away with Tommy after the murders they were supposed to leave town the next morning but she panicked she went
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to her friend's house instead and pretended like nothing had happened both Rachel and Tommy were arrested and
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charged with capital murder in court prosecutors painted a disturbing portrait of a manipulative obsessive
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teenage romance fueled by resentment and narcissism they argued that Rachel
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wanted freedom and Tommy wanted control together they formed a deadly
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partnership the defense argued that Rachel was a victim that Tommy had manipulated her that she had no idea he
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would actually go through with it but the digital trail told another story in one chilling exchange Rachel had texted
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"Once they're gone it'll just be us." Finally at trial the courtroom was
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packed every day friends family reporters and stunned members of the
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community came to witness the unraveling of a story that didn't seem real the most heartbreaking moments came when
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Andrew the surviving brother took the stand he described finding his parents
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he spoke of Emily's favorite bedtime songs he described how the house didn't feel like home anymore tommy was
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convicted and sentenced to life without parole rachel was tried separately
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though she was a minor at the time of the crime the brutality of her involvement pushed the court to try her
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as an adult she was also sentenced to life in prison the Anderson murders left
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a deep scar on the community neighbors could not reconcile the smiling girl next door with the teenager who had
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helped orchestrate the deaths of her entire family counselors were brought into local schools church services
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became vigils people locked their doors a little tighter in the years that followed the case continued to haunt
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everyone who heard it books were written documentaries were produced the story
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wasn't just about murder was about the terrifying possibility that evil doesn't always come from strangers sometimes it
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comes from within rachel now spends her days behind bars in a women's correctional facility isolated from the
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world she once wanted so desperately to escape tommy remains incarcerated
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showing no remorse his appeals repeatedly denied andrew now an adult
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lives with extended family he changed his last name and has stayed largely out of the public eye in a rare interview he
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once said "There's no justice for what happened." Not really you move forward
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because you have to but there's a hole in the world that never gets filled and in that quiet culdeac in Spring Texas
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the Anderson House was eventually sold repainted and rellandscaped but for those who remember what happened there
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it's a place forever stained by silence betrayal and a night when a family's
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love was no match for a deadly lie story three it was around 6:45 of the morning
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on February 21st 2013 when the first 911 call came in a woman's voice trembled
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over the line from a quiet neighborhood in Garland Texas she said she heard screaming next door blood curdling
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desperate screams then a loud bang she waited a few minutes before peeking outside and saw something that chilled
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her to the bone a teenage girl stumbling across the front yard barefoot and covered in blood collapsing just feet
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from the street the girl was 16-year-old Michelle Warner and she had just survived something unspeakable by the
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time officers arrived Michelle was unconscious but alive she had been stabbed six times since in the shoulder
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once in the thigh and four times in her back her breathing was shallow blood
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loss was severe paramedics rushed her to the emergency room where surgeons worked frantically to save her life inside the
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Warner home police found the aftermath of a nightmare the front hallway was stained with blood furniture was
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overturned in the kitchen a bloody knife lay on the tile floor upstairs in
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Michelle's bedroom there was a deep indentation in the wall like someone's head slammed into it michelle's younger
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brother 10-year-old Jesse was missing the Warner family had lived in the house for nearly 8 years lisa Warner a single
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mother worked long hours as a nurse to support her two children michelle was a straightest student on the debate team
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and deeply involved in her church youth group jesse was a bright energetic boy obsessed with space and dinosaurs to the
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outside world they looked like any other family trying to make ends meet but investigators would soon uncover that
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what happened inside that home wasn't random it wasn't a burglary gone wrong
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it was personal it was planned and it was fueled by something darker than anyone imagined at the hospital Michelle
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regained consciousness 18 hours after surgery though still weak and heavily medicated she managed to whisper a name
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of Trover Matthews trevor was Michelle's ex-boyfriend they had dated briefly the
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year before a high school romance that flamed out after just 2 months but after the breakup Trevor didn't move on he
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became obsessed he would send her dozens of texts a day sometimes pleading
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sometimes threatening he waited for her outside her classes once he followed her
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home and left a note in her mailbox that read "If I can't have you no one will."
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Michelle told her mom and they went to the police but Trevor was underage too
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just 17 and hadn't broken any laws at least not at that point a verbal warning
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was issued and a school counselor intervened for a few weeks things got
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quiet trevor stopped showing up michelle thought it was finally over it wasn't
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the investigation quickly revealed that Trevor had spent the last few months meticulously planning the attack he had
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been expelled from school for behavioral issues and was living with his older cousin a man with a history of drug
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abuse and weapons charges trevor had access to knives handguns and even
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homemade explosives two nights before the attack he stole his cousin's hunting
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knife and disappeared security footage from a nearby gas station placed Trevor
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less than a mile from the Warner home just 2 hours before the stabbing he was seen buying an energy drink wearing dark
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clothing and a black hoodie the cashier told police that Trevor seemed agitated witchy eyes darting he paid in cash and
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left without saying a word it didn't take long for police to locate Trevor he
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was hiding in an abandoned mobile home on the outskirts of town curled up in a closet covered in scratches and dried
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blood when officers handcuffed him he muttered just one sentence she was supposed to die in his confession Trevor
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described every step of the plan he had broken into the Warner house just after 3:00 in the morning using a spare key
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Michelle had once given him months earlier he crept upstairs and waited in her closet for nearly 2 hours until she
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came to bed around 5:30 in the morning as the house stirred awake he emerged
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with the knife michelle screamed her mother was already at work and Jesse ran
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from his room and panicked trevor said he stabbed Michelle repeatedly as she fought him off and when Jesse ran toward
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him screaming he hit the boy in the head with the butt of the knife knocking him unconscious he didn't stop there trevor
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admitted to dragging Jess's body into the garage and locking him in the trunk of Lisa's car which was parked inside
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police immediately returned to the Warner residence and searched the vehicle there after almost 36 hours
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missing they found Jesse alive barely he had suffered a fractured skull and a
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broken arm but he had survived the district attorney pushed for the maximum charges two counts of attempted capital
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murder aggravated assault with a deadly weapon unlawful restraint of a minor and
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attempted kidnapping due to the severity of the crime Trevor was charged as an
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adult at trial the courtroom was tense michelle took the stand and faced the
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boy who had nearly taken her life her voice trembled as she recounted waking
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up to find Trevor standing over her with a knife his face blank she described
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fighting him off trying to protect her brother and crawling to the neighbor's house with her final ounce of strength
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the defense argued Trevor suffered from severe mental illness they brought in psychologists who testified that he had
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signs of borderline personality disorder and untreated PTSD from a childhood of
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abuse but the jury wasn't swayed the level of planning the chilling confession and the brutality of the
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attack left little doubt trevor Matthews was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to 65 years in prison without
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the possibility of parole michelle spent months in recovery she underwent
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multiple surgeries physical therapy and counseling the scars on her body were
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permanent but the deeper ones the emotional trauma the nightmares the constant fear would take even longer to
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heal jesse eventually returned to school he was quieter than before more
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withdrawn but he too survived his teachers called him brave he rarely
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talked about what happened lisa Warner devastated by what her children endured
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became a vocal advocate for teenage stalking awareness she campaigned for new legislation that would allow schools
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and families to intervene earlier when minors show signs of dangerous obsession her efforts helped pass Michelle's law
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in Texas in 2016 which gave schools the authority to act on reports of
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harassment even outside of school grounds years later Michelle would go on to graduate high school with honors she
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studied criminal justice in college and eventually became a counselor for victims of domestic violence and
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stalking in interviews she often repeated the same phrase "I was supposed to die that morning but I didn't and I
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won't waste that second chance." She tells her story not for sympathy but as a warning about how quickly obsession
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can turn violent how danger can wear a familiar face and how being believed can
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save lives trevor Matthews remains incarcerated at the Palinsky unit in Texas he's never shown remorse in
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letters intercepted by the prison he still refers to Michelle as the one that got away but she didn't just get away
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she survived story four on the morning of August 14th 2004 the residents of Red
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Ash a tiny coal town in Eastern Kentucky woke up to the kind of news that turns a
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place upside down 17-year-old Callie Richards was missing she had gone out
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the night before with friends like she had countless times that summer and never came home her mother Marlene
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called the sheriff's department around 7:10 in the morning her voice tight with panic callie hadn't answered her phone
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since midnight her bed was still made her car was in the driveway the house
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was quiet untouched marlene said she had waited all night staring out the front
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window hoping to see her daughter's headlights on the gravel road they never came at first police assumed she had run
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away red Ash wasn't known for violent crime people left not vanished but those
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who knew Cali dismissed that idea immediately she was popular smart set to
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attend the University of Kentucky in the fall on a scholarship she loved her family she loved her town even when it
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suffocated her as the hours passed her disappearance became impossible to
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ignore volunteers fanned out across the wooded hills her photob blonde hair
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bright eyes a shy half smile was stapled to telephone poles and taped to gas
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station windows by evening a full-scale search was underway her last known
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location came from a Snapchat post timestamped 11:42 the night before taken
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at Devil's Creek overlook a scenic isolated bluff about 6 milesi outside
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town the image showed the night sky and the tip of someone's cigarette glowing in the dark the caption read "One more
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summer night then it's goodbye." Police focused on that location first the
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overlook was a known hangout spot for teens perched high above the cliffs and river when officers arrived they found
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empty beer cans cigarette butts and a set of tire tracks in the dirt just past
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the edge of the bluff someone had tossed the phone into the trees it was Callie's
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there was no sign of a struggle no blood no clothing but one detail stood out
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callie's silver bracelet a gift from her grandmother lay broken near the edgy one
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half was bent the other missing entirely suspicion quickly fell on the last people to see her three closest friends
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Jake Harmon Lindseay Ray and Trevor Nash jake was her ex-boyfriend they had
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broken up three weeks prior but sources said the split hadn't been cleaned he was angry moody known to have a temper
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callie's friends claimed he had been sending her cryptic texts messages like your not leaving without saying goodbye
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and you think you can forget me when brought in for questioning Jake admitted he was at the overlook that night with
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Callie and the others but said she left alone around midnight after an argument he claimed she was emotional maybe drunk
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and refused a ride he said she walked off toward the woods planning to take a shortcut home it was a flimsy story
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everyone in town knew the woods were pitch black at night full of steep drop offs and wildlife no one would walk that
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path sober let alone upset trevor and Lindsay backed up Jake's story though
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uneasily detectives felt the tension something was off trevor kept fidgeting
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biting his nails lindsay couldn't make eye contact but without physical
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evidence or a body there wasn't much to hold them on three days passed then four
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search teams combed every inch of forest every stretch of creek bed blood hounds
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were brought in drones flew overhead still nothing on the fifth day
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everything changed a pair of hikers stumbled across something buried shallow
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in a dry river two miles east of Devil's Creek it was a blue backpack inside were
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Callie's wallet her lipstick and a torn notebook with the words he want let me
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go scribbled across a page police cordined off the area and started digging just beneath the gravel and dirt
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wrapped in a torn sleeping bag was Cali Richards she had been strangled the
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autopsy confirmed petial hemorrhaging in her eyes bruising on her neck and jaw
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her fingernails were broken she had fought hard there were defensive wounds on her arms but what truly disturbed
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investigators was the fact that her body had been moved the original cause of death was estimated to have occurred no
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more than 2 hours after her last social media post which meant she had been dead before sunrise on the 14th jake Harmon
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was arrested the next day but the truth as it came out in court was more complicated and more horrifying than
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anyone expected during interrogation faced with the evidence and his own unraveling story Jake confessed he told
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detectives that after Callie broke up with him he became obsessed he would drive by her house at night watch her
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from the trees he had convinced her to come to the overlook one last time so they could talk things out trevor and
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Lindsay were supposed to be there as a buffer but when they left briefly to get more beer Jake made his move he begged
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her to reconsider she refused when she tried to leave he snapped he tackled her
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to the ground screamed at her hit her in a blind rage he wrapped his arm around
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her neck and choked her until she went still when Trevor and Lindsay returned they were horrified but not enough to go
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to the police instead they helped him hide the body trevor admitted to helping
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bury Calie and ditching her phone lindsay helped destroy evidence washing Jake's clothes burning a blood stained
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towel they claimed they were scared manipulated by Jake's threats but prosecutors weren't sympathetic all
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three were charged Jake with firstdegree murder trevor and Lindsay with tampering with evidence and accessory after the
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fact the trial lasted two weeks the courtroom was packed every day marlene
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Richard sat in the front row clutching her daughter's bracelet now bent cleaned and displayed in a sealed bag of
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evidence jake's defense tried to argue heat of the moment manslaughter they painted him as a broken teenager who
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made a tragic mistake but the jury didn't buy it the manipulation the
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premeditation the violency was too much he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison without
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parole trevor received seven years lindsay five for Red Ash the trial was a
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turning point the story of Cali Richards became a legend the kind people whispered at bonfires and retold at high
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school assemblies her name became more than a headline it became a warning about toxic love about silence about the
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cost of looking the other way in the years since Marleene has become an outspoken advocate for domestic violence
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awareness among teens she visits schools telling Callie's story to groups of
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students who listen in stunned silence her message is always the same if someone scares you tell someone if
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someone hurts you walk away and if you see something say something don't let
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fear bury the truth at the edge of Devil's Creek Overlook now stands a
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small memorial a wooden bench a plaque with Callie's name and beneath it etched
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into the stone she was not lost she was taken and we remember story 5 it began
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with a silence no one noticed on March 2nd 2010 in the small town of Bellingham
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Washington 53-year-old Nathan Cole didn't show up to work that in itself
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was an extraordinary people get sick cars break down but Nathan had worked
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the same maintenance job at the county courthouse for nearly 17 years he was known for being punctual predictable and
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politely withdrawn he arrived every morning at 6:30 sharp and left exactly
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at 3:00 rarely saying more than he had to by noon that day his supervisor grew
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concerned nathan hadn't called no messages his cell phone went straight to
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voicemail after work a colleague drove to his home on Fair Haven Street
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singlestory house had owned since the late 90s knocked on the door no answer
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the lights were off the mailbox was overflowing a neighbor mentioned they
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hadn't seen him in days the police were contacted and by 8:15 at night an
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officer was on site conducting a welfare check the house was locked no signs of
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forced entry but in the backyard something stood out behind the shed nearly buried under a tarp and firewood
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was a distinct smell chemical sweet wrong the officer called for backup when
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crime scene investigators arrived they found what was left of a human body decomposing inside a 55gallon plastic
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drum the remains were wrapped in garbage bags and duct tape soaked in a mixture
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of lie and bleach though difficult to identify visually the coroner later
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confirmed through dental records that the body belonged to Nathan Cole the small town was shaken nathan was quiet
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but not disliked he had no known enemies no spouse no children no active debts or
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legal troubles what could have happened who would do this and why the first
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breakthrough came not from inside the house but from the garage on a dusty
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workbench sat a stack of receipts and a delivery invoice from a chemical supply
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company based in Seattle the order had been placed online under nothing name
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the email used didn't match any on file the shipping address was correct but there was a note attached to the
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delivery instructions leave behind fence if no answer do not knock the order
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included a large quantity of sodium hydroxide rubber gloves a respirator and
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industrial-grade cleaning agents it had been delivered 10 days earlier investigators dug deeper into Nathan's
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digital wife what they found started to peel away the layers of who he really
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was nathan didn't use social media he didn't have a modern smartphone but he
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did have a laptop handed on that laptop or hundreds of bookmark pages related to
32:31
decomposition human anatomy forensics and crime scene cleanup most disturbing
32:36
of all however were the chat logs under a pseudonym quiet North Nathan had been
32:42
active on a hidden forum known as the seller it was part of the deep web accessible only through encrypted
32:48
browsers the seller catered to a grotesque niche people who fantasized about murder body disposal and taboo
32:55
medical procedures most members were trolls or disturbed fantasists but some
33:01
were serious among Nathan's messages were lengthy exchanges with a user named
33:06
Ashenon the tone of their chats was different less fantasy more planning in
33:12
one message dated just two weeks before Nathan's disappearance a Shenon wrote
33:17
"You sure you're ready once it starts there's no putting the lid back on." To which Nathan replied "I've waited long
33:24
enough everything's in place the house is soundproof no family no nausey
33:31
neighbors let's begin who was this person?" Digital forensics traced the IP
33:37
address of a Shenan to a small town just across the Canadian border british Columbia the account was linked
33:44
to a man named Clive Dawson a 44year-old former pathology technician who had been
33:50
fired from his job in 2006 after being caught stealing tissue samples canadian
33:55
authorities were notified and a joint task force launched surveillance on Dawson what they found was deeply
34:02
unsettling dawson lived in a secluded basement suite paid for in cash he had
34:08
no job no social life and only left the house at night trash pulled from his
34:13
bins revealed surgical gloves soiled rags and empty chemical containers more
34:19
damning was what investigators saw through his windows plastic sheeting on the walls tools lined up on tables and
34:26
what appeared to be a sealed refrigerator padlocked shut when Dawson was finally arrested police uncovered a
34:32
chilling scene inside the refrigerator were labeled Jarsson containing organic tissue others holding preserved organs a
34:41
freezer held bone fragments and what appeared to be human fingers dna analysis confirmed that none of it
34:47
belonged to Nathan Cole this wasn't a one-time killing dawson had done this
34:52
before but how many times and who were the victims back in Washington
34:57
investigators re-examined Nathan's life through this new lens it became clear he
35:02
wasn't merely a victim he had been a willing participant in something unthinkable witnesses came forward a
35:10
clerk at a home improvement store remembered Nathan buying tarps drums and industrial drain cleaner a librarian
35:17
recalled him checking out books on serial killers and forensics over the past year neighbors mentioned odd sounds
35:24
coming from his garage at night metal grinding strange worring noises but had assumed he was building something the
35:30
working theory was now more horrifying than anyone imagined nathan and Clive
35:35
had met online through the cellar and forged a twisted partnership whether Nathan was a fantasist who found a
35:42
mentor in Dawson or Dawson manipulated him into action remains unclear but
35:47
evidence suggests they planned to kill together perhaps multiple victims starting with someone transient a test
35:54
run what changed everything was what they called the escalation in one of
35:59
their last chats Nathan wrote "Tired of pretending i want to see it through
36:04
let's pick someone we know that's the only way to feel it." That someone according to files on Nathan's hard
36:11
drive was Linda Graves former coworker who had gone missing in 2007 at the time
36:17
her disappearance was ruled accidental she was thought to have left town voluntarily after a string of personal
36:24
issues but police now believe she may have been Athens first victim ground
36:29
penetrating radar used on Nathan's property revealed disturbed soil beneath the old garden shed in April 2010
36:38
excavation uncovered skeletal remains dental records confirmed what many
36:43
feared linda hadn't left she had been buried right there for 3 years nathan's
36:49
murder it appeared was the result of betrayal emails suggest he grew paranoid
36:55
he believed Clive might expose him there were messages filled with doubt you know too much i shouldn't have trusted you
37:03
clive Dawson according to police made the first move he crossed the border
37:08
using false documents entered Nathan's home sometime on the night of February 26th and killed him in his sleep then
37:16
using the very methods they had studied together he tried to dissolve the body and bury the truth he failed clive
37:23
Dawson was convicted of first-degree murder unlawful disposal of human remains and conspiracy during sentencing
37:31
he showed no remorse his only statement to the court was a whisper we were creating something beautiful he received
37:38
life in prison in both Canada and the youth s under a rare bilateral agreement
37:45
the town of Bellingham has never quite recovered the coal house was demolished in 2011 the lot remains vacant fenced
37:53
off a patch of dirt where the grass refuses to grow in the local library the
37:58
true crime section now includes a small unmarked photo kept behind the desk inside are clippings photographs and
38:05
redacted case files on the anatomy pack as some call it a story of loneliness
38:11
obsession and two men who mistook their darkest fantasies for purpose they were silent men but in the end their silence
38:19
was louder than anything story six on the evening of October 9th 1993 the town
38:25
of Deerfield Illinois was coated in fog it was the kind of fog that clung low to the pavement and muffled sound making
38:33
the streets seemed quieter than they really were people stayed indoors that night something about the air felt off
38:40
later that night the Deerfield Police Department received a frantic 911 call a
38:45
teenage boy was screaming that his parents were gone that someone had taken them and that the house was red
38:51
everywhere the dispatcher could barely understand him through the sobbing but one thing was clear something terrible
38:58
had happened when officers arrived at 1724 Willow Lane they were met with a
39:04
surreal sight the house sat in perfect silence lights on nowhere front door a
39:10
jar the interior was orderly almost pristine except for the living room
39:15
blood was smeared across the beige carpet in erratic strokes a shattered lamp lay beside a toppled table and on
39:23
the far wall above the fireplace was a single handprint small pressed flat into
39:29
the white paint dried red the victims were David and Marsha Weller both in
39:35
their early 50s david was a regional bank manager known for his calm demeanor
39:40
and strict routine marsha taught third grade at the local elementary school and
39:45
was beloved by nearly every parent in the district they were found side by side on the living room floor positioned
39:51
oddly as if placed deliberately after death both had suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen no signs
39:59
of forced entry no theft no sexual assault just pure violence and no clear
40:06
motive their son 16-year-old Evan Weller had been at a friend's house for a movie
40:12
night he came home later that night and walked into the aftermath he was in shock pale shivering unable to answer
40:20
most questions paramedics sedated him and detectives began their work at first
40:25
the investigation led nowhere the Wellers had no enemies no recent
40:31
disputes financials were in order there were no known stalkers or threats the
40:36
only oddity was a note found in the trash bin by the kitchen scrolled in red ink on torn notebook paper they lied now
40:44
they'll sleep forever one by one the handwriting didn't match anyone in the
40:49
family for two weeks police interviewed neighbors friends co-workers a few
40:55
people mentioned a man who had come around the neighborhood in the weeks before the Murdera door to door
41:01
solicitor selling home security systems he had visited the Weller's home more than once no one remembered his name but
41:09
one neighbor described him as creepy polite and weirdly intense when detectives checked with local security
41:15
firms they came up empty no one fitting that description worked for them
41:21
meanwhile the community began to spiral into fear rumors spread was it a cult
41:26
killing the serial killers dry run had David or Marsha lived a secret life
41:32
newspapers began calling it the handprint murders then toward the end of the month 20 days after the murder san
41:39
other note arrived this time it was mailed directly to the police department
41:44
typed on plain paper it read "I watched them go to bed in the evening they
41:50
always left the curtains open he liked tea before sleep she watched the news i
41:56
watched too i always watch one by one no fingerprints no DNA just dread the
42:04
police doubled down they installed surveillance on families they deemed similar to the Weller's quiet
42:11
respectable routine still nothing then came the break one night in early
42:17
November a man named Simon Griggs was picked up by police in nearby Evston for
42:22
loitering behind a grocery store he matched the earlier description given by the neighbor early 30s gaunt wiry pale
42:30
when officers ran his ID they found a lengthy arrest history across three states dressed in petty theft mental
42:37
health holds nothing violent but what got their attention was his most recent
42:42
address a rental unit just five blocks from the Weller home a search warrant was issued inside Grigg's apartment
42:50
detectives found dozens of spiral notebooks each filled with obsessive catalog notes surveillance logs times
42:58
people left their homes what they wore what they watched on TV and one book
43:04
labeled Wellers the entries were methodical earlier in the evening
43:09
curtains drawn she wore blue robe news Channel 5 he made chamomile cat in
43:16
window a few nights later argument loud he left porch light on she closed blinds
43:23
early different energy tonight and finally that night lights on door
43:29
unlocked tea already steeping no car in driveway time to begin in the bedroom
43:36
closet they found a knife long thin sharpened to a surgical point dried
43:42
blood under the hilt dna confirmed it belonged to both David and Marsha weller
43:48
griggs was arrested that night under questioning he didn't deny the murders
43:53
in fact he spoke of them with eerie calm they were quiet he said they didn't
43:58
fight it much it felt fair i don't think they suffered when asked why he chose
44:04
them he simply said "They were symmetrical like a photograph like a
44:09
painting i just wanted to be part of the picture." Griggs was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and declared
44:16
mentally unfit to stand trial initially after nearly a year of psychiatric treatment he was deemed competent his
44:24
defense attorney tried to argue diminished capacity claiming he was lost in a delusional state when the murders
44:30
occurred but the jury wasn't convinced the meticulous planning the surveillance
44:35
the cleanup the deliberate posing of the body pointed to cold control not chaos
44:41
he was found guilty of two counts of firstdegree murder and sentenced to life without parole after the trial Evan
44:48
Weller disappeared from public life he left town shortly after graduation and
44:54
hasn't spoken publicly about the murders since uh some say he lives out west
44:59
others say he changed his name his only public statement came during the sentencing he didn't just take my
45:06
parents he took the future I was supposed to have he took normal nights
45:11
and quiet mornings and made them weapons and I won't forgive him today 1724
45:17
Willow Lane stands empty the house was purchased twice after the murders but neither family stayed more than a year
45:24
the handprint painted over a dozen times still seeps through faintly as if the
45:29
wall remembers every Halloween teenagers dare each other to touch the door knob
45:34
and whisper the phrase written in the killer's first note some claim they hear footsteps inside others say the
45:42
handprint glows in the dark most just cross the street when they pass because
45:47
the truth is in a town as quiet as Deerfield the scariest thing isn't that a man like Simon Griggs existed it's
45:54
that he went unnoticed for so long and that maybe just maybe someone like him
46:00
is still watching from a window down the street story seven it was a cold rainy
46:05
evening in early November when the police received a call about a disturbance at a quiet suburban home in
46:11
Maplewood New Jersey the caller was a neighbor who had heard a woman screaming piercing desperate cries that cut
46:17
through the steady patter of rain officers arrived to find the front door unlocked swinging slightly on its hinges
46:24
inside the house was eerily silent except for the faint sound of dripping water the living room was a mess
46:31
furniture overturned picture frames shattered on the floor but it was the sight in the kitchen that stopped the
46:38
officer's cold there slumped against the refrigerator was a woman in her late 30s
46:43
soaked and shaking her clothes torn and stained she was barely conscious mumbling incoherent words her name was
46:51
Jessica Palmer jessica's husband Mark Palmer was missing jessica's frantic
46:57
account was fragmented and disjointed she kept mentioning a mansion one she said it followed them for weeks someone
47:04
who had broken into their home watching waiting the police immediately began a
47:09
search combing through the neighborhood questioning neighbors looking for any sign of Mark mark Palmer was a local
47:16
software engineer quiet but well-liked known for his routine life and steady job jessica was a school counselor
47:24
devoted to her work and their 8-year-old daughter Lily they seemed like the perfect family the kind people trusted
47:32
but beneath that surface something dark was brewing neighbors reported seeing a man lurking near their home several
47:39
times in the weeks leading up to the attack he was described as tall with unckempt hair and dark eyes that seemed
47:46
to bore into people no one knew his name and no one had confronted him there was something unnerving about his presence
47:53
like a shadow that didn't belong as the investigation unfolded police found that
47:58
Mark had been receiving threatening phone calls for months calls that Jessica had dismissed as prank or
48:03
mistaken identity the caller never spoke only breathing heavily on the line the
48:09
calls stopped the night before Mark vanished the morning after the attack the police found Mark's car abandoned
48:15
several miles from the house parked near an industrial park inside they
48:20
discovered a torn shirt and a set of keys but no sign of Mark days turned into a week and the tension in Maplewood
48:28
grew thick local news stations picked up the story and the community held vigils
48:33
hoping for Mark's safe return then the break came unexpectedly a janitor
48:39
cleaning a locked storage unit in the industrial park noticed a foul smell coming from behind one of the walls when
48:46
police broke through they found a small hidden room inside was Mark alive but
48:51
barely conscious chained to a pipe malnourished and dehydrated he had been
48:56
held captive for nearly a week mark's rescue was hailed as a miracle but his
49:01
recovery was slow he couldn't remember much about his captor only vague details
49:07
voices a mask the smell of cigarette smoke he did remember one chilling
49:12
phrase repeated over and over you should have stayed silent the police focused on
49:17
finding the kidnapper surveillance footage from around the industrial park showed a black van coming and going at
49:24
odd hours witnesses recalled a man fitting the earlier descriptions driving the vehicle police issued alerts and
49:31
tracked the van to a man named Ryan Caldwell a local handyman with a troubled past ryan was known for his
49:37
volatile temper and obsession with control he had been fired from several jobs for inappropriate behavior and was
49:45
rumored to have a fixation on families he perceived as too perfect his home was littered with photos of neighbors maps
49:52
with roots drawn and red and disturbing journals filled with rants and plans when police arrested Ryan he initially
50:00
denied any involvement but under pressure he confessed to stalking the Palmer's for months he admitted to
50:06
breaking into their home on the rainy night attacking Jessica when she surprised him and abducting Mark to
50:12
punish him for living a lie the trial that followed exposed the dark underbelly of obsession and violence
50:19
hidden behind suburban facades ryan's defense argued mental illness but
50:24
prosecutors painted a picture of a calculating predator cold and ruthless he was found guilty of kidnapping
50:31
assault and attempted murder sentenced to multiple life terms without parole Jessica and Mark slowly rebuilt their
50:38
lives haunted by memories but determined to find peace Lily their daughter stayed
50:44
with relatives for a time her childhood forever marked by the shadow of that rainy night maplewood never quite felt
50:51
safe again the echoes of the crime lingering in quiet streets and empty playgrounds some nights when the rain
50:58
falls hard and the wind whistles through the trees neighbors say you can still hear a woman scream carried on the wind
51:05
reminding everyone that evil sometimes hides in plain sight waiting for the right moment to strike story 18 in the
51:13
sleepy town of Milbridge Massachusetts where everyone knew each other's names and secrets rarely stayed hidden for
51:19
long a crime shattered the calm in the early days of spring it was the kind of town where doors were left unlocked and
51:26
children played until the street lights flickered on where neighbors exchanged smiles and stories over picket fences
51:33
but on this particular morning that sense of safety was ripped apart the call came in just before dawn a jogger
51:41
had discovered something unusual along the forest trail behind the old Miller place locals avoided after sunset
51:47
whispering about its haunted past and strange disappearances decades ago the jogger's voice trembled as he reported
51:54
finding a body partially concealed beneath a layer of fallen leaves and broken branches when police arrived they
52:01
found the body of a young woman lying face down near a small creek that snaked through the woods her clothes were torn
52:09
her face bruised and swollen nearby a broken necklace glistened in the early
52:14
morning light and a single shoe lay abandoned several feet away the woman was identified as Emily Carson a
52:21
24year-old kindergarten teacher who had gone missing the night before emily was known for her gentle smile and her
52:27
passion for nurturing young minds she was loved by students and colleagues alike her disappearance had sparked a
52:34
communitywide search that stretched through the night but no one expected the search to end like this the
52:40
investigation quickly revealed disturbing details emily had been at a friend's birthday party the evening
52:47
before leaving just after midnight witnesses recalled seeing her leave alone walking toward the edge of town
52:54
she never made it home detectives scoured the forest and surrounding areas for clues the creek where Emily was
53:01
found was shallow but the ground was disturbed as if there had been a struggle nearby they discovered
53:08
footprints one set belonging to Emily the other much larger and muddied likely belonging to her attacker for days the
53:15
town lived under a cloud of fear parents kept their children close locking doors and windows while police interviewed
53:22
hundreds of people searching for anyone who might have seen or heard something despite their efforts leads were scarce
53:30
then a breakthrough came when a local hiker found a discarded backpack in a thicket several miles from where Emily's
53:36
body was discovered inside were several items a pair of gloves a crumpled map of the area and a worn out wallet belonging
53:44
to a man named Thomas Blake thomas Blake was a drifter known around town as a loner with a troubled past he had
53:51
recently been released from prison after serving time for assault his presence near the forest trail sparked immediate
53:58
suspicion police issued a warrant for his arrest blake was found hiding in an
54:03
abandoned cabin on the outskirts of Milbridge when officers approached he was agitated but did not resist inside
54:11
the cabin they uncovered more evidence a knife with dried blood torn pieces of clothing matching Emily's description
54:18
and journals filled with rambling entries about control power and revenge during interrogation Blake's demeanor
54:26
shifted from defensive to eerily calm he confessed to following Emily after the party claiming he intended only to talk
54:34
according to him a confrontation escalated and he lost control he
54:39
admitted to attacking her and trying to conceal the crime but denied any premeditation the trial was a tense
54:45
emotional affair witnesses described Blake's erratic behavior and his dark
54:51
fascination with the town's history of violence psychiatrists testified about his unstable mental state but ultimately
54:58
the jury found him guilty of secondderee murder emily's family struggled to cope with the loss her younger sister spoke
55:06
at the sentencing her voice breaking as she pleaded for justice and healing the
55:11
community rallied around them determined to reclaim the sense of security that had been stolen in the aftermath the
55:18
forest trail was cleared and lit transformed into a memorial path lined with flowers and plaques honoring
55:25
Emily's memory local schools held programs to raise awareness about safety and support for victims of violence but
55:32
for many in Millbridge the shadow of that spring morning lingered it was a stark reminder that darkness could creep
55:39
into even the most peaceful places and that vigilance was the price of safety sometimes late at night when the wind
55:46
rustles through the trees and the forest seems to whisper people swear they can hear a soft voice calling out of
55:52
reminder that some wounds never fully heal some stories must be told again and again story nine the town of Willow
56:00
Creek was the kind of place where everyone locked their doors out of habit not fear nestled between rolling hills
56:06
and dense forests it was known for its quiet streets friendly neighbors and
56:11
slow pace of life but one chilly autumn night that calm was shattered forever it
56:17
began with a call to the local sheriff's office from a frantic woman living on the outskirts of town she reported
56:24
hearing screams coming from the abandoned farmhouse down the road a place long rumored to be haunted
56:30
officers arrived to find the house dark and silent the front door hanging open creaking in the wind inside they
56:37
discovered the body of a man lying on the floor blood pooling beneath him he was middle-aged dressed in a business
56:44
suit and bore multiple stab wounds a knife was found nearby his blade smeared
56:50
with fresh blood the victim was identified as Richard Hayes a successful real estate developer who had recently
56:57
moved to Willow Creek what made the case more perplexing was the presence of a second victim a young woman barely
57:04
conscious hidden in a closet she was Richard's assistant Anna Morgan who had been beaten and bound but managed to
57:10
escape further harm anna told police a chilling story she and Richard had been
57:16
working late on a new property deal when an intruder broke in the attacker was
57:22
masked armed and relentless he demanded documents and money but Richard refused
57:28
a violent struggle ensued ending with Richard's murder and Anna's captivity anna described the asalent as tall
57:35
muscular with a deep voice and an air of cold calculation he left no clues behind
57:41
except for a single playing card pinned to Richard's chest of Queen of Spades the sheriff's department launched a
57:47
manhunt they questioned everyone connected to Richard business rivals disgruntled clients and former employees
57:55
but no one fit the profile or had a motive strong enough for murder meanwhile Anna's condition improved and
58:01
she provided more details the attacker had mentioned a name repeatedly during the assault morgan she didn't know what
58:08
it meant but believed it was a clue detectives dug deeper into Richard's past and uncovered a tangled web of
58:15
secrets richard wasn't just a developer he had ties to shady deals money
58:20
laundering and a series of lawsuits from angry investors the Morgan he mentioned wasn't a random word it was the surname
58:28
of a man named Daniel Morgan a notorious criminal who had disappeared years ago
58:33
after a failed heist could Daniel Morgan be behind the attack had he resurfaced
58:38
to settle old scores the investigation took a new turn when surveillance footage from a gas station on the
58:45
outskirts of town showed a figure matching Daniel Morgan's description fueling a car late at night the vehicle
58:52
was registered to a shell company linked to Richard's real estate business police
58:57
tracked the car to a remote cabin deep in the woods inside they found evidence
59:02
linking Daniel Morgan to the Crimea set of gloves a mask matching the description Anna gave and documents
59:09
indicating plans to sabotage Richard's business empire morgan was arrested after a brief standoff he confessed to
59:17
the attack revealing a motive driven by betrayal and revenge years earlier
59:22
Richard had been part of a scheme that left Morgan imprisoned and his life destroyed morgan blamed Richard for
59:29
everything and vowed to make him pay at trial the evidence was overwhelming
59:34
morgan was convicted of murder and attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole the case
59:41
left the town shaken people realized that beneath the surface of their peaceful community greed betrayal and
59:48
violence could erupt with devastating consequences anna moved away haunted but
59:53
determined to rebuild her life the abandoned farmhouse was torn down replaced by a park where children now
1:00:00
play but sometimes when the wind blows through the trees residents swear they
1:00:05
can hear the faint rustling of footsteps and the whisper of a queen of spades drifting on the breezy reminder of the
1:00:11
night Willow Creek lost its innocence story 10 the first sign that something
1:00:16
was wrong came in the morning when a postal worker noticed the front door of 47 Willow Lane wide open in a quiet
1:00:24
neighborhood where everyone knew their neighbors and left for work at the same time every day it was immediately out of
1:00:30
place the mailbox was overflowing with letters and the front porch light was still on even though the sun had risen
1:00:36
hours ago the house belonged to Greg and Melissa Turner a young couple who had moved to the suburb of Fair Haven just
1:00:43
under a year earlier greg worked in it and Melissa was a freelance graphic designer they didn't have children but
1:00:50
they often hosted dinners and game nights quickly becoming friendly with the other couples on the block the
1:00:56
mailman stepped closer and called out but no one answered curiosity and concern got the better of him he stepped
1:01:03
inside the open doorway calling again still no answer the house was quiet but
1:01:10
something felt off that's when he saw it the broken lamp on the floor the muddy footprints leading down the hallway and
1:01:17
a trail of what looked unmistakably like dried blood he backed out immediately and called the police when officers
1:01:24
arrived the interior of the house told a story of chaos furniture was overturned
1:01:30
picture frames were smashed the kitchen table had been pushed over and chairs lay scattered but most chilling of all
1:01:37
was what they found in the master bedroom melissa Turner was lying in bed covered to her neck with a blanket her
1:01:44
face serene but lifeless there were no visible wounds no signs of forced trauma
1:01:50
and no defensive injuries next to the bed was a half- drunk cup of tea and a
1:01:55
book left open on the nightstand greg however was nowhere to be found at first
1:02:00
detectives wondered if Greg had killed his wife and fled but friends of the couple quickly disputed the idea those
1:02:07
who knew them best said their relationship was calm loving and conflict-free there had been no signs of
1:02:14
stress or troubling at least none that anyone could see from the outside autopsy results deepened the mystery
1:02:21
melissa had not been strangled stabbed or shot she had been poisoned traces of
1:02:27
a rare seditive normally used in veterinary medicine were found in her bloodstream specifically in the tea
1:02:34
beside her bed investigators now had a murder on their hands and a missing husband who might either be a suspect or
1:02:41
a victim himself the house had no signs of forced entry nothing had been stolen
1:02:47
greg's wallet and phone were still on the kitchen counter along with his laptop bag his car was in the driveway
1:02:53
keys on the hook it was as if he had vanished into thin air then in the
1:02:59
evening a breakthrough came when police traced security camera footage from a nearby gas station around the early
1:03:05
hours that morning a figure resembling Greg was seen on camera wearing a hoodie and paying for gas and cash he looked
1:03:13
anxious constantly glancing over his shoulder the timestamp showed it had been less than an hour after Melissa was
1:03:19
likely poisoned but when officers examined the footage more closely something didn't add up the man wasn't
1:03:26
Greg he was taller leaner and though his face was partially obscured
1:03:31
investigators began to suspect they were looking at someone else entirely someone
1:03:36
trying to look like Greg as news spread locals began reporting strange incident
1:03:42
son neighbor recalled a man watching the Turner's house from across the street the week prior another reported hearing
1:03:49
a loud argument outside late at night 2 days before the murder one particularly helpful witness an elderly man who
1:03:56
walked his dog every morning mentioned a car he didn't recognize parked two blocks over for three nights in a row
1:04:03
always with someone inside that car was eventually traced to a rental under a false name the case took a darker turn
1:04:11
when police uncovered Greg's background more thoroughly while most of his life was as normal as it seemed an encrypted
1:04:18
folder found on his computer revealed emails from someone named O the tone of the messages was threatening suggesting
1:04:25
blackmail o claimed Greg owed a debt that he had taken money years a he never
1:04:32
repaid the emails were vague but insistent you can't outrun the past forever one line read you know what you
1:04:39
did it turned out Greg had once been part of a failed startup company in Chicago before moving to Fair Haven the
1:04:47
company folded abruptly and an investor lawsuit had disappeared without fanfare
1:04:52
it seemed Greg had gotten out clean but maybe not clean enough 3 days after the
1:04:57
murder a jogger found something in the woods outside of town a burned duffel
1:05:02
bag containing scorched papers a half-melted plastic ID card with Greg's photo and a shattered phone but no body
1:05:11
the search expanded cadaavver dogs were brought in drones combed the forest for
1:05:17
nearly a week authorities scoured every inch but Greg remained missing then a
1:05:22
week later an anonymous tip led police to a run-down motel on the edge of a nearby city room 209 had been paid for
1:05:30
in cash under a fake name when officers knocked on the door there was no answer
1:05:36
they entered guns drawn greg was there alive confused and terrified he claimed
1:05:43
he had fled the house the night Melissa died because he knew he was being targeted someone had broken in two
1:05:49
nights before demanding money he said he didn't go to police because the man warned him if he did Melissa would die
1:05:56
greg insisted he had planned to disappear and draw them away from her but it was too late detectives were
1:06:02
skeptical but Greg's account matched other evidence the anonymous tip about
1:06:08
the motel had come from a burner phone purchased near the same gas station where the fake Greg had been seen and
1:06:14
lab results showed the tea Melissa drank had fingerprints that weren't Gregs at all eventually the truth began to emerge
1:06:22
a man named Oliver Kent a former business associate from Greg's past had
1:06:28
orchestrated the whole thing years ago Greg had unknowingly been part of a scam Oliver ran through the startup when the
1:06:35
scheme fell apart Oliver took the fall while Greg walked away oliver swore revenge he had found Greg followed him
1:06:42
and plotted meticulously he disguised himself to frame Greg poisoned Melissa
1:06:48
and lured Greg into silence and fear it was only through a combination of Greg's survival local witnesses and digital
1:06:56
forensics that Oliver was caught he was arrested two weeks later trying to flee
1:07:01
the state carrying a forged passport and 10,000 in cash at trial Oliver showed no
1:07:07
remorse he was convicted of firstdegree murder kidnapping and attempted identity
1:07:13
theft sentenced to life in prison melissa's family never fully recovered
1:07:18
greg moved away from Fair Haven unable to bear the memories tied to the house on Willow Lane he left behind a note at
1:07:26
the town library thanking the community for their help and expressing hope that someday be able to live without fear but
1:07:33
for the neighbors who still walk past that quiet home the porch light that once burned too long became a symbol a
1:07:40
reminder that even in the safest places danger can arrive without warning and that sometimes the person watching you
1:07:47
the closest is the one you least expect story 11 it was early morning when the
1:07:52
silence in the small town of Grenwood was pierced by the sound of sirens a man had been found dead in his homeland face
1:07:59
down in the living room a bullet wound in the back of his head and not a single sign of forced entry the victim was
1:08:06
58-year-old Arthur Bellamy a retired military officer turned antiques dealer
1:08:12
known for his quiet demeanor and regimented lifestyle Arthur was the last person anyone expected to be caught in
1:08:18
something violent his home sat at the end of a culde-sac lined with manicured lawns and picket fences arthur's
1:08:25
neighbors described him as polite but distant always punctual in his routines
1:08:30
he jogged in the morning watered his garden in the evening and never missed church on Sundays so when his morning
1:08:37
jog didn't happen and his newspaper remained untouched someone finally went to check and found the front door jar
1:08:44
inside there was no sign of a struggle his wallet was still on the counter his watch on his wrist and the television
1:08:51
was still playing frozen on a news broadcast the shot had been clean
1:08:56
precise and professional whoever had done it hadn't taken anything they had
1:09:02
come for Arthur and Arthur alone the police began digging into Arthur's background on paper his life looked
1:09:09
quiet no family in town no recent travel no enemy at least none anyone knew about
1:09:16
but the further they looked the more curious things became arthur's military record was mostly classified he had
1:09:23
served in intelligence roles overseas and had spent several years in various covert operations whatever he had done
1:09:30
while in uniform it hadn't been ordinary after his retirement he settled into a
1:09:35
quiet life and rarely spoke of his past his antique store which he ran out of a
1:09:40
small space in town was filled with old clocks rare books and strange memorabilia from around the world it was
1:09:47
in that store that police found the first real clue behind a false wall in the back room detectives uncovered a
1:09:54
hidden safe inside were folders dozens of them filled with documents photographs surveillance notes and coded
1:10:02
correspondence it seemed Arthur hadn't fully left his old life behind had been
1:10:07
watching someone maybe several people for years one folder was thicker than the others labeled with a single name
1:10:15
Vaughn detectives quickly learned that Vaughn referred to Miles Vaughn a man who had disappeared over a decade ago
1:10:22
vaughn was a former mercenary believed to have been involved in black market arms deals and political assassinations
1:10:28
overseas officially he was declared dead years ago after a failed operation in
1:10:34
Eastern Europe but Arthur's files told a different story in grainy photographs
1:10:40
Vaughan appeared alive and well living under various aliases traveling between countries there were flight records bank
1:10:47
transfers and photographs showing him in airports cafes and even a hotel not far
1:10:53
from Grenley taken only a few weeks prior to Arthur's death the question shifted from who killed Arthur to what
1:11:01
did Arthur know as the investigation unfolded a former colleague of Arthurs
1:11:06
came forward her name was Captain Lydia Harris also retired who had served with
1:11:11
Arthur during his final overseas deployment she described him as methodical deeply loyal and obsessed
1:11:17
with justice arthur she said had never forgiven himself for something that
1:11:22
happened during their last mission a covert sting operation that had gone sideways and led to several innocent
1:11:29
deaths van had been part of that mission too but he vanished afterward presumed
1:11:34
dead arthur didn't buy it for years he hunted Vaughn in silence believing he
1:11:39
was still out there and dangerous harris said Arthur believed Vaughn was preparing something some act of revenge
1:11:46
or perhaps tying up loose ends she had tried to talk him out of it to let it go
1:11:51
but Arthur wouldn't had become obsessed 2 days after Arthur's body was
1:11:56
discovered another crime occurred a man named Eric Dunn a journalist from the
1:12:01
city was found dead in a motel room 30 mi from Grenwood he had been strangled
1:12:07
his laptop stolen and no signs of forced entry were found there either when
1:12:12
police connected the dots they learned Eric had recently contacted Arthur for a private interview arthur never told
1:12:19
anyone but notes in his calendar confirmed the meeting was scheduled for that same evening whoever killed Arthur
1:12:26
had likely killed Eric too detectives now suspected they were dealing with a killer skilled in tracking and
1:12:32
eliminating targets with precision someone who had eyes on Arthur and knew when to strike but how that answer came
1:12:40
unexpectedly from a security breach traced to a digital forensics company a
1:12:45
stolen login credential used to access encrypted government databases had been
1:12:51
traced back to a former intelligence contractor named Julian Sloan an old contact of Vaughn sloan had vanished
1:12:58
shortly after Eric's death the trail eventually led to an isolated property deep in the Appalachian woods a
1:13:05
surveillance drone captured footage of a figure matching Bon's description police
1:13:10
and federal agents moved in quietly surrounding the cabin before dawn inside
1:13:16
they found Bon alive armed and calm he didn't resist arrest in fact he barely
1:13:22
spoke during the initial interrogation he simply said Arthur always was two
1:13:28
steps ahead and smirked during a thorough search of the cabin investigators found hard drives burner
1:13:34
phones and evidence tying Vaughn to not only Arthur's and Eric's murders but at
1:13:39
least three others stretching across the past 5 years vaughn had created a list former agents officers and operatives
1:13:47
who had participated in that failed mission years ago he blamed them all for betraying him and one by one he had
1:13:54
hunted them down arthur it turned out had been the last name on the list at
1:14:00
trial the case gripped the nation van's actions revealed a dark underbelly of covert operations rogue agents and
1:14:08
unfinished business from wars no one talked about anymore arthur was postumously honored for his role in
1:14:14
exposing Vaughn and preventing further murders his files had laid bare a criminal network operating under the
1:14:21
radar for years vaughn was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to life in
1:14:26
prison without the possibility of parole he never showed remorse greenwood slowly
1:14:31
returned to quiet the antique shop was closed permanently and the house on the culdeac was sold to a new family who
1:14:39
never quite understood why people sometimes slowed their cars as they passed staring just a little longer than
1:14:45
usual but for those who remembered Arthur Bellamy his death was not just the loss of a neighbor it was the final
1:14:51
chapter in a story that had started decades before a story of shadows betrayal and one man's relentless
1:14:58
pursuit of justice in the silence between wars and sometimes in the early morning when the wind moves just right
1:15:05
across the trees lining the culde-sac you might hear the faint tick of a clock in the distance shweing from the past
1:15:13
like Arthur's presence refusing to be forgotten story 12 it was in the evening
1:15:19
when the residents of Milbridge noticed something was wrong the scent of smoke hung faintly in the air drifting through
1:15:25
the trees that bordered the quiet suburban neighborhood at first it was dismissed a backyard fire pit perhaps or
1:15:32
someone grilling dinner but as the wind shifted it carried something far more sinister the smoke was coming from the
1:15:39
west end of town where a narrow gravel road wound through thick woods to an old
1:15:44
nearly abandoned farmhouse the property had been purchased a year earlier by a man named Daniel Lock a reserved figure
1:15:52
in his late 30s who had moved from out of state he kept to himself had no visitors and rarely left town except for
1:15:59
weekly grocery runs when firefighters arrived the house was already half consumed the blaze had started from
1:16:07
inside flames licking through the broken windows and roof the water tanker trucks
1:16:12
struggled to navigate the narrow road but they managed to get the fire under control before it spread to the nearby
1:16:18
woods inside the house what remained was mostly ash splintered wood and charred
1:16:24
debris but in what had once been the living room they found something else bones at first it was unclear how many
1:16:31
bodies there were the remains were blackened and brittle fragile enough to crumble under pressure it was only after
1:16:38
the forensic team arrived that they confirmed the worst there were four sets of remains none of them belonged to
1:16:45
Daniel W the news rattled the town a reclusive man living alone in a remote
1:16:50
farmhouse and now four unidentified bodies found burned within the local
1:16:56
sheriff's department unprepared for the magnitude of the case requested assistance from the state police a
1:17:02
canvas of the area revealed strange details a shed behind the house untouched by the fire contained a
1:17:09
chilling collection of tools maps and labeled boxes inside one box was a
1:17:14
collection of wallets IDs and phones another held newspaper clippings about
1:17:20
missing persons from neighboring states one of the detectives a woman named Tara
1:17:25
Clemens spent the better part of the next day going through the maps pinned to the shed wall there were red X's on
1:17:32
certain spots campsites rest stops even a few isolated parking lots along the
1:17:37
interstate near one next someone had written in faded ink she screamed the
1:17:42
coroner's report confirmed what the team feared the victims were all women all between the ages of 20 and 35 and all
1:17:50
had died before the fire two had been stabbed one had a fractured skull the
1:17:56
fourth cause of death was undetermined but there were liature marks on her wrists within a week two of the women
1:18:03
were identified both had been reported missing months apart from Ohio the other
1:18:08
from Kentucky they had no known connections to each other their last known locations placed them hundreds of
1:18:14
miles from Milbridge the working theory shifted quickly daniel Lockach wasn't a
1:18:20
victim he was a predator digging into his past proved harder than expected his
1:18:26
identity it turned out was fake there was no real Daniel Lock the name the
1:18:31
rental agreements the vehicle registrational forged it took weeks of digital forensics to track down a
1:18:37
fingerprint from a DMV form he had once submitted his real name was Thomas
1:18:43
Ellery a former paramedic from Idaho who had vanished 3 years earlier after being
1:18:48
questioned in connection with the disappearance of a nurse he had worked with with no charges were filed but
1:18:54
shortly after the inquiry he quit his job and disappeared without a trace as agents pieced together his movements a
1:19:01
chilling pattern emerged over the past three years Ellery had traveled across
1:19:06
multiple states under different aliases in each area shortly after his arrival a
1:19:12
woman would go missing most were transient hitchhikers students on road trips women who were alone some had been
1:19:20
logged as runaways a few were never reported missing at all they dubbed him the wanderer the real break in the case
1:19:27
came not from the burned house but from a trail camera set up deep in the woods by a hunter two nights before the fire
1:19:35
the camera captured images of a woman running barefoot through the forest her face scratched her clothes torn behind
1:19:42
her a figure followed with a flashlight the woman was later identified as Elise Romero a college student from Michigan
1:19:50
who had gone missing while on a solo camping trip search teams combed the area and after 2 days they found
1:19:56
Heraldive dehydrated and terrified elise had escaped the farmhouse her story was
1:20:02
horrifying she had accepted a ride from a man who claimed to be a wilderness guide he was charming knowledgeable and
1:20:09
offered to show her a hidden trail near the state line once she was in his truck he took her phone and drove in the
1:20:16
opposite direction he kept her in the farmhouse basement bound and blindfolded
1:20:21
there were other women there she said three others one cried all night one
1:20:26
never spoke the last one tried to comfort her she didn't know how long she was there days blurred together
1:20:34
sometimes he came down and just watched them other times he spoke to them as if
1:20:39
rehearsing some imagined script elise escaped when he left the door unlocked possibly in a moment of carelessness or
1:20:47
overconfidence she ran for hours barefoot and disoriented until the trail
1:20:52
camera caught her after she escaped Ellery had likely realized the game was over the fire investigators believed was
1:21:00
not meant to destroy evidence it was an act of eraser one final attempt to control the narrative but it failed
1:21:08
through Elisa's testimony and the evidence gathered from the farmhouse Ellery was linked to at least nine
1:21:14
missing person's cases more remained under review his use of aliases burner
1:21:21
phones and forge documents made the trail murky but each connection solidified the truth he had been doing
1:21:27
this for years despite an interstate manhunt Eller's body was never founded
1:21:33
no remains matching his DNA were located in the house investigators believe he
1:21:38
set the fire to fake his death and fled an eyewitness a trucker passing through town that evening claimed to have seen a
1:21:45
man matching his description walking along the highway rumors spread quickly after that he was spotted in Nevada in
1:21:53
Texas in Canada a hiker swore she saw him in Oregon selling carved wooden
1:21:58
figurines at a roadside stall nothing was ever confirmed the farmhouse was
1:22:03
demolished later that year the land was cleared and sold some locals petitioned
1:22:09
to have it preserved as a memorial but others wanted the reminder gone elise returned home and tried to rebuild her
1:22:16
life she gave only one public interview where she said "He tried to take everything from me but it is still here
1:22:23
that's what he couldn't control the wanderer remains one of the most elusive fugitives in recent history his case
1:22:30
files are still open still active and for those who study him there's always the chilling possibility that he hasn't
1:22:37
stopped but somewhere in some quiet corner of another town another farmhouse
1:22:42
waits and another victim is being drawn into his web and just as before it may
1:22:47
begin with the scent of smoke drifting faintly through the trees unnoticed until it's far too