5 Horrifying True Crime Cases That Still Don't Make Sense

The most horrifying crimes aren't always the ones with no answers. Sometimes they're the ones where every answer [music] creates another question. A timeline that should have been impossible. Evidence that points in two directions. And just when you think you understand what happened, one detail changes everything. In each of these five cases, investigators uncovered part of the truth. But even now, the full picture refuses to make sense. >> [music] >> Tami Ziki was on her way to college in the fall of 1992, but shortly after setting out on her trip, her car broke down. Several witnesses spotted her on the side of the highway, and before long, a truck driver had pulled over to help. No witnesses reported anything suspicious, but just moments later, Tammy would vanish, leaving nothing but her car behind. And it would seem that this good Samaritan wasn't [music] so good after all. Tammy Zawiki was born in Pleasant Hill, Pennsylvania back in March of 1971. Tammy was born into a family of brothers, being the only girl among her three siblings. Shortly after her birth, her family relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, where Tammy would spend the majority of her childhood. By the time she graduated high school, her family relocated once again, this time going to Marlton, New Jersey. By this point, Tammy had already moved on to college, attending Grenell College all the way up in Iowa, a lengthy 17-hour drive from her parents' home. But when Tammy wasn't busy with college, she would return home to her family, and she would spend her summer months with her family in New Jersey. She could often be found at her summer job at the local Blockbuster video store. For Tammy, life was going quite well. She was a very well-educated young woman with a very promising future ahead of her. It's clear to see that she was doing her best to make a name for herself, and her family were incredibly supportive. Tammy was attending college to major in both art history and Spanish, and the 1992 and 1993 college season was her senior year, meaning she'd nearly made it to the end of the line and was almost ready to start job hunting. Tammy never publicly mentioned what she planned to do after college, but whatever it was, she was [music] excited. In virtually every photo that's been shared of Tammy, she's beaming with excitement and happiness, and a smile like hers doesn't come around very often. Tammy was genuinely happy about what the future had in store for her. But little did she know, this happiness was about to be stolen. It was August 21st, [music] 1992. Tammy and her brother Darren had just left their parents' home in New Jersey together, heading back towards their colleges. Darren was heading off to college in Illinois, while Tammy was obviously heading up to Iowa. Tammy more or less needed to pass by her brother's college in order to get to her own, so she offered to drop him off along the way. Tammy planned on spending the night at her brother's college of Northwestern, located just outside of Chicago. She had a friend who was also attending Northwestern and didn't need to be back at her own college until September 8th, so she wasn't pressed for time by any means. Along their journey to Northwestern, Tammy and her brother Darren passed through Pittsburgh to spend some time with their parents who'd been visiting family [music] in the area. The two spent the night in Pittsburgh, then headed off towards Darren's College the following morning on August 22nd. Darren recalls that the two were having car troubles all throughout their journey and they needed to pull over multiple times. Tammy had been driving her 1985 Pontiac T-1000. And these days, these cars are notorious for their countless issues. So, it's understandable that the two were having constant car troubles, even though the vehicle was only 7 years old at this point. Darren remembers that the two needed to pull over two or three times to add coolant and oil to the car. And each time they did this, the car would begin acting normally again. On August 22nd, the two made it to Northwestern, where Tammy was finally able to spend some time with one of her friends. But for reasons that remain unclear, she decided not to hang out for too terribly long. Despite the fact that she didn't need to return to college for several days, she opted to head back towards her own campus on August 23rd, the day after she dropped off her brother. It's rumored that she headed off to school early so that she could take photos of her school's athletes during practice. Tammy had a passion for photography and she was hoping to take some of these photos to provide to the school's yearbook. Tammy left her friend's house at around noon on August 23rd. Her brother checked out her car before she left that day, and he told her that if it started acting up again that she should stop at a rest stop for a while, presumably to give the car some time to cool down so it didn't overheat. It seems like her car did fine for several hours as she made it all the way to I80 around mile marker 83 before she ever needed to pull over. [music] Unfortunately, she didn't end up making it to a rest stop as her brother had hoped. Between 3 and 4 p.m., Tammy was spotted on the side of the highway. We don't know exactly what was going on, but we know that she was spotted looking under the hood by several drivers who had passed by. She wasn't pulled over for too terribly long before an 18-wheeler driver offered to help her out. We don't know if he offered to give Tammy a ride to the nearest rest stop, if he offered to help fix her car, or if he offered to drive her to her college. There's just no way of knowing because after the man pulled over and spoke with Tammy, she disappeared. Considering it was the middle of the afternoon and [music] I80 is a remarkably busy highway, I feel it's safe to assume that whatever happened to Tammy likely didn't happen on the side of the road. Investigators never pinned this down with any certainty, but what most likely [music] happened is that Tammy was abducted by this driver and stowed away in his truck. Several witnesses got a pretty good look at the man and he was described as being between 30 and 45 years old with dark bushy hair. He was described as being about 6 feet tall. So, with Tammy being 5'2, it's safe to say there was a distinct [music] size difference between the two of them. Witnesses got a very good look at the suspect's truck, and they were able to provide investigators with a clear description of the vehicle. The truck and the trailer were said to have been white, and each of them had a brown and orange stripes running across them with what appeared to be a faded company logo stamped in the middle of [music] the stripes. The truck also reportedly had Nebraska plates. Later that day, Illinois police noticed that Tammy's car had been abandoned on the side of the road. A ticket was placed on the car, and when no one returned to pick it up, the car was towed to the Illinois State Police impound lot the very next day. This was also around the time that Tammy's family realized something was terribly wrong. Tammy was in the habit of calling her family when she arrived safely at college. When her family never heard from her that night, they became incredibly concerned. By the following morning on August 24th, Tammy's mother contacted the Illinois State Police and asked to [music] file a missing person report. The police accepted the report and submitted it to their database, but it seems as though her case wasn't really taken very seriously. Tammy's family have been somewhat critical of the police and their lack of interest. In the early days of the investigation, they revealed that police believed Tammy had run off with a boyfriend and didn't want to be found, but there was no evidence to suggest that Tammy even had a boyfriend at this time. It took police several days before they actually bothered investigating Tammy's disappearance. But by this point, it was far too late. About a week after Tammy was reported missing, police made a haunting discovery. [music] They were contacted by a truck driver named Robert Bullington. Robert says that he saw Tammy on the date of her disappearance. He mentioned that he saw her entering into the affforementioned 18-wheeler, [music] but he had even more info to share. Robert actually knew the driver of this truck personally, at least to a certain extent. The two had spoken on CB radio before and they'd been in contact with each other earlier that day. Robert says that the truck driver went by the name of Jerry, [music] but it's possible that Jerry was just a pseudonym that the man used on CB radio. Robert spoke with Jerry immediately after he picked up Tammy. But it's never been revealed if Jerry explained what his intentions were with her. Whatever the case was, Robert says that Jerry confirmed that Tammy was perfectly fine and this was the last interaction they had. Robert remembered his conversation with Jerry when [music] he noticed missing person flyers for Tammy. He immediately called the police to report his interaction with this man. But by the time he made the report, Jerry [music] was long gone. But shortly after this report is when police made a startling [music] update to the case. A report that would change everything. [music] It was September 1st, 1992. A man had pulled over onto the side of the road in Saroxy, Missouri near I44 to relieve himself and stretch a tarp over some of his tools that he'd been carrying in the back of his truck as he just heard that rain was about to roll in. As he stepped outside of his truck, he noticed something just off the side of the road, but couldn't make out what it was. As he drew closer, the realization of what he had just walked into finally struck. He had stumbled onto a crime scene. Police responded to the scene of the discovery and quickly announced what everyone had feared. Tammy Zawiki had finally been found, but it was far too late for her. Her body was found wrapped in a red blanket that had a label tying it to the Kenworth Trucking Company. Some reports of Tammy's discovery suggest that she was wearing the same outfit that she had disappeared in, but her family claimed that she wasn't. They believe that at some point she changed into different clothes. But the worst thing was police uncovered evidence that she'd been taken advantage of before she lost her life. The coroner was able to determine that she lost her life between 4 and 7 days before being discovered. So, it's entirely possible she lost her life the same day she was reported missing. If all of this weren't bad enough, police revealed that she'd sustained at least seven wounds to her chest, all of which were within the vicinity of her heart. And this obviously is what led to her losing her life. Police say that if her parents are correct and she was wearing different clothing than what she had originally been wearing, then they haven't been able to recover this original set of clothes. It wasn't found in her car, nor was it found during any follow-up investigations. She was also known to have been wearing a very distinct Loris brand watch. It had a green band with a green umbrella on its face and played the song Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. But this watch was never recovered, nor was her Canon 35mm camera or a St. Guileles soccer club patch that she was known to be carrying. After all of this was revealed, there was virtually zero progress in Tammy's case for the next 2 years. But in 1994, a nurse came forward after she'd spotted a man who came into her clinic who bore a striking resemblance to the man who was seen with Tammy when she vanished. [music] allegedly the same man who went by the name of Jerry on the CB radio. The man who came into the clinic that day was Lonnie Beardropped. [music] Lonnie was a longhaul trucker who lived in Missouri at the time, the same state where Tammy's body was found, and his home was within a few miles of the dump site. The man had even grown up near the area where Tammy's car broke down. Soon after Tammy vanished, the man had sold his vehicle, and police found this a bit suspicious. But if this weren't bad enough, the man even worked for Kinworth Trucking Company, the same company who manufactured the blanket that Tammy's body was found wrapped in. Police were eventually able to locate the man's old vehicle that he had sold, but they weren't able to find any evidence inside of it. The man also supplied a DNA sample to investigators, but his sample didn't yield any results pertaining to the investigation. Shortly after, the man was cleared of any involvement and detectives announced that they would be disbanding the task force that was dedicated to Tammy Zawiki's investigation. They reduced the number of officers on the case from 14 down to just two. This would be the final update until 2002, 8 years after Lonnie was labeled as the primary suspect. [music] Detective Martin McCarthy, a retired detective who'd been working on Tammy's case, spoke out about the investigation and mentioned that Lonnie had never truly been cleared as a suspect. Yes, they confirmed his DNA wasn't a match and this had more or less ruled him out, but he remained on their list as a person of interest, [music] but Detective McCarthy clarified the situation by saying that things weren't as simple as the media made them out to be. According to McCarthy, Lonnie's DNA was only cleared on a technicality. The DNA sample that police had managed to pull from the scene of the crime was incomplete, and it was an incredibly small quantity as well, from what I can tell. Because of this, there wasn't enough of a sample available to definitively prove whether or not Lonnie was actually involved. This didn't mean that he wasn't responsible. It just meant that there wasn't enough evidence to prove it with any certainty, even though officers had heavy suspicions about this man. The main piece of evidence that I personally find incredibly fascinating is that not only did Lonnie perfectly fit the bill of the man that witnesses spotted with Tammy that day, but he also reportedly gave his wife a Loris brand watch around the time that Tammy disappeared. The watch was reportedly shockingly similar to the watch that Tammy wore. And if you ask me, it may have been the same watch. Unfortunately, Lonnie passed away in 2002 and his involvement in the case more or less ended here as police obviously had no way to ask him any further questions. But by 2007, another 5 years later, police announced another update in which they believed a man by the name of Bruce Mendenhal may have been involved in Tammy's disappearance. [music] Bruce was yet another trucker with an interesting past. Detectives were able to convict Bruce for taking the life of another victim named Sarah Halbert, and they even tied him to 11 more cases, but Tammy's case was never officially connected to Bruce. Police once again had strong suspicions that he may have been involved, but there simply wasn't enough evidence to time to the case with any certainty. He also seemed to prey on street workers and addicts, and Tammy didn't fit this bill at all. So, the chances of Bruce being responsible are relatively slim. though we do know that he worked predominantly in Illinois at that time, so he certainly would have had the opportunity. [music] There was one other man who police suspected may have been involved in Tammy's disappearance. A man by the name of Clark Perry Baldwin. Clark was a cross-country trucker who was arrested in 2020 after DNA tests tied him to the homicides of at least three other women. But very shortly after he was apprehended, police cleared him of any involvement in Tammy Zawiki's case. This brings us to 2023, 31 years after the crime took place. As it stands, this case remains officially unsolved. But I know there are a lot of you out there who don't really like cases like this that have no real ending. And I don't like it when crimes go unsolved either. So, with this in mind, I'd like to revisit a couple things involving Lonnie Beardropped. If you remember Detective McCarthy, he believes without a doubt Lonnie is the man behind the crime. This may also explain why the task force that was dedicated to the case was disbanded so suddenly. It's possible that the detectives knew who the killer was, but they also knew that there simply wasn't enough evidence to ever pin him to the crime. So, the unit was disbanded until further evidence could be found. And really, [music] just look at the guy. He looks exactly like the descriptions given by witnesses. If you remember, the guy was described as being between 30 and 45. Lonnie was 32. He was described as having brown bushy hair. Lonnie had brown bushy hair. Lonnie was also a convicted felon who had been given two 20-year sentences for armed violence and attempted murder. He made parole in 1990, after which he started driving for Kinworth Trucking Company, the same company that was branded on the blanket Tammy was founded. If this wasn't enough, Lonnie also had no alibi for the time that Tammy went missing. and investigators have reason to believe he was within Tammy's general vicinity at that time. The only details that I haven't been able to confirm are the height estimates given by witnesses. They describe the [music] man seen with Tammy as being about 6 ft tall, but I haven't been able to determine how tall Lonnie was. The literal only information I could find that might rule Lonnie out is that the witnesses who spotted the suspect that day never reported him wearing glasses. And we know that Lonnie had worn glasses pretty much his [music] whole life. But we can't forget the watch. Lonnie reportedly gave his wife an identical watch to the one that Tammy was missing. Now, I don't know what other evidence you could possibly want. I'll I'll never accuse an innocent man of a crime. That's just not the kind of show I'm running here, but this man is new levels of suspicious. In my own mind, I've made peace with the idea that Lonnie was most likely the killer. Being a two-time convicted felon, we already know that he was a pretty bad guy. We just don't know if he managed to turn himself around while he was in prison. Detective McCarthy has also resigned to believing that Lonnie was the killer. And that alone says an awful lot considering he has access to all sorts of additional evidence and information that's never been made public. And if all of this public information points to Lonnie, I can only imagine what information that's being withheld may implicate him as well. So, in the end, Tammy's case may be officially unsolved, but I think I speak for nearly everyone when I say it's only a matter of time before this case is truly solved. I assume investigators still have Lonie's DNA on file, as well as the partial DNA recovered from the crime scene. And with the rapid advancements in DNA technology these days, only time will tell. On average, a full-grown Rottweiler consumes about 2 to 3% of its body weight in food every single day. This can be anything from dog food to animal and marine protein, lean meats, the list goes on. But what if I told you that Rottweilers in Brazil unknowingly ate a person? Well, this alone is gruesome and vile, but the reason will give you genuine chills. I wish I could say that it wasn't real, but when 25-year-old Brazilian model, actress, and mother Eliza Simurio went missing, no one expected her remains to have been fed to Rottweilers, not even the police. Dubbed the invisible victim since her remains can never be recovered, Eliza Simoodio's case is going to leave you terrified, revolted, and in complete shock because it's the nightmarish depiction of the justice system siding with the famous and wealthy, judging the victim by their profession and ultimately failing to protect them. Welcome to True Crime Stories. If you're new here, I post new true crime cases every single week with none of those terrible AI narrations. just you, me, and a case to solve. So, if you want to see some good old-fashioned true crime documentaries, hit that subscribe button. It's totally free and it'll keep you up to date with all of my future videos. Eliza Silva Simoodio was born on February 22nd, 1985 in Brazil to parents Louise and Fatima. Louise was an architect, whereas Fatima was a farmer. But the couple was anything but perfect. See, Louise was a violent man and would physically abuse Fatima on several occasions. It's safe to say that young Eliza got the very first glimpse of how terrible people can be very early on in her life. But Fatima wasn't the type of woman to stick around with an abusive man. So when Eliza was 6 months old, Fatima decided to take Eliza away from it all and divorce her husband. But since Fatima was in the throws of financial problems and couldn't raise a child on her own, baby Eliza was left with Louise. While Fatima moved out of the family home and went on to restart her life in Campbell Grande. Soon she met a man, fell in love, got married, and the couple welcomed a son. The couple also started a somewhat successful pepper farm. All the while, Fatima occasionally met Eliza until she was 10 years old. And at this point, Eliza went to live with her mom and her now new family in Campo Grande. She spent a year there before moving back to her father's home after he threatened both of them with death. Then took Eliza back to his terrible home. Life for Eliza was not ideal. Her family was broken. It was in financial strain. And Eliza, since she was very young, was also subjected to abuse by her father. The most disgusting part about Eliza's life with Louise is that when she was just a teenager, he tried to force her into adult work strictly because of the money that it made. This man had no boundaries, and this alone proved how broken he truly was. The best time of Eliza's life was with her mom, and the year that she spent with her was the only normal and steady time in her life. Nevertheless, her grave family situation did not stop Eliza from aiming for the stars. She wanted to become a model and an actress in the more famous parts of Brazil, like Rio de Janeiro and Sa Paulo. And that's exactly what she did. When Eliza turned 18, she packed her bags and moved to Sa Paulo. But Eliza soon came face to face with the brutal realities of moving to a big city with big dreams and empty pockets. It wasn't going to be easy. Even though Eliza auditioned for a lot of roles in movies, TV shows, and modeling campaigns, she didn't land any of them. Heartbroken and needing money to survive, Eliza felt she had no choice but to turn to adult work. unfortunately falling into a terrible trap that so many young women find themselves in, especially in today's world with the advent of apps that let you pay people to do darn near anything. It's so heartbreaking to see Eliza trying to survive in a big city and seeing her dreams fade away so quickly. Eliza may not have had her dream job, but she eventually got a few acting roles, albeit in adult movies. She also fulfilled her modeling dream by featuring in several Brazilian magazines. This was pretty much the gateway to success for Eliza and opened up a whole new world of opportunities and connections for her. With her modeling success, Eliza attended various sports events, mainly soccer, and there she met andorked with soccer players who were also celebrities. Eliza had always loved soccer since she was young, and it was her dream to marry a soccer player and become a mom. Well, during one of these events, she did meet someone, and it was a very famous soccer player, Bruno Fernandez Desa. Bruno came from a broken family, too. So, he and Eliza had that in common. Bruno's dad was a very violent man with a criminal past, and his mom was a raging alcoholic. Needless to say, Bruno and Eliza had pretty rocky starts to their lives. But Bruno made it through and made his life mission to be successful. He became a well-known soccer player and he played with the Corinthians, then became a partner of MSI before joining Flamingo in 2007. By all accounts, Bruno was a great goalkeeper and even went on to win several trophies from 2007 to 2009 while playing for Flamingo. But Bruno, at the time of meeting Eliza, was married to a woman named Diane. This was something that Eliza knew about, but it didn't stop both of them from engaging in a full-blown affair. Bruno wasn't looking for anything serious since he was a famous soccer player and he was obviously already married, but he wasn't opposed to running around behind his wife's back. According to some of Bruno's acquaintances, he had even promised Eliza that he would divorce his wife for her. But we don't know whether what he was saying was true or if he was just trying to pacify Eliza, who definitely wanted something more than a behind closed doors fle. Now, Eliza and Bruno's actual place of meeting is unknown. According to some of Bruno's friends, the couple met in 2008 at a barbecue. But according to Bruno, they met at a party. Regardless, the two would spend a lot of nights at Eliza's house away from the press. And a few months into the affair, Eliza fell pregnant with Bruno's baby. Now, Bruno did not take this news well, and he began acting like this was somehow Eliza's fault. But correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it takes two people to make a baby. It's not like Eliza tricked him into doing anything. It was purely an accident. And regardless, because of the pregnancy, Bruno broke up with Eliza, which is so nauseatingly infuriating. Not only did he completely ditch his responsibilities of being a father, but he happily bummed these responsibilities off to the child's mother, leaving her to fend for herself when she needed help the most. Bruno, after the breakup, became insistent that he didn't want the baby, claiming Eliza was just a distraction for him and that he wasn't looking for any commitment. He even went as far as to try to force Eliza to get rid of the child. But thankfully, Eliza stood her ground and wanted to keep the baby. This proved to be troublesome for Bruno and his reputation because people started to talk. Scandals and rumors were everywhere that Bruno was involved with another woman and that she was expecting their child. This caused Bruno to spiral and then things escalated dangerously. At one point, Bruno kidnapped Eliza and forced her to take medication that would end the baby's life. But thankfully, the baby survived with no issues. But this incident caused Eliza to finally come out to the public and file a police report for her safety on October 13th of 2009. In her statement to the police, Eliza said Bruno was a volatile and dangerous man. When the case went to trial, the only protection Eliza got was an order that banned Bruno from coming within 300 m of her, which wasn't nearly enough for Eliza, who was genuinely scared for her life. But the investigators failed to study her case further and give her the protection that she needed. It's believed that since Eliza had previously been involved with adult work, the police more or less wrote her off, gave her a simple restraining order, then sent her on her way. What Eliza really wanted was protection, surveillance, something. After this letdown, Eliza turned to Brazilian news stations and came out with details about her and Bruno's affair, which was a full blow to Bruno's personal life and his reputation. Eliza also demanded financial support from Bruno. But the court turned a blind eye to this as the couple's relationship wasn't official, which is completely ridiculous if you ask me. If having a child together doesn't make a relationship official, then I don't know what will. Bruno in his own press conference and public appearances went on to state that the child wasn't his and that Eliza was trying to milk money out of him because that was what women in this profession do. according to him, which really tells you the kind of person that Bruno is. Eliza, on the other hand, shot down these derogatory allegations from Bruno and confirmed she had been faithful to Bruno from the get-go, even though he hadn't technically been faithful to her, though, because he was married. The whole situation was just a mess. Fast forward to February 10th of 2010. Eliza gave birth to a healthy baby boy who she named Brunino, which when translated basically means Bruno Jr. or little Bruno. Bruno was not the least bit interested in his child and didn't even see him until he was 4 months old. The whole situation was all just so awful for Eliza and the baby. She wanted to give her son a better life. She hoped that the baby's father would show up for him, but sadly Bruno only cared about his own image. And Eliza was about to find out just how far Bruno was willing to go to save his reputation. Fast forward to June 4th of 2010. This was the last day that Eliza reached out to anyone. It was actually Eliza's mom, Fatima, who found it weird that her daughter hadn't reached out to her in so long. Although Eliza and Fatima initially had a falling out, Fatima was still concerned for her daughter. And get this, Fatima didn't even know Eliza had a child. Eliza's friends were also starting to get worried about Eliza, and no one had heard from her since June 4th. Not long after, 25-year-old Eliza Simurio was reported missing. What was so terrifying was that her baby, Bronino, was nowhere to be found, and this for police was a race against time. They immediately open an investigation, and the news of the Brazilian model was everywhere on the news stations. The detectives looked into various people of interest, and one of them was Bruno. Now, when the investigators questioned Bruno, he vehemently maintained his innocence, saying that he had nothing to do with Eliza's disappearance. the child and even claimed that he wasn't the father and that Eliza was just a distraction for him. The same things he kept repeating to the media all those months ago. June 24th, 2010 rolled around and this is when a shocking and terrifying turn in the case was revealed. See, the police received an anonymous call from a person who stated that Eliza had been tragically murdered and her body was buried under the concrete floor of Bruno's farm and that all of the evidence had been burned. Now, even though this was a believable lead, as everyone had a lingering suspicion that the star goalie definitely had something to do with Eliza's disappearance, it wasn't as easy for the police. They couldn't obtain a search warrant for Bruno's residence because he was a prominent figure in the investigation didn't want to rock the boat unnecessarily, which is so hard to wrap your head around. The political climate in this area is apparently just so vastly different from other parts of the world. This is where the police and the justice system failed poor Eliza. Authorities failed to protect her in the beginning for reasons that are so asinine. And now when Eliza and her son are missing, the investigators cared more about Bruno's public image than a woman who could very much be in danger at that time. If this doesn't make your blood boil, then I don't know what will. But on June 26th, Bruno was officially named the main suspect in Eliza's disappearance after detectives found Bruno in Bruno's house with one of his other mistresses, Fernanda Castro. Luckily, Bernito was alive, unharmed, and well, when the investigators questioned Fernanda, she confessed that the child had been given to her by Bruno's wife, Diane, and she was asked to keep an eye on him. The detectives were extremely suspicious of Bruno at this point because why would Diane have Eliza's child? And what was he doing in Bruno's house when he wanted nothing to do with the child? And more importantly, where was Eliza? With this revelation, Fernando was taken into custody. While on June 28th, another search of Bruno's house was conducted. And by that time, both Bruno and his wife Diane were uncooperative and they'd lawyered up. Pretty convenient timing. Well, the investigators found a lot of disturbing things during their search. Eliza's belongings, including her sunglasses and a pair of black shoes. They also found several baby diapers. And when they searched Bruno's Range Rover, the police found traces of blood, and this was taken in as evidence. When the investigators took all of this evidence to court, though, the judge dropped the case as the evidence unfortunately wasn't enough. And in all fairness, outside of the blood, which wasn't even proven to be Eliza's at this point, you have to admit the rest of the evidence is fairly circumstantial. I mean, if the two had been dating, it makes sense that a few of her items could have been found at Bruno's home. But on July 6th, 2010, though, someone incredibly close to the case contacted the detectives with more evidence than they could have ever asked for. A confession. [music] The man who reached out to investigators was a 17-year-old named Sergio, who was Bruno's cousin. He had some very harrowing details to share with police. According to Sergio, he'd been an accomplice in the murder of Eliza, which was planned by none other than Bruno. According to Sergio, Bruno had reached out to a local hitman and a former police officer named Marcos Doss Santos, also known as Bola, and had asked for his help in getting rid of someone who was trying to harm his reputation. Sergio's version of events stated that Bruno was also one of the last people to talk to Eliza on June 4th when he proceeded to invite her to his farmhouse in Esmeraldas. He apparently wanted to come to an agreement about child support, get a paternity test, and sort out other financial disagreements that the couple had. Since Eliza didn't have a car, Bruno decided that he would pick her up from her place. When a car pulled up in front of Eliza's home, Sergio was in the back seat while another friend of Bruno's, Louise Enrique Ramau, was driving the car. Eliza unknowingly got into the passenger seat with her baby in her arms. And that was tragically when Sergio launched an attack on her. He was armed with a firearm, but Eliza fought to the bitter end, trying to grab the weapon from him. When Sergio tried to fire at Eliza, he found the gun wasn't even loaded. But as a last resort, Sergio hit Eliza on the head with the butt of the firearm until she lost consciousness, and she was then taken to Bruno's house, where he and Bola were waiting for her. Eliza's belongings were taken and burned, and Bruno ordered Bola to quote, "Deal with her," but didn't say anything about the child. Bruno then left the scene after paying his henchmen. A day later on June 5th, Bruno had a big game to play with his team, giving him an alibi. Sergio then proceeded to confess that Eliza was held by a local gang for days before her life was ultimately taken, and she was then fed to a group of Rottweilers. After this was done, Brunina was handed over to Bruno. And that was the end of Eliza's story. Now, Sergio's confession, even though it was choppy and kept changing at times, was very much in line with the anonymous call that the investigators had received. It was also believed that whatever was left of poor Eliza was entombmed in concrete to remove every trace of her, which was Bruno's intention from the start. According to the evidence that police gathered, Eliza likely lost her life on June 10th, meaning she'd been held by her captors for 6 days while they did who knows what to her. And this is just a level of tragedy that's just too much. The police, after hearing all of this, decided to conduct another search of the place where Sergio pinpointed where Eliza's remains were, but they found nothing. The detectives believed that Sergio and other men involved in Eliza's tragic passing were lying about the location of her body, as they wanted to get away with as much leniency from the court as possible, which is very rich coming from people who didn't even think twice about driving a defenseless and innocent woman to her tragic end. Sergio's emotional confession proved to be the driving force, and the judge finally issued arrest warrants for everyone involved in Eliza's attack and death, which included Bruno as well. On July 8th, 2010, Marcos, better known as Bola, was arrested by the military police. As for Bruno and Louise, they'd surrendered to the police after much convincing by Bruno's lawyers, as this was the best for his public image. Seriously, this man had the nerve to save his reputation, even after what he did. The trial was held on November 19th of 2012, almost 2 years after the disappearance of Eliza. and the main suspects included Bruno, Louise, Bola, Fernanda, Diane, and the two other accompllices. In the end, Louise was sentenced to only 15 years in prison for abducting and claiming the life of Eliza. Bola received 19 years in prison, an additional 3 years for hiding Eliza's body. Bruno's mistress, Fernanda, received 5 years in prison for withholding information from the authorities. For Bruno's trial, Sergio was the star witness who was found not guilty since he was underage at the time of Eliza's passing. But something drastic did happen. See, Sergio had mysteriously passed away in 2012 after being hit by a motorcycle that had apparently been following him home from work. Even though it's assumed that Bruno didn't have anything to do with Sergio's death, it is a bit mysterious how he died knowing that Bruno's trial was just around the corner. At Dian's trial, Bruno's wife, Diane was found not guilty and got off completely. In December of 2012, Flamingo officially terminated Bruno's contract as Bruno's involvement in the team was causing the club to lose sponsors. So, in the end, Bruno's reputation was still ruined, meaning at this point, Eliza had lost her life for nothing. Finally, in 2013, Bruno was found guilty of murdering his mistress, Eliza, and he was sentenced to 22 years in prison. But Bruno's story is not over yet because in 2017, 4 years after Bruno was imprisoned, an appeal was filed by his attorneys and Bruno was shockingly set free. Within days of his release, Bruno joined another soccer club called Boa Esporte for which he played a game on April 8th, 2017, which is just insane. A man who was imprisoned for murder was now out and free to live his life. Although this new club also lost all of its sponsors after Bruno joined and there was a huge display of disgust from the public directed towards Boazport for taking a convicted criminal in the club. But that wasn't for long because Bruno was rearrested after his appeal was rejected and he had to live out his full sentence, meaning his contract with the new club was also terminated. But this was also short-lived because in July of 2019, Bruno was given a semi-open prison sentence in which he was allowed out of prison during the day but was locked behind bars during the night, which is downright absurd. It's so baffling to see that the court is willing to treat Bruno, a convicted murderer, with so much leniency just because he's famous. Yet, the system completely failed to give Eliza protection, a single mother who was just trying her best to move on with her life. Later on, Bruno went on to join another soccer club, but his contract was yet again terminated because he couldn't make it to practice and training sessions because of his prison restrictions. Bruno eventually divorced his wife and went on to marry someone else in prison. So, by all accounts, Bruno was living a pretty normal life. He's still serving his semi-open prison sentence, and he currently has another family and is looking for another soccer club to join. Soon after Eliza's disappearance and during the trial, her mom, Fatima, fought to the death for Bernino's custody. Again, when you think things couldn't get worse, the Brazilian justice system proves you wrong. And this time, the court failed to see reason yet again. The baby's custody was given to none other than his grandfather, Louise Carlos Samurio, the same person who abused Eliza and Fatima, and even forced his own daughter to engage in adult work at a very young age. Who in their right mind would grant custody of a child to a predator who doesn't even have a credible record of taking care of his own family? Well, according to the court, Louise Carlos was the last person Eliza was living with. So, it was only reasonable that her child lived with him, too. But they failed to mention that it was Louise holding Eliza captive since he threatened her to death if she left. Fatima, after Bernito's custody was handed over, went straight to the court and demanded custody of the child and gave rock solid proof of Louisa's violent behavior. Not long after, a conviction came out holding Louise accountable for assaulting a 10-year-old girl. And this was when the court immediately took custody away from Louise and Fatima was granted full custody of Bernino. Fatima officially became the baby's legal guardian. She requested a paternity test which proved that Bernina was indeed Bruno's child. This confirmed Eliza's claim that she'd been faithful to Bruno. The child has grown up since and is living with his grandmother, who's showering him with all the attention and love that Eliza would have if she'd been alive and well. This case is truly tragic and is a perfect display of raw and unfiltered human rage. To think that Bruno, a self-obsessed and famehungry excuse of a person, would remove Eliza from the picture so brutally and mercilessly and then witnessed the court go above and beyond in leniency towards him is chilling beyond measure. Eliza, who had a rough start in life, was a headstrong girl with dreams of starting a family with the man that she loved. But she paid with her life, which was snuffed out by the very man she thought she could trust. Controlling and abusive relationships are like a dark maze with seemingly no way out. But there definitely is one if you choose to change the course of your life. We all deserve someone who's proud to have us in their life, not hide us away, because that's what real and healthy relationships are made of. And I think we all deserve that. Sadly, that chance was stolen away from Eliza. But don't let it be stolen away from you, too. Brianna Maitelland completed her shift at a local hotel on March 19th, 2004 and began her journey home for the night. It was a routine she'd performed countless times before, a familiar rhythm to the eb and flow of life in Sheldon, Vermont. But little did she know that this night would be different and the path she tread upon would veer off course into the realm of the unknown. The following morning, a ski team visiting the snowcapped mountains of Vermont was traveling down Route 118 when they spotted something that sparked their curiosity. So much so that they pulled the side of the road and photographed an Oldmobile Delta that had been backed up suspiciously into a bar. They poked around momentarily looking to offer assistance, but no one was around. They loaded back into their vehicle and drove off, not knowing that their photos would be the only remaining images of a crime scene where Brianna Mland vanished without a trace. Brianna Mland was born October 8th, 1986 to parents Kelly and Bruce Mland of Franklin, Vermont, a remote town just before the West Berkshire border, crossing over into Canada. It's a small town of just over 1,000 residents. Nestled in the heart of Vermont's picturesque landscape, Franklin exudes an aura of tranquility. Its rolling hills blanketed in lush greenery that stretches as far as the eye can see. This quaint rural town with its scattered clusters of weathered barns and farmhouses seems frozen in time. A relic of simpler days gone by. But beneath its serene facade lies a community grappling with a haunting mystery that has lingered for years. Franklin is not just a dot on the map. It's a place marked by the enigmatic disappearance of Brianna Maitland, a young woman whose vanishing continues to cast a long shadow over the town. Brianna grew up on her family's farmland with an older brother. As a child, she trained in jiu-jitsu, and friends say that she was no pushover. Her upbringing made her fiercely independent. Her friends and family described her as being a kind and a good friend. She was never afraid to stand up for what she thought was right. Her father, Bruce, says Brianna had a strong sense of justice. As she got older, Brianna spent most of her time with friends and had a vibrant social life. But because of the remoteness of her family's farm, most of her friends lived several miles away in a neighboring town. Her father reports that Brianna didn't fit in with the kids at her smalltown high school. So during her sophomore year, against her parents wishes, she moved out of her home and started couch surfing and attended school with her close friends in Sheldon, Vermont. Brianna was seeking a fresh start. In this close-knit community of Sheldon, where everyone knows everyone, she found a sense of belonging that eluded her elsewhere. By March of 2004, Brianna had completed her GED, found a job to support herself, and moved in with her lifelong friend, Jillian Stout. She was looking forward to the extra money that a second job would bring in, and was due to start in just a few days. But after leaving work as a dishwasher at the Black Lantern Inn at around 11:30 p.m. on March 19th, Brianna disappeared. In the months leading up to her disappearance, Brianna was a vibrant presence in the town of Sheldon. Tall and slim with long flowing brown hair and a radiant smile, Brianna possessed a natural beauty that captivated those around her. Outside of work, Brianna was known to enjoy spending time with friends, attending local events, and exploring the surrounding countryside. But there were also reports of occasional conflicts and disagreements in the weeks leading up to her disappearance, adding a layer of complexity to the circumstances surrounding her vanishing. Despite these challenges, Brianna remained hopeful and optimistic about the future. In small town environments, the drama between teens can spread like wildfire. As someone who was outspoken, loyal, and a little naive, not many people were shocked when Brianna was in a physical altercation with a girl named Key Lacrosse or Kelly weeks before her disappearance. I'm not 100% certain on the pronunciation of the girl's name. Although she trained in martial arts, Brianna chose not to fight back against someone that she once considered a friend. While there's been copious speculation about the reason for the fight, Bruce maintains that it was all because of jealousy. Photos taken after the fight show Brianna with two black eyes, even though she supposedly never even raised a hand towards the other girl. While receiving medical care, doctors determined that she also suffered from a broken nose and a concussion. After Brianna was urged by her friends and family, she went on to file charges with the police. The case against Keley was to be heard by a judge on April 9th, 2004. But Brianna would be missing by that time. Without her appearance in court, the case was dropped. On the morning of Friday, March 19th, Brianna took and passed her GED test. To celebrate, Brianna and her mother, Kelly, went out for lunch and to go shopping. Kelly is quoted in the Trace Evidence podcast as saying, quote, "It was an upbeat day." Despite the celebratory nature, though, Kelly reports that while they were standing in line to buy some items, Brianna was staring out one of the windows into the parking lot and stated out of nowhere that she'd be right back. leaving her mother standing alone in line. After checking out, Kelly exits the store, heading for the parking lot where Brianna meets up with her. Kelly reports that at this point, Brianna seemed agitated. Kelly didn't want to push her daughter on the matter, so she accepted the answer that she just needed to get ready for work. Those close to Brianna have since come forward, stating that [music] she was confronted in the parking lot and was urged not to go to work that night. People following the case have made some wild assumptions about this warning, coming up with all sorts of theories about what may or may not have happened that day. But with the looming court date, the reason for this confrontation seems obvious. Despite her daughter's abrupt change in attitude, Kelly dropped Brianna off at the apartment that she shared with Jillian without pressing the matter. This was the last time she saw her daughter. Before going to work on that frigid evening, Brianna left a note for Jillian that she would be back [music] later after work. But Brianna would never return. The Black Lantern Inn was busy when Brianna arrived that evening. During the winter months in Vermont, the Red Bricked Bed and Breakfast is expected to have no vacancies due to its proximity to JP, a popular seasonal sports destination. The Black Lantern Inn stands as a timeless beacon of hospitality amidst the rolling hills and serene countryside of Sheldon, Vermont. Nestled at the heart of the town's historic district, this charming establishment exudes an air of warmth and welcome that draws travelers and locals alike into its embrace. Behind the scenes, Brianna found her place within the bustling rhythm of the Black Lantern Inn. Her bright smile and easy charm making her a beloved fixture among staff and patrons alike. Brianna's genuine warmth and hospitality left an amazing impression on all who crossed her path. When questioned after her disappearance, none of her co-workers indicated anything unusual happened that night. Brianna, a dishwasher, spent most of her shift in the kitchen. At 11:20 p.m., Brianna clocked out of work. Her co-workers invited her to have some food with them, but she declined, stating she just wanted to go home. Co-workers see Brianna walk out to her car, where she gets in and drives down the road towards her apartment. Drivers traveling along Route 105 between the inn and Brianna's apartment would later tell investigators that they'd gone past the barn where her vehicle was later recovered and had seen her ODS mobile backed in with the tail lights illuminating a pitch black night. If these motorists are reliable witnesses, this detail means that there is a 10-minute window for things to go tragically wrong, as these reports came in around 11:30 p.m. The details of what transpired in the hours that followed remained shrouded in mystery, obscured by the passage of time and the unreliable impulses of memory. What is known is this. Brianna was last seen leaving the Black Lantern in in her car, a 1985 Oldsmobile sedan, sometime after 11:20 p.m. It was a sighting that would later become the focal point of the investigation into her disappearance. A breadcrumb trail leading to the darkness that swallowed her whole. The following morning, police stumbled across Brianna's car, abandoned and [music] backed into the side of a dilapidated farmhouse on East Berkshire Road, just a short distance from the Black Lantern Inn. Mind you, at this point, police had no reason to suspect that Brianna had vanished. So, they were a bit confused, not only by the state of her car, but also its location. Its windshield was shattered, and its rear end was lodged firmly against the side of the building. It stood as a silent lookout to the mystery that had unfolded in the dead of night that evening. But most intriguing of all about this discovery was that Brianna was nowhere to be seen. [music] Tuesday, March 23rd, 4 days after her shift at the Black Lantern Inn, Jillian calls Kelly to ask if Brianna is there. Kelly, surprised by this question, tells Jillian that the last time she saw Brianna was on Friday after she dropped her off at the apartment where the girls live together. Jillian says that she received a note from Brianna on Friday, but left for the weekend. And when she returned, everything was just as she left it. As far as she could tell, Brianna had never come home. After not hearing from Brianna for several days, that's when Jillian decided to call Kelly. This means Brianna was missing for 4 days before anyone began to look for her. Rattled by this phone call, Kelly calls around looking for her daughter. Each call ends the same way. The person on the other line tells Kelly they haven't seen or talked to Brianna in several days. Kelly's worry increases with every phone call. And after she hangs up the phone for the final time, she decides she needs to report her daughter as missing. Shortly after, she drives to the Vermont State Police headquarters with her husband to provide them with the details of her missing daughter. While at the police station in St. Albins's, they tell the police that Brianna drives an older model green Old. Interesting, the police think. They then show Kelly and Bruce a photo of a vehicle they towed away only a few days prior after they found it crashed into the side of an abandoned farmhouse. This interaction with the police made two things evident to Bruce and Kelly. Their daughter crashed her car and had been missing much longer than they initially believed. But worse yet, the police had failed to notify them about the car. [music] Meaning in the eyes of some people, the police could be to an extent at fault for the delay in Brianna being reported missing. Police told Bruce and Kelly that they responded to the scene after several drivers called in to report the vehicle abandoned on the side of [music] the road. But what's really interesting about this case is just how Brianna seemingly vanished without leaving a single shred of evidence behind, but also the similarities that this case has to another incredibly popular disappearance. Mara Murray. [music] I'm curious how it's possible that with Mara Murray disappearing just 60 miles away just a few weeks later, no alarms went off. By now, I'm sure most of us have heard of Mara Murray's disappearance. Her case has become one of the most recognizable true crime cases in recent history. She too vanished without a trace and left investigators with very few leads. To this day, she's still never been found. Many people have been asking one question. Is it possible that her case remains unsolved due to small town negligence? Another bizarre link between the case was the presence of what many consider a red herring, a clue that's distracting or misleading. In Mara's case, a red rag was found inside her tailpipe and it was never really explained. Who put it there and why? In Brianna's case, a single lime wedge stuck to the trunk of her car was recovered at the scene. Investigators initially shrugged off this lime, but many have since asked who put it there, and more importantly, why? Another similarity to Mars's case was the vicinity of a local snow resort, the local community's primary source of revenue. Is it possible these cases were initially classified as runaways to prevent disturbing the local tourism industry, or simply that a small rural police force is largely incapable of handling such a sinister crime? On March 20th, 2004, at 1:00 p.m., a deputy was sent to the scene of Brianna's abandoned car. Upon arrival, this deputy assumed the car was abandoned after a drunk driving accident. The vehicle was found unlocked with the keys missing. The responding officer located two unopened paychecks addressed to Brianna Maitland from the Black Lantern in only a mile down the road and went there to see if they could locate her. When he arrived, the inn was closed. because he needed to respond to another call. The deputy ultimately decided to have Brianna's car towed to a local lot. He maintains he had no reason to believe it was a crime scene. While Vermont, this area in particular, has a comparatively low crime rate, especially concerning violent crime, I have difficulty believing that a low crime rate deters police from receiving proper training. I also wonder in what world is a car towed without first contacting the registered owner, especially in the event of a supposed crash. This just seems a bit backward to me. Following the missing person report filed by Brianna's parents, police searched around the Dutchburn barn with canines, but found no substantial evidence. Like Mara's case, many close to Brianna felt that the unsolved status stems from negligence and simple lazy police work. Police took no pictures at either scene. The responding officers ran neither plate to establish contact with the registered owner. Despite both cars having wrecked at night in freezing temperatures, there was seemingly no concern for the driver of either vehicle. After towing each car away from the scene, law enforcement waited a substantial amount of time before contacting the family. As we all know, making assumptions in law enforcement can be a tragic mistake. While there are several similarities between the disappearances of Brianna and Mara, locals, Brianna's family included, don't believe they're related. That's because they believe they know who did it. Speculation surrounding Brianna's disappearance has spanned a wide range of theories, each attempting to unravel the mystery of what happened to her on that fateful night in March of 2004. One prevailing theory suggests that Brianna may have met with foul play, perhaps falling victim to an unknown asalent or encountering someone with malicious intent along her journey home back from the Black Lantern Inn. This theory is supported by the mysterious circumstances surrounding the discovery of Brianna's abandoned car. Its windshield shattered and its rear end wedged against the side of an abandoned farmhouse, suggesting a possible struggle or altercation. Another theory claims that Brianna may have voluntarily left her life behind, choosing to embark on a new path without informing her loved ones of her intentions. Believers of this theory point to Brianna's reported desire to leave Sheldon and start a new, as well as her purported involvement in those altercations in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. But this theory is largely speculative and lacks concrete evidence to support its claims. In fact, as far as we know, Brianna loved it in Sheldon. She also had a new job lined up that she was expected to start in just a few days. So, this theory doesn't make much sense to me personally. Additionally, some have theorized that Brianna's disappearance may be connected to the drug trade, citing rumors of drug activity in the area and Brianna's alleged involvement with individuals known to be involved in illicit activities. While there's no direct evidence linking Brianna's disappearance to drugrelated issues, the presence of these rumors has fueled speculation and added complexity to the investigation. Now, there have been suggestions that Brianna's disappearance may be linked to other unsolved cases in the region, such as Mara's, leading to speculation about potential connections between her vanishing and other missing persons or criminal activities. But without tangible evidence to substantiate these claims, they remain mere speculation. and have not yielded any significant breakthroughs in the investigation. As investigators continue to sift through leads and explore new avenues of inquiry, the search for answers remains ongoing with the hope that one day the truth of what happened to Brianna will finally come to light. Until then, speculation serves as both a driving force and a reminder of the unsolved questions that linger in the hearts and minds of those touched by this tragic case. But all hope isn't lost. Greg Overer, a private investigator deeply invested in this case, stated in a 2017 podcast interview from Crawlspace Media. He says he believes he knows where she is, but because it's on property that he quote can't get on, her body remains undiscovered. This property belongs to one of four local men suspected to be involved with the case. Katie, a close friend of Brianna's, also spoke with the podcast and regarded Brianna's case as incredibly solvable. She maintains that three or four men are involved and that just one of them needs to be the one to talk, which leads to one question. Who will it be? And what kind of deal will they get? In March of 2016, investigators revealed that they'd recovered DNA inside Brianna's car that they believe belongs to their primary suspect. On March 18th of 2022, Vermont State Police announced that a lab in Texas ran tests on forensic samples sent to them in the fall of 2020. They examined these samples using advanced DNA sequencing to identify a match to an individual on law enforcement's radar. Scientists used genome sequencing to build a DNA profile. This method is similar to one used to create the profile that led to convicting Joseph D'Angelo, the Golden State Killer. This means Vermont State Police have a match for one of their people of interest. The only problem is police have yet to name a suspect in their investigation, leading to the continued question of who this unnamed person of interest is and why with the DNA match, this person hasn't become their primary suspect. While Detective Angela Baker of the Vermont State Police maintains that this evidence quote doesn't mean they have identified a subject, to those following the case, it means they are close. Due to the active status of the investigation, officials won't release many solid pieces of evidence to the public. Doing so would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation. I suspect that with a DNA match in hand, law enforcement is working to solidify their case, and they're probably inching closer each and every day. One significant development in the case occurred with the emergence of new leads and potential evidence. Advances in forensic technology have enabled investigators to re-examine existing evidence and explore previously unexplored avenues of inquiry. Additionally, the widespread use of social media and online platforms has facilitated communication and collaboration among law enforcement agencies, independent researchers, and the public, leading to the sharing of information and the generation of new leads. In recent years, there have been sporadic reports of potential sightings of Brianna or individuals matching her description, prompting renewed hope among her family and supporters. While many of these sightings have ultimately been proven to be unsubstantiated, each new lead is thoroughly investigated in the hopes of uncovering valuable information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case. What happened to Brianna Maitland on that fateful night remains a question that haunts the collective conscience of Sheldon and beyond. Law enforcement agencies launched a comprehensive investigation into her disappearance, scouring the surrounding area for any sign of her whereabouts. Yet, despite their best efforts, no trace of Brianna has ever been found. But amidst the uncertainty and anguish, one thing remains abundantly clear. Brianna Maitelland will never be forgotten. Her legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of those who knew her. Her memory kept alive by the undying hope that one day the truth of her disappearance will come to light. Until then, she remains a symbol of the enduring mystery that lies at the heart of the human experience. A reminder that sometimes the answers we seek are simply beyond our grasp. As the sun sets over the rolling hills of Sheldon, casting long shadows across the landscape, the mystery of Brianna Maitelland's disappearance endures. A silent testament to the fragility of life, but the resilience of the human spirit. And though she may have vanished into the night, her light continues to shine as a beacon of hope in the darkness that surrounds us all. Many young people have made the move to Los Angeles with dreams of making a name for themselves in film despite the chances of those plans being realized being very low. Those who succeed usually go on to enjoy a prosperous and fulfilling career. But those who fail are either forced to return to their hometowns or keep trying in hopes that one day they'll get their big break. 21-year-old Juliana Reading was one such aspiring actress who' moved from Arizona to Santa Monica in 2005. But her story would have a tragic ending with many twists and turns along the way. It's a case that's resulted in many people questioning whether justice was served since the outcome was not what anyone expected. And today, Juliana's family must live with the knowledge that the criminal who took her life may never face the consequences of their heinous actions. Juliana grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where she attended South Point Catholic High School, and by all accounts, she had a great childhood. She was close with her family, and after graduating, she decided to move to California, as she had aspirations of becoming a model. But her real ambition was to own her own business one day. and she told her parents, Patricia and Greg, that she would like to open a boutique in the future. After arriving in Los Angeles, she kept in touch with her family on a regular basis. She would often call her parents and catch up and let them know how her plans were going. They would also text each other often, and on occasion, she would make the trip back to Tucson for a visit. By 2008, she was living alone in a bungalow in Santa Monica while she was studying at Santa Monica College. To make extra money, she worked as a hostess in a restaurant while looking for opportunities in modeling or acting. For the time being, Juliana seemed content with her situation. But all of that would change on the 16th of March of that year when Patricia found out that she couldn't make contact with her daughter. What's known is that Juliana played a round of golf on the 15th of March, after which she returned to her bungalow and opted to spend the night in watching TV, specifically Seinfeld reruns. The following evening, Patricia became increasingly concerned when she received a call from Juliana's neighbors who informed her that they hadn't seen her at all that day and her dog was seen inside her bungalow, but the place seemed completely deserted. Patricia repeatedly dialed her number in hopes that she would answer, but she never did and also never returned any of her mother's calls. At first, she thought she may just be busy, but when she hadn't received a reply by 6:00 p.m., she knew something wasn't right. It was then that she decided it was time to call the police. Patricia explained the situation to investigators and asked whether they could do a welfare check, to which they agreed. Officers traveled to the bungalow and looked around outside, but saw nothing out of place or suspicious. Her car was still parked in the driveway, which suggested that she should be home, but the bungalow was silent. But when they entered the building, they knew something strange had happened. They noticed a candle burning in the bungalow's main entrance and then immediately detected the odor of natural gas, which they then discovered was coming from the gas stove that had been left on, but the burner wasn't lit, meaning the entire room was now essentially a time bomb. Then they made an even more unsettling discovery. After searching through the house, they walked into the back bedroom and here they found Juliana. Unfortunately, she was no longer alive. It didn't take detectives long at all to realize that she had been strangled, but it was also obvious that she put up quite a fight against her attacker. From all indications, it seemed that a violent struggle had taken place throughout the apartment. This theory was confirmed when it was revealed that Juliana's DNA was present under her own fingernails, suggesting that she was attempting to remove her attacker's hands from her throat. There were very few clues as to who had ended her life. But one thing that was certain was whoever entered the apartment had plans to cover their tracks by blowing up the apartment. They'd hoped that the gas emanating from the stove would react with the lit candle, thereby creating an explosion that would have wiped out a lot of evidence at the scene. It's believed that thanks to the age of the building, the gas never had a chance to build up enough to cause an explosion. And before long, investigators started to piece together what they believed happened in the moments leading up to Juliana's death. They believed someone entered the bungalow at around 1000 p.m. on the night of the 15th of March. After gaining entry, they attacked Juliana and at some point had caused injuries to her head by hitting her against the floor. Since this was a prolonged attack, investigators believed that her asalent didn't expect her to put up such a fight, and in the end, they had to resort to strangulation. It would later be determined that Juliana attempted to contact emergency services at some point, as her phone records showed that she dialed 911, but the call ended before it could connect. The neighbors who had contacted Patricia told officers that they heard the sounds of furniture being moved around and someone screaming at about 9:53 the previous night, but added that they hadn't seen anyone suspicious in or around the building. And it's certainly a shame they didn't take the situation more seriously. But you can't really blame them too much. Like they said, nothing seemed out of the ordinary and it could have been a small party or something for all they knew. Evidence was collected from the scene of the crime, including several DNA samples that were found on the building's front door, the phone, Juliana's clothing, and on her throat. These samples were sent into a lab for analysis, but they would take some time to reveal who' been inside her apartment. In the meantime, investigators interviewed Juliana's family and friends, who gave them as many details about her life as they could. When speaking to crime scene experts, Juliana's father suggested that they contact a man named John Gilmore with whom Juliana had been in an on-again off-again relationship. He added that he was concerned about Juliana when he found out they were dating since Gilmore was known to have had a violent temper, which became all the more apparent when he kicked in her car door on one occasion and had also forced his way into her apartment. When investigators heard this news, they felt like they finally found the lead they've been hoping for. They immediately set out to locate John, and it didn't take long at all before they found their man. When John Gilmore was interviewed, he stated that he'd been to Juliana's place that Sunday morning, but gotten no answer at the door despite her car being parked in the driveway. He looked in through the security gate, but could only see the burning candle, though he'd never smelled any gas. When asked about the violent incidents that they'd been told about, he admitted that he and Juliana had on occasion gotten into fights, one of which took place that Saturday night when they started arguing about his plans for the evening. He called her to tell her that he was planning on spending some time with some of his friends that night, and this must have irked her since she abruptly ended the call. He claimed that she then decided to spend the evening with one of her own friends, and he ended up going to a house party at a residence a few miles from her apartment. While there was still some tension between them, they kept texting each other throughout the evening. But then at around 10 p.m., she stopped responding to his messages. When he still hadn't received any reply the following morning, he attempted to call her and sent several text messages, but again, he got no response. This is when he went to her building, but had no choice other than to leave when he couldn't find her there. While he was certainly the first suspect, his name was soon cleared thanks to surveillance footage from the night of the attack. Security camera footage showed him visiting a convenience store and a Jack in the Box restaurant. Several people from the house party were able to confirm that he was there when the attack took place since they saw him there between 9:45 and 10:15 p.m. His innocence was fully confirmed when it was revealed that much of the DNA found in the apartment belonged to a woman, not a man. And police now had a lot of unanswered questions. They then started the task of speaking to all of the women in Juliana's life. There was suspicion that someone who knew her might have become jealous of her looks or her lifestyle or that there was some sort of love triangle involved. Investigators collected DNA samples from everyone they spoke to. But this led nowhere as no match was found for the samples that had been removed from her apartment. This is when they discovered that there was another man in the picture, a doctor by the name of Munir. Upon further investigation and questioning, investigators learned that Juliana and Munir had met each other while she was employed at a restaurant in 2007. She must have made quite an impression on him since he offered her a job as a medical assistant and she readily agreed. Working as a hostess or a waitress in a restaurant obviously doesn't pay very well, at least not considering all the crap you have to deal with from patrons. And she must have jumped at the opportunity to earn a little more money. But their relationship wouldn't remain merely professional for long. Before too much time had passed, she agreed to move in with Munir. And during this time, Munir would bring her gifts and allow her to live in his upscale house that was located in Beverly Hills. While this notion must have been flattering for a while, it didn't take long for Juliana to become concerned about Munir's behavior as she started feeling as though he was obsessed with her. He told her that he wanted to buy her an expensive car when she turned 21. And at one stage he even suggested that they get married. There was no doubt that she would be left wanting for nothing since he was a very wealthy man. But he was known to waste money on jewelry, cars, and women, which she found overwhelming and somewhat concerning. It's unclear if Munir simply got the wrong message from Juliana or if he was making things out to be much more than they really were, almost some sort of delusional wishful thinking. But whatever the case, Monourir's behavior only got stranger and stranger from here. And it didn't take Juliana long to realize she needed a way out. [music] Juliana eventually got her wits about her and decided she needed to end the relationship with Munir, after which she relocated to the bungalow in Santa Monica, which was being paid for by her father. The pair parted ways on good terms and they even stayed in touch which is a little bit surprising. One of Juliana's friends would later reveal that she Juliana and Munir traveled to Las Vegas on one occasion to celebrate her friend's birthday. But all was not as it seemed as her father started looking into Munir's background and what he found was seriously startling. He discovered that Munir not only was married at the time of his supposed relationship with Juliana, but that he had three children who were living in Lebanon. He was certain that his family didn't know about Juliana or any of the other women that he'd been seen with. And so, he relayed what he'd found to his daughter. She was taken aback and upset by the news and immediately told him that she no longer wanted to see him. And she even told him to never speak to her again, which was probably the right move. While Juliana and Munir were no longer on good terms, her father, Greg, who was a pharmacist, still kept in touch with Munir since they'd been working on a business deal together, but it never came to fruition as the deal fell through after Greg became concerned that Munir was running his business somewhat illegally. Evidence was quickly beginning to stack up against this man, and it quickly became clear he simply wasn't the man he portrayed himself to be. Investigators found it strange that Juliana had her life ended just a week after this deal had gone sour, and they soon started suspecting that Munir knew much more than he was letting on. But bear in mind, his DNA was not found at the scene of the crime. They were unable to interview him at the time since he'd left the country. Go figure. But they decided to start digging into his past in the meantime. Since he was known to have had a somewhat sorted history with women, they started looking at the women who'd worked for him in the past. They had a suspicion that the female DNA found at the crime scene may somehow be connected to Munir, but they had no proof to confirm these suspicions. Most of his former female employees were either no longer in touch with him or had no knowledge of Juliana. But when they looked into the history between him and a 47-year-old woman named Kelly Sue Park, they started to grow even more suspicious. He'd made several substantial payments to her, totaling over $1 million in just 18 months. She'd been involved in several of his business deals in the past while she was working as a real estate broker. While they were by no means certain that Park was connected to the attack on Juliana, they decided to have her follow in hopes that they could collect a DNA sample without her knowledge. If she was somehow connected to the crime, she may have alerted Munir to the fact that the authorities wanted to collect her DNA. And so it was decided that this should be done without raising any suspicions. Their patience eventually paid off when they were able to collect one of her discarded cigarette butts and it was sent away to be analyzed. Before long, investigators were informed that they'd finally made a breakthrough in the case, as it was found that Park's DNA was a perfect match for the samples collected from Juliana's bungalow. There was now no doubt that Park was present when the attack was carried out, and there was a good chance that Monourir was involved somehow, though he still hadn't returned to the US and so couldn't be questioned yet. Obviously, Park was apprehended and immediately charged with the crime against Juliana. It's believed that Munir found out about her arrest just a few days later since he suddenly vanished into thin air, though it's believed at the time he was likely somewhere in Lebanon, possibly to avoid being tracked down by the police. The only problem was the motive for Juliana's crime was still unclear. It was suggested that Munir didn't take kindly to their relationship coming to an end or that he'd gotten upset when his business deal with her father fell through. So, it was theorized that he'd hired Park to carry out the attack in retaliation. One of the most widely accepted theories was that Munir had instructed Park to intimidate Greg into accepting the deal they were working on, and that as part of this intimidation, she was to pay an unfriendly visit to Juliana in her apartment. But when Juliana started fighting back, Park was taken by surprise, and she ended up ending her life as the two women struggled for survival. Though, this was still just a theory. This would be a point that was brought up in court later on as it was argued that Monourir agreed to pay Park a six-f figure sum to follow through with his plan. When news of Park's arrest made it to the media, the LA Times published details revealing that she was known to have had intimidated people in the past whenever they went against Munir's business plans. So, it made sense that she may have been involved this time as well. On one occasion, she intimidated a bank manager who had also canceled a deal. and on another she was told to intimidate one of his clients who'd failed to keep up with his payments as promised. But despite the wealth of evidence found in Juliana's bungalow and DNA placing her at the scene, Park decided to plead not guilty to seconddegree homicide charges. Her defense attorneys revealed that they would be willing to tell the court that the two women never met each other and that the only connection between them was Munir, who was still out of the country. The prosecution, on the other hand, intended to reveal that Park had been hired by Munir as an enforcer and that her attempt at intimidation ultimately led to Juliana's life being ended. But this didn't have the intended effect. The judge in this case ruled that this theory could not be used during the trial since there was no solid evidence to back it up and instead the state would have to rely on evidence found at the scene, including the DNA that was matched to Park. They would also mention the fact that Park stood nearly 6 feet tall and that she was an intimidating and self- assured woman who could easily fulfill the role of an enforcer or intimidator if Munir ordered her to do so. This woman was genuinely scary to be around, and she apparently just had a personality and energy about her that was just difficult to get past. The evidence against Park had mounted, and it seemed all but certain that she would be found guilty of ending Juliana's life. Her DNA had been found in several places in the apartment, including on Juliana's clothes, inside the locks on the front door, on the telephone, and most incriminating of all, on her throat, on a plate that had been left in the kitchen sink. Crime scene investigators found a drop of blood along with a fingerprint that belonged to Park. This, according to the prosecution, was undeniable proof that Park was inside the apartment that night. And since the two women didn't know each other, she would have no reason to be there other than to carry out an attack as ordered by Munir. Furthermore, they believed it was indisputable that she had ended her life since her DNA was found on her throat, indicating that Park was the one who ended her life via manual strangulation. But pinning this woman for such a crime was much easier said than done. She wasn't going down without a fight, much like the night that she encountered Juliana in her apartment. Her defense team had more than a few tricks up their sleeve, and they were willing to pull out all the stops to get Park off the hook. Kelly Park's defense team had a different theory that they claimed cast doubt on the suggestion that she was in the apartment with Juliana on the night of the crime. Since there were no witnesses that night, they contended that there was too much uncertainty as to what had transpired. And furthermore, they theorize that Park's DNA could have ended up in the building through DNA transfer. This occurs when someone touches an item belonging to someone else and that item is then found at a crime scene, resulting in an innocent person being suspected of a crime when it's discovered that their DNA is present. Another example of this is when an item is touched by two people, resulting in DNA from one person being transferred to the other. In other words, Park may have touched an item that was also touched by Juliana's killer, and they then unwittingly transferred her DNA to the crime scene. In this case, they made reference to a towel that was possibly used by Park when she was in Munir's Beverly Hills home 5 months earlier. They suggested that the killer committed the crime and then attempted to remove their fingerprints and DNA with the use of that same towel, transferring Park's DNA to the scene in the process. They mentioned that Park would have visited this house on several occasions since she was known to be a business associate of his. And since Juliana had lived in that same house at some point, Park's DNA might have inadvertently been transferred to Juliana's bungalow. When discussing Munir's role in the crime, the defense argued that a failed business deal with Juliana's father didn't seem like strong enough motive to have her life ended, and neither was the fact that she had ended their relationship. As for the large amount of money that was transferred from Munir into Park's bank account, they argue that these were simply payments that were owed to her since she and Munir were known to have conducted business with each other. The prosecution revealed to the court that Munir had in the past boasted that he employed a woman who was the female equivalent of James Bond, and they built their case around the suggestion that she was paid to work as an assassin, and that had more than enough motive to order a hit on Juliana. The case was just getting wilder and wilder and some aspects of the court proceedings are just downright unbelievable. The LA Times reported that Park's telephone records showed that she called Juliana's place of work and that she was present outside her bungalow the night before the attack was carried out. Since they had never met, there could only be one reason for Park to try and contact her, to figure out her schedule and to stake out her apartment while planning the attack. It was also alleged that Park and Monourir had collaborated on a health insurance fraud scam and that at the time it was still being investigated by authorities. The trial would last until 2013, an incredibly long time. But the verdict the jury reached on behalf of Park, it shocked everyone. After all the court proceedings had been carried out, the jury found Kelly Sue Park not guilty. Juliana's friends and family members who were present at the proceedings were outraged at the verdict and made their feelings known, shouting that she knew she was guilty and that something had gone terribly wrong while she was being led out of the courtroom. This meant that no one would be held accountable for the loss of Juliana's life and that the one man connected to everyone involved in the case would not even be questioned since he couldn't be reached. This verdict, for all the painfully obvious reasons, must have had a devastating effect on her family, who only commented on the outcome via a written statement in which they expressed their sadness and shock at the fact that justice had never been served. Worse yet, Lebanon doesn't have an extradition treaty with the United States, and the country does everything it can to protect its own citizens, meaning that as long as Munir stays put, he'll never face judgment for his actions. They found it unbelievable that the massive amount of evidence against Park and Munir wasn't enough to see them convicted. They've done their best to come to terms with the decision, and her mother, Patricia, now uses her daughter's room when she paints, helping her feel some small level of connection to her daughter, even after all these years have passed. She says that she's resorted to using art as a coping mechanism since she produces her best work when she's emotional. At times she feels as though she and Greg along with their son Patrick are still stuck in 2008 when the attack took place since they still find it hard to believe that Park and Munir walked away scot-free. But thankfully she's found new meaning in her life since she remembers her daughter through her art. And after overcoming breast cancer, she started looking for the positive aspects of any obstacle she faces. As for Monourir, it's believed that he joined his actual family in Lebanon after fleeing from the US, and today he still maintains he's innocent in a matter. He's never been charged or even questioned. He was placed under arrest in Germany in 2015 when it was suspected that he was committing medical fraud, but nothing ever came of this. It's alleged that he allowed a physician's assistant who had never attended medical school to perform surgeries when his patients were assured that he would be the one to perform the surgeries. More than 20 of his patients have come forward to report that they've been left with permanent damage as a result. For reasons unknown, he was released and then traveled to Lebanon once again where he was again suspected of committing medical fraud. Park was also arrested in 2015 in the German case when it was found that she was involved. She was charged with conspiracy, lying to patients, disfiguring patients and botched surgeries, and cheating insurance companies out of $150 million. She was eventually released on $1.5 million bail and once again managed to slip out of the grasp of police. Juliana's case is one with no happy ending and no easy answers. Her family did their best to protect her from Munir when it became apparent that he was living a double life, but in the end, he walked away without so much as a slap on the wrist. Some may consider this to be an unsolved case, but I think we all know the truth here. Sometimes the justice system simply fails those who trust that due process will prevail, no matter the amount of solid evidence that's presented. One can only hope that lessons are learned from this case and hopes that similar failures don't become commonplace in the future. Amanda Doss was just 34 years old in 2011. She was at home on the afternoon of May 11th, 2011 alongside her two children and a friend when all of the sudden, someone clutching a knife unleashed on the family, then fled the scene of the crime. Just minutes later, the house went up in flames, destroying nearly every trace of evidence that had been left behind by this callous criminal. By the time detectives and investigators arrived at the scene of the crime, the smoke had settled. But the real mystery had only just begun. Who could have done such a thing to such a harmless family? [music] Police would soon learn that the truth was much stranger than fiction. And it only took them about 3 months to get to the bottom of this heartless crime after a suspect made a startling confession. Amanda Doss was born in Muscogee, Oklahoma in August of 1976. Muscogee is located just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is home to around 36,000 people as of 2020. There isn't anything particularly interesting about Msogi. It's a pretty ordinary town filled with ordinary people doing their best in life. And Amanda certainly fit that bill. Amanda moved at some point along the way, deciding to settle in Tex Arcana, Texas, a town that shares its border with Arkansas. Specifically, Amanda moved to Redwater, Texas, a small suburban area of Tex Arcana with a population of about 853 people. We don't know too terribly much about Amanda's personal life, but we know that she must have gotten married somewhere along the way as her maiden name is listed as Puit instead of Doss. Amanda gave birth to her first child, Gwyavir, in August of 1999. Gwyn was known for being a wonderful child, attending Redwater Middle School as she grew older. She was an active member of the Girl Scouts and all around a great kid. Gwen was remembered for being a selfless little girl who always cared about others. In fact, when she was just 9 years old, she decided to give all of her birthday and Christmas money, including her presents, to a local orphanage. Every month for the rest of that year, Gwen and Amanda would work together to bake cakes and bring gifts and ice cream to all the children who were having birthdays each month. Just 4 years after the birth of Gwen, [music] Amanda gave birth to her second child, a boy named Texas. Texas was born in May of 2003 and much like his sister was recalled for being an all-around great little boy. Following in his sister's footsteps, Texas decided to join the Boy Scouts and even attended Redwater School District as well. Amanda and her two children were known for being a happy family. And it seems they all got along well. But no amount of happiness could save the family from the impending tragedy that was about to strike. one that would destroy their notion of safety and leave behind nothing but ash and rubble. [music] It was May 11th, 2011. Amanda, Gwen, and Texas had settled into their home for the evening, going about their usual nightly routines of having dinner, taking showers, watching TV, and eventually getting ready for bed. But this night's series of events would be much different. It was around 3:00 a.m. The children had been tucked away in bed, but Amanda seems to have still been awake based on a report given by the Tex Arcana Gazette. At 3:00 a.m., a knock came at the family's front door. Amanda headed over to the door to see who it was, and she was greeted by 17-year-old Rachel Pitman. Rachel was an old family friend who would often come over and babysit the two children, and Amanda welcomed her into her home with open arms, as she had many times before. Rachel was someone that the Doss children looked up to as somewhat of an older sister. But unfortunately for the family, this visit would be far different from the many other times that Rachel had stopped by. Over the years, Rachel and Amanda had become friends with the woman who's never been named by police or news outlets. She's only ever referred to as the woman. So, I guess police chose to keep her anonymous for some reason. For the sake of the story, we'll refer to her as Tanya just to make things simpler to understand. It's unclear what relation Tanya had to Rachel, but we know that Tanya was an adult while Rachel, as mentioned, was merely 17. Tanya had moved out of state about 5 or 6 months before this, but she kept in touch with Rachel all the time. Reports claimed that Tanya had previously lived near both Rachel and the Doss family, [music] allegedly living just a few houses away in the same neighborhood. Tanya, Rachel, and Amanda Doss were all known to have been close friends, or at the very least, close neighbors. They'd often spend time together at Amanda Doss's house, sharing drinks and stories, and generally being friendly with one another. But before long, darkness started to creep in. Rachel was considered by most people to have been a typical teenage girl, but as she grew older, she began to show signs of being a bit unusual, so to speak. I say this because according to Rachel, she believed that Tanya wanted to end Amanda's life. But Tanya claims she never suggested anything of the sort, nor did she have any bad intentions towards Amanda. They both got along great and enjoyed each other's company. But for Rachel, the message was loud and clear. Stepping back to the night in question, May 11th, Rachel arrived at Amanda's home at around 3:00 a.m. Once Amanda asked her to come inside, the two sat down and chatted for a while, talking about anything and everything. [music] While Amanda was more than twice Rachel's age, the two were great friends and often confided in one another. But this particular get together would be unlike anything Amanda could have expected. [music] After the two spoke for a while, Rachel got up and began heading toward the door, suggesting to Amanda that she was ready to leave. [music] But no sooner than she reached the door, Rachel grabbed a knife that she'd been hiding in the waistband of her pants, [music] turned around, and ran towards Amanda. She ended Amanda's life in a matter of seconds. But at some point during the scuffle, Gwen and Texas woke up. To be completely upfront with you, the details of how things unfolded past this point are not very clear. But it appears as though Gwyn knew something was wrong and ran away in fear. Rather than call the police, though, Gwyn grabbed a phone and called her grandparents. [music] The call was incredibly confusing for her grandparents, as Gwyn doesn't appear to have said anything that could be understood. All her grandparents heard were shouts and screams in the background of the call, followed by Gwyn shouting for her mother. As any good grandparent would do, the two threw their shoes on and jumped in the car, driving as fast as they possibly could toward the DOS household. [music] As they neared the home, their jaws hit the floor. They truly couldn't believe their eyes. The entire home had gone up in flames, and they knew that their daughter and two grandchildren were trapped inside. They whipped their car into the driveway and without a second of hesitation jumped out of the car and ran straight into the burning building. They found Gwyn lying on the ground and pulled her from the fire. As they did so, both of the grandparents suffered severe burns that forced them to be admitted to the hospital later on. While they managed to pull Gwyn from the blaze, they couldn't locate Amanda or Texas. Unfortunately, as the fire grew hotter, they were forced to admit that both of them were gone. Paramedics arrived at the scene just moments later. The grandparents were treated for their injuries and sent to the hospital. But as paramedics checked on Gwyn, they realized that they were far too late and she was gone. The fire continued to rage on for hours after this, and it wouldn't be until the following day that the fire department was able to put out the flames, allowing investigators to survey the scene of the incident and do their best to determine what had taken place. Initially, detectives believed that the fire had been caused by a faulty electrical outlet, one of the leading causes of home fires. But as they retrieved the charred remains of the Doss family from the rubble, [music] they realized that what they had stumbled upon was something far worse. As police did their best to piece together the evidence from the scene of the fire, they quickly realized that things simply weren't adding up. When the fire experts began to analyze the incident, they found that some sort of accelerant had been used. Worse yet, the body of Amanda appeared to have been where the fire had originated. For police, they knew that this meant one thing. The fire had not been caused by some sort of electrical short. Rather, it was intentionally said, and [snorts] detectives began to believe it had been done in order to conceal evidence of a murder. Police scheduled interviews with the local media outlets and announced what they had uncovered, offering a reward of over $40,000 for information leading to the arrest of the individual who committed this crime. But despite such a hefty reward, no tips were ever called in that led to the suspect being caught. Police spent weeks searching every square inch of the property for even the slightest clue, but they repeatedly came up empty-handed. But after about 3 weeks of searching, a tip was called in from a woman who lived all the way out in California. The woman, who's never been identified, was very direct in her statements. She claimed that she knew for a fact that Rachel Pitman, the 17-year-old babysitter, was behind the murder. Now, we don't know why she believed this or why she was so certain about it, but regardless, police didn't take the tip seriously. Now, many people may be quick to blame investigators for this, but in reality, you have to admit that the tip seems pretty strange. After all, Rachel was a child and a close family friend. But more than anything else, how would someone in California have such pertinent information about a crime that was committed in Texas? Well, as weeks passed by, police did their best to follow up on almost every lead they received. But they never managed to get around to speaking with Rachel. [music] The tip was considered low priority for officers, and they felt their services would have been more useful investigating other suspects. It would be 3 months before police ever got any closer to locating the person responsible for this disaster. During this time, another $100,000 had been added to the reward for information. And soon enough, they would receive a call that turned the case on its head. [music] As months passed [music] by, it seemed as though Rachel's conscience had begun to catch up with her. The past always finds a way to catch up with you, and for Rachel, the guilt was becoming more than she could bear. One day, Rachel had been at her mother's home. We don't know the specifics of their conversation, but Rachel's mother detected that something was bothering her. [music] After speaking for a few minutes, Rachel finally opened up and confessed what had taken place. She told her mother everything. Rachel openly confessed to the crime, but this is where things get pretty incredible. A mother's instinct is almost always to protect her children. But in this case, Rachel's mother could do no such thing. She knew the gravity of the situation and without hesitation called the police. The officer who accepted the call remembers that Rachel's mother was filled with grief, sobbing as she revealed what her daughter had confessed to. Interestingly, submitting a tip like this would have made Rachel's mother eligible to receive the $140,000 reward that had been set up. But she even went as far as refusing the money. Now, I don't know anything about the type of person that Rachel's mother is, but this act alone proves that she must have been a person of character. That's a ton of money to just [music] turn it down. Soon enough, detectives arrived and Rachel turned herself over to the police without a fight. [snorts] But it's what she revealed to police after the fact that really sets this case apart because it took investigators by surprise and revealed a whole new aspect of the story that no one saw coming. When Rachel was in police custody, she came clean about everything, revealing every last detail about what had unfolded that day in 2011. She explained that she'd been speaking with Tanya and [music] that Tanya had asked her to end Amanda's life. More specifically, Rachel claimed that Tanya asked her to end Amanda's life, but that she should do it when the children weren't home, as there would be no need for them to be caught up in the crime. Rachel claims that Tanya's request sounded urgent, and the more they [music] spoke, the more Rachel felt as though this crime was a now or never situation. Thus, she decided to move forward with the crime without waiting for the children to leave, resulting in the entire family losing their lives. While this explains most of the story, it doesn't explain one major detail. If Rachel merely ended the lives of the family, then how did a fire break out? Well, the entire crime was premeditated from beginning to end. Rachel knew that if she took out the entire family, she was almost certain to leave behind some form of evidence, even if she did her best not to. So, on her way to the family home, she decided to get a 2 L soda bottle and fill it with gasoline. After carrying out the most gruesome part of the crime, she grabbed the bottle, dowsed the victims in fuel, and then set the house on fire, eliminating virtually any piece of evidence she may have left behind. But there's one part of the crime that Rachel didn't anticipate. During the scuffle, she accidentally cut herself with the knife that she'd been using to carry out the attack, causing a pretty serious injury to her arm. After she set the house on fire, she ran back home to clean herself up before anybody would notice. She did all of this without anyone ever realizing she'd even stepped out of her home in the first place. But in the chaos of all this, Rachel had jumped a fence connected to the Doss family property. So after cleaning up at home, she ran back to the Doss' fence to clean up any prints or evidence she may have left behind again without being noticed by anyone. Once she got back home, Rachel removed her clothing and burned it in the backyard along with her shoes. To top this off, she took the knife that she'd used that evening and broke it into 20 pieces, scattering the metal in the woods behind her house and burning the handle in the same pile that she burned her clothes in. Police were able to recover most of the pieces of the knife that Rachel had scattered in the woods, but nothing else was found. But as she spoke with investigators, they began to realize that there was much more to this story than meets the eye. Specifically, police were interested in the portion of Rachel's alibi in which she mentioned Tanya asking her to carry out the crime. Police tracked Tanya down and listened to her version of events. As they would quickly learn, Tanya had no ill will toward the Doss family at all and considered them to be close friends. But if this is true, then why had Rachel lied? Well, she didn't. Sort of. [music] When someone commits a crime of this magnitude, police will usually send the person in for a mental health analysis to determine if they may be suffering from some sort of mental health disorder. In Rachel's case, investigators were stunned by the reports that came back from [music] multiple psychiatric investigations. One of the professionals believed that Rachel had been suffering from a form of paranoid schizophrenia. They believed that in a way Rachel had been telling the truth about Tanya. See, Rachel did truly believe that Tanya had asked her to take out Amanda Doss. But this simply didn't happen. According to the psychiatrist, the conversation that Rachel had with Tanya was nothing more than a twisted delusion. While the two did speak shortly before Amanda lost her life, the content of their discussion had nothing to do with Rachel claiming Amanda's life. The psychiatrist believes that Rachel's own mind was able to spin an ordinary conversation into a request for murder. This effectively cleared Tanya of any involvement, but many people question whether or not this cleared Rachel of involvement as well. Now, obviously, Rachel was the one who committed the crime. But if she wasn't of a sound mind, could she really be held accountable for such a tragedy? Well, according to one psychiatrist, Rachel knew that what she was doing was morally wrong. She knew that taking someone's life was, well, bad. The fact that she took every opportunity to conceal her involvement proved this. But the doctor believes that Rachel felt as though it was her only option and in essence was the right thing to do for whatever reason. A second psychiatrist weighed in and said that Rachel knew that her actions were wrong, but that she was influenced by statements made on television, billboards, and even conversations that didn't involve her. Rachel found hidden meaning in these various avenues, and believed that the universe was telling her to do it, so she did. In one interview with Doctors, Rachel spoke about hearing snakes that began talking to her. She believed these snakes were demons, and she also believed she [music] could see ghosts. Later on, she mentioned encountering a pink cloud that she believed harbored the souls of her three victims. The doctors claimed that Rachel only decided to turn herself in after she made a deeper commitment to her religion, presumably in an attempt to ward off these so-called demons. Now, as you might expect, Rachel's defense team wanted to enter a plea of insanity. And if her doctors are correct in their analysis, who could blame them? Rachel has exhibited every possible sign of being mentally ill. And the crime very clearly appears to have been committed while Rachel was dealing with serious mental challenges. But in the end, for reasons that I just can't seem to understand, Rachel decided to plead guilty to the charges placed against her. Rather obviously because of her age, Rachel was placed in a juvenile detention center. But unfortunately, things only got worse for her from here. Her behavior behind bars greatly concerned the staff at the correctional facility. They say that she developed a cult following behind bars and that she was very disrespectful to the staff members. She would often speak to her friends and followers about God's forgiveness, but she would do so in a warped and distorted way. While she gave outward appearances of being a calm and collected person, the slightest mention of her doing anything wrong would cause her to turn cold in distance. Ever since her incarceration, Rachel's behavior has been truly terrible. Reports about her stay in prison stopped being reported in 2012, but in that year alone, she's known to have begun multiple fights with multiple inmates. She attempted to break out of her cell. She knocked out an inmate's tooth, stuffed paper into the lock of her cell door so that she could open it whenever she wanted and was caught plotting an attack against another inmate. One time, she successfully broke out of her cell and wandered off into the prison doing her own thing. She even managed to get a hold of a blade from a pencil sharpener. But rather than use it to attack someone, she used it to cut her hair off so that her hair couldn't be used against her in a fight. All of the prison staff believe that Rachel needs some form of medical intervention if she has any chance of getting better, but there's been no word on whether or not this will be mandated. As it stands, she's now being held in an adult women's prison in Texas, but as far as we know, she's still shown no signs of improvement. She's expected to be eligible for parole after spending another 19 years behind bars. But unless she gets the mental help that she needs, it probably goes without saying that Rachel will [music] never see the light of day again.