Plea Deal and Ongoing Investigation

Okay, last meeting wrapped. It's too late to cook. Should I go to poke or a burger? A want with myself feeling chewsy. Burger or what chooy! If fully I can have one of every b! Why can't we have food without the p With Wonder, you can combine twenty restaurants in one delivery, so you never have to choose. Download the app today, Wonder, Food withithout the fight Hey trrue crrime Besties, welcome back to an all new episode of Serialessly. Welcome back to an all new episode of Serialiously with me, your host, Annie Elise, also your true crime bestestie, and today's Thursday, which means headline highlights And we have a lot to talk about today, not only new cases but a very happy update that I am excited to share with you You know the drill though. Before we get into everything, I have to let you know what we do here. Mondays are our deep dives where we go into one singular case, go down the rabbit hole, explain everything, the thoughts, the theories, the facts, the speculation. And this week, in case you missed it, we did a mega deep dive into the Reagan Hancock and Taylor Parker case Now, if those names aren't familiar, let me just say you probably And saw the documentary, maternal Instinct on your Netflix feed this weekend. Everybody's been talking about it on social media as well. But there was so much more that was not able to be included, which we've talked about that before, right? In ninety minutes, how can you possibly include everything? So I put out a two and a half hour episode that included not only all the details, but a lot of the footage, the interviews, the interrogation, things We were able to source through a workaround internally that Netflix wasn't able to get, other creators haven't been able to get. And so if you want the full comprehensive deep dive like you know we like to do, go listen to it now So let's get into headline highlights. and I'm really, really excited because today's guest is super special to me She is royal, She's an heiress, and her name is Amy Cola Wow, if only those things were true, but as you werere going, I'm like, who would we have on today? No I was trying to figure off the te up and like I'm running out of things since it's happening every week. But I need to like start jotting down ideas. whichich if any of you guys have ideas, I would like your heartfelt sentiments towards me. I think you're an heiress. I think you're royal. K Yeah. yeah. all those things. Younger. Okay, not that. Obviously not that. So please welcome to the show. My older sister, Amy O'B and wiser eses. Now, really quickly before we get into the case, I do want to mention this, if you had a little bit of FOMO from CrimeCon because we had exclusive merch there, designs that we only sold there, fear not because we have officially launched all of that exclusive merch that you can grab right now. However, quantities are very, very limited, so it will probably go incredibly quickly. But we have the exclusive designs that we only had there We have the very popular and in demand sweatshirt that says Heller in embroidery. Also the Noted detective, just nosy, tumblr, so many new, cute, exclusive, brand new designs. So go check that out. quantities are limited. goo to anieelast. com and grab them now. So I want to start with this update, which I think is going to make you incredible incredibly happy as well as so many of you listeners because we have a very significant update in the case of Anna Kempner. Now, you know this whole story. We have been following it very closely for months now Actually, almost it will be will be a year this fall. It's been a long time. Wow. So if you are forgetting, Anna Kempter was an eighteen year old girl who unfortunately was not only sexually assaulted by her sixteen year old step brother, but also murdered while on a family cruise. And then he stuffed her body under the bed, covered her with life jackets and pretended as though nothing happened So early on, it was apparent that he was the one who did this allegedly, I'll say, but he wasn't kept in custody and nobody understood why. And one of the big arguments, I guess that I've had, and I know you have felt this as well is that He clearly is a danger to society. She had outcried to her boyfriend before. He had seen things on FaceTime where he had tried to creep into her room. And so clearly, this guy is a danger to society being out there. He's a sexual predator. He's a deviant. like why is he not being held in custody But now We have announnce that not only is Timothy currently facing charges for the murder and aggravated sexual assault in relation to Anna's death But he is now officially in custody. Finally. Finally. canan I get a little honest man The Now Chat was happy last night. I know. Now up until this point, he had been living with a relative. He was also being monitored electronically and had to follow a list of court ordered conditions while everything made its way through the court system because remember, this is also a federal case because this happened on the water. But that arrangement is officially over. So a federal judge has now ordered that Timothy be detained ahead of his trial, which is not scheduled to begin until september eighth So he will be in custody for the next few months Now prosecutors have been asking for this, arguing that Timothy shouldn't be out on release while facing these charges, being that they are so serious. However, his defense team had pushed back, saying that he's been cooperative throughout the investigation and that he hasn't caused any issues or hurt anyone while he was out. But here's what is interesting. and I'll be curious to know what you think about this because I have my own kind of interpretation of this We still don't know exactly what led the judge to make this decision. The order explaining why Timothy's release was revoked is currently sealed, so those details have not been made public But I do think that this is really telling. Because the judge said, quote, The government has established by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of the community going forward. He also stated that he presents a danger to himself and to others, which I mean, no surprise, a danger to others. He's a sexual predator in my opinion But I thought the danger to himself is interesting because one of the things we talked about a few weeks ago when we were covering this is like he has the potential to not only flee to do whatever, but like to pull a Brian laundry and take the cowardly way out knowing that he's facing adult charges and serious you know time in jail. Well we know he had a big psychotic episode shortly after the incident on the cruise ship and that was reported. And so as all of these consequences are coming down on him and now this reality is setting in Perhaps he's been showing some sort of behavior that has led them to this or there's been more accounts from familyam. Well, let me tell you this next little statement. The judge also stated that because of the allegations, it suggests, quote, a level of psychopathy and lack of remorse that by itself raises a serious concern that the defendant can snap at any time, despite the well meaning and serious efforts of his caretakers to make sure that it doesn't happen. Basically saying like this guy has shown no remorse, he's a clear psychopath Caretakers have been trying to like manage things and he still is not I guess like exhibiting the behaviors that they wished that they were saying. Well, I mean, think about how this whole thing started. They're on a family vacation with your entire family present and you we still don't know exactly what happened, but something, some catalyst created this situation where he attacked her. We don't know what that is. so maybe there's a more light had the balls to do it while his family's on the cruise ship and like they're going to discover this. So that kind of says like despite the efforts of his caretakers and however much support he has around him, he's still a menace to society That, you know, what Dennis the menace A, one hundred percent Because think about it too. and again, to your point, we don't know the catalyst, but we do now know that she did have sexual interactions with somebody else on that grouphip. So was that what pushed him over because he felt like She. belong to him or that he was entitled somehow. I mean there are no accounts from anybody from the family or I guess, we haven't heard from anybody about on the cruise that leading up to the night there had been any sort of arguments or any kind of weird behavior. So again, there was some sort of incident or emotion that struck him to then attack her He's Definitely someone that you can't I mean, he's a wild card. Yeah. would you guys know we're going to this trial. So we will be keeping you updated. Like I said, most of it is still under seal because it involves a minor and because it's federal case, everything that rolls in with that But what we do know is that good old Timothy was ordered to report to the federal courthouse in Tampa, where he was then taken into custody by U. S. Marshal Service. So He is officially locked up until September. I would imagine his family is very relieved. Relieved and like can sleep well. I don't know, though he was stay with relatives. I feel like some people were kind of like not covering for him, but like, and I get it, it's difficult when it's family. Yeah, Syanara. Yeah. All right. Well, this next case is extremely heartbreaking. It's one of the more sad cases we've covered in a while. This one took place back on march ninth when police were called to a home in Colorado after a sixteen year old girl named Grace Ryan was found unresponsive in a bathroom And tragically, she was pronounced dead at the scene. As investigators began looking into what happened, they said they uncovered months of text messages that painted a really troubling picture of what her life was inside the home that she lived in with both of her parents. According to court documents, preliminary autopsy findings showed that Grace had what medical professionals said was an abnormally fatty liver for someone her age, and her cause of death was ultimately determined to be aspiration pneumonia related to chronic alcohol use at just sixteen years old. So let me just walk that back real quickly. The doctors found that her liver was abnormally fatty due to alcohol abuse at a very young age, sixteen years old. So when detectives started searching through the phones belonging to Grace and her mother, fifty five year old Gretchen Ryan, they say they found evidence that the two had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana together almost every single day Dating back to september twenty twenty five. I'm sorry, what mom is just smoking weed and drinking with their sixteen year old daughter every? I'll tell you I mean immediately, I'm like hundred going on? What Yeahah, like, hi, you're a parent. You're not a friend. No Yeah and Police also alleg that Gretchen regularly had alcohol delivered to the home and even took steps to hide it from the daughter's father who lived in the basement, which I have other questions about that. I have a lot of questions. Why was the father living in the basement Was she doorashing the alcohol? I guess. so. So okay, sorry. I have so many thoughts and you'll probably answer them. Keep going. Well, and I'm like doorash, L they still come to the door. You're living in the basement, like are you just But also like, did she really feel like the daughter was her friend? Was she lonely Continue well The investigators made another shocking discovery because they found one hundred and seventy three empty bottles hidden underneath Grace's bed and inside her closet, including multiple bottles of vodka and other hard liquor. Like full size bottles or mini bottles, notot that it makes a huge difference, but one hundred seventy three empty alcohol bottles, which is a lot of alcohol I mean, no fks if you're trying to hide it, throw it away. We'll throw it away, but also'm that's I'm thinking like a sixteen year old girl, how do you hide a one hundred and se seventy threeree bu? I mean, just the space alone that it takes up, the smell. God I mean. And what makes this case even more heartbreaking is that according to investigators, Grace told her mom over and over again that she was seriously sick and that something was wrong And in the months leading up to her death She said that she had been vomiting up blood, having difficulty eating, trouble walking, and at one point was even wearing an adult diaper. She had also told her mom repeatedly that she felt like she was afraid she might die So obviously, this girl is very, very sick and suffering from alcohol abuse. Yeah at a very extreme rate. I mean, you're say thinking this they're saying this dates back to September. whoo knows if it went back earlier. but That's not that long ago to have these extreme That's a lot of alcohol to be wearing an adult diaper, confiding in her mom. She thinks she's gonna to die and her mom not doing any what the? Okay So the messages included in the affidavit are extremely difficult to read, and here's why. Just days before her death, she had texted her mom saying, If you're going to do this to me, you need to take me to a hospital thenen on march fourth, she sent another message that said, I'm gonna die. And according to the affidavit, Gretchen just replied with, No, you aren't You imagine your mom saying that our mom used to freak out if she heard us like she wouldn'tat filling on. She wouldn't let us eat a breathed Or Jly. Yeah But investigators say that at one point, Gretchen had realized How serious the situation had actually become. And in one text that she sent to her daughter, Grace in January, she wrote, I'm committing child abuse and murder. I will go to prison. So so we have to do something. It's really bad. And in another message, she told her daughter, If you can't get up to pee, get food or drink, and puke blood, we aren't going to make it. We need help This isn't working. I'm going to lose you. My mind is blown there's an admission right there, but so was this like Not mun thousands, but like, was this something where she felt like she couldn't control herself? Well, investigators say that there was absolutely no indication of her ever trying to get help for her daughter. And Grace herself even started to realize that she wasn't going to get the help she needed. On march third, just days before her death, she texted a friend, I don't think she wants to get me the help which really scares me. I'm gonna die. So this is where I felt a little bit confused because I'm thinking she obviously has access to a phone. and she is scared So why wouldn't you call nine hundred and eleven? I mean it's just so dependent on her mom that she felt like her mom really was going to help her and maybe she didn't want to get her mom in trouble And I also was wondering like is there an element because For me, it would be out of fear. I mean, not fear of getting caught, but obviously the mom knows what's going on. but is there an element of the dad In the basement, that's why the mom's hiding it. Is that what's driving them to draam? I'm not sure. And she also told a friend, M and her have been fighting really badly and it gets physical. She could go to prison for fifteen years in regards to her and her mom. the night before she died And according to investigators, Grace texted her mom from the bathroom saying she wasn't feeling well at ten o seven PM on march eighth. Records show that Gretchen replied and continued sending text messages to her daughter afterward, but none of them were answered It wasn't until the next morning around eight fifteen AM that the nine hundred and eleven call was made And when detectives interviewed Gretchen, she tried to say that she didn't know what happened and that Grace must have been getting into her stuff But she eventually admitted that she gave Grace the alcohol and that she also drank heavily herself And according to the affidavit, she became emotional and told investigators, I can't do this. I'm so upset I feel like I killed her. you did. I know She also reportedly said that she quote, deserved to go to jail. Amen. Gretchen told detectives that Grace had suffered a seizure the night before she was found dead and later woke up vomiting, but Gretchen believed that she was okay. And when she asked why she didn't check on her after she stopped responding to those texts, Gretchen reportedly said, I was scared I was gonna to find her really sick And so I kind of buried my head in the sand and I went back to bed, which was stupid As investigators continued looking into Grace's home life to find out how all of this went unnoticed, which was obviously a lot of our questions too They learned that she had been withdrawn from public school in the fall of twenty twenty five and was supposed to be attending classes online. According to court documents, at the time she died, she'd only completed one online semester of ninth grade and hadn't participated in any of the activities outside of the home since then Which obviously is part of why probably some of the community didn't know what was going on, But still, your friend isn't in school anymore. They're not coming to the activities that they're supposed to participate in. You'd hope that somebody would have taken that a little bit more seriously. Well, that also aligns with the drinking started in September Exact that's when she was withdrawn from school. Yeah After a two month long investigation, authorities arrested Gretchen on may fifteenth and charged her with one count of second degree murder in connection with her daughter's death she is currently being held on a five hundred thousand dollars cash only bond. So honestly, this whole case is devastating and I hope that we'll get a little bit more answers. Grace was obviously asking for help over and over again. Her mom was also worried. So again, that just begs the question What drove her to start drinking in the fall? Like what was that catalyst that caused them to both start doing drugs and drinking together hiding it from their dad and then obviously now It got to the point where she kind of knew what had happened and then in denial that. I wonder if there was like some sort of like compulsion on her mother's end, or like she's being homeschooled and And so she's like, oh yeah, have a drink. you're at home. And there has to be something mentally deeper here, I would imagine. So I had a very, very close friend in high school and and at the end of high school, Her parents went through a very bad divorce and her mom became very good friends with her. and they drank a lot.. And it was not the family you would expect to see that from. And it was actually shocking. And it reminds me a lot of this because a lot of us were kind of saying Im like, hey, what's going on? L they're drinking a lot and there is noticeably behavior going on that was not something that would happen And I think in that situation, it was that the mother was just going through something so painful and it was nice to have a friend there and you're the cool mom and the kids are coming around and you feel cool. everybody wants to have your house be the party house. And I mean, that didn't last long. and thank God, nothing tragic happened, but o man, I know Okay, well this one is a rough one. And this next case is coming from North Carolina. and I have to say, it is really shocking when I first heard about it. I knew I needed to research it because I couldn't make sense of it And it makes me feel so bad for the girl involved, even though I'm kind of torn because I think I mean she is the one to blame, but I also feel for her a little bit. So back on may seventh, deputies were called to a home in Fairview, North Carolina for a welfare check. This was after forty one year old Travis Grant hadn't shown up for work for several days. However, this wasn't the first time that the authorities had been asked to check in on the family In fact, deputies had already responded to that same house twice in two days before that. Now, according to the shheriff's office, welfare checks were requested on may fifth and again on may sixth. So deputies had responded both times, but they said that they didn't have enough information or reason to legally force their way into the home. Then, during that third welfare check on may seventh Deputies finally entered the home, and when they did, they made a horrifying discovery. Inside, they found three people dead from gunshot wounds. and investigators believed that these three people had been deceased for several days before they were found. The victims were identified as forty one year old Travis Grant His wife, Kimberly and Travis's sixty six year old mother, Sharon So as investigators began piecing together what had happened, they realized that someone else was missing from the home in all of this Travis and Kimberly's sixteen year old daughter Star So they started searching for Star and it really didn't take long to find her. Around four AM the next morning, officers located her vehicle in Gitenburg, Tennessee and it was parked outside a motel six. Then later that morning, authorities entered a hotel room and they found a star with a twenty eight year old man named Devin Loving. So investigators said that they believed that the two of them had been in Tennessee for quote more than a few days. Both Starr, at sixteen years old and twenty eight year old Devin were taken into custody and they were questioned And those interviews led to both of them then being charged in connection with the murders. During a press conference later that evening, authorities announced that Starr and Devin had each been charged with three counts of first degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Devin was also charged with abduction of a child because remember, he's twenty eight And she is sixteen And even though she's only sixteen, Starr is actually being charged as an adult, and both her and Devin were denied bond. So as news of the discovery and the arrest start spreading, people who knew this family really struggled to make sense of what had happened. One of Starr's friends who lived across the street said that she grew up around the family, that she spent a lot of time at their home She said, quote, She would take care of me at school. If like someone was bullying me or something, she would stand up for me. It's so weird to expect my neighbor to do all of that And it's the one that I grew up with. I was at their house constantly. She also described Starr's family as kind and welcoming, saying, quote, her family was great to me. They treated me well. She was an amazing person to me. And honestly, that's kind of what makes this case so difficult to wrap your head around because the people who knew this family say that they seemed very normal, very close, very well liked Nothing about their dynamic seemed like it would ever lead to something this tragic and this horrific, especially at the hand of their own daughter Now while the authorities haven't publicly announced or established the nature of the relationship between Starr and Devin and investigators haven't announced a motive I think it is pretty clear what happened here given little bits and pieces that we've learned. becausecause a relative since these murders has come forward claiming that Starr's parents, Travis and Kimberly, knew about her twenty eight year old, I'm going to say boyfriend, Devin, and that they had concerns about the possible relationship between the two of them before the murders According to Travisin Kimberly's niece, family members had learned that Starr had allegedly been communicating with Devin through a burner phone. He had purchased her this so that she wouldn't get caught. It wouldn't be under the family plan. They could talk in secret. and the parents learned about this I think we're all still in shock. Brittney Tussi is the Graant's niece. As soon as her parents found out about it, they were like, no, this is not happening and we're putting a restraining order on him. And before they were even able to do that, they killed him. Tuss' convinced the family was angry, Devin loving twenty eight had become involved with their sixteen year old daughter It was a situation where he was constantly going to her work and seeing her. So the last day that Travis was at work, he told his boss and several coworkers that he was going to put a restraining order out. and then he never showed back up at work They most definitely told Star that that's what they were doing. They ended up taking the phone from her and then they they told her that that more than likely that that's what they were doing. and then This is how the horrible tragedy So as you just heard, he buys her this burner phone. He's constantly going to Starr's work so that he can see her, this twenty eight year old predator who has no business being with a sixteen year old girl. And when the parents found out about it, Travis told Starr like, hey, you better stop this relationship, otherwise I'm going to put a restraining order out on Devin. And what I found so interesting about this And I wonder if your mind is going there When I was seventeen, I was dating a twenty six year old, which in hindsight is the worst mistake Eactly I my entire life. It was awful. I've shared that before on here, but like worst mistake I ever made and like looking back I'm like, what was this sick freak doing? But dad said when he found out about the relationship that he was going to arrest him and called he called me And he said He was his name He was freaking out. And he said, Amy, I'm going to call the cops and get this guy arrested. And I said, abbsolutely not, which now in hindsight. I know if it were Emmy immediately. like you don't even need to call the cops on there. But I said, you cannot do that. That is so embarrassing to Annie and like think I might have even lightly defended the guy and said like you don't want to ruin his life. like it's consensual, like they both like each other, which Obviously, I wasn't that old either at the time. So it's like, right You are the older sister, I' No, I know. it's great. I mean, I wasn't making the best decisions. why dad came to me for advice No, but it totally reminds me of that because it's not I mean, seventeen is older than sixteen, but still you're a minor. And like I look back on that all the time. And like that was a pivotal relationship in my life in a lot of negative ways. And so I thought about that and like how this guy is just like aying on her she's probably like, oh my God, this older guy is so into me. My parents are the ones who are getting in the way of this. We're in love and like you can't rationalize what the reality truly is and how awful and dangerous it really is So anyway, like what did he say to convince her that this was the right plan? That probably big They're going to keep us apart. Let's get rid of them and we'll be together. and like I think too. I think I've said this in the past. I think when with the TV shows that are out there right now, the movies that are out there These kinds of relationships and even crime itself has been glamorized to an extent. So I could see where an impressionable sixteen year old girl if he's being like, it's romantic we're going to be together. We're going to get rid of your family and live together and run away together where she's not quite thinking. herer frontal lobe isn't developed. She's like thinking this is the man of her dreams and it's a fairy tale ending. and like she gets swept up. That's why at the beginning I was like I feel for her. She obviously made the complete wrong decisions here, even though there're only allegations right now and they haven't been proven in court. But I mean, I think he groomed her obviously. But let me ask you in your situation, like what would it have taken for that person to confirm you killed the hell. Multiple grandmother happened. That's what I mean. So it's like Did she have a good relationship? And not that that matters. It' like how do you get to from A to B? Yeah That feels like a big And I'm so sick of burner phones and like these older ass guys buying burner phones for kids. David bought one for Celeste. He like bribed the kid in junior high to give her the burner phone. Stop praying on minor children. I get where that's an incentive because when I got my first phone, it was like, you're allowed to call me and no one else, like mom was like, you're not allowed to talk. so if someone was like, hereere's a free phone. Well, of course like the pagers and they're like calling from the payphones because ro' all the fuck. So obviously right now there are still a lot of questions with a sixteen year old girl and a twenty eight year old man both facing triple murder charges. This is definitely a case that I think the writing's on the wall, but we also are going to keep a very close eye on. Can I be honest for a second? One of the biggest reasons people struggle with fitness isn't motivation, it's not knowing what to do. For the longest time, whenever I was working out, I would walk into a gym or I would save some random workout online or on TikTok, thinking I would do it later. But there was never any real structure behind it. 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Now the funny thing is, people keep asking what fragrance I'm wearing and when I just tell them like, no, it's actually my deodorant They're completely shocked. And what I love is that they have discovery sets. So if you're like me and you can never decide on one scent, it's the perfect way to find your favorite. They have different scents, including their four like amazing ones, Santal, saaffron, Bergamot, I mean amazing ones. And honestly, it just made finding my signature scent so much easier. I'm a Santal girly through and through. The deodorant is award winning, aluminum free, formulated for forty eight hour protection, and it's become a part of my everyday routine Plus, every product is made with a careful blend of antioxidant and nutrient rich ingredients. There's a reason they sell one deodorant every five seconds. And beyond the deodorant, everything just feels elevated. The body wash legitimately smells like I walked into a luxury resort. It's like gives spa energy, but you're at home and their branding, it's like minimalistic, but it's beautiful. loveove it. So try Salt and Stone's Discovery set to find your signature scent Go to salt andstone d. com slash aE and use code AE at checkout for fifteen percent off your first order. That's salt andstone d. com slash aE and use code AE for fifteen percent off your first order All right, this next case is a total mystery that has people all over the world asking the same question, which is what the heck is going on here? Because a twenty six year old woman who is the heiress of a German shipping company was found dead at her family's luxury wildlife estate in South Africa on june first. And if that wasn't shocking enough It happened just one day after another person connected to the estate was also found dead on the same property Caroline von Ranau was the heiress to DAL, a multimillion dollar German shipping company, and she spent a lot of time at her family's estate in South Africa The property is located on what is known as the South Africa's preremier saafari region and serves as both a wildlife reserve and destination for trophy hunting. But on june first, Caroline was found dead in her room in the estate from a gunshot wound. Investigators believe that Caroline was shot with a o point three five seven caliber hunting rifle, and reports say that it was the same type of gun that her father had in his gun cabinet Authorities are still working to determine exactly what happened and autopsy results have not yet been released, but it's obviously still under investigation. But here's where the case really takes a very strange turn. Bea just one day before Caroline was found dead, the state's financial manager, forty four year old Arno Koon was also found dead on the property after being shot with a nine millimeter pistol And Arno wasn't just some employee, peopleople close to the family described him as a confidant, mentor, and even a father figure to Caroline. He handled bookings and finances for the estate and was reportedly someone very, very close to the family. So naturally, people immediately started wondering whether the two deaths could somehow be connected And at this point, authorities have not publicly confirmed any connection between the shootings, but the timing, all of it has fueled huge speculation online And then another detail raiseed some serious red flags because some of the early reports, including from the company DAL itself, claimed that Caroline had died in a car accident That information was obviously proven false once the authorities confirmed she hadd actually died from a gunshot wound But by then the rumor mill was in full swing and the conflicting reports just added to that speculation from the public Online, people have gone down every single rabbit hole imaginable Some believe the initial accident reports were just misinformation spread before the facts came out, but then others have come up with other theories, even suggesting that there may be some sort of larger cover upp that happened. But to be clear, there's absolutely no evidence publicly supporting any of these theories or speculation at the time. They're just theories But they do point out some very major red flags. And as of right now, authorities haven't identified any suspects, announced any arrests or publicly named any person of interest And they're just left answering trying to answer some really big questions here. And so for now, they're just trying to uncover some answers to these very big questions. How did two people connected to the same estate end up shot to death just one day apart this tragic coincidence or was something related? Is there something bigger going on here? Was there actually a cover up? My question is, were both of those guns from the same cabinet That would be very fishy to me. So hopefully we'll have some more information soon But something sounds a little off there. It's giving succession. and I want to see who was in line to inherit what? and was there financial manager stealing money for him and Caroline, was there something more to that relationship since they were so close Did she F Or did he find out something? Did she find out something? Somet Something smells a fooot here. O'Brian We gotta. I don't like it. I don't like it either And you know what I really don't like This next case. I knew you. It is sick AF. It is enraging me and it's probably going get me flagged all over YouTube. So all of my YouTube viewers. you may need to pop over the podcast now to listen to the uncensored version, but it was too important not to talk about But I want to tell you, it is incredibly difficult to hear. So authorities in Alabama have called this one of the worst cases that they have ever investigated. And like I said, the details are absolutely horrifying B trigger warning Investigators in Bib County, Alabama say that they uncovered what they believe was a child trafficking ring in an underground bunker. According to court documents, children as young as two years old were allegedly brought into this bunker, drugged, restrained, and then abused by paying adults. Authorities now believe that there are more than ten victims But they've also said several times that even today They still don't know the full scope of what may have happened. And when I first heard about this case, it's because I saw video footage of all of these predators being escorted out of the van and taken into custody. So many of you also DMmed it to me and were like, have you heard about this? And This is a pretty big investigation. It first began back in February of twenty twenty five when two children who had recently been taken into state custody started showing signs of what the state called concerning behaviors. When child welfare workers asked where they had learned these behaviors that they were exhibiting, I'm not going to go into a lot of detail. You can imagine, you know certain things that they were doing that only adults do The children allegedly said that they learned it from a man named William and that they learned it in what they called a secret bunker. So pretty quickly investigators located this bunker and they started looking further into what was going on. The bunker was originally built as an underground storm shelter. and when investigators searched for it for the first time on february fifth, twenty twenty five They found a bed few chairs, a small dresser, a toilet, and a sink But investigators soon learned that it had been used for something much darker than a traditional storm shelter. So for months, authorities worked the case behind the scenes. And then on july nineteenth, they announced the investigation and the first arrest twenty one year old William McGlrooy, twenty one year old Dalton Torerell, and twenty nine year old Andreres Trejo They were all taken into custody on a long list of charges related to child trafficking and. child essay. I'm just going to abbreviate it because I know I'm going to get flagged Now at the time, investigators say that they had identified six victims between the ages of three and ten years old They also believed that this ring had been operating for at least a year, starting all the way back in twenty twenty four. And as more court records became public, the allegations became even more disturbing if you can believe that. Investigators alleged that children were being brought to this bunker, drugged, restrained, and then exploited by these adults, and it also alleged that some of these adults were making what they called a appointments and with these kids, making appointments to come and to hurt these children physically. sex emotionally and paying to do so. According to authorities, some of these adults paid as much as a thousand dollars, which I'm sorry, it doesn't matter they say as much, which like that is not enough I was like a thousand dollars. Exactly Eactly. So then just a few days after those first arrests, the case started to expand. On july twenty second, twenty three year old Timothy Saint John was indicted on multiple charges connected to the investigation, including rape Sodomy, trafficking, kidnapping, bestiality, and aggravated cruelty to animals which sick warning right now. If you don't know the term bestiality, first of all, do not Google it. Okay, I on it. Two years ago I didn't know what that was when I started working with you and I did Google it and I did not even know that that was a real thing. I can't even wrap my head around that. It's people who have sex with animals. It's disgusting. It is disgusting Now at the time, the Bib County shheriff said, quote Such behavior will not be tolerated in Bibb County, and the offenders will face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law He also stated that investigators expected more arrests to happen, which he was not kidding when he said that, because the very next day, authorities announced three more arrests. twenty nine year old Rebecca Brewer, a female, forty one year old Sarah Torerell a female, and forty four year old Ricky Tyrell. So you've also heard the same last name going in here It's a family situation going on It's disgusting. literally this entire time. I so disgusted. So by that point, seven people had been charged in connection with this investigation. Investigators said at the time that the scope of this case had grown significantly. The age range of the victims had expanded from three to ten years old to three to fifteen years old It was also said that some of the defendants were actually parents of the victims involved in this case had a feeling because I'm like, where are these children coming from? They've got to be related in some way. This is one I'd be really curious actually for us to tap into Greg at Child Rescue Coalition and see if this is on their radar. We've been talking unfortunately lately about a lot of cases involving CSAM material and children and parents being the ones who are facilitating the transactions and the behavior and selling the material. Yes. Exactly. So the sheriff said that the investigators had reason to believe that this abuse may have started as early as twenty twenty two two years earlier than initially believed. He described the bunker as a place that was built for a good thing, but used for a horrible thing. Then on august sixth, an eighth person was indicted twenty six year old Olivia LllM was charged with multiple offenses, including kidnapping and trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude. By that point, the eight suspects were facing well over one hundred criminal charges combined. And somehow, the allegations in all of this, as if it weren't disturbing and bad enough They only became more horrifying as investigators continued digging into this case. Court documents alleged that everyone had a very specific role in this entire operation Specifically, they said that Andreas would put, quote, a white powder into drinks that was then given to the victims before they were brought into the bunker. They also alleged that Sarah Torerell placed an animal shot collar on some of the victims and used these collars as a form of punishment and also for her own sexual gratification sick freak Authorities now believe that there are more than ten victims connected to this case But they have said several times that they still don't know the full scope of what had happened. And they also say additional victims could still be identified as the investigation continues. Now since the arrests, this case has moved very slowly through the court system as prosecutors continue reviewing evidence But last week, and the reason why we're talking about it this week in headline highighlights, even though this all went down in twenty twenty five is because there was a major development. Rebecca Brewer became the first defendant to take a plea deal Olivia Elam, Andres Trejo, William Chase McGilroy, Dalton Tarrail, Ricky Teril, Sarah Til, and Timothy Saint John all appeared in court Thursday morning for sex trafficking charges. The eighth suspect, Rebecca Brewer pleaded guilty to kidnapping and an amended charge of sexual torture. Her case is under gag order. On june eleventh, she pleaded guilty to nine counts of first degree kidnapping and one count of sexual torture had originally been facing dozens of felony charges But those charges were of course reduced because of the deal that she took. But the details of that plea deal are sealed under a gag order because the case against the other seven defendants is still ongoing. They don't want to jeopardize any of that. She most likely, I would You know, ninety nine point nine percent say that she exchanged a lot of how the operation worked, information on the other people who have been arrested. and that was all in exchange for this deal, which is why it's now on a gag order and sealed Her sentencing has also been delayed until those cases are finished, but the charges that she pleaded guilty to still carry penalties ranging from at least ten years in prison to life in prison. Now on the same day that Rebecca pleaded guilty, the upcoming trials for the other seven defendants were pushed back because attorneys are still reviewing that evidence. The court has also brought in a second judge to assist with the proceedings, though they haven't explained exactly why that happened. It might just be too much for one judge to handle conflict of interest with too many people who are going to be On trial, who really knows. But honestly, every single part of this case is not only incredibly disturbing and difficult to hear, but a raging to hear, especially when it's family members involved. Like for what a few thousand dollars, you're selling your children, you're selling other children, you're kidnapping other children. I mean, and the fact that the investigators still don't know how many children have been victims in this case It just makes it even more heartbreaking And unfortunately, it sounds like there is still a very long road ahead before all of the facts come to light. I mean, beyond infuriating is how I'm feeling, but also just so many questions because like you hear this stuff that happens to kids, which you know, I get very emotional about. I don't understand how people disassociate to a level that extreme. I get it. peopleeople areot motivated by money. You hear about hit men, drugs, all these things where it's like, You'd really do that for a thousand bucks, but people are desperate. People need money into a lot of people. a thousand dollars is a lot of money. It is a lot of money. but when it comes to kids The level you have to stoop and disassociate yourself to do anything to a child, let alone to this extreme, I can't It's hard to even imagine that that's possible and that there are that many people inv. And then you're thinking, it's family. So then when you go deeper, you're thinking, these poor children what happened to them, that now they're watching their parents allegedly go through this process of getting in trouble for it. So now they're having to make sense of what happened to them and they don't have family. It's just like And it's too much, it's too much Burn them all. That's what Ibs beyond. Yeah. All right, so before we wrap up, you guys know, we are starting a new little out goingoing segment on here from CrimeCon. We had our anonymous phone in the booth where people could either ask for advice or leave their confession. So we're gonna to go ahead and play another one for you now and then we can discuss Okay, hey, Addy. I'm actually here for some advice. I don't think' I don't think I've done any crazy crimes, but You were dealing with a situation where you found out that somebody was committing a crime and you're in a position like There's somebody that's close to you, how do you go about doing that with all Putting yourself into like im mense danger Thank you Amy so much We love you. We love you so much and we'll catch you later on the next big vlog. You know, we're gonna make sure like, comment and subscribe and as always, pounding, nooging. M All right, so my advice for that would be you definitely if you think they're doing a crime, you need to tell the police or whoever you think they are going to commit a crime against. Well, yeah, that's what I was going to say. So is he saying like Someone close to you committed the crime and they're confessing to you? I think he's saying that he thinks they're going to commit. Oh they're going to commit a crime. one hundred percent report it. Yeah. And if you think that you could be in danger, get away from that person. And if they so my question to you, Ananni, if they did commit the crime and confess to you and you want to do something without getting in trouble or you're scared to tell on them, what would you do? I would still go to the police, but I would also distance myself from that person as much as humanly possible and tell somebody else I'm basically narking on this person. If anything happens to me, look at this person I think that's good advice So stop doing committing crimes, people And like hanging out with people or hanging out with people. Now before you go, quick reminder, merch right now, anieelast dot coma get it before it is completely gone. All right, guys, well, unfortunately, that's very somber note to end on, but that's what we have this week for headline highlights. So thank you so much for sticking with us, listening to all of these cases. We appreciate it As a reminder, you can go listen to that mega deep dive that released Monday.