Mexico Woes: Lesley Ann Herring

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: She vanished after a fight with her husband. He never reported her missing. When 45-year-old Lesley Herring disappeared from her Los Angeles condo in 2009, her family immediately knew something was wrong. What followed was a chilling unraveling of lies, a suspicious trip to Mexico, and a murder conviction—without a body ever found. Anyone with information about this case should contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 213-485-5381. 

This is the story of Lesley Ann Herring. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
discussing a case about a forty five year old woman
who vanished from her Los Angeles, California condo after an
argument with her husband. He never reported her missing, but

(00:25):
her family knew something was wrong, and what unfolded next
would expose dark lies, a painful reality, and leave loved
ones and investigators left asking where is she? This is
the story of Leslie and Herring. February eight, two thousand

(00:49):
and nine, Leslie Herring and her husband Lyle were at
their Hollywood condo. By all appearances, they had an ordinary life,
stable jobs, a nice home, and shared plans for the future.
But behind closed doors, the picture wasn't so perfect. At

(01:13):
the time of Leslie's disappearance, she was working in the
payroll department of a sprinkler manufacturing company in Glendale, California.
Her husband was a recruiter at California State University Northridge.
That night, according to Lyle, they had an argument. He
claimed she stormed out, but what she left behind told

(01:37):
a different story, her purse, wallet, keys, cell phone, and
even two sentimental gold braces she wore every single day.
Nothing about her absence felt voluntary. She failed to show
up to work for two days in a row, not

(01:58):
a single call, not a word, not to her sister,
who is actress Asha Davis. That silence didn't make any
sense at all and signaled that something darker could have happened.
Asha knew her sister very well. Leslie was responsible, punctual,

(02:19):
and grounded. She didn't just go missing the moment Leslie
didn't show up for work or respond to calls. Asha
knew something was deeply wrong. But even more troubling, Lyle
hadn't reported her missing. He hadn't reached out to Asha

(02:39):
or anyone in Leslie's family. When police interviewed him, his
answers were vague. He told them Leslie left after their
argument and he assumed she'd return. However, she didn't return,

(03:00):
and Lyle, instead of helping the investigation, disappeared too. For
two weeks, Lyle Herring was off the grid. Investigators couldn't
reach him, friends and family had no idea where he went. Then,
without warning, he resurfaced, crossing the border from Mexico into

(03:25):
the US. However, he looked vastly different. He had chopped
off his signature locks. He told police he had gone
to Mexico looking for Leslie. He said the two of
them had planned a trip there together, but Leslie's family
had never heard about any such vacation. Him going missing,

(03:50):
combined with the dramatic change in his appearance, raised some
serious suspicions. Investigators began to dig deeper. As detectives pieced
together the timeline, Lyle's story began to crumble. They uncovered
a planted Starbucks receipt meant to suggest Leslie had been

(04:14):
alive after she went missing, but surveillance but it showed
Lyle making that purchase alone. Cadaver dogs alerted the scent
of human remains in the trunk of Lyle's car. While
it wasn't enough to confirm the presence of a body,
it added another layer to the investigation. Then came the

(04:39):
emotional crack. A family member came forward with a disturbing admission.
Lyle had allegedly confessed, saying, I will burn in hell
for what I did. Still, with no body and no
murder weapon, prosecutors had to build a case entirely on

(05:01):
circumstantial evidence. In April twenty ten, more than a year
after Leslie vanished, Lyle Herring was arrested and charged with
her murder. His trial didn't begin until twenty thirteen. In court,
prosecutors painted a picture of a controlling husband who just

(05:24):
couldn't accept the idea of his wife leaving him. They
argued that Leslie had threatened divorce and that Lyle snapped,
killing her in a fit of rage and then covering
it up. The defense countered that there was no concrete
evidence of a crime, no body, no blood, and no

(05:49):
clear cause of death, but the jury wasn't convinced by
Lyle's story. After just five hours of deliberation, they returned
a verdict guilty of second degree murder. Lyo Herring was
sentenced to fifteen years to life in prison. Even with

(06:13):
the conviction, Leslie's remains have never been found. At the
time of her disappearance, she stood five feet nine inches tall,
weighed one hundred and seventy pounds, with black hair and
brown eyes. Both of Leslie's ears were pierced, and she
may have also been known to go by the last
name Telford. She was of Guyanese descent, and today Leslie

(06:38):
Herring would be sixty one years old. Her sister Asha
has spoken out publicly about the trauma, calling it one
of the darkest times in her life. She's used her
platform to advocate for families of the missing because too
many of their stories make the headlines. My thoughts and

(07:03):
prayers are with Leslie Heron's family and friends. Anyone with
information about the disappearance of Leslie to contact the Los
Angeles Police Department. Their contact information can be found in
the description box below. As we close out this episode,
don't forget to hit the follow button to stay updated

(07:24):
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Thank you so much for joining us on another episode

(07:45):
until next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of
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