March 17, 2024 • 31 mins
Deverrie Schiller was 23 years old when she left her home for the final time. She was only walking to the store with a friend and was supposed to be back shortly.
Instead, Deverrie’s mother Debi received a knock at the door the next day. Nothing would ever be the same. Debi would never be the same. And she would dedicate her life to making sure that her daughter’s murderer was brought to justice; including taking on unconventional methods to raise awareness.
If you have any information about the murder of Deverrie Schiller or any of the other cold cases listed in this episode, please contact California City PD at (760)-373-8606 or Secret Witness 661-322-4040 _________________________________ Promo: Relentless: The Fight for Cold Case Justice Listen _________________________________ Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Gandhi Sound Editing by Brogan Molloy Music by Tymur Khakimov from Pixabay ____________________________________ REACH OUT: methodandmadnesspod@gmail.com CONNECT: DIVE INTO MORE: MethodandMadnessPodcast.com ____________________________________ All sources are listed on the website, under each episode description. MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
Thank you for listening!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/method-madness--6241524/support.
Instead, Deverrie’s mother Debi received a knock at the door the next day. Nothing would ever be the same. Debi would never be the same. And she would dedicate her life to making sure that her daughter’s murderer was brought to justice; including taking on unconventional methods to raise awareness.
If you have any information about the murder of Deverrie Schiller or any of the other cold cases listed in this episode, please contact California City PD at (760)-373-8606 or Secret Witness 661-322-4040 _________________________________ Promo: Relentless: The Fight for Cold Case Justice Listen _________________________________ Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Gandhi Sound Editing by Brogan Molloy Music by Tymur Khakimov from Pixabay ____________________________________ REACH OUT: methodandmadnesspod@gmail.com CONNECT: DIVE INTO MORE: MethodandMadnessPodcast.com ____________________________________ All sources are listed on the website, under each episode description. MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
Thank you for listening!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/method-madness--6241524/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This episode contains details that may bedisturbing to some listener. Discretion is advised.
Welcome to method and Madness. Thisis Forever twenty three Devery Schiller,
I'm down your host. In Junetwenty sixteen, Debbie Phones received a knock
(00:33):
at the door. There on ourfront step were two police officers delivering the
news that would change everything. Thewords were a blur, body found,
Morgue sorry. Fueled by grief andrage, Debbie has turned to unconventional methods
(00:53):
in order to catch a killer.Let's dive in. My guest on the
pod today has a lot of questionsfor the murderer. What time did you
kill her? Was it an accidentor did you make the decision to end
her life prior to doing it?Were you man enough to look her in
(01:17):
the eye as she took her lastbreath? Or were you a coward and
did it from behind so she couldn'tsee you for the monster she knew you
to be. Today's case is abouta murder that occurred in a town that
doesn't have the resources to investigate violentcrime, and about a woman who will
go to any length to make surevictims aren't forgotten or taking a journey to
(01:41):
California City, California, which islocated about one hundred miles north of Los
Angeles in the Mahave Desert in thenorthern Antelope Valley, with a population of
about fourteen thousand. California City wasbuilt in the nineteen fifties with hopes that
it would grow and flourish into anotherLos Angeles or San Francisco. That dream
(02:06):
was not to be. Currently,cal City is often referred to as a
ghost town. Many of the bigplants for the city never came to fruition.
Street signs were posted for roads thatto this day lead to nowhere in
tens of thousands acres of undeveloped land. An article in All That's Interesting refers
(02:27):
to the area as having an estheticfamiliar to anyone who has seen a mad
Max movie. This isn't the firstcase that method and madness has covered out
of California City, and it likelywon't be the last. Governor Knewso once
referred to the desert town as themurder capital of California. My guest Debbie
Phones, moved there in the earlyeighties when she was about eleven years old.
(02:52):
It was safer back then, morethan half the population it is now.
Debbie went on to start a family, then moved to Monte Hannah,
where she raised her two girls.Her youngest was born on October seventeenth,
nineteen ninety two, a six poundtwelve ounce blonde haired, green eyed baby
(03:12):
that she named Deverie Janet. WhileDebbie was in labor, she told family
members that her miracle was coming today. She says, quote, I'm too
soft for this world. That's whyI gave birth to a badass. Here
is Debbie phones she was. Shewas my youngest. She was beautiful,
she had brood, had big greeneyes, and she was a badass.
(03:36):
And she was a sweetheart. Thatmakes her a lot. She was my
my caregiver, kind of not techniquely, but I had a lot of health
issues and she always took care ofme. Not to write surgeries or whatnot.
She had a wicked tens of humor. I don't know, how did
you explain your kid? You know, she was amazing. She was me
(03:59):
as all different kinds of music andsome pretty cool music in my playlist because
of her horror movies, dancing allsorts of it was funny. She broke
up with somebody she could re rechangeher entire look and she could pull off
anything. You know, blonde,red, black, hair colored, it
didn't matter. She could pull off. She could do the pen up girls
(04:20):
who could do em and look incredibledoing it. The girl through run on
high heels like run, not justno, you go run. Deverie had
a lot of nicknames growing up,Bubba, bug Boo. In February of
twenty fifteen, Debbie packed upper thingsand left Montana, returning to California City
(04:43):
with her Bubba, her Boo.Deverie, now twenty one years old,
and what was supposed to be asix month temporary living situation before moving on
to Oregon, became a lot more. Those six months came and went,
and Debbie and Devrie found themselves stockin California City for longer than anticipated.
Six months turned into a year andbeyond. If Debbie had known what would
(05:10):
happen a year and a half intoliving there, she'd never have agreed to
move there in the first place.Debbie and Deverie were living near cal City's
(05:36):
Central Park, located on residential HeatherAvenue. It's your typical neighborhood recreation area
with some grass, a duck Pondplayground and Senior Center. It's a quiet
location and it's remote, but Debbie'snever needed a lot of people or things
to keep her busy. A selfproclaimed introvert, she's comfortable at home,
(05:57):
where she finds herself recovering from severalhealth issues, including abdominal surgeries, end
it inoperable brain tumor. Devere alwaysstepped up to take care of her mom
without being asked. She'd change bandages, make meals, or get Debbie up
and moving about. Debbie calls herdaughter her favorite nurse. Devery was also
(06:21):
the keeper of memories, something thatmattered to Debbie as much as the caretaking.
She relied on her daughter in thatsense. By June of twenty sixteen,
Debbie and Deverie were settled in calCity, but looking forward to the
day where they could finally move onto Oregon. On the night of Saturday,
(06:41):
June twenty fifth, twenty sixteen,a friend of Devere's came to the
door. It was some time betweennine and ten o'clock when Debbie heard her
daughter call out that she and herfriend were walking to the store. They'd
be back in a bit, andthen Deverey wanted to borrow her mom's truck
and draw over to Taco Bell,the closest one from their remote home was
(07:03):
twenty eight miles away. As Deveriywas heading out for the store, Debbie
called out, love you boo,be safe. Dev responded, love you
too, Mom. I will Exhaustedfrom a long day. When temperatures reached
the mid nineties, Debbie went tobed and when she woke up the next
(07:25):
morning, saw that Devereree hadn't returnedhome, but she wasn't too concerned.
Her daughter, now twenty three,was an adult and remember a badass.
It wasn't until late morning that Debbibegan to worry. Just before noon,
Debbi received a text from her motheralerting her that a body had been found
(07:46):
at the park across the street,the body of a woman. Rumors had
already began circulating police cars in andaround the vicinity of the park, and
the panic setting in the Deverrie hadn'treturned home, hadn't called or texted.
Debbie began frantically calling and texting herdaughter, asking her to answer, and
(08:09):
then demanding a response, but thecalls went to voicemail, the texts were
not responded to, and with eachpassing minute, Debbie's heart felt like it
was pounding out of her chest.She got in her truck and went out
looking for Deveree. The body couldn'tbe hers. She must be out somewhere
with a friend. Someone must haveseen her. Debbie drove around, stopping
(08:33):
anywhere that she thought Deveree could be. Friends, homes, places she hung
out. Nobody knew where dev was, and no one had heard from her.
Debbie returned home, sick with worry, and just moments later heard her
roommate call out, deb the copsare here. And one year four months
(08:54):
in twenty one days after moving backto California City, Debbie received the knock
at the door that would alter herlife forever. On her front step were
two officers. There was no greeting, no asking what they were doing there
or if everything was okay. Debbieknew instantly what her heart feared the most.
(09:16):
She began screaming no repeatedly, asone of the officers spoke gently,
I'm sorry, Deborah, We're hereto inform you your daughter, Deveree Schiller,
was found deceased earlier today. Itwas followed by the screams of a
mother in anguish. The word nocried out over and over, just in
case it could change something. Butthere was more. It appears she was
(09:41):
the victim of a homicide. Devereehad been beaten and strangled. Debbie wrote
(10:07):
a lot in the days since twopolice officers told her that her daughter had
been murdered and left discarded in thepark just a stone's throw from her home.
The writings that Debbie jotted down throughouther mourning, her disbelief, her
anger eventually turned into a book thatshe's self published. Reflecting on the day
she got the knock at the door, Debbie writes that that's the day two
(10:31):
people died, her Boo and herself. The title of the book is Villama
multi Salus. Villama means against thenatural order in Sanskrit and is used to
describe a parent losing their child.The book is raw. It's a mother's
grief laid out in four hundred andforty eight pages. Its heartbreak, anger,
(10:54):
despair, and depression. It's notpolite or forgiving. Milestone's throughout the
book are marked by how many dayshave passed since Debbie's daughter was murdered.
Here's one eighty one days. Ad I saw a picture of your dead
body today. The mother of oneof the boys that found my daughter's body
(11:16):
took a picture. I was toldit went on social media and was quickly
removed. I didn't see it.It took me a total of eighty days
to acquire a digital copy for myself. Debbie hasn't been able to get that
image out of her mind. Themorning after Devery left home and walked to
(11:39):
the store with her friend, afew young boys were playing in the park
behind the Seniors Center and tennis courts, where a dirt alley runs about eight
feet wide between two chain link fences. It was in that alley that the
boys came across the body of awoman. She'd been left on the ground
in the dirt. One of theboys ran to get help, and his
(12:01):
mother came to the scene and dialednine one one, But she also took
photos of Deverey's body with her cellphone and later did the unthinkable. She
posted them online. The photos arenow down, but the damage is done.
(12:22):
Debby made a vow when she learnedher daughter had been murdered. She
vowed that she would find out whothe last person devere saw before she died.
Debbi knew the first face that herdaughter saw on the day she was
born. It only made sense thatshe'd know who took the twenty three year
old's life. That vow has turnedinto a mission to make sure her daughter's
(12:43):
name is known, that nobody wouldforget Deveree. She turned to the Internet
in those early days, and throughsome digging, Debbi found out that there
were a total of seven other casesin California City, missing and murdered people
whose cases had gone cold. Ninemonths after Devery's murder, Debby attended a
candlelight vigil in town where three ofthose victims were honored, Matthew Linninger,
(13:09):
who'd been murdered in twenty ten,Robert Austin Tharpe, a man missing since
July of twenty fourteen, and DeverySchiller. By meeting the families of other
victims, Debby's mission has become moreand more clear. She refers to herself
as an untrained, unauthorized involuntary homicidedetective. When people tell her how much
(13:30):
strength she has, she begs todiffer. She doesn't see it as a
strength, she sees it as heronly option. She speaks highly of the
investigators that have worked Devery's case sincetwenty sixteen, particularly Sergeant Hayes, whom
she credits for putting up with herevery day since he knocked on her door
(13:50):
to deliver the horrible news. CaliforniaCity, however, has its problems.
The police force is understaffed. Themission statement that appears on the California City
Police Department website says, quote,it is the mission of the California City
Police Department to provide a high levelof protection and service by maintaining peace and
(14:13):
order for a safe community in whichto live or visit by using our greatest
strengths of professionalism, reliability, integrity, dedication, and experience. As of
December twenty twenty three, there wereeleven officers on staff with the California City
PD. That's an understaffing of atleast six. The police department recently received
(14:39):
a grant of two hundred and fiftythousand dollars, which will go toward paying
the salaries of two new officers,but since Deverey's murder, anyone skilled at
investigating a violent crime was not utilizedas such. At one point, a
retired detective got wind of Devery's caseand, according to Debbi, he jumped
through who hoops to try and helpsolve the case along with the other unsolved
(15:03):
homicides in cal City. But eventuallythat detective moved on and once again nobody
was actively working the unsolved cases.By twenty eighteen, there were still no
arrests made for the murder of DevereSchiller and little information provided about the crime
or any possible suspects. Driven bythe lack of progress, Debbie got a
(15:28):
new source of motivation, a newmethod of making some noise from an unlikely
source. Oscar season. Well,if I was talking to someone, they're
like, hey, I gotta showyou this movie trailer. There's a movie
out three millboards up by even Missouri. You gotta see this. Woman.
It's just like me, you've donewrong, wife. But it told me
(15:50):
the tailor for the video or forthe movie, and I'm like, oh,
yeah, that's me. That's that'sthat's my that's my added neue melody,
you know, And then it getit really click it first. But
then this a little bit high passed. Her anniversary was coming up again,
started doing a normal thinking of whatI could do, because I tried to
(16:10):
do something for her anniversary and herbirthday. That's kind of public to keep
her name out there. When Iwent, what if I put up in
the three billboards? Like I'm nota big one, but a big movie
person. I didn't know it waslike a Prey Awards or anything. Why.
I talked to my news lady andI got a couple of my friends
together painted up three billboards, andmy news leady called me up after I
(16:33):
asked her. I said, well, I called her and ask her,
Hey, do you think her yourboss about to cover this? And she's
like, well, let me check. Well, kids, he was actually
like the boss onesn't know you coulddo it sooner because the awards show was
coming up, and this is upfor a lot of awards, and it'll
make bigger news if you do itbefore you're planning to. The twenty seventeen
film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, was nominated for seven Academy Awards,
(16:57):
winning two of them for Best Actress. Francis McDormand, who plays Mildred,
a mother advocating for an arrest monthsafter her daughter was raped and murdered.
The film opens on a foggy stretchof road with three dilapidated billboards. The
next scene is daylight and our protagonistMildred drives by the billboards. They don't
(17:21):
look nearly as scary now. Justas the light sheds on the shabby billboards,
the light bulb goes off in herhead. She stops the car and
contemplates before driving off again. Shenow has a plan to rent out all
three billboards and posts a message forEbbing Police Department. Officer Dixon comes upon
(17:42):
the three billboards at night, butthis time they're being given a facelift,
red backgrounds, and a haunting messageto the town's chief of police. The
viewer doesn't see the full message untillight is shed on it again the next
morning, when mis Eldred drives pastit, this time with her son.
(18:03):
He's angry that he has to learndetails about his sister's murder that he didn't
want to know. Anyone driving downthe stretch of road near Mildred's home would
see the message on the three billboardslaid out as follows raped while dying.
Still no arrests. How come ChiefWilloughby. The movie was inspired by a
(18:26):
real life case out of Yder,Texas. A mother of two, Kathy
Page, was found dead in hercar in nineteen ninety one. Her death
was made to look like an accident, but she'd been strangled. Her family
has sought justice ever since, andher father, James Fulton, has spent
over two hundred thousand dollars renting billboardsalong Interstate ten for decades now. He
(18:51):
swaps out the messages periodically. Onebillboard in twenty twelve, this is Orange
County, City of vider Here youget by with brutally murdering a woman.
James has dedicated his life to ensuringhe gets justice for his daughter. He
even used the billboards to assert thatCathy was killed by her estranged husband,
(19:14):
Steve Page, and that the policedepartment must have taken a bribe. British
writer and director Martin MacDonough saw thebillboards when he was traveling in the US,
and they had such an impact onhim that he later wrote and directed
the film. With the two yearanniversary of Devere's murder approaching, Debbie Phones
posted her three billboards on California CityBoulevard, a long stretch of desolate highway.
(19:40):
The frustration that Debbie had been feelingover the town's resources being used to
take down marijuana farms was evident.The signs read busting grow houses is good,
Busting killers is better. Devere Schiller, October of ninety two to of
sixteen, murder unsolved. If you'rewondering if the billboards got any attention,
(20:06):
well they did. Olivia LaVoi withkge T, an NBC affiliate, covered
the story back in twenty eighteen,giving Debbie national news coverage on camera.
Debbie's pain is evident as she explainsthat she doesn't want to have to publicly
display her pain, but she feltshe had no choice. Debbie tells me,
(20:29):
the billboards are still up. Let'stake a break, well, let
list The Fight for coldc Case Justiceis a podcast that will shine a light
on unsolved cases and give voices tofamilies fighting tyrocy to see them resolve.
(20:53):
We'll talk to advocates and families abouttheir daily battle to keep pushing for answers
against seemingly impossible odds, and we'llspeak with law enforcement about their complex challenges
facing them to clear these cases withgrowing backlogs and limited resources. My hope
is that through these difficult but importantdiscussions, we can work towards finding solutions
both big and small, that mayhelp bring long overdueclosure to these families.
(21:18):
I refuse to let these families andtheir loved ones be forgotten. Relentless is
their voice, their story, andtheir fight for justice. Join us at
the Relentless pod dot com. Twohundred and eighty seven days ad closure.
It took me forty five years tounderstand what closure meant. Today I learned
(21:40):
what it meant to me. Closurewill come when I am no longer forced
to talk, read, discuss,or relive the details about her murder so
many times every day. Closure willcome when I can sit down alone with
my memories of her and not haveto obsess with who might have done this.
(22:00):
On one of the chain link fencesnext to where Devery's body was found,
Debbi has created a memorial, adiamond shaped one. Since Deveree loved
diamonds. She encourages anyone who wantsto pay their respects to visit. Debbi
finds herself sitting in that spot,often collecting her thoughts or listening to music.
For the two year anniversary of Devere'smurder, Debbie once again made a
(22:25):
bold move. Friends, family,and police officers gathered at Devere's diamond to
remember the young woman who was killedthere and to draw attention to the case
there. Debbie sobbed as she toldreporters she didn't know how to move on.
She didn't want anyone to forget herdaughter and encouraged anyone with information to
(22:45):
come forward. But there was moreto it than just that. Debby was
okay with making people feel uncomfortable.That meant getting someone to come forward.
So, recalling the disturbing photo thatwas once posted on social media, Debbie
had a friend lay down in thesame position and in the same location the
(23:07):
Deverie was found in, wearing similarclothes. Her hopes were that the imagery
would be disturbing enough to prompt someoneto make that phone call one three hundred
(23:37):
and thirty seven days ad She's notcoming back. It wasn't until a few
years after her daughter's murder that Debbiestarted to publicly name the person she feels
as responsible. She's careful not tojeopardize the investigation, but her frustration continues,
with police telling her that it's notwhat she thinks, and it's not
(23:57):
what investigators think that matters. Theonly thing that matters is what they can
prove. One thousand, eight hundredand forty two days AD. I have
thrown myself into the investigation. Ihave a good working relationship with all three
detectives that have are working on mydaughter's case. Surprisingly enough, I have
(24:22):
a special place in my heart foreach of them. They did the best
they could given the situation. Inmy efforts to help find her killer,
I've done news stories, podcasts,billboards, and public speeches. I've done
research and learned things I couldn't handlehad I been sober. Here, Debbie
talks about what justice means to herwith a message to the person who killed
(24:48):
her daughter. Justice is bull Theonly way that this's wrong could be righted
if you give me my kid back, period. But justice is bullit.
What I want is him not todo it again to anybody else, And
I want him to pay his debtto society because he didn't just steal her
for me. He pull her fromanxieties, polar from the world. He
(25:11):
owes them for sicealing her. Hecan't pay me back. He can't.
There is nothing in this life orthe next he can ever do pay me
back. So what he owe meis intimate two thousand, one hundred and
twenty four days AD at birth,she weighed a whopping six pounds twelve ounces,
(25:32):
and I carried that ever growing weightwith a smile. Today, the
ashes of her cremated body weigh fourpounds, And while the weight of her
ashes is tangible, the weight ofmy heartbreak is not. Yet it is
a weight I will carry forever.The district attorney has told Devery's mother that
more evidence is needed in order toprosecute. Debbie tells me there's evidence from
(25:57):
the crime scene that has been sentoff ends of testing at a lab.
It's been a little over eighteen months, but no word yet if anything of
use was extracted. Two thousand,two hundred and thirty six days ad I've
said it before, but I'll sayit again. If after I die I
(26:18):
have to come back again, I'mgoing to be mad. But if I
have to do it again as apisce's, someone is going to get a
very angry letter. In Debbie's writingand in her advocacy, she often takes
the time to include the other coldcases in California City. One of those
(26:41):
cases, the murder of Desiree Thompson, was solved last year. Her killer
was convicted, and two anonymous tipstersreceived a reward of twenty five thousand dollars
for coming forward. If you haveany information about the following cases, please
contact the police. There's information inthe show notes and there are several rewards
(27:03):
offered for information leading to an arrest. Doctor Burdette Thorbis murdered June twenty six,
two thousand and one in a botchedburglary. Matthew Linninger murdered January fourth,
twenty ten, while asleep in bed. Charles Piper murdered December second,
twenty twelve in a home invasion robbery. Dimitri Thomas murdered March twenty first,
(27:27):
twenty fourteen, in a drive byshooting. Robert Austin Tharp missing since July
fifth, twenty fourteen. Deverie Schillermurdered June twenty sixth, twenty sixteen.
Philip Pete Hammond missing since July fourth, twenty seventeen. His body was found
(27:48):
in twenty twenty and his case isnow a homicide investigation. Here I want
to share what Debbie posted on Facebookon the four year anniversary of Devere's murder.
On June twenty fifth, twenty sixteen, I sat on my bed chatting
with my daughter, Deveree Schiller asshe got ready to go out. When
(28:11):
she was done getting ready and washeaded out the front door, I shouted
out our customary good bye, loveyou boo, be safe, and she
hollered back, love you too,Mom. I will. The next morning,
her lifeless body was found in thepark across the street from our house
by a couple young boys. Shehad been brutally murdered, and our worst
(28:33):
nightmare took form. She was asmart, funny, beautiful, talented,
amazing twenty three year old with abright future ahead of her. As our
nightmare unfolded, there was one thingI was certain of above all others.
I know the last words I spoketo my daughter, the last words she
would ever hear from me, wereI love you and to be safe.
(28:56):
This I know in my heart andhas given me some degree of comfort.
I've heard stories from others about lastwords to their loved ones. Some remember
what was said, others not somuch. It matters. In my family,
we say I love you a lotat the end of phone calls,
(29:17):
as we leave the house, hellas we leave a room, we say
it. I have no idea howto start a movement, but I want
to I want more people to takethe time to tell the ones that they
love that they do often. Nevermiss a chance to say it. You
really can't say it too much.Tell your children every chance you get,
(29:38):
Tell your parents every chance you get, Tell your grandparents every chance you get.
Tell your siblings, tell your partner, tell your best friend, every
chance you get, tell them,Tell them because you never know when it
may be the last chance you get. The world we live in is a
dangerous place, and saying I loveyou doesn't cost anything. Even if you're
(30:02):
mad. Say it. The daymay come when you'll be glad that you
did. Thank you to Debbie Phonesfor sharing Deverie with us. Thank you
for listening to this episode of Methodand Madness. If you haven't already,
please leave a rating or a review, and don't forget to hit that follow
button to connect. I'm on xat method Pod, on Instagram at Method
(30:25):
and Madness Pod, and you canfind me on TikTok and Facebook as well
to chat, suggest a case,or discuss the episode. Reach out to
me at Method and Madness Pod atgmail dot com. Method and Madness is
researched, written and hosted by me. That's it for this week Until next
time, take care of yourself.You matter. For crisis support, text
(30:49):
hello to seven four one seven forone
This episode contains details that may bedisturbing to some listener. Discretion is advised.
Welcome to method and Madness. Thisis Forever twenty three Devery Schiller,
I'm down your host. In Junetwenty sixteen, Debbie Phones received a knock
(00:33):
at the door. There on ourfront step were two police officers delivering the
news that would change everything. Thewords were a blur, body found,
Morgue sorry. Fueled by grief andrage, Debbie has turned to unconventional methods
(00:53):
in order to catch a killer.Let's dive in. My guest on the
pod today has a lot of questionsfor the murderer. What time did you
kill her? Was it an accidentor did you make the decision to end
her life prior to doing it?Were you man enough to look her in
(01:17):
the eye as she took her lastbreath? Or were you a coward and
did it from behind so she couldn'tsee you for the monster she knew you
to be. Today's case is abouta murder that occurred in a town that
doesn't have the resources to investigate violentcrime, and about a woman who will
go to any length to make surevictims aren't forgotten or taking a journey to
(01:41):
California City, California, which islocated about one hundred miles north of Los
Angeles in the Mahave Desert in thenorthern Antelope Valley, with a population of
about fourteen thousand. California City wasbuilt in the nineteen fifties with hopes that
it would grow and flourish into anotherLos Angeles or San Francisco. That dream
(02:06):
was not to be. Currently,cal City is often referred to as a
ghost town. Many of the bigplants for the city never came to fruition.
Street signs were posted for roads thatto this day lead to nowhere in
tens of thousands acres of undeveloped land. An article in All That's Interesting refers
(02:27):
to the area as having an estheticfamiliar to anyone who has seen a mad
Max movie. This isn't the firstcase that method and madness has covered out
of California City, and it likelywon't be the last. Governor Knewso once
referred to the desert town as themurder capital of California. My guest Debbie
Phones, moved there in the earlyeighties when she was about eleven years old.
(02:52):
It was safer back then, morethan half the population it is now.
Debbie went on to start a family, then moved to Monte Hannah,
where she raised her two girls.Her youngest was born on October seventeenth,
nineteen ninety two, a six poundtwelve ounce blonde haired, green eyed baby
(03:12):
that she named Deverie Janet. WhileDebbie was in labor, she told family
members that her miracle was coming today. She says, quote, I'm too
soft for this world. That's whyI gave birth to a badass. Here
is Debbie phones she was. Shewas my youngest. She was beautiful,
she had brood, had big greeneyes, and she was a badass.
(03:36):
And she was a sweetheart. Thatmakes her a lot. She was my
my caregiver, kind of not techniquely, but I had a lot of health
issues and she always took care ofme. Not to write surgeries or whatnot.
She had a wicked tens of humor. I don't know, how did
you explain your kid? You know, she was amazing. She was me
(03:59):
as all different kinds of music andsome pretty cool music in my playlist because
of her horror movies, dancing allsorts of it was funny. She broke
up with somebody she could re rechangeher entire look and she could pull off
anything. You know, blonde,red, black, hair colored, it
didn't matter. She could pull off. She could do the pen up girls
(04:20):
who could do em and look incredibledoing it. The girl through run on
high heels like run, not justno, you go run. Deverie had
a lot of nicknames growing up,Bubba, bug Boo. In February of
twenty fifteen, Debbie packed upper thingsand left Montana, returning to California City
(04:43):
with her Bubba, her Boo.Deverie, now twenty one years old,
and what was supposed to be asix month temporary living situation before moving on
to Oregon, became a lot more. Those six months came and went,
and Debbie and Devrie found themselves stockin California City for longer than anticipated.
Six months turned into a year andbeyond. If Debbie had known what would
(05:10):
happen a year and a half intoliving there, she'd never have agreed to
move there in the first place.Debbie and Deverie were living near cal City's
(05:36):
Central Park, located on residential HeatherAvenue. It's your typical neighborhood recreation area
with some grass, a duck Pondplayground and Senior Center. It's a quiet
location and it's remote, but Debbie'snever needed a lot of people or things
to keep her busy. A selfproclaimed introvert, she's comfortable at home,
(05:57):
where she finds herself recovering from severalhealth issues, including abdominal surgeries, end
it inoperable brain tumor. Devere alwaysstepped up to take care of her mom
without being asked. She'd change bandages, make meals, or get Debbie up
and moving about. Debbie calls herdaughter her favorite nurse. Devery was also
(06:21):
the keeper of memories, something thatmattered to Debbie as much as the caretaking.
She relied on her daughter in thatsense. By June of twenty sixteen,
Debbie and Deverie were settled in calCity, but looking forward to the
day where they could finally move onto Oregon. On the night of Saturday,
(06:41):
June twenty fifth, twenty sixteen,a friend of Devere's came to the
door. It was some time betweennine and ten o'clock when Debbie heard her
daughter call out that she and herfriend were walking to the store. They'd
be back in a bit, andthen Deverey wanted to borrow her mom's truck
and draw over to Taco Bell,the closest one from their remote home was
(07:03):
twenty eight miles away. As Deveriywas heading out for the store, Debbie
called out, love you boo,be safe. Dev responded, love you
too, Mom. I will Exhaustedfrom a long day. When temperatures reached
the mid nineties, Debbie went tobed and when she woke up the next
(07:25):
morning, saw that Devereree hadn't returnedhome, but she wasn't too concerned.
Her daughter, now twenty three,was an adult and remember a badass.
It wasn't until late morning that Debbibegan to worry. Just before noon,
Debbi received a text from her motheralerting her that a body had been found
(07:46):
at the park across the street,the body of a woman. Rumors had
already began circulating police cars in andaround the vicinity of the park, and
the panic setting in the Deverrie hadn'treturned home, hadn't called or texted.
Debbie began frantically calling and texting herdaughter, asking her to answer, and
(08:09):
then demanding a response, but thecalls went to voicemail, the texts were
not responded to, and with eachpassing minute, Debbie's heart felt like it
was pounding out of her chest.She got in her truck and went out
looking for Deveree. The body couldn'tbe hers. She must be out somewhere
with a friend. Someone must haveseen her. Debbie drove around, stopping
(08:33):
anywhere that she thought Deveree could be. Friends, homes, places she hung
out. Nobody knew where dev was, and no one had heard from her.
Debbie returned home, sick with worry, and just moments later heard her
roommate call out, deb the copsare here. And one year four months
(08:54):
in twenty one days after moving backto California City, Debbie received the knock
at the door that would alter herlife forever. On her front step were
two officers. There was no greeting, no asking what they were doing there
or if everything was okay. Debbieknew instantly what her heart feared the most.
(09:16):
She began screaming no repeatedly, asone of the officers spoke gently,
I'm sorry, Deborah, We're hereto inform you your daughter, Deveree Schiller,
was found deceased earlier today. Itwas followed by the screams of a
mother in anguish. The word nocried out over and over, just in
case it could change something. Butthere was more. It appears she was
(09:41):
the victim of a homicide. Devereehad been beaten and strangled. Debbie wrote
(10:07):
a lot in the days since twopolice officers told her that her daughter had
been murdered and left discarded in thepark just a stone's throw from her home.
The writings that Debbie jotted down throughouther mourning, her disbelief, her
anger eventually turned into a book thatshe's self published. Reflecting on the day
she got the knock at the door, Debbie writes that that's the day two
(10:31):
people died, her Boo and herself. The title of the book is Villama
multi Salus. Villama means against thenatural order in Sanskrit and is used to
describe a parent losing their child.The book is raw. It's a mother's
grief laid out in four hundred andforty eight pages. Its heartbreak, anger,
(10:54):
despair, and depression. It's notpolite or forgiving. Milestone's throughout the
book are marked by how many dayshave passed since Debbie's daughter was murdered.
Here's one eighty one days. Ad I saw a picture of your dead
body today. The mother of oneof the boys that found my daughter's body
(11:16):
took a picture. I was toldit went on social media and was quickly
removed. I didn't see it.It took me a total of eighty days
to acquire a digital copy for myself. Debbie hasn't been able to get that
image out of her mind. Themorning after Devery left home and walked to
(11:39):
the store with her friend, afew young boys were playing in the park
behind the Seniors Center and tennis courts, where a dirt alley runs about eight
feet wide between two chain link fences. It was in that alley that the
boys came across the body of awoman. She'd been left on the ground
in the dirt. One of theboys ran to get help, and his
(12:01):
mother came to the scene and dialednine one one, But she also took
photos of Deverey's body with her cellphone and later did the unthinkable. She
posted them online. The photos arenow down, but the damage is done.
(12:22):
Debby made a vow when she learnedher daughter had been murdered. She
vowed that she would find out whothe last person devere saw before she died.
Debbi knew the first face that herdaughter saw on the day she was
born. It only made sense thatshe'd know who took the twenty three year
old's life. That vow has turnedinto a mission to make sure her daughter's
(12:43):
name is known, that nobody wouldforget Deveree. She turned to the Internet
in those early days, and throughsome digging, Debbi found out that there
were a total of seven other casesin California City, missing and murdered people
whose cases had gone cold. Ninemonths after Devery's murder, Debby attended a
candlelight vigil in town where three ofthose victims were honored, Matthew Linninger,
(13:09):
who'd been murdered in twenty ten,Robert Austin Tharpe, a man missing since
July of twenty fourteen, and DeverySchiller. By meeting the families of other
victims, Debby's mission has become moreand more clear. She refers to herself
as an untrained, unauthorized involuntary homicidedetective. When people tell her how much
(13:30):
strength she has, she begs todiffer. She doesn't see it as a
strength, she sees it as heronly option. She speaks highly of the
investigators that have worked Devery's case sincetwenty sixteen, particularly Sergeant Hayes, whom
she credits for putting up with herevery day since he knocked on her door
(13:50):
to deliver the horrible news. CaliforniaCity, however, has its problems.
The police force is understaffed. Themission statement that appears on the California City
Police Department website says, quote,it is the mission of the California City
Police Department to provide a high levelof protection and service by maintaining peace and
(14:13):
order for a safe community in whichto live or visit by using our greatest
strengths of professionalism, reliability, integrity, dedication, and experience. As of
December twenty twenty three, there wereeleven officers on staff with the California City
PD. That's an understaffing of atleast six. The police department recently received
(14:39):
a grant of two hundred and fiftythousand dollars, which will go toward paying
the salaries of two new officers,but since Deverey's murder, anyone skilled at
investigating a violent crime was not utilizedas such. At one point, a
retired detective got wind of Devery's caseand, according to Debbi, he jumped
through who hoops to try and helpsolve the case along with the other unsolved
(15:03):
homicides in cal City. But eventuallythat detective moved on and once again nobody
was actively working the unsolved cases.By twenty eighteen, there were still no
arrests made for the murder of DevereSchiller and little information provided about the crime
or any possible suspects. Driven bythe lack of progress, Debbie got a
(15:28):
new source of motivation, a newmethod of making some noise from an unlikely
source. Oscar season. Well,if I was talking to someone, they're
like, hey, I gotta showyou this movie trailer. There's a movie
out three millboards up by even Missouri. You gotta see this. Woman.
It's just like me, you've donewrong, wife. But it told me
(15:50):
the tailor for the video or forthe movie, and I'm like, oh,
yeah, that's me. That's that'sthat's my that's my added neue melody,
you know, And then it getit really click it first. But
then this a little bit high passed. Her anniversary was coming up again,
started doing a normal thinking of whatI could do, because I tried to
(16:10):
do something for her anniversary and herbirthday. That's kind of public to keep
her name out there. When Iwent, what if I put up in
the three billboards? Like I'm nota big one, but a big movie
person. I didn't know it waslike a Prey Awards or anything. Why.
I talked to my news lady andI got a couple of my friends
together painted up three billboards, andmy news leady called me up after I
(16:33):
asked her. I said, well, I called her and ask her,
Hey, do you think her yourboss about to cover this? And she's
like, well, let me check. Well, kids, he was actually
like the boss onesn't know you coulddo it sooner because the awards show was
coming up, and this is upfor a lot of awards, and it'll
make bigger news if you do itbefore you're planning to. The twenty seventeen
film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, was nominated for seven Academy Awards,
(16:57):
winning two of them for Best Actress. Francis McDormand, who plays Mildred,
a mother advocating for an arrest monthsafter her daughter was raped and murdered.
The film opens on a foggy stretchof road with three dilapidated billboards. The
next scene is daylight and our protagonistMildred drives by the billboards. They don't
(17:21):
look nearly as scary now. Justas the light sheds on the shabby billboards,
the light bulb goes off in herhead. She stops the car and
contemplates before driving off again. Shenow has a plan to rent out all
three billboards and posts a message forEbbing Police Department. Officer Dixon comes upon
(17:42):
the three billboards at night, butthis time they're being given a facelift,
red backgrounds, and a haunting messageto the town's chief of police. The
viewer doesn't see the full message untillight is shed on it again the next
morning, when mis Eldred drives pastit, this time with her son.
(18:03):
He's angry that he has to learndetails about his sister's murder that he didn't
want to know. Anyone driving downthe stretch of road near Mildred's home would
see the message on the three billboardslaid out as follows raped while dying.
Still no arrests. How come ChiefWilloughby. The movie was inspired by a
(18:26):
real life case out of Yder,Texas. A mother of two, Kathy
Page, was found dead in hercar in nineteen ninety one. Her death
was made to look like an accident, but she'd been strangled. Her family
has sought justice ever since, andher father, James Fulton, has spent
over two hundred thousand dollars renting billboardsalong Interstate ten for decades now. He
(18:51):
swaps out the messages periodically. Onebillboard in twenty twelve, this is Orange
County, City of vider Here youget by with brutally murdering a woman.
James has dedicated his life to ensuringhe gets justice for his daughter. He
even used the billboards to assert thatCathy was killed by her estranged husband,
(19:14):
Steve Page, and that the policedepartment must have taken a bribe. British
writer and director Martin MacDonough saw thebillboards when he was traveling in the US,
and they had such an impact onhim that he later wrote and directed
the film. With the two yearanniversary of Devere's murder approaching, Debbie Phones
posted her three billboards on California CityBoulevard, a long stretch of desolate highway.
(19:40):
The frustration that Debbie had been feelingover the town's resources being used to
take down marijuana farms was evident.The signs read busting grow houses is good,
Busting killers is better. Devere Schiller, October of ninety two to of
sixteen, murder unsolved. If you'rewondering if the billboards got any attention,
(20:06):
well they did. Olivia LaVoi withkge T, an NBC affiliate, covered
the story back in twenty eighteen,giving Debbie national news coverage on camera.
Debbie's pain is evident as she explainsthat she doesn't want to have to publicly
display her pain, but she feltshe had no choice. Debbie tells me,
(20:29):
the billboards are still up. Let'stake a break, well, let
list The Fight for coldc Case Justiceis a podcast that will shine a light
on unsolved cases and give voices tofamilies fighting tyrocy to see them resolve.
(20:53):
We'll talk to advocates and families abouttheir daily battle to keep pushing for answers
against seemingly impossible odds, and we'llspeak with law enforcement about their complex challenges
facing them to clear these cases withgrowing backlogs and limited resources. My hope
is that through these difficult but importantdiscussions, we can work towards finding solutions
both big and small, that mayhelp bring long overdueclosure to these families.
(21:18):
I refuse to let these families andtheir loved ones be forgotten. Relentless is
their voice, their story, andtheir fight for justice. Join us at
the Relentless pod dot com. Twohundred and eighty seven days ad closure.
It took me forty five years tounderstand what closure meant. Today I learned
(21:40):
what it meant to me. Closurewill come when I am no longer forced
to talk, read, discuss,or relive the details about her murder so
many times every day. Closure willcome when I can sit down alone with
my memories of her and not haveto obsess with who might have done this.
(22:00):
On one of the chain link fencesnext to where Devery's body was found,
Debbi has created a memorial, adiamond shaped one. Since Deveree loved
diamonds. She encourages anyone who wantsto pay their respects to visit. Debbi
finds herself sitting in that spot,often collecting her thoughts or listening to music.
For the two year anniversary of Devere'smurder, Debbie once again made a
(22:25):
bold move. Friends, family,and police officers gathered at Devere's diamond to
remember the young woman who was killedthere and to draw attention to the case
there. Debbie sobbed as she toldreporters she didn't know how to move on.
She didn't want anyone to forget herdaughter and encouraged anyone with information to
(22:45):
come forward. But there was moreto it than just that. Debby was
okay with making people feel uncomfortable.That meant getting someone to come forward.
So, recalling the disturbing photo thatwas once posted on social media, Debbie
had a friend lay down in thesame position and in the same location the
(23:07):
Deverie was found in, wearing similarclothes. Her hopes were that the imagery
would be disturbing enough to prompt someoneto make that phone call one three hundred
(23:37):
and thirty seven days ad She's notcoming back. It wasn't until a few
years after her daughter's murder that Debbiestarted to publicly name the person she feels
as responsible. She's careful not tojeopardize the investigation, but her frustration continues,
with police telling her that it's notwhat she thinks, and it's not
(23:57):
what investigators think that matters. Theonly thing that matters is what they can
prove. One thousand, eight hundredand forty two days AD. I have
thrown myself into the investigation. Ihave a good working relationship with all three
detectives that have are working on mydaughter's case. Surprisingly enough, I have
(24:22):
a special place in my heart foreach of them. They did the best
they could given the situation. Inmy efforts to help find her killer,
I've done news stories, podcasts,billboards, and public speeches. I've done
research and learned things I couldn't handlehad I been sober. Here, Debbie
talks about what justice means to herwith a message to the person who killed
(24:48):
her daughter. Justice is bull Theonly way that this's wrong could be righted
if you give me my kid back, period. But justice is bullit.
What I want is him not todo it again to anybody else, And
I want him to pay his debtto society because he didn't just steal her
for me. He pull her fromanxieties, polar from the world. He
(25:11):
owes them for sicealing her. Hecan't pay me back. He can't.
There is nothing in this life orthe next he can ever do pay me
back. So what he owe meis intimate two thousand, one hundred and
twenty four days AD at birth,she weighed a whopping six pounds twelve ounces,
(25:32):
and I carried that ever growing weightwith a smile. Today, the
ashes of her cremated body weigh fourpounds, And while the weight of her
ashes is tangible, the weight ofmy heartbreak is not. Yet it is
a weight I will carry forever.The district attorney has told Devery's mother that
more evidence is needed in order toprosecute. Debbie tells me there's evidence from
(25:57):
the crime scene that has been sentoff ends of testing at a lab.
It's been a little over eighteen months, but no word yet if anything of
use was extracted. Two thousand,two hundred and thirty six days ad I've
said it before, but I'll sayit again. If after I die I
(26:18):
have to come back again, I'mgoing to be mad. But if I
have to do it again as apisce's, someone is going to get a
very angry letter. In Debbie's writingand in her advocacy, she often takes
the time to include the other coldcases in California City. One of those
(26:41):
cases, the murder of Desiree Thompson, was solved last year. Her killer
was convicted, and two anonymous tipstersreceived a reward of twenty five thousand dollars
for coming forward. If you haveany information about the following cases, please
contact the police. There's information inthe show notes and there are several rewards
(27:03):
offered for information leading to an arrest. Doctor Burdette Thorbis murdered June twenty six,
two thousand and one in a botchedburglary. Matthew Linninger murdered January fourth,
twenty ten, while asleep in bed. Charles Piper murdered December second,
twenty twelve in a home invasion robbery. Dimitri Thomas murdered March twenty first,
(27:27):
twenty fourteen, in a drive byshooting. Robert Austin Tharp missing since July
fifth, twenty fourteen. Deverie Schillermurdered June twenty sixth, twenty sixteen.
Philip Pete Hammond missing since July fourth, twenty seventeen. His body was found
(27:48):
in twenty twenty and his case isnow a homicide investigation. Here I want
to share what Debbie posted on Facebookon the four year anniversary of Devere's murder.
On June twenty fifth, twenty sixteen, I sat on my bed chatting
with my daughter, Deveree Schiller asshe got ready to go out. When
(28:11):
she was done getting ready and washeaded out the front door, I shouted
out our customary good bye, loveyou boo, be safe, and she
hollered back, love you too,Mom. I will. The next morning,
her lifeless body was found in thepark across the street from our house
by a couple young boys. Shehad been brutally murdered, and our worst
(28:33):
nightmare took form. She was asmart, funny, beautiful, talented,
amazing twenty three year old with abright future ahead of her. As our
nightmare unfolded, there was one thingI was certain of above all others.
I know the last words I spoketo my daughter, the last words she
would ever hear from me, wereI love you and to be safe.
(28:56):
This I know in my heart andhas given me some degree of comfort.
I've heard stories from others about lastwords to their loved ones. Some remember
what was said, others not somuch. It matters. In my family,
we say I love you a lotat the end of phone calls,
(29:17):
as we leave the house, hellas we leave a room, we say
it. I have no idea howto start a movement, but I want
to I want more people to takethe time to tell the ones that they
love that they do often. Nevermiss a chance to say it. You
really can't say it too much.Tell your children every chance you get,
(29:38):
Tell your parents every chance you get, Tell your grandparents every chance you get.
Tell your siblings, tell your partner, tell your best friend, every
chance you get, tell them,Tell them because you never know when it
may be the last chance you get. The world we live in is a
dangerous place, and saying I loveyou doesn't cost anything. Even if you're
(30:02):
mad. Say it. The daymay come when you'll be glad that you
did. Thank you to Debbie Phonesfor sharing Deverie with us. Thank you
for listening to this episode of Methodand Madness. If you haven't already,
please leave a rating or a review, and don't forget to hit that follow
button to connect. I'm on xat method Pod, on Instagram at Method
(30:25):
and Madness Pod, and you canfind me on TikTok and Facebook as well
to chat, suggest a case,or discuss the episode. Reach out to
me at Method and Madness Pod atgmail dot com. Method and Madness is
researched, written and hosted by me. That's it for this week Until next
time, take care of yourself.You matter. For crisis support, text
(30:49):
hello to seven four one seven forone
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!