STRANGE Cases of People VANISHING Volume #8

STRANGE Cases of People VANISHING Volume #8

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, friends, Steep's talking here with you. Welcome to episode
eight in our Creepy Cases series. Although many of the
cases we cover on the Channel have at least some
bizarre or strange element to them, these are five more
handpicked cases we feel have the highest creep factor. Join us.

(00:20):
Damien Nettles. The Isle of Wight sits just off the
coast of England and is accessible by ferry or by hovercraft.
For the population of just one hundred and forty one
thousands of twenty nineteen, it's safe to say that the
Isle of Wight has a tight knit community where everyone
knows everyone and also everyone's business. Those from the UK

(00:41):
are likely very familiar with the case of Damien Nettles.
The Isle of White is a part of the United Kingdom,
so nears quickly spreads, and while the Isle of Wight
has its own council, it's policed by both the local
Isle of White Police and the Hampshire Constablary, who operate
on mainland England. In the nineties were a different time
for young people growing up in the UK. The Spice

(01:04):
Girls had a vice grip on pop culture and everyone
wanted to get their hands on a pair of trip
pants for those Adidas Popper pants. But as the millennium
slowly drew closer, the UK became exposed to the horrors
that lay underneath the facade of prosperity and a thriving
cultural scene. In nineteen ninety six, Damien Nettles was just
sixteen years old and living in Cows on the Isle

(01:27):
of White. Damien's parents, Valerie and Edward, felt comfortable allowing
their teenage son to walk around the streets, knowing that
the island was relatively safe and that there were many
people to look out for him. The night of November second,
nineteen ninety six would change their perception forever. The forced
parents on the Isle of White and Mainland UK to

(01:48):
hold their children just a little tighter. On that day,
November second, nineteen ninety six, Damien and his friend Chris
headed out to party in East Cows. Valeri and Edward
had agreed that Damien could stay at the party until midnight,
giving him more freedom, while also ensuring that firm and
safe boundaries were set. Before he left, Damien called his girlfriend,

(02:10):
who lived in Suffolk on Mainland, England, to tell her
he missed her. This would be the last phone call
that the young couple would ever share, and just hours
later multiple hearts would be broken. After being at the
party for some time, the two decided to leave early
and head for the nearest shop, where they bought some cider.
The legal drinking age in the UK was eighteen in

(02:32):
nineteen ninety six, as it is today in twenty twenty two,
so it's unknown exactly how they were able to purchase
the hardsider. It's not been detailed whether Chris was eighteen,
or whether the two had fake IDs, or maybe knew
of a shop that would sell alcohol to the underage kids.
After presumably purchasing cider, Chris and Damien headed back over

(02:53):
to West Cows from East Cows. Now, if you don't
have a car, the only way to get to West
Cows is to catch the so the two boarded the
ferry for a short trip and landed safely in West Cows.
As they had left the party early, the two wanted
to try their luck, have a bit more fun and
try getting into a few pubs. As they were sixteen,
they were denied entry. With a cool Chris fair and

(03:16):
the time being ten thirty pm, the two wandered down
the high street wondering what to do for Chris. The
night was now over, and he practically begged Damien to
walk home with him. The two walked together as far
as Northwood Park, said their goodbyes and see you laters,
and parted ways for what would be the last time.
Chris later recalled to the BBC. I went straight home.

(03:39):
I was one hundred percent sure that Damien had headed
up through the park towards home, but Damien hadn't. Instead
of heading toward his home on Woodvale Road, which would
have taken him around twenty seven minutes to go the
one point four miles, Damien had turned around and walked
back down into cows High Street. CCTV footage shows Damien
at the Yorkie Fish and Chip Shops buying a bag

(04:02):
of chips before leaving. The Timeline of when Damien purchased
the chips is somewhat muddy. The sources cannot agree on
a definite time. Sources have also stated that Damon had
entered the chipeet beforehand and left without ordering anything. During
this first visit, he seemed to not understand what was
being asked of him and appeared very confused when trying

(04:23):
to order food. Witnesses later came forward and told the
police that just before that had seen him trying to
open the doors of a blue Ford Fiesta, and that
he looked either intoxicated or very spaced out. The last
sighting of Damien was made just after midnight on November third,
nineteen ninety six, and according to The Island Echo, it's

(04:44):
known the CCTV picked him up elsewhere on the High
Street some twenty five minutes later, but this footage was
lost by police. At the time, Damien's parents were expecting
him home by midnight, and while Damien was navigating through
his teenage years and expressing himself by wearing Doc Martin
and listening to grunge bands, he was said to be
a generally well behaved and polite boy who always stuck

(05:05):
to his curfew. As the morning of November third, nineteen
ninety six rolled around, Damien's little sister Melissa, went into
his room to find that there was no sign of him.
She noticed that his bed had not been slept in
and immediately called her parents into the room. Even though
she was just nine years old when this happened, she
still had the sense of mind to know that something

(05:26):
was not quite right. Valeri and d immediately picked up
the house landline fiercely punching in the numbers to Chris's
house they heard to ask him if Damien was there
or if he knew where he was, and that was
when his heart sank. Chris had to regrettably inform the
Nettles that he had not seen Damien since the night before,
when the two had parted ways at Northwood Park. Understandably,

(05:49):
since the panic and urgency washed over the Nettles, and
after calling around Damien's friends and looking for him themselves,
they went to the nearest police station to report their
son missing. Unfortunately, the police were incredibly negligent in Damien's case,
and the missing CCTV footage would not be the first
mistake that they made. According to Valerie and Ed, the

(06:10):
Isle of Wight and Hampshire Constablary did not embark on
door to door inquiries in the wake of Damien's disappearance.
In fact, it was them and their friends who held
themselves together and walked up to strangers and neighbors doors
asking them if they had seen their son. With the
police forces failing to act and failing to take Damien's
disappearance seriously, Valerie and Edwards stood strong, gained composure and

(06:35):
began their own efforts, something that no parent or loved
one should ever have to do. According to a BBC
article written in twenty sixteen titled Damien Nettles, The Boy
who Disappeared, it wasn't even the police who found the
CCTV footage of Damien at the chip shop on the
night of his disappearance. The BBC article states that knew

(06:56):
doctor Corn Lawrence, who at the time as a counselor
or mp LE system representative and had good standing and
some authority to do some digging. Thanks to the due
diligence of doctor Lawrence and the tenacity of the Nettles,
the CCTV of Damien's last moments were uncovered. If left
to the police, the footage would have likely been destroyed
or taped over before they even had gotten the chance

(07:18):
to view it. Doctor Lawrence told the BBC the police
wouldn't do anything, so I took it upon myself to
walk down the street, asking left and right to see
if anyone had seen him. The man in the chip
shop just told me that he had this little camera
above the door, and that I was welcome to look.
Doctor Lawrence also discovered that while buying chips, Damian had

(07:40):
spoken to five men, and by all accounts it appears
as a friendly conversation filled with small talk. All of
this information was of course handed over to the police
and the BBC, and Doctor Lawrence alleged that the police
failed to interview any of the men in the chip
shop that night, meaning valuable information was lost to the
sands of time. While the men might only have been

(08:02):
able to tell them that Damien was confused or drunk
and that they exchanged friendly banner, there was also the
possibility that they had other important information too. With the
Nettles family and their friends pushing the police to take
more action, insisting that something terrible had happened to Damien,
the police took the stance that Damien had likely fallen
into the water and drowned. Valerie rebutted this, telling the

(08:24):
police that out of the two routes Damien could have
taken home, he would have likely taken the route through
the houses and not along the seafront. Remember this is
the Isle of Wight in November, temperatures were low, it
was raining, and there was a strong gust and spray
coming in at the seafront, the housing estates were more
likely to be lit up with lamps and the glow
of lights from houses, so it's more likely that if

(08:46):
he had tried to make it home, he would have
taken that route. For quite a while, the police stood
by their convictions and insisted that Damien likely fell into
the water. The Nettles, their friends, and other family members.
Members of the public continued to put pressure on the police, however,
urging them to open an inquiry. Finally, after discounting the

(09:07):
Nettles family, describing Valerie as a hysterical woman, and turning
a blind eye to witnesses, the police finally changed their stands.
In two thousand and two, Damien's case was assigned to
the Hampshire Constabilary's Major Crime Department, and the investigation immediately
changed course. Sadly, though, vital evidence had either been lost

(09:27):
or simply not recorded at the time of Damien's disappearance,
leaving the investigation with many gaping holes. Many people, including
Damien's family, believed that he met with foul play, especially
after one anonymous tip came in shortly after the case
was handed over. Damien's brother believed that he had gotten
himself involved with drugs, mainly cannabis. In two thousand and two,

(09:51):
a man came forward claiming to have information about what
happened to Damien on that faithful night in November. According
to this witness, they saw an toys local drug dealer,
Nicki McNamara, pinning Damien against the wall and later throwing
a punch at him. Allegedly, the two had gotten into
an argument over cannabis, and there was speculation that Damien

(10:12):
was possibly in debt to Nicki. This witness went on
to tell investigators that Damien's body had been hidden in
a house for weeks before being buried near a cycling
path somewhere on the Isle of Wight. Armed with this
new information, extensive excavations were undertaken in twenty eleven, but
so far no sign of Damien has ever been found.

(10:33):
Capital FM ran an article regarding the excavations, stating Hampshire
Police set a search for his body and other evidence
and an address in Marsh Road, Gunnard, finished on Wednesday,
November two, when no evidence or remains being found. Officers
also carried out a search for Damien at Dodner Nature
Reserve near Newport, but nothing was found there either. The

(10:55):
address in Marsh Road was sealed off on a Tuesday
by staff from the force's Major Crow Department, who worked
alongside a dog support Unit, Scientific Services and the Island
Support Unit. A fingertip search of the property was carried
out and the ground surveyed inside and outside the address,
while the back garden was excavated and victim recovery dogs

(11:16):
were used. In total, some eight people have been arrested
and then released without further charge in relation to Damien's disappearance.
Damien's family had been highly critical the police failings in
his case following his disappearance. In nineteen ninety six, and
in two thousand and five, Valery lost a complaint with
the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Unfortunately, Valerie was met with

(11:38):
little sympathy here too. According to the BBC, Valerie was
told that the officer who had lost the tape had
already been dealt with issue was once again promptly swept
under the rug. There are a pilethora of theories in
Damien's case. Did he fall into the water, was he intoxicated,
lost his way? Did someone perhaps slip him something that

(12:01):
caused that state. There are so many theories and so
few answers in this case. The rumor mills in the
UK continue to turn, and for Damien's family, each new
rumor an article drags up painful memories in their minds.
Damien is forever sixteen, full of hope and promise, Valerie

(12:21):
told Hampshire Live. I just want the truth and I
do feel maybe somebody on the island is aware of
what happened to Damien, because very little happens on the
island of White that somebody doesn't know about. I'm just
hoping that maybe one day somebody who is out walking
their dog find some bones, or somebody digs a hole
and finds some bones. We are still in a state

(12:43):
of limbo of not knowing where he is, if he
is still alive, what happened to him, was somebody else
involved or did he fall into the sea. We just
don't know. Valerie regularly updates your blog and the Facebook
group dedicate to keeping Damien's case alive. She's also championing

(13:03):
a new law called Damien's Law, which aims to improve
existing guidelines and encourage cohesive collaboration and communication between all
parties preserve the life of the missing person. Valerie is
currently running a petition via change dot org and it
requires ten thousand signatures to be discussed in Parliament. Please

(13:23):
sign the petition and help Damien Valerie and thousands of
other missing people in the UK get access to the
correct resources. Anyone with information is asked to contact the
Hampshire Constabulary on one oh one non emergency number quoting
Operation Ridgewood, or you can text them on zero seven
seven eight one four eight zero nine nine nine. You

(13:47):
can also contact the UK Missing Person's Charity at one
sixty six zero zero zero. As an alternative, if you
wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers UK
at zero eight zero zero by five five one next.

(14:07):
Jean Virginia Sampierre Jean Virginia Sampier Pagets, an Indigenous Canadian woman,
grew up as the second youngest of six siblings in
Gitsi Gookla, BC. According to her siblings, who doted on
her and her daughter, the love was mutual, with Jean
playing for ten nurse, displaying her kind and caring nature
towards those in need. Life for the Sampire children was

(14:29):
not always easy. Jean's siblings would later state that their
parents forced them to work hard and that their father
had a problem with alcohol. Even though she was the
second youngest, Jean stepped up into the caregiver role, ensuing
her siblings felt loved and had their needs met. By eighteen,
Jean was getting ready to spread her wings and fly.
She's gotten herself a job at a canning factory and

(14:52):
had made plans to move out with her brother. The
two could taste their independence at the tip of their tongue,
but just as they were about to take their first
steps adulthood, tragedy struck. Since that day in nineteen seventy one,
Jean's siblings have never stopped looking for and hold fond
memories of their time together. Shortly before Jeane disappeared, her

(15:13):
boyfriend had disappeared, leaving many to believe that Jean took
her own life due to being distressed by this loss.
Not much information is given about Jean's boyfriend, and all
we know is that his remains were discovered after Jeane disappeared,
and that he had drowned in the Skina River. It
is not known if the two incidents are connected, and
the RCMP have never expounded on this. The night of

(15:36):
October fourteenth, nineteen seventy one would be one that would
change the lives of the Sampere family forever. In recent weeks,
Jean's demeanor and personality had changed. While she was said
to be shy and reserved, she still had a lot
of love to give to her family. She had gone
from a loving eighteen year old to depressed and sullen one,
and given the disappearance of her boyfriend, it's easy to

(15:58):
understand why. Soween ten pm and eleven PM on October fourteenth,
nineteen seventy one, Jean walked out of the family home
for what would be the last time. According to those
in the house, Jean had been tearful and reserved. When
someone tried to ask Jean what was wrong, she said
she was fine and simply walked out of the house
and into the night. Her mother didn't try to stop

(16:21):
her and remark something along the lines of she'll be back,
but Jean didn't come back. This sullen and sad exchange
would be the last that the Sampiar's ever had with Jean,
and within a matter of hours, their world would be
turned upside down. This was not the last sighting of Gene, however,
and the last person to see her live was her
cousin Alvin. After walking out of the house, Jean headed

(16:44):
towards Highway sixteen, which is now known as the notorious
Highway of Tears, where dozens of Indigenous women have gone
missing or been murdered. According to Alvin, the two spent
time hanging out on a bridge close to Getzegukla, talking
and enjoying the spectacle of the night sky above them.
As the night wore on, a koula air began to

(17:04):
move in over the town, and Alvin decided to hop
on his bike to head home and grab a jacket.
Alvin turned to his cousin, told her that he would
be back shortly, and then peddled away towards town. Only
a matter of minutes had passed before Alvin began cycling
back toward the bridge where Jean was. He told investigators
that as he was approaching the bridge, he heard a

(17:24):
car door slam shut. When he got to the bridge,
Jean was nowhere to be seen. She had mysteriously disappeared
forever in a few minutes that had taken Alvin to
get a jacket from his house. When the morning of
October fifteenth, nineteen seventy one came around and Jean still
hadn't returned home, her mother went down to the Gitzagukla
Indian Band office to report her daughter missing. Unfortunately, like many,

(17:49):
Jean's mother was told that she needed to wait twenty
four hours before filing a missing person report. During this time,
it is likely that valuable evidence and witnesses were lost.
It wasn't till two whole days after Jane had last
been seen that her disappearance was finally reported to the RCMP.
Indigenous communities and the RCMP did not have a good
relationship with each other. Given the history of how the

(18:12):
RCMP is treated and continues to treat Indigenous people, it's
no surprise there's a lot of racism and hatred towards
Indigenous communities, and for too long, the fact that Indigenous
women are at a higher risk for violence has been ignored.
After Jane was reported missing, the RCMP lost the search
for in the surrounding area and the town of Gitzigukla.

(18:34):
While the RCMP and others searched for eight days, no
sign of Gene was ever found. Roddy, Jean's older brother,
told the Vancouver's Son, I think the whole community took
part in that search. There were people cooking and others
in the bush. They came up with nothing. Her sister,
Winnie also added, it was just so strange how she disappeared.

(18:57):
Everyone looked and they didn't find anything, not a piece
of clothing. It still feels like it happened yesterday. After
eight days of the community banding together, the search was
called off. Jean's family continued to desperately search for her
on their own, but even now in twenty twenty two,
no evidence has ever come to light to lead them

(19:18):
in the right direction. According to the National Inquiry into
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' report about Jane's
disappearance in twenty seventeen, the RCMP had closed the case
in nineteen eighty five. Although the report contradicted itself and
also stated nineteen ninety five under the assumption that she
had drowned from statements made by Roddy and other family members,

(19:40):
it does not appear that that was ever communicated with
them or the rest of the family. In the report, Violet,
Jane's sister can be quoted as saying, and Roddy got
a call at home just a few days before. We
were actually told what day to be here, and the
RCMP wanted to meet with him and his family, and
we actually met with him yesterday. Now we're supposing that

(20:01):
date is September twenty sixth, twenty seventeen, and he shared
with us that the file was closed in nineteen eighty
five or nineteen ninety five. The other shocking information that
he shared was that our chief counselor and others, I'm
not sure who the others were, there were no names mentioned,
had gone to the RCMP detachment and told them there
were footprints founded to get Zegukla River that they believed

(20:24):
they were hers. Violet also said, so, we didn't even
know about it. So this was something that really really
shocked us yesterday and was very upsetting to find out
that your chief counselor gave assumptions to the RCMP that
our sister had gone into the river. To me, that's
assuming that our sister went to the river and drowned
and they never told the family. The fort in its entirety,

(20:47):
is available in PDF format online by the National Inquiry
into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls website. However,
even with this inquiry, no solid evidence has ever come
to light. One par siblings are left wondering what happened
to their sister. The RCMP collected DNA samples from Jean's
family to perform a comparison against Jane dows found at

(21:09):
Robert Picton's farm, but it appears that no matches have
been made. There are numerous theories in Jean's case, and
the strongest is that she is another victim of the
infamous Highway of Tears. Her family told the Vancouver's Son
it would be nice for us to have closure. If
she's alive, it would be nice to see her again,
and if she's gone, it would be nice to put

(21:31):
her to rest and have a feast and put a
marker up. Anyone with any information has urged to please
contact the RCMP's new Hazelton detachment at two five zero
eight four to two five two four four next. Georgina Garshala.
As in March seventh, twenty twenty two, thirty year old

(21:52):
Georgina Garshala has officially been missing for four years and
there's still no evidence to suggest what happened to her.
Her family had been very critical of Sussex Police, who
would later admit that mistakes were made in the initial
investigation into Georgina's disappearance. Her case has now been upgraded
from a missing person case to murder inquiry, but four

(22:14):
years on, we still have no body and no evidence
as to what happened to Georgina. Born to Libyan and
English parents, Georgina enjoyed a multicultural upbringing, learning Arabic and
immersing herself in her father's Libyan culture. Her mother, Andrea,
described her to BBC as quite street wise, but quite naive,

(22:35):
too very sociable but had social anxiety. Georgina was a
bright light in her parents' lives and now they should
have been celebrating birthdays. Their celebrating anniversaries of her disappearance.
On March seventh, twenty eighteen, Georgina left the family home
in Worthing, West Sussex, for what would be the last time.

(22:56):
Georgina and her two young sons had moved back into
the family home following the break down of her relationship.
According to her mother, this hadn't been the first time
that Georgina had moved back home Following the breakup of
her relationship. She told the Telegraph that around age fifteen,
Georgina became rebellious, smoking cannabis and drinking with her friends.

(23:16):
It appears that Georgina was easily influenced and was guided
by the wrong people who frequently let her down the
wrong path. As a teenager, Georgina had also struggled to
hold out a job and was currently receiving benefits from
the job center. With the breakdown of the relationship, Georgina
was looking to build herself back up again and get
herself a job in an office to be able to

(23:37):
provide for her two children. Even amid this breakdown and unemployment,
Georgina was still a devoted mother who would do anything
for her two children. She'd move back into her mother's house,
knowing that it was the best and most stable environment
that she could provide at the time. Her mother, Andrea,
also said that while Georgina was a devoted mother, it

(23:58):
wasn't unusual for her to spend time at fun friend's houses,
but she always made sure to call her sons and
speak to them. So when March seventh, and eighth and
ninth came and went and there was no phone call
from Georgina. Her parents knew that something had gone horribly wrong.
It wasn't unusual for Georgina to be gone, but what
was unusual for her was to not be in contact

(24:19):
with her children or her family. In the coming days.
After March seventh, twenty eighteen, Andrea begged the Sussex Police
to take her daughter's disappearance seriously, but unfortunately they did not.
At first, it appeared to them as though Georgina had
gone off to her friend's house and that she would
be back in her own time. As the days went on,

(24:40):
Andrea persisted, telling them to check the activity on Georgina's
phone and bank accounts, and that is when the reality
of the situation hit the police. Georgina's phone had not
been used, nor had her bank account been touched since
March seventh. Her ex boyfriend and her friends also told
investigators that they had not had contact with her since

(25:01):
that day, ten days after she was last seen, the
Sussex Police officially opened a missing person case, an investigation
that was ten days too late. When retracing Georgina's final steps,
they found her on CCTV in Worthingtown Center at around
nine to fifty am. On the morning of March seventh.

(25:22):
Georgina had complained to her mother that her phone had
been acting up, so she intended to dash into town
to get it fixed, and also planned to swing by
the job center while she was there. Later that day,
Georgina was also due to meet up with her father,
but she never showed up. CCTV footage shows Georgina inside
a shop talking to the shopkeeper about her phone. He

(25:44):
pointed her to a phone shop across the street, telling
her they would be better assistance in her case. To
exchange polite goodbyes, and after that Georgina simply dropped off.
The map leeds were chased down to their ends, but
nothing ever came of them. Over ninety reports sightings of
Georgina were examined, but again nothing came up. By August

(26:05):
twenty nineteen, the Sussex Police officially changed Georgina's case to
a homicide, with Wolstenholm stating, sadly, I've had to consider
the possibility that Georgina has come to harm at the
hands of someone else. A number of vital inquiries to
test proof of life have been conducted, but to date
none of these have been able to exclusively show that
Georgina is alive. We know this has been incredibly difficult

(26:29):
and upsetting for all Georgina's loved ones to hear, but
it doesn't mean we've given up looking for We still
have a dedicated team of officers who are committed to
finding out what happened to Georgina and giving her family
the answers they deserve. The Sussex Police are still following
every line of inquiry that comes across their desk, but
unfortunately little progress has been made in Georgina's case. There

(26:52):
are numerous theories out there, but without concrete evidence, it's
difficult to say for certain what happened to Georgina. Other
believes that Georgina may have been abducted and possibly trafficked
due to her trusting yet naive nature. This is a
possibility that no mother ever wants to face, and we
hope this is not the case for Georgina. Georgina's missing

(27:14):
person posters were distributed around the UK and were seen
in towns and cities across the North and South. Her
family put forward a complaint against the Sussex Police and
the resulting inquiry found twenty seven key failings in their
investigation of Georgina's disappearance. The Saint Quory found that Georgina
had not been placed on Interpol's watch list until an

(27:35):
amazing eighteen months after she disappeared. There was also the
issue of Georgina's disappearance not being logged until ten days later,
which the Sussex Police have admitted was a major flaw
on their behalf. With the fourth anniversary having just passed,
Georgina's mother is growing more and more desperate for answers.

(27:55):
Andrea and her family have also set up their own
investigation into Georgina's disappear and they're running a GoFundMe to
help raise funds for their investigation. You can find the
link in the description if you'd like to contribute. In
a heartbreaking interview with the BBC, Georgina's mom, Andrea said,
I don't want to die not knowing what happened to
my daughter. Crime Stoppers UK is currently offering a ten

(28:19):
thousand pounds reward for information that leads to an arrest
or the whereabouts or Georgina Garshala. Georgina Garshala is described
as a mixed raced woman by foot two with dark
hair and a Monroe piercing on her left side. Georgina
speaks Arabic and English and was last seen wearing a
fitted gray coat with white faux fir trim. Anyone with

(28:40):
any information is asked to please contact the Sussex Police
at one zero one or zero one two seven three
or seven zero one zero one. As an alternative, if
you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers
UK at zero eight zero zero five five five one

(29:01):
one one. Next. Mary Denise Lands, thirty nine year old
married Denise Lands was described by those who knew her
best as a loving and caring woman who had plenty
of friends and family around her. The Lands family were
described as tight knit, with Mary's mother, Anita, describing her
daughter as a well liked young woman in the community

(29:22):
of Marshall, Michigan. Mary had a connection with Marshall. It
was where she'd grown up and experienced all of her
major life events, so when her family told them that
they were planning to move to California in two thousand
and four, she told them that she was staying put.
Her family moved to California with a thirty nine year
old her freeance Chris Pratt and Mary's two children staying

(29:44):
behind in Marshall, Michigan. Mary was an adult and was
more than capable of looking after herself, and her family
had no worries about her or her welfare. Just months
after they made the big move west, the Lands were
struck by a tragedy that has continued to ho for
over eighteen years. When the phone rang at their new
home in California on March fourteenth, two thousand and four.

(30:07):
The family had no idea that the details of the
call would turn their lives upside down. Chris had called
the Lands asking them if Mary was there or if
in fact they had heard from her at all. Chris,
Mary's fiance, went on to add that he had not
seen her since March twelve, two thousand and four, which
she had walk down of the home located in the
twelve hundred block of Arms Street in Marshall, following an

(30:30):
argument from around ten to ten thirty pm. Chris would
later tell investigators that Mary was wearing medical scrubs and
a leather jacket and had taken her purse, but not
her phone or her car keys. With this information, Mary's family,
more specifically Mary's brother Mike, decided to call the Marshall
Police Department report his sister missing. He later told NBC

(30:53):
News he meaning Chris call us in California and wanted
to know if we had Mary. With the missing person
report filed, the Marshall Police Department began their search for Mary,
and naturally, they zote in on Chris. An investigation like this,
the husband, wife or spouse, or boyfriend or girlfriend is
usually the first one to be looked at. While investigators

(31:15):
who were interviewing Chris and Mary's family members, another team
of officers set about retracing Mary's last steps. They managed
to find CCTV footage from March twelfth, two thousand and four,
that showed Mary at the Marshall Party Store at around
six thirty pm. According to reports, Mary had headed to
the store before agreeing to meet Chris at a nearby

(31:36):
tanning salon. Employees and witnesses at the Tanning salon confirmed
that Chris and Mary did pop into the store and
that the two were arguing. Who do not know whether
Mary made it home and the next piece of information
that is officially reported in Mary's case comes later that evening.
As reported by NBC Dateline on the night of March twelfth,

(31:58):
two thousand and four, Mary was due to meet with
a friend. However, when the friend turned up at her house,
guess who she was greeted by, Chris Pratt. Chris told
the friend that Mary could no longer make it and
the friend drove away. Where was Mary at this point?
Was she even in the house. Armed with this information,

(32:18):
the Marshall Police Department kept digging at Chris, trying to
get more information out of him, but he gave up nothing.
A dog in it was brought in to search for Mary,
and the dogs managed to follow her sent to a motel,
but nothing was ever uncovered. The information that has been
made publicly available in Mary's case is rather limited, and
her parents and family have been critical of the Marshall

(32:39):
Police Department's initial response and investigation into Mary's disappearance. According
to a post to the subreddit r slash Unsolved Mysteries,
March fourteenth, at around one thirty am, there's a eleven
minute phone call between Christopher Pratt and Sergeant Tim Bryant
of the Marshall PD. Pratt called Bryan. Unfortunately, we have
not been to find any articles to back up this

(33:01):
claim as of yet, We also found another interesting clue
in Mary's case, taken from a Fox seventeen article written
in twenty fourteen to context of the situation. Jim Carlan
is a private investigator who was hired by Mary's family
the system in the search war. According to Carlin, Chris
was last seen at a flea market trying to sell

(33:23):
the brown leather jacket that he reported Mary was last
seen and when she left home. Carland also alleges that
the ex boyfriend was also in possession of Mary's birth certificate,
something she carried with her always. The jacket was apparently
recovered and handed over to the Marshall Police Department, with
one source reporting that it was later conveniently lost. The

(33:45):
search for Mary has continued over the years, and her
family and Jim Carland have never given up home. In
twenty nineteen, the search was conducted in Calhoun County after
tips were received by the Venus Foundation and the Canine
Human Remains Detection Group stating that Mary's body was buried there. Unfortunately,
no remains were found at the site and Mary's case

(34:06):
quickly ran cold again. Eight years prior to this, Mary
had been declared deceased in absentia by a judge in Michigan,
with Marshall Police Deputy Chief MacDonald telling a judge that
they had no evidence to suggest that Mary was still alive.
Even with all these leads and searches, Mary's family are
still no closer to laying her to rest. For them,

(34:27):
it is the not knowing that hurts the most. While Chris,
Mary's fiance, has never been officially named as a suspect,
he is the main person of interest in Mary's case.
In two thousand and seven, Chris was arrested for assaulting
his girlfriend and holding her against her will. For this,
he was sent to prison and was not paroled until
twenty thirteen. Then in twenty eighteen, Pratt made the headlines

(34:51):
once again after he was accused of assaulting a miner
in Albion, Michigan. In twenty twenty one, Pratt was acquitted
of these charges and it currently remains a free man.
According to the Marshall Police Department, Chris was cooperative at first, However,
as the investigation went on, appeared to be less willing
to get involved. As previously stated, Chris Pratt is not

(35:14):
a suspect, merely a person of interest, and the Marshall
Police Department, the Michigan State Police, and Mary's family will
continue their pursuit of justice. Mary Denise Lands was last
seen on March twelve, two thousand and four, as she
reportedly left her home on the twelve hundred block of
Arms Street in Marshall, Michigan. Mary is described as a

(35:35):
white female with brown hair and brown eyes. She stands
five foot six inches tall, weighs one hundred and sixty pounds,
and has both of her ears and her belly button pierced,
and she also has a scar on her left arm
from a polio vaccination. Mary also has a distinctive brown
birthmark on her buttocks, wears reading glasses, and may also

(35:56):
use the name Mary Marshall or Mary Denise Marshall Lands.
According to her fiance, she was last seen wearing a
light blue hospital scrub shirt with either a Teddy Bear
or SpongeBob print, dark blue scrub pants, tennis shoes, and
a brown leather jacket. Anyone with any information is asked
please contact Deputy Chief Scott MacDonald of the Marshall Police

(36:18):
Department at two six' nine seven eight one two five
six' nine and reference case number one two zero eight dashed. Zero,
four Finally Little. Marjorie west four Year Old marjorie West,
Of Bradford, Mcking, county pennsylvania was a bright and happy

(36:38):
young child and was the light of her. Parents' lives
having been born in nineteen, Thirty four marjorie had no
idea that much of her young life would be experienced
through lens, of war terror, and pain or at least
it would have if it hadn't been for. Her disappearance
while children IN the us relatively safe Unlock their, british
counterparts who often had to flee into the countryside to

(37:00):
the hundreds of planes, flying overhead it in no way
means that they were immune to the troubles of the.
Outside World sunday, may eighth nineteen, Thirty Eight mother's Day
in america would be one, to remember but for all the.
Wrong reasons the lives Of the west family would be turned,
Upside down, and now as the eighty fifth Anniversary of
marjorie's disappearances approaching in twenty, twenty three we are still

(37:23):
no closer to. The Truth mother's day nineteen thirty eight
started out peacefully For. The west they Donned their sunday
best and headed to the local church for. A service
as the priest spoke passages From the bible and hymns
echoed through, the Halls little marjorie had one thing on,
her mind. The picnic as people shuffled out of, the

(37:44):
Church the west got into their car and drove Towards
The White gravel creek area Of The. Allegheny forest as
the car drove Slowly Along Chapel, fork Road the west
found their, picnic spot bringing the car to a gentle
stop before letting the. Children Out the west would alone,
that day With the akerlands also joining them for what
should have been a. Peaceful afternoon blankets were, thrown down

(38:07):
food was, dished up and the children ran around on,
the grass eager to explore further in the creek and.
Be on according To the, guardian newspaper at around, Three, Pm,
cecilia Marjorie and dorothea's mother headed back to the car for.
A rest, no Doubt The mother's day celebrations had been
packed with Activities and cecilia needed a few minutes. To
decompress while their mother headed back to, the car their

(38:30):
father got his fishing line ready to go and hunt
for trout in. The stream that runs through. The creek
not wanting to be, Left out Marjorie and dorothea asked
if they could go and gather some wildflowers for their
mother as A Finals mother's. Day present their father agreed
and told them to be careful of hidden creatures that
might jump out at them at. Any moment little did
their father know that it wasn't what was hiding in,

(38:51):
the trees but who was hiding in the trees that
posed a threat to. His daughters the two little girls
skipped happily over to, the wildflowers with eleven year Old
old dorothea taking the lead and showing her little sister
how to pick them and put them into. A bunch
dorothea also grabbed a handfull of violence to add some
vibrancy to her bunch and decided that she was going
to head toward the car to give them personally to.

(39:12):
Her mother according, To reports dorothea only turned her back
for a matter, of moments and as she turned back
around to speak to, her sister she Noticed that marjorie.
Was gone dorothea instantly cried out to her mom, and
dad and within a matter, of minutes the west sped
away in their car looking for the Nearest phone for,
seven miles their father drove the, remaining family eleven Year

(39:35):
old dorothea and seven Year, old allen along with His,
wife cecilia through the creeks and. Old roads eventually they
hit the Town, of cain where they were able to
use the phone to alert. The authorities, within hours squad
cars had descended upon the Once Quiet White gravel, creek
area and the search For little marjorie began. In earnest,
in total some three thousand people turned up to Help

(39:57):
the west look for, their daughter and those in nearby
towns even given the day off to help look for the.
Missing tot the, next day the community, rallied together Hoping
that marjorie would be found some more within, the wilderness,
but unfortunately no sign of her, was found even after
thousands of people had scoured through. The wilderness when searchers

(40:17):
stumbled across the freshly, dug grave their hearts sank into.
Their stomach upon excavating, the, grave however they found a
cask of wine had been, buried there and the. Search
continued scent dogs were brought in to, assist authorities and
they were able To follow marjorie's sent to an abandoned cabin
whose doors had been. Nailed. Shut again this discovery chilled,

(40:38):
the searchers but no Sign of marjorie was ever found
in or around. The cabin once they breached, the Door
the west And the acrolans were extensively interviewed along with,
other witnesses and as these interviews, were conducted an interesting
eyewitness account. Came about according to, this witness they had
seen two cars passing Through The White gravel creek area

(40:59):
on the Day that. Marjorie, vanished however according To the,
guardian newspaper these cars were later ruled out and the
police determined that these sightings were not Connected to. Marjorie's
disappearance in the Weeks following, marjorie's disappearance searchers continued scouring
the woods for the, little girl and her parents also
remained in the area to Search for every effort was

(41:20):
made To, find marjorie but no trace of her has ever.
Been found this leads many to Believe that marjorie was
taken from, the area, but again no solid evidence has
ever been produced to back up. This theory according To The,
Charlie Project, thomas west a taxi Driver In west virginia,
called investigators claiming that he had seen a Girl fitting

(41:40):
marjorie's description in a dark. Green sedan an unidentified man
was driving the car and the little girl inside. Was
crying they would later transpire that this mystery man claimed
the crying little girl was his, own daughter and that
he had tried to find a vacancy at a. Nearby
motel nobody knows what became of this mysterious man nor the,
little girl and the police have never been able to

(42:01):
confirm whether This was marjorie. Or not over, the years
there have been hundreds of rumors and plenty, of theories
both in papers. And online one bizarre theory Is that
marjorie was Taken to canada by, her family but for
what reason this familial abduction took place has not. Been
stated the two most prevailing theories Are that margie wanted

(42:21):
off and died due, to exposure or she was kidnapped by.
Someone else there's little to no solid Evidence in, marjorie's
case which makes it all the more difficult. To investigate
her family has never given up looking for and even
with the passing of their parents and them going into,
their adulthood her two siblings have never Forgotten. Little marjorie over,

(42:42):
the years there have, been, sightings reports plenty of new
witnesses that have, come forward but none of them has
ever Led. To marjorie if still, Live today marjorie would
be eighty eight years old and her family have gone
for almost eighty five years without ever knowing what happened.
To her marjorie has described it is a white female
with red hair and. Blue eyes at the time of,

(43:03):
Her disappearance marjorie was four years old and. Age progressed
photos and photos of Her, sister dorothea to whom she
bore a, strong resemblance are. Available online marjorie was last
seen wearing a, blue dress navy blue midlength coat with
a collared, pink edge a, red hat and patent. Leather
shoes anyone with, any information no matter how small it,

(43:25):
may seem Please Contact Trooper neil ginther Of The Pennsylvania
state police at eight one four nine three eight zero five.
Three five in reference case see zero five dash one
zero nine one eight. Eight, zero, well folks there you.
Have it what do you think of these strange and?

(43:46):
Creepy disappearances, AS always i look forward to reading. Your
comments but please remember to keep it friendly. And, respectful
meanwhile be good to yourselves and. Each other stay safe.
Out there as, For me i'll see you a little
further on down. The Trail I'm steve Stockton and i'll
talk to you. Next time