6 Major Case Updates

In this special Update episode, we look back on six cases previously featured on Trace Evidence which have had major updates.  We begin with the case of Charles and Catherine Romer who disappeared more than forty years ago during a drive from Florida to New York.  

In addition to new discoveries in that case, we'll look into new searches and developments in the disappearance of Asha Degree, the Murder of Justin Turner, the abduction and murder of Jessica Gutierrez, the disappearance of Branson Perry and the murder of Faith Hedgepeth.  

If you would like to submit a question for the year end, 2024 Wrap-Up Q&A, you can submit them here through the 2024 Q&A Form

The full length episodes of each of these updates is available for listening as well:

173 - The Vanishing of Charles & Catherine Romer
011 - The Vanishing of Asha Degree
170 - The Murder of Justin Turner Part 1
171 - The Murder of Justin Turner Part 2
097 - The Abduction of Jessica Gutierrez
089 - The Vanishing of Branson Perry
023 - The Murder of Faith Hedgepeth


Trace Evidence LinkTree & Social Media

Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" & "Wounded" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
In the final Update episode of twenty twenty four, we
take a look back at six cases previously featured on
the show which have had major updates. First, there is
the case of Charles and Catherine Romer, an elderly couple
who have been missing for more than forty years after
checking into a South Georgia area hotel. For decades. It's

(00:31):
been believed that the couple were likely targeted by murderous thieves,
but now the discovery of new evidence suggests the truth
as far less grizzly and much closer to home. We'll
also touch on developments in the two thousand disappearance of
nine year old Asia Degree, the horrific nineteen eighty nine
abduction and murder of five year old Justin Turner, and

(00:54):
new developments about those charged with the crime. We'll also
discuss the verdict in the case against the man accused
of abducting and murdering four year old Jessica Gutierrez, new
theories in the two thousand and one disappearance of twenty
year old Brandon Perry outside of Skidmore, Missouri, and finally,
new charges filed against the suspect in the twenty twelve

(01:16):
murder of nineteen year old Chapel Hill resident Faith Hedge Peth. Finally,
as always, we'll be releasing a twenty twenty four wrap
up episode later in the year where we'll answer all
of your burning questions, So stick around for all of
the information necessary to get your questions in before the deadline.
This is Trace Evidence twenty twenty four final updates of

(01:40):
the year. Welcome to Trace Evidence. I'm your host, Stephen Pacheco.
Today we will be looking back at six updates and
cases previously featured on the show. I want to thank
all of you who've emailed and messaged me about some

(02:01):
of these updates. You're all extremely passionate and motivated, and
I love it. By the nature of this show, however,
I generally do have to take time before I can
release updates so as to provide all of the relevant information.
It's not so easy to do it in real time,
especially when things come out and drips and drops. So
thank you all again for your messages and your emails. Now,

(02:24):
one last note before jumping into these updates, I wanted
to let you know about the Q and A. It's
that time of year again, as New Year's Eve approaches
and we look. To wrap up our coverage for twenty
twenty four, back by popular demand, we will once again
be releasing a year end Q and A episode full
of questions from listeners like you. You can visit Trace dash

(02:47):
Evidence dot com slash twenty twenty four QA and submit
your questions. I'll also include a link in the show notes.
You can also submit your questions in email, sending them
to me at Trace evidencepodatgmail dot com. Just make sure
you use a subject line like twenty twenty four Q
and A so you don't get lost in the mix. Otherwise,

(03:10):
you can submit questions on social media or directly through
the podcast linktree page, which is also in the show notes.
As always, you can ask anything you want, whether it's
about the show, previous cases, future cases, me or anything
in between. Now, without further delay, let's jump into these updates.

(03:40):
Episode one hundred and seventy three, The Vanishing of Charles
and Catherine Romer. Seventy three year old Charles Romer and
his wife, seventy five year old Katherine would leave their Scarsdale,
New York home to spend their winters in the warmth
and sunshine of Florida. The couple would spend the colder
months down south, living in a luxury apartment at the

(04:02):
Seaview Hotel in Bell Harbor. At the end of the
winter and generally during the return of spring, the roamers
would pack up their car, a custom Lincoln Continental, and
make the long drive back to New York. In the
spring of nineteen eighty, however, the roamers would mysteriously vanish,
leading many to wonder if the elderly couple had been

(04:22):
targeted for robbery and murder, given that they lived a
lavish lifestyle and that Catherine had thousands and thousands of
dollars worth of jewelry on her as they traveled. On
the morning of Tuesday, April eighth, the couple left Florida
and arrived at their first stop, a holiday in hotel
in Brunswick, Georgia, not far from the Florida state line.

(04:46):
The couple checked into the hotel at approximately four pm
that day, but what happened next has never been determined.
After two days passed with no sightings of the couple,
on Thursday, April tenth, a maid entered the room when
found personal effects, but no sign of the couple, nor
any indication that they'd even spent the night in that room.

(05:07):
Two more days passed when, on Saturday, April twelfth, Charles
Romer Junior began trying to reach the couple. Junior quickly
learned that the roamers had not been seen after arriving
in Georgia and had never arrived at their next scheduled
stop in South Carolina. Massive searches were kicked off, spanning

(05:28):
the route that they would have traveled and areas they
were known to have been familiar with. Despite helicopters, search dogs,
a large group of law enforcement and family members joining in,
no trace of Charles or Catherine Romer was ever found
until now case update in late November of this year.

(05:53):
Actually just a few weeks ago, there was a massive
break in this case, which has mystified family members and
investigators for more than four decades. After learning about the
roamers disappearance, a group of volunteer divers decided to pay
a visit to Brunswick to see if there was anything
to be found. The divers utilize sonar equipment to search

(06:15):
bodies of water for vehicles in their hunt to close
out missing persons cases from across the country. The group,
Sunshine State Sonar is run by step brothers Mike Sullivan
and John Martin, both of Florida. On Friday, November twenty second,
the group started scanning various bodies of water located within

(06:35):
a few miles of the Holiday Inn, where the roamers
were last known to have been. Much to their surprise,
while there are larger lakes and watery areas, their equipment
came chirping to life as they scanned through a ten
foot deep pond near a parking lot which during the
roamers visit serviced the Holiday Inn, but now belongs to

(06:56):
the Royal Inn, which stands in its place. The surface,
the divers located a vehicle which appeared to match descriptions
of the one which disappeared with the Romans inside of
the vehicle. They also recovered human bones. Law enforcement in
the area was shocked by the discovery. Glenn County Police

(07:17):
Department spokesman Lawton Jay Dodd would tell the New York
Times quote, it came out of the blue. It's a
cold case that is not a cold case any longer.
The investigations reopened end quote. Dodd went on to note
that while they could not say with absolute certainty at
this time if the car and remains are those of

(07:38):
the Roamers. Pending official test results, he did confirm that
the evidence found thus far certainly seems to point in
that direction. According to Dodd, police need to verify the
vehicle's identity by locating and confirming the ven number. In
their efforts, they drained the small pond and then had
to determine if the vehicle was in good enough shape

(07:59):
to pull out from the water. At the same time,
Dodd reported that forensic experts working with the GBI would
need to analyze and hopefully identify the bones that were
found inside the vehicle. On Monday, November twenty fifth, law
enforcement got in touch with remaining members of the Romers family.
One of their granddaughters, Christine Heller Seaman, was a little

(08:23):
more certain of the discovery, as according to her, she
was informed that in addition to bone fragments, there were
personal items of the Roamers recovered. When the couple initially disappeared,
it was believed they might have been killed and robbed
of jewelry estimated in value to be around eighty one
thousand dollars, which was in Catherine's possession, but according to Semen.

(08:45):
Some of that jewelry was found inside of the vehicle.
The family was shocked by the find, having believed for
so long that it had been a double homicide and
a robbery, and that the culprits were still out there somewhere.
Heller Semen explained, saying, quote, we were led to believe
the worst. They had assured us. It was a terrible

(09:07):
robbery gone wrong. We don't have confirmation, but it's heading
to It was an accident, not a horrific, painful death
end quote. Seamen was just fifteen years old when her
grandparents vanished and remembers the anguish the family felt in
their unknowing. She went on to say, quote, it was
a horrific time for all of us, and especially watching

(09:30):
my father suffer. That was his mother end quote. According
to Semen, over the years, her father and his siblings
had gone down to Brunswick multiple times to identify bodies,
none of which ever turned out to be their parents.
This was another major find for Sunshine State Sonar, who

(09:50):
to date have found human remains in more than a
dozen cases since they began searching in twenty twenty two.
Upon entering the water that Friday, the twenty second, Sullivan
and Martin quickly located two large objects. Both were cars,
with one being identified as a smaller size Sedan, while
Sullivan described the second car as being longer and more boxing.

(10:14):
Approaching the larger of the two, Sullivan immediately knew it
was a Lincoln, telling The Times quote, I know Lincoln's.
As soon as I pulled that up, I could clearly
see this is a black Lincoln end quote. Moments after
Sullivan identified the vehicle as being a Lincoln, Martin emerged
from the water holding a human femur he'd managed to

(10:35):
pull from the vehicle. At that point, they stopped all
of their work and exited the water, notifying law enforcement.
Sullivan explained, quote, once we discover remains, we call the police.
It's a crime scene. End quote. Arriving at the scene
and conducting their own dives, law enforcement recovered additional items,

(10:55):
including a belt with Charles Romer's initials on it and
several pieces of jewelry, though at the time of the
find police would not confirm receipt of jewelry. There was
also reportedly a license plate bearing the couple's initials recovered.
Law enforcement does not anticipate getting confirmed genetic matches until
testing is complete, which they say will take several months. Regardless,

(11:20):
the family is convinced that their missing relatives have been found,
and they're extremely grateful to learn that their debts were
likely not the result of foul play. According to Semen,
the family spent their Thanksgiving holiday together discussing the surprising
and comforting fine. She explained, quote, the whole family just
shared stories about them. It was a happy time because

(11:42):
of this resolve, we're feeling it sort of gave us
permission to celebrate their lives and talk about the fun
memories without the feeling of dread, sorrow, and sadness end quote.
Semen described Catherine as being very close with her grandchildren
and having the title of life of the party. She
described Charles as a lovely and generous man. According to Semen,

(12:06):
the entire family is grateful for the efforts of Sunshine
State Sonar, who have helped conclude a mystery which has
haunted their family for decades. Semen explained to NBC saying, quote,
we're all in shock, but we have this gratitude for
the people that hunted this whole mystery down, people who
don't know us and we're not related to and our

(12:28):
perfect strangers would go to extensive measures to find answers
and help give a family peace of mind and resolve
end quote. Obviously, this break in the case is newly
developing and there's a lot of information which hasn't yet
been released. However, it seems fairly clear that everyone involved

(12:49):
believes that Charles and Catherine Romer and their custom Lincoln
have finally been found. It is a bittersweet ending, but
far better than the horrible nightmare many had expected to
discover had this case ever been broken. As always, I
will keep up to date with what information comes out,
and additional updates will be released pending the completion of

(13:10):
the investigation and those genetic tests. Episode eleven the vanishing
of Asia Degree. During the early morning hours of Monday,

(13:35):
February fourteenth, two thousand, nine year old Asia Degree packed
a bag and exited her family's home on her own,
despite a storm which brought in heavy rains and wind.
The child was spotted walking along North Carolina Highway eighteen,
approximately a mile and a half from her Shelby home.
She was reportedly seen running into a wooded area by

(13:58):
a motorist who stopped to ask if she needed help.
When her parents woke later in the day, they discovered
their daughter missing. Despite a massive response from law enforcement
and multiple searches, no one seemed to be able to
determine the child's location or fate. One of the greatest mysteries,
which still endures, is wondering why Asha decided to leave

(14:21):
her home in the early morning darkness in the first place.
A year and a half after disappearing, Asha's backpack was
discovered buried at a construction site along Highway eighteen in Morganton,
forty miles north of Shelby. Though there are many holes
in the investigation. While it was initially theorized that Asha

(14:41):
had run away, it was later believed that she had
likely been abducted by someone who came upon her in
the early morning hours, or perhaps someone who had convinced
her to leave her family home in secret in the
first place. Though local law enforcement and federal agencies have
revealed smaller detail house about the case over the years,

(15:02):
there has never been a suspect named or a firm
theory presented about what might have happened until now case
update earlier this year. On Tuesday, September eleventh, law enforcement
descended upon a property located along Cherryville Road in Shelby.

(15:24):
A large gathering of officers was quickly noted by local media,
who learned that searches were being executed in connection with
the February fourteenth, two thousand disappearance of fourth grader Asia degree.
Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman confirmed the search was related
to Asia, and noted that the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office
had been joined in that search by the FBI and

(15:47):
the State Bureau of Investigation. A house was the focus
of the search, and law enforcement officers were seen carrying
out boxes of unknown items. There was also a major
focus put on an old car that was found parked
in the driveway. The vehicle, then described as an older
model green in color, would ultimately be towed off the

(16:09):
property by police. It was noted that the vehicle very
closely resembled descriptions given by police years earlier, when in
twenty sixteen they stated they were looking for a nineteen
seventies era green Ford Thunderbird or Lincoln Mark four. The
vehicle toad did not match either of those descriptions, but

(16:30):
did look similar to those two models. While searching the
home and property, law enforcement were extremely tight lipped about
what in particular they were looking for. While it was
reported that some items of interest were recovered and taken
into custody, there were no specifics given. Towards the end
of the search, police brought in specially trained dogs to

(16:52):
go through the home and over the property upon which
it sat. While everything was kept under wraps for several days,
A deli uge of new information was revealed on Monday,
September sixteenth, when the search warrants and supporting affidavits were
made available to the media. Firstly, documentation showed that the
search of the Cherryville Road property in Shelby was but

(17:14):
one of several searches executed, with others targeting a home
in Charlotte as well as an assisted living facility in Vale.
These locations are all associated with members of the Deadman family.
According to the filing, The search warrants were sought out
after a DNA test conclusively linked samples from previously acquired

(17:36):
evidence to two separate people, a woman named Annelie Deadmond
Ramirez and a man named Russell Underhill. Six years ago
in twenty eighteen, law enforcement had noted that items found
in acious backpack, which was found buried and double wrapped
in garbage bags years earlier, did not belong to the

(17:56):
missing child. How those items empted up in her bag,
and more curiously, who they belonged to, became a prime
focus for investigators. DNA found on some items is what
was used to make the link to Deadman Ramirez in Underhill. Interestingly,
a hair stem found on Asha's undershirt was tested and
that is what made the link to Anna lie Deadman Ramirez,

(18:19):
who was thirteen years old at the time of Asia's disappearance.
According to the documents, there were two other Deadman girls
in the area at the time of the disappearance, then
being fifteen and sixteen years old at the time. One
search warrant went further revealing what investigators now believe. The
document specifies that they believe Asia is a quote victim

(18:43):
of homicide with her body concealed. Given the dead men's
sisters ages at the time, police stated they believed they
had to have received some kind of adult assistance from
their parents, Roy and Connie Deadman. The documents went on
to explain that the issa asistance of Roy and Connie
Deadman quote would have been necessary in the execution and

(19:06):
or concealment of the crime. Roy Deadman's home is located
at six point twenty one Cherryville Road, making it approximately
three point seven miles from Asia's last known location near
Highway eighteen and Wallace Grove Drive. The documents also revealed
that prior to searching the deadman home, they had used

(19:26):
drones to search the home and area surrounding it back
in February, seven months prior to the search. Warnings Highway
eighteen is a pivotal area in this case, with it
being noted that Asia was seen by two witnesses walking
along the highway the night she vanished. Asia's backpack was
later found miles away in Burke County at a wooded

(19:48):
site where a home was being built. That site was
also a long Highway eighteen. The assisted living facility in
Vale was identified as the Northbrook Rest Home, and it
was noted that the facility is owned by Roy and
Connie Deadman. Russell Underhill, one of the more mysterious names
in the investigation, had previously lived in at least two

(20:11):
facilities operated by the Deadman's at the time of Asia's disappearance, Underhill,
who died in two thousand and four, lived at the
Veil facility between two and four. It's not yet entirely
clear what role, if any, Underhill played in the disappearance,
but legal documents note that he quote new and associated

(20:32):
with Roy Deadman. In fact, Deadman was listed as Underhill's
emergency contact in his medical records. The house search in
Charlotte targeted a home owned by Annalie Deadman. Lamirez Reportedly
several different items were taken from Roy Deadman's home. Allegedly,
Deadman has twenty nine vehicles registered to his name, with

(20:56):
three green vehicles and one red truck spotted on his
property during the searches. The green car towed from the
property was later identified as an old amc rambler. Documents
note that police took several computers, laptops, cell phones, and
records from Deadman's home. Disturbingly, it was also noted that

(21:17):
a human tooth in a plastic bag was found in
the house. According to the warrants, Roy Deadman had a
DNA sample taken from him during the searches. Connie at
this time does not live at the Cherryville Road home,
and police specified that they also searched her home, where
they seized two computers, flash and hard drives, a tablet,

(21:40):
and various memory cards. From Annelie Deadmond Ramirez's home in Charlotte,
only a BlackBerry device was taken. Despite exhaustive searches, no
human remains were found at any of the properties. When
Asha's backpack was recovered, it was approximately seven miles away
from Broughton Hospital, a state psychiatric hospital in Morganton. Interestingly,

(22:04):
search warrants note that Roy Dedman often used to send
one of his daughters to transport patients quote in an
unreliable vehicle to and from Broughton Hospital in Morganton end quote.
Around the time of Asia's disappearance, Highway eighteen, it was noted,
quote is the most logical route to travel to and

(22:25):
from Northbrook Rest Home and or Broughton Hospital end quote.
The document went on to specify that Deadman would send
his daughter, who was sixteen or seventeen years old at
the time, not the then thirteen year old Annalie Deadman Ramirez.
David Teddy, an attorney representing Roy Deadman, noted as being

(22:45):
in his eighties at this time, confirmed the searches had occurred. However,
Teddy reported that Deadman denied any involvement in or knowledge
of Asia's disappearance. This was supported somewhat by statements in
the warrant Affidie Davids that noted law enforcement could find
no conclusive link between Roy Deadman and Asha or any

(23:06):
other members of the Degree family. During a press conference
held by Teddy, it was suggested that the deceased Russell
Underhill may be the one who had knowledge of or
involvement in the disappearance, with Teddy theorizing that police would
ultimately link Underhill to the crime, but little could be
done since he has since passed away. Asha's family were

(23:29):
not surprisingly shocked and taken aback by the flurry of
searches and release of new information. Asia's uncle, Jesse Jackson,
spoke for the family for the most part. Speaking to
WBTV News, Jackson stated how grateful they were to the
community for never giving up, saying, quote, thank God for that.

(23:49):
I thank God that they still have hope and faith.
I hope and pray to God that they find her
dead or alive, then we can be at rest and
quote As of this current moment, the investigation is ongoing.
No charges have been filed, nor have law enforcement laid
out their theory on what exactly they believe happened to

(24:10):
the missing child. Hopefully there will be more information coming
soon and some kind of advancement in the case which
might allow investigators to finally charge someone or at least
locate and retrieve the child's body. Asha's case has been
one that's stuck with me since the very beginning, and
I sincerely hope investigators are closing in on finding justice

(24:32):
for her and her family. For now, it remains to
be seen. Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman urged the local
community to be patient, to contact them if they had
any information, and to try and avoid spreading baseless rumors
and accusations. He also reminded them that there is a
family at the heart of this case who have been

(24:54):
searching for the truth for twenty four years. Sheriff Norman
explained to the show observer, saying, quote, I know our
community is anxious to learn about every aspect of our
ongoing investigation. While we appreciate your support, I urge you
to put yourself in the place of Asia's family, who
for twenty four years have entrusted law enforcement to do

(25:16):
everything possible to find her. Please do not spread or
share rumors on social media. Official information will be released
by my office when appropriate. Pray for Asia, her family,
and everyone who has worked for decades to locate Shelby's
sweet Look end quote. If you have information about this

(25:38):
case and you wish to share it with investigators, please
contact the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office at seven zero four
four eight four four seven five six. Episodes one hundred
and seventy and one hundred and seventy one. The murder

(26:00):
of Justin Turner. On Friday, March third, nineteen eighty nine,
five year old Justin Turner mysteriously disappeared from his father
and stepmother's home along Horseshoe Road in Monk's Corner, South Carolina.

(26:23):
The child was allegedly on his way to a nearby
bus stop to attend kindergarten classes at Whiteville Elementary School.
For much of the day, no one seemed to know
anything was wrong. However, when the bus returned that afternoon
and Justin wasn't on it, his stepmother confronted the bus driver,
who informed her that the five year old had never

(26:44):
gotten on the bus that morning. A large scale search
was quickly organized, but for nearly two days, no trace
of the five year old could be found. Authorities began
theorizing that the child had likely been abducted by someone
who had been in the area, and that they had
no way of knowing for certain whether or not Justin
was still even in the area, let alone the state

(27:05):
of South Carolina. All of that changed, though, on the
morning of Sunday, March fifth, when Justin's body was found
by his father, Victor, in a camper on the property.
It was later determined that the child was sexually assaulted
and killed via strangulation. Evidence began adding up, and law

(27:26):
enforcement quickly turned their attention towards Victor and his wife,
Justin's stepmother, Pamela, who in the years since has changed
her name to Megan. While Victor was not charged back then,
Pamela was, but a grand jury ultimately decided there was
not enough solid evidence to return an indictment against her.
Following that letdown, the case grew mostly cold until earlier

(27:50):
this year. In January of twenty twenty four, investigators announced
that a cold case team examining the investigation had uncovered
new evidence. As a result of this evidence, Both Victor
and Meghan were arrested in January and charged with murder
six months later, though the case would take a dramatic turn.

(28:15):
Case update. On Friday, June seventh of this year, Roger Young,
a circuit court judge in the state of South Carolina,
officially threw out the murder charges which had been filed
against Justin's father, Victor Turner, and his wife, Megan Turner.
Judge Young determined that there was in fact, no new

(28:37):
evidence in the case, noting that the evidence used for
the arrest earlier in the year was not based on
new findings, but a detective's new interpretation of the original
evidence and what it suggested. The detective, who originally worked
the case in nineteen eighty nine was rehired by the
Berkeley County Sheriff's office in twenty twenty one to review

(28:58):
all cold case files. When it came to Justin's he
testified that investigators had newly determined that tiny fibers from
a ligature found at the home shortly after Justin disappeared
were confirmed to match fibers found on Justin's shirt. According
to the defense, using a microscope on old evidence should

(29:19):
not legally constitute the discovery of new evidence. While it's
all tangled up in legal ease, the fact of the
matter appears to be that the evidence used to make
the arrests was not new, and therefore it is unconstitutional
to charge the turners thirty five years later without some
new evidence. Regardless, law enforcement officers changed their theory of

(29:43):
Justin's murder and described it in a new way in
affidavits which had been provided to obtain the arrest warrants.
While for years they had theorized that Justin had been
strangled with a dog leash recovered from the home, they
newly amended that to suggest the leech had been in
pl but at the time it was attached to a
dog collar, which was the actual ligature used to strangle

(30:06):
the child. Police spent years trying to find that collar,
even going so far as to dig up the dog's body,
but it was never located. Judge Young noted that while
in nineteen eighty nine, both the caller and the dog
would have been available for analysis, both have been lost
to time. These facts, combined with the knowledge that more

(30:29):
than twenty witnesses have either passed away or are now
unable to testify, in the judge's opinion, would limit the
defense's ability to properly work the case. Judge Young noted
as an example that the defense could not question or
challenge the statements of those witnesses who over the years
informed police that they had heard incriminating statements from Victor,

(30:50):
Meghan or both. In Judge Young's decision, he wrote, quote,
this is a circumstantial evidence which depends, on part on
some opposedly incriminating statements made to third persons. An availability
of those witnesses for cross examination would be highly prejudicial
to the defense end quote. Not only did Judge Young

(31:13):
throw the case out, he did so with prejudice, meaning
that neither Victor nor Megan Turner can ever be charged
with Justin's murder. For their parts, both Victor and Meghan
have always maintained their innocence, and following the judges ruling,
both issued statements expressing their frustration over how the investigation
was handled and how they were the primary focus, with

(31:36):
their defense attorney Sean Kent stating during a news conference
that he believed original investigators developed tunnel vision early on
and were unable to properly analyze the murder because they
would not consider other suspects. According to Kent, this baseless
focus continued to be passed down through generations. He explained, quote,

(31:59):
one sheriff after another would whisper a rumor in the
next one's mind, and then the next one would say it,
and the next one. This case is not based on
any evidence. It is based on rumors and innuendos end quote.
Sounds a little bit like Attorney Kent might be a
fan of Bruce Pritchard, but I digress. Prosecutors were frustrated

(32:21):
by the judges ruling, but it doesn't appear they were
all that surprised. Reportedly, they acknowledged that they had no
grounds to dispute Judge Young's ruling. Solicitor Scarlett Wilson, in
a statement following the judges determination, acknowledged the hard work
original investigators had done, saying, quote, it is rare that

(32:42):
prosecutors can say there is nothing more that could have
been done to conduct a more thorough investigation. But in
this case, we know that Sheriff Lewis and his team
of investigators did all they could do to find justice
and truth. End quote. However, the prosecutor's office did not
shy away from including their beliefs that the original investigation

(33:03):
was flawed and evidence collection was less than stellar. Solicitor
Wilson explained, writing quote, mistakes that were made thirty five
years ago could not be remedied. The Court has found
that the unavailability of this evidence is unjustly prejudicial to
the defense. The Court has also noted the lack of

(33:25):
any new evidence from this investigation end quote. Neither Wilson
nor the Prosecutor's office elected to specify what mistakes exactly
investigators had made in nineteen eighty nine. Justin's family were
less forgiving and clearly frustrated and hurt by the judge's ruling,
noting that they felt Justin and the family would never

(33:47):
obtain justice. Several members of the family chose to issue
a statement through the prosecutor's office, which read, in part, today,
our justice system failed an innocent five year old boy.
In my opinion, based off the overwhelming evidence, the ones
responsible for Justin's death had the chance to face justice here,

(34:08):
but instead chose to stay silent and face the final
justice handed out by God for eternity. The truth is there,
the justice is not. My fight for Justin will never stop.
While This ruling puts the Kai bosh on any further
plans for law enforcement to charge either Victor or Megan
with Justin's murder. The arrest and legal wrangling may not

(34:30):
have been a fruitless effort, though the case seemed strong
at first, the cold case investigator and original investigator on
the case admitted under questioning from defense attorney Kent that
they had not found new evidence, but instead had developed
a new theory based on old evidence, apparently because thirty
five years had passed. Such a massive delay in charging

(34:53):
them based on older evidence available at the time violated
their constitutional rights, and Judge Young agreed with them. Another
shot against the prosecution came when Kent played a recording
of a forensic pathologist investigators had consulted with. The pathologist
stated during that recording that he could not be sure

(35:13):
the dog leash was used in Justin's murder. While shredding
the prosecution's case rather quickly, Kent dropped a major bombshell,
which was provided as evidence to his claim that original
investigators and all who had worked the case since then
were completely focused on the Turners and ignored all other possibilities.

(35:35):
After the arrest in January, John Kent was contacted by
Deirdre Enwright, a law professor at the University of Virginia,
through the Virginia School of Law's Innocence Project. Enwright sent
evidence to Kent which suggested a possible link between Justin's
murder and a known serial killer who was in the

(35:55):
Navy and stationed in Charleston in nineteen eighty nine during
the period in which Justin was killed. In fact, the
killer ship docked in Charleston the very day Justin disappeared.
A Monk's Corner, where Justin lived, is less than thirty
miles from Charleston. Kent stated before Judge Young that the

(36:16):
serial killer, Richard Mark Evenance, was an extremely good suspect
that law enforcement should have looked at previously. This statement
was supported by the fact that in two thousand and seven,
the FBI reached out to multiple law enforcement agencies asking
them to investigate all unsolved abductions, sexual assaults, and or

(36:37):
murders in cases they might feel could be linked to evidance.
According to The Post and Courier, the Berkeley County Sheriff's
Office did not investigate evidence or any potential links to
Justin's murder. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Evidence was raised
in an abusive home, and following his nineteen eighty graduation

(36:58):
from Irmo Heist School, he enlisted in the Navy, where
he served for eight years as a sonar technician. Following
naval service, Evidence took a job as a traveling salesman
before returning to his home state in nineteen ninety nine.
For the most part, Evidence was off the radar of
law enforcement until Monday, June twenty fourth, two thousand and two,

(37:21):
when he abducted fifteen year old Kara Robinson from a
front lawn in Columbia. Robinson, who has a popular TikTok
channel today where she has discussed the abduction, explained that
she was outside in pajamas watering a friend's flowers when
she spotted a Pontiac transam circling the neighborhood. The car

(37:42):
pulled into a nearby driveway, and a man later identified
as Evidence approached Robinson, pretending that he was selling pamphlets. However,
as soon as he passed one of the pamphlets to Robinson,
she felt the barrel of a gun press against her neck.
Evidence forced Robinson back to his va and placed her
inside of a large plastic container in the back seat.

(38:05):
He drove off and later pulled over, restraining Robinson and
placing a ball gag in her mouth. He brought her
back to his apartment, where Robinson decided her best chance
of survival was to play along with her abductor and
to give him what he wanted, while also gathering as
much information about him as she could. Over the course

(38:25):
of the next night marrish eighteen hours, Robinson was assaulted
multiple times. When Evidence later fell asleep, she made a
break for it. Despite handcuffs on her wrists and restraints
on her ankle, she managed to free herself, forcing her
way through a barrier at the front door, and then
she ran into the parking lot, where she cried out

(38:45):
for help. A passing driver took her to the police,
who managed to track evidence based on a large amount
of information Robinson had remembered. By the time police arrived
at the apartment, evidence was gone, but this was the
beginning of a chase which would span more than five
hundred miles. Inside the apartment, police found a locked foot

(39:06):
locker with newspaper clippings about the unsolved murders of three
girls Sophia Silver was murdered in nineteen ninety six, and
sisters Kristen and Katie Lisk in ninety seven. All three
had disappeared from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, more than five years
before Robinson was abducted, and according to police, they were

(39:27):
all abducted near their homes after school. Evidence was located
in Florida, at which time a high speed pursuit began.
His vehicle was disabled by spike strips, but he refused
to get out. A police dog was released to force
evidence from the vehicle, but the suspect instead turned a
gun on himself and ended the pursuit and his own life.

(39:51):
Prior to the chase, evidence had spoken to his sister,
at which time it's alleged that he stated that he
had committed quote more crimes than he could remember. Evidence
obtained by police to link evidence to the three homicides
included the newspaper clippings, hair and fingerprints found in a
vehicle he abandoned in Columbia, and fibers found on the

(40:13):
bodies that matched the furry handcuffs he had used to
restrain Robinson. Professor Enwright had previously represented a man accused
of a double homicide, and when those charges were dropped,
she learned that evidence had been in the area around
the time of the murders. She went on to found
the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia. Now the

(40:36):
director for the project for Reformed Inform, she and a
team are working to identify unsolved cases which might be
linked to the serial killer. According to Enright, they have
found so many cases that could be linked that she
described it as overwhelming. Her team is currently focused on
seven cases, one of which is Justin turners On Lot,

(41:00):
Sheriff of Richland County in South Carolina, doesn't believe there
is any solid evidence to link evidence to Justin's case.
Lot noted that evidence had been connected to one abduction
and three murders, the victims of which were all female teenagers.
Kevin Wheeler, a spokesman for the FBI Field office in Columbia,
was asked if the profile they developed on evidence would

(41:24):
include the possibility that he might sexually assault a murderer
of five year old boy, but Wheeler declined to comment.
Sheriff Lott was a little more outspoken, telling the Post
and Courier quote, we have no indication whatsoever that he
was attracted to boys. There are no similarities. The only
kidnapped and raped girls end quote. For en Wright, that's

(41:48):
part of the problem. It is unlikely that Evidence only
committed the crimes that are known, and in Enwright's own words,
all of the known cases being female teenagers might be
a symptom of the problem. She explained. Quote. When they
say he's only been linked to the murders of teenage girls,
I would say that's because they've only looked at them.

(42:10):
End quote. Enwright, in her analysis of Evidence, watched hours
of pornographic material in his collection, and according to her,
he was interested in sexual exploitation regardless of age or gender.
Evidence mo somewhat fits the crime, with Enwright noting that
the killer is linked to abductions, sexual assaults, and murders

(42:33):
in which the victims were taken from their front yards
in broad daylight. He was also known to use sex
toys to assault his victims, which is somewhat consistent with
Justin's murder, though the part that was used to assault
him was a foreign object, not an actual sex toy.
En Wright's analysis continues that he was known to have

(42:54):
preferred rural areas, country settings, and he would drive up
to fifty miles to abduct his victims, and Wright stated
evidence also tried to frame others for his crime. The
one question about evidence possible connection to Justin's murder comes
down to a matter of time. It is unknown when

(43:14):
his Navy ship docked in Charleston, but if it was
early enough, he could have had plenty of time to
have gone to Monk's Corner. Obviously, there is a lot
of new information here, and it remains to be seen
what law enforcement can or will do with it, whether
evidence will be tied to Justin's murder or others, or
if the case will remain focused on the Turners, who,

(43:37):
regardless of what evidence does or does not exist, cannot
be tried again. One can only hope that something will
be found to provide some level of justice to Justin's family.
Someone out there has to know something that could finally
solve the horrible abduction, assault, and murder of that five
year old boy. Fingers crossed. It's a story that only

(44:00):
time can tell for now. Episode ninety seven, the abduction
of Jessica Gutierrez On Thursday June fifth, nineteen eighty six,

(44:24):
four year old Jessica Gutierrez went to bed in the
room she shared with her sister at her mother's Lexington,
South Carolina home. Sometime between eleven thirty pm and nine
am the following morning, an unknown person cut the screen
out from a living room window, entered the house, and
moved into Jessica's bedroom. The unknown assailant then took the

(44:45):
four year old and disappeared into the night. Jessica's sister, Rebecca,
who was six at the time, witnessed the crime and
famously later told police that Jessica had been taken by
quote the man with the magic hat and the beard
end quote. Years later, Rebecca told authorities that she witnessed

(45:05):
the man taking Jessica without waking her, and that she
was so frightened she couldn't scream or even move. She
didn't tell anyone about what she had seen until the
following morning. Unknown hours after the abduction, After ruling out
several suspects, police were focused in on twenty seven year
old Thomas Eric McDowell, a family friend who had previously

(45:28):
been involved with Jessica's mother. Shortly after the abduction, McDowell
stole a car and was arrested in North Carolina and
charged with rape. Law enforcement noted that McDowell had left
a fingerprint behind on the window of Jessica's bedroom. Her
mother noted that she cleaned the windows every night, and
McDowell's was the only print found. Sixteen years after the abduction.

(45:53):
In January of twenty twenty two, McDowell was officially arrested
in charged with murder, kidnapping, and first agree burglary. In
this case, McDowell allegedly confessed his involvement in the crime
to another prisoner, who quickly handed that information over to investigators.

(46:13):
Case update. Almost two years have passed since sixty three
year old Thomas McDowell was arrested at his North Carolina
home and charged with the murder of four year old
Jessica Gutierrez earlier this year. On Tuesday, February sixth, the
trial finally began. Right from the start, there were issues

(46:36):
with the trial that frustrated both the prosecutors and the defense.
One key point of debate revolved around the planned testimony
of Jessica's sister, Rebecca, the only witness to the a
crime who was six years old when it happened. Rebecca
testified at a pre trial evidentially hearing, where it was
revealed that she had identified McDowell from a photo lineup

(46:59):
more than twenty years after the crime. McDowell's attorneys public
defenders fought hard to stop Rebecca from testifying about this identification.
Rebecca stated during the hearing that she remembered the man's
face and that she still sees it every night before
she goes to bed. Not only did she remember the

(47:19):
features of his face, but also the tall, wide brimmed
hat he wore, which she, at age six, had described
to police as a magic had. However, ultimately it was
ruled that Rebecca could not testify that she had identified
McDowell in the photo lineup, which had taken place in
two thousand and seven. The photo of McDowell which she

(47:40):
identified was taken eight years after the abduction. Judge Deborah
McCaslin ruled that too much time had passed for the
identification to be allowed at trial. Mccaslyn pointed out that
during the initial statements in nineteen eighty six, Rebecca identified
the suspect as a black male, while McDowell himself is white.

(48:02):
Pressed about this on the stand, Rebecca noted that she
could not remember making any such statement. She was six
years old, and she was being questioned by a lot
of different people over a series of days and weeks,
so she couldn't be certain. While the defense was glad
to have won out in the end, with Rebecca not
being able to talk about the identification, the prosecution would

(48:24):
gain ground with their own arguments before the court, Judge
mccaslyn ruled that McDowell's defense would not be allowed to
present an alternate theory casting suspicion on an ex boyfriend
of Jessica's mother, who she had broken up with shortly
before the disappearance. The man had been a suspect, but
he had been cleared when police identified a fingerprint found

(48:46):
at the scene as belonging to Thomas mcdowlan. It was
this print, in part, which prompted the arrest. Mccaslyn ruled
that there was no evidence linking the ex boyfriend to
the crime, and that while the defense could argue that
someone else committed this crime, they could not implicate anyone
by name. McDowell had previously dated Jessica's mother, and not

(49:10):
long after the child's disappearance, he stole a car and
drove to North Carolina, where he sexually assaulted a woman.
He later served a decade in prison for that crime.
From nineteen eighty seven to nineteen ninety seven. While being
held in a Pope County jail, McDowell allegedly spoke to
inmate Michael Fowler and told him the horrifying story of

(49:32):
how he abducted and murdered Jessica. According to Fowler, McDowell
told him that he took Jessica, sexually assaulted her, and
then killed and dismembered her body with a machete. I
won't go into more detail than that. While the trial
was highly combative, it was also a short one. On Thursday,
February eighth, McDowell was found guilty of murder, kidnapping, and

(49:57):
burglary in connection with Jessica's abduction and murder. The jury
deliberated for less than two hours before reaching this decision.
Not long after the verdict was in, Judge mccaslyn handed
McDowell two life sentences, one for the murder, one for
the kidnapping. A sentence on the burglary will come at
a later date. While this insures the man who abducted

(50:19):
and killed Jessica will never spend another day outside of prison.
It's difficult to feel joy about the ending into such
a terrible and horrible crime. What ending truly is there? Well,
that depends on how you define closure, since Jessica's remains
have never been found. Speaking about the verdict and the
years of work put into this case, South Carolina Attorney

(50:42):
General Alan Wilson explained at a press conference saying, quote,
after far too long, we finally have justice for Jessica
Gutierrez and her family. While we can't bring Jessica back,
the person responsible for her murder will be held accountable
and spend the rest of his life behind bars. Today's

(51:02):
verdict would not have happened without the hard work of
the dedicated men and women in the Attorney General's Office,
the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, and the FBI. We hope
Jessica's loved ones can rest a little easier tonight. Episode

(51:23):
eighty nine, The Vanishing of Branson Perry. Wednesday, April eleventh,
two thousand and one, Skidmore, Missouri, Twenty year old Branson
Perry was reportedly last seen at his father's home, then

(51:44):
located in the three hundred block of West Oak Street
at approximately three pm. Branson's father was in the hospital
at the time but set to return home that day,
so Branson was working hard to make sure the house
was clean and presentable. While he was inside, some other
folks were outside working on his father's car, which had

(52:04):
a broken alternator. According to the official story, Branson stepped
out from his father's home to return a pair of
jumper cables to a shed out back. It should have
taken no more than a few minutes, but more than
twenty three years later, Branson has never been seen again.
The family reported that it was extremely out of character
for Branson to go off without telling anyone, and considering

(52:28):
he was awaiting his father's return, it didn't make a
whole lot of sense that he would just have left
in the first place. It was later reported he'd left
behind important personal items such as his wallet, making a
runaway situation even more unlikely. As time went on, investigators
began shifting away from a runaway possibility to what they

(52:48):
believed was more likely a homicide. Branson had friends and
associated with people known to be involved in the drug
trade at the time, and there were even reports that
he might have been seen alive after he is thought
to have disappeared. Those sightings placed the twenty year old
at a known drug house just a few miles north
of town. What exactly happened and who was involved remains

(53:12):
a mystery, as does the location of Branson's body. Case update.
In May of twenty twenty four, the Notaway County Sheriff's
office told local media that they had called an assistance
from the FBI in regard to Branson's disappearance, more than

(53:32):
twenty three years after the twenty year old was last
seen alive. Captain Austin Hahn informed Fox four News that
they received a new tip in this case and they
were hoping that the federal agency would be able to
utilize their access to advanced procedures and technologies to assist
in running that lead down. Captain Han explained, saying, quote,

(53:54):
we feel like it's a good tip, so we want
to invest in it. The FBI has a specific resource
to provide. They have specialized resources to provide that we
do not end quote. While the specifics of the tip
were not revealed at the time, Captain Han did reveal
to reporters that the nature of the tip includes a

(54:14):
well located equipment, an unincorporated community six miles north of Skidmore.
According to Han, this was not the first tip they
received from the community, nor the first one which had
them focusing in on an area equipment. Retired police officer
Michael Kerrz reported that two individuals were questioned thoroughly about

(54:35):
this case back in two thousand and nine. Both of
those men pointed out particular locations at which they alleged
Branson's body it could be found. According to Han, though
these locations were investigated by law enforcement and digs were conducted,
they did not find Branson's body, but they did find
evidence that something at some point had been buried there.

(54:58):
Hahn explained to quote, law enforcement agency has dug up
a plot of land and didn't find Perry's remains, but
they did indicate that the earth was disturbed there. They
did think that probably something was there before and they
could not find it at that time. End quote. Han
would not confirm what exactly they hoped to find with

(55:20):
this new search effort based upon the tip they had received. However,
the investigator was quick to note that with so much
time having passed, their best chance of solving the case
would be with the assistance of the local community, but
it is still believed that there are people who either
know what happened to Perry, who was responsible, or where
his remains may have been concealed. According to former investigator Kurz,

(55:44):
the case has drastically changed since the early days. He explained, quote,
they're looking at this case now as not a missing
person anymore. They're looking at it as a homicide. Branson
was a very well liked kid. He liked every everybody.
Everybody liked him. He liked to lift weights, enjoyed the outdoors.

(56:05):
I think it would mean a whole lot to the
community if there was a resolution to this one end quote.
On the evening of Tuesday, May fourteenth, local law enforcement
officials cordoned off and began making preparations for a dig
at an unspecified location, equipment notably not the same area
which had previously been searched. A specialized team of FBI

(56:28):
agents was scheduled to arrive on Monday, the twentieth, but
did not appear equipment until two days later, on Wednesday,
the twenty second. Law enforcement was assisted by Nodaway County
Road and Bridge crews, who provided an operated excavation equipment
at the site. Not much is known about the specific
target of the search, nor the tip which led law

(56:48):
enforcement to that location, but the case still being an
open investigation, Captain Hahn was limited in what he was
willing to share. According to investigators, their search of the
targeted air lasted for a little more than a week,
but was concluded by late afternoon on Wednesday, the twenty second,
and it does not appear that anything major was found.

(57:09):
Captain Hans spoke to the media following the conclusion of
the dig and said, in part quote, the investigation portion
of this never really stops for us. We are still
going to take every single tip in. We're going to
follow up on every single tip that's provided, and if
we believe that the tip is credible, we're going to
pour resources into following up end quote. One month later,

(57:33):
in June of twenty twenty four, law enforcement noted that
the new tip in search appeared to have revitalized their
efforts and they were once again receiving information from the community.
According to former investigator Steve Whittington, the case's first lead investigator,
they didn't initially think foul play was involved. What blue
Whittington's mind was not so much the absence of evidence,

(57:56):
but the utter silence most of the people they interviewed
appeared to be. Whittington explained, saying, quote, we just went
talking to people and just looking around, put out alerts
and what have you, put out a missing person thing
on him, and we never got any response at all
back from that end quote. Inside of the first two weeks,

(58:19):
detectives began to believe something strange had happened, that Branson
had likely been the target of foul play, and that
people around him the last day he was seen probably
had some idea, if not specific details, about the how
and why of it all. At the time of the disappearance,
two men had been outside of the house working on
Branson's father's car. Whittington revealed one of these men, Bill Dragou,

(58:43):
passed away in twenty twenty one, had been questioned multiple
times because it was believed he had information he wouldn't reveal.
Whittington commented, quote, I always felt like Bill knew something
about it, but he would never talk or anything end quote.
According to Whittington, they conducted multiple searches and digs everything

(59:05):
from a septic tank in Holt County, another area north
of Skidmore, a location in quipment, and multiple wells throughout
the area. Eventually, the investigator led detectives to the drug scene,
with them believing that the twenty year old's disappearance was
somehow connected. Interestingly, they had one particular witness who contradicted

(59:26):
all the rest. While everyone reported that Branson was last
seen at his father's home in Skidmore, this other witness
placed him as last alive at a home just east
of Quitman. Whittington was quite blunt when speaking to the
Maryville Forum, saying, quote, I'm sure this is all tied
to drugs end quote. Jenna Crawford is one of the

(59:50):
last people to see Branson alive and was present at
his father's home the day he disappeared. Statements she has
made have caused some confusion for investigators. There is some
debate about which pieces of information came directly from her
personal experiences and which pieces are second or even third hand.
Author Dianne Fanning wrote a book about the murder of

(01:00:13):
Branson's cousin, Bobby Joe Stinnett. The book entitled Baby Be Mine.
The Shocking True Story of a woman who murdered a
pregnant mother to steal her child includes discussion of both
Branson and his friend Jenna Crawford. In the book, Fanning
claims that Crawford, when speaking to police, stated that both

(01:00:33):
she and Branson used marijuana and amphetamines. This coalesces with
multiple tips that have pointed investigators towards that house east
of Quitman, which was known as the place to score
drugs for a period of time surrounding the disappearance. According
to Darren White, a Notaway County sheriff's deputy in two

(01:00:53):
thousand and one who was later sheriff from nine to seventeen,
said that he was on duty the day the house
in question burned to the ground, Though he could not
be one hundred percent certain, he told the media that
he received tips and information about Branson being seen at
that house after he was thought to have disappeared. Interestingly,

(01:01:14):
White claimed that while Branson was missing at the time
the house burned down, he had not yet officially been
reported to law enforcement. As such, White believes the fire
took place between the Wednesday Branson was last seen and
the Monday when he was reported missing. He does not
believe that the fire was a matter of coincidence. Or happenstance,

(01:01:35):
noting that the blaze was likely done to cover up evidence.
He explained saying, quote, the best theory is that house
is where he was actually murdered. That's the best theory
that he was murdered in that house, and that ultimately,
of course, when the house was destroyed by fire, any
possible evidence that might have been there would have been

(01:01:56):
destroyed in the fire end quote. This belief is supported
by Notaway County Sheriff Randy Strong, who told the Saint
Joseph News Press in twenty nineteen that Branson was last
seen alive on Wednesday, April eleventh, two thousand and one,
at a residence near Quitman, which later burned down. White

(01:02:16):
went on to stay that he had received a lot
of information over the years, but the one big hurdle
they could not overcome was the absence of Branson's body.
According to White, without the body, there was never enough
evidence to issue a warrant to arrest anyone. In twenty
twenty two, law enforcement noted that they did have a
suspect in the case, but they didn't yet possess enough

(01:02:39):
evidence to charge them or even name them. Unfortunately, it
seems those who have the answers continue to keep them secret,
protecting a killer, and depriving a family of the justice
and truth they so desperately deserve. Sadly, as more time passes,
members of Branson's family have passed away without finding out

(01:02:59):
what happened. His father, Bob, died in two thousand and four,
and his mother Becky in twenty eleven. His grandmother Joanne
also passed away in twenty fifteen. Darren White commented on
how their losses have both frustrated investigators and taken away
major voices of support for the continued pursuit of justice.

(01:03:20):
He explained, quote, the sad part is that his mother
and grandmother have both passed, so I guess in some
way they're now with him, and so they do have
their final answer for people that are of faith. But
while they were both living, they really devoted a lot
of time to trying to get some answers and some resolution,

(01:03:40):
but it just never happened. End quote. More than one
hundred interviews have been conducted, and vastly more tips have
been received and tracked down. Sadly, the truth still remains obscured,
and Branson's remains have never been found. The case, while
cold does warm up periodically. It is believed that there

(01:04:01):
are people out there who have the ability to assist
law enforcement in bringing Brandson home and finding his killer.
If only they would be willing to share what they know,
maybe the family could put an end to the suffering
of unknowing and find some way to come to terms
with their loss. This remains to be seen. Episode twenty three.

(01:04:28):
The murder of Faith Hedgepeth. On Friday, September seventh, twenty twelve,
nineteen year old Faith Hedgepath was found murdered in her
Chapel Hill apartment. She had been beaten with a blunt
object later determined to be an empty bottle, and it

(01:04:51):
was apparent that she had been sexually assaulted. Evidence at
the time pointed in several different directions, and though DNA
found at the scene could be used to eliminate potential suspects,
it could not at the time identify who it belonged to.
The DNA recovered, though did match other samples found elsewhere
in the apartment. Three months later, in January of twenty thirteen,

(01:05:14):
the FBI announced that the DNA belonged to an unidentified
male that combined with other details of the crime had
aided them in developing a profile of the suspect. According
to the FEDS, they believed the killer had likely lived
near Faith in the past, had expressed an interest in her,
and his behaviors had likely changed since the crime. A

(01:05:35):
year after the murder, in September of twenty thirteen, the
State Bureau of Investigation was asked to assist in the investigation,
and apparently they redid many of the interviews previously done
by Chapel Hill authorities. Law enforcement had most of the
information around the case sealed to protect the investigation, but
those files would be ordered unsealed in July of twenty fourteen.

(01:06:00):
In addition to those files which had redacted names, both
the autopsy report and original nine to one one call
were also released, both of which caused a great deal
of rumor and speculation surrounding the murder and who may
have been involved. However, this did not appear to advance
the investigation nor assist in the identification of a suspect.

(01:06:21):
In September of twenty sixteen, Parabon Nanolabs released an image
of the suspect based upon analysis of the phenotype in
his DNA profile. The program predicts the person's eye color,
hair color, skin color, freckling, face shape, and ancestry. According
to their assessment, the suspect was likely very strongly Native

(01:06:43):
American and European mixed ancestry, or possibly Latino. Most of
the markers pointed towards Mexican, Colombian, and Iberian. Parabon determined
that the suspect had an eighty percent chance of having
olive colored skin with very few, if any freckles, and
black hair. Five years later, on Thursday September sixteenth, twenty

(01:07:07):
twenty one, the Chapel Hill Police Department arrested Miguel Enrique
Salguero Aliveries for the first degree murder of Faith Hedgepeth.
Though Salguero Aliveris was not originally a suspect, DNA linked
him to the crime scene following his own arrest for
drunk driving in Wake County. That was the last we
heard of Olivera's and the case until recently case update.

(01:07:36):
New charges have been filed against the man arrested in
connection with the murder of Faith hedgepet Miguel Enrique Salguero
Olivaras was charged with murder on Thursday September sixteenth, twenty
twenty one, nine years after Faith was killed in a
Chapel Hill apartment. Salguero Oliveris was originally linked to the
case through DNA when genealogical experts linked DNA founded the

(01:07:59):
scene of the crime to members of his family. For
the most part, law enforcement has been quiet for the
last three years and little has developed, leading many to
wonder what the status of the case is. On Monday,
October twenty first, the indictment against Salguero Oliveris was amended
to now include first degree burglary, rape, and sexual assault

(01:08:22):
on top of homicide. According to supporting legal documents, law
enforcement believes that the suspect broke into the apartment and
attacked Faith. Though Salguero Alaveris remains held without bond in
a Durham County jail all these years later, a trial
date has still not been set. Sarah Willitts, spokesperson for

(01:08:44):
the Durham County District Attorney's Office, when asked about a trial,
noted that things as complicated as murder can take a
long time. She explained to the news and observers, saying, quote,
it may feel like little is happening during the years
a homicide case as worked its way through the court process,
but the DA's office is diligently processing evidence, fulfilling our

(01:09:06):
constitutional obligations, and working to reach an appropriate outcome end.
In addition to delays on the prosecution side, there have
also been moves made by the defense which extended the timeline.
For example, Salguero Alaverez filed and changed his lawyer, moving
away from the public defender and onto private attorney Chris Barnes,

(01:09:27):
along with three others. According to a filing made in
June of this year, it appears that evidence in the
case will include investigative files, a State Bureau of Investigation,
chemical analysis, incriminating statements made by Salguero Alaverez, and evidence
gathered during multiple searches. In addition to the DNA linking

(01:09:49):
the suspect to the crime, his palm print was found
on a bottle of wine located in Faith's apartment. While
not the most major of updates, a lot of people
have been wor wondering why this case is moving so slowly,
and this should add a little context. There's a lot
going on on both sides of the fence, but it
appears the prosecution is making sure all of their ducks

(01:10:11):
are in a row and everything is to move forward
as planned. They aren't taking any chances, and hopefully sooner
than later, we will learn the truth of what happened
that night, and Faith's family will finally see justice done
to the monster who stole away their brilliant, loving and
beautiful daughter. The next court date in this case is

(01:10:32):
set to take place in mid January of twenty twenty five.
So there you have it. Six case updates, several of

(01:10:54):
which either closed or are leading towards closure. The rom
Or family have gotten answers they never imagined, and Jessica
Gutierrez's family can find some comfort in knowing her killers
off the streets and will spend the rest of his
life behind bars. Hopefully that's the direction the Faith Hedgepeth
case is heading. Also still no answers out there for

(01:11:17):
the murder of Justin Turner and the assumed murders of
Branson Perry an Asia Degree. However, the ball keeps on
rolling and the darkness cannot conceal the light forever. Justice
is coming and could be sped along if only those
who know something would choose to share it as many

(01:11:37):
of you know, putting Trace Evidence together takes a lot
of hard work, research, and more than anything time. Without
support from amazing listeners, this podcast would be impossible, and
that's why I'd like to take a moment to thank
our amazing Patreon producers Andrew Guarino, Anne m Bertram, Christine Greco,

(01:12:02):
Crystal jay Derthy, Denise Dingsdale, Dianni Dyson, Jennifer Winkler, Justin Snyder,
Caar Morland, k Why leslie b Lisa Hopson, Nick Mohar, Shers,

(01:12:23):
Roberta Jansen, Stacey Finnegan, and Tom Radford. Thank you all
so much for your continued support and for making Trace
Evidence possible. If you'd like to learn about supporting the show,
please visit patreon dot com, slash trace Evidence or visit
trace dash evidence dot com. All episodes are available completely

(01:12:46):
ad free on Patreon. This concludes this final update episode
of twenty twenty four, and what a year it's been.
DNA and genetic genealogy continue to lead the way, while
underwater search keep finding evidence that law enforcement missed decades ago.
Who knows what promised twenty twenty five might provide for

(01:13:08):
even the most obscure of Unsolved Cases. As a final reminder,
if you'd like to submit a question for the year
end Q and A, there are links in the show notes.
You can also tag the show on social media with
your questions or email me directly at Trace evidencepod at
gmail dot com. Thank you all so much for listening,

(01:13:30):
and I hope you'll join me next time for another
unsolved case on the next episode of Trace Evidence.

Speaker 2 (01:14:05):
In and Among in a