January 31, 2023 • 47 mins
When the year 2021 rolled around, it had been more than 500 days since Jessica death. Her case remained unsolved, and her body remained at the morgue. But the next several months would leave Jessica’s family with more hope than ever before.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey listeners Jessica here, be sure to check out new
episodes of Undetermined every Tuesday for free wherever you get
your podcasts. For early and ad free listening, check out
Tenderfoot plus on Apple Podcasts. The views and opinions expressed
in this podcast are solely those of the individuals interviewed
(00:24):
and participating in the show, and do not represent those
of Tenderfoot TV and resonate recordings. All individuals described or
mentioned in the podcast should be considered innocent until found
guilty in a court of law. This podcast contains subject
matter such as violence and graphic descriptions, which may not
(00:45):
be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Jessica's sister, Audrey,
has never forgotten a sit down she had with three
n OPD detectives back in January twenty twenty, a meeting
that lit a fire in her which still burns to
this day.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So, in this meeting, they told me and my dad
that it was a cold case and that there was
nothing that homicide.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Could do about it.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And I got really upset and I slammed my fist
down on the table. I stood up and I said,
how can it possibly be a cold case, and then
that was really just about all of it, because by
that time I was just like, I'm done. I'm fucking done.
(01:41):
This means war.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Growing up, Audrey was always the self proclaimed rebel out
of the three sisters, the one who spoke out, stood out,
and stood up. And since Jessica's death in twenty nineteen,
Audrey's been a rebel with a cause because getting justice
for her Jessica. No matter what it takes, it's just.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
A fucked up situation and it has me questioning life
and just everything in general. We were always taught, you know,
if you need help, then you ask the cops for help.
But this is just opened my eyes and it's like
they're not doing anything. Why would we How can we
(02:28):
even trust someone that's not even doing their job?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Believe it or not, Audrey's actually been fighting two separate
battles since losing Jessica, one of course, with the NPD
over the lack of resolution in her sister's case, but
another with the Corner's office over her sister's remains, which
have been stuck there since her family discovered her body
on August twenty second, twenty eighteen. But come early twenty
(02:57):
twenty one, the family was finally given some hope, though
for Audrey this still loved one unnerving question.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
I felt like, oh my god, finally they're releasing her
to us.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
But then I was also upset because I was like, well.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Why did they give him five hundred and thirty days
before they actually told us we.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Could have her.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Inside Jessica's mother's home, there's a memorial set up on
a table. White angels perched on wooden pedestals keep over
a photo of Jessica that's placed inside a small bible
propped open, along with a white tapered candle standing tall
in a gold holder. A silver and white pearl rosary
(04:15):
is draped nearby. All of it centered around a glass cross,
which sits on top of Jessica's round marble urn with
stars and a large crescent moon etched on the top.
For her love of astrology and celestial beauty. It reads
Jessica Renee Easterly Heaven's Melody Starlit Cosmic Dancer crossing the Universe.
(04:42):
Born August seventeenth, nineteen seventy six, deceased August twenty second,
twenty nineteen. Many loved ones have written their memories of
Jessica in an online obituary, like her best friend Maria,
whom Jessica called low, who wrote, I don't know how
(05:03):
to accept this theft of light from the world. I
miss you like crazy. I hear the music you send me.
I love you always and forever. And our mother Donna,
who wrote, you are worth every day, every prayer, every
fear and every tear I shed those four months in
(05:24):
bed waiting for you to grow to term. I love you,
Jessica Easterly. Audrey thinks about her younger sister Jessica every
single day. Inside her home hangs a beautiful silver wind
chime that Jessica had given to her. It reminds Audrey
of her sister each time a gentle breeze passes through.
(05:47):
The top is a full sun linked to a series
of metal chimes, holding all the pieces together. Dangling by
a thin wire. Just below the chimes is a moon
holding a Audrey remembers the day Jessica bought it, and
she told Audrey that it reminded her of the bond
they shared. The two even had matching astrology themed tattoos,
(06:12):
Audrey with the sun and Jessica with the moon and
a star. It's the wind chime blowing softly in the
southern breeze. Each time Audrey opens the door that reminds
her family. With every twist and turn throughout Jessica's story,
there was a reason, a purpose. Take Jessica's urn for example,
(06:35):
the one in the middle of that elaborate memorial back
at her mother's house, a symbol of closure, but for
this family, so much more than that. Jessica may be
at rest and at home now, where she should be,
but she didn't get there through normal circumstances, not even close,
I'll explain. From August twenty nineteen to February twenty twenty one,
(07:01):
Jessica's body sat in the morgue unclaimed. Throughout that time,
Audrey remained persistent with the coroner's office, but ultimately it
was out of her control. The family was stuck hopeless.
Not only was Jessica's case in limbo, Jessica herself was
also in limbo. That was until January of twenty twenty one,
(07:25):
when out of the blue, Audrey received a call she'd
been waiting on for a long time.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
So January fifth, the coroner called me and asked me
if my name was Audrey Schmidt, and I said yes,
And I said, can we have Jessica? He said, well,
he goes, I'm going to have to make it legal
and send justin legal notices. I was like okay. I
(07:52):
was like, well, can you give me a timeline? He said,
I cannot give you a timeline.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Fortunately for Audrey, it didn't take long to hear something
more definitive. She remembers the wave of emotions excitement, of course,
but she felt conflicted.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I felt like, oh my god, finally they're releasing her
to us. But then I was also upset because I
was like, well, hawkm it took.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Five hundred and thirty days. Why did they give him
five hundred and thirty days before they actually told us we.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Could have her.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Audrey immediately reached out to her cousin, Doug, who, if
you remember, works in the funeral home industry.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
It took about what a year and five months before
the chain of custody moved to the next link. And
that was a bittersweet moment because right of custody and
right of disposition are two different things, and it was
both frustrating and a relief at the same time, because
it's still left open for one important invariable because naturally
(09:01):
an next of kin would still be justin. He's the spouse,
but we had to try to make attempts to contact
him throughout a ten day period in order to see
if there's any objection on his part before the next Mexicican,
which is Jessica's mom, can take the right of disposition.
Speaker 6 (09:19):
And that was a.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
Hard ten days because you just don't know. We didn't
know if he was going to object, and he did not.
Ten days passed. On the eleventh day, we made arrangements
for Louisiana Funeral Home to drive to pick her up.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
After five hundred and thirty days at the Corner's office,
Jessica was finally coming home. As Audrey made arrangements to
pick up Jessica's body from the Corner's office, she had
just one important request when.
Speaker 5 (09:53):
She told me that, hey, you know, I have custody
and I want to get a second autopsy. I immediately
asked one of my line balmer coworkers and friends. I said, hey, man,
they said that there's not much left to do an autopsy.
You know, she's been in a cooler. She wasn't involved
for a year and five months, he said, and he
(10:13):
was able to paint a picture for me of what
to expect at that level of dcom.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
The picture he described Doug was disturbing, to say the least,
but it at least left room for optimism when it
came to the possibility of a second autopsy. But when
they finally received her remains.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
It was a little box of bones and they looked
like they were perfectly cleaned, organized in a box, complete
opposite of what I was expected from these guys who
have been doing this upwards of twenty years. They couldn't
explain while it was a box of bones. They say, so,
(10:55):
did did y'all want this thing like cleaned and organized
or something really and give them any instruction to do
any of that? We didn't even know that was an option.
And that is one question, the biggest question I have,
just because of my profession. What did y'all do to
these remains to reduce it to this? Because from what
(11:16):
I understand that this is not a normal thing. It
blew my mind because I'm like I work here. I've
personally gone and picked up people who have been sitting
in corners office, medical examiners offices, or crime labs and
Jackson that have been there for a long time and
they're still intact. But dcomp obviously still happens. Never seen
(11:41):
it like that, Absolutely not.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Boons.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
That's all that was left of Jessica. To make matters worse,
no further medical examinations can ever be performed on her body,
no more answers when it comes to her death, at
least not from a medical perspective. The unfortunate news was
like a punch in the gut for Audrey, who was
really hinging on the idea of a second autopsy, but
(12:21):
she did her best to remain strong and focused on
the positive. At this point, she was ready to bring
her sister home, and on February second, twenty twenty one,
she and Doug made the drive to New Orleans to
do just that.
Speaker 5 (12:36):
That was the first victory in all of this, the
first of this whole chain of events, this whole discovery,
this whole thing that was the one thing only because
it relied on him being the exact person that he
is to not be smart enough to say I can
object and then they can't do anything. Well, that's exactly
(12:58):
what we were hoping. It wouldn't happened because it was
a very real possibility. He had a very important card
that he didn't play. We're thankful he didn't do it.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
This was the family's first real triumph. They had Jessica.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
It felt amazing, It felt like a win, like of
nothing but losses and this haunt ore thing.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
It was totally awesome.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
With only a box of her bones, Jessica's family has
her cremated, and shortly after Valentine's Day, Audrey, Amanda, and
their parents gathered in Mississippi to say their goodbyes to Jessica.
With Jessica at home and at rest, there was now
just one thing to focus on, finding out what really
(13:51):
happened to Jessica. So Audrey, more energized than ever before,
got to work. She went on the Internet and made
a website, Justice for Jessica dot org, dedicated to her
sister's case, and also created a Twitter page to share
related information. And then in April twenty twenty one, she
(14:13):
drafted an online petition on change dot org designed to
nab the attention of newly elected New Orleans District Attorney
Jason Williams, whose Twitter handle is the People's DA. The petition,
which included a timeline Audrey created started with a very
straightforward ask at the top, requesting DA Jason R. Williams
(14:37):
to investigate the death of Jessica Easterly dearning, it goes
on to read, in part.
Speaker 7 (14:44):
We fully believe that this case has not been taken
seriously by local authorities from the beginning, and this impression
is based on the following elements of Jessica's story and
the collective solid information that we have obtained over the
course of its investigation. It is our firm belief that
once you examine the information we have gathered, you will
(15:07):
agree that the evidence pointing to Jessica's murder is palpable,
and the fact that it has been blatantly ignored by
the law is nothing short of derelict to their duties
to protect and seek justice for all members of their community.
We love and miss Jessica more than we can put
into words. She was a human being who did not
(15:30):
deserve to die so young, much less by the hands
of another person. Jessica was a living, breathing life, and
she had dreams, a favorite food, a favorite song. She
was smart and funny, and she loved with all of
her heart, sometimes to a fault. We implore you, the
(15:53):
People's DA Jason R. Williams, to please commence your own
investigation of the death of Ja Jessica easterly darning and
bring charges and retributions to the individuals responsible. Thank you
for your time and I look forward to working with
you to finally resolve my sister's case.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
The virtual signature steadily grew by the hundreds and then
the thousands. Eventually the petition garnered the attention of true
crime YouTuber Kindle Ray for.
Speaker 6 (16:26):
Jessica because they deserve answers. Jessica deserves justice. This case
just tore my heart apart. So again I'll put all
that information below. You can follow Justice for Jessica, you
can fign the petition, and you can make a short
phone call in an email. It's going to make a
huge difference.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
So I reach out to Kendall to talk about how
an internet community helped stretch Jessica's village by the hundreds
of thousands. In fact, it was on Twitter where she
first learned about Jessica's case with a tweet by you
Guessed It. Audrey seen tweets from Audrey about the case,
(17:02):
and I reached out to her and then she followed
me and we connected via DM and then I kind
of got her email from there, And when I really
started to dive into the case and go over all
the information that was available, I was just blown away
that there wasn't any movement in the case and there
was very minimal coverage from what I was seeing. So
I just wanted to be of help in some way
(17:23):
and get some traction going and hopefully work towards justice.
And I mean I was just blown away by the
strength of their family and after all the trauma that
they had been through, for them to still be fighting
and doing everything they can with minimal help and resources.
I just really wanted to be part of that. This
wasn't the first time Kendall has used her social media
(17:43):
prowess for good. She's well aware of the impact the
public can make in a case like Jessica's.
Speaker 8 (17:51):
We have done several petitions over the years, and sometimes
we have luck with them, sometimes we don't. Normally, when
we pair it with a calling and email campaign, that
really gets things going. But the petition was basically an
easy way for anyone to participate if they didn't want
to take the extra step to email and call. We
just kind of came up with the idea to really
(18:12):
go after Jason Williams and get him to step up
to the plate and be the people's DA that he
claimed to be and investigate the case and basically get
any movement going. And basically I've realized that the power
of the masses is real and that we can really
make a change if enough people demand. It just really
(18:33):
takes enough people demanding justice, demanding action to actually get
people to do things sometimes, and there's been so many
cases that I've worked on where we've sent people to
call an email and sign petitions and it really just
works wonders because when they start feeling the pressure, then
action is actually taken.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Once Kendle Ray's video hit the Internet, the signature skyrocketed
to over one hundred thousand between the now largely supported
petition and all the retweets tagging the DA with the
hashtag justice for Jessica. Less than a month later, on
May fourth, twenty twenty one, District Attorney Jason Williams made
(19:16):
a public announcement on his Twitter page using the same
hashtag Justice for Jessica.
Speaker 9 (19:23):
District Attorney Wims is absolutely willing to meet with the
family of Jessica Easterly Derning to discuss this horrible matter.
He is also committed to re examining this matter with
fresh eyes and revisiting all facts and evidence involved with
this case in any other in New Orleans. DA Wims
(19:45):
is dedicated to seeking justice.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
And the DA followed through on his promise. In May
of twenty twenty one, less than a month after Audrey
created the petition, DA Jason Williams sat down with the
family to talk about Jessica's case. Audrey shared the update
on the change dot org page on May sixteenth, twenty
twenty one.
Speaker 7 (20:10):
We have met with the People's DA Jason Williams. At
this time, we are unable to comment regarding this meeting.
The world is watching and I hope this injustice is
taken seriously and accountability and justice will be served. Thank
you to everyone who has taken an interest in getting
Jessica the justice she deserves. It takes a village, and
(20:31):
I'm so thankful that you are part of Jessica's village,
demanding answers and accountability. Today, I leave you with one
thought said by doctor Martin Luther King, injustice anywhere is
a threat to justice everywhere.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Audrey shared a glimpse of their three hour meeting. When
we spoke over the phone.
Speaker 10 (20:56):
It was me, my sister, Amanda, Maria, my dad, and
we all went down there and we met with them,
and it was the DA. It was Alison Morgato, the
head of homicide was in there. He sounded very interested.
He said that he was sorry for what has happened
(21:16):
and how NPD have I handled this, And we just
talked to him about everything that we had and then
he was telling me that, you know, basically they were
going to look into it. And then I don't know, probably,
like I want to say, maybe a week or two later,
we heard from Alison Morgato and she said that Investigator
(21:41):
Joe Lorenzo was going to be handling the case.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Detective Joe Lorenzo is an investigator with the DA's office.
Speaker 10 (21:50):
I sent him over everything. I mean, he does keep
in contact with me if I have a question and
he'll answer it.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
The case is now in the office's hands, and Audrey
admits that after their initial meeting, she felt optimistic for
what seemed like the first time.
Speaker 10 (22:10):
I felt very hopeful, like he actually cared, like he
is fixing to solve this case. We're going to find
out exactly what happens to.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
My sister Jessica.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
And just as momentum started to swing in the family's favor,
Audrey's hope was further manifested an announcement from the DA himself.
He was planning to hold a press conference about Jessica's case,
So on August twenty fifth, twenty twenty one, I hopped
on a flight and headed back to New Orleans. The
(22:43):
press conference is scheduled for four o'clock in the Lakeview neighborhood,
near the area where Jessica's body was found. There's a
podium set up on top of a hill next to
the train tracks. The air is thick and the heat
is almost unbearable. Moisture balls up and slowly drips from
my nose onto the blank pages of my notebook. Local
(23:06):
media starts shuffling in, setting up their tripods and cameras
as reporters hold their recorders and notebooks. Everyone has their
phone out ready to snap photos. Jessica's mom, Donna Schmidt,
stands just to the side of the podium along with
her father, who's holding a white homemade sign with Jessica's
(23:28):
photo and the hashtag Justice for Jessica. The sign reads
we are not going to rest, We are not going
to give up on this. We are not going to
wash our hands of this or back down at all
until justice is served in this case. Behind them, more
family members hold neon pink signs in support of Jessica.
(23:52):
Her sister, Audrey, is wearing a purple T shirt, and
her fingernails peeking around the corner of a sign she's
holding are also perple, Jessica's favorite color. Audrey holds steady,
a face of grit and determination as the clock ticks
past four. Then a hush comes over the small crowd
(24:14):
as a suited man walks to the microphone, puts on
a pair of tortoiseshell glasses, and clears his throat. District
Attorney Jason Williams of Orleans Parish kicks off the press
conference by welcoming the family to the site where they
found Jessica's body just two years earlier.
Speaker 11 (24:34):
First of all, let me just say to the family
of Jessica, I want to thank them for being at
this place, at this site. I know it is not easy.
I know every time they come anywhere close to this area.
They are reliving the worst moment of their lives. As
(24:56):
you know, two years ago, we unfortunately lost Jessica after
going missing. Jessica's sisters found her deceased just steps away
from where we're standing right now. And since that day,
this family has had absolutely no closure in this case.
(25:22):
They've gotten no answers in this case. Each of these
strong family members behind me is a constant reminder of
the work that this office has to do. Frankly, the
entire criminal legal system at large must do to solve
(25:42):
cases like this one and many other cases across the
city that remain unsolved after two years. Unsolved, a case
is considered cold, and we all know that for far
too many decades, too many murder cases is in the
Parish of Orleans have gone unsolved, and every single day.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
That goes the DA announces he's starting a cold case unit,
using Jessica's case as a segue to discuss the bigger picture.
Speaker 11 (26:14):
Since nineteen sixty four, approximately five thousand, four hundred and
thirty two cases murder cases have gone unsolved in our city.
And when you add the numbers of those loss lives
to the family and friends, impacted by these unsolved murders.
You can easily understand the cycle of trauma and violence
(26:37):
in our communty. Solving cold cases is a hard job.
It is difficult. It is an uphill battle. But I
ran for DA so that this office could lead and
be a partner with the rest of the criminal legal
system doing the hardest things, doing the difficult task. This
(27:02):
cold Case Unit will specifically and strategically target and review
cases that have not been resolved. This unit is going
to revisit past data and put fresh eyes on the evidence,
put fresh eyes on the people and persons of interest
that first peaked law enforcements curiosity, so that we can
(27:26):
do everything within our power, everything within our distress and
authority to bring closure and resolution to these families.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
The DA's newly created Cold Case Unit will tackle thousands
of cases that have remained unsolved in the city for
far too long. Williams admits tall task for a single unit.
So Williams makes a plea to the city and more directly,
to the Lakeview neighborhood.
Speaker 11 (27:57):
The purpose of today's press conference on these railroad tracks, however,
is to make a very clear and a very direct
public appeal to this community, because we cannot do this
work alone. We need you, the members of the public.
We need you to help us. We need you to
speak up, because in order to solve cold cases and
(28:21):
unsolved murders, all of the law enforcement community needs your help.
This city, the five thousand plus unsolved cases, needs your help.
This family needs your help. I need your help. If
you have any information whatsoever about Jessica's last moments, about
(28:45):
Jessica's last day, about Jessica's death, I'm begging you to
come forward. I am pleading with you to provide any information,
no matter how small you might think it is. Today
I have with me.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Williams wraps his speech by introducing the Chief of Victim
Witnesses Services, Alison Legato, from his office. She leads what
he calls an integral team of sixteen. Since recently taking office,
he says he's doubled the size of her team because
there wasn't enough time and attention given to witnesses, victims,
(29:24):
and survivors, providing them not only with mental health support
but also safety as he takes cases to trial. In closing,
Williams makes one final plea to the public, and I.
Speaker 11 (29:39):
Want to say to this family. Just like I said
to Jessica's mother, you have our thoughts and prayers and
you know that. But this family needs more than that.
This family needs us to work and work together. This
family needs us to be a team. This family needs
closure and deserves justice. And in the world, the way
(30:00):
that we could achieve that is for private citizens to
get involved in this fight. To not sit down and
take information to bet with you at night, or take
it to your grave, but to speak out and tell
us what you know. Tell us what you saw, no
matter how insignificant you might think it was. If you
(30:21):
think you saw someone who matches Jessica's description on this
faithful night, give us at information on the day before,
get us at information. This is how we solve cold cases.
This is what we need to move this investigation forward.
So at this time, I would please like.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
To welcome Darlene Constanza, the President and CEO of Crime
Stoppers in New Orleans, has led the anonymous tipline efforts
in Jessica's case.
Speaker 12 (30:49):
From day one, we got calls and requests for help
in Jessica's case, and they wouldn't give up. They knew
that there was something that more that could be discovered
there was more to the story and for crime Stoppers,
and we have to take our leave from law enforcement
and where a case would stand.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
So I can just say that we're here.
Speaker 12 (31:09):
Crime Stoppers doesn't go away.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
But all we do.
Speaker 12 (31:13):
Is step up in front of the victims' families and say,
let us be your voice. Let us be that anonymous
way for people in the community who may be fearful
to get involved. Yes there's a reward, Yes we do that,
it's twenty five hundred. But more importantly, it's time now
to say enough is enough. I'm not gonna let another
(31:34):
family go through this. I would not want my family
to go through it. And I can tell you whatever
information you have, don't think it's too small.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
As Darlene leaves a podium, I notice a petite woman
start to wade through the large chunks of gravel towards
the top of the hill overlooking the Lakeview neighborhood. It's
just Pscka's mother, Donna. She's about to speak publicly for
the very first time. Donna's wearing a charcoal gray sleeveless
(32:08):
romper with a sheer black veil softly draped over her
silver hair. A small pair of round black sunglasses shade
her from the sun and conceal her eyes. Already welling
up with sadness and anger, She cautiously approaches the podium
with numerous microphones pointed at her in anticipation. The silence
(32:35):
is palpable. She removes her sunglasses and hangs them gently
from her scarf. As she begins to speak, her voice quivers.
Speaker 13 (32:46):
She is my only biological daughter. I have vivid memories
from the day that she was born, and she was
a very vibrate, talented, loving woman. I do not believe,
and I will never believe, my daughter died at the scene.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
My daughter was dumped.
Speaker 13 (33:07):
This investigation was handled poorly. All efforts within the department
was shut down.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
She was a cold case.
Speaker 13 (33:19):
Her death undetermined. My daughter was dumped two blocks.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
From her resident in a wooded area.
Speaker 13 (33:29):
Fractures of the neck and cervical spine and ribs occurred
after she died. I believe justice will be served.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Justice is always served.
Speaker 13 (33:44):
It may not be served in this world, but it
will be served in the next.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
And her predator will receive that justice.
Speaker 13 (33:53):
But it is not until people come forth and tell
their stories and have the courage to at least say something.
People are so fearful, but you have to put yourself
into situations that families have put in when unsolved murders occur.
When that precious daughter that you held in your arms,
that you nurtured all those years, that you have vivid
(34:14):
members of night in and night out, that.
Speaker 14 (34:16):
She's in a war, she is in a mor for
almost two years, two years. Please come forward, Please have
that courage to do what is necessary to solve this case.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Speaker 13 (34:34):
I will remember each and every face here today for
your support.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Donna stepped somberly away from the microphone and back out
of the spotlight as da Williams approaches the podium once more,
making one final appeal following Donna's cry for help, I.
Speaker 11 (35:01):
Want to take this podium and be in these shoes.
No father ever wants to be in these shoes. I
am pleading with the members of this community, no matter
how small or slight you believe your information might be,
no matter how scared or nervous you might be, for
(35:22):
coming for you. We have systems in place to protect
your dinner. We have systems in place to help and
protect you. I'm asking that if you know anything about
Jessica's disappearance, her death, or her final days, please get
that information to crime stoppers or get that information to
the DA's office. At eight two to two two.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
After wrapping up, William starts taking questions from reporters, and
I jump at the chance. I've been eager to ask
a very specific question ever since he made the announcement
that he'd be looking into Jessica's case.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
The cold case unit.
Speaker 15 (36:01):
You spoke a lot of about homicide victims and the
many cases that are here in the city. The coroner
has ruled her cause and manner of death as undetermined.
Is your investigator looking at this case as a homicide?
Speaker 1 (36:16):
How are you investigating her death?
Speaker 11 (36:19):
You never put the cart before the horse and say
what you're gonna find, But when you have a suspicious death,
I think you investigated. My office is investigating any death
like this as a homicide, looking for any answers, looking
for any evidence, And today we're begging with the public
to come forward with more information, more witness testimony, and
(36:40):
more evidence.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
This is the first time anyone in any investigative official
capacity has ever said that Jessica Easterly Derning's case was
going to be investigated as a homicide. While the coroner
has deemed Jessica's cause and manner of death as undetermined,
william says the corner's office doesn't have all the information.
Speaker 11 (37:07):
Each case is different, Each case has a unique set
of circumstances, and frankly, you know what, how a coroner
classifies the death is based upon a very limited set
of facts. Corners aren't looking at all of the interviews.
Corners aren't looking at all the police supports. Corners don't
get all the evidence. They are really faced with a
(37:29):
limited set of facts that's before them, and that it
should not and cannot be the end of the termination.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
Got any other question?
Speaker 1 (37:36):
I just had one more.
Speaker 15 (37:37):
Sure, are you looking at any one particular person of
interest at this time?
Speaker 11 (37:41):
I certainly cannot answer that question with you.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
He assures the public that at this point in his
office's investigation, nothing is off the table.
Speaker 11 (37:51):
I haven't taken anything off the books, and I cannot.
I cannot take anything off the books. We have to
investigate any and every lead that comes to us. That
is what an investigation is. If you have predetermined something,
then you are not doing a thorough investigation, so we're
looking at every single leap. All right, thank you guys,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
For Following the press conference, we move into Audrey's cousin,
Stephanie's air conditioned car, to cool off and talk about
how they felt everything went and where they go from here.
He said the words today that his office is investigating
(38:30):
this as a homicide.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
That makes me happy. That makes me real.
Speaker 15 (38:35):
Happy, considering it's classified as unclassified with n OPD classified
as undetermined with the coroner's office. To have someone in
a high power investigating her case as a homicide.
Speaker 16 (38:51):
Correct, Yes, yeah, that makes me happy that he's now
considering it as a homicide.
Speaker 15 (38:58):
Do you have some thing that you haven't had in
the last two years?
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Hope and faith that this will be resolved, hopefully soon.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
I asked Audrey how she felt listening to her mom
speak publicly for the first time.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
I think it's great that she spoke that.
Speaker 16 (39:20):
And I don't know if you know, but my mother
has a medical background, so all those injuries that my
sister suffered, she has seen that before, so she knows.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
What she's talking about.
Speaker 16 (39:32):
I mean, I'm glad she said it, but I feel
sad because my mother shouldn't have to do that.
Speaker 3 (39:36):
No mother should ever have to do that.
Speaker 16 (39:39):
And ask for the public's help in a cold case.
Speaker 15 (39:44):
Do you think that the DA's words, crime stoppers words,
your mom's words resonated today with someone.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
I hope so I'm praying and that they'll call crime
stoppers and give us that one little piece of the
puzzle that we need.
Speaker 15 (40:04):
You said you had faith, and you have hope.
Speaker 17 (40:08):
I always have faith in hope, no matter what, I
always have faith in hope.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
Audrey tells me the family had finally laid Jessica to
rest with a funeral just a few weeks ago. The
pandemic had sort of put that on hold. She thinks
the timing of that with today's press conference is what
finally propelled Jessica's mother to speak out for the first time.
Speaker 16 (40:31):
I think maybe after Jessica's funeral on Saturday, I think
she fills like she needs to say something.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
Now.
Speaker 15 (40:40):
Can you tell me a little bit about it?
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Was August twenty first?
Speaker 15 (40:44):
Was that when you had the funeral?
Speaker 16 (40:47):
Yes, it was August twenty first. It was in Alabama.
It was that Saint Margaret of Scotland Catholic.
Speaker 3 (40:54):
Church and it was a beautiful, beautiful church.
Speaker 16 (40:58):
It's the surech that my parents go tom but.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
We had a service there for Jessica.
Speaker 17 (41:04):
It definitely made me realize that my sister's no longer here,
Like I knew that she wasn't here before, but I
think that that just like I finally realized that my
sister really is gone. And I don't want to say
closure because I hate that word, but.
Speaker 4 (41:19):
It made me accept that Jessica really has gone.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
Stephanie explains what the journey and the struggle have been
like for Audrey a two year battle in counting it's
been a roller coaster ride of emotions, hope given, hope
taken away over and over again, which is why this
new investigation means so much to her.
Speaker 18 (41:48):
She needed to believe in the DA and what the
DA was saying and that it wasn't this same song
and dance that NPD had sold. And once she can
believe that they are doing what they're saying they're doing
(42:10):
and put the faith in them, then she will be
able to back off of it a little bit because
she understands they have their role to do and that
she can't know everything they're doing because we've talked about this.
Speaker 16 (42:28):
Yeah, it's just hard for me to trust because for
a year and a half I have heard, oh, yeah
we're going to do this, so, yeah, we're going to
do that, and nothing was ever done.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
So in that regards, yes, I do have faith because
I do know that some things have been you know,
been done.
Speaker 15 (42:48):
Do you think the DA's office is going to be
the ones who solve her case?
Speaker 3 (42:53):
Yes?
Speaker 13 (42:54):
I do.
Speaker 15 (42:55):
What does solving her case? What does justice for Jessica
look like for you? What does that day look like
for you?
Speaker 17 (43:05):
The day that the judge says guilty, that would.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Be justice for Jessica, and then.
Speaker 17 (43:14):
That person or person's will be in prison.
Speaker 3 (43:18):
That would be justice. That has to happen. It just
has to happen.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
One thing is for certain. If justice is ever going
to happen, someone must investigate her case. And while there's
a renewed sense of interest and urgency by the DA,
it's still hard for the family and at this point
for us to sit back and trust that everyone is
(43:49):
doing what needs to be done. So Todd and I
make a call. We believe we have some important information,
a recommendation we want to share regarding those text messages
from a concerned neighbor which we covered in our last
episode and what could be a vital piece of evidence
(44:09):
in this case, but it has an expiration date and
right now the clock is ticking.
Speaker 19 (44:19):
So there was a neighbor of Justin Derney's by Jay Royce.
He had communicated with a phone over the next door
app and he says during the text thread it was
an accident and he said she slipped and fell in
the bathroom. Just so you know, location information for that
(44:44):
phone service provider are purged in two years, so unless
someone sends in a preservation request to the service provider,
if you don't get them by October of twenty twenty two,
they will be purged.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Forever Undetermined is a production of Resonate Recordings and Tenderfoot
(45:30):
TV in conjunction with Cadence thirteen, written and hosted by
me Jessica Nole and produced by Dennis Cooper and Todd McComas,
with additional production by Whitney Bozart. Executive producers are Dennis Cooper,
Mark Minnery, Jacob Bozart, Donald Albright, and Payne Lindsay. Our
(45:52):
senior producer is John Street. Editing mixing, mastering and sound
design by Caleb Milton, Dayton Cole and Pat kit Glider
of the Resonate Recordings team. If you have a podcast
or are looking to start one, check us out at
Resonate Recordings dot com. Our theme song and original score
(46:14):
is by Dirt Poor Robbins with additional scoring by Dayton Cole.
Our cover art is by Station sixteen. The voice acting
by Tina Willis and Al Peterson. Thank you to Kindle
Ray and Mile Higher Studios for your contributions to Jessica's
Case and to this podcast. You can follow Undetermined Podcast
(46:36):
on Facebook and on Twitter at Undetermined Pod. Show notes
as well as bonus content can be found on our website,
undetermined pod dot com. If you enjoyed this episode, please
take time to subscribe, rate, and review. Your feedback is
greatly appreciated. And finally, if you have any information about
(47:00):
this case, call crime Stoppers at one eight seven seven
nine zero three seven eight sixty seven
Hey listeners Jessica here, be sure to check out new
episodes of Undetermined every Tuesday for free wherever you get
your podcasts. For early and ad free listening, check out
Tenderfoot plus on Apple Podcasts. The views and opinions expressed
in this podcast are solely those of the individuals interviewed
(00:24):
and participating in the show, and do not represent those
of Tenderfoot TV and resonate recordings. All individuals described or
mentioned in the podcast should be considered innocent until found
guilty in a court of law. This podcast contains subject
matter such as violence and graphic descriptions, which may not
(00:45):
be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Jessica's sister, Audrey,
has never forgotten a sit down she had with three
n OPD detectives back in January twenty twenty, a meeting
that lit a fire in her which still burns to
this day.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So, in this meeting, they told me and my dad
that it was a cold case and that there was
nothing that homicide.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Could do about it.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And I got really upset and I slammed my fist
down on the table. I stood up and I said,
how can it possibly be a cold case, and then
that was really just about all of it, because by
that time I was just like, I'm done. I'm fucking done.
(01:41):
This means war.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Growing up, Audrey was always the self proclaimed rebel out
of the three sisters, the one who spoke out, stood out,
and stood up. And since Jessica's death in twenty nineteen,
Audrey's been a rebel with a cause because getting justice
for her Jessica. No matter what it takes, it's just.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
A fucked up situation and it has me questioning life
and just everything in general. We were always taught, you know,
if you need help, then you ask the cops for help.
But this is just opened my eyes and it's like
they're not doing anything. Why would we How can we
(02:28):
even trust someone that's not even doing their job?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Believe it or not, Audrey's actually been fighting two separate
battles since losing Jessica, one of course, with the NPD
over the lack of resolution in her sister's case, but
another with the Corner's office over her sister's remains, which
have been stuck there since her family discovered her body
on August twenty second, twenty eighteen. But come early twenty
(02:57):
twenty one, the family was finally given some hope, though
for Audrey this still loved one unnerving question.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
I felt like, oh my god, finally they're releasing her
to us.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
But then I was also upset because I was like, well.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Why did they give him five hundred and thirty days
before they actually told us we.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Could have her.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Inside Jessica's mother's home, there's a memorial set up on
a table. White angels perched on wooden pedestals keep over
a photo of Jessica that's placed inside a small bible
propped open, along with a white tapered candle standing tall
in a gold holder. A silver and white pearl rosary
(04:15):
is draped nearby. All of it centered around a glass cross,
which sits on top of Jessica's round marble urn with
stars and a large crescent moon etched on the top.
For her love of astrology and celestial beauty. It reads
Jessica Renee Easterly Heaven's Melody Starlit Cosmic Dancer crossing the Universe.
(04:42):
Born August seventeenth, nineteen seventy six, deceased August twenty second,
twenty nineteen. Many loved ones have written their memories of
Jessica in an online obituary, like her best friend Maria,
whom Jessica called low, who wrote, I don't know how
(05:03):
to accept this theft of light from the world. I
miss you like crazy. I hear the music you send me.
I love you always and forever. And our mother Donna,
who wrote, you are worth every day, every prayer, every
fear and every tear I shed those four months in
(05:24):
bed waiting for you to grow to term. I love you,
Jessica Easterly. Audrey thinks about her younger sister Jessica every
single day. Inside her home hangs a beautiful silver wind
chime that Jessica had given to her. It reminds Audrey
of her sister each time a gentle breeze passes through.
(05:47):
The top is a full sun linked to a series
of metal chimes, holding all the pieces together. Dangling by
a thin wire. Just below the chimes is a moon
holding a Audrey remembers the day Jessica bought it, and
she told Audrey that it reminded her of the bond
they shared. The two even had matching astrology themed tattoos,
(06:12):
Audrey with the sun and Jessica with the moon and
a star. It's the wind chime blowing softly in the
southern breeze. Each time Audrey opens the door that reminds
her family. With every twist and turn throughout Jessica's story,
there was a reason, a purpose. Take Jessica's urn for example,
(06:35):
the one in the middle of that elaborate memorial back
at her mother's house, a symbol of closure, but for
this family, so much more than that. Jessica may be
at rest and at home now, where she should be,
but she didn't get there through normal circumstances, not even close,
I'll explain. From August twenty nineteen to February twenty twenty one,
(07:01):
Jessica's body sat in the morgue unclaimed. Throughout that time,
Audrey remained persistent with the coroner's office, but ultimately it
was out of her control. The family was stuck hopeless.
Not only was Jessica's case in limbo, Jessica herself was
also in limbo. That was until January of twenty twenty one,
(07:25):
when out of the blue, Audrey received a call she'd
been waiting on for a long time.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
So January fifth, the coroner called me and asked me
if my name was Audrey Schmidt, and I said yes,
And I said, can we have Jessica? He said, well,
he goes, I'm going to have to make it legal
and send justin legal notices. I was like okay. I
(07:52):
was like, well, can you give me a timeline? He said,
I cannot give you a timeline.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Fortunately for Audrey, it didn't take long to hear something
more definitive. She remembers the wave of emotions excitement, of course,
but she felt conflicted.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I felt like, oh my god, finally they're releasing her
to us. But then I was also upset because I
was like, well, hawkm it took.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Five hundred and thirty days. Why did they give him
five hundred and thirty days before they actually told us we.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Could have her.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Audrey immediately reached out to her cousin, Doug, who, if
you remember, works in the funeral home industry.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
It took about what a year and five months before
the chain of custody moved to the next link. And
that was a bittersweet moment because right of custody and
right of disposition are two different things, and it was
both frustrating and a relief at the same time, because
it's still left open for one important invariable because naturally
(09:01):
an next of kin would still be justin. He's the spouse,
but we had to try to make attempts to contact
him throughout a ten day period in order to see
if there's any objection on his part before the next Mexicican,
which is Jessica's mom, can take the right of disposition.
Speaker 6 (09:19):
And that was a.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
Hard ten days because you just don't know. We didn't
know if he was going to object, and he did not.
Ten days passed. On the eleventh day, we made arrangements
for Louisiana Funeral Home to drive to pick her up.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
After five hundred and thirty days at the Corner's office,
Jessica was finally coming home. As Audrey made arrangements to
pick up Jessica's body from the Corner's office, she had
just one important request when.
Speaker 5 (09:53):
She told me that, hey, you know, I have custody
and I want to get a second autopsy. I immediately
asked one of my line balmer coworkers and friends. I said, hey, man,
they said that there's not much left to do an autopsy.
You know, she's been in a cooler. She wasn't involved
for a year and five months, he said, and he
(10:13):
was able to paint a picture for me of what
to expect at that level of dcom.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
The picture he described Doug was disturbing, to say the least,
but it at least left room for optimism when it
came to the possibility of a second autopsy. But when
they finally received her remains.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
It was a little box of bones and they looked
like they were perfectly cleaned, organized in a box, complete
opposite of what I was expected from these guys who
have been doing this upwards of twenty years. They couldn't
explain while it was a box of bones. They say, so,
(10:55):
did did y'all want this thing like cleaned and organized
or something really and give them any instruction to do
any of that? We didn't even know that was an option.
And that is one question, the biggest question I have,
just because of my profession. What did y'all do to
these remains to reduce it to this? Because from what
(11:16):
I understand that this is not a normal thing. It
blew my mind because I'm like I work here. I've
personally gone and picked up people who have been sitting
in corners office, medical examiners offices, or crime labs and
Jackson that have been there for a long time and
they're still intact. But dcomp obviously still happens. Never seen
(11:41):
it like that, Absolutely not.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Boons.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
That's all that was left of Jessica. To make matters worse,
no further medical examinations can ever be performed on her body,
no more answers when it comes to her death, at
least not from a medical perspective. The unfortunate news was
like a punch in the gut for Audrey, who was
really hinging on the idea of a second autopsy, but
(12:21):
she did her best to remain strong and focused on
the positive. At this point, she was ready to bring
her sister home, and on February second, twenty twenty one,
she and Doug made the drive to New Orleans to
do just that.
Speaker 5 (12:36):
That was the first victory in all of this, the
first of this whole chain of events, this whole discovery,
this whole thing that was the one thing only because
it relied on him being the exact person that he
is to not be smart enough to say I can
object and then they can't do anything. Well, that's exactly
(12:58):
what we were hoping. It wouldn't happened because it was
a very real possibility. He had a very important card
that he didn't play. We're thankful he didn't do it.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
This was the family's first real triumph. They had Jessica.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
It felt amazing, It felt like a win, like of
nothing but losses and this haunt ore thing.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
It was totally awesome.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
With only a box of her bones, Jessica's family has
her cremated, and shortly after Valentine's Day, Audrey, Amanda, and
their parents gathered in Mississippi to say their goodbyes to Jessica.
With Jessica at home and at rest, there was now
just one thing to focus on, finding out what really
(13:51):
happened to Jessica. So Audrey, more energized than ever before,
got to work. She went on the Internet and made
a website, Justice for Jessica dot org, dedicated to her
sister's case, and also created a Twitter page to share
related information. And then in April twenty twenty one, she
(14:13):
drafted an online petition on change dot org designed to
nab the attention of newly elected New Orleans District Attorney
Jason Williams, whose Twitter handle is the People's DA. The petition,
which included a timeline Audrey created started with a very
straightforward ask at the top, requesting DA Jason R. Williams
(14:37):
to investigate the death of Jessica Easterly dearning, it goes
on to read, in part.
Speaker 7 (14:44):
We fully believe that this case has not been taken
seriously by local authorities from the beginning, and this impression
is based on the following elements of Jessica's story and
the collective solid information that we have obtained over the
course of its investigation. It is our firm belief that
once you examine the information we have gathered, you will
(15:07):
agree that the evidence pointing to Jessica's murder is palpable,
and the fact that it has been blatantly ignored by
the law is nothing short of derelict to their duties
to protect and seek justice for all members of their community.
We love and miss Jessica more than we can put
into words. She was a human being who did not
(15:30):
deserve to die so young, much less by the hands
of another person. Jessica was a living, breathing life, and
she had dreams, a favorite food, a favorite song. She
was smart and funny, and she loved with all of
her heart, sometimes to a fault. We implore you, the
(15:53):
People's DA Jason R. Williams, to please commence your own
investigation of the death of Ja Jessica easterly darning and
bring charges and retributions to the individuals responsible. Thank you
for your time and I look forward to working with
you to finally resolve my sister's case.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
The virtual signature steadily grew by the hundreds and then
the thousands. Eventually the petition garnered the attention of true
crime YouTuber Kindle Ray for.
Speaker 6 (16:26):
Jessica because they deserve answers. Jessica deserves justice. This case
just tore my heart apart. So again I'll put all
that information below. You can follow Justice for Jessica, you
can fign the petition, and you can make a short
phone call in an email. It's going to make a
huge difference.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
So I reach out to Kendall to talk about how
an internet community helped stretch Jessica's village by the hundreds
of thousands. In fact, it was on Twitter where she
first learned about Jessica's case with a tweet by you
Guessed It. Audrey seen tweets from Audrey about the case,
(17:02):
and I reached out to her and then she followed
me and we connected via DM and then I kind
of got her email from there, And when I really
started to dive into the case and go over all
the information that was available, I was just blown away
that there wasn't any movement in the case and there
was very minimal coverage from what I was seeing. So
I just wanted to be of help in some way
(17:23):
and get some traction going and hopefully work towards justice.
And I mean I was just blown away by the
strength of their family and after all the trauma that
they had been through, for them to still be fighting
and doing everything they can with minimal help and resources.
I just really wanted to be part of that. This
wasn't the first time Kendall has used her social media
(17:43):
prowess for good. She's well aware of the impact the
public can make in a case like Jessica's.
Speaker 8 (17:51):
We have done several petitions over the years, and sometimes
we have luck with them, sometimes we don't. Normally, when
we pair it with a calling and email campaign, that
really gets things going. But the petition was basically an
easy way for anyone to participate if they didn't want
to take the extra step to email and call. We
just kind of came up with the idea to really
(18:12):
go after Jason Williams and get him to step up
to the plate and be the people's DA that he
claimed to be and investigate the case and basically get
any movement going. And basically I've realized that the power
of the masses is real and that we can really
make a change if enough people demand. It just really
(18:33):
takes enough people demanding justice, demanding action to actually get
people to do things sometimes, and there's been so many
cases that I've worked on where we've sent people to
call an email and sign petitions and it really just
works wonders because when they start feeling the pressure, then
action is actually taken.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Once Kendle Ray's video hit the Internet, the signature skyrocketed
to over one hundred thousand between the now largely supported
petition and all the retweets tagging the DA with the
hashtag justice for Jessica. Less than a month later, on
May fourth, twenty twenty one, District Attorney Jason Williams made
(19:16):
a public announcement on his Twitter page using the same
hashtag Justice for Jessica.
Speaker 9 (19:23):
District Attorney Wims is absolutely willing to meet with the
family of Jessica Easterly Derning to discuss this horrible matter.
He is also committed to re examining this matter with
fresh eyes and revisiting all facts and evidence involved with
this case in any other in New Orleans. DA Wims
(19:45):
is dedicated to seeking justice.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
And the DA followed through on his promise. In May
of twenty twenty one, less than a month after Audrey
created the petition, DA Jason Williams sat down with the
family to talk about Jessica's case. Audrey shared the update
on the change dot org page on May sixteenth, twenty
twenty one.
Speaker 7 (20:10):
We have met with the People's DA Jason Williams. At
this time, we are unable to comment regarding this meeting.
The world is watching and I hope this injustice is
taken seriously and accountability and justice will be served. Thank
you to everyone who has taken an interest in getting
Jessica the justice she deserves. It takes a village, and
(20:31):
I'm so thankful that you are part of Jessica's village,
demanding answers and accountability. Today, I leave you with one
thought said by doctor Martin Luther King, injustice anywhere is
a threat to justice everywhere.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Audrey shared a glimpse of their three hour meeting. When
we spoke over the phone.
Speaker 10 (20:56):
It was me, my sister, Amanda, Maria, my dad, and
we all went down there and we met with them,
and it was the DA. It was Alison Morgato, the
head of homicide was in there. He sounded very interested.
He said that he was sorry for what has happened
(21:16):
and how NPD have I handled this, And we just
talked to him about everything that we had and then
he was telling me that, you know, basically they were
going to look into it. And then I don't know, probably,
like I want to say, maybe a week or two later,
we heard from Alison Morgato and she said that Investigator
(21:41):
Joe Lorenzo was going to be handling the case.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Detective Joe Lorenzo is an investigator with the DA's office.
Speaker 10 (21:50):
I sent him over everything. I mean, he does keep
in contact with me if I have a question and
he'll answer it.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
The case is now in the office's hands, and Audrey
admits that after their initial meeting, she felt optimistic for
what seemed like the first time.
Speaker 10 (22:10):
I felt very hopeful, like he actually cared, like he
is fixing to solve this case. We're going to find
out exactly what happens to.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
My sister Jessica.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
And just as momentum started to swing in the family's favor,
Audrey's hope was further manifested an announcement from the DA himself.
He was planning to hold a press conference about Jessica's case,
So on August twenty fifth, twenty twenty one, I hopped
on a flight and headed back to New Orleans. The
(22:43):
press conference is scheduled for four o'clock in the Lakeview neighborhood,
near the area where Jessica's body was found. There's a
podium set up on top of a hill next to
the train tracks. The air is thick and the heat
is almost unbearable. Moisture balls up and slowly drips from
my nose onto the blank pages of my notebook. Local
(23:06):
media starts shuffling in, setting up their tripods and cameras
as reporters hold their recorders and notebooks. Everyone has their
phone out ready to snap photos. Jessica's mom, Donna Schmidt,
stands just to the side of the podium along with
her father, who's holding a white homemade sign with Jessica's
(23:28):
photo and the hashtag Justice for Jessica. The sign reads
we are not going to rest, We are not going
to give up on this. We are not going to
wash our hands of this or back down at all
until justice is served in this case. Behind them, more
family members hold neon pink signs in support of Jessica.
(23:52):
Her sister, Audrey, is wearing a purple T shirt, and
her fingernails peeking around the corner of a sign she's
holding are also perple, Jessica's favorite color. Audrey holds steady,
a face of grit and determination as the clock ticks
past four. Then a hush comes over the small crowd
(24:14):
as a suited man walks to the microphone, puts on
a pair of tortoiseshell glasses, and clears his throat. District
Attorney Jason Williams of Orleans Parish kicks off the press
conference by welcoming the family to the site where they
found Jessica's body just two years earlier.
Speaker 11 (24:34):
First of all, let me just say to the family
of Jessica, I want to thank them for being at
this place, at this site. I know it is not easy.
I know every time they come anywhere close to this area.
They are reliving the worst moment of their lives. As
(24:56):
you know, two years ago, we unfortunately lost Jessica after
going missing. Jessica's sisters found her deceased just steps away
from where we're standing right now. And since that day,
this family has had absolutely no closure in this case.
(25:22):
They've gotten no answers in this case. Each of these
strong family members behind me is a constant reminder of
the work that this office has to do. Frankly, the
entire criminal legal system at large must do to solve
(25:42):
cases like this one and many other cases across the
city that remain unsolved after two years. Unsolved, a case
is considered cold, and we all know that for far
too many decades, too many murder cases is in the
Parish of Orleans have gone unsolved, and every single day.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
That goes the DA announces he's starting a cold case unit,
using Jessica's case as a segue to discuss the bigger picture.
Speaker 11 (26:14):
Since nineteen sixty four, approximately five thousand, four hundred and
thirty two cases murder cases have gone unsolved in our city.
And when you add the numbers of those loss lives
to the family and friends, impacted by these unsolved murders.
You can easily understand the cycle of trauma and violence
(26:37):
in our communty. Solving cold cases is a hard job.
It is difficult. It is an uphill battle. But I
ran for DA so that this office could lead and
be a partner with the rest of the criminal legal
system doing the hardest things, doing the difficult task. This
(27:02):
cold Case Unit will specifically and strategically target and review
cases that have not been resolved. This unit is going
to revisit past data and put fresh eyes on the evidence,
put fresh eyes on the people and persons of interest
that first peaked law enforcements curiosity, so that we can
(27:26):
do everything within our power, everything within our distress and
authority to bring closure and resolution to these families.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
The DA's newly created Cold Case Unit will tackle thousands
of cases that have remained unsolved in the city for
far too long. Williams admits tall task for a single unit.
So Williams makes a plea to the city and more directly,
to the Lakeview neighborhood.
Speaker 11 (27:57):
The purpose of today's press conference on these railroad tracks, however,
is to make a very clear and a very direct
public appeal to this community, because we cannot do this
work alone. We need you, the members of the public.
We need you to help us. We need you to
speak up, because in order to solve cold cases and
(28:21):
unsolved murders, all of the law enforcement community needs your help.
This city, the five thousand plus unsolved cases, needs your help.
This family needs your help. I need your help. If
you have any information whatsoever about Jessica's last moments, about
(28:45):
Jessica's last day, about Jessica's death, I'm begging you to
come forward. I am pleading with you to provide any information,
no matter how small you might think it is. Today
I have with me.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Williams wraps his speech by introducing the Chief of Victim
Witnesses Services, Alison Legato, from his office. She leads what
he calls an integral team of sixteen. Since recently taking office,
he says he's doubled the size of her team because
there wasn't enough time and attention given to witnesses, victims,
(29:24):
and survivors, providing them not only with mental health support
but also safety as he takes cases to trial. In closing,
Williams makes one final plea to the public, and I.
Speaker 11 (29:39):
Want to say to this family. Just like I said
to Jessica's mother, you have our thoughts and prayers and
you know that. But this family needs more than that.
This family needs us to work and work together. This
family needs us to be a team. This family needs
closure and deserves justice. And in the world, the way
(30:00):
that we could achieve that is for private citizens to
get involved in this fight. To not sit down and
take information to bet with you at night, or take
it to your grave, but to speak out and tell
us what you know. Tell us what you saw, no
matter how insignificant you might think it was. If you
(30:21):
think you saw someone who matches Jessica's description on this
faithful night, give us at information on the day before,
get us at information. This is how we solve cold cases.
This is what we need to move this investigation forward.
So at this time, I would please like.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
To welcome Darlene Constanza, the President and CEO of Crime
Stoppers in New Orleans, has led the anonymous tipline efforts
in Jessica's case.
Speaker 12 (30:49):
From day one, we got calls and requests for help
in Jessica's case, and they wouldn't give up. They knew
that there was something that more that could be discovered
there was more to the story and for crime Stoppers,
and we have to take our leave from law enforcement
and where a case would stand.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
So I can just say that we're here.
Speaker 12 (31:09):
Crime Stoppers doesn't go away.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
But all we do.
Speaker 12 (31:13):
Is step up in front of the victims' families and say,
let us be your voice. Let us be that anonymous
way for people in the community who may be fearful
to get involved. Yes there's a reward, Yes we do that,
it's twenty five hundred. But more importantly, it's time now
to say enough is enough. I'm not gonna let another
(31:34):
family go through this. I would not want my family
to go through it. And I can tell you whatever
information you have, don't think it's too small.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
As Darlene leaves a podium, I notice a petite woman
start to wade through the large chunks of gravel towards
the top of the hill overlooking the Lakeview neighborhood. It's
just Pscka's mother, Donna. She's about to speak publicly for
the very first time. Donna's wearing a charcoal gray sleeveless
(32:08):
romper with a sheer black veil softly draped over her
silver hair. A small pair of round black sunglasses shade
her from the sun and conceal her eyes. Already welling
up with sadness and anger, She cautiously approaches the podium
with numerous microphones pointed at her in anticipation. The silence
(32:35):
is palpable. She removes her sunglasses and hangs them gently
from her scarf. As she begins to speak, her voice quivers.
Speaker 13 (32:46):
She is my only biological daughter. I have vivid memories
from the day that she was born, and she was
a very vibrate, talented, loving woman. I do not believe,
and I will never believe, my daughter died at the scene.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
My daughter was dumped.
Speaker 13 (33:07):
This investigation was handled poorly. All efforts within the department
was shut down.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
She was a cold case.
Speaker 13 (33:19):
Her death undetermined. My daughter was dumped two blocks.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
From her resident in a wooded area.
Speaker 13 (33:29):
Fractures of the neck and cervical spine and ribs occurred
after she died. I believe justice will be served.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Justice is always served.
Speaker 13 (33:44):
It may not be served in this world, but it
will be served in the next.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
And her predator will receive that justice.
Speaker 13 (33:53):
But it is not until people come forth and tell
their stories and have the courage to at least say something.
People are so fearful, but you have to put yourself
into situations that families have put in when unsolved murders occur.
When that precious daughter that you held in your arms,
that you nurtured all those years, that you have vivid
(34:14):
members of night in and night out, that.
Speaker 14 (34:16):
She's in a war, she is in a mor for
almost two years, two years. Please come forward, Please have
that courage to do what is necessary to solve this case.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Speaker 13 (34:34):
I will remember each and every face here today for
your support.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Donna stepped somberly away from the microphone and back out
of the spotlight as da Williams approaches the podium once more,
making one final appeal following Donna's cry for help, I.
Speaker 11 (35:01):
Want to take this podium and be in these shoes.
No father ever wants to be in these shoes. I
am pleading with the members of this community, no matter
how small or slight you believe your information might be,
no matter how scared or nervous you might be, for
(35:22):
coming for you. We have systems in place to protect
your dinner. We have systems in place to help and
protect you. I'm asking that if you know anything about
Jessica's disappearance, her death, or her final days, please get
that information to crime stoppers or get that information to
the DA's office. At eight two to two two.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
After wrapping up, William starts taking questions from reporters, and
I jump at the chance. I've been eager to ask
a very specific question ever since he made the announcement
that he'd be looking into Jessica's case.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
The cold case unit.
Speaker 15 (36:01):
You spoke a lot of about homicide victims and the
many cases that are here in the city. The coroner
has ruled her cause and manner of death as undetermined.
Is your investigator looking at this case as a homicide?
Speaker 1 (36:16):
How are you investigating her death?
Speaker 11 (36:19):
You never put the cart before the horse and say
what you're gonna find, But when you have a suspicious death,
I think you investigated. My office is investigating any death
like this as a homicide, looking for any answers, looking
for any evidence, And today we're begging with the public
to come forward with more information, more witness testimony, and
(36:40):
more evidence.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
This is the first time anyone in any investigative official
capacity has ever said that Jessica Easterly Derning's case was
going to be investigated as a homicide. While the coroner
has deemed Jessica's cause and manner of death as undetermined,
william says the corner's office doesn't have all the information.
Speaker 11 (37:07):
Each case is different, Each case has a unique set
of circumstances, and frankly, you know what, how a coroner
classifies the death is based upon a very limited set
of facts. Corners aren't looking at all of the interviews.
Corners aren't looking at all the police supports. Corners don't
get all the evidence. They are really faced with a
(37:29):
limited set of facts that's before them, and that it
should not and cannot be the end of the termination.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
Got any other question?
Speaker 1 (37:36):
I just had one more.
Speaker 15 (37:37):
Sure, are you looking at any one particular person of
interest at this time?
Speaker 11 (37:41):
I certainly cannot answer that question with you.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
He assures the public that at this point in his
office's investigation, nothing is off the table.
Speaker 11 (37:51):
I haven't taken anything off the books, and I cannot.
I cannot take anything off the books. We have to
investigate any and every lead that comes to us. That
is what an investigation is. If you have predetermined something,
then you are not doing a thorough investigation, so we're
looking at every single leap. All right, thank you guys,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
For Following the press conference, we move into Audrey's cousin,
Stephanie's air conditioned car, to cool off and talk about
how they felt everything went and where they go from here.
He said the words today that his office is investigating
(38:30):
this as a homicide.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
That makes me happy. That makes me real.
Speaker 15 (38:35):
Happy, considering it's classified as unclassified with n OPD classified
as undetermined with the coroner's office. To have someone in
a high power investigating her case as a homicide.
Speaker 16 (38:51):
Correct, Yes, yeah, that makes me happy that he's now
considering it as a homicide.
Speaker 15 (38:58):
Do you have some thing that you haven't had in
the last two years?
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Hope and faith that this will be resolved, hopefully soon.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
I asked Audrey how she felt listening to her mom
speak publicly for the first time.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
I think it's great that she spoke that.
Speaker 16 (39:20):
And I don't know if you know, but my mother
has a medical background, so all those injuries that my
sister suffered, she has seen that before, so she knows.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
What she's talking about.
Speaker 16 (39:32):
I mean, I'm glad she said it, but I feel
sad because my mother shouldn't have to do that.
Speaker 3 (39:36):
No mother should ever have to do that.
Speaker 16 (39:39):
And ask for the public's help in a cold case.
Speaker 15 (39:44):
Do you think that the DA's words, crime stoppers words,
your mom's words resonated today with someone.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
I hope so I'm praying and that they'll call crime
stoppers and give us that one little piece of the
puzzle that we need.
Speaker 15 (40:04):
You said you had faith, and you have hope.
Speaker 17 (40:08):
I always have faith in hope, no matter what, I
always have faith in hope.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
Audrey tells me the family had finally laid Jessica to
rest with a funeral just a few weeks ago. The
pandemic had sort of put that on hold. She thinks
the timing of that with today's press conference is what
finally propelled Jessica's mother to speak out for the first time.
Speaker 16 (40:31):
I think maybe after Jessica's funeral on Saturday, I think
she fills like she needs to say something.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
Now.
Speaker 15 (40:40):
Can you tell me a little bit about it?
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Was August twenty first?
Speaker 15 (40:44):
Was that when you had the funeral?
Speaker 16 (40:47):
Yes, it was August twenty first. It was in Alabama.
It was that Saint Margaret of Scotland Catholic.
Speaker 3 (40:54):
Church and it was a beautiful, beautiful church.
Speaker 16 (40:58):
It's the surech that my parents go tom but.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
We had a service there for Jessica.
Speaker 17 (41:04):
It definitely made me realize that my sister's no longer here,
Like I knew that she wasn't here before, but I
think that that just like I finally realized that my
sister really is gone. And I don't want to say
closure because I hate that word, but.
Speaker 4 (41:19):
It made me accept that Jessica really has gone.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
Stephanie explains what the journey and the struggle have been
like for Audrey a two year battle in counting it's
been a roller coaster ride of emotions, hope given, hope
taken away over and over again, which is why this
new investigation means so much to her.
Speaker 18 (41:48):
She needed to believe in the DA and what the
DA was saying and that it wasn't this same song
and dance that NPD had sold. And once she can
believe that they are doing what they're saying they're doing
(42:10):
and put the faith in them, then she will be
able to back off of it a little bit because
she understands they have their role to do and that
she can't know everything they're doing because we've talked about this.
Speaker 16 (42:28):
Yeah, it's just hard for me to trust because for
a year and a half I have heard, oh, yeah
we're going to do this, so, yeah, we're going to
do that, and nothing was ever done.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
So in that regards, yes, I do have faith because
I do know that some things have been you know,
been done.
Speaker 15 (42:48):
Do you think the DA's office is going to be
the ones who solve her case?
Speaker 3 (42:53):
Yes?
Speaker 13 (42:54):
I do.
Speaker 15 (42:55):
What does solving her case? What does justice for Jessica
look like for you? What does that day look like
for you?
Speaker 17 (43:05):
The day that the judge says guilty, that would.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Be justice for Jessica, and then.
Speaker 17 (43:14):
That person or person's will be in prison.
Speaker 3 (43:18):
That would be justice. That has to happen. It just
has to happen.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
One thing is for certain. If justice is ever going
to happen, someone must investigate her case. And while there's
a renewed sense of interest and urgency by the DA,
it's still hard for the family and at this point
for us to sit back and trust that everyone is
(43:49):
doing what needs to be done. So Todd and I
make a call. We believe we have some important information,
a recommendation we want to share regarding those text messages
from a concerned neighbor which we covered in our last
episode and what could be a vital piece of evidence
(44:09):
in this case, but it has an expiration date and
right now the clock is ticking.
Speaker 19 (44:19):
So there was a neighbor of Justin Derney's by Jay Royce.
He had communicated with a phone over the next door
app and he says during the text thread it was
an accident and he said she slipped and fell in
the bathroom. Just so you know, location information for that
(44:44):
phone service provider are purged in two years, so unless
someone sends in a preservation request to the service provider,
if you don't get them by October of twenty twenty two,
they will be purged.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Forever Undetermined is a production of Resonate Recordings and Tenderfoot
(45:30):
TV in conjunction with Cadence thirteen, written and hosted by
me Jessica Nole and produced by Dennis Cooper and Todd McComas,
with additional production by Whitney Bozart. Executive producers are Dennis Cooper,
Mark Minnery, Jacob Bozart, Donald Albright, and Payne Lindsay. Our
(45:52):
senior producer is John Street. Editing mixing, mastering and sound
design by Caleb Milton, Dayton Cole and Pat kit Glider
of the Resonate Recordings team. If you have a podcast
or are looking to start one, check us out at
Resonate Recordings dot com. Our theme song and original score
(46:14):
is by Dirt Poor Robbins with additional scoring by Dayton Cole.
Our cover art is by Station sixteen. The voice acting
by Tina Willis and Al Peterson. Thank you to Kindle
Ray and Mile Higher Studios for your contributions to Jessica's
Case and to this podcast. You can follow Undetermined Podcast
(46:36):
on Facebook and on Twitter at Undetermined Pod. Show notes
as well as bonus content can be found on our website,
undetermined pod dot com. If you enjoyed this episode, please
take time to subscribe, rate, and review. Your feedback is
greatly appreciated. And finally, if you have any information about
(47:00):
this case, call crime Stoppers at one eight seven seven
nine zero three seven eight sixty seven
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