March 29, 2024 • 14 mins
It’s March 1998 and 23-year-old Stacey Colbert is living out her dream. She’s living in her own apartment and working as a Marketing Assistant at American Electric Power in Columbus, Ohio.
But not everything is as it seems, and little does Stacey know her life is about to change forever…
In episode 1, we're rewinding back to the beginning where it all began...
Visit unseentruthpodcast.com for more case information
If you have any information about Stacey Colbert's case please contact Ohio Detective Bureau: (740) 833-2830 or via email at dcsodetectives@co.delaware.oh.us
Connect with The Unseen Truth on social media:
Follow Us On Instagram
Follow Us On Facebook
Connect with Finishing Stacey's Fight and help get justice for Stacey:
Follow on Instagram
Follow on Facebook
Support Finishing Stacey's Fight
But not everything is as it seems, and little does Stacey know her life is about to change forever…
In episode 1, we're rewinding back to the beginning where it all began...
Visit unseentruthpodcast.com for more case information
If you have any information about Stacey Colbert's case please contact Ohio Detective Bureau: (740) 833-2830 or via email at dcsodetectives@co.delaware.oh.us
Connect with The Unseen Truth on social media:
Follow Us On Instagram
Follow Us On Facebook
Connect with Finishing Stacey's Fight and help get justice for Stacey:
Follow on Instagram
Follow on Facebook
Support Finishing Stacey's Fight
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
On the unsolved murder case of OSU alum Stacey Colbert, whose remains were found six years
(00:06):
after she went missing back in 1998.
Last year I came across a case that resonated with me so deeply, a case that I would spend
countless hours investigating and researching, determined to put together the pieces of what
seemed to be a very complicated puzzle.
(00:28):
You know, one of those jigsaw puzzles where some of the pieces seem like they fit perfectly
together, but then you realize it doesn't quite fit.
I've had quite a few of those moments as my team and I continued to dive deeper into
this case.
As more clues started to reveal themselves and I took a closer look, the pieces started
(00:49):
to fit perfectly together, and the picture that formed revealed something much more sinister.
A monster.
Hiding in plain sight.
Over the course of this series, I'm diving into the untold story of the unsolved murder
of Stacey Colbert and sharing never before heard interviews with her family, friends,
(01:15):
and the current detective on her case.
We'll dive into new clues, timelines, and the tragic story of a vibrant, intelligent
woman who did all the right things and had her whole life ahead of her, only for it to
be stolen by someone she'd least expect.
I'm Jen Rivera and this is "The Unseen Truth," the murder of Stacey Colbert.
(01:39):
This is episode one.
(02:09):
A Light Fades.
Its March 1998 and 23-year-old Stacey Colbert is living out her dream.
She's living in her own apartment and working as a Marketing Assistant at American Electric
Power in Columbus, Ohio.
The year prior, she graduated from Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University
(02:33):
with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and had big dreams of working in marketing.
So far everything seemed to be going exactly how she envisioned, but not everything is as
it seems, and little does Stacey know her life is about to change forever.
(02:53):
To give you the full picture of this case, we must take it piece by piece.
So let's rewind back to the beginning, where it all began.
Stacey Beth Colbert was born on February 3rd, 1975, in Chicago, Illinois.
(03:13):
And shortly after her parents' Larry and Ronna decided to relocate Stacey and her older
sister Danielle to the small town of Charleston in East Central, Illinois.
Stacey and her sister were only two and a half years apart and were incredibly close.
They had that special kind of bond that only sisters can have.
(03:35):
Growing up, Stacey was very active and loved playing sports.
She was in tennis, cheerleading, and poms, whereas Danielle was more into theater and show
choir.
Despite living in a small town and not having much to do outside of going to the mall, movies
or the local park, the girls made the best of their time together.
(03:58):
We moved from Chicago to Charleston when we were pretty young.
We were in elementary school.
She had started school kindergarten, which is like East Central, Illinois.
And I was already in like second or third grade at the time.
(04:18):
And we were just partners.
Like I was that, there was only two years between us.
And so, you know, I was the big sister.
I was, you know, come on, take your sister around with you. She really was the athlete.
And even in our elementary school age, she was a runner.
(04:41):
She also in fourth grade, she ended up getting second place and winning a helicopter ride.
She's always been strong and independent.
She struggled.
She was one out of, gosh, I want to say 10,000 or more that couldn't control her eyes.
(05:02):
She had what they would call a learning disability.
And it was really due to muscles in her eyes.
And it would cause her to get very, very tired because the muscles didn't work like typical
people's muscles work in your eyes.
She had to work extra hard.
So, like an hour for you or I would be like five hours or six hours or seven hours.
(05:28):
And until she learned how to really deal with that, it took a pretty big toll on her.
And kids, kids can be pretty cruel.
When you're young, she didn't want to be different than everybody else.
She didn't like that to impact her.
Like, even like she's still in Chicago and she's a baby.
(05:51):
She didn't want anyone to know.
She had these big, huge, cop glasses.
You should see the lens and I mean, it was huge, very big.
And my mom had to coordinate with all the other neighborhood moms to make sure that they
looked at their trash before trash day because on her playing outside, they always wound up
(06:12):
in somebody's trash can because I don't know,
She didn't like them.
After high school, Danielle went off to Ohio State University, which was an exciting time
for the family since it was a family tradition.
Stacey and Danielle's father, Larry and his brother had both attended OSU, so the family
(06:32):
was excited that Danielle would be following in their footsteps.
Larry had taken the girls on a tour of the campus when Danielle was 14 and she was sold.
She immediately knew that was going to be the college that she attended.
A few years later, in 1994, Stacey followed in her sister's footsteps and joined Danielle
(06:53):
at the OSU campus after spending a short time at Lakeland Community College in Cleveland.
Danielle was thrilled to have Stacey join her at OSU.
You know, I wanted her to come with me to Ohio State really badly.
I didn't see her any different.
I thought she was wicked smart and creative.
(07:19):
The sisters started their own little tradition and would always meet up for coffee.
They loved to get Highlander Grogg or the nutty Irishman coffee at the local campus coffee
shop and catch up.
Not long after starting at OSU, Stacey joined the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.
There she met one of her very good friends, Paula.
(07:41):
She was one of a kind.
Nobody's perfect.
So it might make it sound like she walked on water.
She didn't.
She had her flaws, but she was amazing.
She was bold.
I mean, she was so audacious.
She would have like the Wall Street Journal delivered to the sorority house.
(08:01):
You know, and this was like Clinton's 1990s and she was a very proud Republican.
She didn't care who knew.
She was so confident in her own skin and so 100% authentically, stacey.
She was funny like goofy, funny.
She had big dreams and big goals for her life.
(08:24):
She really, really wanted to live in Chicago that was a big dream of hers.
Which landed that job with AEP right out of college.
She knew she was right on track or making that dream come true.
She had this bright smile.
Everyone noticed it from across the room and she was so little, maybe like, 5'1", but her smile
(08:48):
was huge.
And she was friendly with everybody and she was a super loyal friend.
She kept in touch.
Even with her friends from high school, like she kept close to them while she was at college,
particularly her very best friend.
They got together on a pretty regular basis, like they didn't get any talk on the phone all
(09:08):
the time.
And in the meantime of nurturing that friendship, she was cultivating really close friendships
with her sorority sisters, particularly two of the women that she would then go on to
move out of the sorority house and into an apartment with.
She adored those girls like they were, you know, as much as her flesh and blood as Danielle
(09:31):
was.
So precious and dear to her.
Stacy and I actually met when I was rushing the sorority.
So I don't even know if they still use that word, "now rush".
I think they keep changing the words and things, but I think you all know what that means.
And we were visiting all the different houses and Stacey was one of the people that I met.
(09:53):
She had joined this already, I think, a few years before.
So she's actually a year older than me or at least more in, you know, school-wise to
that side.
And Stacy loved to go to the parties, which I think most of us did.
And she was a big dancer and I liked to dance as well.
So we spent a lot of time together enjoying the parties and having a good time and laughing
(10:16):
together.
My sophomore year, her junior year, we both lived in the house.
We spent time together.
We had a class together.
I've told this story before, but Stacey was a very good student and she was always counted
on to be where she was supposed to be, when she was supposed to be, she was never late
(10:37):
to anything I can ever think of.
She was very punctual and very reliable and dependable and if she said she was going to
do something, she did it.
I would like to say that I was more put together than I was, but you know, I was young and,
you know, you're just you're experiencing life and I didn't always make the best decisions.
(10:57):
And I one day had skipped class because I had been out with friends the night before and I
asked Stacey if I could borrow her notes and she looked, she was like, "Why didn't you go to
class?"
And so while I was out late last night, she goes, "Well, maybe next time you'll go to
class."
And it wasn't that she wasn't going to help me out, but it was more like she wanted to
(11:19):
help me out in a more meaningful way to really call my attention to the fact that I wasn't
going to do well if I continued to behave in that manner.
But in such a kind way, and I think that was the thing that Stacey really was amazing
about, she was so kind and so sweet and so many people would even call her naive because
(11:40):
she sometimes didn't always see what was right in front of her.
I don't want anyone to confuse that with the fact that she would stand up for herself and
she would not let someone use her.
She would say what she meant and what she felt was right in that moment.
But do it in such a kind way that you maybe didn't even realize what was happening.
I think that speaks a lot to her character.
(12:03):
I don't know that she had a single enemy.
Stacey was a role up your sleeves, work hard, and make it happen kind of girl.
Stacey majored in marketing while attending Ohio State.
She was a powerhouse according to her friends and family.
She was so passionate about marketing and gave 110% to everything she did.
(12:28):
With her passion and drive, Stacey landed an amazing internship with McDonald's at the
1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
This internship would preface the start of an exciting career for Stacey, not long after
graduation.
The year following her internship in 1997, Stacy graduates from Ohio State University
(12:50):
with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
She lands a job as a Marketing Assistant at American Electric Power, one of the largest
electric energy companies in the United States.
During this time, Stacey moves into her own apartment at the Governor's apartment complex
in Columbus, just a few miles away from OSU.
(13:11):
Life couldn't be better for Stacey.
She's surrounded by her friends from college, she's only a few minutes away from her sister,
she's living on her own and has a new job that she loves.
But while Stacey is focused on starting her new life and making big plans for the future,
there's a monster lingering in the shadows.
(13:34):
A monster hiding in plain sight who will change the course of Stacey's life.
March 21, 1998 is the day that changes everything, the day the light fades.
We're going to revisit that fateful day in episode two, the last day.
(13:56):
That episode is available right now.
Make sure to follow us on social media at UnseenTruthPodcast and visit UnseenTruthPodcast.com
for more case information.
[MUSIC]
(14:18):
[MUSIC]
On the unsolved murder case of OSU alum Stacey Colbert, whose remains were found six years
(00:06):
after she went missing back in 1998.
Last year I came across a case that resonated with me so deeply, a case that I would spend
countless hours investigating and researching, determined to put together the pieces of what
seemed to be a very complicated puzzle.
(00:28):
You know, one of those jigsaw puzzles where some of the pieces seem like they fit perfectly
together, but then you realize it doesn't quite fit.
I've had quite a few of those moments as my team and I continued to dive deeper into
this case.
As more clues started to reveal themselves and I took a closer look, the pieces started
(00:49):
to fit perfectly together, and the picture that formed revealed something much more sinister.
A monster.
Hiding in plain sight.
Over the course of this series, I'm diving into the untold story of the unsolved murder
of Stacey Colbert and sharing never before heard interviews with her family, friends,
(01:15):
and the current detective on her case.
We'll dive into new clues, timelines, and the tragic story of a vibrant, intelligent
woman who did all the right things and had her whole life ahead of her, only for it to
be stolen by someone she'd least expect.
I'm Jen Rivera and this is "The Unseen Truth," the murder of Stacey Colbert.
(01:39):
This is episode one.
(02:09):
A Light Fades.
Its March 1998 and 23-year-old Stacey Colbert is living out her dream.
She's living in her own apartment and working as a Marketing Assistant at American Electric
Power in Columbus, Ohio.
The year prior, she graduated from Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University
(02:33):
with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and had big dreams of working in marketing.
So far everything seemed to be going exactly how she envisioned, but not everything is as
it seems, and little does Stacey know her life is about to change forever.
(02:53):
To give you the full picture of this case, we must take it piece by piece.
So let's rewind back to the beginning, where it all began.
Stacey Beth Colbert was born on February 3rd, 1975, in Chicago, Illinois.
(03:13):
And shortly after her parents' Larry and Ronna decided to relocate Stacey and her older
sister Danielle to the small town of Charleston in East Central, Illinois.
Stacey and her sister were only two and a half years apart and were incredibly close.
They had that special kind of bond that only sisters can have.
(03:35):
Growing up, Stacey was very active and loved playing sports.
She was in tennis, cheerleading, and poms, whereas Danielle was more into theater and show
choir.
Despite living in a small town and not having much to do outside of going to the mall, movies
or the local park, the girls made the best of their time together.
(03:58):
We moved from Chicago to Charleston when we were pretty young.
We were in elementary school.
She had started school kindergarten, which is like East Central, Illinois.
And I was already in like second or third grade at the time.
(04:18):
And we were just partners.
Like I was that, there was only two years between us.
And so, you know, I was the big sister.
I was, you know, come on, take your sister around with you. She really was the athlete.
And even in our elementary school age, she was a runner.
(04:41):
She also in fourth grade, she ended up getting second place and winning a helicopter ride.
She's always been strong and independent.
She struggled.
She was one out of, gosh, I want to say 10,000 or more that couldn't control her eyes.
(05:02):
She had what they would call a learning disability.
And it was really due to muscles in her eyes.
And it would cause her to get very, very tired because the muscles didn't work like typical
people's muscles work in your eyes.
She had to work extra hard.
So, like an hour for you or I would be like five hours or six hours or seven hours.
(05:28):
And until she learned how to really deal with that, it took a pretty big toll on her.
And kids, kids can be pretty cruel.
When you're young, she didn't want to be different than everybody else.
She didn't like that to impact her.
Like, even like she's still in Chicago and she's a baby.
(05:51):
She didn't want anyone to know.
She had these big, huge, cop glasses.
You should see the lens and I mean, it was huge, very big.
And my mom had to coordinate with all the other neighborhood moms to make sure that they
looked at their trash before trash day because on her playing outside, they always wound up
(06:12):
in somebody's trash can because I don't know,
She didn't like them.
After high school, Danielle went off to Ohio State University, which was an exciting time
for the family since it was a family tradition.
Stacey and Danielle's father, Larry and his brother had both attended OSU, so the family
(06:32):
was excited that Danielle would be following in their footsteps.
Larry had taken the girls on a tour of the campus when Danielle was 14 and she was sold.
She immediately knew that was going to be the college that she attended.
A few years later, in 1994, Stacey followed in her sister's footsteps and joined Danielle
(06:53):
at the OSU campus after spending a short time at Lakeland Community College in Cleveland.
Danielle was thrilled to have Stacey join her at OSU.
You know, I wanted her to come with me to Ohio State really badly.
I didn't see her any different.
I thought she was wicked smart and creative.
(07:19):
The sisters started their own little tradition and would always meet up for coffee.
They loved to get Highlander Grogg or the nutty Irishman coffee at the local campus coffee
shop and catch up.
Not long after starting at OSU, Stacey joined the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.
There she met one of her very good friends, Paula.
(07:41):
She was one of a kind.
Nobody's perfect.
So it might make it sound like she walked on water.
She didn't.
She had her flaws, but she was amazing.
She was bold.
I mean, she was so audacious.
She would have like the Wall Street Journal delivered to the sorority house.
(08:01):
You know, and this was like Clinton's 1990s and she was a very proud Republican.
She didn't care who knew.
She was so confident in her own skin and so 100% authentically, stacey.
She was funny like goofy, funny.
She had big dreams and big goals for her life.
(08:24):
She really, really wanted to live in Chicago that was a big dream of hers.
Which landed that job with AEP right out of college.
She knew she was right on track or making that dream come true.
She had this bright smile.
Everyone noticed it from across the room and she was so little, maybe like, 5'1", but her smile
(08:48):
was huge.
And she was friendly with everybody and she was a super loyal friend.
She kept in touch.
Even with her friends from high school, like she kept close to them while she was at college,
particularly her very best friend.
They got together on a pretty regular basis, like they didn't get any talk on the phone all
(09:08):
the time.
And in the meantime of nurturing that friendship, she was cultivating really close friendships
with her sorority sisters, particularly two of the women that she would then go on to
move out of the sorority house and into an apartment with.
She adored those girls like they were, you know, as much as her flesh and blood as Danielle
(09:31):
was.
So precious and dear to her.
Stacy and I actually met when I was rushing the sorority.
So I don't even know if they still use that word, "now rush".
I think they keep changing the words and things, but I think you all know what that means.
And we were visiting all the different houses and Stacey was one of the people that I met.
(09:53):
She had joined this already, I think, a few years before.
So she's actually a year older than me or at least more in, you know, school-wise to
that side.
And Stacy loved to go to the parties, which I think most of us did.
And she was a big dancer and I liked to dance as well.
So we spent a lot of time together enjoying the parties and having a good time and laughing
(10:16):
together.
My sophomore year, her junior year, we both lived in the house.
We spent time together.
We had a class together.
I've told this story before, but Stacey was a very good student and she was always counted
on to be where she was supposed to be, when she was supposed to be, she was never late
(10:37):
to anything I can ever think of.
She was very punctual and very reliable and dependable and if she said she was going to
do something, she did it.
I would like to say that I was more put together than I was, but you know, I was young and,
you know, you're just you're experiencing life and I didn't always make the best decisions.
(10:57):
And I one day had skipped class because I had been out with friends the night before and I
asked Stacey if I could borrow her notes and she looked, she was like, "Why didn't you go to
class?"
And so while I was out late last night, she goes, "Well, maybe next time you'll go to
class."
And it wasn't that she wasn't going to help me out, but it was more like she wanted to
(11:19):
help me out in a more meaningful way to really call my attention to the fact that I wasn't
going to do well if I continued to behave in that manner.
But in such a kind way, and I think that was the thing that Stacey really was amazing
about, she was so kind and so sweet and so many people would even call her naive because
(11:40):
she sometimes didn't always see what was right in front of her.
I don't want anyone to confuse that with the fact that she would stand up for herself and
she would not let someone use her.
She would say what she meant and what she felt was right in that moment.
But do it in such a kind way that you maybe didn't even realize what was happening.
I think that speaks a lot to her character.
(12:03):
I don't know that she had a single enemy.
Stacey was a role up your sleeves, work hard, and make it happen kind of girl.
Stacey majored in marketing while attending Ohio State.
She was a powerhouse according to her friends and family.
She was so passionate about marketing and gave 110% to everything she did.
(12:28):
With her passion and drive, Stacey landed an amazing internship with McDonald's at the
1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
This internship would preface the start of an exciting career for Stacey, not long after
graduation.
The year following her internship in 1997, Stacy graduates from Ohio State University
(12:50):
with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
She lands a job as a Marketing Assistant at American Electric Power, one of the largest
electric energy companies in the United States.
During this time, Stacey moves into her own apartment at the Governor's apartment complex
in Columbus, just a few miles away from OSU.
(13:11):
Life couldn't be better for Stacey.
She's surrounded by her friends from college, she's only a few minutes away from her sister,
she's living on her own and has a new job that she loves.
But while Stacey is focused on starting her new life and making big plans for the future,
there's a monster lingering in the shadows.
(13:34):
A monster hiding in plain sight who will change the course of Stacey's life.
March 21, 1998 is the day that changes everything, the day the light fades.
We're going to revisit that fateful day in episode two, the last day.
(13:56):
That episode is available right now.
Make sure to follow us on social media at UnseenTruthPodcast and visit UnseenTruthPodcast.com
for more case information.
[MUSIC]
(14:18):
[MUSIC]
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