May 24, 2023 • 23 mins
They say it's wrong to be obsessed with true crime but if you watched "Don't F**k With Cats," you'll know it can work out in your favor. Before Facebook found Luka Magnotta, a hotel manager's child became obsessed with a dead body found on their property and wouldn't rest until they found out how she died. Originally broadcast March 3, 2021.
Written by Keelan Brown, narrated by Schuyler Fastenau, and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Additional voices by Janette Zosche, Rainee Blake, Ariel Dale, Marissa Pistone, Sophia Sassone, Taylor Shurte, and Sheatarra Ervin. Cover artwork by Catherine Fastenau. Theme music by Tracy Zales.
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Written by Keelan Brown, narrated by Schuyler Fastenau, and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Additional voices by Janette Zosche, Rainee Blake, Ariel Dale, Marissa Pistone, Sophia Sassone, Taylor Shurte, and Sheatarra Ervin. Cover artwork by Catherine Fastenau. Theme music by Tracy Zales.
Follow us on:
Check out our other shows:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
Hi. I've talked before on thispodcast about my relationships with hotels. It's
not a great one. We grewup where if we went to a holiday
and express, we were living fancy. And not that there's anything wrong with
a holiday in, but you know, it's a it's not a five star
resort, to say the least.My roommate freshman year of college also told
(00:32):
me one time about how he stayedat a hotel and didn't wear his shoes
or socks and ended up picking upfoot herpies. I don't know why that's
a thing, but that's stressful andI've just heard so many other horror stories
that, especially right now during aglobal pandemic, I'm just not really feeling
like staying at any hotel. Ihave had good experiences, though. When
(00:57):
I went to San Francisco a coupleof years ago, we stayed at this
place. I don't even remember thename of the place, but their color
scheme was purple. And when Icalled to check in and confirm my reservation,
the guy's like, hello, thisis Mission control, and I was
like, yes, Hi, I'dlike to speak to the front desk,
(01:19):
and as if I was the fool, he's like, yeah, this is
Mission Control. I'm cabin crew memberMike. How may I help you?
So I knew that we were infor an experience. And when we checked
into our actual room, or asthey preferred to call it, our pod,
I realized that we were staying ata five star hotel where the room
was about maybe eight feet wide ifwe're being generous here, and the bed
(01:45):
was on a second floor loft,but it really wasn't two stories. It
was just kind of up a smalllittle flight of stairs, and he had
about three feet of space up abovewhere the bed was. It was an
experience. If you're in San Francisco, check it out. Look for a
purple hotel. That's all I canremember. So I've had the lowest of
(02:07):
the low hotels, and I've hadthe highest of the high hotels. But
enough about me. Let's talk aboutChris. Now. Chris loves true crime.
It's literally their number one obsession.On weekends, Chris would be glued
to their TV watching hours of forensicfiles and I survived. Nothing excited Chris
(02:30):
more than a mystery, something thatthey could spend days researching, and for
a time, it brought them alot of comfort and intrigue. But that
fascination came with consequences. You see, Chris became really obsessed with the mystery.
Now, it's not a mystery thatmany people have heard about. In
(02:50):
fact, Chris was one of thefew who was gripped to it and became
more involved in it than they askedfor. Together, let's look at where
Chris's passion for through crime came fromand dive into the mystery that would change
their life forever. Welcome to DeadtimeStories, a podcast where I Skyler Fastenel
take you through a true crime eventand the style of an old fashioned radio
(03:14):
program. If you're a fan ofour show and you want to support independent
artists, head on over to Patreondot com slash og Deadtime. We'll be
(03:38):
back with this story after these briefmessages. Welcome back to our show.
Let's talk about Chris Green. Chrisgrew up in the outskirts of Mobile,
Alabama. Their mother ran a smallmotel that welcomed a steady stream of guests
(03:58):
up through the late nineteen eighties.As a child, Chris would help their
mother run the hotel on weekends,mostly just cleaning rooms after guests left.
Chris one on nine left their keyin the dropbox? Can you please try
to have it done by three?What started as normal Saturday chores would turn
(04:21):
into the catalyst of Chris's future obsessions. Hello. A woman lay still on
the bed of the motel room,staring up at the ceiling. Chris's eyes
(04:44):
fixated on her fading skin, beforedrifting to the prescription bottle in her hand.
Oh, oh my god, Ohmy god, mom whom police sooner
arrived on the scene to clean upand to perform an investigation. Unfortunately,
we are seeing this more and morethese days. It's just awful. Do
(05:08):
you have a name on record?I do. Her name's Jackie Stafford.
She entered the room for three nights. We'll check to see if we can
find some family to properly identify.Thank you, miss Green. Chris's mother
was adamant about not letting her childanywhere near the motel rooms anymore, but
the damage had already been done.The image of the dead woman was seared
(05:30):
into Chris's mind and would firmly staythere for years to come. The first
few nights were the toughest, butfear soon turned into fascination. Chris was
still young, and their brain wasfilled with questions about death. How did
she die? Marta Green never hadto explain suicide to her child before.
(05:51):
Even though she thought Chris was stilltoo young, Marta knew the discussion had
to happen. Chris, there area lot of times that grown ups feel
sad. Sometimes grown ups feel likethey won't ever be happy again, and
(06:14):
that pressure can sometimes lead a personand their life. Are you sad more?
I am, sweetie. Do youthink you'll be happy again? Of
course, of course, and youwill too, You will always be happy
(06:39):
again. Over the months and years, the dead body changed Chris's life immensely.
Their newly discovered fascination with the deadbrought Chris to the library often.
There they would spend hours reading theobituaries and newspapers, carefully remembering the way
that every person died and the smalllegacies that each one left behind. Chris
(07:00):
had also hoped to find an obituaryfor the woman found in the family's motel,
Jackie Stafford, but an obituary nevercame, at least not in the
mobile press register. Chris began amassingstacks of newspapers from the surrounding towns in
their bedroom just hoping to learn asliver about her life. Marta Green was
(07:21):
not a fan of Chris's newfound obsession. Chris put down the newspaper and eat
your dinner. Yeah, just afterI finished reading each a bit, Mom,
No, Chris put it away.Now, God, fine, it's
inappropriate. We should be respecting thedead. I am respecting the mom,
(07:42):
each and every one of them.Despite the fuming tensions between them, Marta
allowed Chris to finish their quest intheir room. Even on the one year
anniversary of discovering the body, Chriscouldn't stop thinking about Jackie Stafford. They
had a mass a collection of everynewspaper from every city in the Gulf Coast
(08:05):
region, and not a single onewas for her. After their mother left
for errands, Chris decided to clearthings up for themselves. Mobile Police Department,
How may I help you him?I was hoping to find out more
about a suicide that happened last year. The person's name was Jackie Stafford.
(08:28):
We don't give out information on thosekinds of cases. I was just wondering
if anyone claimed her body. Whatdid you say? Her name was Jackie
Stafford? On my system it saysher body was never formally identified. Were
(08:48):
you looking to do that today?None of this made sense to Chris.
Why did no one claim Jackie's body? Did she have family? And if
not, is that why she wasso sad? These questions only seemed to
pile up, and Chris began toaccept that they may never get answered.
After this phone call, Chris beganto gradually move on from Jackie. In
(09:11):
replacement, Chris became obsessed with Unsolvedmysteries. Stacks of Alabama newspapers were replaced
with books about the Zodiac Killer andthe Black Dahlia. In nineteen eighty seven,
the widely successful series Unsolved Mysteries premieredon NBC as a means of bringing
unsolved crimes to the public's attention withthe hope that they would eventually find answers.
(09:33):
Oh God, not another night ofthis, Chris. Can't we watch
mcgiver or something? Come on,Mom, they aren't going to show reruns
of this fine, just one episodetoday on Unsolved Mysteries. Our story takes
(09:54):
us to whisk As, set,a small marshy town on the mid coast
of Maine and Delano. A highschooler is returning home from school. Mom,
I'm home mom. That morning,Ryan's single mother, Gail Delano,
(10:15):
told him that she was going tomeet a man named John at a nearby
restaurant, assuming his mother was stillout, Ryan didn't think too much of
it. However, afternoon turned intoevening and Gail was still nowhere to be
found. Knowing that his mother wasgoing to a restaurant connected to a hotel
(10:37):
run by a family friend, Ryandecided to investigate himself. Is Sarah Johnson's
Hi, mister Peabody, This isRyan Delanah. Listen, my mom had
a date at your hotel and shehasn't come home yet. Have you seen
(10:58):
her around at all? Not atall. I've been at the front desk
all day and i haven't seen hercome in once. The news worried Ryan,
and soon after he contacted the WhiscossettePolice to report a missing person.
(11:20):
Police immediately went to the Howard Johnson'shotel, where her car was discovered locked.
You're absolutely sure you never saw missDelano in here? Positive, I'm
more than happy to give you accessto our cameras. Detectives scanned the videos
diligently, but there was no sightof Gail Delanno ever entering the building.
(11:43):
With no procuring evidence, the policedecided to wait the evening to see if
Gail would turn up. Instead,the police were met with new information from
hotel management. A busboy from ourrestaurant discovered a purse. It was in
a bush near the end chance.Police searched the purse to find that all
of Gail's personal belongings were still there. However, Miss Delanno's son noticed something
(12:09):
off about the purse, the secretpocket. It's empty. What do you
mean? Mum had a pocket inthe side of her purse she stitched herself.
She used to keep fifty bucks init for emergencies. This development worried
authorities and the focus of the investigationshifted to who the john was that Gail
(12:30):
was set to meet. Detective.How can I help you son? I
thought you might find this useful.What is it? It's a date book.
She would keep a record of everyday she went on as a precaution.
After parsing the book, it wasrevealed to detectives that Gail Delanno was
a self described lonely heart who oftenmet her dates via newspaper ads. Single,
(12:56):
middle aged mother of two seek singlemail with stable career for companionship and
love based on maincoast, but willingto travel. Authorities decided to interview every
single man in Delano's book, includinga few men named John Hope. In
(13:16):
the leads seemed lost, as everyperson in Gail's book had a rock solid
alibi, But then a breakthrough inthe case showed itself once authorities learned that
a truck driver named John Scott wasstaying at the Howard Johnson's the night before
Gail disappeared. Thank you for takingthe time to speak with us, mister
(13:37):
Scott, of course, did yousee this woman during your time in Maine?
I sure did. I forget whather name was started with a J
or G or something. I gaveher a rad where I was heading south.
She didn't lack me too much,though she hitched a ad with a
(14:00):
different driver once we got around NewJersey. How was she behaving? She
was silent most of the time.Kept pulling out this bottle of pills and
was reading the label. I couldn'ttell what they were. This new information
led investigators to believe that Gail mayhave disappeared willingly. Her family didn't immediately
(14:24):
buy into this theory. Is thereany chance that your mother may have run
away. No, no, shewouldn't do that. She loved me,
she loved her family. And whywould she leave her purse behind? I
don't know, Son. How wasshe in the days before disappearing. She
seemed happy, you know, justher normal self. She made breakfast for
(14:45):
dinner, and we played board gamesall night. Did she say anything that
may have been off? Son?She kept talking about how much she wished
we both had wigged and we couldgo wherever we wanted to. On June
twenty first, nineteen eighty six,Gail Delano disappeared without a trace. She
(15:13):
left behind two sons, a beautifulhome, and so many unanswered questions.
Police suspect Gail may have run awayfor what reason, we may never know.
If you or someone you know hasany information regarding miss Delano's whereabouts,
(15:33):
please contact Main State Police. Herfamily just wants to know she is safe.
This has been unsolved, mysteries.Have a good night. As the
end credits of the episode rolled,a clear photo of Gail de Lana was
shown on screen. In that moment, Chris's blood went cold. Oh my
(15:54):
god. Chris immediately recognized Gail Delanoas the same woman they saw staring at
the motel's ceiling. Her skin hadbeen a different color then, but it
was definitely the same woman. That'shorrible, Hoop, that's Jackie. That's
Jackie Stafford. No, no,there's no way. Chris was adamant,
(16:14):
though, and together they called theMain State Police. The original Deadtime stories
will continue after these messages, andnow back to our story. The next
morning, in a seeming active dejavu, Marta Green found authorities at her
(16:38):
motel. Once again, your continuedcooperation is appreciated, Miss Green. We're
sorry you and your child how toget roped into all of this. Thank
you, officer. Soon thereafter,the truth about Jackie Stafford or Gale Delano
began to surface. Seven. Oh, looks like you're going to jail,
(17:04):
mom, seriously again? Sorry,Mom, might as well call this space
Main Avenue. What do you meanby that? I'm just being funny.
What's wrong, Mom? Nothing,sweetie, I just got lost in my
thoughts. What are you thinking about? Just how great it would be if
(17:26):
you and I had wings and couldgo wherever we wanted. That's what they
make airplanes for, you know,or cars? You know what I mean?
Smarty pants? Now, roll eyes. Watch where you're going, lady?
(17:52):
What do you want? Where areyou headed? New Orleans? Why
can I come with you? Hopping? What's your name? Honey, Jackie?
Nice to meet you, Jackie.I'm John. Thanks for the lift,
(18:15):
John. Can I contribute some gasmoney? Sure? If you have
it? Any reason? You're leavingthe purse behind? It's ugly? All
(18:44):
right? Then? Do you mindif I put on some music? Go
ahead? Hi, welcome to Mobile. Will you be staying with us this
evening? I'd like to stay theweekend. Sure? Are you okay with
(19:07):
the first floor room? That willbe fine? All right? I just
need you to write your name inthis book. What brings you into town?
I'm a nurse. I just gota new job in Pensacola. Such
a beautiful area. Oh you're solucky. Yeah. So you'll be in
room one O nine. Check Outis at three. Please enjoy your stay
(19:29):
with us. The disappearance of Gailde Lana was one of the earliest of
unsolved mysteries cases to be solved,but the revelations to come out of it
didn't sit well with Chris. Chris, Honey, what's wrong? It doesn't
make sense? What do you meaneveryone is just moving on from Jackie Well,
(19:55):
I mean they finally identified her.And why, mom? Why did
kill herself? What do you meanyou told me the grown ups kill themselves
when they're sad. But why wasshe sad? How could she be sad?
She had so many people who lovedher, and we're looking for her.
It doesn't make sense, Chris,None of it makes sense. I
(20:18):
don't know why a mother would leaveher kids behind. I don't know why
someone would drive over a thousand milesjust to kill themselves. I don't know
what can make someone so sad thatthey would do something like that. But
we cannot keep searching for those answers, Chris, we can't. This isn't
the type of mystery that has ananswer. You just have to live with
(20:41):
the questions and move on. Ilove your mama, I'm sorry. After
hearing what their mother had to say, Chris found it easier to move on
from the dead woman in their hotel. In the years following, Chris's passion
for true crime lingered, but theyfocus their time more on the mystery itself
while respecting how people grieve after majorloss. Chris became more passionate about criminal
(21:06):
forensics and the way suspects are interrogated. But despite this blossoming passion, Chris
scaled back their efforts in finding thetruth, for when truth is discovered,
it often comes with more questions,questions that are best unanswered and unexplored.
(21:30):
Current Events was written by Keelan Brown, narrated, edited and directed by me
Scyla Fastenel, and executive produced byDaniel Jones. Voice talent was provided by
Jeanette Zosh, Rainie Blake, ArielDale, Marissa Pistone, Sophia Sasny,
Taylor Shirty, and Shatara Irvin.Our gorgeous theme song was written and performed
(21:52):
by Tracy Zales and our cover artworkwas created by Catherine Fastenel. As always,
thank you for joining us for anotherchapter of the original Deadtime Stories.
If you enjoyed today's episode, letus know and boost our egos by leaving
a five star rating and a nicelittle review on whatever podcasting map you're using.
If you like our show and youwant to support us even more,
(22:15):
head on over to patreon dot com. Slash og Deadtime will give you early
access to new episodes, ad freeepisodes, and a bunch of other goodies.
We will be back in just oneweek with an episode that'll make you
think twice about everything you ever learnedin psychology. At least that's what it
did to me. Until then,stay safe out there, I don't want
you to become the next chapter's topicon the original Deadtime Stories,
Hi. I've talked before on thispodcast about my relationships with hotels. It's
not a great one. We grewup where if we went to a holiday
and express, we were living fancy. And not that there's anything wrong with
a holiday in, but you know, it's a it's not a five star
resort, to say the least.My roommate freshman year of college also told
(00:32):
me one time about how he stayedat a hotel and didn't wear his shoes
or socks and ended up picking upfoot herpies. I don't know why that's
a thing, but that's stressful andI've just heard so many other horror stories
that, especially right now during aglobal pandemic, I'm just not really feeling
like staying at any hotel. Ihave had good experiences, though. When
(00:57):
I went to San Francisco a coupleof years ago, we stayed at this
place. I don't even remember thename of the place, but their color
scheme was purple. And when Icalled to check in and confirm my reservation,
the guy's like, hello, thisis Mission control, and I was
like, yes, Hi, I'dlike to speak to the front desk,
(01:19):
and as if I was the fool, he's like, yeah, this is
Mission Control. I'm cabin crew memberMike. How may I help you?
So I knew that we were infor an experience. And when we checked
into our actual room, or asthey preferred to call it, our pod,
I realized that we were staying ata five star hotel where the room
was about maybe eight feet wide ifwe're being generous here, and the bed
(01:45):
was on a second floor loft,but it really wasn't two stories. It
was just kind of up a smalllittle flight of stairs, and he had
about three feet of space up abovewhere the bed was. It was an
experience. If you're in San Francisco, check it out. Look for a
purple hotel. That's all I canremember. So I've had the lowest of
(02:07):
the low hotels, and I've hadthe highest of the high hotels. But
enough about me. Let's talk aboutChris. Now. Chris loves true crime.
It's literally their number one obsession.On weekends, Chris would be glued
to their TV watching hours of forensicfiles and I survived. Nothing excited Chris
(02:30):
more than a mystery, something thatthey could spend days researching, and for
a time, it brought them alot of comfort and intrigue. But that
fascination came with consequences. You see, Chris became really obsessed with the mystery.
Now, it's not a mystery thatmany people have heard about. In
(02:50):
fact, Chris was one of thefew who was gripped to it and became
more involved in it than they askedfor. Together, let's look at where
Chris's passion for through crime came fromand dive into the mystery that would change
their life forever. Welcome to DeadtimeStories, a podcast where I Skyler Fastenel
take you through a true crime eventand the style of an old fashioned radio
(03:14):
program. If you're a fan ofour show and you want to support independent
artists, head on over to Patreondot com slash og Deadtime. We'll be
(03:38):
back with this story after these briefmessages. Welcome back to our show.
Let's talk about Chris Green. Chrisgrew up in the outskirts of Mobile,
Alabama. Their mother ran a smallmotel that welcomed a steady stream of guests
(03:58):
up through the late nineteen eighties.As a child, Chris would help their
mother run the hotel on weekends,mostly just cleaning rooms after guests left.
Chris one on nine left their keyin the dropbox? Can you please try
to have it done by three?What started as normal Saturday chores would turn
(04:21):
into the catalyst of Chris's future obsessions. Hello. A woman lay still on
the bed of the motel room,staring up at the ceiling. Chris's eyes
(04:44):
fixated on her fading skin, beforedrifting to the prescription bottle in her hand.
Oh, oh my god, Ohmy god, mom whom police sooner
arrived on the scene to clean upand to perform an investigation. Unfortunately,
we are seeing this more and morethese days. It's just awful. Do
(05:08):
you have a name on record?I do. Her name's Jackie Stafford.
She entered the room for three nights. We'll check to see if we can
find some family to properly identify.Thank you, miss Green. Chris's mother
was adamant about not letting her childanywhere near the motel rooms anymore, but
the damage had already been done.The image of the dead woman was seared
(05:30):
into Chris's mind and would firmly staythere for years to come. The first
few nights were the toughest, butfear soon turned into fascination. Chris was
still young, and their brain wasfilled with questions about death. How did
she die? Marta Green never hadto explain suicide to her child before.
(05:51):
Even though she thought Chris was stilltoo young, Marta knew the discussion had
to happen. Chris, there area lot of times that grown ups feel
sad. Sometimes grown ups feel likethey won't ever be happy again, and
(06:14):
that pressure can sometimes lead a personand their life. Are you sad more?
I am, sweetie. Do youthink you'll be happy again? Of
course, of course, and youwill too, You will always be happy
(06:39):
again. Over the months and years, the dead body changed Chris's life immensely.
Their newly discovered fascination with the deadbrought Chris to the library often.
There they would spend hours reading theobituaries and newspapers, carefully remembering the way
that every person died and the smalllegacies that each one left behind. Chris
(07:00):
had also hoped to find an obituaryfor the woman found in the family's motel,
Jackie Stafford, but an obituary nevercame, at least not in the
mobile press register. Chris began amassingstacks of newspapers from the surrounding towns in
their bedroom just hoping to learn asliver about her life. Marta Green was
(07:21):
not a fan of Chris's newfound obsession. Chris put down the newspaper and eat
your dinner. Yeah, just afterI finished reading each a bit, Mom,
No, Chris put it away.Now, God, fine, it's
inappropriate. We should be respecting thedead. I am respecting the mom,
(07:42):
each and every one of them.Despite the fuming tensions between them, Marta
allowed Chris to finish their quest intheir room. Even on the one year
anniversary of discovering the body, Chriscouldn't stop thinking about Jackie Stafford. They
had a mass a collection of everynewspaper from every city in the Gulf Coast
(08:05):
region, and not a single onewas for her. After their mother left
for errands, Chris decided to clearthings up for themselves. Mobile Police Department,
How may I help you him?I was hoping to find out more
about a suicide that happened last year. The person's name was Jackie Stafford.
(08:28):
We don't give out information on thosekinds of cases. I was just wondering
if anyone claimed her body. Whatdid you say? Her name was Jackie
Stafford? On my system it saysher body was never formally identified. Were
(08:48):
you looking to do that today?None of this made sense to Chris.
Why did no one claim Jackie's body? Did she have family? And if
not, is that why she wasso sad? These questions only seemed to
pile up, and Chris began toaccept that they may never get answered.
After this phone call, Chris beganto gradually move on from Jackie. In
(09:11):
replacement, Chris became obsessed with Unsolvedmysteries. Stacks of Alabama newspapers were replaced
with books about the Zodiac Killer andthe Black Dahlia. In nineteen eighty seven,
the widely successful series Unsolved Mysteries premieredon NBC as a means of bringing
unsolved crimes to the public's attention withthe hope that they would eventually find answers.
(09:33):
Oh God, not another night ofthis, Chris. Can't we watch
mcgiver or something? Come on,Mom, they aren't going to show reruns
of this fine, just one episodetoday on Unsolved Mysteries. Our story takes
(09:54):
us to whisk As, set,a small marshy town on the mid coast
of Maine and Delano. A highschooler is returning home from school. Mom,
I'm home mom. That morning,Ryan's single mother, Gail Delano,
(10:15):
told him that she was going tomeet a man named John at a nearby
restaurant, assuming his mother was stillout, Ryan didn't think too much of
it. However, afternoon turned intoevening and Gail was still nowhere to be
found. Knowing that his mother wasgoing to a restaurant connected to a hotel
(10:37):
run by a family friend, Ryandecided to investigate himself. Is Sarah Johnson's
Hi, mister Peabody, This isRyan Delanah. Listen, my mom had
a date at your hotel and shehasn't come home yet. Have you seen
(10:58):
her around at all? Not atall. I've been at the front desk
all day and i haven't seen hercome in once. The news worried Ryan,
and soon after he contacted the WhiscossettePolice to report a missing person.
(11:20):
Police immediately went to the Howard Johnson'shotel, where her car was discovered locked.
You're absolutely sure you never saw missDelano in here? Positive, I'm
more than happy to give you accessto our cameras. Detectives scanned the videos
diligently, but there was no sightof Gail Delanno ever entering the building.
(11:43):
With no procuring evidence, the policedecided to wait the evening to see if
Gail would turn up. Instead,the police were met with new information from
hotel management. A busboy from ourrestaurant discovered a purse. It was in
a bush near the end chance.Police searched the purse to find that all
of Gail's personal belongings were still there. However, Miss Delanno's son noticed something
(12:09):
off about the purse, the secretpocket. It's empty. What do you
mean? Mum had a pocket inthe side of her purse she stitched herself.
She used to keep fifty bucks init for emergencies. This development worried
authorities and the focus of the investigationshifted to who the john was that Gail
(12:30):
was set to meet. Detective.How can I help you son? I
thought you might find this useful.What is it? It's a date book.
She would keep a record of everyday she went on as a precaution.
After parsing the book, it wasrevealed to detectives that Gail Delanno was
a self described lonely heart who oftenmet her dates via newspaper ads. Single,
(12:56):
middle aged mother of two seek singlemail with stable career for companionship and
love based on maincoast, but willingto travel. Authorities decided to interview every
single man in Delano's book, includinga few men named John Hope. In
(13:16):
the leads seemed lost, as everyperson in Gail's book had a rock solid
alibi, But then a breakthrough inthe case showed itself once authorities learned that
a truck driver named John Scott wasstaying at the Howard Johnson's the night before
Gail disappeared. Thank you for takingthe time to speak with us, mister
(13:37):
Scott, of course, did yousee this woman during your time in Maine?
I sure did. I forget whather name was started with a J
or G or something. I gaveher a rad where I was heading south.
She didn't lack me too much,though she hitched a ad with a
(14:00):
different driver once we got around NewJersey. How was she behaving? She
was silent most of the time.Kept pulling out this bottle of pills and
was reading the label. I couldn'ttell what they were. This new information
led investigators to believe that Gail mayhave disappeared willingly. Her family didn't immediately
(14:24):
buy into this theory. Is thereany chance that your mother may have run
away. No, no, shewouldn't do that. She loved me,
she loved her family. And whywould she leave her purse behind? I
don't know, Son. How wasshe in the days before disappearing. She
seemed happy, you know, justher normal self. She made breakfast for
(14:45):
dinner, and we played board gamesall night. Did she say anything that
may have been off? Son?She kept talking about how much she wished
we both had wigged and we couldgo wherever we wanted to. On June
twenty first, nineteen eighty six,Gail Delano disappeared without a trace. She
(15:13):
left behind two sons, a beautifulhome, and so many unanswered questions.
Police suspect Gail may have run awayfor what reason, we may never know.
If you or someone you know hasany information regarding miss Delano's whereabouts,
(15:33):
please contact Main State Police. Herfamily just wants to know she is safe.
This has been unsolved, mysteries.Have a good night. As the
end credits of the episode rolled,a clear photo of Gail de Lana was
shown on screen. In that moment, Chris's blood went cold. Oh my
(15:54):
god. Chris immediately recognized Gail Delanoas the same woman they saw staring at
the motel's ceiling. Her skin hadbeen a different color then, but it
was definitely the same woman. That'shorrible, Hoop, that's Jackie. That's
Jackie Stafford. No, no,there's no way. Chris was adamant,
(16:14):
though, and together they called theMain State Police. The original Deadtime stories
will continue after these messages, andnow back to our story. The next
morning, in a seeming active dejavu, Marta Green found authorities at her
(16:38):
motel. Once again, your continuedcooperation is appreciated, Miss Green. We're
sorry you and your child how toget roped into all of this. Thank
you, officer. Soon thereafter,the truth about Jackie Stafford or Gale Delano
began to surface. Seven. Oh, looks like you're going to jail,
(17:04):
mom, seriously again? Sorry,Mom, might as well call this space
Main Avenue. What do you meanby that? I'm just being funny.
What's wrong, Mom? Nothing,sweetie, I just got lost in my
thoughts. What are you thinking about? Just how great it would be if
(17:26):
you and I had wings and couldgo wherever we wanted. That's what they
make airplanes for, you know,or cars? You know what I mean?
Smarty pants? Now, roll eyes. Watch where you're going, lady?
(17:52):
What do you want? Where areyou headed? New Orleans? Why
can I come with you? Hopping? What's your name? Honey, Jackie?
Nice to meet you, Jackie.I'm John. Thanks for the lift,
(18:15):
John. Can I contribute some gasmoney? Sure? If you have
it? Any reason? You're leavingthe purse behind? It's ugly? All
(18:44):
right? Then? Do you mindif I put on some music? Go
ahead? Hi, welcome to Mobile. Will you be staying with us this
evening? I'd like to stay theweekend. Sure? Are you okay with
(19:07):
the first floor room? That willbe fine? All right? I just
need you to write your name inthis book. What brings you into town?
I'm a nurse. I just gota new job in Pensacola. Such
a beautiful area. Oh you're solucky. Yeah. So you'll be in
room one O nine. Check Outis at three. Please enjoy your stay
(19:29):
with us. The disappearance of Gailde Lana was one of the earliest of
unsolved mysteries cases to be solved,but the revelations to come out of it
didn't sit well with Chris. Chris, Honey, what's wrong? It doesn't
make sense? What do you meaneveryone is just moving on from Jackie Well,
(19:55):
I mean they finally identified her.And why, mom? Why did
kill herself? What do you meanyou told me the grown ups kill themselves
when they're sad. But why wasshe sad? How could she be sad?
She had so many people who lovedher, and we're looking for her.
It doesn't make sense, Chris,None of it makes sense. I
(20:18):
don't know why a mother would leaveher kids behind. I don't know why
someone would drive over a thousand milesjust to kill themselves. I don't know
what can make someone so sad thatthey would do something like that. But
we cannot keep searching for those answers, Chris, we can't. This isn't
the type of mystery that has ananswer. You just have to live with
(20:41):
the questions and move on. Ilove your mama, I'm sorry. After
hearing what their mother had to say, Chris found it easier to move on
from the dead woman in their hotel. In the years following, Chris's passion
for true crime lingered, but theyfocus their time more on the mystery itself
while respecting how people grieve after majorloss. Chris became more passionate about criminal
(21:06):
forensics and the way suspects are interrogated. But despite this blossoming passion, Chris
scaled back their efforts in finding thetruth, for when truth is discovered,
it often comes with more questions,questions that are best unanswered and unexplored.
(21:30):
Current Events was written by Keelan Brown, narrated, edited and directed by me
Scyla Fastenel, and executive produced byDaniel Jones. Voice talent was provided by
Jeanette Zosh, Rainie Blake, ArielDale, Marissa Pistone, Sophia Sasny,
Taylor Shirty, and Shatara Irvin.Our gorgeous theme song was written and performed
(21:52):
by Tracy Zales and our cover artworkwas created by Catherine Fastenel. As always,
thank you for joining us for anotherchapter of the original Deadtime Stories.
If you enjoyed today's episode, letus know and boost our egos by leaving
a five star rating and a nicelittle review on whatever podcasting map you're using.
If you like our show and youwant to support us even more,
(22:15):
head on over to patreon dot com. Slash og Deadtime will give you early
access to new episodes, ad freeepisodes, and a bunch of other goodies.
We will be back in just oneweek with an episode that'll make you
think twice about everything you ever learnedin psychology. At least that's what it
did to me. Until then,stay safe out there, I don't want
you to become the next chapter's topicon the original Deadtime Stories,
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