Holly Seiler

"It was clearly part of our investigation that she was killed prior to the fire, and the fire was used to cover up her murder."

On the morning of 20 October 2016, firefighters were called to a quiet suburban neighborhood in Lockport, New York. There, they found a small fire burning in the front bedroom of a duplex, which was easily quelled. However, amidst the charred linens was the body of the homeowner, 54-year-old Holly Seiler.

Initially believing this was a fatal accident, Holly's relatives and neighbors had no reason to feel alarmed. But the medical examiner would soon determine that Holly had been strangled before the fire had been set, presumably to cover up her death. A domestic dispute hours beforehand seemed to point to a potential motive, but a second fire set in the same building just weeks later would cast doubt on any assumptions...



Research & writing by Amelia White

Hosting, production, and additional research/writing by Micheal Whelan

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
This episode contains graphic content that may not be suitable
for all ages. Listener discretion is advised. If you or
someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available,
call or text nine eight eight, or chat with someone
at nine eight eight lifeline dot Org. Those outside of
the US, reach out to someone at your local crisis

(00:24):
center or hotline. Please do not suffer in silence. In
the pre dawn hours of October twentieth, twenty sixteen, a
house fire erupted at six oh five East High Street
in Lockport, New York. Firefighters arriving around three thirty am,

(00:49):
found smoke and flames largely confined to a single bedroom
in the home. Inside that scorched room, they made a
grim discovery, the body of fifty four year old Holly Siler,
the homeowner, lying lifeless amid the charred debris. At first,
it appeared Holly had tragically perished in an accidental blaze,
but as authorities soon realized, this was no ordinary fire,

(01:12):
it was an elaborate cover up for murder. The initial
investigation at the scene raised suspicions the blaze had been
limited to Holly's bedroom, a fact that struck investigators as
unusual for an accidental house fire, and when the Niagara
County Coroner's report came back, it revealed a shocking truth.
Holly's Siler had been strangled to death before the fire

(01:35):
ever touched her. In other words, someone had killed Holly
and then set her and her home on fire to
try and destroy evidence. A quiet Lockport neighborhood that thought
it was witnessing a simple house fire was now the
scene of a sprawling homicide investigation. Authorities immediately understood that
Holly's killer had attempted to make her death look like
an accident. The reality was far more disturbing. This cozy duplex,

(02:00):
located across from an elementary school in a normally peaceful community,
had been turned into the sight of a heinous crime.
As Lockport police and fire investigators combed through the rubble
that morning, they knew one thing with certainty. Holly Siler's
death was no accident. It was murder. Thus began a
complex and haunting case. In the coming days, secrets about

(02:22):
Holly's life and final hours would surface, including a domestic
dispute on the night before her death, and even a
second suspicious fire at the same address weeks later, each
revelation deepened the mystery who killed Holly Siler and why.

(02:49):
Holly Ann Siler was born on December twenty fourth, nineteen
sixty one, in Lockport, New York. She grew up in
a large family, one of several siblings, and was non
for her energetic, adventurous spirit. In young adulthood, Holly answered
the call to service. She joined the US Air Force
in nineteen eighty five, serving her country for four years

(03:10):
and earning several medals during her tenure. Discipline and dedication
were hallmarks of her character, and after her military service,
Holly continued to work hard and make a life in
Western New York. For twenty four years, Holly worked in
production at the Dunlop plant in Buffalo. It was a stable,
long term career that spoke to her work ethic. Family

(03:32):
members recalled that Holly enjoyed gymnastics, water skiing, boating, traveling, running, tennis,
and gardening. She was always active and on the move,
whether skimming across the water on skis or tending the
flowers in her garden. Holly embraced life fully. Friends and
relatives describe her as fun, loving and kind hearted, someone

(03:53):
who loved to laugh and stay busy. Above all, Holly
Siler was a devoted mother. She had two children him,
a son, Caleb Bell Junior, and a daughter, Crystal Bell,
whom she adored. By twenty sixteen, her son was in
his mid thirties and her daughter in her mid twenties.
Holly had raised them with love, and even as adults,

(04:14):
they remained very close. In fact, Holly shared a home
with her children in Lockport. The family lived in a
multi family duplex, with Holly occupying the front apartment and
her grown kids living in a rear unit of the
same house. This living arrangement spoke to Holly's caring nature.
She kept her children close and supported them as they
got on their feet. As Holly's ex husband, Caleb Senior,

(04:37):
would later remark, she loved our children and did everything
she could for them. Family was truly Holly's pride and joy.
In her early fifties, Holly had also become a grandmother,
a role that brought her immense happiness. She doated on
her young grandchild and looked forward to watching her family's
next generation grow. Relatives say that Holly was the kind

(04:57):
of person who would drop anything to help someone in need, generous, empathetic,
and fiercely protective of her loved ones. After her marriage
to Caleb Bell Senior ended, Holly remained on good terms
with him while forging her own path. By twenty sixteen,
she had begun dating again, and she had a boyfriend
with whom she spent time regularly. My due life wasn't

(05:17):
always easy. Holly had navigated divorce and the challenges of
single parenthood, but by all accounts, she remained optimistic and
full of faith. Her ex husband later said, she's saved,
so I know where she went, expressing his belief in
Holly's strong faith. In the fall of twenty sixteen, Holly
was settled into middle age with much to still look

(05:38):
forward to, watching her daughter and son build their adult lives,
enjoying her hobbies and cherishing moments with her only, but
hopefully not her last, grandchild. No one could have imagined
that this loving mother and grandmother, a former Air Force
sergeant and loyal friend, would soon fall victim to a
brutal crime in her very own home. As that fateful

(06:11):
October week unfolded, there were signs of turmoil brewing in
Holly's life. In the days and hours leading up to
the aforementioned fire, Hally was apparently experiencing serious conflict in
her personal relationship. In fact, just hours before her death,
police had already been called to the Silor home for
a domestic disturbance. On the evening of October nineteen, twenty sixteen,

(06:34):
the night before the fire, Lockport Police responded to a
call at Holly's address at around eight thirty pm due
to a domestic altercation involving Holly and her boyfriend. One
of Holly's children dialed nine to one one that evening
after an argument between Holly and the man became heated.
The authorities arrived and intervened in that situation. It's reported
that the boyfriend left the house following this dispute, at

(06:58):
least temporarily. Exactly happened during that eight thirty pm police
call has not been fully detailed publicly. According to Holly's
ex husband, it was a domestic altercation, an argument significant
enough that their child felt the need for police assistance.
It's not clear if anyone was arrested or charged that evening,

(07:18):
likely not, since the boyfriend was not in custody. Later,
but tensions were obviously high in the Siler household. This
incident would turn out to be a grim foreshadowing of
what was to come in the early morning hours after
police left at around eight thirty pm, we don't know
how the rest of the night unfolded inside of Holly's home.
Presumably Holly's boyfriend had been asked to leave or had

(07:39):
stormed off following the dispute. Holly was left with her
emotions and any physical fallout from the fight. Her children,
who lived in the rear apartment of the duplex, were nearby,
perhaps concerned about their mother's safety but hoping that the
worst was over After the police intervention. It was a
school night in a quiet neighborhood. By late evening, the
house life likely fell into an uneasy calm, but that

(08:02):
calm would not last. Sometime in the dead of night
in the early hours of October twentieth, the situation turned deadly.
Investigators later learned that Holly's boyfriend returned to the property
during the night, despite the earlier conflict. Whether Holly let
him in or whether an altercation erupted upon his return
remains part of the mystery. What we do know is

(08:24):
that within a short span of time after the boyfriend's return,
smoke began to fill Holly's home. In those final moments,
some confrontation or attack occurred in Holly's bedroom. The evidence
later showed that Holly was viciously strangled. We may never
know if she had time to cry out, or if
the assault was swift and silent. Her children, sleeping or

(08:44):
perhaps lying awake worried in the other unit, did not intervene.
Perhaps they heard nothing until it was too late. But
by roughly three point thirty in the morning, flames were
flickering to life in Holly's room and the killer had
slipped away into the darkness. At three thirty two a m.
On October twentieth, twenty sixteen, a nine one one call

(09:05):
pierced the quiet night in Lockport. Holly's daughter, Cristel was
on the line reporting a fire at their home. Cristel
had smelled smoke and quickly realized something was terribly wrong.
Rushing toward her mother's front apartment, Cristel was met with
a thick haze of smoke. She shouted for a mom,
but got no answer. Desperate to help, Cristel made the

(09:25):
horrifying discovery. She eventually found her mother's body unresponsive, amidst
the growing flames, firefighters and police raced to the scene
on East High Street, arriving within minutes. They found smoke
billowing from part of the house, but this was not
a fully engulfed inferno. The fire was contained to Holly's
bedroom area and had not spread far beyond. The Lockport

(09:48):
Fire department quickly went to work dousing the flames and
ventilating the structure. The blaze was knocked down relatively fast,
limited to one section of the home. Once it was
safe to enter, first responded made their way inside, where
they encountered a grim scene. On the floor of the
charred bedroom lay Holly Siler's lifeless body. She had apparently

(10:08):
been in bed or near it when the fire started,
as that room or the brunt of the damage. Paramedics
checked for any signs of life, but Holly was already
beyond help. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Importantly,
firefighters noted that the fire damage, while noticeable, was not
extensive throughout the house. It seemed the flames had perhaps

(10:29):
smoldered and fizzled out after consuming part of the bedroom,
rather than raging unchecked. This would later make sense as
it became clear that the fire had not been an accident,
but a deliberate act, likely ignited with just enough fuel
to do damage but not necessarily destroy the entire structure.
In the immediate aftermath, neighbors on the sleepy street awoke
to sirens and flashing lights. The scene around four a m.

(10:52):
Was chaotic, fire trucks blocking the road, firefighters carrying hoses,
police officers securing the area with tape, and a stretcher
being wheeled into the house to remove Holly's body. For
a while, people assumed it was a fatal but accidental fire,
a terrible tragedy, perhaps one caused by a cigarette or
an electrical malfunction. Holly's own children were in shock. They

(11:16):
had escaped the blaze unharmed, the fire had not reached
their rear apartment, but now they faced the unthinkable reality
that their mother was gone. By sunrise, though homicide detectives
were on the scene alongside the fire marshals, treating the
house not just as a fire scene but as a
potential crime scene. Initially, the authorities were cautious in their

(11:37):
public statements. Lockport Police confirmed that a woman had died
in the fire, but as of that morning, they did
not announce her identity or the cause of death. Behind
the scenes, though suspicion was mounting. The fact that Holly's
children and any other occupants were safe and that Holly
alone was found dead raised a red flag. So did
the limited scope of the fire. Investigators on site began

(11:59):
to consider the fire might have been intentionally set after
Holly was already dead or incapacitated. Later that day, October twentieth,
Holly's ex husband, Caleb Bell Sor, arrived in Lockport from
his home in Rochester. After receiving the devastating news, he
met with police and heartbreakingly had to inform their two
children that their mother was gone. It wasn't a meeting

(12:22):
that any father would want to endure, Caleb Senior later
told a reporter describing the pain of telling his son
and daughter that their mother had died in the fire. Collectively,
the family was crushed. Caleb Senior then did something that
Holly's kids could not bear to do at that moment.
He publicly confirmed Holly's identity to the press. He spoke
briefly with the local media, identifying the victim as his

(12:45):
ex wife, Holly Siler, fifty four years old in his remarks,
he conveyed not only sorrow, but also admiration for the
kind of woman that Holly was. Through tears, he recounted
how she loved our children and did everything she could
for them, emphasizing Holly's dear devotion as a mother. He
also tried to comfort their distraught daughter with words of faith, stating,

(13:06):
like I told my daughter, she'll see her again. You
just have to know it's in God's hands. It was
an emotionally wrenching scene on the front lawn of that
East High Street home, a family in grief, a charred
window in the background. Police, for their part, remained tight
lipped in the immediate aftermath. A Lockport police official told
reporters the next day her cause of death and the

(13:27):
cause of the fire are both under investigation. They noted
that Holly had been the only person in her apartment
unit at the time of the fire, and that they
had already interviewed at least one witness, likely a reference
to Crystal or another person who knew of the night's events.
Investigators promised more information would be forthcoming once preliminary findings
were in. Few could have imagined just how dark those

(13:50):
findings would be In the days immediately following the fire,
Holly's body underwent a full forensic autopsy by the Niagara
County Medical Examiner. The results confirmed what detectives had begun
to suspect. Holly did not die from smoke inhalation or burns.

(14:13):
She had been the victim of homicidal violence prior to
the fire. Specifically, the coroner found evidence that Holly had
been strangled to death. Only afterward was her lifeless body
and the bedroom around her doused in flames. This revelation
changed everything. A fatal house fire case had officially become
a murder case. Lockport police now had to find a

(14:34):
killer who had very nearly gotten away with covering up
the crime. With the autopsy confirming that Holly was killed
before the blaze, detectives faced a challenging investigation. They had
a twofold crime on their hands, murder and arson, and
the perpetrator had tried to destroy evidence with fire. Nonetheless,
investigators began piecing together the clues from the scene and

(14:55):
the various witness accounts they could scround job Forensic specialists
combed through the charred bedroom looking for anything that had
survived the flames. Fibers, fingerprints on unburnt surfaces, potential murder
weapons or ligatures, the traces of accelerant used to start
the fire. The burned remains of Holly's bedding and furniture
were analyzed for chemical accelerants. Investigators were also aware of

(15:19):
crucial context. Just hours before Holly's death, police had been
at this very house for a domestic dispute involving Holly
and her boyfriend. This immediately put Holly's boyfriend at the
top of the list of people to investigate. Detectives interviewed
Holly's daughter and son in detail about what had transpired
earlier that evening. Bristol recounted the eight thirty pm altercation

(15:40):
and how the boyfriend had left afterward, only to return
during the night shortly before the fire. This timeline was
highly suspicious. One of the first things that police likely
did was to track down Holly's boyfriend to get his
side of the story. His name has not been released
in the press since he has not been formally charged
with anything, but he was an obvious person of interest.

(16:02):
According to Holly's family, the relationship had turned volatile that night.
Caleb bellor Holly's X, told reporters that there was a
domestic incident prior to the fire with Holly and her boyfriend.
This strongly implied that, in the family's view, the boyfriend's
actions were linked to what happened later that night. Investigators
undoubtedly questioned this man. Where did he go after the

(16:25):
eight thirty pm police visit, Did he return to Holly's home,
and if so, what transpired did anyone else see him
in the area in the early morning hours. At that stage,
police did not publicly name any suspects. Local news station
w k b W reported on October twenty first police
would not comment on whether there is a suspect in

(16:46):
this case, but behind closed doors, the scrutiny on the
boyfriend was intense. If he had a violent altercation with
Holly that night that required a police response, and then
hours later Holly was dead by foul play, this was
more than a coincidence. Another focus was the cause of
the fire. Fire marshals determined fairly quickly that the blaze

(17:07):
was intentionally set an act of arsen The fire had
originated in or near Holly's bed, Perhaps betting was ignited
with a flame or an accelerant was poured and lit.
If an accelerant like gasoline or lighter fluid was used,
chemical test of the debris would detect it. We do
know from later developments, particularly a second fire to be

(17:27):
discussed very soon, the gasoline was a tool used in
an attempt to burn down this house. If any telled
tale residue of gas or another accelerant was found in
the first fire's aftermath, investigators likely recognized that immediately as
a sign of arsen The public, however, wasn't informed right away.
Police were careful not to tip off the killer about

(17:47):
what they knew as they processed the scene. Detectives also
had to consider Holly's children as witnesses or even potential suspects,
something that standard procedure in a case like this. Holly's
sun Caleb Junior, and daughter Cristel were there on the
property that night. They were the ones to report the fire,
and they had a known involvement in earlier domestic call.

(18:09):
Police interviewed them extensively. Cristel, being the one who found
her mother's body, was likely able to provide important information
that she had smelled smoke, that she saw the boyfriend's return.
There is no indication that either of Holly's children had
any motive to harm her. By all accounts, they loved
their mother deeply and were devastated by her death at

(18:29):
that moment, though they were witnesses who could help establish
a timeline and suspects whereabouts. Within a day or two,
the case was clearly being treated as a homicide for
the tight knit community of Lockport, news spread that Holly's
death was not an accident. On October twenty fourth, twenty sixteen.

(18:51):
Just days later, the Lockport Union Son and Journal published
Holly's obituary, which gave no hint of the violence, but
honored her life and service. Some ones gathered for Holly's
funeral on November two, twenty sixteen, grieving not just an
unexpected loss, but grappling with the knowledge that someone out
there had done this to her. As Holly was laid

(19:12):
to rest, police continued working the case, quietly, pursuing leads,
awaiting lab results, and keeping a close eye on persons
of interest. Little did they know a shocking twist was
just around the corner, one that would cast new suspicion
within Holly's own family. That's after the break. Less than

(19:41):
three weeks after Holly Sailer's murder. This saga took an
unexpected turn. On the night of November eighth, twenty sixteen,
the quiet of East High Street was shattered once again
by emergency sirens. There was another fire at six oh
five East High Street, the very same house where Holly
had died. This time, it was not Holly's apartment in flames.

(20:03):
That unit had been damaged and was unoccupied since the
first fire. Instead, the fire was in the rear apartment,
the living space occupied by Holly's two adult children, Caleb
Bell Junior and Cristel Bell. And incredibly, this second blaze
was no accident either. It was a deliberate arson attempt,
and it was quickly linked to Holly's own son, thirty

(20:25):
four year old Caleb Bell Junior. On November eighth, Holly's
daughter Cristel and a friend went out for dinner at
a nearby olive garden. When they returned home later that night,
they immediately sensed something was wrong. Cristel noticed that her
brother Caleb's bedroom window was wide open and a fan
was running in the window, an odd sight on a
cool November evening. Stepping out of the car, both Cristel

(20:49):
and her friend caught the strong, unmistakable odor of gasoline
in the air. Alarmed, Cristel went inside and confronted her brother, Caleb,
who was barely dressed, oddly wearing only the bottom half
of a pair of long johns, and seemed startled by
his sister's return. When asked about the strong gasoline smell,
Caleb Junior claimed he had been moving gas cans around.

(21:11):
It was a bizarre, suspicious explanation. Cristel's instincts told her
something was very off. Acting swiftly, Cristel dialed nine one
one to report the smell of gas and potential danger.
She urged her brother to step outside with her and
her friend. Cristel specifically warned Caleb not to go back
into the basement, for the smell of gas was the strongest,

(21:32):
fearing there could be an explosion or a fire if
a flame ignited. For a moment, the trio was outside
the house waiting for help, But then, according to what
Cristel later told police, Caleb Junior's demeanor changed. He suddenly
dashed back into the house despite her warnings. As Cristel
stood outside, phone in hand, she heard her brother's shout

(21:53):
from inside buck a fire and saw him re emerge
amid huge flames that burst forth in the living room.
In that instant, the house had been set ablaze. The
second fire spread quickly through the living area of the
rear apartment. However, thanks to Cristel's foresight in dialing nine
on one immediately firefighters were already en route. They arrived

(22:13):
to find flames curling out of the rear unit and
doused the fire before it could consume the entire structure.
No one was injured, thankfully. Cristel, her friend, and Caleb
Junior had all gotten out by the time the fire
department arrived, but the situation was plainly criminal. Cristel and
her friend gave statements on the spot detailing how Caleb
Junior had essentially engineered the blaze. They had first noticed

(22:37):
the open window with a fan, an apparent attempt to
ventilate gas fumes, then the overwhelming smell of gasoline, and
Caleb's own incriminating actions afterward painted a clear picture of arson.
The day after this incident, November nine, Lockport police moved
swiftly to arrest Caleb Bell Junior for the arsen He
was taken into custody and charged with third degree arson

(22:59):
in connection with the now November eighth fire. That charge
indicated he was accused of intentionally damaging a building by
setting a fire, a felony offense. Caleb Junior was arraigned
in Lockport City Court, where he pleaded not guilty Initially.
The case was then sent to be presented to a
Niagara County grand jury, and Caleb Junior waived his right
to a preliminary felony hearing. The arson case against him

(23:22):
was incredibly strong. Given the eyewitness accounts from his sister
and her friend, as well as physical evidence like the
gas cans he had ostensibly been moving, it appears there
was little doubt he had tried to burn down the house.
The obvious question on everyone's mind was why why would
Hawley Sailer's own son attempt to torch the very home

(23:42):
where his mother had been murdered just weeks earlier. The
timing and location were incredibly suspicious. Some wondered if Caleb
Junior's actions were an attempt to destroy evidence from the
first fire or cover up something else related to his
mother's murder. Others thought it might be an expression of
grief or a psychological break given the trauma of losing

(24:02):
his mother. Whatever the motive, law enforcement now had to
consider the disturbing possibility that the arsonist son might somehow
be connected to the mother's homicide. Officially, though, Caleb Bell
Junior was charged only in relation to the second fire,
not his mother's death. W k PW reported, Lockport Police
have confirmed that thirty four year old Caleb Bell Junior

(24:24):
was arrested in the same home where his mother died
after the house caught fire last month. Within days, Caleb
Junior was behind bars awaiting further legal action on the arson.
That month, November twenty sixteen, a grand jury was convened
to indict him on arson charges. Facing strong evidence, Caleb
Junior eventually took a plea deal rather than go to trial.

(24:46):
He pleaded guilty to third degree arson and any subsequent sentencing.
Hearing received an indeterminate five to ten year prison term
for that crime. Importantly, Niagara County officials made it clear
that Caleb Junior's guilty plea was solely for the arson,
and he has never been charged in connection with his
mother's homicide. The arrest and imprisonment of Holly's son for

(25:06):
burning down their house was a bizarre and tragic footnote
to the case, but it did not directly solve the
mystery of Holly's murder. If anything, it raised more questions
about what was really going on within that family. In
late twenty sixteen, with an unsolved case as tangled as this,
investigators in the public have grappled with multiple theories about

(25:27):
who could have killed Holly Siler and why. Over the years,
two main suspect profiles have emerged based on the known facts. First,
there's Holly's boyfriend at the time, name unknown, and then
her son, Caleb Junior. There are also broader considerations of
whether someone else entirely could have been involved. First, we'll

(25:48):
talk about the boyfriend. From day one, Holly's boyfriend has
been under a cloud of suspicion. The reasons are pretty evident.
He and Hally had a serious domestic fight just hours
before she was killed, were called intervene, and according to family,
this boyfriend was present at the house again near the
time the fire started. It's a classic scenario in domestic

(26:08):
homicide cases. Often, a history of conflict escalates to lethal violence,
and statistically speaking, women are most likely to be killed
by the romantic partner If the boyfriend was indeed the killer,
the motive likely stemmed from domestic violence or a heated
argument turned deadly. Perhaps Holly decided to break off the
relationship that night, or the fight became physical. We know

(26:31):
police were involved at eight thirty pm, which could indicate
prior violence. The boyfriend may have returned in the early morning,
still angry or unable to let things go, and to
confrontation ensued. Strangulation is a very personal, upclose method of killing,
one often seen in domestic homicides due to anger and
control issues. The boyfriend might have strangled Holly in a

(26:52):
rage and then, realizing what he'd done, set the fire
to hide the crime. The boyfriend's opportunity to commit the
crime is clearly established. He was with Holly that evening.
The domestic disturbance proves he had been there, and witnesses
place him returning to the vicinity of the house during
the critical window overnight. Holly likely would have led him
in if he came back apologetic or claiming he forgot something,

(27:15):
or he might have stuck in if she was asleep.
There were reportedly no signs of forced entry reported, suggesting
Holly wasn't killed by a random intruder, but by someone
who had normal access, such as a boyfriend. So what
evidence might implicate this boyfriend. Investigators have not publicly disclosed
forensic evidence, but one can speculate. If Holly struggled while

(27:36):
being strangled, the killer might have scratches or injuries. Police
would have looked for that on the boyfriend soon after.
There could have been DNA under Holly's fingernails if she
scratched her assailant. If the boyfriend used an object like
a rope or a piece of clothing too strangle her,
that object might have been found or have his fingerprints.
Since a fire was set at the scene, the killer

(27:56):
may have traces of soot or accelerant on their clothing.
Did anyone get a whiff of the boyfriend smelling of
smoke or gas or see his car in the area
at around three am? These are questions that detectives likely pursued. Notably,
no arrest has been made. This suggests that either the
physical evidence was inconclusive or insufficient to charge the boyfriend,

(28:17):
or maybe he has an alibi, or there's some alternative
explanation that muddies the waters. It's possible he told police
that he left Holly's home and did not return, contradicting
the daughter's account, or that if he did return, it
was earlier, and that he left again before the fire.
If there's no surveillance video or external witness beyond the family,
it could have been a matter of he said, she

(28:38):
said about his whereabouts. Also, any DNA evidence could potentially
be explained away if he was Holly's boyfriend. This is
the type of DNA that might be expected to be
in her home or on her, complicating its value as
proof of murder. Officially, authorities have never named the boyfriend
as a suspect or even charged him with involvement. Early on,
they would not comment in any suspect I can identities. However,

(29:01):
Holly's family did not hide their suspicions. Caleb Bell's senior,
Holly's ex husband, strongly implied the boyfriend's involvement to the media,
emphasizing the domestic incident that preceded the fire. Lockport police
have remained tight lipped about both, likely to avoid jeopardizing
any potential future case. It's telling, though, that investigators have

(29:22):
never publicly cleared the boyfriend. The case remains open and
he remains in the eyes of many, a prime suspect
who simply hasn't been officially pinned with the crime. For
the community, the boyfriend theory is very persuasive. It fits
a pattern that we're all familiar with, and the timeline
makes sense. As one local news outlet summarized, everyone thought

(29:43):
Holly died in a house fire. That is, until the
coroner's report said she was strangled to death. As investigators
searched for answers, her boyfriend's late night returned loomed suspicious.
Many believe that the simplest explanation that the domestic abuser
killed her is the correct Until more evidence emerges or
an arrest is made, this remains an unproven theory. The

(30:05):
boyfriend has not faced any public accountability for Holly's death,
and unless new witnesses or evidence come forward tying him
conclusively to the crime, the case can't move forward solely
on suspicion. But now we're going to transition to this
second theory in this case, that Holly's son, Caleb Bell Junior,
was involved. The strange events after Holly's death inevitably led

(30:28):
to a second theory. Could Holly's own son, Caleb Junior
have been the culprit. This idea is distressing and perhaps
a little less likely than the former, but it gained
traction primarily because of Caleb Bell Junior's behavior. The fact
that he attempted to burn down the house three weeks
later made people wonder if he had a darker role
from the start. Was the November eighth arson a panicked

(30:50):
bid to destroy evidence from October twentieth, or possibly the
outburst of a guilty conscience. Could Caleb Junior have killed
his mother and then staged the fire, all while the
family initially suspected the boyfriend. These are hard questions to ask,
but ones that had to be considered. On the surface,
Caleb Junior did not appear to have a clear motive

(31:10):
to kill his mother. He was not known to be
at odds with her. In fact, he lived with her
and she was helping to support him. However, some have
speculated about his mental state. If Caleb Junior was struggling
with mental illness or substance issues, both of which have
been unconfirmed publicly, it's conceivable he might have snapped or
had some delusional reason. Another possible angle is financial or

(31:33):
personal gain. Did he stand to benefit from Holly's death,
such as an inheritance, insurance, what have you. There's no
direct evidence of that. Absent to clear motive, proponents of
this theory point to opportunity and behavior. Caleb Junior was
right there at home that night. It is worth noting
that Caleb Junior was thirty four years old and still

(31:54):
living at home, nothing to be ashamed about, of course,
but sometimes such situations cause familiar tension, and again this
is all speculative. Caleb Junior undoubtedly had opportunity. He was
one of only a few people on the premises when
Holly was killed, just him and his sister, aside from
Holly herself. If the boyfriend truly left after the fight

(32:15):
and did not return, is me playing devil's advocate, then
the only others around were her children. What raises eyebrows
most about Caleb Junior is his behavior during the second fire.
By trying to torch the house on November eighth, he
effectively demonstrated the capability to commit arson, the very act
that tried to cover up Holly's murder. His sister's testimony

(32:36):
describes premeditation on his part. This suggests he could likewise
have premeditated the first fire's arson. Additionally, investigators have not
publicly said what Caleb's explanation was for that second fire.
Did he ever confess or reason publicly? We don't know.
The lack of a clear explanation leads some to suspect
that it might have been related to Holly's case. For instance,

(33:00):
feared evidence in the house that might have incriminated him,
he could have tried to erase it with fire. Law
enforcement has indeed taken note of Caleb Junior's potential involvement.
In a twenty twenty one interview, a Niagara County District
attorney acknowledged that Caleb Bell Junior is considered a person
of interest in Holly's homicide case. This is pretty significant.

(33:21):
It's an official indication that investigators have their eye on
him regarding the murder, not just the arson. Being a
person of interest is not an accusation of guilt, but
it means he's someone who has not been cleared. The
DA's statement suggests that at minimum, police find the circumstances
around Caleb Junior suspicious enough that they continue to investigate
any links between him and his mother's death. Notably, she

(33:43):
mentioned this while also noting his arson, conviction and prisoned term.
So why then hasn't Caleb Junior been charged with the murder.
The likely answer is the same as the other suspect.
The lack of hard evidence, suspicion and motive aren't enough.
Prosecutors would need some proof placing him at the scene
of the murder and showing that he, not someone else,

(34:03):
killed Holly. So far, such proof remains elusive or confidential.
If the physical evidence pointed to the boyfriend, then Caleb
Junior would not be in the frame. If it's inconclusive
or mixed, that complicates things. There is also another possibility,
Cristel's eyewitness perspective. She found her mother and saw the
boyfriend that night, and apparently did not implicate her brother

(34:26):
in any way at the time. In fact, Christel was
the one who later helped catch Caleb's setting the second fire.
If Caleb had killed Holly, he would have had to
try and fool or evade his sister that night, which
is kind of tricky given they were in the same house.
There's no public indication that Cristel suspects her brother in
their mother's death. Her ire seemed directed at the boyfriend

(34:47):
initially That said family loyalties can cloud judgment, or she
might just find it unthinkable. From the public vantage, the
case against Caleb Junior is very circumstantial, but still a
bit troubling, proven to be dangerous with fire, and the
timing of his arsin is too coincidental to ignore. Even
within the family, some may have doubts. Holly's sister Mary,

(35:09):
in her quest for answers, has not outright accused her nephew,
but she has expressed that not enough is being done
and everyone should be looked at closely until or unless
new evidence emerges. Caleb Bell Junior's status in this case
remains ambiguous. He was incarcerated for arson, and he has
never been charged with murdering his mother. According to officials,

(35:31):
he has denied any involvement in Holly's death, which one
can infer Since he hasn't confessed, the DA's office will
keep him listed as a person of interest, meaning that
the file on him is open. If one day, a
witness comes forward or a piece of forensic evidence is
retested that implicates him, charges could follow. In the meantime,
the theory that Caleb Junior killed his mother is one

(35:51):
of the darker possibilities haunting this case, it's a theory
that the community hopes is not true, but cannot rule out.
Given the bizarre twist of the story. Beyond the boyfriend
and the sun, could there have been someone else responsible
for Holly Siler's murder. Investigators haven't completely dismissed any possibilities publicly,
but there's scant evidence to support an outside intruder or

(36:14):
a hired hit, or anything of that sort. Nothing about
the scene suggested a robbery. Hally's valuables were not highlighted
as missing, and the fire appeared set to height a body,
not to cover up a burglary. There were no reports
of forced entry, which makes a random attacker less likely,
not impossible, but very less likely. Holly did not seem

(36:34):
to have any enemies. She was a fifty four year
old grandmother, a factory worker with deep roots in her community.
There is no known connection to any criminal activity, no
serious debts or disputes that might prompt a third party
to want to harm her. If someone other than the
two men in her life did this, it would raise
the question who and why. Occasionally speculation arises about whether

(36:56):
two people could have been involved. For instance, could the
boyfriend and the Sun have both played roles, or could
someone have helped the boyfriend something like that, But there's
no evidence released to suggest multiple perpetrators that night. It's
likely that the murder was committed by a single individual.
Given the intimate nature of strangulation, one could theorize about

(37:16):
a scenario like this. Maybe the domestic fight ended with
the boyfriends storming off, and later a different individual, say
a jealous ex partner or a stalker, took advantage of
the chaos to attack Holly. This is highly speculative and
not supported by any known facts. Unsolved cases sometimes attract
wild theories, but responsible investigators have to stick to evidence.

(37:39):
In Holly's case, all evidence and witness accounts point inward
to her immediate circle, rather than to an unknown outsider. Therefore,
while we can't say with one hundred percent certainty that
only the boyfriend or the Sun could have done it,
those are by far the primary theories that law enforcement
has centered on. In the nearly ninety years since Holly

(38:00):
Siler's death. The investigation has seen flurries of activity and
long stretches of quiet. Multiple law enforcement agencies have been involved.
The Lockport Police Department has been the lead investigative party,
with assistance from the Niagara County District Attorney's office and
presumably some state level resources. Over time, some aspects of
the case have become public, while many of the others

(38:23):
remained closely guarded secrets, known only to the detectives and
the killer. One development came in March twenty eighteen, about
a year and a half after the murder. That was
when Holly's family obtained a copy of her death certificate,
officially noting that her manner of death was homicide aka strangulation.
This might sound like old news. We Alredy knew that

(38:43):
the coroner found strangulation, but for Holly's family, seeing it
in black and white was significant. It removed any doubt
that she was killed, not an accident, not undetermined killed.
By this time, Holly's sister, Mary Siler, had grown increasingly
from frustrated with the investigation's progress. In public comments and
to local media, Mary expressed the family felt kept in

(39:07):
the dark and unsatisfied with the effort being put forth.
In a radio interview that March, Mary said that police
in the DA's office were not being receptive to her inquiries,
and that nearly two years had passed with no arrest.
She essentially accused the authorities of not doing enough and
begged for more action. This family pressure perhaps helped spur
some renewed attention. Not long after, the Niagara County DA

(39:31):
did acknowledge certain aspects publicly, including naming the person of interest,
Caleb Junior, as mentioned earlier. The DA then defended the investigation,
asserting that investigators were actively working the case, even if
much of it was happening behind the scenes. From her perspective,
just because updates weren't public did not mean nothing was happening,
but still the years began to pass. In November twenty twenty,

(39:55):
on the four year anniversary of Holly's death, a tangible
sign of the case still being alive came in the
form of a reward announcement. Crime Stoppers Buffalo, in coordination
with Lockport Police in the DA, offered a reward of
up to seventy five hundred dollars for information leading to
the arrest or indictment of Holly's killer. The reward poster
emphasized the key facts that Holly was strangled and set

(40:18):
on fire in her East High Street home on October twentieth,
twenty sixteen, and urged anyone with knowledge to come forward.
Tips could be submitted anonymously via phone or app. The
amount seven thousand, five hundred dollars, while not huge, signaled
that authorities were hoping even a small incentive might shake
loose a long held secret. Oftentimes, such rewards are offered

(40:39):
when a case is stalled and needs a boost from
the public. By the five year anniversary in October twenty
twenty one, Hally's case was featured in some local unsolved
crime segments. One such report described how her family was
still waiting and begging for an update from police. Mary
Siler continued to speak out, refusing to let her sister's
case be forg It's been five years and we have nothing,

(41:03):
She lamented. Somebody knows something. Please, if you know anything,
come forward. The emotional toll on the family was evident,
holidays and milestones passing without Holly and without justice. Law
enforcement insists that the case is active, not cold. Detectives
have periodically reinterviewed witnesses and persons of interest, checked for

(41:25):
any DNA hits, and keptabs on the main players in
this case. DA before she left office to become a
judge indicated they were continuing to follow the evidence and
that they only get one chance to charge someone, correctly
hinting that they want the case to be rock solid
before making any arrest. This suggests that investigators believe they
know who likely did it, but they are waiting for

(41:47):
either new evidence or a change in circumstances, like perhaps
someone willing to testify. As of now in twenty twenty five,
the official stances that Holly Siler's murder remains an open
and unsolved case. The Lockport Police Department periodically states that
they are committed to solving it and that they encourage
anyone with information to contact them or crime stoppers. These

(42:08):
seventy five hundred dollars reward is presumably still available for
credible tips. It's likely that the detectives have a theory
of the case that they are working to prove. They
may be one piece of evidence away from being able
to make an arrest, perhaps waiting on someone's cooperation or
a forensic breakthrough, or they may genuinely be stumped and
hoping for a lucky tip to the public. Little new

(42:31):
information has been revealed since the early years. This is
sadly common in such cases, it's frustrating for the public
and agonizing for the family, but investigators often hold details
back to verify future tips or confessions. Nearly nine years
have passed since the morning Holly Siler's life was brutally taken,

(42:55):
and the case that begin with a house fire has
yet to deliver justice for Holly's love on. Each passing
year without answers is a nightmare. Hali's memory, however, remains
very much alive. She has remembered not just for the
horrific manner in which she died, but for the beautiful
person she was in life. A caring mother, a proud
Air Force veteran, a hard worker, and a joyous, active

(43:18):
soul who loved her family above all. Her children, Crystal
and Caleb Junior, lost their mother in the most traumatic
way imaginable. They have had to carry on with that
heavy loss. In the stigma and suspicions swirling around the case.
Holly's extended family, her siblings, especially her sister Mary, have
become her voice in the public sphere, Refusing to let

(43:39):
the world forget that Holly's killer remains unidentified and unpunished.
Mary has been steadfast in seeking updates from law enforcement,
sometimes to the point of frustration. She has implored, we
just want to know what happened and see someone held accountable.
Mary has expressed that her sister deserves justice and the
family deserves closure. Were as much closure as one can

(44:01):
get after such a tragedy. Hollie's ex husband and father
of her children, Caleb Bell Senior, also suffered the loss
of someone who had been a huge part of his life.
Despite the divorce, they shared decades of history and two
children together. He spoke kindly of Holly after her death,
reflecting on her goodness and faith. It's sad all the
way around. There's no winner, nothing but losers, he said,

(44:24):
referring to how the tragedy had broken the family. He
took all this in the belief that Holly, a woman
of faith, is saved, so I know where she went,
and he tried to console their daughter with the knowledge
that someday, in the next life they would reunite. These
sentiments show a family grasping for comfort amid senseless loss.
Friends and former coworkers of Holly's were also deeply affected.

(44:46):
Coworkers from the Dunlop Plant and fellow veterans who served
with her remembered Holly as a reliable and spirited friend.
At her funeral, stories were shared of her generosity and humor,
how she would organize office potlucks, or how she never
forgot anyone's birthday to them. The idea that someone wanted
to harm Holly was almost incomprehensible, that such a caring
person could meet such a violent end. As a source

(45:09):
of ongoing grief and outrage in the community in Lockport,
Holly's case has become one of those lingering unsolved crimes
that residents don't easily forget. It's mentioned in local news
rounds up of cold cases and at crime stoppers events.
Each year around October, her name reappears in the press,
often alongside a photo of her smiling face, a reminder

(45:29):
of the victim behind the headlines. Holly's family has tried
to keep her legacy alive by sharing who she was,
a woman who served her country, who raised children, who
delighted in being a grandmother, and who had many years
of life still ahead of her. They want her to
be remembered for all those things, not just as a victim.
There is still hope that this case will be solved

(45:51):
advancements in forensic technology. For example, DNA analysis techniques could
perhaps one day provide the key if any usable genetic
material was left by the perpetrator. Allegiances and relationships can change.
Someone who initially stayed silent might eventually decide to talk,
whether out of guilt or for reward, or simply the

(46:11):
passage of time softening. The fear Lockport Police and the
Niagara County DA certainly have not closed the case, so
files remain open and leads, however scant, are being followed.
For now, the community and Holly's loved ones are left
with unanswered questions and an open wound. Who strangled Holly
Siler in her own bedroom and set her body on fire?

(46:33):
Was it the boyfriend who was never charged, Was it
her own son, despite the thought being almost too awful
to contemplate, or is the truth something else entirely? The
lack of resolution means a killer could likely still be
walking free, perhaps even in the same community. Investigators insist
that they have not given up on this case, and

(46:53):
neither has Holly's family. They hold onto faith that the
truth will emerge and the guilty will face consequences. Until
that day comes, we are left with a haunting void
where answers should be, and as of this episode's recording,
the story of Holly Sailer remains unresolved. Thanks for listening, everyone.

(47:45):
I'm going to keep the end credits brief. I don't
have anything planned. I'm just rolling off the cuff here.
But it's been a pretty rough month. Been dealing with
a lot of illnesses and the wheelan household. My daughter
started pre k and that led to a whole host
of sicknesses. Pretty much everything you could think of. Kids
have been sick, I've been sick, wife's been sick. It's
been a nightmare. I'm still getting over a little residual bronchitis,

(48:09):
which is mostly why I haven't been recording the last
couple of weeks. But uh, there are a couple of
emergency room visits in the middle there. Yeah, it's just
been a total shit show. Anyhow, I'm done complaining. I'm
gonna keep the end credits brief. Writing and research by
Amelia White, Hosting in production by myself. If you want
to get in touch, please visit the website Unresolved dot

(48:30):
a me. There you can find pretty much anything, links
to transcripts of prior episodes links to the Patreon where
you can become a patron and help support this podcast. Anyhow,
I'm gonna go. My throat hurts. I'm gonna go have
a cough, drop, drink some water, the works. Anyhow, you
all take care. I'm very happy to be back. We
should have another episode next week, and more stuff going

(48:51):
up on the Patreon soon, including the big climax to
the BTK series and another Cryptid slash paranormal bonus Episodi
verty exciting. I'll talk to you all later. You have
a good day. Bye bye.