Part 2 | Silver MiniVan:The disappearance of Jessica Herringa

Kelly wraps up the mysterious journey surrounding the disappearance of Jessica Herringa, a gas station attendant who vanishes without a trace during her shift. Despite the absence of robbery signs and her personal items left behind, a faint trail of...
Kelly wraps up the mysterious journey surrounding the disappearance of Jessica Herringa, a gas station attendant who vanishes without a trace during her shift. Despite the absence of robbery signs and her personal items left behind, a faint trail of blood outside the store sends shockwaves through the investigation.
The police delve into the investigation of Jessica's vanishing, drawing attention to a witness sighting a silver minivan at the gas station on the fateful night. As the probe deepens, revelations surface about Jessica's tumultuous relationships and struggles with substance abuse, notably involving a figure known as Jay-Z. Despite exhaustive search efforts, Jessica remains elusive, leaving a lingering sense of mystery.Part 1 | Silver MiniVan:The disappearance of Jessica Herringa
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Welcome to Unspeakable, a true crime
podcast where I tell stories of real crimes
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with real victims, whose cases are
so shocking that many are left wondering how
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is this even real? I use
my experiences in law enforcement corrections, and
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combined with my years as a criminal
justice educator, dig deep into complex cases
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of evil acts, some so evil
many feel they are unspeakable. Warning.
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Unspeakable as intended for mature audiences.
If you are easily offended, then I'm
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not your girl. Listening discretion is
advised. Hey, y'all, it's me
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kJ for another episode of Unspeakable.
What's going on with y'all? We're gonna
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start part two of the Jessica heringa
story. Before I start, though,
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I have to give a special shout
out today to someone who reached out to
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me online, because if you follow
me on Facebook, you saw that I
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posted all the little crime scene dioramas, the little mini crime scenes from my
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class that my students did, and
I thought they were really cool. And
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so a teacher reached out to me, Miss Gina Smith, and she wants
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to try to incorporate it in her
classroom, and I thought that was really
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cool, So I wanted to say
hi, first of all to miss Gina
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Smith, but also to your students. I hear they are forensic students,
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I believe. So hey, guys, look y'all work hard, y'all pay
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attention, and you're gonna really like
this project. It's a lot of fun,
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all right now, Mss Smith turn
it off. Now, this is
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not for the children. But we're
gonna jump back in. So last episode,
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we left off with the believed abduction
and disappearance of Jessica Heringa, and
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I found this interview done by wood
TV eight, and I guess I'm just
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gonna start off quickly by breaking your
heart really early on in the episode.
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And this is just a little clip
of little Zevin. This is Jessica's son,
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And they went in and they asked
him a little bit about his mama
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because she was missing. And so
this is what Zevin had to say about
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his mama being missing at What did
you say, Your mama's at somewhere?
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Yeah, yeah, you can't find
here. You can't find her. If
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that doesn't just make your heart hurt, I don't know what will. But
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little man, his mama was missing, right, And so they desperately wanted
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to find her and bring her home
so she could love on her baby boy.
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Well. In the meantime, as
you know, Jeffrey Willis was believed
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to be responsible for her disappearance,
and when his van was searched, police
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found that toolbox I spoke of with
many questionable items, including insulin the chart
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of where to place the injections.
The toolbox also included like sex toys and
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lubricants. Now, if you want
more specific definitions or descriptions of the items
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in the toolbox, I can give
you that there were handcuffs and chains,
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the ballgag, and this other sex
toy that looked like a little small vibrating
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egg. There were also photos of
a man and a woman in their underwear,
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as well as leather gloves, the
rope, the metal bar with a
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metal box like restraints. And I
know I mentioned this in the last episode,
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but there was also this purple sex
toy that looked like a like a
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butt plug or something. But later
on they would refer to it as Okay,
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I'm live right now because Jim's laughing
at me in the studio. Okay,
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listen, I don't know what the
hell it was. I'm gonna shoot
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you straight I don't know. This
is what happened. Later on, it
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was referred to as a dildo,
so I'm not quite sure. But I
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started saying, you know what,
screw this, I'm limiting my search history
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on that one. I didn't go
any further. That's what I came up
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with. So apologies to my parents
who might or you know, may or
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may not be listening to this.
I don't know, but I quit search.
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And so when I get you knocked
off one day and they go look
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at my search history, everyone's gonna
think I'm a freak. I was just
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trying to figure out what that toy
was so I could understand it. But
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that was that was cut short,
okay, So I did my best to
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explain it to you. There was
also some lubricating jelly, as well as
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a typed letter that had some names
and some addresses on it, which to
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me was like, ooh, because
who those people were? Right? Who
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are these names? Why does he
have addresses tied to them? It's not
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a good look, right. So
he also wasn't very forthcoming with police during
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the questioning because he claimed that he
hadn't gone anywhere the day of Jessica's disappearance,
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but that oil change receipt I mentioned
completely would contradict that story. Now
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about that time, another witness would
come forward by the name of Christian van
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Antwerpin. And this person came forward
and claimed to have seen this creepy guy
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around the store at the time of
Jessica's disappearance, and so he gave an
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interview to ABC News about it,
and he I was so sure it had
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to be the guy responsible for her
disappearance. And so Christian said he had
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pulled up to get gas and he
saw Jessica come outside and it looked like
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she was going to refill the receipt
paper on the gas pump, right where
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it prints out your receipt. So
he saw the man kind of lingering around,
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and he thought that the guy may
have known Jessica because he was engaging
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her in conversation, and he was
like, it was like they knew each
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other. But it just struck him
as odd. It was just an odd
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exchange. So this is a direct
quote that he says, it just seemed
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to me that this was just another
guy hitting on her or whatever, because
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she was an attractive girl. It
was just an afterthought. I almost didn't
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think about mentioning it, but I
thought it was my responsibility to say something
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about it. He was just like, Hey, what are you doing over
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there? Aren't you supposed to be
inside? Just kind of being real flirty,
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weird about it. He said,
it was just bizarre that he seemed
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to be actively looking for her.
He knew her, and then he had
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this attitude that he wanted to have
a conversation with her and then conduct business.
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And that is what seemed really out
of place to me. That was
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that whole thing was the quote that
this Christian gave. That gut instinct that
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something was out of place is what
Christian was feeling. And he was right,
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guys, the instinct is there for
a reason, and we have to
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listen to it. I tell my
kids this, I tell teenagers, anyone
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who will listen to me, that
gut instinct is there for a reason.
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If something doesn't feel right, it's
not right. It was built into you
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to warn you listen to it.
Also, another witness would come forward eventually
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and she would say that she had
seen something the night Jessica went missing too.
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And this was a woman who had
frequented that store a lot. She
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was there often and so looking at
her, she's kind of a homely lady.
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I would say, you know,
middle a little older than middle aged,
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kind of seemed like, you know, she'd kind of lived maybe a
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rougher life, but kind, very
kind woman. And she would often go
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into the gas station to buy cigarettes
and to get gas. And she had
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created like a friendship that was like
a recognizable friendship is kind of what I
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would call it, where they absolutely
recognized each other when she walked in the
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store, and they did small talk
and all of that. And so she
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would have remembered things that would have
happened because she was invested in Jessica as
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a kind young girl behind the counter. So she said specifically, the night
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that Jessica went missing, she had
brought a friend. She being the woman,
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had brought a friend to play a
card game, which was something she
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had done often, and she saw
a man that was fitting jeff Willis's description
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driving a silver mini van, and
when she was in the store, that
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guy that matched Jeffrey Willis's description was
there too, And so this woman kind
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of brought up to Jessica, Hey, you know, I don't think it's
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a good idea. You know that
you're here alone, this late at night.
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Why didn't your boyfriend or fiance come
up here? And Jeffrey Willis piped
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up. The guy she says was
Jeffrey Willis. He piped up and looked
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at her and said, don't worry
about it. Her customers are watching her.
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Well, that's kind of kind of
literal there, right. So,
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speaking of Willis, police were still
actively investigating him, and they came across
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a second lock box in the van
during a search. Remember they found the
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first lock box with all those things
I've already mentioned to you, and now
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they found this second lock box which
was locked and inside it had handcuffs and
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a Walter P twenty two pistol.
Now, as I mentioned in the previous
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episode, a young teen girl was
attempted to be abducted, but she saved
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her own life by jumping from the
moving van. Jessica Hearinga is now missing,
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and both are believed to have been
abducted by jeff Willis. The best
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description given by the multiple witnesses at
both women's cases, according to the Norton
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Shores Police Department, was a white
male, age thirty to forty, about
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six feet tall, with center parted
light brown wavy hair, and the suspect
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is believed to have been driving the
silver mini van. Well, this description,
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y'all, was a dead ringer for
Jeff Willis if you're looking at him,
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so much so that even his hairstylist
of fourteen years, her name was
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Jenis Harton, confirmed the hairstyle he
always wanted, but she added that it
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had blonde highlights, and that he
always wanted to put these blonde highlights through
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the front and top of his hair. So the funny thing about this,
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and why I'm bringing it up,
is that women are funny eyewitnesses, right
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because they noticed the hair so much
so that remember that coworker that was riding
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the motorcycle that went by and happened
to see the guy with a silver minivan
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behind the store. She even mentioned
that he had pretty streaked hair. So
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suggestion, don't have really nice identifiable
hair when committing crimes, especially if women
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are your victims, because they're gonna
notice your hair. So again, circumstantial,
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but noted that that was the exact
hairstyle that he wore. Well,
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a homicide that had occurred years before
would suddenly become front page news again in
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relation to the team that jumped from
the vehicle. Okay, So that girl
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that jumped from the vehicle, and
I know that this case is going all
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over the place, but it has
to because this is how it went down.
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Okay, But the team that jumped
from that vehicle, it's this next
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case I'm gonna bring up is in
relation to that, and it had happened
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two years prior to the girl jumping
out of the van. So I'm gonna
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have to take you back to twenty
fourteen in Muskegon County, Michigan. So
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it was just after six pm on
June twenty ninth when some people that were
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dry having a long automobile road saw
a woman lying on the ground and horrified
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by what they saw, they called
nine one one as this middle aged woman
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with brown hair seemed to be hit
by a car and they thought, oh
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my god, this is a hit
and run. This woman is laying on
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the ground. We need help.
So police arrived. They responded to the
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scene and that's where they found thirty
six year old Rebecca Bletch lying on the
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side of the road. It looked
at first glance like she had been just
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just like they said. It looked
like she had been out for an evening
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jog out for a run, and
then a car must have struck her without
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stopping, but responders were checking her
out and they quickly realized that this was
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no hit and run. Now,
Rebecca was known as Becky to her friends
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and family. She was the oldest
of three sisters and one brother, and
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she was described as nurturing and a
motherly woman. And she was married.
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Okay, she had married the love
of her life. His name was Kevin.
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They got married in two thousand and
nine. They'd been together for eighteen
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years married, but more before that. So they were settled in and they
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were happily raising their twelve year old
daughter, Ellie. So Becky, and
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I'm going to cringe to say this, but Becky was known dun dun dah
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in Sir Keith Morrison here, but
she was known as the life of the
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party. And I know how cliche
that line sounds if you are a true
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crime fan, But I will tell
you this, I've never met this woman
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a day in my life, but
I can tell you from her photos alone
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that she has a light and a
beauty that she just emits in all of
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her photos. I believe it when
they say that she literally was the life
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of the party when she walked in
a thousand watts smile. In her photos,
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she's got these cute little poses going
on. She had almond shaped eyes,
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and she was tan, she was
fit, really lush brown hair,
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and best of all, y'all know, Mama likes those pearly white teeth,
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and she had them, y'all.
She had those pearly white, eight straight
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teeth. She was stunning. And
she was a really tall woman too,
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I guess compared to me, I
would say, she's really tall. She
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was five foot ten, so she
was teetering up there on six foot tall.
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But being beautiful wasn't her only attribute. She was happy and so many
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descriptions of her by different people said
that she was happy. And to me,
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that's such an overlooked blessing these days, right to just be a happy
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person, to go through life with
a joyous spirit about you. So,
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like I said, she was married, and she had her twelve year old
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daughter, Ellie, and she just
lived for her. She was mama's baby.
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She loved her little girl, and
she and her husband. Matter of
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fact, they were kind of later
on in their professional lives, and so
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they were really starting to even think
about retirement. She and her husband had
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just purchased a travel trailer, and
so they were really excited because they wanted
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to start taking up camping, and
they wanted to travel with their daughter,
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and so all of these exciting times
were getting ready to you know, they
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were going to be ahead of them, and they couldn't wait to just set
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off and start having these fun family
adventures. But aside from being a mother
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and a wife, y'all, she
had brains and she was a strong woman,
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both in spirit but also in you
know, physical fitness. She worked
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as a physical therapist assistant at a
nursing home, and at that place where
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she worked, she was so loved
and so very appreciated by her clients.
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I will tell you this, if
I'm ever murdered, I can only hope
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to be described the same way that
people described Becky. Among the other things
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I've already told you about her,
she was described as reliable, tenderhearted,
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and social. And I thought,
what wonderful ways to describe someone that you
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really cared about. Reliable. We
all want to be reliable, right Her
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own sister told mlive dot Com that
she was everything I wanted to be.
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I lost my role model, and
I lost my hero, and I'm like,
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wow, you know, a sister
describing her sister that way, It
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says it all to me what a
lovely woman Miss Becky must have been.
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So now, this beautiful woman that
I've been telling you about is lying mortally
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wounded on the side of the road
at what looks to be a horrible accident.
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But that's until the responders decided to
roll her over as part of the
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assessment, and it was at this
point they realized that she had actually been
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shot. She had been shot in
the head. They attempted CPR while everyone
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was wondering who in the world would
want to shoot her, a woman that's
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out on a jog and why why
was she shot while she was alone and
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jogging? It just it didn't make
sense. That's the thing about evil,
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though, you know, evil doesn't
make sense. Other items were then recorded
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at the scene in photographs, including
some shell casings. That's right, I
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said, some shell casings, meaning
more than one. So Miss Becky would
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ultimately succumb to her injuries, and
her autopsy would reveal that she had been
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shot with a twenty two pistol,
not once, not twice, but three
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times. Matter of fact, the
way she was shot. Looking at the
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autopsy, she was shot in the
back of the head, and then at
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closer range there were two more shots
to the side of her head. So
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if you want to know what execution
and guaranteed confirmed death looks like, shooting
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someone from the back of the head, then walking up, slowly, bending
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down and pop pop, shooting someone
two more times in the head. And
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I say this almost callously because that's
what this murderer did. It was callous.
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This was someone's wife, and someone's
mama, and somebody's sister, and
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you just shot her while she's jogging. The most innocent thing I can think
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of. So as police processed the
evidence, they came to the conclusion that,
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like I said, she must have
been shot from a distance from behind,
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and then two more times at a
much closer range. And they made
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that decision based on where the shell
case the shell casings were found on the
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ground, and that's how they figured
this out. So after her family was
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notified and the shock began to subside, her funeral was planned. This is
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so precious. Do you remember the
nursing home residents I just mentioned that just
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adored her while I wasn't just saying
this as like part of you know,
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showbiz or something like that. It
was genuine and that is real. Her
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mother would even tell that the nursing
home actually hired a bus to transport the
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patients that she had so lovingly cared
for to her funeral so that they could
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pay their last respects, that many
of them wanted to go say goodbye to
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her. That's incredible to me.
Tell me, this woman wasn't a loss
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to her community. So now a
man lost his wife, a little twelve
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year old girl lost her mama,
two sisters and a brother right lost their
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sibling, and a mom lost her
daughter. So this is just a huge
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ripple effect. But regardless of how
much of a loss was being felt,
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police were doing their best. But
the case is sadly gonna kind of go
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cold. They don't have any motive, They can't find anybody who hated her,
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they can't find an enemy. Even
after a ten thousand dollars reward was
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offered, there was still stone cold
silence, so cold that two years would
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pass by before a break would be
made in this case. So what does
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this case have to do with the
kidnapping of Jessica heringa and that teenager that
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jumped from that van. Well,
when the teen jump from the van and
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then was able to turn around and
identify Jeffrey Willis as the man that tried
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to abduct her, police went and
searched the properties near the attempted abduction and
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there is where they found that blueberry
farm with the video surveillance that showed the
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infamous silver van seen at both Jessica
hearing Goes suspected abduction and the attempted abduction
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of the teenage girl. So this
information alone led the police to question Jeffrey
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Willis and then to search his van
for any evidence. So during that search,
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the police found that toolbox and that
lock box with the items that seemed
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to make up that rape kit,
as well as the gun and the gloves
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in that lock box. So fast
forward and the gun and the gloves are
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sent to the crime lab for DNA
testing. The teen girl had said that
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jeff put a gun right up to
her whenever he tried to abduct her,
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so DNA would be a great piece
of evidence for them to get from that
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gun. So while DNA was being
run on the gun, investigators also test
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fired it. Investigators also noticed that
the serial number on the weapon had been
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obscured, like someone had tried to
scratch it off. The lab was able
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to restore the serial number anyway,
and I'm not sure exactly how they did
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it, but I can tell you
I know one method that they can do,
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and it has to do with like
using acid, and basically they can
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burn down deeper into the frame of
the gun where the serial number is.
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They go deeper than the scratch because
it's a very deep stamp, and then
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after they get past the scratch,
boom, they come down and they see
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a serial number. So I'm sure
it was something similar to that method.
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Also a fun fact, while we're
on talking about firearms, manufacturers put secondary
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serial numbers on firearms, so for
example, the barrel and the slide of
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the weapon would both have the serial
number. But I guess he missed that
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lesson in criminal school. So when
the police ran the number on the gun,
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they found that Willis was not the
legal owner of the weapon. Ah
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Okay, it's kind of starting to
make sense here. He tried to act
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as though, you know, when
he told police about his legally owned weapon,
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but it would be illegal to have
a gun in his car. He
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didn't have one in his car in
that original interrogation, right, he never
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mentioned that he had a gun that
he stole from a coworker. That's right.
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The gun was registered to a female
coworker of Jeffrey Willis, and she
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had said that the gun was stolen, and that was pretty obvious because it
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was legally registered to her, but
she never knew was Willis who had stolen
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it, and then had obviously tried
to remove the number. Okay, now,
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and if you hadn't stolen it,
why would you try to erase the
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number? I mean, just common
sense? Right? So police all also
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ran DNA on the other items in
the toolbox and the lock box, and
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this included the handcuffs, the dildos, and the gloves. Well, when
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the DNA came back, police were
straight up shook us. Guess whose DNA
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was on the weapon? Jeffrey Willis, of course, it was right,
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his finger was found and DNA was
found on the trigger. But another DNA
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profile came up on the handcuffs,
the gloves, and one of the sex
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toys, and that would be none
other than Rebecca Bletches. What in the
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hell right could this be? Real? Investigators had had nothing on this case
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for two years, and now her
DNA is randomly showing up in combination with
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a man's DNA that is suspected in
two other women's cases. That's crazy,
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right, Well not really. If
you've been listening to any in my podcast,
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I keep telling you the same twenty
to thirty percent of the population commits
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one hundred percent of the crimes.
All we need is time to figure it
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out. However, those test firings
of the weapon that they test fired also
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were tested against the bullets that were
found in Rebecca's head, and the shell
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casings were compared to those that were
found on the road side by her body,
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and in an incredible finding, investigators
were able to positively match the bullets
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and the casings to Rebecca Bletch's murder. So a picture was really starting to
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take shape. Here. Rebecca was
minding her own business. She was jogging
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when she at some point was approached
by Jeffrey Willis in his van, and,
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in comparison to the other two questions
in case, he likely attempted to
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take her, but she decided to
fight back, and seeing that his plans
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were being thwarted, he chose to
murder her. Rather than just abort mission
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and take off, he killed her
for not complying with what he wanted.
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So when her family was notified that
the case had been likely solved and that
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investigators believed that they now knew what
had happened to her, their response was
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that she certainly absolutely put up a
fight, and they expected no less from
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her. She went to war with
him, y'all, but she just lost
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the battle. And her sister said, of course she fought. She wouldn't
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have gotten in that van with him. Her sister was also directly quoted as
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saying, the only good thing is
she died fighting for her life. He
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didn't have a chance to hurt her
anymore than he already did. And I
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kind of like, my heart hurts
for her sister to have to say this,
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But in a weird way, I
hope people feel almost empowered. And
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you know that she took her fate
into her own hands, like hell,
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you're dragging me in this van.
Fuck you and your gun, because that's
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basically what she'd said, not today, not tomorrow, And she fought,
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and she was exhausted. I'm sure
she had been jogging. That's what made
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her a great victim. She was
tired. She also at the scene.
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I didn't mention this. They found
her headset, like her Walkman headset,
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and they found her her shoes and
things like that. So it seems to
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me that he probably tried to get
her attention, you know, was able
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to sneak up on her without her
notice, noticing at first, maybe because
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of the music, and then when
she took off her headset, because he
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probably asked a question or something like
that to take her, you know,
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get her off off guard, you
know, and then he put the gun
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in her face, and she said, like hell, she was a warrior,
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and she died fighting, and I'm
so incredibly empowered by that fact.
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What she also did was to make
sure that everyone knew that, through her
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death, Jeffrey Willis was more than
capable of hurting women. Her murder was
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the definitive link that Jeffrey Willis was
a predatory animal who carefully picked him prey.
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He methodically prepared, and then he
finally attacked. It turns out,
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too, jeff Willis lived just down
the road from Rebecca Bletch. He would
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have known the path that she traveled. He would have been able to pick
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up on her habits the most common
means of control for abducted victims is physical
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abuse, threats, and restrictions of
free movement. So I would assume he
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tried to stop her and restrict her
movement. She fought back, She became
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a very difficult victim, and so
he shot her. So while this case
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may have been solved, which is
a you know, a huge who right,
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the why was still lingering. But
the rape kit that he carried around,
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y'all, that should tell you all
you need to know about the why.
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But thinking you know that this is
the case and proving it is two
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very different things, and police would
need more to slam Jeffrey Willis in all
354
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of these cases. So, while
the murder of Rebecca Bletch seemed to be
355
00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:08.000
solved, no DNA of Jessica Heringez
nor the kidnapped teen was found on the
356
00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:11.599
gun or on any of the other
items that were tested in the van.
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Also, when the police confronted jeff
about his kit with the sex toys and
358
00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:23.880
the lubricants, he chalked up to
it being his wife's Her name was Charlene
359
00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:30.519
Willis at the time, to which
she adamantly denied and said that's not ours.
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He also claimed that the insulin and
the needles were his wives as well.
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Now this brings up the typical plausible
deniability criminals always hoped to build to
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00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:48.039
muddy the waters. See Charlene,
his wife was in fact a diabetic.
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But after further questioning, a few
things were made very clear. Number one,
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she said, he never injected me
with insulin. Not only had he
365
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never injected me with insulin, he
had only practiced once on an orange.
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It was like they had gone to
classes together because apparently her diabetes was a
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pretty serious case, and so they
went to a class together where they were,
368
00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:11.519
you know, teaching them how to
do it. But she said he
369
00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:15.039
never ever injected her. As a
matter of fact, he called an ambulance
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on her behalf one time because she
was in such a bad way. Okay,
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well cool though, right, Maybe
maybe he's trying to chalk it up
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to it. It was her insulin. But in your everyday diabetic kit,
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which, by the way, I
know there's a lot on the market now
374
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these days. But assuming you were
just an old school, you know,
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way about you know, in twenty
fourteen, twenty thirteen, whatever, Assuming
376
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you were an old school in your
stuff, you may carry a blood sugar
377
00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:45.880
meter and some strips okay to test
one put your blood on. You may
378
00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:49.880
even have some tablets or snacks in
case of a low. But I have
379
00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:56.359
never, ever, in my history
of diabetes, ever been advised to carry
380
00:28:56.400 --> 00:29:03.359
insulin needles, a dildo, hand
cuffs, and a gun together. Not
381
00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:07.640
once did a doctor ever say you
need these items to get better. It
382
00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:11.000
also wouldn't make sense, and in
the event of an emergency, just in
383
00:29:11.079 --> 00:29:17.480
practicality, it doesn't make sense in
a diabetic emergency to have it locked up
384
00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:22.680
with a key necessary when time is
of the essence. It doesn't make sense.
385
00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:26.200
That's why aed defibrillators and all that
are just on the wall. We
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00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:30.359
don't need to waste time finding someone
with a key. What if you don't
387
00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:36.519
have the key right? I also
would be pretty embarrassed to have to ask
388
00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:38.400
someone to dig through my dildos and
lube to get to my insulin. So
389
00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:44.960
give me a friggin break, dude, No way. So police decided to
390
00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:48.480
check further into Jeff's life, believing
that there just had to be more to
391
00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:52.319
this, and they found that he
bought that silver Mini van in March.
392
00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:56.599
So Jeff's wife even made mention of
this van, explaining that in March of
393
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twenty thirteen, Jeff insisted that they
needed to buy a mini van for quote
394
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more room, but they didn't have
kids, y'all. So she just found
395
00:30:07.400 --> 00:30:12.200
this to be bizarre. But he
was an adamant that they get a van
396
00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:17.480
and whatever, just being like,
okay, Jeff, whatever, they bought
397
00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:19.400
the van, but what do you
need more room for? What are you
398
00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:26.279
putting in this van that you need
more room. eBay records also showed a
399
00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:30.079
purchase of a safe that was the
same as the one found under the front
400
00:30:30.119 --> 00:30:34.119
seat of that van. So police
were curious about Jeff's whereabouts on the day
401
00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:41.160
of her disappearance, and they already
knew he had lied about what happened the
402
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day of the disappearance. Remember the
oil change, Oh, I don't remember
403
00:30:44.039 --> 00:30:47.400
that, like you wouldn't remember a
world change. So in that respect,
404
00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:51.359
they looked at his phone records and
they found that on the night of Jessica's
405
00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:56.599
disappearance, Jeff attended a card game
at a shop near the gas station,
406
00:30:56.720 --> 00:31:03.640
which, if you remember that witness
brought her friend to a card game,
407
00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:07.640
right, and then she even said
later on, I don't know if I
408
00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:11.759
mentioned this that she kind of was
parked off to the side and she could
409
00:31:11.799 --> 00:31:14.920
actually see the gas station from where
she was parked waiting on her friend to
410
00:31:14.920 --> 00:31:19.440
finish his card game. He drove
a silver Mini van to the game as
411
00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:26.920
well, and then phone records would
place him at eleven twenty three PM near
412
00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:32.759
some property that he owned which had
previously been his grandfather's. This property was
413
00:31:32.759 --> 00:31:36.599
at thirty thirty eight Bailey Street,
so when his grandfather died in twenty eleven,
414
00:31:36.599 --> 00:31:41.359
it was forwarded to Jeff, so
he told police that he was home
415
00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:45.160
until twelve thirty am, so this
simply couldn't have been the case. When
416
00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:49.119
police went to that property, they
found that it was kept locked up with
417
00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:56.079
a padlock. Once inside, they
found a basement that was full of cleaning
418
00:31:56.119 --> 00:32:00.200
products such as bleach, even though
the rest of the house was basically empty.
419
00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:04.759
And guess what they even looked at
the manufacturer dates of the bleach,
420
00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:07.119
and the bleach was a twenty thirteen
bottle of bleach, so he couldn't argue
421
00:32:07.119 --> 00:32:09.200
that it had been there for years
and years and years and years and years
422
00:32:09.200 --> 00:32:13.839
at the time that this was taking
place. Of More interest, too,
423
00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:19.200
was its location in proximity to the
Exxon station where Jessica was working. It
424
00:32:19.359 --> 00:32:27.359
was just about fifteen minutes away.
Also, at one ten am, two
425
00:32:27.519 --> 00:32:34.519
days after Jessica's abduction, phone towers
placed him in a rural area of Manisty
426
00:32:34.680 --> 00:32:39.960
National Park, and interestingly enough,
he then revisited that exact same location again
427
00:32:40.039 --> 00:32:46.920
in July and again in August.
Now, Jeff was known to be a
428
00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:54.440
hunter and an avid snowmobiler, but
y'all, there's no snow in August.
429
00:32:54.680 --> 00:32:59.920
So police brought cadaver dogs, they
did helicopter searches, they even brought it
430
00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:02.960
in infrared searches, but it all
turned up nothing. But come on,
431
00:33:04.039 --> 00:33:07.440
y'all, y'all are crime people like
me? You know? Good and well?
432
00:33:07.160 --> 00:33:09.400
Two days later, at one am
in the morning, he's in a
433
00:33:09.480 --> 00:33:13.880
national park. And then you go
back and you check on it, not
434
00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:17.400
once but twice. What are you
doing? I know what you're doing.
435
00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:28.680
You're trying to go make sure that
your burial site hasn't been disturbed. So,
436
00:33:28.720 --> 00:33:34.680
while this information is circumstantial at best, further investigation would uncover a treasure
437
00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:39.599
trove of evidence that would stun but
police would have to work really hard to
438
00:33:39.640 --> 00:33:44.759
find it. This is crazy.
Okay. Better yet, maybe the police
439
00:33:44.799 --> 00:33:47.319
didn't have to work hard to find
it more than Jeff had to work really
440
00:33:47.400 --> 00:33:52.559
hard to hide it. So once
they were at the property that he owned,
441
00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:58.359
police would have to look in places
you wouldn't readily expect someone to hide
442
00:33:58.440 --> 00:34:00.839
evidence, Okay, typical places you
would hide evidence, I don't know,
443
00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:05.799
in a closet, you know,
maybe in an attic, under a bed,
444
00:34:06.079 --> 00:34:09.199
under a mattress, stuff like that. Well, they went out to
445
00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:16.360
a shed that was on the property, and not easily you know, dissuade.
446
00:34:16.920 --> 00:34:20.639
One of the investigators went in the
shed and he noticed that the ceiling
447
00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:23.480
right you could you could move and
you could see up into the attic of
448
00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:29.800
the shed. So the investigator goes
up there and he starts putting his hands
449
00:34:29.880 --> 00:34:37.679
up there and between the joists he
finds a ziplock bag and he grabs it
450
00:34:37.719 --> 00:34:39.039
and he pulls it down. He's
like, what's this. Okay, me,
451
00:34:39.079 --> 00:34:40.880
I'd be thinking drugs. Okay,
I'm not even gonna lie. That's
452
00:34:40.880 --> 00:34:45.920
exactly where my brain would go.
But he unzips it and he opens it
453
00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:51.119
up and inside of it there's foil, right, So he opens the foil
454
00:34:51.239 --> 00:35:00.480
up and guess what's inside women's panties? Used women panties. Now, I'm
455
00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:06.719
not trying to be gross, but
there is a difference between dirty underwear and
456
00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:10.920
clean underwear, and we all know
it. So I'm going to fast forward
457
00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:14.199
a little bit in the story just
because I want to make this make sense.
458
00:35:14.239 --> 00:35:17.119
Okay, But they're really creeped out
that they find underwear in the joice.
459
00:35:17.320 --> 00:35:21.119
So they take this underwear and they
send it to the crime lab.
460
00:35:22.480 --> 00:35:27.880
Guess whose panties those were? Because
they ran DNA on them. And it
461
00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:31.519
was really neat learning about this because
I never really listened to DNA evidence about
462
00:35:32.199 --> 00:35:36.159
like underwear, I guess, I
mean obviously semen and all that. But
463
00:35:37.119 --> 00:35:39.119
this analyst, it was a male, and he was so professional. It
464
00:35:39.159 --> 00:35:42.920
was really cool. But he said, I decided to swab the inside of
465
00:35:42.920 --> 00:35:46.239
the waist band because I wanted to
see whose DNA was most likely wearing it,
466
00:35:46.320 --> 00:35:51.119
like who would have the majority DNA
in the waistband? And they got
467
00:35:51.159 --> 00:35:55.239
the DNA profile back. Guess whose
underwear it was, y'all? It was
468
00:35:55.320 --> 00:36:04.280
his coworkers. Yes, the same
coworker he stole the gun from. Now
469
00:36:04.280 --> 00:36:10.679
what's crazy about that is that whenever
police had gone to her home, her
470
00:36:10.719 --> 00:36:15.360
dirty laundry basket was in the same
closet that she would have kept the gun.
471
00:36:16.960 --> 00:36:21.079
But when they talked to her,
she said, I've never had him
472
00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:25.559
at my house. He's never been
here, y'all. She was adamant that
473
00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:30.960
man has not been at my house. Police talked to him and he says,
474
00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:34.239
oh, yeah, she gave me
this. She gave me the gun,
475
00:36:34.320 --> 00:36:37.320
she gave me the panties. Well. Too bad for him, though,
476
00:36:37.320 --> 00:36:42.000
because in episode one I told you
that he said he didn't own that
477
00:36:42.039 --> 00:36:45.079
caliber of gun when he was questioned. So why would you lie about it?
478
00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:50.199
Y'all? He broke into that woman's
house, he stole her gun and
479
00:36:50.559 --> 00:37:00.159
her dirty underwear, and even further
testing would find seamen In said on to
480
00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:04.159
where you figure that out what he
was doing with it? Just think about
481
00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:07.159
that for a moment. How did
he know where she lived? This made
482
00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:09.960
my brain start kind of going down
a you know, a rabbit hole here.
483
00:37:10.599 --> 00:37:15.280
How did he know where she lived? How long did he go throughout
484
00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:21.239
her home without her knowledge? How
did he know when she would be gone?
485
00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:24.559
Was he stalking her? And the
answer is obvious, of course,
486
00:37:24.599 --> 00:37:29.440
he was of course he was.
He had time to dig through her dirty
487
00:37:29.480 --> 00:37:36.119
laundry. Hmm. So back at
Willis's house, in the living room,
488
00:37:36.519 --> 00:37:38.159
they ended up removing an air vent. I don't know, I just thought
489
00:37:38.159 --> 00:37:43.000
this was kind of genius because I'm
not sure, you know, just armchair
490
00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:45.320
quarterbacking. It sounds great, right
of course she would look there. I
491
00:37:45.360 --> 00:37:47.480
don't know that I would look in
an air vent necessarily for this type of
492
00:37:47.519 --> 00:37:51.800
crime, but hey, I'm taking
notes. But in the living room they
493
00:37:51.840 --> 00:37:54.199
would have to remove an air vent. And then when they looked inside the
494
00:37:54.239 --> 00:38:00.840
air vent, they located a stud
and on that stud they found an external
495
00:38:00.920 --> 00:38:07.760
hard drive velcrode to it. Okay, row, that's a clue. But
496
00:38:07.880 --> 00:38:15.400
the contents of that hard drive are
disturbing, so they send it for forensic
497
00:38:15.440 --> 00:38:22.239
analysis. And when they looked at
it, y'all, they uncovered folders that
498
00:38:22.280 --> 00:38:28.480
were titled VIX V I C S, which anyone with a brain cell would
499
00:38:28.559 --> 00:38:32.440
understand that that's short for victims.
He titled it VIX, and then within
500
00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:42.239
the VIX folder he had subfolders and
guess what they were, Jessica Heringa and
501
00:38:42.559 --> 00:38:50.840
Rebecca Bletch. The titles of the
folders were their initials, respectively, and
502
00:38:50.920 --> 00:39:00.800
the dates of the crimes against them. So investigators look inside Jasca's folder,
503
00:39:00.199 --> 00:39:06.960
and there were pictures of her,
including her missing, kidnapped flier. There
504
00:39:06.960 --> 00:39:10.320
were also articles, news articles about
her disappearance. And then he had saved
505
00:39:10.440 --> 00:39:17.079
pornographic videos under that folder. I
guess that reminded him of her. And
506
00:39:17.119 --> 00:39:22.039
he had even made remember it had
been years now that they're getting into these
507
00:39:22.079 --> 00:39:25.159
houses, this house and investigating.
He even had made a new folder on
508
00:39:25.400 --> 00:39:30.960
that hard drive on the three year
anniversary of what was believed to be her
509
00:39:30.960 --> 00:39:37.679
death. He was revisiting, he
was revisiting what he had done here his
510
00:39:37.800 --> 00:39:43.840
trophy case, his electronic trophy case. The Bletch folder had a porno in
511
00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:47.199
it, and while that porno was
obviously not Rebecca Bletch, the woman in
512
00:39:47.199 --> 00:39:52.760
the porno looked strikingly like Bletch.
And then there were tons of other photos
513
00:39:53.079 --> 00:39:58.000
of actual Rebecca Bletch that he had
gotten I guess from online in places of
514
00:39:58.039 --> 00:40:06.440
the sort you want to get really
creepy. The computer password on Willis's computer
515
00:40:06.559 --> 00:40:12.320
was even more disturbing, all right. The password was j four twelve seven
516
00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:15.639
h thirteen, which at first glance
you may say Okay, well, it's
517
00:40:15.679 --> 00:40:21.159
just some random numbers and digits.
But that's until it was really analyzed and
518
00:40:21.199 --> 00:40:30.000
a very astute investigator realized that this
password was Jessica's initials J L H and
519
00:40:30.079 --> 00:40:37.039
the numbers in the middle for twenty
seven thirteen was the date after her disappearance,
520
00:40:37.880 --> 00:40:42.440
so it was J four one two
seven h one three, which was
521
00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:52.519
Jessica April twenty seventh, h HERINGA
thirteen. So this made police go,
522
00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:55.840
wait a minute, she may have
been abducted on the twenty sixth, but
523
00:40:55.920 --> 00:41:01.679
I bet her date of death was
the twenty seven because remember, we haven't
524
00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:13.519
found Jessica. That computer also contained
thousands of pornographic images. Among those images
525
00:41:14.239 --> 00:41:19.559
was also a bunch of videos that
had a very specific theme. The themes
526
00:41:19.559 --> 00:41:23.239
of the videos that he downloaded were
the abduction, restraint, rape, and
527
00:41:23.360 --> 00:41:29.519
murder of women. So paying attention
to the videos, it became very apparent
528
00:41:29.519 --> 00:41:37.119
that the videos were done using many
of the same items that they found in
529
00:41:37.199 --> 00:41:42.119
the van when they searched it,
things like the gags and the chains.
530
00:41:43.599 --> 00:41:49.239
So it's like he was downloading these
videos and then emulating them. Videos of
531
00:41:49.280 --> 00:41:53.679
women bound taped and gagged like literally
a woman's worst nightmare, and he's got
532
00:41:54.119 --> 00:42:02.800
thousands of them, So saying this
is horrible, you know, isn't enough.
533
00:42:02.920 --> 00:42:06.880
But I really wondered, And I
don't know if you think like me,
534
00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:08.639
but hey, I'm just being I'm
in open and honest here. I
535
00:42:08.679 --> 00:42:14.280
really wondered what it was like for
a victim to be gagged? Okay,
536
00:42:14.280 --> 00:42:16.440
And I don't mean this in a
creepy sexual way. I just mean,
537
00:42:16.519 --> 00:42:21.280
like, what must it feel like? What must be going through your head
538
00:42:22.159 --> 00:42:29.639
when someone abducts you and then gags
you. So I was researching this,
539
00:42:29.880 --> 00:42:32.960
and y'all, the first thing that
came up on my computer made me sit
540
00:42:34.039 --> 00:42:37.079
back on my couch. And I'm
not even kidding you. I hurt my
541
00:42:37.159 --> 00:42:44.159
own feelings. Like I researched,
and I literally just set my computer down,
542
00:42:44.360 --> 00:42:45.760
dropped my pen, and leaned back
on my couch and was just like,
543
00:42:46.840 --> 00:42:53.599
I cannot believe what just popped up
on my computer. I researched in
544
00:42:53.800 --> 00:43:00.280
very like technical terms. I put
like victim point of view abduction and gag.
545
00:43:00.800 --> 00:43:05.440
I put in victim point of view, or then I put in like
546
00:43:05.519 --> 00:43:13.599
statistics of adult women abducted. I
was being very professional in my research queue
547
00:43:13.599 --> 00:43:19.679
in what I typed and what popped
up. The very first thing that popped
548
00:43:19.760 --> 00:43:24.320
up on my screen said young girl
gagged and tied up with rope and trunk,
549
00:43:25.119 --> 00:43:28.079
which I was like, oh my
god, the blessed you know,
550
00:43:28.119 --> 00:43:30.960
bless this child's heart. But that
wasn't the worst, y'all. What happened
551
00:43:31.280 --> 00:43:37.960
was that it wasn't a video or
a news article about a real child's abduction.
552
00:43:38.679 --> 00:43:45.679
It was a video that was for
sale free delivery, Like, are
553
00:43:45.719 --> 00:43:49.880
you fucking kidding me? It made
me angry that I typed in something very
554
00:43:50.159 --> 00:43:52.440
professional and you know, data driven
is what I was looking for. And
555
00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:55.199
then someone can just make this video, which means they had to use a
556
00:43:55.280 --> 00:43:59.960
child to make the video and then
post it for sale, and it was
557
00:44:00.119 --> 00:44:06.320
right there, boom Google search.
The fact that there is a market for
558
00:44:06.360 --> 00:44:10.199
this shows the absolute depravity of our
world. And I quit looking at that
559
00:44:10.239 --> 00:44:13.079
point. I'm gonna be straight up
with you, I'll quit looking at that
560
00:44:13.119 --> 00:44:16.559
point this world, y'all. I
just I mean, if that's what someone
561
00:44:16.639 --> 00:44:22.480
is into, then these films that
people claim are just fake and harmless,
562
00:44:22.599 --> 00:44:28.719
right that they're selling put in the
hands of the wrong person, specifically a
563
00:44:28.840 --> 00:44:34.079
sexually motivated and excited male. That
is a huge problem. And case in
564
00:44:34.159 --> 00:44:37.800
point, I'm a servant to you
on a platter right now. Jeffrey Willis,
565
00:44:37.880 --> 00:44:43.599
also on his computer, had homemade
voyeuristic videos, so real quick.
566
00:44:43.599 --> 00:44:46.840
If you don't know, voyeurism is
filming someone without their knowledge, usually for
567
00:44:46.920 --> 00:44:52.719
sexual pleasure, basically. And these
films not only had women in them,
568
00:44:52.880 --> 00:44:57.880
but they had young girls. And
if there's anything we know about sex offenders,
569
00:44:57.920 --> 00:45:02.559
it's that they escalate, escalate,
escalate. The location of the films
570
00:45:02.960 --> 00:45:06.360
makes the hair on the back of
my next stand up. Matter of fact,
571
00:45:06.360 --> 00:45:08.719
if you're watching me podcast right now, I have goosebumps. You can
572
00:45:08.719 --> 00:45:15.440
see it. The y'all. The
these videos that he made, he made
573
00:45:15.480 --> 00:45:20.239
them. He didn't purchase them.
They were made not only in public places,
574
00:45:20.920 --> 00:45:27.119
but also in unsuspecting people's homes and
at public events like swim meets.
575
00:45:27.559 --> 00:45:31.199
Now, my daughter's best friend is
a high school swimmer, so I took
576
00:45:31.239 --> 00:45:35.920
this personal. We cheer that baby
girl on. We are so proud of
577
00:45:35.920 --> 00:45:43.159
her and all that she has accomplished. He had fifteen thousand videos at high
578
00:45:43.199 --> 00:45:49.760
school swim meets. Not only did
he have fifteen thousand videos. He had
579
00:45:49.800 --> 00:45:54.239
a special infrared lens that he would
put on his camera which basically made their
580
00:45:54.280 --> 00:46:00.440
swimsuits like see through, and then
he was zooming in and focused seeing on
581
00:46:00.559 --> 00:46:06.000
the breasts and genitalia of these young
girls. These were high school meets,
582
00:46:06.199 --> 00:46:09.400
y'all, and they did further research
on this. He didn't have any family
583
00:46:09.440 --> 00:46:17.639
members there or anything. This means
that he was researching these high schools and
584
00:46:17.679 --> 00:46:23.679
then finding their their swim meet you
know, schedules, and this pervert.
585
00:46:23.800 --> 00:46:28.440
While parents are cheering our kids on
and telling them good job and you can
586
00:46:28.519 --> 00:46:31.119
do this, this pervert is sitting
in the stand zooming in on your child
587
00:46:31.199 --> 00:46:36.679
trying to see through her swimsuit.
It makes me shake. It makes me
588
00:46:36.719 --> 00:46:40.719
so angry. We have to be
aware. We've got to pay attention.
589
00:46:40.760 --> 00:46:45.079
I'm gonna tell you a short story
real quick, just to tell you how
590
00:46:45.119 --> 00:46:47.679
common this is. I was at
a local skate rink and denim springs,
591
00:46:47.679 --> 00:46:50.719
Louisiana, and if you're from here, you'll know where it is. It's
592
00:46:50.760 --> 00:46:57.079
right by that car dealership by the
Interstate, and they were having a birthday
593
00:46:57.079 --> 00:46:59.159
party there a friend of ours,
and so we showed up. We brought
594
00:46:59.159 --> 00:47:02.440
our kids to the birthday party.
There's this play area. Okay, So
595
00:47:04.480 --> 00:47:07.039
I'm sitting in this play area and
I'm just kind of observing and I look
596
00:47:07.079 --> 00:47:13.320
over and I see a man that
was in the play area before our party
597
00:47:13.400 --> 00:47:16.440
showed up. So that would tell
you that when our party showed up and
598
00:47:16.519 --> 00:47:22.239
everyone from the previous party left,
that he shouldn't be there, but he
599
00:47:22.320 --> 00:47:27.000
stayed. And so I'm kind of
like, hmm. It just caught my
600
00:47:27.079 --> 00:47:30.119
attention because I couldn't understand why he
didn't leave. So I go over and
601
00:47:30.199 --> 00:47:32.320
aggravated my husband and I'm like,
hey, you see that guy right there.
602
00:47:32.360 --> 00:47:34.920
You think he's being creepy? And
my husband's like, oh my god,
603
00:47:34.920 --> 00:47:37.039
you think your Bosa creeper or Kelly
just enjoy the party, la la
604
00:47:37.119 --> 00:47:40.119
la la lah. Right. Well, I couldn't let it go, so
605
00:47:40.639 --> 00:47:43.519
I went to the host of the
party and I was like, hey,
606
00:47:43.599 --> 00:47:45.320
girl, who's that man right there. She's like, oh, I don't
607
00:47:45.320 --> 00:47:49.239
know. He's been sitting there in
the play area. Mind you, little
608
00:47:49.239 --> 00:47:52.639
girls in their little birthday dresses running
around, slide and playing in the ballpit
609
00:47:52.679 --> 00:47:55.800
and all that. Huh. So
I just kind of slowly went through the
610
00:47:55.960 --> 00:47:59.719
people that were at the party.
Hey, you know that is? Nope?
611
00:47:59.760 --> 00:48:02.199
You know who that is? Nope. So finally it started making me
612
00:48:02.239 --> 00:48:04.960
mad. Nobody knows who the hell
you are, and you're all up in
613
00:48:04.960 --> 00:48:07.280
our birthday party. So I walked
over to him and I was like,
614
00:48:07.280 --> 00:48:10.400
excuse me, who are you here
for? And he's like, oh,
615
00:48:10.480 --> 00:48:13.719
I'm just waiting on my granddaughter.
I said, oh, is she at
616
00:48:13.719 --> 00:48:19.360
this party? Yeah? Okay,
well whose party is she at? And
617
00:48:19.400 --> 00:48:22.920
he goes, uh, well,
I think they're over there. Actually,
618
00:48:22.920 --> 00:48:23.239
I think I'll get up and go. I said, yeah, I think
619
00:48:23.239 --> 00:48:27.840
that's a good idea. So he
got up and he walked off. Well
620
00:48:27.840 --> 00:48:30.639
it just wasn't enough, I'm telling
y'all pissed me off to no end because
621
00:48:30.639 --> 00:48:34.679
there was no reason why you wouldn't
have been following your granddaughter, you know
622
00:48:34.679 --> 00:48:36.880
what I'm saying, Like the way
that the layout of this building was.
623
00:48:37.119 --> 00:48:39.639
So I went out of the party
because I'm I'm I'm crazy like that.
624
00:48:39.679 --> 00:48:43.360
I guess I don't know. And
I followed him and I just kind of
625
00:48:43.360 --> 00:48:45.199
watched him from a distance. He
never went and talked to a kid.
626
00:48:45.639 --> 00:48:49.000
He never went and sat down by
a little girl. He never went and
627
00:48:49.000 --> 00:48:52.880
bought a drink. He just sat
there, watching and he would move about
628
00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:57.159
and watching, And so I went
up to the counter and I said,
629
00:48:57.239 --> 00:48:59.679
let me tell you something. Now. That man says he's here with somebody.
630
00:48:59.840 --> 00:49:02.159
I haven't seen him talk to a
child in the last hour and thirty
631
00:49:02.239 --> 00:49:07.039
minutes, and I think you have
a problem on your hands. So I
632
00:49:07.119 --> 00:49:09.079
went back up to him and I'm
like, dude, where's your granddaughter?
633
00:49:09.679 --> 00:49:14.039
And he was like, uh,
and he walked outside of the building.
634
00:49:14.079 --> 00:49:15.960
But then he sat down outside of
the building. He never went to his
635
00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:20.559
car, he never left. Bingo, motherfucker. You don't have anybody here.
636
00:49:20.719 --> 00:49:22.519
You're sitting here watching kids. And
they ended up calling the police on
637
00:49:22.599 --> 00:49:29.920
him. I'm telling you, I
don't I don't have any room for that.
638
00:49:30.679 --> 00:49:31.840
And if you're here and you have
a reason to be here, then
639
00:49:31.880 --> 00:49:36.239
tell me. And that's fine,
but I feel obligated as my children's mother.
640
00:49:36.880 --> 00:49:38.920
I feel obligated that you need to
explain to me while you're here and
641
00:49:38.960 --> 00:49:43.519
when you don't have a reason to
be here. Kick bricks, motherfucker.
642
00:49:44.920 --> 00:49:49.599
All right. Back to Jeff though, So this means that he purposefully put
643
00:49:49.679 --> 00:49:55.960
himself in a position to film children
one video on this computer that he had
644
00:49:57.320 --> 00:50:01.960
was of his neighbor's children. And
they weren't shot from far away. Okay,
645
00:50:02.199 --> 00:50:06.039
they weren't like across the street or
next door or something like that.
646
00:50:06.199 --> 00:50:09.760
No, he literally was creeping up
at night to their house and he was
647
00:50:09.880 --> 00:50:15.480
filming up close through the blinds,
and he was specifically filming the young girls
648
00:50:15.559 --> 00:50:21.960
undressing. And that is horrifying to
think about a grown man lusting after your
649
00:50:22.039 --> 00:50:27.159
children within close proximity of your home
and you have no clue. Think about
650
00:50:27.159 --> 00:50:30.079
your kids, y'all riding their bikes
in the neighborhood today, they're being watched.
651
00:50:30.119 --> 00:50:35.840
Everybody sees them, and they're watching
you. They're watching your children without
652
00:50:35.880 --> 00:50:38.280
your knowledge. And I'm not saying
everybody, but the wrong people. They're
653
00:50:38.320 --> 00:50:44.880
everywhere. The wrong people are everywhere, y'all. So basically, it seems
654
00:50:44.880 --> 00:50:47.119
to me like Jeff used the abduction
videos he had, you know, he
655
00:50:47.159 --> 00:50:52.559
had downloaded, and he was using
those as his research for his common plan.
656
00:50:52.360 --> 00:50:55.480
After he finished researching what he liked
and what turned him on, he
657
00:50:55.519 --> 00:51:00.880
went about gathering the tools like the
ones in those pornographic videos. This was
658
00:51:00.960 --> 00:51:05.159
clearly part of his planning and his
preparation for the abduction, the rape and
659
00:51:05.159 --> 00:51:07.599
the murder of young women. And
something else that stood out to me,
660
00:51:07.639 --> 00:51:15.920
and it never made it into the
official record, was that police found a
661
00:51:15.960 --> 00:51:22.519
specific video and it was described as
the roadside abduction video. So was this
662
00:51:22.639 --> 00:51:27.599
his inspiration for the bletch murder?
Because he sure liked the video he had
663
00:51:27.599 --> 00:51:32.400
downloaded. Also in the shed they
found a camera bag and inside there was
664
00:51:32.440 --> 00:51:37.760
a printed list of US serial killers
five pages long to be exact, and
665
00:51:37.800 --> 00:51:42.039
there was a hashtag next to certain
names, and they were named the Toolbox
666
00:51:42.119 --> 00:51:46.119
Killers. This was Lawrence Bittaker and
Roy Norris who were known in nineteen seventy
667
00:51:46.199 --> 00:51:52.880
nine to have kidnapped, tortured,
raped, and murdered five girls. A
668
00:51:52.960 --> 00:52:00.280
tape was also found in that bag, and on that tape was recorded voicemails.
669
00:52:00.880 --> 00:52:05.880
It was the recordings of the police
looking for his wife, shar Willis
670
00:52:06.320 --> 00:52:08.960
to call them. So, if
you remember in episode one, I mentioned
671
00:52:08.960 --> 00:52:13.519
that police had tried to contact her
but she never called them back. Well,
672
00:52:13.559 --> 00:52:15.639
now it was all starting to make
a lot more sense. She never
673
00:52:15.920 --> 00:52:21.119
got those messages. He beat her
to it. He recorded them as part
674
00:52:21.159 --> 00:52:24.159
of his trophy box, and then
he deleted them, but he had them
675
00:52:24.159 --> 00:52:29.440
recorded on that video on that cassette
tape and police were able to hear them.
676
00:52:30.239 --> 00:52:32.920
They also found a checklist for the
items that were in the toolbox,
677
00:52:34.400 --> 00:52:38.559
in the car or in the van. What was rather creepy was the note
678
00:52:39.039 --> 00:52:45.079
that was written. One of the
notes that was written included additional items of
679
00:52:45.159 --> 00:52:51.559
women's specific clothing, and this clothing
was specific to what Jessica was known to
680
00:52:51.599 --> 00:52:53.800
wear to work, one of them
being like this hoodie that she always wore
681
00:52:54.400 --> 00:52:59.960
and whenever they did testing of the
handwriting, it was confirmed that that was
682
00:53:00.079 --> 00:53:06.360
Jeffrey Willis's handwriting. Remember when he
told that female witness that was at the
683
00:53:06.360 --> 00:53:10.400
gas station not to worry her customers
were watching her. Well, he couldn't
684
00:53:10.440 --> 00:53:19.559
have been more literal. Police also
spoke to Jeffrey Willis's coworkers and they mentioned
685
00:53:19.599 --> 00:53:22.840
some information that seemed interesting considering what
they had all they had uncovered. They
686
00:53:22.880 --> 00:53:28.639
recalled that jeff had been coming to
work back then with deep scratches on his
687
00:53:28.760 --> 00:53:32.159
face and his arms, and the
timing of those scratches would matter because it
688
00:53:32.199 --> 00:53:38.320
was shortly after Jessica's disappearance. Remember
it's been a few years now, since
689
00:53:38.400 --> 00:53:44.559
Jessica's disappearance and this case certainly wasn't
cold, it just wasn't solid until that
690
00:53:44.639 --> 00:53:47.519
teenager jumped from that van, sparking
the link between the van and the two
691
00:53:47.639 --> 00:53:53.119
cases. And something else that would
now work to the police's advantage was that
692
00:53:53.199 --> 00:53:59.159
when time changes and time goes on, so does marital status. An old
693
00:53:59.199 --> 00:54:04.719
Jeffrey Boy had divorced in the meantime, so when people spoke to his ex,
694
00:54:04.920 --> 00:54:08.840
Charlene, she gave some information that
seemed to mimic what his coworkers were
695
00:54:08.840 --> 00:54:14.840
saying. Charlene told him that she
was gone to church functions a lot,
696
00:54:15.679 --> 00:54:17.719
and that he never wanted to attend
with her. She seemed like a good
697
00:54:17.760 --> 00:54:23.119
woman, y'all, she just married
a psycho. She said that he quote
698
00:54:23.280 --> 00:54:29.159
just wasn't into church other than a
major holiday every now and then. And
699
00:54:29.199 --> 00:54:34.119
she also mentioned that she knew he
had videotaped the neighbor's kids one time.
700
00:54:34.519 --> 00:54:37.360
But I don't think that she was
complicit in that. I think she just
701
00:54:37.400 --> 00:54:42.559
didn't realize that, you know,
what she was dealing with. Eventually,
702
00:54:42.599 --> 00:54:47.400
though, she said that he came
home with scratches on his back and on
703
00:54:47.440 --> 00:54:52.360
his legs. But she suspected that
he was cheating in their marriage, and
704
00:54:52.400 --> 00:54:58.639
so in twenty eleven they parted ways
they divorced. But what she thought was
705
00:54:58.760 --> 00:55:04.400
cheating may have also very likely have
been the remnants of a woman fighting for
706
00:55:04.440 --> 00:55:09.599
her life. What people knew for
certain was that Jeffrey Willis had an mo
707
00:55:10.000 --> 00:55:15.800
a modus operandi, a common scheme
or plan to kidnap, sexually, assault
708
00:55:15.880 --> 00:55:19.840
and murder young women. He killed
Rebecca Bletch, he tried to kidnap the
709
00:55:19.880 --> 00:55:22.800
teenage girl, and now he was
placed at the disappearance of Jessica Hearinga.
710
00:55:22.920 --> 00:55:29.719
But what happened This is what the
police came up with based on the eyewitnesses.
711
00:55:30.199 --> 00:55:37.239
Jeff was stalking Jessica that night and
probably prior to On the night of
712
00:55:37.239 --> 00:55:40.800
her disappearance, he engaged her in
conversation close to closing time, maybe to
713
00:55:42.159 --> 00:55:45.760
lower her guard, and near closing
time he returned to the scene. At
714
00:55:45.760 --> 00:55:51.039
some point he took her and he
forced her out the back door, and
715
00:55:51.119 --> 00:55:54.320
he likely did this at gunpoint.
But at some point between exiting the store's
716
00:55:54.360 --> 00:55:59.440
back door and getting into his van, they struggled and he struck her with
717
00:55:59.480 --> 00:56:04.239
the gun to make her comply.
This is believed to be the case due
718
00:56:04.280 --> 00:56:07.199
to that blood that was found on
the ground. And then remember they found
719
00:56:07.239 --> 00:56:12.320
a laser site, a set of
two batteries, and the laser site case
720
00:56:12.400 --> 00:56:16.679
covering on the ground. See this
is what they later found out. When
721
00:56:16.679 --> 00:56:22.320
the gun had been stolen from Jeff's
coworker, she said that the gun had
722
00:56:22.320 --> 00:56:25.119
that very same site on top.
So they went back to the sale of
723
00:56:25.159 --> 00:56:29.800
the weapon. They researched who sold
it, and when they went back and
724
00:56:29.840 --> 00:56:32.719
looked, they were able to verify
that that in fact was the case and
725
00:56:32.760 --> 00:56:37.920
that the gun was sold stock that
way, the same gun that killed Rebecca
726
00:56:37.960 --> 00:56:44.400
Bletch was the one used to kidnap
and eventually kill Jessica hearing A, and
727
00:56:44.440 --> 00:56:47.159
it was the same gun that was
found in the rape, kidnap kits in
728
00:56:47.199 --> 00:56:53.880
the van. Now, Jessica's body
has never been found to this day.
729
00:56:54.000 --> 00:56:59.199
She also has never contacted her son
since the day of her disappearance, nor
730
00:56:59.320 --> 00:57:05.400
used any other method of communication or
financial transaction, so what Jeff Willis did
731
00:57:05.400 --> 00:57:08.639
with her isn't known, but there
is hope that she still may be found
732
00:57:08.679 --> 00:57:15.519
one day. Jeff's own cousin,
Kevin Bloom, wouldn't help Jeff's case much
733
00:57:15.599 --> 00:57:21.079
either, because he actually called a
detective saying he had information on Jessica.
734
00:57:21.920 --> 00:57:25.280
Now this is a little grainy because
it's an interrogation clip, but I want
735
00:57:25.280 --> 00:57:30.079
you to listen to what he had
to say when police were interrogating him.
736
00:57:30.280 --> 00:57:32.000
I got upstairs and then I said, to the bottom of the set and
737
00:57:32.039 --> 00:57:37.199
nineteen that girl. Okay. At
first I said, cool, she was
738
00:57:37.239 --> 00:57:40.400
dead. Okay, how do you
know? She was saying? She was
739
00:57:40.440 --> 00:57:45.599
just how movement and what else?
Told you she was at her color?
740
00:57:46.800 --> 00:57:57.599
Just credit for me? You know, everyone might Her hair was here in
741
00:57:57.639 --> 00:58:02.679
her back and her arms are over
like this, and I don't know what
742
00:58:02.800 --> 00:58:07.199
he had high He says, uh, this is atis and girls. Essa.
743
00:58:07.639 --> 00:58:10.039
We put her in here summer and
then keep setting meat here. How
744
00:58:10.039 --> 00:58:15.159
did you put her in there?
We buried her in the sheet. You
745
00:58:15.159 --> 00:58:17.000
guys can't how did you bury her
in the sheet? I helped him,
746
00:58:17.000 --> 00:58:21.119
and he said he was going her
my wife. Okay, it's truer in
747
00:58:21.199 --> 00:58:24.920
like that. She's hit and I
was scared, and he said, you
748
00:58:25.119 --> 00:58:30.280
keep touched up on email A good
boy. But then after he seemingly gets
749
00:58:30.320 --> 00:58:34.679
all of this off of his shoulders, I guess he started to freak out
750
00:58:34.719 --> 00:58:37.920
a little bit and do some thinking, and he goes back to police,
751
00:58:37.960 --> 00:58:42.599
and then he completely recants that statement. I'm tired and my bass is down,
752
00:58:42.760 --> 00:58:46.360
and and I liked that I are
seeing jests enough and just never called
753
00:58:46.480 --> 00:58:51.400
me. I'm going him right now. Regardless of what he says in that
754
00:58:51.480 --> 00:58:54.239
recant, the way he tells the
story, watching his body language, I
755
00:58:54.320 --> 00:59:00.800
believe him he was a part of
something there. But they did a search
756
00:59:00.840 --> 00:59:04.679
warrant or a search of the area
that he indicated to them where her body
757
00:59:04.800 --> 00:59:07.280
was, and they didn't find it. But y'all, I mean, finding
758
00:59:07.320 --> 00:59:10.119
a body that's been gone for years
or buried for years isn't always easy.
759
00:59:10.159 --> 00:59:16.199
I mean it's vast area. Without
this so called confession, it didn't matter.
760
00:59:16.239 --> 00:59:20.679
Police felt that they had more than
enough to arrest and charge Jeffrey Willis
761
00:59:20.679 --> 00:59:23.519
with Jessica hearing his murder, he
was picked up during a traffic stop and
762
00:59:23.559 --> 00:59:29.440
he was promptly arrested so he would
stand trial for the killing of Rebecca Bletch
763
00:59:29.599 --> 00:59:32.920
on November two, twenty seventeen,
and it would take the jury less than
764
00:59:34.000 --> 00:59:38.599
ninety minutes to convict him of first
degree murder and fell any firearm. He
765
00:59:38.599 --> 00:59:44.760
would then stand trial for the twenty
thirteen kidnapping and murder of Jessica hearing A
766
00:59:44.760 --> 00:59:47.760
about a year later, and on
May sixteenth, twenty eighteen, he would
767
00:59:47.800 --> 00:59:53.360
be convicted of both and he was
sentenced to life in prison. Now it
768
00:59:53.360 --> 00:59:55.599
can't end there real quick, y'all. I gotta tell y'all this. He
769
00:59:55.719 --> 01:00:01.599
of course played the victim after the
convictions, and he'd he blamed everyone but
770
01:00:01.840 --> 01:00:09.639
himself. Supposedly. He says there
were sleeping jurors. There's a bloodthirsty public
771
01:00:10.360 --> 01:00:15.840
that's rich coming from him, right, and a terrible public defender. He
772
01:00:15.960 --> 01:00:22.760
actually spoke upwards of seventeen minutes seventeen
minutes at his conviction, and I'm not
773
01:00:22.800 --> 01:00:24.639
going to play that. I'm not
even going to give him the platform for
774
01:00:24.719 --> 01:00:29.599
it. He was heard loud and
clear when the jury weighed and measured him
775
01:00:29.960 --> 01:00:34.360
for who he really was. His
cousin, just so you know. Two
776
01:00:34.440 --> 01:00:37.760
follow up was charged with multiple things, including accessory after the fact as well
777
01:00:37.800 --> 01:00:42.400
as lying to the police, but
he pled the fifth and he wouldn't testify
778
01:00:42.760 --> 01:00:46.519
at Willis's trial, and he served
four hundred and seventy six days in jail
779
01:00:46.800 --> 01:00:52.000
and then was released on January of
twenty eighteen. Jeff remains behind bars,
780
01:00:52.039 --> 01:00:57.639
having had multiple appeals result in nothing. So while this case was certainly about
781
01:00:57.719 --> 01:01:00.960
Jessica hearing A, it has evolved
into a story of three women who are
782
01:01:00.960 --> 01:01:05.000
now connected and part of a club
that no one wants to be a part
783
01:01:05.039 --> 01:01:09.119
of, and that's the victim club. It took all three women to solve
784
01:01:09.159 --> 01:01:15.679
each other's cases, and to me, that's just poetic justice. Rebecca's family
785
01:01:15.719 --> 01:01:21.639
said it best. They said,
closure's the wrong word. Answers. Yes,
786
01:01:21.719 --> 01:01:23.800
we're getting them, and in that's
so true. You're not going to
787
01:01:23.880 --> 01:01:28.320
get closure. There's no closure,
there's moving forward, there's no closure.
788
01:01:29.559 --> 01:01:34.440
Rebecca's family also thanked the teenage girl
who jumped out of Jeffrey Willis's moving van.
789
01:01:34.880 --> 01:01:37.920
She set off that chain of events
that no one could have imagined,
790
01:01:37.239 --> 01:01:42.400
and thank god that little girl had
the guts to jump. Her actions that
791
01:01:42.519 --> 01:01:45.480
day were not only life saving for
her, but that teen girl gave answers
792
01:01:45.519 --> 01:01:50.800
to another teen desperate for answers,
and that was the daughter of Rebecca Bletch.
793
01:01:51.760 --> 01:01:57.599
One teen helped another without even knowing. In the moment, Rebecca's family
794
01:01:57.639 --> 01:02:00.880
was also quoted as saying, if
it was not for her, we would
795
01:02:00.880 --> 01:02:04.159
still be looking. I just want
to say thank you to her. She's
796
01:02:04.199 --> 01:02:07.280
a brave, brave little girl.
I'm proud of her as a mother,
797
01:02:07.679 --> 01:02:10.760
and my heart goes out to that
little girl. So even in their worst
798
01:02:10.840 --> 01:02:15.719
moments, a family who lost so
much felt the tug of empathy for another
799
01:02:15.760 --> 01:02:20.559
who survived, And to me,
that's beautiful. A teen's abduction led to
800
01:02:20.639 --> 01:02:25.199
the solving of a roadside murder,
which explains exactly what happened to Jessica heringa
801
01:02:27.639 --> 01:02:35.239
Now after his conviction, Jeff Willis
was asked about the location of Jessica's body
802
01:02:36.079 --> 01:02:42.400
and this was his response. I
don't want to be badgered. I needed
803
01:02:42.519 --> 01:02:46.440
myself. I don't know, multiple
times to multiple people that I didn't do
804
01:02:46.519 --> 01:02:51.519
it. I'm innatt and I don't
know where the body is. Wow,
805
01:02:52.199 --> 01:02:58.679
he doesn't want to be badgered.
Well, Rebecca and Jessica and the teen
806
01:02:58.800 --> 01:03:01.559
that had to jump out of your
moving vehicle didn't want to be badgered either.
807
01:03:04.000 --> 01:03:07.039
They didn't want to be murdered.
How about you tell us where Jessica's
808
01:03:07.039 --> 01:03:12.800
body is so that she can have
a proper burial. But No, you're
809
01:03:12.800 --> 01:03:15.480
not gonna do that, Jeffrey,
because that doesn't serve you, So it
810
01:03:15.519 --> 01:03:22.559
won't happen. These women mattered and
they all deserve better. So as someone
811
01:03:22.559 --> 01:03:27.159
who kept files on the women he
killed, and he liked to research and
812
01:03:27.199 --> 01:03:30.280
plan his attacks, it sure seems
like he fancied himself an academic of sorts,
813
01:03:30.360 --> 01:03:36.360
right, someone smarter than the police, someone who researched and perfected his
814
01:03:36.480 --> 01:03:40.719
crimes before he committed them. Well, unfortunately, y'all, he was wrong
815
01:03:40.760 --> 01:03:46.719
and he couldn't outsmart the authorities.
He will die behind bars, womanless and
816
01:03:46.840 --> 01:03:52.039
hated by the other inmates because he's
a sex offender. But hey, maybe
817
01:03:52.039 --> 01:03:55.679
he can use his research skills behind
bars and maybe help other inmates on their
818
01:03:55.719 --> 01:04:00.199
own research activities. I mean,
he can even brag there about his intellect,
819
01:04:00.239 --> 01:04:06.000
considering he's going straight to hell on
a full scholarship. H











